MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee outlined challenges ahead in the 2013-14 academic year and said “nothing is more important than … ensuring our students’ academic success.”‘

McPhee, speaking Aug. 23 at the Fall Faculty Meeting that launches each new academic year at MTSU, said Tennessee’s taxpayers, plus news reports that put Tennessee in the bottom three of U.S. ACT scores, have made the university’s priority clear.

Even with statewide and national accolades for its efficiency in creating college graduates, he said, MTSU’s continued success depended on its “ability to help our students earn a college degree that enriches their lives and prepares them for a career.”

“These students are our responsibility, and we must discover and develop new innovative ways to help them be successful, instead of whining about who they are,” McPhee told faculty.

You can read more about the 2013 Fall Faculty Meeting at http://mtsunews.com/mcphee-fall-faculty-address-fall2013. You also can read a downloadable version of McPhee’s address at http://tinyurl.com/MTMcPheeFallFacAddress2013.