City of Waco Honored with Founders Medal

Established in 1969 as one of the most distinguished awards given by Baylor, the Founders Medal is reserved for those whose service and contributions have been unusually significant to the life and future of the University. The 2019 Founders Medal is awarded to the City of Waco for its decades-long support of and partnership with Baylor University.

“Baylor and the City of Waco share a rich history, a vital partnership and a bright future. The investment the city has made in Baylor is evident throughout the campus, as both Waco and the University have seen tremendous growth over the last decade. Our shared goals will allow Waco and Baylor to continue to prosper as we progress towards R1 status in fulfillment of the Illuminate academic strategic plan, an initiative that will bring hundreds of millions of research dollars into the University and strengthen the local economy in Waco,” said President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D.

There are many physical and institutional representations of the strong commitment between Waco and Baylor intertwined throughout both the University campus and the city. Among the most notable are:

• Waco Hall was built in the late 1920s with the help of the community, assuring Baylor University's permanent location in Waco. The building was dedicated May 27, 1930.
• Prompted in 1961 by members of the Waco Chamber, Daniel Sternberg, dean of the music school, developed plans for restarting a city symphony. The Symphony continues to be conducted by Baylor faculty, currently under the baton of Dr. Stephen Heyde.
• In 1998, the Waco City Council voted to increase the Lake Waco pool by seven feet. As a result, a 180-acre wetland was constructed on Lake Waco. The Center for Reservoir and Aquatic Systems Research housed here became a research and education partnership between Baylor and the city.
• In July 2012, the Waco City Council unanimously approved $35 million in Tax Increment Financing Zone support for construction of McLane Stadium, representing the biggest economic development contribution in McLennan County history and propelling stadium construction forward.
• The Waco Mammoth Site opened to the public in December 2009 with the combined support of the City of Waco, the Waco Mammoth Foundation, and Baylor University. This remarkable discovery became a National Monument on July 10, 2015 when President Barack Obama signed an Executive Order designating the Waco Mammoth National Monument as the 408th unit of the National Park System.
• In 2013, the Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative opened its doors. With support from the City of Waco, the Waco-McLennan County Economic Development Corporation and others across the community, BRIC provides the full range of scientific and technological research, laboratories, prototyping and testing facilities, and more for the Central Texas region.

"The bond between the school and its city has been and will continue to be strong, and for this reason we recognize the City of Waco amongst the Founders of Baylor University." President Livingstone said.