According to a survey e-mailed last week by the Baylor Alumni Association, members’ opinions vary as to the future direction of the organization.
The informal survey identified three primary options for the BAA in the wake of the disapproval of the Transition Agreement on September 7. Sent to member e-mail addresses listed in the BAA database, the e-mail generated nearly 1,900 responses and 809 written comments.
The option receiving the most votes, 50.49 percent, read, “Seek to make organizational changes (dissolve and/or reestablish) to try to maintain control of the BAA’s endowment—possibly becoming a foundation that primarily provides scholarships to Baylor students from alumni families. The scope of the organization would be limited compared to the BAA’s historic role. Endowment earnings could fund scholarships, or if the BAA dissolves, funds could be dispersed to an existing nonprofit Christian organization providing or supporting higher education.”
The option garnering 30.14 percent of the vote read: “Seek to defend the BAA’s legal agreements and try to maintain the ‘Baylor’ name and the BAA’s historic role. This would likely lead to a lawsuit against Baylor University and could require significant expenditures from the BAA’s endowment.”
The third option, which received 19.37 percent of the vote, read: “Change the ‘Baylor Alumni Association’ name and seek to maintain the BAA’s previous roles (alumni relations and communications) while operating wholly outside of Baylor. This would mean starting from scratch and ‘re-branding’ the BAA—creating new publications, programs, websites, and social media outlets.”
The alumni association’s Board of Directors met in Waco on Saturday, October 5 for its regular fall meeting, and will continue to meet through the fall to decide on the organization’s next steps. —Lisa Asher
