By Piper Rutherford | Staff Writer
With help from the Give Light campaign, Baylor accomplished its second-highest fundraising year in school history. Since its start in 2018, the campaign has raised a total of $1.3 billion.
Vice President and Provost Nancy Brickhouse and chief of staff Tiffany Hogue pivot to lead the initiatives of the Strategic Planning Group. This task force will organize the Give Light funds, an ongoing fundraiser, to improve the university, guided by feedback from the Baylor community. Students, faculty and staff are welcome to participate in the numerous upcoming listening sessions that aim to shape the next strategic plan, Illuminate Forward.
“We currently have 77 Strategic Planning Group sessions scheduled for the fall months,” Hogue said. “We could possibly add 10 to 15 more if they prove to be as successful as the previous five sessions, which we have held so far. They are designed to give every faculty member, staff member and student the opportunity to contribute their great ideas to Baylor’s next plan for the upcoming five years, in what will be referred to as Illuminate Forward.”
The listening sessions, held in person or via Zoom, will last 45 minutes. Attendees will be put in groups of eight to answer five discussion questions.
“We came up with the discussion questions together,” Hogue said. “We want people to come to the conversation in an organic manner while being given the chance to interact with their peers, colleagues and professors seated at their table. I hope that those involved critically think about how the school should prioritize our Baylor family.”
Brickhouse said the discussion questions cover what makes Baylor unique, why the world needs a Baylor and what Baylor can improve upon to further its mission of influencing the world for good.
“President Livingstone launched her presidency talking about how this is a great opportunity for Baylor to set its sights higher,” Brickhouse said. “The certain aspects of Baylor that are so crucial to who we are will not change with the [strategic planning], and one of those is our transformational undergraduate education, which remains our Christian mission, whether that is reflected in our powerful athletics or excellence in the arts,” Brickhouse said. “The only difference is that we are now adding on the pursuit of furthering our research capabilities while also expanding scholarship opportunities for prospective students.”
The Office of the Provost has enlisted the assistance and expertise of Dr. Tod Bolsinger and his colleagues from Fuller Seminary, who are experienced in leadership and strategic planning processes. They use technological tools to sort through the data collected from their online Qualtrics survey, which helps the Strategic Planning Group sift through the online form’s responses.
“The strategic plan sets the tone for the institution over the next few years while providing us with more clarity about how we ought to be spending our time,” Brickhouse said. “It is crucial that we discern how to use our platform in important ways that are consistent with our faith. In a nutshell, the question is now how we can move forward from here.”
The Strategic Planning Group is working to prepare for its April 2024 deadline, when it is scheduled to present its plan to Livingstone. Livingstone will then share the group’s work with the Baylor Board of Regents in May 2024, when the board will decide if the new Illuminate Forward stage will proceed.
Brickhouse said the leaders of the Strategic Planning Group are confident they can get the job done.
“At Baylor, we believe that we can walk and chew gum at the same time,” Brickhouse said. “This plan is no exception.”
