Charles Paul Conn
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Charles Paul Conn (born Dec. 23, 1945)
Since 1986 Paul Conn has served as president of Lee University(Cleveland, TN). Since the beginning of his twenty year tenure as president, the university has seen significant physical growth in the form of increased enrollment from 1,214 to just over 4,000 in the Fall of 2006. Also since the beginning of Conn's presidency the overall campus has been modernized and has physically grown significantly in order to meet the needs of the young scholars of today. Conn's tenure has also ushered in much financial growth for Lee University with a quadrupling of the schools total budget.
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[edit] Education
Conn holds an M.A. and a Ph.D. in psychology from Emory University (Atlanta, GA) and after that went on to spend three years at Harvard University (Boston, Mass.) as a postdoctoral Visiting Scholar. He acquired his undergraduate degree in religion from Lee University(then at college status).
[edit] Professional Background
Prior to his presidency, Conn served on the Lee College psychology faculty for 15 years. During this time while teaching as a professor he won the school's highest award for "Excellence in Teaching" and later served as chair of the Department of Behavioral Sciences. Before his presidency he also taught at Appalachian State University (North Carolina) and his research has been published in various journals, including The Journal of Experimental Psychology and The Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior.
In 1984, Conn was appointed Vice President of Institutional Advancement. After serving in this position for two years he was appointed President of Lee College (now Lee University) in 1986 where he currently sits some twenty years later. However, despite his status as president Conn has continued teaching in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences during his administration at Lee.
In January of 2007 Conn was appointed to the national board of directors of the Council of Independent Colleges for a three year term.[1]
[edit] Free Lance Writer
In addition to his success at Lee University, Conn also has a second career as a free-lance writer. He has authored or co-authored 20 popular books, sharing by-lines with such personalities as Johnny Cash, pro football star Terry Bradshaw, businessmen Jack Eckerd and Richard DeVos to name a few. Four of his books have been listed on the New York Times bestseller list, and his book The Possible Dream was the #7 bestselling non-fiction book of 1977, according to Publishers Weekly.
Highlights of Charles Paul Conn's writing career:
Authored or co-authored twenty popular books between 1972 and 1988, writing about diverse people and topics. He shared bylines with recognizable names in the worlds of entertainment (singer Johnny Cash), athletics (pro quarterback Terry Bradshaw), politics (Kentucky Governor Julian Carroll), business (Rich DeVos and Jack Eckerd), and religion.
Published in hardcover by five national publishers: Putnam, William Morrow, Fleming H. Revell, Bantam Books, and Word. Published in mass-market paperback by Berkley, Pocket Books, and others.
Conn's magazine articles appeared in numerous national publications as varied as Saturday Evening Post, Eternity, and the Journal of Experimental Psychology.
Awards: Conn's interview with Johnny Cash was named by the Associated Press as the Best NewsFeature of the Year written for a Tennessee newspaper in 1972.
His book Kathy, co-authored with Barbara Miller, was named Book of the Year (biography division) by Campus Life magazine in 1980.
The Possible Dream was on the New York Times bestseller list for eleven weeks in 1977, and was ranked the #6 bestselling non-fiction book in the country by Publishers Weekly for the year. The Times called it "the best-selling corporate biography in publishing history." It has sold an estimated nine million English-language copies.
Four of Conn's books have appeared on Top Ten bestseller lists of Time magazine, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and other major lists. His books The Winners Circle (1979) and An Uncommon Freedom (1982) were ranked #10x and #14, respectively, among non-fiction bestsellers nationwide in total sales for the year.
Conn's books have been translated into dozens of languages for distribution around the world.
TV adaptations: Kathy was produced as a made-for-TV movie by Universal Studios and aired on CBS television, starring Sharon Gless and Helen Hunt. Disguised (co-authored with Pat Moore) was produced and broadcast in a movie version by Japanese television. Battle for Africa (with Brother Andrew) was adapted as a television documentary special in South Africa and Canada.
[edit] Conn's Writings
Battle for Africa, by Brother Andrew with Charles Paul Conn
Believe, by Richard M. DeVos with Charles Paul Conn
Dad, Mom, and the Church, by Charles Paul Conn
Disguised, by Pat Moore with Charles Paul Conn
Eckerd: Finding the Right Prescription, by Jack Eckerd 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 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 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
[edit] References
1. Meet the President: http://www.leeuniversity.edu/about/miscellaneous/president.asp
2. Lee University Official Website: http://www.leeuniversity.edu/
