BOLIVAR – Eddie Bumpers, chairman for the board of trustees at Southwest Baptist University (SBU) and pastor at Crossway Baptist Church, Springfield, released the following statement after an Aug. 25th special session of the SBU trustee board:
Board Chair Portal Announcement 8-27-21
Heading: Update from the SBU Board of Trustees
The SBU Board of Trustees met in a special session on Wednesday, Aug. 25, to continue conversations around information received from the Higher Learning Commission’s report from the focused visit in May. We wanted you, the SBU employees, to be the first to know about some of the actions taken during the meeting.
The Board voted to dismiss the proceeding pending in the Circuit Court of Polk County to obtain Court approval of the Amended Articles of Incorporation for SBU. Not moving forward with the proceeding to amend the Articles at this time gives us the opportunity to ensure that the Articles and the adoption process are in alignment with Higher Learning Commission policies. This move does not change SBU’s mission as a conservative Christian institution. We continue to communicate with the Missouri Baptist Convention Executive Board throughout this process, and we are thankful for their support.
The Board also voted to re-organize the Employee Policies and Personnel Committee. This action will necessitate new committee membership being named at a future meeting.
In other action, the Board unanimously accepted the vice-chair’s resignation from the Board of Trustees.
Thank you for your continued dedication to Christian higher education at SBU. Please continue to pray for our Board of Trustees as we work together to move SBU forward.
Dr. Eddie Bumpers
Chair of the SBU Board of Trustees