Letter from David Rosselli

Dear Alumni and Friends,

These are truly exciting times at Baylor University as we continue to grow as a place of transformational undergraduate and graduate education and accelerate our growth as a preeminent Christian research university. With 17,000 students, the Baylor campus is home to some of the brightest young men and women in our nation and, indeed, from around the world.

Give Light, our multi-year comprehensive campaign that launches this Homecoming, will provide Baylor University with the means to continue seeking advances and solutions to societal problems and engaging students from all walks of life in life-shaping opportunities for learning and serving. After successfully completing the second highest fundraising year in our institution’s history this past fiscal year, we are ready to launch a bold campaign for the future. 

Previous generations of Baylor alumni and friends have embraced the responsibility to reflect God’s light in the world, and, in so doing, have accepted the torch that was handed to them by generations of Baylor Bears before them. That call continues to ring true today. We know that when we influence the world from the distinctive place Baylor occupies at the crossroads of faith and academic excellence, we are acting out of a conviction that this is what God has called us to do. As you have read in the pages of this publication, exciting work is underway at Baylor. 

The gifts of Baylor alumni, parents and friends have long provided a foundation for Baylor’s growth. Today, by coming alongside the University at this bright moment in our history, you can play a role of paramount importance to Baylor students and to Baylor’s future. 

Gifts of all types and sizes are valuable to our shared effort. We celebrate the support of donors like Mark and Jenni McCollum, whose gift to create The McCollum Family Chair in Data Sciences within Baylor’s School of Engineering and Computer Science is described on page 47. Other thoughtful gifts, like the one from Bob and Laura Beauchamp that created the Beauchamp Addiction Recovery Center on Baylor’s campus, have provided critical, transformational resources for our students. We are also grateful to those who made 2,713 gifts totaling $521,000 over 24 hours through our first University-wide Giving Day in late August—gifts dedicated to projects across the University, including support for scholarships, colleges and schools, student life and athletics. 

Thank you for your past support. I encourage you to prayerfully consider how you can make a difference by participating in Give Light. You may have a particular passion that can be matched to your philanthropy, such as supporting student scholarship or helping to build new programs or facilities. You may also want to make an unrestricted gift or a planned gift. We will be glad to share information that can help you discern how best to shape your support.

For more than 170 years, Baylor has served as a source of hope and promise to the surrounding world. Thank you for making this possible. The future is bright!

David Rosselli
Vice President for University Advancement
Baylor University