TMC News Release
                          Academic Services
Dr. Robert Lofredo
Interim VP, Academic Services
706-865-2134 x115
                                                                                            Thursday, July 17, 2008
 
  Education Degree at TMC Approved by PSC
   
    Truett-McConnell College is pleased to announce that its Bachelor of Science in Education degree has been approved by the Professional Standards Commission of the Georgia Department of Education for the certification of teachers in early childhood education. The degree program received approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the agency that accredits all colleges and universities in the South, more than two years ago.
 
    The Professional Standards Commission named a team to visit the campus in April 2008 and write a report on the progress of the bachelor’s degree program in education. The college’s own self-study and the recommendation of the visiting committee were submitted to the Professional Standards Commission, and the college received notification on July 11 that the Commission has approved Truett-McConnell’s early childhood education degree program for the certification of teachers.
 
    Chairperson of the Department of Education is Dr. Susan Gannaway, and, according to Dr. Mike Simoneaux, Interim President of Truett-McConnell, “This could not have happened without Dr. Gannaway’s leadership and the assistance of her fine faculty.” For information about the program, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
TMC News Release
                          Academic Services
Dr. Constance Nunley
English Department Chair
706-865-2134 x171
                                                                                            Tuesday, August 26, 2008
 
    Bachelor's Degree In English Added
 
   Truett-McConnell College announces the addition of a four-year degree program in English—a Bachelor of Arts in English degree.  

   The degree program was approved in mid-August by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
TMC News Release
                          Office of College Relations
Edna Holcomb
Dean of Advancement Services
706-865-2134 x122
                                                                                                               Friday, August 8, 2008
 
  Dr. Emir Caner Called As President
   
   In a meeting held on August 8, 2008, the Board of Trustees of Truett-McConnell College in Cleveland, Georgia, voted to call Dr. Emir Caner as the eighth president of the college.
 
   Born and reared a Sunni Muslim, Caner converted to Christianity in 1982 and was subsequently disowned by his family.  He received his Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies from The Criswell College in Dallas, TX; his Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC; and his Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Texas at Arlington. 
 
   He served previously in faculty and administrative positions at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and in 2005 became the founding Dean of the College at Southwestern, a division of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX.  He was named to Who’s Who Among American Teachers and Educators in the 2006-2007 edition.
 
   A highly respected scholar, the 37-year-old Caner has authored or contributed to 16 books, including Unveiling Islam, which won the Gold Medallion Award by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, and More Than a Prophet, a finalist for Book of the Year in Evangelism by Outreach magazine.  In total, his books have sold more than 300,000 copies and been translated into eight languages.
 
   Caner becomes the first former Muslim to be elected as president of a Southern Baptist college or university.  His brother, Ergun, was the first former Muslim to be elected president of a seminary, Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in Lynchburg, VA. 
 
   According to Terrell J. Williams, chairman of the Truett-McConnell Board of Trustees: “It’s a great day in the life of Truett-McConnell College and Georgia Baptists!  The TMC Board of Trustees is extremely excited about the future of our school under the leadership of Dr. Emir Caner.  We proudly welcome Dr. Caner and his family and look forward to working with him in the fall semester.”  Rev. Bucky Kennedy, current president of the Georgia Baptist Convention, comments: “Dr. Emir Caner will bring to Truett-McConnell a level of Christian education that will raise the bar academically but also manifest itself in the life of the students.”
 
   Dr. J. Robert White, Executive Director/CEO of the Georgia Baptist Convention, writes: “Dr. Caner is a scholar, a professor, a writer, a preacher and an experienced administrator—a powerful combination of gifts.  At the same time, he has a vibrant personality and is easy to know.  He has a contagious warmth, is enjoyable to be with and is an excellent conversationalist.”  And in the words of Dr. Mike Simoneaux, who has served Truett-McConnell as its interim president for the past year: “God’s leading is evident in the calling of Dr. Emir Caner as the new president of Truett-McConnell College.  I sincerely believe that Dr. Caner’s presidency will be characterized by unprecedented expansion of our student body, by strengthening our readiness to serve the Lord through Christian education, and by rapid growth of our financial resources.”
 
   Caner is married to the former Hana Titerova, daughter of the General Secretary of the Czech Baptist Union.  They have three children: John Mark (5), Daniela (3), and Anna (1).
 
   Caner is expected to begin his duties at Truett-McConnell College at the beginning of the fall semester.
 
For more information on Dr. Caner you may want to browse some of the following links:
 
   Truett-McConnell College has now expanded its curriculum to include 12 bachelor’s degree programs.  The two most recent ones, which were added during the summer of 2008, are Bachelor of Arts in English and Bachelor of Arts in Business.  In addition, Georgia’s Professional Standards Commission approved the Bachelor of Science in Education degree program for the certification of teachers.
 
BACHELOR OF ARTS IN ENGLISH
 
   Awed by Austen?  Fascinated by Fitzgerald?  Stunned by Shakespeare?  Then you will love the new Bachelor of Arts in English degree program now offered by Truett-McConnell.  
 
   Employers want to hire people who can read between the lines, write clearly and think creatively.  Or you may use the Bachelor of Arts in English degree as a foundation for advanced study in literature, history, law or any liberal arts discipline.  
 
   Don’t miss this opportunity to learn practical and lucrative skills while studying the world’s most beautiful literature.  The Bachelor of Arts in English degree program was approved in mid-August by The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). 
 
   For information, contact Dr. Connie Nunley by writing her at Truett-McConnell College, 100 Alumni Drive, Cleveland, GA  30528, or by calling 706-865-2134, ext. 171, or by e-mailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
 
BACHELOR OF ARTS IN BUSINESS
 
   On May 29, Truett-McConnell received the news from the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) that TMC’s Bachelor of Arts in Business degree program had been approved to begin in fall 2008.  Courses are offered at the junior level, in addition to the normal freshman and sophomore courses, during the 2008-2009 academic year, and in the fall of 2009 senior-level courses will be added.  For information about admission to the program, call 1-800-226-8621.
 
   For details of this new business degree program, download the checklist, or contact Dr. T. Mike Davis by writing him at Truett-McConnell College, 100 Alumni Drive, Cleveland, GA 30528, or by calling 706-865-2134, ext. 133, or by e-mailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
 
EDUCATION DEGREE AT TMC APPROVED BY PSC
 
   Truett-McConnell College is pleased to announce that its Bachelor of Science in Education degree has been approved by the Professional Standards Commission of the Georgia Department of Education for the certification of teachers in early childhood education.  The degree program received approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the agency that accredits all colleges and universities in the South, more than two years ago.
 
   The Professional Standards Commission named a team to visit the campus in April 2008 and write a report on the progress of the bachelor’s degree program in education.  The college’s own self-study and the recommendation of the visiting committee were submitted to the Professional Standards Commission, and the college received notification on July 11 that the Commission has approved Truett-McConnell’s early childhood education degree program for the certification of teachers.
 
   Chairperson of the Department of Education is Dr. Susan Gannaway, and, according to Dr. Mike Simoneaux, Interim President of Truett-McConnell, “This could not have happened without Dr. Gannaway’s leadership and the assistance of her fine faculty.”  For information about the program, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Truett-McConnell Inaugurates Eighth President

On March 26, 2009, Truett-McConnell College will celebrate a historic event—the inauguration of its eighth president, Dr. Emir F. Caner. TMC alumni and friends of the college are invited to attend the inauguration at 9:30 AM in the college gymnasium.
Dr. Emir Caner

Dr. Caner holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Texas at Arlington and a Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He came to Truett-McConnell in mid-August of 2008 from Fort Worth, TX, having served as Dean of the College at Southwestern, the undergraduate division of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Director of the Center for Free Church Studies at the seminary.

He was reared a Sunni Muslim and is the first former Muslim to become president of a college or university affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. At the age of 38, he is also the youngest man to take the helm of Truett-McConnell.

Featured speakers on the inaugural program will include Dr. Paige Patterson, president of Southwestern Seminary; Dr. Johnny Hunt, president of the Southern Baptist Convention; Dr. Ergun Caner, brother of the TMC president and president of Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in Lynchburg, VA; Dr. Robert White, executive director of the Georgia Baptist Convention; Dr. Frank Cox, pastor of North Metro First Baptist Church; and Rev. Bucky Kennedy, president of the Georgia Baptist Convention.

Dr. Caner is married to the former Hana Titerova, a native of the Czech Republic. The Caners have three children: John Mark, 6; Daniela, 3; and Anna, 1.

He is the author or co-author of 16 books with several more in various stages of preparation for publishing. He and his brother are co-authors of Unveiling Islam: An Insider’s Look at Muslim Life and Beliefs, which has proved to be a very timely and popular explanation of Islamic belief and practice. Dr. Caner is in great demand as a speaker both nationally and internationally.

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