Baylor Celebrates National Research Administrator Day Amid R1 Achievement

Media Contact: Lori Fogleman, Baylor University Media and Public Relations, 254-709-5959
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WACO, Texas (Sept. 23, 2022) – Baylor University is celebrating National Research Administrator Day today by recognizing the team effort that supports researchers across campus and helped Baylor attain Research 1 designation – three years earlier than expected – among the nation’s top R1 universities.

On National Research Administrator Day, Baylor recognizes the research administrators, grant writers, postdoctoral researchers and graduate students who each play an important role in the University’s success by supporting Baylor faculty and principal investigators who are “Getting to the Heart of Research,” the theme of this fall’s research advertising campaign.

To celebrate, Baylor has taken over digital billboards in Dallas, Houston and Waco along with ads on LinkedIn and the Texas Tribune and sharing content through Baylor social media channels that illustrate how the mission-driven work of faculty across the disciplines uncovers solutions to some of the world’s greatest challenges. In addition, their efforts – along with researcher administrators and others – fueled Baylor’s research growth as a preeminent Christian R1 university.

These digital billboards and social media outreach will feature five initial faculty who conduct research in key areas of University focus – Health and the Environment, Human Flourishing, Health and Cancer, Data Sciences, and Materials Science and Engineering:

• Thad Scott, Ph.D., professor of biology, College of Arts & Sciences
• Bryan Shaw, Ph.D., professor of chemistry and biochemistry, College of Arts & Sciences
• Henry Han, Ph.D., The McCollum Family Chair in Data Sciences, School of Engineering & Computer Science
• Jung Hyun Min, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, College of Arts & Sciences
• Brian Garner, Ph.D., associate professor of mechanical engineering School of Engineering & Computer Science

In addition, 16 faculty in this year’s research campaign will be highlighted in five stories, sparked by group conversations about how Baylor is empowering faculty across disciplines to pursue research that matters to them and to the world. 

• Health and Cancer, “The Long Game”: Jung Hyun Min, Ph.D., John L. Wood, Ph.D., and Leigh Greathouse, Ph.D.
• Health and the Environment, “Out of the Lab, Into the Field”: Thad Scott, Ph.D., Ben Ryan, Ph.D., Rebecca Sheesley, Ph.D., and Sascha Usenko, Ph.D.
• Human Flourishing, “An Art and a Science to Promote Human Flourishing”: Bryan Shaw, Ph.D., Stephanie Boddie, Ph.D., and Byron Johnson, Ph.D.
• Data Sciences “Power in Numbers”: Henry Han, Ph.D., Mary Lauren Benton, Ph.D., Grant Morgan, Ph.D.
• Materials Science and Engineering “People-Focused Innovation”: Brian Garner, Ph.D., Julia Chan, Ph.D., and Christie Sayes, Ph.D.

Led by the National Council of University Research Administrators, National Research Administrator Day is observed annually on Sept. 25 to recognize the contributions made by research administrators and managers throughout the year. With this year’s date falling on a Sunday, Baylor is celebrating two days early to illuminate research administrators and managers whose roles, while often unsung, are incredibly valuable.

These individuals assist faculty and researchers, protect the institution or organization, assure sound stewardship of sponsored research dollars and more. Baylor has expanded resources available to support faculty in recent years, including growth in research staff. These roles are an important piece of the University’s systemic research growth.

Milestones

The effort culminated in a major milestone on Dec. 16, 2021, when Baylor University learned it had been named a Research 1 university by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. With this designation, Baylor joined the nation’s top-tier research institutions as a doctoral university with very high research activity and elevating Baylor as a preeminent Christian research university.

“Today we celebrate National Research Administrator Day, and it is especially meaningful as this year is our first as an R1 university,” said President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D. “We are grateful for everyone who makes great research happen at Baylor: our wonderful faculty, our research administrators in the Office of the Vice Provost for Research, the faculty and staff who support researchers in colleges and schools, departments, labs and business offices, postdoctoral researchers who facilitate research and mentorship across campus and, of course, our amazing student researchers at both the undergraduate and graduate levels whose spirit of teamwork has elevated our institution and advanced our Christian mission through research that makes a real impact.”

Through Baylor’s Illuminate strategic plan that builds on the University’s historic strengths and strategically invests in new areas of research and service, Baylor University is one of only two private Research 1 universities in the state of Texas, along with Rice; among an elite list of 39 private universities designated as R1; and only one of a handful that remain centered on a historic Christian mission. Through top-tier research, scholarship and external funding support, R1 universities bring their voice to bear in addressing the world’s most significant challenges, with Baylor as a Christian research university infusing the quest for solutions, at the highest levels, with the University’s distinct Christian voice and mission.

Firmly grounded

While achieving R1 status and growing the University’s research enterprise, Baylor has remained firmly grounded in the Christian principles and transformational education that have defined the Baylor experience for generations.

Baylor’s success has been evidenced, among other measures, by a variety of external assessments, beyond the Carnegie R1 designation. More recently, a survey undertaken by Morning Consult, a nationally recognized research firm, placed Baylor among the nation’s top-10 most trusted universities, joining the likes of MIT, Stanford and Harvard. The same study landed Baylor second on the list of most trusted universities among parents.

In addition, for the 11th straight year, Baylor has been named one of the top two schools in the Big 12 Conference and one of the top five in Texas in U.S. News & World Report’s annual college rankings. Baylor notably moved up in several categories that define the Baylor student experience: No. 10 for First-year Experience (up from No. 15), No. 16 for Best Undergraduate Teaching (up from No. 33), No. 21 for Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects and No. 46 for Best Colleges for Veterans (up from No. 111).

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 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 90 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.