FIVE MINUTES WITH THE PRESIDENT
The Road Ahead
photo: Cat Curtis Murphy President Sidney A. McPhee at at virtual Spring 2020 Graduating Veterans Stole Ceremony
A brief conversation on recent events with MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee You have decided that Middle Tennessee State University will move forward with its COVID-19 preparations and resume on-campus, in-person classes and operations in August for the Fall 2020 semester. Tell us about that decision.
We choose to be optimistic, and we are confident in our abilities to adapt to the changing and fluid dynamics of this pandemic. The task before me as president, working closely with our University leadership team and university medical staff, is to chart a course that will allow us to welcome our incoming freshman class, new transfers, and returning students, as well as faculty and
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staff, to a safe and healthy campus for the new academic year. Please know that our actions ultimately will be guided by the advice and recommendations of the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and state public health officials concerning the coronavirus. To assist the University in planning for the return of students and employees to campus, I appointed a diverse team of faculty, staff, and community leaders, led by Provost Mark Byrnes, to develop options and scenarios and submit recommendations on how we proceed when we reopen for the fall.
