News

Welcome back, Bears! Or to some of you, welcome for the first time! I’m Rev. Dr. Malcolm Foley, special advisor to Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone for equity and campus engagement, and my main job is to make sure that you have what you need to get a quality education at Baylor University! 

As we survive through this hot Texas summer and hopefully enjoy a break from the hustle and bustle of the school year, parts of Founders Mall are being reimagined. If you look now, you will see the construction fences that signify years of preparation coming to fruition.

Gathering on Baylor University’s historic Founders Mall alongside members of the University and Waco communities, the Baylor Board of Regents concluded its regular quarterly meeting today with a ceremonial groundbreaking of the Memorial to Enslaved Persons. 

With construction set to begin this summer on the Memorial to Enslaved Persons, Baylor University held a symbolic ceremony today on Founders Mall to transfer custody of its Centennial Time Capsule from the Class of 1945 to The Texas Collection at Baylor.

As we prepare to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, let us, as a community, consider some of Dr. King’s most powerful words.

WACO, Texas (Jan. 9, 2024) – Every year, Americans join together on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service – this year on Monday, Jan. 15 – to serve their neighborhoods and communities and through week-long events celebrating the life and legacy of the late civil rights leader. NOTE: Sub-freezing temperatures and dangerous wind chills have canceled some events or altered dates/locations. Monday's community and Truett MLK Day events have been canceled due to the weather.

Baylor students share their experience from a Christmas missions trip to provide food and medical care to neighbors in South Texas.

WACO, Texas (Dec. 21, 2023) – From the traditional sound of Go Tell it on the Mountain to the contemporary style of Kirk Franklin, Black Gospel Christmas music conveys a sense of wonder and passion for the Christmas season and the birth of our Savior. Two Baylor University experts in Black gospel music, Bob Darden and Stephen Newby, share their love of the rich sounds of Christmas spirituals.

Many of you are aware of reports and comments within traditional and social media late last week regarding Baylor University’s correspondence asserting our existing religious exemptions to the U.S. Department of Education (DOE).

WACO, Texas (April 4, 2023) – Before a celebratory crowd in front of the iconic Tidwell Bible Building, Baylor University today unveiled and dedicated statues honoring the University’s first Black graduates, the late Rev. Robert L. Gilbert, B.A. ’67, and Barbara A. Walker, B.A. ’67.

In May 2022, the Baylor University Board of Regents approved a four-phase framework to address the strategic priorities identified by the Commission on Historic Campus Representations.

This spring, Baylor released the first detailed renderings of an addition to Founders Mall called the “Memorial to Enslaved Persons.” A report by Baylor’s Commission on Historic Campus Representations recommended the new memorial as an opportunity to honor the enslaved persons “who were instrumental in constructing the original campus where Baylor University began its journey” and whose identities remain unknown.

Last year, we wrote about Baylor’s plans to address many of the priorities named by the Commission on Historic Campus Representations — recommendations aimed at more completely telling the history of the university, particularly with regards to some early leaders’ slaveholding past. Last week, the university released the first detailed renderings of an addition to […]

We’re going to start Black History Month with a bang!

Baylor University is celebrating the diversity of the Baylor Family in a number of ways.

WACO, Texas (July 29, 2022) – For the first time since summer 2019, the Baylor University Board of Regents held its annual summer retreat off campus, this time in San Antonio, the nation’s seventh largest city. The Board welcomed five new Regents to their first official meeting and – with no items on the agenda requiring Board action – focused its discussion on effective governance, Baptist history and looking ahead to the fall semester.

WACO, Texas (July 12, 2022) – Baylor University chemist Bryan Shaw, Ph.D., has been awarded a $1.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to take dramatic steps to open chemistry classes and labs to students with blindness or low vision.

There are four major elements to an institution: its policies, its processes, its practices and its people. This matrix informs us as to whether or not an institution is just, but the most powerful of these four elements is the people, and Baylor’s greatest assets are its people.

On Friday, Baylor Regents approved the outline of a plan that will address many of the priorities named by the Commission on Historic Campus Representations last year — recommendations that would more fully tell the history of the university and its early leaders. Many of the details are still in development, but the concepts released […]

WACO, Texas (May 25, 2022) – At its regular May meeting, the Baylor University Board of Regents voted to extend the contract of President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., to 2032 in recognition of her exemplary University and national leadership that has elevated Baylor as a preeminent Christian research university with strengths across the board in academics, research and athletics.

I am pleased to share with you that Stephen B. Reid, Ph.D., Professor of Christian Scriptures with Baylor’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary, has been selected to serve in a new position as the University’s Vice Provost for Faculty Diversity & Belonging.

Diversity and equity are not zero-sum games. Consider one of the texts of Scripture that we often try to qualify, which can be found in each of the three Synoptic Gospels: Jesus’ conversation with the rich young ruler.

Idaho-based sculptor Benjamin Victor was selected to create bronze life-sized statues of Robert Gilbert, B.A. ’67, and Barbara Walker, B.A. ’67 — Baylor’s first Black graduates. Victor was chosen through a competitive process in conjunction with Walker, the Gilbert family and Baylor’s Campus Experience Project Team, which is working through recommendations from the University’s Commission on Historic Campus Representations.

WACO, Texas (Feb. 18, 2022) – During its regular quarterly meeting, the Baylor University Board of Regents celebrated the University reaching Research 1 status and eclipsing the $1.1 billion goal of the Give Light philanthropic campaign, received an update on the Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion and participated in a discussion about Baylor’s holistic approach to student success.

When Black historian Carter Woodson initiated the first Negro History Week in 1926, he did so with the hope that it would eventually no longer be necessary. He hoped that education about Black history would become so mainstream that a week would become redundant.

Baylor University and the Waco community celebrates Black History Month and the rich culture and heritage of African Americans who shaped the history of the United States.

November called us to observe Native American Heritage Month, which ought to drive us to deep reflection. As we draw attention to the contributions of our Indigenous brothers, sisters and neighbors, we cannot forget that the land on which we stand was acquired by force and without regard for its original inhabitants.

It has been rightly said that talent is equally distributed, but opportunity is not. If there is one thing you must know about the work of building a just and equitable community at Baylor University, it is this: diversity and inclusion mean little without equity and accountability.

Baylor University places a priority on enhancing diversity and equity across our campus and throughout our academic and operational divisions.

WACO, Texas (July 16, 2021) – During its regular summer retreat meeting, the Baylor University Board of Regents focused on Baylor’s strategic positioning for the future as the University enters the final year of the initial Illuminate strategic plan. The discussions spotlighted the extraordinary progress that has accelerated the University’s aspirations of joining the nation’s top Research 1 universities as the world’s preeminent Christian research university.

WACO, Texas (July 1, 2021) – Baylor University is seeking artists and foundries to create life-sized bronze statues of the University’s first Black graduates – the Rev. Robert Gilbert, B.A. ’67, and Mrs. Barbara Walker, B.A. ’67. The statues will ultimately reside in front of Baylor’s historic Tidwell Bible Building.

We have reached the summer months, months that offer a bit of respite from the productive, yet sometimes grinding school year. This is a time to breathe, to recalibrate and to rest.

Spotlighting work going on among Baylor’s staff to continue building a culture of justice and equity.

I am writing to provide you with an update on a reported incident of a physical assault on one of our Asian American students early Sunday morning that included the use of racial slurs.

As you read this, you have access to the report from the Commission on Historic Campus Representations. Whether you have read it or not (at over 90 pages, it’s a significant work!), there may be questions swirling in your mind: Why does this matter? What will the University do? How will this shape my campus experience now?

Spotlighting work going on among Baylor's faculty to continue building a culture of justice and equity.

WACO, Texas (March 23, 2021) – Baylor University today released the full independent and unedited report of the 26-member Commission on Historic Campus Representations, which was charged by the Baylor Board of Regents with independently reviewing and evaluating the historical record and context of the University and its early leaders solely related to slavery and the Confederacy.

WACO, Texas (Feb. 22, 2021) – The inaugural ARC (Athletics, Race, Christianity) Talks, hosted by the Faith & Sports Institute, Baylor Athletics and the Black Church Studies Program at Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary, will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25.

WACO, Texas (Feb. 19, 2021) - At its quarterly meeting held virtually, the Baylor University Board of Regents officially accepted the final report of the Commission on Historic Campus Representations, passing a resolution that expressed its gratitude to the 26 members of the Commission and sets a path forward for the University Administration to develop an action plan of the Commission's recommendations for Board consideration.

Baylor University places a strategic priority on enhancing equity across our campus and throughout our academic and operational divisions. In order to better share achievements and initiatives related to this effort, we have created this newsletter which will be distributed every other month as a source of information for you and the greater Baylor Family.

The Big XII Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education acknowledges the pain, hurt, confusion, and hopelessness many people have been feeling following the ruling in the Breonna Taylor case.

In only a few days, we will have the great joy of welcoming back to our campus the thousands of men and women who call Baylor University home as students. This Monday, the first official day of class for the fall semester, is a day for which all of us have been yearning and diligently preparing for months.

WACO, Texas (July 17, 2020) – The Baylor University Board of Regents gathered virtually Thursday and Friday for its quarterly regular meeting to discuss and receive updates on numerous items, including the University’s plans for the fall semester in light of COVID-19 and the launch of the Commission on Historic Campus Representations.

WACO, Texas (July 14, 2020) – Baylor University today announced the establishment of the Trailblazer Scholars Program, a scholarship program designed to recognize the importance of fostering diversity and mutual respect at Baylor University. Launching the program with $5 million in scholarship support, the University will actively engage alumni and donors to support growth in the program, with a goal of providing a cohort of 80 or more students scholarship support through Trailblazer Scholarships.

Many years ago, Baylor University made a strong commitment to reflect the racial diversity of God’s creation among our students, faculty and staff. Through various task forces, the President's Diversity Council and other initiatives, significant progress has been made in several areas, including admissions, faculty hiring and our campus climate, to name a few. Yet we recognize we must do more as Baylor strives to be a caring Christian community for all of our students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends.

WACO, Texas (July 6, 2020) – Baylor University today announced the members of the 26-member Commission on Historic Campus Representations – established as part of a unanimously passed resolution by the Board of the Regents on June 26 that acknowledged the University's historical connections to slavery and the Confederacy – and the specific charges that will guide the work of the Commission.

These are extraordinary times in our nation and in higher education, and I am honored to be the Chair of Baylor’s Board of Regents as we walk through these days together. I am equally honored to be working alongside the selfless, committed Administration of our University.

WACO, Texas (June 26, 2020) – As both “an opportunity and an obligation to pursue racial healing as an expression of the Christian faith and adherence to Biblical principles of justice and love,” the Baylor University Board of Regents has unanimously passed a Resolution on Racial Healing and Justice that openly acknowledges the University’s historical connections to slavery and the Confederacy. The Board’s acknowledgement initiates a process on racial conciliation across the University and calls on the Board and the University to “pursue opportunities to inclusively explore and engage in significant conversations about this aspect of the institution’s past.”

The events of the past few weeks have filled me with great sorrow over the senseless and inexcusable killing of George Floyd and in remembrance of the terrible deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and too many other black men, women and children. We have once again seen our country’s deep divide over race, justice and inequality come to light.

My heart is broken as I join with our Baylor students, faculty, staff and alumni in deep grief and prayer over the pain, fear, anger and injustice caused by disturbing events of racism and violence in our nation.

WACO, Texas (Dec. 13, 2019) — Baylor University’s Model United Nations (MUN) team was named an “Outstanding Delegation” at the 2019 National Model United Nations Conference, Nov. 8-10 in Washington, D.C.

WACO, Texas (Dec. 2, 2019) – Americans travel farther on average to their worship places than they did a decade ago. But while those who belong to a congregation in their neighborhood attend more often, “worshipping local” does not make them feel closer to their neighbors or more satisfied with the neighborhood, according to a new study by researchers at Baylor University and Calvin University.

WACO, Texas (Nov. 14, 2019) – In this polarized time, when it requires little effort to tear a stranger apart on social media or lash out at a family member because of a difference of opinion, the gentle cadence of Fred Rogers singing a simple song about neighbors loving and helping each other is a welcome respite.

WACO, Texas (Nov. 7, 2019) – Baylor University will continue its Baylor Conversation Series, featuring nationally renowned speakers and friends Robert P. George, Ph.D., and Cornel West, Ph.D., at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15, in Waco Hall.

WACO, Texas (Nov. 6, 2019) – Education research and technology company EAB has honored Baylor University as a co-winner of the 2019 Student Success Collaborative-Technology Pioneer Award, which recognizes Baylor as an institution that consistently is on the leading edge when it comes to technology by testing new solutions to advance student success.

WACO, Texas (Oct. 17, 2019) – Baylor University will host Steppin’ Out from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19. Approximately 1,800 volunteers from 83 student organizations will join together to serve the community at various locations around the Waco area.

WACO, Texas (Oct. 7, 2019) – Baylor University has completed a contract extension with President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., Board of Regents Chair Jerry K. Clements announced Monday.

WACO, Texas (Oct. 1, 2019) – Following news that food insecurity has dropped for the first time below pre-recession levels, Baylor University’s newly named Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty will hold its annual Together at the Table Hunger and Poverty Summit Oct. 2-4 at the Bill Daniel Student Center, 1311 S. Fifth St., on the Baylor campus.

WACO, Texas (Sept. 30, 2019) – Baylor University’s Texas Hunger Initiative (THI) announced today the official launch of the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty, which will bring together efforts to address hunger in Texas and beyond. The Collaborative will become the umbrella entity for THI.

WACO, Texas (July 10, 2019) – Kevin Chambliss, Ph.D., who has served since January as interim vice provost for research at Baylor University, has been appointed to the permanent role, announced today by Provost Nancy Brickhouse. The appointment is effective immediately.

WACO, Texas (June 13, 2019) – The Black Gospel Music Restoration Project at Baylor University is preserving more than just gospel music. In the past few years, Baylor journalism professor and former Billboard gospel music editor Robert Darden and a team from the Baylor Libraries have undertaken the project of restoring and preserving recorded sermons from black preachers in addition to the gospel music. While both are equally important to preserve, finding sermons to preserve comes with a unique set of challenges.

WACO, Texas (May 13, 2019) – The Center for First-generation Student Success, an initiative of NASPA-Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education and The Suder Foundation, recently announced that Baylor University has been selected among the Center’s inaugural cohort of First Forward Institutions.

WACO, Texas (April 17, 2019) – Baylor University’s First In Line program, which provides resources to first-generation college students to support student success at Baylor and beyond, partnered with Baylor Missions over spring break on a new missions experience that sent a team of 25 first-generation students and two staff members to Santiago, Dominican Republic.

WACO, Texas (March 25, 2019) – With Baylor in Latin America one of the five signature initiatives of the University’s Illuminate academic strategic plan, a top scholar who has researched and taught about religion in Latin America for nearly two decades joined the Baylor University faculty this semester.

WACO, Texas (March 5, 2019) – The Baylor University

WACO, Texas (Feb. 28, 2019) – Before an overflow crowd that included the daughter of the late Vivienne Malone-Mayes, Ph.D., Baylor University recognized the exceptional life and achievements of the University’s first African-American faculty member during a special ceremony Feb. 26 on the third floor of the Sid Richardson Building.

WACO, Texas (Feb. 20, 2019) – Baylor University today announced a gift of $2 million to create an endowed Chair in Global Leadership within Baylor’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work. The gift, which was made by Baylor parents from California, will support the School’s nationally renowned Global Mission Leadership (GML) program, whose purpose is to contribute to Christ-centered international development through culturally informed education.

WACO, Texas (Feb. 19, 2019) – “Black Twitter” is a social media phenomenon that is changing the national conversation, but many people – including professional and strategic communicators – do not understand what it is or how it works, says Baylor University’s Mia Moody-Ramirez, Ph.D., professor of journalism, public relations and new media.

WACO, Texas (Feb. 13, 2019) – Samantha Yruegas, a fifth-year Ph.D. student in chemistry and biochemistry at Baylor University, has been named to the Periodic Table of Younger Chemists by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). The program celebrates the International Year of the Periodic Table by recognizing 118 young chemists – one for each element of the Periodic Table – who embody the mission and core values of IUPAC through their research, teaching and outreach.

WACO, Texas (Feb. 6, 2019) – Baylor University will welcome representatives from nearly 40 Texas school districts, community colleges and four-year institutions as the University hosts the Spring 2019 Consortium Institute of the Texas Education Consortium for Male Students of Color on Friday, Feb. 8.

WACO, Texas (Feb. 4, 2019) – The 2019 Pruit Symposium, “Lord Make Me An Instrument: Black Sacred Music at the Intersection of Gospel and Jazz,” will celebrate the heritage of Black Sacred Music Thursday, Feb. 7, at Baylor University with an inspiring keynote presentation and gospel sing featuring Melvin Butler, Ph.D., associate professor of musicology at the University of Miami.

WACO, Texas (Jan. 29, 2019) – Baylor University will host a variety of events throughout the month of February in honor of Black History Month, an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of blacks in U.S. history.

WACO, Texas (Jan. 28, 2019) – For the second year, Baylor University will co-sponsor a special conference in Washington, D.C., during Black History Month that brings together educators, filmmakers, theologians and policymakers to explore ways that film and culture can spark important discussions about race and justice.

WACO, Texas (Jan. 15, 2019) – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’” To answer his question, people around the nation – including at Baylor University and throughout the City of Waco – will participate in Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on Monday, Jan. 21, and serve in their communities and neighborhoods.

WACO, Texas (Oct. 25, 2018) – Questions regarding blackface and cultural appropriation should be addressed, especially as Halloween approaches, said Mia Moody-Ramirez, Ph.D., professor of journalism, public relations and new media in Baylor University’s College of Arts & Sciences.

WACO, Texas (Oct. 24, 2018) — Veterans with combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder were less anxious and depressed and had an improved quality of life after an eight-week therapeutic horseback riding program, according to a Baylor University study.

WACO, Texas (Oct. 8, 2018) – Oct. 28, 2018 marks the centennial of the birth of Czechoslovakia as an independent country. A series of events sponsored by Baylor University’s Keston Center for Religion, Politics, and Society in partnership with the department of modern languages and cultures in Baylor's College of Arts & Sciences and McLennan Community College will be held Oct. 9-12 to celebrate 100 years of Czech Independence.

WACO, Texas (Sept. 21, 2018) – The Baylor University Academy for Leadership Development’s fall speaker series will bring to campus an engineer who became a motivational speaker, a foster child who became a successful author, and a World Championship basketball player who became an inspiration to young women.

WACO, Texas (Sept. 13, 2018) – Baylor University’s 25 inaugural McNair Scholars are ready to soar, like the program’s namesake Dr. Ronald E. McNair, a laser physicist and NASA astronaut who was inspired to work hard and persevere in his studies by his family and by a teacher who recognized and believed in his scientific potential.

Building on past progress, Baylor continued to pursue initiatives that enhance the diversity and cultural humility of its campus community during the 2017-2018 academic year. From active community partnerships to student led events, cultural celebrations and faculty resources, strong collaborations yielded success in these important initiatives. Learn more about our progress.

Today we are releasing the results of Baylor University’s 2017 Academic and Work Environment Survey.

The following frequently asked questions (FAQ's) about the rescission of Deferred Action for Children Arrivals (DACA) is provide for the Baylor family. A list of Waco immigrant advocacy resources and non-profit legal providers is also enclosed.

Following the Trump Administration’s announcement on Tuesday regarding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, I want to reiterate that Baylor University is firmly committed to providing our continued support for any affected students.

WACO, Texas (Sep. 5, 2017) - This past summer, nearly 300 Baylor students visited nine countries as part of Baylor Summer Missions. Each year Baylor sends its students to the corners of the earth to serve others, share the gospel and make a difference in the world. The students on these trips bring home their experiences and are able to extend it further through long-lasting projects and partnerships.

Only a few months following the creation of a new student exchange agreement with Xavier University of Louisiana, junior biology major, Megan Washington, applied to be the program's first participant.

WACO, Texas (Aug. 13, 2017) – Baylor University President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., released the following statement regarding the violent rally that took place Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia: “Our hearts are heavy and our prayers go out to the victims of the horrific events that took place Saturday in Charlottesville. Racism has no place in our country nor in God’s Kingdom. God calls us to reach out to those around us and show that He is love. We pray for His presence to help us heal our nation.”

WACO, Texas (May 19, 2017) – As Baylor University continues to pursue an environment that exhibits cultural humility and inclusion, the work of two groups is making an impact. For the past 18 months, a Special Assistant to the University President and the 15-member President’s Advisory Council on Diversity (PACD) have been working across the University to build programs, complete agreements and organize initiatives that provide an environment of acceptance and support for students, faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds.

WACO, Texas (May 12, 2017) – Baylor University’s Public Deliberation Initiative (PDI) will host a Civic Life Summit June 1-2 to help campuses, churches and concerned citizens engage their communities in important conversations that build mutual respect and understanding across race, religion, politics and other areas of public life.

WACO, Texas (April 25, 2017) – The Baylor Model United Nations (MUN) team received Outstanding Position Paper Awards in five of the seven committees in which they participated—the same number of position paper awards that the team received in the last three years combined—at the National Model United Nations Conference in New York City, where thousands of students from more than 100 nations participated in a simulation of the U.N.

WACO, Texas (April 25, 2017) – Baylor University is among a select group of 68 of the nation’s top universities that have partnered with the American Talent Initiative (ATI) to enroll and educate an additional 50,000 high-achieving low- and moderate-income students by 2025.

WACO, Texas (April 18, 2017) – Baylor University has selected Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., current dean and professor of management at The George Washington University School of Business, as the institution’s 15th president. Dr. Livingstone was the unanimous choice of the Baylor Board of Regents, following the recommendation of the 12-member Presidential Search Committee.

WACO, Texas (April 12, 2017) – Amy Fenton Lee, author of “Leading a Special Needs Ministry,” will be the keynote speaker at the Special Needs Leadership Conference April 21 and 22.

Baylor is embarking on a University-wide survey meant to measure perceptions of respect, cooperation, diversity, inclusiveness, accessibility and support among our university community.

WACO, Texas (March 20, 2017) – The Texas Hunger Initiative (THI) at Baylor University has received a $3 million grant from the Walmart Foundation to continue its work to end hunger in Texas.

WACO, Texas (March 14, 2017) – This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Chisholm Trail. From 1867 to 1884, millions of herds of cattle traveled the route in the largest man-made migration of animals in history. Museums and historical centers in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas are having events honoring the anniversary of the last trail of its kind and the end of the old cowboy lifestyle.

WACO, Texas (March 13, 2017) — “Muslims and the Making of America,” a lecture by author Amir Hussain, Ph.D., professor of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, will be presented on Thursday, March 16, at Baylor University.

WACO, Texas (March 13, 2017) – Baylor University will host the 23rd annual Beall Poetry Festival March 15-17, bringing three Irish poets and one poetry critic to campus.

WACO, Texas (March 9, 2017) – As millions of Christians worship illegally in officially atheist China, persecution of Chinese Christians and other faith groups has gotten worse in recent years, according to a new report from U.S.-based NGO Freedom House.

To help lessen the food insecurity that some students experience, a group of faculty, administrators, and community partners have combined efforts to offer a Mobile Food Pantry offering food for free. This event will be Thursday, March 2nd from 11 am-2 pm in the 7th and James paring lot.