Baylor University has broken ground on a multipurpose facility that will serve as a new entry point to the Waco, Texas, campus.
The university says the Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center, a $60 million, 120,000-square-foot complex, is being built at the corner of Interstate 35 and University Parks Drive.
The center will serve as the hub for the about 60,000 prospective students, families, alumni and other guests who visit campus. The goal of the center is to create interest and enthusiasm in Baylor through a high-tech and interactive experience.
“The Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center will transform the ways Baylor University interacts with our prospective students, alumni and the thousands of visitors who come to our campus each year,” says Vice President for Advancement David Rosselli.
Major features will include a grand hall and ballroom; a bright, window-filled pavilion; spirit shop and restaurant; a suspended, 250-seat venue that opens up to a view of Pat Neff Hall and the Baylor campus; green space for events and concerts; and offices for Admissions and Baylor Alumni staff.
Site work is expected to begin this spring, with an anticipated completion date in spring 2022.
Paula Hurd and the late Mark Hurd provided the naming gift for the facility.
Mark Hurd, a 1979 graduate of Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business, passed away in October 2019. He was the chief executive officer of Oracle Corporation and a member of Oracle’s board of directors. He also served as vice chairman for Baylor’s Board of Regents.
“As a family, we are proud that the welcome center will bear our family’s name and continue our family’s Baylor legacy – a legacy that began with him and continues through us," Paula Hurd says.
