(MURFREESBORO) Middle Tennessee State University’s Board of Trustees has identified the pursuit of a professional school as the first of four objectives that it feels should be the institution’s top priorities.
During its quarterly meeting Tuesday, March 19, 2024, trustees put the MTSU’s continued inclusion in the Princeton Review’s top colleges list, movement toward designation as a top research institution and securing more funding to renovate the 51-year-old Murphy Center among other top priorities.
The board was tasked with ranking the top four among 20-plus goals put forward in a survey as the institution’s priorities for 2024.
“We have a huge impact in Nashville and Middle Tennessee,” said Steve Smith, board chairman. “We’re in the epicenter in the greatest growth in the greatest country right here. We just need to make a few good choices to change a lot of lives.”
Other top priorities included continuing movement of the Aerospace Department to Shelbyville and continuing to increase the graduation rate to exceed the goal of 60%.
Trustees also identified several elements as key strengths to include in developing a strategic plan such as a focus on a practical approach to education, with an emphasis on elements that help build careers; and affordability and value, among others.
Opportunities and key issues noted by trustees included changing demographics, including fewer traditional-aged freshmen nationwide, remaining competitive against options outside higher education; and modernization of facilities, among others.
