Most alumni remember Lonnie Polson as a Bob Jones University speech teacher, either from Speech 101 or Acting or Group Communication. I personally found him thoughtful and introverted as well as truly gifted in administration, despite events in 2006-2007.
Lonnie left Bob Jones University in 2012 after serving as the Division of Communication Chair for six years. Ryan Meers took his place as the Chair in 2012.
Ryan has left Bob Jones University altogether, and he clearly hasn’t updated his LinkedIn to reflect that. He has been jointly working at Jim Wiginton’s Broad Insights with infamous Joseph Bartosch and Community Baptist’s former pastor David Pennington.
Meers is moving to Lincoln, Nebraska to plant a church. He’s getting out of Dodge, that’s for sure. BJU has already scrubbed him from their faculty listing (archive copy). That always stings.
So Lonnie returns. Chatter is that EVP Gary Weier wanted ABD Erin Naler as Chair. The problem with both candidates is that it does nothing for BJU’s accreditation. Lonnie’s doctorate is an EdD from BJU, and Erin’s isn’t complete.
Clearly, Dean Darren Lawson has burned every possible bridge -- even among qualified current employees -- that the pool of applicants is just that small. We all warned them.
Strange happenings at ol’ BJU.