Layoffs at SWBTS

Breaks my heart. Absolutely breaks my heart.

Dr. Gritz is one of the best history profs they have there. At one time (not too long ago) SWBTS boasted one of the finest Baptist history departments in the US. Names like MacBeth, Gritz, Bullock, Spivey, Baker and Estep adorned office doors and students knew they would be receiving a world class history education. The times have certainly changed.

I guess this should also forestall the efforts to build the great temple in the back of the campus.

How can you "lay off" a fully tenured professor?

 

I received one of those letters yesterday, so I can confirm that story. I hadn't heard about Gritz yet... That's very unfortunate. He and his family are members of our congregation.

I'm sure I will hear about I'd very soon through other members of our congregation.

 

I think you mean baptistlife.com.

 

I wonder how they managed to spend all of their signing bonus money for the natural gas drilling going on in Fort Worth?

Link to SWBTS press release

The signing bonus rates are generally between $20,000 and $25,000 per acre for those who have large tracts of land (or negotiate as a group). Since the seminary has at least 200 acres, according to my calculations, the seminary should have easily netted between $4-5 million for a signing bonus back in 2006. And since they signed earlier than most, the wells should already be drilled and pumping gas by this time and they should be receiving substantial royalties by now (about $300,000/month is average around here for 100% mineral rights on 200 acres).

Makes you wonder if they completely bungled the negotiations (which is certainly possible, given the lack of business expertise among the trustees and leadership) or if donations have so completely dried up that they are barely surviving on gas revenue alone.

Or maybe all of the gas revenue money is going to the fund for the new chapel instead of educational needs.

 

Southwestern was once the finest of seminaries, training thousands upon thousands of people for a lifetime of ministry. Now it is hardly even a shell of what it used to be. It is run by a demigod who thinks he knows what is best for everyone in every situation. The trustees rolled over for Pope Paige to come to Texas, do whatever you want, now they are reaping a whirlwind. Enrollment is down (even if they juggle the numbers to make it look different), finances are down, great faculty has left in droves and now they are sending out letters literally asking "Help us keep the lights on".

Pope Paige needs to be fired if Southwestern hopes regain any of the ground they have surrendered in the last 15 years.

 

I like Paige Patterson. The few times I got to speak with him he was very kind, gracious and humble.

"And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about [from blog to blog]; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not." Such kind of person is the one I'm wary of, certainly not Paige Patterson from everything I know about him.

But, as a wise man said, never defend yourself; your enemies won't believe it and your friends don't need it. I'm glad Paige doesn't defend himself from all these garbage attacks. I hope I would only be so gracious.

 

Pope Paige not engaging in attacks...what planet are you from!? Pope Paige is the king of attacks and guilt by association tactics. He used them in great abundance to strong arm the SBC into believing the "liberals where coming, the liberals where coming". The last thing Pope Paige has been is gracious!

 

Any organization is as good as its people.

The lack of integrity started with the trustees years ago. The chairman of the trustees was caught shacking up with ladies in his church. We know that the trustees lied to the press when Dilday was fired. So anything that follows from them is certain to be nothing more than a political machine with not much integrity. They are many of the same people who hired Patterson. How would any person of integrity want to be asssociated with such men.

The SBC has not faced the music that people are leaving the SBC but rather they paint a rosy picture of life that is not true.

Everyone of the SBC leaders should go and men of integrity should be brought in to bring things around. People of integrity will give every reason why people should trust them not the other way around. God's work is not about manipulation and image building.

 

The link pointed out, "Seminary President Paige Patterson announced to trustees that Fort Worth native and Austin-based businessman Harold E. Riley and his wife, Dottie, have pledged $16 million to build a 3,500-seat chapel on the Fort Worth campus. It is one of the largest single gifts from individuals to the seminary in its 98-year history."

 

According to my sources there were some people layed off but Greitz was not one of them. As far as I've heard it's only staff - not faculty who have been let go.

 

I am told that in May they graduated 232 students. At the height of SWBTS history in the late 80s they were graduating about 700 in the May graduation.
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this would make more sense if it is true. While I was at SWBTS, during the transition between two administrations, all the faculty had their personal assistants pulled, they had to share assistants, long distance phone calls were charged to the faculty (well except the executive leadership), and a host of other money saving opportunities were put in place. It is a constant process lately at SWBTS.

 

Not to disparage your source - but Gritz has not been fired. I have talked to someone who has personally talked to Gritz twice and asked him point blank if he had been fired. He has not. He still has his teaching job and has not resigned or retired.