Baylor Regents Approve $26 Million Renovation of Hankamer Cashion Complex, Celebrate Major Gift
Board also appoints Sue Getterman as Regent Emerita, approves lowest percent tuition increase in 20 years
Contact: Lori Fogleman, 254-710-6275
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Follow Baylor Media Communications on Twitter: @BaylorUMediaWACO, Texas (July 24, 2015) – At its annual summer meeting, Baylor University's Board of Regents approved $26 million to renovate the Hankamer Cashion Complex and celebrated the announcement of a historic $10 million gift that will catapult the stature of the department of communication sciences and disorders.
Renovation of the 164,000-square-foot Hankamer Cashion Complex will begin this fall, as faculty from the Hankamer School of Business move to the new Paul L. Foster Campus for Business and Innovation. Once renovated, the facility will house administration, faculty and clinics of the department of communication sciences and disorders, the department of computer science and the Center for Global Engagement. The first phase of renovation is expected to be completed in fall 2016.
Regents also celebrated Wednesday's announcement of the historic $10 million gift to the department of communication sciences and disorders from Baylor alumni who wish to remain anonymous. The significant gift will support the hire of a national leader in speech language pathology, transform students' educational experiences, expand services to those with speech-language needs in Texas and position the department for national impact in the field of speech language pathology.
Getterman appointed Regent Emerita
In addition, the board welcomed newly appointed Regent Emerita, Sue Getterman, to its summer meeting. A devoted Baylor alumna, Getterman, B.A. '50, served three terms as a Regent from 2001-2010. Mrs. Getterman, and the late Ted Getterman, have a long history of profound generosity to Baylor.
The Gettermans have been recognized with the University's most distinguished honors, including the Founders Medal in 2005. They also are members of the Judge R.E.B. Baylor Society, Old Main Society and the 1845 Society. As Fellows in the Golden Bear Circle of the Endowed Scholarship Society, the Gettermans continue to touch students' lives through their funding of scholarships and programs in Baylor's Honors College, Hankamer School of Business, School of Music, School of Education, George W. Truett Theological Seminary and Martin Museum of Art. They provided the largest gift to women's athletics in the history of the University, which resulted in Getterman Stadium, home of Baylor softball since the stadium's dedication in 2000. This gift was followed by funds for the Getterman Indoor Softball Facility in 2010.
"It is truly an honor to bestow upon Sue Getterman the honorary designation of Regent Emerita," said Richard Willis, B.B.A. '81, M.B.A. '82, chairman of the Board of Regents. "Sue and her late husband, Ted, have been wonderfully faithful and steadfast champions of their alma mater, from Sue's dedicated service on the Baylor Board of Regents to providing substantial financial resources to support numerous academic programs and scholarships for students across the academic spectrum at Baylor. Their generosity to women's athletics at Baylor set a high standard that inspires others to this day. We are deeply grateful for Ted and Sue, and it is a great honor for us to recognize the remarkable service of Sue Getterman with the lifetime designation of Regent Emerita."
Board sets 2016-2017 tuition and fees
Also during its summer meeting, Regents set tuition and fees for 2016-2017. Because of the University's continued financial strength and judicious stewardship of its resources, Regents voted to increase undergraduate tuition for the fall 2016 and spring 2017 academic year by 4.5 percent, rather than a planned 5 percent, as the board continues to work actively to reduce tuition increases and introduce additional affordability initiatives.
This represents the lowest percentage tuition increase in more than 20 years and is well below the average percentage increase over the last 25 years.
With its flat-rate tuition structure, Baylor's tuition will be $37,996 for the 2016-2017 academic year (or $18,998 per fall and spring semesters), while the general student fee will be $4,010 for the 2016-2017 academic year (or $2,005 per fall and spring semesters). Tuition for graduate and professional programs will increase similarly.
A board and institutional priority continues to be funding of affordability initiatives and student scholarships, with an additional $15 million allocated for merit and need-based scholarships for the 2016-2017 academic year.
"The board remains very sensitive to access and affordability while maintaining the distinctiveness and high quality of a Baylor education. Our Regents are committed to reducing tuition increases, growing our endowment and doing everything they can to limit the financial burden on families and students who wish to pursue a Baylor degree," said Baylor President and Chancellor Ken Starr. "We are providing more financial assistance to students than at any other time in our history, and we have strengthened affordability initiatives, such as the Guaranteed Tuition Option and Baylor Bound partnerships with community colleges, that increase retention and encourage our students to graduate in a timely manner. We are committed to continued progress advancing these critically important goals."
Baylor's tuition and required fees continue to remain lower than peer private institutions in Texas, including Rice, Southern Methodist University and Texas Christian University, and well below those of most private universities outside of Texas, such as Boston University, Northeastern, NYU, Cornell and University of Southern California, which have undergraduate enrollments as large, or larger, than Baylor's undergraduate enrollment.
In addition to providing students with the highest quality Christian education, the increase will allow Baylor to support its current operations, provide for new faculty and staff hires, create a merit raise pool for faculty and staff, fund initial five-year goal priorities within Pro Futuris, such as investments in new research and graduate initiatives, and maintain a growing University campus.
Board retreat includes meetings, facility tours, celebration of local partnership
The summer board retreat also included a new Regent orientation, Regent committee meetings and tours of campus facilities, including Williams Family Soccer and Olympic Sports Center, Beauchamp Athletic Nutrition Center and Paul L. Foster Campus for Business and Innovation, which are all set to open this fall. Regents participating in their first board meeting were:
- • William (Bill) S. Simon, of Rogers, Arkansas, former president and CEO of Walmart U.S.
• Kim Wilson Stevens, B.S.Ed. '93, of Waco, Texas, CEO of Blue Scout Media
• Lori E. Baker, B.A. '93, M.A. '94, Ph.D., non-voting Faculty Regent, chair of the Faculty Senate and associate professor of anthropology in Baylor's College of Arts and Sciences
• Jonathan Siktberg, non-voting Student Regent, a senior Baylor Business Fellow from Nashville, Tennessee
• Debbie Bradley Mann, B.S.H.E. '80, non-voting Regent, B Association
During a Thursday dinner at McLane Stadium, Regents celebrated the collaborative effort leading to the decorative LED lighting system on the new I-35 access bridges that cross the Brazos River. The board welcomed officials with the Texas Department of Transportation and the City of Waco, with whom Baylor partnered to purchase, install and operate the lighting system. The computer-programmed color lighting schemes, which were demonstrated for Regents and their guests, are used to celebrate Waco, civic institutions, holidays and public events, and also can be programmed with green-and-gold colors for Baylor game days.
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 16,000 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 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.