New Home For Baylor's Paul L. Foster Success Center Unites Five Offices To Benefit All Baylor Students
Contact: Mark Minor, Associate Vice President for Major Gifts at Baylor, (254) 710-2561, www.baylor.edu/givingtobaylor
Foster Success Center Contact: Brandon Miller, Assistant Vice President of Student Success, (254) 710-8212, www.baylor.edu/successcenter
Baylor University formally dedicated the Paul L. Foster Success Center, a facility devoted to positioning Baylor students for success in their academic and professional lives, during an Oct. 5 ceremony in the courtyard of the newly renovated Sid Richardson Building on the Baylor campus.
"The Foster Success Center is a huge contribution to the life of the university," said Baylor President John M. Lilley. "When students come through these doors, they learn to view life as a Christian stewardship - it's more than making grades, more than getting a job. It's a stewardship of life, and if anybody has demonstrated that, it's Paul Foster. My colleagues and I are so grateful for Paul Foster's philanthropic support and determination to see this project through."
Other program participants in the dedication ceremony included Paul Foster (BBA '79), president and CEO of Western Refining Co. of El Paso; Harold Cunningham, chair of the Baylor Board of Regents; and Coleton Burch, a junior speech communication major from Dallas.
Generous gifts from Foster and other friends of Baylor made possible the renovations in the Sid Richardson Building that have united all departments devoted to developing Baylor students to their full potential in one location right in the heart of campus.
From freshman year through graduation, the Paul L. Foster Success Center promotes student achievement every step of the way.
The Foster Success Center consists of five administrative departments, each of which serves a particular student population:
? Academic Advisement - for help in developing academic plans
? Academic Support Programs - free tutoring, personal effectiveness classes and academic mentoring
? Access and Learning Accommodation - liaison to faculty in determining how to help students with disabilities succeed academically
? Career Counseling - guidance in selecting a major or career
? Career Services - mock interviews, resume workshops and general assistance in finding internships or jobs
Computer labs, career resource and study skills centers, and private rooms for tutoring, mentoring and testing are just a few of the amenities within the new facility.
Foster, who received his bachelor's degree in business administration from Baylor in 1979, was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and Student Foundation. In addition to his lead gift to the Success Center, he supports student scholarships and the Baylor Bear Foundation. At the dedication ceremony, he was honored for his faithful support to the university at the bronze level of the Judge R.E.B. Baylor Society in the Medallion Fellowship.
Foster is president and CEO of Western Refining Co., the fourth largest publicly traded independent oil refiner in the United States. Active in his El Paso community, Foster gives of his time and resources to local businesses and nonprofits. His commitment to education is exemplified by his service on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
"When I heard about the idea of the Success Center, I looked back on my time at Baylor and felt that this was something that would have made a big difference for me as a student. I was convinced that the Success Center was something that would make a difference for students for decades to come, so the decision to make the contribution was very easy," Foster said. "I'm forever thankful to Baylor for giving me opportunities in life, and I'm very proud to be associated with it."
The Paul L. Foster Success Center will advance Baylor 2012 imperatives such as providing outstanding academic facilities, establishing an environment where learning can flourish, attracting and supporting a top-tier student body and guiding all students to understand life as a stewardship and work as a vocation.
For more information about the Paul L. Foster Success Center or to learn how you can support this initiative, contact Mark Minor at (254) 710-2561 or 1-800-BAYLOR-U, option 4.
For more information about the Foster Success Center, contact Brandon Miller, assistant vice president of student success, at (254) 710-8212 or visit www.baylor.edu/successcenter.