Tennessee State University band director Reginald McDonald has been placed on paid administrative leave following a pending investigation. The announcement came in a release from Tennessee State interim President Dwayne Tucker.

“This decision concerns outstanding travel requisitions and advances and related lack of compliance with TSU policies and procedures,” Tucker said in the release. “Dr. McDonald will be on administrative leave with full pay while we continue this investigation.”

The Grammy Award-winning The Aristocrat of Bands is one of the most popular HBCU marching bands. McDonald has been band director since 2015 but has held various leadership positions within the band over the last 23 years.

Once President Tucker took leadership in December, he immediately connected with the Tennessee State board’s audit committee to look at the university’s financials following a year of major financial straits. After conducting an internal audit, Tucker decided to remove McDonald from his position.

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“As this is an ongoing personnel matter, I will not be able to comment further about it at this time,” Tucker said in the release. “What I can say is that this difficult decision, and any that come here forward, have at their core a shared commitment to ensuring a bright and stable future for Tennessee State University.”e

Many people wondered why the band did not attend Howard University’s 100th homecoming game last year. The university decided in October to cut back on road games as the university went on a hiring freeze, cut nonessential spending, and underwent layoffs.

After years of financial scrutiny and undergoing several audits, Tennessee lawmakers decided to get rid of the entire Tennessee State Board. This led to long-time President Glenda Glover's resignation in June. Following her resignation, the board appointed Ronald A. Johnson, but he quickly resigned in December due to indifferences between him and the board. Tucker was appointed shortly after that.

President Tucker is working diligently to overcome Tennessee State’s financial issues. State officials are pressuring Tucker to continue making staff cuts, sell property, and declare a financial crisis.