Middle Tennessee State University

Middle Tennessee State University's Department of Theatre and Dance students are proud to present "Our Town," a play that presents the story of the fictional American town in the early 1900s through the ordinary daily lives of its citizens. "Our Town" runs Thursday, Feb. 27, through Saturday, March 1, at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee performance on Sunday, March 2, at 2 p.m. at MTSU's Tucker Theatre at 615 Champion Way. Tickets are $10 for general admission, $7 for seniors and $5 for students K-12. They can be purchased online at https://app.arts-people.com/index.php or the Tucker Theatre box office before each performance. Directed by assistant professor Lauren Shouse, "Our Town" was written by Thornton Wilder and was first performed in Princeton, New Jersey, on Jan. 22, 1938. The three-act play was later successful on Broadway and earned the Pulitzer Prize for drama. "Our audience can expect to see a new take on 'Our Town' as we approach this timeless story with a focus on community," Shouse said. "The play asks whether living in the present in every moment is possible. While that is challenging in our daily lives, we hope the play can be a wakeup call to pay more attention to the things that make life worth living." "Our Town" is an exploration of the fictional town Grover's Corners, following different events and moments in the lives of the people who live there between 1901 and 1913. It begins by looking at childhood and adolescence, then marriage into death. The stage manager narrates these events and moments throughout, frequently speaking directly to the audience. The play is mostly performed without a set on a bare stage. The 25-student cast members and crew began working on the production in late November.

Middle Tennessee State University Honors student Victoria Grigsby has been accepted into the highly competitive Public Policy and International Affairs Junior Summer Institute at Princeton University. The program is hosted by Princeton's School of Public and International Affairs this summer.

Middle Tennessee State University sophomore Hannah Ferreira has been named a recipient of the U.S. Department of State's John S. McCain International Scholarship for Military Families (Gilman-McCain Scholarship), a prestigious award that provides $5,000 to military dependents for study abroad experiences. She is the second student at MTSU to receive this award. Ferreira, a psychology and political science double major with a pre-law concentration and a University Honors minor, is from Clarksville, Tennessee. She will use the scholarship to study the history of psychology in Austria through an MTSU Signature Program.

Middle Tennessee State University archaeology students are getting hands-on with history through ongoing research at the site of one of Nashville's first post-Civil War Black neighborhoods. Led by Department of Sociology and Anthropology professor Andrew Wyatt, the Bass Street Community Archaeology Project provides experiential learning in the basics of fieldwork for students while preserving an important part of Black history.

Three Middle State University School of Journalism students were among 12 students from across the state immersed in real-world media through participation in The Tennessean's second annual Journalism Academy. Hannah Carley, Shauna Reynolds and Brianna Sorrell from MTSU's School of Journalism and Strategic Media joined professional journalists for three days of learning, networking and mentorship at the newspaper and digital outlet's Nashville office in early January. The Tennessean Journalism Academy allowed students to see a professional news organization and expand their contacts with experienced journalists and students across Tennessee. Participants also learned about writing and reporting, investigating, digital production, and applying for jobs.

All the hard work and preparation paid off for Middle Tennessee State University senior Carley Vogel, fresh off a second runner-up at the Miss America pageant earlier this month in Orlando, Florida. "Participating in the pageant itself was surreal. It was an honor to share the stage with such incredible women and to represent Tennessee, a state I love dearly," said Vogel. "The connections I made and the stories I heard reinforced my belief in the power of community and advocacy." A music business major in MTSU's College of Media and Entertainment minoring in musical theatre in the College of Liberal Arts, the Kennesaw, Georgia, resident called preparing for the Jan. 5 pageant one of her life's most challenging and rewarding experiences.

Middle Tennessee State University is congratulating 6,478 students who appear on the dean's list for the fall 2024 semester. To qualify for this distinction, an undergraduate student must maintain a current semester grade-point average of 3.5 or above and earn at least 12 semester hours. The complete list of honorees, compiled by the MTSU Registrar's Office and alphabetized by the students' surnames and home counties or country, also is available as a searchable PDF in this story at MTSUNews.com, the university's news site: https://mtsunews.com/deans-list-fall-2024/.

The second MTSU Jazz Artist Series concert is set for Feb. 6 on campus featuring vocalist Sandra Dudley, who will perform with members of MTSU Combo 1. The concert will feature members of the top student and graduate combo in the jazz studies program, including Dylan Kubilus (alto saxophone), Daniel Kuk (piano), Ethan Assad (bass) and Miles Damaso (drums). The concert will also include a guest appearance by faculty jazz saxophonist Don Aliquo.

Middle Tennessee State University students Cameron Weatherspoon, president of Kappa Xi Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity at MTSU, and Madison Pearson, recording secretary and sergeant at arms for Eta Psi chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority at MTSU, both made presentations at the university's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration held Wednesday, Jan. 22, on campus.

Middle Tennessee State University interior architecture major Annalise Phillips of Nolensville earned top honors at the 29th annual Planning and Visual Educational Partnership, or PAVE, International Student Design Competition. Phillips was one of three finalists for the prestigious PAVE Global competition in 2024 that drew entries from 107 educational institutions across 28 countries, representing a wide variety of disciplines like interior design, retail planning, graphic design and industrial design.

Middle Tennessee State University's College of Basic and Applied Sciences recently held its three-minute thesis (3MT@MT) graduate video competition. Twenty-three combined master's and doctoral students from eight departments submitted three-minute videos describing their research. Videos were evaluated by faculty and winners presented live at a Dec. 5 celebration event in Science Building Room 1006.

Middle Tennessee State University tourism and hospitality management majors Sosina Bekele and Kenady Rix were selected for the inaugural class of student ambassadors at the 2024 Tennessee Governor's Conference on Hospitality and Tourism in Chattanooga.

Middle Tennessee State University's Chinese Music Ensemble performed its final concert of the season to round out MTSU's International Education Week. The concert was the ending of a banner year that included over 10 concert performances and a trip to China.

Two dozen Middle Tennessee State University senior forensic science majors completed the semester in the courtroom of Circuit Court Judge Barry Tidwell by participating in a mock trial. The program was organized by Tidwell and MTSU adjunct instructor Andrea King, who is also a forensic scientist with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

The U.S. Department of State has awarded the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to approximately 1,600 American undergraduate students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico during the fall 2024 cycle. Among the recipients are three outstanding students from Middle Tennessee State University.

Each semester, Collage: A Journal of Creative Expression honors outstanding submissions with its prestigious Creative Expression Awards. In December 2024, several MTSU students were recognized for their exceptional creative works.

Middle Tennessee State University Public Health program students, in partnership with the MTSU Center for Health and Human Services, recently completed a three-year analysis of drug use stigma among people in rural communities. For the third year in a row, student volunteers were tasked with asking a random selection of visitors at the Wilson County Fair-Tennessee State Fair, held each August, about their thoughts and perceptions regarding individuals who struggle with addiction.

Nearly 20 students in Middle Tennessee State University's AMC SIGGRAPH organization attended a nearly weeklong conference in Denver, Colorado, where they had the opportunity to network, volunteer and participate in special sessions with companies like Pixar and Disney.

The University Honors College at Middle Tennessee State University recently inducted 20 students as Buchanan Fellows for the 2024-25 academic year.

Middle Tennessee State University is congratulating 280 students who appear on the dean's list for the summer 2024 semester. To qualify for this distinction, an undergraduate student must maintain a current semester grade-point average of 3.5 or above and earn at least 12 semester hours. The complete list of honorees, compiled by the MTSU Registrar's Office and alphabetized by the students' surnames and home counties or country, also is available as a searchable PDF in this story at MTSUNews.com, the university's news site: https://mtsunews.com/deans-list-summer-2024/.

It was a summer opportunity of a lifetime for Middle Tennessee State University video and film production student Tobin Smith as he spent nearly a month in Paris, France, working production for NBC Sports during the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.

Three nontraditional students at Middle Tennessee State University got a boost to their education as recipients of the 2024 June S. Anderson Scholarship. The foundation annually awards full-tuition scholarships to students age 25 and older who are preparing for careers in fields that are nontraditional for women.

As Middle Tennessee State University's new academic year gets underway, Student Government Association President Michai Mosby has already been hard at work welcoming students back to campus. While many college seniors are solely focused on the end game, Mosby has decided to continue serving his university community at the highest capacity while finishing up his bachelor's degree.

Middle Tennessee State University senior Anna Collins, of Pleasant View, was recently awarded a Pioneer Award of $1,000 from The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi - the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines.

Five years after launching, Middle Tennessee State University's Tourism and Hospitality Management program has been designated as the first and only accredited hospitality degree program in the state by the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration. Learning about MTSU's tourism and hospitality program was a game-changer for junior Kenady Rix, who was awarded a $3,000 scholarship from the Tennessee Hospitality and Tourism Association Education Fund. "I have a natural passion for serving others, and I've always worked above and beyond in any employment role that I'm in to serve guests well," Rix said.

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi is proud to announce the recipients of a 2024 Pioneer Award. The awards are designed to reward undergraduate members for developing the research, engagement and leadership skills necessary to become a successful scholar

Industrial-Organizational Psychology students at Middle Tennessee State University are getting real-world experience collaborating with the Tennessee Highway Patrol to identify future leaders for the agency. This summer, more than 200 THP troopers and sergeants vying for promotions underwent a multifaceted examination process designed by students and faculty in MTSU's Center for Organizational and Human Resource Effectiveness, or COHRE.

Middle Tennessee State University political science major Yusuf Dogan contributed to a nonbinding resolution later passed by Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County. During the spring semester of his freshman year at MTSU, Dogan was required to write a mock piece of legislation for a project. That experience would translate from the classroom to the real world as part of his internship with Metro-Nashville Councilwoman Delishia Porterfield.

The University Honors College at Middle Tennessee State University has selected nine students to serve as ambassadors for the 2024-25 academic year.

Phi Kappa Phi recently named the recipients of its 2024 Marcus L. Urann Fellowships. The prestigious $20,000 fellowships were awarded to six students nationwide.