Wednesday, April 22, 2009
As president of the official alumni organization of Baylor University, I stand with 19,000 other members in seeking what’s best for Baylor.
The Baylor Alumni Association’s commitment to Baylor’s mission has been our group’s goal since its creation 150 years ago, in 1859. It will remain our guiding force in the decades to come.
- 07-19-09 David Brooks, guest column: Second-guessers misrepresent '2012' designs
- 06-24-09 Charles S. Madden, guest column: 'Baylor 2012' painted as something it never was
- 06-03-09 Joseph Armes, guest column: Opportunities endless for next Baylor president
- 05-30-09 Rufus Spain, guest column: Root of Baylor's rift: Vision 2012
- 05-27-09 Kenneth L. Hall, guest column: Baylor's next president needs a Christian, global view
- 05-20-09 Henry Walbesser, guest column: BU regents should reconsider their goals carefully
- 05-13-09 Clifton Robinson, guest column: Waco's wellbeing key to next Baylor president
- 05-06-09 James G. Vaughan, guest column: Next Baylor president must be immersed in city
- 04-29-09 Patricia Pack, guest column: Our next boss at Baylor should be approachable, a listener
- 04-22-09 David Lacy, guest column: Entire Baylor family must agree on the next president
- 04-15-09 Robert C. Cloud, guest column: Baylor faculty seek 'first among equals' for top spot
- 04-08-09 Bryan Fonville, guest column: Trust issue crucial in Baylor's next president
- 04-05-09 Carlos Sanchez: We're asking: What qualities should Baylor's next president possess?
Along with others in the Baylor family, BAA members share Baylor’s long-term dreams and aspirations. Future growth was an inherent part of Baylor’s foundational vision. We want it to become increasingly outstanding as an institution of higher learning serving young adults, as Baylor’s motto, “Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana,” asserts.
Given the institutional aspirations shared by those in the Baylor family, we must also aspire to secure the most outstanding leader possible as the institution’s next president. After a prolonged period of turmoil and turnover in the administration, it’s critical to employ a search process that will both find and build community-wide support for the right person to serve as Baylor’s 14th president.
This process must have buy-in from all of the university’s many constituencies, and there are many. Students, faculty, staff, donors, alumni, parents, regents and all other stakeholders need to feel a part of this most important decision. This can best occur with great communication, and that must start at the top.
Last July, when the Board of Regents fired Baylor president John Lilley, regent chairman Howard Batson said the board had taken this action due to “a building of factors over time, to the point where we realized progress was not being made quickly enough to unify the Baylor family.”
When asked what the board would seek in the next president, Batson said: “Someone who can really begin to understand the concerns of the various constituencies of Baylor and try to bring those many constituencies together as we move forward.”
I couldn’t agree more. I’m sure the vast majority of our alumni agree as well. Yes, Baylor needs someone who is committed to preserving Baylor’s Christian commitment as a Baptist institution. Yes, Baylor should find someone with experience as a college president or senior administrator. Yes, Baylor needs someone who is a proven and effective fundraiser. And, yes, we need a person who is committed to religious liberty and academic freedom.
Encompassing all these qualifications, however, must be a commitment to building real unity within the entire Baylor family — a unity we can see demonstrated through action and deed. Finding such a person requires the buy-in of all the many constituencies this person will represent.
For Baylor to achieve its full potential, the members of each of its major constituent groups must believe their opinions are valued and must believe that their gifts of service will be truly involved in creating Baylor’s future.
The new president must make the ultimate decisions. However, he or she must do so after gathering input from the many groups that make up our great university. In short, Baylor’s next president should have real-world experience as a university and academic leader with a strong, proven track record of consensus-building.
I’m of the opinion that — based on the outstanding faculty members who have served at Baylor for decades and based on the outstanding accomplishments of Baylor’s alumni in nearly every field of endeavor — Baylor has been a world-class school for at least five or six decades. The immense success of our many alumni, taught by this faculty, proves the point.
These are the leaders — the world-class faculty and distinguished alumni — who should routinely have the ear of our new leader. At this moment in time, we need another world-class president to continue Baylor down the path of excellence that it has traveled for decades.
David Lacy, president of the Baylor Alumni Association, is president of Community Bank & Trust.
