Baylor University and Xavier University Announce Student Exchange Partnership

October 20, 2016

Agreement will expand educational and cultural opportunities for students at both institutions

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Media contact: Tonya B. Lewis, Baylor University, (254) 710-4656
Media contact: Richard Tucker, Xavier University, (504) 520-5425

WACO, Texas (Oct. 20, 2016) – Baylor University and Xavier University of Louisiana have announced the creation of a domestic exchange program that will expand educational and cultural opportunities for students at both universities.

The purpose of the student exchange program is to coordinate efforts to introduce students to new environments that create an awareness of different institutional and cultural perspectives. The Baylor/Xavier University Exchange Program is the first domestic student exchange program for Baylor and will begin Spring 2017. Xavier has a similar program already in place with New York University.

Baylor University Interim President David E. Garland, Ph.D., and Xavier University President C. Reynold Verret, Ph.D., signed the partnership agreement during a ceremony Oct. 20 in the University Center Room at Xavier University.

“We are excited about the opportunities that the Baylor/Xavier University Exchange Program will provide for our students. The Baylor/Xavier exchange extends the transformational education offered at Baylor by introducing students to compelling scholarship from new faculty, inspiring informed engagement within one of the world’s most exciting cities and stimulating cross-cultural exchange with students who wish to learn about each partner institution,” Garland said. “We look forward to welcoming Xavier University students into the Baylor Family.”
“Such a student exchange enlarges opportunity for Xavier and Baylor students to study and learn in a new and different environment at no additional cost, and also to learn from each other. It also makes available courses that may not be offered at the home institution,” said Verret.
“Moreover, for our students, it allows them to explore post-graduate programs offered at partner institutions. It expands horizons” he added.

For Baylor students, the program provides access to New Orleans’ diverse culture and rich history and the impressive faculty found at another Christian institution with 101 years of history. For Xavier students, the program will provide exposure to Baylor’s unique identity as a Christian higher education institution with a 171-year history, world-renowned research faculty and access to museums, activities and events in Waco, Austin and Dallas.

As part of Baylor’s initiative to integrate diverse learning environments on campus and create leaders prepared to engage a global community, this experience will increase student’s cultural competency and awareness.

“This exchange program will give students another opportunity to experience different cultures and underscores that Baylor values diversity experiences for their students. The program will provide an opportunity for students to still attend Baylor and to have an experience at an HBCU as well,” said Erin Gaddis, B.A. ’16, a Baylor graduate student in higher education and student affairs, who assisted with the development of the program. “The response from Baylor students has exceeded expectations, and we have almost double the applications we anticipated.”

As part of the program, students from each university will be invited to join in campus organization meetings and activities while they explore their respective cities.

For more information about the Baylor/Xavier University Student Exchange Program, visit www.baylor.edu/diversity or www.xula.edu/exchange/documents/application.pdf.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 16,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.

ABOUT XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

Xavier University of Louisiana, the only historically Black, Catholic university in the United States, is a private, liberal-arts based, co-educational institution located in New Orleans, La. It offers 41 undergraduate majors, seven master’s degree programs and a doctor of pharmacy program. The university is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Its respective programs are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, the National Association of Schools of Music, the Louisiana Department of Education, the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs, and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. Also, Xavier’s chemistry program is approved by the American Chemical Society. For more information, visit www.xula.edu.