UPDATE: MTSU cancels Oct. 1 Johnson City True Blue Tour stop due to Helene impact; Oct. 2 Knoxville still set

Ryleigh Brown, left, a senior at Dobyns-Bennett High School in Kingsport, Tenn., learns about scholarship opportunities and more and receives a lanyard from Meredith Wright, enrollment coordinator for the Middle Tennessee State University Admissions Office in October 2023 during the university’s True Blue Tour recruiting event at the Carnegie Hotel in Johnson City, Tenn. MTSU returns to East Tennessee, with tour visits Tuesday, Oct. 1 in Johnson City and Wednesday, Oct. 2, in Knoxville. (MTSU photo by Randy Weiler)

Updated Monday, Sept. 30

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University announced Monday, Sept. 30, that it is canceling its scheduled Tuesday, Oct. 1, True Blue Tour stop in Johnson City due to the ongoing impacts and recovery from Hurricane Helene in and around the East Tennessee community.

“Our hearts go out to those impacted by the devastating floods in East Tennessee,” said MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee, who leads the annual tour to recruit prospective students. “We will reach out to high school principals and counselors in the Johnson City area on how best to get information about MTSU to our prospective students.”

The True Blue Tour will still bring a charter bus full of admissions recruiters, advisors staff and administrators from Murfreesboro to to Knoxville on Wednesday, Oct. 2, with hundreds of high school, homeschool and transfer students expected to attend the free two-hour event.

Middle Tennessee State University President Sidney A. McPhee addresses the audience of prospective high school and transfer students and their families attending the annual True Blue Tour recruiting event in October 2023 at The Foundry on the Fair Site in Knoxville, Tenn., where this year’s tour event will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2. (MTSU file photo by Andrew Oppmann)

The Knoxville stop will be at The Foundry on the Fair Site, 747 World’s Fair Park Drive where MTSU will court dozens of high school counselors and community college staff during a 12:30 p.m. luncheon and a 6 p.m. reception for students and their parents.

MTSU will visit 12 cities this year as university personnel make their best pitches to land outstanding freshmen and transfer students for the 2025 academic year and beyond.

Sidney A. McPhee, MTSU President — Dr. Sidney A. McPhee

McPhee, Provost Mark Byrnes and college deans will lead the group that’s touting 300 undergraduate programs — including aerospace, recording industry, media arts, nursing and more — and answering students’ and parents’ questions.

McPhee said the tour “is truly one of my favorite times of the year. I enjoy meeting students and their parents. It also gives us the opportunity to engage with counselors and community college staff, and we’re able to connect with alumni, too.”

McPhee and the university will be giving scholarships — part of $1 million in financial aid being awarded this fall during the tour alone — to students and to counselors and community college staff to award to students planning to attend MTSU.

MTSU staff will be inviting them to attend the Saturday, Nov. 2, True Blue Preview on the MTSU campus or the Feb. 8 or March 22, 2025, preview days, with the normal $25 application waived on those days. MTSU leaders will also share about the Dec. 1 deadline to apply to receive a guaranteed scholarship for those who qualify.

On Feb. 22, MTSU will host a new Admitted Student Day, which gives future Blue Raiders a time to meet with advisors and faculty to get a jump on orientation to learn about academic programs.

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)