Recent discussions over a stronger relationship between Baylor University and the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston might surprise some at this juncture, but there’s no doubt in our minds that the idea is ripe with possibilities for both institutions.

While details are few and fleeting, Baylor University certainly would gain some in stature through such an affiliation. We see where it might further accent Baylor’s goal of academic and scientific research, fit in neatly with the Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative announced last fall and catapult Baylor into its long-sought top-tier university status nationwide, leaving it well-poised to pursue millions of dollars in research funding.

The Baylor College of Medicine also has much to gain, especially after the painful dissolution of its 54-year partnership with The Methodist Hospital in Houston and financial difficulties that Trib higher education reporter Tim Woods says will stall completion of its new hospital this year. A partnership of sorts could bolster the college’s financial picture, though we would hate to see anything that threatens Baylor University’s fundraising goals, including its $2 billion endowment campaign.

The fact the negotiations involve Baylor University board of regents chair Dary Stone as well as Drayton McLane, a Baylor College of Medicine trustee and former Baylor University regent chair, also speaks well for any deal. Both have always proved to be articulate and passionate advocates of Baylor University and its future.

While officials with both the university and medical school remain tight-lipped about negotiations, we anticipated the fears of some at the medical school about Baylor University’s Baptist policies casting a religious hue on scientific progress and culture at the Baylor College of Medicine. The college president already has reassured more than 430 who signed a petition of its continued autonomy.

We don’t necessarily see a problem in all this, based on what we know about the arrangement, likely to be a strengthened affiliation, not a full-fledged merger. Experts can point to other religiously affiliated medical schools such as Wake Forest in North Carolina and Mercer in Georgia. But pressing questions need to be answered to inform and reassure all parties about understandably viable concerns.

If BU and the Baylor College of Medicine — linked by a history going back to the start of the last century — can help each other in some manner in the here and now, so much the better. But it’s high time to air and discuss this proposal publicly rather than risk allowing speculation and mounting fears to torpedo what could be a most exciting era for both of these accomplished institutions.