The acting chair of the Northern Seminary board of trustees resigned March 20, citing concern that her attempts to persuade the board to apologize for its handling of the resignation of the seminary president were met with “disrespect and condescension.”…
Mercer sets $500 million goal for Aspire campaign
Mercer University’s board of trustees elected 10 new trustees and a new board chair during its November meeting and authorized increasing the Aspire capital campaign goal from $400 million to $500 million. Launched in 2014, Aspire, The Campaign for Mercer University already…
Despite faculty vote of ‘no confidence’ in president, Hardin-Simmons trustees express ‘great confidence’
In response to a 76% faculty vote of no confidence — the second of its kind — in President Eric Bruntmyer, the trustee chairman of Hardin-Simmons University has assured students all is well. In an email addressed to “dear students”…
Behind the numbers: How Southwestern Seminary’s enrollment came to be the lowest it has been since World War II
When news broke last month about the sudden resignation of Adam Greenway as president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, many Southern Baptist Convention observers and alumni of the Fort Worth, Texas, seminary were surprised to learn how small the school…
Seattle Pacific University in governance turmoil as trustees resign and a group of students, faculty and staff sue to unseat six other trustees
Accusations of denominational meddling and the continuation of anti-LGBTQ hiring and personnel policies have led students and staff to sue members of the Seattle Pacific University board of trustees. Concerns about racial disparities, declining enrollments and giving also motivated the…
What if Southwestern’s trustees actually are doing their job?
One of the narratives that quickly emerged after BNG broke the story of Adam Greenway resigning as president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is that this is yet another example of Southern Baptist Convention trustees asleep at the wheel. That’s…
Southwestern trustees change their mind: David Dockery will now be interim president, and O.S. Hawkins will be senior advisor
Five days after naming O.S. Hawkins interim president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, trustees announced a new plan: Hawkins will serve as senior advisor and ambassador at large, and David Dockery will serve as interim president. News of this change…
The strange saga of the Riley Foundation lawsuit now forces SBC to figure out who has the right to remove a seminary trustee
A months-long battle for ultimate control of the Southern Baptist Convention’s agencies and institutions came to light Feb. 21 when a trove of attorney communications exposed a rift between officers of the SBC Executive Committee and leaders of Southwestern Baptist…
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…