President David Garland updates the Baylor family on the University's efforts to move forward as an institution, and discusses the incoming class that were welcomed to campus as Baylor students at Orientation this month.

WACO, Texas (June 10, 2016) – Baylor University has actively launched groups to lead the implementation of recommendations made by Pepper Hamilton, LLP following its independent investigation into the University’s handling of sexual assault. Two complementary executive-level task forces have been named to efficiently implement change that leads to improved processes, communication, training and response and that cultivates a culture of respect and character that reflects Baylor’s mission.

We have entered a new season in the life of Baylor University. It is a season that calls for clarity, compassion and collective action as a Christian academic community and as a body of Baylor alumni that spans multiple generations, often within individual families. It is a season that calls for Baylor to stand together and speak as one voice, resolute in our shared commitment to student welfare and safety and to our institutional values.

Members of Baylor University’s Board of Regents and a representative from Pepper Hamilton, LLP held a media phone briefing May 26, 2016 related to its announcement of actions and findings resulting from Pepper Hamilton's external investigation into Baylor University’s handling of sexual assault. Richard Willis, chair of the Board of Regents; Ron Murff, chair-elect of the Board of Regents; David Harper, member of the Board of Regents; and Gina Smith, partner with Pepper Hamilton, LLP, participated in the teleconference.