MTSU President's Report 2021

THE PRESIDENT’S 2021 REPORT

TABLE OF CONTENTS AT A GLANCE

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TAKING STOCK

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NATIONAL PROMINENCE 12

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YEAR IN REVIEW

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ON THE HORIZON

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STUDENT DATA

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FINANCIALS

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DR. SIDNEY A. MCPHEE University President KIMBERLY S. EDGAR Executive Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff

MARK BYRNES University Provost

WILLIAM J. BALES Vice President for University Advancement

ANDREW OPPMANN Vice President for Marketing and Communications

YVETTE CLARK Interim Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer

DEBRA SELLS Vice President for Student Affairs and Vice Provost for Enrollment and Academic Services

ALAN THOMAS Vice President for Business and Finance

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BOARD OF TRUSTEES STEPHEN B. SMITH, CHAIR Chair, Haury and Smith Contractors J.B. BAKER Owner and CEO, Sprint Logistics TOM BOYD Investment Advisor Representative, Decker Wealth Management PETE DELAY Principal, Lynwood Ventures LLC

PAMELA J. WRIGHT President and Managing Partner of Wright Development, a Real Estate Investment Company RICK COTTLE, FACULTY TRUSTEE Associate Professor of Fashion and Apparel GABRIELA JAIMES, STUDENT TRUSTEE, Communication Studies

DARRELL FREEMAN SR. Executive Chairman, Zycron Inc. JOEY A. JACOBS Retired past Chairman and CEO of Acadia Healthcare CHRISTINE KARBOWIAK VANEK, VICE CHAIR Retired Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer, and Chief Risk Officer, Bridgestone Americas

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Good Governance: The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) approved a substantive change in governance for MTSU in 2017. The substantive change was required when Tennessee’s FOCUS Act established an independent Board of Trustees to govern MTSU—a major milestone for the University. The commission reviewed all aspects of governance, from board duties and responsibilities to policy processes and revisions, in making its decision to approve compliance with SACSCOC governance standards.

MTSU AT A GLANCE Founded Sept. 11, 1911, at the geographic center of Tennessee, Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) is proud of its more than 100-year commitment to academic excellence and student success. Started as a teacher training institution, MTSU today is a major comprehensive university accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

The University is composed of eight undergraduate colleges, with more than 180 majors/degree programs available in 39 departments/schools.

MTSU houses a wide variety of nationally recognized academic degree programs at the baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral levels. The College of Graduate Studies offers over 90 master’s and specialist’s programs and nine doctoral degrees. MTSU features signature disciplines in accounting, aerospace, recording industry, equine studies, teacher training, industrial/organizational psychology, and concrete industry management, among others.

With approximately 21,000 students and nearly 1,000 full-time faculty members, MTSU is really the equivalent of a midsize city on its beautiful, 500-acre main campus. We serve students from every county in Tennessee (90% of our students are from the state of Tennessee), as well as students from almost every state and 71 foreign countries.

MTSU is the No. 1 choice of Tennessee transfer students and college students attending summer school, and is a leader in adult learners (ages 25 and up). MTSU’s standing as a destination of choice for first-generation students and its long success in helping low-income students who meet admission standards overcome obstacles often posed by tuition and fees are well established. In all, about 50% of MTSU’s student population receives Pell aid. MTSU’s full-time undergraduate tuition and fees of $9,592 annually remain the lowest of the state’s three largest universities.

As a community of scholars, we enthusiastically embrace our past, celebrate our present accomplishments, and effectively plan for the future.

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TAKING STOCK As MTSU’s 10th president, I recently marked my 20th year leading the University.

I have been blessed to preside over one of the most remarkable periods of growth and progress in the institution’s century-plus of service.

During my tenure, the University has grown in both student numbers and physical facilities, benefiting from more than $1.4 billlion in recent construction and renovation.

In addition, almost 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, two colleges (Behavioral and Health Sciences and University College), and more than a dozen institutes and centers were launched.

Our campus continues to change and grow. A new building for Concrete and Construction Management is under construction. A new Applied Engineering Building has received state funding and has an anticipated 2024 completion.

We also continue to build on our academic offerings, with new degrees in Data Science and Supply Chain Management and a master’s in Physician Assistant Studies, among others.

HIGHLIGHTS OF PRESIDENT MCPHEE’S 20+ YEARS AT MTSU

McPhee becomes MTSU’s 10th president

AUGUST 2001

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MARCH 2002

Convocation started as new academic year tradition AUGUST 2002

Construction initiated after $2 million match met for Martin Honors Building

Tennessee Miller Coliseum and Horse Science Center open

NOVEMBER 2002

JANUARY 2003

First Ph.D. degrees approved in conversion from D.A. programs

AUGUST 2004

Federal funds secured for Middle Tennessee Boulevard gateway project

University College creates pioneering adult degree program

500-acre Guy James Farm purchased for agriculture programs JANUARY 2005

The Department of Art and Design and Gore Center move into renovated Todd Hall, formerly library space

JUNE 2005

JANUARY 2007

JULY 2007

$5.5 million expansion of Cason-Kennedy Nursing Building completed

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Our original Quest for Student Success strategy, implemented in 2013, led to significant improvements in student retention and graduation rates through revamping academic advising, reworking general core courses, and developing customized graduation maps for each student. Its successor, Quest 2025, focuses on student success marked by a deeper and broader academic and student life experience that extends learning beyond graduation.

One focus of my tenure at MTSU has been to prepare readyto-work graduates who become engaged citizens. As such, MTSU’s academic offerings have grown not only in quantity but also in quality to better serve the needs of the middle Tennessee region and support the state’s economic growth and development.

MTSU continues to be a powerful economic engine for the region and entire state of Tennessee, responsible for more than $1.42 billion in economic impact and almost 11,500

Ranked 57th and only Tennessee university in Forbes’ top 100 public institutions AUGUST 2008

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OCTOBER 2009

$20 million expansion to Rec Center includes student health clinic

“I am True Blue” pledge and core values initiated

AUGUST 2010

AUGUST 2011

College of Behavioral and Health Sciences created for service disciplines

SEPTEMBER 2011

$30 million College of Education Building opens

jobs statewide in 2021, according to a recent report by the Business and Economic Research Center in the Jones College of Business.

The report also showed that the University, as Murfreesboro’s second-largest employer (2,270 jobs), generates $143.6 million in local, state, and federal tax revenue—a significant rise since 2017’s $88 million.

MTSU takes great pride in our institution’s economic impact on this community, region, and state as we fulfill our mission of preparing the next generations of community leaders, entrepreneurs, and highly skilled professionals across the workforce.

In addition to being a top employer in the community, our University not only attracts top scholars from across the state, but our graduates overwhelmingly remain in our region and state to give back to their communities and, in turn, their local economies.

MT Athletics joins Conference USA after winning 5th straight Sun Belt all-sports trophy

$65 million, 211,000square-foot Student Union opens

MAY 2012

100,000th undergraduate degree awarded

SEPTEMBER 2012

APRIL 2013

JULY 2013

Former hospital property purchased, including current Miller Education Center building

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For example, in 2021, MTSU graduates accounted for nearly 2 in every 5 adults with bachelor’s or above educational attainment in Rutherford County, and 1 in every 6 adults with bachelor’s or above educational attainment in the Nashville MSA. Seventy-nine percent of MTSU alumni live in Tennessee.

MTSU is the No. 1 provider of college graduates to the greater Nashville economy and the secondlargest producer of graduates in the state among public universities. MTSU provides the vibrant Music City economy and workforce with more graduates than all other local universities combined (approximately 5,000-plus each year).

The study additionally showed MTSU brings nearly 300,000 people to Rutherford County each year.

Spending by visitors accounts for more than $60 million,

Award-winning Quest for Student Success initiative launched to boost retention/graduation OCTOBER 2013

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MARCH 2014

$121 million, 250,000-square-foot Science Building opens for research/teaching

AUGUST 2014

$16 million Student Services and Admissions Center opens

Veterans and Military Family Center opens (later named for Charlie and Hazel Daniels)

NOVEMBER 2015 FEBRUARY 2016

$105 million final tally for Centennial Campaign

and that translates to almost 800 jobs. These results happened despite the impact that the pandemic had on travel and cancelation of events.

Clearly, MTSU not only adds educational and cultural value to Tennessee but also stimulates a vibrant business environment for the region.

Now, as I begin my third decade as MTSU’s president, I have never been more proud of the work being accomplished by the faculty and staff of our University and the achievements of our student body.

Thank you for joining me in this look back at 2021—and look ahead to the future!—in my annual President’s Report.

True Blue!

Sidney A. McPhee MTSU President

Blue Raiders upset No. 2 seed Michigan State in NCAA tourney

MARCH 2016

APRIL 2017

MTSU Board of Trustees installed under new local governance

Ranked in Princeton Review’s Best Colleges in U.S. for 1st time

DECEMBER 2018

AUGUST 2019

Regional Scholarship Program extended to 8 bordering states

$39.6 million Academic Classroom Building opens with high-tech facilities AUGUST 2020

APRIL 2021

Groundbreaking for $40.1 million Concrete and Construction Management building

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NATIONAL PROMINENCE MTSU returned to The Princeton Review’s annual list of the nation’s best colleges for a third consecutive year (2020, 2021, and 2022).

• MTSU remains the only locally governed institution in Tennessee recognized by the organization.

• Only five higher education entities in the state—two public and three private—were included in the recently released 30th edition of The Best 387 Colleges.

• The honor by the highly regarded educational services company is extended to about 13% of the nation’s roughly 3,000 four-year institutions.

• The list is based on data gathered from more than a thousand school administrators about their academic programs and offerings, as well as insights from about 140,000 students surveyed who attend the selected colleges.

• The ranking is particularly gratifying in light of the tremendous effort by our entire University community in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• We are pleased that The Princeton Review continues to acknowledge the sustained excellence of our University, as well as the exceptional work by our faculty and staff in serving our students.

• MTSU was also included in The Princeton Review’s list of top schools in the Southeast. The University remains on the regional list by virtue of its inclusion on the review’s top national list.

• Along with MTSU, other Tennessee institutions included in the review’s list were the University of Tennessee, Vanderbilt University, Rhodes College, and the University of the South.

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almost

ECONOMIC IMPACT

11,500 jobs statewide

MTSU continued to be powerful economic engine for the region and entire state of Tennessee in 2021.

1.42

$ more

than

billion in economic impact

Murfreesboro’s second-largest employer

2,270 jobs spending by visitors

accounts for more than

$

60 million

78of 90of %

%

MTSU

of the almost

alumni live in Tennessee

21,000 students from Tennessee

generates

143.6

$

million in local, state and federal tax revenue

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YEAR IN REVIEW 14

MTSU ENDED 2021 WITH A YEAR OF STRONG ACHIEVEMENT

BY ITS STUDENTS, FACULTY, STAFF, AND ALUMNI, YET REMAINING VIGILANT AMID CORONAVIRUS VARIANTS THAT REMINDED US ALL THAT THE PANDEMIC IS NOT OVER. HERE ARE SOME OF THE TOP HEADLINES FOR THE BLUE RAIDER CAMPUS IN 2021—PRESENTED IN MONTH-BY-MONTH FASHION— ALONGSIDE 11 FEATURE STORIES HIGHLIGHTING IMPORTANT STRATEGIC INITIATIVES AT MTSU.

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JANUARY

FREE SPEECH CENTER’S FIRST AMENDMENT REPORT OFFERED CREATIVE WAYS TO REACH COLLEGE STUDENTS The Free Speech Center rapidly emerged as a national authority on the First Amendment, cited by more than 200 news organizations, including The Washington Post, U.S. News and World Report, USA Today, The Boston Globe, and Chicago Tribune.

A report by the center found that college students don’t know much about their First Amendment freedoms, but their professors can help address that gap.

“Learning About Liberty: Facilitating First Amendment Engagement Among American University Students,” researched and written by Dr. Brian Hinote, MTSU’s associate vice provost for data analytics and student success, was made available at the center’s website.

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MTSU WELCOMES SCHMAND AS NEW JAMES E. WALKER LIBRARY DEAN When Kathleen Schmand was a student at the University of Pittsburgh, her father invited her to spend Thanksgiving with him in Murfreesboro, telling her she had to see MTSU during her visit.

Schmand’s father, a Navy veteran, had moved to Murfreesboro in 1995 because of his interest in the area’s Civil War history and access to the Alvin C. York Veterans Administration Medical Center.

As of Jan. 4, Kathleen Schmand became the new dean of MTSU’s James E. Walker Library following a nationwide search.

Although her father has died, Schmand said she was excited to be back in Murfreesboro.

Schmand came to MTSU from Northern Arizona University, where she had been director of development and communications for that institution’s library since 2006.

MTSU BROADCASTS VIRTUAL MLK DAY CELEBRATION ON DIGITAL PLATFORMS MTSU again honored slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in observance of the national holiday, though the 2021 event was moved to a virtual format due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The annual MLK Celebration and Candlelight Vigil featured prerecorded remarks, special video presentations, artistic performances, and a candlelight vigil as part of a moment of reflection toward the end of the presentation.

Vincent Windrow, associate vice provost of student success and pastor of Olive Branch Church, provided rousing keynote remarks encouraging students to be their “authentic selves” as they find their purpose in the world while encouraging the wider audience to heed King’s advice to choose community over chaos.

The MTSU Men’s Choir, featuring Caleb Mitchell and Devon Bowles, was also featured in a powerful visual performance of the song “Glory,” filmed in part on the grounds of Oaklands Mansion, a former Murfreesboro plantation now serving as a museum; and Jalen Everett, president of MTSU’s National Pan-Hellenic Council and treasurer of MTSU’s Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, shared remarks about King’s membership in the nation’s oldest historically Black fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha.

Event emcee Daniel Green, director of the Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs, which hosted the annual event, said after a year of protests surrounding racial injustice, civil unrest, and an unprecedented pandemic, 2021 signified a call-to-action for our community.

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TRUE BLUE RESPONSE Throughout the spring semester, our campus mandates for the wearing of masks, social distancing, and observing posted safety capacities in our facilities remained in place. We felt this was necessary until we could fully understand potential impacts that variants of the virus might pose.

MTSU truly came “back together” for its 2021 Commencement ceremonies. In consultation with local and state health officials, and while monitoring trends regarding the pace of Covid-19 infections in the state and region, we took the proper steps to schedule 10 small, in-person Commencement ceremonies at Murphy Center at the end of the spring semester, with graduates assigned by the colleges of their majors. Each participant was allotted a limited number of guest tickets. We also felt confident enough in our containment efforts to hold the ceremonies, as well as allow groups to reserve spaces in campus buildings for activities, including end-of-the year events, late in the Spring 2021 semester. During the summer, we welcomed more than 4,000 combined freshmen and transfer students to campus for in-person CUSTOMS orientation sessions.

As we began our Fall 2021 semester, we welcomed our Blue Raider family back to campus for a more traditional on-campus experience. To assure the safety of our community, preventive health practices continued to

be observed. We again required all members of our campus community to wear masks at all times inside University facilities. Exclusions to this included private offices, dorm rooms, and individual study rooms. While recognizing that vaccination is a personal choice, we continued to strongly encourage everyone to be vaccinated and continued to provide vaccinations through our Student Health Services.

I TOOK MY SHOT!

Masking and vaccination helped us keep the traditional class schedule in place for the fall. Our course offerings were primarily in-person but with selected online options. We used the lessons we learned from teaching during the pandemic and the technology we installed to help us enhance our academic offerings. We enjoyed a robust return to the activities, events, and games that enrich the student experience on our campus. In short, despite the renewed mask mandate, we were back together again, stronger than before, with more resilience and vigor than ever!

This pandemic continues to be stressful in so many ways—and again I deeply appreciate all that MTSU staff, faculty, and students have done, and will continue to do, to stay on course.

FEATURE STORY

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FEBRUARY

MTSU HACKMT WINNERS CRANK OUT CREATIVITY COMPETING VIRTUALLY Reverting to a virtual environment may have affected the number of participants, but it did not deter the talent and creativity of the college students taking part in the sixth annual MTSU Computer Science Department’s HackMT. The first-place team created an app to help family members keep track of chores. Team members included MTSU’s Jacob Cuomo, Emily Nguyen, Nathan Igot, William Lucas, Adam Rhodes, Austin Fine, Daniel Wiseman, and Joshua Cox, and Anuj Choudhary of Sheridan College in Ontario, Canada.

WOODARD ‘REPRESENTS THE BEST’ AS 2021 JOHN PLEAS FACULTY AWARD RECIPIENT Dr. Jennifer Woodard, assistant dean of the MTSU College of Media and Entertainment, used the words “representation matters” to describe her life and career as she accepted the 2021 John Pleas Faculty Award at a Feb. 24 ceremony that was livestreamed to comply with COVID-19 protocols.

The award, named for psychology professor emeritus and 1999 Outstanding Teaching Award winner John Pleas, is presented annually during Black History Month to a Black faculty member who has demonstrated excellence in teaching, research, and service.

Woodard is the 25th recipient since the award’s inception in 1997.

Woodard accepted her award in the Keathley University Center Theater in front of a small group of masked and socially distanced family members and supporters.

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Woodard, one of Pleas’ former students, said Pleas was the first Black teacher she had ever had.

The hackathon brings software developers, programmers, visual designers, and computer science and computer information systems students from universities together to collaborate while inventing new web platforms, games, mobile apps, and electronic gadgets.

Team #20 received the Hacker’s Choice Award, selected by participants and visitors.

In addition to their super heroes graphic, members Marie McCord, left, Alex Silavong, Gage Richardson, Biz Duff, and Erica Truxton also had a creative entry—“Are You Kitten Me: a Purr-ference Quiz”—during the 36-hour HackMT event, held virtually Jan. 29–31 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Submitted graphic by Alex Silavong)

MTSU RECOGNIZES UNSUNG HEROES FOR SERVICE AT VIRTUAL UNITY CELEBRATION For the 25th consecutive year, a stellar group of unsung heroes was honored at MTSU’s 2021 Unity Celebration, held virtually in 2021 as part of the University’s annual Black History Month activities.

Each celebrated individual must be 60 years of age or older, have resided in the middle Tennessee area for 25 years or more, and have made outstanding contributions to their communities.

This year’s honorees were: • Education—Sue Alexander, a telephone operator at MTSU, volunteer host at athletic events, and church volunteer.

• Community Service—Violet D. Cox Wingo, an adjunct professor of social work at MTSU who has encouraged voter registration and civic involvement through her membership in the NAACP.

• Excellence in Sports—George Gibson, founder of the Above the Rim Gym, a nonprofit basketball academy for boys ages 7–17 that helps provide them with skills to prepare them for adulthood.

• Advocate of Civility—Christa Martin, the vice mayor of Columbia, Tennessee, and a volunteer in more than 15 civic organizations.

• Education—Kim Sokoya, associate dean of the Jennings A. Jones College of Business and creator of the college’s Flex MBA Program, which allows students to obtain master’s degrees in Business Administration entirely online.

Also honored with the University’s annual Unsung Staff Award was Danielle Rochelle, outreach coordinator for the MT One Stop and a member of MTSU Black History Month Committee.

Pictured from left are honorees Sue Anderson, Violet Cox Wingo, George Gibson, Christa Martin, and Kim Sokoya.

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TRUE BLUE RESEARCH As a publicly supported institution of higher learning, we take very seriously our role to serve the state of Tennessee, which includes educating undergraduate and graduate students to enter the workforce well educated and skilled. This role also involves conducting research and creative activities that produce knowledge, information, data, technologies, know-how, and other outcomes that are disseminated from MTSU to the whole state to help improve the economy, services, and quality of life for all Tennesseans.

Here is just one example from 2021 of the wonderful and life-changing research emanating from the MTSU campus: The International Ginseng Institute at MTSU received a $455,000 grant award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to investigate organic methods of protecting growers’ ginseng investment. In addition to the USDA/NIFA award, the University has provided almost $300,000 more as a match. The grant is led by Dr. Iris Gao (right).

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FEATURE STORY

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MARCH

Jason A. Hall

MTSU GRADS FIND GRAMMY GOLD BETTING ON LAMBERT’S WILDCARD CD; OTHER NOMINEES CELEBRATING Working with an artist as well established as Miranda Lambert was no Wildcard for a pair of MTSU graduates, but helping create the 2020 best country album‘s sound was a bet that paid off for them in Grammy gold.

MTSU GRADUATE SCHOOL HITS RECORD SPRING SEMESTER ENROLLMENT MTSU’s College of Graduate Studies reported record-high spring semester enrollment in 2021 with 2,919 students registered. This continued historic success—following an almost 28% enrollment increase the previous fall—is even more profound against the backdrop of the pandemic and its economic impacts.

Our significant fall 2020 jump in graduate enrollment followed by our record spring 2021 graduate enrollment did not happen on accident. This was a planned effort by many administrators, faculty, and staff across the University working together to make it known that MTSU is the place to further your education in middle Tennessee and across the state.

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Jimmy Mansfield

In fact, 2000 Department of Recording Industry alumnus Jason A. Hall of Nashville and 2014 Audio Production grad Jimmy Mansfield almost could’ve bet the house on this year’s country album category, thanks to their teamwork on three of the five nominees.

Along with Lambert’s winning effort, announced March 14 in a combined live and virtual ceremony from Los Angeles’ Staples Center, engineer Hall and assistant engineer Mansfield also were part of the crew nominated for Brandy Clark’s Your Life is a Record and Ashley McBryde’s Never Will.

That crew, assembled by Grammy producer of the year nominee Jay Joyce, has been crafting the sound for multiple artists’ award-winning and bestselling projects for the last few years.

TEEN PRODIGIES PURSUE PRE-MED PATHWAY AS THRIVING MTSU DUAL ENROLLMENT STUDENTS At age 14, the amazing Alnassari triplets may be too young to drive, but the Nashville high school and MTSU dual enrollment students are steering their own success stories in academic pursuits at MTSU that may lead to medical careers.

Since August 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Fatimah, Zaynab, and Ahmed Alnassari have been on a premed pathway, studying biology at the University, following their hearts with other interests, finding a passion for research, and volunteering to help others.

Talk about driven. They each carried 18 hours in the spring 2021 semester, performed 40 hours a week in botanical and agricultural research, and made excellent grades in their remote, in-person, and hybrid MTSU classes.

They and their mother, Biology major (and driver) Khadijah Alnassari, made the fall 2020 Dean’s List. During winter 2020 break, they participated in a telemedical brigade to Honduras.

They even found time to solicit appropriate Islamic attire, such as hijabs, for the Raiders Closet in the Career Development Center and planned to participate in an April 6-9 MTSU Habitat for Humanity build.

Fatimah, who plans to be a primary care physician and is the oldest by one minute, said she considers MTSU a place where nothing is impossible.

MTSU Department of Biology chair Dennis Mullen, left, talks with the Alnassari family—mom Khadijah and triplets Zaynab, Ahmed, and Fatima during a visit to a Science Building lab.

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TRUE BLUE GROWTH Year after year, I tell people that MTSU is an exciting place to work due to all of the campus construction projects and capital improvements that are ongoing or were recently completed.

The year began with the grand opening of the Chris Young Café, a renovated cafeteria that now serves as a learning lab and performance venue for College of Media and Entertainment students. Faculty and students will use the café to hone skills from nearly every facet of the business of entertainment: music business, audio production, songwriting, venue management, sound reinforcement, and lighting and rigging, along with radio broadcasts, comedy shows, and other events produced with help from all of MTSU’s academic colleges.

A multiplatinum entertainer and former MTSU student, Young christened the stage inside the venue bearing his name as well as an eye-catching “Famous Friends” outdoor mural honoring Young and other influential graduates, former students, and faculty, along with others. A new Tennessee Music Pathways marker was unveiled at the ceremony to mark Young’s success.

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MTSU later broke ground on the 54,000-square-foot, $40.1 million School of Concrete and Construction Management building, which is now on the way to completion after a toppingout ceremony in early fall.

Expected to be ready in time for fall 2022 classes, the facility features classrooms, faculty and staff offices, and laboratory space for Concrete Industry Management—one of the most exclusive programs in the nation—and Construction Management, both of which provide interns and ready-to-work graduates awaiting potentially lucrative careers. Flexible instructional spaces and discipline specific labs will be included, and the building will incorporate exposed structural and other building systems to be used as teaching tools for students and visitors.

The new Concrete building will be next to the future Applied Engineering Building, a 90,000-square-foot, $54.9 million facility which has received state funding and has an anticipated 2024 completion. The building will serve as the home for the Engineering Technology and Mechatronics Engineering programs,

as well as provide space for future engineering programs. This location will group the future home of the School of Concrete and Construction Management with the upcoming Applied Engineering Building and the existing Science Building to further develop the MTSU Science Innovation Corridor, an academic neighborhood focused on STEM disciplines.

Combined, there are 325 majors and 1,500 graduates in the Concrete and Applied Engineering programs.

But we’re not finished investing in our on-campus infrastructure. Our master plan down the line calls for a new Mathematical Sciences building as well. As we look to our almost unlimited future, we also must take

care to harken back to our past. In his proposed 2022–23 state budget, delivered to the Tennessee General Assembly on January 31, Governor Bill Lee recommended $54.3 million in capital funding to ensure that two of MTSU’s original buildings—iconic Kirksey Old Main and nearby Rutledge Hall—will provide modern space for many years with extensive renovations.

FEATURE STORY

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APRIL MTSU MASTER’S PROGRAM NAMED A TOP 5 BEST VALUE NATIONALLY FOR MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS MTSU’s master’s in information systems program has been ranked among the Top 5 nationally by an online higher education resource for prospective students.

Ranked No. 4 by www.bestvalueschools.org for 2021, MTSU’s Master of Science in Information Systems through the Jennings A. Jones College of Business is delivered in a 50/50 format, meaning students engage in classroom instruction half of the time during each course and complete the other half in an online study format.

Students entering MTSU’s program choose from three concentrations: Business Intelligence and Analytics, Information Security and Assurance, or IT Project Management.

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MTSU THEATRE PREPARES THE WAY FOR GODSPELL ONLINE MTSU Theatre students returned to Tucker Theatre when they brought the Tony-nominated musical Godspell to audiences online April 8–11.

A socially distanced handful of in-person audience members at Tucker Theatre provided muchneeded live feedback for the cast and crew at each performance.

MTSU senior Caleb Mitchell of Antioch, left, responds to castmate Stokeley Ellison, a junior from Friendship, as she sings “Day by Day” and other cast members look on during dress rehearsal Monday, April 5, in Tucker Theatre for MTSU Theatre’s spring production of Godspell.

MTSU HONORS 17TH GENERAL OFFICER FROM ITS ARMY ROTC U.S. Army Reserve Brig. Gen. Robert S. Powell Jr. was honored by his alma mater for reaching general officer rank. He is the 17th MTSU Army ROTC graduate to achieve the rank in the program’s 71-year history.

Powell, a 1991 MTSU graduate with a degree in Political Science/International Relations, is the deputy commanding general of the 335th Signal Command in East Point, Georgia, and the Army Reserve’s first cyber officer promoted to brigadier general.

Brig. Gen. Robert S. Powell Jr., an MTSU alumnus, and his wife and fellow alum, Jill, watch as Keith M. Huber, senior adviser for veterans and leadership initiatives, and I unveil a framed photograph of the commemorative brick that was placed in Powell’s honor at the MTSU Veterans Memorial site outside the Tom H. Jackson Building on Monday, April 12.

MTSU’S PANDEMIC TECH UPGRADES POSITION CAMPUS FOR FUTURE OF HIGHER ED MTSU offered a mix of course deliveries for the Spring 2021 semester as professors utilized the significant technology upgrades spurred by the pandemic—upgrades that placed the Blue Raider campus on the cutting edge locally, regionally, and nationally in providing a deeper higher education experience.

Like many other academic institutions across the country, MTSU purchased a comprehensive Zoom license in March 2020 to begin the unexpected and rapid transition to all-remote instruction to stop the spread of COVID-19. But infrastructure was needed to equip hundreds of classrooms with video lecture and recording capabilities, in addition to the faculty training needed to make the switch a successful one.

At the forefront of this pivot was the University’s Information Technology Division in partnership with administration, faculty, and other technology leaders across campus as the institution embarked on a multimillion-dollar investment to provide faculty, staff, and students with the ability to carry on its academic mission in an environment like few had experienced before.

As a result, the campus now has more than 400 “smart classrooms” that are equipped with projectors, document cameras, and other technology that allow an instructor to enter the classroom, push a button or two, and effectively teach a class both in-person and virtually.

Dr. Kim Sokoya, associate dean for graduate and executive education, records his lecture in mid-March 2020 for an online class for the College of Business.

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TRUE BLUE RECRUITMENT At MTSU, we have long prided ourselves on our personal approach to the recruitment of new students and the one-to-one care we bring to supporting students and their families throughout the enrollment cycle. Although we had to curtail campus tours and recruiting events in the early part of the pandemic, we were delighted to resume more of our in-person programs in 2021.

In fall 2021, we polished our pandemic recruitment strategies and were grateful to be able to get access into some high schools to meet with students and counselors face-to-face.

Flexibility was our watchword in this recruitment cycle, as the rules for high school and community college visits changed from week to week. We continued to use an increased online presence on social media platforms and reached out to students and high school counselors through email and text messaging. Throughout the fall term, we maintained a robust calendar of both online and socially distanced new-student recruiting events.

Eager for an in-person experience, more than 8,500 students and family members joined us to tour the campus with one of the Blue Elite guides, a more than 550% increase over the previous pandemic year. Almost 1,300 met us in their

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own communities when we traveled for the 14 True Blue Tour events that had been suspended for fall 2020. The results of this work are borne out in the numbers of applications and admitted for potential new freshmen. Both applications received and students admitted show growth over where we were a year ago and two years ago. Freshman applications for fall of 2022 were up by 1,469 students (17.6%) compared to the previous year.

Admitted freshmen were up 34% over last year and up 12% over two years ago.

The numbers of transfer students painted a far different picture. Hit especially hard by the pandemic over the past two years, our partner community colleges didn’t fare as well as we did and saw significant enrollment declines. Their decreasing enrollments will mean far fewer transfer students for us in the coming year or two.

Clearly, we continue to work extremely hard to ensure that we are attracting the best and the brightest new undergraduate students from across the state of Tennessee and across the region. When I get a chance to personally meet these prospective students, I am confident in telling them that if they come to MTSU they will get the attention of faculty and staff that they will need to be successful in college.

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MAY 32

MTSU’S 2020–21 DEBATE TEAM TOPS NATION WHILE ADJUSTING TO PANDEMIC CONDITIONS While their competition was virtual, there’s nothing virtual about the MTSU Debate Team’s excellence.

Forgoing the usual travel to other schools for face-to-face verbal duels, the students debated online, finishing first in the nation in team format for fall and spring competitions under the rules of the International Public Debate Association.

More than 3,000 participants from more than 150 schools participated in IPDA debates during the 2020–21 season. About a third of the contestants took part in team debate.

Members of the MTSU Debate Team and their coaches pose at the horseshoe in Walnut Grove on campus with some of the trophies they won during the 2020–2021 season. From left, Patrick Richey, director of forensics and Communication Studies professor; Graham Christophel, rising senior; Solomon Barker, graduate; Mo Campbell, graduate; Nick Ged, senior; Hannah Rowland, rising senior; Sydney Robbins, rising sophomore; Steven Barhorst, rising junior; Luke Arnold, graduate; Jonny Locke, graduate; Miura Rempis, graduate; and LaTanya Listach, assistant debate coach.

BIG MACHINE MUSIC CITY GRAND PRIX PARTNERS WITH MTSU’S DANIELS VETERANS CENTER Big Machine Music City Grand Prix joined three other iconic Nashville institutions May 29 in support of the Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center at MTSU. Grand Prix CEO Matt Crews, an MTSU alumnus, joined retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Huber, MTSU’s senior adviser for veterans and leadership initiatives, for the announcement from the stage of the Grand Ole Opry during the sold-out Opry Salute the Troops show.

JOURNALISM STUDENTS EARN NATIONAL HONORS FOR 100 YEARS OF BROADCASTING TV SPECIAL Telling the story of a century’s worth of broadcasting in America and in Tennessee turned a national spotlight—and a pair of prestigious awards—toward a team of nine MTSU multimedia journalism students and alumni.

The students, all part of the School of Journalism and Strategic Media in the College of Media and Entertainment, first received a top-10 win May 21 in the national Hearst Journalism Awards Program for their November 2020 TV news special, 100 Years of Broadcasting. The Hearst awards, called “the Pulitzer Prizes of collegiate journalism,” are considered the top honors for journalists at accredited U.S. universities.

Then, on May 25, they learned their 30-minute special and its associated website made them one of six student-category Silver Winners in the renowned Telly Awards, which recognize the best TV and video content created worldwide by advertising agencies, TV stations, production companies, and publishers.

Huber said he was proud that the race, which took place Aug. 6–8 in downtown Nashville, joined the Opry, the Nashville Predators, and the Nashville Sounds to help the about 1,100 military-connected students at MTSU “seeking academic success and quality employment.”

Big Machine Music City Grand Prix CEO Matt Crews, left, joins retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Huber, and MTSU Provost Mark Byrnes for a photo outside the Grand Ole Opry before the sold-out Opry Salute the Troops show in Nashville.

This year’s Tellys included winning creations from organizations ranging from The Walt Disney Company and the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs to CBS Interactive and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

The MTSU team took journalism professor Christine Eschenfelder’s fall 2020 senior-level Seminar in Media Issues course, which focused this time on the centennial of U.S. broadcasting.

The group included now-alumni Christyn Allen of Oneida, a fall 2020 Journalism graduate; Morgan Gonzalez of Maryville, Zoë Haggard of Nolensville, and Dontae Rucker of Knoxville, who received their Journalism degrees in May 2021; then-senior Cheyana Avilla of Murfreesboro, a Journalism major; Danesia Hunt of Memphis, who has a double major in Sports Media and Africana Studies; Journalism majors Haley Perkins of Murfreesboro and Dede West of Antioch; and Xavier Mastin of Murfreesboro, then a junior Physical Education major.

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TRUE BLUE GRADUATES Since its creation in 1911, MTSU has awarded more than 173,400 degrees, including associate, bachelor’s, master’s, educational specialist, and doctoral degrees.

I always say that our graduation ceremonies are the most significant events in the life of our University. The spring 2021 ceremony, held under difficult conditions and precautions, was even more significant.

The first ceremonies for the Class of 2021 in the spring required a bit of True Blue ingenuity.

As the University remained under a mask mandate and distancing guidelines, spring ceremonies for the almost 2,500 graduates featured 10 smaller ceremonies over three days, mostly according to academic college, with masked students seated on the floor of Hale Arena with chairs spread six feet apart and family and supporters socially distanced in the stands.

Summer and fall 2021 graduates were again able to gather en masse inside Murphy Center for a return to more traditional ceremonies. A trio of Commencement ceremonies took place inside Murphy Center on Dec. 11, concluding a fall semester that marked the start of the University’s 111th academic year. The 1,373 undergraduates and 299 graduate students of the fall Class of 2021 included 271 master’s degree recipients, 13 education specialist degree recipients, and 15 doctoral recipients, along with 10 graduate students who earned certificates for their advanced study. Two undergraduate students also received certificates.

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JUNE MTSU JOINS COVID-19 COLLEGE VACCINE CHALLENGE TO BOOST VACCINATIONS NATIONWIDE MTSU joined campuses across the nation in signing up for President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 College Vaccine Challenge to help raise the COVID-19 vaccination rate in the U.S. to 70% by the Fourth of July.

The White House and the U.S. Department of Education invited institutions nationwide to join the effort, which sought to boost the nation’s vaccination rate above the then 63%, with Tennessee’s vaccination rate standing (at the time) at only 32%.

MTSU was the first Tennessee university to sign on to the challenge as a “Vaccine Champion University” and was later joined by East Tennessee State University and Lane College among the 350-plus colleges and universities across 46 states that had signed on to date.

Participating colleges commit to taking three key actions to help get their campus communities vaccinated: engaging every student, faculty, and staff member; organizing their college communities; and delivering vaccine access for all.

MTSU student Brett Bingham, left, is vaccinated by nurse practitioner Lady Hamilton during a special clinic inside the Student Union building.

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WESTERN CHAMPIONSHIP WRAPS UP OUTSTANDING MTSU EQUESTRIAN SEASON A first-place finish at the 2021 YEDA Western Collegiate Celebration, hosted recently by the Youth Equestrian Development Association in Cleveland, Tennessee, completed an outstanding year for the MTSU equestrian team.

The team, coached by Ariel Herrin Higgins and undefeated during the regular season, took 12 riders to the competition. Eleven earned awards.

MTSU usually competes in Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association regional and nationals, but IHSA canceled its events because of COVID-19 for the second consecutive year. The team followed local COVID protocols for the outdoor competition in Cleveland.

IN-PERSON GOVERNOR’S SCHOOL GETS YOUNG ARTISTS BACK INTO THE SWING OF THINGS AT MTSU After what 2020 and much of 2021 threw at them, the summer 2021 Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts at MTSU was more like a vacation for its nearly 300 young participants.

The Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts, which concluded its 37th year at MTSU on June 26, welcomes public, private, and home-schooled high school juniors and seniors in music, theater, visual arts, dance, and filmmaking.

Jon Royal talking to a Governor’s School for the Arts theater group during rehearsal in Tucker Theater.

MTSU, NASHVILLE STATE REAFFIRM JOINT TRUE BLUE PATHWAY TO SUPPORT STUDENTS I joined with Nashville State Community College President Shanna L. Jackson to ensure the True Blue Pathway—a partnership established in 2019 for students with an associate degree to move seamlessly to our four-year university—would be up and running when both institutions resumed full campus operations in the fall of 2021.

I urged that we hone our collective focus on degree programs with clear ties to the needs of Nashville’s economy as both institutions advance the state’s overall mission of cultivating a more skilled workforce through higher education degrees and certifications.

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TRUE BLUE QUEST MTSU’s unwavering focus is on helping individual students overcome obstacles, stay enrolled in classes, and earn college degrees, regardless of the external factors.

MTSU launched the Quest for Student Success in 2013 to provide a hands-on, individualized approach to supporting its students in achieving these goals.

The Quest was designed to ensure that every student who comes to MTSU with the drive to achieve will be met with the best instruction from excellent professors who care about their success.

As part of the Quest, University faculty and staff members have also become more flexible and nimble enough to provide extra support and assistance when students encounter unexpected difficulties or when roadblocks arise that negatively affect their persistence toward graduation.

The Quest, with its call for a distinctive and successful student college experience, is central to the goal of MTSU’s academic master plan, The Reach to Distinction.

Building upon that strong legacy of outstanding accomplishments in student success, the University more recently launched Quest 2025.

Quest 2025 is a new, expansive plan dedicated to graduating students who are prepared to thrive professionally, committed to critical inquiry and lifelong learning, and engaged as civically, globally responsible citizens.

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Five primary strategic priorities have been identified, and work groups representing each of the areas have been engaged in several initiatives to implement Quest 2025. A sampling of the work underway is noted below.

STRATEGIC PRIORITY 1: Invest in a comprehensive faculty development program that includes the integration of high impact practices in key curricula.

• Approval has been granted for MTSU’s Center for Organizational and Human Resource Effectiveness to assess the needs of the Learning, Teaching, and Innovative Technologies Center (LT&ITC), focusing on organizational structure, staffing, funding, budgeting, and financial processes.

STRATEGIC PRIORITY 3: Increase online, hybrid, and off-site offerings; adaptive scheduling; and curricular flexibility.

• Staff held more than 30 meetings with department chairs and faculty to support and facilitate the creation of online degrees and certificates.

• MTSU Online is reviewing all processes and forms to streamline registration, advising, and financial aid processes for students.

• MTSU Online is reviewing student support structures and is monitoring student use of the new tutoring service (TutorMe).

• MTSU Online is developing a marketing strategy using various social media to target potential students.

• Several inclusive teaching workshops have been hosted in the LT&ITC.

STRATEGIC PRIORITY 4: Create and support a culture of service through all divisions of the University.

STRATEGIC PRIORITY 2: Eliminate achievement gaps and increase the diversity of faculty and staff.

• Student supervisor training was initiated in fall 2021 with library supervisors. This training is being refined to offer to other campus supervisors.

• Student Success check-ins were sent to all professors of the 421 African American freshmen.

• The Black Faculty and Staff Association is being reenergized.

• A forum focused on “creating a culture of service” was held, highlighting work by the College of Graduate Studies.

• The position of assistant to the president for inclusion and community engagement was created.

STRATEGIC PRIORITY 5: Invest in a campuswide environment that fosters living-learning opportunities.

• Open educational resources (OER) work continues to lower textbook costs.

• MTSU currently has a THEC-disclosed Campus Quadrangle Improvements project ($1.7 million total) to update sidewalks, gathering spaces, and other site amenities along this quad.

• MTSU’s THEC Quality Assurance Funding initiative prioritized work with underrepresented and minority students when selecting populations for the 2020–25 funding cycle.

• The proposed 2022–23 capital budget outlay project includes outdoor gathering spaces adjacent to renovated buildings.

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JULY MTSU NAMES 2021–22 DISTINGUISHED, YOUNG ALUMNI, TRUE BLUE CITATIONS OF DISTINCTION HONOREES MTSU again in 2021 recognized outstanding alumni who represent excellence and distinction through their professional careers, loyal support, and service to the broader community.

The Young Alumni Achievement Award, given to a graduate age 35 or younger making a positive impact in the world, was given to Gabrielle Thompson (Classes of ’12 and ’15), a Nashville resident and Free for Life International’s executive director and CEO for the past six years—with a heart for empowerment and justice for vulnerable world populations.

From 1960 to present, the MTSU Alumni Association has recognized accomplished alumni with the association’s highest honor: the Distinguished Alumni Award.

Matthew Hibdon, Alumni President, Civil Air Patrol Col. Barry Melton, True Blue Citation of Distinction Service to the Community, Col. Joe Cook, True Blue Citation of Distinction Military Service, Rebecca Foot, True Blue Citation of Distinction Achievement in Education (MTSU faculty), Gabrielle Thompson, Young Alumni Achievement Award, Distinguished Alumnus Torrance Esmond, Chip Walters, True Blue Citation of Distinction Service to the University, Mitchell Miller, True Blue Citation of Distinction Achievement in Education (non-MTSU), and Sidney A. McPhee, MTSU President

The 2021 recipient was Torrance Esmond (Class of 2003) of Nashville. Esmond is a record producer, music executive, composer, and adjunct MTSU professor, spearheading a new hip-hop and R&B songwriting class.

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MTSU, CIVIL AIR PATROL RENEW PARTNERSHIP AT EAA AIRVENTURE IN WISCONSIN MTSU celebrated its return to EAA AirVenture, the world’s largest aviation celebration, on July 26 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, by renewing its partnership for a third time with Civil Air Patrol, the volunteer civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force.

Maj. Gen. Mark Smith, CAP’s national commander and chief executive officer, and I signed the three-year extension just hours after the Experimental Aircraft Association’s signature annual event roared back after a one-year COVID-19 hiatus.

The 69th AirVenture, which was expected to draw more than 600,000 visitors over its seven-day run, also attracts premier

aerospace organizations from industry, education, and public service. Its tower controls the movement of about 10,000 aircraft, making it the world’s busiest for the week.

Signing the partnership at this international event underscored the importance of our work in aerospace, both as individual organizations and as partners.

The MTSU College of Basic and Applied Sciences and its Department of Aerospace launched the partnership in 2014 with a priority goal of providing cadets ages 12 to 18 in the CAP’s Tennessee Wing with opportunities to interact with faculty and explore the Murfreesboro campus.

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TRUE BLUE STUDENT SUCCESS Over the past decade, MTSU has become a national thought and practice leader in student success. The MTSU Office of Student Success works diligently every day to enhance the institution’s persistence, retention, and graduation rates by focusing on primary strategic initiatives that include: • enhancing advising • promoting and facilitating course redesign • ensuring that effective tutoring is available to students • establishing a system to communicate student success initiatives and performance metrics Here are some 2021 highlights from the Office of Student Success.

• Since launching in fall 2015, the University College’s Dual Enrollment Program has enrolled thousands of high school students, providing them with an opportunity to earn college credit and connecting them to MTSU’s campus early.

• Tutoring was once again offered in a hybrid format—in person and via Zoom. The office developed a QR code scan system providing a touchless way for tutors to log in and students to check in and out of tutoring sessions without use of a kiosk.

• Supplemental instruction (SI), which recruits high-achieving students to serve as classroom assistants, was provided for MTSU’s most challenging courses, such as biology, chemistry, and mathematics. In all, nearly 30 courses were SI-assisted in fall 2021, with 27 students serving as SI leaders.

• Summer 2021 saw the return of both the Scholars Academy and the STAR program to on-ground experiences. The 2021 Scholars Academy cohort achieved a 98% persistence rate in fall 2021,

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a new record. The STAR program participants achieved a 93% persistence rate.

• The Black male initiative was a success for the Scholars Academy cohort as well. A special program featured former NFL player Jay Barnett, an author, speaker, family therapist, and mental health coach.

• The Write On! program served freshman students from underrepresented populations who needed support in their first-year writing courses. The Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) grant-funded program ($47,400) directs students to the University Writing Center and hosts one-on-one writing sessions.

• The Accelerated Mentoring Program, TBR-funded through a $50,000 grant, targeted underserved incoming freshmen and transfer students. Ninety percent of the Accelerated Mentoring participants are registered for the Spring 2022 semester.

• REBOUND supports freshman students who earn below a 2.0 grade point average their first fall semester at the University. For the previous six years, students who qualified for the program and participated were 50% more likely to return for their sophomore year than those students who qualified but didn’t participate.

• MTSU was one of just 16 institutions nationwide selected to participate in a two-year program called Intermediaries for Scale, funded by the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Goals for this initiative center on supporting current underrepresented, low-income, and first-generation populations by eliminating equity and opportunity gaps, increasing access to educational and support resources, and more.

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AUGUST

FALL FACULTY MEETING As thousands of MTSU students moved back on campus, I welcomed back faculty and staff with praise for their resilience during the past 18 months of the pandemic, while emphasizing vigilance as the campus returned to more traditional operations for the fall semester.

Signs of that vigilance were unmistakable inside the University’s Tucker Theatre during the speech, with all attendees complying with the University’s recently reinstated mask mandate indoors and applauding my commitment to follow the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local health officials on how best to deal with the coronavirus.

In my address, I spotlighted several new degree programs and initiatives, notable grant awards for faculty research, national program rankings, new construction and proposed upgrades to campus facilities, and recent and pending bonuses for employees.

I also encouraged the in-person and livestream audience to take advantage of the free vaccines available on campus and elsewhere in the community.

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CONSUMER RESEARCH PRO GRAEFF EARNS CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD; 10 PROFESSORS SALUTED FOR TEACHING, SERVICE An MTSU marketing professor whose regular teamwork with his students and colleagues provides consumer insights into Tennessee’s economy chose to focus on those students and colleagues, and his family, after receiving the University’s top teaching honor.

Dr. Timothy Graeff, a professor in the Department of Marketing in MTSU’s Jones College of Business since 1992, was the 2021 recipient of the MTSU Foundation’s Career Achievement Award.

He was saluted at the University’s Fall Faculty Meeting for his teaching, research, and service to students.

MTSU marketing Professor Timothy Graeff, center, proudly wears his new Career Achievement Award medallion Aug. 19 after receiving the University’s top teaching honor from me, left, and alumnus Ronald Roberts, vice president of the MTSU Foundation, in Tucker Theatre during the 2021 Fall Faculty Meeting. Graeff also is founder of MTSU’s Office of Consumer Research.

Youth advocate, social entrepreneur and military veteran Wes Moore gave his keynote address Aug. 21 at the 2021 University Convocation at Murphy Center.

CONVOCATION SPEAKER TO STUDENTS: PERSONAL GPS MORE IMPORTANT THAN GPA Youth advocate, social entrepreneur, and military veteran Wes Moore challenged incoming MTSU freshmen and transfer students to take up a mantle of selflessness during his keynote remarks at University Convocation inside Murphy Center on Aug. 21.

Moore, a Rhodes scholar and New York Times bestselling author of MTSU’s Summer Reading Selection The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates, told the thousands of masked students and family members inside the arena that a question he was repeatedly asked throughout his academic journey in college was “What is your major?”

At the time, it seemed like the most important question for his life because he was asked so often, he said. But in those two decades since earning that degree, he said, he never gets asked that question—now realizing that there were more important questions to consider.

“The most important question you will be asked is, ‘Who will you choose to fight for?’ ‘Who will matter to you when it’s not easy, when it’s not simple, when it might not be convenient?’” said Moore, former CEO of the New York-based anti-poverty foundation Robin Hood.

“Who will you choose to be a voice for?”

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TRUE BLUE PARTNERSHIPS Developing new partnerships with government and private-sector entities demonstrates MTSU’s ability to be responsive to the economic and educational needs of our state, further enhancing our value as a major contributor to Tennessee’s growing economy. University partnerships and public-service initiatives also support our educational efforts and provide students with the breadth and relevance of experience needed to be successful both in college and eventually in the professional workplace.

We’re Lovin’ It In early August 2021, MTSU and Murfreesboro-based McGuire Manage­ ment Group announced a new partnership, making it more affordable for current and future qualifying employees to earn college credit and obtain a degree from the University tuition-free.

Local McDonald’s franchise owner Jonathon McGuire announced the McGuire True Blue Education Partnership at the Memorial Boulevard Murfreesboro location of the fast-food restaurant. McGuire owns 20 McDonald’s restaurants, 10 in Murfreesboro,

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seven in Nashville/Antioch, Tennessee, and others in Columbia, Centerville, and White Bluff.

MTSU and fast-food chain Chick-fil-A signed a similar agreement that provides tuition assistance to qualifying local Chickfil-A employees. Beau Noblitt, restaurant operator for Chick-fil-A Murfreesboro, revealed details of the Noblitt True Blue Education Partnership during a signing ceremony in January 2022. Eligible employees at the two restaurants in Murfreesboro will be able to take up to six credit hours of MTSU classes each year with 100% of their tuition costs fully funded beginning in the Spring 2022 semester.

Solid Evidence A few days following the McGuire announcement, MTSU fulfilled its partnership with the inaugural Big Machine Music City Grand Prix in Nashville.

Under the agreement, some MTSU concrete students were provided internships for the race, while others were involved in creating safer and lighter blends of concrete using recycled materials and

better molds for racing barriers and pit row use in the IndyCar Series event.

Arm in Arms A month later, MTSU and officials with the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and the XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, signed a partnership to encourage education, research, and innovation collaborations in STEM fields and other disciplines.

Provost Mark Byrnes and Brig. Gen. Bob Ritchie with the Army’s XVIII Airborne Corps signed the five-year agreement, followed by demonstrations of the MTSU Aerospace Department’s drone program and 3D printing, laser-cutting, and virtual reality technology in the Makerspace at the James E. Walker Library.

The agreement seeks to enhance knowledge transfer, increase coeducational opportunities for military and civilian scholars in the areas of STEM—science, technology, engineering and math—and promote greater understanding between the Army and MTSU as well as the national security and academic communities.

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SEPTEMBER 48

MTSU’S JONES COLLEGE OF BUSINESS REACHES INTERNATIONAL ACCREDITATION MILESTONES MTSU’s Jennings A. Jones College of Business continued to rack up international recognition for the quality of its programs.

The premier accrediting body in business education worldwide, AACSB International, extended Jones College’s business and accounting accreditations for another five years, based on an exhaustive review.

Established in 1916, AACSB is the world’s largest business education alliance, connecting educators, learners, and business to create the next generation of leaders. There is no greater

distinction for a business or accounting program anywhere in the world than to receive extension of accreditation from AACSB International. It is an assurance for our students and alumni that the educational experience in Jones College is in the elite group of business and accounting programs.

Only 189 institutions—including MTSU’s Jones College— maintain supplemental AACSB accreditation for their accounting programs.

HAPPY HEARTS PREVAIL WITH $100K-PLUS RAISED BY 2021 RUTHERFORD HEART WALK MTSU and the American Heart Association had reason to celebrate following the 2021 Rutherford Heart Walk.

The Sept. 25 event raised approximately $102,590, with MTSU placing third among the top participating companies with $3,189.53 and first among the participants in the Move More Challenge with 566 minutes. The challenge is a series of customizable workplace events designed to help companies have a positive impact on employee health and well-being.

Retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Keith Huber, MTSU’s senior adviser for veterans and leadership initiatives, was fifth among the top walkers with just over $1,000 raised. Huber, who suffered a heart attack four years ago and whose wife underwent surgery to repair an aortic valve five years ago, led the walk as this year’s chair.

Retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Keith Huber, leader of the 2021 Rutherford County Heart Walk, addresses the participants at Dean A. Hayes Track and Soccer Stadium Sept. 25.

“DEMOCRACY OUT LOUD” IN EVIDENCE AT MTSU DURING CONSTITUTION WEEK READINGS MTSU students across campus learned firsthand what democracy sounds like when it is read out loud.

At six separate locations, students, faculty, and staff stood in line to read aloud sections of the U.S. Constitution Sept. 14–16 in celebration of Constitution Week, a schedule of activities concluding with the 234th anniversary of the Constitution’s ratification on Sept. 17.

A student reads a portion of the U.S. Constitution at the Academic Classroom Building Sept. 16 during MTSU’s Constitution Week celebration.

9/11 CEREMONY To mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11, MTSU was fortunate to have Alberto Gonzales, who was sworn in as the nation’s 80th and first Hispanic attorney general in 2005, as the keynote speaker for the University’s annual 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony.

Gonzales shared firsthand his memories of that time. The Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center hosts this event annually on the day and time of the first plane crash. In addition to the ceremony, Daniels Center, Student Government Association, and ROTC students created a field of flags and recited the names of all 2,977 people killed during that day’s attacks.

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TRUE BLUE VALUES It was March 3, 2011, and I found myself addressing a grief-stricken assembly in MTSU’s Murphy Center, all mourning an almost unspeakable tragedy.

The anguish I felt over the recent death of Tina Stewart, a Lady Raider basketball player, could not be adequately expressed.

Stewart had died the day before, after an argument in her off-campus apartment with her roommate, who was also an MTSU student.

The death of a student is always a grievous loss on a campus. In this case, the loss was particularly senseless and appalling. I felt strongly that Tina’s death must have the effect of making us all more tolerant and more kind to each other.

A few days after the memorial service, I was reflecting on the events with Dwight Lewis, then-editorial page editor of The Tennessean.

In our conversation, an idea emerged for MTSU to teach and encourage nonviolent conflict resolution as a core value.

Later that month, I appointed the President’s Task Force on Nonviolence and Conflict Resolution. The panel was charged with establishing a comprehensive and ongoing plan to encourage teaching, training, programming, and research related to nonviolence and conflict resolution between students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of MTSU. The task force, made up of faculty, staff and students, developed the “True Blue Pledge,” introduced at MTSU’s Convocation Ceremony on Aug. 28, as well as a set of four core values. The task force 0119-6939 / Middle Tennessee State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, or disability. See our full policy at mtsu.edu/iec.

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also called for peaceful conflict-resolution tactics to be included in classroom lessons and orientation sessions. The task force’s work was introduced to the campus that fall.

2021 marked the 10th anniversary of the True Blue Pledge.

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.

In the fall of 2021, at our Fall Faculty Meeting to start the new academic year, I announced a fifth core value— determination and resilience—in recognition of the efforts during the pandemic to keep campus community safe while maintaining educational quality.

The staying power of these foundational values are a testament to the many people—students, faculty, staff, alumni, and supporters—who value the educational mission of this University to develop not only great scholars and professionals, but more importantly great citizens of their communities.

As I’ve said numerous times before, “I Am True Blue” is so much more than a slogan. It is truly who we are as a University.

The True Blue Pledge is recited each fall at MTSU’s annual University Convocation ceremony, when I, along with top MTSU administrators and faculty, formally welcome new students to campus and explain MTSU rituals and traditions.

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OCTOBER

MTSU OPENS NEW RECORDING STUDIOS, WELCOMES GRAMMY-NOMINATED GRAD BACK FOR ‘SNEAK PEEK’ Just a few yards from the site where MTSU students first started learning 40 years ago how to make music sound right, a new set of recording studios is now preparing them for record-breaking careers.

Students in the Department of Recording Industry are now using Studios D and E— nearly 5,000 square feet of customized, expandable, world-class space, complete with control rooms, equipment rooms, and an open gathering/reception area— relocated from an aging dorm, targeted for demolition, to the former Parking and Transportation Services Building on East Main Street.

BryTavious “Tay Keith” Chambers, a 2018 Integrated Studies graduate of MTSU’s University College, came to the University for its Recording Industry program.

The Grammy-nominated producer and Memphis native returned to campus Sept.

29 for a “sneak peek” visit of the new facilities with 2019 MTSU Concrete Industry Management graduate Nick Brownlow, public relations manager in his Nashvillebased record label and production company, Drumatized; and longtime friends Cambrian Strong, Chambers’ business manager and a former Advertising and Public Relations major in MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment; and stylist Tyland Jackson, an Integrated Studies major in the University College.

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HIGH SCHOOL BANDS RETURN TO FLOYD STADIUM FOR 58TH CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS MTSU’s School of Music was pleased to resume the nation’s longest-running marching band competition after its hiatus a year ago because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The 58th Contest of Champions was held Oct. 23 on Jones Field inside Floyd Stadium, featuring 19 high school bands from four states throughout the region.

Taking the grand champion prize was Pope High School of Marietta, Georgia, followed by reserve champion honors to Siegel High School of Murfreesboro, and honorary mention going to Bartlett High School of Bartlett.

RAIN DOESN’T DETER MTSU HOMECOMING FESTIVITIES— AND RAIDERS REIGN Homecoming is a way for everyone connected to the University to celebrate the decades of traditions—food, fun, and fellowship at various activities throughout the week.

MTSU’s Student Government Association, in partnership with the Signature Events Committee and Student Programming and Raider Entertainment (SPARE), also coordinated various student-oriented events throughout the week including a concert, step show, and a pumpkin patch decoration activity and yard party in and around the Student Union.

MTSU seniors Ashlee Dunn, left, and Joshua Gray were announced as Homecoming queen and king in Floyd Stadium on Oct. 30. Dunn is a Mechatronics Engineering major from Jackson, while Gray is a Recording Industry/Commercial Songwriting major from St. Louis, Missouri.

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TRUE BLUE DIVERSITY MTSU boasts significant international undergraduate and graduate student enrollment, robust study abroad opportunities, and numerous faculty and student exchanges.

MTSU also conducts meaningful research collaborations with our international partners.

Currently, MTSU international students come from 62 countries. Saudi Arabia, China, Bahamas, India, and Nigeria are the top countries of origin for our students. I am proud to say that MTSU is a welcoming, safe place for international students and visitors.

The impact of international students both culturally and economically is undeniable. NAFSA statistics indicate that for every eight international students, three U.S. jobs are created and supported by spending occurring in the higher education, accommodation, dining, retail, transportation, telecommunications, and health insurance sectors. Also according to NAFSA, international students studying at U.S. colleges and universities contributed $38.7 billion within the U.S. in the 2019–20 academic year, while supporting or creating almost 416,000 jobs. In Tennessee, that impact was $284.1 million and more than 3,300 jobs within the state.

The pandemic caused a decrease in F-1 visa international student enrollment numbers across the United States.

International students had to face restrictive public health mandates, lockdowns, closed U.S. consulates and embassies, unavailability of international flights, and the added expense

54

of quarantines upon arrival in the United States. MTSU was not alone in this challenging situation. International Affairs responded to the pandemic challenge by using new and innovative methods to recruit F-1 international students: joining online recruitment platforms, engaging new global agents from countries based on our newly developed international recruitment strategy, stepping up social media campaigns, and participating in virtual recruitment fairs throughout the world. International Affairs participated in 82 virtual fairs in more than 25 countries, increased the number of approved agents from 30 to 72, joined seven online recruitment platforms, and subsequently touched almost 25,000 prospective new MTSU students throughout the world. Through these new efforts, we managed to minimize the pandemic impact and attracted over 900 applicants and more than 400 international admissions for the Fall 2021 semester.

As a result of our recruitment endeavors in 2021, international applications reached 609 in spring 2022, a 75% increase compared to the spring of 2020 and a 61% jump compared with the average of the past five spring semesters. A total of 257 new students are admitted for the spring semester of 2022, a 71% increase over spring 2021 and an 85% increase over the past five spring semester average. These efforts put MTSU in the forefront of international recruitment and international enrollment management in the state, region, and nation.

FEATURE STORY

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NOVEMBER 56

NEWSWEEK NAMES MTSU TO AMERICA’S TOP ONLINE COLLEGES 2022 LIST MTSU was named to Newsweek’s list of America’s Top Online Colleges 2022.

The prestigious recognition is compiled by Newsweek and Statista Inc., the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider.

MTSU ranked 40th among the 150 higher-ed institutions highlighted and was the only Tennessee university that made the list.

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT STUDIES MASTER’S PROGRAM ACHIEVES PROVISIONAL ACCREDITATION The Physician Assistant Studies master’s program was successful in achieving provisional accreditation with the ARC-PA and opened in the online national PA admissions portal, where hundreds of applications have been received for the first cohort set to begin in May 2022.

STAND-ALONE MAJOR ESTABLISHED IN SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT With supply chain disruptions and resulting product shortages and delivery delays in the headlines, MTSU’s Jones College is working to address current and future challenges in this area through a new stand-alone major in Supply Chain Management, which launched in 2021. Housed within its Department of Management, the degree program is additionally relevant because of MTSU’s location. Tennessee is within a day’s drive of 60% of the U.S. population, a fact that has attracted numerous logistics-related companies and industries.

Other new academic programs in 2021 included a Bachelor of Science in Media Management (elevation of concentration to free-standing degree) and a Bachelor of Science in Photography (elevation of concentration to freestanding degree).

MTSU, NEIGHBORS BLEED BLUE TO BEAT LIFESAVING GOALS AT ANNUAL BLOOD DRIVE MTSU students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends enthusiastically supported the annual “True Blue Blood Drive,” beating their three-day, 100-units-per-day target and donating 362 pints of blood for their neighbors across the state and region.

That was 121% of our goal. In addition, and most importantly, we had 152 first-time donors.

Nicole Kogowski, left, a phlebotomy supervisor with the American Red Cross, carefully prepares MTSU junior Animation major Abigail Waddle of Munfordville, Ky., for her blood donation at the Student Health, Wellness, and Recreation Center on Nov. 1.

AT MTSU “SALUTE” GAME, DAY BELONGS TO VETERANS, ACTIVE-DUTY PERSONNEL The 39th annual Salute to Veterans and Armed Forces game activities were a rousing success again.

As a tribute to veterans and currently serving military members, MT Athletics and the Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center hold special events on a game day that help conclude Veterans Day-related events on campus.

Veterans who served in the U.S. Coast Guard walk behind MTSU ROTC cadets carrying their banner during halftime of the 39th annual Salute to Veterans and Armed Forces game in Floyd Stadium Nov. 13. Hundreds of veterans, current service members and their family members were treated to special events throughout the day.

MTSU DATA SCIENCE, AMAZON PARTNER TO HOST HANDS-ON MACHINE LEARNING COMPETITION The College of Basic and Applied Sciences held a friendly competition of autonomously driven model race cars hosted by the MTSU Data Science Institute in partnership with Amazon Web Services.

The model race cars drove along a mock road course on the MTSU Science Building Atrium floor.

The AWS DeepRacer event allows developers of all skill levels to get hands on with machine learning through a cloud-based 3D racing simulator, fully autonomous 1/18 scale race car driven by reinforcement learning.

MTSU biology Professor Ryan Otter, director of the Data Science Institute, inspects one of the model racers that would be competing in the Nov. 13 AWS DeepRacer event held in the MTSU Science Building Atrium.

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TRUE BLUE ATHLETICS Blue Raider sports teams experienced another exciting and productive fall and winter in 2021. The University’s athletics department fields 17 Division I teams in men’s and women’s sports as a member of Conference USA. Here are some of the many recent athletic and academic highlights achieved by MTSU student-athletes.

Blue Raiders rally for Bahamas Bowl victory Middle Tennessee football beat Toledo 31-24 in the 2021 Bahamas Bowl at Thomas Robinson Stadium on Dec. 17. The win was Middle Tennessee’s first bowl win since their 35-30 win over Arkansas State in the 2017 Camellia Bowl.

Blue Raiders lead C-USA with titles in 2020–21 Blue Raider teams captured C-USA titles in women’s cross country, women’s basketball, women’s outdoor track and field, men’s tennis, and men’s golf, and a women’s basketball division championship.

Additionally, MTSU won several individual titles in men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field. Senior Kigen Chemadi capped off an illustrious career with an NCAA championship in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Blue Raiders excel in the classroom [Fall 2021] • 197 of 350 (56%) of all student-athletes had a 3.0 grade point average or higher

DePriest breaks C-USA goals, points record Senior soccer player Peyton DePriest made history on Sept. 5 in a win over Houston Baptist with her 50th career goal. That made her the all-time leader in goals scored in the history of Conference USA. Later in the season in a win over Marshall, DePriest became the league’s all-time leading scorer with 124 points.

MTSU again posts impressive GSR scores The NCAA Graduation Success Rate at MTSU equaled the school record at 93%, as announced by the NCAA national office in December 2021. It’s the eighth straight year MTSU has either equaled or set a new school record.

Middle Tennessee unveils new golf facility Middle Tennessee golf added a state-of-the-art practice facility to one of the area’s premier golf courses. The Blue Raiders cut the ribbon on their new building, built in partnership with and located at The Grove Club, on Nov. 1. The $1.1 million facility was funded entirely through private donations.

• 125 (36%) of all student-athletes made the Dean’s List by earning a 3.5 or higher GPA • 46 (13%) of all student-athletes had a perfect 4.0 GPA • 10 of 15 teams had a semester GPA of 3.0 or higher • Cumulative GPA for all student-athletes: 3.109

The Graduation Success Rate (GSR) is a four-year measure of freshmen and athletic transfers who entered the University as freshmen.

The Blue Raiders’ score of 95% in football ranked tied for fifth nationally with Vanderbilt, behind only Northwestern (97%), Duke (96%), Michigan (96%), and Minnesota (96%). It easily led the way in Conference USA, ahead of Rice’s second-place 91%.

FEATURE STORY

59

DECEMBER

MTSU EMPLOYEES PLEDGE RECORD $140K-PLUS FOR 2021–22 CHARITABLE GIVING CAMPAIGN MTSU faculty and staff again stepped up in support of their neighbors by pledging a record $140,791 for the 2021 Employee Charitable Giving Campaign, beating the $140,000 campaign goal.

In addition to the record dollar amount, the 2021 campaign also attracted the highest number of participants: 864.

I continue to be amazed by the willingness of so many on our campus to do their part to help those in our community who need a helping hand through the tremendous services offered by the nonprofit community.

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Meanwhile, the Jennings A. Jones College of Business extended its streak to nine straight years of winning the Provost Cup, a friendly competition between academic units that is awarded to the college with the highest percentage of employee participation.

“Mr. MTSU” John Hood, left, director of governmental and community affairs, and Brenda Wonder, administrative coordinator for Facilities Services, conduct one of the weekly drawings in the Cope Administration Building lobby as part of the 2021–22 MTSU Employee Charitable Giving Campaign.

MTSU TO CREATE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION CENTER FOCUSED ON DIVERSIFYING STUDENT, TEACHER, GRADUATE, FACULTY RANKS MTSU announced it would be creating a new center in its College of Education to focus on recruiting and retaining diverse teacher candidates, graduate students, and faculty.

The announcement was part of a broader discussion at the quarterly MTSU Board of Trustees meeting Dec. 8 on the need to better serve and encourage students from underserved communities—particularly Black males.

Professor Michelle Stevens, introduced as director of the new Fairness, Justice, and Equity Center in the College of Education, said the center will offer educational opportunities, support, and advocacy for community partners. It will also partner with Memphis-based Man Up Teacher Fellowship, a nonprofit working to provide students in high-poverty areas access to “highquality male teachers.”

I count this effort among MTSU’s many ongoing commitments to improving graduation and retention rates for underserved populations. MTSU invests more than $2.6 million in University funds and external grants each year into efforts and programs to support underrepresented populations.

MTSU professor Michelle Stevens discusses the new Fairness, Justice, and Equity Center in the College of Education during the Board of Trustees quarterly meeting on Dec. 8.

MTSU PIVOTAL IN TENNESSEE INTERCOLLEGIATE STATE LEGISLATURE Once again in 2021, MTSU was a major player in the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature (TISL), which annually provides interested college students from across the state with a hands-on taste of the ins and outs of crafting public policy. MTSU’s eight-member delegation joined other schools in the Senate and House chambers on Capitol Hill in Nashville where the Tennessee General Assembly meets. Their mock session conducted four days of business—some serious in nature and others more fun (such as declaring banana pudding to be the official state dessert). The MTSU delegation was mentored by Beth Harwell, former Tennessee House speaker, who is now a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University.

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ON THE HORIZON IN CONCLUSION, NEW AND DISTINCTIVE ACHIEVEMENTS ARE WITHIN OUR GRASP. MY VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF THE UNIVERSITY IS EXEMPLIFIED BY THE FOLLOWING GLIMPSES OF NEW AND EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS TAKING SHAPE IN THE NEAR FUTURE AT MTSU.

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UP, UP, AND AWAY The success of MTSU’s Aerospace program, which is ranked in the top five in the nation, has led to an enrollment growth in the Professional Pilot program. This growth has been further accelerated by Delta Airline’s selection of MTSU as an area for hiring. Student enrollment in the program has increased from 319 in fall 2013 to 886 in fall 2020, expanding the number of needed training flights.

Most of those flights occur at Murfreesboro Municipal Airport, but MTSU has been exploring options at other area airports to accommodate the future needs of the large number of Professional Pilot students.

In concert with that, we recently submitted to THEC a comprehensive capital project for the Aerospace Department. This project includes site development and academic facilities, including an 83,000-square-foot academic building with classroom, class lab, faculty and staff offices, and support spaces, along with three hangar structures to serve as

laboratory and laboratory support spaces. The site development includes site utilities, earthwork, auto parking, aircraft apron, and taxiway, and all associated work. This Aerospace capital outlay project was ranked No. 1 on THEC’s second priority list. In his proposed 2022–23 state budget, delivered to the Tennessee General Assembly on January 31, Governor Bill Lee recommended $62.2 million in capital funding to the University for this exciting and needed expansion of the Aerospace program in Bedford County.

Established in 1942, Aerospace is a signature department at MTSU and has grown into one of the most respected programs in the country.

Twenty full-time faculty members, 100-plus flight instructors at the Flight Operations Center, and more than 1,200 majors place MTSU Aerospace among the largest of the nation’s collegiate aviation programs.

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A NEW VISION Issues surrounding social justice continue to reverberate in public discussions and debates throughout our community and country, which is why University Provost Mark Byrnes and I in 2021 appointed Louis Woods, an associate professor of African American history and former Africana Studies program director, as the first Presidential Fellow for Social Justice and Equality.

As part of this fellowship, Woods has been leading a campuswide initiative that provides an opportunity for the University and wider community to build a foundation for racial reconciliation, honest and open dialogue, and impactful change. MTSU’s Social Justice and Equality Initiative aims to directly address four areas: curriculum, workforce development and inclusion, campus climate, and community outreach.

In addition to systemic racism, the initiative also looks to address the concerns of marginalized groups such as the LGBTQ community and other underrepresented groups.

To facilitate the process, Provost Byrnes and I also appointed a Social Justice and Equality Task Force, an advisory group chaired by Woods that is made up of faculty, staff, administrators, and students. This group is currently researching and gathering information about the four areas of focus, which they will soon present to me with recommendations on how the University can address these areas in meaningful ways.

Woods has taught at MTSU since 2007 and previously served as president of the MTSU Black Faculty and Staff Association. His research in areas such as systemic discrimination in housing and home lending has appeared in a number of academic journals.

I’m also pleased to have Professor Lynda Williams from the Department of Criminal Justice Administration serving as vice chair of the task force. She possesses more than three decades of law enforcement experience and recently served as president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, better known as NOBLE. In May 2021, she testified virtually before the U.S. House Administration Committee in its investigation of the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

My sincere thanks to all task force members for their ongoing contributions, and I look forward to reviewing their recommendations on how we can make our True Blue community more equitable and inviting for all.

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66

TRUE BLUE BUILD We excitedly announced in November 2021 that we had secured funds for a $66 million project to build a new student-athlete performance center behind the north end zone of Floyd Stadium as well as make stadium improvements—the first of a three-phase, $100 million-plus plan to upgrade athletics facilities.

I, along with Trustees Board Chairman Steve Smith and Athletics Director Chris Massaro, revealed details on the milestone during a rally-style ceremony at the Emmett and Rose Kennon Sports Hall of Fame.

To be built on the site of the current weight and game day rooms adjacent to Murphy Center, the three-story structure will house training, strength and conditioning, and equipment centers. Football’s locker and meeting rooms and personnel offices will be moved from Murphy Center into the new facility.

Design of the new facility began immediately, with project completion expected before the start of the 2024 Blue Raider football season. GMC+HOK, a team that helped build similar projects at Vanderbilt, Auburn, Georgia, and other universities, will oversee design of the project. The State Building Commission recently approved MTSU’s plans for the project.

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MTSU HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY RECOGNIZED FOR ACADEMIC INNOVATION. Grounded in outstanding tradition, MTSU faces a future that has never been brighter. This Annual President’s Report is intended to celebrate the exciting advances and achievements that the University’s collective efforts have produced over the past year. As a valued MTSU stakeholder, thank you for taking stock of the accomplishments of the past and the promise of the future at MTSU. True Blue!

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TRUE SUCCESS NEW FRESHMEN FALL ENROLLMENT New Freshman by Gender 3016

3312

2897

1656 1553

1414

1344

FALL 2017

FALL 2018

COUNT

1602

3093

1579

1656

1514

FALL 2019

FALL 2020

Men

Women

164

New Freshman by College 409

Basic and Applied Sciences 950

Behavioral and Health Sciences Business Education

303

Liberal Arts Media and Entertainment

42

University College 323

70

561

2752

1455

1297

FALL 2021

New Freshmen by Ethnicity Alaskan Native and American Indian Asian Black or African American Hispanic Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander Not Specified Two or More Races White Top Ten Majors of New Freshmen Aerospace Nursing Audio Production Biology Psychology Computer Science Business Administration Video & Film Production Recording Industry Art Average ACT Scores of New Freshmen English Math Reading Science Composite New Freshmen by Enrollment Status Part-time Full-time

#

3 118 422 217 5 41 126 1,820 #

% 0.1% 4.3% 15.3% 7.9% 0.2% 1.5% 4.6% 66.1%

233 186 146 143 140 95 92 80 72 64

% 8.5% 6.8% 5.3% 5.2% 5.1% 3.5% 3.3% 2.9% 2.6% 2.3%

MTSU 23.1 21.1 24.1 22.6 22.9

Nat'l 19.9 20.2 21.2 20.6 20.6

Fall 2017 Fall 2018 Fall 2019 40 35 30 2,976 2,862 3,282

New Freshmen by High School Blackman High School Siegel High School Oakland High School Stewarts Creek High School Smyrna High School Rockvale High School Riverdale High School Central High School HomeLife Academy LaVergne High School

#

New Freshmen by TN County Rutherford Davidson Williamson Shelby Wilson Hamilton Bedford Knox Sumner Coffee Montgomery Madison Maury Marshall Robertson

#

Fall 2020

58 3,035

99 94 90 81 66 62 60 53 52 50

% 3.6% 3.4% 3.3% 2.9% 2.4% 2.3% 2.2% 1.9% 1.9% 1.8%

764 312 218 157 134 93 75 75 62 43 42 28 28 24 21

% 27.8% 11.3% 7.9% 5.7% 4.9% 3.4% 2.7% 2.7% 2.3% 1.6% 1.5% 1.0% 1.0% 0.9% 0.8%

Fall 2021 45 2,707

71

NEW UNDERGRADUATE TRANSFER FALL ENROLLMENT

COUNT

New Undergraduate Transfer by Gender 2048

1958

1967

1059

1090

1104

899

877

FALL 2017

FALL 2018

1879

1752

1071

956

944

808

796

FALL 2019

FALL 2020

FALL 2021

Men

Women

Total

116

New Undergraduate Transfer by College

420

252

Basic and Applied Sciences Behavioral and Health Sciences Business Education

223

Liberal Arts Media and Entertainment 394

67 280 72

University College

New UG Transfer by Ethnicity Alaskan Native and American Indian Asi an Black or Afri can Ameri can Hispanic Nati ve Hawai i an or Other Paci fi c Islander Not Speci fi ed Two or More Races White

#

6 68 244 167 3 44 63 1,157

Top Ten Majors of New UG Transfers Psychology Business Administration Aerospace Audio Production Integrated Studies Nursing Computer Science Criminal Justice Admin Video & Film Production Recording Industry

#

Average New UG Transfer GPA Fall 2017 Fall 2018 Fall 2019 Fall 2020 Fall 2021

# 2.96 2.93 2.94 3.03 3.00

New Freshmen by Enrollment Status Part-time Full-time

123 93 74 70 69 57 56 54 54 52

% 0.3% 3.9% 13.9% 9.5% 0.2% 2.5% 3.6% 66.0% % 7.0% 5.3% 4.2% 4.0% 3.9% 3.3% 3.2% 3.1% 3.1% 3.0%

Fall 2017 Fall 2018 Fall 2019 40 35 30 2,976 2,862 3,282

New UG Transfer by Transfer Institution Motlow State Community College Columbia State Community College Nashvi lle State Tech Comm College Volunteer State Community College University of Tenn at Chattanooga Pellissippi State Comm College Uni versi ty of Tenn at Knoxvi lle Cumberland University Chattanooga State Comm College Tennessee Tech Uni versi ty

#

New UG Transfer by TN County Rutherford Davi dson Williamson Wi lson Sumner Maury Bedford Coffee Knox Shelby Warren Hami lton Frankli n Marshall Lincoln

#

Fall 2020

58 3,035

301 224 189 136 51 43 39 35 31 31

% 17.2% 12.8% 10.8% 7.8% 2.9% 2.5% 2.2% 2.0% 1.8% 1.8%

398 262 209 91 74 58 40 40 31 30 23 23 22 20 19

% 22.7% 15.0% 11.9% 5.2% 4.2% 3.3% 2.3% 2.3% 1.8% 1.7% 1.3% 1.3% 1.3% 1.1% 1.1%

Fall 2021 45 2,707

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STUDENT AGE INFORMATION: FALL 2019–2021 Average Age by Student Level: Fall 2019–2021 Average Age by Student Level- Fall 2019-2021 Level

First-time Freshman Continuing Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior UG Special Total Undergraduate Masters Specialist Doc Candidate Graduate Special Total Graduate Total

Student Headcount by Age Group: Fall 2021

Age 17 or less 18-20 21-24 25-34 35-64 Over 64 Total

Student Headcount Age 25 and Over: Fall 2021 Headcount

74

Fall 2019 Headcount Age 3,312 19 1,077 21 3,505 21 4,548 23 5,651 26 1,368 18 19,461 22 1,753 30 83 37 303 37 121 37 2,260 32 21,721 23

Fall 2020 Headcount Age 3,093 19 1,090 21 3,670 21 4,534 23 5,618 26 1,183 18 19,188 22 2,302 31 119 32 338 38 133 38 2,892 32 22,080 23

Undergraduate 1,040 5.8% 8,219 45.9% 6,038 33.7% 1,799 10.1% 779 4.4% 17 0.1% 17,892

Graduate 5 0.2% 765 25.8% 1,256 42.4% 919 31.0% 20 0.7% 2,965

Fall 2019 Fall 2020 Fall 2021 4,863 4,888 4,790

Fall 2021 Headcount Age 2,752 19 1,041 21 3,294 21 4,429 23 5,486 26 890 18 17,892 22 2,365 32 135 31 347 38 118 38 2,965 33 20,857 24

Total 1,040 8,224 6,803 3,055 1,698 37

5.0% 39.4% 32.6% 14.6% 8.1% 0.2% 20,857

HEADCOUNT BY COLLEGE, CLASSIFICATION, AND GENDER Term Summer Fall Spring Unduplicated Total

Gender Female Male Total Female Male Total Female Male Total

2018-19 % of Total 4,041 55% 3,328 45% 7,369 100% 11,860 55% 9,770 45% 21,630 100% 10,783 55% 8,917 45% 19,700 100% 25,239

2019-20 % of Total 3,949 56% 3,133 44% 7,082 100% 11,801 54% 9,920 46% 21,721 100% 10,915 55% 8,982 45% 19,897 100% 25,341

2020-21 % of Total 3,970 58% 2,894 42% 6,864 100% 12,169 55% 9,911 45% 22,080 100% 11,214 55% 9,002 45% 20,216 100% 25,626

College Basic and Applied Sciences Behavioral and Health Sciences Business Education Liberal Arts Media and Entertainment Non-Degree University College Total Undergraduates Graduate Studies Total

2019 4,959 4,201 2,656 569 2,114 2,375 1,368 1,219 19,461 2,260 21,721

% of Total 23% 19% 12% 3% 10% 10% 6% 6% 90% 10% 100%

2020 5,147 4,158 2,584 558 2,128 2,296 1,183 1,134 19,188 2,892 22,080

% of Total 23% 19% 12% 3% 10% 10% 5% 5% 87% 13% 100%

2021 4,911 3,779 2,471 479 2,046 2,268 890 1,048 17,892 2,965 20,857

% of Total 24% 18% 12% 2% 10% 11% 4% 5% 86% 14% 100%

Classification Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior UG Special Master's Specialist Doc Candidate Graduate Special Total

2019 4,389 3,505 4,548 5,651 1,368 1,753 83 303 121 21,721

% of Total 20% 16% 21% 26% 6% 8% 0% 1% 1% 100%

2020 4,183 3,670 4,534 5,618 1,183 2,302 119 338 133 22,080

% of Total 19% 17% 21% 25% 5% 10% 1% 2% 1% 100%

2021 3,793 3,294 4,429 5,486 890 2,365 135 347 118 20,857

% of Total 18% 16% 21% 26% 4% 11% 1% 2% 1% 100%

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HEADCOUNT, STUDENT CREDIT HOURS, & FULL-TIME EQUIVALENTS SUMMARY: FALL 2021

HEADCOUNT, STUDENT CREDIT HOURS, AND FULL-TIME EQUIVALENTS SUMMARY : FALL 2021

HEADCOUNT, STUDENT CREDIT HOURS, AND FULL-TIME EQUIVALENTS SUMMARY : FALL 2021 Headcount Student Credit Hours Full-Time Equivalents Undergraduate

Undergraduate Graduate Total

Full-Time Part-Time Total Full-Time Part-Time Total

Full-Time 14,511 Part-Time 3,381 Student Credit Hours Total 17,892 206,693 880 Full-Time Part-Time 21,1662,085 227,8592,965 Total 20,857 8,956

206,693 21,166 Full-Time Equivalents 227,859 13,780 8,956 1,411 10,422 15,191 19,378 247,237 746

Headcount 14,511 Graduate 3,381 17,892 Total880 2,085 10,422 868 2,965 19,378 1,615 UNDERGRADUATE MAJORS BY COLLEGE: FALL 2021 20,857 247,237 16,805

13,780 1,411 15,191 746 868 1,615 16,805

University College, 1048, 6%

Non-Degree, 890, 5%

BI College UNDERGRADUATE HC MAJORS BY COLLEGE: FALL 2021 Basic and Applied Sciences Basic and Applied Sciences 4911 UNDERGRADUATE MAJORS BY COLLEGE: FALL 2021 Behavi oral and Health Sciences Behavioral and Health Sciences 3779 Business 2471 University College, 1048, 6% Media and Business Basic and Applied Education 479 Entertainment, Non-Degree, 890, 5% Sciences, 4911, 27% BI College HC 2268, 13% Liberal Arts 2046 Basic and Applied Sciences Education Media and Entertainment 2268 Basic and Applied Sciences 4911 Liberal Arts, 2046, Liberal Arts Non-Degree 890 11% Behavi oral and Health Sciences Behavioral and Health Behavioral and Health Sciences 3779 Sciences, 3779, 21% University College 1048 Media and Entertainment Business 2471 Media and Business Basic and Applied Business, Education 479 Non-Degree Entertainment, Sciences, 4911, 27% Education, 479, 3% 2471, 14% 2268, 13% Liberal Arts 2046 Education University College

Media and Entertainment 2268 Non-Degree 890 University College 1048

Liberal Arts, 2046, 11%

Education, 479, 3%

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Business, 2471, 14%

Behavioral and Health Sciences, 3779, 21%

Liberal Arts Media and Entertainment Non-Degree University College

SNAPSHOT OF FALL 2021 SNAPSHOT STUDENT BODY OF FALL 2021 STUDENT BODY Total Headcount: 20857

14000 12000

Total Headcount: 20,857

Gender Gender 11582 Count of Students per c1 c2 (56%) Female 11582 56% 13319.3 11582 (56%)20000 Male 9275 44% 10666.25 9275 (44%) 18000 9275 (44%)

16000

10000

14000 12000

8000

10000

6000

5466 (26%)

8000 6000

4000

4000

2000 0

Status 15391 (74%)

2000 Female

0

Male

BI College HC percentage Concat Concat 5317 6000 (25%)5317 Basic and Applied Sciences 25% 5016 5317 (25%) 4242 Behavioral and Health 4242 Sciences 20% 4878 4242 (20%) (20%) 5000 Business 3345 16% 38473345 3345 (16%) Education 1081 5% 1243(16%) 1081 (5%) 4000 Liberal Arts 2352 11% 2705 2352 (11%) Media 2337 11% 2688 2337 (11%) 3000 and Entertainment Non-Degree 987 5% 1135 987 (5%) University College 1 196 6% 1375 1196 (6%) 2000

Full-Time

Part-Time

College

2352 (11%)

2337 (11%)

1081 (5%)

987 (5%)

1196 (6%)

1000 0

Bas ic and Applied Sciences

Behavi oral and Health Sciences

Business

Education

Liberal Arts

Media and Entertainment

Non-Degree

Univers ity College

77

THE DOLLARS AND CENTS Revenues

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

Operating Revenues Net Tuition and Fees Operating Grants and Contracts Sales and Services of Educational/Other Activities Net Auxiliary Enterprises Other Operating Revenues

Total Operating Revenues

2016

2015

$137,724,999.72 $13,469,878.98 $15,550,805.24 $21,009,045.49 $293,847.58

$133,560,374.26 $12,762,088.04 $19,252,851.23 $25,171,582.74 $272,711.96

$132,291,573.74 $12,254,975.61 $22,105,796.52 $27,339,647.67 $294,569.20

$131,627,943.38 $11,528,522.81 $20,370,284.64 $26,737,690.69 $187,146.38

$129,970,164.02 $11,413,418.10 $20,032,596.43 $26,048,389.13 $188,543.02

$129,129,037.42 $11,833,267.36 $20,117,013.77 $25,753,240.82 $358,320.91

$128,423,342.20 $12,416,146.01 $17,320,945.95 $26,093,259.76 $433,319.39

$188,048,577.01

$191,019,608.23

$194,286,562.74

$190,451,587.90

$187,653,110.70

$187,190,880.28

$184,687,013.31

$109,678,137.50 $13,309,243.49 $112,168,076.28 $7,450,335.73 $1,098,083.67 316,453.40

$108,587,775.00 $29,043,720.10 $83,786,179.78 $8,748,456.46 $3,278,677.84 187,306.08

$106,160,034.31 $20,024,115.95 $71,405,800.00 $6,738,511.43 $3,972,302.35 509,855.70

$97,834,560.44 $6,050,949.42 $73,580,430.00 $7,261,307.71 $2,690,515.47 96,028.55

$91,620,650.00 $11,653,575.99 $69,814,104.00 $7,525,128.66 $1,680,833.04 -

$86,841,312.50 $18,678,650.17 $71,227,199.00 $5,098,814.60 $953,870.77 1,982.40

$83,799,712.50 $10,783,661.95 $74,087,082.00 $7,834,915.37 $826,345.62 -

$432,068,907.08

$424,651,723.49

$403,097,182.48

$377,965,379.49

$369,947,402.39

$369,992,709.72

$362,018,730.75

$183,951,791.63 $64,538,064.25 $77,821,791.55 $42,703,063.04 $23,041,940.83

$181,257,572.99 $66,451,830.29 $83,661,913.50 $37,640,819.89 $22,479,175.86

$175,842,715.38 $65,124,983.08 $85,033,881.97 $29,231,530.00 $20,628,995.74

$168,128,603.17 $60,630,109.11 $82,206,415.29 $30,840,252.01 $20,584,848.16

$161,200,829.16 $56,811,675.61 $80,345,307.39 $30,211,807.71 $20,614,210.46

$159,301,040.63 $52,263,505.62 $73,687,911.70 $31,719,982.04 $19,416,010.33

$157,108,461.40 $50,595,871.67 $80,164,600.98 $34,128,720.88 $19,444,805.86

$392,056,651.30

$391,491,312.53

$375,862,106.17

$362,390,227.74

$349,183,830.33

$336,388,450.32

$341,442,460.79

$3,603,666.90 $1,285,518.09

$5,980,706.51 $325,361.43

$6,488,936.63 $0.00

$6,587,795.95 $0.00

$7,839,005.07 $41,799.54

$8,185,298.34 $133,775.54

$7,738,603.56 $269,713.78

$396,945,836.29

$397,797,380.47

$382,351,042.80

$368,978,023.69

$357,064,634.94

$344,707,524.20

$349,450,778.13

Other Revenues State Appropriations Capital Appropriations Nonoperating Grants and Contracts Gifts and Capital Gifts Investment income-Net of Expense Other Nonoperating Revenues

Total Revenues

Expenses Operating Expenses Salaries and Wages Benefits Utilities, Supplies, and Other Services Scholarships and Fellowships Depreciation Expense

Total Operating Expenses Other Expenses Interest on Capital Asset-Related Debt Other Nonoperating Expenses

Total Expenses

78

Net Assets Net Assets-Beginning of Year Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Cumulative Effect of Change in Accounting Principal Prior Period Adjustment

$439,131,187.13 $35,123,070.79 -

$412,276,844.11 $26,854,343.02 -

$391,530,704.43 $20,746,139.68 -

$396,047,797.56 $8,987,355.80 (13,504,448.93)

$383,165,030.11 $12,882,767.45 -

$361,120,919.44 $25,285,185.52 (3,241,074.85)

$378,104,821.82 $12,567,949.62 ($29,551,852.00) -

$474,254,257.92

$439,131,187.13

$412,276,844.11

$391,530,704.43

$396,047,797.56

$383,165,030.11

$361,120,919.44

TOTAL REVENUES

$432.1 MM

$424.6 MM

$403.1 MM

$378.0 MM

$369.9 MM

TOTAL EXPENSES

$396.9 MM

$397.8 MM

$382.4 MM

$369.0 MM

$357.1 MM

NET ASSETS-END OF YEAR

$474.3 MM

$439.1 MM

$412.3 MM

$391.5 MM

$396.0 MM

Net Assets-End of Year

Editors Drew Ruble and Jimmy Hart Contributing Editors Nancy Broden and Carol Stuart Director of Creative Marketing Solutions Kara Hooper University Photographers Andy Heidt, J. Intintoli, James Cessna, Cat Curtis Murphy Design by Sherry Wiser George 200 Copies Printed at CMS-Printing

0222-0384 / Middle Tennessee State University does not discriminate against students, employees, or applicants for admission or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, age, status as a protected veteran, genetic information, or any other legally protected class with respect to all employment, programs, and activities sponsored by MTSU. The Interim Assistant to the President for Institutional Equity and Compliance has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies and can be reached at Cope Administration Building 116, 1301 East Main Street, Murfreesboro, TN 37132; Christy.Sigler@mtsu.edu; or 615-898-2185. The MTSU policy on non-discrimination can be found at mtsu.edu/iec.

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