Strengthening the Power of Education

Baylor presidents and Baylor alumni and faculty have long served as leaders in local, statewide and national roles in higher education. As advocates for the transformational impact of education on the lives of young people — and in particular of the value of faith-based colleges and universities — they have reshaped the landscape of possibilities for generations of Americans and for students from around the world.

Today, serving as the 15th president of Baylor University, Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., has become a nationally recognized leader in Christian education as well as in college athletics. As an extension of her leadership on the Baylor campus, she has chaired the NCAA Board of Governors since 2022 and has been chair of the American Council on Education Board. In addition, she currently serves on the Board of Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas.

Livingstone is the latest in a long line of Baylor leaders in the world of education. In fact, the building in which her office is located, Pat Neff Hall, is named after a man who left a dynamic legacy upon his native state. Neff, who earned two degrees from Baylor and served as the University’s eighth president, was the governor of Texas from 1921 to 1925. During that time, he oversaw the creation of the state park system and championed the importance of education. In 1923, he signed the bill that created Texas Tech University. “American civilization is the product of college culture,” he said at a ceremony marking the laying of a cornerstone on the Tech campus. “From scholastic halls came the leaders of thought who made this Republic possible.”

Baylor’s founders and early presidents and alumni also played meaningful roles in the founding of the state’s first public school system, the Association of Texas Colleges, and more. Baylor alumnus Lawrence Sullivan “Sul” Ross, who also served as governor of Texas, was the president of Texas A&M University in the 1890s, helping to strengthen the institution after it had been on the brink of closing. Today, Aggies still toss pennies for good luck on exams at the feet of a campus statue honoring this Baylor Bear.

Countless Baylor alumni are serving as dynamic leaders in a wide range of fields, from medicine and business to engineering and the fine arts. In fact, Baylor was named among Time magazine’s top 40 colleges for future leaders. In the world of higher education, almost 40 Baylor Bears are the top executives at colleges and universities around the world. From University of Tulsa, Furman University and Samford University to University of Cambodia, these alumni are living examples of the Baylor’s mission to prepare students for worldwide leadership and service.

With more than 20,000 students enrolled at Baylor today, the University continues to produce leaders committed to increasing the effectiveness and breadth of primary, secondary and collegiate education in the surrounding world in both public and Christian settings.