Conn, Charles Paul
Dr. Charles Paul Conn (born 1945) was appointed president of Lee College in 1986 and served the institution is this role for 34 years-- the longest tenure of any Lee president. He led Lee University to become a premier Christ-centered institution of higher learning, and the school’s most significant advancements occurred during his leadership.
During his childhood, Conn’s home was located near Lee’s campus, and he delivered newspapers to the houses around it. He and his siblings walked by the campus on their way to school. It was natural that the son of a Church of God leader attend Lee, graduating in 1965. While a student, he met his wife, Darlia McLuhan, the Canadian-born daughter of Mervyn and Merle McLuhan, Church of God missionaries to Africa.
After Lee, Conn continued his education in Atlanta, where he served as youth pastor at Mount Paran Central Church of God. He returned to Lee to teach psychology in 1972, during which time he continued his studies and earned a Ph.D. in Psychology from Emory University. Conn periodically participated in postdoctoral study and as a Visiting Scholar at Harvard University. He also became a successful author and received a commission to write for Amway International, which led to a friendship with founders Richard and Helen DeVos, who contributed significantly to Lee’s campus expansion.
A popular professor among students, Conn earned the respect of his colleagues and confidence of church leadership. When Dr. Lamar Vest became president, he appointed Conn vice president of Institutional Advancement in January 1985. Together, they reversed Lee’s decline and strengthened cooperation with the local community. He followed Dr. Vest as president of Lee.
Paul Conn was inaugurated on October 31, 1986 as the 16th president of Lee. In his inaugural address he affirmed his commitment to the values and vision of Christ-centered liberal arts education:
"My commitment, as president of Lee College, is to guarantee that it will always be a campus where Christ is King. A campus where Christ is not merely studied, or discussed, or acknowledged, but where He is Lord and Master in the lives of individual students and faculty.
What are we trying to teach these 1,214 students who live and study here at Lee? We are trying to teach them that the greatest force in human history is produced by the fusion of man’s ability with God’s power. We want them to understand that the ultimate expression of the human experience is to train and prepare oneself with discipline and hard work, and then to submit oneself to the sovereignty of God to do as He wills with us. I want to teach them that the greatest power in the world is unleashed when the enormous energy of the human spirit is undergirded, channeled, and empowered by the hand of Almighty God….
It has been said, on several occasions, that this presidency marks the passing of a torch. There is a sense in which I represent a new generation of leadership, and it is natural that some should wonder whether the Lee College flame will burn as brightly, or as purely, in the hands of this generation.
Let me pledge to you, on behalf of all those others whom I represent, that you are passing the torch to a generation that believes intensely in the values which I have expressed today.
We understand the magic in this place. We understand its potential. We are sobered by the responsibility we face. But we find the challenge of building a truly Christian campus such a compelling idea, that it unlocks in us the vast surges of energy and sacrifice, and gives us the will to carry the torch….
Lee College is not a new place, a hastily constructed, prefabricated campus. It did not come from the action of a planning board, or the single stroke of a pen of a public official. It has been built, brick by brick, inch by inch, prayer by prayer, dream buy dream, by the collected energies and passions of thousands of men and women. We are recipients of this great gift from them. And I hereby pledge to you, that by God’s help, we will not squander this inheritance we have received. We will not back away from our birthright. We have been handed the torch, and buy God’s help we will carry the torch. We cannot do it alone. We will need your help, but with your support we will carry the torch. We cannot do it solely by human effort. We cannot do it by depending on the arm of the flesh. But with the enablement of the Holy Spirit, we will carry the torch!
We will carry the torch, we will lift high the flame, we will march through the darkness with the light of His name. Till the glory of God is seen by the world, we will carry the torch of the Lord!"
President Conn's appointment as Lee President set the stage for good things ahead. He was 40 years old at the time and had served on the Lee faculty for 17 years. President Conn knew Lee. Having lived in Cleveland for most of his life since his early childhood, President Conn also knew Cleveland. It created an opportunity Lee had not known before-- and God blessed it.
Conn’s focus was on being Christ-centered, doing everything with excellence, and service students. His visionary and transformational leadership attracted students to campus, which required new programs and dorms and initiatives to serve them well. The growth attracted outstanding faculty who provided top-tier instruction and guidance of students.
During his presidency, Lee enjoyed consistent growth and expansion– with more than 5,000 students enrolled through on-campus and online courses. In 1995 Lee began its first graduate program in Music. In 1997 Lee became a university, and was restructured accordingly. In 2019, Lee began its fist doctoral program in Nursing, with others in the process to follow.
Under President Conn's leadership, Lee began a nationally-recognized service learning program in which students give back to the local community, as well as a robust global perspectives program in which students learn through intentional immersion and engagement with other cultures. Lee became known for its competitive music program, winning sports teams, and numerous academic achievements. At the last reaffirmation visit by the Southern Association during President Conn's tenure, the review committee referred to Lee is the “Jewel of the South.”
Campus expansion was unprecedented in Lee's institutional history during the Conn presidency, with more than 33 building projects completed (an average of one per year). The campus expanded by almost 100 acres, and Lee students and faculty were able to enjoy state of the art buildings in which to study, learn, and even play. This was possible only through the blessings of God and the leadership of those with a vision who are listening to his voice. Those like President Conn.
President Conn served 34 years in his post at Lee, one of the longest serving presidencies in private high education in Tennessee and the Coalition for Christian Colleges and Universities. In August 2020, Conn concluded his tenure as Lee president and was appointed as Lee's first Chancellor, which position and role he continues to fulfill today.
Known for his inspiration and motivational speaking, President Conn once said in a speech to a campus audience: “There is a cornerstone on every new building built here since 1989 with a scripture Psalm 90:17. That verse is a prayer: 'May the favor of the Lord rest upon us, and make permanent the work of our hands.' If what we accomplish here has any value at all, it must achieve a permanence into the future, and that kind of permanence can only be produced by God.... All education is about the future. Not just the future of Lee University, although our future as an institution is very bright. More importantly, though, the individual futures of the students. We believe in their dreams, and further, we believe that their dreams are inalterably intertwined with our own destiny."
/ L.F. Morgan
During his childhood, Conn’s home was located near Lee’s campus, and he delivered newspapers to the houses around it. He and his siblings walked by the campus on their way to school. It was natural that the son of a Church of God leader attend Lee, graduating in 1965. While a student, he met his wife, Darlia McLuhan, the Canadian-born daughter of Mervyn and Merle McLuhan, Church of God missionaries to Africa.
After Lee, Conn continued his education in Atlanta, where he served as youth pastor at Mount Paran Central Church of God. He returned to Lee to teach psychology in 1972, during which time he continued his studies and earned a Ph.D. in Psychology from Emory University. Conn periodically participated in postdoctoral study and as a Visiting Scholar at Harvard University. He also became a successful author and received a commission to write for Amway International, which led to a friendship with founders Richard and Helen DeVos, who contributed significantly to Lee’s campus expansion.
A popular professor among students, Conn earned the respect of his colleagues and confidence of church leadership. When Dr. Lamar Vest became president, he appointed Conn vice president of Institutional Advancement in January 1985. Together, they reversed Lee’s decline and strengthened cooperation with the local community. He followed Dr. Vest as president of Lee.
Paul Conn was inaugurated on October 31, 1986 as the 16th president of Lee. In his inaugural address he affirmed his commitment to the values and vision of Christ-centered liberal arts education:
"My commitment, as president of Lee College, is to guarantee that it will always be a campus where Christ is King. A campus where Christ is not merely studied, or discussed, or acknowledged, but where He is Lord and Master in the lives of individual students and faculty.
What are we trying to teach these 1,214 students who live and study here at Lee? We are trying to teach them that the greatest force in human history is produced by the fusion of man’s ability with God’s power. We want them to understand that the ultimate expression of the human experience is to train and prepare oneself with discipline and hard work, and then to submit oneself to the sovereignty of God to do as He wills with us. I want to teach them that the greatest power in the world is unleashed when the enormous energy of the human spirit is undergirded, channeled, and empowered by the hand of Almighty God….
It has been said, on several occasions, that this presidency marks the passing of a torch. There is a sense in which I represent a new generation of leadership, and it is natural that some should wonder whether the Lee College flame will burn as brightly, or as purely, in the hands of this generation.
Let me pledge to you, on behalf of all those others whom I represent, that you are passing the torch to a generation that believes intensely in the values which I have expressed today.
We understand the magic in this place. We understand its potential. We are sobered by the responsibility we face. But we find the challenge of building a truly Christian campus such a compelling idea, that it unlocks in us the vast surges of energy and sacrifice, and gives us the will to carry the torch….
Lee College is not a new place, a hastily constructed, prefabricated campus. It did not come from the action of a planning board, or the single stroke of a pen of a public official. It has been built, brick by brick, inch by inch, prayer by prayer, dream buy dream, by the collected energies and passions of thousands of men and women. We are recipients of this great gift from them. And I hereby pledge to you, that by God’s help, we will not squander this inheritance we have received. We will not back away from our birthright. We have been handed the torch, and buy God’s help we will carry the torch. We cannot do it alone. We will need your help, but with your support we will carry the torch. We cannot do it solely by human effort. We cannot do it by depending on the arm of the flesh. But with the enablement of the Holy Spirit, we will carry the torch!
We will carry the torch, we will lift high the flame, we will march through the darkness with the light of His name. Till the glory of God is seen by the world, we will carry the torch of the Lord!"
President Conn's appointment as Lee President set the stage for good things ahead. He was 40 years old at the time and had served on the Lee faculty for 17 years. President Conn knew Lee. Having lived in Cleveland for most of his life since his early childhood, President Conn also knew Cleveland. It created an opportunity Lee had not known before-- and God blessed it.
Conn’s focus was on being Christ-centered, doing everything with excellence, and service students. His visionary and transformational leadership attracted students to campus, which required new programs and dorms and initiatives to serve them well. The growth attracted outstanding faculty who provided top-tier instruction and guidance of students.
During his presidency, Lee enjoyed consistent growth and expansion– with more than 5,000 students enrolled through on-campus and online courses. In 1995 Lee began its first graduate program in Music. In 1997 Lee became a university, and was restructured accordingly. In 2019, Lee began its fist doctoral program in Nursing, with others in the process to follow.
Under President Conn's leadership, Lee began a nationally-recognized service learning program in which students give back to the local community, as well as a robust global perspectives program in which students learn through intentional immersion and engagement with other cultures. Lee became known for its competitive music program, winning sports teams, and numerous academic achievements. At the last reaffirmation visit by the Southern Association during President Conn's tenure, the review committee referred to Lee is the “Jewel of the South.”
Campus expansion was unprecedented in Lee's institutional history during the Conn presidency, with more than 33 building projects completed (an average of one per year). The campus expanded by almost 100 acres, and Lee students and faculty were able to enjoy state of the art buildings in which to study, learn, and even play. This was possible only through the blessings of God and the leadership of those with a vision who are listening to his voice. Those like President Conn.
President Conn served 34 years in his post at Lee, one of the longest serving presidencies in private high education in Tennessee and the Coalition for Christian Colleges and Universities. In August 2020, Conn concluded his tenure as Lee president and was appointed as Lee's first Chancellor, which position and role he continues to fulfill today.
Known for his inspiration and motivational speaking, President Conn once said in a speech to a campus audience: “There is a cornerstone on every new building built here since 1989 with a scripture Psalm 90:17. That verse is a prayer: 'May the favor of the Lord rest upon us, and make permanent the work of our hands.' If what we accomplish here has any value at all, it must achieve a permanence into the future, and that kind of permanence can only be produced by God.... All education is about the future. Not just the future of Lee University, although our future as an institution is very bright. More importantly, though, the individual futures of the students. We believe in their dreams, and further, we believe that their dreams are inalterably intertwined with our own destiny."
/ L.F. Morgan