From The Editor

The kind of change that comes with growth is inevitable at institutions that have existed for more than 150 years, as Baylor University has. The last few months we've seen changes not only at the University as a whole, as we always do, but also at Baylor Magazine. 
One of our biggest changes at the magazine, the departure earlier this year of founding editor Vicki Marsh Kabat, who moved to another campus post, has resulted in a delay in getting this summer issue of the magazine out to our readers. We apologize for the long wait between issues as we search for a new editor and plan future issues of the magazine. 
One thing that has not changed is our commitment to publish a magazine that helps you get to know Baylor, its people, programs, hopes and dreams, accomplishments and challenges. Those are not my words, but the words of its first editor in the magazine's premier issue in July 2002. 
Along the lines of getting to know Baylor, in this issue you will find a story (page 32) about the rigorous Army/Baylor graduate program in healthcare administration at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. The nationally ranked program (U.S.News and World Report) was created in 1951 when the Army crafted its certificate healthcare administration program into a master's program by linking with Baylor. It was the first graduate healthcare administration program in Texas and is the only such military program in existence. In their first year, students spend 40 hours in class and 50 outside of class studying. That's on a weekly basis. No surprise that 96 percent of the students in the program graduate. The selection process is stringent, and those accepted are committed to being there.
In the category of getting to know the people of Baylor, we have a story that will tickle your funnybone. If you like improvisational performances, be sure to attend a show produced by the Guerrilla Comedy Troupe, featured on page 21. "You don't know what to expect when you come to one of our shows," says Matthew Clark, one of the performers. They have a loyal following among Baylor students and nonstudents alike, as evidenced by those who call out the names of their favorite performers during a show. 
Go to page 40 to see Matthew Waller's tale about a compelling documentary on the children of Uganda. Through mass showings across the country, including many on this campus, people in the United States are making sure these children are no longer the unseen waifs of a faraway country. Awareness of their plight is the first step toward pulling them out of it. 
Finally, don't miss the stories of Baylor's international students on page 22. Their backgrounds and their hopes and dreams are impressive, their impressions of life in this country are delightful, and they may even surprise you. 
We hope you will write to us if you see something you want to comment on in the magazine or want to suggest a story. As our first editor said in the inaugural issue, "No worthwhile relationship survives as a one-way conversation." Please share your ideas and comments. We are hungry for your news so we can present it to the Baylor family.

Barbara Elmore