Krystal Allweil: Hi, everyone! Welcome to BJUtoday. I am here with Dr. Pettit who’s just finished his fifth academic year as the president of BJU. And we are going to be reflecting on those past five years and also looking forward at the next five years. So, Dr. Pettit, in your five years here, a lot of change has happened. What do you think the biggest change has been?
Steve Pettit: Well, I think definitely two things. One, and actually they came together. And that is the accreditation that came through SACSCOC and then the tax-exempt status—all came together in just a couple of months. So those were very, very significant changes.
Allweil: What do you think the biggest change—the biggest blessing God has given us in the past five years has been?
Pettit: Well, I think it’s always about people, and it’s always about the success of our students, both academically and spiritually, and then to see them go on and serve the Lord—that to me is the biggest success.
Allweil: And where do you see BJU going in the next five years?
Pettit: Well, I think the last five years have been building a lot of infrastructure, and we are in the process of doing a complete strategic plan that’s campus-wide strategic plan. So that will shape and mold the whole future of the University, and that is something we’ll roll out at the end of this year.
Allweil: All right. Well, great. Thank you so much for sharing your heart for BJU and for the students and some of your plans for the next five years. I look forward to seeing what’s coming!
Pettit: Thank you.
Allweil: Thank you for joining us today, everyone, and to keep up with those plans, check out BJUtoday at today.bju.edu.
