MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — A reflective Middle Tennessee State University President Sidney A. McPhee praised the steadfast support of his late wife and the teamwork of his many talented colleagues to move the institution forward in delivering his 26th and final State of the University Address at the traditional Fall Faculty Meeting held Thursday, Aug. 20, in Tucker Theatre to kick off the new academic year.

Announcing earlier this year that he would retire at the end of the year, McPhee told the hundreds of faculty, staff, administrators and visitors in attendance that he recalled the nerves and excitement of giving that first address after taking the helm in August 2001 and how he “wanted our community to feel just how special this institution is — and how truly meaningful it is to our faculty and students, our alumni, and to the state of Tennessee.”

“It was a challenge that my late wife, Liz, and I were excited to undertake together. We approached it as a true team, drawing strength from each other and from our shared belief in this university,” he said. “Her steady encouragement and the heart she brought to everything we did shaped our work in ways I will always carry with me.”

His wife of 45 years, MTSU First Lady Elizabeth “Liz” McPhee passed away in January at age 72 following a brief illness.

As the university’s 10th president, McPhee has overseen over $2.5 billion in capital investment that continues to transform the 500-acre campus; has directed academic initiatives to greatly expand course offerings to prepare the workforce of the future; and managed the limited resources available to public higher education institutions to keep MTSU the most affordable large university in the state, attracting top scholars from around world.

McPhee was proud to reveal that for the eighth straight year, MTSU was one of the five Tennessee colleges and universities named among the best 392 colleges and universities in the nation by the prestigious Princeton Review, joining Vanderbilt, Rhodes College, Sewanee: The University of the South, and University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

“So let me just say that the MTSU you see today — a nationally respected leader in higher education — is the direct result of the hard work, dedication, and, yes, even love, that each of us has given to this wonderful university,” McPhee said. “So please, accept my gratitude for all that you do each and every day to assure that MTSU will maintain its place as Tennessee’s best university.”

You can watch McPhee’s full address and full Fall Faculty Meeting below:

As universities across the country grapple with enrollment challenges, McPhee also advocated for the value of a college education in general, announcing results of national study by MTSU Business and Economic Research Center led by Director Murat Arik showing that “a clear and compelling conclusion has emerged. … Each additional year of higher education directly leads to a 13.9% increase in wages.”

“The study, which analyzed more than 20 million individual worker records and spans dates from nearly two decades of economic changes, isolates the true causal impact of postsecondary education on income. The message from this study, which we will share today with our sister institutions across the state and nation, is clear: Investment in human capital pays.”

MTSU ‘well‑positioned for its next chapter’

Part of that investment in students includes the ongoing upgrades and renovations to universities facilities to enhance their educational experience, including: 

• Plans are underway to renovate the third floor of the James E. Walker Library to house the archives of former Senate Majority Leader, Dr. Bill Frist.  
• A combined $54.3 million in recently completed renovations to Kirksey Old Main and Rutledge Hall, with Kirksey housing the Mathematics, Computer Science, Data Science and Actuarial Science programs in the College of Basic and Applied Sciences and Rutledge becoming the new home of University Studies Department.
• A planned on-campus hotel project is moving forward, with the ground lease approved by the State Building Commission on June 11 and construction completion estimated in late 2028. The four-story hotel with 120 guestrooms will not only serve guests visiting campus, but also provide experiential learning opportunities for MTSU students in various programs, including hospitality and tourism management.
• Construction continues on the $27 million project on the east side of campus to build the five-story Womack Commons student residence and nearby parking structure, with Womack Commons completion expected in fall 2027 and the parking structure by next spring. The new student housing building containing 150 units and 554 beds while the parking project will provide approximately 550 new parking spaces.
• A $7.7 million upgrade is ongoing for the Beasley Hall student residential facility on the southwest side of campus.
• A $16.5 million renovation is planned at Floyd Stadium, estimated to be completed by next summer, that includes structural repairs as well as renovation and replacement of a portion of the west grandstand bleachers.
• Renovations will continue at Murphy Center, a $72 million project.

In introducing McPhee, Provost Mark Byrnes noted the many times over the years that he’s recited McPhee’s bio and the litany of  accomplishments during his tenure — briefly joking that “sometimes in the middle of the night, I bolt upright and randomly recite passages from his bio” to a chorus of laughter from the knowing crowd.

“One line in particular stands out to me. ‘He has presided over one of the most remarkable periods of growth and progress in the institution’s history.’ I don’t think anybody can reasonably argue with that assessment,” Byrnes said. “Very little on this campus occurs solely through the work of administrators. All of these achievements resulted from the collective work of people across campus, along with the support from the state and our governing bodies. But it still takes leadership to achieve such things, and Sidney McPhee provided it.”

McPhee plans to return to the classroom as a professor in the College of Education after taking time off for a few years.

In closing out his final address, after which he received an extended standing ovation, McPhee simply said: “Serving as president of Middle Tennessee State University has been the greatest honor of my professional life. After 25 years leading this remarkable institution, I am confident that MTSU is well‑positioned for its next chapter.”

MTSU’s 2026-27 academic year begins Monday, Aug. 24, with the first day of classes for the fall semester.

— Jimmy Hart ([email protected])