New President at BJU

Interesting. The article stated that, "the university last month became accredited for the first time in its history". In April 2005 TRACS gave BJU candidacy for accreditation. While this is a great step it is not full accreditation (as of yet). Secondly I hope BJU does not stop with TRACS. They need to also gain accreditation from SACS. I am sure they will do the smart thing and stay away from ATS, ATS will restrict their growth and ability to adapt to new educational methods.

As for Bob Jones III giving the presidency to his son...I don't really like that. I am sure there are other people in the school who are more qualified. This is probably just an attempt to keep the school in the family. Nothing really wrong with that, I would just like to see them move past that.

The schools excuse for its interracial dating ban is poor hermeneutics, and is probably based on the personal views on the family.

 

Who said anything about interracial dating? You may not like BJU (personally I would not go there myself) but just because they have a new president there is no need to dig up the past. Its dead and gone. Give them a break. There is certainly nothing wrong with the Jones family keeping it in the family.

 

Who said anything about interracial dating? You may not like BJU (personally I would not go there myself) but just because they have a new president there is no need to dig up the past. Its dead and gone. Give them a break.


==Their former dating policy is still important, why? Because it shows the schools method of hermeneutics (mainly in the area of prophecy). Any belief / policy a school has had in recent history is important. Besides lets all be honest, where it not for the media attention BJU would still have their policy in place. Their change was based on political/social/media pressure and most likely not based upon a true change of heart.
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There is certainly nothing wrong with the Jones family keeping it in the family.

==No there is nothing wrong with that. However it does not look good from an academic point of view.

 

Greetings Circuitrider:

I am curious as to why you would not go there. My brother-in-law went there, and I am quite fond of him!!

God's Best to you in your ministry,

BiR

 

A deeper issue with BJU is why BJIII couldn't come clean with Larry King.

How many fibs does one have to tell before one is a fibber?

BJU lacks integrity because the administration lacks integrity.

Speaking of not looking good academically. How about having every professor in the religion department trained at your own institution. Very shabby.

 

Hope this message is not a repeat - I'm having trouble with the post reply process.

Thirty years ago, I wanted to go to BJU when I finished my four year enlistment in the Navy. I ended up not going since the Veteran's Administration did not approve BJU for the GI Bill.

I always thought the interracial dating ban etc. was due to conviction, but when BJU lifted the ban under intense media pressure, it surpised me. But it would have been a good school to attend, at least at that time.

 

A couple of things.

Someone said they hope BJU will go for Regional Accreditation. Personally, I would prefer they stuck with TRACS. It would be nice to see more and more Evangelical Christian Schools band together and stick to Christian accrediting agencies. I understand why they are looking to regional accreditors (increased utility) but in some ways that feels a little like selling out to the culture.

PS Don't get me wrong, one of my masters degrees if from a top tier midwestern school that is Regionally Accredited.

Lastly, their religion department is inbred. I noticed there is a lot more variety in their other faculties (doctorates from all over). For whatever reason they wanted to make sure the religion department is very adherent to their system. IMHO that does not always make for the most fertile academic situation. I always think it is limiting when I see graduates whose education lists:

BA XYZ State University
MA XYZ State Utiversity
PhD XYZ State University

And then they teach at XYZ State University. Kind of like someone who grew up in a town, went to school in the same town, never left the town, never vacationed outside the town, married someone from the same town. Not reall well rounded and limited ability to see beyond ones own position and circumstance.

North

 

I'm new around here. Has the Larry King double-shuffle been discussed in these boards? I thought BJIII got clean away with it, but now I see that somebody else noticed it.

 

Oh? How so? There appears to be some confusion about the role of university president. It is a leadership role, not an academic one. In accredited state universities, many times, the president is appointed more for political connections than his academic achievements. However, the academic quality of the institution is not necessarily compromised if he is a good leader. The president is more concerned with business operations, alumni relations, donor solicitations, etc. than academic matters. Deans, department heads, and the school’s academic types set the level of educational expectations.

At BJU, Jones, although not necessarily named Bob, still has high name-recognition among the constituencies that send their kids there and donate their money. I’m not sure that Smith would have the same appeal.

[ May 14, 2005, 01:53 PM: Message edited by: paidagogos ]

 

Would you breed your pure bred hound dog with a mongrel?

 

I for one wish that Bob Jones would get intercolligiate sports. Here's my reasoning...if they had a sports program, they would have to have better parking. I was down for the academy graduation a couple of weeks ago and I drove around campus for 20 minutes trying to find a parking place. I let off the parents of the grad so they wouldn't be late and then was late myself as I had to walk across campus. They are not very accomodating to guests.

I know that they are putting up a parking garage and are going to build a condominium complex and a motel...is that a normal thing for a college? I understand the condos are just an investment for them to sell and make money. Is this correct or do I have my facts all messed up?

 

Having lost their non-profit status in a court battle with the IRS (1980s era) that went all the way to the Supreme Court, they are now a corporation for profit. This means that they don't have the privilege of soliciting tax-exempt donations. So, they have to earn the money another way.

 

You are entirely correct! I was wrong in what I wrote--don't know what I was thinking (perhaps not thinking). Having worked on establishing a non-profit in SC and studying the tax-exemption process over the past two years, I knew better when I wrote the post. Non-profit incorporation in SC is a piece of cake but getting IRS tax-exemption is a little more complicated. Of course, BJU lost their tax exemption, which they enjoyed for a long time, over Civil Rights issues.

BJU lost their tax-exempt status with the IRS but their not-for-profit status has not changed. (This just means that Dr. Bob, III cannot pocket the profits. ) BJU is still chartered as a non-profit corpoaration with the South Carolina Secretary of State. Since they are not tax-exempt, donations to BJU cannot be claimed for deductions. During the Reagan Administration, there was an effort to restore their exemption but it didn't fly.

Thanks for the input.

 

Interesting that Reagan went to bat for BJU, until it became politically inopportune to maintain that course.

BJU is eligible to get its tax exempt status back, but thus far they haven't seen the need to do so. I don't think that Bob Jones III would not have reapplied for it under his administration lest it look like they changed their dating rule for financial reasons. I don't know that there would be any objection to Stephen Jones reapplying for it.

According to legend BJU is the only full-fledged University in the country that pays taxes. You can imagine that the administrators were a little nervous when the IRS first had the opportunity to assess taxes for a category with only one institution in it! Apparently the IRS has not been unreasonable, or not any more unreasonable than they are with for-profit corporations.