Baylor is one of the top universities in the nation when it comes to alumni participation in the Independent 529 Plan, according to the latest report from the program. The Independent 529 Plan is a national, prepaid college savings plan, sponsored by more than 250 member colleges and universities nationwide, including Baylor. As the price of tuition rises, the plan can help alumni lock in at a lower rate for future use. When the plan's administrators asked its account owners to tell them their alma mater, 53 percent responded, and Baylor alumni came in at number five. Those ranked above Baylor were Notre Dame, Stanford, Princeton, and MIT. For more information on saving for college through the plan, go to independent529plan.org.

Committee Concerns

On September 11, the Baylor University Faculty Senate voted by a large majority to pass a motion that expressed concern about President John Lilley's appointment of former Baylor provost Dr. David Lyle Jeffrey to the university's tenure committee. The tenure committee makes recommendations to the president regarding which faculty members should receive tenured status. Half of the committee's twelve members are appointed by the university president, while the other half are appointed by the Faculty Senate. Members hold three-year staggered terms.

Faculty Senate Chair Matthew Cordon, professor of law and director of legal research, said the senate's concern focused on whether Jeffrey, now a distinguished professor in the Honors College, should make tenure recommendations about faculty members he had hired during his time as provost because he might have been privy to information not typically considered. Cordon noted that Jeffrey was a replacement nomination from Lilley when the original nominee for the Honors College slot was found to be ineligible.

Mother of Invention

Julie Savage '90 has won the "Mother of Invention" Grant from Whirlpool. She won $7,000 to launch her business--plus a washer, dryer, and dishwasher. Her invention is the Tidy Toys mobile toy-cleaning service, a business that disinfects toys, books, and more at doctor's offices, daycares, and churches. Savage constantly works to develop new ideas and products as a freelance idea consultant for her self-started business, Ideas to Grow. As winner of the award, she will also get to attend a Whirlpool business boot camp, held at the company's headquarters.

Top Job

Jon M. Foster '84, president and CEO of St. David's HealthCare in Austin, is the 2007-08 chair of the Texas Hospital Association's (THA) Board of Trustees. One of the largest hospital associations in the country, THA represents more than 85 percent of the state's health-care institutions. Foster, a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, has been in the top role at St. David's since 2001. During his tenure, the St. David's health-care system has undergone a $600-million facilities modernization and expansion and has received national, state, and local recognition as a top hospital. St. David's shared the honor of Texas Employer of the Year from the Texas Workforce Commission, a distinction that represented the first time a health-care organization received the recognition.

During Parents Weekend on Friday, October 5, the Baylor Alumni Association will bestow the First Families of Baylor Award upon the Tidwell family. Five generations of Baylor alums in the Tidwell family began with the wife of J. B. Tidwell, after whom the Tidwell Bible Building is named. Tidwell himself was not a Baylor graduate, but he served the university for almost four decades--first as a fundraiser; then as a professor of Greek, Latin, and Bible; and finally as head of the Bible Department until his retirement in 1945. The First Families of Baylor Award, presented annually since 1980, recognizes a multi-generational Baylor family that has shown long-lasting concern and support of Baylor. To read more about the Tidwell family, read "Toasting the Tidwells" in the September Between the Lines.

Homecoming News

Homecoming is November 2-4, and here's some great news: Friday night's events--including Extravaganza, the pep rally, and the bonfire--will be back in the center of campus, on Fountain Mall between Moody Library and Pat Neff Hall. "After last year's Homecoming, we did a survey of alumni and asked for their suggestions as to how we could improve, and the biggest request we heard was to move Extravaganza back," said Baylor senior Andrew Morris, Homecoming chair for the Baylor Chamber of Commerce. "We're all excited about this move and hope the Baylor family will be as well." Extravaganza begins at 6 p.m. and will feature a giant slide, inflatable games, hot air balloon rides, and carnival rides--including a Ferris wheel. The pep rally starts at 9 p.m. with the bonfire immediately following.

Members of classes that end in "2" or "7" will celebrate reunions this year at the Reunion Picnic near Touchdown Alley before the football game on Saturday. Special gatherings are also planned for the twenty-five and fifty-year reunion classes and for the Heritage Club classes. For more information and to buy tickets online, visit the Homecoming website.