President's Note

National and Baylor-specific research show in dramatic fashion that the two most important tools high school students use when evaluating universities are their websites and campus visits. To enhance our electronic communications with potential students, we introduced a new University home page last year that focuses primarily on recruitment and enrollment.

Since then, staff have been studying our campus-visit program to explore ways to enhance the experience of prospective students and their families when they visit Baylor. That task force has recently completed its work and submitted a detailed plan for improving the campus-tour experience. Both of these initiatives have been focused on external audiences.

Following the change to the home page last year, another group has been focused on enhancing internal communications for faculty and staff. The redesigned Baylor News you recently received was one change.

Next Monday a new faculty & staff website will be launched. This comes after more than a year of study, review and discussion. Faculty and staff focus groups were used to review needs and desires. Web traffic patterns, such as which pages are most used and how people connect to those pages also were analyzed. The new design and content are the results of this thorough study.

• Preview the new faculty & staff website

Academic Summit

In case you missed them, there were two articles in Tuesday's Waco Tribune newspaper you might want to read regarding last week's successful Academic Summit.

• Article
  
• Robert Baird Column

Baylor, BGCT, Texas Baptist Universities Establish Doctoral Program

At my recent meeting with the Baptist General Convention of Texas leadership and the presidents of our sister Texas Baptist universities, the Texas Baptist Universities (TBU) Scholars program was established in partnership with the Baylor Graduate School.

Through the TBU Scholars program, Texas Baptist universities will identify promising undergraduate scholars for doctoral studies in multiple disciplines offered through our Graduate School.

The program's purpose is to further strengthen ties between Baylor and our Texas Baptist universities. It is an important initiative for our growing research and graduate-school status and a special way to be of service to Texas Baptists.

At Baylor, TBU Scholars will be able to seek doctoral degree in biology; biomedical studies; chemistry; church-state studies; educational psychology; English; exercise, nutrition and preventative health; geology; information systems; mathematics; philosophy; physics; political science; psychology; religion; religion, politics and society; sociology; and statistics.

The cost of the program will be shared among the partners. The BGCT will provide $1,000 per scholar, the sponsoring college or seminary will contribute $1,000, and Baylor's Graduate School will provide the balance of tuition and a stipend for each student.

The presidents of the participating Texas Baptist universities were enthusiastic about the program. They hope it will help to keep their alumni in Texas for graduate work at Baylor, increasing the likelihood that they will return as professors to their alma maters.

Leadership Summit August 7-8

Baylor is hosting the excellent Willow Creek Leadership Summit again this year on August 7-8. I have found this to be an outstanding conference for leaders at all levels, especially for those of us who work in a Christian community. This event also is an excellent way for us to connect with our local churches.

I would encourage any member of the faculty or staff to attend. With Baylor serving as a host satellite site, the cost is very low for the value of the conference. I encourage you to invite your ministers or other members of your church's staff to attend with you.

• Register Online

Baylor Is Different

Finally, I should like to share with you a letter we received this week from an alumnus and parent of an incoming freshman student. Let me add to this my own thanks to so many of you who work tirelessly to make our orientation program remarkably successful. Letters such as the one below, which is not unusual in the sentiment it expresses, provide a testament to the commitment of Baylor to its Christian roots and heritage as exhibited by the Christian character of our staff and students.

Dear Baylor Family,

We have just arrived home from our son's June 12-13 orientation at Baylor and I had to write. I am struggling to find the words that adequately express my gratitude to the Lord for this wonderful school. I wondered if the same atmosphere of peace, joy, excellence, service, personal care and warmth would be there that I found as a student in the seventies. It is --- and even more so.

As parents of an entering freshman, my husband and I are amazed at the level of personal attention and genuine care expressed to us by all of you, including all the nameless young people posted everywhere on campus giving a helping hand.

At almost every informational session, the people leading would look out at an audience of scores, and sometimes hundreds of people and give not only their office phone #, but their cell phone #, insisting that we call if there were any question or concern, at any time! You have convinced us that you are genuinely "glad we are here" as we heard over and over again.

Thank you for your cheerful patience as we re-asked the same questions, made changes in majors, asked for "miracles" in schedule changes (thank you Sally Firmin!). We felt as if we were VIP's getting some sort of special treatment and attention. But, we know you were doing this for everyone. It is remarkable --- the spirit and attitude of Baylor.

Thank you for openly honoring God and His principles. It is no coincidence that the atmosphere at Baylor is so unique and infused with peace: God's blessing and favor are there because you honor Him.

We loved the elegant dinner for parents on Thursday night! The setting was beautiful, food wonderful, iced tea so refreshing. The serving folks were so kind and friendly. Please, thank them for us. They treated us like royalty. Getting to know other parents was wonderful! Judy's words were so helpful and reassuring; and the parent panel gave us invaluable information. The Baylor Family is really that, a family.

I have sent this to those whose emails I did jot down, but I include the many whose emails I don't have: Dr. Kim Kellison, Martha Lou Scott, The Success center folks, the campus safety people, the "grandmother" working in the bookstore who met our son, learned his name, and reassured me she would keep a look-out for him and encourage him to study and get enough sleep; Charlotte Moody in financial services who patiently and cheerfully answered all our questions--- two or three times; smiling faces in the Memorial and Penland dining services, and everyone else in yellow orientation polos!

We know all of you have you own lives and personal concerns. We are praying for you that as you so unselfishly serve and love us and our children, God will give you an extra boost of His blessing and favor in your own lives. Thank you for your ministry to us.

With much love and gratitude,
Jane Vale
(BME 73 Laura Jane Shelton)