JOHNSON CITY and KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — East Tennessee students considering where to spend the next chapter of their lives got a little taste of Middle Tennessee State University when the university’s True Blue Tour came to them — complete with academic possibilities, plenty of Blue Raider spirit and over $163,000 in scholarships at stops in Johnson City and Knoxville.

The excitement over winning a scholarship at the Johnson City student reception on Sept. 29 was evident for Elizabethton High School student Annabelle Light, who reacted to the news with a spontaneous hug for MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee after he presented it.

“Nobody has ever done that before,” said a smiling McPhee, who then tore up the novelty check card and increased the amount to $2,000 as her parents joined them on stage at the student reception held in the historic Carnegie Hotel, where a total of six students received a combined $7,500 in scholarships.

For three months, MTSU administrators, advisors and staff travel across Tennessee and into Alabama to showcase what the university has to offer — over 300 undergraduate and graduate degree majors and concentrations, nationally ranked programs and academic opportunities on the 550-acre Murfreesboro campus.

Big campus, small atmosphere

On Sept. 30, the True Blue Tour stop at Bridgewater Place in Knoxville brought MTSU representatives together with high school counselors and community college advisors for a luncheon, followed by an evening reception for students and their families where eight received a combined $8,500 in scholarships.

For many students, finding the right academic program was at the heart of the decision.

Aaliyah Roberts, a Powell High School student considering psychology, liked the flexibility MTSU offers. She was particularly interested in online courses.

“I’m thinking of doing my first semester online and seeing how I like it, how I like being in a dorm, and if I don’t like it, then I’ll just go all online,” Roberts said.

Roberts’ stepmother, Shayna Bass, said that flexibility could make MTSU a good fit.

“It was interesting that she could live on campus and do online,” Bass said.

Oak Ridge High School senior Gabrien Kanko, who attended with his mother, Christy Kanko, was drawn to MTSU by his interests in music education and came to learn more about opportunities in the School of Music.

“One of my priorities is being able to march drum corps,” Kanko said, adding that he already has connections with students and others who could help him pursue that interest.

For $1,000 scholarship winner Melanie Milliken, a senior at L&N STEM Academy in Knoxville, MTSU’s size and academic options made the university feel like the right fit.

“My mom (Pamela Milliken, Class of 1992) went to MTSU and raved about it. Then I toured the campus and I felt it was this perfect medium of a small, like a smaller school without it being too small,” said Milliken, who hopes to pursue MTSU’s 3+1 pathway, which can combine a bachelor’s degree with professional preparation in diagnostic medical sonography.

Academic offerings, facility improvements

During the luncheon and student receptions, McPhee emphasized those academic opportunities and pointed to plans for a campus hotel connected to the Tourism and Hospitality Management program and development of the MTSU Aerospace flight training facility, which is under construction at the Shelbyville Municipal Airport and will allow the popular program to continue expanding.

Scholarships are another important draw of the True Blue Tour stops. In addition to the $16,000 awarded directly to students, MTSU gave out $147,500 to 59 schools represented at the Knoxville counselor luncheon, with each school receiving a $2,500 scholarship to award to its students, bringing the total to $163,500.

Student success is a priority at MTSU, too.

Jonathan Curry, associate director of outreach for the Educational Research and Opportunity Center, or ERO, at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, said his program works closely with MTSU’s TRIO Student Support Services, a federally funded program that helps first-generation college students.

“We support them wherever their college journey takes them,” Curry said. “We’ve had a lot of success with MTSU.”

Alumna: ‘Take every opportunity’

That journey was also illustrated by MTSU alumna Taylor Pennington, now a reporter with Knoxville NBC affiliate WBIR-TV, who spoke at the Knoxville reception.

Pennington recalled entering MTSU determined to take advantage of every opportunity, including hands-on journalism experience and working with WBIR through the university’s partnership with the station.

“I made a promise to myself when I set foot on that campus that I was going to do everything,” Pennington said. “I was going to take every opportunity that I could.”

Her message echoed the larger purpose of the True Blue Tour: College is about more than selecting a major, but also about finding opportunities to explore and grow.

Priority application deadline for first-time incoming freshmen to qualify for guaranteed academic merit scholarships and special partnership programs is Dec. 1 and March 1 is the deadline for transfer students. Visit mtsu.edu/how-to-apply/ to apply.

Remaining 2026 True Blue Tour schedule

All events are free and walkups are welcome, although admissions staff encourage people to RSVP in advance at https://mtsu.edu/rsvp.

• Oct. 14 — The Westin Huntsville, 6800 Governors W., Huntsville, Alabama

• Oct. 21 — FedEx Event Center at Shelby Farms, 415 Great View Drive E. Ste 103, Memphis

• Oct. 22 — Jackson Country Club, 31 Jackson Country Club Drive, Jackson

• Oct. 26 – The Chattanoogan Hotel, 1201 Broad St., Chattanooga

• Oct. 29 — Blue Ribbon Circle Club, 1110 N Evans St., Shelbyville

• Nov. 2 — Gaylord Springs Golf Links, 18 Springhouse Lane, Nashville

• Nov. 5 — MTSU Student Union Ballroom, 1768 MTSU Blvd., Murfreesboro

The MTSU campus opens for prospective students and their families to visit campus for the True Blue Preview day on Nov. 14. MTSU also offers daily campus tours. For information, call 615-898-5670 or email [email protected].

— Nancy DeGennaro ([email protected])