As for Falwell v. Graham, the speculation has been rampant the past two years that Franklin was essentially behind exposing JLFJR in what could be described depnding on your perspective as a coup d'état with Prevo as his proxy. His son Will has certainly been significantly elevated in leadership on the board. That is just the rumor. Don't shoot the messenger.
I would have loved to have seen what the search firm recommended. But apparently the board sees Prevo as the perfect fit. Of course, there is always that 2024 target for beginning a real search ... or is it 2025? Just consider it whenever Prevo has collected enough benjamins for his stellar leadership.
Just looking in our small circle of like-minded schools, here are some possibilities:
Paul McNulty - President, Grove City College
At 64, he's probably not a long-term solution. But he has tremendous legal credentials and eight years running a college.
Larry Arn - President, Hillsdale College
Being 69 years old essentially rules him out. But he has legitimate academic credentials and might be a pattern for the type of leader we want to attract.
Philip Ryken - President, Wheaton College
Oxford-educated bonafides as well his relatively young age of 55 make him an intriguing prospect. I am not sure if our board is ready to hire a Presbyterian pastor as our president.
Thomas White - President, Cedarville University
If I were a betting man, here's the guy that I suspect will be at the top of the board's wish list. He's young and has the SBC credentials the board would love from Southeastern & Southwestern Baptist Seminaries. But he does come with some baggage as well. He hired a buddy to come in as a prof at Cedarville fresh off of being fired in Fort Worth from his church for sexual misconduct. The Cedarville Board had White step down for a period of time while an investigation was conducted. He was eventually reinstated as president but not before some board members resigned.
Robert Sloan - President, Houston Baptist University
Too old for serious consideration but has fantastic credentials. Formerly ran Baylor University before being forced out for being too conservative theologically and politically. If he was 10 years younger ... never mind.
Jim Gash - President, Pepperdine University
Lawyer who has run his school for 3 years after serving in various university positions for several decades. He also has gained some attention for his legal work in Uganda helped to reform their court system. He's in his Mid '50s making him viable from that aspect. But good luck getting him to move from Malibu.
Barry Corey - President, Biola University
The first president ever hired from outside the Biola ranks, he has solid credentials getting his masters & doctorate from Boston College after undergrad at Evangel. That PhD came from BC in Curriculum, Instruction & Administration back in '92. He's been in academia ever since. He co-authored a book in 2020 with Russell Moore called, "Make the Most of It: A Guide to Loving your College Years". At 60 years old, he would seem to be in play with nearly 15 years as a university head.
Adam Greenway - President, Southwestern Baptist Seminary
A relatively young guy in his 40s with strong SBC credentials that the board would appreciate, Greenway did undergrad at Samford followed by MDiv at Southwestern then a PhD at Southern. He tacked on a Master of Non-Profit Administration at Notre Dame. He has ties to the Grahams from his Southern days. He checks quite a few boxes. But he's also the guy brought in when Paige Patterson was given the boot. That might be an issue for some of our board.
There are plenty of others who I am sure the seach firm has gone deep investigating. Daniel Akin at SEBTS is too old at 65. Al Mohler is 62 but would never get through the board process. He would clean them all out as quickly as possible. David Platt is 43 but is likely more chancellor material with only running churches and the IMB on his resume. Russell Moore is 50 with the credentials but come on ...