Provost's Newsletter - March 2022

Dear Colleagues,

Education is a risky business. It can change your life.

As an undergraduate student at Baylor, I engaged in new endeavors (e.g., synthetic chemistry research, learning German) that provided me with opportunities I could not have imagined prior to coming here. Professors introduced me to new ideas that I found to be both fascinating and terrifying. At times these ideas forced me to examine my religious beliefs in unanticipated ways. I was blessed to have Baylor faculty who were approachable, who understood and shared my religious beliefs and could help me work through my questions and convictions. I left Baylor with a faith strengthened by examination.

Today’s Baylor students likely have experiences similar to those I describe above. It is essential that Baylor faculty are available and helpful to students. I’m always interested in exploring opportunities for faculty to cultivate their perspectives on ways that their faith can inform their teaching, research, and service. Baylor’s Institute for Faith and Learning (IFL) provides a variety of programs and resources for this purpose; I want to draw your attention to one of the most celebrated opportunities, Communio.

Communio is a five-day-long event held at Laity Lodge in the beautiful Texas Hill Country immediately following May commencement. Each year one or more invited speakers make presentations and guide discussions each morning on some elements of faith-based education. Participants also worship together, and afternoons are free (and internet access is very limited!) to provide a true “retreat” experience, with opportunities for recreation, reading, and other leisure pursuits. This year the featured speakers will be Candace Vogler, the David B. and Clara E. Stern Professor of Philosophy at the University of Chicago, speaking on character formation across disciplines, and David Smith, Professor and Director of the Kuyers Institute for Christian Teaching and Learning at Calvin University, speaking on teaching in the context of developing a Christian imagination.

If you’re interested in attending Communio this year from May 16-20, you should contact the IFL Director Darin Davis as soon as possible, as there are very few spaces remaining. More importantly, I encourage you to plan now for the summer of 2023, when we intend to add a second week to this important, Baylor-sponsored event a bit later in the summer. And, of course, I encourage you to peruse the variety of offerings available through IFL and consider how they might be helpful to you in your own scholarly spiritual development.

Nancy Brickhouse

Vice Provosts' Corner

Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education

• SACSCOC Fifth Year Report
  During this calendar year, we are required to write a quality assurance report for our institutional accreditor, SACSCOC. A key component of this document is the annual Student Learning Outcome and Program Effectiveness (SLOPE) report, which is produced by program directors and submitted to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness. Please work carefully with Dr. Ben Cox to ensure that your contributions are submitted in a timely manner. For questions, contact Dr. Cox at Ben_Cox@baylor.edu.

Vice Provost for Institutional Research and Professional Education

• In conjunction with the Faculty Senate, the Provost’s office, and the Deans, the decision has been made that every class is required to perform a student evaluation at the end of the semester. Please take the necessary action to implement this in all of your courses. For more information, or if you have any questions, please contact the Provost’s Office.

Events

Latinx Faculty and Staff Association (LFSA) Interest Meeting

April 1, 11:30 am-1:00 pm, Penland Cafeteria Conference Room

Join us for the upcoming interest meeting for the newly formed Employee Resource Group (ERG) representing Latinx Faculty and Staff on campus. All employees are welcome to join. The formal meeting will begin at noon—come early to get lunch and meet other Latinx employees from across the university. For more information, please email LFSA@baylor.edu.

Readers Meet the Author

April 7, 3:00-4:30 pm, Online

The final installment of our "Readers Meet the Author" series will spotlight the scholarly work of Baylor faculty member Natalie Carnes, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Religion, who has authored Motherhood: A Confession.

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.

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.

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.

Spotlight on the Academy

Hankamer School of Business

• Leadership Changes at HSB Support Key Initiatives
  Dr. Cindy Wu has been appointed associate dean for Diversity and Inclusion at the Hankamer School of Business. "She has a strong vision for this role and a heart for cultivating Christ-centered diversity and belonging at the Business School," Dean Sandeep Mazumder said. This appointment marks the first D&I associate dean at any School within the University. Cindy will officially begin her role on July 1, 2022.

University Libraries

• Affordable Course materials Summer Fellows Program
  Looking to lower the cost of your course materials for your students? Apply for the Affordable Course Materials Summer Fellows Program and earn a grant while you work to lower textbook costs for your students.

Important Academic Deadlines

• March 15- Deadline for deans to submit copies of evaluation forms to Provost (evaluations may be uploaded in BOX or scanned and emailed to the office manager in the Office of the Provost). Please assign the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, James_Bennighof@baylor.edu, as a co-owner in BOX.
• March 15- The Provost will inform President of the recommendation to promote Clinical Associate Professor to Clinical Professor.
• March 20- Deans’ summary letters about tenure-track faculty in their 4th year, Regular Lecturers, and Clinical Assistant Professors are due to the Provost’s office.
• March 23-24- URSA Scholars’ Week presentations.
• March 30- The Provost will notify the Dean in writing of the decision to continue or terminate the Clinical Assistant Professor’s and Regular Lecturer’s appointments.
• April 1- Candidate for Promotion submits credential portfolio for review – Prior to November 1-30 meeting with the candidate: Department chair acquires external review letters; department chair provides departmental Professors with promotion recommendation forms; department chair provides summary teaching evaluation to the candidate and departmental Professors.
• April 1- The President will make the decision to promote the Clinical Associate Professor candidates to the rank of Clinical Professor and will notify the Provost.
• April 5- Diadeloso.
• April 7- University Teaching Grant applications due to ATL.
• April 10 - Provost will notify dean of the President’s decision to promote Clinical Associate Professor candidate to the rank of Clinical Professor. Dean will notify the chair, who shall in turn notify the candidate of the promotion from Clinical Associate Professor to Clinical Professor.
• April 15-18- Easter Break.