Welcome, Judge Ken Starr. Today marks the start of your administration as president of Baylor University. We know you’ve already been making the rounds and have even signed up for civic duty, including serving on the newly formed board of the Greater Waco Community Education Alliance.

You’ll find the “Baylor family” has an overwhelming multitude of good ideas about what your priorities need be in the coming months, so certainly you’ll not mind if we offer some.

* Spend coming weeks getting out and about in the greater Waco area. One thing Interim President David Garland has made a priority is strengthening the bond between Baylor and the city of Waco. In an interview with a member of the Tribune-Herald editorial board last week, he acknowledged that some people have treated Interstate 35 as if it were “the Great Wall of China,” separating town and campus. Think past this wall.

Garland and BU regents have ignited a new era of cooperation with the city on everything from the trail that runs along the Brazos, from I-35 up to the Ferrell Center, to progress on the recently opened Waco Mammoth Site, a paleontological marvel now on its way to becoming a national monument.

You’ll find City Manager Larry Groth, Mayor Jim Bush and Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce President Jim Vaughan excellent partners in all this. Count on us as well.

* Reinforce the terrific work being done by the Baylor Network as it continues outreach to Baylor alumni across the world. We certainly would encourage you to be open to any entreaties from the Baylor Alumni Association, but keep in mind that the BAA has voiced great pride in its independent status, even as Baylor officials last year sought to bring it into the BU fold.

Some negotiations have quietly continued behind the scenes by well-meaning parties. Fine. But if the BAA wishes to maintain its independent status, respect its wishes with all the tact you are famous for — and reinvest your attention in the work of the Baylor Network, not only in rallying Baylor alumni to its future mission, including fundraising, but in backing its goal of keeping them informed about what’s happening at their alma mater.

* Get to know our state leaders and make them aware of our great hope for the 300,000-square-foot Central Texas Technology and Research Park, home of the Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative, taking shape in the old General Tire building in East Waco. Garland tells us state leaders facing an $18 billion shortfall have already trimmed the $10 million in seed money promised to us by 5 percent.

Considering most state funding is being trimmed by 5 percent and that this won’t come close to addressing matters, we must nonetheless work hard to ensure this foundational funding for BRIC isn’t cut further. The park will invigorate those driving Baylor’s mission of becoming a top-tier research university and bolster efforts to shape and educate the next generation of Wacoans, transforming them into a highly skilled workforce ready for the jobs that will doubtless come into being.

As Garland remarked to us in light of state cutbacks and how they might impact the park: “We’re concerned about getting this done quickly because it’s absolutely crucial for us.”

These are but a few goals where we know you can make a difference, if only by bringing a fresh perspective and instilling a new vigor on campus. That may mean cutting back some on your considerable commitments elsewhere across this nation. But we hope you’ll find Baylor’s tremendous potential at this critical juncture well worth the sacrifice.

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