The cat is out of the bag. Robert Sloan is likely leaving the
chancellor’s office at Baylor to become the next president of
Houston Baptist University. For those who have forgotten the
story, Sloan resigned the presidency at Baylor after controversy
over his rapid implementation of the Baylor 2012 vision. Debates
raged at Baylor (and still do) over the desirability of integrating
faith and learning. More prosaic matters were also involved, such
as whether Baylor should build a $100 million science facility
(which it did under Sloan’s direction).
Houston Baptist is much smaller than Baylor, but it has some
advantages. First off HBU has a board that has seen exactly what
Robert Sloan does with a university and wants his leadership.
Second, Sloan gets to do his thing at a school in a major
metropolitan area. That means a setting very congenial to
recruiting students and faculty and holding conferences. It also
means going to work in the midst of a very large and thriving
evangelical community in Houston.
I’ve written positively about Sloan in the past and have
disclosed my own previous working relationship with him as a
part-time member of his university relations office at Baylor.
Since his resignation I’ve had the opportunity to keep in touch
with him so I know he’s a man of energy and determination. My
guess is that he and HBU are going to hit this thing out of the
park.
Billy Graham and Carl F.H. Henry harbored a dream of developing
a truly great Christian university in the evangelical tradition for
many years only to see it go unfulfilled. Robert Sloan is not a
bad guy upon whom to pin those hopes.
UPDATE: Baylor has a statement on Sloan’s candidacy for the
position at HBU.
“Baylor University’s reputation for excellence in Christian
higher education has been built by faculty, staff, students and
friends who have given of their time and talents for 161 years,”
said Baylor President John M. Lilley. “Robert Sloan has made a
major contribution to that history in many ways, but Baylor 2012,
our 10-year vision, began during his presidency and may well be his
greatest contribution. Its breadth and depth are such that it will
serve as a guide for Baylor’s future. The Baylor family expresses
our thanks to him and Sue, and offers our best wishes and prayers
for their future.”
