News

WACO, Texas (Oct. 21, 2022) – The Baylor University Health Center is offering the updated Pfizer bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccine for Baylor students, faculty and staff, as well as spouses and dependents 12+, during an extended booster clinic from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, in the first floor lounge area of the McLane Student Life Center.

WACO, Texas (Oct. 6, 2022) – The Baylor University Health Center is offering the updated Moderna and Pfizer bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccines for Baylor students, faculty and staff, as well as spouses and dependents. Flu vaccinations also are available for students, faculty and staff at convenient mobile flu shot clinics scheduled through November.

WACO, Texas (Sept. 27, 2022) – With health experts expecting a more intense flu season this year, Baylor Health Services will host mobile flu vaccination clinics for students and employees at locations throughout campus in October and November. In addition, Health Services will hold an extended COVID-19 vaccination clinic on Friday, Sept. 30, to give the new Moderna bivalent booster.

WACO, Texas (Sept. 13, 2022) – The Baylor University Health Center has received a shipment of Moderna’s new bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccine, which is available now for Baylor students, faculty and staff.

With the Fall 2022 semester underway, Baylor University has updated its COVID-19 protocols, most notably on Isolation/Quarantine, as well as face coverings, testing and vaccination. The protocols are based on the latest guidance from the CDC and the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District.

It was such a joy last week to experience the musical and dance talents of the more than 1,500 students who participated in Sing this spring.

One outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic is that we have the ability to temporarily pivot to remote instruction and operations when winter weather conditions threaten. Gone are the days of waking up at 5 a.m. to see if it will be an ice or snow day. Of course, I fondly remember those snow days from when I was in college!

Today we are announcing the rescission of the University's facemask policy for classrooms and labs when used in academic settings. In other words, facemasks will be optional at Baylor – other than when requested in private offices – effective this Monday, Feb. 21.

As many of you are probably aware, many states, colleges and universities, and other organizations across the country are beginning to loosen their facemask requirements in response to the declining prevalence of COVID-19.

What an exciting time for Baylor as we’ve surpassed the $1.1 billion fundraising goal of the Give Light campaign!

My prayers have been with everyone as the winter weather has impacted our local community as well as Texans statewide.

WACO, Texas (Feb. 2, 2022) - ***UPDATED 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 4, 2022: Baylor University will resume normal hours and operations on Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022.*** The National Weather Service has placed Central and North Texas under a Winter Storm Warning. With the high potential for hazardous icy conditions as a strong arctic front moves through Central Texas, Baylor University will hold classes via remote instruction and staff will telework on Thursday and Friday, Feb. 3-4.

In recognition of the improving COVID-19 environment and the campus community’s continued effective management of the virus, today we are announcing several updates to Baylor University’s COVID-19 interim policies and protocols.

The "Spring Sprint" is definitely underway, and it's hard to believe Feb. 1 is this Tuesday.

What a great start to the 2022 spring semester! I enjoyed greeting so many of you on the first day of class before heading to Indianapolis for the NCAA Convention this week.

As we begin the Spring 2022 semester on our campus, Baylor University is required to send an Emergency Notification* under the Clery Act to all students and employees to ensure you are informed about where to access information regarding COVID-19 positive cases on our campus, important personal health and safety precautions and essential sources of information about the coronavirus.

If you have recently received a booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine through Baylor Health Services or an off-campus provider, please submit your completed vaccination card today to help the University understand how well protected we are as a campus community as we monitor the latest variant.

As I've looked out my office window this week, I've enjoyed seeing our campus steadily come back to life with the return of more and more students. I am excited about the new semester and everything the next few months will bring.

The following update was sent Jan. 13 to faculty, staff and student employees about requirements of the Biden Administration's OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) guidelines that were reversed today by the U.S. Supreme Court.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION below regarding students' return to campus.

The following message was sent Jan. 7 to faculty, staff and student employees about requirements of the Biden Administration's OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) guidelines that begin Monday, Jan. 10. The University continues to monitor the legal proceedings regarding the OSHA ETS closely and will provide updates to the campus as necessary.

It’s been nearly a month since my last weekly Presidential Perspective and so much has happened as we concluded 2021 and ushered in the New Year.

Today I would like to follow up on my message from Dec. 23, 2021, regarding the spread of the Omicron variant and offer a preview of what the spring semester will look like for the next several weeks.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas with family and loved ones and you are looking forward to the Sugar Bowl, as our Baylor Bears face Ole Miss on New Year’s Day in New Orleans. I suspect many of you have been monitoring the spread of the latest COVID-19 variant, Omicron, as its presence has gained a foothold in the United States over the past couple of weeks.

We are closely monitoring the COVID-19 omicron variant, which public health officials say is highly transmissible and expected to spread rapidly over the next few weeks.

It’s hard to believe the fall semester has drawn to a close. God has blessed Baylor in so many ways as we’ve managed the COVID-19 pandemic, from a Big 12 Football Championship and top-10 basketball, football and volleyball teams to beautiful music and theatrical performances, as well as significant progress toward R1 status and our $1.1 billion Give Light goal – all while holding firm to and advancing our Christian mission

Earlier today, Baylor University learned that a U.S. federal judge in Georgia issued a nationwide injunction against the Biden Administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal contractors, which had included the University. In light of this ruling, Baylor University is no longer legally compelled to require that its employees be vaccinated and will not be requiring its employees to be vaccinated at this time.

Christmas is always a special time at Baylor, and I cannot wait for Christmas on 5th this evening from 5-10 p.m. It's one of my favorite Baylor traditions. I've even heard there's a forecast of snow tonight! Be sure to check out the full schedule of activities to get everyone in the Christmas spirit as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.

As it currently stands, Baylor must comply with President Biden’s Executive Order (EO) 14042 requiring those organizations that receive federal contracts and their employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 18, 2022. Depending on the vaccine that you choose, you may need to obtain the first vaccination dose by Dec. 7, 2021.

With the Thanksgiving holidays upon us, many of you will be traveling and spending time with family and friends. As you make plans, we wanted you to know that voluntary COVID-19 testing will be available early next week for the entire campus community, as well as continued opportunities to receive COVID-19 vaccines/boosters and the flu vaccine.

Last week was big for Baylor as the Board of Regents affirmed the next five years of our Illuminate strategic plan.

This week marks the quarterly meeting for Baylor’s Board of Regents as it considers the next five years of our strategic plan Illuminate, which impacts the entire campus from academics to athletics.

As we look forward to the next five years of our strategic plan Illuminate, we have so much to celebrate.

What a great Homecoming we had last week! It was so good to celebrate “everything Baylor” with all of you, along with our friends, alumni and Wacoans.

Baylor hosted the nation’s first collegiate homecoming event in 1909, and even after a year “off” due to COVID-19, I can tell you that our campus is abuzz this week as current students are enjoying many Baylor Homecoming traditions and preparing for the return of tens of thousands of alumni and friends to Waco this weekend.

Next week is Homecoming 2021! We have a fun student tradition to kick off Homecoming Week called “Dinner with the Livingstones,” and I want to invite all students to join the First Gent and me at Allbritton House on Tuesday from 6-8 p.m.

Earlier today I had the opportunity to testify before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce of the Committee on Energy and Commerce in Washington, D.C., regarding many of the challenges facing intercollegiate athletics.

Tomorrow will be an exciting time as we highlight Baylor research in a day-early celebration of National Research Administrator Day. Throughout Friday, you will see stories on social media highlighting our outstanding faculty, and I hope you will consider sharing some of them to amplify the news of Baylor’s incredible research.

I am officially declaring this week as “The Week of Good News” for Baylor! Beginning last Friday with the additions of BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston to the Big 12 Conference, we’ve been on a roll with several positive developments related to the University:

Sept. 11 will forever be remembered as an important day in U.S. history as terrorists attacked our homeland and threatened our safety, security and the freedoms we hold dear.

I know the events of the past week — from the U.S. military’s departure from Afghanistan abroad to the devastation and hardships created by Hurricane Ida closer to home — have left many members of the Baylor Family feeling deep pain and heartache.

You may have seen Waco Mayor Dillon Meek's quote yesterday that our local healthcare system is near "the brink of collapse" due to COVID-19. As I participated in a call with our community leaders yesterday morning, it has become clear – the local hospital situation is indeed dire. As of Wednesday morning, all 54 intensive care unit beds in McLennan County were in use, with 45 being filled by COVID-19 patients. Health officials reported that 92.4% of the currently hospitalized patients were unvaccinated.

This morning, as I began considering today’s significance, I found myself filled with the joy spoken of in Psalm 47:1 — “Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.”

As we begin the fall semester on our campus, Baylor University is required to send an Emergency Notification under the Clery Act to all students and employees to ensure you are informed about where to access information regarding COVID-19 positive cases on our campus, important personal health and safety precautions and essential sources of information about the coronavirus.

It’s finally here – the start of the fall semester! The First Gent and I enjoyed meeting so many of our incoming students and their families as part of Move2BU, although I must admit that my back is a little sore!

The spread of COVID-19 has grown significantly across the country, and our state and local community are not immune as case counts continue to increase and healthcare services are stretched to capacity. These grim facts have prompted our President’s Council and Health Management Team to update our COVID-related protocols for the fall semester beginning Aug. 23.

We are in the homestretch! Only 11 more days until we begin the fall semester at Baylor. It is an incredibly exciting time for everyone, and I can’t wait to see our students back on campus and throughout the Waco community.

As I reflect over the past couple of weeks and the whirlwind of uncertainty relating to intercollegiate athletics, a few things have resonated with me during conversations with members of the Baylor Family, testifying in front of the Texas Senate’s select committee and discussions with others across the country.

The countdown continues – 25 days until the start of the fall semester on Aug. 23. Wow! Our faculty and staff have been diligently preparing for the return of our students for what promises to be an exciting semester.

We look forward to welcoming you back to the Baylor University campus for the fall semester, which begins on Aug. 23. Today, as we continue to navigate COVID-19, we are sending you the first weekly update to help you prepare for a normal fall with classes and events at 100% capacity. This initial update addresses some of the most frequently asked questions around weekly testing as well as exemptions from testing.