$30 million gift to school of education earn naming rights for the Moody family

Baylor University has officially renamed its School of Education the Moody School of Education after receiving a $30 million gift from the Moody Foundation, marking the largest donation in the school’s 107-year history.

University leaders unveiled the new school sign Tuesday during an event in Waco, Texas. Baylor President Dr. Linda A. Livingstone and Moody School of Education Dean Dr. Shanna Hagan-Burke spoke about how the funding could shape the school’s work for years to come.

Livingstone said the gift will support students preparing for careers in education while also expanding programs beyond the university campus. The money is expected to help provide early intervention for students in low-income communities who show strong academic potential, fund research on mental health among schoolchildren, and strengthen professional development opportunities for teachers in Texas and around the country.

The investment will also support academic pathways intended to help people with disabilities succeed in classroom careers. Baylor leaders said the range of programs supported by the gift makes it more than a naming donation, positioning it as a broad investment in teacher preparation, student support, educational research, and workforce development.

“To name the school, and then to have it supporting so many important projects and programs is going to really change the face of education at Baylor,” Livingstone said. “We’re so excited for the impact it’s going to have.”

The school’s new name recognizes the Moody Foundation, a Texas philanthropy established in 1942 by W. L. Moody Jr. and Libbie Shearn Moody. The foundation has directed more than $2.5 billion to initiatives across the state, according to the report.

For Baylor, the gift arrives at a time when schools and universities are facing continuing pressure to prepare more educators, address student mental-health needs, improve access to advanced learning opportunities, and make classrooms more inclusive. University officials said the funding will allow the Moody School of Education to deepen its work in each of those areas.

The sign unveiling formally introduced the new identity to the Baylor community, but the university expects the most significant effects to come through the programs the money will support: future teachers receiving assistance, students gaining access to early academic support, educators receiving additional training, and researchers developing new approaches to challenges facing children and schools.