Yarnell declines Louisiana College presidency_120604

Posted: 12/03/04

Yarnell declines Louisiana College presidency

PINEVILLE, La. (ABP)–Almost two months to the day after Louisiana College trustees elected Texas educator Malcolm Yarnell as president of the school, he declined the position because of an ongoing controversy over governance and accreditation of the Baptist college.

“After accepting the presidency at Louisiana College, governance issues which would significantly impact my ability to lead the school were fully disclosed during the subsequent negotiations over the contract which the board of trustees desired,” Yarnell said in a Nov. 23 e-mail. Because of irreconcilable differences with trustees over those issues of governance, he said, he changed his mind about the presidency.

Yarnell will remain as an administrator and professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth.

“Although the trustee chairman and the executive committee and I have sought in good faith to resolve these issues to our mutual satisfaction, we have been unable to arrive at a 'meeting of the minds.' As a result, I have withdrawn my name from consideration as president,” he wrote.

The same search committee that recommended Yarnell will continue to function, according to school officials.

“The search committee plans to be very prayerful and deliberate, seeking the leadership of God's Holy Spirit as we continue the search process,” said Bill Hudson of Rayne, La., chairman of the college's board.

Trustee officers met at the school on the day Yarnell sent his e-mail. “Members of the search committee and the new (trustee) executive committee met today, and we have recommitted ourselves to conduct the search in a spirit of unity as we continue the process of seeking the next president of Louisiana College,” said Ed Tarpley of Pineville, chair of the presidential search committee.

Hudson and Tarpley also voiced confidence in the future of the school, despite the turn of events. “We respect his wishes to withdraw from the presidency of Louisiana College,” Hudson said. “We are confident that God, in his sovereignty, already knows who will be the next president of Louisiana College.”

However, there is a significant accrediting hurdle for the school to clear. A visiting team from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools visited the college's campus in September. After the visit, the team issued a report, citing concerns about governance and administration at the school and the status of academic freedom.

College trustees responded to the report Nov. 14, pledging several actions to bring the school more into line with the agency's guidelines. They include better education of trustees on their appropriate role, and the re-integration of the faculty in development of policies affecting academic freedom.