BELTON, Texas—On Friday, March 1, the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (UMHB) will celebrate the opening of the highly anticipated Marek-Smith Center for Teacher Preparation with a special dedication ceremony and ribbon cutting. The event begins at 1:00 p.m. and is open to the public.
After a short dedication ceremony, the Marek and Smith families will join UMHB President Dr. Randy O’Rear for a ribbon cutting. Visitors can tour the new state-of-the-art special education training and instructional facility following the ribbon cutting.
UMHB is the only known university in the country with a special needs lab where undergraduate education majors work directly with children with disabilities. The Marek-Smith Center will lead the way for training and educating special education instructors, enabling UMHB’s College of Education to continue to train and inspire college students to pursue a meaningful career in special education. With cutting-edge technology, resources, equipment, and tools, the 11,000-square-foot facility will offer spaces such as an immersion room, a multisensory room, a high-impact zone, a STEM lab, an outdoor exploration zone, and more.
The facility’s name honors the meaningful relationship between Logan Marek, a 2017 Belton High School graduate with autism, and Evan Smith, a 2013 Belton High School graduate and 2017 graduate of Texas A&M University. Before Evan’s death in 2018, he had a passion for young people with disabilities. He dedicated his time to volunteering with Young Life Capernaum, a ministry organization where teens and young adults with disabilities can meet Jesus and grow in their faith. Evan enjoyed working with teenagers with disabilities in Belton and College Station and serving as a personal care provider for Logan. Today, Logan lives in the Belton area and works part-time at UMHB and Eldred’s Nursery. Evan and Logan had an unlikely friendship that inspired many people. Evan’s extraordinary life and example of service will continue to inspire others as they enter the Marek-Smith Center for Teacher Preparation.
