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President’s September Academic Last Perspective Focus Agenda Glance Record enrollment: Library of the future: Student retention: Beall-Russell Festival: Quantity and quality Today’s libraries access Academic Summit Bill Moyers highlights of freshman class world through on-line explores ways to enhance three days of lectures improve for fall. resources,2 consortiums.3total learning3 experience.5 in humanities. 5 2 Vol. 8, No. 7 • SEPTEMBER8 1998 Dr. Avery Sharp and BearCat move libraries from card catalogs to on-line catalogs. From Sshh! to www As Baylor positions itself to be the world’s foremost Christian university, its libraries will help lead the way, blending traditional and electronic resources to create a “hybrid” system for the 21st century. By Lori Scott-Fogleman one are the days of card catalogs. “This is probably the most exciting time for needs of students and faculty well into the next And say farewell to the sight of academic librarians in the last 100 years or so,” century. G librarians stamping and said Dr. Avery T. Sharp, dean of Baylor libraries When Dr. Sharp first began working in reshelving stacks of books while uttering that and professor. libraries, the services and collections were still legendary “shhhhhhh.” In fact, you might Of course, there always will be financial and “traditional.” want to rethink totally the role of the 21st academic challenges, but Dr. Sharp sees a “You had books and journals and the usual century librarian — especially in an academic wealth of potential for Baylor’s libraries and the type of one-on-one service to library users,” he setting. many new ways they can serve the information See “September Focus” on page 3 President’s Perspective Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas, Record fall enrollment poses challenges, opportunities Baylor University is the state’s oldest continually operating institution of higher s is abundantly clear to everyone on the I am also encouraged by the fact that we learning and is the largest Baptist university in Waco campus, Baylor has a record are holding steady on the percentage of first-year the world. With more than 12,000 students enrollment this fall. While the head minority students enrolled. With the large and more than 600 full-time faculty, Baylor A offers undergraduate, graduate and count won’t be official until the 12th class day in numerical increase in the freshman class, there professional degrees through the College of mid-September, we are projecting a 1998 entering was some concern that our percentages might go Arts and Sciences, the Hankamer School of freshman class of approximately 2,850 and an down. But preliminary data suggest that we may Business, the School of Education, the School overall enrollment of close to 13,000. even show a slight increase in that percentage, of Music, the School of Nursing, the School of When you compare this year’s freshman class which is no small accomplishment in light of the President Engineering and Computer Science, the RobertRobert B.B. SloanSloan Jr.Jr. School of Law, the Graduate School and with the previous record freshman class in 1985, Hopwood decision. George W. Truett Theological Seminary. Baylor which totaled 2,581, you can see how much of a is consistently ranked among the top 50 leap we made. In the fall of 1997, we enrolled Why the increase? decline in the number of semester hours that college values in the country by such 2,410 new freshmen, so we are up by about 440 Why the significant increase in the quality students were taking. While our original target was a publications as U.S. News and World Report first-year students, or 18 percent, over last year. and quantity of the freshman class? Demograph- freshman class of 2,700, I believe we have the ability and Money magazine. The enrollment increase is a remarkable ics play a small role in the equation with the to manage a slightly larger class of 2,800 and at the Dr. Robert B. Sloan Jr. achievement in itself, but when you consider the number of high school graduates in Texas same time ensure that the students we admit are President fact that academic quality of the freshman class trending upward, but the vast majority of the academically qualified to succeed at Baylor. Marilyn A. Crone — as measured by the average SAT score — also credit goes to Dr. Stan Madden, vice president for Vice President for Human Resources and increased, we have accomplished something I dare University relations, and his staff in admission Maintain close interaction Acting Vice President for Student Life say few institutions our size have achieved. services and student financial aid. Over the past An outcome of this expanded freshman class is 18 months, with the help of the enrollment the need to address our average class sizes to ensure Harold R. Cunningham Average SAT scores rise VIce President for Finance and Administration management consulting firm of USA Group/ that we do not lose the close faculty-student Last year’s average SAT score for the Noel-Levitz, our student recruitment, admissions interaction for which Baylor is known. With the Dr. Charles S. Madden freshman class was 1160, which represented an and student aid programs have been completely benefit of additional revenue generated by the Vice President for University Relations increase of 17 points over the fall 1996 freshman retooled. Our work in this area has become more expanded enrollment, we will be adding faculty Dr. Donald D. Schmeltekopf class. We did not meet our enrollment goal of strategic and is supported by improved manage- positions in the years ahead to accomplish this Provost and Vice President for 2,500 last year, but rather chose to sacrifice some ment procedures. We now have the ability to objective. Academic Affairs revenue to accomplish an increase in the academic manage enrollment and project outcomes. I want to thank the faculty and staff who have Dr. Richard C. Scott quality of our entering students. Based on our best What does the future look like in regard to worked tirelessly in recent days to accommodate this Vice President for University projections, this fall’s entering freshman class will enrollment? The University made a conscious record freshman class. I believe our efforts will pay Development have an average SAT score of 1165, another decision in 1995 to expand the size of the off as we seek to both academically and financially ____________ healthy increase and a record for the University. freshman class in order to compensate for a strengthen Baylor University. BaylorNews is published 10 times a year by the Office of Public Relations. The submission of suggestions for stories is encouraged. Deadline is the first of Cunningham, Moore Chosen as New VPs each month for inclusion in the following month’s issue (i.e. October 1 for the Former regent accepts financial post; native West Texan to oversee student life November issue). Comments or questions should be directed to: arold R. Cunningham accepted the position administrative skills, but a vision for Harold R. Cunningham BaylorNews Hof vice president for finance and administra- involving students in co-curricular P.O. Box 97024 tion effective July 20. He stepped down from his activities and programs that help Waco, TX 76798-7024 role as a Baylor regent at the Board’s July meeting them reach their educational and (254) 710-1963 (254) 710-1490 (Fax) in Houston. spiritual goals.” [email protected] Also, Dr. Steven G.W. Moore, vice president A native of West Texas, Dr. www.pr.baylor.edu for campus life at Seattle Pacific University, has Moore has been on the administra- tive staff at Seattle Pacific since 1989. Larry D. Brumley been appointed vice president for student life by Associate Vice President President Robert B. Sloan Jr., effective Nov. 1. He previously served for nine years as for Communications Cunningham, who was elected to Baylor’s executive director of the Wesley Board in 1996, has been serving on a voluntary Foundation at Texas Tech University, Brenda S. Tacker Director of Publications basis as acting director of operations at the where he also was an adjunct and University Editor University since January 1997. professor of world religions and “Harold Cunningham has already been a ethics. He also has been a youth Vicki Marsh Kabat tremendous help to me personally and to the director for United Methodist Associate Director of Publications University as a whole over these last 18 months,” churches in Arlington and Abilene. and Managing Editor Dr. Sloan said. “His considerable expertise in Baylor graduate, have two Dr. Moore, an ordained United Kate Langston financial and operations management, combined children, Chrisann Goad Methodist minister, earned his Editor/Writer and Associate Editor with his love for Baylor, uniquely qualify him to (B.S.Ed. ’82), and Kevin, bachelor of science degree in history and political science from McMurry Lori Scott-Fogleman lead this strategic area of the University.” and six grandchildren. Director of Media Relations Cunningham will be responsible for Dr. Moore replaces University in Abilene in 1974. After overseeing Baylor’s finance, operations, physical Dr. William D. Hillis, who completing a research fellowship at Writers plant, risk management, auxiliary services and St. Andrews University in Scotland, Dr. Julie Carlson, Vincent Carpenter, Alan Hunt last March announced his information technology divisions. intention to return to a Moore earned his master of divinity Graphic Designer “The past 18 months have been very full-time teaching post in degree with honors from Asbury Patrick Contreras interesting and exciting both from the regents’ and Baylor’s biology Theological Seminary in Lexington, Ky.

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