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Campus Groups Give Feedback
by Derek Hodges
Faculty Chair and Professor of Political Science George Peery has released two statements that he says "Accurately reflect the campus' reaction to Dr. Rick Brewer."
The statements come from meetings held with college faculty and retired faculty. Both groups assembled shortly after Brewer's visit to discuss his candidacy for the position of president of Mars Hill College.
Brewer, who currently serves as vice president for planning and student affairs at Charleston Southern University in South Carolina, has been touted as the "prime candidate" for the presidency.
Fred Pittillo, chairman of the board of trustees, and John Wallace, chairman of the presidential search committee, announced the visit in a memo forwarded by Peery via e-mail to students and faculty on April 16. The announcement said that the search committee "welcomes observations and feedback." The e-mail made no mention of visits by other candidates.
During meetings with the candidate on April 22 and 23, faculty raised questions about Brewer's conservative record in administration. When asked by one faculty member whether non-Christian employees would be welcome on Brewer's staff, Brewer admitted he would rather hire only Christians for what he called "my staff."
Brewer told each meeting he was in that he was a "centrist" or "progressive" Baptist. Many on the campus still feared Brewer may have a desire to change Mars Hill to make it more resemble Charleston Southern, one of only two higher education institutions Brewer attended while earning a doctorate, and the only one he has held a position with.
Brewer tried to allay fears that he was a fundamentalist who would change Mars Hill by telling an assembly of 300-400 students that he "wouldn't want to do that because they're (Mars Hill and Charleston Southern) just simply two different types of schools."
Despite his claims of having no agenda for Mars Hill, faculty members meeting in faculty senate on April 24, two days after Brewer's visit with them, voted 72 to 0 with 2 abstentions in favor of a resolution opposing Brewer's further candidacy for president.
In the statement, the faculty expresses appreciation for the search committee's work. The resolution says that the faculty "acknowledges the Committee's efforts to gain input and support from the College community. Our goal, like yours, is to find the very best person for this important leadership position."
In addition, the faculty listed the following reasons for their "feeling of distrust and deep concern about his [Brewer's] vision for the College and his potential role as its leader:
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"We believe Dr. Brewer is not a good fit for the position of president of Mars Hill College, and we recommend that the Search Committee not proceed with his candidacy.
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"Based on conversations with Dr. Brewer we believe he does not follow in the hundred-year tradition of leadership established by Presidents Moore, Blackwell, and Bentley, and would fail to carry on the rich heritage of the College and its mission.
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"We are committed to supporting and endorsing a candidate who represents the qualities that the entire campus and the Board of Trustees defined and accepted at the beginning of this presidential search process.
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"We understand there may be other qualified candidates, and we request an opportunity to review their credentials and meet with them."
In addition, the faculty expressed their comfort with the current Interim President Dan Lunsford. Explaining that they feel Lunsford's administration is "operating effectively," the faculty said they "find no need to rush the process. This is such an important decision for the college that we believe the search should continue until we find a candidate that can be fully supported by the entire Mars Hill College community."
The Student Government Association (SGA) met at the same time as the faculty senate, just a short distance away. SGA President Chris Alley, who is serving on the search committee as the student representative, opened the floor for comment from students on their impression of Dr. Brewer. Several students stood up to voice their opinions, after which Alley told the students, "If you had to vote today, I want to know if it would be a yes or no." An informal show of hands showed an overwhelming majority opposed to Brewer's candidacy, while only a handful voted in favor of continuing the process with him as a prime candidate.
While there was no vote from staff, 25 retired faculty and staff members crafted and signed a document that said they found Brewer to be "a nice person," but that they were, "strongly disappointed in the candidate and unanimously feel that he is not the best person for the position." The retired faculty and staff cited the following as some of their reasons for opposing Brewer's candidacy:
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"His educational background (except for the doctorate) and his entire professional career have been limited to Charleston Southern University.
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"We question whether a person whose training and experience have been almost totally associated with an institution as deeply conservative as CSU could provide strong leadership at an institution with a history of freedom and openness such as Mars Hill.
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"Although his areas of service at CSU have been varied, his experience seems extremely meager in high-level leadership, especially in academic programming."
Peery released the statements just two days before an "informal meeting" of the executive committee of the board of trustees. No agenda has been released for that meeting, and some fear decisions could be made about Brewer's candidacy before the board is allowed to consider campus feedback.
The executive committee will meet at 4 p.m., Thursday, May 1, at Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute. There is another meeting of the committee on May 8 that will be followed by a meeting of the full board of trustees on May 9.
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