News

Baylor University has announced a lead gift by Louise “Lou” Herrington Ornelas of Tyler, Texas, which made possible the purchase of the Baptist General Convention of Texas building in Dallas for use as the new home for Baylor’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing.

Eight Baylor staff members are recipients of the 2015 Outstanding Staff Awards, nominated by Baylor faculty and staff for their exceptional service to the University. Nominees are selected in three categories and must have been employed at Baylor for at least one year.

Baylor students, faculty, staff and alumni have the opportunity to integrate faith, learning and service with a broad Christian view through Baylor Global Missions. Throughout 2015, students will travel to 14 countries, as well as locations in Texas and Washington, D.C.

After nearly 40 years in higher education, Dr. Jon Engelhardt announced his retirement as dean of Baylor’s School of Education last summer. His tenure at the position he has held since 2007 ends with the conclusion of the 2014-2015 academic year.

Baylor University’s Board of Regents voted in April to name the University’s School of Social Work in honor of its inaugural dean, Diana R. Garland, PhD, who has announced she will step down from her position June 1 and return to faculty.

This spring, Baylor continues its legacy of excellence in academic leadership with the appointments of Dr. Todd Still as dean of George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Dr. Michael McLendon as dean of the School of Education and Dr. Gary Mortenson as dean of the School of Music.

Dr. Garland concludes his tenure as interim provost June 1, returning to George W. Truett Theological Seminary as professor of Christian Scriptures. Since last July, he has led the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost in the oversight of all of Baylor’s educational and research programs among its 13 schools and colleges.

Research grants awarded November 2014, totaling $217,797.

Research grants awarded October 2014, totaling $$4,012,459.00.

Research grants awarded September 2014, totaling $619,348.00.

Research grants awarded August 2014, totaling $1,658,164.02.

Baylor faculty and staff publications, presentations and honors compiled in the Winter 2015 issue of BaylorNews.

Former U.S. Congressman Frank Wolf named Wilson Chair in Religious Freedom.

Baylor Associate Professor of Anthropology and Forensic Anthropologist Lori Baker, PhD, was selected as one of nine finalists for the publication's award.

A significant number of Baylor students are pioneers in their families. They are the first to go to college, and as such they are the pride of their parents and a source of inspiration for other students in their communities.

Baylor's aspiration of becoming a community recognized for transformational education already is seeing progress with significant growth in several academic programs and the launch of new opportunities for students.

After serving four months as interim executive director, Cheryl Gochis was named associate vice president for human resources in October. Under Gochis’ leadership, Human Resources hopes to continue improving communication with Baylor faculty and staff.

This spring marks the implementation date for several important new federal mandates to assist colleges and universities in sexual violence prevention, reporting and response under the Title IX Act of 1972.

Patty Crawford never expected to reside in Central Texas. But according to Baylor University’s newly appointed Title IX Coordinator, it was out of her hands.

For four years in a row, The Chronicle of Higher Education has awarded Baylor Honor Roll status as one of the country’s “Great Colleges to Work For.”

Former Baylor University First Lady and Founders Medallion recipient Mary McCall passed away Nov. 13, 2014, at the age of 95.

This summer, the Baylor family will welcome Edwin “Ed” Trevathan, MD, MPH, as executive vice president and provost of the University.

Research grants awarded April 2014 totaling $93,310.45.

Research grants awarded May 2014 totaling $1,444,483.50.

Research grants awarded July 2014 totaling $125,081.

Research grants awarded June 2014 totaling $1,075,766.

Baylor faculty and staff publications, presentations and honors compiled in the Fall 2014 issue of BaylorNews.

When the annual meeting of the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) takes place in mid-November in Waco, hundreds of Baptists from around the state will bring their zeal for the Gospel and their diverse perspectives and interests as gifts to share with one another and to contribute to the collective work of the church. And as a longtime partner with the BGCT, Baylor will be ready to welcome them.

Upon taking the helm of the Texas Hunger Initiative in 2009, Jeremy Everett, M.Div. ’01, said, “With some organization and creativity, hunger in Texas can be alleviated, and I think we’ll be well on our way to that within six years.” He was right, and federal legislators are taking notice.

In 2014, Baylor Missions commissioned 405 students, faculty, staff and alumni to serve in 13 countries as part of 25 different mission teams.

While Baylor’s athletic teams have a history that dates back to the early 1900s, the organization that services and is served by former student-athletes was not an official part of the University for more than 70 years. That changed June 7, 2013, when the Baylor “B” Association officially became an entity of the University.

Landing a great job after graduation takes work. Baylor University now offers a class that prepares students for that process.

Baylor University set new records for freshman, undergraduate and overall enrollment and achieved all-time highs across the board for fall-to-fall retention numbers, according to statistics from Baylor’s Office of Institutional Research and Testing.

In the latest rankings released by U.S. News & World Report, Baylor University climbed to No. 71 among National Universities, achieving the University’s best rating since the publication began ranking institutions beyond the top 50 in 2002. Baylor was ranked 75th by U.S. News in 2013.

Baylor’s largest construction project recently was completed when McLane Stadium hosted the first home football game of the 2014 season. But that does not mean the sounds of workers welding and hammering and the sight of cranes swinging through the skies have faded from campus life.

Baylor’s Board of Regents increased in size June 1 when four members completed their terms of service and seven new regents were welcomed as participants in the University’s governance.

One of the pillars of Baylor’s success over the years has been the excellence of its academic leadership. The University currently is conducting national searches for deans in three of its academic areas to continue that legacy.

Baylor University President and Chancellor Ken Starr made two executive staff appointments during the summer. Starr named Tommye Lou Davis as Chief of Staff to the President and Juan Alejandro Jr., Ed.D., as Interim Vice President of Governance and Risk and Chief Compliance Officer. Both currently serve on the President’s Executive Council.

In mid-March of this year, after having selected Dr. David Garland to serve as Interim Provost and after having asked me to chair the Search Committee to assist in identifying Dr. Elizabeth Davis’s successor, President and Chancellor Ken Starr announced the Provost Search Committee. The selection of this Committee was no mean feat, given that there were over 150 different people nominated by the university community to serve in this capacity.

A lot has changed since 1958. Consider: The Beatles were still known as the Quarrymen, and it was the first year in which more people crossed the Atlantic by air than by sea. One thing that hasn’t changed since then, however, is Dr. Roger Kirk at Baylor University.

Research grants awarded December 2013 totaling $842,057.

Research grants awarded January 2014 totaling $1,978,797.

Research grants awarded February 2014 totaling $516,051.

Research grants awarded March 2014 totaling $538,700.

Baylor faculty and staff publications, presentations and honors compiled in the Spring 2014 issue of BaylorNews.

Music School Dean Returns to Classroom

A variety of ways to make a big impact.

Baylor Begins Online MBA

Mark Newton’s second child, a son, was born in 1997, exactly 100 years after renowned Texas pastor George W. Truett – namesake of Baylor’s Truett Seminary – graduated from Baylor University.

Baylor Joins Select Group to Launch Philanthropy Lab

On February 6, 2014, a historic announcement was made – Dr. Elizabeth Davis, Baylor University’s Executive Vice President and Provost, was named Furman University’s twelfth President.

With a competitive job market and an unpredictable economy, career guidance is in high demand - specifically from college graduates looking to make the most of a hard-earned education. To meet that growing need among Baylor alumni, Career and Professional Development (CPD) is expanding its services to aid alumni.

The first full-length audio files of transcribed interviews in the Baylor University Institute for Oral History are now available for online listening and research.

Baylor University's Center for Family and Community Ministries has developed an online resource designed to assist and empower congregational and ministry leaders.

A gift from Danny and Lenn Prince of Dallas will establish the Danny and Lenn Prince Chair in the Baylor School of Social Work. The Danny and Lenn Prince Chair will greatly enhance Baylor School of Social Work's development of programs to prepare professionals in the field of gerontology.

Baylor University has made extraordinary progress during the presidency of Judge Ken Starr. With his guidance, Baylor's standing as a comprehensive national research university has elevated and more than a dozen new degree programs have been created. In light of the success, the Baylor Board of Regents voted to extend the contract of President Starr, assigning him the new title of "President and Chancellor." He will continue to serve as the University's chief executive officer, but in providing the additional title, the Board has charged the President to work to increase Baylor's influence in the nation and around the world.

Now, through two innovative programs, a select group of students
can increase the benefits of studying
at Baylor - to the power of two, to
be exact.

Baylor's Recent Ranking and Achievements

Waco City Council votes in favor of city-appointed authority; University intends to retain SMG, ClubCorp for stadium services

Located at the corner of Bagby Avenue between Third and Fourth Streets, The Paul L. Foster Campus for Business and Innovation will be home to a new 275,000-square-foot business facility that will expand the size and reach of Hankamer School of Business by nearly 40 percent. The architectural design for the new facility features a highly corporate and sustainable environment, including a centerpiece atrium that will showcase some of the school's signature programs and a 350-seat auditorium to accommodate a wide range of guest lectures and events.

As the clock wound down at Floyd Casey Stadium for the last time on Dec. 7, 2013, a new era began for the Baylor Bears. Not only will football return to campus as McLane Stadium opens for the 2014 season, but the Bears also will take the field as reigning Big 12 Champions, the team's first such title.

At Baylor, there is a profound realization that what happens today deeply impacts the future of our University and our world. Though the sacrifice may feel great at times, faculty and staff serve Baylor with a relentless desire for greatness to be achieved. Whether administrating activities from an office or teaching students in a classroom, each man and woman embodies servant-leadership by generously offering their time and treasure to invest in the lives of Baylor students.

Baylor faculty and staff publications, presentations and honors compiled in the Fall 2013 issue of BaylorNews.

In its latest move to expand its reach to potential ministerial students and meet the changing needs of congregations, Baylor University's George W. Truett Theological Seminary will open an extension campus in Austin in January 2014.

In June, Baylor University received a $35 million gift from Paul L. Foster, BBA '79, of El Paso, which represents the largest gift from a living alumnus in Baylor's history. Foster's gift will support the University's campaign to construct a new 275,000-square foot facility - to be named the Paul L. Foster Campus for Business and Innovation - which will house Baylor's Hankamer School of Business. His gift will also support Baylor Stadium.

Helping Baylor University students achieve success is the mission of the Paul L. Foster Success Center (PLFSC). Helping them understand exactly what it takes to achieve that success - and to gain that knowledge as soon as possible - is the goal of MAP-Works, an innovative program available to students for the second year this fall semester.

Baylor University has enrolled the most diverse student body in the University's 168-year history and set another overall enrollment record, according to official 12th-day enrollment statistics compiled by the Office of Institutional Research and Testing. The fall enrollment report also shows fall-to-fall retention for last year's class of Baylor freshmen at its highest point ever.

In the latest U.S. News rankings, Baylor at No. 75 is the second-ranked university in the Big 12, behind only the University of Texas at Austin at No. 52. Baylor is the fifth-ranked university in Texas, behind Rice University, UT-Austin, SMU and Texas A&M.

Following extensive discussion with the Waco Foundation and the City of West Long Term Recovery Committee, Baylor University announced in July that $290,716 in total contributions to the Baylor West Relief Fund had been allocated to First Baptist Church of West to aid the remainder of its debris removal project for the residents of West.

The School of Education opened the fall semester in the newly renovated Marrs McLean Science Building.
The 114,000-square-foot facility, which first opened in 1964, underwent a $23 million transformation this past year. The scope of the project included a full renovation of the interior space, including new mechanical and utility services, new walls and room layouts, and all new furnishings. Exterior upgrades include a new glazed and bricked facade and improved landscaping surrounding the facility.

Square footage: 238,715
Beds: 701 (making a total of 5,400 on-campus beds)
Dining hall square footage: 33,750

Originally named Baylor Stadium, the structure that now stands as Floyd Casey Stadium was built in 1950 after a bond sale raised $1.5 million for construction costs. The first game played in the new stadium on Sept. 30, 1950, ended with a 34-7 Baylor victory over University of Houston. Many alumni and friends have contributed time, talent and treasure to make Floyd Casey Stadium a comfortable and functional home of the Baylor Bears for over 63 years.

Last summer Baylor installed two refills station on campus, one on the garden level of Moody Library and the other in the Bill Daniel Student Center. Almost a year later, the stations, which replaced traditional water fountains, have been used more than 22,000 times.

Baylor faculty and staff publications, presentations and honors compiled in the Spring 2013 issue of BaylorNews.

For more than 35 years Baylor has conducted course evaluations at the end of each term to gather feedback from students. This spring approximately 98 percent of those evaluations will be conducted electronically, continuing a transition that began in spring 2011 with a recommendation by a faculty committee to replace paper with electronic course evaluations.

Dr. Christopher B. Howard, president of Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, and Dan Hord III, BBA '89, partner in HEDLOC Investment Co. LLC and Western Property Group of Midland, were elected to the Board of Regents in January. The two will serve for three-year terms.

Eight Baylor staff members are recipients of the University 2012 Outstanding Staff Awards, nominated by Baylor faculty and staff for their exceptional service to the University.

The Texas Hunger Initiative (THI) at Baylor University has received a $3.5 million Community Partnership Program (CPP) contract from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) that will allow THI to develop an innovative statewide public-private partnership to expand access to food and health care for low-income Texas families through community-based research and programmatic activities. The contract is renewable for up to five years.

As many Baylor University students and faculty prepared to head to sunny or snowy destinations for a spring break getaway, Baylor mission teams pursued other plans.
The Office of Spiritual Life sent 113 students, faculty and staff to six domestic and international locations. As many Baylor University students and faculty prepared to head to sunny or snowy destinations for a spring break getaway, Baylor mission teams pursued other plans.
The Office of Spiritual Life sent 113 students, faculty and staff to six domestic and international locations, including:

University researchers began moving into the 330,000-square-foot Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative (BRIC) this spring.

Through Baylor@MCC 45 students in Baylor's fall 2012 entering class were provided a rich educational experience that drew from faculty expertise and experience on both the MCC and Baylor campuses. T

Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III was honored March 12 by both the Texas Legislature and Baylor, which announced the establishment of the Robert Griffin III (RG3) Quarterback Scholarship during "RG3 Day" at the State Capitol.

More than $100 million raised, 190 new endowed scholarships established

In recent weeks, letters and emails from campus liaisons - men and women who have championed care for the Baylor family - have landed in faculty and staff mailboxes introducing the Our Baylor faculty and staff giving campaign, an initiative that will occur each spring.

Welcome to these new Baylor faculty and staff members.

The Veteran Educational and Transitional Services (VETS) Center opened in fall 2012 with the mission to support the academic success of student veterans at Baylor, serve as a resource to veterans and ease their transitions to student life at the University.

Baylor faculty and staff publications, presentations and honors compiled in the Winter 2013 issue of BaylorNews

Best wishes to the following Baylor employees and children or spouses of Baylor faculty and staff who graduated from the University in December 2012.

Baylor Executive Vice President and Provost Elizabeth Davis announced in December the appointment of Dr. Beverly Roberts Gaventa as Distinguished Professor of New Testament Interpretation in the Department of Religion.

The dawn of a new year and a new semester provides an excellent opportunity for the University to focus efforts on the collection of high quality emergency contact information from all faculty and staff.

Members of Baylor Ambassadors, the student organization that represents Baylor to local, state and federal officials, made their annual trip to Washington, DC. in December.

Baylor is engaging faculty and staff with StrengthsFinder, a Strengths program that can help faculty and staff in their professional work lives and relationships.

Dr. Terry S. Maness, dean of Hankamer, and Dr. Truell Hyde, vice provost for research, named Dr. Greg Leman as director of Baylor's IBA in September.

The Innovative Business Accelerator (IBA), a joint venture of the Hankamer School of Business and the Office of the Vice Provost for Research, has gained momentum this semester as BRIC prepares for its first tenants in January 2013.

ach year, students from around the world come to Baylor seeking to experience American college life and culture. At Baylor, they also find a group dedicated to helping them embrace the journey. People Around the World Sharing (PAWS) is a valued program offered by the Baylor Center for International Education for more than 20 years.

Something as simple as a wholesome breakfast can make a world of difference when it comes to a child's education.

Dr. Rufus Spain, emeritus professor of history, stepped down from the position of director for the Baylor University Retired Professors/Administrators Program (RPAP) at the fall luncheon held Sept. 18. Spain also introduced Bill Dube, director of Baylor's endowed scholarship program, as his successor.

Marjorie Ellis is on a mission to help students, faculty and staff understand how plans for life after college begin the moment someone enrolls at Baylor.
Ellis stepped into the new position of executive director of career and professional development (CPD) in November.

As the stadium begins to take shape on the banks of the Brazos, a public fundraising initiative has been launched to help move Baylor Stadium from dream
to reality.