Texas Tidbits: Senior care boards move toward affiliation

Senior care boards move toward affiliation. The governing boards of two senior living providers related to the Baptist General Convention of Texas have given the green light for the organizations to affiliate in 2010. Dallas-based Buckner Retirement Services—owner and manager of five senior living communities in Texas—is exploring an affiliation with Baptist Memorials Ministries, a continuum-of-care community with campuses in San Angelo and Burnet. Buckner and Baptist Memorials had entered into a letter of intent in May, which began proceedings for an affiliation starting Jan. 1. The affiliation would join the two nonprofit organizations’ leadership, business and marketing functions for increased service to elders, leaders of both entities said. The boards of both organizations met in July and voted to proceed with the affiliation following due diligence investigations by both entities. The decision of the two boards paves the way for an approval vote by messengers to the BGCT annual meeting, Nov. 16-17 in Houston.

Texas Baptist schools ranked in top tier. Baylor University is ranked in the top tier of  “National Universities” in the 2009 ranking of America’s Best Colleges by U.S. News & World Report. In the “Baccalaureate-West” division, Howard Payne University and East Texas Baptist University are listed in the top tier. The “Master’s-West” group includes the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor, Houston Baptist University, Dallas Baptist University, Hardin-Simmons University and Wayland Baptist University.

Baugh Foundation benefits UMHB. The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor will receive a $1 million gift from the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation over the next three years to help expand and renovate campus facilities for the College of Visual and Performing Arts. For many years, art and music programs have been housed in Presser Hall, a 34,000-square-foot building constructed in 1929.  Growth in the university’s enrollment, particularly in the art and music programs, has created a need for additional instructional and performance areas.
 
Endowed social work faculty positions funded. Funding is completed for the first two endowed faculty positions in the Baylor School of Social Work—the Diana R. Garland Endowed Chair in child and family services and the Dorothy Barfield Kronzer Endowed Professorship in family studies. An anonymous donor made the lead gift for the Garland Endowed Chair in 2005, and Babs Baugh of San Antonio through the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation helped complete funding for it. Jim and Dorothy Kronzer of Houston established a Baylor endowment fund in 1985, but did not specify a particular purpose for the donation. Their children, Walter J. Kronzer III and Kim Kronzer O’Brien, chose to designate the gift to the Baylor School of Social Work.

Correction: An “Around the State” item on page 20 of the Aug. 24 issue identified Kathy Hillman as associate dean of technology for Baylor University’s Moody Library. She is associate professor and director of special collections for Baylor’s Central Libraries.