By Marisa Young | Staff Writer
Dr. Michael E. Young succeeded Dr. Larry Lyon as vice provost and dean of the Baylor Graduate School, bringing diverse experience and a faith-centric approach to his new role.
With a background in computer science and cognitive psychology, Young brings a unique skillset to Baylor’s Graduate School. After a career of specializing in artificial intelligence, Young said he found his passion for higher education during his graduate school experience.
“I went to graduate school actually intending to pursue a career in industry, not higher education,” Young said. “There was something that I was really enjoying about interacting with students and seeing the opportunity to really impact people’s lives in a way that I didn’t feel when I was working in industry, and that was a turning point for me.”
Young said his time in computer science and psychological sciences has been an unexpected tool throughout his career in higher education. It has allowed him to bring specialized insight to decision-making processes in the education realm.
“Whenever you are evaluating faculty, evaluating graduate students, evaluating your staff or making decisions about who to hire … [decision-making] principles that I’ve studied in the science of judgment decision-making are actually very beneficial,” Young said.
As he moves into leadership, Young said the main focus of the graduate school team will be maintaining the Research 1 status Lyon cultivated.
“Baylor has benefited greatly by Dean Lyon’s leadership as they’ve moved up in research stature,” Young said. “Now that we’ve reached this much higher level … I think it’s going to be a different set of behaviors that are required of the graduate school team.”
In order to reach this goal, Young said the team must be ready to respond to an ever-changing educational landscape, citing recent governmental decisions that impact grant funding.
“We need to adapt to those changes as they arise,” Young said.
Mission master’s candidate Antonio Soberòn said he feels confident in the search committee’s choice and in Young’s ability to build upon Lyon’s legacy. Since Baylor successfully established itself as an R1 university, Soberòn said the next period involves ensuring the school lives up to the title.
“Baylor has to work on really putting focus into delivering the best output of students that there can be,” Soberòn said.
In addition to research, Soberòn said the Baylor Graduate School also stands out in its commitment to morality and collaboration, and hopes Young will maintain that culture moving forward.
“Baylor has a standard,” Soberòn said. “We must fit in that standard, [and] we must be ethical in our decisions. We have to look at the best for our students.”
Since encountering God through a television program in high school, Young said his faith plays a huge role in how he interacts with his peers and students. Young said he is excited for the transition from a secular environment to a Baptist university, where he doesn’t feel pressure to “close off” certain parts of himself, like his faith.
“It was nice to actually be that cornerstone for a lot of students who didn’t feel comfortable being able to talk to their professors about their faith,” Young said.
After earning his master’s degree in computer science and doctorate in cognitive psychology from the University of Minnesota, Young served as the head of the department of psychological sciences and as a graduate school faculty associate at Kansas State University. Young said these positions, as well as his time as a professor of psychological sciences, fueled his passion for mentorship and connecting with students.
“The thing I’m most looking forward to is the ability to really embrace the totality of who I am, as well as the totality of who the students are,” Young said.
