Exemplary Giving
For Dan, B.B.A. ’66, M.B.A. ’73, and Nancy Russel Chapman, B.A. ’69, M.S.Ed. ’73, philanthropy is an inspired act. As alumni, former Baylor parents and grandparents, longtime volunteers and donors, their support took many forms over the years as their reasons for connecting to Baylor University changed and evolved.
They established scholarships and gave to support the Baylor Football team, but it was Baylor’s First in Line (FIL) program, a new program established during the 2017-18 academic year for first-generation college students, that sparked a special interest for the Chapmans.
“Over the years, we’ve had a number of different giving interests in family scholarships, mainly, and our support through the Baylor Bear Foundation,” Dan said. “Most of our support has gone to academics. I was very fortunate to be able to get a full scholarship to go to Baylor. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to go and experience all I did, being a first-in-line kid. It was interesting and difficult to navigate college for me. For Nancy, her dad was the first in his family to go to college. So, we were jointly interested in that, and that’s our passion now.”
Housed within Baylor’s Paul L. Foster Success Center, FIL supports first-generation students as they navigate being the first person in their immediate family to attend a four-year university. FIL serves as a campus hub, connecting students with resources and opportunities to help them maximize their academic success.
“One thing I really liked about the First in Line program is that they focus on all aspects of the student: the academics, the social, the spiritual,” Nancy said. “It’s such a good approach because the social aspect is a big part of keeping students in school by helping them feel that they belong.”
Shortly after Christmas 2018, the Chapmans established the Nancy and Dan Chapman Endowed Excellence Fund for the First in Line Program, which provides perpetual, annual funding for everything from emergency funds for students, to textbook grants, to supporting FIL program activities, all with a goal of supporting first-generation students where they have need in their Baylor journeys.
“The Chapman Excellence Fund has played a pivotal role in expanding our programming and support for first-generation students at Baylor,” said FIL Program Manager Michelle Gonzalez. “Thanks to their generous contributions, we’ve been able to significantly enhance the services and resources we provide, empowering our students to thrive in their academic journey. We are deeply grateful to Dan and Nancy Chapman, whose support has been a vital cornerstone of our success. Their commitment and care are a profound testament to the value they place on uplifting the first-generation community, and much of what we’ve achieved would not have been possible without their unwavering dedication.”
The Chapmans’ support goes beyond their endowed fund. Nancy’s Baylor story started with her father Lloyd Russell, former Baylor baseball coach and chairman of the department of health, education and recreation, and her mother, Mary Russell McCall, who married Baylor’s 10th President Abner McCall years after Lloyd Russell’s sudden passing. Nancy’s love and commitment to higher education is one she shares with Dan, who proudly became his family’s first college graduate and saw the contrast between his experience and Nancy’s. The Chapmans understand the struggles first-generation students can have, as well as the cost of such resources thanks to their shared Baylor history, as well as Dan’s dedicated service as a former vice chairman of Baylor’s Board of Regents and Nancy’s service on the Dean’s Board of the Louise Herrington School of Nursing and the Board of Directors of the Baylor Health Care System.
“Their personal stories are just as inspiring as their giving,” Gonzalez said.
“First-generation alumni such as Dan Chapman serve as role models for our students. These alumni embody resilience, determination and the possibilities that come with perseverance, showing our students that their dreams are attainable and that they can thrive in their own unique journeys. Their success stories serve as a source of inspiration, reminding our students that their backgrounds are a strength and that they are capable of accomplishing incredible things.”