Middle Tennessee State University Takes Its Message on the Road

Many U.S. universities wait for new students to come to them, but Middle Tennessee State University believes in taking its story on the road.

Staff and volunteers were in Chattanooga today, talking to high school teachers and counselors about its unique curriculum.

There are more than 22 thousand students on the 500 acre MTSU campus. And there’s room even more–especially if they want to study non-traditional subjects ranging from the recording industry to Aerospace, to fermentation. More about that last one in a moment.

But you might not know that,  unless the university brought the message to your home town.

DR. SYDNEY MCPHEE, PRES. MTSU  “Our goal is to give students, prospective students and their parents an opportunity to meet the University on their turf.”

There’s nothing like hearing how you might spend 4 or 5 years of your life, from a student who’s actually doing it.

MADELINE HORTON, MTSU STUDENT  “Our school gives you that hands on experience. We don’t just tell you about what you’re going to do in the future, you get that hands on experience immediately. My first semester in college, I taught in an elementary school..andf my second semester, I taught in middle school.”

Madeline is from Chattanooga, studying to be a math teacher.

Eric Foster is also from Chattanooga and MTSU launched his radio career.

ERIC FOSTER, MTSU GRADUATE, BREWER MEDIA GROUP  “Middle Tennessee has always been great about always reaching out to the community. Uh, being local here, and with the llisteners of the radio station that I work for Its important that you give back in some

and a lot of the kids want to reach out.”

Linda Olson is an MTSU graduate who is now the director of admissions. She says the school’s recruiting doesn’t stop at the state line.

LINDA OLSON, MTSU, DIR. OF ADMISSIONS  “We have a regional scholars program that offers students who qualify with a 25 ACT, and live within a 250 mile radius of middle Tennessee a discount tuition rate of about 40% discount from the out of state tuition.”

The university is on an 11 city swing through the south, its called “the True Blue Tour.”

Talk about a variety of courses—a micro-brewery will soon be built near the MTSU campus, and the university will offer a “Fermentation degree.”