Nerd News: Baylor University Beclowns Itself (Yet Again)

When you're a constant source of mingled giggles and eye rolls even in the ludicrous world of academia, you know you've achieved some kind of poisonous notoriety. Baylor University has reached this point.

Specifically, it has done this with its endless stupid nerd soap opera involving its leadership. In a nutshell, this university has, amid widespread bitterness and the equivalent of civil war on campus, fired 2 presidents within the last 5 years (one in 2005, the other in 2008). It's been making do with interim leaders for a while. The whole thing's been a shambles. I've never heard of any school having so much trouble in the leadership (3 presidents in 10 years?), combined with flat-out war with factions among the regents, alumni, and faculty.

Now this once-respectable university has "chosen" a new president. You'll never guess who it is. OK, Baylor! You know you need to rehabilitate your reputation and keep your alienated, angry, embarrassed alums from burning their diplomas and refusing ever to be associated with the Baylor brand (to say nothing of them deciding never to make any donations). So what do you do?

If you're a semi-reasonable school, you choose a reliable, sensible person who doesn't bring a lot of emotional or political baggage with him, someone who can offer the sense of a fresh start without the burden of the past.

If you're Baylor, you choose Ken Starr.

No, really.

Ken Starr, who had investigated Bill Clinton during the entire Monica Lewinsky and impeachment circus. Baylor. It's where dignity goes to die.

I got this news from some bona fide Baylor alums, too. I feel like sending out condolence cards.

Anyhoo, I should clarify that this mess is about the university, not Baylor Law or Baylor Med, both of which are still respectable.

Oh ... Now the thought occurs to me that Starr, with his Clinton-era brush with venal, corrupt, sordid underhanded behavior, sex, lies, and scandal, just be perfect for academia. Baylor, you will remember, first attracted this blog's wrath here. Somehow a misdeed by ONE campus always makes ALL academics look bad and feeds into every negative stereotype about universities. And I said before, Baylor seems determined to brand itself as not only evil but incompetent.