WACO, Texas — (ABP) Baylor University's interim president is impressing enough people that he still might emerge as a candidate for the permanent presidency — despite the fact he withdrew his name from consideration last month.
Interim Bill Underwood, a 49-year-old Baylor law professor, insists he's not the man for the job. But he says he will stay as interim as long as the board of regents wants.
Meanwhile, two groups representing past and present Baylor faculty have written to the school's regents affirming Underwood, and their leaders want the regents to retain him as interim president of the embattled university for at least a full year.
Other Underwood supporters have raised the possibility of a campaign to draft him for the permanent president's post. But Underwood says he would resist such a move.
“From the beginning of the presidential search process, I have thought that the best thing the committee could do would be to find a candidate to lead the university who has not been involved in any of the disputes we've had here. I think that's the best thing for the university,” Underwood said. “I am not a candidate for the presidency, and I will not be one.”
Underwood became Baylor's interim president June 1, after Robert Sloan left the post and became chancellor in a dispute over academic freedom and the school's direction. During the last two years of Sloan's decade as president, the Baylor Faculty Senate twice gave Sloan “no confidence” votes, and regents voted three times on Sloan's continued employment — once reportedly coming within one vote of removing him from the president's post.
Underwood's selection as interim was welcomed by the faction opposed to Sloan's leadership. He made his mark on his first day on the job, most pointedly replacing Sloan-appointee David Lyle Jeffrey as provost.
At their Sept. 9 meeting, the regents reportedly were poised to vote on a presidential nominee — Pepperdine University's Linda Livingstone, a former associate dean of Baylor's business school — but withdrew the recommendation at the last minute, in part because of opposition from those promoting Underwood. At that time, Underwood withdrew from consideration.
At its mid-October meeting, the Baylor Faculty Senate voted 31-0 (with one member absent and one abstention) to approve a statement affirming Underwood and his leadership.
“Over the past four months, he has demonstrated an attitude of acceptance and respect for all faculty members, provided sound and transparent leadership, encouraged and modeled administrative efficiency, and undertaken concrete and intentional actions toward healing the university community,” said the motion of affirmation mailed to regents.
As a symbol of his desire for transparency and openness, Underwood ordered one of the doors removed from the president's office.
More than 200 former faculty and staff also signed a letter to regents commending Underwood. His “quiet, levelheaded leadership” has “created a very large measure of stability and greatly enhanced campus morale,” the letter stated.
The top leader from each of the two faculty groups insisted their organizations' actions were not part of any effort to draft Underwood for the presidency. But both leaders expressed their desire to see the regents give Underwood an extended interim of one to two years.
“We've got to get things settled here before we'll ever be able to get a good man in here [as president],” said Rufus Spain, director of the Retired Professors and Administrators Program. “I think Bill Underwood is the right person to do it for the interim. Who the right person is beyond that is up for grabs at this point.”
Many faculty members would like to see Underwood as the permanent president, said
Eric Robinson, chair of the Faculty Senate. “There was some discussion in the senate about how President Underwood's approach to faculty governance, attempts at organizational transparency, general respect for faculty and staff, and realistic outlook should be a model for the type of person the regents seek for our permanent president,” Robinson said.
Underwood, for his part, expressed confidence in the regents' presidential search committee, saying, “I don't think they feel the need to rush. I am willing to serve for however long it takes.” However, he added he hoped it wouldn't be two or three years. “Hopefully, the search committee can find someone sooner than that who can unite Baylor,” he said.