The Bids Are In
A month before the official submissions of proposals for the Bush Presidential Library were due in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 15, Tommye Lou Davis, director of Baylor's Bush Library project, was hopeful.
"We're in very good shape," said Davis, BA '66, MS '68, who has devoted much of the past four years to crafting, preparing and promoting Baylor's bid for the presidential library.
Baylor, along with seven other institutions or groups (above right) received the letter of invitation and six-page library outline from the president's advisers in late July. Davis said Baylor's work on the proposal during the past four years had put them in great position to finish out the requirements.
Once the proposal is sent, there's nothing more to do but wait. There is no timeline for a decision, which ultimately will be made by the president and first lady, but Davis hopes it will be by early 2006. "We view this as a decisive administration. I don't think they'll drag it out," she said.
If Baylor's proposal is chosen, Bayor will become part of an unprecedented triangle of presidential libraries. It will join the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and Museum in Austin and the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station, each of the three about 90 miles apart.
"There is a great opportunity there for faculty exchanges, jointly sponsored symposia and special events," said Michael Parrish, the Bowers Professor of American History at Baylor, who was the research archivist at the LBJ Library for almost nine years. "It would create a very productive synergy."
Many consider SMU in Dallas to be the leading contender for the library. It is Laura Bush's alma mater, and she currently sits on its board of trustees. Vice President Dick Cheney is a former SMU trustee. Such speculation, however, doesn't deter Davis.
"What SMU has to offer is impressive alumni," she said, referring to the personal connections with the Bush administration and family. "But what Baylor has to offer is," she pauses for effect, "Baylor."
Like a good Realtor, she ticks off the mantra of the University's attributes as the potential site of the Bush Library: location, location, location.
Waco is in the heart of Texas and close to the two other state presidential libraries;
Baylor offers more than 100 acres on the scenic Brazos River with easy on/off access to Interstate 35;
Baylor is 20 minutes from the Bushes' Crawford Ranch, where they plan to spend time after his presidency.
Plus, Davis continues, Baylor's mission as a faith-based institution is compatible to the president's governing vision, and its status as a private Christian institution affords it more flexibility in areas of academic freedom. "I believe we bring a lot to the table for the president," she said.
President Bush also has seen how Baylor operates. During his terms he has asked Baylor - on very short notice - to host first a national Economic Forum in 2002 and then a North American Trilateral Summit in spring 2005. "He has seen firsthand how Baylor people pull together as a team to get things done in an excellent fashion," she said. "No one can beat our people in that respect."
A native of Arkansas, Davis' family still lives in Little Rock, site of the recently opened William J. Clinton Presidential Library. "I go back to Little Rock on a regular basis. I've watched this development, and I know the positive effect a presidential library could have on the image of Waco and the academic reputation of Baylor," she said. "The educational opportunities, the outreach prospects - that's all it takes to get me excited."
Parrish echoes Davis' enthusiasm. "Getting the Bush Presidential Library would be the biggest thing that ever happened to Baylor in terms of academics, public relations, image and visibility," he said. "It would be like hitting a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth in the World Series."
And Baylor students, Parrish said, would be the direct beneficiaries. "Their educational experience would be enhanced immeasurably by the special events, symposia and guest speakers that presidential libraries host," he said. "Presidential libraries attract people who have acted or are acting on the world stage on a daily basis."
Davis credits Tom Charlton, professor of history and director of the Texas Collection, who directed the Baylor Bush Library project in its initial two years, for educating people about the value of a presidential library, regardless of politics. "People can rise above their personal political persuasions and commit themselves unselfishly to a project that would be meaningful to everyone," she said. "This is about the presidency and about America's history."
There also is significant support in the wider community. In November 2003, Baylor introduced a national steering committee to support Baylor's bid, and more than 400 Texas mayors endorsed the effort in an announcement made in March 2004.
Others invited to submit proposals:
- Texas A&M University
- University of Texas System
- Southern Methodist University
- University of Dallas
- Midland College
- Texas Tech University
- City of Arlington