Many students (including myself) are extremely unhappy with this decision. The Baylor Regents are a "self-perpetuating board" which is suffering from chronic group-think. Baylor needs someone to unify a diverse body of students and faculty and hold in tension Baylor's pursuit of strong academics and a strong faith. Kenneth Starr has given no sign that he is such a man. He possesses a "big-name" that the regents desired, but it is a "big-name" that will only divide the Baylor family.

You are getting a great man. I am a law student at Pepperdine and today is a sad day for us. EVERYBODY loves him and we will miss him dearly. He has done so much for this law school and has taken us to national prominence. Give him a chance, he will do the same for Baylor.

We Pepperdine Law students are *very* sorry to lose Dean Starr, though we wish him all the best in Texas. He has been an integral part of the increasing academic excellence here, and he and Mrs. Starr extend wonderful hospitality to us in their home.

Mike, in Dean Starr's position here, he truly does support diversity, strong academics, and robust faith -- not in tension, but as complementary dimensions of one institution. Do give him a chance.

One more thought. "Diversity" can mean many things, but in light of the article mentioning that Dean Starr argued for Proposition 8 before the California Supreme Court, it seems appropriate to add that he supported Justice Sotomayor's confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court.

As a Pepperdine alumnus, I will be glad to see Starr leave and celebrate the end of his tarnishing my school's reputation with partisan politicking.

Welcome back to Texas President Starr!
As an alumn, I could not be prouder of my Alma Mater today.

Regents of Baylor University,
The key to the success of great movements or institutions is the ability to gather a diverse constituency around a common mission, for Baylor University the mission is clear, “Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana”. If we are to reach our vast potential, unity is an absolute necessity. Aesop said it well, “United we Stand, and divided we fall” while Dr. Jack Shepherd of the ABC hit show LOST boldly declared “We can live together, or we can die alone”, and better than either of these Jesus prayed that “We (Ecclesia) would be One, in the same way He is one with the Father”. The unity and diversity that once made Baylor strong, for reasons that remain unclear, became the source of intense bickering, verbal assaults, and entrenched separations in the late 1990’s. The Baylor Family has been continually fractured and divided and our previous President was dismissed for one reason, because he was unable to unite the deep-rooted divisions in Baylor Life. It seemed clear to all that the next President of our great University must be more Billy Graham than Karl Rove. We need someone who is able to remind us that our diverse views and experiences allow for the kind of educational environment that we can all be proud to offer our children. Instead of seeking a peacemaker, the Board of Regents has selected one of the most polarizing public figures in recent history, and in doing so, has injected partisan politics as one more reason to seek division rather than unity in the Baylor family.
I know and respect many who serve as Regents of Baylor University. In the end, I must trust their judgment. But, I do not understand a selection that increases division and on the surface makes the work of healing much more difficult. I am choosing to be supportive of this new President; primarily because I have seen the way that resentment distracts us all from our mission. But I encourage the Board of Regents to take significant steps toward bringing all of Baylor together. If this is to happen they must begin to give influence to a new generation of leaders that will move Baylor into the future, instead of fighting the battles of our divisive past. May Baylor University find it’s place as a blessing to the Church and the Great State of Texas as we move forward together.

Sic Em!

Rev. Chris Seay
Pastor of Ecclesia Houston
President of Ecclesia Bible Society

They, whomever "they" are, say that history repeats itself, first tragedy, then farce. First there is the horrible, real life nightmare of deep tragedy, powered by remarkably evil people. Later, history repeats itself as an absurdest farce, the plot powered by the real life pataphysics of remarkably silly people.

Judging from Mr. Starr's stint as an anti-democracy counterrevolutionary, with an expensive suit, large staff and an extravagant government expense account...and thinking of the what else Waco is known for besides Baylor U., the "Waco Horror," he's the farce part...which is a good thing. So, congratulations to Mr. Starr in taking the stage in Baylor's long running play: Obtuse Self-righteousness.

Despite Baylor's tragicomic history, which it tragically shares with a lot of other American institutions, it has provided a good higher education and jobs to a lot of good people. But, as many other universities provide a good higher education as well, why put up with Starry blind bigotry? When it comes to Gay people, Baylor U. resurrects its segregationist roots with much of the same sorry attempts at legitimizations that it had used in its...our...tragic past...so why forget them?

Sure, "Gay" and "race" are different social constructs, but nobody has told religious "conservative" activists that...if one judges from their actions anyway. On the other hand, both racists and anti-homosexualists have an unseemly and deeply perverse obsession with the allegedly hypersexual lives of "the other." If "Gay" is actually chosen, I'm surprised that there aren't a lot more Gay people.

Baylor hired mathematician Dr. Vivienne Malone Mayes in 1966, but had rejected her application to go there as a student in 1961 because she wasn't "white." So, Baylor has changed, and so Baylor can change. So why hasn't it changed for Gay people, at this very late date? There is no Bible sanction for anti-Gay bigotry that's any stronger than there was for racist bigotry. Both sets of segregationist clobber verses have the same source...hate, greed and cowardliness ripped them out of Biblical context and abused them shamelessly. They're often from the same chapters.

The university that I've worked for (full disclosure) hired professors fleeing from segregationist universities. So, I guess if it worked to our advantage then, it can work for our advantage now? I'm guessing that it already has.

Maybe Kenneth Starr will be a good president but he brings so much baggage that I think this was a poor decision by the regents. This appointment sends the wrong message about Baylor.

People who have never heard of Baylor will now assume that we are all Republican partisans (which we are not) and will find it much easier to dismiss the Baylor 2012 vision of integrating Christian commitment and academic excellence as code language for advancing Republican political agendas.

Baylor is a Christian institution with a long and noble history. We are not Liberty U or Regent. This school was not chartered to further a political agenda but to serve the church and to serve Texas. The appointment of such a partisan figure makes Baylor appear to be just another Liberty U.

Unity. Diversity. Community. Trinity.
In an article titled “Fellowship’s Ed Young defends appearance of non-Trinitarian T.D. Jakes at Creative Church Conference,” Pastor Young told the Southern Baptist Texan, “But our conference is a leadership conference, it’s not a theological conference.”
I sent Pastor Young of Fellowship Church, where I was a member, this question: Does God know that good leadership promotes One unified Spirit shared among diverse Persons in Community together?
While Young doesn’t inform his congregation of Jakes’ theology, presumably a leading portion knows. His quoted defense is disingenuous. Jakes preaches at those annual conferences. Over a hundred came forward for him at the 2009 conference. According to Jakes, “While I mix with Christians from a broad range of theological perspectives, I speak only for my personal faith and convictions.” (Feb. 1, 2000 Christianity Today).
Before creating anyone, Mr. Jakes’ god was alone, out of touch. He creates persons to relate, something he can‘t do alone. His dark night contrasts with the Trinity’s bright day: “Within the one being that is God, there exists eternally three coequal and coeternal Persons; namely, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” (The Forgotten Trinity by James R. White pg. 26).
Biblically, the idea that good leadership can take place without (or at least be supported by) good theology, is vacated. Considering this truth from a different angle, Paul says in Romans 1&2 that everyone is naturally a terrible theologian, and consequently, poorly leads themselves. It is impossible to do anything that is not explicitly or implicitly a reflection of theology.
Young does not call the leadership ability of the Trinity into question, but his own.
Praise His Holy, Holy, Holy Name!

Baylor’s religion professors, where and in which I majored, teach at least one thing: theology permeates life. However, bible expositors Louie Giglio, John MacArthur, Chuck Swindoll, and Dallas Theological Seminary fully refuted their unrelenting biblical criticism. Norman Geisler and R.C. Sproul showed me that logical inconsistency dispels hope and unity. And James R. White and Ravi Zacharias have taught me (respectively) not only that the Trinity is biblical, but is the quintessential model of leadership demonstrating Unity, shared by a diversity of Persons, in Community together. Denying this Reality, as Bishop T.D. Jakes does, and not informing his congregation of this (presumably a leading portion knows) as Pastor Ed. Young Jr. does, is as spiritually inept, ethically challenged, and without foresight, as trying to hide a plane from them by putting it in plain sight, as Young also has done. Ken Starr and Baylor should take these lessons to heart, lest they too suffer the same results.

mercy.
In my own life, I have made spiritually inept, ethically challenged decisions that lacked foresight. No ifs, no ands, and no buts.
Jesus teaches me to pray, "Our Father...forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us." Father please forgive me for being merciless in my comments. I forgive Baylor, and pray that you will heavily bless and help this school. I forgive Bishop T.D. Jakes and pray that you will bless him heavily, and help him greatly. I forgive Pastor Young, praying also that you bless him and help him greatly. I do pray for all the people involved with these institutions also. Please have mercy on them all, bless them, and help them greatly. For Yours is the kingdom, Yours is the power, and Yours is the glory. In Jesus Name amen.