2019 Elsewhere at Baylor

Dr. Nancy Brickhouse Appointed Provost

Following a national search, Baylor University has named Nancy W. Brickhouse, Ph.D., as provost to help lead the institution toward its goal of becoming the preeminent Christian research university. Dr. Brickhouse will assume her new role May 1.

“With a deep background in both teaching and research as well as ties to Baylor as an undergraduate, we are extremely pleased that Dr. Brickhouse will be our next provost,” Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., said. “Our aspirations are great as we grow Baylor’s research impact while maintaining our strong tradition of undergraduate education in an unambiguously Christian environment. Dr. Brickhouse not only understands this distinctiveness, but embraces the belief that the world – and higher education in particular – needs a Baylor. We look forward to benefiting from her experiences as an academic leader, scholar and advocate for Christian higher education.”

Dr. Brickhouse previously served as provost at Saint Louis University, a Jesuit research university with 8,000 undergraduate students and 6,000 graduate students at its main campus in St. Louis. 

“(Dr. Brickhouse) has exemplified a deep commitment to advancing scholarship across the university, a vision for research in shaping undergraduate learning outcomes and an expectation that the outcome of research improves human lives,” said Ken Olliff, D.Min., SLU’s vice president for research. 

A tenured professor of education and a nationally recognized scholar with more than $5 million in external grant funding, Dr. Brickhouse received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry magna cum laude from Baylor and both her master’s degree in chemistry and her doctorate in science education from Purdue University. She was recognized as one of the most influential women in St. Louis in 2018 by the St. Louis Business Journal.

“I am deeply honored to be selected to lead Baylor’s academic endeavors at such an exciting time in the history of Baylor,” Dr. Brickhouse said. “The vision President Livingstone and her team have cast for the University is bold and aggressive under Illuminate, Baylor’s academic strategic plan. I look forward to working with the faculty, administration and Board of Regents to achieve Baylor’s rightful place in higher education as a distinguished Christian research university.”

As Baylor’s chief academic officer, Dr. Brickhouse will oversee the University’s 12 colleges and schools, research enterprise, University Libraries and centers and institutes. 

Baylor Nursing Begins Fall Semester in New Academic Building 

This fall students, faculty, and staff were welcomed back to a newly renovated Louise Herrington School of Nursing Academic Building. The result of a $25 million fundraising initiative, the building sits adjacent to the longtime LHSON campus, Baylor University Medical Center, and more than 150 professional nursing practice sites in Dallas-area communities. 

“The special calling to learn, lead and serve others through the integration of faith and academic excellence results in qualities unique to a Baylor Nursing graduate. We are grateful to our generous donors, University leadership and the Baylor Family, who believe in the unique mission of LHSON to prepare caring nurse leaders to go out and serve locally and globally,” said Dr. Shelley Conroy, LHSON dean. 

The new four-story building doubled the school’s previous space by adding 100,000 square feet for high-tech nursing education. Features of the renovated campus include a central atrium for students to congregate and collaborate, active learning classrooms that foster more dynamic group interaction and allow for innovative teaching, and a chapel for quiet spiritual reflection. The previous campus now focuses exclusively on faculty and student’s clinical practice and simulation laboratories. 

Baylor Honors First African-American Faculty Member

Before an overflow crowd at a special ceremony Feb. 26, Baylor recognized the exceptional life and achievements of the late Vivienne Malone-Mayes, Ph.D., the University’s first African-American faculty member.

Held during Black History Month, the event included the unveiling of a 50-pound, two-foot bronze bust of Dr. Malone-Mayes. Created by Utah sculptor Dee Jay Bawden and on display at the entrance of the department of mathematics, it represents the first sculpture of a female professor or alumna on the Baylor campus. In addition, three panel displays highlight Dr. Malone-Mayes’ experiences and history at Baylor, which included being rejected because of her race when she applied to Baylor in 1961.

“For years, people have asked me what Baylor has done to honor my mom, but because she had a humble spirit, I would always say that they’ve been pretty good to her,” said Patsy Wheeler, Dr. Malone-Mayes’ daughter. “Now, I can truly say that Baylor University has stepped up, showed out and made us proud.”

In 1966, Dr. Malone-Mayes joined the Baylor faculty as a professor of mathematics. In 1971, Baylor Student Congress named her as an Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year. Ill health forced her to retire in 1994 after 28 years at Baylor. She passed away June 9, 1995, at age 63.

“I am personally and deeply humbled by her example and by what she represented. And I am really committed here at Baylor that we honor her legacy by having that same level of bravery and courage that she did to continue that quest for justice that she had such an impact on,” Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., said. 

Education Faculty Partner with Waco ISD to Win National S.T.E.M. Award 

The School Science and Mathematics Association has awarded the Baylor University School of Education and Waco ISD collaborators the Award for Excellence in Integrating Science and Mathematics for highlighting Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) used in two Waco ISD elementary schools. They received the award at the SSMA convention in October. 

Sandi Cooper, Ph.D., professor of mathematics education, and Suzanne Nesmith, Ph.D., associate dean and associate professor of science education in curriculum and instruction, approached the principals of Mountainview Elementary and Bell’s Hill Elementary with the idea of working with a small group of teachers to learn the importance of STEM for early learners. 

For the past two years, Nesmith and Cooper have held several professional development sessions each year with more than 80 teachers and administrators. Also, in attendance were School of Education student teacher interns. The teachers and future teachers learned strategies to integrate STEM into everyday teaching, while also becoming well versed and capable of supporting their students in the subject. 

“It’s an honor to be recognized at the national level,” Cooper said, “We were invited to give a presentation about this partnership at the conference so, it was exciting to share this integration with others.”

President Livingstone Elected to American Council on Education Board of Directors 

Baylor University President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., has been elected to serve on the Board of Directors of the American Council on Education (ACE), the major coordinating body for the nation’s colleges and universities. Dr. Livingstone was elected during an ACE business meeting Dec. 14 and will serve a three-year term that began this March.

ACE represents nearly 1,700 college and university presidents and the executives at related associations, and is the only major higher education association to represent all types of U.S. accredited, degree-granting institutions: two-year and four-year, public and private. ACE members represent two out of every three students in all accredited, degree-granting institutions. A strong voice for the role of faith-based institutions in American higher education, Dr. Livingstone has established herself as a scholar in organizational behavior, leadership and creativity with deep expertise in university accreditation.