By Katelynn Liedtke

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Representatives from Middle Tennessee State University recently appeared on WGNS radio to discuss the new director of the School of Nursing, the expansion of the esports team and the launch of the True Blue Character Blueprint initiative. 

The live “Action Line” segment with WGNS host Scott Walker was broadcast on FM 100.5 and 101.9 and AM 1450 from the WGNS studio in downtown Murfreesboro. You can listen to the podcast from the Sept. 21 program by clicking here.

Guests for the program, in order of appearance, included: 

• Dr. Bethany Rhoten, the new director of the School of Nursing, discusses her new role within the university. Rhoten succeeds Jenny Sauls, who has led the school since 2013. Rhoten said her job now is to support faculty as they educate future nurses and to support student nurses through their time at MTSU. 

Rhoten was a nurse for 18 years before taking on this role, with experience working in a medical-surgical environment and an intensive care unit. She also spent 11 years as a professor of nursing at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Prior to Vanderbilt, she attended the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, where she earned her undergraduate degree in biology in 2009. She later returned to get her doctorate in 2013.

Rhoten, in her eighth week as director, said she is stepping into a position where things are in a good place. MTSU nursing students had a 100% passing rate on their certification exams, and Rhoten praises the excellent faculty at MTSU who helped them get there. 

• Richard Lewis, associate professor of animation and esports coordinator, and Kyle Greaney, the vice president for the MTSU Esports club, discuss the growth of the Esports club and the ribbon cutting on the new Level Up Arena. 

Esports, or competitive video gaming, is a growing industry and is becoming a viable career choice for students, with some jobs starting at $150,000 a year.

Lewis and Greaney discuss the growth of MTSU Esports, which led to the need for a larger facility. Originally located on the second floor of the Student Union, the club has quickly outgrown its space, prompting the opening of the new Level Up Arena on the ground floor. The space is open to all students, but also houses dedicated competition rooms. There are now three competitive “bays,” each with seven computers designed to hold six players and one coach’s stand.

The room was also created as a hangout space for casual players and to host gaming events, such as weekly Nintendo Smash Bros. games. Lewis and Greaney hope the new space will raise awareness of esports amongst the campus and wider community. 

• Dr. Leah Tolbert Lyons, dean of the MTSU College of Liberal Arts, discusses the launch of the True Blue Character Blueprint initiative. 

The initiative, sponsored by a Character Capacity-Building grant provided by the Educating Character Initiative at Wake Forest University, was created to bring faculty, staff and students together to explore what character means at MTSU. 

Lyons explains that the purpose of the initiative is to start a conversation about what True Blue Character is and establish a common language across campus. The movement of character education aims to instill traits in students such as having a good work ethic, leadership, integrity and accountability. 

Students, faculty and staff who are interested in guesting on WGNS to promote their MTSU-related activities should contact Jimmy Hart, senior director of communications in the MTSU Office of News and Media Relations, at 615-898-5131 or via email at [email protected].

Journalism major Katelynn Liedtke is a practicum student in the Office of News and Media Relations. Reach her at [email protected].