The first Baker University Board of Trustees meeting of the year was held Friday, but business was not conducted as usual as newly installed University President Pat Long presided for the first time and took the meeting beyond the boardroom.
“I thought it was a great day,” BOT Chairman Robert Honse said. “We … went to different places so we got to see things that the board hadn’t seen. Many of us didn’t go to Baker. I had two daughters that went to Baker, but I never lived in a dorm, for example, and we went to a dorm.”
Honse said the BOT spent the day touring the campus and discussing many topics.
“The science project is one that has been talked about and is being talked about,” he said. “No decisions were made today, but we at least got to see the science building as it is and so that gave us a point-of-reference, if you will, as to what’s there and why we need a new science building.”
Trustee Steve Langhofer said he enjoyed being present at the meeting this year.
“This is my favorite trustee meeting that I have ever attended, and I’ve been attending for about six years now,” Langhofer said. “We visited Denious Hall, and we visited the Lincoln Room in Parmenter (Hall), and we visited Mulvane science building. I had never been in Mulvane before. (We) got to sit in some of the classrooms, got to tour two different suites and four different rooms in Denious and just got to have a feel for what it’s like to be a student here. I’m not a Baker alum so it was even more important for me.”
Trustee Hoot Gibson said he enjoyed being out of the boardroom for most of the day.
“Today was a wonderful day, and I liked the way we approached things,” Gibson said. “We didn’t spend the whole day sitting and discussing issues; we went out and saw the university from a physical structure.”
Gibson said one of the issues discussed by the BOT was the advancement of the university.
“Baker has wonderful branding,” he said. “In two years, we’re going to celebrate our 150th anniversary. It’s the oldest school in the state of Kansas; it’s one of the oldest colleges in the Midwest. With that in mind, giving people just physically a beautiful campus and telling the story, I’m confident with goals we’ve set out … taking care of the remaining work to be done out at the athletic facility, increasing endowments. We’ve got some very dynamic people obviously led by our new, very dynamic president.”
Honse said the next BOT meeting will be in February, but many subcommittees will be working toward goals they have set to enhance the university.
“I think we’re off to a great start,” he said. “I am very excited about the inauguration. I get to actually kind of preside in part of that. I’m not only chairman of the board, but I was chairman of the search committee and so there were many wonderful people on the search committee and we’re all kind of excited to see the new president get installed. That hasn’t happened, as you know, for close to 20 years, so there’s not many people (who) can say, ‘I was here the last time.'”