Baylor Dedicates Honors Residential College, Carona Family Commons

Contact: Lori Fogleman, 254-709-5959
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Baylor University today dedicated the newly renovated Honors Residential College during a morning ribbon-cutting ceremony, marking the official opening of the Honors College’s new home. The ceremony also celebrated the grand opening of the Carona Family Commons, a new addition to the footprint of Memorial and Alexander Halls, connecting the two residence halls and providing a new access point for the Honors Residential College (HRC).

The dedication event recognized the Honors Residential College’s lead donors, John and Helen Carona of Dallas, Texas. The Carona Family’s $5 million gift to the Give Light Capital Fund supported the project’s expansion of available community spaces for HRC students, faculty and staff through the addition of the Carona Family Commons. The Carona Family Commons features a new public entry for Memorial Dining Hall, as well as upper floors that feature residential life enhancements such as a learning center, study rooms, gaming area, lounge spaces and a community kitchen.

“Baylor Honors College supports 1,400 high-achieving undergraduate students pursuing over 90 academic majors across the University, and the long-anticipated improvements for Memorial and Alexander Halls and for Draper Academic Building will strengthen our work with these exceptional students,” said Douglas Henry, Ph.D., dean of the Honors College at Baylor. “We are truly grateful for the members of our Baylor Family whose philanthropy has built upon these heritage buildings to create new, engaging spaces through which our students will be taught, mentored, inspired and prepared for exemplary life in the light of Christ, the one who defines our understanding of greatness. We are especially grateful to John and Helen Carona, whose support and philanthropy provide an enduring example in the Carona Family Commons of the impact our alumni, parents and friends can have on the educational, social and spiritual formation of our students.”

Another project element included the relocation of the Office of the Dean and the academic advising offices for the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core and the Honors Program, which now share a spacious two-level suite in Alexander Hall. The HRC project also featured the refurbishment and consolidation of offices for Honors College faculty and professional staff in Draper Academic Building, located across Founders Mall. The new office suites represent support spaces for faculty and staff within the Honors College’s four programs: the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core, Great Texts, Honors Program and University Scholars.

In addition to support from the Carona Family, other members of the Baylor Family supported the HRC project through the Give Light Capital Fund, which supported the capital priorities of Baylor's successful Give Light Campaign, including a $1.5 million challenge grant from the Mabee Foundation. Many of these donors are recognized through named spaces throughout Memorial and Alexander Halls, as well as Honors College offices spaces within Draper Academic Building.

A legacy of support               

John and Helen Carona are Baylor parents, and their gift honors their family’s ties, as well as their connections to construction and housing. John Carona Sr. is founder, chairman and CEO of Associa, a global management company that operates homeowner associations (HOA) in the U.S., Brazil, Mexico and Canada. Previously, John Carona served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1991 to 1996 and as a member of the Texas Senate from 1996 to 2015. He earned a B.B.A. in insurance and real estate from the University of Texas in 1978. He has authored two books, “In the Common Interest: Embracing the New American Community” and “In the Common Interest II: Embracing Five Star Customer Service.”

Helen Carona is an executive vice president and CCO at Associa. She serves on the Associa Cares board, a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting families and communities in crisis due to natural or man-made disasters. In addition, she is president of Associa’s subsidiary insurance agency, which specializes in the provision of commercial property and casualty insurance coverages for community associations across the U.S.

John and Helen have four sons, Joey, B.A. ’05, Will, Jeff and Kellen, and one daughter, Kirsten. They are members of First Baptist Church of Dallas.

The Caronas’ gift to the Give Light Capital Fund also was recognized through the naming of the Carona Family Premium Entry at Foster Pavilion, one of four entry points for Baylor fans to the new home for Baylor Basketball.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu. 

ABOUT THE HONORS COLLEGE AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

The Honors College at Baylor University unites four innovative interdisciplinary programs – the Honors Program, University Scholars, Baylor Interdisciplinary Core and Great Texts – with a shared commitment to providing undergraduate students the opportunity to pursue questions that often fall between the cracks of the specialized disciplines. For more information, visit the Honors College website.