Business and Economic Research Center

Middle Tennessee’s exploding growth poses increasingly thorny challenges, which were discussed recently in a sobering forum co-hosted by MTSU’s Jennings and Rebecca Jones Chair of Excellence in Urban and Regional Planning and the nonprofit Cumberland Region Tomorrow.

“A Forum on Growth and Challenges in Middle Tennessee” featured an overview of the region’s growth and development from Michael Skipper, executive director of the Greater Nashville Regional Council, followed by a Q&A featuring area mayors Paige Brown of Gallatin, Ken Moore of Franklin, and Joe Pitts of Clarksville. The Tennessean’s David Plazas, opinion and engagement director for the USA Today Network Tennessee, moderated the discussion.

The Chair of Excellence in Urban and Regional Planning (COE-URP) Scholars Program for undergraduate students launched in 2023–24. This nine-month research and engagement program brings together students, professors, and community members to address pressing urban and regional concerns through academic research.

Eight undergraduate students who completed the inaugural cycle were tasked with identifying and researching an urban planning challenge faced by middle Tennessee residents. They were paired with faculty mentors from across academic disciplines, provided with in-depth training on the research process, and given the opportunity to hear from experts on topics such as housing, sustainability, livability, mobility, economic development, and growth.

In addition to gaining relevant experience and learning key skills, each COE-URP scholar receives a stipend of $3,900, a completion certificate, and a scholarly designation on their graduation diploma.

MTSU’s Business and Economic Research Center (BERC) was awarded the Community, Economic, and Workforce Research Award for its 2023 Wage and Benefit Survey at the annual Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) Conference in Norfolk, Virginia.

This award recognizes projects supporting collaborative and community research initiatives that have brought together different groups or organizations to achieve a common goal. BERC was honored for the project’s response to a demonstrated need, quality, and collaborative approach.

Murat Arik and Richard Tarpey received the 2023 Institute for Global Business Research Conference Distinguished Research Award for their paper, “Evolution of the Nashville Healthcare Industry Cluster.”