Pro Futuris « Baylor Proud

Points of Pride — Pro Futuris

Mar

2012

Baylor We Are: Celebrating where we’ve been and where we’re going

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

In accepting the 2011 Heisman Trophy, Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III told the world, “Baylor we are, and Baylor we will always be. But it’s up to us to define what that means.”

So what is Baylor? As we conclude one long-term plan (Baylor 2012) and begin another new strategic plan, this is a good time to celebrate who and what we are. Sure, we know the usual descriptors — the largest Baptist university in the world, the oldest continuously operating university in Texas, etc. — but Baylor is so much more than that, as the video below explores.

Baylor. We are … Students of faith. A caring community. Discovering new truths. World leaders. Passionate teachers. Winning with integrity. A family. The list could go on and on, and over the next few months, we’ll from time to time use this space to highlight many such characteristics that make Baylor Baylor.

Sic ’em, Bears!

[Don't forget -- the deadline for final feedback on the draft strategic plan is March 31, and the earlier you get your thoughts in, the better. Go here for more on why and how to share your feedback.]

Feb

2012

Final call issued for Baylor family’s input on new strategic plan

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

Sticky note For more than a year, Baylor leaders have been collecting and analyzing input from every part of the Baylor family in an effort to compile a new strategic plan for the university, aimed at building on the firm foundation laid over the past century and a half and highlighted by 10 years of unprecedented progress following the Baylor 2012 vision launched a decade ago.

That planning process is nearly complete. A draft of the plan was released for feedback in November, distributed in the winter issue of Baylor Magazine and posted on the university website. Members of the Baylor family — alumni, students, faculty/staff, parents and friends of the university — are encouraged to go online and share any final thoughts on the plan between now and the end of March.

[READ & RESPOND: Click here to review the draft of Baylor's new strategic plan and to share feedback before the March 31 deadline.]

Baylor administrators, led by Provost Elizabeth Davis, BBA ’84, will review any feedback received and make last-minute tweaks to the plan in time to present it to the Board of Regents at its meeting in mid May. Assuming the Board approves the plan at that time, it would then be implemented beginning in June.

[WATCH: An explanation of the planning process from Dr. Elizabeth Davis, BBA '84, Baylor executive vice president and provost, who has led the planning process]

After reading the plan linked above, if you have any thoughts (including suggestions for a name besides “the new strategic plan”), please do fill out the feedback form on the strategic plan website. This is sort of the “speak now or forever hold your peace” moment for this plan, so let Dr. Davis and others know what you think.

Sic ’em, Baylor family!

Previously on Baylor Proud:
* University leaders ask for Baylor family’s input on BU’s future through Community Input Sessions (Jan. 2011)
* Baylor leaders call on BU family to reflect before engaging in planning the next 10 years (Nov. 2010)

Nov

2011

Baylor Regents unveil rendering of potential on-campus football stadium

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

If you saw Saturday’s Waco Tribune-Herald, attended Baylor’s Homecoming victory over Missouri, frequent BaylorBears.com or follow @BaylorProud on Twitter, then you heard the news first: Baylor Regents have released a conceptual drawing of what a new, on-campus football stadium could look like. (Click on the image at right for a larger version.)

The next step is a feasibility study that, over the next month or so, will help answer questions such as seating capacity, number of suites and other amenities. (Everyone’s input is requested; click here to take the survey.) The now-public rendering is just a first shot at what could be; bolstered by seeing big dreams come to fruition around Baylor over the past decade, university leaders are daring to dream big again.

An on-campus stadium was among the most-mentioned single items when public input was gathered for Baylor’s new strategic plan. The preferred site is on the Brazos River, adjacent to I-35 across from the law school and the Highers Athletic Complex.

The university is working with Populous (formerly HOK Sport), an architectural firm known for its work on such stadiums as Camden Yards in Baltimore, the new Yankee Stadium in New York, Reliant Stadium in Houston, Heinz Field in Pittsburgh and TCF Bank Stadium, home to University of Minnesota football.

As noted above, the rendering is simply a concept of what features a Baylor stadium might include. The architect’s preliminary vision is for a 45,000- to 50,000-seat stadium, open on one end to look out across the Brazos at the Baylor campus, with a red-brick exterior to match Baylor’s campus architecture. A foot bridge would span the river to allow fans and students to walk freely from campus to the stadium and back and offer boat access to the stadium as well. The project would likely have a price tag somewhere in the neighborhood of $250 million.

Of course, while such details are interesting, it’s important to note that the project has not been approved yet; this discussion is all still very preliminary. There is no timeline for construction; right now, things are going one step at a time, beginning with the fan survey. It will take a strong showing of support from the Baylor family — not only vocal support, but financial support as well — to keep the project moving forward.

Still, this is exciting news, and gives Baylor fans quite a bit to dream about.

Sic ’em, Baylor football!

Jul

2011

Why does the world need Baylor?

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Alumni, Just for Fun, Pro Futuris, Student life

Baylor The question above is exactly what Baylor Magazine is asking the Baylor family. What makes Baylor distinct from other universities? Why is it important for BU to be a part of the academic landscape today? What would the world miss if Baylor suddenly ceased to exist? Why is it worth our time, our support, our love?

As the Strategic Planning Process continues to chart the course the university will follow for the next decade or more, these are questions that should be, and have been, on all our minds. Baylor Magazine wants to hear from everyone on this — alumni, students, parents, faculty, staff, friends, anyone affiliated with the university. Responses will run in the fall issue of the magazine.

Click here to share your thoughts. They can be as long as a single sentence, or perhaps you have several paragraphs worth of answers to these questions. Thanks for your help!

Sic ’em, Bears!

Jan

2011

University leaders ask for Baylor family’s input on BU’s future through Community Input Sessions

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

Strategic Planning Process Baylor held the first of its Strategic Planning Community Input Sessions this week, meeting with members of the Baylor family in Atlanta, San Antonio and Waco as part of the university’s efforts to involve as many voices as possible in shaping BU’s next 10-year strategic plan.

It was interesting how quickly certain themes emerged — the desire to maintain and improve Baylor’s academic standing, the challenges of doing so without weakening BU’s Baptist/Christian heritage, and the need for the entire Baylor family to come together with a common purpose in order to achieve all of this. The gathering gave those in attendance a chance to share their thoughts with one another and with Baylor’s leaders, who will sift through every suggestion received during this process before moving on to come up with a draft of the next strategic plan.

Additional sessions are planned over the next couple of months for Houston, Dallas, Amarillo, Lubbock, Tyler and Austin as well as Nashville, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City and Washington, D.C. (get complete details here). And if you can’t make it to one of these meetings, you can always share your thoughts online through this form. [2/2 update: This week's winter weather has forced the postponement of the Dallas-area session scheduled for Feb. 3; we'll let you know when it is rescheduled.]

I hope that you’ll take time to contribute your input on where Baylor may be headed over the next decade and how we can get there.

Sic ’em, Baylor family!

Nov

2010

University leaders call on Baylor family to reflect before engaging in planning the next 10 years

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

In the last decade or so, Baylor University has seen some incredible growth — in new on-campus residence halls and academic facilities, in recruiting both more academically accomplished students and a more diverse student body, in improved graduate programs and additional support for mission trips, and from increased faculty publication to creating a winning tradition in college athletics.

It’s now time to look ahead to the next decade. Moving forward, Baylor’s core commitments — our mission, core convictions and foundational assumptions — remain steadfast and serve as a strong foundation as we plan for the future.

To that end, I was glad to read President Ken Starr’s e-mail to the entire Baylor family last week asking alumni, students, faculty, staff and other friends to join in the process. Later this winter and into the spring, university leaders will be soliciting the Baylor family’s engagement in dialogue about Baylor’s future.

But first, please take some time to familiarize yourself with who and where we are today. A helpful website has been created to help carry all of us through this process at baylor.edu/strategicplan. The site includes some great reading — not only those documents linked above, but also an excellent beginning by Provost Elizabeth Davis, BBA ’84, that includes a series of questions we should be asking ourselves. How we can manage the rising costs of higher education? How does the integration of faith and learning play out? How can graduate students be better integrated into the life of the university? In what ways can Baylor provide leadership in national and international conversations across a variety of fields? How should Baylor’s culture of caring impact the community?

Reading through all this, two things occur to me. First, there’s a lot to think about before we even start brainstorming what the future might hold for Baylor. Second, there’s so much to be proud of about where our university is today that it’s almost unimaginable to think of where we can be 10, 25, 50 or 100 years from now. I look forward to seeing Baylor’s future unfold and to being a part of it, alongside the entire Baylor family, as we begin to sketch out our road map for the next decade.

Sic ’em, Baylor family!