Truett McConnell University’s Board of Trustees has unanimously voted to place President Dr. Emir Caner on administrative leave while launching a third-party investigation into allegations of sexual abuse on campus.
🔍 Why It Matters: The decision comes amid serious allegations that former administrator Dr. Brad Reynolds sexually abused alumna Hayle Swinson, with claims that leadership at the Baptist college, including President Caner, may have covered up or failed to properly address the situation.
🚨 What’s Happening: The Board met Friday “with broken hearts” and unanimously approved three actions:
- Hiring investigator Richard Hyde of Phoenix Research LLC to conduct a third-party investigation.
- Placing President Caner on administrative leave pending investigation results.
- Appointing Dr. John Yarbrough as acting president.
📋 Catch Up Quick: The university previously acknowledged that Reynolds engaged in an “inappropriate and immoral relationship” with an alumnus who later worked at Truett McConnell from 2013 to 2018.
Reynolds was placed on leave in February 2024 after notifying leadership he was under investigation by local law enforcement.
🔎 Between the Lines: This leadership change follows mounting pressure from a Change.org petition calling for accountability. The petition demanded an investigation into what university leaders knew about the allegations and whether they enabled or minimized reports of abuse.
The petition specifically requested “a comprehensive review of all reports of alleged abuse” since 2009 and an investigation into “what President Emir Caner and the Vice Presidents knew about the reported allegations.”
Board Chairman Robby Foster led Friday’s meeting, which began with devotion and prayer before the trustees unanimously approved the three recommendations.
The university has asked for continued prayers “for the entire TMU family and all parties involved” as the investigation proceeds.
How to Read and Understand the News
Truth doesn’t bend because we dislike it.
Facts don’t vanish when they make us uncomfortable.
Events happen whether we accept them or not.
Good reporting challenges us. The press isn’t choosing sides — it’s relaying what official, verified sources say. Blaming reporters for bad news is like blaming a thermometer for a fever.
Americans have a history of misunderstanding simple things. In the 1980s, A&W rolled out a 1/3-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder. It failed because too many people thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If we can botch basic math, we can certainly misread the news.
Before dismissing a story, ask yourself:
- What evidence backs this?
- Am I reacting to facts or feelings?
- What would change my mind?
- Am I just shooting the messenger?
And one more: Am I assuming bias just because I don’t like the story?
Smart news consumers seek truth, not comfort.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
