Email This StoryBAA, Baylor move forward
Nov. 5, 2009
After talks of uniting, both sides plan for progressive futures
By Addie Aro
Staff writer
The spirited exchanges between Baylor Alumni Association and the university took a new turn yesterday - they softened.
Despite Baylor's recent withdrawal of a proposal for the Baylor Alumni Association to give up its independent status and become a part of the university, Baylor and the BAA now say they now hope to move forward in a spirit of shared commitment and harmony.
"We hope they will be an encouragement to Baylor alumni and we're glad of their commitment to the university and we are looking forward to what they will do," said Lori Fogleman, director of marketing and communications. Speaking on behalf of the university Interim President Dr. David Garland and Board of Regents Chairman Dary Stone, Fogleman said the university will continue to support the BAA as it has in previous years.
David Lacy, president of the alumni association, said the 150-year-old BAA, which gained financial independence in 1976, intends to achieve a harmonious relationship with Baylor by doing what alumni has asked of them.
The last few weeks have been anything harmonious as both proponents and opponents of the university's proposal made their sentiments clear, mostly in local media reports, including op-ed columns and letters to the editor in the Lariat.
"The hundreds of alumni who formally replied to us made it clear that they want us to seek ways to work with the school to further alumni relations, and that is what we plan to do," Lacy said. "We intend to respond [shortly] to Baylor and seek new ways to work together to expand the relationship and communication of all constituency, including faculty staff''
Lacy said he hopes both organizations will work together and work for the betterment of the school.
"It would be good for us to meet regularly with regents and administrative representatives so we can make sure we are all on the same page of the common goals we have," Lacy said.
Jeff Kilgore, executive vice president of the Baylor Alumni Association, said that in order for the communication process to occur, both parties must have mutual respect for each other.
"If both parties are willing to sit down and understand each other position ...[in order] for Baylor to be successful, we have to have a relationship that includes everyone," Kilgore said.
,He said the BAA hopes to look past the [controversy] surrounding the proposal.
"We have a presidential search that is going on; I am sure that all of our respected constituents are excited to hear a report back from the different advisory boards," he said. "People are ready to turn the attention from conflict and discourse, and move back into things that are more produce for the university as a whole. We look forward to do out part."
Kilgore, like Lacy, said the BAA is looking for ways to better communicate with the university and regents.
The BAA has not contacted the university since the proposal was delivered on September 19 and did not reply when the university delivered a letter on October 27 that formally withdrew the proposal. However, Kilgore said, the BAA hopes to set up communication in the near future.
The BAA cited media reports one of the reason for the silence. Kilgore said that before the BAA could respond to the initial proposal, BAA representatives were called to respond to the media, and thus did not expect to have to give a formal response to the proposal. "The university made a statement last week," Kilgore said. "We are at a point where we felt like we didn't want to contribute to it and it was probably best to be silent over the weekend and not respond in a way that people might expect us to or even want us too."
The BAA noted that the alumni association and the university do not cross paths in the services they provide.
"There are many alumni who would contend that it's irresponsible for us to intentionally work at cross purposes because we would be duplicating costs," Kilgore said. "We'd be spending twice (the amount of) the same pot of money to do the same thing."
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