When will Middle Tennessee Blvd. be finished?

Aug 24, 2018 at 10:00 am by Voice Wire


MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee kicked off the new academic year Thursday, Aug. 23, by applauding the university’s faculty and staff for continued progress in student retention and graduation while emphasizing the need to develop new strategies in an ever-evolving higher education landscape.

Now in his 18th year leading the Blue Raider campus, McPhee addressed a capacity crowd of faculty and staff inside Tucker Theatre during his annual State of the University remarks as part of the traditional Fall Faculty Meeting in advance of classes beginning Monday, Aug. 27, for the fall 2018 semester.

“The calling to make a difference in the lives of others — the passion that drew each member of our academic community to fulfill careers in teaching, research, service, and providing mentorship — is the ultimate goal of our institution,” he said.

Another highlight of the annual gathering was the presentation of the MTSU Foundation’s Career Achievement Award, this year going to Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross, a professor of chemistry at MTSU since 1996 who is nationally known for her advocacy for girls and women in the sciences.

Iriarte-Gross is director of the Women In STEM (WISTEM) Center at MTSU and the founder and director of Tennessee’s first Expanding Your Horizons in Math and Science girls’ STEM education workshop. STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering and math.

 

Campus Improvements

• MTSU’s new 91,000-square-foot Academic Classroom Building will provide a state-of-the-art facility for the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences, including much-needed classroom, office and lab spaces for the Departments of Criminal Justice, Psychology, and Social Work. The $36 million project is expected to be completed in summer 2020.

• Renovations at Peck Hall are nearing completion and include new ceilings and lighting for the breezeways, new lighting for the corridors, refinishing of floors on the second and third levels and new furnishings for the courtyard areas.

• The long-running Middle Tennessee Boulevard widening project is expected to be finished in December.

• Parking and Transportation Services will have a new facility on City View Drive on the southeastern edge of campus. Completion is expected by the end of 2019.

• Alumni and supporters donated more than $12.7 million in gifts in the last fiscal year, which exceeded the previous year.

• Discussions continue regarding the potential transfer of the Valparaiso University’s law school to MTSU. Such a transfer would result in an estimated gift value of $35 million to $40 million.

McPhee concluded his remarks by noting that he would be meeting with senior administrators and deans in the coming months to develop strategies for the next five years “that will differentiate MTSU from our peers and competitors.” (Read the full text of his remarks here.)

— Jimmy Hart (jimmy.hart@mtsu.edu)

Top image: MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee makes a point during his annual State of the University address Thursday, Aug. 23, during the Fall Faculty Meeting inside Tucker Theatre. (MTSU photo by J. Intintoli)
MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee makes a point during his annual State of the University address Thursday, Aug. 23, during the Fall Faculty Meeting inside Tucker Theatre. (MTSU photo by J. Intintoli)

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