Cultivating Diversity and Cultural Humility

Throughout the 2017-2018 academic year, faculty, staff and student leaders at Baylor University continued to pursue an environment that exhibits cultural diversity and humility. Working across the University, teams and departments have developed programs and organized initiatives that provide an environment of acceptance and support for students, faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds.
• In December 2017, results of the 2017 campus-wide Academic and Work Environment Survey were released. This was the first survey of its kind at Baylor and will provide a baseline of perceptions on diversity by Baylor faculty, staff and students. Results began immediately shaping collaborative initiatives that affect change in areas identified as needs through the survey.
• The McNair Scholars Program also began in the fall semester with student recruitment, training and workshops. In the spring, the McNair Scholars Program inducted its inaugural class of 24 scholars, who are committed to attending graduate school after they complete their degrees from Baylor.
• Baylor was named in the Nov/Dec issue of Latino Leaders Magazine as one of the “Best Colleges for Latinos” for the second year in a row. According to the publication, universities listed “have exceeded traditional practices and continue to provide Latino students with helpful guidance and support to pursue their career aspirations.”
• Baylor announced a new Civil Rights Policy for students in February 2018 and for faculty and staff in January 2018. The policy outlines Baylor’s commitment to maintaining an environment in which all students, faculty and staff are treated with respect and dignity, equal opportunities are promoted and discriminatory practices, including unlawful discrimination, are prohibited. In addition, the University launched an active search for an Associate Vice President for Equity.
 • Baylor’s Public Deliberation Initiative hosted a citywide Civic Life Summit that welcomed more than 70 people who joined in the conversation about “doing democracy differently,” engaging across differences and building civic capacity at Baylor and in Waco through enhancing civic literacy and civic habits.
• In commemoration of the 50-year anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a new course titled “The Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” was added to the curriculum. The course included participation in the 2018 Spring Break bus tour of civil rights sites associated with King’s leadership. The University also hosted an uplifting community service of remembrance on the anniversary of Dr. King’s death.
• Baylor’s Black Student Union officers hosted the highly successful Big 12 Black Student Government conference on Baylor’s campus in spring 2018. Student leaders of the Black Student Union welcomed leaders from across the Big 12 to discuss issues facing African-American student government organizations and students on college campuses.
• The Faculty of Color Alliance, established in spring 2017, continued to serve as an important voice in faculty initiatives. Members of the Alliance also serve as mentors for underrepresented faculty and contribute insights to University-wide initiatives, such as the recent Academic and Work Environment Survey.
• Baylor joined the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD), an independent professional development, training and mentoring community for faculty members, postdocs and graduate students dedicated to supporting academics in making successful transitions throughout their careers.
 • Baylor joined Project MALES (Mentoring to Achieve Latino Educational Success) and Texas Education Consortium for Male Students of Color – both organizations focused on retention and graduation of male students of color across the continuum of education. As the organizations grow, Baylor students will serve as mentors to junior high and high school students of color in the Waco area.
 • Baylor’s School of Education-sponsored Children’s Defense Fund® Freedom School served 50 rising sixth and seventh-grade students from the Waco Independent School District in summer 2017. The program connects students and their families to their local communities, encourages family and community involvement, empowers children through literacy and reduces summer learning loss. Freedom School was expanded for summer 2018 to include 70 rising sixth, seventh and eighth graders.
 • In spring 2018, Baylor held its inaugural Festival Latino. Students and alumni participated in panels and hosted a Parranda, which included foods, exhibits, dances and art representing Latino countries around the world. The Hispanic Student association also was honored as Student Organization of the Year at the 2018 Excellence in Student Leadership Awards.
For a more complete list of diversity initiatives from the 2017-2018 academic year, visit baylor.edu/diversity/news.