Midpoints

A look at recent awards, events, and accomplishments at MTSU

compiled by Stephanie Barrette, Gina E. Fann, Jimmy Hart, Gina K. Logue, Drew Ruble, and Randy Weiler

True Blue Role Model

Alumnus and MTSU Board of Trustees member Darrell S. Freeman Sr. (’87, ’90) died June 28, 2022, from what his family described as a serious illness. Among his many accomplishments, Freeman was a first-generation college graduate and a trail-blazing businessman. He created his own IT company, Zycron, that, over 25 years, became a multimillion-dollar business. He sold it and used the resources to help aspiring Black entrepreneurs overcome obstacles and find success in business. Freeman also was a private pilot who lent his services and aircraft for international relief missions.

Darrell S. Freeman Sr.

His energy and devotion to helping disadvantaged and underserved students find a path forward, in education and in business, was front and center in his work as the first vice chair of MTSU’s Board of Trustees, as well as his two terms as chair of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. His service to MTSU, as a role model, donor, volunteer, and leader, leaves a legacy that will inspire students for generations to come.

Freeman once urged graduates in a Commencement ceremony to “take over the world” but to do it “with compassion . . . because the world needs more compassion . . . and do it with the sole purpose of helping people who are less fortunate than you are. If you do these things, you will have represented MTSU very well.”

Legendary Loss

Dean Hayes, MTSU’s track and field coach of 57 years, died Jan. 7 at age 84 while still active with the program. Hayes guided Blue Raider teams to 29 Ohio Valley Conference titles, 19 Sun Belt championships, 11 C-USA crowns, and 21 NCAA Top 25 finishes. He received four Conference USA Coach of the Year accolades, 16 Sun Belt Coach of the Year awards, and 15 OVC Coach of the Year honors, which included 10 in a row from 1977 to 1986. He was inducted into the Blue Raider Hall of Fame in 1982.

Importantly, Hayes, who first stepped onto the campus in 1965, is credited with integrating MTSU athletics. His first recruit, Jerry Singleton, became the first African American varsity scholarship athlete at MTSU. Others followed as their quietly competitive coach recruited more and more Black athletes. When those athletes arrived on campus, so did their girlfriends, sisters, brothers, and friends.

As such, Hayes is also rightly credited with integrating campus. He served as the first advisor for Kappa Alpha Psi, a Greek letter fraternity with predominantly African American membership, when it began a chapter at MTSU. Hayes deserves much of the credit for the increased presence of international students at MTSU as well. Under his guidance, international athletes began arriving from Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, and other places in the 1970s.

Distinguished Honors

Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Edward Davis (pictured) and former Gov. Bill Haslam were awarded honorary doctorates by MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee during spring Commencement. Speakers at three ceremonies—Davis, retired Bridgestone Americas executive and MTSU Board Vice Chair Christine Karbowiak, and faculty Career Achievement Award winner Tim Graeff—praised the resolve of the 2,474 new graduates.

“Nothing should hold back the size and shape of your dreams. It is our talent for imagination and creativity that make us humans,” Davis told graduates at the morning ceremony.

When the day was done, MTSU also reached a new milestone of conferring more than 175,000 degrees since the University’s founding in 1911, pushing the total number earned past 175,820.

Firsthand View

MTSU returned to the Grammys in full force in 2022 as the University resumed its annual pilgrimage to the music industry’s biggest showcase to celebrate alumni nominees and provide students with career-building experiences. MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee joined faculty, students, and administrators from the colleges of Media and Entertainment and Liberal Arts in Las Vegas for the 64th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, April 3. COVID-19 concerns in 2021 broke MTSU’s seven-year streak of hosting Grammy site events and lining up student experiences.

Nine alumni nominated for Grammys this year are profiled in the Class Notes section of this magazine. (see page 54). Those nominees were recognized by the University at an MTSU Alumni Association gathering April 2 in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, five Media and Entertainment students helped prepare the MGM Grand Conference Center for the 31st annual MusiCares Person of the Year benefit gala honoring legendary performer Joni Mitchell.

Scout Pledge

MTSU and the Middle Tennessee Council of the Boy Scouts of America renewed a partnership allowing prospective students from the council, which serves 37 middle Tennessee counties and Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to attend events on campus and seek faculty mentors for activities and merit badges.

MTSU Provost Mark Byrnes joined former Council President J.B. Baker, a member of the University’s Board of Trustees, and Council Scout Executive and CEO Larry Brown, in signing the renewal, which runs through 2025. About 20,000 youths and their families participate in programs conducted by the Nashville-based council, which is consistently among the nation’s fastest-growing councils.

Will Work for Tuition

Amazon announced a partnership with more than 140 universities and colleges, including MTSU, to provide fully paid tuition for more than 750,000 hourly Amazon workers. According to Amazon, its $1.2 billion investment to this Career Choice program is expected to aid more than 300,000 employees by 2025. In the past year, MTSU has signed similar agreements with local franchise owners of both McDonald’s and Chick-fil-A.

Center Ice

MTSU’s Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center was showcased during the Nashville Predators Military Appreciation Night on March 8. Fifty student veterans attended the NHL game between the Predators and the Dallas Stars in Bridgestone Arena. The Predators featured MTSU student veteran Orrin Farmer, an Aerospace Professional Pilot major planning to graduate in August, as one of the Daniels Center’s success stories. In addition to his academic studies, Farmer works at the MTSU Flight Operations Center as a flight instructor and in maintenance.

Race to Excellence

MTSU Professor Andrew Owusu, graduate director for the public health unit within the Department of Health and Human Performance, accepted the John Pleas Faculty Award in a February ceremony. Owusu became the 26th recipient of the award, presented annually during the University’s Black History Month observance to a tenured or tenure-track Black faculty member who has demonstrated excellence in teaching, research, and service.

A native of Ghana, Owusu is an eight-time All-American and three-time Olympian and an assistant MTSU track coach. Owusu’s research interests include adolescent health risk behaviors and protective factors, childhood lead poisoning, and school health policies and practices. He has secured more than $895,000 in external and internal grants in support of research and service over the past 15 years.

Unsung Heroes

Five stellar members of the Black community received honors at MTSU’s 26th annual Unity Luncheon in February. This year’s honorees were Elma McKnight, retired educator from Murfreesboro City Schools, recognized for service to education; Thomas Keith, MTSU alumnus and longtime track and field coach, selected for excellence in sports; Carl E. Watkins, retired Murfreesboro police captain and youth volunteer, honored as an advocate of civility; Melbra Simmons, media office coordinator for MTSU’s True Blue TV and committee member for the Tennessee Girls in STEM Conference, chosen for community service; and Robert Orr Jr., Murfreesboro artist, recognized for commitment to Black arts.

Good Advice

The advising manager for MTSU’s College of Education is proving that the University’s massive 2014 investment in student advising is paying off. Women in Higher Education in Tennessee bestowed its latest Woman of Achievement Award on Alicia Abney, the second consecutive MTSU employee to receive this recognition. Judith Iriarte-Gross, an MTSU Chemistry professor, won the honor in 2020. A former secondary school teacher from Indiana, Abney began her MTSU career as a tutor for redshirt freshman football players.

Alicia Abney

Service to Servants

A new degree program in MTSU’s University College will allow more adults and public servants to earn their bachelor’s degrees. Starting with the Fall 2022 semester, students will be able to choose the new Public Safety concentration as part of the Integrated Studies major. The degree program can be completed online and is specifically designed for those already working in law enforcement, homeland security, emergency management, fire safety, dispatch, and other public service fields at the local, state, and federal levels. The program allows adult students to convert eligible prior work and training and certifications into college credit and use up to 48 credits toward electives.

Supply and Demand

With supply chain disruptions and resulting product shortages and delivery delays in the headlines, MTSU launched a new bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management earlier this year. The Jennings A. Jones College of Business pursued and received approval to transform its Supply Chain Management concentration within its Department of Management into a standalone major that provides graduates a leg up in a burgeoning job market. Letters of support for the transition came from area logistics and distribution heavyweights such as Ingram Content Group, Nissan North America, and Kasai North America, to name a few. MTSU’s Board of Trustees more recently approved a request to the state to launch a new Master of Science in Supply Chain Management.

Rhetorical Device

The MTSU Board of Trustees in April approved a request for another new academic degree, a Bachelor of Science in Public Writing and Rhetoric, the first of its kind in Tennessee. The program, given final approval by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission in May, will be a viable double major for students in other fields that require strong writing skills. “Public and technical writing genres, like proposals, reports, and blogs, are in high demand in middle Tennessee’s growing tech-based economy,” MTSU Provost Mark Byrnes said. “Rhetorical skills, like process documentation and internal communications management, will continue to be needed as large companies establish new headquarters in the greater Nashville area.”

Shining Stars

Country music megastar Garth Brooks and Tennessee Titans standout safety Kevin Byard, an MTSU graduate, met with Blue Raider studentathletes in April for the Stay in the Game event with Brooks’ Teammates for Kids foundation. The singer also visited with retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Huber, MTSU’s senior advisor for veterans and leadership initiatives, and learned how the University’s Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Families Center serves student veterans. Brooks’ four-night run at MTSU’s Murphy Center in 1994 sold more than 40,000 tickets, breaking Elvis Presley’s record for the arena.

Garth Brooks (l) and Kevin Board

Crime and Punishment

Criminal Justice Administration Associate Professor Ben Stickle’s research and evaluation efforts helped the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation receive $950,000 in funding to study crime trends during COVID and the state’s efforts to combat human trafficking. As a former police officer, Stickle’s mission in academia is still to combat crime and make communities safer. “I want clear, actionable research that will help someone not be a victim of a crime, and when it does occur, to help police solve crime,” Stickle said. “We can . . . prevent crime by understanding the structure and nature of it.”

Ben Stickle

Digging in the Dirt

Nine billion people. That’s the projected world population by 2050, raising concerns among producers and policymakers about the sustainability of current crop production systems. “A large part of the solution might be right under our feet,” said Chaney Mosley, an Agricultural Education assistant professor. Mosley is spearheading the collaboration of a $749,999 U.S. Department of Agriculture/National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant involving three universities. The three-year research endeavor, which includes MTSU students, will investigate soil management practices for improved soil health and the related effects on crop and animal productivity, food quality, and economic viability of integrated farming systems, Mosley said.

Chaney Mosley

Spider Sense

Three former MTSU student biology researchers and their mentor, MTSU Biology Professor Ryan Otter, are part of a recently published collaboration receiving international notoriety. Alumni Gale Beaubien, Connor Olson, and Andrew Todd joined Otter—who is also director of the MTSU Data Science Institute—in being part of a team whose work was published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, an international scientific journal. The paper, “Use of Riparian Spiders as Sentinels of Persistent and Bioavailable Chemical Contaminants in Aquatic Ecosystems: A Review,” suggests national-scale programs to monitor chemical contaminants in aquatic ecosystems using spiders.

Ryan Ottter

Refreshed Perspective

The National Trust for Historic Preservation announced in April that Nashville Sites and Nashville Queer History will receive a $25,000 grant to document the often-overlooked LGBTQ+ history of Nashville and middle Tennessee. MTSU’s Center for Historic Preservation and Albert Gore Research Center are partners with the grant, as well as Vanderbilt University Libraries, Just Us at Oasis Center, and the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce.

Going the Distance

MTSU was named to Newsweek’s list of “America’s Top Online Colleges 2022.” The prestigious recognition is presented by Newsweek and Statista Inc., the world’s leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider. MTSU ranked 40th among the 150 higher-ed institutions highlighted and was the only Tennessee university on the list. MTSU has invested heavily in recent years in technology upgrades to expand its ability to provide high-quality online courses both synchronously and asynchronously.

Decision-Maker

Newsweek also recognized MTSU as among the “Best Maker Schools in Higher Education 2021.” Newsweek partnered with Make, publisher of Make: magazine and books, to develop the list. Only three Tennessee schools—MTSU, Tennessee Tech University, and Vanderbilt University— made the non-ranked international list, which also includes universities such as Brown, Princeton, Yale, and UCLA in the U.S. MTSU’s James E. Walker Library is home to the Makerspace, which provides students and faculty with access to robotics, electronics, sewing, computers, software, laser etchers, button-making, virtual reality technology, and 3D printing, among other resources.