Dozens of Middle Tennessee State University Honors College students are taking in “Mental Health and the Good Life: Strategies for Happiness, Wholeness, Wellbeing,” the theme for the spring 2024 Buchanan Honors Lecture Series.

The lecture series is a class for Honors students each spring and fall, and open to the public. Lectures begin at 3 p.m. every Monday through April 22. An exception will be March 4 (spring break). Lectures are typically held in Simmons Amphitheater, Room 106 in the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building, 1737 Blue Raider Drive.

All visitors are requested to use parking meters or obtain a permit from the Parking and Transportation Services office at 205 City View Drive or print a visitor pass at https://mtsu.t2hosted.com. Visitor permits are $2 per day.

In addition to lectures from experts in their areas, the class will meet Feb. 19 at the Rutherford County Election Commission Office in Murfreesboro and participate from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 23, in the Tennessee Campus Civic Summit at the Miller Education Center, 503 Bell St.

Faith, politics, philosophy, psychology, outdoor recreation and the impact of nutrition on mental health are among the topics that will be covered by the speakers.

From all of life’s pressures and much more, “human beings are struggling. Students are struggling,” said Mary Evins, history professor, Honors resident faculty member and lecture series coordinator.“This spring, with a number of outstanding speakers, we’ll explore multidisciplinary strategies for improving, strengthening, and maintaining positive mental health and building a life well lived.”

An array of MTSU faculty experts throughout the semester will be joined by the Rev. Susan Pendleton Jones, senior fellow working in Belmont University’s Office of the President, speaking on April 25 and Bill Dobbins with the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Tennessee, presenting on March 1.

Evins provided the course introduction and initial lecture Jan. 22, followed by Michelle Stevens’ presentation on “Mental Health and Cultural Humility” Jan. 29. Stevens is director of the Center for Fairness, Justice and Equity in the MTSU College of Education.

For more information, call 615-898-2152 or email Evins at Mary.Evins@mtsu.edu.

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