MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University’s Student Government Association has earned a spot in the Top 25 of The Princeton Review’s annual list of the nation’s best colleges and universities.
Under the leadership of second-term president Michai Mosby, MTSU’s SGA ranked 20th in the nation for the Most Active Student Government category in the publication, moving up two spots over last year’s rankings.
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.
For the sixth straight year, MTSU was named in the overall list of best colleges and universities, which is not ranked, along with four other Tennessee higher education institutions.
“The Princeton Review looks at engagement, involvement, the quality of life on campus, extracurricular activities — a myriad of things — and it’s based on how strongly students agree,” said Khalilah Doss, vice president of the Student Affairs Division and dean of students. “We have an active SGA, which has a tremendous impact on campus.”
MTSU is the only Tennessee higher education institution to place on this list, which only ranks 25 in total, making the list more exclusive. And based on the size of the university, MTSU is second only to Washington State.
Mosby, a senior public relations and political science major from Memphis, said he’s not surprised MTSU made it into the Top 25.
“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.”
Student participation has already increased over the past year. SGA membership is up 25% over last year for a total of 130 members, and the SGA Senate nearly doubled in size with a total of 40 legislators. And there’s already a waiting list of students who want to be part of the SGA Senate, Mosby said, and the incoming freshman class has already expressed interest in getting involved.
Mosby said the increased participation is because SGA listens to students and works on ways to improve the student experience on campus.
“The SGA makes student engagement and outreach a priority,” said Danny Kelley, assistant vice president for Student Affairs and Student Government Association advisor. “Kudos to the 2023-2024 SGA executive board for making involvement a priority by delivering outstanding programs and engaging in significant campus initiatives.”
This is the second year the SGA is hosting “The Bridge: Freshman Leadership Summit,” with over 150 registered to attend. SGA also packed food donations for “Meals of Hope.”
Kelley noted other wide-ranging efforts to encourage student involvement:
• Dozens of SGA members serve on various university committees across campus.
• SGA spearheads homecoming activities.
• SGA co-sponsors with the American Democracy Project on its college voter registration campaign, which has earned top honors over the past four years.
• Biannual Student Appreciation Week activities.
• Annually, SGA hosts a delegation of students across campus to participate in the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature.
SGA also has a significant presence at athletic and university events, Kelley said.
“In short, the SGA is the most active student entity on campus and consistently demonstrate the importance of engaging and involving our student body with its campus community,” Kelley said.
It’s truly a team effort, Doss said.
“Michai has also assembled a phenomenal board,” Doss said. “They are centered on students and students see that. You see why they are No. 20. They are top-tier … and they work to serve students.”
— Nancy DeGennaro (Nancy.DeGennaro@mtsu.edu)
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