3 minute read
Aging Well
Editor's Letter
by Drew Ruble
The Tennessee Whiskey Trail stretches from Memphis to Bristol, with 39 tasting rooms along the way. Each distillery has its own spirits and story to share. At any given stop, you might learn how a fabled whiskey survived Tennessee’s long prohibition, or how the state’s lush landscape provides the spring water or heirloom grain that makes what you’re sipping extra special.
In 2017, MTSU launched a Fermentation Science program with bachelor’s and master’s tracks. It was the first degree program of its kind in Tennessee and one of just a few in the U.S. Since the launch, MTSU graduates have been hired regularly by distillers across the state to share their love of chemistry, biology, physics, and hands-on work to bolster the state’s whiskey business.
Shelby Ziegler (pictured), among the first cohort of Fermentation Science majors, said her favorite part of the program was the hands-on aspect. In one class they made cheese and sausages. For another they tended a vineyard, then later harvested and crushed the grapes to make wine.
Ziegler now works at Tennessee Distilling Co., a larger-scale production facility in Columbia that bottles some of the biggest whiskey labels in the world. With another campus in Centerville, the distiller also supports Tennessee farming, with the vast majority of grains purchased from within 100 miles of the Columbia facility, including thousands and thousands of pounds of corn every year and some local rye.
Ziegler is one of several MTSU Fermentation Science majors Mike Williams has hired since he and his business partner launched Tennessee Distilling eight years ago. As master distiller, Williams said he values the skill set MTSU Fermentation Science graduates bring because, frankly, so many things can go wrong during fermentation.
Williams, a former member of the Tennessee General Assembly, is also a Blue Raider—former cheerleader and student government president, class of 1981 (Economics). His wife, Nancy Sloan Williams, served as editor of Sidelines. The press box at MTSU’s Floyd Stadium is named for her grandfather. So it’s natural that Williams would be quick to hire from MTSU.
The company’s additional investments in the Fermentation Science program, though, go beyond just hiring graduates. The company recently established a new endowed professorship in Fermentation Science. And it has begun reimbursing company distillers who decide to pursue the MTSU master’s degree.
That’s how Ziegler ended up back in school. She wanted to expand her knowledge, but not her student debt. An offer from Williams sealed the deal. The distillery runs 24/7, so Ziegler could attend class in the morning and work the evening shift.
According to the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), giving to U.S. higher education institutions reached $58 billion in the 2022–23 fiscal year.
That so many individuals and organizations like Williams and Tennessee Distilling Co. support universities like MTSU indicates nationwide recognition of the immense value these institutions provide through transforming lives and society. Recent headlines too frequently cast a negative light on the value of institutions of higher education. The investment of Tennessee Distilling Co. tells a different story.
True Blue!
If you would like to make a gift to MTSU, please visit mtsu.edu/give.
Allison Gorman contributed heavily to this report.
