MTSU administrators, faculty and staff are ready to launch the spring 2012 semester for the projected 23,700 students expected to attend. Classes will begin Thursday, Jan. 12.

The University already is a healthier campus; on Jan. 1, it went tobacco-free.

Officials said spring 2012 enrollment should be slightly below that of spring 2011, when 24,660 students were registered for classes. As of Jan. 5, MTSU’s spring enrollment stood at 22,659. The numbers will change daily as students register even after classes start.

Enrollment-management officials will submit student census totals to the Tennessee Board of Regents sometime after Jan. 26.

MTSU’s fall 2011 enrollment was an all-time record 26,442 students.

As the University builds toward two Saturday, May 5, commencement ceremonies in Murphy Center, a busy spring is planned, including:

• the 10-week Spring 2012 Honors Lecture Series, “Prison Writing: From Boethius to Medhi Zana,” which begins Monday, Jan. 23, with Dr. Philip Phillips’ presentation, “Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail and the Tradition of Prison Writing”; for more details on the free public series, visit bit.ly/MTHonorsLecturesS12;

• the 39th annual Groundhog Day Luncheon to benefit Blue Raider baseball on Wednesday, Feb. 2, starting at 11:30 a.m. in Murphy Center (call 615-898-2210 or 1-800-937-6878 for tickets);

• the launch of MTSU’s Black History Month activities with the annual Unity Luncheon on Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 11 a.m. in the James Union Building’s Tennessee Room (call 615-898-2591 or email Brenda.Wunder@mtsu.edu for tickets);

• free Friday Star Parties Feb. 3, Feb. 24, April 13, April 27 and June 5 in Room 102 of Wiser-Patten Science Hall (call 615-898-2130 for more information);

• a College to Career Fair and Teacher Recruitment Fair Career Fair at the Williamson County Ag Expo Center Tuesday, Feb. 14, and an Internships and Summer Jobs Fair at Murphy Center Tuesday, March 20, both sponsored by MTSU’s Career Development Center (visit www.mtsu.edu/career for details);

• the Wednesday, Feb. 8, Posters at the Capitol in Nashville and March 26-30 Scholars Week (http://www.mtsu.edu/research/scholarsWeek/index.php) activities across campus;

• the University Honors College’s third annual President’s Day Open House and campus tours, set for Monday, Feb. 20, in the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building (visit www.mtsu.edu/honors/ for details);

• the third annual Health and Fitness Day Wednesday, Feb. 22, in MTSU’s Student Health, Wellness and Recreation Center (call 615-898-2104 for details);

• the annual Science Olympiad on Saturday, Feb. 25, across campus for area middle- and high-school students and an Elementary Science Olympiad Saturday, May 12, at John Pittard Elementary School;

• Admissions’ Spring Preview Days on Saturday, March 24, and Saturday, April 21, and a special Blue and White spring football game tour on Saturday, April 14 (615-898-2111 or http://www.mtsu.edu/how-to-apply/).

For MTSU’s spring 2012 academic calendar, visit http://www.mtsu.edu/calendar_academic.php

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)