Dr. Elizabeth Palacios

Dr. Elizabeth (Liz) D. Palacios is a native of San Antonio, Texas, and has over 40 years
of experience in higher education. She received both her bachelor’s degree in
business administration (’81) and master’s degree (’91) in student services and
professional counseling at Baylor University. She joined Baylor in
1981 where she served in various areas at Baylor including graduate minority
recruitment in the Graduate School and community service in the Department of
Student Activities. In 2002, she earned her Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin
in School Psychology and joined the faculty in School of Education at Baylor.
Dr. Palacios taught undergraduate courses in secondary education and graduate
courses in school psychology and educational administration. She continues to teach
a graduate course. In 2006, she was named Dean for Student Development in the
Division of Student Life overseeing various departments including Multicultural Affairs,
Community Engagement and Service, the Academy for Leadership Development,
Student Activities, and Campus Recreation. In 2016, she was named the
first Special Assistant to the President on Diversity at Baylor University until 2019.
In 2021 she was appointed as the Special Assistant to the Vice President for
Student Life for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at Baylor University.
Dr. Palacios has authored numerous publications, presentations, and book
chapters in the fields of both school psychology and student affairs. She is a past
President for the Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education, and an
inaugural faculty member for the NASPA Escaleras Leadership Institute for
Hispanic Student Affairs professionals. She serves on various national, regional,
and local boards on higher education, retention, diversity, and leadership
development. In all of her positions at Baylor she has been the first Latina in
those roles serving as a trailblazer and mentor for many students and
professionals of color during her time in higher education. Her husband and their
three adult children have seven Baylor degrees in total. Dr. Palacios has just
retired this past May from Baylor to start a new chapter in her life enjoying speaking,
consulting, counseling, and most of all, her nine grandchildren.