MTSU will be closed Monday, Jan. 18, for the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday.

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. addresses a crowd from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, where he delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech during the Aug. 28, 1963, march on Washington, D.C. MTSU students and others will celebrate King’s work during a Jan. 18 candlelight vigil at 6 p.m. in the Keathley University Theater. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Defense Archives)

The university will reopen at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19, with all business offices and departments open until 4:30 p.m.

MTSU students and faculty, who have been on winter break, return to begin spring semester classes Tuesday.

Monday night from 6 to 7 in the Keathley University Center Theater, members of the MTSU community will conduct a celebration and candlelight vigil to highlight the contributions made by King and his wife, Coretta Scott King.

Presented by the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and the MTSU Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs, the free event is open to the public.

The ceremony will consist of presentations by Alpha Phi Alpha members and Bishop Chris Johnson, pastor of Zion Christian Ministries in Murfreesboro, as well as performances from the Generation of Praise Gospel Choir, the MTSU Dance Theatre, current students and more.

King’s actual birthday was Jan. 15, 1929. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed into law a bill to create an official federal holiday honoring King, and in 1992, President George H.W. Bush declared that the holiday would be observed on the third Monday in January each year.

To find the KUC, located at 1524 Military Memorial, and nearby parking, a printable campus map is available at http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParking2015-16.

For more information, contact Daniel Green at 615-898-5812. Green is the new director for Intercultural and Diversity Affairs.

During the holiday weekend:

• The James E. Walker Library will be closed Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 16-17.
• The Student Union will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Jan. 16, closed Jan. 17 and open from noon to 8 p.m. Jan. 18.
• Campus Recreation Center will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Jan. 16 and 2-7 p.m. Jan. 17, and closed Jan. 18.

— Randy Weiler and Gina K. Logue (news@mtsu.edu)