Texas Tidbits: Baylor University names chief investment officer

Baylor University has named Kent Muckel, an investment professional with 18 years experience, as chief investment officer. Muckel, senior portfolio manager of the University of Colorado Foundation, will join Baylor May 1 to work directly with the Baylor executive investment committee, a group of investment professionals appointed by the regents and charged with the responsibility of oversight of the day-to-day practices and operations of the endowment by the investments office. Muckel will lead a staff of six and will report to Reagan Ramsower, vice president for finance and administration, who also is chair of the Baylor executive investment committee. Interim President David Garland praised Muckel as “a seasoned investment professional who will help to ensure Baylor’s continued financial strength.” Muckel’s “skill in prudent and sound investment management will be a great asset to us as we navigate the current economic downturn and focus on the future growth of our endowment,” Garland said. Muckel’s selection follows a national search to fill the position after Jonathan Hook left Baylor in July 2008 to become vice president and chief investment officer of Ohio State University. 

Foundation seeks requests for mini-grants. Baptist Health Foundation of San Antonio began April 1 accepting mini-grant applications from non-profit organizations that are helping meet the community’s health needs in the foundation’s eight-county geographic area—Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Guadalupe, Kendall, Medina and Wilson counties. This year the foundation will award $136,000 in mini-grants, up to a maximum grant of $7,500. The deadline for applications is noon May 29. Organizations having 501(c)(3) designation by the Internal Revenue Service may submit mini-grant applications online or through the mail or fax. The foundation is only able to consider one request per organization per year, and organizations should have at least one full year of operating history. In addition, Baptist Health Foundation will be accepting responsive grants letters of inquiry for awards from $25,000 to $250,000 until noon May 8. Details regarding the grant application process can be found on the Baptist Health Foundation of San Antonio’s website at www.bhfsa.org or Eusebio Diaz at (210) 735-9009 for more information

Federal judge upholds ‘under God’ in Texas pledge. A Dallas federal judge ruled that the phrase “under God” in the Texas Pledge of Allegiance is constitutional. The court’s decision rejected a lawsuit filed by a Dallas couple, who unsuccessfully argued the state pledge violated the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause. The Texas pledge, amended in 2007, reads: “Honor the Texas flag; I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, one and indivisible.”

Wayland board approves $52.2 million budget. The Wayland Baptist University board of trustees at its spring meeting approved a $52,228,509 budget for 2009-2010—a 5 percent increase over the current academic year. The board also approved a tuition increase, citing continued rising costs for operation and the need for additional personnel to serve growing enrollment. Wayland trustees set tuition for the coming school year at $395 per credit hour for undergraduate classes on the Plainview campus, representing a $15 per hour hike, and $322 per hour for graduate classes in Plainview, a rise of $12 per hour.