Three Baptist universities are among 25 faith-based schools named in a class-action lawsuit filed March 29 against the U.S. Department of Education, with claims of unlawful discrimination against LGBTQ students. The suit, filed in U.S District Court in Eugene, Ore.,…
Students and alumni express concern about restructuring of OBU’s storied music program
This story was updated with additional information from the university Saturday evening, March 6. One of the premier schools of music among Baptist universities will be affected by restructuring this summer, prompting alumni and current students to protest its perceived…
If we don’t value our denominational colleges, do we value their faculty?
The current pandemic places great challenges on many facets of American religious life, perhaps none greater than small denominationally affiliated colleges and universities, many of which already were struggling financially well before the current crisis. While these challenges are institutionally…
Judson College needs $1.5 million or will be forced to close in January
An Alabama Baptist college that is the last remaining all-women college in the state needs to raise $1.5 million in gifts and pledges in order to remain open for the spring semester, its president told alumnae and donors Dec. 15….
What should it cost a denomination to control governance of a university?
How much money should a denominational body have to give to a university in return for the ability to control that university’s governance? Turns out, not much in many cases. As state, regional and national denominational bodies have faced declining…
A student’s plea to the Missouri Baptist Convention
I am an undergraduate nursing student at Southwest Baptist University, planning to graduate in May 2022 with a bachelor of science degree in nursing, a minor in gerontology, a minor in psychology and an emphasis in social work. I have…
I was trolled by the Right, and here’s what I learned
I knew Campus Reform was going to write about my Baptist News piece on white Christians and climate change. Campus Reform is a conservative news site that uses students as reporters to target progressive professors, and a young writer had…
Deconstructing the crisis of Christian colleges and the culture wars
In one of her first public appearances as Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos delivered a speech at the 2017 Conservative Political Action Conference and established herself as a fixture in the culture wars. Her brief remarks began with swipes at…
Historically Black college welcomes white pastor with passion for racial justice
When Chris Caldwell thinks about student housing and food services, his pondering goes deeper than the mere campus amenities that concern administrators at most colleges. “We have many students who are insecure in terms of their housing, and we have…