7 minute read
Midpoints
A look at recent awards, events, and accomplishments at MTSU Glass House Revival
Compiled by Nancy DeGennaro, Jimmy Hart, DeAnn Hays, Drew Ruble, and Randy Weiler
Glass House Revival
The Tennessee legislature passed Gov. Bill Lee’s $59.5 billion budget in April 2025 that included $119 million in new funding for additions and renovations to MTSU’s Murphy Center.
As part of the University’s ongoing Build Blue project, a plan to upgrade athletics facilities, Murphy Center has already received a significant makeover. The antiquated glass surrounding the historic structure was replaced with an updated system that offers a better appearance and automatic dimming for glare control. Now, with the new state funding, future improvements include (at long last!) a dedicated primary entrance to the arena, as well as a main lobby.
For three decades after it opened in 1972, Murphy Center was the primary live events and concert venue not only for Nashville but the mid-South. Elvis, who performed there five times, was one of dozens of top acts that drew fans by the thousands to Murphy Center in the years before Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena was built. A true community treasure—past, present, and future—Murphy Center clearly has more stories to tell in the decades ahead. Similar-sized arenas are the targets for most artists, like Billie Eilish, Pearl Jam, the Black Keys, and Chris Stapleton. Only a few North American tour stops draw 20,000 and up—for artists like Justin Timberlake and Adele.
Blue Raider Best
MTSU College of Education senior Haley Ferguson of Spring Hill was among 15 “Everyday Americans” invited as special guests by first lady Melania Trump to attend President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress on March 4.
Ferguson, an Elementary Education major in MTSU’s Department of Elementary and Special Education and a former foster child, received the Fostering the Future scholarship created by the first lady as part of her “Be Best” campaign, which focuses on battling cyberbullying and promoting youth well-being. Ferguson “benefitted from the first lady’s Fostering the Future initiative and is poised to complete her education and become a teacher,” Trump said in his speech.
Engineering Bright Futures
MTSU’s Engineering Technology Department’s roots trace back to vocational training established in 1912, the year after MTSU was founded. Today, the department continues its mission to prepare students for a new world of engineering, technology, design, automation, and manufacturing.
Explosive growth in programs, especially in Mechatronics Engineering, was central to the University’s decision to build a new $74.8 million, 89,000-square-foot Applied Engineering Building, which is opening on the southeast side of campus in August. The Applied Engineering Building sits next to the School of Concrete and Construction Management Building, a $40.1 million, 54,000-square-foot facility that opened in fall 2022, and near the University's 257,000-square-foot Science Building, opened in 2014.
Incoming!
MTSU’s undergraduate admissions efforts to date have resulted in a 14% increase in admitted freshmen compared to last year. The University has admitted 10,154 freshmen and transfers for the Fall 2025 semester as of March, which compares to 8,919 last year at the same time.
The inaugural Admitted Student Day, held Feb. 22, helped fuel the increase. The day allowed students who committed to MTSU special access to deans, department chairs, faculty, and advisors for academic sessions. More than 1,400 prospective students—plus family members— received blue-carpet treatment at the campus event to encourage those students to complete the enrollment process.
Playoffs?! You Kidding Me?! Playoffs?!
The College Football Playoff (CFP) Management Committee appointed MTSU athletic director Chris Massaro to a threeyear term on the 13-person CFP Selection Committee. The committee is responsible for ranking the top 25 Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) teams in the nation and assigning the top 12 participants to the playoff bracket. Massaro has been head of MTSU athletics for 20 years and is the fifth-longestserving tenured FBS athletic director.
Marching In
MTSU’s Band of Blue welcomed a new director after longtime professor and director Craig Cornish retired after serving the Blue Raider community for over 20 years. Bryan Braue (pronounced BROW) was formerly the director of bands at the University of Texas–Permian Basin.
Grammy Factory
MTSU gathered alumni, supporters, and friends Feb. 1 in Los Angeles to honor its six former students who were nominated for 2025 Grammy Awards, which were presented Feb. 2. Six MTSU-trained professionals received eight Grammy nominations this year, including Brandon Bell, who mixed Billy Strings Live Vol. 1 to earn his third Grammy win.
Other alumni nominated were singer-songwriters Jessi Alexander (two nominations) and Jaelee Roberts as well as audio production engineers Jason Hall (two nominations), Bobby Holland, and Jimmy Mansfield. At the Feb. 1 event, Alexander was named an honorary professor in the Recording Industry Department.
So You Think You Can Dance?
The MTSU Dance Team achieved National Champion status at The College Classic in Orlando, a national championship that draws university dance teams from across the U.S. At the April event, the team won the Spirit Showdown and also placed third in Division 1 Hip Hop and fifth in Division 1 Jazz. The MTSU Dance Team is a prominent part of the game day experience, performing at football and basketball games, as well as at campus and community events.
Dedicated Support for Athletes
The $66 million new Stephen and Denise Smith Student-Athlete Performance Center not only will support all MTSU athletes and serve as the home for Blue Raider football, but also will become part of a new gateway into campus.
The three-story, 85,500-square-foot facility, open July 30, includes new athletic training, weightlifting, and nutrition areas for all team members.
“We will be able to better develop our players, attract top-notch recruits, and make our student-athlete experience second to none,” said Chris Massaro, MTSU’s director of athletics. A third-floor dining venue will be dedicated to premium opportunities for fans on game days. A new stadium videoboard is also in place as part of the project, made possible through the support of fans in the Build Blue campaign. The building is named in honor of Board of Trustees Chair Stephen Smith and wife Denise, longtime supporters of MTSU and its athletics.
True Black and Blue
The MTSU hockey club had the most successful season in program history in 2025. The Blue Raiders finished with an impressive record of 26-7-1, achieved a national ranking of No. 7 in the MYHockey Rankings, and won the College Hockey South Championship. The team made the final four at the AAU Division II hockey national tournament in Jacksonville, Florida, in March.
