Bob Jones University

==Academics==
The university comprises seven colleges and schools offering more than 60 undergraduate majors, including fourteen associate degree programs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bju.edu/academics/majors/|title=Programs of Study|work=Bob Jones University|access-date=June 14, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131210055420/http://www.bju.edu/academics/majors/|archive-date=December 10, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> Many of the university employees consider their positions as much ministries as jobs.<ref>{{cite book|last=Turner|first=Daniel|title=Standing Without Apology: The History of Bob Jones University|publisher=BJU Press|year=1997|pages=251–252}}{{cite book|author=Wright, Melton|title=Fortress of Faith: The Story of Bob Jones University|publisher=BJU Press|year=1984|page=194}}: "Bob Jones University has a scholarly, dedicated faculty who regard teaching as not just a profession but as a Christian calling."</ref> It is common for retiring professors to have served the university for more than forty years, a circumstance that has contributed to the stability and conservatism of an institution of higher learning that has virtually no endowment and at which faculty salaries are "sacrificial".<ref>''Voice of the Alumni'' [publication of the BJU Alumni Association], 1996–2006. In 1993, CFO Roy Barton said teachers' salaries were kept as "low as possible in order to offer affordable higher education to Christians". Barton said he could name "dozens of people who work here for half or a third of what they could be earning on the outside, but they are here because of a desire to be part of the ministry of training young people". ''Greenville News'', April 18, 1993, "Upstate Business", 11. In the same ''Greenville News'' issue, Bob Jones III said, "Everyone here is like a missionary." (10)</ref><ref>In the fiscal year 2016–17, not even 1% of BJU's operating expenses were covered by endowments, and total giving was less than $9 million. ''BJU 2016–17 Annual Report—Advancement'', 21.</ref>

===Religious education===

====School of Religion====
The School of Religion includes majors for both men and women, although only men train as ministerial students.<ref>[http://www.bju.edu/academics/college-and-schools/religion/ BJU School of Religion].</ref> Many of these students go on to a [[seminary]] after completing their undergraduate education. Others take ministry positions straight from college, and rising juniors participate in a church internship program to prepare them for pastoral ministry. In 1995, 1,290 BJU graduates were serving as senior or associate pastors in churches across the United States.<ref>{{cite book|author=Dalhouse, Mark Taylor|title=An Island in the Lake of Fire: Bob Jones University, Fundamentalism & the Separatist Movement|pages=148–151}}</ref> In 2017 more than 100 pastors in the [[Upstate South Carolina|Upstate]] alone were BJU graduates.<ref>''Greenville Journal'', April 14, 2017, 16</ref>

[[File:BJUSeminary.JPG|thumb|right|The seminary building at Bob Jones University]]

====Position on the King James Version of the Bible====
The university uses the [[King James Version]] (KJV) of the Bible in its services and classrooms, but it does not hold the KJV to be the only acceptable English translation or that it has the same authority as the original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts.<ref name="turner244">{{cite book|last=Turner|first=Daniel|title=Standing Without Apology: The History of Bob Jones University|pages=244–245}} [http://www.bju.edu/communities/ministries-schools/position-statements/translation.php "Statement about Bible Translations", BJU website]. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020142718/http://www.bju.edu/communities/ministries-schools/position-statements/translation.php |date=October 20, 2012 }}</ref> The [[King-James-Only Movement]]—or more correctly, movements, since it has many variations—became a divisive force in fundamentalism as conservative, modern Bible translations, such as the [[New American Standard Bible]] (NASB) and the [[New International Version]] (NIV), began to appear in the 1970s. BJU has taken the position that orthodox Christians of the late 19th and early 20th centuries (including fundamentalists) agreed that while the KJV was a substantially accurate translation, only the original manuscripts of the Bible written in Hebrew and Greek were infallible and inerrant.<ref>{{cite book|last=Turner|first=Daniel|title=Standing Without Apology: The History of Bob Jones University|pages=244–245}}</ref> Bob Jones Jr. called the KJV-only position a "[[heresy]]" and "in a very definite sense, a [[blasphemy]]".<ref>{{cite book|author=Jones Jr., Bob|title=Cornbread and Caviar|page=179}}</ref>

===Fine arts===
The Division of Fine Arts has the largest faculty of the university's six undergraduate schools.<ref>Of about 350 faculty members listed in the 2007–08 catalog, around a hundred, or roughly 30%, taught in the Division of Fine Arts. ''Bob Jones University Catalog, 2007–08'', 341–47.</ref> Each year, the university presents an [[opera]] in the spring semester and Shakespearean plays in both the fall and spring semesters.<ref>[http://www.bju.edu/events/fine-arts/cod/ Concert, opera, & drama series, BJU website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217225516/http://www.bju.edu/events/fine-arts/cod/ |date=February 17, 2012 }}. In 2011 the university won second place in the professional division of the National Opera Association 2009–10 video competition for its production of ''[[Samson et Dalila]]''. [http://www.noa.org/competitions/opera-production/2009-2010-winners.html NOA website].</ref>  The Division of Fine Arts includes an RTV department with a campus radio and television station, [[WBJU]]. More than a hundred concerts, recitals, and laboratory theater productions are also presented annually.<ref name="Eternity 2008">"Investing in Lives for Eternity", BJU Advancement brochure (2008), 6, Bob Jones University Archives, Mack Library. Undergraduate university students taking six or more credit hours are required to attend the two or three Concert, Opera & Drama Series programs given each semester. [http://blogs.bju.edu/dsc/concert-opera-drama-series/attendance-expectations/ BJU website].</ref>

Each fall, as a recruiting tool, the university sponsors a "High School Festival" in which students compete in music, art, and speech (including preaching) contests with their peers from around the country.<ref>[http://www.bju.edu/collegian/index.php?issue=80&article=800 High school students to compete in Fall Festival] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330224211/http://www.bju.edu/collegian/index.php?issue=80&article=800 |date=March 30, 2012 }} Article from BJU website by Jeanne Petrizzo describing the festival</ref> In the spring, a similar competition sponsored by the [[American Association of Christian Schools]], and hosted by BJU since 1977, brings thousands of national finalists to the university from around the country. In 2005, 120 of the finalists from previous years returned to BJU as freshmen.<ref>[http://www.bju.edu/collegian/index.php?issue=44&article=384 BJU ''Collegian'' article from BJU website] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330224225/http://www.bju.edu/collegian/index.php?issue=44&article=384 |date=March 30, 2012 }}</ref>

===Science===
[[File:ScienceBuildingBJU.JPG|thumb|right|Howell Memorial Science Building]]

Bob Jones University supports [[Young Earth Creationism|young-earth creationism]],<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.bju.edu/academics/college-and-schools/arts-and-science/natural-science/creation/gap.php | title=Gap Theory Statement | publisher=Bob Jones University | year=2013 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120428055404/http://www.bju.edu/academics/college-and-schools/arts-and-science/natural-science/creation/gap.php | archive-date=April 28, 2012 }}</ref> all their biology faculty are young Earth creationists<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.bju.edu/academics/majors/biology/ | title=Biology | publisher=Bob Jones University | year=2013 | access-date=March 11, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130407143452/http://www.bju.edu/academics/majors/biology/ | archive-date=April 7, 2013 | url-status=dead }}</ref> and the university rejects evolution, calling it "at best an unsupportable and unworkable hypothesis".<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.bju.edu/academics/college-and-schools/arts-and-science/natural-science/teaching-science/distinctiveness.php | title=Teaching Science: Distinctiveness | publisher=Bob Jones University | year=2013 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140113012242/http://www.bju.edu/academics/college-and-schools/arts-and-science/natural-science/teaching-science/distinctiveness.php | archive-date=January 13, 2014 }}</ref>

According to the BJU website, "More than 80% of our premed graduates are accepted to medical or dental school within a year of graduation."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bju.edu/academics/programs/premed-predent/|title=Premed/Predent, BS}}</ref> The Department of Biology hosts two research programs on campus, one in cancer research, the other in animal behavior.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bju.edu/academics/programs/biology/|title=Biology|work=Bob Jones University|access-date=June 14, 2015}}</ref> Although ten of the sixteen members of the science faculty have bachelor's degrees from BJU, all earned their doctorates from accredited, non-religious institutions of higher learning.<ref name="fkoagz">{{cite web|url=http://www.bju.edu/academics/faculty/bydivision.php?id=1119|title=Faculty – Division of Natural Science|work=Bob Jones University|access-date=June 14, 2015}}</ref> 

The university's nursing major is approved by the South Carolina State Board of Nursing, and a BJU graduate with a [[Bachelor of Science in Nursing|BSN]] is eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination to become a [[registered nurse]].<ref name="autogenerated1">''Bob Jones University Catalog, 2007–08'', 90.</ref> The BJU engineering program is accredited by the [[ABET|Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.bju.edu/pr/2013/08/07/bju-engineering-program-earns-abet-accreditation/ |title=BJU Engineering Program Earns ABET Accreditation &#124; BJU Public Relations |publisher=Blogs.bju.edu |date=August 7, 2013 |access-date=August 15, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140807024119/http://blogs.bju.edu/pr/2013/08/07/bju-engineering-program-earns-abet-accreditation/ |archive-date=August 7, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Accreditation and rankings===
Bob Jones Sr. was leery of [[academic accreditation]] almost from the founding of the college, and by the early 1930s, he had publicly stated his opposition to holding [[regional accreditation]].<ref>However, in the earliest college catalog (called "An Epoch in Education") Jones wrote, "Having met all the requirements, we have made application for admission to the [[Southern Association of Colleges and Schools|Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools]]." (32)</ref> Jones and the college were criticized for this stance, and academic recognition, as well as student and faculty recruitment, were hindered.<ref name=p68>{{cite book|last=Turner|first=Daniel|title=Standing Without Apology: The History of Bob Jones University|page=68}}</ref>

In 1944, Jones wrote to [[John Walvoord]] of [[Dallas Theological Seminary]] that while the university had "no objection to educational work highly standardized…. We, however, cannot conscientiously let some group of educational experts or some committee of experts who may have a behavioristic or atheistic slant on education control or even influence the administrative policies of our college."<ref>Jones to Walwoord, May 8, 1944, in {{cite book|last=Turner|first=Daniel|title=Standing Without Apology: The History of Bob Jones University|pages=354–355}}</ref> Five years later, Jones reflected that "it cost us something to stay out of an association, but we stayed out. We have lived up to our convictions."<ref>Jones to James O. Buswell, May 12, 1949, in {{cite book|last=Turner|first=Daniel|title=Standing Without Apology: The History of Bob Jones University|page=68}}</ref> In any case, lack of accreditation seems to have made little difference during the post-war period, when the university more than doubled in size.<ref name=p68/>

Because graduates did not benefit from accredited degrees, the faculty felt an increased responsibility to prepare their students.<ref>{{cite book|last=Turner|first=Daniel|title=Standing Without Apology: The History of Bob Jones University|page=203}}</ref> Early in the history of the college, there had been some hesitancy on the part of other institutions to accept BJU credits at face value, but by the 1960s, BJU alumni were being accepted by most of the major graduate and professional schools in the United States.<ref>"BJU's reputation in academic circles gradually became more respected for the intellectual preparation and strong character of its graduates. By the 1960s several graduate schools actively courted university alumni, and BJU graduates were accepted into most of the major graduate programs in the country despite the school's opposition to regional accreditation." {{cite book|last=Turner|first=Daniel|title=Standing Without Apology: The History of Bob Jones University|pages=203, 353–355}}</ref> Undoubtedly helpful was that some of the university's strongest programs were in the areas of music, speech, and art, disciplines in which ability could be measured by audition or portfolio rather than through paper qualifications.<ref name="Michael Collins 2007">Michael Collins, "Accreditation at Bob Jones University" (2007), unpublished paper, Bob Jones University Archives, Mack Library.</ref>

Nevertheless, by the early 2000s, the university quietly reexamined its position on accreditation as [[Diploma mill|degree mills]] proliferated, and some government agencies, such as local police departments, began excluding BJU graduates because the university did not appear on appropriate federal lists.<ref name="Michael Collins 2007"/> In 2004, the university began the process of joining the [[Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools]]. Candidate status—effectively, accreditation—was obtained in April 2005, and full membership in the Association was conferred in November 2006.<ref>BJU is also a founding member of the [[American Association of Christian Colleges and Seminaries]], a small group of institutions "clearly identified with the historic Christian fundamentalist tradition".[http://www.aaccs.info/members.asp American Association of Christian Colleges and Seminaries] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130430001429/http://www.aaccs.info/members.asp |date=April 30, 2013 }}.</ref> In December 2011, BJU announced its intention to apply for regional accreditation with the [[Southern Association of Colleges and Schools]] (SACSCOC), and it received that accreditation in 2017.<ref>''Greenville News'', December 7, 2011; Paul Hyde, "Bob Jones University earns accreditation, boosting prestige," ''Greenville News'', June 15, 2017, 1. The university said that "significant changes" in SACS' approach to accreditation, including "respect [for] the stated mission of the institution, including religious mission", had addressed its earlier concerns about regional accreditation. [http://www.bju.edu/news/2011-12-05-regional-accreditation.php BJU website] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111208014211/http://www.bju.edu/news/2011-12-05-regional-accreditation.php |date=December 8, 2011 }}.</ref>

In 2017, [[U.S. News & World Report|US News]] ranked BJU as #61 (tie) in Regional Universities South
and #7 in Best Value Schools.<ref>[https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/bob-jones-university-666997/overall-rankings US News website].</ref>

===Political involvement===
As a twelve-year-old, Bob Jones Sr. made a twenty-minute speech in defense of the [[Populist Party (United States)|Populist Party]]. Jones was a friend and admirer of [[William Jennings Bryan]] but also campaigned throughout the South for [[Herbert Hoover]] (and against [[Al Smith]]) during the 1928 presidential election. Even the authorized history of BJU notes that both Bob Jones Sr. and Bob Jones Jr. "played political hardball" when dealing with the three municipalities in which the school was successively located. For instance, in 1962, Bob Jones Sr. warned the Greenville City Council that he had "four hundred votes in his pocket and in any election he would have control over who would be elected."<ref>{{cite book|last=Turner|first=Daniel|title=Standing Without Apology: The History of Bob Jones University|pages=3, 10, 78, 246, 428}}</ref>

Bob Jones Sr.'s April 17, 1960, [[Easter Sunday]] sermon, broadcast on the radio, entitled "Is Segregation Scriptural?" served as the university position paper on race in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. The transcript was sent in pamphlet form in fund-raising letters and sold in the university bookstore. In the sermon, Jones states, "If you are against segregation and against racial separation, then you are against God Almighty." The school began a long history of supporting politicians who were considered aligned with racial segregation.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Manis|first1=Andrew M.|title=Southern civil religions in conflict : civil rights and the culture wars|date=2002|publisher=Mercer University Press|location=Macon, Ga.|isbn=0865547963}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/evangelical-history/2016/07/26/is-segregation-scriptural-a-radio-address-from-bob-jones-on-easter-of-1960/|title=Is Segregation Scriptural? A Radio Address from Bob Jones on Easter of 1960|website=thegospelcoalition.org|date=26 July 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://samanthabee.com/dr-bob-jones-sr-is-segregation-scriptural/|title=Full Frontal with Samantha Bee|access-date=2016-08-01|archive-date=2016-08-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160829024529/http://samanthabee.com/dr-bob-jones-sr-is-segregation-scriptural/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

====Republican Party ties====
[[File:Ron Strom.jpg|thumb|[[Ronald Reagan]] and [[Strom Thurmond]] both played influential roles in the political life of BJU.]]

From nearly the inception of Bob Jones College, a majority of students and faculty were from the [[Northern United States#Historical term|northern United States]], where there was a larger ratio of Republicans to Democrats than in [[Southern United States|the South]] (which was [[Solid South|solidly]] Democratic). Therefore, almost from its founding year, BJU had a larger portion of Republicans than the surrounding community.<ref>Turner, 246; Interviews of Mary Gaston Stollenwerck Jones by Margaret Beall Tice, (September–October 1973), University Archives, Mack Library, BJU. Bob Jones Sr. had held many evangelistic campaigns in the North before founding the college, and he correctly guessed that a new college in Florida would be more attractive to northerners than a new college in his home state of Alabama.</ref> After South Carolina Senator [[Strom Thurmond]] switched his allegiance to the Republican Party in 1964, BJU faculty members became increasingly influential in the new state Republican party. BJU alumni were elected to local political and party offices. In 1976, candidates supported by BJU faculty and alumni captured the local Republican party with unfortunate short-term political consequences, but by 1980 the [[Christian right|religious right]] and the [[country club Republican|"country club" Republicans]] had joined forces.<ref>Alan Ehrenhalt, ''The United States of Ambition: Politicians, Power and the Pursuit of Office'' (New York: Random House, 1991), 98–99. "With its factions bitterly opposed to each other, the Republican party lost virtually all its state legislative seats in Greenville County, even as Gerard Ford was carrying the county against Jimmy Carter by more than 3,000 votes." (98)</ref> From then on, most Republican candidates for local and statewide offices sought the endorsement of Bob Jones III and greeted faculty/staff voters at the University Dining Common.<ref>"As late as 1978 the state representative for most of the Bob Jones precincts was Sylvia Dreyfus, a liberal Jewish Democrat. That does not happen anymore. These days, when elections are held in the districts that surround the university, anybody who does not have a Bob Jones connection does not have a realistic chance." Ehrenhalt, 99.</ref>

National Republicans soon followed. [[Ronald Reagan]] spoke at the school in 1980, although the Joneses supported his opponent, [[John Connally]], in the South Carolina primary.<ref>"GOP debaters politick in state," ''Greenville News'', February 29, 1980. Reagan said he was "surprised" by Jones's endorsement of Connally.</ref> Later, Bob Jones III denounced Reagan as "a traitor to God's people" for choosing [[George H. W. Bush]]—whom Jones called a "devil"—as his vice president. Even later, Jones III shook Bush's hand and thanked him for being a good president.<ref name=wapo>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/04/AR2005050402413.html|title=Taking the Bob Out of Bob Jones U.|first=Peter|last=Carlson|date=May 5, 2005|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> In the 1990s, other Republicans such as [[Dan Quayle]], [[Pat Buchanan]], [[Phil Gramm]], [[Bob Dole]], and [[Alan Keyes]] also spoke at BJU.<ref>{{cite book|last=Turner|first=Daniel|title=Standing Without Apology: The History of Bob Jones University|page=248}}</ref> Democrats were rarely invited to speak at the university, in part because they took political and social positions (especially support for [[abortion rights]]) opposed by the [[Christian right|Religious Right]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Turner|first=Daniel|title=Standing Without Apology: The History of Bob Jones University|pages=246–248}}. As Bob Jones Jr. wrote in his memoirs, "While the lecture platform of Bob Jones University will never be open to dishonest Liberals like [[Ted Kennedy]], conservative politicians and honorable statesmen have been speaking from that platform for many years." {{cite book|author=Jones Jr., Bob|title=Cornbread and Caviar|publisher=BJU Press|year=1985|page=197}}</ref>

====2000 election====
On February 2, 2000, then Texas Governor George W. Bush, as a candidate for president, spoke during school's chapel hour.<ref name="nohtva">[https://www.nytimes.com/learning/students/pop/articles/022800wh-gop-bush.html ''New York Times'' website] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517184003/http://www.nytimes.com/learning/students/pop/articles/022800wh-gop-bush.html |date=May 17, 2013 }}</ref> Bush gave a standard stump speech, making no specific reference to the university. His political opponents quickly noted his non-mention of the university's ban on interracial dating. During the Michigan primary, Bush was also criticized for not stating his opposition to the university's anti-Catholicism. The [[John McCain|McCain]] campaign targeted Catholics with "Catholic Voter Alert" phone calls, reminding voters of Bush's visit to BJU.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2000/conventions/republican/features/turning.points/ CNN website] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041213143936/http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2000/conventions/republican/features/turning.points/ |date=December 13, 2004 }}</ref> New York Republican Representative [[Peter T. King|Peter King]], who was supporting John McCain in the presidential primary, called Bush a tool of "[[anti-Catholic]] bigoted forces", after the visit. King described BJU as "an institution that is notorious in Ireland for awarding an honorary doctorate to Northern Ireland's tempestuous [[Protestant]] leader, [[Ian Paisley]]."<ref name="2005-nysun.com">{{cite news|newspaper=New York Sun|url=http://www.nysun.com/national/rep-king-and-the-ira-the-end-of-an-extraordinary/15853|title=Rep. King and the IRA: The End of an Extraordinary Affair?|date=June 25, 2005|first=Ed|last=Moloney|access-date=January 2, 2021|archive-date=November 4, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104055320/http://www.nysun.com/national/rep-king-and-the-ira-the-end-of-an-extraordinary/15853|url-status=dead}}</ref> Bush denied that he either knew of or approved what he regarded as BJU's intolerant policies. On February 26, Bush issued a formal letter of apology to Cardinal [[John O'Connor (cardinal)|John Joseph O'Connor]] of [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York|New York]] for failing to denounce Bob Jones University's history of anti-Catholic statements. Bush said at a news conference following the letter's release, "I make no excuses. I had an opportunity and I missed it. I regret that....I wish I had gotten up then and seized the moment to set a tone, a tone that I had set in Texas, a positive and inclusive tone."<ref name="nohtva"/> Also during the 2000 Republican primary campaign in South Carolina, Richard Hand, a BJU professor, spread a false e-mail rumor that [[John McCain]] had fathered an [[illegitimate]] child. The McCains have an adopted daughter from [[Bangladesh]], and later [[push poll]]ing also implied that the child was biracial.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0002/14/ip.00.html|title=CNN Transcript – Inside Politics: GOP Candidates Trade Vitriol Instead of Valentines; Bush Firewall in Danger in Michigan; Bradley Lashes Out at Gore Over Policy Distortions – February 14, 2000|website=transcripts.cnn.com|access-date=February 4, 2006|archive-date=April 22, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060422164754/http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0002/14/ip.00.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

====Withdrawal from politics====
Although the March 2007 issue of ''[[Foreign Policy]]'' listed BJU as one of "The World's Most Controversial Religious Sites" because of its past influence on American politics,<ref>[https://foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3754&page=1 "The World's Most Controversial Religious Sites"]. The others mentioned were the [[Yasukuni Shrine]] in Tokyo; [[Potala Palace]] in Tibet; [[Ayodhya]], Uttar Pradesh state, India; and the [[Temple Mount]]/Haram al-Sharif in Jerusalem.</ref> BJU has seen little political controversy since Stephen Jones became president. When asked by a ''[[Newsweek]]'' reporter if he wished to play a political role, Stephen Jones replied, "It would not be my choice." Further, when asked if he felt ideologically closer to his father's engagement with politics or to other evangelicals who have tried to avoid civic involvement, Jones answered, "The gospel is for individuals. The main message we have is to individuals. We're not here to save the culture."<ref>Susannah Meadows, "Passing the Torch at Bob Jones U." ''Newsweek'' "Web Exclusive" [MSNBC link expired], January 29, 2005, hard copy at [http://158.158.239.51:81/search?/YPassing+&SORT=D/YPassing+&SORT=D&SUBKEY=Passing%20/1%2C282%2C282%2CB/frameset&FF=YPassing+&SORT=D&12%2C12%2C Fundamentalist File, Mack Library, BJU]{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}.</ref> In a 2005 ''[[The Washington Post|Washington Post]]'' interview, Jones dodged political questions and even admitted that he was embarrassed by "some of the more vitriolic comments" made by his predecessors. "I don't want to get specific," Jones said, "But there were things said back then that I wouldn't say today."<ref name=wapo /> In October 2007, when Bob Jones III, as "a private citizen," endorsed [[Mitt Romney]] for the Republican nomination for president, Stephen Jones made it clear that he wished "to stay out of politics" and that neither he nor the university had endorsed anyone.<ref>[http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071021/NEWS01/710210319 Greenville News, October 21, 2007]{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}.</ref> Despite a hotly contested South Carolina primary, none of the candidates appeared on the platform of BJU's Founders' Memorial Amphitorium during the 2008 election cycle.<ref>Candidate [[Ron Paul]] did speak in a large classroom to an overflow crowd. BJU's vice president for administration said, "We purposefully chose a room in the Alumni building because we do not want candidates to hold rallies on campus. We want interested students, faculty and staff to benefit from the educational experience of listening to a candidate, and hopefully, as a result, be able to make a more informed voting decision." ''BJU Collegian'', January 25, 2008.</ref> In April 2008, Stephen Jones told a reporter, "I don't think I have a political bone in my body."<ref>''Greenville Journal'' (April 4, 2008), 32.</ref>

====Renewed political engagement====
In 2015 BJU reemerged as a campaign stop for conservative Republicans. [[Ben Carson]] and [[Ted Cruz]] held large on-campus rallies on two successive days in November. BJU president [[Steve Pettit]] met with [[Marco Rubio]], [[Rick Perry]], [[Mike Huckabee]], and [[Scott Walker (politician)|Scott Walker]]. [[Jeb Bush]], Carson, Cruz, and Rubio also appeared at a 2016 Republican presidential forum at BJU. Chip Felkel, a Greenville Republican consultant, noted that some candidates closely identified "with the folks at Bob Jones. So it makes sense for them to want to be there."  Nevertheless, unlike BJU's earlier periods of political involvement, Pettit did not endorse a candidate.<ref>Tim Smith and Rudolph Bell, "Bob Jones University Back in Political Limelight," ''Greenville News'', November 15, 2015, 1, 4;[https://www.wsj.com/articles/gop-candidates-return-to-bob-jones-university-as-party-shifts-right-1447453662 Reid J. Epstein, "GOP Candidates Return to Bob Jones University as Party Shifts Right," ''Wall Street Journal'', November 13, 2015]; Nathaniel Cary, "GOP candidates headed to forum at BJU," ''Greenville News'', January 30, 2016, 1A, 4A; "Trump, Kasich no-shows at BJU presidential forum," ''Greenville News'', January 13, 2016, 1.</ref>

According to [[Furman University]] political science professor Jim Guth, because Greenville has grown so much recently, it is unlikely BJU will ever again have the same political influence it had between the 1960s and the 1980s. Nevertheless, about a quarter of all BJU graduates continue to live in the [[Upstate South Carolina|Upstate]], and as long-time mayor [[Knox H. White|Knox White]] has said, "The alumni have had a big impact on every profession and walk of life in Greenville."<ref>''Greenville Journal'', April 14, 2017, 16.</ref>