News Briefs
1845 Prayer for Baylor
As part of this year’s Founders Day commemoration, the Baylor Family was asked to make “1845”—translated from international time to 6:45 p.m.—a daily moment of prayer each day for Baylor and its mission.
Students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the university may offer a personal prayer or follow The 1845 Prayer, a common prayer provided by University Chaplain Burt Burleson, from Feb. 1, which is Founders Day, through Easter Sunday, April 16.
“Our season of prayer will overlap the Season of Lent, which is a time when followers of Jesus are repentant and honestly reflective about the need for God’s grace and healing,” Burleson said. “It is a season in which we prepare for the joyful celebration of Easter and the ongoing and ultimate new life that is promised in Christ Jesus. For the Baylor Family, this will also be a season where our hearts are joined in prayer for Baylor.”
The 1845 Prayer
Scripture from Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Prayer for Baylor
O God, with gratitude for your guidance in our past and commending ourselves to your sustaining presence in these days, we pray that our Baylor Family will discern with humility what is your good and perfect will. We pray that all who lead and learn, all who teach and serve, all who seek after goodness, truth and beauty, will know great inspiration, caring community, and deep, abiding hope. May we all continue to respond steadfastly each day to the calling that has been upon us for so long. Through Christ our Lord we pray. Amen.
Kiplinger’s Names BU a 2017 Best Value
Kiplinger’s Personal Finance named Baylor one of the 100 Best Values Among Private Universities in its latest list of the Top 300 Best College Values of 2017, released in its February magazine.
Baylor earned the No. 64 spot on the magazine’s list of best values among private universities, which weighs affordability alongside academic quality.
Kiplinger’s quality measures, which are weighted more heavily than cost, include the admission rate, the percentage of students who return for sophomore year, the student-faculty ratio and the four-year graduation rate. Cost criteria include sticker price, financial aid and average debt at graduation. Unlike other rankings, which include subjective criteria in their assessments, Kiplinger restricts its analysis to measurable standards of academic quality and affordability.
Documenting a Remarkable Story
Dr. William A. Mitchell documents a remarkable story of how Baylor educators and staff devoted their hearts and expertise to help international neighbors during Operation Iraqi Freedom in Baylor In Northern Iraq During Operation Iraqi Freedom: Journeys to Dohuk For Higher Education, Democracy, and Voices for Survivors (Xulon Press, 2016: 246 pages).
Mitchell, Baylor Professor Emeritus of Political Science, recounts how volunteer educators journeyed five times into Iraq to provide help with higher education and to capture oral histories of the human resilience and courage of Iraqi Kurds.
“The story is evidence that here at Baylor, ‘Love thy neighbor’ is not just words, but a call to action,” Mitchell said. “I hope readers will sense our unselfish motives to step up during human-made tragedies and help in any way possible. There is always a need to help our neighbors, locally, nationally and internationally. This story is different because of the unique challenges of sending a busload of civilian academics into a war zone.”
During two decades teaching, Mitchell served as director of the International Education Center, holder of The Jo Murphy Chair, director of Middle East Studies, founder and director of Baylor in Turkey, and graduate program director in the Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies. He also served 33 years in the U.S. Air Force, including the Vietnam War and the First Gulf War, and retired as a colonel.
A portion of the proceeds from the book’s sales will benefit Baylor.