Fall Leadership Lecture Series Begins with Bethany McCraw

Follow us on Twitter: @BaylorUMediaCom

Bethany McCraw, associate dean for judicial affairs at Baylor University, will present the first lecture in the annual Leadership Lecture Series from 6 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 22, in Kayser Auditorium on Baylor's campus. The event is free and open to the public.

The lecture series, hosted by Baylor's Academy for Leader Development and Civic Engagement, is presented in the fall and spring to inspire students to get involved in leading today's society.

McCraw will discuss Christian leadership and how Christians represent the body of Christ regardless of their occupation.

She wants students to have to think through the differences between Christians in leadership roles and Christian leaders. She hopes students will leave the lecturing asking themselves, "Am I being a Christian leader?"

"I think this topic is important because when the world sees someone in a leadership position who claims to be a Christian and yet leads in non-Christian ways, it can taint the view that non-Christians have of Christians and the church," McCraw said.

For McCraw, the Leadership Lecture Series is a tool in helping accomplish Baylor's mission, "to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community."

McCraw has been in higher education administration at Baylor since 1982. In 2007, she coordinated the creation of the Office of Academic Integrity and under her leadership, student misconduct cases have been reduced by 64 percent and mandatory reporting of academic violations has been implemented.

She is a member of the Association for Student Conduct Administration (ASCA); the Center for Academic Integrity (CAI) and the National Association for Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA). McCraw also advises one of the Christian sororities at Baylor and serves as a mentor for the Christian Women's Job Corps.

The Academy for Leader Development and Civic Engagement was established in 2004 by the Division of Student Life at Baylor University. Each semester the Academy devotes its lectures to one of the Academy's leadership concentrations: leadership and contemporary social issues; leadership in public life; leadership in the church; and leadership through private enterprise.

by Katy McDowall, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805