Bob Jones Chairman John Lewis Resigns After Pressure From Students and Donors
An entrance sign at Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. Creative Commons photo by John Foxe.
The chairman of the Bob Jones University board of trustees has resigned following pressure from the school’s students, alumni and donors.
In an April 6 letter, John Lewis said he would step down from his position immediately. The decision is a surprise to many BJU watchers, since Lewis appeared to have had the upper hand in a conflict with BJU President Steve Pettit. Just a week earlier, Pettit said he would resign at the end of this school year, in May. Pettit sent a letter to the BJU board March 21 saying would resign if Lewis did not relinquish his position as chair and step down from the body’s executive commission.
“The future of BJU requires the chairman and the president to work together,” wrote Pettit in a March 21 letter that called for Lewis to resign. “It is not happening now, and I can’t see it happening in the future. … Things are dysfunctional and our working relationship is irreparably broken.”
Randy Page, the university’s chief of staff, told the Post and Courier newspaper it was unclear how Lewis’ departure would impact Pettit’s decision to resign.
In a statement released April 6, Pettit said he wished Lewis well after learning of his decision to resign from the board.
“His desire was to honor the mission and vision of BJU and he worked tirelessly to that end,” Pettit wrote of Lewis. “During his tenure, the university secured regional accreditation through the SACSCOC (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commissions on Colleges) and regained our tax exemption. I wish Dr. Lewis God’s best.”
Lewis had served on BJU’s board for 32 years and served as chair for seven, according to Pettit’s statement.
This conciliatory tone downplays the contentiousness of the conflict in recent months.
As MinistryWatch reported in November and February, Lewis has led the resistance to Pettit, who is accused of being insufficiently fundamentalist because of the style of worship music played at student chapel services, performances in the fine arts program, Pettit’s participation in a bluegrass music band and uniforms for female athletes.
Lewis allegedly resorted to illegal means to keep power, including stealing documents from Pettit’s office, replacing pro-Pettit board members with opponents and replacing BJU attorney Miles Coleman with a more compliant attorney who confers with Lewis and his supporters.
Pettit raised additional charges against Lewis in his resignation letter:
• Board meetings have been held in secret.
• Executive Committee meetings have moved off campus to the home of Bob Jones III, a committed critic of Pettit, and meeting minutes have not been provided to trustees.
• Board documents are now stored off-campus using a new computer Lewis authorized, and requests for board info must now go through Jones.
Pettit said Lewis has been “uncaring or cavalier” about “troubling financial numbers triggered by the ongoing dysfunction and uncertainty … that are directly linked to a loss of confidence in the university’s direction under the current board leadership. … The chairman seems completely disinterested in the financial stability of the university.”
Pettit became the university’s fifth president, and the first not related to founder Bob Jones Sr., in 2014.
This article was originally published at Ministry Watch.
Steve Rabey contributed to this story.
Warren Cole Smith is the editor in chief of Ministry Watch and previously served as Vice President of WORLD News Group, publisher of WORLD Magazine and has more than 30 years of experience as a writer, editor, marketing professional, and entrepreneur. Before launching a career in Christian journalism 20 years ago, Smith spent more than seven years as the Marketing Director at PricewaterhouseCoopers.