Provost Newsletter - April 2022

Dear Colleagues,

As we approach the end of the semester, we are also in the final stages of the hiring season, and there is much good news to report. The quality of this new cohort of faculty is quite simply outstanding.

Here are a few highlights:

1. For the last four years, our new faculty cohorts have been more diverse than the faculty overall. In particular, 27% of our new faculty identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). Current hiring for this academic year is trending towards a significantly higher percentage. Furthermore, our most significantly increased percentage of BIPOC faculty has been for tenure-track positions.
2. Anchored by three endowed chairs, the Materials initiative in Illuminate is becoming a reality. This summer, a group of researchers from the University of Alabama will arrive. They include Dr. Brian Jordon, Carlile Chair in Materials Science; Dr. Paul Allison, Professor, and their team, who will arrive with eleven graduate students and one postdoc. Their appointments will be in mechanical engineering. They will be joining Dr. Julia Chan, Professor in chemistry, who arrived this spring from UT Dallas, and Dr. Alan Wang, Mears Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering, who arrived this past summer from Oregon State University. This next year we will be hiring the Baugh Chair in physics to create this genuinely new and interdisciplinary area of opportunity for Baylor.
3. Searches for a new dean for the Robbins School of Health and Human Sciences and the Vice Provost for Faculty Diversity and Belonging are ongoing. Unfortunately, the search for the dean of Engineering and Computer Science did not result in a hire. Therefore, I will be appointing an interim dean in the coming weeks as we develop a path to provide leadership for engineering and computer sciences.

I am deeply grateful to those of you who have served on search committees for over 129 positions. Our new process that includes enhanced recruitment, campus interviews for three rather than two finalists, and a streamlined Provost Office interview has led to a more diverse cohort of new faculty and has significantly reduced the number of failed searches. I know this work consumes a considerable amount of time, but these hiring decisions are shaping the future of Baylor University as the preeminent Christian research university.

Best wishes,

Nancy Brickhouse

Vice Provosts' Corner

Readers Meet the Author

Readers Meet the Author Submissions for 2022-2023
If you have written a broad-appeal single-authored book in the last year, would you like to be a part of the 2022-2023 "Reader's Meet the Author" series? Please email your submissions to the Provost's Chief of Staff, Dr. Kristina Campos-Davis, at kristina_campos@baylor.edu.

When is the best time for you to attend Readers Meet the Author?

We'd love to learn more about the best times in your schedule to attend the Office of the Provost's Readers Meet the Author events. Please fill out a short survey indicating your preferences. Thank you!

New Chair of the Cherry Award Committee

We are proud to announce that Dr. Kevin Dougherty has been named the new chair of the Cherry Award Committee. Dr. Dougherty is an award-winning teacher and active researcher in the College of Arts & Sciences' Department of Sociology.

Dining at the McMullen-Connally Faculty Center

The McMullen-Connally Faculty Center is open exclusively to Baylor University full-time faculty and executive staff, retired faculty, and spouses of deceased faculty members. An updated policy for the faculty center is available on the Provost's website for review, along with a direct link to updated menus, booking information, and more.

Events

University Faculty Retirement Reception for 2022 Retirees

April 14, 3:00-5:00 pm, Foster 250

Our Baylor community is invited to come and celebrate this special occasion with our retirees.

Collins Award Recipient Lectures

April 19, 3:00-5:00 pm, Baylor Science Building (BSB) B110

Baylor faculty, staff, and students are invited to the 2021 Collins Award recipient lecture by Paul Zinke. Dr. Zinke will share a lecture titled, "My Journey from Learning to Teaching Organic Chemistry" followed by a reception.

April 21, 3:00-5:00 pm, Baylor Sciences Building (BSB) B110

Baylor faculty, staff, and students are invited to the 2022 Collins Award recipient lecture by Mojgan Parizi-Robinson. Dr. Mojgan Parizi-Robinson will share a lecture titled, "Teaching Human Anatomy with Love and Peer Interaction" followed by a reception.

Campus R1 Celebration

April 25, 5:30-7:00 pm, McLane Stadium

All faculty and staff are encouraged to save the date to join in a faculty celebration of Baylor University's recent R1 achievement at McLane Stadium.

Spring Commencement

May 13-14, The Ferrell Center

Baylor faculty are encouraged to attend commencement ceremonies and march in the procession to show support and encouragement to the degree candidates. R.S.V.P. your plans for attendance two weeks before commencement.

 

The Commencement Office is seeking volunteers to serve as marshals to help the degree candidates process to the stage and assist them through the diploma cover presentation. Faculty interested in serving as marshals should contact Denyse Rodgers, one of the chief marshals.

Important Academic Deadlines

• April 15- Deadline for notification of non-renewal for 2nd-and 4th-year Regular Lecturers.
• April 15- Deans notify Clinical Assistant Professors of decisions of the Provost to continue or terminate.
• April 15-18- Easter Break (University holidays).
• May 5- Last class day.
• May 6- Study day.
• May 7-12- Final exams.
• May 13-14- Commencement.
• May 30- Memorial Day (University holiday).
• May 31- End of the fiscal year (see communications in Ignite for important dates and deadlines).

Spotlight on the Academy

Honors College

• The Academy for Teaching & Learning is now accepting applications for a one-week, paid fellowship to the inaugural Summer Ethics Seminar (May 23-27). SES is designed to cultivate increased ethical literacy across the Baylor campus with an eye toward teaching and research. The theme for 2022 will be Disease. Learn more and apply online. The extended application deadline is April 18.

School of Music

• Browning Music Concert
  April 25, 7:30 pm, Armstrong Browning Library, The McLean Foyer of Meditation
  The Baylor Chamber Singers will share a full concert of music for choir and solo singers setting texts by Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning in this historic concert. A range of composers will be represented, including Amy Beach, Edward Elgar, Ola Gjeilo, Jake Heggie, Gabriel Jackson, John Muehleisen, Eric Nelson, Thomas Pasatieri, and Pulitzer Prize-winning Baylor alum, Steven Stucky. Free tickets are available in the McCrary Music Building lobby, or by phone at 254-710-3571.

Louise Herrington School of Nursing

• Going for the Gold Gala
  April 30, 6:00 pm, Renaissance Dallas Hotel
  Join the 10th Annual Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing Going for the Gold Gala scheduled for Saturday, April 30 at the Renaissance Dallas Hotel.