Creel Resigns From Operations and Facilities Post

June 14, 2005

Rick L. Creel, associate vice president for operations and facilities at Baylor University, has announced his resignation, effective June 30, to pursue other opportunities.
"It has been a privilege for me and a blessing for my family to serve Baylor during the past four-and-a-half years," Creel said. "I am most proud of the great team assembled in operations and facilities that proved to be more than just a 'caretaker of bricks and mortar.' From day one, our driving force was to make a difference in students' lives, and I am grateful for the team's outstanding work, for empowerment from the administration and for the tremendous cooperation from faculty, staff and students as we accomplished many strategic objectives for Baylor while planning for its future."
Creel joined Baylor in January 2001 as director of university operations, after 16 years working with various business ventures in Texas, including serving as president of Flynn Enterprises, a national/international satellite communications provider. In June 2002, he succeeded Kenneth L. Simons as Baylor's assistant vice president for operations and facilities and was named associate vice president in 2004.
Creel has actively worked to fulfill the operations facet of Baylor's mission and vision, overseeing all new construction and renovation, real estate acquisition and disposition, facility services, dining services, property management, risk management, architectural and engineering services, facility utilization and planning, and host services. He was instrumental in collaborating with the Office of General Counsel to create a department of risk management at the university.
Since Creel joined Baylor, the university has added more than 1 million new square feet at a cost of approximately $200 million. Construction projects completed under his direction include Stacy Riddle Forum, Dutton Avenue Office and Parking Facility, Parker Brothers Sports Fields Complex, Marina Pool Facility, Morrison Constitution Hall renovation, Mayborn Museum Complex, North Village Residential Community, East Campus Parking Facility and Baylor Sciences Building. The Bear Habitat renovation is on track for completion this summer. Creel also is responsible for the completion of the Baylor Electrical Substation, which provided the necessary infrastructure for new and future facilities as well as a projected energy savings of $600,000 annually. Under Creel, the university also increased its acreage from 435 to more than 750 acres, including frontage property at University Parks Drive and Interstate 35.
Under Creel's leadership, Baylor developed a dining services master plan, which transformed on-campus cafeterias to residential restaurant-style dining. Baylor also became the first university to open a Chili's Too restaurant and also added a full-service Starbuck's, Ninfa's and Shipley DoNuts, improving relationships with national as well as local vendors.
"Rick's hard work and great management made an enormous impact on Baylor's facilities and operations, and under his leadership, the Vision 2012 facility plan emerged in both visible and invisible form," said Dr. Reagan M. Ramsower, acting vice president for finance and administration. "Expanded campus living and learning facilities as well as enhanced dining services now entice Baylor students to stay within the boundaries of our residential campus. Land for new campus facilities was obtained. Baylor is a far better place in all respects because of the outstanding job done by Rick Creel and he will be greatly missed by all of his colleagues."
"Rick was fundamental in persuading me to leave the corporate world and contribute to an institution which is grounded in Christian faith and the caring mentoring of its students," said Hank Dawson, director of Baylor's design and construction services. "His enthusiasm and sincere love for the university have been contagious to all of us who have had a reporting relationship with him. Rick exhibits a drive for excellence in both organizational skills and pure energy, and he has been motivational in assuring that operations and facilities contributes its very best to Baylor and Vision 2012."
"I very much appreciated the opportunity to get to know Rick Creel and make a new friend during his time with Baylor University," said Waco City Manager Larry Groth. "We worked together on a number of the huge projects completed on campus in the past few years. Rick was always open, honest and accommodating while maintaining Baylor's interest."
Creel is a member of Highland Baptist Church and the Rotary Club of Waco and serves on the advisory council for KWBU and on the board of directors of the Heart of Texas chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He and his wife, Melanie, have two children, Madison and Braden.