“The fact that our faculty are among the most cited of people across their disciplines says that the contributions that we’re making in those areas are meaningful and impactful, not just on our campus, but beyond our university and to the larger community.”
Browsing: faculty and staff
“It started when I was about 9 years old,” Little said. “I was one of those nerdy little kids who spent her lunchtime in the library reading real ghost stories.”
Other than diversity, Baylor was recognized in seven different categories this year: job satisfaction and support, mission and pride, faculty and staff wellbeing, compensation and benefits, supervisor effectiveness, confidence in senior leadership and professional development.
“We’re very excited about the success of our academic programs over the last year. We’re even more excited about what’s to come under Baylor in Deeds,” Brickhouse said.
“Everyone saw the value in being here, even though they came from so many other places and backgrounds.”
“I really, really appreciated that the university took the initiative to allow us to have an official voice and an official presence,” Jortner said. “There’s a big difference between one professor in the theater program arguing for something and an organization of faculty saying, ‘We speak as one, and this is a concern.’”
Lyon is a Baylor alumnus and has been part of the faculty at Baylor since 1975, starting out as a professor of sociology up until 1998 when he became dean of the Graduate School and has been in that position since. When he retires at the end of this academic year, he will have completed 50 years at Baylor. During his tenure as dean, he has witnessed the transformation and contributed to the growth of the graduate school.
Even though Prater has not yet crossed paths with Foli, her impact on the graduate program is already present. Prater, who is currently reading Foli’s book on psychological trauma in nurses, said Foli’s arrival “reinforces [her] excitement to be at Baylor and in the program.”
Students are invited to nominate a faculty or staff member who has made an impact on them both in and out of the classroom for Phi Kappa Chi’s Light Your World Award Banquet. The nomination form closes at midnight on April 15.
In 2008, the university implemented the Academy for Teaching and Learning. The institution exists for the sole purpose of ensuring faculty have every resource at their disposal to create a good educational experience.
According to a Baylor email announcement sent to all faculty and staff on March 26, the cost of student meal plans has increased steadily with inflation, allowing for institutional subsidies on faculty and staff dining to remain the same for nearly two decades. However, due to inflation, the university has decided to raise faculty and staff dining rates.
It can be easy to forget faculty and staff have lives outside of Baylor. However, they enjoy doing many of the same activities that students do, and they are far more human than they may initially seem.
One Thursday every month, Black women at Baylor meet at My Sister, Myself — a support group dedicated to building community and providing a safe space for vulnerability.
Since the introduction of Baylor’s new digital ID card at the beginning of the spring semester, 60% of on-campus students have signed up for and begun taking advantage of the service. However, off-campus students, faculty and staff will have to wait for it to be extended to them.
The Baylor Kendo Club took home first place at the Houston Kendo Kyokai’s 10th Anniversary Taikai on Oct. 26. After seven rounds of competition as one of the only college-based teams at the tournament, the Baylor Kendo Club defeated over 100 competitors from various clubs across Central Texas.
“I’m a firm believer, and I think many are, of [having] a good process and then [trusting] the process, and I think we have a really good process here,” Villegas said. “So I think in trusting the process, the good process that we have, I think, what will emerge are the things that people genuinely care about.”
“The people in administration have a great sense of the big picture and the broader environment, right? But in order to adjust and adapt and steer the university proverbial ship in the right direction, they need line of sight information,” Chevis said. “Unless we speak into that … unless they hear from us about what we’re experiencing, they may make decisions that they think are in the best interest of Baylor, but that aren’t going to play out well.”
The Baylor 101 series provides an opportunity for faculty and staff to learn about important topics and updates related to Baylor. From student life to campus safety, the virtual conversation series works to address the broad scope of the university.
Baylor’s Academy for Teaching and Learning is hosting its “Seminars for Excellence in Teaching” series throughout the semester. From topics like student spiritual life to discussions on the importance of grades, the series highlights and addresses all aspects of teaching.
“What we’re trying to do is figure out how we can, as a faculty and staff, come together and bring our culture into our workspace so that students can see our culture too and feel seen,” Diaz-Espinoza said.
Dr. Malcolm Foley, special adviser to the president for equity and campus engagement, said numbers may fluctuate from year to year in regard to diverse populations, but they are relatively consistent and growing.
The Spiritual Wellbeing Task Force was created during the 2022-2023 school year, eventually compiling more than 50 recommendations for President Linda Livingstone. According to Dr. Charles Ramsey, associate chaplain and member of the task force, it utilized surveys, questionnaires and discussion about how to put the needs of Baylor’s employees first.
“I believe even more today how important it is that we have a university like Baylor in the broad and diverse landscape of higher education,” Livingstone said. “We’ve been really privileged to be successful at making tremendous progress on this vision.”