gifts at work

 

Your gifts to Wayland Baptist University are used with the utmost care, as projects are carefully considered and weighed according to needs of students and betterment of the university. Here are a few ways that gifts are working on our campuses now:

* Endowed scholarships:
As the coordinator of student activities at Wayland since 2003, Teresa Moore works in the very building that bears witness to the sacrifices and generosity of endowed scholarship donors. On a daily basis, she passes the faces and names that she knows are part of the reason she’s able to minister to students through her work today. In fact, her life could have taken a totally different turn if not for the opportunities she experienced at WBU.

“I understood, even back then, to a very good extent that if it wasn’t for these people and their gifts, I wouldn’t be here,” Moore said.

It took getting here, though, and seeing God’s hand at work in miraculous ways, to really drive home that point. With recommendation of good family friends, Moore and her father made a stop at the Plainview campus while on a trip and she felt right at home.

“As soon as we stepped onto the campus, there was an immediate peace,” she recalls. “We knew this was it but didn’t know how to pay for it.”

After auditioning for the International Choir, Moore earned a music scholarship and a place in the choir, and she received a ministerial scholarship through the Baptist General Convention of Texas as a religion major. But she wasn’t sure how much those would cover. On registration day in Fall 1990, after she’d already participated in freshman orientation, she soon learned.

“The last step in registration was paying your bill, and when they told me how much I owed, I just went out into the hall at Gates and was crying,” she said. “Charles Bassett came up and asked me, ‘What’s the matter with you, you ornery red head?’ and I told him what happened.”

“Pretty soon after that I got a call to come sign some thank you notes for scholarships. They were just from ordinary people, but they provided for me that semester.”

For every semester of her five years at Wayland, Moore said the notes were there to sign when she registered and the money in her account. God had indeed provided in a mighty way and she was grateful.

 

* The Pete & Nelda Laney Student Activities Center

Cranes, bricks, cones and scaffolding have been familiar scenes on the Plainview campus at Wayland as the work continues on the Pete and Nelda Laney Student Activities Center. Located between Harral Auditorium and Hutcherson Center just off 8th Street, the Laney Center is a daily reminder of the growth of the campus and the exciting progress that is taking place.

Outside, the Laney Center will feature the same stately, columned entrance that Hutcherson now sports, opening to a small foyer area. Immediately inside, an expansive student lounge will await, with a kitchen and snack bar and one end, complete with seating for diners. Pool tables, ping pong and other table games will be included as well, and the opposite end will include couches and chairs for a sitting area.

Beyond the lounge lies the expansive basketball court – including one regulation court going east-west and two courts going north-south. Portable pull-out bleachers will be included for spectators, all of which can be moved into a storage room off the court. Above the court, an elevated walking track beckons, with upstairs access by three sets of stairs and an elevator.

The lower level also includes locker rooms and shower facilities, several smaller classrooms and some office space. The upper level includes a large open area for cardiovascular equipment and weight machines. An adjacent room will include wood floors as a perfect classroom location for yoga, Pilates and aerobics classes. More offices are upstairs.
The Laney Center promises to be a welcome addition to the campus for students, and plans are underway for a dedication event for donors and friends. Donations to the center are still welcome.

 

*  Support for First Generation students

For nearly a century, Wayland has prided itself in service and admissions policies meant to provide a welcome atmosphere for all students. One area in particular where Wayland has committed to accessibility and assistance is for first-generation college students, defined by The College Board as neither parent having obtained a college degree. At WBU, more than half of the 2006-07 freshman class - 51.6 percent to be exact - are classified as first generation, well above the national figure of 35 percent.

For students like Melanie Vasquez and Ben Cox, Wayland's commitment to help first generation students succeed is good news.

Vasquez, a sophomore from Hobbs, came to WBU on the advice of her youth minister, an alumnus, and a good friend already a student here. Feeling a call to ministry and missions since ninth grade, Vasquez wanted to study religion and art, and "when I first stepped on campus, I felt like I was at home." Though her family doubted her resolve at times, she followed through and enrolled.

Cox, a sophomore from Haxtun, Colo., was introduced to Wayland by family friends and made his campus visit with a fellow prospective student from Colorado. Wayland appealed to Cox, who had an interest in attending a Christian university and felt at home during his visit. He knew Wayland offered a dual degree in engineering with Texas Tech, meaning his career goal was in reach. His parents encouraged the college route.

“They really pushed me and said I needed to go to college so I can get a good job,” he said. “Engineering is what I've always wanted to do. I've teased my dad that I might come back and supervise him someday.”

Cox and Vasquez say they also found encouragement from their professors and the helpful staff at WBU who made the transition into new territory much easier. Both students say they are enjoying life at Wayland and the newfound knowledge they’re gaining every day. Both are appreciative of the chance to better themselves.

“This is a good opportunity for me, and most people don’t take advantage of it,” Vasquez said. “I know I’m doing something not everyone can do, and I’m thankful for everything I’m getting out of my education.”