Presidential Perspective - June 22, 2017

Baylor Students, Faculty and Staff:

• Three of our "Rising Star" researchers – Drs. Erica Bruce, Elyssia Gallagher and David Jack – recently participated in the first Baylor "Research on the Hill" event in Washington, D.C., sharing information about the University and our research initiatives with key policy- and decision-makers. The "Rising Star" designation provides outstanding tenure-track researchers at Baylor with proposal preparation support, special consideration for institutional seed funding and face-to-face networking opportunities with funding agency officials.

• Even though the campus seems quiet this June, there is still quite a bit of activity with summer classes, faculty research, orientation sessions and numerous summer camps underway. You might be interested to know that our enrollment for the first summer session stands at 2,546. As a reminder to students, the last day to register or add a course for Summer Session II is July 7, so you still have time to line up courses and get ahead for the upcoming fall semester. There are some great student-focused activities during the summer, such as Hawaiian Falls this Saturday and Six Flags on July 29.

• Thanks to the tremendous love, passion and philanthropic support of the Baylor Family, the University has officially exceeded $100 million in gifts, pledges and planned giving commitments for the recently completed fiscal year, marking the sixth consecutive year for Baylor to surpass this benchmark. This is another example of Baylor's strength and resiliency, as well as a commitment to our Christian mission. You can read more here.

• University Chaplain Burt Burleson is hosting a series of contemplative prayer services for faculty and staff throughout the summer that take place at noon on Tuesdays at the various chapels across campus. The upcoming schedule includes June 27 (Spiritual Life), July 11 (Miller), July 18 (Armstrong Browning) and July 25 (Elliston). The services include a book study on "Making All Things New: An Invitation to the Spiritual Life" by Henri J.M. Nouwen.

• Last Sunday, The Waco Tribune-Herald profiled our new Board of Regents Chair, Joel Allison. Mr. Allison truly loves Baylor and has tremendous experience working with boards as a healthcare executive. The Board's Executive Committee and I are working diligently to implement the significant reforms adopted in February in advance of the upcoming July meeting – an effort that will enhance the representation, operations and overall governance of the Board.

Thank you for your commitment to Baylor,

Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D.
President