All good things must come to an end

Dear Colleagues,

My Grandfather loved Sunday family gatherings. As the clock approached supper time, he would announce, “All good things must come to an end.” And so it goes. I’ve had a great seven years as Baylor University’s Provost, and it is now time to bring it to an end.

I’ve known since my appointment in 2019 that I would make Baylor my final stop. I also knew that I would want my final years to be engaged in the work that attracted me to the professoriate at the beginning: teaching and writing. Like my return to Baylor as an “alumna Provost,” there is something beautiful and meaningful about coming full circle.

While I have had my eye on this transition, the question has only been about timing. Personally, July 31, 2026, is the right time to transition as it reflects both my professional readiness to deepen my work in the academy while maintaining the flexibility to be present for my adult children as their lives continue to unfold.

Professionally, this year has been grueling at times. I need a respite. Yet, at the same time, there have been moments of great joy – shared celebrations of accomplishment and the like – and it is these memories I will cherish.

Together, we transformed Baylor into the country’s premier Christian R1 university. We laid the foundation, and now it is the work of the next cohort of leaders to build upon and improve on that work.

Today, one in four Baylor students is a graduate student. These students are essential to our standing as a Christian R1 university. Many are in our graduate and professional education (GPE) programs. Together, we have shown that with the right incentives and right support, Baylor can be highly entrepreneurial – and that this success does not come at the expense of academic quality. Some of our most highly ranked programs today are part of the GPE portfolio. This work, too, is unfinished. But in an era of declining undergraduate enrollments across the country, a strong portfolio of GPE programs provides terrific opportunities for our students and can buffer the institution financially.

This fall we showed that a commitment to graduate education need not come at the expense of our undergraduate programs. We hit a record 77% four-year graduation rate, thereby enabling our students to graduate with less debt. The work of the next generation is to continue to search for new ways to add value to our undergraduate programs.

Finally, Baylor in Deeds was a collective effort of the entire Baylor Family. You engaged in the strategic planning process and enabled us to articulate a path forward for the University. The full implementation of the strategic plan will require focused effort for years to come. While I will not be the Provost who leads the way in the completion of this work, please know that I will be your greatest cheerleader, and I will pray for your continued success.

President Livingstone has been most gracious as I’ve considered stepping away and starting the final chapter of my career here at Baylor. She has indicated she will communicate the University’s next steps to the campus community later this afternoon.

I thank you for the opportunity to work alongside you.

Warmly,

Nancy Brickhouse, Ph.D.
Provost