Paul L. Foster Campus for Business and Innovation Construction Underway

Located at the corner of Bagby Avenue between Third and Fourth Streets, The Paul L. Foster Campus for Business and Innovation will be home to a new 275,000-square-foot business facility that will expand the size and reach of Hankamer School of Business by nearly 40 percent. The architectural design for the new facility features a highly corporate and sustainable environment, including a centerpiece atrium that will showcase some of the school's signature programs and a 350-seat auditorium to accommodate a wide range of guest lectures and events.
The new Business School facility will include administration and student services, six major academics departments with research centers and faculty offices, and 45 flexible-learning environments including seminar rooms and medium and large classrooms. Learning spaces will fully incorporate the latest classroom technology for collaborative learning, innovation and problem solving. Additionally, breakout rooms, computer labs, conference rooms, faculty and student lounge spaces, a cafe, and a conference center are included in the construction plans.
Expected to open in fall 2015, the new facility is becoming a reality thanks to generous donors who have provided resources to support the project. Several of these gifts have been publicly announced, including:
Paul L. Foster (BBA'79) provided a lead gift of $35 million to support both the new football stadium and the business campus. Foster, an accounting graduate, is executive chairman of Western Refining, Inc., an independent refining and marketing company based in El Paso. Foster's gift ignited the project and named the campus for Business and Innovation.
Steve (BA'73, JD'75) and Penny (BA'73) Carlile own and operate Celebrating Home, a direct sales company which markets a wide variety of home decor and accessories and is based in Marshall, Texas. Their $1 million gift will name the Steve and Penny Carlile Plaza, a space that will welcome students, faculty, alumni and friends to the Foster Campus for Business and Innovation with an attractive, strategically developed outdoor space that serves as an extension of the design and environmentally aware construction elements of the facility.
Bill (BBA'71) and Pat (BA'71) Carlton reside in Little Rock, Ark. After a successful career with his family's business, Carlton-Bates Co., an electronic components supplier, Bill began consulting and helping other entrepreneurs develop successful businesses. The Carlton Family Foundation gift of $1 million will name the Dean's Board Room. The room will seat up to 40 people and facilitate the business school's growth as the dean, executive staff and faculty members strengthen ties with industry leaders and dynamic thinkers - those with expertise in areas where Baylor excels, where Baylor is developing programmatically and where the University is studying promising opportunities.
Ed (BBA'73) and Denise Crenshaw reside in Lakeland Fla., where Ed is CEO of Publix Super Markets, Inc., an employee-owned private supermarket chain employing more than 140,000 people throughout the southeast. Their gift of $1 million will name the Crenshaw Student Commons, a space that will accommodate and encourage a variety of activities such as individual and group study, student-faculty meetings and collaboration on group projects, as well as provide enhancements to student life such as socializing, alumni gatherings, career fairs, receptions, presentations and donor events.
Paul (BBA'62) and Carol McClinton currently live in Waco, Texas, where Paul began and grew Automatic Chef into a multi-million dollar company and currently serves as chairman of Credit Corp. of America. Their generous gift of $1.5 million will name the 350-seat McClinton Family Auditorium, providing ample space for larger classes requiring tiered seating, interdisciplinary presentations and meetings of student organizations as well as space to accommodate guest lectures and special events.
Paul and Jane Meyer and family are generous benefactors whose Meyer Family Foundation was established in 1984 to support their community. The Paul and Jane Meyer Conference Center, established with a $2.5 million gift, will be located adjacent to the Hankamer School of Business academic space. It will host events that bring together students, faculty, community leaders and professionals from across Texas and around the world to discuss topics at the forefront of today's business landscape