Snapshots of Growth

Baylor’s Department of Film and Digital Media is a compelling example of the impact Baylor’s alumni, parents and friends are having at the University through the Give Light campaign.

In 2015, Matthew Lindner, B.A. ’12, and his father, Carl Lindner III, both of Cincinnati, Ohio, wanted to support the faculty and students — the same faculty who had poured into Matthew during his time as a student. They decided to give a major gift to the program, creating the Matthew B. Lindner Endowment for Excellence in Film and Digital Media.

“The faculty members in Baylor’s Film and Digital Media program provided me with the kind of well-rounded education I needed to turn a love for film into the reality of a professional career in movies,” said Matthew, who is a producer and investor in the independent film industry. “Words can’t describe the impact Baylor had on me, and I’m very happy to give back in some way. My hope is for Baylor to one day be known as one of the best film departments in the nation.”

This significant endowment support allowed the program, which was part of the Department of Communications at the time, to become its own department within the College of Arts & Sciences. Since then, the department has continued to grow, as faculty have expanded their curricula and created a better way of identifying promising students through pre-major classes.

Matthew, though, wasn’t done making an impact. In 2021, he made another gift to the program, providing another endowment gift to support internship and experiential learning opportunities for FDM students through the Baylor in L.A. program, a residential learning opportunity in Los Angeles for FDM students.

“The Department of Film and Digital Media owes an enormous debt of gratitude to Matthew Lindner,” said Chris Hansen, M.F.A., professor and chair of the department. “It shows his real belief in the value of a Baylor education.”