Charles Paul Conn
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Charles Paul Conn (born December 23, 1945) is Chancellor and President of
Lee University Lee University is a Private university, private Church of God (Cleveland), Christian university in Cleveland, Tennessee. It was founded in 1918 as the Church of God Bible Training School with twelve students and one teacher, Nora I. Chambers. Th ...
in
Cleveland, Tennessee Cleveland is the county seat of, and largest city in, Bradley County, Tennessee. The population was 47,356 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Cleveland metropolitan area, Tennessee (consisting of Bradle ...
. Conn became president of Lee University in 1986 and announced retirement in 2019. He retired in 2020 to become chancellor. He was the longest serving CEO of any college or university in Tennessee history. Conn returned as the school's interim president for the 2024-2025 academic year.


Education

Conn was born in
Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
and moved to Cleveland when he was around two years old. He was one of 12 children in his family. He attended
Bradley Central High School Bradley Central High School is a public high school located in Cleveland, Tennessee that serves approximately 1,700 students from grades 9-12. It was founded in 1916, and is part of the Bradley County Schools system. The school maintains a cross ...
where he was elected president and edited the school newspaper. Conn worked as a paperboy for the
Cleveland Daily Banner The ''Cleveland Daily Banner'' is a three-day weekly newspaper published in Cleveland, Tennessee. Founded in 1854, it is the longest-running and currently only newspaper in Bradley County, and one of the oldest newspapers in the state. The newsp ...
and wrote sports for the paper while in school. He acquired his undergraduate degree in religion from Lee University (then Lee College) in 1967. He received an M.A. and a Ph.D. in psychology from
Emory University Emory University is a private university, private research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1836 as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. Its main campu ...
(
Atlanta, GA Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County and extends into neighboring DeKalb County. With a population of 520,070 (2024 estimate) living within the city limits, At ...
) and subsequently went on to spend eight semesters in post-doctoral study at
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
(Boston, Mass.) in the Graduate School of Education. He was a visiting scholar at Harvard Divinity School in 1982. After Conn graduated from Lee, his father, Charles William Conn, became the college's 15th president.


Career

Conn began his career at Lee College in 1971, and was appointed as a professor in the psychology faculty and chair of the Department of Behavioral Sciences. He was appointed Vice President of Institutional Advancement in 1984 and President of Lee College (now Lee University) in 1986. He continues teaching in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, and served a term as Visiting Professor of Psychology at
Appalachian State University Appalachian State University (), or App State, is a Public university, public research university in Boone, North Carolina, United States. It was founded as a normal school, teachers' college in 1899 by brothers B. B. and D. D. Dougherty and th ...
. Conn worked as a local treasurer for the
Jimmy Carter 1976 presidential campaign In the 1976 United States presidential election, Jimmy Carter and his running mate, Walter Mondale, were elected President of the United States, president and Vice President of the United States, vice president, defeating incumbent Republican P ...
. He later declined an invitation from the
Tennessee Democratic Party The Tennessee Democratic Party (TNDP) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in Tennessee. The party was founded in 1826 initially as the Jacksonian democracy, Jacksonian Party. The Tennessee Democratic Party w ...
to compete against incumbent
Don Sundquist Donald Kenneth Sundquist (March 15, 1936 – August 27, 2023) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 47th governor of Tennessee from 1995 to 2003. Prior to his governorship, he represented Tennessee's 7th congressional dis ...
in the 1998 Tennessee gubernatorial election. He has described himself as an independent centrist. Conn has served on the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a regional educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. As of 2022, the organization oversees app ...
, holding positions as commissioner, member of the Executive Committee, and member of the Appeals Committee. He served from 2007 to 2010 on the national board of directors of the
Council of Independent Colleges The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) is an association in the United States of more than 650 independent, liberal arts colleges and university, universities and more than 100 higher education affiliates and organizations. Member institutions ...
. He has also held positions with the Appalachian College Association, the
Council for Christian Colleges and Universities Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) is an international organization of evangelical Christian colleges and universities. The headquarters is in Washington, D.C., United States. History In 1976, presidents of colleges in Chri ...
, the
Southern States Athletic Conference The Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The 13 member universities that compete in 19 sports are located in Alabama, Georgia, ...
, and the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association. Conn declined invitations to become president of
Grand Valley State University Grand Valley State University (GVSU, GV, or Grand Valley) is a public university in Allendale Charter Township, Michigan, Allendale, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1960 as Grand Valley State College. Its main campus is situated on ...
and
Oral Roberts University Oral Roberts University (ORU) is a Private university, private Evangelicalism, evangelical university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Founded in 1963, the university is named after its founder, Charismatic Christianity, Charismatic Christian preacher Oral ...
. The number of undergraduate degree programs offered by Lee quadrupled under Conn's leadership. In 1986 the college offered 22 programs of undergraduate study; by 2020 the number was 159. The college became a university, offering master and doctoral programs for the first time. The school's hallmark service learning and global perspectives initiatives launched during his tenure. Enrollment quintupled from 1,000 to 5,000 students and the campus expanded from 22 acres to 120. Conn convinced the city council to close part of Church Street, establishing a central pedestrian mall on campus. More than 30 campus buildings were constructed during his tenure, including the Dixon Center theater, DeVos Recreation Center, Curtsinger Music Building, Deacon Jones Dining Hall, Helen DeVos College of Education, Center for the Humanities, School of Religion, Science and Math Complex, Communications Building, School of Nursing, and chapel. The Paul Conn Student Union built in 2000 was named in his honor. The campus received more than $200 million in improvements during his tenure and more than 12 new sports were offered at the scholarship level. The school's endowment increased from $2 million to more than $20 million during Conn's time in office. Conn retired in 2020 after serving 34 years as Lee's president. When his successor, Dr. Mark Walker, resigned in 2024, the university announced that Conn would return to lead the school again for the 2024-2025 school year.


Writing career

Conn has authored or co-authored 20 books. Three were adapted for TV and four were listed on the
New York Times Best Seller list ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...
. * ''Battle for Africa'', by
Brother Andrew Andrew "Anne" van der Bijl (; 11 May 1928 – 27 September 2022), known in English-speaking countries as Brother Andrew, was a Dutch Christian missionary and founder of the Christian organization Open Doors. He was known for smuggling Bibles and ...
with Charles Paul Conn * ''Believe'', by Richard M. DeVos with Charles Paul Conn * ''Dad, Mom, and the Church'', by Charles Paul Conn * ''Disguised'', by Patricia Moore with Charles Paul Conn * ''Eckerd: Finding the Right Prescription'', by
Jack Eckerd Jack Eckerd (May 16, 1913 – May 19, 2004) was an American businessman and the second generation owner of Eckerd chain of drugstores. Early life Eckerd was born in Wilmington, Delaware, and graduated from Culver Military Academy and the Boein ...
and Charles Paul Conn * ''Father Care'', by Charles Paul Conn * ''Hooked on a Good Thing'', by Sammy Hall with Charles Paul Conn * ''Julian Carroll of Kentucky'', by Charles Paul Conn * ''Just Off Chicken Street'', by Floyd McClung, Jr. with Charles Paul Conn * ''Kathy'', by Barbara Miller and Charles Paul Conn * ''The Magnificent Three'', by
Nicky Cruz Nicky Cruz (born December 6, 1938) is a Puerto Rican Christian evangelist, the founder of Nicky Cruz Outreach, an evangelistic Christian ministry. He was also once the director of Teen Challenge, serving under David Wilkerson before founding ...
with Charles Paul Conn * ''Making it Happen'', by Charles Paul Conn * ''Music Makers: A Profile of the Lee Singers'', by Charles Paul Conn * ''The New Johnny Cash'', by Charles Paul Conn * ''No Easy Game'', by
Terry Bradshaw Terry Paxton Bradshaw (born September 2, 1948) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Since 1994, he has been a television sports an ...
with Charles Paul Conn * ''The Possible Dream: A Candid Look at Amway'', by Charles Paul Conn * ''The Power of Positive Students'', by Dr. William Mitchell with Dr. Charles Paul Conn * ''Promises to Keep: The Amway Phenomenon and How it Works'', by Charles Paul Conn * ''An Uncommon Freedom'', by Charles Paul Conn * ''The Winner’s Circle'', by Charles Paul Conn


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conn, Charles Paul Living people 1945 births Presidents of Lee University Emory University alumni Lee University alumni Harvard University staff Appalachian State University faculty Pentecostals from Tennessee