Henry family establishes endowed scholarship supporting Baylor University Honors College students

December 1, 2020

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.

WACO, Texas (Dec. 1, 2020) –

Philanthropy is a deeply personal, meaningful decision. People give where they love – whether to their church, to social causes, or to their alma mater. People invest in what they believe.

Honors College Dean Douglas Henry, Ph.D., and his wife, School of Music Professor Michele Henry, Ph.D., believe in Baylor University. In November, the Henry family established an endowed scholarship supporting Honors students who participate in Baylor's study abroad program.

“We love Baylor," Dr. Henry said about their decision to give. "We believe in the university's mission. That mission takes shape in students' lives in very tangible ways when they have the opportunity to be here and to study with our faculty. Scholarships are an indispensable way of opening doors of opportunity for students at Baylor."

By designating their scholarship to support students enrolled in study abroad, the Henrys are weaving their family's story into the Baylor journeys of future generations of students.

"Neither Michele nor I were able to study abroad while we were undergraduates," Dr. Henry said. "Over the last decade, however, we have had opportunity to lead Baylor students in a summer study abroad program in Greece. We have witnessed, again and again, the ways in which that educational experience has enlarged minds and quickened imaginations. There's no substitute for encountering firsthand the breadth, beauty, and complexity of a human family marked by varied cultures, languages, and ways of being in the world."

The Henry family's gift supports the Give Light campaign, which undergirds Baylor’s strategic plan Illuminate and touches every aspect of campus life. A priority of the Give Light campaign is to increase the University's endowment dedicated to scholarships, as well as providing endowment support for faculty and research support, programmatic funding and expendable funds for immediate student needs and capital projects.

Dr. Henry said he hopes that other alumni who benefited from the Honors programming at Baylor, as well as parents and friends committed to such rigorous, Christian education, will consider joining him in making a gift in support of the Honors College. Whether they make a similar gift to scholarships or choose to support through a current gift, the Baylor Family's support is critical to supporting Baylor's mission.

"Our faculty and staff will bend over backwards to help our students in every way they can, and when donors, some of them our own alumni, come alongside us and say, 'we want to help, too,' it is incredibly encouraging," Dr. Henry said. "It helps the students, and it sustains the kind of university we want Baylor to be."

To support an area that you are passionate about, visit https://bit.ly/BaylorGivingTuesday.