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admin
74 Posts |
 Posted - 09/22/2009 : 08:37:10
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This past Saturday, September 19, the Baylor Board of Regents and Baylor Interim President David Garland submitted a proposal to the Board of Directors of the Baylor Alumni Association (BAA) during its regularly scheduled board meeting. This proposal requested that the BAA dissolve its charter and turn over all of its assets, personnel, and operations to the university as well as editorial control of the BAA’s alumni publications. In return, Baylor would absorb the BAA as a department of the university, and the BAA’s governing board would be reconstituted as a board of advisors.
The planned agenda for the BAA’s board meeting was to observe and celebrate the BAA’s 150th anniversary of supporting Baylor and serving alumni and to hear a report concerning the alumni association’s new five-year plan, “United for Baylor,” which is designed to increase scholarship giving to children of alumni and to encourage alumni to raise money for Baylor. The university’s Board of Regents and administration, however, demanded an audience on Saturday with the BAA’s board during this celebration and regular business meeting to present their proposal for the BAA to terminate its existence as a self-governing organization. Numerous responses and requests from the BAA to regents and Garland to defer this discussion until the next BAA board meeting were rejected. For the past three years, the Board of Regents has rejected the BAA’s continued requests for an official audience with regents to address any concerns and to discuss mutual efforts focusing on restoring unity and moving Baylor forward. In addition to requesting the dissolution of the BAA’s charter, the proposal characterized the BAA’s historic role as a trusted communicator with alumni as being a “watchdog.” Being a trusted communicator is only one of numerous roles played by the Baylor Alumni Association, which comprises 19,000 of the school’s strongest cheerleaders and dedicated fans.
The BAA’s governing board will strongly consider the merits of the proposal received from the Board of Regents and interim administration. The BAA has always given any request from the Baylor administration full consideration in keeping with the responsibilities with which it is entrusted. Through the formation of a study committee composed of alumni and faculty, the BAA will thoroughly study the proposal.
The request for the BAA to dissolve raises questions with many alumni, considering that only two years ago both the BAA and the Baylor Board of Regents agreed upon and expressed their commitment to the independence of the BAA, strategic plans that support the mission of the university, and a harmonious relationship. A survey of BAA members and non-member alumni during this same time period found that 83 percent of respondents believe the BAA’s independence enables it to be a strong partner with the university while providing alumni with their own voice. The same survey revealed that 96 percent of those polled believe the BAA should serve as an organization that responsibly and candidly represents the collective interests and values of Baylor alumni and provides a forum for the Baylor family to address issues concerning the well-being of the university. As we would with anyone else, we certainly believe that a group of twenty-one individuals on the Board of Regents and the interim president are entitled to their opinion. This opinion requires us to study and consider the many ways that this proposal will affect our organization and Baylor.
The regents’ urgent demand to present this proposal at this particular time raises a number of questions. Why has the current Board of Regents, under new leadership since June, taken this 180-degree turn away from its historic support of the BAA’s independence? And why now? We are not sure what the answers to these questions are, but we believe we must respond fully and faithfully to the proposal, as any good fiduciary would, in a way that is best for Baylor. That will be our guiding light as we consider the proposal.
The BAA’s membership of more than 19,000 continues to represent the strongest, most actively engaged members of Baylor’s alumni base. The association’s own membership base has never been stronger and ranks among the typical membership percentages of its Big 12 counterparts. As a financially self-sufficient group, the BAA provides $1.8 million in programs and services that engage alumni and encourage them to support the university. Under the terms of the proposal, this is roughly $1.8 million that the university would begin funding with its own funds to provide the same services. This past fiscal year, the BAA engaged more than 24,000 participants in its programs and had nearly 1.5 million communication contacts with alumni and friends.
In addition, BAA members’ financial support of Baylor remains a critical component of the university’s health. Members of the BAA constitute more than half of all alumni donors to the university, directly contributing $14.2 million to Baylor during a recent fiscal year. The alumni association’s operations have never been stronger, running a balanced budget and maintaining its history of receiving unqualified audits. This success has come alongside the efforts of Baylor regents and administrators over the past year to change and sever the functional and service-oriented connections between Baylor and the BAA in a manner that departs from the historic partnership between the two organizations.
All of the above stated successes are germane to the mission and purpose of the BAA, and the facts show that the BAA and alumni are performing well. All of this must be considered when we study this proposal, as well as whether or not this proposal allows the BAA to expand its services in a way that is best for Baylor.
Baylor University is unique as an institution of higher education, maintaining a delicate balance between learning and faith while being governed by a self-perpetuating board of twenty-one individuals who have limited checks and balances to their authority as far as determining the future course of Baylor. Because of that special status, and for hundreds of other reasons, many alumni and the strongest supporters of Baylor have believed that the university is best served by an association that is self-governed and endowed with an independent voice -- an association whose uniqueness in the world of private higher education matches the uniqueness of the institution it serves. We must carefully study whether or not this mission holds true today as we consider this new proposal.
As leaders of the alumni association, we hope that this candid, simply stated personal response will be clearly understood by you -- our fellow Baylor alumni and friends. Let us know what you think.
David Lacy ’79, BAA president for 2009
Jeff Kilgore ’90, ’92, BAA executive vice president and CEO
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Bob DeFoor
USA
1 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2009 : 10:13:44
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| BAA should remain supportive but independent. |
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Kabina
2 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2009 : 11:09:13
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Exactly when has the BAA been supportive? INDIVIDUAL alumni give to Baylor; the BAA never has. Yet the BAA takes credit for INDIVIDUALS have given to Baylor. quote:
Originally posted by Bob DeFoor
BAA should remain supportive but independent.
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johnlhoward2
1 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2009 : 11:39:45
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| Working together on alumni relations, avoiding costly duplication, and streamlining operations make a great deal of sense to me - given the at-times uneven relationship between Baylor and BAA, why not employ a trial period, where both groups can test-drive the new approach before a formal, final decision is made? |
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Bear Bones
1 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2009 : 11:56:16
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What is wrong with an independent, uncensored voice? Why now does the BOR choose to press this and completely revoke the original intent of the BAA charter? To what end and purpose does dissolving the BAA achieve?
Questions that need to be answered... |
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Jane Munoz
USA
1 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2009 : 12:01:52
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I would like to see the University and BAA move forward in a united front. I am an active alumni who attends many university and BAA events and I would appreciate a more cohesive relationship instead of the tension that has been the focus for the past 2+ years.
J Munoz |
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Bear4
USA
1 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2009 : 12:59:45
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Independence of the BAA allows truthful support to Baylor without the steering provided by the BOR. Without censorship under the directives of the BOR, Alumni can provide honest input as to the future of Baylor and know their voice is heard. As an active young Alumni who is faithful to the University, I greatly appreciate the BAA allowing voices to be represented who do not agree in the pathway led by the BOR. Baylor University taught me to become an independent, educated individual who positively impacts society with Christian ethics and beliefs.
Without an Independent BAA there is no independent voice represented for Baylor University. |
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Mike Taylor
1 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2009 : 13:17:28
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Assuming the report from BAA is accurate, sounds like the board is pushing for unfettered control - a disturbing development. I like tention. It makes enlivens the day, keeps everyone honest, and helps prevents group think. So tention needs to be enouraged, not avioded. Let the board openly defend its request (er - "demand"). If it's just to keep themselves or the school from being criticized, I'll cry a river. After all, a university is supposed to think and behave differently than a purely commercial or private enterprise. And even businesses, when well run, accept and seek out critical (as in negative, oppositional, contrary, tention creating,...) input in the hope that they will avoid major mistakes or find new opportunities. Seems to me that the BAA is an efficient method for that input, negative or otherwise.
Mike Taylor |
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Kabina
2 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2009 : 13:27:05
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Mr. Taylor, it's spelled "tension" not "tention."
quote:
Originally posted by Mike Taylor
Assuming the report from BAA is accurate, sounds like the board is pushing for unfettered control - a disturbing development. I like tention. It makes enlivens the day, keeps everyone honest, and helps prevents group think. So tention needs to be enouraged, not avioded. Let the board openly defend its request (er - "demand"). If it's just to keep themselves or the school from being criticized, I'll cry a river. After all, a university is supposed to think and behave differently than a purely commercial or private enterprise. And even businesses, when well run, accept and seek out critical (as in negative, oppositional, contrary, tention creating,...) input in the hope that they will avoid major mistakes or find new opportunities. Seems to me that the BAA is an efficient method for that input, negative or otherwise.
Mike Taylor
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70sbear
1 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2009 : 13:38:08
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quote:
Originally posted by Kabina
Exactly when has the BAA been supportive? INDIVIDUAL alumni give to Baylor; the BAA never has. Yet the BAA takes credit for INDIVIDUALS have given to Baylor.
The email from Lacy and Kilgore says "...BAA members’ financial support of Baylor remains a critical component of the university’s health. Members of the BAA constitute more than half of all alumni donors to the university, directly contributing $14.2 million to Baylor during a recent fiscal year."
The BAA never took credit for its members' support of Baylor - the BAA simply pointed out that BAA members make up a majority of alumni who provide financial support to Baylor. That's a fact -- whether you choose to believe it or not. |
Edited by - 70sbear on 09/22/2009 13:42:23 |
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rhfields
USA
4 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2009 : 13:40:32
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Thank you for the shocking details of last Saturday's blatant display of power politics by the current University administration and regents. This act is nothing more than an attempt on the part of a political elite to consolidate power by eleminating any perceived threat to their reign. At least this cabal has now come out of the closet, and apparently abandoned their more subterranian attempts to destroy the Association. The probable reason for this shift in tactics is the fact that their previous actions have not been successful. On the contrary, it seems that the Association has grown stronger.
This is a great example of corporate greed - grab everything that you can and take no prisoners. What a wonderful example for present and future Baylor students to follow. Somehow, I don't think this is the type of Christian education that the Founders had in mind.
As a Past President and Life Member of the Association, my advice is to give Gardner/Stone et al. the same answer that Gen. Anthony C. McCauliffe (U.S. commander of the 101st Airborn Division at Bastogne, Belgium during World War II's Battle of the Bulge) gave to the German commander when the latter demanded surrender: "NUTS!"
ILLIGETIMI NON CARBORANDUM!!
Randy Fields
Randy Fields |
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Phyllis Strother
USA
1 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2009 : 14:54:07
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Please stay supportive but independent.
Phyllis Strother |
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borwick
USA
2 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2009 : 15:17:16
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Haven't Baptist institutions had enough of takeovers?!? Let's not let the BAA lose its strength and place as an independent and caring voice of alums on behalf of its beloved university.
Besides, I simply couldn't live without THE BAYLOR LINE, which flings our green and gold throughout the world in award-winning literary ways. With all due respect, THE BAYLOR MAGAZINE is a marketing tool. On the other hand, the LINE is a clear voice from Baylor's heritage to today's university and the world.
A last point: Shouldn't Baylor choose a strategically wise time and manner in which to "covenant" with anyone, particularly its alumni. Work on carving out a working, healthy relationship between President and BOR, between faculty and administration, between students and administration. Only then will the institution be in a position to speak strength to strength with the BAA. This move seems shabby. |
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Marcus Johnson
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Posted - 09/22/2009 : 15:20:52
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| Whatever other compromises can be made, BAA must not give up its independent status. The BAA should counter with an offer that is not near as one sided as the one presented to the BAA. I do not trust the BOR to do anything right and now that they control the Waco Trib, the BAA is the only source of unbiased information and free thought concerning Baylor's present and future. Most universities allow greater debate amongst their constituencies, but Baylor since Sloan has followed a top-down approach business approach--not a good model for higher education, which is collaborative. Since few or none of the regents comes from higher education, they do not understand this. |
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Irishgreen
4 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2009 : 15:22:15
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quote:
Originally posted by rhfields
Thank you for the shocking details of last Saturday's blatant display of power politics by the current University administration and regents. This act is nothing more than an attempt on the part of a political elite to consolidate power by eleminating any perceived threat to their reign. At least this cabal has now come out of the closet, and apparently abandoned their more subterranian attempts to destroy the Association. The probable reason for this shift in tactics is the fact that their previous actions have not been successful. On the contrary, it seems that the Association has grown stronger.
This is a great example of corporate greed - grab everything that you can and take no prisoners. What a wonderful example for present and future Baylor students to follow. Somehow, I don't think this is the type of Christian education that the Founders had in mind.
As a Past President and Life Member of the Association, my advice is to give Gardner/Stone et al. the same answer that Gen. Anthony C. McCauliffe (U.S. commander of the 101st Airborn Division at Bastogne, Belgium during World War II's Battle of the Bulge) gave to the German commander when the latter demanded surrender: "NUTS!"
ILLIGETIMI NON CARBORANDUM!!
Randy Fields
Randy Fields
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Irishgreen
4 Posts |
Posted - 09/22/2009 : 15:24:24
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It was a pleasure to meet R. Fields a couple of times back when Baylor was still BAYLOR before the BOR, Robert Sloan and 2012 screwed it up. He's right. I'll be there at Homecoming ready to fight.
uote]Originally posted by Irishgreen
quote:
Originally posted by rhfields
Thank you for the shocking details of last Saturday's blatant display of power politics by the current University administration and regents. This act is nothing more than an attempt on the part of a political elite to consolidate power by eleminating any perceived threat to their reign. At least this cabal has now come out of the closet, and apparently abandoned their more subterranian attempts to destroy the Association. The probable reason for this shift in tactics is the fact that their previous actions have not been successful. On the contrary, it seems that the Association has grown stronger.
This is a great example of corporate greed - grab everything that you can and take no prisoners. What a wonderful example for present and future Baylor students to follow. Somehow, I don't think this is the type of Christian education that the Founders had in mind.
As a Past President and Life Member of the Association, my advice is to give Gardner/Stone et al. the same answer that Gen. Anthony C. McCauliffe (U.S. commander of the 101st Airborn Division at Bastogne, Belgium during World War II's Battle of the Bulge) gave to the German commander when the latter demanded surrender: "NUTS!"
ILLIGETIMI NON CARBORANDUM!!
Randy Fields
Randy Fields
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Baylor regents ask alumni to dissolve association
