To the University community,

I informed the Board of Trustees today that I intend to retire as President in December. I will join the College of Education as a tenured professor after a two-semester sabbatical to retool. Meanwhile, I will continue to work every remaining day of my term to continue the progress and success of our great University.

You can read my letter to the Board of my decision here.

It has been the greatest professional honor of my career to serve as President of the remarkable institution for more than a quarter-century. I am grateful for the commitment and dedication of all of our employees, the tireless support of alumni and, especially, all the amazing students.

Sincerely,
Sidney A. McPhee
President

Dear Campus Community,

On December 3, 2025, the Â鶹ĘÓƵ Board of Trustees approved my salary enhancement recommendations, which took effect on January 1, 2026.

This approval authorizes the University to allocate a total of $2.15 million to continue reducing the gap between actual employee salaries and market benchmarks, as reported by CUPA for the 2024–25 period. These adjustments apply to employees on the payroll as of December 31, 2025, are effective January 1, 2026, and will be reflected in the January 31, 2026, payroll.

This multi-step process to transition to the new benchmarks included the following actions:

1. Completing prior market adjustments to bring all employees to CUPA-reported market levels for 2020–21.
2. Updating all MTSU salary ranges based on CUPA market data for 2024–25.
3. Adjusting salaries to the minimum of the new pay grades, when necessary. This step occurs only in years when salary ranges and market benchmarks are updated.
4. Beginning to move employees within their new pay ranges based on range penetration and years of MTSU experience. This year, MTSU experience was pro-rated rather than rounded down. After completing the previous steps, the University was able to fund approximately 2.68% of each employee’s calculated market gap.

Supervisors will be provided with information about the market adjustments and new salary figures for their areas. These will be shared next week once all calculations are finalized and verified. The methodology used for these adjustments will also be posted on the University website in the coming days.

This represents another significant step in addressing a long-standing priority for the University and reaffirms our commitment to maintaining competitive compensation for our employees. I want you to know how deeply I value each of you and how much I appreciate the important work you do on behalf of MTSU. I am grateful for the Board’s support and pleased that we are able to make these salary investments in our employees.

Sincerely,

Sidney A. McPhee

Our hearts are bowed in sorrow over the passing of our family’s matriarch, our beloved mother, grandmother, wife, aunt, friend, and family member, Elizabeth “Liz” McPhee. We have suffered a great loss, and your friendship, support, and acts of kindness have helped sustain us. God bless you all and please accept our thanks as we navigate these difficult times.
—The McPhee Family

What’s new in the new year at Blue Print

Blue Print is starting the year strong with a familiar leader back in the mix. Following the departure of Tracey Kennedy, we’re excited to welcome Ed Arning back as interim manager under the direction of Kristy O’Neal.

A key player in the launch of Blue Print Solutions in 2013, Arning brings experience, insight, and a get-it-done mindset. Reach out to him for guidance, support, or to keep your projects moving forward—he’s ready to jump in.

Your On-Campus Print Powerhouse

Blue Print is MTSU’s go-to, on-campus printing resource—where big ideas and small jobs get the same expert care. From mounted posters, yard signs, brochures, booklets, and books to class projects and specialty finishes, no job is too small (or too bold). We also offer laminating, binding, and personalized support to help your work shine.

Need custom T-shirts for a campus event or activity? We’ve got low-quantity, personalized apparel options ready to go. Working on a personal project? Bring it in. Looking for something we don’t currently offer? Tell us—we’re always growing with campus needs.

Two Locations. One Powerful Team

The Student Union storefront is the retail face of Blue Print, backed by our full-scale production facility on Greenland Drive—home to high-volume, state-of-the-art equipment producing much of MTSU’s printed materials.

Easy Ordering

Students, faculty, and staff can place orders through our online portal using FSA credentials (on campus or connected through MTSU’s firewall). Having trouble? Reach out—we’re here to help. mtsu.edu/order

Learn more at mtsu.edu/blueprint
Questions? Call 615-898-2100 or email blue.print@mtsu.edu
Here’s to a bright, bold year of printing possibilities— let’s make something great together.

True Blue TV Event Productions (TBTVEP) continues expanding its capabilities to better serve the University’s
production needs.

True Blue TV Event Productions employs a small full-time professional staff and more than 100 student workers who are integral to the production of the many events on campus.

Our student workers not only earn a competitive wage, but they also gain valuable experience to supplement the formal education they receive at MTSU.

True Blue TV Event Productions is responsible for producing all major University events, as well as events for colleges, departments, centers, and other groups and individuals at the University, and off-campus events sponsored by University groups, upon request. These events include concerts, major announcements, fraternity and sorority events, Board of Trustees meetings, Commencement ceremonies, athletic events, signature events, and more.

Due to the increased importance of video assets, TBTVEP has greatly expanded its video production lineup. This includes multi-cam capabilities, livestreaming, creation of custom marketing videos, speakers, interviews, and other video needs. TBTVEP has produced videos for the Jones College of Business, Daniels Center, American Democracy Project, Alumni Services, and many other departments and groups on campus.

A new podcast studio has been a resource that allows TBTVEP to quickly and easily create video projects for numerous campus groups including Graduate Studies and Philosophy and Religious Studies.

TBTVEP partnered with MTSU Athletics and Murphy. Center to develop a new state-of-the-art control room to produce events at Floyd Stadium, Murphy Center, and the new Student-Athletic Performance Center. This, coupled with the new sound system installed in Murphy Center, has raised the standard for event production at MTSU. The partnership with MTSU Athletics has been incredibly valuable to the University community. TBTVEP also produces the Party in the Grove events for home football games.

True Blue TV, meanwhile, has been focused on improving its programming and offering more livestreaming of important University events.

True Blue TV recently unveiled free iOS and Android phone apps and a free Amazon Fire TV app to provide MTSU-On-Demand programming to our viewers. They can be found on Amazon.com and in the respective phone stores. These complement our free Roku and Apple TV apps, as well as our website.

The latest analysis from NAFSA, the Association of International Educators, found that international students studying at U.S. colleges and universities contributed $42.9 billion to the U.S. economy and supported 355,736 jobs during the 2024–25 academic year.

Tennessee attracted 11,261 international students who contributed $384.8 million to the state economy and supported 3,344 jobs.

This data confirms that international students provide social and cultural benefits to our campus, helping our region’s economy remain healthy and sound.

For Fall 2025, MTSU had approximately 656 international students enrolled from 77 different countries. This is a slight decrease, about 1%, from Fall 2024.

Welcoming these students from different cultures, religions, and backgrounds isn’t just the right thing to do. It benefits our campus, community, and state in terms of our economy, our cultural richness, and the career readiness of our students.

During the 2024–25 academic year, 274 MTSU students participated in education abroad programs, representing seven MTSU colleges. Looking ahead, the Office of Education Abroad aims to boost participation across all colleges.

Our Faculty-Led Signature Programs are excellent options for students to study abroad and are among our most popular offerings. During the 2024–25 academic year, scholarships totaling over $331,000 were awarded to students.

This includes five students who received the esteemed Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. The Office of Education Abroad strives to continue these efforts and in doing so helps to meet the workforce needs of Tennessee.

Ever wondered where to report discrimination or harassment?

Visit the Office of Civil Rights Compliance website at crc.mtsu.edu for concerns related to race, color, ethnic/national origin, sex, disability, religion, age, veteran status, genetic information, or natural/protective hairstyles. Not all cases require investigation, but there may be other assistance available.

Concerned about possible financial improprieties related to spending or reporting, internal control matters, suspected fraud or the appearance of fraud, or asset control matters and similar areas of concern? Visit Audit Services at audit.mtsu.edu for more information and to take action.

If you are not sure where an issue needs to be reported, reach out to either office for assistance finding the right spot on campus.

The Free Speech Center at MTSU is a nonpartisan, nonprofit public policy center dedicated to building understanding of the five freedoms of the First Amendment through education, information, and engagement.

Teaching the First Amendment, a new guide to sharing the core principles of free expression with students, has recently been published by the Free Speech Center as part of its educational outreach.

The electronic book offers a highly accessible guide to incorporating First Amendment education into existing courses or in stand-alone lessons. Each of the five First Amendment freedoms is explained and explored with an emphasis on conveying these key principles to the next generation of citizens.

Authors are Ken Paulson, director of the Free Speech Center; John Vile, dean of the MTSU Honors College; and Deborah Fisher, acting director of the John Seigenthaler Center for Excellence in First Amendment Studies.

The book was released in November at the annual journalism conference of the National Scholastic Press Association and the Associated Collegiate Press. The e-book is being made available to educators, students, and the public through a free download on the Free Speech Center’s site at firstamendment.mtsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/First-Amendment-Book_FINAL.pdf.

The Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center celebrated a decade of service in 2025! Its grand opening was Nov. 5, 2015.

Now a major expansion is set to take place that will combine first- and third-floor spaces (bringing together all but one member of the Daniels Center’s staff, a career counselor who is embedded in the Career Center and is charged with assisting military-connected students). It will also create new space for growth, increasing the center’s square footage from 3,200 to 4,079 square feet. Construction will begin during spring break and will conclude this summer in time for the start of school.

The Charlie Daniels Legacy Wall has already been installed at the front entrance.

The University has a long tradition of aiding veterans in the transition from military to civilian life. Student enrollment now surpasses 1,200 regularly. Everything a student veteran needs to succeed is available through the center, from getting advice on courses and completing government paperwork to getting questions answered about benefits and employment opportunities.

But the Daniels Center can assist any military- connected person—no MTSU affiliation is necessary. There is no charge, either.

We serve everyone in the military community—veterans, current service members, dependents, spouses, JROTC and ROTC cadets, MTSU students, and those unaffiliated with MTSU.

This unrestricted mission has not changed since we opened the center’s doors.

The work the center does goes beyond degree-seeking. It offers employment services, mental health services, and direct connectivity to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

In addition to Daniels Center staff, two VA employees—a full-time mental health counselor and a VetSuccess on Campus counselor—and two full-time state employees, both Veterans Service Officers, are stationed at the center. We have in fact become a field office for the Tennessee Department of Veterans Services.

We also now routinely host VA benefits workshops both for the community and for companies bringing in their veterans as a group.

MTSU’s retired three-star general, Keith Huber, who retired from 38 years in the U.S. Army, 14 of them as a general officer—and the last two as a commanding general in Afghanistan—and Daniels Center Director Hilary Miller have led the center to great heights over the past decade.

Entering its second decade, the Daniels Center keeps expanding in scope, reach, funding, and physical space to help both military-connected students at MTSU and American veterans across the globe.

Our alumni base and friends of the University always answer the rallying call for our Blue Raider family to invest in the people and programs that define the character of MTSU.

Each year, MTSU honors individuals who have been steady, loyal, and consistent in their support of the University by inducting them into our Signal Society. Named after our school’s first newspaper, The Signal, this recognition is reserved for those who have made a financial contribution to the University—one gift, any size, every year—for 20 years or more.

As of December, we have over 1,400 current members of the Signal Society, most of whom started with a gift of $25 a year or $10 a month. Collectively, they have given more than 132,600 gifts totaling more than $28 million dollars.

What began as modest, intentional gifts grew year by year into scholarships awarded, programs strengthened, and opportunities expanded for thousands of students, faculty, and staff. The Signal Society stands as proof that when people invest consistently in their community, even the smallest beginnings can create extraordinary change.

The True Blue Give 2026, scheduled for February 10–12, is powered by belief in our students, our mission, and each other. Like the Signal Society, it celebrates what’s possible when our community comes together.

After our strongest year in 2025, raising over $1 million dollars, the gratitude, momentum, and shared commitment of our supporters have set the stage for an even greater impact this year. With your participation,

True Blue Give 2026 will go even further in supporting students and programs across campus. We invite you to join us in this tradition of generosity and gratitude and make True Blue Give 2026 our best year yet! Choose your area of support, make a gift, and invite others to participate at tbg.mtsu.edu.

MTSU received an extraordinary gift in 2025.

Visionary music executive Scott Borchetta made a major financial gift that led to the renaming of MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment—home to one of America’s top music business schools—to the Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment.

Borchetta’s legendary career includes the 2005 signing of then-unknown artist Taylor Swift to his independent record label. He is the founder, chair, and CEO of Big Machine Label Group, Nashville’s leading independent record label, that has been home to superstars including Swift, Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw, Dolly Parton, and Reba McEntire, among others.

The generous donation from Borchetta promises to amplify MTSU’s critical role in supplying the media and entertainment industries with ready-to-work graduates and future leaders. This renaming is a truly historic event and a project that was years in the making. As one of Music City’s leading entrepreneurs and visionaries, Borchetta has earned the reputation as one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and forward-thinking leaders. A gift like this is what happens when one’s vision and passion combine with dedication and hard work.