Category Archives: Uncategorized

Graduate education at MTSU continues to grow in reach, quality, and ambition. From new degree programs to new ways of supporting the students and faculty who make them thrive, here is a look at what our College of Graduate Studies has been building.

Grad-AI: Applied and Ethical Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Career-Ready Graduate Education

Preparing graduate students to lead in an AI-driven world requires more than awareness. It requires intentional, discipline-specific integration of artificial intelligence into the curriculum. Grad-AI is our initiative to do exactly that. Officially launched in April, Grad-AI supports graduate faculty across all colleges in developing AI-enriched courses grounded in real-world application, ethical responsibility, and career relevance. The initiative is designed for every graduate discipline, from the humanities and social sciences to education, business, and the sciences.

At the heart of the initiative is the Grad-AI Signature Label, a formal course designation that will appear in the catalog and class schedule, making AI-integrated learning visible to students and employers. Faculty may pursue the label through one of three pathways: Enhance, Create, or Certify, each supported by a stipend of $1,000, $2,000, or $3,000, respectively, depending on the scope of curriculum development involved. A series of faculty events has been underway since Fall 2025 in collaboration with the Provost’s Office and the Center for Teaching and Mentoring.

A cross-college steering committee, chaired by College of Graduate Studies Associate Dean Racha El Kadiri and including champions from every college, provides oversight and ensures Grad-AI reflects our commitment to academic integrity and ethical innovation. Approved Grad-AI certified courses and a full faculty resource library are coming in 2026–27. Learn more at mtsu.edu/graduate/grad-ai

Lightning Track: From a Spark to a Surge

When Lightning Track launched in Fall 2025, five students walked through that door. Fast-forward a year later, and 91 students are doing so this fall. That growth, an 18-fold increase in a single year, is the clearest signal yet that MTSU’s high-achieving undergraduate students see value in our academic programs and want to continue their studies here. Lightning Track removes every obstacle that typically stands between a senior and a graduate school application. It fast-tracks students by not requiring GRE or GMAT scores, application fees, essays, and endless waiting on their admissions decision.

Academically talented seniors with 90 or more earned credit hours and a 3.0 GPA receive an invitation to commit to a graduate program before general admissions even opens, guaranteeing their spot and their momentum. The pathway is now active across a growing number of programs spanning business, the sciences, education, the arts, and beyond. Learn more at mtsu.edu/graduate/lightning-track

Expanding Access: President’s Tuition-Only GA Pool

One of the most significant barriers standing between a prospective graduate student and an MTSU degree is often a single line item: tuition. This year, we took direct aim at that barrier. Following a successful pilot in 2025–26, I have approved a significant expansion of MTSU’s Tuition-Only Graduate Assistantship pool. This fall, more than 150 graduate students will receive full tuition waivers in exchange for 10 hours per week of service in teaching or research support. The pool is open to master’s and doctoral programs across all colleges, with positions awarded on a rolling basis and allocations renewable based on enrollment growth and student progression toward completion.

University-Wide GTA Training: Coming This Fall

This fall, MTSU will launch a consistent, institution-wide standard for how we prepare graduate students to teach. The University-Wide Graduate Teaching Assistant Training Program is a semester-long, cohort-based experience designed to equip GTAs with the foundational knowledge, practical skills, and professional identity they need to thrive in the classroom. With approximately 450 GTAs contributing to undergraduate instruction across our colleges, this initiative opens a structured, high-quality pathway for graduate students who teach to build the skills and professional foundation the classroom demands. The program will serve 50 GTAs per semester, selected through an application process, with plans to assess and scale based on need and impact.

The program is built around six faculty-designed modules covering instructional design, classroom practice, assessment and feedback, academic integrity and compliance, instructional technology and AI literacy, and professional identity development. Each module includes a signature assignment contributing to a structured teaching portfolio. Upon completion, participants earn the Instructional Excellence for Graduate Teaching Assistants digital badge and a $250 completion stipend. A faculty design cohort was hard at work this summer building the program’s modules and materials. The program is a joint initiative led by Associate Dean Racha El Kadiri (College of Graduate Studies) and Biology Department Chair David Nelson (College of Basic and Applied Sciences). It offers additional specialized training for GTAs teaching in STEM fields.

MTSU continues expanding services to nontraditional and other students through online offerings, making higher education more accessible. Online enrollment ranks at an all-time high by student credit hours and has increased for several consecutive years. MTSU Online keeps seeing rises in the number of online course offerings and fully online students.

It has been a very productive academic year for MTSU Online with the launch of 15 new fully online programs, bringing the total to 83 fully online degrees, concentrations, and certificates. This represents a major expansion of the online enterprise at MTSU.

Enrollment Trends

Spring 2026 continued a trend of increased enrollment for both fully online students (3,087) and partially online students (12,061). Over 16% of all MTSU students were fully online. And 33% of all student credit hour enrollment came from online courses. At the graduate level, 48% of all student credit hours were from online.

Artificial Intelligence Course

MTSU Online is pleased to launch a new website and self-paced artificial intelligence course that helps faculty confidently explore the opportunities and challenges of generative AI in higher education. Through practical, hands-on learning, faculty will discover responsible ways to use AI to improve instruction and enhance student learning. Designed for all experience levels, this course creates an accessible space for exploration as we continue building innovative, supportive, and future-focused learning environments at MTSU. You can find the course, and a series of helpful web pages on generative AI and online teaching, at mtsu.edu/online/ai.

Course Quality

MTSU Online continues to elevate our online course quality. Thanks to the hard work of our faculty and instructional designers, 15 online courses have officially met rigorous Quality Matters national review standards. Additionally, 18 dedicated faculty members recently earned the Applying the Quality Matters Rubric national certification. Visit the MTSU Online website to learn more about improving course quality and connecting with faculty teaching online.

Online Student Survey Results

The annual MTSU Online Student Survey revealed strong overall satisfaction among students, with flexibility and accessibility highlighted as top strengths. Of respondents, 88% were highly or generally satisfied with their online experience. Students praised instructors who communicated clearly, provided timely feedback, and used engaging multimedia content. Key areas for improvement include more consistent course organization, increased instructor interaction, and expanded tutoring support. Overall, student respondents expressed confidence in MTSU Online and indicated they would recommend it to others seeking a flexible, convenient path to completing their degrees.

The Division of Academic Affairs serves students across nine colleges and more than 330 academic degrees and concentrations. Within these academic units, leaders work year-round to support our faculty, staff, and students.

My sincere thanks to the following leaders in the Academic Affairs Division who started in their new positions since last academic year:

Office of the University Provost

• Jeff Gibson, vice provost for planning and effectiveness
• Beth Dye, academic and faculty support specialist

College of Basic and Applied Sciences

• Ismail Fidan, chair, Department of Engineering Technology

College of Behavioral and Health Sciences

• Vaughn Barry, interim chair, Department of Kinesiology and Sports Medicine
• Bethany Rhoten, director, School of Nursing
• Chandra Story, interim chair, Department of Sport and Hospitality Management
• Bethany Wrye, interim chair, Department of Health Sciences

Jones College of Business

• Ronda Henderson, interim chair, Department of Marketing
• Kevin Zhao, interim chair, Department of Economics and Finance

College of Education

• Peter Eley, associate dean
• Kevin Krahenbuhl, chair, Department of Leadership, Development, and Educational Systems

College of Liberal Arts

• Kate Goodwin, interim associate dean
• Mandi Bailey, chair, Department of Political and Global Affairs
• Natalie Hoskins, interim chair, Department of Communication Studies
• Tiffany Momon, director, Center for Historic Preservation
• Wendy Rountree, chair, Department of English

Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment

• Charlie Dahan, director, Center for Popular Music

In the last decade, MTSU has added 56 undergraduate and graduate degree programs and certificates. For the 2026–27 academic year, I’m excited to share we added three new graduate programs starting this academic year. My thanks to Provost Mark Byrnes, Vice Provost Amy Aldridge, and the numerous faculty who contributed to the development of these new academic programs.

M.F.A. in Film and Television 

Department of Media Arts, Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment

This program is the first and only M.F.A. of its kind at a public university in Tennessee. It is a 60-credit-hour graduate degree program intended for students who wish to continue their education in film and television through graduate study, post-graduates looking to shift to film-and-TV-oriented careers, and working film and television professionals who seek to shift their careers into further expansion of creative capacity.

M.S. in Legal Studies 

Department of Accounting, Jones College of Business

The M.S. in Legal Studies program offers concentrations in Anti-Money Laundering, Fraud, and Compliance; Business Law; and Entertainment. It is a versatile, non-thesis graduate program for business professionals seeking a deeper understanding of U.S. law and the legal system but who do not intend to practice law or pursue a Juris Doctor. This 30-credit-hour graduate degree program is offered in collaboration with the Department of Accounting, the Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment, and the Nashville School of Law.

M.S. in Mechatronics Systems Engineering 

Department of Engineering Technology, College of Basic and Applied Sciences

The program, the first of its kind in Tennessee, provides advanced education at the intersection of mechanical, electrical, computer, and control systems engineering. It offers preparation to design, analyze, and optimize intelligent systems and advanced manufacturing processes that integrate hardware and software components. Students may select from a thesis option (30–36 credit hours) or a non-thesis option (30 credit hours), both of which combine foundational mechatronics coursework with electives in areas such as robotics, automation, AI, and engineering management.

News from around the colleges

Each of the colleges and academic units at MTSU maintains a high level of activity and produces news worth crowing about.

For the eighth consecutive year, MTSU made the Princeton Review’s annual list of the nation’s top colleges and universities. The 2027 list includes 392 institutions.

It would be impossible to mention all the wonderful work going on campuswide, so here I offer just one recent highlight from each academic unit.

College of Basic and Applied Sciences

MTSU’s QRISE (Quantum Research, Interdisciplinary Science, and Education) Center and community partner Middle Tennessee Electric teamed up to form the Middle Tennessee Quantum Technology Hub, also known as the MT-QuTech Hub, to advance quantum research and infrastructure in the Midstate. The effort leverages MTSU’s millions of dollars in active federal research awards with MTE’s real-world infrastructure that serves 750,000 Tennesseans across 11 counties—the second-largest electric cooperative in the country. It is spearheaded by Hanna Terletska, director of QRISE; John Villanova, QRISE associate director; and Brad Gibson, MTE’s chief operating officer. The QRISE Center exists to serve as a catalyst for innovation by connecting academia, industry, and government to strengthen Tennessee’s role in the national quantum ecosystem, expand economic opportunity, and position MTSU as a driving force of scientific and technological progress.

Jennings A. Jones College of Business

The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and MTSU’s Business and Economic Research Center partnered to launch the region’s first Business Confidence Index—a quarterly index informed by a survey that will measure the confidence and sentiment of regional business leaders about the local economy.

Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment

Dean Beverly Keel was recently recognized during the third annual “I’m Just Me: A Charley Pride Celebration of Inclusion,” held May 16 during the Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards week in Las Vegas. Hosted by Amazon MGM Studios in partnership with Amazon Music and the ACM, the event honors artists, executives, allies, and culture shapers whose work helps create a more inclusive future for country music while celebrating the legacy of groundbreaking country artist Charley Pride. Keel was honored in the ally category for her work elevating underrepresented voices in country music through journalism, education, and leadership in the music industry.

College of Education

Connie Casha, director of the College of Education’s early learning programs, was recently named recipient of the 2026 Linda O’Neal Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth (TCCY) at the Children’s Advocacy Day. According to TCCY, the award “recognizes a lifetime of extraordinary commitment, excellence, leadership, accomplishment, generosity, and service to improve the lives of Tennessee children and families.”

College of Behavioral and Health Sciences

Marie Patterson, founding director of MTSU’s Physician Assistant Studies program in the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences, was recently inducted into the Tennessee Academy of Physician Assistants Hall of Fame, cementing her status as one of Tennessee’s most influential voices in physician assistant education. Patterson helped launch PA programs at both Lipscomb University and MTSU, served as president of the Tennessee Academy of Physician Assistants, chairs the Tennessee Board of Physician Assistants, and represents the state on the National PA Compact Commission.

University Honors College

MTSU’s Institute of Leadership Excellence (ILE) marked a milestone in 2026 as it celebrated its 20th year, reflecting two decades of growth, adaptation, and impact on undergraduate leaders across campus. Founded in 2006 after a cross-disciplinary group of faculty and staff designed the program the previous year, the institute has become one of MTSU’s signature leadership development experiences. The program did not run in 2007 but has operated every year since, maintaining its core mission of helping students understand and apply leadership principles through immersive, experiential learning. The inaugural ILE cohort was funded by H. Lee Martin, whose family has long supported leadership education at MTSU. Lee and his brother, Paul Martin Jr., helped establish ILE with the shared goal of creating a program that would prepare students for leadership roles in the community and beyond. The institute continues to be taught each year in the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors building, reflecting that original vision.

James E. Walker Library

Through an Undergraduate Research Experience and Creative Activity (URECA) grant, a team of MTSU students in an undergraduate research course with instructors Sarah Pierce and Jessie Weatherly used modern technology to test over 30 library books that are preserved in Special Collections. Around 1,200 of these elegantly crafted Victorian-era books from the 1800s—once prized for their vivid colors—could contain pigments made with toxic compounds and heavy metals. A good portion of the collection—about 14%—are 19th-century books.

College of Liberal Arts

For the first time in more than a decade, MTSU’s Blue Raider Debate Team recently played host to the International Public Debate Association National Championships and Convention, welcoming hundreds of the nation’s top debaters to campus for rounds of friendly sparring on topics of the day. It turned out to be the largest national debate tournament in IPDA history. The event welcomed 54 colleges and more than 400 students. Almost every public building on campus was utilized, with around 150 rooms filled with competitions at the tournament’s peak.

MTSU prides itself on serving students in the most holistic ways possible. For many, that could mean access to basic needs—food, hygiene products, household goods, and daily resources.

One Stop’s outreach to students in need got a big boost this last fiscal year. Through a grant provided by the state, the MTSU Student Food Pantry was able to complete a much-needed expansion and renovation to serve more students, more efficiently and more discreetly.

The MTSU Student Food Pantry, now newly rebranded as Lightning Stop, has been serving students facing food insecurity since 2012. We were one of the first schools in this region to open a student food pantry. In addition, our pantry and outreach services have served as a state model for many schools in Tennessee and around the country, leading staff from each to conduct site visits and consultations with our staff. In 2019, as part of this outreach, MTSU served as state experts and testified before the state legislature to get a bill passed in Tennessee that requires all degree-granting post-secondary institutions to have a specific point of contact in place for students experiencing homelessness and those transitioning from the foster care system. Here at MTSU, our single point of contact has been in place since 2008!

Lightning Stop is now open in its new, larger space at One Stop in the Student Services and Admissions Center (SSAC). Students can access perishable and nonperishable foods, hygiene products, and household goods as needed throughout the semester. There are no requirements to access Lighting Stop other than being a currently enrolled student. Donations from campus and community partners, as well as local businesses and organizations, are key to helping us maintain this resource for students in need.

While academic excellence remains central to our mission, student success is strengthened through meaningful engagement, personal connection, and a strong sense of belonging within the campus community. That is why Student Affairs continues to prioritize opportunities that connect students to campus life from the moment they arrive at MTSU.

Throughout this summer’s New to Blue Orientation sessions, staff introduced incoming students and families to the “Top 5 Ways to Vibe,” a student-centered guide designed to connect new Blue Raiders to opportunities beyond the classroom. One of those key pathways is Connection Point, MTSU’s signature student engagement initiative that encourages involvement during the first semester. Students are encouraged to attend at least four Connection Point events as part of their transition into university life. From signature traditions and themed events to academic celebrations and student activities, each program is intentionally designed to help students build relationships, discover campus resources, and find community. Participation is tracked to help staff identify and support students who may benefit from additional opportunities for engagement and connection.

The 2026–27 academic year begins with Week of Welcome traditions that foster school spirit and community engagement. The annual President’s Party and University Convocation once again welcomed new students to campus while emphasizing the importance of connection, leadership, and belonging. New this year were the Provost’s Picnic and Freshman Fun Day, both designed to help students connect with peers who share similar interests and experiences.

Looking ahead, Homecoming 2026 will take place during the first week of November. The shift later into the fall semester is expected to create even greater opportunities for campuswide participation and engagement.

As we welcome a new class of Blue Raiders this fall, we remain committed to fostering a student experience rooted in connection, support, and opportunity. Through programs such as Connection Point and campuswide traditions that bring our community together, MTSU continues to cultivate an environment where students can grow, lead, and succeed both inside and outside the classroom.

Adding and expanding facilities on a college campus is about more than just growth—it represents expansion in areas of study in which MTSU particularly excels.

Numerous improvements to our campus buildings are underway or have been recently completed:

Kirksey Old Main Building and Rutledge Hall

Renovations to our historic Kirksey Old Main building and Rutledge Hall are completed! The buildings are open and ready for Fall 2026. This project, with a $54.3 million total project cost, was obviously a labor of love as KOM and Rutledge Hall were two of the four original campus buildings dating back to the institution’s founding in 1911. KOM, the first building on campus, with its iconic columns, is an especially nostalgic place for alumni as generations of MTSU graduates attended classes there and sat on its front steps. The updated Kirksey Old Main will house Mathematics, Computer Science, Data Science, and Actuarial Science. Rutledge has been converted from a residence hall into an office-classroom building to house University College and University Studies. Renovations to both structures included major renovations of HVAC, plumbing, data/IT, and electrical systems; replanning of building layouts to accommodate future use; accessibility improvements; window replacement; and exterior building improvements. Small additions were provided on both buildings to allow for new entries and vertical circulation.

Planned Hotel Project

Our planned hotel project is gaining traction! The ground lease was approved by the State Building Commission on June 11. Construction completion is now estimated in late 2028. The four-story hotel with 120 guestrooms will not only serve a community need for nearby hotel availability but also provide experiential learning opportunities for MTSU students in various programs including Tourism and Hospitality Management, Art and Design, Interior Architecture, and Concrete and Construction Management. Outside of typical front-of-house and back-of-house hotel programming, the project will offer an outdoor pool and lawn, fitness center, meeting space, anchor restaurant, corner café, game room, and sky deck. Interior finishes will follow brand standards with custom features tying back to MTSU themes.

Womack Commons and Nearby Parking Structure

Construction activities have commenced on the five-story Womack Commons residence hall! The contractor is working on site grading, underground utility installation, exterior stem walls and elevator pit, and block masonry. Estimated completion is one year from now, in Fall 2027. The new student housing building containing 150 units/554 beds will be located at the corner of Blue Raider Drive and Homecoming Circle, a natural threshold into campus that offers an opportunity to connect academics, student life programs, and recreation and wellness hubs. The project is designed using a pod-style unit type with a mix of double- and single-occupancy bedrooms with shared bathrooms and living rooms.

A brand new, nearby parking structure is also under development and estimated to be completed by next spring. This $27 million total project is located on a portion of the former Womack Lane housing site and will provide approximately 550 new parking spaces.

Aerospace Project, Shelbyville

Construction is continuing on the Aerospace project in Shelbyville. This $62.2 million first phase should be completed in spring 2028 at the site along Highway 231 and just west of the Shelbyville Municipal Airport. The project includes facilities for the Professional Pilot concentration, a main academic building, and a hangar. This project represents the initial phase of development for the relocation of MTSU Aerospace programs to the Shelbyville airport from Murfreesboro.

Beasley Hall and Floyd Stadium

Renovations are also ongoing for Beasley Hall ($7.7 million total cost) and Floyd Stadium ($16.5 million total cost). The latter project, with an estimated completion by next summer, includes renovation and replacement of a portion of the west grandstand bleachers.

Effective in Summer 2026, Canvas is now the official learning management system for MTSU.

More information on Canvas, including resources for students and faculty, is available at mtsu.edu/canvas.

This strategic move was led by a collaboration between our Information Technology Division and Academic Affairs, ensuring a seamless integration from D2L to Canvas, tailored to our campus community’s needs. Yvette Clark, vice president for information technology and chief information officer, and Brian Hinote, vice provost for faculty and strategic initiatives, co-led the implementation effort.

More than 200 courses piloted the new system in the Spring 2026 semester, and the faculty who served as early adopters provided great leadership ahead of the full transition to Canvas during the summer term.

The Center for Teaching and Mentoring (CTM), MTSU Online, and ITD continue to collaborate on supporting and training faculty with Canvas. CTM hosted trainings starting last October and will continue to do so throughout 2026. Information about future training dates and recordings of past training sessions can be accessed at ctm.mtsu.edu/canvas.

CTM officially launched in Fall 2025 to serve faculty, academic affairs, staff members, and graduate teaching assistants. I expect CTM to become a nationally recognized center of excellence for teaching, learning, and professional growth. In the coming academic year, the center will build on existing programs—such as Faculty Fellows, faculty learning communities, writing retreats, and book groups—by expanding and enhancing professional development offerings for academic affairs staff, department chairs, and school directors.

Our Information Technology Division (ITD) staff works extremely hard to provide the resources needed to deliver and receive instruction and to provide business process modernization initiatives to help all of us do our jobs on a day-to-day basis.

True Blue Fusion is MTSU’s multiyear initiative to modernize the University’s human resources and financial systems by transitioning from Banner HR and Finance to Oracle Cloud. This project streamlines key processes, such as hiring, onboarding, absence reporting, payroll, procurement, budgeting, and financial reporting. Because these systems support every employee across campus, True Blue Fusion represents one of the most significant operational improvements in MTSU’s history. The new platform will reduce manual processes while improving efficiency, accuracy, transparency, security, and access to information for data-informed decision-making.

As the project progresses toward its January go-live, the True Blue Fusion team remains focused on preparing the campus community for a successful transition. Through the Blue Partner Network, the project is fostering communication, engagement, and two-way feedback to ensure the needs and perspectives of the campus community are represented throughout implementation.

Faculty and staff are encouraged to stay informed by visiting the True Blue Fusion website, watching campus digital signage, connecting with their Blue Partner Network representative, participating in training opportunities as they become available, or contacting the project team with questions at [email protected].

Like colleges and universities across the nation, MTSU continues to navigate the challenges associated with changing demographic trends and the anticipated “enrollment cliff.” Fortunately, Tennessee is projected to experience less significant declines than many other states, positioning MTSU to remain competitive while continuing to serve students across the region.

Although our official headcounts will not be available for a couple of weeks, early numbers indicate a relatively stable enrollment for this new academic year. I’d like to extend my thanks to our undergraduate recruitment team, MT One Stop, advising staff, and academic department chairs, deans, and faculty who are all responsible for our success. Our undergraduate admissions team is already out in the high schools recruiting the incoming class for fall 2027.

Here are some additional enrollment updates:

TN Direct Admissions

MTSU has joined the Tennessee Direct Admissions program, an initiative led by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) to increase college access and reduce barriers to postsecondary enrollment. Launched in July 2025, the program was created in response to declining college-going rates and aims to simplify the admissions process for Tennessee students.

Through TN Direct Admissions, eligible high school seniors receive a personalized letter from Gov. Bill Lee notifying them of colleges and universities where they have been proactively admitted based on their academic achievement. The letter also includes estimated financial aid information and a QR code linking students to the Direct Admissions portal, where they can select the institutions they would like to share their information with to secure admission. Participation begins with the completion of the Tennessee Promise application, and students may be admitted to any of more than 60 participating Tennessee public and private four-year institutions, community colleges, or tech schools without completing a traditional application or paying an application fee.

During the pilot year, more than 230 Tennessee high schools were selected to participate, resulting in over 41,000 eligible Class of 2026 seniors receiving Direct Admissions letters. Once students selected their institutions of interest, THEC transmitted their information to those schools, allowing institutions to begin personalized outreach and guide students through the next steps of enrollment. We should receive our first list in September of students who picked MTSU in their top five and look forward to congratulating these students and learning more about their academic interests and goals as they begin exploring their futures here.

As the program enters its second year, TN Direct Admissions is expected to reach approximately 70,000 public, private, and homeschool students across the state.

True Blue Tour

This fall, we have streamlined the True Blue Tour to 10 strategically selected locations throughout Tennessee and Alabama.

As in previous years, each stop will feature a counselor luncheon and student reception, allowing counselors and students to engage directly with admissions recruiters, academic advisors, and representatives from departments across the University.

Counselors remain at the heart of the True Blue Tour’s success. Each school with a counselor attending receives a $2,500 scholarship, which may be awarded to one student or distributed among multiple students. Participation in the counselor luncheons has grown steadily over the years, with 618 counselors attending last year’s events. Through this initiative, MTSU provided nearly $1 million in scholarship funding, awarding a total of $982,750 to support students pursuing higher education.

At the student receptions, attendees are entered for the opportunity to earn scholarship awards. Last year, MTSU awarded $163,800 in scholarships through the student events and welcomed 823 students across all tour stops.

A special highlight of this year’s tour will be the final stop in middle Tennessee, which will take place on campus during Homecoming week. Hosting the tour’s culminating event in Murfreesboro will provide students and counselors with an opportunity to experience the energy and tradition of MTSU firsthand while celebrating what it means to be True Blue.

Virtual Tour

For students who are unable to attend the True Blue Tour or an on-campus event, MTSU is expanding access through a new interactive virtual tour experience. Launched in January, the dynamic 360-degree virtual tour allows prospective students and their supporters to explore campus from anywhere in the world.

The tour features 21 primary locations, along with numerous additional points of interest, showcasing many of the spaces that define the MTSU experience. Each stop includes narrated audio, photos, videos, and other multimedia content designed to bring the MTSU experience to life.

To create a more personalized experience, visitors can indicate their academic and extracurricular interests, allowing the tour to adapt and highlight content most relevant to their goals. The tour is also available in both English and Spanish and is compatible with virtual reality headsets, further enhancing accessibility and engagement. Throughout the experience, visitors have multiple opportunities to connect directly with the University by submitting an inquiry form, scheduling an on-campus visit, or beginning the admissions application process.

Since its launch, the virtual tour has welcomed more than 5,400 unique visitors. On average, participants engage with 30 tour elements and spend nearly five minutes exploring campus, demonstrating strong interest and interaction with the platform.

The Tennessee legislature approved a state appropriation increase for MTSU in the 2026–27 General Appropriations Act. The final budget included a net reduction in state appropriations of $1.3 million between the outcomes-based funding formula and salary pool, but an increase of $2.4 million to cover rising health insurance premiums.

The University received nonrecurring funding of $5 million to provide for cybersecurity programs and a cyber range.

In 2024, the Department of Information Systems and Analytics in the Jennings A. Jones College of Business launched both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Cybersecurity Management.

MTSU’s Cyber Range will be a simulator housed within the Center for Cybersecurity Management. Backed by a $2.5 million approved campus renovation project from plant funds, the range will offer students hands-on, industry-standard experience that employers demand. For businesses and government agencies, the range will offer employee training, compliance simulations, and certificate programs—without the cost of building in-house facilities.

In addition, the state budget included $4 million in capital maintenance funds for one of the 13 capital maintenance projects submitted for funding. The approved project is for multiple building envelope components and structural repairs.

At the June quarterly meeting, the MTSU Board of Trustees approved a 4.49% increase in tuition and mandatory fees for the 2026–27 academic year.

Tuition, along with state appropriations, supports approximately 93% of the education and general operations of the University.

The tuition increase will specifically fund:

• scholarship programs for incoming and continuing students
• promotions for faculty that advance from assistant up to full professor
• new academic programs in high demand in the job market
• inflationary increases in items such as classroom and administrative software maintenance agreements, technology infrastructure, and utility costs

Among the three largest public state universities, MTSU still has the lowest tuition rates.