Sara Dolan
Associate Dean for Professional Development
Graduate students are key to our overall strategy of advancing the growth and impact of Baylor’s research profile. As we continue to grow the number of master’s, professional, and research doctoral degrees conferred, we will enhance the support we provide our students to enrich the quality of their Baylor experience.
At Baylor University, our commitment to fostering an environment of holistic wellbeing and affordability for our graduate students is unwavering. Like all parts of Baylor, the Graduate School has developed a strategic plan to help implement “Baylor In Deeds.” The Graduate School’s plan outlines our comprehensive approach to supporting our students through mentoring, spiritual growth, mental health initiatives, and improving affordability. This plan is a testament to our dedication to integrating academic excellence with our Christian identity, positioning Baylor to have a transformative impact on our students, higher education, and the world.
Five “In Deeds” Goals for the Graduate School
Expanding and Improving Mentoring
Creating a culture of mentoring in graduate education is at the heart of our strategic plan. We provide mentor training workshops for both faculty and PhD students, ensuring that our mentors are well-equipped to guide and support their mentees. By utilizing student satisfaction and graduation/retention data, we can target programs for consultation on new student orientation and professional development seminars, fostering a supportive and enriching academic environment.
Promoting Spiritual Growth
Spiritual growth is a cornerstone of our holistic approach. We proudly support three Scholars programs—BCU, Conyers, and Ramm—funded by generous donors and the Graduate School, with graduate faculty serving as leaders alongside Graduate Assistant apprentices. The Christian Scholars Forum, a student-led initiative, further enhances our commitment to spiritual development. Our partnership with the Office of Spiritual Life now includes two embedded graduate student chaplains, for online and on campus students, and a reignited collaboration with the Institute for Faith and Learning (IFL). To maintain our mission as a Christian research university, we will continue to enhance these opportunities for interested students, offering expanded programming for online/hybrid students.
Enhancing Mental Health
Building a culture of holistic wellness is essential for our graduate students’ success. In partnership with the Office of Student Life, we host a variety of trainings and workshops on wellness-related topics, including how to identify mental health challenges among those in our community. We actively advertise and encourage the use of the free telehealth platform Academic LiveCare for more convenient access to mental health services for our busy graduate students. We also offer a monthly series of Graduate Pathways to Success wellness workshops on topics such as stress management, work-life balance, and positive health behaviors. Though reports of stress, depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues are rising, we are dedicated to a culture of holistic wellness for our graduate students, and we pledge to provide them the resources they need to succeed as scholars and as humans.
Addressing Affordability for Residential Graduate Students
Ensuring affordability for our graduate students is a key priority. We have implemented stipend increases and a relocation bonus to remain competitive among peer institutions. Addressing basic needs, we offer all graduate students the faculty/staff dining discount at dining halls and access to The Store for reduced-cost food and personal care items. We have also increased the number of graduate housing units available to 181, including 20 reserved each spring for late-arriving international students. Additionally, we advocated for and acquired resources to provide transportation between the main campus and the Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative (BRIC) for students with research labs at that facility. We plan to continue these initiatives and to work with institutional partners to expand the availability of safe and affordable graduate housing.
Providing More Explicit Student Preparation for Careers
We recognize the different career paths our graduate students take, and we support career diversity ranging from traditional academic positions to non-profits, government, and industry. Most graduate faculty feel well-equipped to prepare students for careers in academia. We understand the skills needed to be a teacher and scholar in our particular fields, and our programs offer seminars, workshops, and mentoring for students with academia as a career goal. However, many of us feel less comfortable when students express a desire to work in careers outside of traditional academia. The Graduate School tracks trends in job placement among our PhD students, and we see that the number of graduates in non-academic careers is increasing, especially as the higher education job market is faltering. It is imperative that we provide students with what they need to be successful in securing these kinds of jobs. We do this by encouraging our graduate programs to invite alumni speakers from non-academic fields to share the kinds of career preparation steps students can take to work in those non-academic fields. The Graduate School hosts Graduate Pathways to Success workshops featuring panelists with diverse careers, and we facilitate connections between the Career Center and graduate programs to offer career diversity workshops and opportunities, and to include graduate students in targeted programs in campus-wide job fairs. This explicit career preparation ensures our students are well-equipped to succeed in their professional endeavors, and we will continue to support our programs’ efforts to expose students to alumni and others in the fields of our students’ choosing. We will also work with programs to develop internship opportunities for our students, connecting with alumni and partners in non-academic careers.
Conclusion
The Graduate School’s strategic plan embodies the Baylor In Deeds commitment to holistic student support and affordability. By fostering a culture of mentoring, spiritual growth, mental health, and career preparation, we are dedicated to creating an environment where our graduate students can thrive academically, spiritually, and personally. As we continue to implement this strategic plan, we remain steadfast in our mission to integrate academic excellence with a Christian identity, making a positive impact on our students and the broader community.