Sloan, former Baylor president, tapped to lead Houston Baptist University

http://www.abpnews.com/www/1287.article

HOUSTON (ABP) -- Robert Sloan, controversial former president of Baylor University, appears poised to assume the presidency of Houston Baptist University, a conservative school affiliated with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.

The HBU presidential search committee recommended Sloan at a special called meeting of the university's board of trustees Aug. 1. The board will reconvene Aug. 8 to vote on the recommendation. Sloan currently serves as Baylor's chancellor.

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If elected, Sloan will succeed Doug Hodo, who served as HBU's second president from 1987 until his retirement in July. During Hodo's tenure, HBU's endowment grew from $30 million to more than $75 million, and the school's total unrestricted revenue increased from about $13.3 million a year to $33.3 million.

Also during his time as HBU president, the university took steps to loosen its ties to the Baptist General Convention of Texas. HBU trustees voted in May 2000 to create a self-perpetuating majority on their board, rather than continuing to allow the BGCT to elect all its trustees. And three years later, HBU entered into a fraternal relationship with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, a fundamentalist group that broke away from the BGCT.

BGCT Executive Director Charles Wade praised the HBU search committee for its recommendation and said his "great hope" and expectation is that Sloan's election as president would strengthen the relationship between HBU, the BGCT, its churches and its other institutions.

"The experience and passion for Christian education Robert Sloan would bring to the role as Houston Baptist University's president signals a great future for this important institution, which is in such a strategic place in our state," Wade said.

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Before becoming Baylor's president, Sloan was dean of the university's Truett Theological Seminary. He served on the Baylor religion faculty from 1983 to 1995, and he taught at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary from 1980 to 1983.

Sloan holds a bachelor's degree from Baylor, a master of divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary, and a doctorate in theology from the University of Basel, Switzerland.

 

I am neither an alumnus of Baylor or of Houston Baptist, but I am an alumnus of a sister Texas Baptist school...

I think Sloan's potential move to HBU will be a very positive thing. I didn't like the way they railroaded Sloan out of Baylor. I know some of the players (and a few of them were members of my church until they split off to start another congregation last fall) who did a lot of the politicing behind the scenes, and I don't trust their opinions at all. They showed themselves to be liars and manipulators within our congregation, and they used the same tactics against Sloan at Baylor.

Sloan brings impeccable scholarship, combined with a belief that one can confess the Christian faith as truth without sacrificing free inquiry. He can help HBU find its niche and fulfill its mission more effectively.