Email This StoryBaylor withdrawls BAA proposal
Oct. 27, 2009
By Adeola Aro
Staff Writer
Baylor formally withdrew its September 19 proposal to the Baylor Alumni Association today.
A copy of the letter was sent to Baylor's faculty and staff at 5:16 p.m. today.
In a letter from Interim President David Garland that was delivered to BAA President David Lacy, the university stated that the five year plan launched by the BAA at the meeting presented a clear message that the proposal was effectively and de facto declined by the BAA.
Baylor's original proposal asked the association to dissolve its independent status and become an entity apart of the university.
In the e-mail sent to Baylor faculty and staff, Baylor cited the failure of the BAA to respond directly, actions taken at the recent annual meeting of the BAA board, as well as the public comments of the BAA leadership about the proposal as reasons for the withdrawal.
Baylor plans to commit itself to creating a new an alumni relations program.
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Below is the text from Interim President David Garland's letter to BAA President David Lacy:
Dear David,
It has been more than six weeks since a Baylor University official met face to face with the President of the BAA inviting your organization to join the University in enhancing alumni outreach through an integrated in-house alumni relations effort at Baylor. The full BAA board has had the written proposal since September 19.
Regrettably, to date we have had no formal response of any kind from the BAA. Instead, we have seen opinion editorials from your president and executive vice president criticizing our proposal, the University and its governing bodies. We have not seen a single instance in which you have publicly discussed the merits of the proposal directly and the impact it could have enhancing national alumni relations at Baylor. Last week, at its annual meeting, the BAA launched a five year plan upon which BAA independence and separation from the University was the major building block. All of these activities present a clear message that our proposal, though made in good faith, is effectively and de facto declined by the BAA.
Therefore, out of respect for your desire to be independent and separate from the University, we believe it is in the best interest of Baylor that we formally withdraw our proposal. If, in the future, the BAA wishes to explore the possibility of becoming part of a robust in-house alumni relations program within the University, we will be pleased to consider that possibility at your request.
It is unfortunate that you will not be joining the University's efforts to ramp up alumni relations at Baylor. From our perspective, it was a sincere proposal to establish a new, energized, well funded, and focused alumni relations effort designed to better serve our alumni and the Baylor family. Just as the recently announced Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative will multiply our success in the areas of research and engineering education, a focused and enhanced alumni relations program will usher in a new era of alumni services and engagement at Baylor.
We wish you well in your future efforts and we hope you will be an encouragement to Baylor as we renew the University's efforts to reach and engage our 140,000 alumni around the world.
Sincerely,
David E. Garland
Dary Stone
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