Evangelist Bob Jones Sr. founded Bob Jones University out of concern with the secularization of higher education. BJU has had five presidents: Bob Jones Sr. (1927–1947); Bob Jones Jr. (1947–1971); Bob Jones III (1971–2005); Stephen Jones (2005—2014); and Steve Pettit, (2014 to the present). Its religious influence, its race relations, and its political influence have generated significant controversies.
