Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone Announces Appointment of Dr. Nancy Brickhouse as Provost

Media Contact: Lori Fogleman, Baylor University Media and Public Relations, 254-710-6275
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WACO, Texas (Feb. 27, 2019) – Baylor University has named Nancy W. Brickhouse, Ph.D., as provost following a national search to help lead the institution toward its goal of becoming the next preeminent Christian research university. Dr. Brickhouse will assume her new role May 1.

“With a deep background in both teaching and research as well as ties to Baylor as an undergraduate, we are extremely pleased that Dr. Brickhouse will be our next provost,” Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., said. “Our aspirations are great as we grow Baylor’s research impact while maintaining our strong tradition of undergraduate education in an unambiguously Christian environment. Dr. Brickhouse not only understands this distinctiveness, but embraces the belief that the world – and higher education in particular – needs a Baylor. We look forward to benefiting from her experiences as an academic leader, scholar and advocate for Christian higher education.”

Dr. Brickhouse previously served as provost at Saint Louis University, a Jesuit research university with 8,000 undergraduate students and 6,000 graduate students at its main campus in St. Louis. During her tenure, she played a key role in repositioning the university’s finance, operations and academic endeavors to meet a rapidly changing higher education landscape.

She has a demonstrated commitment to excellence in teaching with an emphasis in student learning, which at SLU included the development of university-wide undergraduate student learning outcomes and strengthened support for teaching quality. In 2018, SLU was ranked 26th by U.S. News & World Report for undergraduate teaching. She also initiated a robust portfolio of faculty development programs, including those designed to support women faculty and others historically underrepresented at the full professor rank and in academic leadership positions.

In terms of research, Dr. Brickhouse overhauled SLU’s research organization into a service-oriented, faculty-centric unit, which led to a 9 percent increase in research expenditures in the first year of the new organization. Additionally, she created a task force to create a plan for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) on the SLU campus. This effort led to the programming of a new Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building, as well as the modernization of other research facilities and increased science teaching capacity.

“(Dr. Brickhouse) has exemplified a deep commitment to advancing scholarship across the university, a vision for research in shaping undergraduate learning outcomes and an expectation that the outcome of research improves human lives,” said Ken Olliff, D.Min., SLU’s vice president for research. “I am grateful for the many ways she has helped move SLU’s research enterprise forward.”

Added Holden Thorp, Ph.D., provost and Rita Levi-Montalcini Distinguished University Professor at Washington University in St. Louis: “Nancy Brickhouse is a great leader in American higher education. She has deep expertise in all of the technical areas that provosts must foster, and her background in science education puts her squarely in one of the most important challenges that all universities are dealing with. Congratulations to Baylor on adding Nancy to a terrific team.”

A tenured professor of education and a nationally recognized scholar with more than $5 million in external grant funding, Dr. Brickhouse received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry magna cum laude from Baylor and both her master’s degree in chemistry and her doctorate in science education from Purdue University. She was recognized as one of the most influential women in St. Louis in 2018 by the St. Louis Business Journal.

“I am deeply honored to be selected to lead Baylor’s academic endeavors at such an exciting time in the history of Baylor,” Dr. Brickhouse said. “The vision President Livingstone and her team have cast for the University is bold and aggressive under Illuminate, Baylor’s academic strategic plan. I look forward to working with the faculty, administration and Board of Regents to achieve Baylor’s rightful place in higher education as a distinguished Christian research university.”

Prior to her appointment as SLU’s provost in 2015, Dr. Brickhouse had served in several senior administrative positions during 27 years of service and leadership at the University of Delaware, including deputy provost, interim provost – for which she received special recognition from the Board of Trustees for her exemplary service – deputy dean of the College of Education and Human Development, and director of the School of Education.

As Baylor’s chief academic officer, Dr. Brickhouse will oversee the University’s 12 colleges and schools, research enterprise, University Libraries and centers and institutes. Baylor currently has 17,491 students, including 14,188 undergraduates and 3,303 students in graduate and professional programs. Baylor offers 128 baccalaureate programs, 77 master’s programs and 46 doctoral programs, including a juris doctor.

“I want to acknowledge the dedicated selfless service and ultimate success of the Provost Search Committee, which was expertly co-chaired by Dr. Cindy Riemenschneider and Dr. Charles Weaver,” President Livingstone said. “Also, I am thankful for Dr. Gary Mortenson and Dr. Gary Carini, who both stepped in and served as our dual provosts during the interim period. I am sincerely appreciative of their tireless efforts as we support Dr. Brickhouse’s transition into the provost role at Baylor.”

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 17,000 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.