Institutional Identity
Truett McConnell University is a private Christian liberal arts and sciences university, offering baccalaureate and master’s degrees, operated under the auspices of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board and controlled by a Board of Trustees elected by the Convention.
Mission Statement
The mission of TMU is to equip students with the Truth, through a Biblically-centered education, to fulfill the Great Commission.
Core Values
Biblical Sufficiency
TMU Values Scripture as its Centerpiece.
TMU values Scripture as its centerpiece (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Article 1 of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000). TMU emphasizes a Biblically-centered education because of its affirmation of Biblical Sufficiency, the belief that the Bible is the only inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word of God necessary to know God and understand His plan for mankind (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Personal Transformation
TMU Values Discovering and Fulfilling God’s Call in One’s Life.
TMU values discovering and fulfilling God’s call in one’s life (Ephesians 4:1; Articles 3 and 4 of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000). TMU believes that God has a unique and specific call for each person (Eph. 4:1). Being made alive because of His great love for us (Eph. 2:4), believers are subsequently commanded to live for Christ and to serve others through talents and gifts God bestows upon us.
Authentic Relationships
TMU Values Relationships Based on Christ’s Unconditional Love.
TMU values relationships based on Christ’s unconditional love. (Ephesians 4:2; Articles 3 and 14 of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000). TMU recognizes that authentic relationships will flow from living out a Christian worldview (Phil. 2:5). A true Christian worldview will exemplify Paul’s admonition to walk “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love” (Eph. 4:2).
A Missional Community
TMU Values Equipping Believers to Fulfill the Great Commission.
TMU values equipping believers to fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20; Articles 4, 5, 6 and 11 of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000). TMU acknowledges that salvation is found only in the person and work of Jesus Christ (John 14:6). Knowing that God loves the world (John 3:16) and desires all men to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4), TMU strives to equip students to fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).
Family
TMU Values a Biblical Model of Family.
TMU values a Biblical model of family (Genesis 2:24; Ephesians 5:21-6:4; and Article 18 of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000). Family is the foundational institution of society. Ordained by God, family is composed of persons related through marriage, blood, and adoption. Marriage is a covenant relationship between one man and one woman in a lifetime commitment (Gen. 2:24). TMU will maintain a family friendly environment by creating an atmosphere where families are welcome and where biblical families are modeled (Eph. 5:21-6:4). TMU views all staff and students, united through Christ, as family (Eph. 2:19).
History
Since the school’s founding in 1946, Truett McConnell University has been an institution rich in a history of God’s provision and dedication to provide students with a Biblically-centered education.
In 1887, Fernando McConnell and his cousin George W. Truett established a private Christian academy in Hiawassee, Georgia to educate “mountain preachers.” Changing economic conditions forced the closing of the school. However, McConnell and Truett each went on to make major contributions in Southern Baptist life and in the world for the cause of Christ. When the Georgia Baptist Convention saw the need for a Baptist College in North Georgia, they chose Cleveland. Today, TMU stands on more than 200 acres in the beautiful foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Northeast Georgia.
Because of the school’s distance from Southern Baptist seminaries, Truett McConnell’s original intent included training for pastoral ministry. Although the same focus is true, the liberal arts university now offers 40+ undergraduate programs of study, thus equipping graduates for religious and marketplace career paths that include: Christian Studies, Music, Nursing, Music Education, Exercise Science, Business Administration, Criminal Justice, History, Humanities, Psychology, Biology, Education, English, Global Studies and more. In 2014, we were granted accreditation to begin our first graduates degree program, and now, TMU has 8 graduate programs of study to choose from in the areas of: Christian Studies, Business Administration, Global Studies, Divinity, and Counseling.
Initially accredited in 1966 to confer two-year degrees, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges approved the college to offer four-year degrees in 2002. In December 2013, SACSCOC approved Truett McConnell to offer its first master’s program with the Master of Arts in Theology degree.
The university’s enrollment history reveals growth spurts and declines. However, in 2008, trustees named Dr. Emir Caner as president. Since his arrival, the enrollment of about 450 has rocketed consistently upward in double-digit percentage growth.
Truett McConnell continues to expand to meet the needs of a growing student body and to equip each generation to meet the challenges of presuming their calling in the real world.