Gift from Leader in the Care of Aging Adults Establishes Endowed Chair in Baylor's School of Social Work
Danny and Lenn Prince (Robert Rogers/Baylor Marketing and Communications)
Follow us on Twitter: @BaylorUMedia
Contact: Lori Fogleman, (254) 710-6275
WACO, Texas (Oct. 15, 2013) - Baylor University today announced a gift from Danny and Lenn Prince of Dallas that will establish the Danny and Lenn Prince Chair in the Baylor School of Social Work.
"Danny and Lenn Prince have honored Baylor University with their generosity and their unwavering enthusiasm for the University's future -- a future in which Baylor will increasingly serve as an agent of inquiry and change in the world," said Baylor President Ken Starr. "In particular, their gift will empower our faculty and students in the Baylor School of Social Work for decades to come."
The endowed chair furthers the Baylor School of Social Work's mission to advance social work knowledge, values and skills in a Christian context by endowing a faculty position to be filled by an outstanding scholar and teacher whose accomplishments indicate potential for national and international leadership and distinction in his or her field.
The Danny and Lenn Prince Chair will greatly enhance the Baylor School of Social Work's development of programs to prepare professionals in the field of gerontology.
"This Chair is an investment that transforms what the School of Social Work can do in the preparation of social workers to be advocates and resources for older adults to come, when we cannot even yet imagine what the opportunities and challenges will be for aging adults and their families," said Diana Garland, Ph.D., dean of the Baylor School of Social Work. "The resources the Prince family have provided will support not only a faculty member to bring focus to this important stage of human life in what we teach our students, but also the research we conduct and the models of care we are able to develop. Endowing a faculty position and the research that faculty member will be able to lead with students -- there is no more meaningful way I can think of to invest in generations to come."
Following his graduation from Baylor, Danny Prince (BA '73) pursued a master's degree in religious education at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he met professor James Williams, who also taught in the School of Gerontology at the University of North Texas (UNT) -- one of only three schools in the country offering an advanced degree in gerontology at the time. After earning a master of science in gerontology at UNT, Prince operated skilled nursing facilities in Louisiana and Florida before starting his own senior adult healthcare business in Albuquerque in 1986.
Today, Danny Prince is president of Paramount Healthcare, a provider of services to the senior adult population through a variety of stages of care that include pharmacy services, rehabilitation services and long-term care. The company currently serves the San Antonio and Dallas areas with corporate headquarters in Ruston, La.
In addition to having previously made a significant contribution for the Residential Care of Older Adults Initiative at the Baylor School of Social Work, which envisions a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) built on or near the Baylor campus, the Princes have served on The President's Scholarship Initiative Steering Committee. Additionally, Danny Prince serves on the board of advocates for the School of Social Work.
"I've had a passion for seniors all my life, having grown up near my grandparents on both sides and having owned long-term, skilled nursing facilities for some period of time," Danny Prince said. "The concept we're trying to implement here is not just to create a chair or endowment for studying theoretical gerontology, but it is to create a practical application through real experiences so that students will be well-grounded in values of care and well-rounded in the hands-on skills necessary for success when they graduate."
The Princes live in Dallas about nine months out of the year, an arrangement originally designed to keep them closer to business interests and to their four children (Lauren Prince Golden, BBA '00, JD '03; Leslie Prince Crowell, BS '03; Lindsey Prince Owens '05; and Daniel Robert Prince, BBA '07), during the years they attended Baylor. Today, two of the Prince children are involved in the family business, and the Princes' dedication to meeting the growing needs of the rising population of senior adults remains a central part of their lives.
"My passion is to establish Baylor as a major participant in the national and worldwide discussion of gerontology -- of how we appropriately and adequately meet the needs of this growing senior population through an interdisciplinary approach," Danny Prince said.
For more information about the Danny and Lenn Prince Chair in the School of Social Work, contact the School of Social Work at (254) 710-6400. To learn more about enriching the future of Baylor University through an endowed chair, please contact Development at (254) 710-2561.
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having "high research activity" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 15,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 11 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.
ABOUT THE BAYLOR SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
The Baylor University School of Social Work is home to one of the leading graduate social work programs in the nation with a research agenda focused on the integration of faith and practice. Upholding its mission of preparing social workers in a Christian context for worldwide service and leadership, the School offers a baccalaureate degree (BSW), a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree and three joint-degree options (MSW/Master of Business Administration, MSW/Master of Divinity and MSW/Master of Theological Studies) through a partnership with Baylor's Hankamer School of Business and George W. Truett Theological Seminary. Visit www.baylor.edu/social_work to learn more.