Saturday, May 30, 2009
Regents have held “listening sessions” around the state to give Baylor University’s friends an opportunity to express their views about what they want in its next president.
An encouraging aspect of the three sessions I attended was the degree of agreement in the desirable characteristics of our next president: approachable, transparent, congenial, knowledgeable of and respectful of both Baylor and Baptist history and traditions.
- 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?
Participants also by and large want a recognized scholar experienced in administration at quality universities.
And almost to a person, participants want someone capable of “bringing the Baylor family back together.”
On the last trait: The ability to restore harmony in the Baylor family is essential.
Unfortunately — maybe tellingly — what was missing from the discussions I heard was any reference to the cause of our university’s disharmony.
It’s common knowledge that Baylor’s “family feud” began several years ago when a new administration initiated a “bold new plan” known as Vision 2012.
A central component of Vision 2012 was the intention to remake Baylor in two significant ways.
The plan’s first goal was to change Baylor from a teaching-oriented university with an excellent reputation into a research-oriented university — a “vision” with dubious potential for fulfillment.
Second, 2012 proposed changing Baylor from a university “in the Baptist tradition” to a university reflecting and catering to the evangelical/ecumenical movement associated with certain Midwestern universities. In the process, Baylor and Baptist distinctives would be diminished.
Divergent views about the role of Vision 2012 in the presidential search process were expressed in these listening sessions. Some participants asked that our next president be committed to pursuing the goals of 2012. Others asked that 2012 not be a factor in the selection process. I support the latter position.
My hope is that the search committee will seek a president who possesses those qualities we can agree on and not require him or her to subscribe to a “vision” that has split the Baylor family and damaged Baylor’s reputation nationwide.
To elect a new president committed to the goals of 2012 would be disastrous. Divisions in the Baylor family will continue until Vision 2012 is laid to rest.
Rufus Spain, a retired Baylor University history professor, joined the faculty there in 1957. He specialized in courses on the history of religion as well as late 19th and 20th century history.
