WACO, Texas (ABP) — Baylor University has announced the largest gift
in the school’s history — an estate provision estimated at $200
million from an anonymous donor. Much of the gift will benefit the Baylor School of Social Work.
The announcement came less than three weeks after the school's board of regents announced it had selected former Whitewater special prosecutor and current Pepperdine University Law School Dean Kenneth Starr to be the next Baylor president. However, there is no indication that Starr's selection — controversial among Baylor alumni and supporters — had anything to do with the donation.
The deferred gift is designated for the School of Social Work as well as medical research in Baylor’s College of Arts and Sciences and for other programs. It is the second-largest donation ever made to a Texas college or university and ranks among the top 20 private gifts made to higher education in the United States, according to the most recent data reported by the Chronicle of Higher Education.
A news release from Baylor simply identified the donor as “a Baylor graduate whose family has a history of providing gifts to the university supporting programs that are both innovative and have high potential to significantly advance the field of knowledge and experience in diseases, disorders, care, treatment and other issues associated with aging.”
“The foresight and originality of one of our own graduates will now provide future Baylor students and faculty the opportunity to conduct innovative research and bring that knowledge into the classroom,” Baylor Interim President David Garland said.
“This gift advances the mission of Baylor by empowering us to improve our future graduates’ service to the nation’s aging population. We extend our deepest thanks to the donor and applaud the donor’s understanding of the need for leaders who take a holistic approach in addressing issues associated with aging.”
As a provision of the donor’s estate, a foundation will be established at the time of the donor’s death. The foundation will support several university efforts.
“Aside from representing a remarkable and unprecedented level of generosity, this act of extraordinary kindness, sacrifice and selflessness reminds us of the power of giving to help transform a university and create a sustainable and prosperous future for its programs,” said Starr, who will take office June 1.
“Receiving a planned gift of this magnitude now, during a time of historic economic instability, is especially significant as it demonstrates profound confidence in Baylor University and a shared commitment to achieving the university’s goals far into the future.”
The interdisciplinary nature of the gift enables Baylor to address physical, psychological, social, emotional and spiritual needs and strengths of the aging in a truly holistic approach, university spokesmen noted.
The College of Arts and Sciences’ programs in pre-health, psychology, chemistry, biochemistry, neuroscience and other related areas will be greatly enhanced by this gift, said Lee Nordt, the college’s dean.
“This gift will provide enormous support for significant areas of research in advancing the field of knowledge on the aging process,” Nordt said. “A substantial endowment helps vault Baylor University to top-tier status in this field by providing resources for world-class faculty and scholars; for recruitment of the most talented undergraduate and graduate students; and for exploring the latest research initiatives related to aging.
“By design, this gift will lead to collaborative efforts among departments and across school boundaries, enabling Baylor to become a national leader in the topical field of aging, one of the most important areas of our time.”
While some Baylor officials have been vague about the timing of the
gift and whether its announcement is related to Starr's hiring, Diana
Garland, dean of the School of Social Work, told Associated Baptist
Press an agreement with the donor was completed early last fall.
The School of Social Work prepares social workers to serve in a diversity of public and private settings, with a special emphasis on working effectively with issues of faith and spirituality and with congregations and faith-based organizations.
Garland said approximately half of the $200 million estate gift will be directed to the School of Social Work to expand “social-work research and cutting-edge development in response to issues of aging.” The school’s current operating budget is $3.7 million.
“This is a gift that has been developing over a period of time with a donor and family who had been quietly watching the difference this school is making in developing research-based models of service designed to help social workers be the hands of Christ in this world in ways that are transforming the lives of families and communities," she said.
Garland called the gift's impact "unimaginable."
"It will put this school at the forefront in dealing with the psychological, social and spiritual dimensions of aging as we try to enable others to be the hands and feet of Christ at some of the hardest places of life," she said.
“We’re particularly concerned about generations who are facing unprecedented challenges associated with longer life spans, including older adults living with chronic illness," said Garland. "Aging and living with chronic illness doesn’t mean life cannot be full and rich and meaningful. The question for us as social workers is, how do we help families and communities enable that to happen? How do we care for aging persons and their families all the way to the end of life?”
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