Close Menu
The Baylor Lariat
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube LinkedIn
    Trending
    • Students react to emergency alert following campus lockdown
    • Baylor shelter-in-place lifted following police pursuit of robbery suspects
    • Baylor graduate charged after killing cats with pellet gun, hanging bodies over utility lines
    • Baylor Football’s Alex Foster dies at 18
    • Board of Regents confirms budget, renovations, new leadership in May meeting
    • How facilities responds to storms, flooding in campus buildings
    • Welcome Week leaders now paid in hopes of increasing numbers
    • 5 Baylor sports storylines to look forward to in 2025-26
    • About us
      • Spring 2025 Staff Page
      • Copyright Information
    • Contact
      • Contact Information
      • Letters to the Editor
      • Subscribe to The Morning Buzz
      • Department of Student Media
    • Employment
    • PDF Archives
    • RSS Feeds
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube LinkedIn
    The Baylor LariatThe Baylor Lariat
    Subscribe to the Morning Buzz
    Monday, July 7
    • News
      • State and National News
        • State
        • National
      • Politics
        • 2025 Inauguration Page
        • Election Page
      • Homecoming Page
      • Baylor News
      • Waco Updates
      • Campus and Waco Crime
    • Arts & Life
      • Wedding Edition 2025
      • What to Do in Waco
      • Campus Culture
      • Indy and Belle
      • Sing 2025
      • Leisure and Travel
        • Leisure
        • Travel
          • Baylor in Ireland
      • Student Spotlight
      • Local Scene
        • Small Businesses
        • Social Media
      • Arts and Entertainment
        • Art
        • Fashion
        • Food
        • Literature
        • Music
        • Film and Television
    • Opinion
      • Editorials
      • Points of View
      • Lariat Letters
    • Sports
      • March Madness 2025
      • Football
      • Basketball
        • Men’s Basketball
        • Women’s Basketball
      • Soccer
      • Baseball
      • Softball
      • Volleyball
      • Equestrian
      • Cross Country and Track & Field
      • Acrobatics & Tumbling
      • Tennis
      • Golf
      • Pro Sports
      • Sports Takes
      • Club Sports
    • Lariat TV News
    • Multimedia
      • Video Features
      • Podcasts
        • Don’t Feed the Bears
      • Slideshows
    • Advertising
    The Baylor Lariat
    Home»News

    Baylor plans the construction of the Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center

    Ana Ruiz BrictsonBy Ana Ruiz BrictsonSeptember 2, 2021 News No Comments3 Mins Read
    Baylor begins construction on the new welcome center, amongst the I-35 traffic. Grace Fortier | Photographer
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    By Ana Ruiz Brictson | Staff Writer

    Baylor has received enough funding to begin construction of its new welcome center on the corner of I-35 and University Parks Drive. The Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center is currently in progress and is set to be completed by 2023.

    “It will essentially be the new front door of the Baylor campus,” Jason Cook, vice president of Marketing and Communications and chief marketing officer, said. “We wanted to have a facility that is reflective of the quality of education that we provide here at Baylor but also the student experience.”

    According to Cook, this building prioritizes welcoming prospective students and sets a great first impression for them. It will also serve as housing for the McLane alumni center.

    Cook said this building is going to be multifunctional, as it will be beneficial for both incoming and current students. They can expect to find flexible meeting rooms for student organizations, event space and a new building for people to hang out and study in. In addition, visitors will be able to find a Baylor spirit gift shop where they can purchase merchandise.

    As of now, the Board of Regents has not decided what the Wiethorn Undergraduate Admissions Center building will be used for once the offices change location to the new building.

    The construction of the building is in the hands of construction company Vaughn Construction and architecture company Populous — both of which have worked alongside Baylor in several projects. When finished, the welcome center will be 120,000 square feet, and it continues to be envisioned as the images on the Baylor website show.

    Although Mark and Paula Hurd provided the leading gift in order for the project to begin its course, Baylor is still looking for donations from those who would be interested in giving. There is an opportunity to get an engraved brick that will go in the building in exchange for a donation to help meet the project’s budget.

    Cook said one of the sacrifices made when constructing a building like this is the road closures and construction zones, along with the I-35 reconstruction plans. Others believe it might not be the right time for a new welcome center.

    “It is a good idea, and good use will come from it, but I also feel as though other renovations should come first, like old dorms,” Mansfield sophomore Brooke Johnson said. “Other things should come first.”

    Boston, Mass., senior John Bilyou said he believes that there was no need to build a whole new building for a welcome center when there was already one that could have been worked on and improved.

    “Kind of like a ‘work with what you got’ kind of thing,” Bilyou said.

    Regardless, there are many things ahead for Baylor in terms of the front doors that will invite prospective students into their new home.

    Ana Ruiz Brictson

    Ana Ruiz Brictson is a junior, Journalism, News-Editorial major, from Monterrey, Mexico. She loves to play tennis and piano, write, and watch TV shows. She is always opened to hear people’s stories and enjoys listening to others open up.

    Keep Reading

    Students react to emergency alert following campus lockdown

    Baylor shelter-in-place lifted following police pursuit of robbery suspects

    Baylor Football’s Alex Foster dies at 18

    Board of Regents confirms budget, renovations, new leadership in May meeting

    How facilities responds to storms, flooding in campus buildings

    Welcome Week leaders now paid in hopes of increasing numbers

    Add A Comment

    Comments are closed.

    Recent Posts
    • Students react to emergency alert following campus lockdown June 27, 2025
    • Baylor shelter-in-place lifted following police pursuit of robbery suspects June 26, 2025
    About

    The award-winning student newspaper of Baylor University since 1900.

    Articles, photos, and other works by staff of The Baylor Lariat are Copyright © Baylor® University. All rights reserved.

    Subscribe to the Morning Buzz

    Get the latest Lariat News by just Clicking Subscribe!

    Follow the Live Coverage
    Tweets by @bulariat

    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube LinkedIn
    • Featured
    • News
    • Sports
    • Opinion
    • Arts and Life
    © 2025 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.