MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Several months ago, Sue Stephens met Middle Tennessee State University President Sidney A. McPhee for the first time, but when he reached out for a handshake, Stephens refused. She had a good reason.

“I told him I appreciated the gesture,” she said, “but I was not going to shake his hand until he was handing me my diploma.”

Stephens said McPhee laughed and respected her reasons. Now, Stephens — who will be celebrating her 63rd birthday right after this weekend’s spring commencement ceremonies — finds herself just days away from being awarded her bachelor’s degree in integrated studies on the Murphy Center stage.

“I’m both thrilled and relieved,” said Stephens, who lives in Murfreesboro. “I started this journey so long ago and to be this close is really something.”

Joined by Hunter Patterson, director of strategic digital marketing in University College, Stephens discussed her academic journey and motivation during her appearance on the “MTSU on 2” segment from the studios of WKRN-TV News 2, the ABC affiliate in Nashville. You can watch the segment, part of the station’s Local on 2 programming, with program co-host and producer Laura Schweizer and co-host Stephanie Langston below.

Stephens started college right out of high school. She was two years in as a full-time student at the University of Evansville in Indiana, paying her own way with jobs at both Hardee’s and the university. The time commitment of her two jobs and classes left her with little time to study.

“I was always an exceptional student in high school,” she said. “When my grades were below that, it was not acceptable to me.”

She talked to her advisor about her commitments, leading the college to offer her tuition assistance. However, Stephens said it was hard to wrap her head around what exactly was being offered to her, and she turned it down.

“I was working, and I thought that was what I needed to be doing,” she said. “I wish someone would have pulled me aside and told me that what was offered to me was special and to take that opportunity.”

Stephens and her husband, Tim, moved around the Midwest for several years, and she found herself just a couple of classes short of her degree. But her full-time human resources job and the family’s two daughters demanded nearly all her attention.

“It was all just too much to manage for me,” she said.

‘I am doing this for me’

Fast-forward several decades, and the Stephens moved one last time to Murfreesboro.

“I saw how many classes MTSU offered online, and I was interested,” she said. “I already work remotely, so this was familiar territory.”

The family When the family got both of their daughters through college, Sue said it was her turn to finish what she started all those years ago.

The Integrated Studies Program through University College is usually the best option for students like Stephens who come to MTSU with credits from several universities. The degree is very accepting of transfer credits and a top choice for adult learners. 

Stephens said things are a little stressful of late because she’s been preparing two speeches for one class and finishing a big capstone project for her final class. One of her projects is a persuasive speech, and she decided to talk about staying in school.

“I want them to finish their degree when they’re young,” Stephens said, acknowledging that many in her class are scheduled to graduate in 2028. “Even if you have to go down to one class at a time, keep working on it. I lost multiple positions because I didn’t have my degree.”

While focused on the task at hand, when those projects are finished, she is ready to celebrate.

“Oh, I have a huge party planned,” she said, laughing. “I’ve got a venue, catered food, and entertainment. It’s going to be a blowout.”

And on Saturday, May 10, Sue Stephens will finally shake President McPhee’s hand.

MTSU’s spring 2025 commencement ceremonies are set for 3 p.m. Friday, May 9, followed by two ceremonies Saturday, May 10, at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Murphy Center.

— Hunter Patterson (Hunter.Patterson@mtsu.edu)