Another SFA vice president resigns

NACOGDOCHES — Two days after SFA provost and vice president for academic affairs Dr. Marlin Young announced that he had been asked to step down from that position, another vice president has announced her resignation.

Vice president of finance and administration Deborah Baisden said Thursday she is resigning in order "to pursue other interests."

Although Baisden has not submitted a formal letter of resignation, she confirmed that she intends to do so within the next few days.

Baisden said will stay in Nacogdoches for a few months to work on a special assignment for SFA president Dr. Baker Pattillo.

"I will be following up on some legislative issues," Baisden said.

Baisden said the decision to leave SFA was based on many different factors, which she said she did not wish to make public.

And while Baisden maintains that she planned to resign to pursue other interests, anonymous e-mails to The Daily Sentinel and a message posted to The Daily Sentinel's online message board posted a day before her announcement predicted that the "VP for finance and administration is next to go."

Baisden is the sixth vice president to leave SFA in the last two years. And her resignation will leave three of the five vice-presidential seats vacant at SFA — university advancement, formerly held by Jerry Holbert; provost, currently held by Young; and Baisden's position.

Effective today, Young will vacate his office as provost and vice president for academic affairs, but will official remain on the books as taking vacation for the next two months.

Baisden was appointed to her position in March 2006 under the leadership of former SFA president Dr. Tito Guerrero III.

Before coming to SFA, Baisden served as manager of the higher education performance review team for the Texas Legislative Budget Board, a permanent joint committee of the Texas Legislature that develops recommendations for legislative appropriations for all agencies of state government, according to a press release issued by SFA in 2006.

Baisden holds a bachelor's degree in public administration and a master's degree in business administration from St. Edward's University.

She replaced Dr. Roland Smith, who resigned from SFA in 2005 to work for the Texas State University System in Austin, according to previously published articles.