Belmont University has officially selected its new president: Dr. L. Gregory Jones, the previous dean of Duke Divinity School. The university’s current president, Dr. Bob Fisher, is expected to retire in May. Fisher will have served for about 21 years.
Jones will be assuming control over a fast-growing university that faced several pandemic-shaped bumps. These included a slight increase in student tuition costs and the staggered distance and in-person learning modules.
In statements issued to The Tennessee Star, Jones shared that his immediate priorities will be engaging with the local communities and the establishment of the university’s newest endeavor, the College of Medicine. In December, the university appointed Dr. William Bates, M.D., to the medical school.
“I’m grateful to be joining a University with incredible positive momentum thanks to the excelling leadership of Bob Fisher the past 21 years,” stated Jones. “We’re in a position to build on strengths that already exist rather than needing to turn anything around. My first order of business will be to spend time listening and learning about both Belmont and the Nashville community so I can forge strong connections with all of our internal and external stakeholders. I also anticipate spending a good bit of time and energy focused on our newly-announced College of Medicine, a significant project and an extraordinary opportunity for Belmont as we look to the future.”
One issue may arise during Jones’s tenure: the tension between Belmont’s express Christian principles and certain student populations. A little over a year ago, the university assumed control of Watkins College of Art, selling the campus and placing the proceeds in an endowment for the Watkins students. The merger caused some negative responses amongst the art school’s faculty and students over Belmont’s Christian foundations, especially over Belmont’s policy on hiring only Christian faculty members. Due to the backlash, Belmont gave special consideration to non-Christian faculty from the art school during hiring.
Some of those same tensions lingered with the announcement of Jones’s appointment. However, Jones told The Star that he only had optimism about the climate he’d be entering.
“I’m incredibly excited to join such a creative campus as Belmont, a University culture that’s made all the stronger by the recent additions of O’More and Watkins,” stated Jones. “I believe that the clearer we are with our mission and values, the better we can be about building bridges to those who may be skeptical about who we are and what we believe. When we establish a sense of mutual trust, respect and collaboration, we can develop meaningful, lasting relationships that endure even when we disagree.”
Last year immediately following the death of George Floyd, Jones announced that Duke Divinity School recognized systemic racism and called for all to engage in self-examination on the matter. In addition to his focus on community issues, Jones is credited with having improved the school’s financial trajectory and founding a leadership initiative there.
Jones will assume the presidency on June 1.
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Corinne Murdock is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and the Star News Network. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Dr. L. Gregory Jones” by The University of Belmont. Background Photo “University of Belmont Campus” by the University of Belmont.
