Latest news with #MiddleTennesseeStateUniversity
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
MTSU announces potential changes, cuts to comply with new anti-DEI law, Trump order
Middle Tennessee State University announced it is making changes to comply with Tennessee's new "Dismantling DEI Departments Act," along with an executive order by President Donald Trump. The measures bar public institutions of higher education from maintaining, authorizing or supporting programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion, also known as DEI. "While MTSU has not functioned in a way that discriminates against students, faculty, staff or our overall community, the parameters of the president's executive orders and Tennessee law requires us to reevaluate our operations to ensure that we remain in compliance around how we support students, nonacademic programs and some academic support programs," MTSU President Sidney McPhee said in an email sent to the university community on June 10. The public university, located about 35 miles south of Nashville in Murfreesboro, is home to around 20,000 students. To comply with the order and the new state law, McPhee said, the university must do the following: Restructure or eliminate programs that explicitly focus on DEI Remove DEI references from the university website and publications Adjust scholarship programs with criteria structured around DEI Eliminate sponsorships and support of any initiatives, programs and services related to DEI, both internally and externally McPhee said the university is conducting a "comprehensive review" of its programs and services, which may lead to further cuts, including laying off some employees. He said he and his team are working to meet the new requirements while making sure students feel supported and minimizing disruptions in the university's operations. It was not immediately clear if any changes have been enacted, or what impact those changes may have on programs, scholarships, services, student and faculty. University spokesperson Andrew Oppman told The Tennessean that he did not have any specifics as of June 11. He said McPhee wanted the email to alert the university community that a "thorough review" was underway and to give a sense of the scope of the possible changes. Oppman said once final decisions are made, they will be shared with the public. "We understand that these actions may raise questions and concerns," McPhee wrote. "Our administration is actively working to ensure that our university employees and students continue to feel supported as we address these challenges. We are aware that these laws will impact our community in a way that will cause angst and frustration, and we want to assure you that our commitment to serving all students has not changed." Rachel Wegner covers education and children's issues for The Tennessean. Got a story you think she should hear? Reach her via email at RAwegner@ You can also find her on Twitter or Bluesky under the handle RachelAnnWegner. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: MTSU: Change ahead to comply with anti-DEI law, Trump order
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
MTSU Mondays: Student aviation training, alum's company donates LED screen
Here's the latest news from Middle Tennessee State University. Middle Tennessee State University and the Commonwealth of the Bahamas have signed an agreement that will foster academic ties and collaboration between the country's aviation ministry and MTSU's Department of Aerospace. The agreement was recently signed by MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee and Bahamas Deputy Prime Minister I. Chester Cooper, who also leads the Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation, will create cultural and academic exchanges in education and research. It specifically calls for a program to facilitate Bahamian students to attend MTSU and train in aerospace; a summer immersion program for Bahamian students on the MTSU campus; a fast-track program geared for working professionals; and online courses geared for Bahamian students. McPhee, a native of the Bahamas, pointed out that "MTSU has been the choice of many students from the Bahamas seeking higher education opportunities." "The ties between the commonwealth and our university are strong and constant and, indeed, students from this nation represent a significant percentage of our international enrollment," McPhee said. Cooper, who was joined in his visit to the MTSU campus by representatives from the University of the Bahamas, called the signing "an important occasion." "It's a monumental step for the advancement of the aviation industry in the Bahamas and the aviation education landscape in the Bahamas," he said. "We're excited about this possibility, and we consider this only the beginning of more great collaborations between the University of the Bahamas and MTSU and the Bahamas at large." MTSU Aerospace, with 20 full-time faculty members, 100+ flight instructors, and over 1,200 students, is among the largest of the nation's collegiate aviation programs. MTSU's total aerospace enrollment, including all seven undergraduate concentrations and three graduate concentrations, makes up about 6% of the university's total student population. Students from 32 states and 16 foreign countries are enrolled in the program. The future is getting brighter for Middle Tennessee State University film and television students in the College of Media and Entertainment thanks to a newly donated 400-panel LED screen by Chicago-based Fuse Technical Group. 'This gift will greatly aid our tour production and XR/VR (extended reality and virtual reality) filmmaking classes, which helps train and place our students into those industries,' said Bob Gordon, associate professor of video and film production and interim chair in the Department of Media Arts. Patrick Eaton, a 2009 graduate of MTSU's then Radio and TV Production Program, visited campus to donate the billboard-sized screen and calls the official presentation a 'full circle moment' as he connects the past and present. 'This is surreal, and it seemed like a great opportunity to have kids continue learning on what is being actively used in the industry right now, you know,' said Eaton, who credits MTSU as the foundation of his 15-year career in event production. 'And it's great because Fuse acknowledges that investing in the future generation is the only path forward.' Panels can be configured into smaller screens, big screens or a single large surface. The high-resolution video panel can be used for various applications, including digital scenery and live visuals for concerts, Eaton explained. Eaton's ties to MTSU have remained integral to his career in production. Over the years, the companies he's worked for have hired dozens of MTSU graduates. Fuse Technical Group is no stranger to that continuing tradition. 'The bonds that I built in that first semester here are folks that I work with across the industry,' Eaton said. He's also stayed close to his classmate, Mike Forbes, director of MTSU Technical Systems and an adjunct media arts lecturer, who was instrumental in facilitating the most recent donation. 'At the College of Media and Entertainment, we pride ourselves on giving our students real-world, hands-on experience,' Forbes said. 'This donation only emphasizes the importance of giving our students an advantage from others entering the industry by knowing and understanding the technology used in live entertainment. Our students truly grasp how it works.' MTSU Mondays content is provided by submissions from MTSU News and Media Relations. This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Student aviation training, alum's company donates LED screen
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Blue Angels answer questions at MTSU
RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — It was a packed house at Middle Tennessee State University Friday morning as two members of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Squadron answered questions from the public. Oliver Moreira — age 9 — spent roughly two months preparing for the event and made a jet suit with his mom. He said the Blue Angels are one of the reasons he hopes to have a career in the skies one day. 📧 Have breaking news come to you: → 'I like them because they do a lot of tricks and tricks that make me encouraged,' Moreira said, explaining his suit. 'I can transform with it and it's really awesome and I get to impress a lot of people, and I hope one day I become a commercial pilot.' Middle Tennessee native Mychael Kisling returned to his alma mater for the event, which was just down the road from where he attended high school. 'It's great. I love being here — coming back to Murfreesboro brings back a lot of memories, especially running track in high school and then coming here to college as well,' Kisling said, who added that he now serves as an aviation electronics technician. 'It was fun here at MTSU.' Kisling, along with U.S. Marine Corps Major and C-130J Demonstration Pilot Josh Horman, answered dozens of questions from the audience. 'We're normally flying 250 knots, which is about 300-320 miles per hour when we're doing the break passes,' Horman said when asked how fast a 'Fat Albert' plane could fly. 📧 Have breaking news come to you: → 'Because it's very difficult and we want to showcase the precision of the pilots,' Horman said when another audience member asked about the Blue Angels' flight formations. As the Blue Angels are expected to continue wowing people at the Great Tennessee Air Show this weekend, Moreira said that he did not want to wrap up Friday's event without sharing his advice to others. 'I have some advice for everybody that's watching,' Moreira said. 'Never give up and you can do it if you have it in your mind.' Perhaps that's a sentiment the Blue Angels would also agree with. The Blue Angels will perform at the Tennessee Air Show on Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Indianapolis Star
02-06-2025
- General
- Indianapolis Star
Pet zebra wreaks 'havoc' on Tennessee interstate after escape
Dodging vehicles and narrowly missing being hit, a pet zebra ran into traffic along a busy greater Nashville interstate over the weekend, officials said. As of June 2, the zebra remained missing, a Rutherford County dispatcher told USA TODAY. The zebra broke loose on Saturday, May 31 "wreaking havoc" on Interstate 24 near Joe B. Jackson Parkway in Rutherford County, Sheriff's Office Lt. Kenneth Barrett reported. The parkway about 35 miles south of downtown Nashville in the city of Murfreesboro, a booming town home to Middle Tennessee State University, the largest undergraduate university in The Volunteer State. "Sheriff's deputies had to close the interstate because the zebra was running through traffic on both sides of the highway," Barrett said. Officials later reopened the highway after the zebra disappeared into the woods. The following day a patrol deputy snapped a photo of the zebra still on the loose. Presidential protector: Watch military dog who protected Trump, Biden reunite with handler According to the sheriff's office, the zebra escaped into a wooded area off Interstate 24 between Joe B. Jackson Parkway and the Epps Mill Road exits Saturday afternoon. The parkway is a busy throughfare with scores of businesses and other establishments lining it. According to a press release from the sheriff's office, Cpl. Zach Campbell the zebra belonged to a couple who he interviewed the night it escaped. The owners, law enforcement reported, "obtained the zebra Friday night." It escaped the following day. It was not immediately known whether the zebra was injured, how it escaped or where it escaped from. While the Library of Congress says zebras' "unpredictable nature and tendency to attack preclude them from being good candidates for domestication," it is legal to own one in Tennessee, the Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network reported. Along with llamas, camels, and giraffes, Tennessee categorizes zebras as Class III animals so they do not require special permits or paperwork to be kept as pets. USA TODAY has reached out to the sheriff's office. Anyone who spots the zebra is asked to not approach it and call the sheriff's office at 615-898-7770.
USA Today
02-06-2025
- USA Today
Pet zebra wreaks 'havoc' on Tennessee interstate after escape
Pet zebra wreaks 'havoc' on Tennessee interstate after escape Dodging vehicles and narrowly missing being hit, a pet zebra ran into traffic along a busy greater Nashville interstate over the weekend, officials said. As of June 2, the zebra remained missing, a Rutherford County dispatcher told USA TODAY. The zebra broke loose on Saturday, May 31 "wreaking havoc" on Interstate 24 near Joe B. Jackson Parkway in Rutherford County, Sheriff's Office Lt. Kenneth Barrett reported. The parkway about 35 miles south of downtown Nashville in the city of Murfreesboro, a booming town home to Middle Tennessee State University, the largest undergraduate university in The Volunteer State. "Sheriff's deputies had to close the interstate because the zebra was running through traffic on both sides of the highway," Barrett said. Officials later reopened the highway after the zebra disappeared into the woods. The following day a patrol deputy snapped a photo of the zebra still on the loose. Presidential protector: Watch military dog who protected Trump, Biden reunite with handler Where was the zebra in Murfreesboro last seen? According to the sheriff's office, the zebra escaped into a wooded area off Interstate 24 between Joe B. Jackson Parkway and the Epps Mill Road exits Saturday afternoon. The parkway is a busy throughfare with scores of businesses and other establishments lining it. According to a press release from the sheriff's office, Cpl. Zach Campbell the zebra belonged to a couple who he interviewed the night it escaped. The owners, law enforcement reported, "obtained the zebra Friday night." It escaped the following day. It was not immediately known whether the zebra was injured, how it escaped or where it escaped from. Is it legal to have a pet zebra in Tennessee? While the Library of Congress says zebras' "unpredictable nature and tendency to attack preclude them from being good candidates for domestication," it is legal to own one in Tennessee, the Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network reported. Along with llamas, camels, and giraffes, Tennessee categorizes zebras as Class III animals so they do not require special permits or paperwork to be kept as pets. USA TODAY has reached out to the sheriff's office. Anyone who spots the zebra is asked to not approach it and call the sheriff's office at 615-898-7770. Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@ and follow her on X @nataliealund.
