Construction Update
Hankamer/Cashion complex, Penland Hall debut new looks
The fall 2016 semester meant the start of a new era for the Hankamer/Cashion complex and Penland Hall, which reopened to rave reviews after spending the past year undergoing massive makeovers.
A few of the features include new labs and academic units in Hankamer/Cashion and updated residential spaces, community kitchens and more in Penland.
The connected Hankamer and Cashion academic centers, which long housed the Hankamer School of Business, underwent a $26 million renovation after the Hankamer School of Business moved to the Paul L. Foster Campus for Business and Innovation a year ago.
The remodeled facility now houses several academic units, and the space has proved transformative for one Baylor department.
Last year, an anonymous $10 million gift enabled Baylor's Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) in the Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences to dramatically enhance its services to students and the Waco community with a move from Neill Morris Hall to the Cashion Academic Center. The gift allowed Baylor to build five CSD community clinics within the Baylor Speech-Language and Hearing Clinic, along with labs that will increase its ability to attract students and serve clients who come to campus to utilize the clinical services.
Other departments in the renovated Hankamer/Cashion complex include additional academic units from the Robbins College, Department of Computer Science from the School of Engineering and Computer Sciences, Baylor Institute for Air Science and the Center for Global Engagement.
In Penland Hall, students found updated rooms and classrooms, laundry rooms, a community kitchen, a reflection room and a community room.
The $19 million renovation is part of an eight-year master plan that began in 2013 to refurbish 10 residence halls across campus. North and South Russell have undergone similar updates, with Martin offline for renovation this year and Alexander, Allen- Dawson, Collins and Memorial to follow.
Penland also received its first faculty-in-residence, Dr. Kelli McMahan, BS '92, a senior lecturer in health, human performance and recreation. She lives full-time in the hall, interacting regularly with the students who call it home. The focus of faculty-in-residence positions is fostering relationships that help shape a strong social, educational, cultural and spiritual environment within the residential community.