Message from the Dean — Spring 2025

Last fall, Baylor launched a new strategic plan that will guide the University through 2030. Baylor In Deeds embraces our global calling as a Christian university and the enhanced global impact we are poised to make as a Research 1 institution. At the same time, Pro Mundo — for the world — was also added to Baylor’s motto, underscoring the commitment to prepare students for worldwide leadership and service.

The impetus behind Baylor In Deeds is well aligned with the School of Education’s (SOE) academic programming and research priorities, and we have long been dedicated to the ideas reflected within the new strategic plan’s core commitments:

• Equipping Students to Flourish

• Broadening Interdisciplinary Research Impact

• Building a Vibrant, Caring, and Global Community

• Demonstrating Christian Stewardship

The overarching imperatives within Baylor In Deeds also reflect deeply held values within the SOE — making education affordable, preparing learners of all ages to address complex global challenges, strengthening respectful discourse, and exploring the interface between humans and emerging technologies.

In this issue of Baylor Impact, we provide a snapshot of the learning experiences our school provides Baylor students through travel opportunities across the globe.

The SOE offers multiple study-abroad experiences spanning four continents with opportunities in England (three programs), Costa Rica (two programs), Italy, Australia, and Kenya. You can read about our expanding menu of global learning options (pages 10-11) and the special highlight of our Baylor Interns in England program, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The program is co-led by associate professor Dr. Kelly Johnston, who first experienced the program as one of its interns while she attended Baylor as an undergraduate student. The SOE’s study-abroad programs offer a unique glimpse into other cultures with opportunities to spend time in school classrooms and compare educational systems through extensive observation sessions, applied research, and — in most programs — the opportunity to actually teach in another country.

In her inaugural address in 2017, Baylor President Dr. Linda Livingstone said, “The world needs a Baylor.” More specifically to our school, the world needs Baylor educators and Baylor researchers, who see God’s light in every person and God’s purpose in every intellectual inquiry.