CLEVELAND, Ga. (BP)–Truett McConnell College has been granted four-year status, moving the Georgia Baptist Convention school from a junior college to a liberal arts senior college, following affirmation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
“It is a vote of confidence from our peers that we are providing the best academic program possible,” TMC President Jerry W. Pounds Sr. said.
The college’s board of trustees unanimously approved the college’s first two bachelor degrees — the bachelor of arts in music and the bachelor of arts in music with a concentration in church music programs. The curriculum is designed for students majoring in music while at the same time pursuing credits in academic areas that will prepare them for graduate work in schools of music or other postgraduate settings, as well as equip them to transition into areas of Christian service.
Truett-McConnell College’s bachelor of arts in music degree and bachelor of arts in music degree with a concentration in church music is the only such program offered by a college accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music in northeast Georgia that also maintains a performance program in wind and percussion instruments.
“This achievement is the result of many hours of work by our current faculty and staff but is also the result of the vision of George W. Truett and Fernando C. McConnell, carried through each administration,” Pounds said. “We stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us. Every building constructed, every campus upgrade, and every program expansion since 1946 has brought Truett-McConnell College one step closer to the realization of this dream.”
Founded in 1946, the college is named to honor the late George W. Truett and Fernando C. McConnell, two renowned Southern Baptist preachers. The cousins shared a vision for providing an education taught in a Christian environment. Truett served as pastor of First Baptist Church, Dallas, and McConnell served many years as pastor of Druid Hills Baptist Church in Atlanta.
“We are committed, as a Georgia Baptist College, to equip our students in disciplined scholarship and Christian discipleship,” Pounds added.
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