Mitt Romney says he is happy to take all the support he can get, even if it comes from a university leader whose institution teaches that his Mormon religion is a cult.

This month, Bob Jones III, chancellor of Bob Jones University, told The Greenville News that he was backing Mr. Romney for president.

The university, an evangelical-Christian college, also got caught in the crossfire of the 2000 presidential campaign. That year, George W. Bush was criticized for speaking at the campus without condemning some of its policies, including a ban on interracial dating (which it later dropped), and its anti-Catholic teachings.

Yesterday, Mr. Romney, a Republican and former governor of Massachusetts, said that he was “proud to have the respect of people and the support of people who don’t agree with my faith, but agree that I’m the right person to be president,” according to the Associated Press.

Echoing the comments Mr. Jones made when he announced his support for Mr. Romney, the former governor added that “I’m not running for preacher; I’m running for president.”