Statement from Duane Brooks on resigning from Baylor board_92203

Posted: 9/19/03

Statement from Duane Brooks on resigning from Baylor board

A little over three years ago, I accepted the nomination of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and was elected to the board of regents at Baylor University. Some months later, my brother David Brooks was chosen by President Robert Sloan to be Baylor's vice president and CFO. I neither participated in the interview process nor voted on his hiring.

When I first learned of President Sloan's intention to hire my brother, I immediately offered to step down from the board to remove any possibility of a conflict of interest. This offer was studied and considered by the Baylor administration and legal counsel. After the review was completed, I was assured by Baylor that my continued service was both desired and proper.

To safeguard against any potential conflicts of interest, Baylor developed very specific and strict guidelines about my participation in board activities. I have never served on any committee or participated in any board activity which directly related to my brother's work. I have voluntarily left board meetings when his salary or job performance was considered and voted upon. On a number of occasions during my tenure, I have renewed my offer to Baylor to resign as a regent in order to avoid the appearance of impropriety. Each time, I was told that my continued participation as a regent was fully acceptable to Baylor and permitted under the bylaws of the Baylor board of regents.

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Posted: 9/19/03

Statement from Duane Brooks on resigning from Baylor board

A little over three years ago, I accepted the nomination of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and was elected to the board of regents at Baylor University. Some months later, my brother David Brooks was chosen by President Robert Sloan to be Baylor's vice president and CFO. I neither participated in the interview process nor voted on his hiring.

When I first learned of President Sloan's intention to hire my brother, I immediately offered to step down from the board to remove any possibility of a conflict of interest. This offer was studied and considered by the Baylor administration and legal counsel. After the review was completed, I was assured by Baylor that my continued service was both desired and proper.

To safeguard against any potential conflicts of interest, Baylor developed very specific and strict guidelines about my participation in board activities. I have never served on any committee or participated in any board activity which directly related to my brother's work. I have voluntarily left board meetings when his salary or job performance was considered and voted upon. On a number of occasions during my tenure, I have renewed my offer to Baylor to resign as a regent in order to avoid the appearance of impropriety. Each time, I was told that my continued participation as a regent was fully acceptable to Baylor and permitted under the bylaws of the Baylor board of regents.

In 2002, the BGCT asked me to renew for another three-year term as a regent. I assumed that I was qualified and eligible to serve under BGCT rules when I was re-nominated and re-elected by the convention.

You can imagine my surprise when a Dallas Morning News article by Linda Wertheimer, published on Sept. 7, 2003, claimed that my appointment as a regent violated the internal BGCT guidelines for trustees of their educational institutions. This was my first indication that I might be disqualified under BGCT policies.

The BGCT had not raised any potential problem with my qualifications during either of my terms of service. In that article, Ms. Wertheimer also suggested that the BGCT, or members of the BGCT, had asked me to resign from my position. This, too, was a surprise to me as I had not been contacted by the BGCT about this issue and had certainly not been asked to resign by any individual or organization.

After the publication of the Sept. 7 article, I spoke with Dr. Charles Wade, executive director of the BGCT, and reviewed, for the first time, the internal BGCT guidelines on the nomination of institutional trustees. Dr. Wade has not demanded or requested my resignation at any point in time. He has presented the information from the guidelines and has graciously invited me to consider this matter.

During my tenure as a Baylor regent, I have held a sincere belief that my service was proper under both Baylor and BGCT policies. Because of the internal controls established by Baylor, I am confident that no actual conflicts of interest have occurred. Nonetheless, it is now apparent that my continued service as a Baylor regent would not conform to the BGCT guidelines. Although this issue went unnoticed by all concerned for over three years, I recognize that it remains a valid issue. In this regard, I am indebted to Ms. Wertheimer for bringing this matter to light. Because I hold both Baylor University and the BGCT in the highest regard, I have decided to tender my resignation in order to avoid any appearance of impropriety.

As I reflect on my tenure as a regent, I am so very grateful for the privilege of serving the university I love and respect. I intend to continue to support Baylor and to seek to bring healing in the larger Baylor family. I have many good friends who have a broad range of opinions on the current work at Baylor. Many in my congregation at Tallowood Baptist Church love Robert Sloan and support his leadership; others express sincere concerns about a wide range of issues. I hope to continue to represent them and others to Dr. Sloan and the Baylor board of regents as a committed member of the broader Baylor family.

I also intend to provide both support and encouragement to my brother, David Brooks, as he continues to serve Baylor. After this issue arose, David graciously offered to resign his own position in order that I might continue to serve as a regent. However, I strongly believe that David's work is much more important and strategic for Baylor than mine. His leadership is critical to the implementation of vision 2012.

David was the pioneer in our family who first went to Baylor, receiving two degrees and leading all three of his brothers to follow. Each of us has received two degrees from Baylor University. Three of our wives are also Baylor graduates, giving us 11 Baylor degrees among this generation of our family. The next generation of the Brooks family will enter Baylor next year.

I strongly believe that my brother is called to his work as a vocation. All his adult life he has wanted to create opportunities for more young people to attend college. He has led the way in offering greater financial help to middle-class families, making Baylor more accessible to many students. I am extremely proud of him and view him as one of the finest leaders I have ever known.

My deep conviction is that my own primary calling is to be the pastor and shepherd of Tallowood Baptist Church. For the past 22 years, since I was a teenaged pastor in Falls County, I have served four different Texas Baptist congregations. I stand amazed that God allows me to serve the wonderful people at Tallowood. This great church has led the way in Texas through mission giving over its 40-year history. We have embarked this year on a new plan to start 30 new churches over the next 30 years, while we simultaneously build here to accommodate the growth of the church over the last five years. With five weekend services, and a large and dynamic staff, this remarkable congregation deserves my undivided attention. I am also anticipating the invaluable opportunity to spend additional time with my wonderful wife and my two young sons.

So with gratitude for the opportunity to have served Baylor, with deep appreciation for the dedicated board of regents with whom I served, and with great joy and confirmation in my own calling, I respectfully resign from my position as a regent at Baylor University and will continue to prayerfully and diligently seek to be the best pastor I can be.

—Sept. 18, 2003

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