Advancement
"We are incredibly grateful for the support and for the ever-growing sense of shared purpose and the palpable momentum that moves this great University forward."
For universities such as MTSU that have a higher percentage of first-generation college students who rely more on scholarships to complete their educations, I have consistently emphasized that gifts from our alumni and friends have become essential to our success.
Supporters of the University have clearly heard that message. MTSU boasted a record fundraising year for 2021–22, bringing in more than $17.2 million in private donations to support the University’s educational mission. This represented a 50% increase over 2021. And it was easily the biggest fundraising year the University has ever had—more than $3 million above our previous record year.
Here are some highlights:
- 20% increase in donor participation
- 7,600 donors (almost 1,000 more than the previous year) increase in giving for almost every academic college
- more than double the donations for the College of Liberal Arts in the past year
- record $8.9 million in cash gifts and 300% year-over-year
- growth for MTSU Athletics during the 2022 fiscal year as it launched its Build Blue campaign to upgrade athletics facilities
Considering the impacts of COVID, inflation, and a volatile stock market, the fact that MTSU was able to reach such a remarkable milestone is a testament to the dedication of our supporters, as well as the excellent work of MTSU’s University Advancement staff.
One example of the Blue Raider faithful’s willingness to invest in the people and programs that make MTSU special is our annual True Blue Give. For three straight days, we encourage people to make a gift online or by text investing in their favorite college, department, or program and its people, elevating our programs and transforming our University.
Helping shepherd all those fundraising dollars is the MTSU Foundation, managed by a volunteer Board of Trustees to oversee all private gifts to the University.
To say the least, we are incredibly grateful for the support and for the ever-growing sense of shared purpose and the palpable momentum that moves this great University forward.
The bottom line is that our ongoing fundraising is having a transformative effect on programs and students across campus.
JULY
Return to World’s Largest Aviation Gathering
MTSU’s Department of Aerospace returned to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for the world’s largest gathering of aviation enthusiasts, showcasing its recent investments in new training aircraft and the state’s recent decision to invest $62 million for a new flight training campus.
Students and instructors arrived July 24 at EAA AirVenture, a massive, weeklong aerospace celebration that attracts more than 10,000 aircraft to Oshkosh each year.
In addition to reconnecting with alumni, University administrators met with employers, including Delta, FedEx, Endeavor Air, and Republic Airlines. They also visited MTSU aerospace industry partners, including Diamond Aircraft, Piper Aircraft, and Garman flight navigation systems. And they connected with the Civil Air Patrol, the volunteer civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force and a partner with MTSU’s Department of Aerospace since 2014.
Data Science Master’s Program Launch
Data science and artificial intelligence will be key powers to develop technology and change the world in the future, according to Qiang Wu, director of MTSU’s new Data Science master’s program and professor.
Having just graduated its first cohort of undergraduate degrees in the spring, MTSU launched the new master’s program—the first cohort started in fall 2022—to teach students advanced data science skills so that they are even more competitive when entering this burgeoning and innovative industry.
The creation of the master’s program along with the University’s already-existing graduate certificate, doctoral, and year-old undergraduate Data Science programs reflects the growing market demand for data science professionals.
The Bureau of Labor’s employment statistics project an increase in Tennessee’s data science-related employment growth greater than the national average. In addition, the Tennessee Higher Education Commission has been working with postsecondary institutions to increase the number of computer science and data analytics degrees.
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impacted by grant-funded OER adoption,adaptation, or creation
Reducing Textbook Costs
The rising costs of textbooks have been a topic of conversation for years, but a group of MTSU faculty and staff is making it their mission to make course materials more affordable and, in turn, keep students on track to earn their degrees.
MTSU leaders have been using grant money to make required materials cost as little as possible using open educational resources (OER). Since 2019, that group has used $100,000 of grant funds through the Tennessee Board of Regents to save 2,500-plus students more than $150,000.
OER is defined as teaching, learning, and research materials that are either in the public domain or licensed in a manner that provides everyone with free and perpetual permission to retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute.
Erica Stone, an assistant professor of English and OER steering committee member, studied a segment of the MTSU student population and found that 42% of the students surveyed either had delayed access to their traditional study materials or were never able to afford them at all.
The students surveyed also said they had to prioritize what textbooks they bought, sometimes forgoing a book for an elective or a General Education course and instead spending the money on a textbook for a class in their major.
To combat costs, MTSU faculty members are using information already available free to the public or writing and publishing their own materials. In total, more than 70 faculty members in 25 different courses used OER in the most recent academic year.
MTSU’s James E. Walker Library is also shouldering significant responsibility in making these resources available for more students.
awarded from the Tennessee Board of Regents
saved in textbook costs across Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 semesters
