Board of Regents Receive Progress Update on Baylor in Deeds Strategic Plan

Media Contact: Lori Fogleman, 254-709-5959
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During its regular fall meeting, the Baylor University Board of Regents received a progress report on the University’s Baylor in Deeds strategic plan from Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., including the plan’s “Bold Pursuits.”

“Bold Pursuits” in Baylor in Deeds include the transformational multidisciplinary endeavors of Global Human Flourishing and Disability, Faith and Flourishing. These high-impact, high-priority initiatives tackle societal challenges and are led by a visible and active champion with a demonstrated record of success: Byron R. Johnson, Ph.D., director of the Institute for Global Human Flourishing and a principal investigator of the groundbreaking Global Flourishing Study, and Erik Carter, Ph.D., The Luther Sweet Endowed Chair in Disabilities, executive director of the Baylor Center for Disability and Flourishing and a leading voice on disability, faith and flourishing.

“These and other ‘Bold Pursuits’ have the potential to cement Baylor’s status as the preeminent Christian research university in the world, and these initiatives will remain among our highest priorities as we continue to build on Baylor’s distinctive strengths,” President Livingstone said. “Dr. Johnson and Dr. Carter are both examples of the type of faculty who come to Baylor to conduct research with heart and passion as we all strive to elevate Baylor University and transform the world.”

In her report to the Board, President Livingstone also highlighted the 10 evaluation metrics outlined in Baylor in Deeds, specifically affordability and value. President Livingstone reminded the Board of Baylor’s record-setting progress on its four-year graduation rate, which jumped 6.2 points to a high of 77.3% this year.

“Graduating in four years is critically important for keeping a highly valued Baylor education affordable and attainable,” President Livingstone said. “Baylor has made great progress in retaining and graduating students over the last several years, and I am truly appreciative of the campus-wide efforts of our faculty and staff that provide the foundation and support for students and their families.”

Bridgebuilding exercise, new master’s degree in architecture

As part of committee meetings, Regents participated in an interactive exercise led by student Bridgebuilding Fellows, which aligns with the Civil Discourse imperative woven throughout Baylor in Deeds. Serving as role models, Bridgebuilding Fellows equip others on campus to make a positive difference in how they relate to one another, building bridges of understanding that help society flourish.

In their only action of the day, Regents approved a new hybrid master’s degree in architecture to address the accelerating demand for licensed architects, leveraging Waco’s growing design industry – The Magnolia Effect led by Baylor alums Chip and Joanna Gaines. Set to launch with the first cohort in Summer 2027, the accelerated hybrid Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) in the Department of Human Sciences and Design in Baylor’s Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences is designed for applicants with undergraduate preparation in architecture or from a CIDA-accredited interior design program and qualifies graduates for architectural licensure.

Memorial to Enslaved Persons dedication

On Friday morning, Regents gathered with faculty, staff, students and guests for the dedication of the Memorial to Enslaved Persons, one outcome from the 2021 Commission on Historic Campus Representations. Baylor Regent Michael McFarland, Ed.D., offered remarks on behalf of the Commission, along with other University leaders.

Created by renowned architectural firm Sasaki and local company K4 Construction, the Memorial creates new areas of reflection, gathering and community on Founders Mall. It also stands as a tangible acknowledgment of a challenging part of Baylor’s history while pointing the University toward renewal, reconciliation and restoration. 

The Memorial has four distinct but connected ways to learn, understand and process Baylor’s history:

• A cascading water feature constructed of the same limestone used to build the University’s original campus in Independence;
• Foundational scriptures intended to remind visitors of the freedom all men and women have in Christ now and should have experienced when Baylor was founded in 1845;
• A population density map inlayed in the ground in front of the Memorial depicting the number of enslaved individuals in the counties where Baylor was, circa 1860, and is located; and
• A Resonance Garden – to complement the iconic Sadie Jo Black Gardens and the Joy Reynolds Rose Gardens – for individual and collective reflection.

“This has been an amazing week for Baylor as we celebrated the opportunity to come back together and reconnect as a Baylor Family,” President Livingstone said. “We enjoyed all the traditions of a Baylor Homecoming last week and respectfully gathered today to dedicate the Memorial to Enslaved Persons. I appreciate the continued support of the Baylor Board of Regents and commend the Baylor Family on this historic day.”

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 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. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu.