Balloons dropped, thousands cheered and a record new crop of graduates celebrated a milestone in their lives as Middle Tennessee State University awarded its 100,000th undergraduate degree during its Centennial commencement ceremonies May 5.

“This has been a remarkable year on our campus,” MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee said, citing a year of once-in-a-lifetime celebrations, events, special guests and accomplishments for the Murphy Center crowd and those watching worldwide via streaming Internet feed.

“For more than a century, MTSU has taken very seriously its responsibility to provide a high-quality, accessible education for the people of Tennessee and the region,” he said. “While the University’s growth has been exponential over the last two decades, we have never wavered from our commitment to the individual success of our students and to academic quality.

“As you (graduates) become increasingly more successful and make your mark on the world, remember this day. You now are a part of our tradition of excellence. … This is just the beginning of even greater things to come.”

The University awarded a record 2,535 degrees from its eight colleges to students in dual ceremonies, including its first two doctorates in math and science education. The 100,000th undergraduate degree was conferred during the morning event.

With the Centennial commencement ceremonies, MTSU has graduated more than 110,000 students since its inception in 1911, awarding its first doctoral degrees in 1972.

“No single thing in your life will change your life more than what you are about to do today,” Dr. Mark A. Emmert, president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and guest speaker for the morning commencement ceremony, told the degree recipients.

“… You’re going to make a million dollars; that’s the difference in earnings between a college degree and a high-school diploma. You’re going to live longer. You’re going to get married and stay married. You’re going to become leaders in your community, someone people will look up to and respect.”

Emmert noted that because of America’s participation in competitive sports, new U.S. graduates are even more poised to compete in the international workforce.

“Other nations know their students are very good at math, at science, at mastering new skills, but they look at you and see people more experienced in teamwork, in leadership and competition,” the NCAA chief said. “The advantage you have is the American culture that supports a competitive spirit.”

Middle Tennessee State Normal School opened in 1911 to educate Tennessee’s teachers. In that century, MTSU has grown one of three small state schools with 125 students on 100 acres to Tennessee’s largest undergraduate institution with more than 26,400 students on 500-plus acres.

Officials also formally recognized the University’s 2011-12 Distinguished Alumni during the morning ceremony, presenting plaques to:

• Alice Hudson (B.S. ’69), chief of the Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division of the New York Public Library system and recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award for Professional Achievement;
• George Fraley, (B.S. ’55), former Franklin County, Tenn., executive, former 39th District representative to the Tennessee General Assembly and recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award for Community Service; and
• Jeferson “Jeff” Jorge (B.S. ’99), principal and executive partner in the Royal Oak, Mich.–based consultancy group Global Development Partners Inc. and recipient of the Young Alumni Achievement Award.

Dr. Ribo Huang, president of Guangxi Academy of Sciences in China, encouraged graduates at the afternoon ceremony to “open yourselves up to opportunities and reach out to grab them.”

One such opportunity, he said, is the new partnership between MTSU and Guangxi Academy to create the Tennessee Center for Botanical Medical Research, which will study extracts from herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine and develop new medicines to combat disease.

“Great things will result from this collaboration,” Huang said, adding that MTSU is “renowned for its higher education with such an international outreach.”

“You laughed, you cried, you may have cursed, but you have accomplished a major goal in your life,” Huang told the new graduates. “There will be challenges, obstacles and difficulties in your life. Work hard for your family, your community and your country, and you will excel.”

Watch a brief video about spring 2012 commencement at MTSU below. You also can see more photos in a gallery from spring 2012 commencement at on.fb.me/MTSpring12Commencement.

– Gina E. Fann ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )

Commander Jacoby O’Gwynn of the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office recently graduated from the 13-week Southern Police Institute’s Administrative Officers Course at the University of Louisville.

O’Gwynn, who commands the sheriff’s patrol division, was elected president of his class. He earned the “Dean’s Scholar” award for earning a letter grade of “A” in all five classes he attended. He also earned 15 hours of college credit for the completion of the course.

SPI’s Web site described the course as designed to develop informed, effective, ethically and technically competent law enforcement managers to assume leadership positions. The comprehensive development program provides instruction in law enforcement issues, diagnostic problem solving and administrative law. Students use their individual creativity and initiative through the analytical examination of issues and problems faced by contemporary law enforcement executives.

Graduates of this program will:

• Possess the knowledge and skills required to manage and to direct the resources of any law enforcement agency.
• Be prepared to deal effectively with the complicated and important administrative issues confronting law enforcement managers.
• Possess an understanding of current law enforcement operational philosophy and practice.
• Possess an understanding of the contemporary legal responsibilities of law enforcement administrators.
• Be able to apply contemporary methods of problem identification, evaluation and solution.
• Possess the knowledge and skills required to evaluate efficiency and effectiveness of law enforcement operations.
• O’Gwynn said the class was the most challenging school he’s completed in his 15-year career in law enforcement.

“The course gives you the knowledge and tools to become a better leader both in your professional career and personal life,” O’Gwynn said. “Understanding the stresses and diversities that we face in jobs everyday has made me a better leader. This course gives you the skills to cope with these obstacles and overcome them in both your personal life as well as your professional life.”

Knowledge he gained in the class will make him a better commander, he said.

“The exposure to different ideas, philosophies, and implementations of law enforcement practices will not only help me but, also benefit our sheriff’s office,” O’Gwynn said. “The Administrative Officers Course took me from seeing things in a one dimensional manner to seeing things in a three dimensional manner.”

O’Gwynn hopes to implement many concepts and policing strategies he learned at SPI.

“I am grateful that I have the sheriff and chiefs who have an open mind to law enforcement,” O’Gwynn said. “There is a new era of policing that we are headed toward, and I am looking forward to helping lead the way for our department and community.”

Stephen B. Smith, chairman of the board of Haury & Smith Contractors Inc., one of Nashville’s oldest development and home-building companies, received his bachelor’s degree in liberal studies Dec. 17 from MTSU.

A successful businessman, entrepreneur and philanthropist, Smith studied finance at MTSU in the 1970s and earned three letters on the varsity baseball team. He left college before completing his degree.

Even without a college degree, Smith’s advances in life have been prodigious. He served as the national finance co-chair for Lamar Alexander’s presidential campaign and was the finance chairman for former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist’s leadership political action committee.“It’s never too late to go back to school,” Smith said amid the noisy celebration following the afternoon ceremony in Murphy Center. “And it’s important to the people who love you. I’m proud of the time and effort of all 1,700-plus students who went through the line today in order to advance in life.”

He has served on numerous business and civic boards as well as the Metropolitan Nashville Planning Commission and the Regional Transit Authority. He also was board chairman for Nashville Parks and Recreation.

Smith’s passion for horses earned him administrative positions in the walking-horse industry, and as a rider, he won 10 world championships. In 1992, he was named amateur world grand champion, and in 2001 he was inducted into the Tennessee Walking Horse Hall of Fame.

In 2007, he received the MS Hope Award by the National MS Society Mid-South Chapter. In 2008, the Tennessee Board of Regents honored him with the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Philanthropy. And in 2010, he received the Jennings A. Jones Champion of Free Enterprise Award from MTSU’s College of Business.

Smith led the effort to raise $5 million to build the University’s new baseball facility: the Reese L. Smith Jr. baseball complex, named after his father. In addition, the Stephen B. Smith Baseball Clubhouse and Indoor Training Facility is a first-class addition to MTSU’s athletic program. In 2004, he was inducted into the Blue Raider Sports Hall of Fame and has served on both the BRAA board and the President’s Council.

“What all the Smiths have been good at is keeping up with something until it’s finished,” Smith said of his academic accomplishment. “When I realized I could do it, I did it. If you can, you should.”

– Tom Tozer ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )

Reception held for those graduating on Saturday

Murfreesboro, TN - Athletic director Chris Massaro and the Middle Tennessee athletic department held a reception on Tuesday at the Rose and Emmett Kennon Hall of Fame to recognize five current and former Blue Raider student-athletes that will be participating in graduation ceremonies this weekend.

Football players Sacoby Carter, Marquise Branton, Jake Padrick and Wes Hale were among the honorees, as well as former track standout Sarah Nambawa.

Courtesy of Athletic Communications, GoBlueRaiders.com

President of MTSU Faculty Senate to Speak at Ceremony

Murfreesboro, TN - About 863 degree candidates are expected to graduate during MTSU’s 101st Summer Commencement ceremony, according to a report from Cathy Kirchner of the University’s Registrar’s Office.

The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 13, in Murphy Center. Of the 863 set to graduate during the event, 591 are undergraduates and 272 are graduate students, including 237 master’s candidates, 28 education-specialist recipients and five doctoral candidates. Two graduate students also will be receiving graduate certificates.

Dr. Warner Cribb, the 2010-11 president of the MTSU Faculty Senate, is the scheduled speaker for the 2011 Summer Commencement ceremony. Cribb joined the University family in 1993 as an assistant professor of geology.

He earned his doctorate in geology from The Ohio State University after receiving his master’s and bachelor’s degrees from George Washington University and Vanderbilt University, respectively. A full professor at MTSU since 2002, Cribb represented the Department of Geosciences as a faculty senator from 2006 to 2009.

A member of numerous state and national science and science-teaching organizations, Cribb teaches multiple levels of earth science, mineralogy, geology and geochemistry courses at MTSU. He also is a member of Sigma Gamma Epsilon, the National Earth Science Honorary Society, and has been widely published in his field since 1996.

During his years at MTSU, Cribb has developed and managed the University’s analytical geochemistry labs and acquired National Science Foundation funding for equipment for and construction of x-ray fluorescence and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer laboratories. He also has served as faculty supervisor of MTSU’s analytical geochemistry labs, which instruct students and faculty on using of XRF and ICPMS and developing sample-preparation techniques and analytical methodologies.

Cribb also is quite proud of the accomplishments of his former students at MTSU, especially the 26 who have gone on to seek advanced degrees in science. Currently, eight of those students are working on their master’s degrees, and another four are in doctoral programs in universities such as Northern Arizona, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt and Oklahoma.

Graduation committee members emphasized that students who participate in commencement will be required to stay for the entire ceremony. The ceremony should last about two hours, so graduation candidates planning celebrations should be aware of this time commitment.

Graduation information—including maps and driving directions to Murphy Center, instructions on watching the ceremonies via streaming video on commencement day, cap-and-gown information and how to order a DVD of the ceremonies— is available online. Go to www.mtsunews.com and click on the “Graduation Info” link.

MTSU SPRING 2011 COMMENCEMENT AT A GLANCE

Who: 863 graduates* (591 undergraduates, 272 graduate students)
What: 2011 MTSU summer commencement
When: 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 13
Where: Murphy Center on the MTSU campus.
Commencement speaker: Dr. Warner Cribb, the 2010-11 president of the MTSU Faculty Senate

Murfreesboro, TN - More MTSU graduates than ever before would enroll again at the University if they started college all over again, according to a new survey of seniors who received their diplomas in fall 2010 and spring 2011.

Eighty-three percent of the 3,153 Graduating Senior Survey participants said they would attend MTSU again—an increase of 3 percent over those who responded to the 2009-10 survey. The University’s Office of Institutional Effectiveness, Planning and Research issued the survey results.

“All major components of the University exhibit increases in satisfaction,” said Dr. Brad Bartel, university provost. “What makes these results even more exceptional relates to a large university like MTSU being so student-centered in both the academic and student-services sphere. The senior survey validates the fact that MTSU is the university of choice for Tennessee students.”

First administered in spring 1997, MTSU’s Graduating Senior Survey is given each spring and fall to learn more about student attitudes toward the University’s academic programs and student services.

The 2010-11 survey also revealed the following:

• almost half the seniors surveyed (45 percent) are first-generation college graduates;

• nearly half of the participants plan to pursue a master’s degree and 13 percent a doctorate; and

• 19 percent worked 35 hours or more per week during the 2010-11 academic year, compared with 22 percent in 2009-10.

Other sections of the survey related to specific majors, student services and employment data. Students indicated increased satisfaction in their choice of major (90 percent), the quality of instruction (85 percent) and the availability of courses in their major (72 percent). The surveyed seniors listed parking, curriculum and advising as their top-three areas to improve undergraduates’ experience at MTSU.

“I am particularly pleased to see student satisfaction continuing to rise during these years when we are experiencing such significant decreases in state funding,” said Dr. Debra Sells, vice president for student affairs and vice provost for enrollment and academic services.

“We have worked hard to reduce costs and staff while not having a negative impact on the student experience, and I appreciate this student feedback, which seems to indicate that we have been successful and are on the right track.”

To see a PDF of the latest study, visit http://bit.ly/MTSeniorSurvey11.

On May 4th, 32 students from 10 schools in Rutherford County graduated from Youth Leadership Rutherford, the Chamber of Commerce’s civic service and engagement program for high school juniors and seniors. The students attended monthly program days October- April, learning about the educational, cultural, political, and industrial aspects of the county. Students fulfilled individual projects, a journal, and a group service project benefitting a nonprofit organization in the community. The BEP congratulations this year’s graduates!

Murfreesboro, TN - Twenty MTSU seniors and degree candidates are scheduled to take part in the annual spring ROTC Commissioning ceremony on Friday, May 6, in the Military Memorial area outside the Tom H. Jackson Building.

Retired Brig. Gen. Les Fuller, a 1973 alumnus of MTSU, will serve as guest speaker.

Of the new second lieutenants, 10 will move to active duty, two will join the Army Reserves and nine will be a part of the National Guard.

The spring 2011 commissionees will include:

• Brandon G. Albritton of Milton, Tenn., who is to receive his Bachelor of Science in concrete industry management at MTSU's May 7 commencement and will be serving in the Engineer Corps of the Tennessee National Guard on reserve forces duty. He is the son of Steve and Karen Albritton of Milton;
• John A. Baggett of Nashville, who is to receive his Bachelor of Arts in history on May 7 and will be assigned to active duty in the Quartermaster Branch at Fort Carson, Colo. He is the son of Ben and Mona Baggett of Nashville;
• Brandon D. Cornwell of Clarksville, Tenn., another May 7 CIM degree candidate, who will be assigned to active duty in the Ordnance Branch at Fort Campbell, Ky. He is married to Amber Cornwell and is the son of Danny and Lana Cornwell of Clarksville;
• Taryn M. Davis of Hendersonville, Tenn., a criminal-justice degree candidate who also will be reporting to the Ordnance Branch at Fort Campbell. He is the son of Thomas and Anita Gad of Hendersonville;
• Daniel L. Ervin of Hendersonville, who is to receive his bachelor's degree in exercise science and then report to the Medical Service Corps in the Tennessee National Guard. He is the son of Doss Ervin of Smyrna and Kerry Chamberlain of Hendersonville;
• Bryon D. Gothard of Whitwell, Tenn., a criminal-justice degree candidate who will be reporting to Fort Campbell's Quartermaster Corps. He is married to Brandy Gothard and is the son of Melvin and Teresa Gothard of Whitwell;
• Cody L. Hammond of McDonald, Tenn., a criminal-justice degree candidate who will be heading for reserve forces duty with the TNG's Military Police. He is the son of Lawrence and Shirley Hammond of McDonald;
• Rachael N. Lezon of Cleveland, Tenn., who expects to earn her MBA and will report to the Army Reserves for duty with the Signal Corps. She is the daughter of William Sr. and Suanna Lezon of Cleveland;
• Darren J. Magles of Smyrna, Tenn., who will receive his bachelor's degree in liberal studies before reporting for active Ordnance Corps duty in Korea. He is married to Kimberly Magles and is the son of Daryl and Lisa Magles of Grapeland, Texas;
• Justin T. McQueen of Spring Hill, Tenn., who expects to earn his MBA and will report for duty in the TNG's Adjutant General Corps. He is the son of Timothy and Terri McQueen of Spring Hill;
• Daniel L. O'Neill of Murfreesboro, who expects to earn a bachelor's degree in aerospace and will be reporting for reserve forces aviation duty with the National Guard. He is married to Elizabeth O’Neill and is the son of Thomas and Laura O’Neill of Murfreesboro;
• Erika Ortega of Clarksville, who is to receive a bachelor’s degree in global studies before reporting for reserve forces duty with the Guard's Medical Service Corps. She is the daughter of William and Satomi Ortega of Clarksville;
• Michael L. Page of Manchester, who expects to earn a bachelor's degree in organizational communication and will report for duty with the Guard's Military Police. He is the son of Edward and Lisa Page of Manchester;
• Matthew K. Popejoy of Nashville, who is to receive his Bachelor of Science degree in nursing before reporting for duty with the Army Reserves" Nurse Corps. He is the son of Kyle and Margarita Popejoy of Gainesville, Fla.;
• Jonathan A. Snider of Murfreesboro, who is to receive his bachelor's degree in health education and report for active infantry duty at Fort Benning, Ga. He is the son of Bradley Snider and Shannon Goddard;
• Koekhamphet P. “Patrick” Sourinho of Murfreesboro, who expects to earn his Bachelor of Business Administration in finance and will serve with the Guard's finance branch. He is married to Jennie Sourinho and is the son of Sothalay and Chanthara Sourinho of Murfreesboro;
• Evelyn A. Stewart of Clarksville, who is to receive her bachelor's degree psychology and report to Fort Stewart, Ga., for active duty in the Signal Corps. She is married to Lt. Justin Stewart and is the daughter of Ridelto and Valentina Gutierrez of Clarksville;
• Andrew T. Stokes of Murfreesboro, a criminal-justice degree candidate who will report to Fort Benning for infantry duty. He is married to Ashley Stokes and is the son of Thomas Zimmer and Shannon Smith;
• Laura A. Wiemar of Bartlett, Tenn., who expects to earn her bachelor's degree in nursing and will be on active duty with the Nurse Corps. She is the daughter of David and Donna Wiemar of Bartlett; and
• Trenton B. Wiggins of Brentwood, Tenn., an international-relations degree candidate who will be reporting for infantry duty at Fort Benning. He is the son of David and Lynne Wiggins of Brentwood.

Obtaining the GED opens doors that can lead to a higher education and career opportunities, said a student who graduated after earning his high school equivalency diploma.

Inmate Tarontae King was one of 12 inmates and a former inmate who received their GED certificates during a ceremony Wednesday at the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center.

They join some 390 inmates from the detention center and the Rutherford County Correctional Work Center who earned their GEDs since 2002 after taking classes while incarcerated. Rutherford County Schools’ Adult Education program provides teachers for both men and women inmates.

King was chosen to give the graduation speech representing the students because he earned the highest score from the class. He noted the GED will allow inmates when released to meet more positive people who will help determine the future.

“I know that I have just obtained one of the most valuable tools of life,” King said in his speech. “I became tired of the road that leads nowhere but to a dead end. So I took my GED. I not only passed it but scored high enough to receive the Hope Scholarship, which will ensure my entrance to college. With good health, potential and a sound and sober mind, I have the ability to do and be anything that I want to be.”

King is striving for success, saying when situations become rough he will think back to the time when he asked God to show him the way to a better life.

“No matter how long it takes, I am not going to quit or give up until I’ve reached my goal,” King said. “What is my goal? My goal is to be a better father, a better son, not just a man, but a real man. Success is the key to a long and stable life.”

Teacher Rodney Hayes told the graduates to take the GED accomplishment and move forward with their lives.

Chief Administrative Deputy Joe Russell encouraged the inmates to use their GED to improve their lives. He mentioned several celebrities who earned their GEDs.

Lt. Chris Deal, who supervises the detention center’s educational programs, said students must pass five tests covering math, science, reading, writing and social studies. The 7-1/2 hour test measures skills in communication, information processing, problem solving and critical thinking.

Deal quoted Booker T. Washington, “Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he or she has overcome.”

MURFREESBORO TN — A projected 1,750 degree candidates will graduate during the Fall 2010 Commencement ceremonies on Saturday, Dec. 18, at Middle Tennessee State University, officials announced.Of that total, 1,466 candidates will receive undergraduate degrees, said Ann S. Reaves, assistant director for graduation in the MTSU Records Office. Two hundred eighty-four students will receive graduate degrees including 213 master’s degrees, 12 education-specialist degrees and five Doctor of Philosophy degrees. Two of the Ph.D. degrees will be posthumous awards.

The morning ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. in Murphy Center on the MTSU campus, with J. Stanley Rogers (B.S. ’61), senior partner with the Rogers & Duncan law firm in Manchester, Tenn., delivering the commencement address.

Rogers received his Bachelor of Science degree from MTSU and a Juris Doctor degree from Vanderbilt University. He is admitted to practice law before the U.S. District Court, Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Tennessee; U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit; U.S. Claims Court; and the U.S. Supreme Court. He has served as a member of the Lawyers Involved for Tennessee, the Tennessee Appellate Court Nominating Commission, the Tennessee Judicial Evaluation Commission and the U.S. Circuit Judge Nominating Commission, Sixth Circuit.

Rogers served for six years in the Tennessee House of Representatives and was majority leader during the 88th and 89th general assemblies. He recently retired from the Tennessee Board of Regents after serving since 1994. Rogers and his wife, Pat, have three children.

The morning commencement ceremony will honor graduates in the College of Graduate Studies, Jennings A. Jones College of Business, College of Education and College of Mass Communication.

The afternoon ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. in Murphy Center with State Sen. Randy McNally, R-5th District, addressing the graduates.
McNally is a graduate of Oak Ridge High School and received his Bachelor of Science degree from Memphis State University. He attended the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy and held the position of hospital pharmacist from 1978 to 2010 at Methodist Medical Center in Oak Ridge.

McNally has served in both the Senate (95th-106th general assemblies) and House (91st—94th) of the Tennessee Legislature. He has chaired the Finance, Ways and Means Committee and the Education Committee and also assumed leadership roles on the Council on Pensions and Insurance, the Education Oversight Committee, the TennCare Oversight Committee and the Governor’s Methamphetamine Task Force.

The afternoon ceremony will celebrate graduates from the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, College of Behavioral and Health Sciences, College of Liberal Arts and the University College.

Graduation information—including maps and driving directions to Murphy Center, instructions on watching the ceremonies via streaming video on commencement day, cap-and-gown information and how to order a DVD of the ceremonies— is available online at www.mtsunews.com and clicking on the “Graduation Info” link. 

MTSU FALL 2010 COMMENCEMENT AT A GLANCE

Who: 1,750 graduates* (1,466 undergraduates, 284 graduate students)
What: MTSU’s fall commencement ceremony.
When: 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Dec. 18
Where: Murphy Center
Commencement speakers: Morning ceremony, J. Stanley Rogers, senior partner with Rogers and Duncan Law Firm; 1 p.m. ceremony, State Sen. Randy McNally.
* — approximate number as of Dec. 6, 2010.