MTSU Magazine Winter 2024

WHERE OPPORTUNITY MEETS NEED A deep dive on MTSU’s oft-overlooked impact on the region’s health care services Page 28

Blue-Collar Approach New coach Derek Mason brings enthusiasm and charisma to Blue Raider football program Page 26

Table of Contents 05 Editor’s Letter 06 5 Minutes with the President 08 Scene on Campus 10 Events Calendar 11 Required Reading 12 Old School 14 New School 17 #MyMTStory 30 Campus Culture 34 Midpoints 41 MTSUNews.com 42 Class Notes 48 In Memoriam 50 Baby Raiders Features 18 Alumni Awards 26 Blue-Collar Approach 32 In Someone Else's Shoes 51 Taking the Leap

Rhapsody in Blue MTSU students have earned more than 183,260 degrees, including bachelor’s, master’s, educational specialist, and doctoral degrees, since the institution’s 1911 founding.

More than 830 graduates joined the alumni ranks in August, along with 2,650 in May and another 1,760 in December.

Photo by J. Intintoli

Middle Tennessee State University Winter 2024, Vol. 28, No. 2 University President Sidney A. McPhee University Provost Mark Byrnes Vice President for University Advancement Joe Bales Vice President for Marketing and Communications Andrew Oppmann Senior Editor Drew Ruble Associate Editor Carol Stuart Contributing Editor Nancy Broden Senior Director of Marketing Kara Hooper Assistant Director of Marketing Keith Dotson Designers Darrell Callis Burks, Brian Evans, Micah Loyed, Brittany Blair Stokes Contributing Writers Skip Anderson, Nancy DeGennaro, Sam Doughton, Jimmy Hart, Toni Shaw, Stephanie Wagner, Randy Weiler University Photographers James Cessna, Andy Heidt, J. Intintoli, Cat Curtis Murphy Special thanks to Lynn Adams, Brian Delaney, Ginger Freeman, Matt Posey Cover photo by Matt Posey Address changes should be sent to Advancement Services, MTSU Box 109, Murfreesboro, TN 37132; alumni@mtsu.edu.

Other correspondence goes to MTSU magazine, Drew Ruble, 1301 E. Main St., MTSU Box 49, Murfreesboro, TN 37132. For online content, visit mtsunews.com. 133,200 copies printed at Courier Printing, Smyrna, Tennessee. Designed by MTSU Creative and Visual Services.

0923-2429 / Middle Tennessee State University does not discriminate against students, employees, or applicants for admission or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, age, status as a protected veteran, genetic information, or any other legally protected class with respect to all employment, programs, and activities sponsored by MTSU. The Assistant to the President for Institutional Equity and Compliance has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies and can be reached at Cope Administration Building 116, 1301 East Main Street, Murfreesboro, TN 37132; Christy.

Sigler@mtsu.edu; or 615-898-2185. The MTSU policy on non-discrimination can be found at mtsu.edu/iec.

EDITOR'S LET TER

Spreading the News

by Drew Ruble

If I were to ask a student or staffer which campus entity generates the most web traffic for the University, I believe they would probably guess either MT Athletics or Admissions.

In the face of this grave threat, Paulson posited a solution.

The very best protections against censorship, he said, are awareness, insight, and a nationwide commitment to freedom of expression.

But in fact, the number of visitors to the MTSU Free Speech Center website and its Encyclopedia of the First Amendment soared by 1.1 million in the 2022–23 fiscal year to a new high of more than 5 million users.

That’s precisely what the MTSU Free Speech Center is all about. Through its website, its timely editorials, and its prowess as an expert to a national audience, the MTSU center is providing much-needed awareness, insights, and support for our precious freedoms of speech.

That total makes up the largest percentage of the total web visitors the University receives on an annual basis.

The Free Speech Center is obviously more, though, than just a very beneficial engine for web searches that swell MTSU’s profile. Its mission and societal impact speak to the very heart of what makes MTSU—and, indeed, America—great.

Let me explain in a story.

An Associated Press article last year centered around new threats to free speech in America. The headline read, “Attacks on Free Speech Rights Are Rising, Experts Say.” The article featured remarks by MTSU Free Speech Center founder and director Ken Paulson, who stated that in recent years many states have reverted to the anti-speech tactics employed by people like Sen. Joe McCarthy during the “Red Scare” of the early 1950s.

“McCarthy and others tried to silence political opponents by accusing them of being communists or socialists, using fear and public accusations to suppress basic free speech rights,” Paulson was quoted as saying. “We are seeing a concerted wave that we have not seen in decades.”

It’s not just the Associated Press taking notice of MTSU’s expertise on these types of matters. We as a university (through the Free Speech Center) are spreading the word to millions of Americans about the need to protect the First Amendment and our most fundamental freedoms.

Paulson—a former editor of USA Today and former dean of MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment—has been quoted in dozens upon dozens of media outlets nationwide in the past year. As a result of this effort and focus on media outreach, the Free Speech Center—and MTSU—is now routinely treated as an authority by highly respected and neutral news sources on a topic of growing concern in our nation.

The center is successfully doing so while operating as a nonpartisan and nonprofit institution simply conveying the urgency of the work it does without stepping into politics or alarmism. I believe we can all agree that’s good news.

True Blue!

Free Speech Center by the numbers

6.7 million annual website page views

5.2 million annual unique website visitors

3,086 newsletter subscribers

firstamendment.mtsu.edu

21,700 video views

Winter 2024 5

5 MINUTES WITH THE PRESIDENT

Changes for the Better A brief conversation on recent events with MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee Artificial intelligence (AI) has vastly enhanced student access to data and information. While there is some wariness and skepticism, AI will hopefully— ultimately—be used ethically to change how fast we as a society can learn and grow as scholars. What is your perspective on AI in a university setting and its potential to achieve good when carefully administrated?

I recently announced a new professional development initiative on artificial intelligence. An interdisciplinary team of faculty and staff has been assembled to lead workshops and discussions exploring the impact of new AI-based tools on teaching, research, and campus operations.

Technology is reshaping the way we learn, communicate, and interact. MTSU must embrace this transformation by integrating cutting-edge tools and methodologies into its teaching practices.

We must not just adopt technology for the sake of it, but leverage it to enhance the learning experience,

cultivate critical thinking, and equip students with digital literacy skills essential for their future careers.

By engaging with these issues now, we position our institution to harness the power of AI responsibly and effectively.

Such forward thinking is part of your overall educational vision for the future at MTSU. What steps are you taking now to enable the University to reach its highest academic potential?

Last year, I approved an integrated strategic planning process that will encompass efforts that were previously spread across three existing plans— the Academic Master Plan, the Quest for Student Success, and the Strategic Plan.

The 2025–2035 Strategic Plan will be organized around four pillars: academic quality, student success, engagement, and innovation. Strategies for each of these pillars will be developed by

AI technology, strategic plan, new core curriculum, and building renaming focus on MTSU’s future.

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Last fall, a new academic year offered the promise of excitement as faculty created additional new courses, designed blueprints—which are collections of thematically related courses students take to navigate their requirements—and developed opportunities for study abroad. Our colleagues in Student Affairs, Enrollment Services, and Academic Advising have prepared for this spring, when the first Core students register, with changes to the catalog, Banner, and DegreeWorks.

subcommittees that include broad representation from faculty, staff, students, and alumni and community leaders. The process began in earnest last fall in the University Planning Committee. Its Mission Review subcommittee will articulate statements of purpose, values, and vision. A revised mission statement is targeted for approval by the Board of Trustees at its April meeting.

Concurrently, the Strategic Planning Committee will begin gathering information and ideas through a series of listening sessions with internal and external stakeholders this spring. A draft of the Strategic Plan will be developed this summer, and the campus community will have additional opportunities to provide feedback throughout the fall of 2024.

The goal is to finalize the Strategic Plan by early 2025. I hope all faculty, staff, and students will be engaged in the process of mission review and Strategic Plan development.

These articulated goals and strategies will build on MTSU’s strengths and achievements and advance MTSU’s stature as a major R2 comprehensive public university.

MTSU’s new general education curriculum, the True Blue Core (TBC), is on schedule to launch in fall 2024.

During the 2022–23 fiscal year, the University General Education Committee approved more than 80 courses for the new Core. Talk about that process and what outcomes you hope to see.

Throughout the past year, faculty from across the University have participated in preparing course proposals—revising current or legacy courses and developing new courses for the Core. For instance, last summer, the TBC team hosted a multiday professional development workshop on “Writing Across the Core,” facilitated by MTSU English faculty, focused on how to use the TBC written communication outcome in Core teaching.

Finally, TBC Director Susan Myers-Shirk and TBC Implementation Coordinator Christina Cobb have been developing plans for the Center for the True Blue Core. This center will take the lead in marketing the program and recruiting new students, implementing assessment as reflective practice to ensure the quality of both the program and the Core classroom experience, communicating to incoming and current students the value of a Core education at MTSU, and helping them to see the ways in which the Core connects to and supports them in their majors, their careers, and their personal growth and well-being.

MTSU can look back at 2023 with pride as evidenced by top rankings from several national organizations for institutional excellence. Tell us about those.

The Princeton Review—one of the nation’s leading education services companies—included MTSU in its 32nd annual Best Colleges rankings for 2024, the fifth consecutive year that the institution has been recognized. The rankings come from student reports of their experiences at the schools. In other words, our customers elevated us to this high rank—not institutional data collectors and college administrator peer reviews.

Meanwhile, U.S. News and World Report ranked MTSU at No. 84 in the nation for Social Mobility for 2024. I’m especially proud of this ranking because it measures how successful colleges are at advancing social mobility by enrolling and graduating large proportions of disadvantaged students awarded with Pell Grants.

The University also was included on U.S. News and World Report lists for Top Public Schools, National Universities, Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs, Computer Science, Nursing, and Psychology.

Additionally, Newsweek ranked MTSU No. 134 among 200 institutions singled out among America’s Top Online Colleges.

I’m pleased with what others are saying about us. It proves our unrelenting commitment to the individual success of each and every student in our True Blue family.

Thank you, Mr. President Winter 2024 7

SCENE ON CAMPUS

Oct. 12 A Night of Comedy with Randy Feltface

Sep. 18 Retired Sen. Bob Corker and Rep. Jim Cooper discuss democracy

Sep. 7 Fun and games at Crash the Commons

Sept. 27 Raider Roundup preparing future farmers

Nov. 4–6 Cinderella’s carriage awaits at Tucker Theatre

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Oct. 2 Silent march for International Day of Nonviolence

Aug. 30 Super blue moon during first week of fall classes

Aug. 25 Gold medalist Scott Hamilton at Veterans Impact Celebration

Oct. 2 A performance of The Mousewife in the Wright Music Building

EVENTS

Events Calendar Mark your calendar for upcoming events around campus

Feb. 3, 2 p.m.

Murphy Center Women’s Basketball vs.

Western Kentucky

Feb. 19 Student Union Honors Open House Register at mtsu.edu/rsvp

Feb. 22–25 Tucker Theatre The Tempest

Feb. 24, 6:30 p.m.

Murphy Center Men’s Basketball vs.

Western Kentucky

March 5, 6 p.m.

Feb. 22, 6 p.m.

Tennessee Ballroom, James Union Building Black History Month keynote: actor Marcus Scribner (Black-ish)

Feb. 29, 7:30 p.m.

Hinton Music Hall, Wright Music Building “Glory! A Choral Concert for Black History Month”

Murphy Center Men’s Basketball vs.

Liberty

March 9, 9:30 a.m.

March 23, 9 a.m.–3 p.m.

Student Union True Blue Preview open house for prospective students Register at mtsu.edu/rsvp

Murphy Center Women’s Basketball vs.

Louisiana Tech

March 23, 7:30 p.m.

Hinton Music Hall, Wright Music Building Illinois Jacquet Jazz Festival headlining artist

March 28, 6 p.m.

Student Union Ballroom Women’s History Month keynote: Sitting Pretty author Rebekah Taussig

More events and details at mtsu.edu/calendar

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April 5, 11 a.m.

Student Union Ballroom LGBTQ+ College Conference Film Festival screening/keynote: Mama Bears director Daresha Kyi

REQUIRED READING

Required Reading Dark Waters Kristine Potter, Assistant Professor of Photography MONOGRAPH Potter’s second monograph features a dark and brooding series reflecting on the Gothic landscape of the American South, as evoked in the popular imagination of “murder ballads” from the 19th and 20th centuries. A recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship in Photography, Potter showcases where the crimes immortalized in the songs might take place—and often have. The New York Times wrote of Potter’s book that in the South, “our most isolated places are at once the most beautiful and the most blood-soaked, and Ms. Potter understands that women are in no way the sole victims of this violent legacy.”

The book by the Yale University master’s graduate features 63 images of places like Murder Creek, Bloody Fork, and Deadman’s Pond.

Just Enough to Put Him Away Decent

Deep Dish Conversations

Jacin and the Olympians

Jerome Moore (’12),

Shane Berryhill (’98),

Kristine M. McCusker,

B.A. in Economics

B.S. in Psychology

History Professor

ESSAYS

COMIC BOOK

HISTORY

What does it mean to be a Nashvillian? A Black Nashvillian?

A white Nashvillian? What does it mean to be an organizer, an elected official, an agent for change? Deep Dish Conversations began as a running online interview series in which its host Moore sat down over pizza with Nashville leaders and community members to talk about the past, present, and future of the city and what it means to live there. The resulting book is an honest conversation about racism, housing, policing, poverty, and more.

The co-creation of writer Berryhill and Chattanoogaarea artist Alex Ogle, Jacin and the Olympians is filled with rollicking robots, spaceships, and friendships. The comic book takes place in a world where the ancient Greek gods not only exist but continue to cohabit Earth until modern times. But when dark, alien truths emerge and portend to ravage the Earth, humanity’s last hope is Jacin and the Olympians!

As McCusker studied the massive drop in mortality rates in the South in the 20th century, she knew there was more to the story than just science. So she garnered a $122,000 grant through the National Institutes of Health National Library of Medicine to study the cultural connections to why and how.

In Just Enough to Put Him Away Decent: Death Care, Life Extension, and the Making of a Healthier South, 1900–1955, McCusker chronicles how scientific advancement and biblical duties collided midcentury.

Winter 2024 11

OLD SCHOOL

Old School

A look back at MTSU’s past from our photo archives— The Band of Blue’s origins trace back to 1930, and this separate “Girls’ Band” shows up alongside a coed band photo in the 1936 Midlander yearbook.

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Winter 2024 13

NEW SCHOOL

New School

Wind beneath their wings—From alto saxes to xylophones, batons to flags, and dancers to drumlines, the Band of Blue marching brigade has backed the Blue Raiders and entertained fans for nearly a century.

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Winter 2024 15

2024

13, 14, 15 Give to anything you love on campus, including: A Department or Program A Student Organization blue raider Athletics

or give to support students in need: Scholarships Student emergency support Fund

#MyMTStor y

What is your favorite memory in the Band of Blue?

We asked alumni what they recalled or enjoyed the most while performing in MTSU’s marching band during their college days.

Olivia Vina Stockdell (‘11)

Joey Wilburn (‘08)

Kemba Drew Webb

Two words: Chocolate Thunder!!

Meeting my wife in the Band of Blue and that Florida trip in 2005!

The TSU games! And the one joint performance

(I still have that baritone t-shirt) But seriously . . . the family we became.

The trips, the energy, the funky music, the deep joy we all had to be together playing said funky music, and the amazing support of friends when life knocked me down.

Chris Sparks (‘07) Let’s just say opposing Football players, from a school in the northern region of Texas, don’t like it when you call them out right before halftime that their jersey is too clean and they are upset when you tell them “Don’t be mad just because I'll see more time on the field than you . . . and I’m in the band.”

Howard Malone (‘81) The Star Wars show, Fall of '77 (my first show), and turning onto East Main in the Homecoming parade playing Espana. It had a killer T-bone part!

AET Reilly (‘02) Most memorable moment was the late winter game between MTSU and WKU. As we took the field for our show we were in a complete blanket of snowfall. We gave our all and then immediately after huddled in the stadium bathrooms to feel our hands and toes again

Maddie Goins (‘22)

Tennessee Waltz gets me every time definitely one of my most cherished memories Keith Goodwin (‘09) My first game was Alabama at Bryant-Denny. What an introduction to college football.

Heather Lipscomb (‘02) Our Earth, Wind and Fire show in 2000!!! Best show ever!

Ashley Copeland (‘12) Meeting my Delta Omicron sisters, being power rangers with the new uniforms, and having so much fun in the Baaaaannnndddddd ooooooooo bllllllluuuuueeeeee!

Charlene Potts Cook (‘80) The camaraderie within the band.

Lifelong friends were made. My favorite memories: My 1st Contest of Champions when we entered the stadium in front of the participating bands. The Wind and the Lion and Eternal Father.

Dennis Barnes (‘69)

The Russian show and all the great students in the band 1969 Jeffrey Coursey Best musical experience . . . 1999 season, the joint halftime show we did with Arkansas’ band. Over 500 marching musicians on the field and we were soooooo loud!

Best personal experience . . . all the lifetime friends I made during my time in the Band of Blue

Skylor Morgan (‘03)

Standing ovation at the Swamp at UofF.

Winter 2024 17

Introducing the 2023–24 honorees

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From military service, music, and media to education and nursing, MTSU’s outstanding alumni for 2023–24 represent distinction through their careers.

Retired Lt. Gen William “Bill” Phillips, the latest Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, made the successful transition to the civilian world after reaching the rank of three-star general.

Television producer Justin Hart earned the Young Alumni Achievement Award, while True Blue Citations of Distinction were awarded to William “Bill” Crabtree, Christian Ketel, Lauren Rhae, and retired Col. Rickey Smith.

“Their accomplishments show the breadth of personal and professional success of our graduates,” said Ginger Freeman, director of the Office of Alumni Relations.

View the Distinguished Alumni Awards ceremony here.

Winter 2024 19

A Gentleman and an Officer

Mother made sure distinguished alumnus was a gentleman before Army turned him into an officer

by Skip Anderson

Retired Lt. Gen. Bill Phillips credits his mother, Muriel, an elementary school teacher in Bell Buckle, with instilling in him the ethos that would help him rise through the ranks of the U.S. Army to become a three-star general.

“My mother was the biggest influence in my life,” Phillips said. “She was a teacher, mentor, and extraordinary leader.

I learned so much from her—not just about learning but about life. About the values we hold in life: ethics, integrity, determination, honesty, compassion, faith, and much more.

To treat others with respect and dignity. To help others and honor thy neighbor. To be selfless in your daily actions. Make friends—make the right friends.”

Muriel died suddenly when Phillips was 13 years old.

Agriculture, which Phillips called “the first love of my life,” became his next great teacher.

“Growing up on a farm gave me the work ethic,” Phillips said. “Even when I was at MTSU, I never lived on campus because I always worked on the farm.”

Phillips’ father, Kenneth, left his mark on him as well. A military man, Kenneth fought in World War II in the Pacific.

“He and so many others of the greatest generation came back to the U.S. and carried our nation to greater heights,” Phillips said.

His father would pass in 2010, but not before he learned Phillips had been promoted to brigadier general.

“My father was very proud of me,” Phillips said. “And I know my mom was, too, in heaven.”

Rising Ranks Upon enrollment at MTSU, Phillips signed up for the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) and a guaranteed postcollege career. Two figures from MTSU’s ROTC program— Col. Roy Plaster and Jay Hendrix (later promoted to four-star general)—became his next mentors.

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The lessons Phillips learned under Hendrix and Plaster would become the bedrock for a distinguished career.

Phillips, recipient of MTSU’s 2023–24 Distinguished Alumni Award, called them “extraordinary military leaders” who taught him “what it means to be a soldier and to defend our nation in a truly selfless manner.”

Upon graduating from MTSU in 1976 with a B.S. in Agriculture, Phillips joined the U.S. Army, where he continued his service and moved through the ranks to lieutenant general. He never stopped continuing his education, receiving three master’s degrees in National Resource Strategy, Procurement and Material Management, and Personnel Management, along with an honorary doctorate from MTSU.

Putting into Practice Such highly specialized training—alongside the lessons his mother equipped him with—prepared Phillips for leadership at the highest levels. He earned a reputation as being dependable, capable, and insightful, which led to increased responsibilities to the troops he would lead.

“I spent over 30 years as a helicopter pilot and an acquisition leader,” Phillips said. “In my final four-plus years, I served as the Army’s top military acquisition leader. In all my time, I always sought to provide our soldiers with everything within my power to ensure that they were trained and ready to fight and win, so they could complete the mission quickly and successfully and one day return home to their family and friends. Soldiers are our Army!”

After his first assignment as a field artillery officer, Phillips transitioned to the Army’s Aviation Branch in 1983. In 2009, he volunteered for combat duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, running contracting operations across both theaters in support of combat operations.

“A lot of it in the Army is mentorship and people who are helping you achieve,” he said. “I worked with Gen. Ray

Odierno, Gen. George Casey, and Gen. Lloyd Austin [current secretary of defense]. I was fortunate to have worked for many extraordinary leaders and mentors.”

Phillips knew he was on the list for promotion to become a two-star general. What he didn’t know was he would essentially be promoted simultaneously to a three-star general, a rare occurrence.

After reporting for duty at the Picatinny Arsenal, he discovered that some ethically dubious arms dealers had circulated munitions made in China into the military’s foreign sales program—a high crime. Phillips’ duty was to untangle the mess. War Dogs, a 2016 movie, created a story loosely based on true events.

He soon testified before Congress and described how the Army fixed this issue.

“After returning from Afghanistan, I testified before Congress over 10 times, one with the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee,” Phillips said.

“They thought we had signed contracts with terrorists.

We didn’t, and I simply told them the truth by explaining how we vetted the contractors.”

It was one of the many lessons he learned during childhood that he put into action during such high-pressure points of his career.

“Speak the truth, as my mother would always require of us,” he said.

Red, White, and True Blue Today, Phillips is as busy as ever, working as a private citizen supporting the Army and the military to get munitions to Ukraine. A former executive for Boeing and OBXtek, he is also CEO of Phillips Consulting.

A little too busy, perhaps. Nobody knows this as well as his wife, Marilyn.

“Marilyn is an extraordinary military wife,” Phillips said. “During all of my deployments, she always did her part to help soldiers and their families.”

Phillips said he’s “incredibly grateful” for the professional and leadership skills MTSU provided, describing his alma mater as “a leadership factory for the state of Tennessee and the nation.”

“I have served in many countries throughout our world,” he added. “In every assignment, I have run across MTSU graduates serving in both military and civilian capacities. They are extraordinary leaders doing remarkable work for our country, the greatest on earth. The sun never sets on the True Blue nation!”

Winter 2024 21

Young Alumni Achievement Justin Hart An NAACP Image Award-winning television producer from Memphis, Hart (’11) is honored as an MTSU graduate age 35 or younger making a positive impact in the world. He supervises original programming on the streaming platform Fox Soul, overseeing programs including Fox Soul’s Black Report, which won the New York Association of Black Journalists’ 2021 Rhonesha Byng Award.

Hart also helped launch an entertainment talk show called Cocktails with Queens, featuring Claudia Jordan, LisaRaye McCoy, Vivica A. Fox, and Syleena Johnson. He additionally has worked on Iyanla: Fix My Life, E! News’ Daily Pop, and The Real.

Hart recently developed a nonprofit organization in his hometown called Black Men Crowned, which is devoted to honoring, uplifting, and celebrating Black men in Memphis. He was honored with a proclamation from the state of Tennessee for his work. Hart discussed the nonprofit on the nationally syndicated Kelly Clarkson Show, and Clarkson honored him as a “Rad Human” for his continuous commitment to serving his community.

Hart has spoken to classes in MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment, created a short video for new students, was part of Kanye West’s Sunday Service Choir, and received a Grammy for lending background vocals to West’s Jesus is King album.

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Achievement in Education (non-MTSU Faculty) Lauren Rhae Passionate about educational access and student success, Rhae (’09) is an advocate and leading proponent for assuring all Tennesseans have access to the benefits of education.

Representing the Tennessee Board of Regents in the Correctional Education Initiative, Rhae is coordinator of special programs and created a first-of-its-kind statewide system of postsecondary education in the Tennessee prison system. She also assisted in creating a sister project with county jails and wrote the Correctional Education Initiative catalog.

Now pursuing her doctorate, Rhae previously worked at MTSU as an advisor and adjunct professor and assisted in the Advisor Mastery Program. She also worked in the nonprofit sector with the Workforce Investment Act and worked as a K–12 educator.

Achievement in Education (MTSU Faculty) William “Bill” Crabtree Crabtree (’90), a Recording Industry professor and director of the Recording Arts and Technologies M.F.A. program, has been a large part of the nationally ranked Audio Production program’s student success.

Known for high-quality instruction, the Crossville native has spent 17 years at MTSU and 30 years in higher education overall, including at the Berklee College of Music. Crabtree remains involved in the latest trends and issues in audio production and utilizes those trends in his courses, including multitrack recording and studio production.

A freelance musician, producer, recording engineer, and technical writer, Crabtree has engineered a wide scope of studio productions for many artists and corporate clients. He also has organized several Audio Engineering Society education conferences on campus.

Winter 2024 23

Military Service Retired Col. Rickey Smith A retired U.S. Army colonel, Smith (’78) has earned 19 military and other civilian decorations and awards after graduating with the No. 1 ROTC class nationwide while at MTSU. A field artillery officer for 28 of his 41 years with the Army, his service involved leadership positions from platoon to department levels. Before retiring, Smith served as a Department of Defense coordinating officer for disaster relief and homeland security in California, Arizona, and Nevada following 9/11.

Smith, who holds a B.B.A. from MTSU and two master’s degrees, was appointed Army senior professional for capabilities development after his military retirement. He later was chief of staff for the Army’s Modularity Focus Area that led to the most extensive reorganization of Army combat forces since World War II.

Service to University Christian Ketel Ketel (’99), an assistant professor at Vanderbilt University’s School of Nursing who holds master’s and doctoral degrees, has served numerous vulnerable communities in Nashville.

His work has focused on creating and leading integrated primary care and behavioral health practices serving low-income, uninsured, homeless, and non-English-speaking communities.

He has served on the Nashville Homelessness Coalition for more than 10 years and has led communitywide health service clinics.

During the pandemic, Ketel developed and led a door-to-door COVID-19 vaccine program that reached more than 7,500 vulnerable middle Tennesseans. Seeing the devastation left by COVID, Ketel in 2020 founded the Mercury Courts Resiliency Hub with Urban Housing Solutions, which has provided thousands of meals, transportation, and daily living supplies to the community.

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DON’T END UP IN THE LOST AND FOUND When you don’t update your information, WE lose YOU! If you haven’t been getting alumni services and event updates, then we probably don’t have your correct contact information.

Have you moved? Your mailing address is the key to getting invited to events where you live, as well as receiving the MTSU magazine twice per year.

Keeping your alumni employment information up to date can also show students possible career paths related to their fields of study and lead to potential mentoring opportunities.

Email is the fastest, most economical way to keep our alumni informed. Please make sure we have your current email address!

mtalumni.com/update 1-800-533-6878

BLUE-COLLAR APPROACH New head coach Derek Mason brings energy and charisma to the Blue Raider football program

by Sam Doughton

Rolling through the streets of Murfreesboro in the back of a pickup truck, new MTSU head football coach Derek Mason felt restless.

It wasn’t an unusual feeling for Mason. His high-energy personality has helped him immediately stand out at a plethora of programs during his career, from his time as defensive coordinator at Stanford, Auburn, and Oklahoma State, to being the head coach at Vanderbilt. It was that same charismatic, active presence that helped earn him the job leading the Blue Raider football program.

No, Derek Mason is not someone who stands still often. Like that recent December day, riding in the Murfreesboro Christmas Parade, waving to Blue Raiders along the route.

“I wanted the people to realize that I’m not just somebody you’re going to see on a billboard,” Mason said. “I’m not just going to be somebody you’re going to see on TV. I’m you, you’re me. We’re all part of the same community. We’re all Blue Raider Nation.”

The head coach ditched his heavy coat and hopped out of the truck, running side to side to shake hands with those out in the community. They are, after all, the people that Mason will need to bring the Blue Raiders success on the gridiron, even more than the student-athletes he’ll mentor or the coaches he’ll hire.

Just days before, MTSU had rolled out the blue carpet to introduce Mason as only the third head coach in the program’s Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) era and fourth in the past 44 years. After 29 years of coaching and a one-year 26 MTSU Magazine

Photo by Matt Posey

2024 NON-CONFERENCE GAMES

Aug. 31 Sept. 7 Sept. 21 Sept. 28

vs. at vs. at

Tennessee Tech Ole Miss Duke Memphis

Tickets/updates at goblueraiders.com

Winter 2024 27

sabbatical from the sidelines as a TV analyst, Mason brings a blue-collar work ethic to a program that he said has “good bones” and a fertile recruiting ground to build championships.

“I’m the same guy every day,” Mason said. “I care about people. I care about Murfreesboro.

I care about Middle Tennessee. I care about the things that matter to this place. We’re going to be successful, but we’re going to be successful with people, not just the idea that, `Man, I’m the football coach here at Middle Tennessee State.’ ”

A Nurturing Environment It’s that caring for others that has defined Mason since he was growing up in Phoenix, keeping his days busy between sports— football, of course, but also track and field— and music, playing the violin and piano many afternoons after school.

Raised by his working mother, with help from his grandparents and later his stepfather, Mason said he was born into “a lot of love.” His mother would coach his peewee football team to a championship, taking over at midseason when the coach got sick. His grandmother, a school district employee, helped instill the value of education in Mason. And his stepfather, whom Mason affectionately calls Pops, taught him discipline from his military background, particularly in how to clean a car for a Sunday drive to the A&W for a root beer.

“My grandmother always said be home before the light came on,” Mason said. “I think I was pretty obedient. But my grandmother said I was always very rambunctious.”

His family and friends helped keep him busy, which eventually led Mason to Northern Arizona University, where he competed in football and in track and field. It’s also where he met his wife, LeighAnne, who was an NAU cheerleader and, according to Mason, “the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

As a football player, Mason was coached by the likes of future NFL coaches Andy Reid and Brad Childress and college head coaches Karl Dorrell and Dino Babers. But more than the

28 MTSU Magazine

X’s and O’s he learned from those coaches, Mason learned the value of placing people at the forefront of a football program.

“They cared about the person. They cared about the athlete,” Mason said. “They helped me understand the importance of getting an education.”

Base for Building Mason arrives at a time when MTSU is reinvesting in facilities and student-athletes with its $100 million Build Blue campaign, including a Student-Athlete Performance Center under construction.

His focus on people has taken center stage in every aspect of his career, whether he was lining fields as an assistant at Weber State or standing on the Southeastern Conference sidelines where he led Vanderbilt to two bowls and defeated in-state rival Tennessee three straight years.

When evaluating his assistants, Mason places just as high a priority on finding coaches who can develop personal relationships, mentor student-athletes as people, or build a positive culture with their position group as he does on whether the coaches are good recruiters or teachers of the game.

“People talk about being a player’s coach,” Mason said. “I think I’m a parent’s coach. What does that mean? For me, my job is to give a better product back to a parent than the one that they dropped off.”

As the father of two daughters, Mackenzie and Sydney, Mason knows that parents want certain expectations to be held of their sons while they’re under his guidance. Accountability, being present where their feet are, understanding that every day is a job interview, to mention just a few. But those expectations ring hollow, Mason said, if he and his staff don’t put in the work of the first step in building trust with each player.

“You’ve got to love them first,” Mason said. “If he trusts me, I can take him to places he’s never been. If he doesn’t trust me, there’s always that wall that we can’t break.”

Dreams of a Lifetime Off the field, Mason keeps himself occupied with several hobbies he says are not that different from what interested him as a child. He loved playing music, loved taking drives in his Pops’ car, and wanted the newest pair of sneakers.

As an adult, he’s turned those loves into DJing, working on his (now fully restored) 1964 International Scout, and collecting sneakers, which he often wears into his new office in Murphy Center.

“It goes back to the idea of the things I dreamed about as a kid,” Mason said. “I loved music as a kid. I dreamed of having some cool shoes as a kid, and I always wanted to be cleaning my stepdad’s vehicle so I could ride in it. As an adult, the kid never really leaves you.”

Kids in the Midstate dreaming of playing college football, meanwhile, will have an open door with Mason. He promises to recruit and develop athletes from Rutherford County, Nashville, and across middle Tennessee “so our fan base can come watch our own play at a high level.”

“I couldn’t pass up this MTSU opportunity,” Mason said.

“I want you to know: You have a coach, a father, a teacher, an educator who’s all in the game. . . . The chips are all in at MTSU.”

DJ Mason Mixing It Up Perhaps Derek Mason’s most interesting hobby is his love of spinning records as a DJ. Mason points to old-school favorites in a variety of genres—Charley Pride, Kool & the Gang, The Gap Band, Peabo Bryson, and Earth, Wind & Fire—as early inspirations.

The DJ part of the equation started when Mason was at Northern Arizona University and would DJ college house parties. He even hosted a show, The Late Night Run, on a local radio station. But after getting into coaching and looking to marry LeighAnne, Mason said, he felt DJing was a hobby he’d have to leave behind to be an adult, and he sold his equipment.

His wife knew how much Mason loved spinning records, however, and bought an iPod DJ table when Mason coached at Stanford. It wasn’t an in-depth mixer, and you were limited by what an iPod could store. But it scratched the itch perfectly for Mason, allowing him to DJ parties for the coaching staff during his time in Palo Alto, where he rose to associate head coach and defensive coordinator with back-to-back Rose Bowl seasons in 2012–13.

Shortly after Mason was hired as Vanderbilt head coach, however, LeighAnne had a surprise for him: a full DJ setup, including turntables, a stand, and a catalog of music Mason said he “could never pay back.” When he’s not in the office, on the road recruiting, or on the field coaching, Mason can often be found in his house spinning records in his dedicated DJ room to relax and blow off steam. “It’s the best gift I’ve ever received,” Mason said.

Winter 2024 29

CAMPUS CULTURE

Collage: A Journal of Creative Expression is a biannual publication of MTSU’s Honors College. Each semester a student-led committee receives entries of creative work, such as art, photography, short stories, essays, short plays, song lyrics, poetry, audio, and video from students and recent alumni. mtsu.edu/collage

Bird Lady Art

Elizabeth Crouse

30 MTSU Magazine

Ode to Cobalt (Poetry)

by Kera Reynolds Bike rides in the Nevada mountains and automobiles from Bugatti. Stained-glass windows and delicate book covers from pretentious authors. I praise you for your brilliance. Eighteenth-century teapots from Persia, sitting in the window sill with time to spare. My palms, plastered in clay, lay on top of yours as the lathe spins gently.

Blue and grey lines stroke the pot with the brush. Then, you let the bristles glide on me: soothing as goosebumps form.

A Wildflower's Temporary Splendor

Fancy ball gowns and handmade jewelry. He grabs my tender hand and locks me in his arms. You say you’re insensible, but we watch the summer skies bleed with warm hues of orange, yellow, and red. And I praise you for your passion and patience, picturing us drinking champagne out of fancy bottles, eating black berries off your lips, deep conversations, and wrestling in the grass as I trace the freckles on your bare skin.

Photography

Katelyn Parrish

Will I Am Will I Might Art

Selah Burton

Mother Sea Art

Kalila Muhammad

I Rotoscoped a Thing Video

Morgan Ruth Winter 2024 31

FACULT Y SPOTLIGHT

Marketing Assistant Professor Gaia Rancati, a worldwide expert on neuromarketing, with a portion of her 200-pair shoe collection 32 MTSU Magazine

IN SOMEONE ELSE'S

SHOES Worldwide neuromarketing expert Gaia Rancati uses science to determine buyer behavior

By Toni Shaw Before switching careers to join academia, MTSU Marketing Assistant Professor Gaia Rancati worked professionally for several years in the premium-luxury retail sector for international fashion companies such as Max Mara, Value Retail, and Louis Vuitton.

Rancati took her love of fashion and marketing (and robots!) and carved out a space for herself as a worldwide expert in the field of neuromarketing.

Harvard Business Review defines neuromarketing as “the measurement of physiological and neural signals to gain insight into customers’ motivations, preferences, and decisions.” Such research on neuromarketing, retailing, services marketing, and artificial intelligence (AI) is crucial for informing companies about the most effective way to market products to consumers.

Neuromarketing is behind the strategy of pricing an item for 99 cents instead of $1 (or $99 instead of $100). It led the makers of Chips Ahoy to replace a standard cookie picture with one that is half-eaten.

The effectiveness of such strategies has its roots in the way researchers such as Rancati use neurotools that track eye movement, facial expressions, galvanic skin response, brain wave measurements, and heart rate to gain insights into advertising that moves people to action.

A FOOT IN THE DOOR How did Rancati find herself in such an interesting and relevant field? She said

Photo by Andy Heidt

her decision to study neuromarketing “happened by chance” after she stumbled upon The Trust Molecule by Paul Zak. Zak explains that when there is trust, the brain releases oxytocin.

Working in the fashion industry, Rancati wanted to study more scientific and objective measures of buyer behavior and turned her academic and research efforts to the two-decade-old field of study.

Describing it as a tool, Rancati says neuromarketing “is not able to read the minds of the customers. It is only able to show us there is a response to some stimuli.”

MILE IN HER SHOES Now sought for her expertise, Rancati is an official speaker at the World Retail Congress and gives guest lectures at universities around the globe. In 2019, she was honored at the World Women Economic Forum. She won the Best Paper Award at Convergence 2020: Winning through Service Excellence for her study on robot-human interactions in retail stores.

Joining MTSU in 2022, Rancati coordinates the new Neuromarketing Lab, the only lab in Tennessee that combines AI, metaverse, and retail with neuromarketing. She works with companies such as Lavazza, Hermes, and Tesla to improve the customer experience.

For all that has changed in her life, including countries and professions, Rancati said one thing has stayed the same: her love of shopping, particularly when it comes to collecting shoes and books.

Winter 2024 33

MIDPOINTS

A look at recent awards, events, and accomplishments at MTSU compiled by Nancy DeGennaro, Jimmy Hart, Drew Ruble, Stephanie Wagner, and Randy Weiler

New Flight Plan Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee joined MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee and other state, local, and University officials in ushering in a new era for the University’s growing Aerospace Department. With several hundred people attending the Sept. 21 event at Shelbyville Municipal Airport, remarks by Lee and McPhee signaled a new flight plan for one of the top aviation programs in the nation.

“We’ve been advocating for this, and MTSU and Shelbyville have created an environment for this to work,” Lee said. “. . . This is money well spent. . . . This is one of the leading aviation programs in the nation, and we need to invest in it.”

A combined $62.2 million in state ($57.2 million) and University ($5 million) funding paved the way for the move from Murfreesboro’s airport. Approximately 10 to 20 aircraft will relocate to Shelbyville in the spring, using temporary facilities.

Groundbreaking is set for summer or fall 2024, with full relocation to Shelbyville by summer or fall 2026. Established in 1942, Aerospace is a signature department at MTSU and has grown into one of the most respected aerospace programs in the nation. Twenty full-time faculty members, 100-plus flight instructors, and more than 1,000 students place it among the largest of the nation’s collegiate aviation programs.

In-State Supremacy The MTSU women’s basketball team defeated the University of Tennessee 73-62 this season, marking the Lady Raiders’ first-ever win in 16 games against the Lady Vols. MTSU hit seven 3-pointers in the first half alone, playing in the same Huntsville, Alabama, arena hosting both Conference USA basketball tournaments this March. Jalynn Gregory scored 22 points, shooting 5-for-9 behind the arc, and Anastasiia Boldyreva had 17 points, nine rebounds, and a career-high seven blocks in the Dec. 6 victory.

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A Leg Up The Jake Leg Stompers—led by Philosophy professor and former Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies chair Ron Bombardi and MTSU photo department alumnus Bill Steber—won the Uncle Dave Macon Days Heritage Award at the inaugural Macon Music and Mules Festival in Shelbyville. The award is given to contemporary performers who preserve old-time music made popular in the era of the late Dave Macon, a banjo legend who is regarded as the first superstar of the Grand Ole Opry. Previous winners of the award include bluegrass greats Ralph Stanley, Marty Stuart, Ricky Skaggs, and Rhonda Vincent.

Well Managed

Emmy Nomination “We Do It All,” a commercial showcasing the professional and educational opportunities in the College of Media and Entertainment, was nominated recently for a Regional Emmy Award. It was spearheaded by Bess Rogers, a Recording industry assistant professor, and Allie Sultan, a Media Arts associate professor. Rogers worked with students to produce the original centerpiece song of the commercial, while Sultan directed the project. The commercial, debuting online and on True Blue TV, aired on the national broadcast of The Judds’ final concert, which was filmed at Murphy Center. MTSU’s Marketing and Communications division served as the commercial’s producer.

With almost four decades of teaching experience to reflect upon, MTSU Management Professor Jill Austin accepted the University’s highest faculty honor, the 2023 Career Achievement Award, at the annual Fall Faculty Meeting held in Tucker Theatre. Austin, who began her career at MTSU in 1985 and who served as department chair for 28 years in what is now the Department of Management, was MTSU Faculty Senate president when initiatives were implemented to gain more resources for academic computing activities. She was one of the first MTSU professors to adopt videoconferencing technology and developed 10 different asynchronous online courses. Among other important leadership roles, Austin led the committee that developed the Experiential Learning Scholars program, which takes students beyond the traditional classroom to learn in hands-on settings.

Winter 2024 35

MIDPOINTS

Fitting the Bill Finding their Voice MTSU’s Albert Gore Research Center has been awarded a $213,000 federal grant to fund the Brown v. Board of Education Oral History Project. Funded by the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Park in Topeka, Kansas, the 30-month research project will allow Gore Center staff to conduct extensive oral history interviews documenting the impact of the 1954 Supreme Court decision to end school segregation. Five cases were considered together in the decision. In addition to Topeka, the consolidated plaintiffs were from Summerton, South Carolina; Farmville, Virginia; Washington, D.C.; and Wilmington, Claymont, and Hockessin, Delaware. Oral historian Jason R. McGowan will travel over the next 2½ years to collect stories from around 100 residents in these communities involved in the Brown case.

MTSU once again landed a spot on Billboard’s international list of top music business schools.

The article, “Billboard’s 2023 Top Music Business Schools,” said MTSU offers a place “where students regularly gain hands-on experience” for professional development through live-event production, broadcast and streaming, and immersive audio for music, film, and gaming. “We have such a unique program that provides our students with real-world, hands-on experience that prepares them for the changing music industry,” said College of Media and Entertainment Dean Beverly Keel, former Recording Industry Department chair. MTSU has been on Billboard’s best music business schools list since 2013. This is the magazine’s eighth such list since then, skipping the compilation in 2015 and 2021.

Sharing Science The Future of Farming MTSU School of Agriculture faculty are part of a group collectively awarded $18.1 million by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to educate and develop tomorrow’s agricultural leaders from all communities. MTSU faculty will receive nearly $901,400 from the USDA’s overall $262.5 million earmarked for higher education institutions to foster the next generation of diverse agricultural professionals nationwide, with MTSU using the funds to develop educational programs and opportunities for high schools and middle schools in the Metro Nashville area and across the state.

36 MTSU Magazine

Eight MTSU undergraduates took their research projects across the pond to the annual World Congress on Undergraduate Research at the University of Warwick in Coventry, England.

Students Janna Abou-Rahma, Marzea Akter, Hunter Brady, Brooke Busbee, Leslie Gonzalez, Yaseen Ginnab, Jesse Scobee, and Ross Sibley traveled with Jamie Burriss, undergraduate research coordinator for the University’s Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, to share their science and student-outreach work along with over 650 other conference participants from more than 35 different countries.

True Blue Cadets MTSU hosted 31 Civil Air Patrol cadets from across the country for the 2023 National Cadet Engineering Technology Academy, also known as E-Tech, which MTSU has hosted since 2017. The cadets, selected through a competitive process, hailed from as near as Tennessee and as far away as Hawaii, Minnesota, Iowa, and Texas—and even one from Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Cadets attended activities covering aerospace, engineering technology, physics and astronomy, data science, concrete and construction management, geosciences, biology, chemistry, and mechatronics.

A Royal Reception MTSU’s Office of International Affairs hosted a contingent of law enforcement professionals from the Dubai Police Force in summer 2023 during a three-week professional exchange program.

The inaugural Business Analytics and Forensic Science Global Study program was sponsored by the Dubai Police in partnership with multiple departments and offices across the University. Rehab Ghazal, associate vice provost in the Office of International Affairs, facilitated the summer program. MTSU welcomed 14 graduate students from Dubai who participated, including a prince and two other royal family members. There were seven Ph.D. candidates in fields of law, legislation, innovative entrepreneurship, forensics, and computer science, as well as a physician and a dentist.

Winter 2024 37

MIDPOINTS

Treasured Memories Former MTSU provost Brad Bartel, a highly regarded archaeologist, professor, and higher education leader, died Oct. 30, 2023, at his Murfreesboro home at age 73. Bartel, who was teaching his last semester, had planned to retire in January.

He died of multiple myeloma, a non-curable but treatable blood-bone cancer. One of the longest survivors, Bartel met its challenges for 17 years with courage and dignity.

A New York native, Bartel joined MTSU in 2010 as provost after serving as president at Fort Lewis College in Colorado, provost at Florida Gulf Coast University, and graduate dean at the University of North Carolina– Greensboro and San Diego State. At MTSU, he led the creation of new programs in religious studies, fermentation science, mechatronics engineering, and the implementation of the Quest for Student Success including course redesign, academic advising and maps, and tutoring.

In 2016, Bartel stepped down as provost to return full time to his first love, teaching and mentoring students in both the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and the College of Education. Bartel earned his B.A. from Brooklyn College in 1970 and his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri in 1974.

Leaving a Legacy Longtime MTSU leader Barbara Short Haskew, who was the first woman to serve as provost, business dean, and chair of the Economics and Finance Department, died at age 83 on Sept. 8, 2023, in Chattanooga.

A native of Franklin, Haskew became the first woman to earn a doctorate in Economics from the University of Tennessee after graduating from UT with a degree in Journalism and Economics. She started her career as an Economics professor at Memphis State and then began a 40-year career at MTSU in 1970.

As provost, she led the development of the University’s first Academic Master Plan, which produced, among other things, Tennessee’s first Honors college in a public university, numerous ongoing partnerships with industry, and increased funding for libraries and undergraduate and graduate research. She helped raise millions of dollars and develop new facilities and programs for MTSU, including the renowned Recording Industry program.

Haskew also served in senior roles at the Tennessee Valley Authority, including on the TVA Board. She was a licensed arbitrator for decades, led the Tennessee Center for Labor and Management Relations for many years, and was an accomplished songwriter.

Badge of Honor The 2023–24 academic year marks the 50-year anniversary of the University Honors College at MTSU! Founded as a program in 1973, the college fosters the academic excellence and nurturing environment of a small, select liberal arts college within the setting and with the resources of a major university. Since 2008, students have won numerous Fulbright and Goldwater Scholarships. In addition, MTSU Honors students have been finalists for Rhodes and Marshall Scholarships and the Udall Award, and many have won Phi Kappa Phi, Omicron Delta Kappa, Boren, Gilman, and Critical Language scholarships. The Honors College especially supports students who want to study abroad and those who want to present their scholarly research. Last year, more than 80 students wrote theses and graduated with Honors.

38 MTSU Magazine

Hitting the Target MTSU and Barrett Firearms Manufacturing Inc. met Nov. 6 to formalize their partnership that provides tuition assistance to eligible Barrett employees. MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee and Joel Miller, vice president for sales and marketing for Barrett, revealed details during a signing ceremony at the Barrett Firearms facility in Christiana.

Under the agreement, eligible employees will be able to take MTSU classes in any topic at a substantial tuition discount. The company will also utilize the Applied Leadership certificate program offered by MTSU’s University College as part of a program they are calling Barrett University. Known for its distinctive, shoulder-fired .50caliber rifle, Barrett Firearms earlier this year became part of the NIOA Group—a family-owned global munitions company based in Australia. In making the announcement, McPhee emphasized the longstanding support of company founder Ronnie Barrett and wife Donna, an MTSU alumna and former state representative, both of whom were in attendance.

Give Me Five Five siblings are currently pursuing MTSU degrees together.

Joseph Fisher is the second-youngest sibling and a junior in the Aerospace program. His sisters are fellow Blue Raiders Amanda Fisher (the eldest and a sophomore in Business Management), Calliope Fisher (the second oldest and a senior in General Science and Animal Science), Gabriela Fisher (the middle child and a senior in Business Management), and Raquel Fisher (the youngest and a sophomore who is undecided on a major but interested in Nursing). All five siblings grew up in Guadalajara, Mexico, with their parents Paul and Dawn Fisher. Amanda, now 36, was the first to move to the U.S. when she came to Murfreesboro in 2016 with her husband and children. She later took in Calliope and Gabriela, who became the first Fishers to become True Blue in fall 2020 after earning their GED diplomas. Amanda later made the decision to go back to school as an adult, saying that it was daunting but that knowing her sisters were already there made it less scary. The group of five is only half of all the Fisher siblings. Meaning there may be more True Blue Fishers to come!

M-T-S-U Raiders Ride!

MTSU Audio Production students and faculty recently worked together with the University’s renowned Band of Blue to produce a new, quality recording of MTSU’s fight song. Use this QR code to give a listen!

Winter 2024 39

MIDPOINTS

Once in a Blue Moon Great weather, a parade, tailgating, and an exciting Blue Raiders football game against the Colorado State University Rams in Floyd Stadium were all a part of MTSU’s Homecoming in September 2023. With the theme “Once in a Blue Moon,” the MTSU Alumni Association and Student Government Association collaborated on numerous special events leading up to Homecoming Day, giving students, alumni, staff, and friends of the University opportunities to gather, reminisce, and enjoy fun activities for all ages. The weekend began with MTSU Golden Raiders, Alumni Awards, and Black Alumni Society on Sept. 22 and wrapped up Sept. 23 with a parade featuring more than 70 floats and participants, which drew hundreds of parade watchers along East Main Street and Middle Tennessee Boulevard.

Alexander Hamilton, a senior in Organizational Communication from Falkville, Alabama, and Lily Beth Woods, a senior Finance major from Murfreesboro, were crowned 2023 Homecoming king and queen at halftime of the football game.

Both are Blue Elite tour guides, with Hamilton also involved in the University Honors College as a student ambassador and with the Student Organization for Advancement in Research, while Woods is a Student Government Association senator and member of Epsilon Tau chapter of Alpha Delta Pi.

Set in Stone

Good Guidance MTSU announced a new High School and Community College Counselor Scholarship program during a counselors appreciation luncheon held in Murfreesboro in September. The program will award $2,500 to each high school or community college sending at least one counselor to MTSU’s counselor appreciation events held before the University’s annual, multi-city True Blue Tour stops for undergraduate admissions across Tennessee. The school or college can then decide whether to distribute the sum to one or more students to attend MTSU. 40 MTSU Magazine

Locally owned SRM Concrete donated $3 million to MTSU’s Build Blue campaign, the third-largest gift in Athletics history. Formerly known as Smyrna Ready Mix, the family-owned and -operated ready mix company was founded by Melissa and Mike Hollingshead in 1999. It provides ready mix concrete and construction materials to customers throughout 19 states. The gift is the second-largest donation to the Build Blue campaign to upgrade athletics facilities and grants SRM Concrete naming rights for the third-floor club in the $66 million Student-Athlete Performance Center.

MTSU NEWS

NEWS ANY TIME MTSUNEWS.COM TRUEStayBLUE up to date all year round

Joining Forces

Twice as Good

A Head Start

MTSU’s Board of Trustees approved the merger of the Department of Global Studies and Human Geography with the Department of Political Science and International Relations. The new department, which will be known as the Department of Political and Global Affairs, will streamline the reporting structure within the college and create efficiencies. All academic majors, minors, and certificates offered by the two departments, as well as all faculty and students, will be retained in the new entity.

Biology assistant professors Liz Barnes and Donny Walker each landed a $1 million National Science Foundation grant through the NSF’s Faculty Early Career Development Program. That two MTSU professors won the award speaks highly of the University’s current research efforts. Barnes researches effective ways to communicate polarizing, yet foundational, information about climate change and vaccines to undergraduate science students. Walker’s work focuses on the interaction between bacteria and pathogenic fungi in the microbiome of snakes.

MTSU’s Dual Enrollment program experienced record enrollment last fall as a result of strengthening partnerships with Rutherford County Schools, as well as expansion into Sumner and Wilson counties. With dual enrollment, high school students can get a head start by taking MTSU courses for college credit at little to no cost. Currently, MTSU partners with 16 area high schools; in fall 2023, it had more than 1,450 dual enrollment students, 250 more than the previous record.

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Helping Hand

Meeting a Need

“Four the Future”

The Tennessee Department of Education recently brought on Tiffany Wilson, professional school counseling coordinator for MTSU’s College of Education, as the school counseling consultant for its just under $14 million grant project to retain and recruit mental health professionals into high-needs, rural school districts across the state. Typically, rural communities have limited access to mental health resources. The shortage of mental health professionals in schools across the state grew even more severe during the pandemic.

Rural Tennesseans will have a better chance at recovering from opioid addiction through a $2.92 million federal grant awarded to MTSU’s Center for Health and Human Services (CHHS), in partnership with Cedar Recovery treatment clinic. This grant will establish new medication-assisted treatment access points in six rural Tennessee counties. Separately, CHHS, in conjunction with the University’s Data Science Institute, has launched the MTSU Office of Prevention Science and Recovery in response to the national opioid epidemic.

MTSU and nine other Tennessee public universities launched a coordinated campaign to increase public awareness about the value of a four-year degree.

The “Four the Future” effort will engage community and business leaders, prospective students, and Tennesseans in all 95 counties. “A bachelor’s degree increases the life trajectory of not only those who earn them, but also their families,” MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee said. Among key messages is that a degree also benefits all Tennesseans.

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Winter 2024 41

1960s

1970s

1990s

Roger Young (’69), Nashville, announced The Tennessee Mayflower Society is accepting applications for The Tennessee Society of Mayflower Descendants Roger L. Young Scholarship.

The Tennessee Mayflower Society is a nonprofit, hereditary society dedicated to preserving and recording facts and information regarding Mayflower ancestors through historical research, genealogy, and education. The members have documented direct descent from one or more passengers who sailed from Holland and England to Plymouth, Massachusetts, aboard the Mayflower.

Ric Chambers (’72), Portland, Oregon, was awarded the Richard Daryl Chambers Award for service to scouting and the community by the Boy Scouts of America’s Timberline District.

Chambers is completing a 60-year volunteer career with scouting. He served as scoutmaster of the Western U.S. delegation to the World Scout Jamboree, Korea, in 1991. For the past 20 years, he has chaired the flag placement program at Willamette National Cemetery, where community volunteers place flags on the graves of 170,000 veterans for Memorial Day each year.

Andre Bahou (’99), Franklin, joined Bradley Arant Boult Cummings as a partner in its intellectual property practice group. Bahou, previously with Holland & Knight and Waller, is a registered patent attorney, trial lawyer, mediator, and arbitrator with more than 20 years of experience in the areas of electrical and computer engineering technologies, including artificial intelligence, virtual reality, medical devices, blockchain, computer hardware, software, and internet security systems.

Brad Byrd (’94, ’02), Murfreesboro, was promoted to Rutherford County market president of SmartBank.

Troy Cunningham (’95), Franklin, was named chief financial officer of the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County.

Cunningham joins the organization following a 33-year career with Belle Meade Country Club, where he served the past 18 years as controller.

Giles Damron (’95), Lakeland, received the Academy of General Dentistry Fellowship Award. Only 6% of dentists have earned the AGD Fellowship. Damron serves part time on the College of Dentistry faculty at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis.

Rodney D. Bennett The University of Nebraska–Lincoln named Rodney D. Bennett (’90, ’92, ’93) its new chancellor in July 2023. Bennett was selected as the prime candidate of the flagship institution after a series of public forums and other public meetings, according to the university’s news release.

Bennett is the 21st UNL chancellor. The Lincoln campus is the largest institution in the University of Nebraska system, with 24,000 students and 9,000 faculty and staff. Bennett came to UNL after serving as president of the University of Southern Mississippi. He has also held various leadership roles at the University of Georgia, Winthrop University, and his alma mater, MTSU. 42 MTSU Magazine

A GRATEFUL FAREWELL AND A CALL FOR ALUMNI SUPPORT On her last day of service as a graduate student worker for the MTSU Foundation, alumna Emily Musselman wrote a wonderful testament on LinkedIn about the significance of contributing to MTSU. The foundation is honored to share excerpts of her message below.

Before you crumple up that next MTSU donation letter, let me share a different perspective—one I’ve had the privilege of witnessing up close for over five years.

Behind those requests for donations are real people, real students, whose lives are being transformed because someone chose to give.

Every single day, our wonderful team processes a multitude of gifts from our incredible alumni and donors, ranging from substantial contributions to modest ones.

The bigger picture is this: It’s not about the size of the gift in isolation. It’s about the collective impact when our alumni give.

Whether it’s $10, $100, or $1,000, every contribution allows us to support our students.

Kristy Harris (’92), Murfreesboro, was promoted to associate financial advisor on the Ascend Retirement and Investment Services wealth management team. Harris now develops and executes retirement and investment plans for members in the Murfreesboro, Columbia, and Spring Hill locations.

Patricia Jean (’94, ’13), Fayetteville, a 20-year educator, was named supervisor of early literacy with Fayetteville City Schools, overseeing virtual education, licensure, personnel, textbooks, and Response to Intervention.

One of my responsibilities as interim scholarship manager was approving funds and collaborating with various departments to identify students eligible for foundation scholarships. Through this process, I’ve had the privilege of listening to students’ stories and hearing the impact that these scholarships have on their lives.

These foundation funds are a vital support system for a diverse array of students, including our prospective educators, minority scholars, first-generation college attendees, and those facing great financial need—just to name a few that I have seen this morning.

are still paying off student loans. But I promise you—students’ lives are being transformed. And the more alumni that give, the more students we get to help.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Go Blue Raiders!

If you wish to give to MTSU, please visit mtsu.edu/give.

Emily Musselman received her bachelor’s (’21) and master’s (’23) degrees in Computer Science from MTSU and is now employed at Bridgestone Americas as a data engineer.

Maybe you never received a scholarship during your time at the University. Maybe you paid for it all yourself. Maybe you

David Johnson (’98), Tullahoma, joined Marcus & Millichap Capital Corp. as managing director in the Atlanta office.

Greg Morrison (’95), Albuquerque, New Mexico, was hired as a commercial hot air balloon pilot and Albuquerque field manager with Rainbow Ryders.

Morrison previously spent 24 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he served as an F-18 pilot.

John Liehr (’98), Arrington, was appointed assistant police chief over investigative and administrative services for the Smyrna Police Department, where he has served since 1994.

Brian Locke (’95), Starkville, Mississippi, was promoted to assistant chief of police at Mississippi State University. Locke previously served MSU as veteran and military affairs director.

Breckon Pennell (’97, ’05), Franklin, was named principal of Riverside Elementary School in the Maury County Public Schools district. Pennell most recently served as the middle school coordinator for the district.

Christy Robinson (’92, ’94, ’95), Murfreesboro, was named principal of John Pittard Elementary School.

Previously, she was an assistant principal at the school. Additionally,

Robinson served as assistant principal at Discovery School and as a classroom teacher at Black Fox Elementary for over 22 years.

Tracey Rogers (’91), Eagleville, was promoted to senior vice president and regional manager for the broadcasting division of Nexstar Media Group, overseeing Nexstar television stations and digital operations in multiple markets across the U.S. Rogers was the grand marshal of the 2023 MTSU Homecoming Parade.

Winter 2024 43

2000s Adam Bryson (’04, ’06), Murfreesboro, was named executive principal at Mitchell-Neilson School.

Formerly, he was principal at John Pittard Elementary.

Rachael Fahnestock (’04), Old Hickory, was appointed chair of the department of art and design at Austin Peay State University.

Emily Gill (’04), Murfreesboro, was named Tennessee School Counselor of the Year by the Tennessee School Counselor Association.

She is a school counselor at Thurman Francis Arts Academy in Smyrna.

Ryan Hill (’04), Mount Juliet, was appointed principal of Mount Juliet High School.

He previously was assistant principal and athletics director at Watertown High School.

Jessica Jackson (’05, ’10), Rockvale, was named principal of Blackman Middle School.

Mark Logsdon (’06), Hermitage, was hired as vice president of publicity for BMG Nashville. He also leads BMG Nashville’s corporate communications.

Joshua Meredith (’04), Rockvale, was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in the Murfreesboro Police Department and assigned to the Administration Services Division, where he oversees the field training and evaluation program.

44 MTSU Magazine

Jody Miller (’06), Half Moon Bay, California, was named director of Coral Reef Academy in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Miller has spent more than two decades working in special education.

Rebecca Moore (’01) joined Ware Malcomb as Nashville studio manager for interior architecture and design, responsible for expanding market share and developing the interiors team while partnering with Ware Malcomb’s other Southeast regional offices.

Amanda Muniz (’00), Franklin, was named Moore Elementary School principal. Muniz previously was an assistant principal at Freedom Middle School.

Christopher Phelps (’04), Pulaski, was named Giles County High School Teacher of the Year.

Anna Powers (’08), Murfreesboro, was recently promoted to vice president of clinical services at HealthRev Partners, headquartered in Ozark, Missouri. Powers has more than a decade of experience serving local communities in the field of home health leadership. In her new executive role, she oversees a team of industry experts with a focus on revenue cycle management, as well as Medicare compliance and documentation accuracy to improve home care operations and ultimately the lives of the patients they serve.

Lt. Col. Paul D. Plumley Plumley (’02) took the helm of the 758th Airlift Squadron during an assumption of command ceremony at the Pittsburgh International Airport Air Reserve Station on Aug. 5, 2023. Plumley formerly served as deputy commander of the 911th Operations Group. After graduating from MTSU, he was commissioned into the West Virginia Air National Guard in 2003. Plumley initially flew the C-130 Hercules and deployed numerous times in support of operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

Jeffrey Skaggs (’03), Hendersonville, was appointed as the new head of Milk & Honey’s regional office in Nashville. Skaggs is responsible for signing talent and collaboration with Milk & Honey’s roster of songwriters and producers, while also coordinating with the company’s other offices in Los Angeles and London.

Christine Virost (’07), Kingsport, was named agency manager at the Western & Southern Life Insurance Co., leading business development and operations for the firm’s Greenville agency.

Emily Walker (’07), Nashville, was promoted to associate business manager at business management firm Flood, Bumstead, McCready and McCarthy Inc.

Brenda Gregory A music educator at Siegel High School in Murfreesboro, Gregory (’79, ’82) was recognized during last November’s CMA Awards telecast by country music star and former MTSU student Chris Young. Gregory, who cast Young in a leading role in Oakland High’s West Side Story as a freshman, and her previous pupil reunited to film the segment with Siegel’s Chamber Choir. Young thanked his teacher for helping develop him as a performer and presented her with a new Chevy Trax during the visit.

Tyrone “Tyke T” Stroble Stroble (’09, ’11), a Smyrna native and Memphis-based hip-hop artist, was at a loss for words when MTSU College of Media and Entertainment Dean Beverly Keel presented him with an honorary professorship on stage during his September 2023 concert at the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis. The MTSU Jones College of Business graduate held the concert to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his groundbreaking debut album, The Overlooked. The live show was titled “Ten Years of Driven,” a reference to his record label and brand, DrivenByMusic. Stroble’s career includes landing in the Top 50 of four Billboard charts with his sophomore EP, 2017’s The Prelude. Keel said that in addition to his industry success, Stroble’s dedication to music education and giving back to his community made him a worthy recipient.

Winter 2024 45

2010s Brian C. Brown (’15), Nashville, announced the release of his newest book, Cracking the Code of Life: How to Unlock Your Door to Heaven on Earth, a self-help book about manifestation, the law of attraction, and dream actualization.

Caitlin Bullard (’10), Murfreesboro, was named principal of Discovery School. Bullard formerly served as principal of Cason Lane Academy and recently was a district administrator in Rutherford County.

Paige Jenkins Jenkins (’16) of Cordova, Georgia, was recognized as one of the Top 30 future interior design leaders in Atlanta and was featured in Interior Design magazine, an established international publication on contract and residential interior design. The magazine annually publishes a list of “Interior Design Giants,” which is a benchmark for designers and students to understand design excellence. The magazine’s new initiative, called “30-under-30,” honored the work of early-career creatives like Jenkins nominated by the senior management of established firms. Jenkins is currently an associate designer with HLGstudio and previously worked for award-winning firms NELSON Worldwide and Dana Lynch Design Ltd. She specializes in multifamily housing.

46 MTSU Magazine

Shiloh Carroll (’14) released The Medieval Worlds of Neil Gaiman: From Beowulf to Sleeping Beauty, a book about how the literature and culture of the Middle Ages have been reinterpreted and repurposed over the centuries, and how interpretation has impacted Gaiman’s own use of medieval material.

Grayson Clotfelter (’17), Monroe, Georgia, joined Play It Again Music Group as creative manager overseeing the creative direction of Play It Again’s roster of writers.

Danny Fischesser (’19), Brentwood, was appointed chief financial officer at HCA Florida University Hospital.

Sarah Fry (’16), Clarksville, was named Montgomery County archivist. She joined the archive department in 2017 as an archives clerk, was promoted to archives technician, and most recently served as interim director.

Jennifer George (’14), Fayetteville, joined AvevoRX as director of acute revenue cycle management, overseeing critical coordination and standardization of acute revenue cycle processes and procedures for the national, independent provider of specialty infusion pharmacy services.

Page Lauterbach (’18), Nashville, joined the Colliers Nashville Real Estate Management Services Group as a property manager.

Jenny Ortiz (’10), Murfreesboro, was named principal at Overall Creek Elementary School. Ortiz has been with Murfreesboro City Schools for more than 18 years and has served in an administrator role since 2012.

Zachary Sturgis (’10), Antioch, joined Kaplan Construction as senior project manager responsible for scope development, schedule management, material and subcontractor procurement, contract negotiations, and working with project stakeholders.

His inaugural project is the construction of Northampton Street Residences, a 44,000-square-foot, six-story apartment building in Roxbury, Massachusetts.

Lindsay Will (’18), Nashville, was promoted to senior director, A&R, for Round Hill Music, overseeing staff songwriters and signing and developing new talent.

2020s William Carter (’22), Wartrace, was named staff writer at the Marshall County Tribune and will also be coordinating production for the newspaper.

Robert “Peyton” Herndon (’20, ’22), Murfreesboro, joined the financial services firm of LPL Financial (Brown Financial Group Inc.). A

registered investment advisor licensed to sell securities and insurance products, Herndon will specialize in financial and retirement planning.

Christian Lundberg (’22), Buchanan, a family nurse practitioner, joined Paris Pediatrics. Lundberg previously worked in labor and delivery at Henry County Medical Center.

Submit updates through mtalumni.com or email alumni@mtsu.edu

Ashley Barrientos A Journalism and English double-major from Smyrna, Barrientos (’23) is the founding editor of @environment, an Instagram-based platform for climate news and resources owned by Brooklyn, New York-based Impact Media. The account boasts more than 830,000 followers.

Ariana Grande shared a recent @environment post to her story, and Leonardo DiCaprio recently gave a full repost. Barrientos, a first-generation graduate whose parents were immigrants from Mexico, is the former editor-in-chief of Sidelines, MTSU’s student-run daily news source; she also held reporting, editorial, and investigative internships with The Baltimore Sun, Nashville Scene, and Elmahaba Center. She was recently featured on a list of this year’s 50 climate leaders by Grist, a nonprofit climate news organization.

Winter 2024 47

IN MEMORIAM

1940s Mildred Bouton Gaston (’49)

1950s Edwin Baldwin Jr. (’57, ’59) Donald Bale (’59) Neal Blair (’55) Mary Cunningham Brooks (’59) Dimple Moncrief Browder (’54) Wallace Burke (’59) Patsy Tucker Byers (’59, ’74) Houston Clark (’56) Nelda Daniel-Brafford (’56) Winston “Sid” Davis (’59) Robert DePriest (’52, ’83) George Frost (’56) Robert Haley (’55) Elinor Hardison (’51) Randall Harris (’57) Mina Armstrong Key Henderson (’59) Ruby Hughes (’52) James McBride (’57) Billy Wayne Pyle (’59, ’61) Jimmie Whitlock Powers (’59) John Price (’59) Ida Dunaway Read (’59) Donald Simpson (’58) Charles Smith (’56) James “Jim” Thompson (’57)

1960s Melvin Adams Sr. (’61) Janice Arnold (’63, ’77) Richard “Dick” Barnes (’63, ’71) Carol Spangler Barnett (’68) Robert Bebb (’64) Elaine Lehr Beene (’69) Elaine Vannatta Bonney (’63) Lucas Boyd (’62) William Brittain (’64) Joseph Brooks Jr. (’69, ’70) Wayne Clouse (’67, ’75) Mildred Taylor Debois (’64, ’66) Cecil Duncan (’67) Robert “Bob” Fleming (’67) Gerry Brown Glass (’68) Jerolyn Gossett Goehler (’65) 48 MTSU Magazine

Frances Scott Goodnow (’66) Charles Haney (’65, ’74) Ronald Head (’64) Garnette Daughtrey Hogan (’62) Elizabeth “Liz” Pinkerton Holt (’63) James Hughes (’67) Virgil Loftis (’63) Brenda Shaw Shaffer Machen (’69) Louise Wharton Marlin (’63) Barbara Mathis (’69, ’81) Larry McFarlin (’64, ’68) Joe McFerrin (’61) Martha Shouse Nichols (’63, ’72) Steve Parks (’65) Dena Cole Perkins (’62) James Ragan Jr. (’61, ’64) Rebecca Franklin Sidwell (’69) Richard Benton Smith (’69) Rebecca Johnson Smith (’68) William Lynnwood Smith III (’64) Nancy Rogers Stafford (’68) Joyce Waller (’68, ’76) Eldred “Buddy” Wiser (’63)

1970s Willis B. Amos (’73) Danny Anderson (’75) William “Jack” Barron (’74) Carl “Butch” Bell Jr. (’73) Jeanne Rogers Blessing (’76, ’85) Perry Bruce (’75) Travis Davis (’71) Cynthia Dial (’79) James “Jim” Dixon (’76) Melanie Edwards (’72) Anita Farmer (’72) Don Faulk (’72) Patricia Graham (’71) Joseph T. Haines (’72) George Harris (’78) Alfred “Mike” Jones (’70) Teresa Laughlin (’70, ’73) Regina Lyons (’76) Gloria McClellan (’73, ’82) Sylvia “Sue” Hargrove McDonald (’76) Madeline Methvin (’71) Kevin Miller (’74)

Elizabeth Molder (’76, ’82) Stephen Moorman (’78) Lorraine Keith Raines (’73) Charles Ray (’74) Herbert Robinson (’75) Tom Sanford (’71) Rudy Sells (’75) J Jackson Sidebottom (’72) Manse Stanfield (’77) James Stevens Jr. (’75) Kenneth Steverson (’71, ’72) James Sutton Jr. (’73) James Taylor (’72, ’88) Ronald Taylor (’71) Jesse Tenpenny (’75) Brenda Wheeler (’71) Barry White (’78) JoAnne Owen White (’71) John “Buck” Woodroof (’73)

1980s Jo Ann Anderson (’87) Linda “JoAnn” Anderson (’80) Mary Barnett (’85) Mary Ringer Barrow (’84) Thomas Bratcher III (’89) Michael Buttrey (’81) Jeffery Carlisle (’83) Timothy Counts (’82) Marty Currey (’88) Maddie “Ruth” Doyle (’80) Jacquelyn Fore Dye (’82) Michael Helton (’80) Darla Busby Hight (’87) Richard “Dick” Holland (’87) Cathy McClanahan Kinser (’83) Leslie Anderson Patton Lackey (’80) Robert “Bill” Lawrence (’88) Richard Lewis (’82) Elizabeth Halls Mares (’81) Marcia McGaughey (’80) Steven Posey (’85) Cynthia “Missy” Rogers (’88) Richard “Rick” Russell (’80) Peggy Smythia (’86) Michael Summer (’85) David Thompson (’83)

1990s Susan Bracht (’96) Lori Collings (’95) Ruth Cornwell (’99) John Davis (’93) Mark Diehl (’94) Angela Landry Dupard (’93) William “Dub” Duston (’96) Michelle Evans (’91) Garl Fugitt (’91) Michael Gober (’93 Melanie Harris (’99) Julie Malone Harrison (’95) Tracey Intorcia (’92) Jonathan Jackson (’91) Clifton Lee Johnson (’90) David Jutkins (’93) Jeffery Kisor (’94)

Barbara “Joan” Phelps Morton (’92) Lori Stokes Peel (’94) Susan Sawyer (’93, ’02) Derek Smith (’98) Chanda Bedwell Stone (’92, ’97) Dontay Talley-Mathis (’97, ’03) Linda Adams Vaughn (’97) Ralph “Abe” White Jr. (’96)

2000s Melinda Adams (’08) Gabrielle Akins (’04) Archie Evans (’05) Jade Griffith Goodnough (’01) Valerie Haynes (’05) Arione Kavass (’05) Brandy Pankey (’07) Katie Patton (’09, ’14)

M. Thomas “Tom” Collins Collins (’64), of Franklin, who studied business and accounting at MTSU before becoming a certified public accountant and a pioneering executive in software-related companies, died Aug. 29, 2023, in Nashville at age 82.

He and his wife of 62 years, Martha Reed Collins (’63), demonstrated a passion for their alma mater by creating the Collins Free Enterprise Lecture Series in collaboration with MTSU Economics Professor Daniel J. Smith and the MTSU Political Economy Research Institute.

Collins was a business thought leader who shared business ideas and methods through writing, mentorship, coaching, and speaking engagements, discussing his core principles in The Language of Excellence. He later authored mysteries and other books. The founder of the Juris billing management platform for law firms, he was named one of the Top 100 Global Technology Leaders by London publication CityTech and was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by Law Technology News.

Barbara Plummer-Smith (’09) Timmen “Tim” Roan (’06) Ronald Scott (’01) Donovan Stewart (’05) Andrew Thompson Jr. (’00) Steven Wright (’04)

2010s Kelman Edwards Jr. (’11) John Grooms (’12) Kristy Hailey (’11) Kelci Haman (’13) Monica Master (’15)

2020s McKinleigh Jones (’22) Jaidha Lindsey (’20) Jada Swann (’22)

Gina Eileen Fann Fann (’84), an MTSU News and Media Relations communications specialist, passed away at her home in August 2023 at age 60 following an extended illness.

An alumna of the Journalism program, she deeply loved her alma mater. Fann brought tremendous passion and expertise to her work in telling many great stories over the years about MTSU’s students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community supporters.

In particular, her detailed work in researching and chronicling the exploits of award-winning alumni in capturing Grammys and other musical awards leaves a content legacy of great benefit to the University. Her stellar promotional work as a member of the MTSU Blood Drive Committee supported the many successful blood drives over the years to save lives throughout our community.

Fann previously served as a writer and editor for various Tennessee media outlets for nearly two decades before moving into higher education publishing.

Winter 2024 49

BABY R AIDERS

01

05

01 Tyde Decker Swanson born June 6, 2022 to Jareth (’11) and Caitlin Queen Swanson (’11) of Port St. Lucie, Florida

02 Antonia Marie Bruck born July 8, 2022 to Aaron and Laura Whitson Bruck (’06) of Vincennes, Indiana

02

06

03 Anna Ruth Palmer born November 9, 2022 to Clint Palmer (’15) and Megan Tozer (’07) of Nashville

04 Edith “Edie” Rose Morrison born March 16, 2023 to Brandon (’05) and Jessica Beard Morrison (’08) of Nashville

03

07

05 Eric Jason Brewton III born April 3, 2023 to Eric (’16) and Leigh Ann Lamb Brewton (’16) of Murfreesboro

06 Scarlett Annice Clough born May 2, 2023 to Joe and Caitlin Sadler Clough (’14, ’16) of Rockvale

07 Caroline Marie Harris born May 5, 2023

04

08

to Justin and Camiren Hamilton Harris (’12, ’13) of Murfreesboro

08 Elijah Stone Key born June 13, 2023 to Colton and Ana Walker Key (’21) of Murfreesboro

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QUANTUM EDUCATION EMERGES WITH UNLIMITED POTENTIAL AT MTSU

by Randy Weiler

The new field of quantum information science has been growing across the U.S. and globally, and now it has been developed for students and scholars to study at MTSU. The College of Basic and Applied Sciences and the Physics program recently launched a website to introduce the MTSU Quantum Science Initiative, promoting faculty efforts in research, education, and workforce development in the field of quantum science.

As part of MTSU quantum education efforts, computational quantum physics expert Hanna Terletska has piloted a new interdisciplinary undergraduate course on quantum computing for students from different CBAS departments. “It’s critical that our students have access to and are trained for the 21st century jobs and workforce skills,” said Terletska, an associate professor.

The MTSU initiative aims to integrate quantum concepts into existing courses and programs, train students in quantum science, and develop new educational programs at all levels, from K–20 (kindergarten to graduate degree).

The potential benefits of 21st century technologies built on quantum information science and materials are staggering. This includes quantum computers, highly efficient solar cells, and room-temperature superconductors that would generate, transmit, and store electricity with almost no loss. Hence, conquering the behavior of quantum materials can bolster economies, advance the quality of life, and address the unprecedented growth in global energy needs. “We call these materials ‘quantum’ to highlight the exotic properties emerging in these materials coming purely from quantum physics effects,” Terletska said.

Research in the field “requires complex many-body numerical algorithms and access to powerful supercomputers,” she added. Terletska, MTSU’s first National Science Foundation (NSF) Early Career Award recipient, uses XSEDE supercomputing resources funded by the NSF and has access to the world’s most powerful computers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.

Hopes of more funding being directed to MTSU’s quantum efforts are high. The U.S. government has identified quantum research and education as key tenets of science and technology.

The efforts to expand research in this area align perfectly with MTSU’s efforts to maintain its recently achieved Carnegie R2 (high research activity) status. MTSU also plans to partner with other area institutions for a quantum network, anticipates adding a Physics concentration in Quantum Science, and will engage underrepresented groups. “We aim to nurture the next generation of quantum LEARN MORE AT leaders and support the creation of a robust quantum ecosystem in Tennessee, MTSU.EDU/QUANTUM positioning MTSU as a leader in this field in the region,” Terletska said.

Winter 2024 51

1301 E. Main St. Murfreesboro, TN 37132