• Thank you, Baylor family, for speaking up on behalf of our students

    Baylor graduatesWay to go, Baylor Nation — the university asked you to rise up once again, and you again came through. Thanks in part to the combined voices of Baylor alumni, administration, faculty, staff, students, families and friends, the Texas Equalization Grant (TEG) program has survived a very difficult budget process largely intact — far better than was initially projected.

    After early worries that the program could be axed entirely, and later predictions that the TEG program could be cut by as much as half, the final budget set by the state legislature included “only” a 20% cut to the program.

    “While we have said from the outset that we expected to make sacrifices during these difficult economic times, we give thanks for the decision of Texas lawmakers to fund TEG at a reasonable level,” said President Ken Starr. “We are also thankful to those alumni, students, parents, faculty, staff and friends who chose to get involved in this discussion and urged continued support for this program that is of significant financial consequence to the many families who qualify for TEG funding.”

    That the cut was only 20%, instead of 50-100%, is the good news. The bad news is that the university will still lose roughly $3 million that has in the past gone directly to students with financial need. Judge Starr launched the President’s Scholarship Initiative for exactly this purpose last year — to make sure qualified students are able to attend BU — and the events of the past several months have only drawn that into clearer focus.

    If you’ve been thinking about supporting the scholarship initiative but just haven’t gotten around to it, now’s the time. Click here to learn how your gift can make a difference — not just in the short term, but in perpetuity. We’re all a part of the Baylor family; let’s continue to show that support for one another.

    Sic ’em, Bears!