Welcome to Baylor! It’s been evident throughout the summer that your involvement in the Baylor community and your desire to engage with everyone is genuine. We appreciate that, and we wanted to let you know. The level of respect you have for our traditions, as well as the characteristics that make Baylor unique, is a testament to the way we want to see Baylor move forward.
We hope you continue this constant communication throughout the year. You’ve made an impact on students so far with the continued communication, that we hope it doesn’t stop as the year picks up and the “newness” of your presence wears off. We like the transparency of your priorities and your goals as president this year. Communication is the best way to facilitate collaboration, and they always say that two are better than one. We hope through your constant openness and Presidential Perspective emails, everyone stays on the same page.
As you said in your first Presidential Perspective email, Baylor has experienced periods of triumph and turmoil since 1845, so the next actions that you take will define Baylor moving forward. We no longer want to be “that school.” You know, the “one with the Title IX problem.” We hope that a focus of your time here is to restore the Baylor tradition, the tradition of excellence, the vision and values, the “Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana, Pro Futuris” motto. It’s important to reflect on and learn from the past, but also important to look forward. We hope part of your mission is to link the past to a positive vision for what is to come around the corner.
Part of Baylor’s vision is to “offer a distinctive voice to global conversations about crucial issues – such as social responsibility, health care, economic growth, human rights, poverty, diversity, and sustainability in a way that few others can.” Baylor has a global imprint, and we believe that with you as our president we can maintain that. This is a place of growth and development, and we want for you to continue to push this university to do just so. We have confidence that you will carry on the legacy of the footprint this university has, and that you lead it to make strides rather than plateau.
You’re the new face of Baylor, and that is an honor. Everything you do represents the university. Our wish is that you represent this school in the best way possible. We hope that you are able to represent Baylor’s values well in public. Being under the public eye must be hard at times, but you get to do so for this amazing Baylor family, and for that we are appreciative.
We have faith that you will lead Baylor to take a stand for the future. We will no longer be bogged down by past events. We will move forward. We will look out for each other. We will keep our arms around each other’s shoulders. And we believe that you will keep your hands over all of us, as a past president once said, helping the Baylor family to “face the future boldly.”
