A BRANCH OF CREATIVE AND VISUAL SERVICES

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). It also offers laminating, binding, and personalized support to help your work shine.

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

Students, faculty, and staff can place orders through Blue Print’s online portal using FSA credentials (on campus or connected through MTSU’s firewall).

Having trouble?

Reach out—they’re available to help.

Call 615-898-2100 or email blue.print@mtsu.edu

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

True Blue TV Event Productions recently purchased a state-of-the-art truck stage to serve the campus community, first and foremost, but also to assist regional clients. This move eliminates the need to constantly pay rental fees each time the University needs a mobile stage. The truck stage made its first appearance at the Blue Raider Athletic Association’s annual donor celebration in August.

Ed Arning, senior director for market development, is eager to discuss providing this new truck stage to any and all interested. Contact him at ed.arning@mtsu.edu.

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.

Event Productions also remains one of the largest and most impactful student employment programs at MTSU, employing more than 250 students annually and taking great pride in teaching the trade.

During the past year, the department has supported over 550 campus events, including delivering production for MTSU’s Signature Event featuring GloRilla.

Event Productions also provided production support throughout the Blue Raider football and basketball seasons.

Through these efforts, the department provides students with real-world experience while delivering professional production services to the University and the surrounding community.

True Blue TV, meanwhile, provides viewers with diverse and accessible programming, including closed-captioning, livestreaming of important MTSU events, encoring Blue Raider athletic competitions, featuring professional development content for �ֲ���ý��� K–12 educators, and working with community partners such as Murfreesboro.com, WGNS Radio, Ryman Entertainment, Smyrna High School’s film and television students, and the Center for Educational Media at MTSU, to create exceptional content.

You can find True Blue TV on Xfinity 9 and 1096, our free iOS and Android phone apps, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, ATT U-verse, DTC Telecom 196, and mtsu.edu/truebluetv.

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

Earlier this month, the Daniels Center held a reopening and ribbon cutting for a major expansion that combines first- and third-floor spaces in Keathley University Center (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 also creates new space for growth, increasing the center’s square footage from 3,200 to 4,079 square feet.

Hit country music artist Craig Morgan headlined the event!

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.

Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Huber—MTSU’s three-star general who served 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.

Our Blue Raider athletics programs consistently achieve championship success, postseason play, and student success. Here are some recent highlights:

Spring 2026 Athletic Academic Update

During the Spring 2026 semester, 12 of 15 teams had a semester team grade point average of 3.0 or higher; 162 student-athletes made the Dean’s List (3.5+ GPA); and 78 achieved a perfect 4.0. Overall, 246 of 342 student-athletes earned a 3.0 or higher (72%).

High Marks in Latest Academic Progress Rate

Each of MTSU’s 17 athletic teams has earned a multiyear Academic Progress Rate (APR) of over 950 from 2021–22 to 2024–25 as the National Collegiate Athletic Association released its annual report in May. Blue Raiders sports teams have now had at least a 930 (out of 1,000) for all our sports for 16 years running. The most recent APR averaged scores from four academic years through 2024–25. MTSU had 11 of 15 sports (indoor and outdoor track count as one) with a 970 on the multiyear report, with volleyball posting a perfect grade of 1000. In addition to high levels of success in the multiyear APR, 10 of 15 sports received scores of 970 or higher in the 2024–25 single-year APR, with eight teams boasting perfect marks. The programs turning in a score of 1,000 were men’s basketball, men’s golf, women’s basketball, women’s cross country, women’s golf, women’s softball, women’s tennis, and volleyball.

Matt Insell Named Women’s Hoops Head Coach

Following Hall of Famer Rick Insell’s decision to retire at the end of the 2025–26 season, MTSU named Matt Insell as the next leader of the women’s basketball program. Insell, an MTSU alum like his father, becomes the eighth head coach in program history.

A native of Shelbyville, Insell had served on his father’s staff since 2018. He previously was head coach at Ole Miss for five seasons and an assistant at Kentucky, where he was part of four NCAA Tournament squads, including three Elite Eight teams.

CUSA Meet High Scorer and Sprint Records

Sophomore Mustapha Bokpin won two events at the Conference USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, hosted at MTSU, to capture men’s High Point Scorer honors. Bokpin electrified the track with a personal best of 9.94 seconds in the 100 meters, meeting the Olympic qualifying standard, breaking the meet record, and soaring to No. 5 in the 2026 Division I College Outdoor Rankings. He followed up with a dominant win in the 200-meter race, setting another personal and meet record at 20.26 seconds.

Women’s Golfweek Spring Challenge Crown

The MTSU women’s golf program brought home a second team crown for the first time since 2015–16, ending their regular season by winning the Golfweek Spring Challenge. In a difficult final round, the Blue Raiders shot 297 to finish at 876. Isabella Johnson led the way for the team in her eighth-straight tournament with a final-round 71 and tied for fifth with a two-over-par 215, her fifth top-five finish of her magical sophomore season. With the win, MTSU claimed the final spot in the inaugural Haskins Women’s Intercollegiate this fall. Johnson’s later top-15 finish in the NCAA regional marked the best for an individual qualifier in MTSU history, and she set two single-season program records with 19 rounds at par or better and a 72.23 scoring average.

Blue Raider Taken in NFL Draft

Blue Raider linebacker Parker Hughes, a former walk-on player, was selected in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars in April. Hughes was the 240th overall pick and the first MTSU player to get drafted since Richie James went in the seventh round in 2018 to the 49ers (also the 240th pick). Hughes, a team captain and second-team All-CUSA performer last season, competed in 46 games and had 27 starts for the Blue Raiders. He ended his career with 251 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two interceptions, and eight pass breakups. The Elizabethton native had a career-best and team-high 100 tackles in 2025. Hughes became the 33rd Blue Raider to be drafted by the NFL and the 19th defensive player.

Seventh Straight CUSA Men’s Tennis Title

The MTSU men’s tennis team won the Conference USA Championship with a 4-2 victory over Liberty on April 19 at the Outdoor Tennis Complex. It marked the seventh straight championship for the Blue Raiders and earned them another trip to the NCAA Regionals.

37 Student-Athlete Honor Society Inductees

MTSU inducted 37 student-athletes into the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society, which recognizes college students who earn a varsity letter in at least one sport while maintaining a 3.5 or higher cumulative GPA throughout their junior and senior years. Baseball had the most inductees (8), followed by women’s track (7); football (6); women’s golf, softball, and women’s tennis (3 each); men’s tennis and men’s track (2 each); and men’s basketball, women’s basketball, and soccer (1 each).

Music

SOAL, TEBA, and Schola Cantorum Concert Oct. 8 Hinton Hall

Art

Biennial Exhibition 2026: Faculty Practices in Art and Design Sept. 8–Oct. 3 Todd Art Gallery

Theatre

The Tragedy of Macbeth Nov. 5–8 Tucker Theatre

Dance

Fall Dance Concert Nov. 19–21 Tucker Theatre

For the Spring 2026 semester, MTSU had approximately 606 international students enrolled from 78 countries.

Over the summer, approximately 207 students participated in our faculty-led study abroad or other study abroad options.

Seven MTSU students recently spent three weeks immersed in French language, culture, and history through MTSU’s faculty-led Summer in Normandy study abroad program. Led by Joan McRae, professor of French in MTSU’s Department of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, the program took students to Normandy and Paris, combining language study at the University of Caen with host-family stays and visits to museums, monuments, and historic sites. Five undergraduate and two graduate students participated.

McRae’s program is just one example of approved education abroad program options MTSU offers in more than 65 countries.

Our advancement team is responsible for securing private funding, managing alumni relations, and enhancing MTSU’s overall public reputation. Bridging the gap between the University and the broader community, the advancement staff ensures a steady stream of private dollars for vital priorities like student scholarships, faculty research, and campus infrastructure.

Development Office

Annual Giving

• Nearly 8,000 alumni and friends contributed over $16.8 million in the past year in support of University programs.
• 687 True Blue Give Champions (faculty and staff) have given back to the University for fiscal year 2025–26.
• Senior Gift Tradition: Over 15,592 new graduates have given over $268,000 in past 20 years.
• True Blue Give 2026: The MTSU community raised more than $1.2 million during its ninth annual True Blue Give in February, generating more than 1,600 gifts from donors across 33 states to benefit students and programs across campus.

Our University’s reaffirmation of institutional accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) will be confirmed later this year. The Reaffirmation Review Committee has recommended reaffirmation, with no findings or recommendations, for the SACSCOC Board’s final approval in early December.

Implementation of the 2035 Strategic Plan began in the 2025–26 academic year. Committees that included partners from across the University, as well as representatives from the Faculty Senate and the Student Government Association, were involved in creating and overseeing this first annual cycle of activity plans. Progress reports for each of the three priorities are included below.

Priority 1: Increase the institution’s creative and research profile and be a top choice for students

The University made significant strides in expanding its academic offerings and supporting faculty innovation. The institution exceeded its targets for graduate expansion with 10 new degrees in the pipeline, while nearly reaching its goal for online growth with 83 fully online programs already launched. Faculty engagement in instructional workshops continues to be robust, and investment in faculty scholarship increased with the new QRISE Center and a quantum research cluster hire to drive external grant funding. Additionally, MTSU continues to focus on modernizing its technological infrastructure, successfully replacing 70% of eligible faculty and staff computer systems.

Priority 2: Strengthen the community so all learners and workers thrive

A comprehensive landscape analysis of student supports is currently underway, complemented by a restructured New to Blue Orientation program that achieved a remarkable 96% enrollment conversion rate. Regarding campus infrastructure and governance, the University completed an education campaign for the Womack Commons public-private partnership student housing project. On the personnel front, the University adopted “market target” salary language, posted new pay ranges to improve transparency, and enhanced the onboarding process through regular orientations for new hires and their supervisors.

Priority 3: Cultivate sustainable partnerships

Institutional leaders finalized a formal statement of commitment to partnerships to ensure organizational alignment. Communication strategies also are being refined with the future creation of a concise University “elevator pitch” and a prototype for a weekly email digest to better inform the campus. Furthermore, MTSU saw a 29% increase in attendance at Admitted Student Days.

We work to ensure that all students who attend MTSU get the individual attention and support they need to graduate. We call this student success and even have a cabinet-level office devoted to it. Here are the most recent updates.

Behavior Change for Good Initiative

The Behavior Change for Good Initiative (BCFG) at the University of Pennsylvania is designed to increase college persistence and boost academic performance. BCFG partnered with MTSU and 28 additional large U.S. universities to offer the Starter Kit program to their incoming students for the 2025–26 academic year. Starting in mid-April 2025, incoming first-year MTSU students were invited to complete the Starter Kit program, which was included in their pre-orientation modules in the learning management system. Starter Kit was developed to identify what helps students succeed in college. To evaluate the effectiveness of eight interventions designed to improve student outcomes, students were randomly assigned to one of nine versions of the Starter Kit program, including a business-as-usual version to which the eight interventions will be compared. All versions included an initial online activity and follow-up text messages throughout the fall term.

A total of 2,530 MTSU students started the initial online activity and participated in the program. Students answered three questions about their transition to MTSU:

1. How academically prepared do you feel for your first term at MTSU? Options ranged from 1 (Not at all prepared) to 7 (Extremely prepared). Students generally felt “Reasonably prepared” for their first term, reporting an average score of 4.09 out of 7. A preliminary analysis shows that first-generation students reported a lower average score (3.88) than their non-first-generation peers (4.27).
2. When you think about MTSU, how often, if ever, do you wonder: “Maybe I won’t belong here?” Options ranged from 1 (Never) to 7 (Extremely often). Students generally reported these feelings “Not very often,” with an average score of 2.86 out of 7. A preliminary analysis shows no difference between first-generation and non-first-generation students on this question.
3. How confident are you that you will be able to succeed at MTSU? Options ranged from 1 (Not at all confident) to 7 (Extremely confident). Students generally felt “Quite confident” about their ability to succeed, reporting an average score of 5.07 out of 7. A preliminary analysis shows that first-generation students reported a lower average score (4.95) than their non-first-generation peers (5.16).

Scholars Academy

Over 170 students had been accepted into the 2026 Scholars Academy cohort by June. Interest in the program continued to grow during the summer, driven in part by participation in the New to Blue Orientation sessions. The program continued to accept students who demonstrated a need for additional support and would benefit from participation in the Scholars Academy.

The Scholars Academy had 148 students in the Fall 2025 cohort, and 142 (95.9%) students returned in Spring 2026.

During March 20–21, the Scholars Academy hosted a retreat and training for 22 peer mentors and five coordinators for a powerful time of connection, preparation, and purpose. The sessions included team building and meaningful discussions to develop outreach plans and prepare for our peer-led sessions for the Summer Institute.

Scholars Academy students also participated in the Career Development Center Etiquette Dinner, an event designed to teach students how to navigate business engagements professionally. The experience includes a networking reception and seated dinner, guided by industry professionals, with instruction along the way.

Learning Support

The Office of Student Success (OSS) partnered with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities through its Reimagining the Professoriate initiative to conduct a comprehensive review of learning support programs. By examining where and how support services are deployed, MTSU is working to scale and refine high-impact practices, particularly in gateway courses with historically high DFW (grade D/grade F/withdrawal) rates.

The Learning Assistant (LA) program at MTSU experienced significant growth and demonstrated clear success during the 2025–26 academic year after being institutionalized through the OSS. As a direct result of documented outcomes, the OSS expanded the program to 20 LAs in Fall 2025 and 24 LAs in Spring 2026 with plans for continued growth. Learning assistants support sections of introductory Biology and Chemistry courses, as well as Essentials of Mathematics.

LA-supported sections of General Biology I and General Chemistry I have shown lower DFW rates compared to sections without learning assistants, with particularly strong gains in General Biology I (20% with LAs vs. 37% without). Importantly, the program narrowed gaps between first-generation and continuing-generation students in both courses. Student surveys and reflections indicate that learning assistants positively impact students’ sense of belonging and science identity, providing encouragement, clarity, and relatable role models that foster confidence and persistence. Faculty working with LAs consistently implemented evidence-based teaching practices, supported by structured LA-student interactions each class period. The program has generated increased faculty demand, high student interest, and measurable student success, positioning the LA program as a sustainable, high-impact initiative for student learning and belonging at MTSU.

Student experiences further underscore the impact of these initiatives. Participants consistently highlight the value of Supplemental Instruction (SI) programs and LA support in building confidence, deepening understanding, and fostering meaningful academic connections.

Academic Advising

Academic advising remains one of the most important touchpoints in the student experience at MTSU, serving as a critical component of student retention, persistence, and degree completion.

From May 1, 2025, through April 30, 2026, college advisors engaged with 16,369 unique students, representing approximately 88.7% of the University’s undergraduate student population. During that same period, advisors conducted more than 46,000 advising appointments.

These interactions provided students with opportunities to discuss academic planning, degree progression, registration, career aspirations, campus resources, and strategies for overcoming challenges that may impact their success. Academic advisors achieved a remarkable 95% completion rate for advising summary reports, ensuring that students received clear documentation of recommendations, next steps, and resources discussed during appointments.

Adult Degree Completion Program

Targeted outreach to adult learners across the region continued through partnership with EAB. Early indicators show sustained growth in inquiries from adult learners, reinforcing the effectiveness of a more coordinated, data-informed recruitment strategy.

With the University’s transition from D2L to Canvas, our Adult Learner Orientation was redesigned to provide a more well-rounded experience that students can review throughout their time at MTSU.

Corporate Partnerships

MTSU’s Corporate Education Partnerships continue to make a measurable impact on workforce development. A total of 52 corporate-affiliated students completed a bachelor’s or master’s degree during the Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 semesters. With more than 150 employees earning degrees since the creation of these education agreements, these opportunities are helping employers strengthen talent retention while creating meaningful pathways for career advancement among working adults in our community.

Prior Learning Assessment

MTSU’s Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) program remains a powerful tool for adult learners, with 103 students participating in the PLA class during the 2025–26 academic year, turning real-world experience into academic progress.

PLA continues to play a critical role in reducing time-to-degree. By allowing students to earn an average of 24 credit hours through documented experience, PLA removes barriers and helps adult learners translate real-world expertise into academic progress.

Dual Enrollment

Since the creation of the Dual Enrollment (DE) Office in 2015, MTSU has served more than 12,000 dual enrollment students. In the Spring 2026 term, MTSU offered 136 dual enrollment sections, with 18 different departments offering DE courses.

The office is planning new Aerospace partnerships with Creekwood High School in Dickson County and Liberty Creek High School in Sumner County, both set to offer multiple Aerospace courses. Additional course offerings also will be found at Grace Christian Academy in Franklin, which is adding a foreign language course (Spanish), as well as Siegel High School in Murfreesboro, which will offer Introduction to Business (BCED 1400) for the first time.

Experiential Learning (EXL)

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the Experiential Learning Scholars Program continues to significantly contribute to student achievement and University graduation goals. During the 2025–26 academic year, there were 430 faculty members offering 1,472 sections of EXL-designated courses across all nine colleges. Enrollment in EXL classes totaled 21,782 over the year, with almost 200 students earning the EXL Scholar Graduation Distinction. This represents an increase of nearly 300 course sections and 2,000 students over offerings throughout the previous year.

In addition, EXL students contributed approximately $16 million to the local community through service projects, totaling nearly $171 million in contributions to the community since the program began.

In the past fiscal year, our faculty and staff applied for over 180 grants and received over 75 awards, bringing in more than $25 million.

ORSP now has Atom Grants, a platform that simplifies and strengthens the grant seeking and writing process through powerful AI grant search tools and structured proposal support. It helps users quickly identify relevant funding opportunities across a wide range of sources, reducing the time and effort typically involved in grant discovery.

ORSP is also implementing Academic Online, a scholarly discovery and academic visibility platform designed to help faculty members showcase their research accomplishments and connect with potential collaborators.