Robert B. Sloan
Encyclopedia
Robert Bryan Sloan, Jr. is an American
academic and theologian, currently serving as president of Houston Baptist University
.
, and grew up in Abilene, Texas
. He earned his B.A.
from Baylor University
in 1970, and his M.Div from Princeton Theological Seminary
in 1973. After post-graduate research at the University of Bristol
, he earned his Th.D. from the University of Basel
in 1978. After serving as an adjunct at Hardin-Simmons University
and on the faculty of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
, Sloan joined the Department of Religion faculty at Baylor University
in 1983, and would eventually become the founding dean of the George W. Truett Theological Seminary
. He succeeded Herbert H. Reynolds
as president of the university in 1995.
The imperatives were:
David Brooks had been hired only a few months after his brother Duane Brooks had been seated on the Baylor Board of Regents by the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT). Duane Brooks subsequently resigned from the board in 2003, when the violation of the BGCT nepotism policy was exposed by the Dallas Morning News. In his resignation letter to the BGCT, Duane Brooks stated “David graciously offered to resign his own position in order that I might continue to serve as a regent. However, I strongly believe that David's work is much more important and strategic for Baylor than mine. His leadership is critical to the implementation of vision 2012.” David Brooks dismissed the allegations noting "This group of dissidents is attacking regents individually. Where was the concern three years ago?"
Faced with the challenge of growing a $2 Billion Endowment from the existing $645 million baseBrooks noted his “hands-on approach, Baylor will be better able to increase its investments, despite the national economic slowdown” and "we look at the endowment as a very long-term endeavor," that is “clearly a challenge in this kind of environment”.
To fund the vision, Baylor changed the tuition structure for the fall of 2002 from hourly to a fixed rate and increased tuition and fees for incoming freshmen over 34%, from $12,804 to $17,214, While announcing the increase, Brooks stated "We are one of the last major, private universities to go to a flat-rate tuition, it's still going to be an outstanding value."
The tuition increase had an immediate impact on the total number of undergraduate students fell from the 2001 high of 12,190 to a low of 11,580 in 2004. Over the subsequent years, even though more high schoolers were applying and more were being accepted, the percentage of those who accepted declined to enroll at the school. Baylor’s undergraduate enrollment did not get back to the 2001 level until 2010.
In 2003, critics complained the administration had loosened adademic standards to allow the admintance of more provisional students as a “market-driven way of acquiring lost tuition and fees and dealing with the looming major budget shortfall”. Sloan admitted that the percent had increased from 4.7% to a “the figure may be 12 percent to 13 percent, in part because the board of regents "asked us to bring that number up."
In July 2003, millions of dollars of interest free loans to Baylor were pulled by wealthy benefactor Paul Piper and Kent Reynolds, Christ Is Our Salvation (CIOS) Foundation executive director and son of former Baylor president Herbert H. Reynolds
, “in protest of the recent direction and leadership of the university” and “"exorbitant tuition increases over the past two years, the massive debt for new construction, the new emphasis on outward religiosity rather than quiet spirituality, and the new emphasis on faculty publication and research over outstanding teaching were the major factors in the decision not to renew the loan". This action came months after the CIOS Foundation had pulled $2.6 million and took back a $5 million Beechjet aircraft that was leased to Baylor at a rate that was $35,000 below market rates. Brooks called the action “politically
motivated to embarrass the university.”
Shortly after the loss of Piper Beechcraft, Baylor administration purchased a $2.3 million jet, reportedly informing regents “after a $100,000 deposit already had been made.”
Baylor management were ultimately forced to sell the jet in March 2004, as the purchase had ”created controversy". "Critics said the university did not need such an expensive airplane and contended Sloan acted outside board guidelines in its purchase. Supporters said it is a good investment and contended appropriate procedures were followed.”
The imperative of a $2 Billion endowment was doomed from the start due to the massive “$262 million construction program”, the declining enrollment and balancing budgets by tapping $7.5 million in what Brooks described as a "quasi-endowment fund” in 2003 and 2004. The endowment fell from the 2000 level of $645 million to a low of $537 million in 2003. After reaching the $1 Billion goal in 2007 and 2008, the endowment had settled in the mid $800 million range.
In April 2004, the university was rocked with the revelation than Sloan and Brooks had received salary increases of 29.6% and 22.4% in 2002, while the faculty had been given raises ranging from 2.3 to 10..4%. Kent Gilbreath, an economics professor noted "In universities, as in all areas of society, there is a fundamental question of fairness in the way people are treated, so when chief executives get annual salary increases that are up to 500 percent greater than those of employees in the university or corporation, it is inevitable that it will have a negative effect on the morale of the employees."
Sloan eventually resigned in 2005. The saga is chronicled in the 2007 book The Baylor Project: Taking Christian Higher Education to the Next Level (ISBN 1587310627).
at the University of St Andrews
in 2006. He began his tenure as president of Houston Baptist University
on September 1, 2006. David R. Brooks joined the Houston Baptist University Board of Trustees in December 2006 and currently serves as the board chairman.
Additional information can be found in Dr. Kent Gilbreath's series of essay’s about Baylor 2012.
calling on evangelicals, Catholics and Orthodox to reject practices of abortion, same-sex marriage and other matters that go against their religious consciences.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
academic and theologian, currently serving as president of Houston Baptist University
Houston Baptist University
Houston Baptist University is a private Baptist institution founded in 1960. It is located in Greater Sharpstown in Houston, Texas near the Southwest Freeway.- History :...
.
Education and background
Sloan was born in Coleman, TexasColeman, Texas
Coleman is a city in Coleman County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,127 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Coleman County.-Geography:Coleman is located at ....
, and grew up in Abilene, Texas
Abilene, Texas
Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The population was 117,063 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County...
. He earned his B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Baylor University
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
in 1970, and his M.Div from Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary is a theological seminary of the Presbyterian Church located in the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey in the United States...
in 1973. After post-graduate research at the University of Bristol
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
, he earned his Th.D. from the University of Basel
University of Basel
The University of Basel is located in Basel, Switzerland, and is considered to be one of leading universities in the country...
in 1978. After serving as an adjunct at Hardin-Simmons University
Hardin-Simmons University
Hardin–Simmons University is a private Baptist university located in Abilene, Texas, United States.-History:Hardin–Simmons University was founded as Abilene Baptist College in 1891 by the Sweetwater Baptist Association and a group of cattlemen and pastors who sought to bring Christian higher...
and on the faculty of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, is a private, non-profit institution of higher education, associated with the Southern Baptist Convention...
, Sloan joined the Department of Religion faculty at Baylor University
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
in 1983, and would eventually become the founding dean of the George W. Truett Theological Seminary
George W. Truett Theological Seminary
George W. Truett Theological Seminary is a Baptist theological seminary in Waco, Texas. The seminary, named after Southern Baptist preacher George Washington Truett, was founded in 1993 as part of Baylor University.-History:...
. He succeeded Herbert H. Reynolds
Herbert H. Reynolds
Herbert Hal Reynolds was the President of Baylor University from 1981 to 1995.-Biography:Herbert H. Reynolds was born March 20, 1930, in Frankston, Texas. He graduated from Trinity University in 1952. From 1952 to 1956, he served in the U.S. Air Force and was an advisor for the Japanese Air Self...
as president of the university in 1995.
Baylor 2012
In 2002, Sloan unveiled a 42-page plan titled "Baylor 2012", outlining his strategy to transform into a national university with Ph.D. programs and research professors, allowing to "to enter the top tier of American universities while reaffirming and deepening its distinctive Christian mission."Imperatives
“Baylor 2012” included twelve imperatives that were “necessary for Baylor to fulfill the Vision”.The imperatives were:
- Imperative I - Establish an environment where learning can flourish.
- Imperative II - Create a truly residential campus.
- Imperative III - Develop a world-class faculty.
- Imperative IV - Attract and support a top-tier student body.
- Imperative V - Initiate outstanding new academic programs in selected areas.
- Imperative VI - Guide all Baylor students through academic and student life programming to understand life as a stewardship and work as a vocation.
- Imperative VII - Provide outstanding academic facilities.
- Imperative VIII - Construct useful and aesthetically pleasing physical spaces.
- Imperative IX - Enhance involvement of the entire Baylor family.
- Imperative X - Build with integrity a winning athletic tradition in all sports.
- Imperative XI - Emphasize global education.
- Imperative XII - Achieve a two-billion dollar endowment.
Financing the Vision
At his 1995 inauguration, Sloan spoke of his desire for facilities that "are of the first rank," and attracting "the very finest faculty anywhere on this planet". Recognizing the need for financial expertise, Sloan turned to David R. Brooks in the spring of 2000, as his Vice President for Finance and Administration to oversee “Baylor's budget, business, controller's, and treasurer's offices; the Information Technology Center; purchasing and campus services; Ferrell Special Events Center; Center for Community Research and Development; and the university's Institute for Technology Innovation Management.”David Brooks had been hired only a few months after his brother Duane Brooks had been seated on the Baylor Board of Regents by the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT). Duane Brooks subsequently resigned from the board in 2003, when the violation of the BGCT nepotism policy was exposed by the Dallas Morning News. In his resignation letter to the BGCT, Duane Brooks stated “David graciously offered to resign his own position in order that I might continue to serve as a regent. However, I strongly believe that David's work is much more important and strategic for Baylor than mine. His leadership is critical to the implementation of vision 2012.” David Brooks dismissed the allegations noting "This group of dissidents is attacking regents individually. Where was the concern three years ago?"
Faced with the challenge of growing a $2 Billion Endowment from the existing $645 million baseBrooks noted his “hands-on approach, Baylor will be better able to increase its investments, despite the national economic slowdown” and "we look at the endowment as a very long-term endeavor," that is “clearly a challenge in this kind of environment”.
Tuition Increases and Enrollment Impact
To fund the vision, Baylor changed the tuition structure for the fall of 2002 from hourly to a fixed rate and increased tuition and fees for incoming freshmen over 34%, from $12,804 to $17,214, While announcing the increase, Brooks stated "We are one of the last major, private universities to go to a flat-rate tuition, it's still going to be an outstanding value."
The tuition increase had an immediate impact on the total number of undergraduate students fell from the 2001 high of 12,190 to a low of 11,580 in 2004. Over the subsequent years, even though more high schoolers were applying and more were being accepted, the percentage of those who accepted declined to enroll at the school. Baylor’s undergraduate enrollment did not get back to the 2001 level until 2010.
Provisional Students
In 2003, critics complained the administration had loosened adademic standards to allow the admintance of more provisional students as a “market-driven way of acquiring lost tuition and fees and dealing with the looming major budget shortfall”. Sloan admitted that the percent had increased from 4.7% to a “the figure may be 12 percent to 13 percent, in part because the board of regents "asked us to bring that number up."
Airplane Purchase
In July 2003, millions of dollars of interest free loans to Baylor were pulled by wealthy benefactor Paul Piper and Kent Reynolds, Christ Is Our Salvation (CIOS) Foundation executive director and son of former Baylor president Herbert H. Reynolds
Herbert H. Reynolds
Herbert Hal Reynolds was the President of Baylor University from 1981 to 1995.-Biography:Herbert H. Reynolds was born March 20, 1930, in Frankston, Texas. He graduated from Trinity University in 1952. From 1952 to 1956, he served in the U.S. Air Force and was an advisor for the Japanese Air Self...
, “in protest of the recent direction and leadership of the university” and “"exorbitant tuition increases over the past two years, the massive debt for new construction, the new emphasis on outward religiosity rather than quiet spirituality, and the new emphasis on faculty publication and research over outstanding teaching were the major factors in the decision not to renew the loan". This action came months after the CIOS Foundation had pulled $2.6 million and took back a $5 million Beechjet aircraft that was leased to Baylor at a rate that was $35,000 below market rates. Brooks called the action “politically
motivated to embarrass the university.”
Shortly after the loss of Piper Beechcraft, Baylor administration purchased a $2.3 million jet, reportedly informing regents “after a $100,000 deposit already had been made.”
Baylor management were ultimately forced to sell the jet in March 2004, as the purchase had ”created controversy". "Critics said the university did not need such an expensive airplane and contended Sloan acted outside board guidelines in its purchase. Supporters said it is a good investment and contended appropriate procedures were followed.”
Endowment
The imperative of a $2 Billion endowment was doomed from the start due to the massive “$262 million construction program”, the declining enrollment and balancing budgets by tapping $7.5 million in what Brooks described as a "quasi-endowment fund” in 2003 and 2004. The endowment fell from the 2000 level of $645 million to a low of $537 million in 2003. After reaching the $1 Billion goal in 2007 and 2008, the endowment had settled in the mid $800 million range.
Salary Controversy
In April 2004, the university was rocked with the revelation than Sloan and Brooks had received salary increases of 29.6% and 22.4% in 2002, while the faculty had been given raises ranging from 2.3 to 10..4%. Kent Gilbreath, an economics professor noted "In universities, as in all areas of society, there is a fundamental question of fairness in the way people are treated, so when chief executives get annual salary increases that are up to 500 percent greater than those of employees in the university or corporation, it is inevitable that it will have a negative effect on the morale of the employees."
Resignations
In May 2004, a week after fulfilling his promise to submit "a budget that is balanced without using the quasi-endowment", David Brooks resigned “to return to private business”Sloan eventually resigned in 2005. The saga is chronicled in the 2007 book The Baylor Project: Taking Christian Higher Education to the Next Level (ISBN 1587310627).
Epilogue
Recently, author S.C. Gwynne writes, “Slowly, quietly, the main precepts of the 2012 plan began to take hold. The number of faculty with degrees from top-flight research institutions rose substantially, as did their rate of publication. The most conspicuous failure of Baylor 2012 was the school's inability to substantially increase its endowment” and the biggest issue remains the high tuition and “most conspicuous failure of Baylor 2012 was the school's inability to substantially increase its endowment.”.Post-Baylor
Following a brief stint as Baylor's Chancellor, Sloan served as visiting scholarVisiting scholar
In the world of academia, a visiting scholar or visiting academic is a scholar from an institution who visits a host university, where he or she is projected to teach , lecture , or perform research on a topic the visitor is valued for...
at the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
in 2006. He began his tenure as president of Houston Baptist University
Houston Baptist University
Houston Baptist University is a private Baptist institution founded in 1960. It is located in Greater Sharpstown in Houston, Texas near the Southwest Freeway.- History :...
on September 1, 2006. David R. Brooks joined the Houston Baptist University Board of Trustees in December 2006 and currently serves as the board chairman.
Additional information can be found in Dr. Kent Gilbreath's series of essay’s about Baylor 2012.
Ecumenical relations
In November 2009, Sloan signed an ecumenical statement known as the Manhattan DeclarationManhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience
The Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience is a manifesto issued by Orthodox, Catholic, and Evangelical Christian leaders to affirm support of "the sanctity of life, traditional marriage, and religious liberty". It was drafted on October 20, 2009 and released November 20, 2009,...
calling on evangelicals, Catholics and Orthodox to reject practices of abortion, same-sex marriage and other matters that go against their religious consciences.
Publications
- Perspectives on John: methods and interpretation in the Fourth Gospel, with Mikeal C. Parsons (1993), ISBN 0773428593
- Foundations for Biblical Interpretation: A Complete Library of Tools and Resources, with David S. Dockery and Kenneth A. Mathews (1994), ISBN 0805410392
- Romans: Good News for a Troubled World, with Harry Lucenay and Bob Campbell (2000), ISBN 0967342449