It’s a challenging time to be in higher education, Baylor President Linda Livingstone noted in remarks to the media via Zoom at the close of the Baylor Board of Regents fall meeting.
Demographic shifts, competition for students, and various financial pressures in higher education have been widely reported, Livingstone noted. And “frankly, we spent a lot of time at this board meeting talking about artificial intelligence and the impact it’s having on our students, our faculty, and just the higher education landscape generally,” she said.
According to a press release presented alongside the Zoom: “President Livingstone informed the board of Baylor’s membership in the Consortium for Evaluation of Faith and Ethics in AI, alongside Brigham Young University, the University of Notre Dame, and Yeshiva University. The consortium explores how artificial intelligence systems interact with concepts of religion, faith and ethics.”
Despite challenges to higher education, Baylor’s Board of Regents remains committed to navigating impediments, with their Christian mission “at the top of our priorities, as well as the transformational student experience at both the undergraduate and the graduate level,” Livingstone asserted.
Positive metrics
She noted strong progress toward the university’s Extend the Line Scholarship initiative—presently about $134 million raised—well ahead of incremental goals to meet $250 million in total donations by 2030.
Livingstone reported a four-year graduation rate of 77.5 percent, the highest the university has ever had, noting keeping degree completion within the four-year timeline was “one of the best ways to affordability for students … rather than four-and-a-half or five or however much longer it might take some of our students.”
The university cares about four-year graduation rate as a metric that matters, she said.
Additionally, in a press release, the university reported, “a graduate placement rate of 92 percent and overall success rate of 94 percent.” Placement rate measures employment secured in the field of study. Success rate includes “employment of any type, graduate school, or internships.”
The university’s $2.56 billion endowment remains strong, the release said, “generating annualized 10-year returns of 11.3 percent, which exceeds national benchmarks.”
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Livingstone noted, “our regents continue to emphasize the importance of maintaining the premium student experience that we have,” explaining those experiences help ensure student success, retention, and graduation. She credited “the amazing faculty and staff that we have at Baylor” with making their premium student experience possible.
Regents also emphasize university facilities meeting the needs of students and faculty to maintain a positive student experience, Livingstone said. She noted regents approved a classroom renovation to Morrison Hall, not to exceed $5.5 million dollars, as part of ongoing classroom modernizations.
New board leadership
Livingstone introduced Todd Peterson as the new regents chair, beginning June 1.
Highlighting the unpredictability of higher education, Livingstone noted, “We have to maintain our intentionality around our distinctive and continued place as a Christian research university, one of the very few in the country, or in the world.” That intentionality starts with the regents, she said, praising Peterson for a cooperative start to his leadership role.
In his remarks, Peterson said “one of the cool things” is Baylor’s distinct value as a Christian Research 1 university “with an unmatched student experience,” explaining the board had an opportunity to participate in an interactive exercise to better understand the university’s highly ranked student experience as they seek to “strategically evaluate how to leverage those strengths.”
Additionally, he noted the board was apprised of “AI’s growing role in university operations, in research, in teaching, and in learning.”
As well, the board heard how the President’s Council is working to reduce operational expenses and add revenue streams across the university, Peterson said, noting “the board will continue to work closely with President Livingstone and the President’s Council on value and affordability for students and their families.”
While “higher education continues to be in the crosshairs,” Peterson said the board believes, “Baylor can be a light among colleges and universities, and we’re focused on being good stewards of our resources and maintaining our commitments to Baylor as a Christian research university.”
BGCT relationship
At the close of comments, Baptist Standard asked Livingstone and Peterson whether the relationship between Baylor and the Baptist General Convention of Texas has been impacted by the BGCT Executive Board’s decision to refer proposed changes to the relationship back to the BGCT’s Institutional Relations Committee at its September meeting.
Livingstone cited the generations-long relationship between the two entities, asserting, “It’s a very strong relationship,” and “We both value each other.”
She noted the complementary missions of Baylor and the BGCT, both of which are important “not just to the state of Texas, but to the country.”
Livingstone said, “We really see that relationship continuing as it has, continuing to be a really deep, strong relationship with the convention, with BGCT churches, certainly in support of Truett Seminary, our ministry guidance programs, and in other ways.”
“We look forward to continuing that relationship and certainly will look for ways we can continue to work well together and strengthen it,” she said.
Peterson added, in the time he’s been leading the board, he’s cherished the relationship with the BGCT, “and the way we see it now is it’s status quo, and we continue to do what we’ve been doing.”
He noted the board continues to have a process for including regents affiliated with BGCT churches. The Baylor Board of Regents sees it as a great relationship, he said, continuing, “and I don’t see that changing in any way.”
“We’re very comfortable and very supportive of that relationship,” Peterson said.
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