NewsBriefs
Armstrong Named AVP of Alumni Engagement
Amy Armstrong, previously executive director of philanthropic operations at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) in Houston, became Baylor University’s associate vice president of alumni engagement July 23.
In this new role, she provides strategic vision and collaborative leadership of the University-wide alumni relations program to connect and engage the Baylor alumni community. Armstrong oversees planning, implementation and promotion of all alumni and annual giving programs—ensuring that diverse alumni needs are met while supporting Baylor’s Illuminate strategic plan and comprehensive campaign in collaboration with University Advancement colleagues and other departments across campus.
“I am passionate about faith, family and the power of education, and I am honored to be joining the Baylor Family, where I can do a job I love with people who share these same values,” Armstrong said. “President Livingstone’s bold vision during an especially meaningful time for the University’s future is exciting and compelling. I look forward to serving the University and alumni and welcome the challenges and opportunities of the future.”
In addition to her role at BCM, Armstrong has served as assistant vice president for alumni relations and development at Trinity University in San Antonio and as senior director of operations and senior director of strategic planning and performance enhancement in the division of advancement at the University of North Texas in Denton.
Chronicle’s ‘Great College to Work For’ Selects Baylor—Again
For the seventh time, Baylor has attained elite Honor Roll status as a 2018 Great Colleges to Work For, according to a new survey by The Chronicle of Higher Education, a top trade publication for colleges and universities.
The results, released in The Chronicle’s 11th annual report on The Academic Workplace, are based on a survey of 253 colleges and universities. The Great Colleges to Work For survey is one of the largest and most comprehensive workplace studies in higher education and recognizes the colleges that get top ratings from their employees on workforce practices and policies.
The report listed 84 institutions as having achieved “Great College to Work For” recognition, with 42—including Baylor—named to the Honor Roll as the standouts in their size categories. Baylor is included in the large university category with 10,000 or more students.
The Great Colleges survey results are based on a two-part assessment process: an institutional audit that captured demographics and workplace policies, and a survey administered to faculty, administrators and professional support staff. The primary factor in deciding whether an institution received recognition was the employee feedback.
Beauchamps Honored as Recovery Philanthropists of the Year
Bob and Laura Beauchamp of Houston received recognition in July as Recovery Philanthropists of the Year by the Association of Recovery in Higher Education (ARHE).
The ARHE and the Association of Recovery Schools (ARS) celebration event honored the Beauchamps and other individuals for their outstanding work and service in the recovery field.
A gift from the couple in January 2017 allowed Baylor to open the Beauchamp Addiction Recovery Center (BARC) in fall 2017.
“Laura and I are honored to be a part of Baylor’s commitment to removing the stigma of addiction, increasing awareness and prevention and facilitating recovery,” former Regent Bob Beauchamp said. “With Baylor’s support, students affected can reclaim their lives and continue on to fulfilling futures. We are proud that Baylor is being recognized as a leading university for embracing this program that is growing nationwide.”
The BARC provides support services for students who are in the initial stages of identifying an addiction and continued support for students who have completed rehabilitation programs. BARC also serves as an educational resource, helping to reduce the issues surrounding addiction and empower all students to serve as advocates and sources of support for students in recovery.
The Beauchamps have four sons and two daughters-in-law, five of whom are Baylor graduates: Jack Beauchamp, BBA ’10, and his wife Hayley Beauchamp, BS ’10; Tom Beauchamp, BBA ’12, MAcc ’12, and his wife Christina Beauchamp, BS ’12; George Beauchamp, BS ’18; and Jim Beauchamp.
Geosciences PhD Student Receives National Recognition
Geosciences doctoral student Bart Yeates, MS ’17, is one of 11 recipients selected for the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT) Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award in 2018.
Sharon Browning, geosciences lab coordinator, and Dr. Dan Peppe, associate professor and graduate program director for geosciences in Baylor’s College of Arts and Sciences, nominated Yeates for the award.
“We nominated Bart because he has consistently been one of best teaching assistants since he started at Baylor,” Peppe said. “He has received terrific student teaching evaluations and worked hard to help improve the courses he has taught as a graduate teaching assistant.”
Yeates has taught the lab portion of World Oceans for two years and enjoys changing students’ views about learning science.
“Getting students who said they hated science at first to enjoy my class is definitely the best part,” Yeates said. “I like making people a little bit interested in something they haven’t been interested in before.”