A diverse cast of Middle Tennessee State University students, faculty, staff and alumni reaffirmed the university’s values for a new academic year in the latest video expression of a cherished Blue Raider tradition.

Dr. Sidney A. McPhee

The True Blue Pledge is recited each fall at MTSU’s annual University Convocation ceremony, when university President Sidney A. McPhee, top executives and faculty formally welcome new students to campus and explain MTSU rituals and traditions.

The pledge, which begins with the simple phrase “I am True Blue,” underscores MTSU’s core values of honesty and integrity; respect for diversity; engagement in the community; and committing to reason, not violence.

“‘I am True Blue’ is much more than a mere slogan. It is an affirmation that you are part of a community that shares certain values and works together to further the progress and success of a great university,” said McPhee, who enlisted a task force in 2011 to develop the university’s foundational values and ultimately the pledge that captures the spirit of those values.

Here is the latest video:

The True Blue Pledge reads:

I am True Blue.

As a member of this diverse community, I am a valuable contributor to its progress and success.

I am engaged in the life of this community. I am a recipient and a giver.

I am a listener and a speaker. I am honest in word and deed. I am committed to reason, not violence.

I am a learner now and forever.

I am a BLUE RAIDER. True Blue!

Those included in the new video, in order of appearance, include:

• Courtney Brandon — MTSU professional science graduate student and 2018-19 Student Government Association president.
• Victoria Leuang — MTSU senior multimedia journalism major, College of Media and Entertainment, and Student Voice contributing writer.
• Peyton Tracy — MTSU alumnus and new student member, MTSU Board of Trustees.
• Nick McDevitt — MTSU head men’s basketball coach.
• Tommy Wilmore — MTSU sophomore mechatronics major and MTSU Student Ambassador.
• Mary Esther Reed — MTSU alumna and mayor of Smyrna, Tennessee.
• Pippa Holloway — MTSU Faculty Senate president and professor of history.
• Darrell Freeman Jr. — MTSU junior finance major and Blue Raider baseball player.
• Kobe Herman — MTSU junior management major; SGA senator, College of Business; and Student Voice contributing writer.
• Abbigail Tracy-Thomson— MTSU senior statistics and public relations major; SGA senator, College of Basic and Applied Sciences; and Campus Nonviolence Committee member.
• Ayana Ife — MTSU alumna and “Project Runway” Season 16 runner-up.
• Zoey Mahlon — Homer Pittard Campus School student.
• Yvana McDonald — MTSU senior physiology major and MTSU Student Ambassador.
• Tom Moonen — MTSU junior finance major and Blue Raider men’s tennis player.
• Vonnie Covington — MTSU junior speech pathology and audiology major and Blue Raider volleyball player.
• Mark Byrnes — University provost.

For more information about MTSU’s True Blue initiative, visit www.mtsu.edu/trueblue.