Bible to replace Baylor Mace in formal ceremonies

The Baylor seal is seen at the quadrangle on campus. (Photo / Baylor Marketing and Communication)

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At future Baylor University commencements, a distinctive Bible will replace the Baylor Mace—a historic ceremonial relic with links to slavery—at the head of processions.

The Baylor board of regents at its summer retreat approved the recommendation to retire the mace to an exhibit at Baylor’s Mayborn Museum and instead use a limited edition of St. John’s Bible in formal ceremonies.

“It is an outward, tangible expression of who we are as a Christian university,” said Regent Chair Mark Rountree.

The recommendation—one of four to the board of regents from the campus experience project team—grew out of the report by Baylor’s Commission on Historic Campus Representations.

The Baylor Mace, first used at the head of a graduation procession in 1974, consists of a gold-handled sword presented by President Andrew Jackson to Cyrus Alexander Baylor for his service during the War of 1812, a gold-headed cane that once belonged to General Sam Houston, and a cane that belonged to former Baylor President Rufus Burleson.

It also includes the university seal set in a piece of pine removed from the towers of Old Main after a tornado hit Waco in 1953.

In future ceremonies, the St. John’s Bible—a heritage edition of the fully illuminated, hand-lettered Bible created by calligrapher Donald Jackson—will be used in formal academic processions.

Regents also approved recommendations to:

  • Add new findings from the Commission on Historic Campus Representations to the university history posted on the Baylor website.
  • Reimagine Founders Day to make it a more inclusive celebration of all who have contributed to Baylor’s growth and success through the years.
  • Place interim signs at Founders Mall and the Burleson Quadrangle that describe Baylor’s examination of its history and that include links to the expanded online history. Baylor President Linda Livingstone noted the interim signs are intended to educate students and let them know the university is making progress in implementing the commission’s recommendations.

Much of the regents’ summer retreat focused on progress reports regarding Illuminate, the university strategic plan.

One of the key components of the strategic plan is for Baylor to achieve top-tier status as a research university while maintaining its distinctive Christian environment and remaining true to its Christian mission, Livingstone noted.


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Regents learned the university:

  • Increased research doctorates from 110 in 2016-17 to 167 in 2020-21, with a goal of 286 research doctorates awarded by 2022-23.
  • Grew in research expenditures from $29.4 million in 2017 to $47 million in 2021, with external research expenditures currently growing at 28 percent. Baylor’s goal is to reach $52 million in research expenditures in the 2023 fiscal year.
  • Increased awarded research dollars from around $11 million in 2017 to more than $27 million so far in 2021.
  • Increased research staff in science/technology/engineering/math, social sciences and health from 47 in fall 2016 to 68 in fall 2020. Baylor’s goal is to reach 100 research staff by fall 2022.

In addition to the academic and athletic components of the university’s strategic plan, Rountree noted regents also spent considerable time addressing ways to deepen and strengthen the Christian mission of Baylor. He pointed particularly to efforts to improve students’ chapel experience. Regents also heard from Jeffrey M. Harris, an attorney with Consovoy McCarthy, regarding recent judicial decisions related to religious liberty and higher education, he added.

Livingstone reported Baylor looks forward to a “mostly normal” fall semester after disruptions caused by COVID-19. Baylor will operate at 100 percent capacity, offering in-person classes and the typical schedule of in-person events and activities.

For at least the first four weeks of classes, weekly COVID-19 testing will be required for students and faculty who are not vaccinated. Baylor is not requiring but is strongly encouraging vaccinations, she said.

At this point, more than 60 percent of Baylor employees and close to 40 percent of students have confirmed they have been fully vaccinated.


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