By Caitlyn Meisner | Staff Writer
Baylor’s Black Faculty & Staff Association (BFSA) will be starting the 2022-2023 academic year with its annual fall kickoff event on Sept. 15, welcoming its new cohort of the AIM Leadership Collective.
According to Dr. Dominque Hill, founder and adviser of the BFSA and director of wellness, the association was officially recognized by Baylor in February 2018 after it started the affiliation process in December 2017.
Hill said the association was originally created to send off faculty and staff who were retiring or leaving Baylor, but it later shifted to welcoming new Black faculty and staff to the university.
“The intent was to create and connect new Black faculty and staff to current Black faculty and staff on campus to help them find community while they’re here,” Hill said. “They can go an entire day without seeing anyone who looks like them.”
In addition to building community, the BFSA developed the AIM Leadership Collective — a program that assists current and aspiring faculty and staff leaders from underrepresented groups at Baylor. The leadership collective had its inaugural cohort during the 2021-2022 academic year, and its goal is to develop and strengthen members’ leadership and communication skills.
According to Dr. Geoffrey Griggs, president of the BFSA and associate director of multicultural affairs, members of the AIM Leadership Collective were chosen through an application process and had support and recognition from their office administrations. He also said the cohort experiences a collection of leadership workshops and hears from administrators on campus.
“We have a new cohort getting started [this week] and getting established with mentors,” Griggs said. “They’re able to learn what’s going to happen over this next year. We’re hoping to see a lot of good come out of it like we did with our first cohort.”
According to Griggs, the BFSA has been invited to partner with the Baylor Black Alumni Alliance for their reunion weekend at the end of September.
The BFSA also has strong connections with both the Black Student Union and the Black Student Coalition. Griggs said during the month of February, BFSA partners with the Black Student Coalition to host a mixer to connect Black students, faculty and staff.
According to Griggs, the BFSA hopes to partner with other associations once they are officially affiliated Baylor, such as the Latinx Faculty & Staff Association.
Griggs also said the BFSA has helped faculty, staff, graduate students and post-doctoral members who are not from Waco build family-type connections at Baylor.
“I think it’s critical,” Griggs said. “A lot of the things we have seen is that those who aren’t able to establish that level of support might not last long at the university. We want to be able to do our part to show [Black faculty and staff] that they do have that support.”
Hill said Baylor has engaged intentionally with the BFSA to address the concerns of faculty and staff of color. He said the association is always open to working with the administration to share thoughts, ideas and strategies to create a more inclusive environment.
“Even though the title says ‘Black Faculty & Staff,’ we are here for all [faculty and staff] at Baylor, so we can all work together and thrive together and ensure that Baylor is home for all of us,” Hill said. “Our association is open to anyone who shares our vision and mission to support Black faculty and staff at Baylor, regardless of your background, race, ethnicity.”
