Faculty and Staff Benefits

All members of the faculty and staff have the opportunity to benefit significantly from the realization of the Baylor 2012 vision, but with this opportunity comes responsibility. Faculty and staff are charged with a responsibility to help Baylor grow and expand in today's academic community. Baylor, since its beginning, has offered a unique opportunity for teachers, administrators, staff members and scholars to focus on imparting knowledge in a familial, close-knit environment and to further the cause of learning in the context of faith. This has always been Baylor's mission and will continue to be.

For the faculty, Baylor 2012 has not diminished the value of powerful teaching, but rather added to it the challenge of continual discovery. Rather than confining faculty to work within a "Teaching University" or a "Research University," Baylor 2012 creates a third way: a faculty that seeks and discovers new knowledge through active research and then disseminates that knowledge through great teaching. This path leads to a place where students and faculty continue to learn and share knowledge. The process, in essence, is book-ended by teaching. Faculty work with and teach existing knowledge, and at the same time search for and discover new knowledge. As new knowledge is processed, faculty impart that knowledge. And the cycle is ongoing.

Faculty are also gaining the opportunity to research and teach in facilities and classrooms that are built and renovated to be state-of-the-art, with room for flexibility and expansion and with the tools needed for both classroom and laboratory learning. In addition, they are afforded more departments and programs within which to pursue scholarly goals, and they continue to have more opportunities to expand the curricula and academic offerings at Baylor. This means greater influence and reach into the world, into the body of existing knowledge and into the higher education community.

For all who work and teach at Baylor - in both faculty and staff roles - Baylor 2012 means opportunity. Beyond the classroom, Baylor is becoming a more invigorating workplace. With more useful and attractive offices and buildings, ongoing campus beautification projects, growing library and collection resources and increased opportunities to be involved in learning and life outside of the classroom, Baylor has added to the holistic professional horizons for its teachers and higher education professionals. In addition, opportunities continue to grow for faculty and staff through additional focus on study-abroad and diversity initiatives. This represents a more rewarding and valuable opportunity for faculty and staff to spend their time furthering their careers and growing professionally.

As the academic, learning and professional environment flourishes, the reputation and recognition of Baylor continues to expand, meaning more attention from peers and the academic community. There is more attention drawn to discoveries and scholarly activities that originate at Baylor. Increased awareness serves to increase the reach of Baylor's influence, as well as affirming the ability of an academic setting to thrive within a Christian context.