Back Together this Fall!

To the University community,

Today marks the midpoint of the Spring 2021 semester! We begin by celebrating our MTSU’s Women’s Basketball Team, who captured the Conference USA Championship Saturday night by defeating Rice University in the finals in Frisco, Texas. They are heading to the NCAA Tournament and learn their opponent tonight!

Their win this weekend is yet another sign of hope and renewal. In reaching mid-semester, I am once again awed by the amazing and enormous efforts by all of you – students, faculty and staff – to protect our community during this pandemic and stay on course with our academics, research and service progress. This hard work and commitment has made possible the full return of in-person campus classes and activities for the Fall 2021 semester.

You may recall that we announced in late December our intention to fully reopen the campus for classes and events we enjoyed before the onset of the pandemic. We are encouraged by the tremendous progress made recently in vaccination efforts in the state and the nation – including those on our campus by our School of Nursing faculty and students and Student Health Services staff. President Biden announced last Thursday that he directed the states to allow all adults be eligible for vaccination by May 1. 

Our course offerings will be back to normal — primarily in-person but with selected online options. We will use the lessons we learned from teaching during the pandemic, and the technology we installed to help us enhance our academic offerings even stronger. Our residence halls will reopen as before, with both single- and double-occupancy options. The faculty, administrators and coaches in Academics, Athletics and Student Affairs are currently planning a robust return to the activities, events and games that enrich the student experience on our campus. We will be back together this fall with more resilience and vigor than ever. 

Finishing Strong this Semester

While there’s light at the end of the tunnel, we must maintain our efforts to contain and control COVID-19 as we wind down the Spring semester. To that end, our campus mandates for the wearing of masks, social distancing and observing posted safety capacities in our rooms and facilities remain in place. We feel this is necessary so we can understand potential impacts that variants of the virus may pose.

However, we feel confident in our containment efforts to now allow on-campus groups to reserve spaces in campus buildings for activities, including end-of-the-year activities. Again, current COVID-19 capacities, as well as social distancing and masking requirements, apply. Food will not be permitted for these events, a necessary step we’re taking to further protect our community. Off-campus groups may also schedule space, under the same rules as on-campus groups, including that there is no food and masking/social distancing rules apply.  

Summer camps and conferences will be allowed in campus facilities, but overnight accommodations will not be allowed except by limited exception and only for academically related groups, such as the Governor’s School for the Arts. Again, masks, social distancing and capacity limits will be required.

Thank you for your continued diligence in our fight against COVID-19. Let’s finish strong for the second half of this semester! And I’m looking forward to the return of our commencement exercises to Murphy Center this May.

Sincerely,
Sidney A. McPhee
President
Sidney.McPhee@mtsu.edu

To the University Community,

As we approach the month of March, I wanted to pause and express my gratitude for everyone – students, faculty and staff – working hard to keep COVID-19 in check. I am proud that our students and faculty in our School of Nursing, under the leadership of Dr. Jenny Sauls, and our MTSU Student Health Services team, under the leadership of Richard Chapman and Dr. Eric Clark, stepped forward in service to Rutherford County by opening a clinic on campus to provide vaccinations for those eligible under state guidelines. Eligible persons may request an appointment at the MTSU clinic by calling the Rutherford County COVID-19 Vaccine Call Center at 615-898-7997; calling the State scheduling center at 866-442-5301; or completing a form online at https://vaccinate.tn.gov. It is my hope that, when it’s your turn, you’ll get the vaccination.

Meanwhile, we are working diligently toward preparing the Fall 2021 Semester and the return of normal (and pre-pandemic) operations on campus. As such, in consultation with local and state health officials, and while monitoring trends regarding the pace of infections in the state and region, we are taking steps to return to Murphy Center for this May’s Spring commencement ceremonies.

I am pleased to announce that I have authorized the University to schedule 12 to 15 small, in-person commencement ceremonies at Murphy Center on the weekend of May 7-9. We will also hold a special ceremony in Murphy on Saturday, May 1, for any 2020 graduates who could not participate at last November’s commencement at Floyd Stadium. Masks and social distancing will be required and strictly enforced.

All May 2021 expected graduates and May, August, and December 2020 graduates who wish to participate in a May ceremony must complete and submit an electronic “I’m Attending” reservation form, which the Registrar’s Office will email Monday (March 1). The electronic reservation form must be submitted no later than Friday, March 26, in order to participate in a May ceremony.

Based upon the responses we receive, graduates will be assigned to an appropriate ceremony determined by the college of their major. Each participant will be allotted a limited number of guest tickets that will be distributed at the Student Union during scheduled cap and gown pick-up dates.  

Participating graduates will be notified of their assigned ceremony day and time on Thursday, April 1, and will receive precise seating assignments, arrival times and other instructions closer to the ceremony date.  

Please visit our MTSU Graduation webpage for more information.

Here are other updates of interest:

• SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE EXTENDED TO MONDAY: Due to the University being closed the week of Feb. 15 because ofinclement weather, we have extended the deadline to submit an application to Monday (March 1). Students must submit the online Scholarship Application by Monday to be considered for an award for the 2021-22 academic year. Go to mtsu.edu/scholarships/opportunities and login using your PipelineMT username and password. Once logged in, complete the General Scholarship Application.
  
  
• A REMINDER ON MARCH 12 STUDY DAY:Please remember that Friday, March 12, has been designated as a Study Day for our students. No assignments, meetings, exams or other required class activities should take place that day. All administrative offices will be open during regular business hours.

• HOUSING RETURNS TO DOUBLE ROOMS THIS FALL: As part of our return to pre-pandemic operations, MTSU Housing will again offer double-occupancy rooms in our residence halls in the coming academic year. However, we will make available a larger inventory of private rooms than were available before the pandemic precautions were implemented. Go to mtsu.edu/housing for more information.

• TRUE BLUE TOUR TO RESUME THIS FALL: MTSU’s Undergraduate Admissions team will resume its annual True Blue Tour events for prospective students. In addition to our array of on-campus Preview Days and events for Rutherford County students, the tour will have eight stops in Tennessee (Nashville, Williamson County, Clarksville, Knoxville, Johnson City, Chattanooga, Jackson and Memphis); two in Alabama (Huntsville and Birmingham); two in Kentucky (Louisville and Lexington); and one in Georgia (Atlanta). You’ll find a schedule soon at mtsu.edu/rsvp.

We’ll announce soon our plans for academic operations and other campus activities for the summer. Again, my thanks and deepest appreciation for all you are doing to keep safe and stay on course this semester. Please continue to monitor our website, www.mtsu.edu/coronavirus, for updates. And continue to follow our requirements for the wearing of masks in campus facilities, maintaining social distances and observing posted capacity limits.

Sincerely,
Sidney A. McPhee
President
Sidney.McPhee@mtsu.edu