Baylor regents take no action on presidential search committee

At their pre-homecoming meeting in Waco, Baylor University’s board of regents took no action regarding the appointment of a presidential search committee.

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WACO—At their pre-homecoming meeting in Waco, Baylor University’s board of regents took no action regarding the appointment of a presidential search committee.

“We believe our interim president and interim provost are doing a good job, and we don’t feel any need to be in a hurry,” Chairman Howard Batson said in a phone interview.

The Baylor Faculty Senate, the Baylor Alumni Association and Baylor Student Government each passed resolutions in recent weeks urging the school’s board of regents to include faculty, staff, alumni, students and other constituencies as voting members of the presidential search committee.

The Faculty Senate resolution—the first and most detailed of the three statements—called on the regents to form a search committee in which faculty representatives would serve with full voting rights and the balance between regents and faculty on the committee would reflect “best practices at other leading universities.”

The resolution also called on regents to include on the search committee as voting members duly elected representatives of “Baylor’s other constituent bodies,” specifically mentioning not only the student body and alumni, but also the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

Batson, pastor of First Baptist Church in Amarillo, underscored the committee’s research showed no single definitive process used by the best universities for a presidential search.

He indicated the process Baylor followed in the last presidential search—an all-regent search committee working in consultation with nonvoting advisory committee representing different university constituencies—is within the bounds of accepted practice. However, he noted no regent action was taken, and he said no timetable is attached to the search process.

Batson reported the university had received a lead gift from Baylor alumni Jay and Jenny Reid Allison of Frisco for an indoor football practice facility.

The Jay and Jenny Allison Indoor Football Practice Facility will complete the Alwin O. and Dorothy Highers Athletic Complex.


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The new $12.1 million facility will be located adjacent to the two natural grass practice fields on the marina side of the Highers Athletics Complex and will feature a 100-yard field with a synthetic playing surface.

 

With additional reporting by Lori Fogleman

 


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