Wednesday, May 13, 2009
As a lifelong resident of Waco, I know Baylor University to be one of our community’s greatest assets. So it should be no surprise that among the characteristics and qualities I seek in a new president for Baylor is someone willing to take an active part in Waco’s community affairs.
I’m not alone. At a recent community listening session with members of the Presidential Search Committee, the importance of the president’s community role was repeatedly stressed. Local leaders also hope to see in Baylor’s next president an approachable servant-leader who is passionate about the university’s Christian mission while possessing all the experience necessary to lead a complex academic institution.
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- 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?
Wacoans attach special significance to the president’s relationship with our city. They believe the relationship between university and community — however strong today — should be a priority for the president so it can continue to be strengthened and made even better.
The consensus from the community listening session was that we need a leader at Baylor who will regard as part of his or her responsibilities active involvement in discussions and decisions regarding the well-being of Waco. Some recalled in particular President Abner McCall’s leadership in our community.
While we recognize our modern-day university is significantly more complex than it was during the McCall years, we hope Baylor’s incoming president will be inspired by the high standards set by McCall in his commitment to our community.
I’d also like to see Baylor’s next president focus on the impact that research can have in our community. Baylor has enormous potential to develop a research program that will enhance our city and improve quality of life for our citizens.
We’re working toward building a modern research center in Waco that will attract industry to our city. A center like this could bring in millions of grant dollars to foster further industrial and business growth. Because those ideals can only be realized in the context of a dynamic partnership between our city and the university, our next president should be someone who understands the enormous potential of research to drive economic and community development here.
I want to emphasize that I’m proud to be part of a team of volunteers who enthusiastically support Baylor and those who lead her. As a member of the Presidential Search Advisory Committee, I’m pleased to have been asked to contribute my thoughts regarding the selection of Baylor’s next president.
But I do not need to have a formal vote in the selection process. I’m satisfied that, after having heard from Baylor’s many constituents, the Board of Regents will exercise great intelligence and judgment in choosing Baylor’s president.
As both a longtime Baylor supporter and a member of the advisory committee, I’m confident there’s not a single member of the Board of Regents who wants to challenge or change Baylor’s core mission, its values or the unique position it occupies in higher education.
Therefore, I can fully support their choice for president.
Waco and Baylor will never be mutually exclusive; the success of one is intertwined with the other. In selecting a president who is committed to Baylor’s success as a Christian university, dedicated to quality teaching and state-of-the-art research, the Board of Regents must also select someone committed to Waco’s progress.
As community leaders, we need to support regents in this formidable task, then get behind the leader they choose.
Local civic leader and businessman C. Clifton Robinson and wife Betsy both grew up in Waco, graduated from Baylor and are longtime supporters of Baylor through scholarships, athletics and capital projects. In 2003 they helped form Friends of Baylor, dedicated to supporting Baylor’s mission for growth and excellence as a distinctly Christian institution of higher learning.
