CEDARVILLE — Cedarville University President Thomas White, on leave over his decision to hire a friend who had been fired in a sex crimes case in Texas, has been reinstated, the university’s trustee board decided.
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White hired his friend, Anthony Moore, in August 2017 to serve as a student recruiter. His job was to convince high school students to come to Cedarville. He was later given additional roles as a theology professor, basketball coach, and special adviser on diversity.
White said the hiring was part of what he called, in his blog to the university community, “A Plan for Restoration” for Moore.
Moore approached White after he’d been fired from a church in Texas in January 2017 and had “wronged another person in a morally serious way using video and technology,” according to media reports of how White recounted it in his blog. Moore had been accused of videotaping a man in a shower at that church.
White fired Moore on April 23 when he discovered the incidents involving Moore occurred several times over several months, according to online research.
At the beginning of May, White was placed on administrative leave while Cedarville hired an independent firm to investigate whether Moore was involved in anything inappropriate, either on campus or with any student elsewhere.
The independent investigator was to also audit the hiring of Moore.
The board found no evidence Moore was engaged in sexual conduct on the Cedarville campus.
The board also concluded there was no reason to question White’s motivation involved in hiring Moore, although White did fail to make known the specifics of Moore’s misconduct, according to the board.
The board said White, as part of his reinstatement, is required to complete courses on victim prevention and victim advocacy.
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