Midpoints

A look at recent awards, events, and accomplishments at MTSU New Flight Plan

compiled by Nancy DeGennaro, Jimmy Hart, Drew Ruble, Stephanie Wagner, and Randy Weiler

New Flight Path

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.

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.

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.

Well Managed

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.

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.

Fitting the Bill

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.

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.

Sharing Science

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.

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.

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. Click this video link to give a listen!

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

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.

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.

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.