PRESIDENT'S REPORT 2024
table of contents
DR. SIDNEY A. MCPHEE
University President
MR. WILLIAM J. BALES
Vice President for University Advancement
DR. MARK BYRNES
University Provost
MS. YVETTE CLARK
Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer
DR. KHALILAH DOSS
Vice President for Student Affiars and Dean of Students
MS. KIMBERLY S. EDGAR
Executive Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff
MR. ANDREW OPPMANN
Vice President for Marketing and Communications
MR. ALAN THOMAS
Vice President for Business and Finance
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
STEPHEN B. SMITH, CHAIR Chair, Haury and Smith Contractors
JULIAN B. BAKER JR. Owner and CEO, Sprint Logistics
THOMAS R. BOYD Investment Advisor Representative, Decker Wealth Management
WILLIAM T. DELAY Principal, Lynwood Ventures LLC
CHRISTINE KARBOWIAK VANEK, VICE CHAIR
Retired Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer, and Chief Risk Officer, Bridgestone Americas
WILLIAM S. JONES
Area Executive, Pinnacle Financial Partners
MICHAEL J. WADE
Agency Sales Leader, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co.
PAMELA J. WRIGHT President and Managing Partner, Wright Development
MARY B. MARTIN, FACULTY TRUSTEE Professor of Mathematics
SHAYLAINE F. ROKER, STUDENT TRUSTEE
Candidate, Bachelor of Business Administration in Economics and Finance
A UNIVERSITY OF OPPORTUNITIES
Founded Sept. 11, 1911, at the geographic center of Tennessee, Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) is proud of a century-plus commitment to academic excellence and student success.
MTSU houses a wide variety of nationally recognized academic degree programs at the baccalaureate, master’s, specialist, and doctoral levels. The University’s eight undergraduate colleges offer 200 majors and concentrations across 38 departments/schools. The College of Graduate Studies offers more than 100 master’s and specialist programs and nine majors with doctoral degrees.
With a total enrollment of more than 20,000 students (more than half of whom are eligible for Pell aid), MTSU’s standing as a destination of choice for first-generation students is well established, as is its long success in helping low-income students who meet admission standards overcome obstacles often posed by tuition and fees. MTSU is also a top choice of transfer students.
MTSU was founded as a school for teachers and today remains a top provider of educators in Tennessee. Throughout the 113-plus years of service, MTSU’s academic offerings have grown in quantity and quality to better serve the needs of the middle Tennessee region and support the state’s economic growth and development. An economic engine in the state, MTSU not only adds educational and cultural value to Tennessee but also stimulates a vibrant business environment for the region.
MTSU is overseen by a 10-member Board of Trustees. As a community of scholars, we enthusiastically embrace our past, celebrate our present accomplishments, and effectively plan for the future.
Best Value in Tennessee
Lowest tuition of Tennessee’s 3 largest universities
A Modern Approach
70+ online degrees and concentrations
The
Attention You Deserve
91% of classes have fewer than 40 students
More than 40% of students graduate debt-free Big Campus, Small-town feel
515 acres of scenic, park-like campus
Adult Degree Completion
In 2023–24, 832 readmitted students and 253 graduations
Lasting Legacies
1/3 of MTSU students are firstgeneration college students
The Smart Choice
Nashville’s comprehensive university
1 in 6 college-educated individuals in the greater Nashville area holds an MTSU degree
Guaranteed Scholarships
73% of students receive some form of financial aid— more than $203 million in financial assistance
We Do It All
200 undergraduate programs and concentrations in 8 colleges
Ready-to-Work Graduates
More graduates (approximately 5,000 each year) than any other local university
Welcome to my annual President’s Report and a look back at our wonderful accomplishments of 2024!
MTSU is uniquely positioned to make a significant impact on our students, our community, and our region. We possess a wealth of advantages that, leveraged effectively, have propelled us to new heights of excellence and innovation.
First and foremost, we have an exceptional faculty and staff. Their expertise, dedication, and passion are the lifeblood of our institution. By fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement, we harness their talents to drive innovation in teaching, research, and service.
Second, we are situated in a dynamic and growing region. The city of Murfreesboro and the middle Tennessee region are experiencing rapid growth and development. This presents us—as the premier public university serving greater Nashville—with unique opportunities to forge partnerships, drive economic development, and contribute to the wellbeing of our community.
Third, we have a diverse and vibrant student body. Our students come from varied backgrounds and bring a wealth of perspectives and experiences to
our campus, enriching our academic community and preparing our students to thrive in an increasingly globalized world.
Our institution is also blessed with a range of resources including essential state funding that can be strategically deployed to support our ambitious goals. From state-of-the-art facilities to cutting-edge research centers, representing more than $1.5 billion in new construction and renovation during my tenure, we have the infrastructure needed to support excellence in education and innovation. And much more is about to be added to that total.
We also have a strong network of alumni, donors, and community partners who are deeply invested in our success and who provide us with the financial resources and strategic connections needed to pursue ambitious initiatives and expand our impact.
Thank you for reading this annual report and for your investment in our success.
True Blue!
positioned for success
PRINCETON REVIEW
Among America’s Best
MTSU can take great pride in how several national organizations for institutional excellence view us.
One of the nation’s leading education services companies, The Princeton Review, recently included MTSU in its annual Top 390 Colleges ranking for the sixth consecutive year (2020–25).
Maintaining this prestigious ranking is one of the four objectives the MTSU Board of Trustees identified in 2024 as the University’s top priorities. And with good reason. This ranking equates to global respect as an institution of higher learning.
In addition, The Wall Street Journal recognized MTSU for the first time on its 2025 list of America’s Best Colleges.
year in review
HERE ARE SOME OF THE TOP HEADLINES FOR THE BLUE RAIDER CAMPUS IN 2024—PRESENTED IN MONTH-BY-MONTH FASHION— ALONGSIDE 12 FEATURE STORIES HIGHLIGHTING IMPORTANT STRATEGIC INITIATIVES AT MTSU
January
MTSU’s Animation undergraduate program was ranked tops in Tennessee for 2024 by Animation Career Review, an online national and international ranking resource for animation schools. MTSU also ranked No. 8 in the Top 25 Animation B.S. Degree Programs in the U.S.
MTSU hosted its ninth annual Computer Science HackMT event— a 36-hour, Friday night to Sunday morning “hackathon”—wherein future programmers, software developers, visual designers, and computer science students from MTSU and other colleges (and professionals from local industry) formed teams and invented new web platforms, games, and apps. 2024 inventions included a college finder, a child safety app, and more.
MTSU’s School of Journalism and Strategic Media and Recording Industry Department each celebrated their 50th year of teaching students in 2024.
We continue to work extremely hard to ensure that we are attracting the best and the brightest new undergraduate students from across the state of Tennessee and the region.
MTSU experienced a second consecutive year of enrollment growth in 2024, recording a 2% year-over-year increase in its Fall 2024 semester census.
The student population at MTSU was 20,488 for 2024–25. This included an another increase in new freshmen, which was on top of a record increase in this category the previous year.
Results like these don’t happen by sitting back and waiting for the students to come, or even by just doing what we have done in the past.
Our recruitment team, MT One Stop, advising staff, academic department chairs, deans, and faculty work hard all year round to deliver these results.
For many years, our focus in undergraduate admissions was simply on increasing the number of applicants. However, the trend in student recruitment over the past decade has been for students to apply to more and more institutions, which naturally meant more applicants. In Tennessee, for Fall 2024, high school seniors submitted applications to an average of six to eight institutions.
MTSU has achieved rising enrollment numbers (amid national declines) by adjusting our attention to emphasize a focus on yield of admitted students. To that end, we will be pursuing numerous additional measures in 2025 in an attempt to increase yield even more.
A big part of our overall student recruitment effort is our annual True Blue Tour, a three-month, three-state, 13-city recruitment effort to draw new students to the Murfreesboro campus.
recruitment
FEBRUARY
Nine MTSU undergraduate STEM-based researchers showcased their talents, met Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, and toured the halls of state government at the annual Posters at the Capitol event. Student research topics included cancer treatment and local waterway pollution, among others. Participating students were Eden Anderson, Tori Bascou, Rose Gutierrez, Cole Huddleston, Isaiah Kam, Audrey Lauerhass, Ariel Nicastro, Sydney Robbins, and Lindsey Tran.
MTSU’s seventh annual True Blue Give campaign raised a record amount of more than $780,000 over a three-day period as Blue Raider supporters from near and far shared their financial resources in support of the University’s educational mission of fostering academic excellence and supporting students from all walks of life.
MTSU alumni captured several Grammys during the 66th annual Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. Julien Baker, a 2019 English graduate, captured three Grammys out of six nominations as a member of boygenius, an indie supergroup with Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus. Two-time winner and alumnus Lecrae won two more Grammys for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for “Your Power" and also for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album for Church Clothes 4. Joining Lecrae in the album Grammy win was first-time winner Connor Back, a 2018 Audio Production graduate, who earned a Grammy for his mixing engineering work on Church Clothes 4 and earned a certificate for his engineering work on the song “Your Power.” Back works for Reach Records, Lecrae’s independent record label. Jason Hall, a 2000 Recording Industry graduate, and Jimmy Mansfield, a 2014 Audio Production graduate, won Grammys for engineering, mixing, and vocals work for Lainey Wilson’s Bell Bottom Country, which won Best Country Album. Hall and Mansfield have been part of past Grammy nominations. While not singled out for a nomination, Josh Kear, a 1996 History graduate with a Recording Industry minor, co-wrote the song “Watermelon Moonshine” on Bell Bottom Country
Coordinated through and hosted by the Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs, the Unity Luncheon is an MTSU tradition that has been around since 1996 where the institution honors selected community members during the University’s Black History Month celebration. The 28th annual Unity Luncheon honored Johnie Payton (contribution to Black arts), Patricia Waire Harlan (advocate of civility), Sharonese Henderson (community service), Edd Hill (education), Collier Woods (education), and Stanley Murphy (education).
Each of the colleges and academic units at MTSU maintains a high level of activity and produces news worth crowing about. Here are just a few examples from 2024!
MTSU was one of only 12 universities in the U.S. and the only one in Tennessee achieving Gold Level status from the Casualty Actuarial Society’s University Recognition Program.
The College of Liberal Arts generated a staggering $52.4 million in economic activity for the county in a single calendar year, according to a 2024 study.
MTSU’s Jennings A. Jones College of Business now offers the only bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity Management in the state of Tennessee.
MTSU’s Industrial and Organizational Psychology graduate program is considered one of the best in the nation by the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
The College of Education is the top producer of teachers in Tennessee and is ranked the No. 1 producer of Tennessee’s most effective teachers by the state. MTSU teacher candidates have a 99.4% pedagogical pass rate on their licensure exams.
For the 10th year, MTSU’s Department of Recording Industry in the College of Media and Entertainment was named among the best music business schools by Billboard magazine.
academic
excellence
MARCH
MTSU Engineering Technology students can’t wait for their new Applied Engineering Building to open in 2025 (see page 36 ). But they are equally excited about a gift of more than $1 million in equipment (10 FLEXBASE automation work centers) from Dexcom. The units, valued at almost $920,000, were sold to Dexcom by La Vergne-based Automation Nth, which committed more than $100,000 in supplies and services to upgrade the units.
MTSU’s Board of Trustees identified the pursuit of a professional school (see page 32 ), continued inclusion in The Princeton Review’s top colleges list (see page 10 ), movement toward designation as a top research institution, and securing more funding to renovate the 52-yearold Murphy Center as the University's top priorities.
MTSU kicked off National Women’s History Month with its annual Trailblazer Awards and first-ever Women of True Grit Conference. Honored for positively impacting the campus community were Janet McCormick, Communication Studies professor; Nia Allen, Diversity Dissertation Fellow in Textiles, Merchandising, and Design; Julie Myatt, associate professor of English and MT Engage director; Psychology student Zofia Zagalsky; and Vickie Harden, associate professor and Master of Social Work program coordinator.
MTSU has approximately 1,200 faculty members. They are the heart and soul of our campus. As I stated in my introduction, we have an exceptional faculty. Their expertise, dedication, and passion foster a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement. They also drive our innovation in teaching, research, and service.
All 1,200 deserve mention. For the purposes of this report, I spotlight just three who were recently granted the opportunity to take their research and teaching passions overseas after being selected as Fulbright Scholar Program recipients for the 2024–25 academic year.
The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Programs offer U.S. faculty, administrators, and professionals grants to lecture and/or conduct research in a wide variety of academic and professional fields, or to participate in seminars.
The program awards more than 1,700 fellowships each year, enabling 800 U.S. scholars to go abroad and 900 visiting scholars to come to the United States
Sylvester Lamin, a Social Work associate professor, is in Freetown, Sierra Leone, in West Africa, where he is spending nine months working at Fourah Bay College, a constituent campus of the University of Sierra Leone. The majority of Lamin’s time will be spent teaching social work courses. Educational materials are outdated, he said, and he hopes to integrate current social work theories, perspectives
and knowledge base. A smaller portion of Lamin’s time will be spent doing research on the challenges women of Sierra Leone face in academia.
The transcontinental country of Georgia in Eastern Europe and West Asia is the destination for Journalism Professor Gregory Pitts. This year’s award is the sixth Fulbright experience for Pitts, who has spent time in Zambia and Montenegro on traditional assignments. He has also garnered three short-term Fulbright Specialists placements in Ukraine and Liberia. For his most recent Fulbright Scholar assignment, Pitts’ research is examining journalists’ career views amid media system changes, changes in government, and public viewpoints of journalism.
Center for Asian Studies Director Guanping Zheng will travel to Taiwan in East Asia. Zheng, also a professor of media arts, was selected for the U.S.-Taiwan International Education Administrators Seminar. Zheng will learn about their higher education system, establish connections with colleagues, and build MTSU’s capacity for international education, opening doors to collaboration with colleagues and students in Taiwan.
The U.S. Scholar Program is one of several international academic opportunities offered by Fulbright. Historically, MTSU boasts 26 Fulbright students. Alumni of Fulbright programs include 62 Nobel Laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize winners, 80 MacArthur Fellows, and thousands of leaders and world-renowned experts.
faculty expertise
april
The MTSU Textiles, Merchandising, and Design program’s annual fashion show showcases the work of students who create the sketches, draft the patterns, and execute the garments in the collections. While other public universities offer Fashion Merchandising, MTSU is the only public university in Tennessee also offering an Apparel Design program. Over the past decade, Nashville has become home to a vibrant, internationally recognized fashion scene full of independent boutiques, fresh designers, and, importantly, the infrastructure to support it.
Ten students in the Land Development and Residential Building program in MTSU’s School of Concrete and Construction Management won the top award in the 2024 National Association of Home Builders Student Competition in Las Vegas. MTSU shined in the main event—the production home build competition for four-year programs that MTSU has won previously. The team finished ahead of Texas A&M and Michigan State.
Collage: A Journal of Creative Expression, a biannual, student-run magazine that serves as a forum for students and alumni to share their poetry, art, photos, video, fiction, nonfiction, audio, and more, was awarded its 18th gold medalist certificate from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, an international student press association. The magazine has received 27 awards from CSPA since 2006.
student achievement
achievement
Every day we marvel at the achievements and activities of our student body.
Students are the lifeblood of our University, and their growth as both scholars and citizens is the very reason we exist.
They inspire us to do our work as effectively and thoroughly as possible.
MTSU’s Student Government Association (SGA) received a spot in the Top 25 of The Princeton Review’s annual list of the nation’s best college and university SGAs. Under the leadership of second-term president Michai Mosby, a senior from Memphis studying Public Relations and minoring in Political Science, the University’s SGA ranked 20th in the nation for the Most Active Student Government category.
Like our outstanding faculty, it would be impossible to tell all of the stories of our wonderful Here then are examples of our student body excellence.
The College of Media and Entertainment achieved significant recognition for its student and faculty-created commercial spot, “We Do It All,” in 2024. This commercial was a collaboration with students from all departments in the college, who wrote the content, composed the iconic song, and performed in the spot. The ad earned numerous accolades, including a Regional Emmy for Single Spot Commercial, Gold for Best Video Advertisement at the 2024 Tennessee College Public Relations Association awards, and multiple Telly Awards.
For the second consecutive year in 2024, MTSU’s equestrian team earned the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association's national Horse & Rider Western Team Championship.
Sophomore and Honors Buchanan Fellow Ariel Nicastro was named a 2024 Goldwater Scholar—one of only 10 students from Tennessee institutions to receive the award this year. The Goldwater Scholarship, one of the oldest and most prestigious national scholarships in the U.S., financially supports college sophomores and juniors who show exceptional promise of becoming this nation’s next generation of research leaders in the fields of natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics.
College of Media and Entertainment students had their most successful Bonnaroo “work” experience to date. Student and faculty teams completed 40% of the livestreaming video and audio production work for two stages, which aired worldwide on Hulu. In addition, students from the School of Journalism and Strategic Media had 21 published stories, with 18 featuring original images from Photography students.
may
Lt. Gen. Jody Daniels, commanding general of the U.S. Army Reserve, visited MTSU, met with Army ROTC cadets, toured the MTSU Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center, and presented a full Minuteman ROTC scholarship to incoming MTSU freshman Morgan Sheldon of Murfreesboro, who plans to major in Exercise Science. Daniels also attended the Grand Ole Opry for the Salute the Troops event sponsored by the Daniels Center. She is pictured here on the Opry stage with MTSU Senior Advisor for Veterans and Leadership Initiatives Lt. Gen. Keith M. Huber. The first female to command the Reserve component, Daniels commands more than 200,000 soldiers and civilian employees who live and work in communities across the country.
The College of Education and its Center for Fairness, Justice, and Equity held a signing ceremony for three of 25 students in MTSU’s first group of Tennessee Teach Back Initiative Scholars. Launched with support of the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE), the initiative recruits high school and transfer students from within high needs, rural areas and covers costs and provides extra supports in exchange for their returning to teach in their local communities.
MTSU presented Judy Albakry (center), University Honors College advisor, with its 2024 Outstanding Academic Advisor Award, a collaboration of the Advisor Mastery Program (AMP) and the Office of Student Success. AMP is MTSU’s professional learning community created, implemented, and sustained by advisors to help foster a more cohesive and collaborative advising culture for the University. Albakry completed her doctorate in Assessment, Learning, and Student Success through MTSU’s College of Education in 2023.
32
University partnerships support educational efforts and demonstrate MTSU’s ability to be responsive to the economic and educational needs of our state. MTSU’s most recent partnership is a sterling example of both.
In 2024, MTSU and the Nashville School of Law, two storied institutions founded in 1911, paired their various areas of instructional expertise to train students and working professionals seeking deeper legal knowledge to enhance their careers.
The collaboration for MTSU’s proposed Legal Studies master’s degree also will help fulfill a growing Midstate workforce need.
Approved by MTSU’s Board of Trustees and submitted to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission to consider final approval in early to mid-2025, the M.S. in Legal Studies will be offered primarily through MTSU’s Jennings A. Jones College of Business.
Successful graduates of this program will be well positioned to fill the high-paying, in-demand legal roles for which they’ve been trained, with the vast majority of our graduates remaining in this region to invest back into the community with their time, talents, and skills.
Designed for those who do not need or want to pursue a Juris Doctor degree, the 30-hour program aims to sharpen students’ and working professionals’ understanding of the law, including in the areas of contracts, critical legal thinking, legal ethics, writing, and case analysis.
Coursework will allow students to further develop in-depth knowledge in one of three concentrations: General Business, Compliance, or Entertainment—the last offered through MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment.
Shaking hands with Nashville School of Law Dean William C. Koch Jr. following our institutions’ joint announcement Nov. 19, alongside MTSU’s Joyce Heames, Jones College of Business dean; Stephen Smith, MTSU Board of Trustees chair; Nashville attorney Aubrey Harwell Jr., chair of the NSL Board of Trust; and Beverly Keel, dean of MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment.
strategic partnerships
june
Quantum Information Science promises to transform computing, national security, financing, energy research, new materials, and health care and information technology. The MTSU Physics Department introduced the MTSU Quantum Science Initiative, promoting faculty efforts in research, education, and workforce development in the fast-growing field. Associate professor and computational quantum physics expert Hanna Terletska, a leader of the initiative, has piloted new interdisciplinary undergraduate courses on quantum computing. A native Ukrainian, Terletska also launched the STEM with Ukraine initiative, partnering with Ukrainian universities to support quantum computing education for an international population under the burden of an ongoing war with Russia.
MTSU is helping ensure student success with free digital access to scholastic materials through the James E. Walker Library’s open educational resources (OER) program, announcing approximately $1.4 million in textbook savings since the program was implemented in 2021. More than 14,200 students have benefitted from at least one of the 78 OER courses, which have more than quadrupled in number over the past two years.
Khalilah T. Doss was appointed vice president for student affairs and dean of students, replacing Sarah Sudak, who held the job on an interim basis for the 2023–24 academic year. Doss, who started July 15, 2024, came to MTSU from a similar role at the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville and previous service at McPherson College in Kansas and Lincoln University of Missouri. The Division of Student Affairs provides essential programs and services which support the matriculation, academic achievement, personal development, and quality of life of all MTSU students.
Facilities growth represents an investment in areas of study that will solve problems, improve the social good, and supply a skilled regional workforce. MTSU has been blessed with more than $1.5 billion in campus improvements and renovations during my tenure as president.
Here are the major projects of 2024:
Applied Engineering Building
-$74.8 million project
-o pens in 2025
- more than $1 million in automation equipment
- 8 9,000-square-foot facility
-w ill house MTSU’s renowned Mechatronics Engineering program and Engineering Technology
Kirksey Old Main and Rutledge Hall
-$ 54.3 million renovation to two of MTSU’s original buildings -completion expected by summer 2026
-KOM was the first building on the campus founded in 1911
-t he building's iconic columns will be preserved
-KOM will continue to be home to Mathematics, Computer Science, and Data Science
-Rutledge will transform from a dormitory to an academic building that houses the University Studies Department
Student-Athlete Performance Center
- $ 66 million project
- estimated completion: summer 2025
-first stage of redevelopment of the entire northwest corner of the MTSU campus envisioned in the MTSU Athletics Master Plan
-small section of outdoor loge seating to be added to the north end of Floyd Stadium
- 75,000-square-foot facility to include training spaces, strength and conditioning rooms, locker rooms, meeting space, and offices to serve MTSU Athletics and student-athletes
Aerospace Project–Shelbyville
-$ 62.2 million total project cost
-e stimated completion: fall 2027
- e stimated construction cost
$50.2 million
-f acilities for the Professional Pilot concentration:
• 5 0,000-square-foot net space for main academic building(s)
• 28,000-square-foot hangar to maintain the Professional Pilot aircraft fleet
Outdoor Tennis Facility
- $ 8 million project
-o pened Feb. 1, 2024, at the corner of Middle Tennessee Boulevard and Greenland Drive on campus
facilities
facilities
Rendering of completed Applied Engineering Building being erected next to the School of Concrete and Construction Management.
MTSU was included in a group of just 68 universities nationwide to receive a “green light” rating for free speech from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a national free-speech advocacy organization. MTSU is home to both the John Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies, which promotes awareness of the First Amendment, and to the Free Speech Center, an online resource that houses the First Amendment Encyclopedia.
MTSU's College of Education joined Nissan's community partnership collaboration to boost skills by training career technical educators for local high schools. The workforce development program will prepare students for careers in the automotive industry by offering a curriculum that combines theoretical knowledge with practical experience. MTSU's College of Education faculty are helping train Nissan employees to teach those courses full time.
MTSU’s Department of Aerospace brought True Blue back to Wisconsin for the 2024 EAA AirVenture, connecting with alumni and industry partners during the world’s largest gathering of aviation enthusiasts. Provost Mark Byrnes led a team of Aerospace students and flight instructors from the College of Basic and Applied Sciences to represent the University at the massive annual weeklong event, which attracted more than 600,000 people and 10,000-plus aircraft. MTSU officials met with employers of aerospace graduates, including Delta, Southwest, FedEx, Endeavor Air, and Republic Airlines. They also huddled with executives from manufacturers Diamond, Piper, and Cirrus—all of whom currently are producing new aircraft for the Aerospace training fleet. This year marked the sixth year since MTSU stepped up its presence at AirVenture.
MTSU is designated a R2 doctoral university with high research activity by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. This elite status places us among a select group of only 3% of institutions nationwide.
Faculty, staff, and students at MTSU are involved in countless research and public service initiatives that help Tennesseans in key areas of health and wellness, history and heritage, agriculture and agribusiness, and commerce and industry, to name a few.
Numerous faculty members at MTSU are particularly focused on research initiatives in the area of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, collectively known as STEM.
A cohort of MTSU faculty landed a $3 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to develop local middle school teachers in STEM subject areas into data science instruction experts who will go on to develop educators in their communities. Gregory Rushton, director of MTSU’s Tennessee STEM Education Center, leads that five-year grant project in collaboration with Ryan “Seth” Jones, Kevin Krahenbuhl, and Keith Gamble.
Separately, three MTSU professors were awarded their own $1.2 million NSF grant to advance research in improving the teaching of the STEM fields in general. Rushton, Sarah Bleiler-Baxter, and Grant Gardner head that research project.
Fiscal year 2023–24
- $22 million in sponsored project funding
- a 75% increase from 2022–23
First six months of fiscal year 2024–25 (July through Dec. 19th)
- 85 proposals submitted
- from 61 unique investigators
- 59 awards - totaling $15,239,646
research
august
Aerospace Professor Paul Craig was honored with MTSU’s 2024 Career Achievement Award. Craig was the University’s first flight instructor for MTSU’s renowned aviation training program. Aside from his time in the cockpit, Craig has authored 15 books on aviation safety and flight training, worked for NASA, and received numerous other University and industry awards.
MTSU's School of Journalism and Strategic Media launched a student-powered communications agency, Ever Blue Branding, intended to boost area businesses while providing students with job-ready experiences in a fully functioning agency. The agency is building its professional advisory board, which includes inaugural member and MTSU alumnus Brooks Christol of the advertising agency Barker & Christol in Murfreesboro.
MTSU’s WMOT-FM Roots Radio 89.5 opened a new satellite studio based in Nashville that will allow the station to be where the artists are and expand its live radio and video programming as the largest Americana radio station in the United States. A ribboncutting celebration was held Aug. 7, at the new 800-square-foot satellite studio at the Riverside Revival events venue in East Nashville. The private event included music, and an in-studio interview with country artist Sunny Sweeney was livestreamed and broadcast on air.
Nashville ALUMNI IMPACT
The 2024 MTSU Alumni Impact Report, published by the Business and Economic Research Center (BERC) in the Jennings A. Jones College of Business, found that MTSU alumni, including alumni-owned businesses, generated more than $15.2 billion in business revenue in the state over the course of a single year.
Most MTSU graduates remain in our state, adding to the workforce, paying taxes, starting businesses, and contributing to our communities.
More than 114,900 MTSU alumni lived and worked in Tennessee in 2022. More than 60% of alumni live within an hour’s drive of Murfreesboro.
Alumni residents per county 2022
Return on Investment
“We are very proud of the significant number of our College of Business alumni contributing to the prosperity of middle Tennessee.”
Joyce Heames, dean of MTSU’s Jones College of Business
“MTSU alumni’s talents, businesses, and leadership are changing the dynamics in the area and demonstrating MTSU’s far-reaching impact.”
Murat Arik, director of the Business and Economic Research Center
1# 15.2BsTaTewide
Revenue
114,900 alumni living and working in Tennessee producer of college graduaTes for nashville area
4.1BruTherford counTy
september
Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence spoke to a packed house at MTSU’s Tucker Theatre on Sept. 17, to round out the University’s annual Constitution Day activities. Pence, who said he began studying the U.S. Constitution when he was in high school, called the document “the greatest charter for liberty in human history.”
A huge crowd of students, faculty, staff, and alumni gathered on the campus of MTSU for the annual Homecoming Parade, Party in the Grove concert in Walnut Grove featuring country music singer-songwriter and MTSU alumnus Brice Long, and a football game against Duke University. With the Western theme of “Blue Raider Rodeo,” the MTSU Alumni Association and Student Government Association collaborated on
From aviation, education, and communication to fermentation science and the military, MTSU’s outstanding alumni for 2024–25 represented career distinction and service to community. Distinguished Alumni Award recipient Peggy Chabrian, who was recently inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame, founded and led Women in Aviation International, served in aviation higher education administration, and owns Chabrian Aviation. Jack Daniel’s assistant distiller Lexie Phillips earned the Young Alumni Achievement Award, while True Blue Citations of Distinction were awarded to communicator and community volunteer Kristen Gallant, longtime educator Judy Goodwin, College of Liberal Arts Dean Leah Tolbert Lyons, and retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. David Ogg. The University celebrated each recipient during Homecoming festivities.
The transformative impact of private donor support to MTSU elevates programs, supports students, and propels the campus community toward new heights. Our alumni base and friends always answer the rallying call for our Blue Raider family to invest in the people and programs that define the character of MTSU.
Here is just one example of the incredible philanthropy MTSU is blessed to receive.
Chase Miller was the ultimate bench player during his days at MTSU. A non-scholarship studentathlete who gritted out hours of practices but rarely saw action, Miller became a Murphy Center fan favorite on an MTSU basketball team that upset second-seeded Michigan State and Minnesota in back-to-back NCAA tournaments in 2016 and ’17.
All the while, he was juggling studies in MTSU’s unique undergraduate Real Estate program, a concentration under the B.B.A. in Finance. After graduation, Miller turned the lessons he learned on the hardwood and in the classroom into a starring role in the commercial real estate market in his native Dallas, Texas. A 2019 graduate, Miller became the youngest executive vice president ever at real estate company NAI Robert Lynn.
In 2024, the 28-year-old Miller pledged a seven-figure donation to MTSU’s Build Blue Campaign that will transform the University’s athletic facilities. It was Miller's second major contribution to Build Blue, following his sixfigure gift in 2022. In honor of his latest gift, the practice gymnasium inside the Murphy Center is now known as Chase Miller Gym.
advancement
Retired U.S. Marine four-star Gen. Jim Mattis saluted the work of the MTSU Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center during a breakfast fundraiser for the center at Nashville’s Hutton Hotel last October. A captivated audience was treated to a one-hour conversation between longtime friends Mattis, a former U.S. secretary of defense, and former U.S. Sen. Bill Frist, of Nashville, who previously served as Senate majority leader. Businesspeople from around the Midstate helped raise almost $500,000 for MTSU’s Daniels Center at the event.
october
MTSU students helped build a spacious home for a family of seven in need at the 2024 Rutherford County Habitat for Humanity panel build in the Student Union Commons. MTSU students and Exit Realty volunteers built all the walls that were then transported by semitrailer and will eventually be put together to finish the single-family home. Around 80 students assisted with building the walls, which went directly to the site where the house will be finished for the family to move into in early 2025.
The national commander of Civil Air Patrol (CAP), the volunteer civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, paid a visit to MTSU to celebrate the decadelong partnership between the two institutions. Maj. Gen. Regena Aye, CAP’s highest-ranking officer, leads the organization’s nearly 70,000 members across the United States in fulfilling the nonprofit organization’s three primary programs of emergency services, cadet programs, and aerospace education.
MTSU’s online program experienced record growth in the fall of 2024 with 54% of students (a total of 11,121 students) taking at least one MTSU Online course.
The number of fully online programs offered has more than tripled since 2016—from 20 in 2016 to 72 in 2024, with 43 of those programs launched since 2020.
The number of online students began steadily increasing in 2020, due in part to students’ being introduced to online learning during the COVID-19 outbreak. Importantly, emergency remote teaching differs from intentional and carefully designed online courses. COVID-19 was more a catalyst than a reason for the growth of MTSU Online. I am proud that MTSU recognized and prioritized online learning long before the pandemic began.
As of last fall, MTSU Online supports 28 fulltime, temporary instructors in 18 academic departments who focus on providing highquality online teaching. MTSU employs four full-time instructional designers who train and coach our faculty on effective online teaching and technology use.
A total of 545 unique online courses were introduced, leading to 27% of all MTSU student credit hours in the Fall 2024 semester coming from online courses. More than 2,800 students were fully online in the Fall 2024 semester, which comprises almost 14% of our total student
headcount. 27% of all MTSU semester credit hours in Fall 2024 came from online courses. MTSU even had about two dozen full-time, undergraduate MTSU students living in the residence halls, taking fully online courses! That may seem unusual now, but it will likely become more and more common.
University College, which generally focuses on nontraditional students, has been a pioneer in promoting fully online degrees, along with the Jones College of Business.
Thirty additional online programs are in active development. We’re also working on initiatives such as a virtual student union and virtual clubs—ways for students to connect and engage and feel like they belong at MTSU because they do belong at MTSU, and it’s a significant population.
MTSU Online already offers key student services for online students such as counseling services, 24/7 live subject tutoring, library services, and writing center tutors, as well as many faculty services including faculty development and training workshops and peer mentoring.
Recently, MTSU Online received awards for its graduate programs from Online Master’s Degrees and Online Master’s Colleges as well as being named one of the top online colleges by Newsweek and for offering one of the best online nursing and allied health programs by EduMed.
growth and development
The 42nd annual MTSU Salute to Veterans and Armed Forces football game took place Saturday, Nov. 9, with the Blue Raiders squaring off against Conference USA opponent Liberty University in Floyd Stadium. The Salute to Veterans game annually recognizes veterans and active-duty personnel for service to their country. World War II veteran Bill Allen of Murfreesboro received the 2024 Joe B. Nunley Sr. Award.
A cohort of MTSU students convened at the Tennessee Capitol in Nashville to learn about local government, exchange ideas and opinions, and propose legislation at the 55th General Assembly of the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature (TISL). Danny Kelley, assistant vice president for student affairs, accompanied a group of 10 MTSU students that included Denzel Harris, Katrina Aguilar, Trevor Carriveau, Hannah Ferreira, Kennedy Garrett, Rakhmat Lampkin, DeAsia Powell, Farrah Renfroe, Hunter Thornhill, and Joshua Wheaton.
A congenital heart defect detected in middle school led Nikhil “Nik” Yelemali of Brentwood to want to become a physician, leading the Ravenwood High School graduate to pursue the unique MTSU-Meharry College Medical School Early Acceptance Program partnership. Yelemali was one of six freshmen—including Abigail Sajor, Faheem Mohammed, Jack Lane, Avantika Pillai, and Rezan Saleem—selected to the program in 2024. It is the sixth class overall since starting in 2019 with the support of state funding, bringing the total number of future doctors to 23—young physicians who will commit to serve in medically underserved populations and alleviate health care disparities in rural Tennessee.
international affairs
affairs
MTSU has a rich history of welcoming international students to study on campus. Embracing students from such diverse cultures, religions, and backgrounds enriches our campus community and brings economic, cultural, and social benefits to our campus.
In 2024, MTSU’s Office of International Affairs welcomed 18 students from Egypt for the fall semester through a partnership with the American University in Cairo and the U.S. Agency for International Development Scholars Activity Program. The scholars program supports high-achieving high school students from underrepresented backgrounds as they migrate into higher education. Once they are seniors in college, the program gives them the opportunity to spend one semester as exchange students in the United States.
In particular, the program aims to support the economic, social, and environmental development plans in Egypt by focusing on university studies in the fields of water, energy, agriculture, and nursing. The Egyptian students at MTSU are college seniors who are studying engineering and agriculture.
FALL 2024 International Student Impact:
- 4 42 UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
- 221 GRADUATE STUDENTS
- TOTAL OF 663
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
- 4.57% INCREASE FROM FALL 2023
- S TUDENTS FROM 75 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES
- IN RECENT YEARS, MTSU HAS EXPERIENCED A NOTABLE RISE IN STUDENTS FROM INDIA, SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA, AND SOUTHEAST ASIA
DURING THE 2023–24 ACADEMIC YEAR FOR EDUCATION ABROAD, 246 STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN OVERSEAS STUDIES, REPRESENTING SIX MTSU COLLEGES.
december
Five years after launching, MTSU’s Tourism and Hospitality Management program became the first program in the state to earn accreditation through the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration. While the program is housed within the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences, tourism and hospitality management students get a business minor through required coursework in the Jones College of Business.
Three MTSU students were awarded the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study abroad in the coming year. The U.S. Department of State awarded the prestigious scholarship to approximately 1,600 American undergraduate students during the fall 2024 cycle. MTSU recipients of $3,000 scholarships included: Ashari Leonard, a Fashion Merchandising student from Columbia, who will study abroad in Japan, immersing herself in the country’s vibrant fashion industry; Ariel Nicastro, a Physics major and Honors student from Franklin, who will study abroad in Argentina; and Qadria Wade, a Speech-Language Pathology/ Audiology major from Goodlettsville, who will study in the United Kingdom.
Joys of the Season
MTSU’s annual “Joys of the Season” arts showcase aired for the first time on a special broadcast on Nashville PBS in 2024. The 2024 show was once again put on by the College of Liberal Arts, highlighting the work of multiple departments within the college. The program first aired on the University’s own television channel, True Blue TV, which airs on Comcast Xfinity channels 9 and 1096 and is also available on Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV.
To truly succeed in life, a person needs passion, a competitive spirit, a love of teamwork, a strong will to persevere through difficulties, and, ultimately, a willingness to give it all they have and win. Our MTSU Athletics teams and student-athletes well represent the grit and determination we want our entire student body to possess.
Here are some select athletic highlights from 2024. In the Classroom:
-Each of MTSU’s 17 athletic teams earned a multiyear Academic Progress Rate (APR) of over 945 (out of 1000) from 2019–20 to 2022–23 as the NCAA released its annual report in June 2024.
-T he Blue Raider sports teams have now had at least a 930 for all its sports for 14 years running, with each team coming in at over 945 in the most recent multiyear APR report.
-MTSU had 10 of 15 sports with a 970 on the multiyear report, with women’s cross country and women’s golf posting a perfect grade of 1000.
On the Field of Play:
-Men’s tennis, ranked 34th nationally, captured its fifth straight CUSA title.
-T he MTSU women’s basketball team secured the program’s first win in the NCAA Tournament since 2007 and then led defending national champion Louisiana State University at halftime in a second-round game.
-MTSU’s Walnut Grove, the traditional pre-game gathering spot for students, alumni, and fans of Blue Raider football, was louder and prouder this season with the addition of Party in the Grove, which featured live music, food trucks, and other activities.
In Conclusion
The time is now for MTSU to leverage all of these advantages, opportunities, and resources outlined in this annual President’s Report to forge a clear and ambitious course for the future. We must continue to set bold goals, develop strategic plans, and take decisive action to achieve them.
To truly take advantage of these key attributes, acuity, location, student body, and resources, we must focus on enhancing our academic programs to ensure they are relevant, rigorous, and responsive to the needs of our students and the demands of the workforce. This means investing in faculty development, expanding experiential learning opportunities, and continuously assessing and improving our curriculum.
We formally launched MTSU’s new general education curriculum, the True Blue Core, in summer 2024. It is the heart of our educational mission, offering innovative teaching that supports students in discovery and exploration throughout their undergraduate coursework, providing them with interdisciplinary skills and knowledge that align with their college majors. With an emphasis on critical thinking, problem-solving, information literacy, and effective communication, the True Blue Core is the foundation for academic, professional, and personal success as well as informed civic engagement and lifelong learning.
By developing and executing well-thought-out plans, we can create lasting, positive impacts on Murfreesboro and the middle Tennessee region. To that end, a new Strategic Plan and Mission Statement update is now underway. Focused on the pillars of Academic Quality, Student Success, Engagement, and Innovation, this ambitious effort will unite our three existing plans—the Quest for Student Success, the Academic Master Plan, and the 2015–2025 Strategic Plan—into a detailed and single institutional plan through 2035. Work also has begun on reaffirmation of the University’s accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. This is difficult, demanding, and vital work.
As I conclude this report, I want to express my profound gratitude for the dedication, passion, and commitment of our faculty, staff, alumni, and friends to our institution. Together, we have the power to transform this moment of potential into a legacy of achievement. Let us embrace this opportunity with courage and determination, knowing that the actions we take today will shape our future for generations to come.
The
future is now
STUDENT DATA
First-time First-Year Students by College
Basic and Applied Sciences
Behavioral and Health Sciences
Business
Education
Liberal Arts
Media and Entertainment
University College
STUDENT CREDIT HOURS, AND FULL-TIME EQUIVALENCY SUMMARY: FALL 2024
UNDERGRADUATE MAJORS BY COLLEGE: FALL 2024
Basic and Applied Sciences
Behavioral and Health Sciences
Business
Education
Liberal Arts
Media and Entertainment
Non-Degree
University College
SNAPSHOT OF FALL 2024 STUDENT BODY
FINANCIALS
Net Assets
Net Assets-Beginning of Year
Editors
Drew Ruble and Jimmy Hart
Contributing
Editors
Nancy Broden and Carol Stuart
Senior Director of Marketing
Domeda Duncan
Director of Creative and Visual Services
Kristy O'Neal
University Photographers
Andy Heidt, J. Intintoli, James Cessna, Cat Curtis Murphy
Designer
Sherry Wiser George
200 Copies Printed at Blue Print
0125-1038 / 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 programs and activities sponsored by MTSU. Inquiries about Title IX can be directed to the Title IX Coordinator and/or the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. The Title IX Coordinator 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.