CULTIVATE

TRUE EXPERIENCE

Thousands of people descended upon MTSU’s campus for the Great Tennessee Eclipse event Aug. 21, 2017. They cheered wildly as the epic, coast-to-coast solar eclipse reached totality over Murfreesboro—with the sky literally darkening and exposing the planets Venus and Jupiter to the naked eye—around 1:29 p.m. in the central campus area called the Science Corridor of Innovation.

Braving 90-plus degree heat and bringing popup tents, folding chairs, picnic blankets, or even hammocks, several thousand attendees gathered for the event. Visitors from as far away as China and other foreign countries joined Americans from across the country at MTSU to observe the awe-inspiring celestial phenomenon. Murfreesboro City Schools brought 600 children to the MTSU campus. A group of 140 attended from the University of Alabama–Huntsville. High school groups came from Florence, Alabama, and The Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tennessee.

More than 9,000 free safety glasses sponsored by Turner Construction were distributed at the event and to schools in both Rutherford County and Murfreesboro City districts. MTSU’s event featured a main stage that showcased student musical performances in the hours leading up to the total eclipse, as well as on-stage interviews with faculty about eclipse viewing safety, the science behind it, the fascinating visuals, and responses from it. The event was designated by NASA as one of its six official viewing sites in the greater Nashville area. Via coverage in USA Today, MTSU’s event was mentioned in newspapers from the Carolinas to Arizona. cultivate 39

TRUE FAMILY

On Nov. 16, 2017, when Luz Cortes hugged her son, former MTSU basketball star Raymond Cintron, the reason for MTSU’s trip to Puerto Rico was clear. MTSU Board of Trustees Vice Chair Darrell Freeman, who led the trip, said that moment was when we realized what we did—all the fundraising, the donations, the flight there—was helping Raymond’s family survive. And they were so very happy, so very grateful, for our True Blue family.

Coined “Raider Relief,” Freeman’s effort raised money and supplies for Cintron’s extended family, which had been devastated by Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 storm that hit Puerto Rico in September 2017. Cintron, a star guard for the Blue Raiders during 2011–13, had family members on the island who were in dire need of medicine, food, and generators, all of which were stuffed into Freeman’s personal aircraft. With the help of the Puerto Rico Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, MTSU’s partner with its Department of Aerospace, Cintron’s family got the aid they desperately needed. Freeman flew Cintron, myself, and University pilot Terry Dorris, who served as co-pilot, on the seven-hour journey.

Civil Air Patrol (CAP) volunteers made the final stages of Raider Relief possible. CAP is the volunteer civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. Our CAP partners overcame an island-wide power outage to assemble in Puerto Rico, along with volunteers and trucks, and get this aid to Raymond’s family. Without Trustee Freeman’s plane and the Civil Air Patrol, none of this would have happened.

800 PRESENTATIONS FROM MORE THAN young inventors

TRUE LEARNING

Tens of thousands of young Tennesseans journey to MTSU each year for reasons other than college attendance.

For instance, each summer, the campus of MTSU becomes a hotbed for various educational camps benefitting youth from across Tennessee. the lives of schoolchildren from across Tennessee.

More than 800 young inventors presented their creations at MTSU’s 26th annual Invention Convention for students in fourth, fifth, and sixth grades.

900 + AG EDUCATION SPRING FLING EVENT students attended

The result is that MTSU’s campus is a place where memories are made and where young minds perhaps for the first time experience a college campus environment and hatch a dream to one day earn a degree.

The following are just a few examples of MTSU-related events, activities, and camps that cast a long shadow over Over 900 elementary-age students from Christiana, Campus School, Thurman Francis, Blackman, and Smyrna schools visited various agriculture-related stations at MTSU’s Tennessee Livestock Center at the fourth annual Ag Education Spring Fling. cultivate 41

Innovation J-Camp at MTSU is a weeklong, hands-on summer camp for high school students interested in multimedia journalism. The five-day workshop targets students who have a passion for creating stories using mobile, social, digital, and video platforms. Based at the Center for Innovation in Media and in partnership with the College of Media and Entertainment, campers learn about news basics and new media platforms each day, then tackle hands-on assignments in the field with camp instructors. At week’s end, campers post video, photos, and written stories online to showcase their multimedia projects.

At the sixth annual Middle Tennessee STEM Expo, held in April 2017, more than 600 fifth-12th-grade students from across the mid-state took part in a showcase of STEM projects. “Conceptual Forensic Retrieval System,” “Pet Zoomer,” “The Quick Feet Baseball Cleat,” and “Energy Drinks vs. Orange Juice” were just a sampling of project titles. Braden Cole, 11, fifth-grader at Madison Creek Elementary School in Goodlettsville, is pictured here wearing his “Survival Helmet.”

TRUE INVESTMENT

Private support continues to provide valuable resources for our students.

Among the key donations received was a gift of valuable software from the Siemens Corp. for our Mechatronics Engineering program. cultivate 43

Aerospace students also claimed their prize—use of a new, custom-branded Cessna Skyhawk 172—as part of Textron Aviation’s 2018 Top Hawk program, accepting delivery during an April ceremony at Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport in Wichita, Kansas. MTSU’s application, which was one of five chosen by Textron Aviation, allowed MTSU to utilize the plane to support flight training, recruiting efforts, and promotional activities.

More than $325,000 in donations came in during our inaugural True Blue Give, a 48-hour giving campaign, far surpassing our $250,000 goal. The Feb. 15–16, 2017 event drew donations from more than 600 friends of the University in our drive to support academics, athletics, and scholarships. Donors could pledge any amount, and matching contributions were secured for certain portions of the campaign. Raising scholarship support is a key priority since 90% of MTSU students qualify for some form of financial aid.

TRUE ENTERPRISE

Developing creative, new partnerships with government and private sector entities demonstrates MTSU’s ability to be responsive to the economic and educational needs of our state, further enhancing our value as a major contributor to Tennessee’s growing economy. University partnerships and public service initiatives also support our educational efforts and provide students with the breadth and relevance of experience needed to be successful both in college and eventually in the professional workplace.

MTSU was one of only eight universities selected for Delta Air Lines’ innovative Propel program to fast-track the next generation of pilots because of looming retirements across the industry. Successful candidates will be provided a “qualified job offer,” detailing a defined path and an accelerated timeline for becoming a Delta pilot.

The Middle Tennessee Council of the Boy Scouts of America signed a partnership allowing MTSU to be a greater resource for Scouting programs, particularly in science and technology, and boosting opportunities to reach and recruit prospective students in the council’s service area of 37 counties and Fort Campbell, Kentucky. I was joined by former MTCBSA President J.B. Baker, who is now a member of the University’s Board of Trustees, and Scout Executive Larry Brown in signing the memorandum of understanding. The council, based in Nashville, has more than 18,600 youths and their families participating in programs. It has been the fastest-growing of 270 nationwide councils in recent years.

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ORAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION

From 2007 to 2019, MTSU alumni, faculty, and former students have brought home 17 Grammy awards in categories from classical to gospel to bluegrass to rap. I was in New York City in 2018 and Los Angeles in 2019 to congratulate the nominees and recognize MTSU’s ties to the Grammys. It was the fifth consecutive year MTSU held pre-Grammy events at the site of the music industry’s biggest ceremony. Importantly, students from MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment worked behind the scenes at the event, held at Radio City Music Hall. MTSU was able to participate as a sponsor to the event thanks to the generosity of Brentwood-based American Addiction Centers, led by former MTSU student Michael Cartwright.

ORAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION

One of the nation’s most prestigious and respected groups of historians is now housed at MTSU. The Oral History Association selected MTSU for its headquarters. The organization boasts a diverse membership of scholars, activists, journalists, psychologists, folklorists, and others interested in bringing the historical experiences of both everyday people and elites to light.

TRUE EXCHANGE

MTSU has strengthened its international initiatives both on campus and around the world. Those efforts boost student success through creating opportunities for travel, exposure to culture, and research.

As part of my ongoing China Initiative, 38 students from Guangxi University in Nanning, China, enrolled in the fall semester as part of the University’s first 3+1+1 program. The students are part of a special cohort which was designed and implemented as early as 2014 and includes majors in both the Jones College of Business and the College of Basic and Applied Sciences.

In addition, MTSU and its primary research partner in China, the Guangxi Botanical Garden of Medicinal Plants, agreed to create a joint ginseng institute that will study, develop, and promote Tennessee-grown herbal products for sale in Asia and other emerging markets. Miao Jianhua, director of the Guangxi Botanical Garden, said the garden planned to spend the equivalent of about $30 million in U.S. dollars for the construction of a new lab at the Nanning complex to support the effort.

The garden has been designated one of China’s top 10 research facilities in funding priority. He also outlined the garden’s plans to hire up to 130 researchers and staff devoted to the institute. I traveled to China with Rutherford County Mayor Bill Ketron and businessman Paul Martin, the first graduate of our Honors College. The trip was organized by and in support of MTSU’s Confucius Institute. I was accompanied at the signing by two local businessmen, Ted LaRoche and Edward Chiles, whose Greenway Herbal Projects firm has given $2.5 million toward MTSU’s herbal research. Martin arranged for the first contribution to the new institute: a $2,500 check from the Walter and Edith Loebenberg Foundation. The University’s ginseng research goes back to 2013, when then-state senator Ketron encouraged MTSU to use its China ties to help Tennessee farmers add ginseng as a cash crop. cultivate 47

MTSU played host in summer 2017 to a delegation of schoolchildren, teachers, and administrators from China’s Dongcheng Educational Group for the sixth in a series of reciprocal visits between the institutions. Dancing, singing, and classroom work greeted Nashville-area schoolchildren, parents, and educators, including MTSU first lady Elizabeth McPhee, in China as MTSU renewed its reciprocal exchange with the top Chinese magnet school system.

Dongcheng is an affiliate of Hangzhou Normal University, MTSU’s partner in the creation and operation of the

Confucius Institute on the Murfreesboro campus. Dongcheng oversees a network of magnet-style schools in Hangzhou, China. The visit was the third time MTSU has hosted the Dongcheng delegation, which also visited in 2013 and 2015. Students, parents, and teachers from Rutherford-area schools were hosted by Dongcheng in China in 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018. Guests pay their own way here. Private donations, including title sponsorship by campus food vendor Aramark, pay most of the local expenses, with additional support coming from the Confucius Institute.

MTSU’s connections to China are strong and well-documented. But the University has a presence around the globe.

MTSU is always seeking to increase its international undergraduate and graduate student enrollment, expand its study abroad opportunities, and develop more faculty and student exchanges. The University also actively seeks out student exchange and research collaborations with international partners. Here are just a few other recent highlights from our International Affairs efforts in the reporting period:

• During the 2016–17 academic year, 23 MTSU Signature faculty-led programs served a total of 233 students. Approximately 70% of our students who studied abroad through MTSU participated one of these Signature programs in Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, England, Finland, France, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

• Started by International Affairs five years ago, MTSU’s partnership with University of Salford in the United Kingdom had a banner year of activity with

a scholar-residency exchange program in the fall, a student exchange of four students during the academic year, and the co-sponsorship of an academic conference held at Salford in Manchester, England. cultivate 49

graduate: “to successfully complete a course of study or training . . . TRUE FUTURE

The end result of this commitment to student success is the completion of a degree and the preparation of a wave of graduates who are ready to work.

READY TO WORK

One in five college graduates in greater Nashville holds an MTSU degree, making us the No. 1 provider to the region’s workforce.

In all, MTSU has more than 64,000 alumni working across greater Nashville.

Our alumni run companies. They win Grammys. They teach our children. They cure diseases. They create, innovate, and succeed.

They also give our current students the largest area alumni network to help locate jobs.

The University plays a crucial role in helping community college students, technology center graduates, and adults alike finish their degrees and join Tennessee’s workforce more quickly and prepared to lead.

MTSU is the No. 1 choice of transfer students, adult learners, and first-generation college students in the Volunteer State.

As such, MTSU serves as the capstone of Tennessee’s higher educational program built on the Tennessee Promise and the Drive to 55.

From aerospace to agriculture, and finance to health care and concrete management, our grads are ready to work.

Here are a few highlights of some of our programs that have a direct industry focus and strong experiential ties. True Blue!

ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE

• Ranked 34th nationally for Best Online Master’s in Finance Programs by OnlineMasters.com (only Tennessee university listed)

• 1 of only 183 institutions worldwide with an additional AACSB accreditation for accounting

• Grads in senior positions at Deloitte, HCA, and Pinnacle

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AEROSPACE AGRICULTURE

• Top 3 program in the nation

• 1 of 8 schools recently selected for new partnership supplying pilots to Delta Air Lines

• Only 360-degree, seamless virtual air traffic control tower of its kind in the world

• 1 of 5 unmanned aircraft degree programs in U.S.

• Grads in senior positions at FedEx, Southwest, and Nashville International Airport • 500-acre, hands-on agriculture laboratory produces milk (and honey) bottled by MTSU students and sold at campus and retail shops

• MTSU Creamery first awarded the state’s new Tennessee Milk logo, along with another dairy

• Grads in senior positions at Jack Daniel’s, Tennessee Farm Bureau, and Tennessee Farmers Coop