What happened to Steve Pettit? Bob Jones University President resigns as John Lewis petition goes viral 

The president of Bob Jones University, Steve Pettit announced his resignation on Thursday. The first president in history, who is not a Jones, will be leaving office at the end of the academic year in May. The sudden announcement comes after his conditions pertaining to Board Chairman John Lewis were not met. Amid the intense battle between the two, students and alumni asked for Lewis’ resignation. No updates as to Lewis’ exit from the educational institution were made at the time of writing this article.

Following months of contention between Pettit and Lewis, the former announced his departure from the university. In a press statement, Petit said:

“It has been one of the greatest privileges of my life to serve as the president of Bob Jones University. My memories of the wonderful people, the incredible student body, and the perpetual blessings of God will linger with me throughout the rest of my life.”

Prior to his resignation, Pettit issued an ultimatum to the board through a letter. He demanded that Lewis be removed from the chairman of the board and the member of the Executive Committee by March 29, 2023. If the terms are not met, Pettit will be resigning from the presidency on March 31, 2023.

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Feud between Steve Pettit and John Lewis explained

In the aforementioned letter, Pettit explained the reasons why he wanted Lewis to be removed. He claimed that Lewis operated in “Secrecy and hostility” towards the president’s administration. In an example, he stated that Lewis had moved executive meetings to the residence of former president Bob Jones III. It was also revealed that sensitive information pertaining to the institution was moved from the university’s secure server to a new computer.

Lewis reportedly also displayed nonchalance towards the university’s financial issues.

In another instance, Lewis reportedly obstructed a Title IX investigation that pertained to female student athletes’ uniform and clothing that accentuates their “bo*bs and bu*ts.”

On the day of Pettit’s resignation, Bob Jones University students created a petition demanding the resignation of Lewis. They wrote in the description:

“Dr. Steve Pettit resigned as the President of BJU after calling for Dr. Lewis' resignation due to a carefully outlined and documented letter recounting Dr. Lewis' dysfunctional leadership, and unethical behavior.”

The students, faculty and alumni also asked for the reinstatement of Steve Pettit as the President.

At the time of writing this article, the petition had amassed over 5000 signatures.

Pettit’s resignation comes just a few months after he was re-elected by the board. He has been the president for the past nine years after being first elected in 2014.

Steve Pettit is also an alumni of the university. He obtained his Masters of Arts degree in Pastoral Studies from the university in 1980. During his tenure at the university, he held the following positions- national director of the Cross Impact Ministry, a board member of the Bob Jones University and the evangelist at the Steve Pettit Evangelist Association.

Steve Pettit is married to Terry and they are parents to four children.