Why don't they spend their time focusing on making Shorter a BETTER academic institution?? Hate to tell everyone this, but these days, a Shorter education is irrelevant, SBC is a fringe organization and most people can live without the hypocrits associated with it. Students, spend your moeny on education at UGA, Berry, Ga Tech, KSU or any of the other schools focused primarily on your education, not what the professors do in their spare time.

Prayer for the precious Shorter College Students and Faculty today. Dr. Dowless and your Board of trustees: Judge Not!

Ms. Battles must be wearing blinders and earplugs if she,or anyone else for that matter, thinks that the trustees' and Dowless's position has nothing to do with the students. Tell that to my child who makes daily calls, frantic that beloved teachers are leaving for other jobs or rumored to be looking for jobs. We chose Shorter for the overall environment, including the current faculty. A professor leaving here and there for a better opportunity or a personal reason is one thing. A mass exodus is quite another, which is the situation facing the students. No one seems to give a hoot about how they are feeling. Shame on Dowless and the trustees!

We can argue the appropriateness of the Lifestyle Pledge and personal theology all day long. Perhaps, in all this uproar, it would be advisable to deal with some facts:

Shorter University is not owned by the Georgia Baptist Convention. It is owned by the Shorter Foundation. The GBC is a sponsoring organization of the University. The lawsuit between Shorter and the GBC was not over whether or not the GBC owned Shorter, but whether or not a move, by the then Board of Trustees, to dissolve the college, in an effort to remove the undue influence of the GBC was legal.

Per the decision of the Georgia Supreme Court, dated May 23, 2005, “The College's mission was “to provide quality higher education integrating Christian values within a nurturing community․” The record shows that the College had real reason to believe that it would lose accreditation if it did not address the accreditor's [Southern Association of Colleges and Schools] concerns over GBC's influence.   The loss of accreditation would have a devastating effect on any college or university, including an inability to attract the best students and faculty and a loss of essential financial aid for students.   By taking the actions it did, the Board addressed the accreditor's concerns over GBC's influence, removed the barrier to reaccreditation, and thereby furthered the College's mission of “providing quality higher education.”

The Foundation will also carry out the College's religious mission by continuing to promote a nurturing, Christian environment in which students will learn.   Accordingly, the dissolution furthered both the College's educational and religious missions, whereas ceding to GBC's wishes would have likely cost it accreditation and severely damaged its educational mission.   The Board thus fully complied with its fiduciary duties, as the majority opinion concedes.”

Concerns over the GBC’s influence remains and is only exacerbated by the latest actions of President Dowless and the Board of Trustees.

I would remind the supporters of Dowless and the Board that Shorter University was founded and remains a liberal arts college. To change that status to a school of theology would require a substantive change with SACS in order to remain accredited. Changes of governanace, control, FORM, or legal status require substantative change approval.

Furthermore, Dowless and the Board of Trustees have opened themselves and the University to censure by the AAUP. The American Association of University Professors, an organization founded in 1915, is “the leading organization primarily dedicated to protecting the academic freedom of professors” which, along with “more than two hundred other professional and educational organizations [has endorsed] the 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure.”

According the AAUP website:

The Association is committed to use its procedures and to take measures, including censure, against colleges and universities practicing illegal or unconstitutional discrimination, or discrimination on a basis not demonstrably related to the job function involved, including, but not limited to, age, sex, disability, race, religion, national origin, marital status, or sexual orientation.

Should the AAUP censure Shorter University, it will be the third such institution associated with Dr. Dowless to be so censured (North Greenville and Charleston Southern being the other two).

Per SACS policy statement on integrity, “integrity is essential to the purpose of higher education, functions as the basic contract defining the relationship between the Commission and each of its member and candidate institutions. It is a relationship in which all parties agree to deal honestly and openly with their constituencies and with one another. Without this commitment, no relationship can exist or be sustained between the Commission and its member and candidate institutions.”

Dr. Dowless’ continued refusal to meet with his faculty, students and alumni abrogates the rights of these constituencies and fails to meet the standard of integrity expected in an institution of higher learning.

Shorter University deserves better, its faculty and students deserve better and Rome deserves better.

Employees of the university are also forbidden to drink alcohol in public.

Is it me or is this hypocritical? Agree not to drink alcohol in public but it's okay if you get sloshed behind closed doors?

If Baptists don't believe in drinking, why would it not read "...forbidden to drink alcohol period"...?

Sounds to me like someone wants to appear "oh so chaste" but still have the right to do what they want in private. Can we say "loophole"? Ridiculous!

Does anyone know of any law firm that would help our current students get their money and time back? We certainly did not sign up for a seminary college.

Too funny--"this has nothing to do with the students?" Why turn clock back just 50-60 years, why not go all the way back 150 years and she can have slaves picking cotton on the Hill. What an idiot!

For any faculty and staff that are harmed by the enforcement of Shorter's Statement of "Faith", please contact Lorraine in the Atlanta regional office of Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. The contact information can be found on their website: LambdaLegal.org.

I have briefed her on the situation and they are prepared to consider possible legal remedies for impacted faculty and staff.

I wonder if Ms. Battles realizes that now is 2011---not the early 90s when she was initially put on the board. From this one example alone, maybe the college should consider their Board members and their relevancies in today's society when making decisions that affect today's graduates.

To "whataboutthekids." The statement by a professor "Guess what, I'll sign the stupid statement because it doesn't say I can't be a liar!" is a LONG way from critical thinking. It is an inmature statement about the professor's character. MY "kid" will be a college student soon, and I hope that the professors who will be shaping his life will be a little more mature and have a little more integrity than this one.

Beyond this, I don't agree with all of the lifestyle statement. However, I do believe that a private university has the right to set it's own requirements for employment. If I send my child to Brigham Young, I expect there to be a Mormon slant to it's teachings. Same with a Catholic school, etc... and if I send my child to a Baptist University, I expect there to be a Baptist slant. The Baptists are heavily supporting the school, thus it is expected to have Baptist guidelines for it's professors. If you don't want this, send your child elsewhere.

Read more: RN-T.com - Rome trustee says she would sign Shorter faith statement

Reading back through the blogs is enlightening.

The Shorter web site promises a "nurtuting and supportive environment." It turns out this only applies if you agree with a certain set of rules.

Sad. And hurtful.

The last line by shorterprof is "right on" in pointing out the fatal inconsistency of the pledge. He or she is actually engaging in critical thinking.

And if we are going back 50 or 75 years for justification, there is more to consider than the shameful past in discrimination against peole of African origin. Let's aslo check to see how many women were on the Shorter Board of Trustees at that time. How many women were ordained by the church then. what were the rights of half of our popualtion, the women. Do we really want to go back there?

I have seen a "pastor" tell the flock that he was leading that they must sign a faith statement which included adultry. However, that married good shepard had earlier gotten one of his flock pregnant.

The Pharisees are alive and well at Shorter. Times change but human behavior does not. I am very sad that Shorter is headed to the far right and Berry in the opposite direction. It is a sad time for both institutions.

If all of you will simply read the last sentence in the posting by ShorterProf, I think you will see the problem with a few of the professors at Shorter.

Well this is mighty revealing.

So everyone that signs this is putting on record that they are "Southern Baptist"? According to Mr. Parker, it is.

I think this issue needs to be dug into a little bit. Employees were told that the Statement of Faith encompasses all Christian denominations. Again, according to Mr. Parker, it's a profession of your Southern "Baptistness."

Mr. Parker's statement is only further clarified by Ms. Battles' hugely broad and judgemental statement (and I am reading between the obvious line here) that every denomination has gotten away from the Bible, EXCEPT the Southern Baptists. So does that mean every employee who isn't Southern Baptist has fallen away from Biblical teachings and therefore, by the BOT's opinion are not "true Bible-believing" Christians? Thanks for that pious slap in the face.

It is irrelevant whether a Shorter Trustee would sign a pledge. Relevant questions include:

Will the Shorter faculty sign the pledge?

Will they depart enmass?

Will students follow them?

Is an example of Christian love being displayed?

For a board member, I am truly amazed at the ignorance here. First, 50-75 years ago many of those same good Southern Christians spent their weekends in white robes lynching Black men. Do we want to go back to the good old days? I hope not. And secondly, this has nothing to do with students? Are you kidding me. Teachers are suppose to distort history to make Christians look good? How do you teach the bad things some churches have done in the name of Christ without giving a false academic point of view? That is exactly what Hitler did. Only teach from one point of view and you are no longer a teacher. Finding something "Unacceptable" means to condemn those that do. The last time I looked, that was for God to do, not demigods. I don't do any of the things listed, but I will NEVER put myself in a position to be the judge of others. Again, for all of you that love God, do you think you are that good! I think God would disagree, but I won't judge you for it. GOD will!

It doesn't have anything to do with SACS reviews...until SACS pulls Shorter's accreditation. We went through this 10 years ago and these idiot trustees have become MORE meddlesome.

Mr. Battles, some of us never said we are Southern Baptists. We were hired here as Catholics, Jews, Methodists, etc... We respected that this was a Southern Baptist school, but we never claimed to believe exactly what you believe. Now, after investing our entire career at Shorter, and being proud off the students we turned out (even the Muslims - OMG!!!), you want to impose your narrow minded agenda where there never was a problem so that Shorter can join a laughingstock organization. Brilliant move!

Guess what, I'll sign the stupid statement because it doesn't say I can't be a liar!

The Shorter logo that accompanies this story says: Shorter University - Transforming Lives Through Christ. Again, why is this even a big deal?