ICUT Recognizes Baylor President Emeritus, State Legislator

by Judy Long

Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas recently honored Baylor President Emeritus Herbert H. Reynolds and Texas State Sen. David Sibley for their contributions to private higher education institutions in the state. Reynolds received the prestigious ICUT Founders Award, and Sibley was awarded the Legislative Champion Award during ICUT's annual awards ceremony Sept. 9 in Ft. Worth.
ICUT is the Texas chapter of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, an organization that seeks to improve the standing of private institutions of higher learning throughout the United States.
The Founders Award, which was presented to Reynolds, recognizes leaders who have made a meaningful contribution to the advancement of independent higher education over a significant period of time and that extends beyond their own institution.
"Dr. Reynolds has been one of the most influential college presidents in ICUT in the last 20 years," said ICUT president Carol McDonald. "His willingness to invest himself in enterprises that further causes beyond his single professional assignment, especially the cause of higher education, makes him a rare individual and the leader that he is."
During his tenure as Baylor's president, Reynolds created the Baylor Ambassadors, a student organization focused on furthering the public policy goals of independent higher education institutions at state and federal levels. He often generously offered Baylor resources to assist ICUT projects, such as legal expertise in reviewing complex legislation, McDonald said.
Sibley, a Baylor alumnus and member of the Baylor board of regents since 1997, has served for 10 years in the Texas Senate. As the recipient of the Legislative Champion Award, Sibley was recognized for his numerous legislative accomplishments, including funding increases for the Texas Equalization Grant that provides tuition money for students at private institutions and a clause in his 1993 tort reform bill that limits damages against colleges and universities when a person not employed by the institution commits a crime on campus.
"It's always helpful to have legislative members who are graduates of ICUT institutions," Carol McDonald said. "Because Sen. Sibley was such a fine legislative technician, ICUT was the beneficiary of his counsel and assistance. His fingerprints are on many projects that supported ICUT over the 10 years he has been a senator."