As MTSU moves forward with its latest Quality Enhancement Plan, MT Engage, administrative staff for the program now have a new office location where students can stop by to get questions answered and access support services.

MT Engage recently held an open house at this new office space inside the James Union Building, Room 306, where it will be staffed from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Lexy Denton, assistant director of MT Engage, is shown inside her new office on the third floor of the James Union Building. (MTSU photo by Jimmy Hart)

Dr. Mary Hoffschwelle, a professor of history and faculty fellow director of MT Engage, said the new space is important for moving the QEP forward. With a motto of “engage academically, learn exponentially, showcase yourself,” MT Engage encourages students to not only think in a more integrative way about their academics but to reflect on their experiences inside and outside of the classroom from the time they set foot on campus.

“It not only provides workspace for our MT Engage staff … but it also provides a place where faculty and students can come to talk with us about MT Engage courses, what they’re learning in these courses and what they need to do with what they’re learning,” Hoffschwelle said.

Staffing the office will be Lexy Denton, assistant director of MT Engage with responsibilities for MT Engage experiences initiatives, student outreach and recognitions, and marketing and communications for the program; and secretary Jayme Brunson.

Denton says students should stop by the office to learn more about scholarship applications and upcoming workshops, such as an “MT Engage Basics” e-Portfolio workshop for students that will be held at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 23, in the James E. Walker Library, Room 364-A. The workshop is being hosted by the University Writing Center.

A key aspect of MT Engage is an e-Portfolio created by students throughout their academic careers. These electronic documents could be critical for students in marketing themselves as they prepare to pursue a career or graduate degree.

Dr. Dianna Rust, left, QEP Committee chair, and Dr. Mary Hoffschwelle, a professor of history and faculty fellow director of MT Engage, are shown at the Feb. 15 open house at the new MT Engage office inside the James Union Building, Room 3016. (MTSU photo by Jimmy Hart)

The mission of MT Engage is to create opportunities for students “to become physically and psychologically involved in productive learning activities.”

Like others in attendance at the Feb. 15 open house, Dr. Dianna Rust, QEP Committee chair, was all smiles as she reflected on the campuswide planning process to get the QEP launched and the progress already being made. Almost 1,900 students were enrolled during fall semester in MT Engage courses.

The QEP is a requirement by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, or SACSCOC, the regional accreditation body for higher education institutions in the South.

“This dedicated space will help us as we really begin to work more one-on-one with students as they develop their e-Portfolios,” Rust said. “But also for faculty, who are thinking about putting MT Engage into their classes and connecting our learning outcome of integrative and reflective thinking, (they) now have a place they can come and meet with the staff and talk about aligning their courses.”

For more information about MT Engage, visit mtsu.edu/mtengage. Email mtengage@mtsu.edu or call 615-904-8281.

— Jimmy Hart (jimmy.hart@mtsu.edu)