CLARKSVILLE and NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Before heading to Johnson City and Knoxville in East Tennessee in mid-October in the midst of the annual Middle Tennessee State University True Blue Tour to recruit prospective students, MTSU recently visited two of its nine Midstate stops — Nashville and Clarksville.

“Quality programs, a caring university, affordable. Visit MTSU — ranked as one of the best universities in the nation,” President Sidney A. McPhee shared with students at the Wilma Rudolph Event Center in Clarksville and a similar message at the recruitment stop at 14TENN event center in Nashville, the first of two Music City visits this fall.

For three months, MTSU administrators, advisors and staff travel to Tennessee and Alabama locations to showcase what the university has to offer — over 300 undergraduate and graduate degree majors and concentrations, nationally ranked programs and over $2 billion in academic facilities on the 550-acre campus in Murfreesboro in the past 20 years.

At tour stops, MTSU officials promote the upcoming Saturday, Nov. 1, True Blue Preview Day. To register for the free events in advance, go to www.mtsu.edu/rsvp. 

Keen Nashville interest

As an aspiring audio engineer, Nashville School of the Arts senior Miquel Hall is certain Middle Tennessee State University will put him on the right track to a career in the music industry.

“MTSU has the No. 1 audio engineering program — ever — and I’m wanting to pursue audio production as a job, so it seems like the perfect fit,” said Hall, 17, who won a $1,500 scholarship at the Nashville event.

Christine Silmon said her son, a talented percussionist and hopeful Band of Blue marching band member, had done his homework in planning for college.

“MTSU is the only college he’s ever wanted to attend. In the summer, he did Governor’s School (for the Arts) and was able to stay on campus and get the experience at MTSU, and it made him fall in love with it even more,” Silmon said. “I’m also glad he’s going to be close to home and close to me.”

Hall’s family was one of dozens who attended the nighttime reception. MTSU plans a return visit to Nashville on Tuesday, Oct. 28, at Gaylord Springs Golf Links, 18 Springhouse Lane, meeting with counselors and community college staff at a 12:30 p.m. luncheon and students at a free 6 p.m. reception.

Although seven students took home a total of $9,000 in scholarships, families learned about MTSU’s guaranteed scholarships based on student ACT and SAT scores and grades. There is a Dec. 1 deadline for seniors to apply and a new March 1, 2026, deadline for transfer students to apply.

“We are very generous with our scholarships,” said Kristen Janson, MTSU associate director of undergraduate recruitment. 

Early College High School student Camille Mells is well on her way to MTSU while earning college credits through the Metro Nashville Public Schools dual enrollment program at Nashville State Community College. She already has friends attending MTSU and loves the campus.

“MTSU is one of those schools that has all the things a big school has, but it’s still a small community,” Mells said. 

Joseph Dible, a senior at Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet School in Nashville, is drawn to the vibrant campus community as well.

“When it comes to my core values and how I feel about a unified community, I find MTSU to be very beneficial,” said 17-year-old Dible, who plans to major in theatre. “I was also pleasantly surprised at how many theatre programs there are and how many productions they have at MTSU. And the film and production program at MTSU has a lot of resources, materials and connections, which will be beneficial.”

MTSU: ‘My dream college’

Talia Morton, 18, a Clarksville Northeast senior and first of seven scholarship recipients Thursday, Oct. 2, in Clarksville, called MTSU “my dream college. I’m actually from the ’Boro. We moved here several years ago. I remember going to (Education Day) basketball games since the fourth grade.” She will study criminology and minor in psychology.

Attending with her grandmother, Janice Cleveland, West Creek High senior Amera Bell, 17, who is already admitted, will study psychology “because I want to become a criminal psychologist. I want to be in prisons and help rehabilitate people.”

Rossview senior Isabella Schelanko, 17, made it three in a row in wanting to pursue psychology.

Drawn to Aerospace’s unmanned aircraft systems program because “it’s renowned, very established, and there are a lot of opportunities after graduation,” Noah Wilcox, 17, a Rossview senior, said he has applied and been admitted for fall 2026. Wilcox, who has a 33 composite ACT and 4.0 GPA, spoke with Dean John Vile about Honors College opportunities.

Madyson Greene, 19, a sophomore anthropology major at the University of Tennessee-Martin, also talked to Vile about applying for a Buchanan Transfer Fellowship award. From Pleasant View, she is a graduate of Sycamore High School.

With The O’Jays’ 1973 pop song “For the Love of Money” playing in the background, MTSU awarded $7,700 in scholarships to seven Clarksville-area students. Earlier in the day, the university presented $60,000 in scholarships for counselors to give to their students.

Rossview: Dressed for success

Since MTSU began bringing the tour to Clarksville, Rossview High counselors have worn clothing that catches McPhee’s attention. 

Four counselors wore “I AM true BLUE” T-shirts this year, presented to them by a Jones College of Business advisor during a recruiting fair visit to their school.

“Every year, we’ve received extra scholarship amounts,” counselor Kim Underwood said. “We come to support our students. We love giving them scholarships. We’re very thankful to share this with them at the end of the school year during our senior awards’ banquet.”

Rossview and Clarksville High School, which sent the most students to MTSU this year, received $5,000 scholarships. The other schools received $2,500 scholarships.

Up next

MTSU visits Johnson City and Knoxville in back-to-back True Blue Tour visits on Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 15-16.

Tri-Cities-area students and their parents are invited to attend a free 6 p.m. EST Oct. 15 reception at The Carnegie Hotel, 1216 W. State of Franklin Road, in Johnson City.

MTSU officials will host a 12:30 p.m. EST luncheon for counselors and community college staff, followed by a 6 p.m. student reception at Bridgewater Place, 205 Bridgewater Road, in Knoxville on Oct. 16.

— Nancy DeGennaro (Nancy.DeGennaro@mtsu.edu) and Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)