President Livingstone

Transcript

Derek Smith:
Hello and welcome to Baylor Connections, a conversation series with the people shaping our future. Each week we go in depth with Baylor leaders, professors and more, discussing important topics in higher education, research and student life. I'm Derek Smith and today we are visiting with Baylor University President Dr. Linda Livingstone. As we come to the end of a year and the start of another one, there's a lot to celebrate, a lot to highlight, a lot to look ahead to, and plenty of things for us to discuss today on the program. President Livingstone, thanks so much for joining us as always.

President Livingstone:
Happy to be here, Derek. It's a great time of the year to get together and lots to look forward to.

Derek Smith:
For sure. It's been an exciting year here at Baylor. In fact, I feel like every time we do one of these shows and I start going back to see, it's like, wow, there's a lot of exciting things that happened that when you see them all at once, it's great. But to start off, going back a few weeks heading into Thanksgiving, we celebrated a season of Thanksgiving at Baylor, people across campus shared things that they were grateful for. I'm curious for you in 2024, what did the year provide for you that you're most thankful for, either thankful for institutionally or beyond?

President Livingstone:
There's just so much to be grateful for and to appreciate as you look back over the last year at Baylor. I think a couple of things I would say I'm always just really proud of our students and the way they carry themselves. It's been a very hard and contentious year for many reasons and our students handled that well and with grace and with civility and respect. And so I'm extremely thankful for that and really proud of our students for that. We hired a couple of new vice presidents this last year. Curtis Reynolds, our CFO, and Jason Diffenderfer, our Vice President of Advancement. So I'm excited about those new people in leadership at the university as well as some other new leaders across campus. And just I think overall it was a really positive year and we have a lot to look forward to in 2025.

Derek Smith:
Well, you may have answered one of the questions here. If years take on distinct characters, you mentioned positive is one, how else would you describe 2024?

President Livingstone:
Well, when I look back at 2024, it was a year of transition for us. We, in the summer, concluded our strategic plan Illuminate and we closed out the Give Light Campaign. It was a $1.1 billion campaign, we closed it at $1.5 billion. And as we wrapped up that strategic plan and that campaign, we launched our new strategic plan, Baylor in Deeds, and now we're beginning to work on implementation of that. That of course will mean that we'll step into a new fundraising campaign. And so I think if you look at a theme through that year, that's a huge transition. We had such success with Illuminate and Give Light and now we have the opportunity to look forward to making continued progress with Baylor in Deeds as we go into the new year.

Derek Smith:
Visiting with President Livingstone, well, you mentioned Baylor in Deeds. What are some of the ways that that's setting a foundation for extended growth and impact as we look ahead?

President Livingstone:
Well, Baylor in Deeds builds very directly on Illuminate. We had such success with that, we made great progress. And as we went into Baylor in Deeds, we built on the question I ask in my inaugural address is that the world needs Baylor. And then we asked ourselves for this strategic plan, what does the world most need Baylor for? And as we went into that strategic plan, we looked at what can we at Baylor have a unique impact on? How can we do that going forward? And so when you look at it, there's a lot of emphasis on continuing to focus on student flourishing. There's a lot of emphasis on our commitment to cultivating a caring global community. There's emphasis on growing interdisciplinary research. So building on the great success we had getting to R-1 status. And then there's a commitment related to being good stewards as Christians of the resources that we've been given.
And then theme throughout it, you see things like focus on health and engineering. Those are two areas we're historically very strong in health sciences, we need to continue that. We need to grow our engineering and computer science areas. We need to continue to lean into civil discourse. We need to continue to lean into affordability, retention, graduation rates, those kinds of things. And we really need to focus on how technology's going to impact us, AI, what that's going to do. So you see there's several themes through there, but all of those things matter for the future of Baylor, they matter for preparing our students for the future. And they build on the great success we had with Illuminate and then the Give Light Campaign in support of that.

Derek Smith:
Deeds is obviously in the title of it. It's not as if all of the strategic plans have been active and action-oriented in a lot of ways, but when we think about deeds and verbs and doing things, why is that so important at this stage in Baylor's life?

President Livingstone:
Well, the name, Baylor in Deeds, is built on the scripture in Matthew 5:16 that really helped underpin Illuminate that says, "Let your light shine before others." There's the Illuminate theme. "Let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your father in heaven." And so we felt like going into this plan, we really needed to focus on what we at Baylor could do that not only had an impact in the world, but also provided a window into our life as a Christian university and really shone the light on Christ and how he's impacting us. And so we feel like that action orientation is important, that it's not just theoretical, it's not just academic, but it actually has an impact and will make a difference in the world, in people's lives and in communities and beyond.

Derek Smith:
Visiting with President Livingstone. And you talk about that you mentioned global community earlier and that global influence also significant this year. I mean, don't want to undersell this, this is a big deal. Two words were added to the Baylor University motto, Pro Mundo. And I'm curious how much of that is highlighting what's already taking place, how much of that is aspirational? What does that look like?

President Livingstone:
Right. So we added to the motto, which is since the 1800s, Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana, For the Church, For Texas. Pro Mundo, which is for the world. And I think it does two things. One, I think it does say what we're doing already. We do a lot of study abroad, we have faculty that are international, we do research in partnership with folks globally. So we do a lot of things on a global basis. But it also says we need to do even more of that. And the world is global, it's interconnected, we have to prepare our students to live and work in a global world. And so we're saying that we're not just a local or a state or even a United States university, we are a global university, we're going to lean into that. And we want to have an impact, certainly locally, across the state, nationally, but we want to have a global impact as a university. And we felt like changing the motto like that put a stake in the ground to say yes, we're going to take that very seriously.

Derek Smith:
Absolutely. Very exciting to see and to see the ways that shapes future things that take place as we visit with President Livingstone. So President Livingstone, we don't always go inside the logistics as the show being recorded for listeners, but just so we're talking about the start of a new year, we're also recording here before Christmas, before a bowl game. So I recognize to ask you some of these questions, some of them will be dated by the time the show airs. But we're going to roll with that anyway because it's a fun thing. But I did want to ask you, for you and your family, are there opportunities as we head into the break, it's been a busy 2024, I know 2025 is too, are their opportunities for you all to even with a bowl game and everything in there to rest and unwind a bit?

President Livingstone:
We will. We'll go to Oklahoma where my family always gets together and have a good time there with them for a few days and then we'll have a few days of rest before going to that bowl game. It will have already taken place by the time people hear this conversation.

Derek Smith:
I know. So I wish we could... We don't know what the result's going to be, I'm assuming it's going to be a Baylor win but-

President Livingstone:
That's what we're all hoping for.

Derek Smith:
For sure.

President Livingstone:
We're going to will that to happen.

Derek Smith:
Yeah. Well, whether that's the case or not, for the Baylor football program and just its impact, I mean it's been a pretty exciting second half surge in particular, closing the year so strong. What has that surge... Just, I don't know, it feels like it makes everyone's mood is a little bit lighter when the football team's played so well.

President Livingstone:
When your athletic teams win, everybody's happy. Absolutely. And I couldn't be prouder of this team, of our coaching staff. It was a hard start to the year, especially after last year. And they hung in there, they had a good attitude, they kept working hard, they kept getting better and it paid off in a really enormous way by the success they had with that six win run at the end of the season. I was telling somebody, we hosted Kansas for that Saturday game after Thanksgiving and I told several people as people were coming into the president's suite, we were greeting folks. Everybody was just so happy.
I mean, joyously happy. And I think part of it was because it was after Thanksgiving and people had had some rest and time with family. But I think they were just in a happy mood because we'd won the last five games, we knew Kansas would be a tough game. This was before the game even started. And it does bring a lightness to people's step, it brings optimism and joy to people's lives. And I think too it just shows how resilient our student athletes can be in the face of adversity and come through that. And frankly, it gives all of us hope that we can do that too.

Derek Smith:
Absolutely. Football one fall sport among others, volleyball, soccer, others we're going to golf, track, et cetera. I'm curious... Equestrian, I don't want to leave anyone out. Were there any favorite fall sports moments for you this year?

President Livingstone:
Oh gosh, we love all of our sports. And I'm going to take a little moment of personal privilege. I have to say probably my favorite was when our daughter got to come back and be one of the volleyball coaches. So on a personal level, we certainly did not anticipate or expect that to happen. And she's thrilled to be back. We're thrilled to be back. So of course we love watching volleyball because we love watching the team, but it's fun to have a child that's coaching as well and get to see that. And then I think the turnaround of the football program and the way they started doing so well, you have to look at that as a really important part of the experience. But I think all of our fall sports really improved and did well this year. So really proud of all those student athletes and looking forward to what our student athletes are going to do this spring as well.

Derek Smith:
Visiting with President Livingstone here on Baylor Connections. And we've talked on this program before about your leadership role at the NCAA as board chair and certainly changes in college athletics continue to be at the forefront of a lot of conversations around the sport. I'm curious, your role as board chair, where has that focused your attention in recent months and those of your colleagues as presidents, athletic directors, provosts, et cetera?

President Livingstone:
Well, I think because of all that's going on on a national level in college athletics and because I'm involved at the national and conference level with boards there, it does pull your attention up from your campus issues, even if they relate to athletics or other things, and forces you to think about the national landscape, the impact that's going to have not just on our athletic programs but our universities more broadly. And I think all of us as presidents, particularly in the Power Four conferences, are paying a lot of attention to that. Thinking about how we as presidents can have an influence in those decisions that are being made and can ensure that we maintain the integrity or the academic component of our missions as they relate to athletics, but certainly to the broader institution as we go through a very chaotic but ever-changing time in college athletics.

Derek Smith:
Are there any common questions that are worth us taking the time? Common questions you get from fans or people around Baylor as you talk to them that are FAQs, if you will, that are good for us to address?

President Livingstone:
Well, people want to know what's going to happen with the House settlement, this antitrust case that we're trying to settle. And we should have clarity on that by the first part of April. We're cautiously optimistic that that case will get settled, which will give us a framework in which to operate that has to do with universities now having the ability to pay name, image and likeness money to student athletes. It will also affect scholarships and roster limits. But it will give us some clarity that we haven't had. So I think that's something that we've focused on and something that I get questions about a lot. I get a lot of questions about the transfer portal and the crazy chaotic world of the transfer portal. That has of course loosened up tremendously, there are very few restrictions other than windows in which students can go into it. People wish we could restrict it more on how often you could transfer if you had to sit out. But court cases and legal proceedings have basically made it clear that you can't do those restrictions at least right now. So you get some questions about that.
You get questions about employment of student athletes. Clearly those of us in college athletics do not feel like that would be in the best interest of our student athletes. And so we're really working hard to make sure that we're supporting and enhancing support for student athletes to address concerns some folks had over time around academics or mental health or other things. But also looking at the ways in which we financially support student athletes, which is part of the House case that we talked about. So most of what we get asked about has to do with this national theme and the chaos it's created. And frankly, it's very complicated and if you don't spend your time on it all the time, I can see why people have lots of questions and don't necessarily understand it well. Even those of us that do this all the time don't always understand everything about it as well as we would like to.

Derek Smith:
Visit with President Livingstone here on Baylor Connections. There's a lot of honors that Baylor has been receiving that tells things about the character of the university. Second straight year, starting off with this one, Baylor was listed by Time Magazine as a top college for leaders. As you look around campus, some of the seeds that we're planning to produce future leaders, where do you see those growing on campus?

President Livingstone:
I think all of it actually grows out of our mission, which says that we're going to prepare men and women for worldwide leadership and service. So I mean, our mission is to prepare leaders in a Christian caring environment on our campus. And so I think what you see happening in our classrooms, the ways in which faculty engage with our students, give them hands-on learning experiences, the work that's being done in co-curricular spaces, in student life, working with student leaders on campus and others to do leadership development are critical. We've done a lot of work with our students on civil discourse and engaging on difficult issues in respectful ways. So I think that you can look across our campus and embedded in curricular, co-curricular activities, you see lots of emphasis on leadership.
I would even argue that the ways in which our students engage in the community do that as well. Many of our students volunteer in organizations in town and have leadership opportunities. We partner with lots of local churches as well and we have lots of students doing leadership work in churches across town. So I think it's just a holistic approach to the development of our students that has allowed this to take place. And then we do, I think, get a group of students that care deeply about service and their communities because that recognition was about leaders that bear fruit. And frankly, that's a very Christ-centered word and we're supposed to live out the fruits of the spirit and to bear fruit. And hopefully that's what we're preparing our students to do as they leave here.

Derek Smith:
Certainly Time Magazine has taken notice and others have as well. Another honor, U.S. News each year puts out rankings of top undergraduate teaching universities, top undergraduate research among others. And once again, we're one of just a few universities who are in the top 30 nationally in both. I mean, there's a lot of great universities out there. Certainly we think Baylor is the best, but there's a lot of great universities out there. How have we been able to maintain that kind of high-level excellence at both?

President Livingstone:
It goes back to the fact that we have historically and will always continue to value deeply undergraduate education. And what that means 20 years ago versus what it means today are different. And we know that undergraduate students want to engage in research while they're undergraduates. And so we really think about research and teaching as an integrated function at the undergraduate level. And so we want to give our undergraduate students opportunities to engage in research with faculty, with graduate students in the laboratory and in other ways while also ensuring that they're getting a really great learning experience in the classroom.
And that in the end goes back to your faculty that you're hiring. And when we hire faculty, we hire faculty that want to be at a Christian university, have a personal faith commitment themselves, they care about students, want to excel in the classroom and they care deeply about research. But it's not just caring about research, it's that they care about engaging students in their research as well. And so if you hire the right faculty, you create the right environment, you're going to have a great opportunity for students to have a great undergraduate experience that integrates teaching and research in what becomes a really rich learning environment that we are really appreciative that U.S. News recognized.

Derek Smith:
Absolutely. Yeah. Another thing, part of those rankings we're a top 10 university nationally for first year experience. And also recently separately, but somewhat aligned, we recently celebrated record retention rates institutionally over 90%. Great first year experience retention rates. How much of those two things go hand-in-hand here?

President Livingstone:
Well, they're critically interrelated. We know that retention first year to second year is the most important to helping students ultimately stay at an institution and graduate. So if you can create experiences in their first year inside and outside of the classroom that help them to be successful and connect them to others and to the institution, they're much more likely to retain that first year and then to pursue all the way through to graduation. And so we've worked extremely hard on that and we've done it with co-curricular activities, but we've also done it with mental health support, with financial support.
The Baylor Benefit Grant program has been really critical in that to help students have the financial means that are higher need financially. We've done it with the ways we're supporting students in some of the more difficult classes and providing supplemental instruction and other things. So it's a whole portfolio of experiences in and out of the classroom, that first year experience of co-curricular activities is critical. And so we've seen great success and it's played out in really high retention rates for us that we believe will feed those students through successfully till they graduate.

Derek Smith:
That's a great rate number to see. More than nine out of 10 coming back. As we enter the final few minutes, President Livingstone, a couple more questions for you. One, Baylor faculty obviously having an impact. We saw there's a Stanford list each year that comes out of the most cited researchers, essentially the top 2% across 22 disciplines. And 43 current or retired Baylor faculty appeared on that list, most cited. So for people who maybe aren't in the higher education, that's not the world they inhabit, being on a list like this, obvious it's a good thing, but why does it really matter?

President Livingstone:
Well, what it does is it shows that our Baylor faculty are being recognized nationally for the great research that they're doing. And in higher education, research is an important currency that speaks to how respected your institution is, the quality of the work that your faculty are doing. And so to be recognized in something like this that isn't an internal recognition from us, but it shows how our faculty or stacking up against other faculty around the country at the best institutions in the country, it says a lot about the quality of our faculty, which then plays into the quality of the learning experience our students are having. So we're really proud of these faculty that have made this list. We anticipate over time they'll be more and more of our faculty on the list as we continue to lean into our research efforts on campus and the faculty that we're hiring over time. But certainly a very positive thing to see when this came out this year.

Derek Smith:
A lot of great superlatives here across different areas of the university. I'm sure we're leaving some out, but a nice snapshot of different ways Baylor is being recognized. Well, President Livingstone, as we head into the final moments here, we're heading into 2025 now, what are some of the things you're most eager to see as you look to the year ahead?

President Livingstone:
We've talked about the strategic plan. So I think one of the things I'm really excited about is just seeing the work that's going to begin to be done on implementation within the strategic plan. Our academic units and administrative units have all developed their own plans in support of Baylor in Deeds. And so we will really, in the spring and into the summer and fall, begin to see real action on those items. And so I think that's going to be exciting.
It is always exciting to prepare for spring where we graduate our biggest class. This is a very large class of seniors graduating this year, both this fall and in the spring. Because that was our really large COVID class in fall of 2021. And I love to see our students graduate, I know they're going to go out in the world and make an impact. And then you always look forward to new people coming in, whether it's new faculty, new students. So there's just a lot to look forward to as we go into the spring semester and then look forward to all that we have in store for the next year. So there's a lot to be excited about and we're looking forward to everybody walking alongside us in accomplishing a lot in the coming year.

Derek Smith:
Absolutely. Well, President Livingstone, thanks so much for taking the time to share. It's fun to go back through a great year at Baylor and we're looking forward to what's ahead. So happy New Year and thanks very much.

President Livingstone:
Thanks, Derek. Happy New Year to everyone.

Derek Smith:
Baylor University President Dr. Linda Livingstone, our guest today on Baylor Connections. I'm Derek Smith. A reminder you can hear this and other programs online at baylor.edu/connections and you can subscribe to the program on iTunes. Thanks for joining us here on Baylor Connections.