News

Baylor hosted the nation’s first collegiate homecoming event in 1909, and even after a year “off” due to COVID-19, I can tell you that our campus is abuzz this week as current students are enjoying many Baylor Homecoming traditions and preparing for the return of tens of thousands of alumni and friends to Waco this weekend.

Next week is Homecoming 2021! We have a fun student tradition to kick off Homecoming Week called “Dinner with the Livingstones,” and I want to invite all students to join the First Gent and me at Allbritton House on Tuesday from 6-8 p.m.

Earlier today I had the opportunity to testify before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce of the Committee on Energy and Commerce in Washington, D.C., regarding many of the challenges facing intercollegiate athletics.

Tomorrow will be an exciting time as we highlight Baylor research in a day-early celebration of National Research Administrator Day. Throughout Friday, you will see stories on social media highlighting our outstanding faculty, and I hope you will consider sharing some of them to amplify the news of Baylor’s incredible research.

I am officially declaring this week as “The Week of Good News” for Baylor! Beginning last Friday with the additions of BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston to the Big 12 Conference, we’ve been on a roll with several positive developments related to the University:

Sept. 11 will forever be remembered as an important day in U.S. history as terrorists attacked our homeland and threatened our safety, security and the freedoms we hold dear.

I know the events of the past week — from the U.S. military’s departure from Afghanistan abroad to the devastation and hardships created by Hurricane Ida closer to home — have left many members of the Baylor Family feeling deep pain and heartache.

You may have seen Waco Mayor Dillon Meek's quote yesterday that our local healthcare system is near "the brink of collapse" due to COVID-19. As I participated in a call with our community leaders yesterday morning, it has become clear – the local hospital situation is indeed dire. As of Wednesday morning, all 54 intensive care unit beds in McLennan County were in use, with 45 being filled by COVID-19 patients. Health officials reported that 92.4% of the currently hospitalized patients were unvaccinated.

It’s finally here – the start of the fall semester! The First Gent and I enjoyed meeting so many of our incoming students and their families as part of Move2BU, although I must admit that my back is a little sore!

We are in the homestretch! Only 11 more days until we begin the fall semester at Baylor. It is an incredibly exciting time for everyone, and I can’t wait to see our students back on campus and throughout the Waco community.

As I reflect over the past couple of weeks and the whirlwind of uncertainty relating to intercollegiate athletics, a few things have resonated with me during conversations with members of the Baylor Family, testifying in front of the Texas Senate’s select committee and discussions with others across the country.

The countdown continues – 25 days until the start of the fall semester on Aug. 23. Wow! Our faculty and staff have been diligently preparing for the return of our students for what promises to be an exciting semester.

Time is certainly flying as we enter the final stretch of summer. In fact, we have only 32 days until fall classes begin at Baylor University! Our faculty, staff and I look forward to welcoming everyone back to our beautiful campus.

I don’t know about you, but the summer is really beginning to accelerate. Looking at my calendar, we are only 53 days from the first day of classes (Aug. 23) on the Baylor University campus!

As we have many visitors to Waco for Orientation, Line Camp and tours over the summer, I am reminded what a mess the “front door” to our campus is with the I-35 construction. Yes, Chip Gaines, “It’s Demo Day!”

It didn't take long for summertime to arrive in Waco. With temperatures in the mid-to upper-90s this week, I am longing for the unseasonably cool temperatures and torrential downpours that we experienced in late May and early June (well, maybe not the torrential downpours!). Stay hydrated and wear sunscreen – 100-degree temperatures will arrive before we know it!

New beginnings! This summer has marked new beginnings on so many fronts as we emerge from COVID-19, and, as a university, move toward a normal fall semester.

Here at Baylor University, we place great importance on the safety and security of our campus, not only through our professional Department of Public Safety, but also through our physical infrastructure, such as security cameras and other emergency and safety systems, training and education for all students, faculty and staff, and clear policies and procedures that together help provide a safe environment for all members of the University community.

As we anticipate the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, I join the Baylor Family in remembering and honoring all of the brave men and women who have given their lives to protect our nation throughout our history as a people and for the benefit of future generations.

What a year it has been here at Baylor! The end of the spring semester provides a good time to reflect on all the Baylor Family has accomplished, despite the many challenges we’ve faced.

It took me a few days, but I finally recovered from six Commencement ceremonies over three days as we recognized the Classes of 2020 and 2021 last week at McLane Stadium.

Congratulations to the 3,649 graduates of the Classes of 2020 and 2021 who are participating in Commencement ceremonies today through Saturday at McLane Stadium!

As we prepare for the last leg of the semester with final exams beginning tomorrow, I am reminded once again about what a remarkable journey we have been on this spring. It truly has been a marathon!

This week we have collectively witnessed a pivotal moment in history and a critically important step in our nation’s journey to acknowledge and address racism by taking active steps to protect the rights of every person. The Chauvin verdict cannot be seen as an end, but as a beginning.

As the spring semester calendar winds down, I know our students are racing toward the academic finish line as they complete assignments, wrap up group projects and prepare for final exams.

What an exciting week this has been for the Baylor Family! Congratulations to men’s basketball coach Scott Drew, his staff and our student-athletes for winning the national championship over Gonzaga Monday night in Indianapolis.

I hope you have had the opportunity to review and reflect on the Report of the Commission on Historic Campus Representations that was shared with the Baylor Family on Tuesday. We are truly grateful for the thoughtful, prayerful and thorough work of the Commission, whose 26 members faithfully considered and embraced Baylor’s Christian mission and an “additive approach” as they discerned recommendations about how best to communicate and reflect the complete history of Baylor University.

Since I became a university president, I rarely have the opportunity to assign homework. But as we prepare for the release of the report from the Commission on Historic Campus Representations on Tuesday, I strongly encourage you to watch all three of the Baylor Conversation Series events: “Perspectives on Our History.” These distinguished panels provide context about slavery in the United States, in Texas and among Texas Baptists during the time of Baylor’s founding in the mid-1800s.

As a former college basketball student-athlete, March Madness is my favorite time of the year. And all of us who fling the green and gold afar should be extra excited this year as our Big 12 Champion men’s AND women’s basketball teams begin play in their respective conference tournaments.

The health and well-being of our campus community is our top priority, particularly as the COVID-19 pandemic wears on and we near the end of the spring semester.

The challenges of last week’s Winter Storm Uri placed a tremendous burden on our state, city and campus. Loss of power and water, property damages because of burst pipes, families bunkering down in warming shelters and interruptions to the food supply chain added to the collective traumas we continue to endure as a community in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This has certainly been a week like no other I can recall with record-setting cold and snow for the second time in a year – in Waco! Nearly half of homes in and around our city are without power, both from lines that have fallen and rolling outages to ensure the stability of the state’s power grid.

It is with great sadness that I share with you the news that one of our dedicated Aramark team members recently lost his life in a battle with COVID-19. We grieve with the family of Mr. Soto and with our Aramark family who so wonderfully add to the beauty of our campus and support our students, faculty and staff. Please join me in praying for the Soto family during this difficult time, and commit with me to do everything we can to protect one another against COVID-19. Our fight against this terrible virus is not yet over.

As we shared via Baylor Alert earlier today, due to winter weather conditions, we closed our Waco campus at 2 p.m. through all-day tomorrow. Classes for the rest of today and tomorrow will shift to remote instruction. Please take every precaution and be safe as you travel around campus and home today.

As we all continue navigating what remains a difficult and stressful time for our country and Baylor University — amid the uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing political and social justice tensions — I am reminded of the following passage in Hebrews: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together (even virtually, due to COVID-19), as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another” (Hebrews 10:24-25).

It’s “birthday season” here on campus this week!

It’s so wonderful to see our students out and about – even in the rain early this week – as they make their way across our beautiful campus to their classes. Our spirit is renewed as we delight in the promise of a new semester and look forward with great hope in our new beginnings.

I am looking forward to Tuesday and welcoming all of you back for the spring semester! First Gent Brad and I (and our dog BU!) have missed the energy and enthusiasm all of you bring to campus. Please know that we are praying for you as you make your way safely home to Baylor.

Happy New Year! I trust that your holidays were relaxing and restful as we celebrated the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

It’s hard to believe that the fall semester has come to a close, which means this will be my last Presidential Perspective until the New Year! I want to express my deepest appreciation to all of you for your hard work and commitment to following our COVID-19 protocols and preventive health measures during the fall.

We are so blessed at Baylor to join together in celebration of Christmas and this season of Advent as we look toward the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ and the promise of Christ’s glorious return. This Advent season has even deeper meaning as I prepare my heart each day by reading and praying over the daily devotionals created by our wonderful faculty, staff, alumni and students.

With Thanksgiving only a week away – and the end of the semester just beyond it – I want to offer my deepest gratitude for the strength of spirit and compassion you have shown to others throughout this fall.

As we look toward Thanksgiving, positive cases and hospitalizations related to COVID-19 continue to increase dramatically across the country and Texas and within Waco-McLennan County. This is the feared “second spike” that so many medical experts predicted at the onset of the pandemic as the weather turns cooler and people spend more time indoors.

Election Day has come and gone, but extended vote counting and the expected delay in results have captured the attention of the nation. As elections are decided, we begin to look to the future and how our country can come together amidst today’s polarized political climate. How can we model post-election civil discourse that bridges political, ideological and theological divides?

Everyone continues to do an incredible job complying with Baylor’s COVID-19 prevention and mitigation initiatives. Just like you, I am weary of all the testing, mask wearing and social distancing, but we must continue to press on for the health not just of ourselves, but of our neighbors and community.

It’s that time of year when many of you feel the weight of the semester, which certainly has been exacerbated by the ongoing effects of COVID-19. Stress and anxiety are felt by all people at varying levels of severity, and each of us reacts differently. Baylor has many resources available to you, and we all should employ helpful ways to manage our health and well-being, such as:

Earlier this week we announced to students that Baylor would be partnering with the City of Waco and McLennan County for COVID-19 surge testing over the next two weeks. This announcement has generated many questions from students and parents alike, so I reached out to two Baylor faculty experts who serve on the University’s COVID-19 Health Management Team to explain the importance of this surge testing effort:

Like so many other things this fall, COVID-19 has brought many changes to Baylor Homecoming – the oldest collegiate homecoming in the nation – which we will celebrate next week, Oct. 15-17.

This month Baylor joins 179 of our fellow members of the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities in the celebration of Christian Higher Education Month, which was established by the U.S. Congress in 2003.

Our Illuminate vision – for Baylor to be recognized as a Tier 1/Research 1 university while holding firm to our Christian mission and Baptist heritage –requires a team effort to achieve. Tomorrow is National Research Administrator Day, a day set aside to celebrate the dedicated individuals who advance research in universities across the country.

As we finish up our fourth week of the fall semester, I’d like to thank you all – students, faculty and staff – for your diligence and perseverance as we launched into a time of many unknowns. Because of your hard work, I am excited to share three noteworthy updates.

Let me extend my sincerest appreciation for all of your efforts to date in the prevention and mitigation of COVID-19 on our campus.

As we reach the end of the second week of the fall semester, I want to commend all of you for your continued wearing of facemasks, practicing social distancing and following University guidelines and policies during this unique time of COVID-19.

I truly appreciate your efforts as we have all come together as the Baylor Family in the prevention and mitigation of COVID-19 at the start of the semester. I am pleased to see so many facemasks – some are quite creative and fashionable – as well as your efforts to practice social distancing across the campus.

With yesterday’s announcement of decisions related to the upcoming football season – including a revised schedule and McLane Stadium at 25% capacity for the season – we have begun to update Baylor’s plans for other beloved campus traditions this fall. New dates have been set for Family Weekend (Sept. 25-26) and Homecoming (Oct. 16-17).

Each day through next week, I am crafting an email that spotlights a major area of our University-wide planning efforts in response to COVID-19 as we look toward the start of the fall semester on Aug. 24.

Thank you for your attention to last Thursday’s announcement and this week’s follow-up instructions regarding Baylor’s mandatory COVID-19 testing program in preparation for the fall semester.

Be sure to check your mailboxes as we get closer to the fall semester. In the weeks ahead, we will start mailing mandatory COVID-19 test kits to all students, faculty and staff.

For the next two days, Baylor’s Board of Regents will host its quarterly meeting via Zoom. Since mid-March, the Board has been conducting periodic meetings virtually due to COVID-19, and through this technology, we’ve been able to participate in rich, productive conversations regarding Baylor’s mitigation efforts related to the virus, as well as our plans for the fall semester.

Starting off with some good news this week: You may recall that in December, one of our beloved black bears, Lady, underwent a first-of-its-kind treatment, called Tomotherapy, for a thymoma in her chest. Last month, Lady underwent a check-up from her veterinary team who came to visit her in Waco. The team took images of Lady’s chest and have reported that the Tomotherapy treatment is successfully managing the size of the mass – it has not grown.

We continue to closely monitor the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases in the Greater Waco area. In conversations with our local public health and government officials, there is a strong collective commitment to taking appropriate mitigating measures and keeping our community safe during this pandemic.

I want to open this week’s email by recognizing and celebrating our faculty. As I’ve mentioned previously, our faculty stepped up significantly in the spring as we quickly switched to online course delivery due to COVID-19.

Now is not the time for us to become complacent regarding COVID-19. We are starting to see an uptick in the number of positive cases in the Greater Waco area coupled with a growing percentage of positive tests, in addition to increasing hospitalizations related to COVID-19 across the state.

I can certainly sense the enthusiasm and anticipation for the beginning of the fall semester on our campus Aug. 24. At the same time, I also understand the frustration and angst many of you have experienced regarding fall schedules.

As we all know, COVID-19 has caused many disruptions to our normal lives. In fact, I’ve said on many occasions that we are planning for a “new normal” as we look ahead toward the fall semester. Today I am excited to announce that we plan to hold our August commencement ceremonies in-person at McLane Stadium.

Baylor’s new Summer of Discovery is in full swing, as we’ve completed the May minimester and the Summer I session begins on Tuesday, June 2, through July 7. All told, we are expecting Baylor’s largest summer enrollment in at least 20 years as we continue course instruction via online delivery due to COVID-19.

As the state of Texas continues to re-open more and more businesses and other community services each week, we are receiving an increasing number of questions as to how these decisions affect the University.

As we look to the fall semester and a resumption of our on-campus educational environment, our Project 8.24 team is working through many planning scenarios related to class sizes, methods of course delivery, instructional hours, residential life, dining, and on-campus events and experiences.

From day one, the Class of 2020 was destined to be history-makers. This distinctive group of students will graduate in the year of the University’s 175th anniversary, joining the long legacy of the Baylor Line that has carried our Christian mission and values into every corner of business, government and education as well as throughout the world.

As the Texas economy begins to open back up, many of our faculty and staff have inquired about returning to work on campus. Our COVID-19 Task Force has been working on a five-phase strategic reopening of campus that would begin with those involved with infrastructure and research support, for example, and ultimately conclude with students near the start of the fall semester.

It seems as if good news has been hard to come by for the past month or so, but I have some great news for our undergraduate students with tomorrow’s launch of Baylor’s new Summer of Discovery program.

As we continue our journey with Jesus to the cross, let us remember that it is He who brings us the hope of something new and beautiful to emerge even in the midst of our hardest days, doubts and suffering. We can be confident in our faith that Jesus will be with us, day after day, to the end of the age.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have heard of people hijacking the Wikipedia pages of several prominent universities, indicating they were a “private online university based in …”. I am happy to report that no one has commandeered our Wikipedia page so far. Baylor continues to be “a private Baptist Christian university in Waco, Texas.”

I am glad to be writing again to you on a Thursday afternoon for our weekly Presidential Perspective. Like me, I hope you see this as a sign of a return to normalcy, although it is indeed a new normal for Baylor.

As I mentioned last week, our COVID-19 Task Force continues to actively monitor guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local public health agencies to ensure the continued health and safety of our community. Let me reiterate that there are NO cases of coronavirus at Baylor, in Waco or Central Texas. Updates on any impact to the University – for example, the recent postponement of University-sponsored travel to Italy – are posted online at www.baylor.edu/coronavirus, along with important Baylor resources for students, faculty and staff.

Updates regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) continue to evolve rapidly as its impact begins to circle the globe. I want to assure you that Baylor’s Department of Public Safety and Center for Global Engagement and other members of our University COVID-19 Task Force are actively monitoring the situation internationally and domestically.

Waco is Basketball Capital, USA! Both Baylor basketball teams are 24-1 overall and 13-0 in Big 12 play, with the men ranked #1 and the women #2.

Thank you to everyone who participated in Baylor Giving Day yesterday. With a theme of “One Day. One Family. One for Baylor.,” Giving Day was a wonderful way to celebrate Baylor’s 175th anniversary and to support areas of the University that you care most about.

I hope you have enjoyed the launch of Baylor’s 175th anniversary over the past week. From the banners and exhibits across campus to the many stories told on social media – and, of course, the birthday party with our Baylor Family at the men’s basketball game last Saturday – we have a proud history to share and a bright future ahead.

We will commemorate Baylor’s 175th on Saturday at the men’s basketball game vs. TCU, complete with party favors, special giveaways – including free popcorn – and the singing of “Happy Birthday.”

One of the distinct characteristics of our University is the dedication, service and passion of the Baylor Family. Today it is my honor and privilege to announce the recipients of the 2019-20 Baylor Alumni Awards.

Before the holiday break, I shared with the Baylor Family that one of our beloved live bears, Lady, had been diagnosed with a benign mass in her chest called a thymoma. Thanks to the proactive treatment of our bear caregivers and the wonderful veterinarian staff of our partners at the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital in College Station, we can happily report that Lady’s tomotherapy treatments appear to have halted any further growth of the mass.

Welcome to the first Presidential Perspective for 2020!

This is my last Presidential Perspective for 2019 – I can’t believe it! Looking back over the past 12 months, I have a great sense of honor and pride in our collective accomplishments as we continue to advance toward Tier 1/Research 1 status as the preeminent Christian university, as well as excitement for what 2020 holds.

I can’t believe that the fall semester has come and is almost gone. It was great seeing so many familiar faces yesterday afternoon as the First Gent and I passed out breakfast tacos at Moody Memorial Library and extended our well-wishes for final exams.

"It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas … everywhere you go." That’s certainly true on the Baylor campus, as we celebrate the birth of our Risen Savior, Jesus Christ.

Serving as President of Baylor University has provided many “firsts” for me. My latest “first” was pardoning a turkey at the beginning of last night’s All-University Thanksgiving meal!

There is so much buzz on campus about Saturday, and I am just as excited as all of you.

I can’t believe it’s been a year since the public launch of Give Light, Baylor’s $1.1 billion philanthropic campaign in support of our efforts to become the preeminent Christian research university.

Happy Halloween, Bears … or I should say, Growl-O-Ween! I am looking forward to a special Thursday night football game at McLane Stadium as we face West Virginia in Big 12 play at 7 p.m.

I’ve been traveling this week, and I am currently en route to California to meet with several members of the Baylor Family and prepare for Saturday’s Give Light event at the Paramount Theatre in Hollywood.

What a great Homecoming we had last week! I suspect my favorite moment is shared by many of you – Coach Matt Rhule and our Bears’ 33-30 Big 12 win over Texas Tech in double overtime.

Homecoming Week is off to a great start, as 2,200 students joined the First Gent and me on our front lawn for Dinner with the Livingstones Tuesday evening. The entire campus is decked out in green and gold and certainly abuzz with a full slate of Homecoming activities – and our annual fall invasion of Texas field crickets!

I can’t believe that Homecoming is next week – it’s so early this year! Here we have some Homecoming notes and other spotlights for this week.

Yesterday was certainly exciting as we celebrated our faculty and research community as part of National Research Administrator Day.

The University’s official fall enrollment contains plenty of great news: Our freshman class of 3,307 students is the most academically qualified first-year class in University history and also among our most diverse freshman classes ever.

It’s hard to believe that 18 years have passed since the harrowing events of 9/11.

Earlier this week our President’s Council had a retreat in which we charted our priorities for the academic year and discussed our journey to become a Research 1/Tier 1 university. Our team is fully committed for Baylor to achieve recognition as the preeminent Christian research university and have a distinct, much-needed voice in higher education.

I am having a hard time determining what has been my highlight of the first week of the semester so far.

Today we live in a world in which it seems people struggle to get along with one another. Everyone has a “hot take” on current issues, opinions are at polar extremes and compromise is nearly non-existent. And while it may seem to the contrary, we embrace diversity of thought on university campuses, including here at Baylor.