JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. (ABP) — James Netherton, the embattled president of Carson-Newman College, is resigning from the Baptist-affiliated school to become executive vice president of Mercer University.
Netherton, president of Carson-Newman since 2000, has been under pressure in recent months. He was the target of 129-71 “no confidence” vote from the faculty Oct. 4, followed by similar actions by retired faculty and alumni.
Critics accused Netherton, 59, of incompetence and mistreating faculty, and they blamed him for declining enrollment and financial pressures at the Tennessee Baptist Convention school in Jefferson City, Tenn.
Netherton downplayed the differences, admitting some mistakes but insisting the college community could resolve its problems in a Christian way. Still, some critics called for the president's resignation or dismissal.
“You can either change the faculty or you can change the president,” Don Olive, professor and former chairman of the humanities department, told a news website Feb. 15.
In recent weeks, trustees held listening sessions around the state to hear from faculty, alumni and other constituencies. The dispute appeared headed for a showdown at the March trustees meeting until Netherton suddenly announced his departure Feb. 16.
Carson-Newman trustees also said Feb. 16 they will hold a special meeting March 2 to elect a search committee to find Netherton's successor. He will leave Carson-Newman May 31, although the Mercer position won't begin until Oct. 1.
Netherton will replace Thomas Estes Jr., who will retire as Mercer's senior vice president for finance and administration Sept. 30.
As executive vice president, Netherton will oversee the treasurer's office, compensation and benefits, human resources, budget and analysis, information technology, physical plant, Mercer Health Systems, intercollegiate athletics and other departments.
Netherton said Feb. 16 his departure did not mean his problems at Carson-Newman were intractable.
“The main thing the turmoil did was send a signal to a number of folks that Jim Netherton might be open to something else,” he told Associated Baptist Press.
One of those people, he said, was Mercer President Bill Underwood, with whom Netherton worked at Baylor University, a Baptist-affiliated school in Waco, Texas. “Once he persuaded me to come and look at Mercer, I found it to be a very compelling opportunity. … This was more a matter of someone persuading me that there was something better.”
Netherton was vice president and chief operating officer at Baylor until 1996, when he became provost at Samford University, an Alabama Baptist school, for four years. Underwood was interim president at Baylor before becoming Mercer's president in December 2005.
Netherton said he expects Carson-Newman to quickly resolve its problems and continue its tradition of success. He pointed to recent fund-raising successes and an increase in new-student applications as indications Carson-Newman is poised “to make great strides in the years immediately ahead.”
And he said he expects to contribute to that growth before leaving May 31. “We've got three-and-a-half months to work to ensure a smooth and seamless transition,” he said.
Tensions at Carson-Newman were ratcheted up even more by charges of liberalism from the Tennessee Baptist Convention and, in return, suspicions that fundamentalists in the convention were trying to control the school. In 2004 the convention called for an investigation of the biblical views taught at Carson-Newman and its two other affiliated colleges.
The action came in response to an allegation from a Carson-Newman student who said some of the college's professors — particularly in the religion and science departments — teach viewpoints contrary to conservative views about creationism, biblical inspiration and salvation.
Netherton said Feb. 16 that no Christian college is immune to difficulties because of the rapid pace of change in the world. “There are disagreements in the academy,” he said, because colleges “mirror” the turmoil taking place in society. “Even in the midst of it all,” he said, “this faculty pulled together.”
C. T. Cozart, chair of Carson-Newman's trustees, said Netherton's “numerous contributions will be positively felt by this campus for generations.”
He said the trustees' recent listening sessions will pave the way for a successful search for a new president. “The input and counsel we have received will be invaluable in helping us as we move forward,” he said in a statement. “While Dr. Netherton's career move was unexpected, this board and the leadership team remain committed to making Carson-Newman an even stronger and better place for our students, faculty, staff and community.”
Meanwhile, Underwood said Netherton's experience, intelligence and integrity make him “uniquely qualified” to serve Mercer, a historically Baptist school of 7,300 students, based in Macon, Ga.
“Rarely do you find an individual who has served as a teacher and scholar, a chief operating officer, a provost and a college president,” Underwood said in a statement. “He brings an extraordinary understanding of, and commitment to, higher education, as well as a lengthy track record of managing finances and operations in a university setting.”
Netherton said he will “take some time off” after leaving Carson-Newman in May, during which he will travel and read. “I haven't had a meaningful break in 26 years,” he said. “When I get to Mercer next fall, I want t be rested and chomping at the bit.”
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