Podcast Points: Global Engagement Leader Shares Baylor's Global Focus

When Baylor University’s longstanding motto Pro Ecclesia Pro Texana (For the Church, For Texas) was expanded to include Pro Mundo – For the World – the University heralded its goal to have a greater global impact as an R1 Christian university. Baylor’s Center for Global Engagement (CGE) contributes to that aspiration by recognizing global focus as a core characteristic. This week on the Baylor Connections podcast, Eduardo Contreras, Ed.D., vice provost for global engagement, discusses how CGE facilitates cultural exchange and opportunity for students.

Podcast Points with Eduardo Contreras

A Distinct Institution

• Contreras says Baylor is seen as a special and distinct institution among the top research institutions in the world because of its unique identity as a Christian R1 institution.
• Athletics is another way in which Baylor stands out, Contreras emphasizes. He gives an example of a colleague from New Zealand who made a connection to a Baylor basketball player just by seeing Contreras’ nametag at a global conference.

Resources

• Contreras defines some of the resources that CGE offers at Baylor, including Study Abroad, International Student and Scholar Services, Global Baylor, the Global Gateway Program and Global Partnerships.
• When discussing studying abroad, Contreras says “It’s about getting our students to have meaningful, international experiences outside of our beautiful campus here in Waco.”

Hopes and Dreams

• Contreras explains that the hope for international students who go to the CGE office is for them to feel like it is their home away from home. He finds it crucial to help them plug into campus so they can be seen and heard as a Baylor Bear.
• On the value of students having international experiences, he said, “It is important that every student, regardless of their financial need and major, can have an opportunity to have a meaningful, international experience so that they can develop themselves personally, professionally and academically,” Contreras said.

Pro Mundo

• Contreras points to Baylor’s global engagement since its earliest days and his excitement for it to be recognized as part of the University’s motto. He is humbled by the institution saying that Baylor is for the world, and he recognizes the sincere meaning of the saying.
• With CGE’s initiatives tied to Latin America, Contreras shares his excitement with the Baylor in Deeds strategic plan and how “There is an extraordinary opportunity for our faculty to be able to engage and research in multiple disciplines in Latin America with Latin American scholars.”

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 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.