Photos and story by Zoë Haggard / Contributing Writer
The Admissions Office held the Celebration of Scholars Monday afternoon at the Student Union to award scholarship recipients who plan to attend Middle Tennessee State University this fall.
The prospective students, each of whom received a scholarship from MTSU, were invited to attend the event with their family. University President Sidney A. McPhee shook each students’ hand and spoke to them during his speech about reasons why they should attend the university.
“Thank you for taking time to be with us today and learn about our institution…We’ve had historic numbers of students and prospective parents and students at our True Blue Tour,” he said.
Some 209 prospective students attended the event. The number is an uptick from 2018 when 120 registered for the event.
With the size of MTSU’s growing institution, acknowledging just how many of the students have such academic achievement is good to do, according to Joey Clark, an admissions counselor overseeing the event.
The large number of attendants meant some students and their families had to wait in line for nearly an hour for the event. However, McPhee said it’s a good problem to have and encouraged their attendance.
“When I walk around campus this fall, I want to see you bringing your stuff into the residence halls,” he said.
President McPhee urged the new students and their families to explore the campus, overviewing some of the major construction projects happening soon.
“It’s one of the most beautiful campuses in the United States of America….1.2 billion dollars in construction…We do all that for you,” he said.
The students also met with the deans of their potential colleges.
Along with this early networking, students could enjoy refreshments as well as music played by the student-led steel pan group, a part meant to illustrate the diverse opportunities available at MTSU, according to Clark.
These opportunities present at the event further encouraged many students to look forward to attending MTSU in the fall.
Jordan Steinsultz from Clarksville, Tennessee, was one of the recipients for the presidential scholarship. She said she chose MTSU because of its proximity to home and for its speech pathology program.
“I’m very excited for the speech pathology program and how I (will) have on-clinic experience. And I just love the campus,” she added.
For Lauren Harwood from Cleveland, Tennessee, the facilities were also a defining reason why she plans to attend MTSU. Planning to major in video production, Harwood said getting hands-on experiences from the facilities available at MTSU would be the best opportunity for her.
Even with more and more students coming to the university, President McPhee stated that “as long as I’m president, I will tell you, you will always be number one—and everything we do at this institution will be centered in making this a great institution for you to stay.”
To contact News Editor Savannah Meade, email newseditor@mtsusidelines.com.
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