President's Note

The past couple of weeks have been quite challenging for Baylor. While early reports of some racially motivated incidents on our campus have proven to be false, the past two weeks have provided a sobering reminder that in spite of our tremendous progress we are not yet the institution we seek to become. As I said in a statement last week, "relentless pursuit of campus unity is a work to which we must continue to commit ourselves if we are to truly embody our unique calling as a Christian university in the Baptist tradition. "

That spirit of unity in Christ has been evident in the lives of students, staff and faculty as we have come together and engaged in serious dialogue as an institution. As interim president, I have been proud of the response of those in the Baylor family who have seized this opportunity to seek ways to enhance the spirit of community on our campus. As a Christian, I have been blessed to witness first-hand the actions of a fellowship of believers acting out of their faith to demonstrate that Jesus makes us all co-heirs to God's Kingdom.

BGCT Annual Meeting

Last week I attended the annual meeting in Fort Worth for the Baptist General Convention of Texas. It was a great time to catch up with pastors and Baylor alumni whether at the Baylor booth, between the sessions, or at the Friends of Truett Dinner. These meetings always provide tremendous opportunities for fellowship with members of Baylor's extended family.

One distinct honor I had as interim president this year was to present the Texas Baptist Ministry Awards. Baylor and the Baptist Standard co-sponsor the awards, which recognize Christian service in many different forms.

• The George W. Truett Award for Ministerial Excellence, which honors a Texas Baptist minister for a particular ministry achievement, went to Joel Pulis for his work with the mentally disabled.
  
• The W. Winfred Moore Award for Lifetime Ministry Achievement went to Bill Wright, a longtime West Texas pastor whose outreach ministry by a small church is an example to small churches everywhere.
  
• The Marie Mathis Award for Lay Ministry went to Robin Creighton Feistel for her work promoting literacy and teaching English as a Second Language across the state.
  

Student Death

It is with great sadness I inform you of the death of a Baylor sophomore, Melissa Ellen Blackbird from The Woodlands. She was killed in a car accident Saturday, Nov. 15. Please keep Melissa's family and friends in your prayers during this difficult time. Visitation will be held tonight from 5 to 7 p.m. at Forest Park The Woodlands Funeral Home, 18000 I-45 South. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 3901 S. Panther Creek Dr. in The Woodlands.

Campus Prayer Time

Finding a time for prayer on a busy campus is challenging. University Chaplain Burt Burleson has begun offering a prayer service at noon in the Bobo Spiritual Life Center Chapel. This brief service (10-12 minutes) is a quiet, reverent experience, which will involve hearing and reading scripture, in addition to a time of intercessory prayer. This time is offered daily, Monday through Friday, enabling you to find a day that might best fit your schedule.

Music Faculty Success


Different disciplines measure success in different ways. Most may be familiar with the publication of research articles in peer-reviewed science journals, chapters in textbooks or whole books as forms of measuring research success. In the School of Music, performances and the creation of new works also are measures of success.

The Baylor Woodwind Quintet, including Helen Ann Shanley, Doris DeLoach, Matt Morris, Richard Shanley and Jeff Powers, along with Todd Meehan on percussion, have released a new CD -- The Baylor Woodwind Quintet: Music by Richard Willis, Scott McAllister, Paul Richards, and Charles Rochester Young. It was published by Centaur Records. All the selections on this audio CD were written by Baylor composers, including faculty and students, both past and present, expressly for the Baylor Woodwind Quintet.

Support for this project came from Baylor University Research and an Arts & Humanities Grants, and through the Baylor Summer Sabbatical program. To learn more about Baylor's support for research on campus, visit http://www.baylor.edu/research/

Baylor Bears make us proud

What a week to be a Baylor Bear! Our football team defeated the Aggies, our then No. 19 ranked women's basketball team soundly defeated the No. 2 ranked team from Stanford, earning them a jump in the national polls to No. 10, and our men's basketball team won handedly a game against Centenary that was televised nationally on ESPN.