Chat Transcript

Harry · August 19, 2003

Chat Transcript with Dr. Robert Sloan at BU

Baylor University President Dr. Robert B. Sloan Jr. stopped by BaylorBears.com to answer questions from fans on Monday, August 18 to answer questions regarding the current athletic department searches for athletic director and head men's basketball coach.

Since becoming the 12th president of Baylor University in 1995, Sloan has undertaken monumental strides to ensure Baylor's continued success while upholding Baylor's traditions and heritage. His dedicated Christian character and tireless efforts have increased the University's prominence and reputation around the world.

Sloan's guidance has facilitated growth and promise for the University. His administration has guided the completion of several landmark building projects such as the McLane Student Life Center, the Sheila and Walter Umphrey Law Center and the Baugh-Reynolds Campus of George W. Truett Theological Seminary. Projects under construction include the $23 million Harry and Anna Jeanes Discovery Center, the centerpiece of the Sue and Frank Mayborn Natural Science and Cultural History Museum Complex, and the $103 million multidisciplinary Baylor Sciences building. These cutting-edge facilities will give the University an unprecedented environment for equipping students as leaders.

With his leadership, the University also has embraced Baylor 2012 as the primary planning document for the future of Baylor. The 10-year Vision was developed with input from faculty, staff, students, alumni and Regents and reflects Sloan's desire to see Baylor enter the top-tier of American universities while maintaining its distinctive Christian mission. Among other plans, the Vision calls for a student-faculty ratio of 13:1; recruitment and retention of world-class faculty and students; creation of an Honors College and a School of Communication; strengthening and expansion of the Graduate School; addition of 120 new classes per semester that focus on the Great Texts; construction of additional residential life facilities that will add 1,800 beds; and increasing the University's endowment to $2 billion.

Sloan, who chaired the Big 12 Conference Board of Directors from 2000-2002, served as spokesperson for a group of six major college athletic conference CEOs. He is a member of the Cooper Foundation Board and the Board of Trustees for the Baylor College of Medicine. He was inducted into the Little League Hall of Excellence in 1996 and was named a Baylor Distinguished Alumnus in 2000.

President Robert B. Sloan Jr.: Good afternoon. Thanks for participating in todays chat. I'm looking forward to taking your questions.

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J.B.L. (Lawrence, KS): What do you think is the future of Baylor men's basketball, and of Baylor sports for that matter? Could Baylor's violations cost the school it's membership in the Big 12 Conference, as CBS Sportsline.com has suggested might happen?

President Robert B. Sloan Jr.: Thanks. Our commitment certainly is to remain in the Big 12. Today, the Kansas City Star and some other media have reflected support for the University. Very clearly, we face some problems, but our commitment is to the Big 12. The Fort Worth Star Telegram has indicated very strong support for Baylor remaining in the Big 12. The answer is not to run away from the problems, but to face them - to carry out the investigation... We need to find the very finest coach available and go forward and compete as we have in all the sports.

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Jason (Waco): Why did Tom Stanton step down?

President Robert B. Sloan Jr.: That was a very difficult decision for Tom. I want to say straight off that I have enormous appreciation for Tom. The investigative committee tells me that in all of their searching and discovery that they have found absolutely nothing that implicates Tom in any of the violations that we have discovered. But, Tom brought his resignation forward because, I think, he felt like as a matter of leadership and integrity that he should step down, since these things happened on his watch. I have to tell you, I know Tom to be a person of enormous integrity. When you think about all the things that Tom has done as Baylor's AD, I think it's an enormously impressive list of accomplishments. We have some of the finest facilities that any Division IA university in the nation has. We now have 17 varsity sports; I think we had only 14 when Tom started. We have full-time coaches in every sport. Though it's hard to believe now, we had, I think, 4 or 5 sports where we only had part-time coaches before. And we also started some new varsity sports: softball, women's soccer. We've seen our athletic programs go from, say, 125th in the Sears Rankings consistently down around 40th. That's a ranking that reflects overall sports. We have 7 championship trophies in 5 different sports. I think Tom has done an outstanding job, and I think Tom also believes under the circumstances that for himself and his family, he'll look for other opportunities to show his leadership and is integrity. I want to express my deepest appreciation to Tom for all he has done for Baylor.

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Greg (Houston): In light of the tragic events that took place over the past few months, how will it affect the 2012 vision Baylor hopes to accomplish?

President Robert B. Sloan Jr.: Thanks Greg. The tragic circumstances surrounding our basketball program in recent weeks have clearly drawn our attention away from the 2012 discussions. That's inevitable, I suppose. But I think it's important to realize that as I've traveled around and had discussions with members of the Baylor family, that while there are some genuine and very appropriate questions that we need to make sure we address, that at the same time, I find very strong support for the general parameters and direction of the university as represented by Baylor 2012. We've visited already a number of cities, and will be doing more of that in the coming months to make sure we hear from members of the Baylor family. I am gratified both at the number of very good questions we recieve, because I think that reflects the love and concern of the Baylor family for Baylor, and I'm also glad to note the very strong encouragement and support that I am receiving for the direction that we're going.

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Brian PatrickClarke, Burbank, California: The outrageous attempts by Dave Bliss to besmirch the reputation of Patrick Dennehy leave me aghast. Baylor University should commit to ensuring that Bliss never again finds employment. He is a disgrace.

President Robert B. Sloan Jr.: Thank you Brian. All of us are stunned by these revelations of an attempted coverup. The good news is that the coverup didn't work. As far as Dave Bliss' future in coaching, that's certainly a matter for the NCAA to decide. We will continue our investigation, and we will certainly present all of the facts that we have to the NCAA. They are the final arbiter, not only of institutional sanctions but also of individual sanctions. Again, we will get to the bottom of this. The process is going to be thorough, it is going to be honest, and we want to make sure that we establish valid and appropriate processes and protocols to make sure, if that is at all humanly possible, that something like this never happens again. Thanks for the question.

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Don Haney, Richmond: It looks like there may be a mass exodus of basketball players. Have you thought about self-imposing the death penalty so that we will not have to pay to send our intramural team on the road to get creamed?

President Robert B. Sloan Jr.: Okay, Don - you're certainly asking a straightforward question, and that's fair enough. There is no question that we might well lose players. In fact, the reason I offered releases to every player is that I tried to imagine myself as the father of our basketball student-athletes, and I asked myself what I would want for my son, if my son had innocently been involved in such tragic circumstances. So, applying the Golden Rule, we offered releases. To be honest, I do not think that imposing the death penalty on ourselves is a good solution at all. That's just not the right response. It might make a few people feel momentarily happy, but there are also a lot of people who would be injustly harmed by such a decision. I can tell you that our Big 12 colleagues have been very supportive. They appreciate our commitments as a university, and while we have not been as competitive, obviously, in football or (for the most part) men's basketball as we want to be, we nonetheless are strong, contributing members of a great conference. We owe it to our conference to participate. Our commitment is to play Big 12 basketball the best that we possibly can. Our search committee is working hard, and I believe that they will be able to bring someone in quickly, I hope within the next three weeks.

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Paul Russell (Killeen): With all the questions recently about your leadership, why don't you resign like Tom Stanton did?

President Robert B. Sloan Jr.: Thanks Paul. I certainly understand why the question is being asked, especially under the circumstances. As I've said many time, I serve at the will of our board. I am totally committed to this university, to the 10-year vision of the university, and I intend, again at the will of the board, to continue to serve the univesity. These have been very difficult circumstances, but I'm confident that with the Baylor family pulling together, we can make it through.

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Kevin Cherry (Dallas): Is not the hiring of an athletic director more important to the future of Baylor athletics than hiring a basketball coach? What is the status and the time line for the hiring of an athletic director?

President Robert B. Sloan Jr.: Thanks Kevin. Yes, in many ways I think the hiring of the AD is philosophically and operationally more important than the hiring of a basketball coach. The status and timeline for each hire this this: We have hired a very prestigious search firm to work with our search committee. The search firm has a national reputation, particularly in the area of athletic searches. The search committee, or a member of it, has contact with the search firm on an almost daily basis, and I'm hoping that we will see tangible results within three weeks. We have asked the search firm to do both searches simultaneously and to give equal weight to both. By the way, we are getting some very strong names in both categories, and I am very optimistic about the outcome.

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Fletcher (Austin): After the basketball related press of the past two months, how does Baylor regain its lost national prestige?

President Robert B. Sloan Jr.: Of course, all of us are concerned when we're in the news for the wrong reasons. On the other hand, I hope that our willingness to accept responsibility and to self-impose sanctions and to conduct a thorough investigation have said something positive, as well, about Baylor's unique identity. Fortunately, Baylor has a strong reputation in many areas, and a very strong academic reputation in particular. That will continue to serve us well as we emerge from this. Baylor University is 158 years old, and is very resilient.

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Christian Ellis (Fort Worth): How are you holding up through all of this?

President Robert B. Sloan Jr.: Thank you for the question. It's very kind of you, Christian. It has been very difficult, and yet I have received literally hundreds (in fact, now over 1000) messages and e-mails of encouragement and support. It's very gratifying to see that Baylor people so readily offer their prayers and encouragement and support. It has meant more to me than I can possible express.

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P. Mathieson---Abilene: No question. A good word for Bob Hoffman. Great christian coach.

President Robert B. Sloan Jr.: Thanks, Price. I do not know Mr. Hoffman, but I have heard many strong affirmations of him, both for his coaching and his Christian commitment. Thanks for adding your word of support.

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Brad D Bianucci '89(Rockwall, TX): Is it embarrassing for you to see the Baylor football team lose by scores of 66-0, 45-3, 70-21, etc?

President Robert B. Sloan Jr.: Yes Brad, it's embarrassing for me, and I suspect for every loyal fan of Baylor University to see our team lose by lopsided margins. I will reiterate my commitment and that of the regents and the entire University to all of our athletic programs. I have a great deal of confidence in Guy Morriss and his entire staff. We will all have to be patient, because it will take time for them to rebuild our football program. But I am definitely committed to the success of our football team. I think we'll see a difference this year, but how that difference translates into more wins, we'll obviously have to wait and see. Thanks for the question.

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George W. Dudley, Dalas: What positive steps can Baylor friends and alumni take to counteract the negative impression created by recent events?

President Robert B. Sloan Jr.: Thanks George. I think all the members of the Baylor family need to be bold and speak up for the university. It is tragic that we've been through such turmoil in recent months, but there is a great deal going on on our campus that is enormously positive. I hope our alumni and friends will speak boldly to media and to the public in general about the great things happening at Baylor: once again, we have an outstanding entering class of freshmen and transfers, we have a tremendous faculty at the university, we have great facilities and over the next 12 months several new buildings will come online, our fundraising is more than $5 million ahead of last year's pace. There's a lot that Baylor people can do, and we need our alumni to be good ambassadors.

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Brad D Bianucci '89 (Rockwall, TX): What are your honest feelings toward Dave Bliss right now?

President Robert B. Sloan Jr.: I am shocked and disappointed in the things that Dave has done. All of us are completely surprised at the things he has admitted, and what we have discovered. On the other hand, all of us need to remember that Dave Bliss and his entire family are in need of our prayers.

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Jack Donaldson (Valley Mills): What can you do as a leader to heal the pain that the university is feeling right now?

President Robert B. Sloan Jr.: Several things: we have to face the problems, we have to listen to wise council, communicate with the Baylor family, move quickly in our investigation and take appropriate corrective action. At the same time, we have to keep moving forward on central issues affecting Baylor University. After all, our central mission is still providing an outstanding experience in higher education for our students. We have 14,000 students who will be on our campus within a matter of days, and our first job is to focus upon them. Finally, I think we have to communicate with the entire Baylor family, not only about the challenges, but also our successes. I call upon all of us to pull together in support of the many successes that the university is also enjoying.

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Houston: Why don't all universities simply pay their players? They have earned the money that they have brought to the school via ticket sales, etc. We pay work-study students, why not atheletes?

President Robert B. Sloan Jr.: Great question. College athletics is not professional sports, but neither is it pure amateurism, either. Our players do receive college scholarships for what they do. It's the opportunity for them to receive a great education. I served for almost two years as chairman of the Group of Six, a committee of 12 university presidents and chancellors from the six major (BCS) conferences. We strongly resist any notion of "pay for play", but we do realize that student-athletes oftentimes have financial needs that scholarship support do not meet. But I think we must resist every temptation to move towards the professional sports model. Our mission as institutions of higher learning must always be foremost in any discussion of college athletics.

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Osejie: What should the new freshmen bring on wednesday? Where can i find out what to bring?

President Robert B. Sloan Jr.: This Thursday is the start of Welcome Week. We'll have some 3200 new freshmen and transfers coming to Baylor to join the 11,000 continuing students. We're excited about having you on the campus. The people in Student Life always remind me to tell the freshmen to bring extra-long sheets!

President Robert B. Sloan Jr.: I appreciate all the questions. We've received over 550 questions; obviously we can't take them all. We've tried to take representative questions. Thanks so much for your participation, and for your interest in and love of Baylor. I look forward to doing this again someday. The start of the year is here, classes are beginning and our first football game is two weeks away. Sic 'em Bears!