BJU Papers: number 04

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" -A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens

As the University prepared to welcome students for the 2021 fall semester, and with the crippling pandemic mostly in the rearview mirror, in many ways, BJU was experiencing the best of times.

In just a week of years, so little had changed, while at the same time, so much was different.

When Dr. Steve Pettit first became president, he was asked, “What are you going to change?”. To which he answered, “I did not come to change BJU but to keep us on our mission. If we make changes, it will be because it’s necessary to fulfill our mission.”

A glance back to 2013-14 reveals numerous firsts were happening at BJU, and as a result, an equal number of possibilities for failure.

In 2013, due to accreditation, the BJU Board of Trustees transitioned from being a largely ceremonial board of over 30 members to a smaller, governmental board of half that size. Larry Jackson became the first non-Jones chairman of the newly consequential board. In 2014, Dr. Steve Pettit became the fifth president of BJU and, like Chairman Jackson, the first not named “Jones.”

Larry Jackson was a godsend to BJU during this fragile time of transition. Dr. Pettit was familiar with how the previous BJU board had operated, having served on it for eight years before becoming President of BJU. They made a great duo. Dr. Pettit and Larry Jackson worked well together. The two talked weekly and found themselves on the same page on nearly every issue. For instance, the approach Dr. Pettit took regarding churches and religious associations was right of center. Both Chairman Jackson and President Pettit were unified in their thinking on associations.

An Atmosphere Change

In 2014, Dr. Pettit brought to BJU a tested and true philosophy of discipleship that had characterized his ministry for over 42 years. His approach to discipleship went back to his time as a student at BJU, as well as his first five years of ministry (1980-85) as an assistant pastor at First Baptist Church of Bridgeport, MI, and then for 29 years leading the Steve Pettit Evangelistic Campaign. (1985-2014) Dr. Pettit poured his life into 57 former team members, 42 of whom were BJU grads. (When he came to BJU, four former team members were at BJU.) He also put his understanding of discipleship to practice at Northland Camp, where he served for 29 years, nine of those as the camp director. He was the founder and president for three years of Cross Impact Ministries, a ministry that partners with churches to establish campus ministries. The primary focus of Cross Impact is on how to disciple college students. When Pettit came to BJU, there were thriving Cross Impact ministry chapters all over the country.

Dr. Pettit employed the existing structures within the University and infused them with these discipleship principles. The daily chapels were intentionally focused on discipleship and doctrinal themes during the semester. “Dgroups”(“discipleship groups”) led by juniors and seniors were launched and met three times a week, providing peer-on-peer discipleship. All students, faculty, and staff were required to commit to faithfully attend a local gospel-preaching church in the greater Greenville area. In addition, a Biblical Worldview began to be intentionally taught in all of the classes and modeled through the lives of mentoring faculty.

What did this approach to discipleship at BJU look like beginning in 2014 in everyday student life? Most BJU alumni only experienced the military-academy version of BJU student life. Interestingly, most Millennials (1981-1996) were almost all graduated by 2014, and the student body was transitioning into primarily Gen Zers. As a university, BJU was positioned to reach Millennials, but they needed to adjust to reach Gen Zers. Dr. Pettit had always approached ministry from the point of view that he needed to understand the generation to whom he was ministering. Under Dr. Pettit’s leadership, student life began to seek to move the student body into spiritual maturity less from control and additional rules and more by influence through relationships.

This philosophy began to change the discipline approach in the Student Life System. Clarity was given between rules that were intended for character development from those that were focused on moral and spiritual growth. The system of discipline began to separate the two, as well as the correction. BJU started a demerit/fine system for character issues (room jobs, dress, being on time, etc.). Anything in the realm of the moral and spiritual was handled differently. It began to change the BJU culture. A nurturing atmosphere of grace that was conducive to healthy spiritual growth emerged. The atmosphere was neither oppressive nor permissive, but rather a gospel-grace greenhouse was being constructed.

At the time, an 18-year-employed BJU staff member said, “This is the happiest I have seen our student body since I started working here 18 years ago.”

There was an unusual increase in spontaneous prayer meetings and Bible studies among the student body.

It was a different vibe at BJU. The Chancellor, Dr. Bob Jones III, observed, “Put yourself in Pettit’s shoes: 30 years helping young people and running camps.  There’s a little too much camp at BJU to my liking.”  

Analytic Changes

• Stopped the Enrollment Decline: Before Dr. Pettit came in 2014, there was a 1100 enrollment drop between 2008 and 2014, from 3800 to 2700. The enrollment bleeding was halted, and enrollment leveled off at around 2500, averaging 720 freshmen each year between 2014 and 2022. In 2019, there were 785 freshmen in the class, marking the largest freshmen class during the Pettit administration. The smallest freshmen class during Dr. Pettit’s administration was 680 freshmen during COVID.

  
  

• Response to the GRACE Report: Seven months into the Pettit administration, the GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment) report on BJU was released to the public on December 11, 2014. The 300-page report was the culmination of an independent investigation that included over 900 surveys, 20 written statements, hundreds of documents provided by individuals, 50 of whom identified as victims of sexual abuse. The conclusion of the GRACE report was to provide 26 recommendations that “will assist BJU in continuing the journey of repentance that demonstrates Godward sorrow, invites God to transform the institution, and brings healing to the hurting.” The BJU administration reviewed the GRACE report for 90 days and adopted 20 of the 26 recommendations. As a result of the report, the University established the Center for Student Care and overhauled its Counseling program.

• Opened relationship and communication with BJU alumni: By 2014, BJU alumni had en masse become disengaged. Many felt disapproval, unwelcome, and frankly, forgotten. News of a culture change at BJU of gospel-centered discipleship spread quickly. In addition, many graduates had enjoyed and been stirred by the ministry of Evangelist Steve Pettit through evangelistic campaigns, camp ministry, and musical teams, so many knew what to expect, and they were beginning to re-engage with their alma mater.

  
  

• He removed the dreaded “coding system.” Dr. Pettit hadn’t been on the job for very long when he noticed a common denominator in the far right corner of correspondence written to the President. President Pettit was the first of five BJU Presidents to prefer email communication over letters dictated to an administrative assistant. He noticed that there were letters at the top of many of the correspondence he was going to be answering. Letters like U. He asked one of the secretaries what the meaning of the letters were, and he learned that there was a coding system for all the alumni that dated back to the 1950s. For instance, the “U” meant “unfriendly.” Graduates were coded, primarily based upon their ecclesiastical position towards New Evangelicals and “all things Billy Graham.” President Steve Pettit swiftly ended it.

• Led BJU to regain its tax-exempt status: Bob Jones University lost its tax-exempt status on January 19, 1976, because of its ban on interracial dating and marriage. This decision was a result of the IRS’s stance that institutions that practice racial discrimination did not qualify for tax-exempt status. The Supreme Court ultimately upheld the IRS’s decision in 1983. Following that decision, all the finances at BJU went into one “accounting bucket” (University, Press, Academy, etc.) as they were all for profit. This 40+ year loss of tax exemption had crippled the development department. that, all finances in one big head, university, press, academy, all for profit. In 2017, the University bifurcated by using Bob Jones Elementary School’s tax exemption into the Bob Jones University Education Group (BJU EG) as the for-profit side of BJU, and BJU Non-Profit (or BJU Inc.) as the tax-exempt portion of BJU.

• Provided the leadership and follow-through for regional accreditation: On Jun 15, 2017, the Board of Trustees of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) granted BJU membership as an accredited institution. This was a process initiated under Dr. Stephen Jones in 2011.

  
  

“Being granted regional accreditation is one of the biggest milestones in Bob Jones University’s 90-year history. We set out to obtain regional accreditation and strengthen our mission, and by God’s grace, we’ve accomplished both objectives.” -Dr. Pettit

• Dr. Pettit oversaw the launch of new Academic Programs: Under the Pettit administration, the School of Health Professions was founded, and the School of Continuing, Online and Professional Education. (SCOPE) In addition, the Pettit administration emphasized the integration of a Biblical worldview into all academic disciplines and student life, seeking to align with BJU’s mission.

  
  

• New centers to benefit the Student Body were started: The Student Care Center, Global Opportunities Center, and the Center for Biblical Worldview were all established to enhance the students and provide resources.

• Bruins Athletics Continued to Advance: Eight new intercollegiate sports were added under Pettit, and the University gained provisional membership in NCAA Division III.

  
  

• Partnerships with other Universities: Pettit led the University to collaborate with schools like Furman University and Clemson University so that BJU students could participate in ROTC programs.

  
  

• The University’s race relations improved: BJU began observing Martin Luther King Jr. days at the University by canceling classes and closing the offices.

  
  

• Fundraising and the Financial Health of the University Improved: Pettit’s tenure saw increased fundraising and alumni financial support, faculty and staff salary increases, and an improved overall financial position.

It was, in so many ways, the best of times at BJU. But, hardly anyone could have predicted that the worst of times were just around the corner.

NEXT BJU Papers: A list of complaints long enough to fire a president.