MTSU business student Justin Johnson created the winning logo design that will now represent the MT Engage curriculum enhancement plan for the entire university.

Student Justin Johnson, right, stands with MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee next to Johnson’s winning logo design during the Nov. 6 kickoff for MT Engage, the university’s next Quality Enhancement Plan, on the Student Union Commons. (MTSU photo by Andy Heidt)

A logo contest was part of the Nov. 6 kickoff for MT Engage, which is the theme for the university’s newest Quality Enhancement Plan, or QEP.

The QEP is an accreditation review requirement every 10 years by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, the regional accreditation body for higher education institutions in the South.

MT Engage encourages students to “engage academically, learn exponentially (and) showcase yourself.” Logo contest entries had to incorporate that tagline into the design.

The top three entries were displayed at the Nov. 6 kickoff at the Student Union Commons, and votes were collected from the campus community that day.

“I decided to enter the contest because it was a great opportunity to exhibit creativity and for students to get involved on our campus,” said Johnson, a Jones College of Business computer information systems major from Memphis.

“After reading the description of the program, I was even more enthused by its values. Engaging academically, learning at an exponential rate and showcasing yourself is exactly what it takes to have a healthy start to a career path after college.

“I utilized my vision to portray these aspects, and I’m truly honored to be the winner.”

The contest and kickoff were planned and executed by a student team from professor Tricia Farwell’s fall advertising campaigns class in the College of Mass Communication.

Johnson’s logo competed against designs by students Grace Mueller and Brian Scocchio; the finalists received gift cards for their efforts.

Johnson’s design features a silhouette of a group of students linked arm-in-arm, surrounded by a laurel wreath with the blue MT logo in the center.

He said the students symbolize the engagement as they learn and grow with each another, while the wreath symbolizes victory, “which is not only the student’s achievement of a college degree, but also truly achieving the college experience utilizing the values under ‘Engage.’”

MT Engage will emphasize “active learning and critical reflection” as a part of students’ learning beginning with the freshman year.

The initiative will focus on general education engagement as well as students using an e-portfolio to demonstrate knowledge, skills and abilities gained over the college experience.

The QEP, which is still being developed by a committee and subcommittees representing a cross-section of faculty, staff and students, is chaired by Dr. Dianna Rust, an associate professor in university studies. The plan will need to be implemented in time for the SACS on-campus review in spring 2016.

MT Engage follows the university’s previous reaffirmation initiative, the Experiential Learning, or EXL, program, which emphasized hands-on activities and public service as an integral part of a student’s learning experience during their junior and senior years.

MT Engage seeks to expand on the EXL concept by engaging students earlier during their freshman and sophomore years.

For more information about MTSU’s QEP, visit www.mtsu.edu/QEP or contact Rust at 615-898-5325.

— Jimmy Hart (jimmy.hart@mtsu.edu)