A Message from the Vice President
The Student Life experience at Baylor University is dynamic and diverse. With more than 17,000 students from 80+ different countries and all 50 states, our community represents a beautiful mosaic of ideas, experiences, cultures, and aspirations. Central to our mission is the ideal that we are on a transformational journey—one focused on the renewing of our mind, body, and soul. To this end, the Division of Student Life strives to meet each student where she or he is so that we can walk alongside them during their time at Baylor helping each one become more and more the person God has designed them to be. It is an exciting journey with no one student’s experiences being exactly like another’s. Therefore, our approach varies as we seek to offer advice, counsel, encouragement, spiritual guidance, and a comprehensive set of services, programs, and experiences that helps students learn, grow, and develop to their fullest potential.
It is my pleasure to serve with such a dedicated faculty, talented staff, and inspirational student body.
My best and Sic’em Bears!
Kevin P. Jackson, Ph.D.
Vice President of Student Life
Baylor Student Life
Our mission is to advance the University's mission to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community, and we do so by enriching the Baylor experience through life-changing programs and services resulting in an integrated education known for leadership, service, Christian faith, and the total development of students. We do so with a particular focus on students’ intellectual curiosity, relational integrity, and spiritual maturity. The Baylor experience not only prepares students for successful careers, it prepares students to excel in life.
Helping students transition successfully to the Baylor community is a cherished University tradition in which Student Life takes the lead. It begins with New Student Orientation, followed by Line Camp for many, and reaches a crescendo with Move In and Welcome Week all occurring prior to the first day of classes for our newest Baylor Bears. Over 3,000 volunteers, most of whom are students, staff, and faculty, assist with these transitional experiences.
Throughout the year, students engage in enriching experiences designed to help them learn more about themselves, others, and the world in which they live. Traditional events such as Homecoming, All University Sing, StompFest, and Diadeloso serve as a centerpiece around which other programs and activities, most of which are student-led, occur. Central to these experiences is the desire to a build a vibrant Christian community that cares deeply for and strives to bring out the best in one another. Investment in these experiences, and the students who plan them, fosters opportunities to develop leadership skills, lasting friendships, and a deep affinity to Baylor University.