BUA to relocate this summer, consolidate in one office building

Baptist University of the Americas President Rene Maciel announces the San Antonio school will relocate and consolidate its operations into an office building near the existing campus. (BUA Photo)

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SAN ANTONIO—Baptist University of the Américas will relocate this summer, consolidating its operations into an office building near its Southside San Antonio campus, with more square footage than the current eight structures.

BUA Maciel Christian Seldana 300BUA President Rene Maciel, BUA Board Chair Van Christian and San Antonio City Councilman Rey Saldana join in announcing the school’s relocation to a building near the existing campus. (Photo / BUA)BUA President René Maciel and Van Christian, chair of the board of trustees, announced Feb. 5 the school purchased a 42,000 square-foot former medical office building at 7838 Barlite Boulevard, less than one-fourth of a mile from the current campus at 8019 Pan Am Expressway in San Antonio.

The two-story building—constructed in 2006—was in foreclosure and, except for one physician’s office, has been vacant four years, BUA officials noted.

“It’s almost too good to be true that God would lay something like this in our lap,” Maciel said. University officials considered leasing space at several other sites before approaching the bank that owns the medical building.

The building offers more square footage and parking than the existing campus, and its purchase includes newer furniture, computers and telephones—all within walking distance of student housing, Maciel noted.

“It’s a turning point in our history. God has great things in store for BUA,” he said. “We won’t even have to change the sign on the highway to get to us.”

BUA—founded in 1947 and known previously as Mexican Baptist Bible Institute, Hispanic Baptist Theological School and Hispanic Baptist Theological Seminary—has been located at its campus near the intersection of Interstate 35 South and Palo Alto Road since the mid-1960s.

“The cost of upgrading the current campus eats up precious dollars that could go toward a new campus,” said Christian, pastor of First Baptist Church in Comanche.

In 2006, BUA purchased—with assistance from the Baptist General Convention of Texas—a 78-acre tract, called the Baugh Family Campus, across the highway from the historic campus, where academic and administrative buildings still are in use. The school built its Piper Student Village housing development on that newer site, with a long-range goal of building a new campus there. However, the school’s capital campaign for that project did not meet the goal required for an expansive building program.


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Purchase of the medical office building will provide space for 400 to 500 students for the next seven to 10 years, while the school gradually raises funds for construction. The future campus will be constructed in smaller “bites,” Maciel explained.

“Many donors who had pledged significant funds toward the Baugh Family Campus have agreed to redirect that money toward the new building,” said Teo Cisneros, BUA vice president for development.

Trustees agreed to put on hold the school’s long-range Changing the World fund-raising campaign and to launch a three-year, $5 million capital campaign, “A New Journey,” to fund the move to the building on Bartlite Boulevard.

The medical office building will require some modifications. BUA will sell some medical equipment at the facility to help defray costs.

“God is still leading us. We are on this journey just like the children of Israel, remaining faithful through the journey to discover his purpose and will for us,” Maciel told the school’s staff. “He has provided this new home in his way and in his timing.”

With reporting by Ginger Hall Carnes, communications specialist at BUA.


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