News

As Baylor University celebrates its 175th anniversary in 2020, the Baylor Family has provided tremendous momentum for the University’s $1.1 billion Give Light comprehensive philanthropic campaign.

Nearly 600 Texas business leaders responded to a recent survey conducted by Texas Business Journals and Baylor University on topics related to the state’s business landscape, growth projections, concerns facing businesses and the role of higher education in preparing the workforce and partnering to find solutions to industry challenges.

Baylor Continuing Education is working on an extensive project to create and implement a customized Motivational Interviewing training curriculum designed for those who provide services to children and youth who have been sexually exploited.

baylor.edu/risk/policy
Baylor University’s policy process, once decentralized, is now coordinated through University Compliance and Risk Services, providing a central point for the development, review and approval for University policies.

The Equity Office will now be working closely with the Title IX Office, combining efforts to ensure the Baylor campus is a safe and non-discriminatory learning, living and working environment for all members of the University community.

Recent changes in Texas law affect how employees interact with Title IX. Texas Senate Bill 212 was put into effect at the start of 2020.

Baylor’s Texas Hunger Initiative announced the official launch of the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty which will act as an umbrella entity for efforts to end hunger and poverty in Texas and elsewhere.

Baylor has used a proprietary CMS that was developed in-house in 2003, but now is on course to launch a new content management system on the Drupal web environment.

Baylor Continuing Education introduced a new certificate program for professionals in the nonprofit sector to develop foundational knowledge and skills necessary for effective leadership and service.

In an effort to increase University retention rates, the Paul L. Foster Success Center recently identified some key challenges and goals to implement a plan for student success.

The University Writing Center is a valuable resource for students and faculty alike. A more visible and centrally located space on the second floor of Moody Memorial Library is helping raise awareness of the program.

Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary welcomed its first class of Doctor of Philosophy in Preaching students.

As the fall 2019 semester nears an end, be sure to note some key University dates like Christmas break, the first day of classes for the spring semester and Baylor Founders Day.

The end of the semester can be stressful and difficult for students. Sharing existing campus resources with students can help them with unseen challenges.

Ignite, Baylor’s new cloud-based financial, human resources and grants management system, is an extensive project that will affect faculty and staff across campus.

In the latest 2020 rankings released by U.S. News & World Report, Baylor ranked No. 79 among National Universities, with several programs and opportunities for undergraduates highly rated.

This fall, President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., will be hosting a Baylor Conversation Series focused on civil discourse.

As the fall semester gets underway, the Baylor Family is heading into the second year of the University’s $1.1 billion Give Light comprehensive philanthropic campaign with great momentum.

Baylor has partnered with Common Grounds to stock shelves with coffee that benefits a great cause.

The Store, a food pantry operated by the Paul L. Foster Success Center’s Student Success Initiatives, opened in December 2017 and was recently funded for the 2019-2020 academic year by the Board of Regents.

As the 2019-20 academic year gets underway, the class of 2023 have come to campus only knowing one identifying logo for Baylor University — the interlocking BU.

At the annual Fall Faculty Meeting, Baylor University officially announced its concerted campaign to pursue Research 1/Tier 1 (R1/T1) recognition.

The Baylor Transdisciplinary Undergraduate Research Experience (B-TRUE) Summer Fellows Program sponsors undergraduate fellows to conduct summer research in one of six areas of study to encourage students to solve complex problems through cross-disciplinary research.

In February 2019, Career & Professional Development and Hankamer School of Business Office of Career Management came together to form a central University office that works to ensure each student has the opportunity and support to achieve their career potential.

The College of Arts & Sciences — the largest academic unit of Baylor University with 475 full-time faculty and more than 6,600 students — is celebrating its centennial this year.

Two University professors have been named 2019 Baylor Centennial Professors by the Centennial Faculty Development Review Committee.

A new historical addition to campus – the original Carroll Field Championship Arch – can now be found inside the Bill Daniel Student Center.

Honorees recognized for their exceptional service to the University

2019 Spring Break Missions Recap

A look at recent news of interest around the Baylor campus

Research gazette, publications, presentations and awards by Baylor faculty and staff

Long overdue recognition for Dr. Vivienne Malone-Mayes, Baylor University’s first African American professor, culminated in the unveiling of a 50-pound, two-foot bronze bust in her honor on Feb. 28 in the third-floor lobby of the Sid Richardson Building.

In November 2018, Baylor University celebrated the public launch of Give Light, the institution’s $1.1 billion comprehensive philanthropic campaign, with a lead gift from Mark and Paula Hurd to create the Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center.

Nancy Brickhouse, Ph.D., assumed her role as provost May 1. Dr. Brickhouse will guide the University’s pursuits toward prominence as a Christian research university under Illuminate, Baylor’s academic strategic plan.

Baylor University’s annual Semper Pro Musica Music Solo and Chamber Competition in the Baylor School of Music gives winners a chance to perform at New York City’s Carnegie Hall.

A multi-year effort to unify the Baylor brand across all facets of the University culminated in the launch of the Baylor United campaign, revealing a Nike-led rebranding of the Baylor Athletics programs and a new University Brand Mark.

In the span of 50 years, Baylor Social Work has grown from an academic division within the department of sociology, anthropology, archeology, gerontology and social work to a nationally ranked and renowned school.

Baylor University’s Collegiate Cyber Defense Team trains for real-world IT challenges and cyber security situations. The national Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition sees teams compete and flex skills that have the potential to land them employment opportunities with sponsors such as Walmart, Homeland Security and Splunk.

As Baylor University fosters the growth of innovation in undergraduate and graduate programs through Illuminate – the University's academic strategic plan – data sciences has emerged as a core academic initiative.

Baylor University participated in National Sexual Assault Awareness Month throughout the month of April. The University is committed to supporting survivors and increasing sexual assault awareness. With lighting campus teal, providing resources and hosting interactive events, Baylor showed commitment to proactive advocacy. The events in April showed support, but also aimed to extend awareness and provide resources beyond just one month of the year.

Congratulations and condolences in the Baylor family

Welcome to these new Baylor staff members

The Texas Department of Transportation, the City of Waco and Baylor University are preparing for the first phase of a major, multi-year construction project on Interstate 35, which will significantly affect the University for the duration of the project.

There are more than 4,600 higher education institutions in the country with only 130 achieving R1 status, a prestigious recognition by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education naming universities with the highest level of research activity. Within the next 10 years, Baylor aspires to be among those named. A recently created Illuminate Steering Committee has taken the next steps toward making that happen by soliciting from faculty innovative and strategic proposals to contribute to the University’s ambitious research goal.

Baylor’s Department of Public Safety recently approved a new Traffic, Transportation, and Parking Policy for the University. One of the most notable inclusions in the policy is the prohibition of texting while driving or cycling on campus, unless hands-free technology is used. Already a law under the Texas Transportation Code, no texting while driving is also now an offense on Baylor’s roadways and may result in a Baylor citation.

A look at recent news of interest around the Baylor campus

Congratulations and condolences in the Baylor family

Best wishes to the following Baylor employees and children or spouses of Baylor faculty and staff who graduated from the University in December 2018.

Research gazette, publications, presentations and awards by Baylor faculty and staff

Originally started by film students in 1999, the Black Glasses Film Festival has grown into an annual event sponsored by the film and digital media department to give students an opportunity to showcase their films and reach an audience beyond the classroom.

As part of Baylor’s initiative to integrate diverse learning environments on campus and create leaders prepared to engage a global community, the Baylor/Xavier University Exchange Program introduces students to new environments that create an awareness of different institutional and cultural perspectives. Located in New Orleans, Xavier University is an HBCU, which the Higher Education Act of 1965 defines as: “…any historically black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans, and that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency…”

With the launch of the public phase of Give Light in November, the University celebrated the success of a silent phase of the campaign and laid the groundwork for strong philanthropic support for the growth priorities of the University. Fundraising during the silent phase began with the establishment in May 2014 of five-year goals connected to the strategic vision Pro Futuris. Since that time and through January 2019, members of the Baylor Family have given more than $560 million and positioned the University for success in raising a total of $1.1 billion.

Beginning with the 2019-2020 academic year, students working toward any of the four undergraduate degrees certified by the Baylor University College of Arts & Sciences will follow a set of common courses required of all undergraduates. Known as the core curriculum, these courses are considered necessary for the general education of students, irrespective of their choice in major. The new core is designed to impart a shared foundation of knowledge, essential skills and moral and intellectual virtues while providing increased academic flexibility and interdisciplinary learning.

The 2018 Baylor Traditions Ornaments raised more than $50,000 for the benefit of our students and the world they will impact throughout the coming year! Proceeds will provide opportunities for Baylor Engineering and Computer Science students to apply their knowledge, skills and passion to address human needs through their work. From innovations that provide mobility to the disabled to the installation of off-grid power solutions for hospitals, schools and orphanages, and the construction of basic utility vehicles using locally sourced materials to facilitate affordable transportation and economic opportunity, the educational experiences fueled by donor support secured through the Baylor Traditions Ornaments are making a difference for our students and our world.

The national search for a new provost continues to proceed on schedule, and the Provost Search Committee has begun the process of reviewing applications that were submitted by the Jan. 2 deadline. Led by co-chairs Charles Weaver, chair of psychology and neuroscience in the College of Arts & Sciences, and Cindy Riemenschneider, professor of information systems and associate dean in the Hankamer School of Business, the committee identified a short list of candidates in early January, and will select a group of finalists from that list in February.

Upcoming events in and around the Baylor community

Established in 1969 as one of the most distinguished awards given by Baylor, the Founders Medal is reserved for those whose service and contributions have been unusually significant to the life and future of the University. The 2019 Founders Medal is awarded to the City of Waco for its decades-long support of and partnership with
Baylor University.

Baylor's expanding online degree programs offer the academically rigorous education professionals need to get ahead. Programs provide flexible education opportunities and require both field and project work, as well as strategically scheduled immersions.

In October 2018, enhancements to the Baylor Retirement Plan were announced, and faculty and staff were mailed a Transition Guide.

Welcome to these new Baylor staff members

Congratulations on the birth/adoption of your child! Please complete the following form so that we can share this information in the next issue of Baylor News.

This Fall, Baylor launched the Certificate in Global Engagement as part of the new Quality Enhancement Plan, Global Baylor: Addressing Challenges to Human Flourishing.

As more students answer a call to the nursing profession, Baylor University’s historic Louise Herrington School of Nursing (LHSON) in Dallas found itself needing significantly more space for teaching, research and collaboration.

Baylor’s 25 inaugural McNair Scholars are ready to soar, like the program’s namesake Dr. Ronald E. McNair, a laser physicist and NASA astronaut who was inspired to work hard and persevere in his studies by his family and by a teacher who recognized and believed in his scientific potential.

Grounded in our mission, Baylor is embarking on a historic academic strategic plan and comprehensive fundraising campaign to unite and animate the endeavors of the University.

In July, President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., announced the development of Ignite, a new cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) system designed to support Illuminate, the University’s academic strategic plan. A team of staff members has begun working to implement this new software system, which will provide the financial and human resources technological infrastructure to support the University’s future growth.

Student Foundation is gearing up to celebrate its 50th anniversary with an array of festivities slated for the 2019 academic year.

Award-winning author and historian Thomas S. Kidd, Ph.D., has been named the inaugural holder of The James Vardaman Endowed Professorship of History at Baylor University.

Mark (BBA ’80) and Jennifer (BSEd ’80) McCollum of Houston provided a gift of $3.5 million to create the McCollum Family Chair in Data Sciences within Baylor’s nationally ranked School of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS).

Baylor’s Office of the Provost, Faculty of Color Alliance and Campus Diversity Committee are cultivating community for new faculty and staff. Together, the departments hosted the inaugural Faculty and Staff of Color Welcome Reception Sept. 6 in the Baylor Club President’s Suite. The gathering created connections, built faculty and staff friendships and mentorships, celebrated diversity and honored this year’s Diversity Enhancement Award winner.

Title IX Coordinator Laura Johnson, Ph.D., said she knows this all too well since she’s lived it — as a resident director paying her way through graduate school. For Johnson, the daily encounters with students in the dorm fostered her holistic perspective of students — and redirected her career path. Rather than care for clients as a counselor would, Johnson found her calling to care for students in higher education.

Successful phishing attacks have compromised over 650 Baylor accounts since August 30. "Phish" are email or text messages that employ a variety of strategies to compel people to divulge access credentials or other pertinent information. While not a new approach to cybercrime, phishing has evolved to the point where it is often difficult to discern the authenticity of a message.

One thing is certain — the Baylor Family generously gives to current and future generations of Bears. The inaugural Giving Day, which ran from noon Aug. 28 to noon Aug. 29, was an incredible success and raised a total of $521,568 through 2,713 gifts dedicated to projects across the University.

Martin Museum of Art has reopened after extensive renovations this summer. The noticeable changes to the Museum will be a new entrance and reception area, but behind the walls, more changes have been made to ensure the safety and security of the artwork. The updates include a new HVAC and humidity control system, fire suppression system for secure storage, lighting and security system.

The latest enrollment, undergraduate retention and graduation rates showcase Baylor’s strength. The Office of Institutional Research and Testing (IRT) released the 12th class day statistics Sept. 6, which announced the official enrollment for the fall semester at 17,217 students, including 14,188 undergraduate students and 3,029 graduate and professional students.

New voices Bruce Gietzen and Maggie Davis-Stinnett take the helm

Dr. Monique Marsh-Bell has worked at Baylor for seven years. In November 2011, she started in the Counseling Center as a post-doctoral fellow. Since then, she has served as a staff psychologist, coordinator of multicultural services, senior psychologist and assistant director of community and diversity programming. After six years at the Counseling Center, Marsh-Bell is now the assistant athletic director for mental health services.

A look at recent news of interest around the Baylor campus

Best wishes to the following Baylor employees and children or spouses of Baylor faculty and staff who graduated from the University in August 2018.

Welcome to these new Baylor staff members

Information provided by the Baylor Office of Sponsored Programs

The University celebrates recent Baylor employees and children or spouses of Baylor faculty and staff graduates.

Welcome to these new Baylor staff members.

Information provided by the Baylor Office of Sponsored Programs.

Information provided by the Baylor Office of Sponsored Programs.

The University continues to embrace diversity, and increases initiatives to support students, faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds.

Journey to the classroom with history professor, Julie Anne Sweet, PhD, to learn about the ways she tells stories to her students.

The University increases online graduate professional programs to cater to working professionals.

Here's a look at events on campus this fall.

A look at recent news of interest around the Baylor campus.

A look at how the Career and Professional Development Center seeks to sharpen students for success.

Students' light shine around the world, while they serve others this summer.

Three students honored with Fulbright Awards.

The University honors professors for excellence in the classroom, through scholarship and in the lives of students.

A preview of Baylor's incoming freshmen.

The University increases opportunities to serve students through two generous gifts.

Baylor's faculty and staff generously give more to the University.

President Linda A. Livingstone, PhD, reflects on her first year of leading the University.