Baylor’s next president should be humble, collaborative, committed to diversity, and a good listener. This person, who must be “a mature Christian with a vibrant faith,” might come from the ranks of academia, but he or she might also come from a corporate leadership role, according to a twenty-one-page prospectus published by the university.

The booklet, published this summer, includes a “presidential profile” describing the attributes of the next president in four categories: academic vision, professional experience, leadership style, and personal attributes.

The profile states that Baylor’s next president should “possess a terminal degree and a successful record of academic administration or demonstrated success in executive leadership with an understanding and appreciation of the nature and goals of institutions of higher education.”

“That part of the profile is intended to acknowledge that there are two tracks that someone might have followed to get to this position,” said Joe Armes ’83, MBA ’84, Baylor regent and chair of the all-regent Presidential Search Committee.  “One is a purely academic track, which is the more traditional model. But there is a non-traditional model where someone may not have been in the academy, yet has the leadership skills and has the deep understanding of the culture and community and appreciation for what we are trying to do academically at Baylor.”

Ken Hall, president and CEO of Buckner International and chair of the Presidential Search Advisory Committee, said that the search and advisory committees discussed this topic thoroughly. “That topic and the issue of scholarship and teaching faculty versus research faculty were probably the most-discussed issues [in developing the profile],” he said.

The idea of including two possible tracks, Hall said, will broaden the field of applicants. “Rather than narrow the field in the profile, we tried to get as many names in as possible and to market the university; then the committee will narrow that down. We wanted as broad of parameters as possible to get the best and the brightest out there.”

Armes said that the advisory committee was helpful in synthesizing the information from the listening sessions, held on campus and in several Texas cities, to create the prospectus. “That was reflected in the presidential profile,” he said. “It really is a description of the attributes that we’re looking for in Baylor’s next president.”

After an advertising blitz in August that included ads in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Baptist Standard, Christianity Today, Christian Century, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and other higher education publications, the university has received the names of many qualified individuals, Armes said.

Armes said Baylor alumni have been active in nominating candidates and that the committee is still taking nominations. Alumni can provide input on the university’s website at Baylor.edu/president/search. The full prospectus that was published is also available for downloading at that site.

Armes said that only the outside search consultant has had personal contact with the various presidential candidates so far. Armes said he has called Hall and other members of the advisory committee to get input about specific nominees.

Hall said that, although he has not seen a full list, “I’m elated at the caliber of people who are at least talking to the search firm. Lots of good names have surfaced.”

The prospectus was mailed to all of the nominees that the search committee wanted to “learn more about,” Armes said, declining to give any numbers. In addition, the booklet was sent to the top hundred universities in the country, all the Baptist universities and colleges, Christian leaders, leaders in Baptist life, and academics, Armes said. The book was sent to “those in higher education across the country that we thought would have an interest in what we’re doing at Baylor and that we thought would be good sources of nominations for us,” he said.

The majority of the prospectus focuses on Baylor, with sections on the mission, finances, student statistics, academic excellence, the various colleges and schools, school history, well-known alumni, and the Baylor 2012 plan and progress.

The booklet is designed to introduce people to Baylor, Armes said. “It’s an acknowledgment that this will be a recruitment effort as much as it will be a selection effort,” he said. “It’s also a great opportunity to market Baylor and to tell our story to a wide audience at a time when people are paying attention to the presidential search.”

The next step in the process, Armes said, is a joint meeting of the two committees. The search committee of regents will then narrow the applicant pool, and the advisory group will interview only “finalists,” he said. Armes, who rotates off of the regent board at the end of next May, said he hopes to begin some interviews before the end of the calendar year and to have a decision before his departure from the board.