Regents Approve 2025-26 Operating Budget, Elect Board & Committee Leadership, New At-large Regents

Contact: Lori Fogleman, 254-709-5959
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During its regular May meeting, the Baylor University Board of Regents approved the University’s 2025-26 operating budget, voted on Board and committee leadership for the upcoming academic year and elected new at-large Regents. They also approved infrastructure-related renovations to the Ferrell Center and two new master’s degree programs.

Recognizing the increased financial pressures that have impacted all higher education, the Board approved a $995.8 million University operating budget for 2025-26, a relatively modest increase of $33 million, or 3.4%, from last fiscal year. The budget enables the University to continue to support critical investments in faculty and staff and affordability initiatives for students such as the Baylor Benefit Scholarship program. These and other priorities are vitally important for Baylor to remain competitive in an ever-evolving higher education landscape.

“In keeping with our Christian mission, this operating budget positions us well to meet the growing needs of Baylor students, faculty and staff – in the face of mounting national and global financial pressures,” said Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D. “With the support of the Board of Regents, we will continue to bolster the commitments outlined in our new strategic plan – Baylor in Deeds – and remain faithful stewards of the resources with which we have been entrusted. Doing so will ensure the ongoing financial strength, flexibility and long-term viability of Baylor University.”

With current and future student needs in mind, last February, the Board affirmed the launch of a $250 million Extend the Line scholarship initiative that supports both short-term and long-term strategies to make a Baylor education accessible and affordable for many more current and prospective students. The new initiative has established nearly 100 new scholarships and raised nearly $40 million in new endowed funds through the counting period.

Ferrell Center infrastructure renovations

Regents approved $14.9 million for infrastructure and other renovations to Baylor’s Ferrell Center, which opened in 1988. The project is expected to focus on strategic deferred maintenance, including new building systems such as chillers, A/C units, retractable bleachers and LED fixtures in the main arena. In addition, renovations will provide updates to better accommodate the 10-time national champion Acrobatics and Tumbling (A&T) program and Baylor Athletics Medicine. A&T renovations include existing locker rooms, film room and restroom and shower facilities – necessary enhancements given the larger number of student-athletes using the spaces when compared to the Baylor basketball teams that previously occupied the Ferrell Center. The Athletics Medicine Suite will be relocated and updated to include new hydrotherapy pools and coach and staff facilities.

In addition to welcoming more than 50,000 visitors annually for Baylor Volleyball and A&T matches, the Ferrell Center remains a key venue for graduation ceremonies, including Baylor Commencements, local high school graduations and McLennan Community College graduations, which together accommodate more than 80,000 attendees.

Construction is scheduled to begin in August with completion expected in April 2026.

New master’s degrees

The Board also approved two new master’s degree programs beginning in Fall 2026:

• A hybrid Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy in the Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences to address the growing demand for licensed therapists. The new degree will  provide specialized clinical training focused on family systems and relationship dynamics; and 
• An online Master of Arts in Social, Nonprofit and Public Leadership in the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work to drive social change and enhance human flourishing. This program will address complex challenges, such as poverty, within a framework shaped by Christian faith and values.

Both advanced degree programs address critical market needs for qualified and skilled marriage and family therapists and for impactful leaders in nonprofit and public sectors, underscoring Baylor’s Christian mission to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service.

Board elects leadership, committee chairs and new at-large Regents

In regular May business, Regents re-elected William “Bill” E. Mearse, B.B.A. ’78, M.B.A. '79, of Houston to a third year as Chair of the Board and elected Todd Patterson, B.S. ’90, J.D., of Richmond, Texas, as Vice Chair. Patterson succeeds Melissa Purdy Mines, B.A. ’90, of Munich, Germany, who has served as a Vice Chair since 2019 and is entering the final year of her service on the Board.

Patterson is the founding partner of Patterson + Sheridan, LLP, a leading national intellectual property and complex litigation law firm headquartered in Houston. He began his service on the Board of Regents in 2020, and most recently chaired the Nominating, Governance and Regent Leadership Committee.

“We are blessed to have leaders like Todd Patterson and Melissa Purdy Mines on the Board of Regents,” Chair Mearse said. “Melissa has served as a Vice Chair since the beginning of the pandemic, and I am grateful for her steadfast leadership during those enormously challenging days. I am also looking forward to working with Todd, whose own experience and deep love for the University will serve us well as we continue Baylor’s momentum as a preeminent Christian Research 1 university.”

The Board approved committee chairs, who also will serve on the Executive Committee, and committee vice chairs for 2025-26.

Elected as committee chairs and vice chairs:

• Academic Affairs – Michael Heiskell, B.A. ’72, J.D. ’74, of Fort Worth, Chair, and Michael McFarland, B.B.A. ’93, Ed.D. ’05, of Crowley, Texas, Vice Chair; 
• Advancement – Tyler C. Cooper, B.B.A. '94, M.D., of Dallas, Chair, and Ashley Beane Hooper, B.B.A. ’03, of Dallas, Vice Chair;
• Audit, Compliance and Risk Management – Sarah Gahm, B.S. ’84, M.H.A., of Dallas, Chair, and Carey P. Hendrickson, B.B.A. ’85, M.B.A., of Arlington, Texas, Vice Chair;
• Finance and Facilities – Jay A. Brown, B.B.A. ’95, of Houston, Chair, and David R. Brooks, B.B.A. ’80, M.B.A. ’81, of McKinney, Texas, Vice Chair;
• Nominating, Governance and Regent Leadership – Jack F. Harper II, B.B.A. ’93, of Midland, Texas, Chair, and Martha Delehanty, B.S., M.B.A., of Jupiter, Florida, Vice Chair;
• Student Life – René Maciel, M.S.Ed. ’91, of McGregor, Chair, and Melissa Purdy Mines, B.A. ’90, of Munich, Germany, Vice Chair; and
• University Leadership and Compensation – Gail W. Stewart, B.B.A. ’80, J.D. ’83, of Houston, Chair, and Jill Manning, B.B.A. ’84, of Dallas, Vice Chair.

Elected as new at-large Regents:

• Jeremy L. Fudge, B.A. ’97, J.D., of Parker, Texas, CEO of Berry Appleman & Leiden, a leading U.S. corporate immigration law firm. Members of the Give Light National Campaign Steering Committee, Fudge and his wife Kristy provided a $15 million lead gift for the construction of the Fudge Football Development Center, the new home of the Baylor Football program.
• Roger C. Lowe Jr., B.B.A. ’91, M.B.A., of Waco, Texas, Vice President and CEO of Lowe’s Supermarkets, a family-owned business that has grown to more than 150 stores across Texas and New Mexico, with additional locations in Colorado, Kansas and Arizona.

Re-elected by the Board to three-year terms:

• Jack F. Harper II, B.B.A. ’93, of Midland, Texas – second term;
• Sarah Gahm, B.S. ’84, M.H.A., of Dallas – third term;
• William “Bill” E. Mearse, B.B.A. ’78, M.B.A. '79, of Houston – third term;
• Manny Ruiz, B.B.A. ’81, of San Antonio – third term; and
• Ashley Beane Hooper, B.B.A. ’03, of Dallas – second term (honoris causa).

Regent recommended by the Baptist General Convention of Texas and confirmed by the Board:

• Gail W. Stewart, B.B.A. ’80, J.D. ’83, of Houston – second term.

Approved by the Board in February as BGCT Regent and Student Regents:

• Joseph C. Parker Jr., D.Min., M.Div. ’97, J.D., senior pastor of David Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Austin, Texas – first term, BGCT Regent;
• Meghan Fletcher, B.S.F.C.S. ’20, M.S.Ed. ’22, doctoral candidate in higher education and leadership from Lawrence, Kansas – second term, voting Student Regent; and
• Spencer Yim, sophomore political science major in the Honors College from Connecticut – first term, non-voting Student Regent.

Affirmed by the Board in February as Alumni-elected Regent:

• Orhue Odaro, B.S. ’11, M.D., of Houston – three-year term.

All terms begin on June 1.

Approved by the Board for recommendation as Baylor College of Medicine Trustees:

• Dan Hord, B.B.A. ’89, of Midland; and
• Mark Rountree, B.B.A. ’86, M.T.A. ’87, of Dallas.

Regents completing their service on the Board are Todd Reppert, B.B.A. ’91, of Houston; Julie Hermansen Turner, B.B.A. ’67, M.S.E.D ’68, of Dallas; Alumni-elected Regent Barbara Calhoun Cargill, B.S.Ed. ’82, M.S.Ed., of Conroe, Texas; and Student Regent Xavier Dawes, B.S.Ed. ’25, of Wylie, Texas.

“As we welcome new Regents, we are deeply appreciative of our Board members who are completing their terms. On behalf of the Board, I express my gratitude for their tireless and faithful service to Baylor University,” Chair Mearse said. “It’s an honor and privilege to serve alongside them in the fulfillment of Baylor’s Christian mission and the strengthening of the University’s influence around the world.”

President’s regular report

The Board also received a report from President Livingstone, which included several campus updates and her key moments from 2024-25. President Livingstone reflected on the launch of Baylor in Deeds and the Extend the Line scholarship initiative. She also mentioned new events at the Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion, which is quickly becoming a premier entertainment destination in the state. Foster Pavilion recently welcomed Christian music sensation and Baylor graduate Forrest Frank for a sold-out inaugural concert. GRAMMY winner Lauren Daigle and comedian and Baylor graduate Jeff Dunham will both perform this fall.

President Livingstone also reported on successful nationwide searches for new Deans of the Graduate School and Hankamer School of Business, the under-construction Memorial to Enslaved Persons, Baylor’s new affiliation with the Baptist World Alliance and the unveiling of the first wave of findings from the Global Flourishing Study, one of the most comprehensive studies of human well-being ever undertaken and the largest funded research project in Baylor history at $43.4 million. She concluded her report by celebrating Baylor’s record-breaking number of Fulbright student award recipients, which continues Baylor’s recognition as a Fulbright Top Producing Institution.

“We were again tremendously blessed during this academic year, and we concluded it by celebrating the largest graduating class in Baylor history,” President Livingstone said. “It’s a special moment to walk across the stage and receive your Baylor degree. I could not be prouder of the more than 4,000 graduates who were officially welcomed into the long line of Baylor Alumni, and I cannot wait to see their impact as they lead and serve around the world.”

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.