Texas Tidbits_62705

Posted: 6/24/05

Texas Tidbits

Texas Baptist Men on website. Texas Baptist Men volunteer work in rebuilding Sri Lanka six months after the South Asian tsunami is being featured on the website of Gospel for Asia, a missions organization based in Carrollton. The web video covers volunteers rebuilding a Bible college and vocational training center, as well bringing clean water to stricken villages. The video may be seen at www.gfa.org/tsunami.

Baylor preps for its largest freshman class. Baylor University anticipates the largest freshman class in the university's 160-year history. Current projections from Baylor's institutional research and testing office indicate a record-breaking freshman class of more than 3,100 students entering in fall 2005. Baylor's previous record freshman enrollment occurred in fall 1998, when 2,938 students entered the university. Enrollment management officials also report this fall's expected freshman class is on pace with last year's record SAT average of 1190 and is the most diverse incoming class in university history. Baylor's minority freshman population was 30.3 percent in fall 2004.

BUA receives $3 million matching gift. Baptist University of the Americas received a $3 million matching gift from the Houston-based Baugh Foundation–the largest single gift in the school's history. Recently, BUA and the Baptist General Convention of Texas partnered to purchase 75 acres across I-35 from the present campus, and the Baugh gift represents the initial commitment to build a new campus.

Newport Foundation honors Gallup. The John Newport Foundation will honor pollster George Gallup Jr. at its annual leadership awards banquet at 5 p.m., June 30, during the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's General Assembly in Grapevine. Gallup will be the keynote speaker at the banquet. The foundation is committed to carrying on the legacy of Newport, who served more than 40 years as a philosophy of religion professor and administrator at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Registration cost for the banquet is $50. To register or receive more information, contact Phyllis Nichols at (210) 408-1987 or phyllis@newportfoundation.com.

Oliver named Baylor interim VP for student life. Dub Oliver, recently named assistant vice president for student life at Baylor University, has been named interim vice president for student life by Interim President Bill Underwood, effective July 1. He will succeed Eileen Hulme, who joins the faculty at Azusa Pacific University. As interim vice president, Oliver will provide leadership for the student life division, including the areas of campus life, residence life, student development and university ministries. Oliver holds a bachelor's degree in education from Baylor and a master's degree in educational psychology and doctorate in educational administration from Texas A&M University. Oliver is interim pastor of Canaan Baptist Church in Crawford.

Spooner scholarship fund created at DBU. Dallas Baptist University has created the Bernie and Pat Spooner Christian Education Scholarship Fund to help qualified master of arts in Christian education students with tuition and other related expenses. Bernie Spooner is associate dean of the Gary Cook Graduate School of Leadership. He has been active in Baptist denominational life many years with the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the Baptist World Alliance. Pat Spooner is a retired reading teacher who taught in public schools 30 years. She currently volunteers at an elementary school in Coppell. The Bernie and Pat Spooner Christian Education Scholarship Fund was established with a gift from the university and contributions from the Spooners and several of their friends. For more information about the fund, contact DBU Development Director John Clem at (214) 333-5176 or at johnc@dbu.edu.