86 BERC
Cover Story
How do we know that Nashville’s health care industry contributes nearly $30 billion and 210,000 jobs to the local economy? Or that Bonnaroo is a cash cow for middle Tennessee? And who conducted a study that led to federal funding for a $20 million northwest Tennessee slack water port? The Business and Economic Research Center, housed in the Jones College of Business—that’s who. The most outstanding tracker of Tennessee’s economy, BERC is often cited in newspaper analyses statewide.
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Our strong ties to China, including the
Confucius Institute By 2030—well within the professional work lives of most current MTSU students—China will surpass the U.S. as the world’s economic superpower. MTSU has forged several savvy relationships with Chinese institutions and organizations— most prominently, Hangzhou Normal University to sponsor the recently established Confucius Institute. The purpose of the Institute is to enhance the understanding of Chinese language and culture. Given that China is Tennessee’s third-largest export market, that’s a sentiment business and political leaders throughout Tennessee can support.
The M TSU P oll The MTS U Po
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ll is the respecte most rea d poll in Tennesse d and most statewid e. Media e carefu outlets lly watch breakou fo r the poll t articles and write a b o twice ye ut the re arly, the sults. Co p o nducted ll free exp tracks a ression, ttitudes fa re ith in ma g a wide ra jor institu arding nge of p tions, an ublic iss as poll in d ues. Stu ter viewe dents se rs as an training r v e in tegral pa in mass rt of the commun ir ication.
83 We graduate!
MTSU currently boasts the second highest graduation rate—52.9 percent—of all fouryear universities in the Tennessee Board of Regents system and is achieving that high rate even though it has by far the largest student body in the system. Such success is in lock step with the directives of the Complete College Tennessee Act of 2010 passed by the Tennessee General Assembly.
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