Forums Give Alumni Chance To Ask Questions

In late July, Baylor administrators met with alumni in major cities throughout Texas to answer questions about the implementation of Baylor 2012. The nearly 900 who attended the forums -- held in Houston, Dallas and Fort Worth -- included current and former members of the Board of Regents, students and alumni. Additional forums in other parts of Texas were planned for the fall.
The initial meetings were held prior to the upheaval in the men's basketball program, so topics focused on the flat-rate tuition, the University's financial status, the interview process for faculty candidates, the new classification of faculty and the relationships among tenured and nontenured faculty members.
Attendees had an opportunity to ask panel participants President Robert B. Sloan Jr., Provost David Lyle Jeffrey and Vice President for Finance and Administration David Brooks questions regarding aspects of the Vision. In addition to the evening meetings, smaller groups of about 200 alumni and donors met with the Baylor leadership at breakfasts and lunches.
The forums came on the heels of the Baylor Family Dialogue held on campus July 18 and the completion of a 24-city tour during which the administration addressed alumni questions about Baylor 2012. "The interest in the forums was high, and there was a great deal of support for the Vision, but there were also concerns and requests for information. We were trying to clear up misconceptions," said Dr. Randy Lofgren, associate vice president for Alumni Services. "The value of these sessions was enhanced by the wide divergence of opinion and people being willing to speak their mind and also to listen to other viewpoints." 
Marc Rylander, BA '96, attended the Dallas event. "As with any nuclear family discussion, this Baylor family event had some dissenting moments. However, the president's team clarified several questions that were raised and really set a new tone of unity and excitement among alumni in the Dallas area."
At the Fort Worth forum, Dr. Harriet Harral, BA '66, MA '67, asked if there were plans in place for how Baylor would address alumni comments. President Sloan said that the forums gave him additional opportunities to listen to alumni feedback, and he assured those present that their input would be addressed as the University moves forward with Baylor 2012.
Dr. Harral said in a later interview she hoped there would be a process to address alumni concerns and to update them on actions taken. She said she was told after the forum, for example, that Baylor is planning to develop training for those who are interviewing faculty candidates -- a direct result of concern about inappropriate religious questions being asked. 
Overall, Dr. Harral said she was pleased that the Fort Worth session occurred. "I was appreciative that the administration made the effort to have the forums," she said. "That was a positive step toward trying to help people work together rather than divide into camps. Now it is critical that Baylor act on the information and input from alums." 
Citing the "overwhelming momentum" of the grassroots support of Baylor 2012, Dallas alumnus Rylander said, "I have met and spoken with several Dallas alums who were skeptics before the meeting but are now ready to get behind the University and our president, prayerfully, financially and with a new level of excitement for Baylor and the 2012 Vision."
Regent Joe Armes said that although there were some "honest questions" asked, the tone of the Dallas and Fort Worth events was supportive and that alumni concerns were addressed appropriately. "Some people came because they had heard a lot of controversy, and I think they left encouraged," he said. Some who were skeptical entering the forums left with the attitude that the plan was "well thought out," he added.
Jeff Reeter, BBA '84, who attended the Houston event, said that he believed he had a broader perspective of alumni opinion about Baylor 2012 after the forum. "I was concerned that the opposition I heard at the Baylor Family Dialogue was representative of the majority of alumni. After attending the Houston forum, I see that the majority support it," he said.