MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University had another eventful year highlighted by innovative new degree programs, plans for an on-campus training lab hotel, and a host of student, faculty, administration and alumni achievements as well as national rankings.
The university wrapped up 2024 in early December with its fall commencement in Murphy Center, adding almost 1,600 new alumni for a total of just over 4,800 graduates conferred degrees during all ceremonies for the year — making the total number of degrees the university has awarded approximately 187,700 degrees to its students, including associate, bachelor’s, master’s, education specialist and doctoral degrees, since its 1911 founding.
“I continue to be amazed at the tremendous accomplishments of our True Blue family of dedicated students, faculty, staff, alumni and many community partners,” said MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee. “And I’m honored to again lead this university into a new year with exciting plans to build on the successes of this past year.”
Here’s a recap of some of the top MTSU news stories during 2024 (Click the headlines for the full stories):
MTSU lands prestigious rankings by The Princeton Review, others
For the sixth straight year, Middle Tennessee State University was named in The Princeton Review’s overall list of best colleges and universities, along with four other Tennessee higher education institutions.
And under the leadership of second-term president Michai Mosby, MTSU’s Student Government Association was ranked 20th in the nation in the publication for the Most Active Student Government category, moving up two spots over last year’s rankings.
“We have students who are willing to go above and beyond to make sure all our students are represented, and everyone is included, and all perspectives are heard at the table,” Mosby said. “We pride ourselves on being active because we know how important it is to make sure that our campus community and our students feel like they belong here at MTSU.”
The Princeton Review publishes college rankings based on surveys of students from 390 higher education institutions and covers a variety of topics, from academics to campus life.
MTSU’s College of Business offers new cybersecurity management program
Middle Tennessee State University’s new cybersecurity management launched in January 2024 after being approved by the university’s Board of Trustees in June 2023.
The program provides students with the foundational knowledge and focused expertise necessary to excel in this high-demand field.
“We are very excited about this degree. The structure of this program gives students enough room to really add what would be the equivalent of a second minor or area of concentration, which I think strengthens the program,” said Nita Brooks, associate dean for undergraduate programs and accreditation at MTSU’s Jennings A. Jones College of Business.
MTSU is the only university in Tennessee with a degree related explicitly to cybersecurity management, where the curriculum is designed to support students interested in pursuing careers such as security analysts and information security managers.
Recording Industry celebrates 50th anniversary
MTSU returned to the Grammys for the ninth straight year to celebrate who had nominations, as well as the 50th anniversary of its storied Recording Industry program.
“We are honored every year to travel to the Grammys to celebrate the nominations of our former students but also reconnect with our alumni and friends in the music industry,” said MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee. “We love painting LA with True Blue.”
Founded in 1973 and awarding its first degree in 1974, the department trains song creators and performers in its Commercial Songwriting Program, experts in recording live music and audio in its Audio Production Program, and music entrepreneurs, including managers and publishers, in its Music Business Program.
MTSU Recording Industry’s dedicated alumni are active throughout the industry in both visible and behind-the-scenes roles and are likely to be found each year at the Grammys and any music industry event.
“MTSU is truly a unique place where students are nurtured, inspired and challenged,” said Beverly Keel, dean of the college and former Recording Industry chair. “Quite simply, there is no other program like MTSU’s Department of Recording Industry, which is why we have attracted students worldwide.”
College of Media and Entertainment’s “We Do It All” commercial wins Regional Emmy
Middle Tennessee State University earned a regional Emmy Award for its one-minute spot, “We Do It All,” showcasing the College of Media and Entertainment.
“We Do It All” started with a concept from Marie Barnas, chair of the Department of Media Arts, said Allie Sultan, an associate professor in the Video and Film Production Program, who directed the commercial.
“It’s been a thrill,” Sultan said. “Freshmen filmmaking students in my class worked for two days filming their first commercial!”
The commercial was made possible by collaborating with faculty and students across departments in the college and the university’s Division of Marketing and Communications. It is the university’s first Emmy.
MTSU alumni across genres celebrate multiple Grammy Awards [+VIDEOS]
Not to be outdone, several MTSU alumni — including some from the Recording Industry program celebrating its 50th anniversary this year — continued boosting the institution’s reputation as a “Grammy factor” by capturing several of the awards during the 66th annual Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles.
Topping the list among the nine music industry professionals nominated was Julien Baker, a 2019 English graduate, who captured three Grammys out of five nominations as a member of boygenius, an indie supergroup with Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus. The group won Grammys for Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song, and Best Alternative Music Album. It was also nominated for Record of the Year and Album of the Year.
MTSU representatives again traveled to California for the Grammys to celebrate the nominated alums as well as provide students, faculty and staff with networking opportunities among the many industry professionals in town for the event.
“Celebrating our alumni while educating our students in a real-world environment at the Grammys is inspiring every year,” said new MTSU Recording Industry Chair Michelle Conceison. “This year, it was particularly rewarding to attend in our department’s 50th anniversary year. It lends perspective to how influential our alumni have been shaping the industry we know today. Where there is music, MTSU is there!”
True Blue Core launches with revamped general education requirements
Critical thinking, problem-solving and informational literacy are at the heart of Middle Tennessee State University’s restructured general education program, which was implemented at the beginning of the fall 2024 semester.
True Blue Core — the name for the newly revamped set of requirements — was attended by MTSU Provost Mark Byrnes, faculty and administrative leaders and the wider campus community.
“True Blue Core is the foundation for academic, professional and personal success as well as informed civic engagement and lifelong learning,” explained history professor Susan Myers-Shirk, director of MTSU General Education/True Blue Core.
Myers-Shirk said program changes have been five years in the making, with the goal of preparing students to excel in a dynamic and diverse world.
“We started the process in 2018, and in the spring of 2021, we approved eight new student learning outcomes and the following spring, we approved a restructuring of the general education curriculum,” Myers-Shirk said. “It’s been a university-wide project.”
“We are shifting the language from general education to core curriculum,” Myers-Shirk explained. “We took all our old general education courses and put them into the new curriculum. We then made some structural changes and ended up creating new categories that aligned with the categories in the previous curriculum.”
MTSU to upgrade Kirksey Old Main, Rutledge Hall with $54M renovation
Two of Middle Tennessee State University’s original five buildings are getting a significant upgrade through a $54.3 million renovation project of Kirksey Old Main and Rutledge Hall.
“This is the most ambitious and extensive effort of its kind in the history of our university, and it will preserve these symbols of our institution for many more generations,” MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee said on the steps of Kirksey, known affectionately in the Blue Raider community as “KOM,” the first building on the campus founded in 1911 as Middle Tennessee State Normal School.
Upon completion, Rutledge Hall will transform from a dormitory to an academic building that houses the University Studies Department, which will relocate from KOM, while Kirksey Old Main will continue to be home to the Mathematics, Computer Science, and Data Science departments within the College of Basic and Applied Sciences.
McPhee noted that the project “will restore KOM to its former glory” by returning blocked-up windows to the original auditorium, exposing original steel trusses, restoring hardwood floors, and creating a new lobby to provide accessible entry. The project is expected to be done by the summer of 2026.
Autism advocate Temple Grandin touts ‘different thinking’ in guest lecture
Renowned autism advocate and animal welfare pioneer Temple Grandin gave a roomful of Middle Tennessee State University students, faculty and staff a tour of the “different thinking” she feels society should embrace more to make the world better during a lecture before a documentary screening about her life and a meet and greet book signing.
The event was made possible through a collaboration with the Colorado State University College of Agricultural Sciences, where Grandin works as a professor of animal science and the MTSU School of Agriculture.
Grandin encouraged the students in attendance, especially undergraduates, to help their professors with research projects so that they can get exposed to a variety of areas of study and establish mentoring relationships that can help them down the road.
“You can find out the things you like, and you can also say, ‘Yeah, I tried that, and I hated it!” she continued, drawing chuckles from the crowd. “But it’s deeply important to find that out. … The thing is, we need the skills of people who think differently.”
MTSU merges areas to create Department of Political and Global Affairs
Middle Tennessee State University’s College of Liberal Arts merged two departments to create the Department of Political and Global Affairs.
The change is the result of putting the departments of Political Science and International Relations and Global Studies and Human Geography under one umbrella, an academically strategic move, MTSU Provost Mark Byrnes said.
Political science professor Amy Atchison, who will serve as the chair of the new department, said the move was a proactive approach to address an upcoming “nationwide decline in the number of traditional college-aged students.”
The realignment is a “student-friendly” change that will make it easier for students to blend areas of study for their major “and still finish in four years,” Atchison explained.
Record growth for MTSU Online
Middle Tennessee State University’s online program saw record growth this fall, with 54% of students taking at least one MTSU Online course.
The number of fully online programs offered has more than tripled since 2016 — starting at 20 in 2016 and 72 in 2024, with 43 of those programs launched since 2020.
“MTSU has benefited from the population growth in our region, and MTSU has a positive reputation for teaching and for supporting students, and so we’ve been able to extend that high-quality endeavor into the online domain,” said Trey Martindale, associate vice provost for online learning.
This fall, 545 unique online courses were introduced, leading to 27% of all MTSU student credit hours this semester coming from online courses.
The number of online students also began steadily increasing in 2020, as students were introduced to online learning during the COVID-19 outbreak.
This fall alone, 2,831 students were fully online, which comprises almost 14% of the total student headcount. MTSU Online now supports 28 full-time, temporary instructors in 18 academic departments who focus on providing high-quality online teaching.
Equestrian Team wins National Championship
The Middle Tennessee State University Blue Raider equestrian Western team “rode” to the occasion once again.
For the second consecutive year, stellar team and individual riding performances have helped them earn the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association Horse and Rider-sponsored Western Discipline Team national championship.
“All of the team riders are so mentally strong that they were able to dial in and focus on riding to the best of their ability when it mattered,” said Ariel Higgins, MTSU equestrian teams coach and director. “They have practiced for as many situations as we could think of so that they could take it all in stride in the arena. I was so impressed by all of them. They all helped each other prepare for their classes and were there to cheer each other on. Those moments were special to watch unfold.”
Team members included Jordan Martin, Mackenzie Latimer, Simone Allen, Sadio Barnes, Monica Braunwalder, Kenlee West, Louann Braunwalder, Regan Black, Shelby Amanns and Alyssa Davis.
Digital resource programs save students $2M in textbook costs
Middle Tennessee State University continues to help ensure student success with free digital access to scholastic materials through the James E. Walker Library’s Open Educational Resources, or OER, with at least $2 million in textbook savings since the program was implemented in 2021.
More than 14,200 students have benefitted from at least one of the 78 OER courses, which have more than quadrupled in number over the past two years, according to data collected since 2022 by the MTSU Office of Institutional Effectiveness, Planning and Research.
“The library is committed to driving down textbook costs. And OER demonstrates the university’s commitment to being equitable, inclusive and student-centered,” said Ginelle Baskin, student success and open education librarian who oversees OER.
Open Educational Resources “are materials for teaching or learning that are either in the public domain or have been released under a license that allows them to be freely used, changed, or shared with others,” according to EdWeek.org. Accessible online, these resources also typically provide downloading options for students who prefer a hard copy of the course materials.
Peter Grandjean named dean of College of Behavioral and Health Sciences
After a national search, Middle Tennessee State University named Peter Grandjean, dean of its College of Behavioral and Health Sciences.
Grandjean took the helm on July 1 and most recently served five years as dean of the School of Applied Sciences and professor of exercise science at the University of Mississippi in Oxford.
“What attracts me about this university is that we have a lot of long-standing faculty and staff who are here because they love this university,” Grandjean said. “There’s something really special about Middle Tennessee and I want to learn about that and capitalize on that.”
Before moving into academia, Grandjean began his 38-year career in education as a high school biology teacher, where he coached the football and soccer teams.
Grandjean and his wife Alicen have four children, ages 9 to 19.
Khalilah Doss becomes new vice president of student affairs
Following a national search, the MTSU Board of Trustees approved the appointment of Khalilah Doss as vice president of student affairs and dean of students to replace Sarah Sudak, who stepped into the position on an interim basis for the 2023-24 academic year before retiring.
“Students are my why. They are the reason why I do what I do,” said Doss, who is originally from Kingston, Jamaica.
In her roles, Doss guides 11 Student Affairs departments, five Student Involvement and Leadership departments and, as dean of students, oversees the Office of Student Care and Conduct.
“Thus far, MTSU has provided me with a plethora of opportunities to engage with our phenomenal student body, to engage with faculty who are the best in their field and staff who are as well.”
Michai Mosby of Memphis, who is in his second term as Student Government Association president, said, “Dr. Doss has set an inspiring example of what it means to lead with heart and purpose. She is frequently seen attending campus events, meeting students where they are and fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment.”
Overall and first-time freshman enrollment rises
Middle Tennessee State University boasted a second consecutive year of enrollment growth, recording a roughly 1.5% year-over-year increase this fall.
MTSU’s official reported enrollment, commonly known as the census, stood at 20,488 fall semester.
Most notably, the president said, the university a slight increase in new freshmen this year, which is on top of a record 12% increase in this category the previous year.
Transfers were up almost 3% year over year, while graduate enrollment was just 67 students shy of last year.
McPhee praised the work of MTSU’s undergraduate admissions team for its hard work overcoming problems in the rollout of a new federal financial aid form, known as FASFA. It led to confusion among enrolling students nationwide, especially those in the greatest need of financial aid.
“I appreciate the work of (Vice Provosts) Laurie Witherow and (David) Butler, our academic deans, and faculty in keeping our enrollment headed in a positive direction,” McPhee said.
College of Education, Nissan partner to train technical educators for high schools
Middle Tennessee State University’s College of Education is training Nissan automotive employees to teach technical courses in local high schools this fall as part of a collaborative partnership with Nissan’s Centers of Excellence in the Decherd, Tennessee, area to offer advanced manufacturing skills training at those schools.
The workforce development program will prepare students for careers in the automotive industry by offering a curriculum that combines theoretical knowledge with practical experience. Courses will be offered in advanced manufacturing, mechatronics and Industry 4.0 technologies, among others, and will be taught by full-time center instructors from Nissan.
Students in the program will have the opportunity to earn industry-recognized certifications and accreditations upon completion, according to Nissan, which operates a powertrain manufacturing facility in Decherd and pursued partnerships with K-12 school districts within 50 miles of the facility to establish centers at high schools.
Aerospace professor soars with 2024 Career Achievement Award
Middle Tennessee State University aerospace professor Paul A. Craig started on campus at the entry-level — a college freshman — but he soared into his 49th year in aviation at “the highest possible place” — as the recipient of the annual Career Achievement Award for 2024.
“You helped me complete a really unlikely journey,” said Craig, who first came to MTSU in 1975. “Thank you so much for that.”
Craig began his aviation career at MTSU and earned a master’s in aerospace education in 1980. In 1993, he returned to MTSU as the first flight instructor and later earned his doctorate in education. Since 2016, Craig has served as coordinator of the Master of Science in Aeronautical Sciences degree program.
In addition to the foundation’s Career Achievement presentation, 21 other professors were recognized with special awards and stipends for their contributions and accomplishments in teaching, research and service.
Football Coach Derek Mason takes helm as Party in the Grove anchors home pregame
Middle Tennessee State University’s Walnut Grove, the traditional pregame gathering spot for students, alumni and fans of Blue Raider Football, was louder and prouder this season with the addition of Party in the Grove.
Alumni like HunterGirl, Jaelee Roberts, Legendary Nedge and others returned to their alma mater to perform ahead of the game followed by Raider Walk, the traditional arrival of the Blue Raider football team two hours before kickoff.
The party wound down 45 minutes before each home game’s kickoff with a “Follow Me to Floyd” parade led by Student Government Association President Michai Mosby and Blue Zoo President Bretlyn Warner.
“We are all excited to begin this new era of Blue Raider Football,” said Athletics Director Chris Massaro.
The power behind the Party in the Grove was a partnership led by the Division of Student Affairs, the College of Media and Entertainment and Blue Raider Athletics.
MTSU plans to build hotel on campus to train hospitality students
Middle Tennessee State University President Sidney A. McPhee announced at the Fall Faculty and Staff Meeting that the university will build a hotel at Greenland Drive and Middle Tennessee Boulevard to train students in its tourism and hospitality management program.
While estimated cost, size and other details are being finalized, McPhee said the proposed public-private partnership would result in a facility “that will serve our campus community, bolster tourism in the area, and be a favorite destination for visitors to our campus as well as athletic facilities.”
“Most importantly, it will be a learning laboratory and a place for practical experience for students in our newly accredited Tourism and Hospitality Management program,” he said, noting that MTSU’s program is the only accredited such program in the state.
The university hopes to begin construction next year and open the hotel in 2026.
Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks for Constitution Day
Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence spoke at Middle Tennessee State University’s Tucker Theatre as part of the university’s annual Constitution Day activities.
Pence focused on “Defining Democracy,” in keeping with the university-wide examination of the topic. He was interviewed by history professor Mary Evins, coordinator for MTSU’s American Democracy Project, which hosts and co-sponsors the annual observance.
“We’re delighted to honor a hero of the U.S. Constitution … who, against all odds and against his own personal advancement … stood up for the U.S. Constitution. It was an act of moral and civic courage. The entire nation is sincerely appreciative,” Evins said.
Pence touched on topics ranging from his actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection to nation’s responsibility in the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia.
“It is absolutely essential for our security and for the security of the wider world, that we give Ukraine what they need to defeat the Russian invasion,” he told the capacity crowd. “I have no doubt (if) Vladimir Putin overruns Ukraine, it will only be a matter of time before he crosses the border that our men and women in uniform are going to have to go fight.”
In addition to the American Democracy Project, sponsors of the speaking engagement included Albert Gore Research Center, Seigenthaler Chair for Excellence in First Amendment Studies, Center for Educational Media, Department of History, Department of Political and Global Affairs, College of Liberal Arts, University Honors College, Buchanan Fellows Enrichment Fund, Jeff Whorley, League of Women Voters of Murfreesboro/Rutherford County, Distinguished Lecture Fund and Office of the University Provost.
Blue Raider Rodeo takes over annual Homecoming Parade, game day festivities
From Distinguished Alumni and Golden Raiders to Party in the Grove to the crowning of the king and queen, Middle Tennessee State University’s 2024 Blue Raider Rodeo Homecoming started with a parade, tailgating and more before heading over to Floyd Stadium, where the Blue Raiders took on Duke University’s Blue Devils.
Senior biology (pre-dental) major Sarah Kamar of Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and junior media managementmajor Kevarrius Wright of Somerville were the respective Homecoming Queen and King.
An MTSU Black Alumni Society Homecoming Party, National Pan-Hellenic Council Step Show, and Country in the Commons were among other Homecoming Week events. Around 15 Golden Raiders from the Class of 1974 gathered for a reunion and campus tour earlier in the week.
The 2024-2025 MTSU Distinguished Alumni were also recognized in a separate ceremony.
STEM efforts attract over $10M in new funding
As part of more than $10 million in new STEM funding, a trio of Middle Tennessee State University professors were awarded a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to advance research in improving the teaching of the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and math.
Principal investigators Sarah Bleiler-Baxter, mathematical sciences professor, Gregory Rushton, Tennessee STEM Education Center director and chemistry professor, and Grant Gardner, biology professor, are heading a research project titled “Advancing the Culture of Teaching in STEM through Diffusion of Strength-Based Reflexivity.”
“This was a 10-year initiative of practicing, piloting, making modifications … and finally got to the point where it’s a big project at the federal level,” Bleiler-Baxter said. “Sometimes as academics we become impatient, or we think that our work is not good enough because it’s not immediately being funded, or it’s not immediately being recognized.
“But this goes to show that you can start really small — from a single department or a single committee — and then build all the way up to one of these big projects.”
MTSU alumni contributed over $15B in business revenue to state
Middle Tennessee State University alumni, including alumni-owned businesses, generated over $15.2 billion in business revenue in the state over the course of a year — and Rutherford County alone recorded over $4.1 billion, the highest among all counties.
The 2024 MTSU Alumni Impact Report by the Business and Economic Research Center in the Jennings A. Jones College of Business detailed the positive financial impact made by university’s graduates throughout Tennessee. It also reflected how MTSU, located in Murfreesboro, particularly bolsters the economies of its home and surrounding counties.
“These findings underscore the tremendous and positive, multibillion-dollar economic impact made by our alumni in Tennessee,” said MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee. “We are particularly proud that most of our graduates remain in our state, adding to the workforce, paying taxes, starting businesses and contributing to our communities.”
In 2022, Rutherford County had the largest number of MTSU alumni residents at 32,500. Davidson County followed closely behind with more than 19,300. Williamson, Wilson, and Maury counties are next with approximately 10,000, 6,000, and 4,400, respectively.
Retired Gen. Jim Mattis praises Daniels Center as fundraiser nets $400K-plus
Retired U.S. Marine four-star Gen. Jim Mattis saluted the work of the Middle Tennessee State University Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center in helping veterans graduate from college and launch fulfilling careers.
Speaking to nearly 300 people—many of them veterans—during a breakfast fundraiser for the Daniels Center this fall at the Hutton Hotel in Nashville, Mattis said, “We need to make sure there’s something like the veterans center that’s a model (for other universities to follow) and a welcoming place.”
The Daniels Center, located in Rooms 124 and 316 in Keathley University Center, is home to more than 1,100 student-veterans and family members. It is a one-stop shop to receive assistance. To learn more, call 615-904-8347 or visit https://www.mtsu.edu/military/.
Assurant awards $100K to MTSU toward lab in new Applied Engineering building
Middle Tennessee State University representatives accepted a $100,000 grant from global device care company Assurant Inc. this fall that will go toward a new laboratory in the university’s new Applied Engineering Building scheduled to open next fall.
Assurant Inc., a leading global business services company that supports, protects, and connects major consumer purchases, officially opened its new 259,000-square-foot Innovation and Device Care Center located just outside Nashville in Mt. Juliet during a ribbon-cutting ceremony held Thursday, Oct. 10.
To commemorate the opening of the new facility and Assurant’s continued commitment to the Nashville metro area community, the Assurant Foundation awarded a grant of $100,000 over two years to MTSU.
The grant will support the construction of a new Assurant Engineering Innovation Lab inside the Applied Engineering Building and expand the company’s partnership with MTSU’s mechatronics engineering program, from where several Assurant employees are alumni.
“We are deeply grateful for Assurant’s generous donation and our strong, collaborative partnership,” said Greg Van Patten, dean of the MTSU College of Basic and Applied Sciences, in a company release. “This gift is a game-changer for our mechatronics engineering students, who will soon benefit from hands-on learning in the state-of-the-art Assurant Engineering Innovation Lab.”
The gift will help outfit one of the key laboratories in the $74.8 million, 90,000-square-foot new Applied Engineering Building located on the east side of campus.
Theatre and Dance delights audiences with “She Loves Me” musical
Middle Tennessee State University’s Department of Theatre and Dance students transported audiences to the 1930s in their fall production of the musical “She Loves Me.”
Directed by Department of Theatre and Dance Chair Kristi Shamburger, “She Loves Me” is based on a book written by Joe Masteroff. The show’s music was done by Jerry Brock and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick.
“Their dedication and love for the craft is as strong as their talent,” Shamburger said of the cast and crew. “We get to spend evenings creating, laughing and enjoying beautiful music as we assembled this jewel.”
The double-cast show featured students from various majors at MTSU, including freshman theatre major Rachel Oppmann, who played Illona.
“I am overjoyed at the opportunity to play such a large role in my first MTSU production,” she said. “Growing up in Murfreesboro my whole life, I have always watched MTSU’s shows and dreamed of performing in Tucker Theatre.”
MTSU launched new Master of Science in Legal Studies program
In partnership with Nashville School of Law, MTSU announced it would launch a new graduate degree in legal studies program geared toward students and working professionals seeking opportunities and advanced degrees to fulfill a growing Midstate workforce.
The new Master of Science in Legal Studies will be offered primarily through MTSU’s Jennings A. Jones College of Business. Initial core coursework will be taught by faculty from the Nashville School of Law before being transferred to MTSU for completion. Almost all classes can be completed online or at the NSL campus on Armory Oaks Drive.
“MTSU continues to pride itself on developing unique degree programs to directly address workforce needs in our region and state, and I’m thoroughly convinced this new master’s in legal studies does just that,” said MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee. “Successful graduates of this program will be well positioned to fill the high-paying, in-demand legal roles for which they’ve been trained, with the vast majority of our graduates remaining in this region to invest back into the community with their time, talents and skills.”
The degree will require 30 credit hours of study with a hybrid delivery of online and on-ground courses. MTSU’s Board of Trustees has approved the degree program, which will next be submitted to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission for final approval, anticipated in early to mid-2025.
MTSU fall ’24 grads urged to ‘get involved… play the long game’ [+VIDEO]
Graduate Hannah Harris of Kingston was among the graduates who crossed the stage at the Hale/Earle Arena inside of the Middle Tennessee State University’s Murphy Center during the fall commencement ceremony held on Saturday, Dec. 14
Harris, who plans to apply to medical school in May 2025 in the hope of becoming an OB-GYN, earned her bachelor’s in chemistry with minors in biology, psychology and Honors and graduated summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA.
“I loved (MTSU) so much,” said Harris, 21, “I was in the Band of Blue for three years. I made a lot of friends.”
Harris was among the 1,597 graduates in the final Class of 2024 celebrated at separate morning and afternoon ceremonies where keynote speakers Peggy Chabrian addressed graduates at the 9 a.m. ceremony and Byron Smith addressed graduates at the 2 p.m. ceremony.
— Compiled by DeAnn Hays and Jimmy Hart
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