Pro Futuris « Baylor Proud

Points of Pride — Pro Futuris

Apr

2013

Baylor’s Texas Hunger Initiative making strides in reducing hunger across Texas

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Academics, Pro Futuris, Service, Videos

Despite some tremendous results in helping reduce hunger across the state, Baylor University’s Texas Hunger Initiative (THI) has flown somewhat under the radar since its founding in 2009. But no longer.

A series of sponsorships and grants from corporate foundations like Walmart and ConAgra Foods, coupled with contracts like this $3.5 million deal with the State of Texas, are allowing THI to rapidly expand the efforts that have already seen, for example, an additional 15 million breakfasts served to school children statewide over the past year.

In 2009, Baylor alum Jeremy Everett, MDiv ’01, began the Texas Hunger Initiative in a parking garage office space, working collaboratively with Baylor’s School of Social Work, the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. His goal was to develop a model to significantly reduce (and perhaps eliminate) hunger by building a public-private infrastructure that could be replicated in other states. To accomplish such a feat, THI has worked with local volunteers in cities across Texas to make sure money already budgeted for food program assistance is better and more efficiently utilized.

[Learn more about the Texas Hunger Initiative and how it works in this excellent feature from the latest issue of Baylor Magazine.]

Thanks to increased funding from outside sources, THI is now able to expand, opening a dozen regional offices (from El Paso to Houston and Amarillo to McAllen) to better coordinate with individuals in the communities being served. (Want to join in? Learn more here.)

Baylor’s Pro Futuris strategic vision calls for Baylor to be a place “where our Christian faith, in conjunction with our expertise and resources, inspires a desire to address systematic problems facing our community.” THI is a perfect example of how Baylor can serve not only our students, but our entire state. Pro Texana, indeed.

Sic ’em, Texas Hunger Initiative!

Texas Hunger Initiative

Mar

2013

Baylor Stadium debut just 18 months away

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Athletics, Pro Futuris

Baylor Stadium construction, Feb. 2013

If everything continues to run according to plan, we’re now less than 18 months from the debut of Baylor Stadium as the new home for Baylor football.

On Aug. 30, 2014, the Bears are scheduled to host SMU in the first BU home game to be played on campus since 1935. [Check out this photo gallery of Baylor football's homes through the years, compiled by the Texas Collection, then read up on the Bears' new home in this Baylor Magazine feature from last fall.]

Construction is obviously well underway, easily visible to the 42-million+ drivers who annually head up and down I-35. For those who don’t pass through Waco on a regular basis, TXDOT and KWTX have set up webcams that show live shots of the construction site.

You can be a part of the Baylor Stadium project by giving to the Baylor Stadium Bricks Campaign; for gifts ranging from $1,250 down to just $175, fans can have a custom message inscribed on a brick to be placed at the new facility. It’s been fun to see stories online of friends, former BU roommates, even tailgate groups pitching in together to purchase one or more bricks as a group.

Between now and then, of course, there’s still one final season to be played at Floyd Casey Stadium. Fans can renew their season tickets for 2013 starting March 12, and new season tickets will go on sale March 18. See you at Floyd Casey this fall, and at Baylor Stadium in 2014!

Sic ’em, Bears!

[Photo above comes from @TruthorBear247, taken Feb. 16, 2013]

Feb

2013

Hankamer School of Business looks toward new home on east side of campus

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Academics, Pro Futuris, Student life

Exterior rendering of new home for Baylor's Hankamer School of Business

After Baylor Stadium, what’s next for the Baylor campus? How about a new home for the Hankamer School of Business?

At their February meeting, Regents approved fundraising for a new facility on the east side of campus (near the Baylor Sciences Building and the upcoming East Village Residential Community) that would offer nearly 40 percent more space for business school students and faculty.

The new 275,000-square-foot business school facility would be roughly half the size of the BSB but twice the size of the McLane Student Life Center and Umphrey Law Center, three of the university’s largest non-athletic construction projects of the last decade. It would also make the current Hankamer-Cashion space occupied by the business school available for other academic needs on campus, benefitting students across disciplines.

Baylor’s business school was established 90 years ago at the behest of President Samuel Palmer Brooks, and over the years, it has been housed in Carroll Library, Old Main and the SUB, among other locations, before moving into its current space in 1960.

Today, the Hankamer School of Business is home to approximately 3,000 Baylor students, accounting for some 20% of the student body. Undergraduates choose from 24 major areas of study, including the No. 2 entrepreneurship program in the country and a top-25 accounting program; graduate programs offer 13 different master’s areas of study and one PhD program.

Sic ’em, Baylor business!

Nov

2012

Baylor Stadium Founders honored for helping bring football back to campus

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Alumni, Athletics, Pro Futuris

It takes a lot of hands to get something as big as a stadium from idea to reality. You could credit any number of folks with playing a large part in helping bring Baylor Stadium to life, from Robert Griffin III and Art Briles to Ken Starr and Ian McCaw.

At Homecoming, four families were honored as Baylor Stadium Founders for their transformational leadership and generous support to help make the Bears’ on-campus stadium a dream come true: the McLanes, Williams, Fosters and Robinsons.

From the carillon bells of Pat Neff Hall, to student scholarships and the McLane Student Life Center, the generosity of the McLane Family — Drayton (BBA ’58) and Elizabeth McLane Jr., Drayton (BBA ’96) and Amy McLane III, and Denton (BBA ’99) and Amy McLane — and their support for Baylor are evident across all areas of the university. With their stadium naming-rights gift, the McLane family chose to name the new facility “Baylor Stadium.”

A former Baylor football letterman and Law School graduate, John Eddie Williams Jr. (BBA ’76, JD ’78) attributes much of his success to lessons he learned at Baylor. Founder and managing partner of Williams Kherkher, Williams has devoted his career to advocacy on behalf of those for whom the law may be their only protection. He and his wife, Sheridan, loyally support student scholarships and gave generously to the construction of Baylor Law School.

Paul (BBA ’79) and Alejandra Foster share a belief that our future depends on the education of our youth. They are active in providing resources and leadership to an array of initiatives designed to improve the lives of people in their community. Paul, executive chairman of Western Refining, provided funding for the Paul L. Foster Success Center. He and Alejandra continue to be strong supporters of Baylor University.

Clifton (BBA ’63) and Betsy (BA ’71) Robinson have made enhancing the Waco community and strengthening the Baylor-Waco partnership a priority. As a successful entrepreneur, Clifton recognizes the power of education and provides generous support for student scholarships. The Robinsons were also instrumental in launching the Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative (BRIC) and the downtown location of the School of Social Work.

Sic ’em, Baylor Stadium Founders, for helping lead the way in bringing football back to campus!

Baylor Stadium Founders

Jul

2012

Regents officially approve Baylor Stadium project

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Athletics, Photo Galleries, Pro Futuris

Baylor Stadium rendering

It’s official: Baylor Stadium is coming to the banks of the Brazos.

Baylor Regents officially approved the project Thursday during their summer meeting, just two days after the Waco City Council first voted to award $35 million toward public improvements of the stadium site. [See the latest Baylor Stadium design renderings.]

Because the Waco City Council has a two-step voting process, the council must vote on the project once more in early August before the funds are officially approved; that vote is widely expected to be just a formality. The Regents approved the project on the condition that the public funds are approved at the council’s August 7 meeting; those funds would go toward public improvements such as building roads and moving sewer and power lines.

[CITYWIDE IMPACT: Waco Tribune-Herald: $35 million grant to Baylor Stadium project is right for downtown redevelopment|| Proposed Baylor Stadium is the big catalyst many Wacoans sought || New stadium's benefits extend far beyond 'Baylor Bubble']

Construction will begin on the new on-campus football stadium at the intersection of I-35 (one of the nation’s busiest highways) and the Brazos River (Texas’ longest waterway) as soon as possible after the August 7 vote. General contractors Austin Commercial and Flintco have been named the construction managers; the two companies have worked together on recent stadium projects at Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and TCU, and they aim to have Baylor Stadium completed in time for the 2014 season.

[See a video walkthrough of the stadium design and learn more about the project at Baylor-Stadium.com.]

The price tag on the construction is $250 million. Around $100-$120 million of that will come from private donations, and Baylor officials say they have raised more than 80 percent of that goal. The Waco funds will cover a portion of the cost, and the rest will be raised through bonds that will be paid off through athletics revenue (not tuition dollars).

To date, private fundraising efforts have focused on large capital gifts that could lay a foundation for the project. The next stage, coming soon, will be to invite alumni and other friends of the university to participate in making the Bears’ new home a reality.

Sic ’em, Baylor Stadium!

You might also like:
* Baylor Regents unveil rendering of potential on-campus football stadium (Nov. 2011)
* McLane family gift launches move toward new Baylor football stadium (March 2012)
* Significant gifts towards Baylor Stadium keep project moving ahead (May 2012)

May

2012

Waco Tribune-Herald looks back at 10 years of ‘Baylor 2012′

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Baylor 2012, Pro Futuris

Baylor’s Class of 2012 has come and gone, and with its graduation from the university comes the end of an era. “Baylor 2012,” the ambitious (and at times, controversial) strategic plan set forth a decade, has reached its conclusion.

The vision included dozens of specific goals. Many were met; others hit unexpected obstacles, but there’s no disputing that it was a tremendous decade of progress for the university.

Earlier this month, the Waco Tribune-Herald ran an excellent, in-depth series of stories looking back at various parts of Baylor 2012. I strongly encourage you to read at least the introductory story; all seven features are linked below, along with some interesting bits pulled from each story:

(more…)

May

2012

Significant gifts towards Baylor Stadium keep project moving ahead

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Alumni, Athletics, Pro Futuris

Baylor Stadium rendering Momentum continues to build toward a new Baylor football stadium. A month after Drayton McLane, BBA ’58, and his wife Elizabeth got things started with the largest capital gift in Baylor history, two more sizable gifts — each among the top 10 such donations ever at BU — have kept the ball rolling.

The gift from John Eddie Williams Jr., BBA ’76, JD ’78 — a former Baylor football player under Grant Teaff and now partner at a prestigious law firm in Houston — ranks among the top five capital gifts in university history. The field at the new stadium will now be named John Eddie Williams Field. (To be clear, the stadium will remain Baylor Stadium, as requested by the McLanes. This name applies to the field, much the same way as you have the Paul J. Meyer Arena at the Ferrell Center.)

Another gift, this one from Sheila and Walter Umphrey, BBA ’59, JD ’65, will support construction of the Sheila and Walter Umphrey Bridge at Baylor Stadium that will span the Brazos and connect the new stadium with the Baylor Law School and the rest of campus. Walter Umphrey is a senior managing partner at a law firm in Beaumont, best known as the lead attorney in the historic $17 billion settlement for Texas residents against the tobacco industry in 1998.

The new on-campus stadium is expected to be built at the intersection of I-35 and the Brazos River, just across from campus. A successful fundraising campaign this spring could have the Bears into their new home in time for the 2014 season.

Sic ’em, Mr. Williams and Mr. and Mrs. Umphrey!

May

2012

Baylor We Are: Lifelong Friends

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Baylor 2012, Pro Futuris, Student life

East Village Residence Hall

As a freshman living on campus, I met and got to know the four guys who would, almost a decade later, be groomsmen in my wedding. The experience of living in such close community with other young men and women, all in the same stage of life, was a priceless part of my Baylor experience.

Over the past decade, Baylor has been very intentional about expanding that experience. In just over a year, Baylor will open its third new residential community in the last 10 years. North Village opened in 2004 and houses 600 students; Brooks Village opened in 2007 and is home to 700 students; and the new East Village (pictured above) will open in 2013 as home to 700 more students. (Click here to see more renderings of the new hall.)

Once East Village is complete, some 5,500 Baylor students will be living on campus — up 60% from a decade ago. When Baylor 2012 was launched, about 30% of students lived on campus; East Village will push that percentage into the mid 40s even as the student body has grown significantly during the same period.

But the Baylor 2012 goal of “creating a truly residential campus” involves more than just cramming beds into dorm rooms. It’s about facilitating life on campus, from academics to the social environment. The new “Pro Futuris” strategic vision aims to continue those efforts.

For instance, the addition of buildings like the McLane Student Life Center and significant renovations to popular student hangouts like the Bill Daniel Student Center (SUB) and Bobo Spiritual Life Center have helped those sites better serve students.

Kokernot Residence Hall was completely renovated to house Baylor’s Engaged Learning Groups. Residential Colleges and Living-Learning Centers offer opportunities in other residence halls for students to live among pockets of students from similar majors and programs. Nine faculty-in-residence now live full-time among students in five different halls (North Village, Memorial/Alexander, Kokernot, Allen/Dawson and Brooks), and every facility has a Truett Seminary student who lives among the students and serves as a resident chaplain.

Dining options have multiplied in recent years, thanks to North Village’s Seasons Sushi, Brooks Village’s Great Hall, Starbucks and Chili’s Too in the Dutton Parking Facility, Moe’s and Which Wich in the Baylor Sciences Building, and expanded offerings in the SUB (Ninfa’s, Chick-fil-a, Mooyah, Einstein Bros. and Quiznos). East Village will add another dining hall, a two-story structure that will include outdoor terrace dining and space for a retail bakery.

Such things all work together to improve the student experience, providing even more opportunities for students to build the lifelong friendships that are such an important part of college — especially at Baylor.

Sic ’em, students on campus!

May

2012

Regents approve university’s new strategic vision, ‘Pro Futuris’

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Pro Futuris

After nearly two years of planning — and guided by the input of thousands of alumni, students, faculty and staff like you — the Baylor Board of Regents last week approved the university’s new strategic vision, Pro Futuris, which will guide Baylor in the years to come.

Pro Futuris builds on the foundation laid by the successful Vision 2012 launched a decade ago (this video does a great job of summing up the last 10 years of progress), but differs from the previous plan in that specific projects are not detailed; instead, Pro Futuris focuses on five guiding ideas — dubbed “aspirational statements” — from which more concrete plans will develop in the coming months and years.

[LINKS: Pro Futuris website | Introductory letter from President Starr | The foundation of the vision | How Baylor arrived at the final vision | Pro Futuris overview and aspirational statements]

At its core, Pro Futuris calls for Baylor to continue to grow as a community recognized for transformational education, compelling scholarship, informed engagement, committed constituents and judicious stewardship. The plan expounds on each of those aspirations in more detail, in particular noting how faith weaves its way through every area of the university.

I encourage you to peruse the links above on the Pro Futuris website to learn more about the vision, particularly about each of the aspirational statements and the process by which the vision was developed. As specific initiatives based on the vision are put into place both in the short and long term, we’ll continue to share the news along the way.

Sic ’em, Baylor!

May

2012

Baylor We Are: A Family

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Baylor 2012, Pro Futuris

The Baylor family If your mother is like mine, from the time you left home, she has urged you to call more often, write more often, visit more often. It’s not nagging; it’s because she loves you. (Parents, perhaps now you relate more to the mother than the child.)

“Alma mater” means “dear mother,” and given the way Baylor alumni interacts with the university and one another, it seems especially fitting here. There’s a reason we refer to ourselves as “the Baylor family.”

And like any mother, the university does its best to keep the family connected. As part of Vision 2012, Baylor leaders a decade ago placed an increased emphasis on “enhancing involvement of the entire Baylor family,” and that desire is repeated in Aspirational Statement Four of the draft strategic plan.

Thanks to the increased efforts of the last decade that continue today, the Class of 2012 graduates who walk the Ferrell Center stage this weekend will immediately have far more ways to stay in touch with Baylor than previous generations.

The Class of 2012 — and all alumni, as long as Baylor has updated contact information — will of course still receive traditional printed pieces in the mail. Baylor Magazine goes out to approximately 120,000 addresses every three months, carrying university and alumni news, and President Ken Starr sends his letters to the Baylor family throughout the year.

The Baylor Alumni Network takes Baylor on the road, holding regular gatherings and special events like watch parties and send-off gatherings across Texas, all over the country and even internationally.

And online, sites like baylor.edu/alumni, baylorbears.com, and (naturally) Baylor Proud join Facebook and Twitter in keeping alumni informed on happenings around campus and among the Baylor family.

To the Class of 2012: As you head out, keep in touch with your old alma mater. Come back every once in awhile — Homecoming is just six months away! — and drop us a line every now and then to keep us and your classmates up to speed on how life is treating you.

Sic ’em, Baylor family!

Points of Pride — Pro Futuris

[Photo above comes from @TruthorBear247, taken Feb. 16, 2013]

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