SEGMENT ONE GUEST: Ginger Freeman, director of MTSU Alumni Relations

TOPIC: MTSU Alumni Association’s “Summer of Fun” event discounts

The MTSU Alumni Association presents a "Summer of Fun" with alumni discounts on baseball, NASCAR, museums, shows, and more! Special alumni nights at baseball and arena football games, outings at Nashville Shores and Morning Glory Orchard, promotional rates for TPAC performances and the National Museum of African American Music, and savings on Nashville Speedway’s NASCAR weekend, all at your fingertips!

Go to http://www.mtalumni.com/SummerFun2024 for the full list of events, discounts and links to purchase tickets.

Also this summer, “Navigate the Unknown: Exploring the Future of Analytics and Artificial Intelligence” is the theme for the 15thannual MTSU Alumni Summer College, scheduled for June 26-28. The $250 per person fee includes tours, meals and field trip transportation.

To register, visit www.mtalumni.com. Registration deadline is 4:30 p.m. Monday, May 27.

The classes will include: Introduction and Fundamentals of Data Analytics and AI; the marriage of Data and Intelligence and Revolutionizing Technology; the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence; the Future of AI and much more. For more information, call 615-898-2922.

SEGMENT TWO GUEST: Gina Poff, director MTSU’s New Student and Family Programs and a Student Orientation Assistant TBA

TOPIC: The annual CUSTOMS new student orientation sessions for the summer

Thousands of incoming MTSU students will arrive on campus throughout the summer for the traditional CUSTOMS new student orientation sessions for freshmen and transfer students.

CUSTOMS helps new undergraduate students make the transition into the university; prepares new students for MTSU’s educational opportunities; and initiates the integration of new students into the intellectual, cultural, and social climate of the institution.

Several freshman CUSTOMS sessions remain throughout the summer, usually grouped by the academic college of the student’s major, so a student must select a date that their college is represented. Session dates will be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis, so students are encouraged to register as early as possible.

Dates and assigned colleges for those dates can be found at https://w1.mtsu.edu/customs/dates.php. There are two remaining dates for all colleges on June 22 and July 30. Students may register at https://w1.mtsu.edu/customs/registration.php.

For transfer students, there are currently three remaining in-person CUSTOMS sessions set for May 23, June 27 and July 25, with virtual sessions still available for June 10, July 15 and Aug. 6. As with freshmen sessions, dates will be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis, so students are encouraged to register as early as possible.

Transfer students may register at https://w1.mtsu.edu/customs/registration-transfer.php.

SEGMENT THREE GUEST: Dr. Jonell Hinsey, interim associate vice provost in the MTSU Office of Student Success, and Bionca Washington, director for MTSU’s Upward Bound program

TOPIC: MTSU’s Upward Bound program to support first-generation students

Upward Bound is one of eight Federal TRIO Programs headed by the U.S. Department of Education that provide academic support services to first-generation college students, low-income individuals, and/or an individual who has a high risk for academic failure.

Housed in the Office of Student Success, MTSU’s Upward Bound program launched in 2022 and serves Community, LaVergne, Shelbyville Central and Smyrna high schools in Tennessee’s Bedford and Rutherford County school districts.

Upward Bound is a pre-college program that offers academic support and other services to help eligible high school students graduate from high school and enroll in college. Each school year, 60 students take the first step toward becoming college graduates by enrolling in Upward Bound, which offers a wide range of supportive services, including study group sessions, leadership workshops, financial literacy, college admission assistance and more.

Bionca Washington, who became the new director of MTSU’s Upward Bound program in February, has worked in various roles within TRIO for over nine years.

Students participating in Upward Bound are required to attend two components of the program.

From September to May, students attend a program that includes Saturday enrichment sessions offered virtually or at MTSU once a month, and during the summer, participants attend a summer academy that includes a five-week academic intensive with the option for students to live in a dorm on the MTSU campus.

Recruitment for the upcoming year is the Upward Bound teams’ priority, which involves information sessions for rising ninth graders and current high school students, social media, and word of mouth from program participants.

For more information, contact Washington at upwardbound@mtsu.edu or call 615-494-8650.

Learn more at https://mtsunews.com/trio-upward-bound-first-generation-students/.