The Baylor Experience, Grounded in Faith
The recognition of Christian Higher Education Month in October offers an ideal opportunity to explore how Baylor University fosters a dynamic community of learning and discovery grounded in its deeply rooted faith foundation. Nowhere is this more evident than in the University’s commitment to equipping students to find and follow their callings as they pursue rigorous academics in a vibrant campus community.
Baylor’s student body consists of approximately 20,000 students from 100 countries and all 50 states. These students are on a formational journey — one focused on shaping their hearts, minds and souls. Within this holistic approach, Baylor students gain an education that is both cutting-edge and timeless. Helping each student to thrive and grow during his or her time on campus lies at the heart of the University’s mission of preparing students for worldwide leadership and service.
While pursuing their studies at Baylor, students can experience a number of programs that are oriented toward character formation, leadership development, spiritual growth and holistic wellbeing. Sharra Hynes, Ph.D., vice president for student life, sees Baylor’s Christian mission woven throughout the student experience — especially in how students approach leadership. “Students are deeply drawn to experiences that allow them to live out their faith in tangible and transformative ways. This is especially evident in the way they embrace leadership — not for personal recognition or advancement but as a calling to serve others,” she said. “Whether they’re leading a student organization, mentoring a peer or serving the local Waco community, Baylor students lead with humility and purpose.”
In combination with experiencing a dynamic on-campus community of faith and fellowship, Baylor students also are preparing for success in their future professions by engaging in world-class academic learning opportunities at the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels. As a Christ-centered community, Baylor supports student’s intellectual growth and ethical thinking by surrounding them with faculty and staff who care deeply about their development as a whole person. One of the ways that Baylor is continuously deepening its academic experience is by increasing the quality and quantity of academic co-curricular activities that challenge and deepen learning, such as studying abroad, research opportunities, discipline-specific mission trips, internships, community-based learning and student employment.
“Baylor’s Christian mission makes me know that I am loved and valued, not just as a student or an admissions statistic but as a human being created in the image of God,” said Spencer Yim, a junior in Baylor’s Honors College who serves as a Baylor Student Regent. “I am valued here because of who I am and who God has made me to be. Thanks to our mission, to the devoted faculty and staff and to the foundational values that form the Baylor community, I’ve had tremendous experiences of Christ-centered belonging here.”
The success of Baylor’s intentional focus on holistic learning was recently recognized by U.S. News & World Report when it ranked Baylor No. 4 nationally for First-Year Experiences and once again in the Top 10 for Learning Communities. Baylor also was recognized for Best Undergraduate Teaching (No. 27), Most Innovative (No. 38) and Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects (No. 40). Institutionally, Baylor moved up to No. 46 among the nation’s best private institutions and to No. 88 among all institutions. Such rankings provide one example of the fact that Baylor University continues to provide a transformational educational experience grounded in its Christian mission.