Baylor University

==Research and endowment==
[[File:Baylor BSB.JPG|thumb|right|Baylor Sciences Building]]

In 2005, the university was invited to join the [[Collider Detector at Fermilab]] (CDF) collaboration at the [[Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory]] in [[Batavia, Illinois]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.baylor.edu/pr/news.php?action=story&story=34343 |title=Baylor Invited To Join Experimental Physics Lab |publisher=Baylor University |date=May 9, 2005 |access-date=April 10, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060901113430/http://www.baylor.edu/pr/news.php?action=story&story=34343 |archive-date=September 1, 2006 |url-status=live }}</ref> The project is one of the world's largest experimental [[physics]] collaborations. The following year, the university was [[Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education|classified]] as "Research University" with "High Research Activity".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.baylor.edu/pr/news.php?action=story&story=40799 |title=Baylor Reclassified by Carnegie Foundation as 'Research University' |access-date=June 22, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081225004829/http://www.baylor.edu/pr/news.php?action=story&story=40799 |archive-date=December 25, 2008 |url-status=live |date=May 30, 2006 }}</ref> In 2021, the university was classified among "R1: Doctoral universities with very high research activity".<ref name="Carnegie">{{cite web |title=Carnegie Classifications Institution Lookup |url=https://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/lookup/view_institution.php?unit_id=223232 |publisher=Center for Postsecondary Education |website=carnegieclassifications.iu.edu |accessdate=December 16, 2021 |archive-date=October 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211009070100/https://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/lookup/view_institution.php?unit_id=223232 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Baylor BSB 2.JPG|left|thumb|The interior of the Baylor Sciences Building]]

In October 2009, a group of state, county and city governments and organizations and higher educational institutions in [[Central Texas]] announced the creation of the Central Texas Technology and Research Park, and the park's first project, the [[Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative]] (BRIC) to be housed in the former [[General Tire]] facility on South Loop Drive in Waco. Funding for the effort came from the state of Texas and Baylor University. Clifton Robinson (a member of Baylor's Board of Regents) donated the facility to the university to support the research collaborative.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.baylor.edu/pr/news.php?action=story&story=63366 |title=Unique Partnership Creates Region's First Research Park |publisher=Baylor University |date=October 23, 2009 |access-date=November 2, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100829152340/http://www.baylor.edu/pr/news.php?action=story&story=63366 |archive-date=August 29, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wacotrib.com/opinion/q-a-with-dr-truell-hyde-on-the-formation-of/article_79bb2f7d-d13d-5e80-89df-f4ac3faeed7f.html |title=Q&A with Dr. Truell Hyde on the formation of the Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative |date=October 25, 2009 |access-date=June 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170821184212/http://www.wacotrib.com/opinion/q-a-with-dr-truell-hyde-on-the-formation-of/article_79bb2f7d-d13d-5e80-89df-f4ac3faeed7f.html |archive-date=August 21, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Old Main, Baylor University.jpg|thumb|Burleson Quadrangle]]

Several former and present members of faculty at Baylor are or were prominent proponents of [[intelligent design]], most notably philosopher [[William Dembski]], now at [[Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary]], Christian philosopher [[Francis Beckwith]] and electrical engineer [[Robert J. Marks II]].<ref>"Baylor avoids repeating an anti-ID purge from years before" by Mark Bergin [http://www.worldmag.com/articles/13256 World Magazine] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070913034520/http://www.worldmag.com/articles/13256 |date=September 13, 2007 }}</ref><ref>Baylor U. Removes a Web Page Associated With Intelligent Design From Its Site" by Elizabeth F. Farrell [http://chronicle.com/daily/2007/09/2007090406n.htm Chronicle of Higher Education] September 4, 2007.</ref>

The university's [[Financial endowment|endowment]] passed $1 billion in 2007 and reached $1,055,478,000 on December 31, 2007.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.baylor.edu/lariat/news.php?action=story&story=48999 |title=Lilley: 2012 endowment goal may be too small |access-date=June 22, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008193933/http://www.baylor.edu/lariat/news.php?action=story&story=48999 |archive-date=October 8, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> Even with the [[economic crisis of 2008]], Baylor spokesperson Lori Fogleman reported that Baylor's endowment grew 5.1 percent in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008; the National Association of College and University Business Officials estimated that during that same period, the median return for the top 25 percent of college endowments decreased by 2.2 percent. Fogleman cited the university's long-term investments and [[diversification (finance)|diversified holdings]] as the cause of the endowment's success. Despite a hired consulting firm's concerns that the troubled economy and disagreements within the Baylor community could hinder continued growth, the university's endowment exceeded $1.1 billion {{as of|2013|May|lc=y}}.<ref name="fall13"/>

On March 4, 2010, "An anonymous longtime Baylor donor ... set up an estate provision that will benefit the school to the tune of an estimated $200 million. The gift will bolster Baylor's research on the issues of aging in multiple disciplines at the school."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kwbu.org/news.php?action=story&story=70168 |title=Baylor Receives Largest Gift in School's History |publisher=KWBU 103 NPR |date=March 4, 2010 |access-date=September 6, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100924213756/http://kwbu.org/news.php?action=story&story=70168 |archive-date=September 24, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Citing the most recent data reported by the Chronicle of Higher Education, Baylor officials say the $200 million donation is the second-largest gift to a Texas college or university and ranks among the top 20 private gifts to higher education institutions in the country.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/86332227.html |title=Baylor Receives Anonymous $200 Million Donation |publisher=KWTX 10 News |date=March 4, 2010|access-date=September 6, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100308003732/http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/86332227.html |archive-date=March 8, 2010}}</ref>