Bob Jones University
| Bob Jones University | |
|---|---|
| City: | Greenville, South Carolina |
| Type: | Private |
| Colors: | dark blue, light blue, whtie |
| Website: | http://www.bju.edu/ |
Bob Jones University is a conservative, Christian liberal arts college in Greenville, South Carolina. It welcomes homeschoolers: 29% of its students were homeschooled among its 2007-2008 student body.
Its Mission Statement is: Within the cultural and academic soil of liberal arts education, Bob Jones University exists to grow Christlike character that is Scripturally disciplined; others-serving; God-loving; Christ-proclaiming; and focused Above.
The Rev. Dr. Ian Paisley, MP, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party and First Minister of the Northern Ireland Executive, holds an honorary doctorate from Bob Jones University. Billy Graham also attended Bob Jones University, although he ended up graduating from Wheaton College in Illinois. John D. Ashcroft accepted an honorary degree from BJU in May 1999. Republican senators Jesse Helms (N.C.) and Strom Thurmond (S.C.), along with Republican Representatives Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and Asa Hutchinson (Ark.), also received honorary degrees. [1]
Asa Hutchinson and his brother, Tim Hutchinson, graduated from BJU in the early '70s. [2]
For years, Bob Jones University was a routine campaign stop for conservative Republicans visiting South Carolina. Ronald Reagan, Dan Quayle, Pat Buchanan and Robert J. Dole campaigned at BJU. [3]
Accreditation
Bob Jones, Sr., the founder of BJU, was fearful of obtaining academic accreditation for the school. Over the years, as pressure mounted on the institution to give its students the benefits of accredited degrees, the university moved towards membership in the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools. Accreditation was not obtained until 2005.[4]
Controversy
The university has a controversial history of racial segregation. Until 1971 all black students were forbidden from enrolling. Unmarried blacks were allowed to enroll from 1975 in response to the ruling in McCrary v. Runyon by the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit that private universities were prohibited from practicing racial discrimination. Upon the admission of unmarried blacks, all students were prohibited from interracial dating and marriage. As a result of the racially discriminatory policies, the Internal Revenue Service revoked the the university's 501(c)(3) tax exempt status in 1976 and this revocation was upheld in 1983 by the ruling of the Supreme Court of the United States in Bob Jones University v. United States.[5]
In the primary race in 2000, George W. Bush campaigned at BJU. His Republican rival, John McCain, used the visit against Bush in a telephone calling campaign that turned out Catholic voters for the Senator. The McCain ad stated "Governor George Bush has campaigned against Sen. John McCain by seeking the support of southern fundamentalists who express anti-Catholic views." McCain said the calls didn't accuse Bush of bigotry, only the people Bush was turning to for support. [6]
The university announced in 2000 that it was abandoning its ban on interracial dating following negative publicity earlier that year.[7]
References
- ↑ Washington Post: Bob Jones: A Magnet School for Controversy, University's Policies Haunt GOP Hopefuls, By Juliet Eilperin and Hanna Rosin, Friday, February 25, 2000; Page A06 [1]
- ↑ Washington Post: Bob Jones: A Magnet School for Controversy, University's Policies Haunt GOP Hopefuls, By Juliet Eilperin and Hanna Rosin, Friday, February 25, 2000; Page A06 [2]
- ↑ Washington Post: Bob Jones: A Magnet School for Controversy, University's Policies Haunt GOP Hopefuls, By Juliet Eilperin and Hanna Rosin, Friday, February 25, 2000; Page A06 [3]
- ↑ http://www.bju.edu/accreditation.html
- ↑ [4]
- ↑ CBS News: Bush Regrets Bob Jones U. Calls Visit There "A Missed Opportunity" NEW YORK, Feb. 27, 2000[5]
- ↑ [6]
External Links