Welcome

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the Middle Tennessee State University community. We look forward to your student’s arrival on our campus and will have a variety of activities planned to help ease their transition during the first days and weeks of the term.

I hope that you, too, will take advantage of all that MTSU has to offer the families of our students. As a special project of the office of New Student and Family Programs, this guide is meant to supplement your knowledge of the Murfreesboro area and help facilitate your visits to campus. We have a host of family activities that we believe will interest you, including exciting athletic events, musical concerts, theatrical programs, and world-class speakers. Many of these carry very low ticket prices or are free and open to the public. I hope you’ll join us! Of particular interest to you for 2022–23 will be the events during our opening weekend, August 19–21. Parents and family members are welcome to join new students in attending these important activities and getting to know new friends and new campus traditions. I hope you will join your student in reading our summer book selection, which will be introduced to your student as a part of our CUSTOMS orientation program. If your student and family are arriving to the campus on our opening day, Friday, August 19, please plan to join us for opening activities held at the Student Union. The evening’s events are free, and the whole family is welcome. Festivities generally begin around 7:00 p.m. and will last until it gets dark. All students and families are welcome, whether the student will be living on-campus, off-campus or at home. We then invite students and their families to return to campus for President McPhee's annual picnic on Saturday evening, which will include the summer reading book author! I also invite your whole family to attend our opening-of-the-year Convocation, held on Sunday afternoon, August 21, in the Murphy Center, as we celebrate the arrival of our newest students. All new students are expected to attend Convocation to begin their MTSU academic experience. During the Convocation ceremony, students will join in our tradition of taking the True Blue Pledge. Among other things, students affirm that, as Blue Raiders, they will engage in the life of this community and contribute to its progress and success. Our keynote speaker for Convocation will be the author of our summer reading book — for many students, this will be the first time they’ve had the opportunity to read a book and then meet the author!

Parents and family members will sit with their students, and then we’ll take the official new student photo on the main floor of the Murphy Center. Most families will then depart campus, and students will have Sunday to settle in and get ready for classes to begin on Monday, August 22. The Friday night Picnic and the Saturday Convocation are two of our “Connection Point” activities. During the first several weeks of the semester, new students are encouraged to complete a variety of Connection Point activities as we work to integrate them into the out-of-classroom life of the MTSU campus. Events will include everything from football games to movies to a comedy show, as well as events to help introduce students to volunteer opportunities, student organizations, and student employment options. We know that students who are most successful at MTSU balance hard work in the classroom with an active campus life, whether through athletics, band, living and working on campus, or joining a variety of clubs and organizations. You can help model the importance of campus involvement and encourage your student’s participation by joining us for those activities that are of interest and fit into your calendar. We welcome your presence on campus. Watch for activities throughout the year by bookmarking our webpage at mtsu.edu/campuslife. When your student wants to take a break from studying, they can log on to the MTSU Campus Life page (mtsu.edu/campuslife) for information about campus programs and events ranging from service projects to concerts to leadership development workshops. Sports fans will also want to keep an eye on the official website for MTSU Athletics, goblueraiders.com. I’m excited for the arrival of our Blue Raider Class of 2026, and I look forward to working with your student. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I may be of assistance in the coming year. I may be reached in Room 212 of the Keathley University Center or by calling (615) 898-2440. Best wishes to you and yours for a safe and productive year.

TRUE BLUE!

Debra Sells

Vice President for Student Affairs and Vice Provost for Enrollment and Academic Service