MTSU recruiting tour scholarships provide rays of hope for prospective East TN students

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — JoEllen M. DuBose said Knoxville-area social services departments classify her living situation as sheltering or homeless because she sleeps on her father’s couch.

So, when Middle Tennessee State University President Sidney A. McPhee called the Knoxville resident’s name out as the recipient of a $2,000 scholarship, the 53-year-old aspiring nurse was overjoyed: “Tt means a lot. … This scholarship will help me.”

Middle Tennessee State University President Sidney A. McPhee, left, presents JoEllen M. DuBose of Knoxville, Tenn., with a $2,000 scholarship the aspiring nursing student can use to attend MTSU starting next year. The university provided $15,000 in financial aid to 10 Knoxville-area students attending the Oct. 2 True Blue Tour event at The Foundry on the Fair Site and more than $192,000 for counselors and community college staff to award to their students. (MTSU photo by Andrew Oppmann)

DuBose, who has three grown children and four grandchildren, was one of 10 East Tennessee students whose names were randomly drawn to receive scholarships during the annual MTSU True Blue Tour visit Wednesday, Oct. 2, at The Foundry on the Fair Site.

The tour is part of a three-month, 12-city visit by McPhee, Provost Mark Byrnes, deans, admissions recruiters, advisors and other staff — and even MTSU mascot Lightning — to recruit future Blue Raiders for 2025 and beyond.

To register for future tour stops in Huntsville, Alabama, Oct. 17; Atlanta, Georgia, Oct. 21; Chattanooga Oct. 22; Memphis and Jackson Oct. 28-29; Nashville Nov. 7; and Wilson County/Lebanon Nov. 21, go to https://www.mtsu.edu/rsvp.

“I’m blessed. My life’s been unreal,” said DuBose, a certified nursing assistant since 1999 who lived in a car with a daughter and grandson from 2021 until moving in with her father. “I always put me on the back burner. My children are grown. It’s time for me.”

DuBose wanted to enroll at MTSU in August, but she needed to live in campus housing and none was available. “My ultimate goal is to get through the nursing program,” she added.

With “assistance” from Blue Raider mascot Lightning, left, Amanda Hansel and her son, Jefferson County High School senior Wayne Hansel, of Dandridge, Tenn., browse through a Middle Tennessee State University College of Basic and Applied Sciences brochure Wednesday, Oct. 2, during the annual MTSU True Blue Tour stop at The Foundry on the Fair Site in Knoxville, Tenn. More than 100 students and their parents took in the event, learning about MTSU’s many offerings in nine colleges within the university. (MTSU photo by Randy Weiler)

Holding “big checks” indicating scholarships they received when their names were called during a drawing, 10 Knoxville-area high school and community college students are shown with Middle Tennessee State University President Sidney A. McPhee, center, during the MTSU True Blue Tour visit to Knoxville, Tenn., Wednesday, Oct. 2, at The Foundry on the Fair Site. From left, recipients include JoEllen M. DuBose, Carolina Haywood, Toby Aurelic, Elizabeth “Paige” Hooder, Kiera Barnes, James Elliott Swann, Jadeyn Pendergrass, Ivan Colwell, Gabriella Trujillo and Jackson Zubra. (MTSU photo by Randy Weiler)

On track for Buchanan Fellowship

Ivan Colwell, 17, of Maryville, a William Blount High School senior, plans to apply for one of 20 University Honors College Buchanan Fellowships — the best scholarship offered to incoming freshmen each year and named for the late James Buchanan, a 1940 MTSU graduate and 1986Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences recipient.

“I like how everybody responds to my emails and my questions,” said Colwell, who has a 3.7 GPA (4.0 weighted) and 30 ACT score and plans to study political science or philosophy. “I love how MTSU provides scholarships (his was the last name drawn for a $1,000 scholarship), opportunities and (small) class size. There are a lot of colleges in Tennessee, but from what I’ve heard, MTSU is the best.”

Colwell and girlfriend Holly Chambers, 17, a William Blount senior with a 30 ACT and 3.5 weighted GPA, plan to visit MTSU on Tuesday, Oct. 8.

Middle Tennessee State University President Sidney A. McPhee touts undergraduate programs, student success, caring faculty, campus safety and “the academic quality you get at MTSU, you can match with any in the nation” to an audience of prospective students and their parents during the MTSU True Blue Tour visit to Knoxville, Tenn., Wednesday, Oct. 2, at The Foundry on the Fair Site. (MTSU photo by Andrew Oppmann)

McPhee, MTSU messages

Tony Strode, MTSU undergraduate admissions director — Tony Strode

Sidney A. McPhee, MTSU President — Dr. Sidney A. McPhee

McPhee touted 300 undergraduate programs, student success, caring faculty and staff, campus safety and “the academic quality you get at MTSU, you can match with any in the nation,” he said, adding that MTSU being among The Princetown Review’s top 390 colleges and universities, the Wall Street Journal’s top 400 and Forbes business magazine’s best 350 schools are rankings prospective students and their parents should consider.

At both the counselor luncheon and student reception, Tony Strode, director of Undergraduate Admissions, shared about the Dec. 1 deadline for qualifying students to apply for guaranteed scholarships and upcoming True Blue Preview campus Saturday visit days: Nov. 2 and Feb. 8 and March 22, 2025. MTSU will host a new Admitted Student Day, which gives future Blue Raiders a time to meet with advisors and faculty to get a head start on orientation to learn about academic programs.

To register, visit https://www.mtsu.edu/rsvp.

Alumni broadcasters make waves

Sarah Oppmann, a 2023 jMTSU ournalism/theatre alumna who’s now a multiskilled journalist at NBC affiliate WBIR-TV — Sarah Oppmann

Sarah Oppmann, a 2023 journalism/theatre alumna who’s now a multiskilled journalist at NBC affiliate WBIR-TV, spoke at the lunchtime counselors/community college event where McPhee and the university provided more than $194,000 in scholarships to representatives from more than 70 schools.

“We had a lot of amazing opportunities at MTSU and I wouldn’t be here in Knoxville working as a reporter without those opportunities,” said Oppmann, who cited campus TV station MT10 newscasts, radio, theater productions, sorority and more on her MTSU resume. “MTSU is a great school. It’s small classes and lots of opportunities. I hope some students from Knoxville will make their way to Murfreesboro.”

Katie Inman, MTSU alumna and WBIR reporter and weekend anchor — Katie Inman

WBIR live field anchor and evening anchor Katie Inman, another MTSU alumna, spoke during the evening student event, telling students they “need to take a tour and you’ll fall in love with MTSU like I did. I received hands-on experiences inside and outside the classroom. The professors are really knowledgeable, showing you what life is like after college.” She also learned at the student-run TV station.

Counselor Joe McPherson of Johnson City, received a $5,000 scholarship to award to Science Hill High School students — a reward for being the top feeder school in the region. — Joe McPherson

During the luncheon, counselor Joe McPherson of Johnson City, received a $5,000 scholarship to award to Science Hill High School students — a reward for being the top feeder school in the region. Nearly 10 Science Hill 2024 graduates are MTSU freshmen.

“Johnson City was not affected from the hurricane (Helene) like Unicoi, Carter and Greene counties,” McPherson said. “We split the $2,500 scholarship last year. How many more students are going to be impacted (this year)? We’ve got plenty of kids who need this.”

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)