Headmaster's Message

Words to Live By

by Scott Wilson ’75, President and Headmaster

For the past 18 months, members of the Baylor family representing every constituency have participated in a comprehensive strategic planning process that will ultimately provide us with our institutional marching orders for the next 10 years and beyond. The process has yielded highly relevant data and compelling ideas as we seek to build on Baylor’s legacy of educational excellence. During the next months, we will synthesize the vast findings in an updated strategic plan that will be shared with the entire school community and beyond.

To have our core values affirmed by our students, parents, alumni, faculty, and trustees is gratifying beyond words for those of us who make Baylor our life’s work.

- Scott Wilson ’75, President and Headmaster

One facet of our research was the hiring of Ian Symmonds & Associates of Portland, Ore. to assist us with vital research related to program strength and development. Following the firm’s survey of more than 1,700 Baylor constituents online and by phone, the firm included a “word cloud” as part of its report. The words you see in this graphic are those most frequently used in the survey responses, and it is a compelling visual image of the feedback that Symmonds received.

To have our core values affirmed by our students, parents, alumni, faculty, and trustees is gratifying beyond words for those of us who make Baylor our life’s work. Descriptors such as great, academic, beautiful, excellent, honorable, fun, inclusive, community, innovative, holistic, friendly, family, tradition, caring, spirit, comprehensive, positive, fair, magical…these perceived attributes lift us up and give us renewed enthusiasm for the challenging work that remains in front of us. We appreciate that the core values we work to institutionalize at Baylor are indeed being manifested in individual experiences.

The word cloud and the survey results also inform us of where we are falling short, and that realization is equally important to our planning. Words that we might interpret negatively include exclusionary, complex, complicated, busy, cumbersome, and expensive. As we examine the details and findings of the research, we will peel back the layers on both our perceived strengths and weaknesses, and lift Baylor to even greater heights. We are committed to that cause!

As you read this issue of Baylor magazine, you will hear the echoes of the Baylor word cloud. As the magazine reflects, our students (especially our seniors) enjoyed an amazing year. So, we salute them and wish them well, and as we do so, we extend our heartfelt thanks to their parents, grandparents, teachers, coaches, and everyone else who helped them reach such heights.

by Scott Wilson ’75