News
President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., will host a panel discussion – “Fall in Review, Anticipating 2021” – this Wednesday from 11 a.m. until noon via Zoom Webinar.
As we near the completion of on-campus instruction on Wednesday, Nov. 25, Baylor University is offering voluntary COVID-19 rapid testing (Nov. 23-25) at no cost for all students, faculty and staff before departing campus for the Thanksgiving holidays and the rest of the Fall semester. We encourage you to take advantage of this testing opportunity, especially if you plan to travel or gather with family or friends.
As we near the completion of on-campus instruction on Wednesday, Nov. 25, Baylor University will be offering voluntary COVID-19 rapid testing at no cost for all students, faculty and staff before departing campus for the Thanksgiving holidays and the rest of the Fall semester. We encourage you to take advantage of this testing opportunity, especially if you plan to travel or gather with family or friends.
As we look toward Thanksgiving, positive cases and hospitalizations related to COVID-19 continue to increase dramatically across the country and Texas and within Waco-McLennan County. This is the feared “second spike” that so many medical experts predicted at the onset of the pandemic as the weather turns cooler and people spend more time indoors.
Election Day has come and gone, but extended vote counting and the expected delay in results have captured the attention of the nation. As elections are decided, we begin to look to the future and how our country can come together amidst today’s polarized political climate. How can we model post-election civil discourse that bridges political, ideological and theological divides?
Everyone continues to do an incredible job complying with Baylor’s COVID-19 prevention and mitigation initiatives. Just like you, I am weary of all the testing, mask wearing and social distancing, but we must continue to press on for the health not just of ourselves, but of our neighbors and community.
It’s that time of year when many of you feel the weight of the semester, which certainly has been exacerbated by the ongoing effects of COVID-19. Stress and anxiety are felt by all people at varying levels of severity, and each of us reacts differently. Baylor has many resources available to you, and we all should employ helpful ways to manage our health and well-being, such as:
Earlier this week we announced to students that Baylor would be partnering with the City of Waco and McLennan County for COVID-19 surge testing over the next two weeks. This announcement has generated many questions from students and parents alike, so I reached out to two Baylor faculty experts who serve on the University’s COVID-19 Health Management Team to explain the importance of this surge testing effort:
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in partnership with the State of Texas, is providing 40,000 COVID-19 tests to the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District as part of a temporary surge testing program. Baylor has been allocated 5,000 tests to deploy over the next two weeks to test students.
Like so many other things this fall, COVID-19 has brought many changes to Baylor Homecoming – the oldest collegiate homecoming in the nation – which we will celebrate next week, Oct. 15-17.
This month Baylor joins 179 of our fellow members of the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities in the celebration of Christian Higher Education Month, which was established by the U.S. Congress in 2003.
Our Illuminate vision – for Baylor to be recognized as a Tier 1/Research 1 university while holding firm to our Christian mission and Baptist heritage –requires a team effort to achieve. Tomorrow is National Research Administrator Day, a day set aside to celebrate the dedicated individuals who advance research in universities across the country.
As Baylor’s Virtual Family Weekend approaches in just a few days, I write with gratitude for your partnership and support. Although the COVID-19 pandemic requires that we present this year’s events quite differently than we have in the past, our goal is the same as it has been since the first Family Weekend in 1960: to help families of Baylor students become better acquainted with the University and its beloved traditions.
As we finish up our fourth week of the fall semester, I’d like to thank you all – students, faculty and staff – for your diligence and perseverance as we launched into a time of many unknowns. Because of your hard work, I am excited to share three noteworthy updates.
Baylor is currently experiencing a decrease in the number of active COVID-19 cases.
Let me extend my sincerest appreciation for all of your efforts to date in the prevention and mitigation of COVID-19 on our campus.
As we reach the end of the second week of the fall semester, I want to commend all of you for your continued wearing of facemasks, practicing social distancing and following University guidelines and policies during this unique time of COVID-19.
As we responded over the weekend to the positive COVID-19 cases on the 3rd and 4th floors of Martin Hall, we identified the need to define and further clarify several common practices and terms that are used as part of Baylor’s COVID-19 response – Self-Isolation, Self-Quarantine, Reside in Place, Close Contact and Contact Tracing.
As we have worked through the Martin Hall COVID-19 situation over the past few days, we realize there is some confusion within the campus community regarding oft-used terms – such as Self-Isolation, Self-Quarantine, Reside in Place, Close Contact and Contact Tracing – and what these actually mean for Baylor.
We wanted to inform the campus community that we have identified an increase in positive COVID-19 cases among residents on the 3rd and 4th floors of Martin Hall. Since Thursday, we have seen an increase from five positive COVID-19 cases to 21 positives on these two floors as of Saturday.
As I wrap up the week here in my office in Pat Neff Hall – while watching back-packed students walk across our beautiful campus – several of you have reached out and asked: "How did the first week of the fall semester go?"
On behalf of the Baylor Family, I thank you for the innumerable ways your congregation nurtures and challenges students during this formative season in their lives.
I truly appreciate your efforts as we have all come together as the Baylor Family in the prevention and mitigation of COVID-19 at the start of the semester. I am pleased to see so many facemasks – some are quite creative and fashionable – as well as your efforts to practice social distancing across the campus.
Baylor is launching COVID-19 surveillance testing for the Baylor campus community in Waco and at the Louise Herrington School of Nursing in Dallas as part of the University’s ongoing mitigation and prevention efforts related to the virus.
Thank you for a strong start to the fall semester! Our faculty, staff and administration have had August 24 circled on the calendar for months, as we all worked together to provide a safe and healthy environment for your on-campus instruction.
The first day of our fall semester has finally arrived! We are excited to begin what is going to be a truly remarkable year.
As we begin the fall semester, 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 is with great warmth and eagerness that I welcome you back to Waco as you begin the fall semester at Baylor University. Waco is a proud part of the Baylor Family, and we have greatly
missed you ever since our collective world changed in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
From my early career as an assistant professor at Baylor to now as the University’s President, the start of a new semester always brings much joy and excitement as I reflect on our students and the promise of the future. Of course, this fall semester brings added significance as Monday culminates hours upon hours of planning and preparation by our administration, faculty and staff to welcome students back to campus in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Baylor University has extensively planned and
prepared for the arrival of your students this fall with the goal of providing a safe and healthy on-campus educational experience in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While many of the fall preparations I have discussed over the past few weeks may seem mostly technical or operational in nature, I want to take a moment to call our collective attention to a core tenet of the mission of Baylor University, especially in the midst of a pandemic -- creating a caring Christian community.
Today I want to focus on the importance of creating a plan for yourself – including changes to your daily routine, creating an action plan in the event of suspected exposure or a positive test result and precautions we can all take to mitigate risks to ourselves and others around us.
With yesterday’s announcement of decisions related to the upcoming football season – including a revised schedule and McLane Stadium at 25% capacity for the season – we have begun to update Baylor’s plans for other beloved campus traditions this fall. New dates have been set for Family Weekend (Sept. 25-26) and Homecoming (Oct. 16-17).
Today, I’d like to detail several components of our health services strategy, with information on daily health checks, identifying symptoms of COVID-19, what to do if a student feels sick this fall and changes in our typical health-related operations.
WACO, Texas (Aug. 12, 2020) – Baylor University will honor its May and August graduates with a virtual commencement ceremony beginning at 10 a.m. CT Saturday, Aug. 15, presented via Facebook Live on the official Baylor University Facebook page and on the University's Commencement website.
Today, I’d like to discuss our Family First campaign to help mitigate the risk of COVID-19 to our campus and the Waco community. With some 18,000 members of the Baylor Family arriving in Waco over the next two weeks, this campaign will help ground our choices in a commitment to putting others before ourselves and keeping Family First.
WACO, Texas (Aug. 11, 2020) – Baylor University today announced the launch of a new partnership with Dallas-based independent instructional design firm, iDesign, to offer all faculty in-depth resources within the university’s learning management system (LMS) that can be mobilized in the online, hybrid, and face-to-face instructional environments.
Today, I’d like to offer some details of what on-campus living will be like for our students residing in any of the University’s numerous housing options.
I am continually inspired by the creativity, resourcefulness and innovation of Baylor’s dedicated faculty. While these qualities are always evident in our faculty teaching and scholarship, I’ve seen them emerge in fresh and exciting ways as Baylor faculty have worked over the summer to enhance our ability to teach online with excellence in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Each day through next week, I am crafting an email that spotlights a major area of our University-wide planning efforts in response to COVID-19 as we look toward the start of the fall semester on Aug. 24.
Today, I’d like to offer you a glimpse of what you can expect when you enter any of our numerous dining establishments – an essential aspect of the traditional, on-campus Baylor experience that students will encounter this fall.
Today, I’d like to share an extraordinary addition to our campus-wide effort to maintain social distancing while creating safe opportunities for our students to have a Baylor-quality educational experience this fall.
Today, I’d like to share with you more details of the extensive planning and precautionary measures – particularly relating to cleaning and sanitization – we are implementing across our campus to both prepare for your arrival and provide the best opportunity to keep all of our Baylor Family healthy and well once we are all back together.
Please do NOT complete the COVID-19 test kit you will soon receive in the mail until 7 days prior to your scheduled return to the Baylor campus for the fall semester. This instruction supersedes the information emailed to you last Thursday.
Ensuring every student confirms a negative test before returning to our campus is a key strategy in allowing a successful in-person start and completion of our fall semester.
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.
Baylor University today announced the cancellation of in-person graduation ceremonies honoring August 2020 graduates Aug. 14-15 due to a surge in cases and hospitalizations related to COVID-19 across Texas and the nation. In its place, the University will host a virtual ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 15, to honor its May and August graduates.
What will Baylor University’s fall semester look like?
This information outlines the notification steps Baylor University employees and supervisors need to take when an employee is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, waiting on test results or has a lab-confirmed positive COVID-19 test.
Thank you for your resilience and support during the past few months as Baylor University joined higher education institutions and communities around the world in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the spring semester behind us and our online Summer of Discovery academic sessions in full swing, we now turn our eyes to the fall.
Thank you for your resilience and support during the past few months as Baylor University joined higher education institutions and communities around the world in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the spring semester behind us and our online Summer of Discovery academic sessions in full swing, we now turn our eyes to the fall.
Today we are announcing an important public safety measure as we continue to see an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases within the Waco area. Effective Monday (June 22, 2020), face coverings are required to be worn by all individuals (faculty, staff, students and visitors) in all buildings on the Baylor campus.
We learned today from the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District that two Baylor University students have tested positive for COVID-19. The students live in on-campus housing and have self-isolated, according to CDC and local public health guidelines. Contact tracing is being coordinated through the local health district in conjunction with Baylor Health Services.
Earlier today, Baylor Athletics announced that three student-athletes – all residing off campus when tested – have tested positive for COVID-19.
What’s the difference between face-to-face, hybrid and synchronous and asynchronous online classes?
WACO, Texas – Baylor Athletics announced Tuesday, three of 59 tested student-athletes, all residing off campus when tested, are confirmed positive cases for COVID-19.
I am so excited to welcome you back to campus this fall as we return to on-campus educational instruction. I have missed our students so much.
At the conclusion of the Baylor Board of Regents regular spring meeting today, we will release full details of the 2020-2021 budgetary actions encompassing cost avoidances, cost reductions and one-time funding reallocations in response to COVID-19.
As we conclude the spring semester at Baylor – amid some of the most challenging and heartbreaking circumstances we have experienced as an institution and a country – I want to express my profound appreciation for your many demonstrations of compassion and resilience, as well as for your uplifting expressions of support for the University during the past few months.
As we conclude the spring semester, I want to provide an update on the campus-wide efforts that have been underway regarding Baylor University’s financial outlook in response to COVID-19.
Our President’s Council – in close consultation with our COVID-19 Task Force, the deans and academic leadership, and local government and public health officials – has been working through various scenarios to revive the Baylor campus and resume normal operations.
WACO, Texas (April 27, 2020) – After gathering input from across student support offices, all academic units and the Office of the Provost, Baylor University has made the decision to become a test-optional institution for the 2021 application cycle for incoming freshman students.
As a Christian, I fully believe God heals in various ways. Regardless of one’s theology on healing, our focus can be peace, kindness and compassion. Based on my personal experience, here are helpful things one can do (or avoid doing) for those with COVID-19.
In yesterday's "Presidential Perspectives," President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., announced the launch of Baylor’s new Summer of Discovery program – discounted course bundles to help undergraduate students advance toward their academic goals. With travel and activity restrictions changing summer plans for everyone, Baylor’s online summer classes are a great investment in your future.
WACO, Texas (April 17, 2020) – As couples and families shelter in place throughout the nation to slow the spread of COVID-19, they are navigating the unique combination of crisis, change and close quarters together.
WACO, Texas (April 15, 2020) – More than a month into physical distancing and troubleshooting the technical aspects of creating online worship services, many churches have pivoted from launching their services online to focusing on improving and cultivating the worship experience and community that their congregants are seeking.
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to touch every aspect of our daily lives, from our families, churches and schools to healthcare, government and the economy. COVID-19’s impact on higher education and at Baylor University is apparent, as we have transitioned the spring and summer semesters online, moved faculty and staff to telework status and canceled events campus-wide.
WACO, Texas (April 14, 2020) – During this time of physical and social distancing, many Baylor University students who are learning online, off campus and in remote settings are battling the effects of isolation. Even though students aren’t on Baylor’s campus, that doesn’t mean campus isn’t finding ways to go to them.
WACO, Texas (April 7, 2020) – As COVID-19 has caused churches across the world to restrict in-person gatherings and completely change the way worship is approached, many are grappling with what Christian faith looks like right now.
WACO, Texas (April 6, 2020) — One gorgeous spring day last year, students of Elise King, who teaches interior design at Baylor University, suggested she hold class on architect Frank Lloyd Wright outdoors. She said OK. No outdoor classes this year, with social-distancing in place. But King and her students are using a novel approach.
These are disorienting times. Due to COVID-19, our professional, relational and recreational routines as American Christians have been disrupted by quarantines and social distancing. In our typically fast-paced world, it feels strange when things suddenly come to a halt.
Over the past couple of weeks, I have heard of people hijacking the Wikipedia pages of several prominent universities, indicating they were a “private online university based in …”. I am happy to report that no one has commandeered our Wikipedia page so far. Baylor continues to be “a private Baptist Christian university in Waco, Texas.”
WACO, Texas (April 2, 2020) – In the proverbial “blink of an eye,” many find their neighbors, friends, family – and even themselves – out of jobs that only a few weeks ago seemed safe and secure. The jobless are grieving. What’s our role? How do we help? How do we engage?
WACO, Texas (April 2, 2020) – The CDC reports that 7.1% of children ages 3-17 have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. In this time of COVID-19, social distancing and a 24/7 news cycle that is often centered on sickness and death, are there steps these children and their parents can take to mitigate the effects of anxiety?
On April 1st, Baylor in Washington and The Trinity forum hosted this important discussion with four of America's most prominent religious commentators about how believers and religious communities can thrive during this extraordinary season and so be prepared to contribute to America's common good.
Drinking alcoholic beverages may be more appealing amid unease about the coronavirus, as people deal with shelter-at-home orders, fears about the economy and boredom, says a Baylor University researcher who studies alcohol use and misuse.
Earlier today, the City of Waco and McLennan County announced an extension of their Shelter in Place orders through April 21. The City and County will continue to reevaluate the order for possible extension beyond the current date.
WACO, Texas (March 31, 2020) – The impact of the COVID-19 public health crisis is acutely felt by entrepreneurs and the nearly 60 million people employed by small businesses across the U.S. As communities have sheltered in place and closed all but the most essential businesses, many entrepreneurs find themselves in survival mode amidst uncertain waters, seeking to keep their business afloat and retain employees.
WACO, Texas (March 31, 2020) – Drinking alcoholic beverages may be more appealing amid unease about the coronavirus, as people deal with shelter-at-home orders and fears about the economy, says a Baylor University researcher who studies alcohol use and misuse. But with regulations providing less access to alcohol, this may be a good time for substance abusers to seek recovery and for others to guard against over-reliance.
We are happy to share that the University will provide prorated credits for housing, meal plans, and parking permits and will pay students receiving federal work-study. In certain circumstances, the credits provided may result in a reimbursement, based on certain criteria. Below are the specifics of the plan.
Even those of us who find crowds exhausting are mourning the loss of connection, and while Zoom and FaceTime and other tech solutions can bring us together in some fashion, many of us remain unsatisfied.
WACO, Texas (March 30, 2020) – The initial spread of COVID-19 has created unprecedented situations for many Americans, causing significant disruptions to ordinarily consistent daily routines. These disruptions have led to widespread fear of a dynamic future and can be seen most tangibly on the empty shelves of grocery stores across the nation.
WACO, Texas (March 30, 2020) - In response to the City of Waco’s call for shelter in place, Baylor University has temporarily closed the Bill and Eva Williams Bear Habitat, a Class C Zoo, to visitors. Out of an abundance of caution, the facility will remain closed until group gatherings are deemed safe to resume.
As our state and nation respond to the public health crisis created by the global spread of coronavirus, Baylor University has been confronted by many unprecedented circumstances and, accordingly, has taken many equally unprecedented actions in response.
I am glad to be writing again to you on a Thursday afternoon for our weekly Presidential Perspective. Like me, I hope you see this as a sign of a return to normalcy, although it is indeed a new normal for Baylor.
WACO, Texas (March 26, 2020) — The spread of coronavirus has interrupted many traditional institutions of working life, with perhaps the most drastic change to the professional environment coming from the rapid transition to work-from-home offices. With many segments of the workforce ordered to shelter in place and work remotely, employees have scrambled to transform guest bedrooms and kitchen tables to home offices, exchanging conference room roundtable discussions for tiled video conference calls.
As we continue on this journey together forced upon us by the coronavirus (COVID-19), I continue to be impressed by the creativity, dedication and resilience of all of you. We have asked you to do the extraordinary for Baylor University over the past few weeks – all the while balancing family, church and community obligations during these unprecedented times.
While distance education is new for most of Baylor, Dr. Nicholas Werse has been a distance educator for several years. Werse is the Graduate Writing Coordinator for Baylor School of Education’s EdD in Learning and Organizational Change, the university’s largest online doctoral program, housed in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction.
WACO, Texas (March 25, 2020) – The international response to the COVID-19 public health crisis has led millions of workers to make home their new office as communities and organizations promote social distancing to slow the spread of the virus. For many individuals, this spring marks the first time they will have worked from home for a substantial amount of time.
While distance education is new for most of Baylor, Dr. Nicholas Werse has been a distance educator for several years. Werse is the Graduate Writing Coordinator for Baylor School of Education’s EdD in Learning and Organizational Change and runs a fully online writing center to coach the doctoral students with their academic writing.
WACO, Texas (March 24, 2020) – Public health crises such as COVID-19 — in which people may feel powerless and receive conflicting information — can lead to a flare-up of unsafe religious sentiments, says a Baylor epidemiologist.
We are doing our best to keep you informed during this rapidly evolving situation involving the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as we prioritize the health and safety of our campus community, the ongoing continuity of our academic mission and the continuity of business operations.
WACO, Texas (March 23, 2020) – During a time of stress and uncertainty, how do we ease our fears and avoid a counter-productive and potentially selfish bulk-buying response? Baylor's Jim Roberts, Ph.D., The Ben H. Williams Professor of Marketing, shares his thoughts.
As I look out my office windows this morning, the campus looks so different with our students dispersed throughout Texas, the United States and the world. But I can assure you that Baylor University’s commitment to our Christian mission and academic excellence remains the same as it has for 175 years.
Dr. Sara Perry, associate professor of management in Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business, is a leading expert and researcher on remote work. In this Baylor Connections, she shares how individuals and families can approach working from home from a variety of angles—a work-from-home checklist, parenting considerations for children home from school, physical workspace, routines, connectedness with coworkers and more.
WACO, Texas (March 20, 2020) – While a huge focus is on health and mortality during the coronavirus outbreak, not to be forgotten are those who are grappling with death from natural causes, diseases, accidents and crime. Funerals and visitations are the customary means of support friends and loved ones — but restricted travel and social distancing poses challenges.
Earlier today, we learned from the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District that a student within our Baylor community has tested positive for COVID-19 (coronavirus).
WACO, Texas (March 19, 2020) – Millions of children and teens throughout the United States are relegated to their homes. As parents struggle to carve out a new normal for themselves and their children, a Baylor University professor says physical fitness should still be a priority.
It is with great concern that I update you this morning with the latest coronavirus (COVID-19) information. A few minutes ago, the Waco-McLennan County Public Health Department and local officials held a press conference and announced five positive tests of COVID-19 in the Waco area. Two of those positive tests involved Baylor faculty members.
Yesterday President Livingstone shared a message with students, faculty, staff and parents that Baylor University will continue the spring semester through online instruction.