President's Note

Thousands of Baylor alumni will be returning to their alma mater next week for our annual Baylor Homecoming. This is a wonderful time to reconnect with students who have been part of the continuous line of green and gold. As we build into the lives of students today, it is comforting to know we connect with a legacy of excellence and love for Baylor that began 163 years ago.

Distinguished Professor Lecture Series is Nov. 10

Next month, Interim Provost Elizabeth Davis is continuing a program designed to introduce some of Baylor's most beloved faculty to the broader academic community.

At this fall's University & Distinguished Professor Lecture Series, hosted by the office of the Provost, Ralph C. Wood will present his lecture "G.K. Chesterton and the Perennial Appeal of Christian Humanism" at 3:30 p.m. Monday, November 10 in Miller Chapel. This lecture is free and open to everyone.

Baylor Submits Largest Number of Student Fulbright Applications

Earlier this week, 20 of our students submitted their applications for the Fulbright Program for U.S. Students. This is the largest number of applicants Baylor has ever submitted; the proposals come from many subject areas, including music, journalism, international studies, business, and modern foreign languages.

Applications have gone forward for Fulbrights to Austria, France, Germany, Spain, Ireland, Nepal, Armenia, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Paraguay, Brazil, and Taiwan. About 80 faculty members supported these students' bids by providing letters of recommendation, completing language assessments, reviewing student proposals and interviewing applicants.

The application process is intense, and the students are to be commended for their efforts. The program has been administered through the dean's office in the College of Arts and Sciences for the past three years. Baylor has had 10 Fulbright winners since the College began a concerted effort to promote the program more widely on campus. Not only do the individual students benefit from the effort, but Baylor's strong academic reputation is strengthened.
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KWBU Wins Lone Star EMMY

Last month I mentioned that KWBU had been nominated for a Lone Star EMMY. Today I want to let you know that KWBU has won the EMMY in the documentary, cultural/historical category for the locally produced documentary "The War: Central Texas Remembers WWII."

Congratulations to the staff of KWBU.

If you would like to see this award-winning documentary, "The War: Central Texas Remembers" you can access it on the Baylor website.
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You Can Now Build-a-Baylor-Bear as List of "Baylor" Stores Grows

Baylor's licensing and trademark office has been making a concerted effort in recent years to have more retailers carry Baylor branded merchandise. This is a great service to those of us here in Waco as well as across the state. The newest retailer to join the list is Build-a-Bear Workshop, which now includes a Baylor Bears T-shirt.

Next month, James Avery Craftsman jewelry stores will begin carrying interlocking BU charms and key rings beginning Nov. 11.

Other national retailers in Waco include Academy Sports, Belk, Champs Sports, Dillard's, H.E.B., Kohl's, Sam's Club, Sports Authority, Wal-Mart and Walgreens. There also are quite a few smaller stores and our own Baylor Bookstore on campus.

If you would like to know all the locations that carry Baylor branded merchandise, Omar Pachecano and his licensing staff maintain an online list of retailers for physical stores in Waco and across the state, as well as online stores at baylor.edu/licensing/retailers.

Baylor 3-Peats as Big 12 Leader In Graduation Success Rate Score

For the third straight year, Baylor University has produced the Big 12 Conference's highest Graduation Success Rate (GSR) score according to annual figures released by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

Baylor Director of Athletics Ian McCaw credits this success to the dedication of our student-athletes, academic commitment of our coaches and the outstanding work of the student-athlete services staff. He also recognizes that Baylor's faculty members play a key role in the academic success of our student-athletes and are to be commended for the outstanding job they do in the classroom.

Baylor's 2008 GSR score of 84 percent was six points higher than the national average of 78 percent and three points better than second-place Colorado in the Big 12 Conference. Baylor also produced the Big 12's highest overall GSR score in 2006 and 2007 with marks of 88 and 87, respectively. Following Baylor and Colorado among Big 12 schools were Kansas State (77), Nebraska (76), Oklahoma State (75), Texas (72), Texas A&M (72), Iowa State (71), Missouri (71), Texas Tech (71), Kansas (70) and Oklahoma (69).

For the sixth time in Big 12 Conference history, the Baylor football program led the league with its 67 percent graduation rate (Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas State and Texas Tech also had marks of 67 percent).