MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University is preparing to launch its next Quality Enhancement Plan to improve experiences and outcomes for students and wants input from the entire campus community, starting with a town hall set for Wednesday, March 5.
“Career Readiness” has been identified as the next iteration of the Quality Enhancement Plan, required as part of the university’s accreditation through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, or SACSCOC. The newest QEP would follow previous successful initiatives, MT Engage and Experiential Learning, or EXL, that are now permanent parts of MTSU’s academic programming.
Those leading the development of the Career Readiness QEP invite the campus to a town hall set for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 5, in Room 105 of the School of Concrete and Construction Management Building on the east side of campus. Food will be provided for the first 150 attendees.
Among the goals of career readiness is to help students: improve critical thinking skills; construct and work in teams; elevate their professional skills; enhance career and self development; and sharpen their communication skills.
Public health professor Chandra Story is serving as Career Readiness QEP director. She is joined on a leadership team that also includes biology professor Grant Gardner; religious studies professor Jenna Gray-Hildenbrand; Nita Brooks, associate dean in the Jones College of Business and a professor of information systems and analytics; and Alyssa Weakley, administrative assistant for the QEP and 2023 MTSU graduate with a master’s in public health. Alanna Diserens joins the team as a graduate assistant.
Story emphasized that this effort, which is overseen by the Provost Office, has been and will continue to be “very collaborative” and that she and leadership team are more so “guiding the campus throughout this process” rather than dictating what form the QEP takes. The goal is to launch a pilot program this fall followed by a March 2026 visit by SACSCOC accreditors to evaluate the QEP.
“The whole purpose of the Quality Enhancement Plan every 10 years is for universities not only to document their adherence to the accreditation standards, but to provide an opportunity to enhance student success activities that are already happening,” she said. “It’s a creative opportunity that is guided by the campus community.”
The process started about a year ago when a Topic Selection Committee made up of a group of faculty, staff and students led an effort to choose the next QEP topic, with several ideas emerging, four in particular: mental wellness, belonging, digital fluency and career readiness. A fall survey was then conducted drawing roughly 500 respondents that showed the overall campus community was also interested in pursuing career readiness as a goal.
The purpose of the March 5 town hall is to capture feedback from throughout the campus, share draft goals up to this point and share some of the research that has been conducted by QEP Program Development Committee, which is made up of 45 members, that helped formulate career readiness as the topic.
Story noted that the QEP Program Development Committee’s approach to career readiness considers career and self-development, thus incorporating elements of some of the other QEP topics not selected such as mental wellness and sense of belonging.
Following the town hall, the QEP will then be further developed throughout the spring and summer to formulate strategies, metrics and initial budget projections heading into the fall.
“I just want to remind the campus community that it is a grassroots process, that we’re building it together, and that we need everyone’s feedback in order for this to be a meaningful program that benefits everyone, including the faculty and staff,” Story said. “We are excited to enhance career readiness for all students.”
For more information about the Career Readiness QEP, visit the website, https://www.mtsu.edu/qep/ or email qep@mtsu.edu.
— Jimmy Hart (Jimmy.Hart@mtsu.edu)
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