“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.”