MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Congratulatory bouquets, balloons, cards and thousands of proud family, friends and supporters were again on full display at Middle Tennessee State University’s Murphy Center on Saturday, Dec. 14 — as almost 1,600 new alumni crossed the stage of Hale/Earle Arena to accept their degrees during 2024 fall commencement ceremonies.

Planning to apply for medical school in May 2025 in hopes of becoming an OB-GYN someday, graduate Hannah Harris of Kingston was among those accepting degrees during the first of two ceremonies honoring graduate students and undergrads in the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, College of Behavioral and Health Sciences and College of Education.

Harris said she has enjoyed the total MTSU True Blue experience.

“I loved it so much,” said Harris, 21, who earned her bachelor’s in chemistry with minors in biology, psychology and Honors — and 4.0 GPA, graduating summa cum laude. “I was in the Band of Blue three years. I made a lot of friends.” 

With dual-enrollment credits from Roan State Community College, she entered MTSU as an Honors College Buchanan Fellow (full scholarship), was in Alpha Omega Pi sorority, was a student orientation assistant, Panhellenic recruitment counselor and conducted chemistry and biology research projects.

As for the med school opportunity, Harris said she “will find out where I’ll be in 2026. I’m trying to get a clinical experience. I’ll likely move out of state and experience something else … whatever medical school takes me.”

‘Who knows you?’

Encouraging Harris and other graduates in the morning ceremony was alumna and this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award recipient Peggy Chabrian, a longtime aviation enthusiast and educator who is the founder of Women in Aviation International and served as its president and CEO for 25 years. 

Holding up a framed photo of herself receiving her master’s degree in aerospace education from then MTSU President Sam Ingram in 1980, Chabrian shared how she walked across the Murphy Center stage twice in the same year after earning her bachelor’s in aviation management in spring then taking advantages of scholarships over the summer and fall — along with a very heavy course load — to earn her master’s in aerospace education that fall. 

“Many of the things I learned at MTSU were instrumental in my flying experiences, my own university teaching and administration experiences and played a significant part in the formation of the nonprofit organization I founded, Women in Aviation International, “ she said. “MTSU is the special place where the first glow of enthusiasm grew for aviation education.”

Chabrian, who went on to earn her Ed.D. degree from the University of Tennessee in 1985, offered the new graduates a number of tips to effectively navigate their lives beyond the university using the acronym SUCCESS, with “U” referring to the importance of “utilizing” the networking resources the university offers such as the MTSU Alumni Association, Career Development Center, as well as faculty and professional associations.

“These are all networks currently available to you. Use them,” she said. “You may have heard, ‘it’s not just what you know but who you know that counts.’ And I would add, the most important is ‘who knows you?’ … So get involved. You may not realize it, but people are watching.”

In congratulatory remarks before Chabrian, McPhee pointed to the significant economic impact that MTSU graduates have on the entire state, with a recent university study showing Blue Raider alumni — 70% of graduates remain in the state — contribute over $15.2 billion in business revenue across the state over the course of a year.

“For more than a century, so many have come to MTSU to find purpose and direction and to change the trajectory of their lives for the better,” he said. “We provide unparalleled opportunities to students from all walks of life.”

‘Play the long game’

The afternoon ceremony celebrated graduate students and undergrads in the Jennings A. Jones College of Business, College of Liberal Arts, College of Media and Entertainment and University College. 

Sharing remarks was alumnus Byron Smith (Class of 1984), managing director of the Mountain Group Partners who began his career in brand management and marketing before eventually moving to Silicon Valley where, as a senior executive at Asurion, he led the company’s headquarters relocation to Nashville.

A first-generation college student like many MTSU students, Smith was active during his time on campus in the Honors program, double majoring in economics and political science while being honored as the university’s Outstanding Student in Economics and as a Most Outstanding Senior. 

He told the graduates he specifically asked the university administration to allow him to address the afternoon ceremony due to the academic colleges represented that mirrored his own liberal arts background as well his business track in addition to taking courses in mass communications (now the College of Media and Entertainment.) “Your journey is exactly my journey … Yes, I was a little all over the board.” 

But Smith, who went on to earn his M.B.A. from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago, pointed to that curiosity and the benefit of his liberal arts education at MTSU as greatly helping him have successful careers across a variety of industries where he initially had little knowledge but a strong willingness to learn and grow.

His advice to Saturday’s graduates was to “play the long game.”

“When you leave here, don’t get paralyzed by the question, ‘what am I going to do for the rest of my life?’ If you think you know, you’re wrong,” he said. “Stop, take the pressure off yourself. You’re trying to figure out three years … all that matters is that you work with and for great people. That you prioritize working for a great company. Don’t chase the early money. Play the long game.”

Smith also told graduates they should focus on their strengths, not their weaknesses. “… At the end of the day, your giftedness is what will make you successful.”

Chabrian offered another layer to that advice earlier.

“Successful people have clearly defined values and principles. They know what is right or wrong for them, personally,” Chabrian said. “… By establishing this code of conduct, they know when they have wandered off course and, more importantly, they know how to get back on course. They have the courage of their convictions.”

The 1,597 graduates for the fall ceremonies included 1,322 undergraduates and 275 graduate students, including 241 master’s recipients, 21 education-specialist recipients and 13 doctoral recipients. In addition, eight graduate students received graduate certificates, and 16 undergraduate students received undergraduate certificates, according to the university’s Registrar’s Office.

Access an electronic PDF version of the commencement program here.

With the fall 2024 commencement ceremony and now in its 114^th academic year, MTSU has awarded approximately 187,700 degrees to its students, including associate, bachelor’s, master’s, education-specialist and doctoral degrees, since its 1911 founding.

MTSU fall semester classes ended Wednesday, Dec. 4. Final examinations concluded Thursday, Dec. 12, with the official end of the fall semester. The university will be closed Dec. 23 until Jan. 2. Winter Session runs Dec. 23 to Jan. 16. The spring 2025 full-term classes begin Tuesday, Jan. 22.

For updates on MTSU anytime, visit https://mtsu.edu or https://MTSUNews.com. 

— Jimmy Hart (Jimmy.Hart@mtsu.edu) and Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)