Heart of Texas, Heart of Learning
Published Apr 24, 2008
The $103 million Baylor University Sciences Building is one of the newest and most attractive additions to the Waco campus.
Seeking a college degree? You’ve come to the right place.
The Heart of Texas region is blessed with higher-education choices, ranging from community colleges to Baylor University, the oldest continuously operating institution of higher learning in the state and the largest Baptist university in the world.
Located on a 735-acre campus in Waco, Baylor offers 146 undergraduate degree programs, 73 master’s programs and 22 doctoral programs.
The university’s growing enrollment exceeds 14,000, with students hailing from all 50 states and 70 countries.
The university is halfway through a plan known as Baylor 2012 that seeks to place the school among the nation’s academic elite.
“Baylor 2012 is an ambitious 10-year vision that seeks to move Baylor into a unique leadership position in higher education by adding new faculty, facilities and programs that position us as the premier Protestant research university in the United States or the world,” says Dr. John M. Lilley, who was inaugurated as Baylor’s president in April 2007.
The 2012 vision includes 12 imperatives for Baylor to become recognized as a top institution, covering topics including academic and scholarly initiatives, student life, campus expansion, the endowment, and athletics.
Baylor has already made some significant strides relating to campus expansion and improvement.
“One of the major commitments of the 10-year vision is the building of community, and in August (2007) we opened the new $42.8 million, 700-bed Brooks Village residential community,” Lilley says. “It will enhance the learning environment, move us toward a stronger residential campus, and help Baylor continue to attract and retain top students.”
In 2004, Baylor opened another residential facility – this one with 600 beds – and completed the $103 million Baylor Sciences Building that was constructed in response to a national need for expanded science education and research.
Among the Big 12 Conference schools, Baylor was the third-highest-rated by U.S. News & World Report magazine in 2007 and was ranked 75th overall among 248 national universities.
“We know parents and prospective students pay attention to these rankings, and we are pleased the numbers reflect all the positive progress that is happening here at Baylor,” Lilley says. “But our success is truly measured by our ability to recruit great students, retain them and provide them with an outstanding Christian education and excellent facilities.”
Community College Growth
Also in Waco, McLennan Community College is experiencing tremendous growth. In fall 2006, area voters approved a $74.4 million bond for the school to build three new facilities, including a science building, an Emergency Medical Technology Center and a University Center where students will be able to earn a bachelor’s degree through partnerships with four-year institutions.
“More and more students are wanting to come to MCC because it’s less expensive than other four-year institutions, and they can get a four-year degree right here on campus,” says Lisa Wilhelmi, MCC’s director of community relations. “Our campus was originally built for 3,500 students, and we had 8,100 students in fall 2007 – our highest enrollment ever.”
Also in the region, Texas State Technical College-Waco, which has about 4,300 students, offers more than 100 associate’s degrees in everything from agriculture to health to information technology.
Hill College, another two-year school, is in Hillsboro and has an enrollment of about 2,500.
Story by Jessica Mozo
Photo by Wes Aldridge
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