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Baylor University is a private, Baptist-affiliated research university located in Waco, Texas. It is the largest Baptist university in the world by enrollment. Founded in 1845, Baylor is the oldest university in Texas operating under its original name, and the largest Baptist University in the world. Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and is a member of the Association of Southern Baptist Colleges and Schools.

The Baylor University campus is located just southeast of downtown Waco, roughly bounded by IH-35, Speight Avenue, Eighth Street and the Brazos River.

The university is known for its programs in business, law, music, museum studies and theology. Bachelor's, master's, doctorate and professional degrees are offered through eleven degree-granting academic units.

History

The university was chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas under Republic President Anson Jones and opened at Independence, Texas, as a coeducational institution. Its founders were Reverend William Milton Tryon, Reverend James Huckins and Judge Robert Emmett Bledsoe Baylor, the University's namesake.

Six years later, Baylor's second president Rufus Burleson decided to separate the men from the women, and thus the Baylor Female College branched off from the main university, while Baylor University became an all-male institution. The city of Independence began suffering a decline due to the rise of neighboring cities serviced by the Santa Fe Railroad, so beginning in 1885, Baylor University moved to Waco, Texas and merged with Waco University, where Baylor's former second president Rufus Burleson was serving as president. That same year, the Baylor Female College moved to Belton, Texas and would later become known as the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. A Baylor College Park still exists in Independence as a memory of the bygone era. Around 1887, Baylor University began readmitting women, becoming a coeducational institution once again.

In 1900, three physicians founded the "University of Dallas Medical Department", in Dallas, despite the fact that a "University of Dallas" did not exist. In 1903, it was acquired by Baylor University and became known as the Baylor College of Medicine, remaining in Dallas. In 1943, Dallas civic leaders wanted to build larger facilities for the university in a new medical center, but only if the College of Medicine would surrender its denominational alliances with the General Baptist Convention. Baylor refused, and with funding from the M. D. Anderson Foundation and others, the College of Medicine moved to Houston. In 1969, the Baylor College of Medicine became independent from Baylor University. However, Baylor University and Baylor College of Medicine have entered into an agreement through the Baylor2 program that provides five Baylor undergraduates with full tuition scholarships and acceptance into Baylor College of Medicine.

Amidst concerns of a potential fundamentalist take-over, the university changed the terms of its charter in 1991 with the permission of the Texas legislature in order to establish a governance less directly dependent upon the Baptist General Convention of Texas, whilst retaining links with the convention, and its nationally affiliated body the Southern Baptist Convention.

Academic profile

Baylor University has about 11,825 undergraduate and 2,150 graduate and professional students in more than 240 academic programs, including 21 doctoral programs. Baylor enrollment typically includes students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and approximately 90 foreign countries. There are 824 full-time faculty members, of which just over 44% are tenured. *

According to annual rankings published by U.S. News & World Report, the University is currently tied for 78th place out of 248 national universities. Highly ranked academic programs include the undergraduate engineering program at 21st place, the undergraduate business program at 38th place, and the entrepreneurship program at 10th place. The University ranks in the top 15% of colleges and universities participating in the National Merit Scholarship program. [http://www.baylor.edu/irt/index.php?id=34195

Baylor University first received school accreditation in 1914 when it became an accredited member of the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.The Baylor College of Medicine received accreditation from Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1970.[http://www.sacscoc.org/dtails.asp?instid=15840

Institutional organization

Baylor University is divided into eleven degree-granting academic units. Two of the units are designated as colleges while eight others are designated as schools. They are:

  • College of Arts and Sciences
  • Hankamer School of Business
  • Honors College
  • School of Education
  • School of Engineering and Computer Science
  • Graduate School
  • Law School
  • Louise Herrington School of Nursing
  • School of Music
  • School of Social Work

Additionally, the George W. Truett Theological Seminary is a unit of Baylor university.

While they share the Baylor name, Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and the Baylor Health Care System in Dallas are no longer affiliated with Baylor University.

Leadership

During its more than 160 years of educational service, Baylor University has had 13 presidents, whose leadership has shaped the growth of the institution.

  • 1846 - 1851: Henry Lee Graves, President
  • 1851 - 1861: Rufus C. Burleson, President
  • 1861 - 1863: George Washington Baines, President
  • 1864 - 1885: William Carey Crane, President
  • 1885 - 1886: Reddin Andrews, President
  • 1886 - 1897: Rufus C. Burleson, President
  • 1899 - 1902: Oscar Henry Cooper, President
  • 1902 - 1931: Samuel Palmer Brooks, President
  • 1932 - 1947: Pat Morris Neff, President
  • 1948 - 1961: William R. White, President
  • 1961 - 1981: Abner Vernon McCall, President
  • 1981 - 1995: Herbert H. Reynolds, President
  • 1995 - 2005: Robert B. Sloan, Jr., President
  • 2005 - 2006: William D. Underwood, Interim President
  • 2006 - present: John M. Lilley, President

Baylor 2012

In 2000, the university sought to expand its vision of a scholarly institution with a strong sense of Christianity. Baylor, under then President Robert Sloan Jr., created a written statement to detail the exact goals of this vision. This statement was appropriately titled, Baylor 2012, the year by which the school hopes to achieve its aims. The university intends to "enter the top tier of American universities while reaffirming and deepening its distinctive Christian mission." * It was presented in September 2001, and approved by the Board of Regents shortly afterwards. The Vision is based upon twelve key imperatives designed to create a more fulfilling educational experience in a unique Christian environment. The twelve imperatives are:

  1. Establish an environment where learning can flourish
  2. Create a truly residential campus
  3. Develop a world-class faculty
  4. Attract and support a top-tier student body
  5. Initiate outstanding new academic programs in selected areas
  6. Guide all Baylor students, through academic and student life programming, to understand life as a stewardship and work as a vocation
  7. Provide outstanding academic facilities
  8. Construct useful and aesthetically pleasing physical spaces
  9. Enhance involvement of the entire Baylor family
  10. Build with integrity a winning athletic tradition in all sports
  11. Emphasize global education
  12. Achieve a two-billion dollar endowment

Baylor 2012 has encountered opposition since its inception. Some allege that the Vision led to a polarization of faculty opinion that culminated in the resignation of President Robert Sloan Jr. in June 2005 (it should be noted that Baylor's Faculty Senate has unanimously endorsed Vision 2012 each time it has come before it). Opponents argue that the Vision will limit academic freedom and hinder intellectual growth due to an excessive focus on Christian interpretation. Others predict that rising tuition costs needed to implement the Vision will reduce enrollment and render many middle class families unable to afford a Baylor education.

However, Baylor's administration has countered that increased tuition costs are comparable to those of other private universities and that preserving and strengthening Christian values at the university is of paramount importance. As of February 2006, the university has received a record number of applications from both freshmen and transfer students. *

Student life

Student Demographics

For fall 2005, there were 11,825 undergraduate students enrolled. Overall fall 2005 enrollment was 13,975 (including undergraduate, graduate, and professional students).

Housing

Baylor currently offers several choices for on-campus living. As part of Vision 2012, Baylor strives to have a large percentage of students living on campus, but due to the rapid growth of the university, Baylor cannot keep up with the construction projects needed to accomodate the fast-growing student body. Currently, Baylor offers seven dormitories for incoming freshmen, and eleven dormitories in all. In addition to the dormitories, Baylor currently owns and operates four apartment complexes in the rear part of campus that are available for upperclassmen.

The first residence community to be built in over forty years was completed in 2004 as part of the Vision 2012. North Village, which currently houses 600 students of the Engineering School as well as upperclassmen, offers a more apartment style option for students in three adjacent buildings. The community features a courtyard area with a garden area and community center/study area and cafe.

In 2006, Brooks Hall, the oldest dormitory on campus, was demolished to make room for the new Brooks Village which will house 716 students. The new facility will feature a new dining hall, a chapel, and a new field for student activity use. In addition, a new 800 car parking garage will be built scross the street from the facility to accomodate students living on the southern part of campus.

Due to the exploding growth of Baylor University, the current student percentage of those living on campus is only 35 percent, with all residence facilities at capacity.

Research and endowment

Although the University is widely considered a teaching institution, research has long been an important part of its academic life. The University is also working to strengthen the current research environment as part of Baylor 2012. To that end, the University recently completed construction of a 500,000 square foot science complex that will facilitate research on a variety of subjects.

In 2005, the University was invited to join the Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF) collaboration at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois. * The project is one of the world's largest experimental physics collaborations.

In 2006, the Carnegie Foundation upgraded the University's classification to "Research University" status with "High Research Activity," opening the door to many new research opportunities.

As of May 31, 2006, the University's endowment has a market value of approximately $870 million.

Athletics

Baylor's men's sports teams are nicknamed the Bears, and the women's teams are nicknamed the Lady Bears. Student athletes participate in the NCAA's Division I, and Baylor is the only private school in the Big 12 Conference. Prior to joining the Big 12, Baylor was a member of the Southwest Conference from the conference's charter in 1914 until its dissolution in 1996. Baylor has carried over its rivalries from the now-defunct Southwest Conference, the most important of which are with Texas A&M University and with the University of Texas at Austin.

Baylor won its first team NCAA title in 2004 as the men's tennis team defeated UCLA in the championship game.

Track and field

Baylor's most notable sports program is perhaps its track and field team, producing 466 All-Americans under the 42-year tenure of head coach Clyde Hart. The greatest standout of the track program has been its men's 4x400 relay team, which has sent teams to the NCAA finals in each of the past 27 years and produced three Olympic gold medalists: Michael Johnson, Jeremy Wariner and Darold Williamson. In 2005, Clyde Hart became Director of Track & Field, and Todd Harbour took over as head coach of Baylor's track and field and cross county squads.

Baseball

Baylor's baseball team is one of the most successful athletic programs at Baylor. Since the inception of the Big 12 Conference, Baylor has carried the best conference record at 137-83 (.623) under head coach Steve Smith.

The 2005 Bears played one of the toughest schedules in the nation and went all the way to Omaha where they finally lost to the University of Texas, whom they had beaten all 4 times the teams played during regular season conference play an in the conference tournament. The Bears' strength was their pitching, with a weekend rotation of Trey Taylor, Cory VanAllen and Mark McCormick with closers Abe Woody and Ryan LaMotta. While their offense was poor during the regular season, during the post season the offense produced. Nine players from this team were drafted in the June 2005 draft.

Five Baylor student-athletes were drafted in the 2006 Major League Baseall First-Year Player Draft. Cory VanAllen, Seth Fortenberry, Zach Dillon, Kevin Russo and Ryan LaMotta all were selected. At least one Baylor player has been drafted every year since 1991. A total of 56 Baylor players have been drafted since the inception of the Big 12 Conference in 1997, the most of any program in the conference.

Basketball

The Baylor Lady Bears won the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship in 2005. Coached by Kim Mulkey-Robertson, the Lady Bears defeated the Spartans of Michigan State University 84-62. Mulkey-Robertson became the first women's coach and only the third coach in history to win an NCAA basketball championship as both a player and a coach, joining Dean Smith and Bob Knight.

The men's basketball program was plagued by scandal in 2003. Patrick Dennehy, a player for the team, was murdered by a former player for the team, and then-coach Dave Bliss was forced to resign amidst allegations that he had made improper financial payments to players and planned to cover his actions by characterizing Dennehy as a drug dealer. The school placed itself on probation, limited itself to 7 scholarships for two years and imposed a post-season ban for one year. Additionally, the NCAA further punished the team by initiating a non-conference ban for the 2005-2006 season and extending the probationary period during which the school would have limited recruiting privileges.

The 2005 Bears were hindered by only having 7 scholarship players and recorded only one win in conference play. In spite of these challenges, head coach Scott Drew was able to put together a 2005 signing class ranked No. 7 nationally by HoopScoop. The 2006 Bears include Aaron Bruce, the highest scoring freshman in the NCAA in 2005, and Mamadou Diene, rated one of the top 10 centers for the 2007 NBA draft.

Football

The Baylor football team plays at Floyd Casey Stadium, located a few miles away from campus. The stadium was created in 1950 and currently seats more than 50,000 fans.

Since joining the Big 12 conference in 1996, Baylor has held a 9-35 record in regular season play, with its best season coming in 2005. The current head coach, Guy Morriss, came to Baylor from Kentucky in 2003. In 2004, Baylor defeated its first ranked opponent since 1998, #16 ranked Texas A&M, by a score of 35-34 in overtime on a two-point conversion *. In 2005 the team opened 3-0 for the first time since 1996 and finished 5-6; Baylor also won its first Big 12 road game in school history at Iowa State, ending a 37-game streak.

Traditions

Homecoming

Every year since 1909, Baylor celebrates Homecoming. Traditional activities include Pigskin Revue, a song and dance featuring the top acts from the previous spring's All University Sing; Freshman Mass Meeting, where freshmen hear the story of the Immortal Ten and are charged with building the bonfire; and a pep rally and bonfire on Friday evening. Baylor is also home to the oldest and longest collegiate homecoming parade in the United States. * Since the mid 1930s, the Baylor Chamber has been responsible for funding, coordinating and executing the majority of the aspects of Baylor's Homecoming activities.

Diadeloso

Every spring since 1934, Baylor takes a day off from classes for Diadeloso (day of the bear; oso is Spanish for bear). The Baylor University Chamber of Commerce organizes the event which consists of entertainment of all types - tug o' war contests, 3-on-3 basketball, ping pong, indoor soccer, board game tournaments, comedians, an all-University dance, multi-player console games, gospel choirs, etc. This tradition often baffles new professors, who then require quite a bit of convincing to not hold class (or worse, give an exam) on a seemingly arbitrary Thursday in April.

Golden Wave Marching Band

The Golden Wave Marching Band is the current halftime entertainment for Baylor football. The band attends every home football game at Floyd Casey Stadium, as well as travels with the team to provide support at rival schools. The band also attends all pep rallies in the fall, as well as marches in the annual Homecoming Parade and other Homecoming events. With a current membership of 275 members, the Golden Wave Marching Band is the largest student organization on campus, and is dedicated to enhancing the Baylor Spirit.

Mascot

The school mascot is the bear, and Baylor hosts live mascots on campus. Each bear is named "Judge" in honor of Judge R.E.B. Baylor. The Baylor University Chamber of Commerce is responsible for all aspects of the program including care, facility upkeep, and training. Currently there are two American black bears on campus named Judge Joy Reynolds and Judge Sue Sloan; students affectionally refer to them as Joy and Lady.

The university recently finished renovation of the Bill and Eva Williams Bear Habitat, a $1 million facility which includes a 13-foot waterfall, 3 pools, 2 dens, grass, and eye-level viewing. The facility is a USDA licensed Class C Zoo and is held to the same standards as any other zoological exhibit. Visitors can see the bears up close and learn more about North American black bears. The bear habitat is a favorite spot for visitors and students of all ages.


The NoZe Brotherhood

The NoZe Brotherhood, an unofficial fraternal organization founded in 1924, provides the university with unusual public pranks and satirical writings in their newspaper The Rope. When in public as a NoZe brother, members wear traditional Groucho Marx-style mask disguises and outlandish costumes to keep their student identities secret. Faculty and students outside of the organization are typically split on their opinion of the group's humor. In some cases, the NoZe Brotherhood's actions and publications have been considered highly offensive and controversial by the Baylor community. Traditionally during commencement, NoZe Brothers will leave their masks on their chairs as they receive their diploma to signify that they partook in the society.

Controversy and Criticisms

As a Baptist university whose constituency ranges from conservative to liberal, Baylor has seen its share of infighting and controversy, most recently evidenced in the university's decision in 2005 to transition Robert Sloan from president to chancellor.During his decade of leadership, Sloan sought to rejuvenate the university's conservative Christian identity while at the same time becoming a top research university. [http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=6629 Despite support from conservative factions, Sloan's policies invited criticism of some alumni, faculty, and students who feared that the policies were fiscally irresponsible or would damage academic accredibility. Conservatives have criticised Baylor as a BINO (Baptist In Name Only) university. Tom DeLay, who had been expelled from Baylor for drinking, was reported as responding to a parent:
‘Don’t send your kids to Baylor. And don’t send your kids to A&M,’ DeLay answered, to vigorous applause. ‘There are still some Christian schools out there — good, solid schools. Now, they may be little, they may not be as prestigious as Stanford, but your kids will get a good, solid, Godly education.’[http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A18077-2002Apr19¬Found=true
Baylor also came under fire from both sides of the evolution debate for the hiring of intelligent design advocate William Dembski and the subsequent decision not to renew his contract.*

Baylor has also been criticized for its policy regarding homosexual students; the student handbook explicitly prohibits homosexuality, and same-sex partner benefits are not offered to employees. Baylor University is ranked number three on the list of the top 10 "Colleges with Low Acceptance of Gays," a list ranked by students. * In the summer of 2003, Matthew Bass, a seminary student, announced to friends that he was gay. Word soon reached the dean of the seminary, Paul Powell, and on December 17, Bass received a letter with news that his scholarship had been revoked. The letter cited Bass' support of monogamous homosexual relationships and the report of his being a homosexual as reasons for his scholarship termination. A number of students organized an off-campus protest with 200 alumni, students and community leaders that garnered national media attention for homosexual students at the institution. In 2004, Bass was accused of sending lewd and pornographic emails to university officials. The University sued Bass, who did not participate in the case, and won a default judgment against him for $77,000. In the spring of 2004, the editorial board of Baylor's student newspaper, The Baylor Lariat, came out 5-2 in support of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom for issuing licenses for same-sex couples. In a written statement, University President Robert Sloan, Jr. declared,

"Espousing in a Baylor publication a view that is so out of touch with traditional Christian teachings is not only unwelcome, it comes dangerously close to violating University policy, as published in the Student Handbook, prohibiting the advocacy of any understanding of sexuality that is contrary to biblical teaching."
In September 2005, Baylor faculty members complained about Starbucks Coffee branches on campus distributing cups from their "The Way I See It" campaign with quotes from gay novelist Armistead Maupin. Starbucks' on-campus managers agreed to remove the cups. Also in September 2005, Baylor alumnus Tim Smith was removed from the Hankamer School of Business advisory board due to his homosexual orientation.

Other notable facts

  • Baylor is home to the Armstrong Browning Library, which houses the world's largest and finest collection of items and manuscripts related to the Victorian era poets Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and is believed to be home to the largest collection of secular stained glass in the world.
  • The IBM sponsored ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) is headquartered at Baylor's School of Engineering and Computer Science under the direction of Professor Bill Poucher. The contest shines the spotlight on the brightest students of computing in the world. The 30th Annual World Finals was hosted in San Antonio, April 9-12, 2006, with 83 teams selected from 5,606 teams from 1,737 universities on six continents that competed in 183 regional competitions for the privilege of completing for bronze, silver, and gold medals, and the vaunted title of "ACM-ICPC World Champions." Past finalists are found in most of the world's information technology research and development centers. This is a centerpiece of Baylor's commitment to global communication.
  • Dr. Vivian Malone-Mayes, the fifth African-American woman to ever receive a Ph.D. in mathematics in the United States and the first at the University of Texas, was the first African-American faculty member at Baylor starting in 1966 after being denied a position by the university in 1961 solely on the grounds of her race. She retired in 1994 due to poor health.
  • Country music singer Willie Nelson attended Baylor for one year.
  • There are 22 fraternities and 18 sororities. Baylor has the highest rate of male participation in Texas, with roughly 25% of males participating in fraternities.
  • This first official dance on Baylor's campus was held on April 18, 1996. Although Baylor's student handbook had never officially prohibited dancing, there were no on-campus dances as a matter of tradition for the first 151 years of the university's existence. *
  • The David Crowder Band, a Christian Rock band, graduated from Baylor university
  • During the War of 1812, Cyrus Baylor, brother of R. E. B. Baylor, was cited for his bravery with the presentation of a gold sword by President Jackson. In 1957 it was given to Baylor University. In 1974, Baylor president Abner V. McCall suggested that the sword be used to form the focal point of a ceremonial "symbol of authority." A timber from one of Old Main's towers was used to construct a base and center pole. Walking canes of former Baylor President Rufus C. Burleson and General Sam Houston, who had been baptized by Burleson and had been a supporter of the University, were linked to the sword to form the Mace. It is used at all University commencement exercises and at other special ceremonies.

Photo Gallery

Image:BDSC.JPG |Bill Daniel Student Center from the side Image:BSDC2.JPG|Bill Daniel Student Center during Christmas Image:Tidwell.JPG|Tidwell Bible Building Image:Bsb2.JPG|Baylor Science Building Image:Truett.JPG|Truett Seminary Image:Mayborn.JPG|Mayborn Museum Image:Oldmain.JPG|Burleson Quadrangle Image:Oldmainpatneff.JPG|Old Main and Pat Neff Hall Image:Pat_Nef.JPG|Corner of Pat Neff Hall Image:Bu_patneff.jpg|Pat Neff Hall looking west Image:ASBlibrary.jpg|Armstrong Browning Library from the outside Image:Browning.jpeg|Inside the Armstrong Browning Library

Notable alumni

Politics

Athletics

Arts and Entertainment

Business

External links

Official Websites

Departmental Websites

Publications

References

Baylor University | Universities and colleges in Texas | Universities_and_colleges_affiliated_with_the_Baptist_General_Convention_of_Texas | Southern Association of Colleges and Schools | Universities and colleges in Dallas | ベイラー大学

 

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