Presidential Perspective - May 26, 2022

Baylor Students, Faculty, Staff and Parents:

Grief continues to fill my heart today. Like everyone in the Baylor Family, my heart broke on Tuesday as we learned about the tragic mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde — the deadliest school shooting in Texas history. Such a senseless crime leaves us shocked and struggling for answers to difficult questions.

As Christians, we are called upon to pray for and minister to others in such times of tragedy. The Bible tells us that children are a gift from the Lord (Psalm 127:3) and that “to such belongs the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14). Please join me in lifting up to God those whose lives were lost – the 19 children and two teachers – those injured, their families and the entire community of Uvalde.

We are actively reaching out to members of the Baylor community with ties to Uvalde to ensure they have necessary resources for spiritual, emotional and physical support. In addition, we will have a special on-campus time of prayer for Uvalde in the Bobo Chapel tomorrow from 4-4:30 p.m.

Please be comforted that Baylor continues to treat the public safety of our campus community with the utmost regard. In fact, yesterday morning we conducted a joint active threat training exercise with many local and federal law enforcement partners, in and around Kokernot Hall, that had been in the planning stages for months. This training served to strengthen local emergency services coordination and response to an active threat should one occur in the future on the Baylor campus or other locations in the greater Waco area.

As the summer begins in earnest, I pray daily for the safety and well-being of the Baylor Family and for you to find peace and rest in Him.

Sincerely,

Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D.
President