Baylor withdraws proposal to alumni association (Updated)

WACO—Baylor University has withdrawn its proposal to the Baylor Alumni Association, citing lack of a positive response to a request that the group  give up its independent nonprofit status and come under the authority of Baylor administration.

Baylor President David Garland and Regents Chair Dary Stone sent a letter Oct. 27 to Baylor Alumni Association President David Lacy and Executive Director Jeff Kilgore formally withdrawing the offer.

“Regrettably, to date we have had no formal response of any kind” from the alumni association, the letter said. “Instead, we have seen opinion articles 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.”

In an interview five weeks before the offer was withdrawn, Stone had said regarding the proposal to the alumni association: “There is not a timeline established. There’s no deadline. They can take as long as they need to consider the offer.”

But from the perspective of Baylor’s administration and regents, the alumni association failed to demonstrate they were considering the offer. In their letter to the alumni association, Garland and Stone particularly noted the association had—at its recent Baylor Homecoming meeting—publicly launched a five-year plan built on the premise of the association’s independence from the school.

“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,” the letter stated. “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.”

The correspondence added that if the alumni association decides in the future “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.”

In an interview, Garland said he was “disappointed” by the alumni association’s actions after the offer was made in mid-September. The combined impact of the alumni association’s failure to respond directly, actions taken at the group’s annual meeting and public comments by the association’s officers—rather than any single action—prompted the university to rescind the proposal, he said.

Withdrawal of the proposal came as “welcome news for many alumni,” said Jeff Kilgore, chief executive officer and executive vice president of the Baylor Alumni Association.

“This decision is certainly in the best interest of doing what’s best for Baylor. This allows everyone to focus on the important work that needs to be done moving forward, and not on unnecessary distractions,” he said.

Given “the clear and strong voice of alumni” who reacted negatively to the proposal of bringing the alumni association under university administration, the withdrawal “probably shouldn’t come as a surprise,” Kilgore said.

Still, alumni association officials disagreed with the rationale offered by the administration and regents for withdrawing the proposal.

The association had not formally responded to the offer because it was “deep into the process of gathering feedback” from its members and putting together a committee to study the matter, Kilgore noted.

On its website, the Baylor Alumni Association had invited members to comment on the proposal that the association give up its independent status and become part of Baylor’s administrative operations within its development division. The association posted responses under three categories—in support of the Baylor Alumni Association’s independence, in support of Baylor University’s proposal and “mixed responses.”

“As of Oct. 27, 88 percent of the responses received are in support of the BAA’s independence, while 7 percent support Baylor’s proposal and 5 percent are mixed,” the website stated.

The alumni association wanted to give the university’s proposal “the due diligence it needed before a response was given,” Baylor Alumni Association President David Lacy said.

“We have worked non-stop since Sept. 19 gathering feedback from the members we represent. Given the fact that we were taken by surprise when presented the proposal, the BAA did not take it lightly,” Lacy said.

The alumni association had wanted to conduct its study quietly and respond in due time, Kilgore insisted. But the officers of the organization felt compelled to speak publicly once the university launched “a massive public relations campaign” two days after presenting its proposal, seeking endorsements of its offer and offering criticisms of the alumni association.

“We were compelled to respond in kind,” Kilgore said. “It was not our intention to criticize but only to restore a balance of context and fact to the conversation.”

Regarding the alumni association’s five-year plan, Kilgore noted the organization began work on it a year ago, and the issue of the Baylor Line—the association’s magazine—that presented the plan already was far along in the production and printing cycle before the university presented its September proposal.

Garland said in an interview the university will honor the alumni association’s desire for independence and relate to the organization “as we would relate to any other independent organization.” At the same time, Baylor will continue to strengthen its own alumni relations initiatives, he said.

Alumni association officials expressed their desire to move on and work with the university.

“For the sake of peace and unity for all of the Baylor family, we will put this issue behind us, focus on our job and get back to work serving alumni and supporting our alma mater,” Lacy said.

Kilgore echoed that sentiment, stressing the importance of improved communication between the alumni association and the university.

“It is important to the Baylor Alumni Association that we continue to find ways in which to work together with the board of regents and university administration in the areas of fundraising, communications and external programs and continue to express a desire to do so,” he said.

“In return, we hope that the university will also renew its own commitment to the Baylor Alumni Association in allowing us to serve our own mission and purpose unimpeded by recent efforts.”

The task of relating to Baylor alumni and seeking the best interests of the university is a big job “that will take all of us,” Kilgore added. “I hope the Baylor tent is big enough for everyone.”