Savoring the moment
Without a doubt, this is an exciting time to be a part of the Baylor family.
Building upon a rich history and full heritage, Baylor is seeking to continue momentum into a fruitful future with a new strategic plan. Carefully crafted and drawn from the input of every facet of the Baylor family, a draft version of the plan is featured here. The university is requesting your feedback and comments on the plan that endeavors to lead Baylor through the next ten years and beyond.
Speaking of the future, this issue also provides a glimpse of a proposed concept for a new football stadium to be located just across the river from the Baylor campus as well as plans for a new residential facility on the east side of campus. The new east village will help meet the demands of the present and the future by providing living and learning space for several growing programs.
Among the current student body, now 15,000 strong, is Landen Ellis. She represents the fourth generation of Ellises to become a Baylor bear. In addition to a Baylor pedigree, she shares with her family a heart for ministering to the remote villages of Brazil. You can read about her "Passionate pursuit" of God's call, and how she is sharing that passion with her fellow Baylor students here.
The entire campus and all of Baylor Nation are energized by the ongoing success of our athletic programs: a number 1-ranked women's basketball team, a number 6-ranked men's basketball team, and a number 12-ranked football team headed to a second bowl game in as many seasons, led by a Heisman Trophy winner and one of the most exciting student athletes in college sports. Such success has thrust Baylor into the national spotlight like never before. Read more about the "Unforgettable" Robert Griffin III here.
Baylor has always been home to such talented and accomplished students. Taking a page from our past, this issue provides a closer look at one such student, Jarrell McCracken and the company he launched while a student at Baylor 60 years ago. Word records spent its formative years in Waco, buoyed by the rich talent and resources of the Baylor community. Today a new crop of student artists and visionaries is benefiting from the university's ongoing connection to the largest Christian music and entertainment company in the world. Read more about Word and the impact of contemporary Christian music here.
I hope this issue gives you a taste of all the excitement surrounding the Baylor community. Each day brings a new story: some spark of an idea serves as the catalyst to solve a real-world problem; some meaningful moment among our students results in an act of selflessness that reverberates into eternity. Baylor is a place with a higher calling, a true mission, an inimitable identity. Excellence is pursued daily -- and achieved -- not just for excellence's sake, but for the glory of God. This very moment is a great time to be a Baylor Bear. Don't let the consistently remarkable begin to seem mundane. Savor every moment.
Randy Morrison
Editor in Chief, Baylor Magazine