Starr plays major role in reaching beneficial settlement with departing Big 12 members

The Big 12 Conference announced Tuesday that it has reached an agreement with Colorado and Nebraska to resolve issues related to those schools’ withdrawal from the league. Each school will leave effective June 10, 2011, so that the Big 12 will begin the 2011-12 school year as a 10-team conference.

Once again, Baylor (and specifically President Ken Starr) played an important role in the Big 12 discussions. In this instance, he served on the three-member presidents subcommittee that negotiated the terms of the final agreement. Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe specifically credited the BU president for his work, saying, “President Starr’s diplomacy, experience and legal acumen were of great benefit to the Big 12 during this process.”

Starr, Kansas State President Kirk Schulz and Oklahoma State President Burns Hargis worked together to ensure a process that would avoid lengthy and costly litigation. (That’s exactly the scenario facing the Western Athletic Conference [WAC], as it has filed suit against two of its member institutions and the Mountain West Conference following the departure of Fresno State and Nevada.)

Sic ’em, President Starr, and sic ’em, Bears!