MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University’s annual Forum on Growth and Regional Challenges will feature a panel of area mayors and business experts to discuss the challenges facing the region’s quality of life as well as a keynote from the head of Nashville’s booming airport. 

Set for March 21, the free annual event brings together community members and local experts to discuss the future of Middle Tennessee as it relates to the region’s population boom, its economic prosperity, and the pressures brought on by such growth. 

The forum will be held from 11 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Friday, March 21, in the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building, 516 Alma Mater Drive. While free and open to the public, space is limited, and RSVPs must be submitted online by Friday, March 14, at https://berc.mtsu.efdu/2025-forum-registration/. 

For off-campus visitors attending the event, Free parking will be available in the Rutherford lot, with a shuttle running continuously between 10 and 11:30 a.m. before the event and again after the event from 1 to 2 p.m.

Moderated by David Plazas — award-winning columnist from USA TODAY and the Tennessean — the forum will include a keynote address from Doug Kreulen, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, which is responsible for the Nashville International Airport. There will also be contributions from MTSU Provost Mark Byrnes and Stephanie Coleman, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce president. 

Plazas will also be moderating a mayors panel that will focus on how different communities navigate livability amidst the foundational changes of the region, exploring topics such as transportation, accessibility, and cooperation. Featured on this panel are:

• Michael Skipper: executive director of the Greater Nashville Regional Council and lead facilitator/advisor for the Middle Tennessee Mayors Caucus
• Paige Brown: Gallatin mayor 
• Randall Hutto: Wilson County mayor
• Chaz Molder: Columbia mayor 

“We have a powerful line up involving major stakeholders in Middle Tennessee to create a dialogue about major opportunities and challenges the region faces,” said Murat Arik, event organizer and chairholder for the MTSU Jennings and Rebecca Jones Chair of Excellence in Urban and Regional Planning. 

The forum is being co-hosted by MTSU’s Business and Economic Research Center and the Chair of Excellence in Urban and Regional Planning. Partner organizations are the nonprofit Cumberland Region Tomorrow and the Greater Nashville Regional Council.

Sponsors include the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, Ascend Federal Credit Union, Wilson Bank & Trust, and the Maury County Chamber and Economic Alliance.

For questions, please contact Arik at murat.arik@mtsu.edu.

About BERC

Since its establishment at Middle Tennessee State University in 1970, the Business and Economic Research Center, or BERC, has conducted research on the regional economy as a public service and on a contract basis for clients from the community. BERC has completed research projects for both MTSU and external clients on a variety of topics, including the economic impact of universities, regional population growth, and current trends in various industries.

For more information on BERC, visit https://www.mtsu.edu/berc/index.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/. 

— Josh Narrell, BERC graduate assistant (jpn3a@mtmail.mtsu.edu), contributed to this article.