New MTSU COE-URP scholars cohort targets livability solutions; new advisory members welcomed

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University’s Chair of Excellence in Urban and Regional Planning recently hosted the first meeting of its 2024-25 Scholars Program, welcoming the latest cohort of students who will focus on livability challenges in the region through multidisciplinary research and mentorship.

Dr. Joyce Heames, dean, Jennings A. Jones College of Business — Dr. Joyce Heames

Dr. Murat Arik, assistant professor of management, Jones College of Business, and director of the MTSU Business and Economic Research Center — Dr. Murat Arik

Jones College of Business Dean Joyce Heames, COE-URP staff, the chair’s advisory committee, faculty mentors, and the 10 chosen students gathered for the kickoff of the program’s second year. Session highlights included introducing three new members to the chair’s advisory committee, proposing this year’s challenge, and discussing the program’s structure and expectations.

The student cohort comprises Zach Burgess, Isabella Gilbert, Ashna Goel, Drew Hair, Aykut Iri, Kalistah Lawrence, Hannah Osborne, Syd Panak, Sreehari Sreejith, and Kayla Welker. Like the faculty, the students come from various backgrounds, including construction management, environmental science, accounting, finance, mathematics, business analytics, information systems, economics, marketing and data science.

Middle Tennessee State University finance major Aykut Iri, of Murfreesboro, Tenn., speaks at the first meeting of the newest cohort of students participating in the MTSU Chair of Excellence in Regional and Urban Planning’s Scholars Program inside the Business and Aerospace Building on the MTSU campus in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Iri is among 10 students in the newest cohort who will be working with faculty members to focus on livability challenges in the region through multidisciplinary research and mentorship. (MTSU photo by Andy Heidt)

Chairholder and Scholars Program Chair Murat Arik, an associate management professor, began by welcoming three new members to the advisory committee: Greg Lewis, CEO of the Tennessee Center for Family Business; Shelly Hazle, vice president of regional policy for the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce; and Miguel Vega, chief revenue officer of Nuestro Financial.

Murat Arik, second from right, holder of the Chair of Excellence in Regional and Urban Planning under the Jones College of Business at Middle Tennessee State University, meets recent with members of this year’s chair advisory committee inside the Business and Aerospace Building on the MTSU campus in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (MTSU photo by Andy Heidt)

Murat Arik, second from left, holder of the Chair of Excellence in Regional and Urban Planning under the Jones College of Business at Middle Tennessee State University, and Paul Martin, COE-URP Advisory Committee chair, second from right, are pictured with other advisory committee members, MTSU faculty and the latest cohort of students participating in the COE-URP Scholars Program, inside the Business and Aerospace Building on the MTSU campus in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (MTSU photo by Andy Heidt)

Paul Martin, chair of the advisory committee, then introduced the program members and outlined its challenge: to utilize academic research and community connection to solve livability challenges in the Middle Tennessee area. This includes topics such as housing, workforce development, and quality of life.

As detailed by Arik, the structure of the Scholars Program includes nine modules and six milestones to guide students through the research process, with the expectation that they will complete assigned readings before each module. By the end of the nine-month program, they will each write and present a research project on one aspect of livability in the region.

Dr. Steven Livingston, professor of political science & international relations and contributor to MTSU’s Business and Economic Research Center — Dr. Steven Livingston

Steven Livingston, associate director of the MTSU Business and Economic Research Center, then provided the student scholars with an overview of their upcoming research journey and a supplementary research handbook created by BERC staff.

Dr. Richard J. Tarpey, Department of Management — Dr. Richard Tarpey

The program features a group of three faculty mentors: Richard Tarpey, Ugur Orak and Livingston. They specialize in various fields, including management, economics, political science and sociology. These mentors will personally work with each student on their research projects.

The second module — sponsored by the Tennessee Housing Development Agency — will be held on Sept. 27 to introduce the students to research methods and housing challenges in the region. Livingston will cover an introduction to research and research questions/hypotheses.

For more information, visit www.mtsu.edu/urp/scholarsprogram.php.

About the COE-URP

The Jennings and Rebecca Jones Chair of Excellence in Urban and Regional Planning produces and disseminates information relevant to the planning needs and issues in the mid-state region. It encourages dialogue on these critical issues among area policymakers, opinion leaders, and the broader community of interest. For more information on COE-URP, visit https://mtsu.edu/urp/.

— Murat Arik (Murat.Arik@mtsu.edu) with contributions from Rima Abdallah (Rima.Abdallah@mtsu.edu)