News

WACO, Texas (Sept. 8, 2023) – Baylor University today dedicated the Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center – the new front door to the University’s Waco campus – during a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house commemorating the spectacular building’s official opening. The dedication recognized the Hurd Welcome Center’s namesake and lead donors, Paula Hurd and her late husband, Mark Hurd, and their daughters, Kelly, B.B.A. ’14, and Kathryn.

This fall, Baylor University will open the doors of the Mark & Paula Hurd Welcome Center, the newest addition to its growing Waco campus. Many spaces, rooms and balconies of this show-stopping building carry with them the names of the alumni, parents and friends whose generous support of the Give Light Capital Fund fueled the construction and design of the many capital priorities of the Give Light Campaign.

Baylor University today announced a $1.5 million gift establishing the first endowed chair position in the history of the Louise Herrington School of Nursing from the family of the School’s namesake, Louise Herrington Ornelas. The Louise Herrington Endowed Chair in Mental Health will support innovative research and teaching within the Louise Herrington School of Nursing, with a special focus on the areas of mental and behavioral health research, including the need for more mental health professionals.

Baylor University announced a $5 million gift from John and Helen Carona of Dallas, providing significant momentum and support for the renovation and construction of the Honors Residential College, as well as the University’s other major capital priorities through the Give Light Capital Fund. In recognition of their transformational gift, Baylor will name the Carona Family Commons at the Honors Residential College and the Carona Family Premium Entry in the Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion.

Baylor University announced a $1.5 million challenge grant from the J.E. & L.E. Mabee Foundation of Midland, Texas, providing significant momentum and support for the renovation and construction of the Honors Residential College. The grant will fund a significant portion of the more than $7 million needed in philanthropic support to complete the project, one of many capital projects funded through the Give Light campaign.

Baylor University’s School of Music announced alumni, parents, faculty, staff, students and friends combined to provide nearly $24 million in given and pledged philanthropic support through the Give Light Campaign. More than 1,600 donors contributed to the School of Music as part of Give Light, Baylor’s comprehensive fundraising campaign aimed at resourcing efforts to become the preeminent Christian research university.

Baylor University Libraries has surpassed $10 million in gifts and pledges of support, exceeding its initial fundraising goal set at the beginning of the Give Light Campaign. Nearly 900 alumni, parents, staff, faculty and others have given to Baylor Libraries as part of Give Light.

On April 14, Baylor University held its third annual Baylor Giving Day. For 24 hours, Baylor’s alumni, parents, faculty, staff, students and friends came together to give back and shine a light on the things they hold dear here. Baylor saw 3,942 people, foundations and organizations give to every academic unit and to all areas of the University, with a total of more than $1 million given to celebrate Baylor Giving Day.

Honors College Dean Douglas Henry, Ph.D., and his wife, School of Music Professor Michele Henry, Ph.D., established an endowed scholarship supporting Honors students who participate in Baylor’s studying abroad program.

A calling. At Baylor, students are often described as finding the calling on their lives. For some, it’s a profession. For others, it’s a cause that will inform their service.

Words mean something to Jon Eckert, Ed.D. Sitting in his office, he clasps his hands and gestures, as if to underline a specific word as he discusses his work within the Center for Christian Education to position Baylor University as the destination for leadership development within education.

The tools that enable Baylor faculty to conduct groundbreaking, life-changing research come in all shapes and sizes. From room-sized, multi-ton sound booths that measure hearing to table-top instruments that measure minute changes in speech, the faculty in Baylor’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) clinics are using their tools to help people better process the world around them and are preparing the next generation of scientists and clinicians who will care for their patients.

In Division 1 college athletics, catchy phrases and mottos crop up each year. Each conference has a tagline, and every institution, every department, every sport has a mantra to which they either attach great meaning or reveal their identity. For Baylor Athletics, Preparing Champions for Life is more than just an aspirational phrase — it’s a call to action.

For each family who gives, there is a different motivation — they have a special story behind the gift of a legacy that will quite literally change the lives of generations of Baylor alumni.

Efforts across the University to prepare students for global impact are often made possible only through the generosity and vision of donors. Our alumni, parents and friends help fund the University’s programs that recruit international students to the University and send Baylor students into the world. The results are culturally rich experiences that bring greater awareness, cultural sensitivity and effectiveness to the life-changing curricula and skills our students learn through such programming as the Global Mission Leadership initiative.

While some disciplines are bringing international students to learn in Waco, the School of Education is fortunate, through a generous gift from Janette and Don (BBA ’81) Carpenter, to have a fully-funded study abroad experience for its students.

I want you to be among the first to know that tonight we officially launched Give Light, a $1.1 billion comprehensive philanthropic campaign for the future of Baylor University. Give Light undergirds our academic strategic plan Illuminate and will impact every aspect of campus life — from academics and athletics to student life and service learning — while also bolstering financial support for students, faculty and the campus community.