Creating Solutions to Rising Challenges
Institutions of higher education in America are facing a host of challenging circumstances that are arguably unparalleled during the past century. These range from increasing competition for students amid a shrinking population of college-age students, especially male students, to the pressures of inflation and changes being driven by governmental and regulatory entities.
Within this context, I believe Christian higher education has many compelling advantages over other colleges and universities; however, we do not have the luxury of simply maintaining the status quo. We
must interweave our faith commitments with points of outcomes and impact post-graduation. We know Baylor offers students a positive return on their investments both professionally and personally.
When I became Baylor’s 15th president in 2017, I made the following statement in my inaugural address: “The world needs a place like Baylor. The world needs a Baylor that raises the bar in the area of Christian higher education, combining the riches of undergraduate, professional and graduate education with rigorous research, high-quality athletics and unwavering faith commitment.”
I still believe this is true.
Baylor has come a long way in the past nine years. In 2019, we made public our aspiration of becoming an R1 research institution as designated by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. In December 2021, we achieved this goal, placing Baylor among the highest tier of research universities nationwide. And in 2025, we attained a record four-year graduation rate of 77.3% for first-year students who entered Baylor in Fall 2021.
Continuing to achieve success in the coming months and years, however, will prove more challenging. That is why Baylor’s governing board and administrative leadership are taking proactive steps that will enable us, with the collaboration and prayers of the entire Baylor Family, to overcome anticipated financial obstacles.
Colleges and universities across the nation are responding in a variety of ways to the tumultuous changes sweeping across the landscape of higher education. Some estimate as many as 80 colleges and universities will close by 2029. Other institutions, like Ohio State University, are closing academic programs and merging others. Stanford University has cut hundreds of positions and implemented a hiring freeze. The University of North Texas has frozen hiring, cut programs and increased teaching loads.
That is not our plan at Baylor. We are aiming to thrive, not just survive, by becoming a leaner, more operationally efficient and more strategically focused institution by building upon our core strengths.
During its regular February meeting, the Baylor Board of Regents took several actions that will continue to favorably position the University for the future in areas related to academics and research and value and affordability.
In addition to increasing tuition for next year by a modest amount, along with increasing scholarship funding, the Board affirmed the administration’s work in identifying campus operational efficiencies as part of a strategic budget repositioning toward enhancing students’ affordability and value. To be sure, these steps will entail a measure of austerity. Alternative options for funding research and academic programs will need to be found. A small number of staff positions also will be cut. Necessity requires us to make difficult decisions while securing our future.
The generous financial support of the Baylor Family will continue to be of vital importance to our success as we face present and future challenges. In this regard, we are fortunate to be moving forward from a position of strength.
Baylor’s 2025-26 fundraising year is shaping up to be the second most successful ever, headlined by January’s $30 million gift from the Moody Foundation of Galveston, Texas, to support scholarships, research and academic programs in the School of Education, now called the Moody School of Education. In addition, the Extend the Line Scholarship Initiative, which aims to raise $250 million for student scholarships by 2030, has secured more than $111 million since being announced last February.
At the heart of our adjustments and strategic forecasting is prioritizing Baylor’s mission to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community. With your help, we will succeed in continuing to provide our students with outstanding academics and a thriving campus environment grounded in the Christian faith.
Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D.
President
Baylor University