With endless blocks of skyscrapers, millions of fast-shuffling feet and only a tiny presence of Baylor alumni, it’s easy for the Bears of New York’s finance scene to feel as out of place as the 1600-mile distance from Waco would suggest. But there’s a world out there where Baylor’s footprint in the Big Apple is just as sizable as the dominant ones in Dallas and Houston.
Browsing: Endowment
Instead of a big city high-rise, Morehead’s team works in a small red brick building in downtown Waco. Suits and ties are replaced with casual (mostly green and gold) clothes. And in an industry that’s mostly men, four out of the office’s five investment professionals are women. It all helps to put the attention on what really matters: making money for Baylor without touching students’ wallets.
Baylor history professor Dr. Robert Elder is the first Baylor faculty member to be awarded the Public Scholars grant from the NEH to help his future book project about the nullification crisis, a conflict between South Carolina and the federal government in the 1830s.
Given the success of endowment returns over the past five years, Morehead said his office has a goal to continue to grow the endowment, so that for every billion dollars the endowment accrues, there is an additional $50 million that goes to student scholarships and programs.
“Without the $100 million over the next year because of the endowment, every student would have to pay an additional $6,700 in their tuition,” Morehead said. “That is why the endowment is such an important funding system for the school.”
In the 10 years since the university adopted an ambitious new vision outlined in the “Baylor 2012” initiative, the university’s new capital investments in research and residential facilities have coincided with consistent annual increases in the cost of a Baylor education.
Baylor released its first public draft of its strategic plan on Dec. 12, and, as expected, its goals mirror that of the Baylor 2012 vision. The draft plan’s new approach, however, varies from Baylor 2012 in that the initial plan lists six broad goals but does not list specific measures to be taken toward those goals.
A panel of campus leaders met with students to answer questions on topics ranging from Baylor’s stance on conceal and carry legislation to the university’s denial of a charter for the Sexual Identity Forum in a university town hall meeting Wednesday.