Pro Futuris « Baylor Proud

Points of Pride — Pro Futuris

May

2012

Baylor We Are: Winning with Integrity

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Academics, Athletics, Baylor 2012, Honors, Pro Futuris

Kim Mulkey in City of Waco Baylor women's basketball parade

Rather than spin a lengthy narrative about Baylor’s athletic success in 2011-12, let’s just go straight to the facts:

80 combined wins across the “big three” sports (football, men’s and women’s basketball), the most of any school in NCAA history.
118 combined wins (and counting) across the “big four” (FB, MBB, WBB and baseball), rapidly approaching the record of 123 set by Texas in 2003-04.
Only the second school ever to win the Heisman Trophy and earn consensus national player of the year honors in basketball in one year.
14 of Baylor’s 19 varsity programs have already reached the postseason this year — matching the school record for the fourth straight year — and the other five are all on pace to join them. (Only twice in the history of the Big 12 has a school had all of its teams reach the postseason in the same year.)

And while this has clearly been the best year in Baylor athletic history, it didn’t come out of nowhere. Let’s look back over the last few years:

36 Big 12 titles since Ian McCaw was hired as Director of Athletics in September 2003 — third-most in the league behind only Texas and Texas A&M — across six sports (baseball, women’s basketball, equestrian, softball, and men’s and women’s tennis).
Three NCAA team championships in that same time span (men’s tennis in 2004, women’s basketball in 2005 and 2012) — the first three in school history.
Seven straight top-50 finishes in the NACDA Directors’ Cup (which recognizes success across all sports) and on track for likely the best finish in BU history this year.

Furthermore, Baylor’s student-athletes have done all this while also excelling off the field. Individual successes have abounded (like Robert Griffin III leaving Baylor with not only a Heisman but a nearly completed master’s degree, all in less than five years), as have team honors (like the eight Baylor programs recognized in the last six years for academically ranking among the top 10% in their sport). And that doesn’t even begin to consider the spiritual formation Baylor emphasizes (like the regular service opportunities and department-sponsored mission trips that go out several times each year).

Sic ’em, Baylor athletics!

Apr

2012

Baylor We Are: A Melting Pot

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Baylor 2012, Pro Futuris, Student life

Baylor students

The numbers bear it out: Baylor’s student body is more diverse than ever before.

Most noticeable are the changes in the student body’s mix of race/ethnicity, where Baylor’s undergraduate population has gone from 22% minority to 34.5% over the past decade. To give you some context, Baylor is now home to the second most diverse collection of students in the Big 12*; BU’s numbers are also higher than such peer institutions as Notre Dame, SMU and Wake Forest.

But such numbers aren’t the only way diversity plays out among students. Baylor students hail from 49 different states (all but Vermont) and 72 foreign countries (from Angola to Zimbabwe). And while 90% of students identify themselves with some form of Christianity, they represent about 30 different denominations.

Such variety adds to all areas of the educational experience, as students learn from one another both in and outside the classroom. It also prepares students for life in an increasingly global society.

Sic ’em, Baylor students!

* 2011-12 numbers: Texas 49.2%, Baylor 34.5%, Texas Tech 30.9%, Oklahoma 29.3%, Texas A&M 28.9%, Oklahoma State 25.2%, Kansas 22.4%, Kansas State 19.5%, Iowa State 18.2%, Missouri 17.3%. Also, TCU 24.8%, West Virginia 13.3%, Notre Dame 25.1%, SMU 32.3%, Wake Forest, 21.7%.

Apr

2012

Baylor We Are: World-Class Facilities

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Academics, Baylor 2012, Pro Futuris, Student life

It hasn’t been all that long since I was a student at Baylor, but when I walk the campus these days, I marvel at how many of the facilities students benefit from today have gone up since I graduated.

The one that stands out the most is the Baylor Sciences Building (pictured; click on image for larger version) — perhaps because it’s far and away the largest building ever built on our campus, and one you’ve probably driven by on your way down University Parks Drive to a Baylor sporting event. Opened in 2004, the BSB (as it’s known around campus) gives students and professors more than 500,000 square feet of classroom, lab and office space — almost four times the size of the law school, which was previously the largest building on campus.

The facility is home to the departments of biology, chemistry and biochemistry, environmental science, geology, physics, psychology and neuroscience, as well as offices for the ~~Baylor Interdisciplinary Core (BIC)~~, biomedical studies, medical humanities, pre-health programs and pre-nursing. It also houses Baylor centers for analytical spectroscopy, spatial research, drug discovery, mass spectometry, molecular biosciences, and reservoir and aquatic systems research. (Got all that?)

And the BSB is far from the only new academic space Baylor students enjoy. The Paul L. Foster Success Center, housed in a drastically remodeled Sid Richardson Building, brought the university’s academic advisement and support offices as well as career counseling and services under one roof. Museum studies students and the Waco community at large enjoy the Mayborn Museum Complex. Graduate students have received new homes in the Baugh-Reynolds Campus of Truett Seminary and the Umphrey Law Center. And that doesn’t even begin to include unique classroom space in the newer residence halls.

Imperative VII of Baylor’s Vision 2012 called for the provision of outstanding academic facilities. With those mentioned above and other possible additions being discussed (including a new quadrangle and new business school), I look forward to what the Baylor campus of tomorrow holds for students of the future.

Sic ’em, BSB and all who have helped provide Baylor’s world-class facilities!

Apr

2012

Baylor We Are: Discovering New Truths

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Academics, Baylor 2012, Pro Futuris, Research

Baylor researchers Finding balance has always been important at Baylor. Think “Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana.” “Worldwide leadership and service.” “Faith and learning.” Equally important is “teaching and research.”

Baylor has a long history of great teachers, but in recent years the university has worked to bring its research efforts to a similar level. Baylor faculty contributions to major journals have more than doubled in the past decade. Total research expenditures (both from the university’s budget and external grants) have increased dramatically. And nothing testifies to Baylor’s emphasis on research more than the establishment of the Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative (BRIC).

A February report in the Waco Tribune-Herald noted that BRIC officials have heard from about 100 companies interested in partnering with the Baylor and Texas State Technical College researchers who will be working out of the new facility. Baylor programs will begin moving into BRIC by the beginning of 2013, if not sooner.

Last fall, Dr. Marlan Scully agreed to move his research on quantum optics, laser physics and bioengineering from Princeton to BRIC; other programs scheduled to move to BRIC include the Baylor Center for Spatial Research, the Hankamer School of Business’ Innovative Business Accelerator, the Baylor Institute for Air Science, Baylor’s Center for Astrophysics, Space Physics and Engineering Research, and TSTC’s technical training programs.

Why is such research important? Baylor’s draft strategic plan explains the answer under Aspirational Statement Two: “Baylor will be a place… where research discoveries illuminate solutions to significant challenges confronting our world and where creative endeavors reflect the breadth of God’s creation.”

Few universities recognized as having “high research activity” also have a Christian perspective; such an approach offers unique insights on issues ranging from health care and economics to human rights and social responsibility. Research into such areas allows our professors to remain on the cutting edge in their fields, gives undergraduate and graduate students hands-on opportunities in the discovery process, and contributes to finding solutions to some of the problems facing our world.

Sic ’em, Baylor researchers!

Previously on Baylor Proud:
* Forensics prof uses skills to bring closure to migrant families missing loved ones (Feb. 2012)
* Baylor research park moving forward with construction (Oct. 2011)
* Three Baylor students awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowships (May 2011)
* Baylor researchers, alumni spreading awareness of and seeking cure for PTSD (Nov. 2010)
* Baylor professors receive $1.46 million NIH grant for cancer research (June 2010)

Apr

2012

Baylor We Are: Student-Focused

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Academics, Baylor 2012, Pro Futuris, Student life

Baylor student-professor interaction Think back over your Baylor experience; chances are that a professor who made time for you played a key part in helping you along the way.

For generations, Baylor has been known as a place where students are names and faces, not numbers, and where most classes are taught by professors with experience, not TA’s or grad assistants. University leaders have long recognized that accessibility to professors — in the classroom and through open office hours — is an important part of the education experience.

Toward that end, over the past decade, Baylor has endeavored to improve its already small classes. Since 2002, the student-faculty ratio has shrunk from 18-to-1 to 14-to-1. Even when you factor in introductory courses in core subjects, less than 9% of undergraduate classes have 50-plus students; in fact, nearly 50% of undergraduate classes have fewer than 20 students.

“Establishing an environment where learning can flourish” was a key component of Vision 2012, and “further enhanc[ing] engagement between students and faculty” is a part of the draft strategic plan as well. Past, present and future, Baylor students have had, currently enjoy, and will continue to build relationships with their professors like few of their peers at other schools.

Sic ’em, Baylor profs!

Previously on Baylor Proud:
* Nation’s largest award for top teaching brings Michigan professor to Baylor (Jan. 2012)
* Bears take to Twitter to honor favorite Baylor profs during Teacher Appreciation Week (May 2011)
* Baylor resources and professors the keys for University Scholar’s early success in academia (Feb. 2011)
* What do students have to say about Baylor? (June 2009)
* More faculty moving onto campus to increase interaction with students (May 2008)

Mar

2012

Baylor We Are: Building On Our Legacy

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Baylor 2012, Faith, Pro Futuris, Student life, Videos

Baylor Chapel For all the attention given to the results of Baylor’s Vision 2012 over the past decade, not everything about the university is new. In fact, in some areas, Baylor has really returned to its roots.

Baylor Chapel is a great example. Perhaps the university’s oldest tradition, Chapel has been a staple of the Baylor experience since the institution’s earliest days in Independence, Texas. But over the years, Chapel morphed from a worship experience to more of a lecture series, covering all sorts of subjects and performances. For many years, even the name changed, as the required course was called “Chapel-Forum.”

In recent years, however, Chapel — now back to its original name — has also returned to its original purpose. Mondays feature speakers, bands and other performers, all aimed at connecting spiritually with students; recent guests have included Christian artists like Gungor and Jill Phillips, authors Max Lucado and Brian McLaren, and alumni such as Pastor Chris Seay and WNBA All-Star Sophia Young. (FYI, you can click on any of those names to see video from that Chapel appearance.) Wednesdays are for worship, though throughout the semester that can take many forms, from traditional hymns and student choirs to more contemporary music.

Baylor’s dedication to its Christian heritage is clearly reaffirmed in Baylor’s draft strategic plan, and Baylor Chapel will remain a core piece of fulfilling the university’s “Pro Texana, Pro Ecclesia” motto.

Sic ’em, Chapel!

Previously on Baylor Proud:
* Baylor parents covering campus with prayer (Dec. 2010)
* Former Chapel worship leader passes first round of ‘American Idol’ cuts (Jan. 2010)
* Max Lucado among Spring Chapel guest speakers (May 2008)

Mar

2012

Baylor We Are: Stewards of God’s gifts

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Alumni, Baylor 2012, Pro Futuris, Student life

Baylor commencement All over the nation, the price of a college education has gone up dramatically in recent years. Much of that increase reflects growth in student services and amenities, such as updated dorm rooms, food courts, workout facilities, etc., greater access to state-of-the-art technology and labs, and high levels of personal attention from advisers and counselors.

The bottom line of all this, however, is that the cost of a college education places a significant burden on students and their families. In an effort to help keep a Baylor education accessible to students of all walks of life, the university has made increasing scholarship offerings a primary goal.

In the last year and a half, the President’s Scholarship Initiative has raised nearly $50 million that will endow student scholarships, providing funds to ease the financial burden of higher education in perpetuity. In addition, the university provides more than $130 million in institutional scholarships each year — more than three times the amount provided just 10 years ago.

The draft strategic plan emphasizes this need, describing the need for all associated with Baylor — from administrators to alumni — to be good stewards of God’s gifts. We must be “ever-vigilant” about monitoring our costs, the draft reads, and at the same time continue working to increase the degree to which those costs can be met by endowed scholarships.

Most of us received some sort of aid that helped pay for our time at Baylor; we can pay that forward to the students of today and tomorrow by giving to the President’s Scholarship Initiative. Every dollar counts; even with most budgets stretched tight, chances are we can each find a few dollars by skipping a couple of Starbucks visits or a night dining out with the family. Let’s help the students of tomorrow continue to find their extraordinary stories here at Baylor.

Sic ’em, scholarship providers!

Previously on Baylor Proud:
* Baylor named a ‘Best Buy’ for sixth straight year (July 2011)
* Even in death, alum’s dream of reaching children lives on through scholarship fund (June 2011)
* Baylor women hosting home tour to raise scholarship funds for BU students (Feb. 2011)
* Starr calls Baylor Nation to support $100 million student scholarship initiative (Sept. 2010)

Mar

2012

Baylor We Are: Attracting World Leaders

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Academics, Baylor 2012, Pro Futuris, Student life

Baylor in China University President Ken Starr has often remarked that as the world has grown smaller, the “Pro Texana” part of Baylor’s motto can no longer mean just “for Texas” or “for the state.” It must reach further; today’s Baylor students will impact not only the Texas of tomorrow, but the United States and even the world.

Hundreds of Baylor alumni live outside the U.S., and hundreds more of our current students are getting to experience a brief taste of what that’s like through international programs. That may mean a week-long mission trip, a summer abroad, or an entire semester spent in an exchange program.

In the past decade, the number of international opportunities available to Baylor students has nearly doubled, from 50 in 2001 to around 100 the last several years. Participation in study abroad programs has fluctuated with the economy, but overall is up 35 percent from 2001 to 2010 and peaked at 1,053 students in 2007. And that doesn’t even include the hundreds of students who have gone overseas on university-sponsored mission trips.

Such experiences without a doubt increase Baylor students’ “desire for wisdom, understanding of calling, and preparation for service in an interconnected global society,” as Aspirational Statement One of the draft strategic plan reads.

Sic ’em, world leaders of tomorrow!

Previously on Baylor Proud:
* Social work’s Global Mission Leadership to move ahead thanks to generous gift (Dec. 2011)
* Summer mission trips: 100s of Baylor students head out as research validates trips’ effects (May 2011)
* Alum moves from Baylor to the highest levels of Jordan’s government (Jan. 2011)
* U.S. Dept. of State puts recent Baylor grad on fast track to foreign service (Nov. 2010)
* International honors allow Baylor students to continue studies overseas (April 2010)
* As headquarters, Baylor leads global computer science competition (March 2010)
* Alum in Scotland reaches out to students overseas at Thanksgiving (Dec. 2008)

Mar

2012

McLane family gift launches move toward new Baylor football stadium

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Alumni, Athletics, Pro Futuris

As you’ve likely heard by now, a generous gift from Baylor Regent Emeritus Drayton McLane, BBA ’58, and his wife, Elizabeth, has given the university a good start towards its planned on-campus football stadium.

[SEE: New renderings of what Baylor Stadium could look like]

The design of the stadium — which has reminded some of a European-style soccer arena — has folks all over the country ooh-ing and ahh-ing. (CBS Sports said it might be “one of the most spectacular stadiums in the country,” NBC called it “breathtaking,” and Dave Campbell’s Texas Football could only say “Whoa.”) Many Baylor fans are already making plans to tailgate by boat (sail-gating?) on the banks of the Brazos adjacent to the stadium.

The name of the new facility — “Baylor Stadium,” chosen at the McLanes’ request — has also resonated with many Bear fans who have noted the McLanes’ humility in letting the stadium simply advertise the Baylor name, rather than their own. Many recall that Floyd Casey Stadium was called by the same name for the first four decades of its existence, and some have missed the moniker.

[WATCH/LISTEN: Yahoo! Sports' take on the news || Director of Athletics Ian McCaw (part one and two) via 1660 ESPN Radio || KWTX talks to McCaw, McLane and President Ken Starr]

The stadium is planned for the intersection of I-35, one of the nation’s busiest highways, and the Brazos River, the longest waterway in the state of Texas. Current plans call for it to seat 45,000 with the flexibility to be expanded to 55,000 in the future. A pedestrian bridge would span the Brazos from campus to the stadium, allowing students, alumni and other fans to freely walk to and from the grounds on game day. The stadium would return Baylor football to campus for the first time since 1949.

The McLanes’ gift – the largest capital gift in Baylor history — is certainly very, very generous, but will cover only a portion of the stadium’s cost (estimated to be somewhere in the neighborhood of $250 million). It will still take a strong showing of financial support from the Baylor family to make the stadium a reality. A successful spring fundraising campaign could allow the stadium to be completed as early as 2014.

Sic ’em, McLane family and Baylor football!

Mar

2012

Baylor We Are: Students of Faith

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Baylor 2012, Faith, Pro Futuris, Student life

Baylor resident chaplain A decade ago, the Baylor chaplain’s office began placing students from Baylor’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary into residence halls to serve as “resident chaplains” — pastors-in-training who are available 24/7 to talk about not just theology but personal struggles, relationship issues, and all the other ups and downs that 18- to 22-year-olds can experience.

Today, each of Baylor’s 12 residence halls includes a resident chaplain who is given a stipend and an apartment in the hall. In turn, the seminary students serve that hall’s students in a role somewhere between pastor, parent, friend and older sibling. That may mean leading Bible studies, talking faith over coffee, or helping students deal with tragedy, be it a failing grade, broken relationship or loss of a loved one.

“The resident chaplain program is, I think, one of the most important things that Baylor has done in the last 10 years in terms of spiritual formation,” said Brett Gibson, BA ’02, MDiv ’09, a resident chaplain from 2006-09, in a 2008 Baylor Magazine article. “Baylor is wanting to maintain that Christian identity, and I think placing resident chaplains in these residence halls really gives them a voice in helping give them the opportunity to have those conversations about what it means to be not just a really good doctor, but what it means to be a doctor who follows Christ, or what it means to be a lawyer who follows Christ. How can I put those things together? I think the resident chaplain program and what we are freed to be able to do in that position fosters that kind of conversation that wouldn’t be happening otherwise.”

Sic ’em, resident chaplains!

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