Demonstrating Value

FIVE MINUTES WITH THE PRESIDENT

A brief conversation on recent events with MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee

I have read a lot of recent headlines questioning the value of a four-year college degree. Things like “Americans Are Losing Faith in the Value of College” (New York Times, Sept. 5, 2023), “Is College Worth It?” (Forbes, Jan. 24, 2024), and “Gen Z doesn’t value higher education. Colleges should be in freakout mode” (Business Insider, Dec. 23, 2023). Such sensational headlines grab public interest. But do they really reflect the truth about higher ed?

Author Mark Twain once famously stated that a newspaper report of his death was greatly exaggerated.

To answer your question, I think not. And here are some facts to bolster my case:

On an annual basis, median earnings for graduates of four-year public universities in Tennessee are $36,000

higher than those whose highest degree is a high school diploma—that’s 84% higher (Association of Public and Land-grant Universities).

A bachelor’s degree recipient is expected to earn $1.4 million more than a high school graduate over their career (Boyd Center).

Four decades ago, only 28% of jobs required postsecondary education. By 2021, 68% required it. In another decade, that percentage will increase to 72% (Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce).

Such statistics don’t even touch upon the statistically measurable social and health benefits of a four-year degree.

You are now in your 23rd year as president of Middle Tennessee State University. What does your personal experience tell you about the value of a four-year degree?

I have personally witnessed the journeys of tens of thousands of students from wide-eyed freshmen to workforce-ready graduates.

I’ve also been around long enough to see with my own eyes how attainment of bachelor’s degrees not only increases the life trajectory of those who earn them, but also of their families, producing generational economic, social, and health benefits.

Tell me about the new statewide effort that MTSU is spearheading to change this narrative.

MTSU recently joined nine other state universities to launch a campaign to increase public awareness about the value of a four-year degree from a Tennessee public university. The message of the Four the Future campaign isn’t just that a four-year degree is good for prospective students—but that it’s good for all Tennesseans.

Public universities educate students in areas of need in Tennessee, including nurses, doctors, engineers, educators, and other professionals, according to the

Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. Meanwhile, more than 70% of Tennessee business leaders agree there is an insufficient supply of suitably trained workers, according to the Boyd Center.

It’s appropriate for MTSU to help lead this awareness campaign, since in so many ways, MTSU is Tennessee’s university, providing life-changing opportunities to a student body that best reflects the diversity of our state’s population. MTSU is Greater Nashville’s No. 1 choice for undergraduates, as well a leading choice for adult learners, military-connected students, and first-generation college students.

Any last thoughts on this topic?

More than 70% of our graduates remain in Tennessee, building our state’s economy and communities. The next time one of our graduates has a chance to say something about this debate, I encourage them to speak boldly about the value of their MTSU degree in their lives. And in their communities.

Sidney A. McPhee, president of MTSU since 2001, earned a bachelor’s degree from Prairie View A&M University in Texas, a master’s degree from the University of Miami, and a doctorate in Applied Behavioral Studies in Education from Oklahoma State University.