Presidential Perspective - July 13, 2017

What a memorable, moving experience ... Last night, Brad and I had the opportunity to make the trek to Independence to participate in Line Camp. If the spirit, passion and commitment of the Class of 2021 is any indication, the future of our great University is in good hands. Be on the lookout for "Prez" and "First Gent" in our #15 Line jerseys. Here are a few items of interest for this week:

• Since becoming your President in June, I have spoken a lot about the strength and resiliency of Baylor. A post on the University Facebook page last week recognizing the retirement of Master Teachers David Pennington and Tom Hanks generated an outflowing of love and support from the Baylor Family with more than 150 comments in just 24 hours. Like many of our incredible faculty, they've truly left a legacy and made an impact on generations of Bears.
• Baylor palaeobotanist Dan Peppe is one of the researchers who will benefit from the creation of a massive atlas of 182,000 leaves that has a wide range of applications, including the study of ancient climates by analyzing the shapes of fossilized plants. Dr. Peppe was quoted about this new data set in the current issue of Nature.
• Our Louise Herrington School of Nursing is part of a collaboration with the U.S. Agency for International Development's American Schools and Hospitals Abroad at Bangalore Baptist Hospital to use high-fidelity mannequins as birthing simulators to train nursing students and doctors at the Simulation Education and Research Centre for Nursing Excellence in Bengaluru, India.
• One of the many ways that we have enhanced the safety and security of our campus community is through technology. I would encourage everyone to download the "Rave Guardian" app, which provides a direct link to Baylor's Police Department and Emergency Management team in case of emergencies or crisis situations.

The Board of Regents will host its quarterly meeting here in Waco next week, and this will be the first meeting encompassing the new governance reforms aimed at enhancing operations, open communication and constituent representation. We will also welcome seven new Regents to the Board. The meeting agenda will be posted online on Monday, and we will provide a full summary of the meeting following its conclusion next Friday.

Thank you for your commitment to Baylor,

Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D.
President