BAA Board President Collin Cox reaches out to BAA members

Shortly after President Ken Starr sent the letter that appears above to Baylor Nation on June 10, Collin Cox, BA '97, the president of the Baylor Alumni Association's board of directors, emailed the BAA's membership about the proposed agreement between Baylor and the BAA. The following is an excerpt of his letter, which can be read in its entirety at BaylorAlumniAssociation.com/letter.

Dear BAA Members,

For the past year, three representatives of the Baylor Alumni Association (BAA) and three Baylor University regents have had extended discussions about a path forward that would resolve past disagreements and unify the Baylor family. On May 31, the BAA executive committee and university representatives agreed to several changes to the relationship that will provide Baylor alumni with an independent voice, outside of university control; create an Alumni Advisory Board (including many current BAA directors) within the university, allowing our representatives to become involved with the university's alumni outreach efforts; and place the official alumni engagement responsibilities within the university, eliminating duplicative efforts performed by both the BAA and the university.

These changes would be implemented through a series of legal agreements that must be approved by a two-thirds vote of BAA members who attend a meeting on Sept. 7, 2013. Among those changes is the issuance of a license from the university to a new entity, the Baylor Line Corporation, which will be an independent 501(c)(3) organization, governed by its own board of directors. The Baylor Line Corporation will publish the Baylor Line independently from the university, as the BAA does now.

This is a profound moment of decision for the BAA. Change can be difficult, but your executive committee believes this is the best course of action for the BAA. We have consistently reaffirmed the core principle of alumni independence for the university we all love. We now have the opportunity to solidify that independence, while simultaneously contributing meaningfully to a fully cohesive set of alumni programs that will help bring Baylor President Ken Starr's vision of Baylor alumni outreach to reality. We want you to have all your questions answered and expect a spirited conversation about these matters over the months leading to the September 7 meeting. But your executive committee firmly believes these steps of action -- reached after a year of debate, compromise, and, finally, breakthrough -- are worthy of your support, which we will request in due course.

We are grateful for your time, talents and support of the Baylor Alumni Association. These are significant changes for our organization, but we firmly believe them to be in the best interest of the Baylor community, as we advance the cause of Christian-based higher education. We look forward to the discussion that will follow.

Sincerely,

Collin Cox

2013-14 President, Board of Directors

Baylor Alumni Association