• #BearsOfBaylor — “That’s my goal — to get us all to work together to move [Baylor] forward.”

    [NOTE: On Saturday, we had the chance to speak with the newest Bear of Baylor, Baylor President-Select Linda Livingstone, about her return to Baylor and her view of the university.]

    “One of the main reasons we decided to come back to Baylor was because we love the mission of Baylor. We think it’s amazing to have a significant academic institution that participates at the highest level of college athletics and continues to maintain the integrity of its Christian mission. And so we’re excited about that and looking forward to it.

    “Being at a Christian institution provides a deeper foundation that drives the decisions that you make in the organization and informs the curriculum, the people that you hire, the way that you do business, in a way that is different than if you’re at a secular institution. And I think it means there’s a deeper way of thinking about the formation of student life, because we’re not only helping develop students intellectually and socially and physically; we’re also helping them grow and develop spiritually, and that’s really a unique opportunity at a Christian university.

    “I’m unbelievably excited about coming back, and everybody’s been so gracious and welcoming. We’ve received such a warm, enthusiastic welcome, and that means a lot. I really want, as we come back, to bring the Baylor family together, to get us on the same page moving the institution forward. We obviously have some difficult issues to continue to work through and address, but at the foundation, we have an unbelievably committed and passionate community around us. We need to bring that group together to move us forward in advancing our academic mission, to be a top-tier research university, while maintaining the integrity of our Christian mission. And along the way, we’re going to continue to excel at co-curricular activities, whether that’s the arts or athletics or other things. That’s my goal — to get us all to work together to move the institution forward.”

    Dr. Livingstone

    [Every Baylor Bear has a story; #BearsOfBaylor brings those stories to you, one by one. These stories, these people… This is our Baylor.]