“Those meetings tend to be watered down,” she said. “They tend to be formulaic, and they tend to not really get into major issues. How can you govern on the big, tough issues if you can’t say what you really think because of how it might be taken out of context? ... The downsides of open meetings far outweigh the upsides of governing in public. It’s just too challenging.”

Murff said closed meetings are standard practice for private institutions.

Those practices should not deter Baylor regents, Williams said.

‘Setting the example’

“We need to be leading and not following,” Williams said. “We should be setting the example for the way things should be done and we should learn from our mistakes. I’ve never heard anybody make a valid argument as to why the university has to be governed behind closed doors in secret meetings.”

Trower said the board has been open to self-assessment, self-analysis and growth.