MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — As Middle Tennessee State University’s new academic year gets underway, Student Government Association President Michai Mosby has already been hard at work welcoming students back to campus.

“They call me Mr. MTSU,” joked the 21-year-old senior, who is heading into his second term as SGA president.

Throughout the year, you’re likely to see the Memphis native actively participating in events, whether it’s leading a chant at an athletic game, engaging in activities at a campus function or simply chatting with other students.

“Michai is the epitome of a servant leader,” said Khalilah Doss, the newly minted vice president for the Division of Student Affairs and dean of students. “His desire to elevate the voices of students, and to leave MTSU better than he found it is clear.”

While many college seniors are solely focused on the end game, Mosby has decided to continue serving his university community at the highest capacity while finishing up his bachelor’s degree.

“I don’t take it lightly, the responsibility that representing people holds and it’s something I enjoy because I look forward to speaking up for people who have not had the position to do that for themselves. I love serving people,” said Mosby, who juggles three jobs — including an internship at a local church — while pursuing a double major in political science and public relations.

He stays busy and he’s set more goals for the coming year at MTSU.

“Last year my vision was to create opportunities for us to be unified. I feel like I’ve done a great job unifying our student government with departments across campus, with different organizations and the administration,” said Mosby, who was honored as Youth for the Year for the 2024 NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet.

This year his biggest goals can be summed up with two words: action and inclusion.

“We’re reimagining what student engagement looks like,” Mosby said. “How can we put student in better positions? How can we encourage the student body to be engaged?”

This year’s welcome-back activities looked a little different. Instead of the Student Union Commons, festivities moved to the knoll outside Keathley University Center and were planned with a “holistic point of view.”

“The student activities were remodeled and based on a student feedback survey we did last year. We’re being mindful of the different ways we can accommodate students and embrace everyone to make them feel they are supported,” Mosby said. “Some of our students love coming to events, but they also have noise sensitivity and wonder, ‘What’s there for me?’ So we wanted to give them more options so everyone can feel comfortable. We wanted to figure out how to best serve everyone.”

He is also excited about the two most visible newcomers on campus: Doss, who has worked closely with Mosby over the summer preparing for the academic year, and new Blue Raider football head coach Derek Mason, who kicks off the season at 6 p.m. Saturday,  Aug. 31, with a home game against Tennessee Tech University at Floyd Stadium.

“Dr. Doss has a very big heart for connecting with students, and I want to introduce her to as many students as possible as she leads our Student Affairs Division,” Mosby said. “And it’s also important our students support our new football coach as he works to better our football program, as he has a vision and he’s big on student engagement.”

Mosby will also play a key role in a new football pregame tradition launching this year called Party in the Grove. Held in and around the Walnut Grove area next to Peck Hall, the new event will feature a performance stage for bands, artists and DJs, as well as food trucks and several new sponsor tents and activities.

Mosby and Blue Zoo President Bretlyn Warner will emcee the events before leading fans in a “Follow Me to Floyd” parade to the stadium roughly 45 minutes before kickoff before the six home games this season.

Meanwhile, Mosby and the SGA are also launching the President’s Roundtable, which is comprised of leaders from student organizations who will meet with university leaders twice a semester to “bridge the gap” between students and administration.

He’s also working with SGA members on Vision 2025, which will be released at the beginning of the semester, as well as rewriting the mission statement for the student organization.

“There are big changes coming,” Mosby said.

Although it may seem like Mosby doesn’t sleep much — and he doesn’t — he said he’s found a work-life balance that keeps him grounded.

“Faith is something I take into every space and every opportunity. Faith is what keeps me morally and spiritually grounded and something I take very seriously,” he said.

— Nancy DeGennaro (Nancy.DeGennaro@mtsu.edu)