Presidential Perspective - January 3, 2019

Baylor Students, Faculty and Staff:

Happy New Year! And welcome to my first Presidential Perspective for 2019. As we look forward to the new year with hope and optimism grounded in our faith in Jesus Christ, I wanted to share the following verse with you:

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 15:13.

Here are several updates for this short week as we launch into 2019:

• This year marks the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Baylor’s School of Education as a standalone academic unit of the University. During the year, the School of Education will host numerous events – including a special Dr Pepper Hour on Jan. 29 – as we celebrate the long commitment of Baylor to K-12 and higher education. Be sure to check out the centennial website for details and an engaging historical timeline of the School of Education.

• I truly appreciate our faculty who provide students with powerful learning experiences. Yuko Prefume, Ed.D., senior lecturer in Japanese in the College of Arts & Sciences and a 2018-2019 Baylor Fellow in the Academy for Teaching and Learning, was honored recently by the American Association of Teachers of Japanese for her outstanding and creative teaching. Each summer since the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of 2011, Dr. Prefume has taken her students to the towns devastated by the tsunami to engage in community outreach and see transformational learning in action. As Dr. Prefume says, she’s not only teaching the language but helping students become informed and empathetic global citizens.

• I thought you might want to take a look back at the past year via photos, as our team at BaylorProud has compiled the top 10 Baylor Instagram photos of 2018. If you don’t follow Baylor on our official Instagram account – which has one of the largest followings in higher education – I would highly recommend it. And our Presidential Pup – BU – is quite jealous of the first photo!

• As a former women’s basketball student-athlete, I could not be more excited for tonight’s matchup between our 7th-ranked Lady Bears and No. 1 UConn. The Ferrell Center doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the 8 p.m. nationally televised tipoff, so get there early for faculty/staff tickets. I hope you will join the First Gent, Shelby and me as we #FilltheFerrell!

• Faculty and staff also will want to circle the Jan. 8 men’s basketball game against Iowa State and the Lady Bears’ game vs. Kansas State on Jan. 9, as I will host a special pregame appreciation reception in your honor. Once you pick up your tickets at the Ticket Office, which opens at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively, show your ID at the Stone Room entrance, where you’ll hear scouting reports from the basketball staffs and receive a special T-shirt.

• And, in case you missed it, we declared Houston as Bear Country as part of Baylor’s thrilling 45-38 over SEC-foe Vanderbilt in the Texas Bowl!

I am already looking forward to our sleepy campus coming alive with students for the arrival of the spring semester on Jan. 14. Here’s to a great 2019!

Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D.
President