INTRODUCTION

In 2022, for a fourth consecutive year, the high quality of our programs and overall institutional excellence were affirmed by The Princeton Review in its list of the best colleges in the U.S.

We remain the only locally governed institution in Tennessee included in this prestigious ranking.

Many other publications and institutions also recognized MTSU in their rankings in 2022. For example, the Economics graduate program made the U.S. News and World Report ranking of top U.S. graduate programs in Economics for the first time. Also in 2022, Newsweek named MTSU to its “Top Online Colleges” list. MTSU was the only institution in Tennessee recognized.

MTSU continues to be a powerful economic engine for the region and the entire state of Tennessee, responsible for more than $1.42 billion in economic impact and almost 11,500 jobs statewide in 2021, according to an economic report released in 2022.

In addition, the report by the Business and Economic Research Center (BERC) in the Jones College of Business at MTSU showed that the University, as Murfreesboro’s second-largest employer (2,270 jobs), generates $143.6 million in local, state, and federal tax revenue—a significant rise from 2017’s $88 million.

In addition to being a top employer in the community, our University attracts top scholars from across the state, and our graduates overwhelmingly remain in our region and state to give back to their communities and in turn their local economies.

For example, in 2021, according to the BERC study, MTSU graduates accounted for nearly two in every five adults with bachelor’s or above educational attainment in Rutherford County, and one in every six adults with bachelor’s or above educational attainment in the Nashville MSA.

Also, in 2021, 90% of the almost 21,000 students at the University were from Tennessee, while 79% of MTSU alumni live in Tennessee.

In the words of Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Ralph Schulz, MTSU provides “a robust talent pipeline for employers whose primary concern right now is access to a skilled workforce.”

The BERC study also showed that MTSU brings nearly 300,000 people to Rutherford County each year. Visitors’ spending accounts for more than $60 million, and that translates to almost 800 jobs. These results happened despite the impact that the pandemic had on travel and cancellation of events in the study period.

Now in my 22nd year as president of this great University, I consider it a blessing to have presided over one of the most remarkable periods of growth and progress for our institution. Thanks to our individual and collaborative endeavors, the University has grown significantly in both student numbers and physical facilities, including more than $1.4 billion in recent construction and renovation projects.

Dr. Sidney A. McPhee, President