MTSU Mondays: Campus hotel plan in the works, College Night recruiting fair Sept. 4

Here's the latest news from Middle Tennessee State University.

Middle Tennessee State University is in the final stages of negotiations for a hotel to be built at Greenland Drive and Middle Tennessee Boulevard that would be used to train students in its Tourism and Hospitality Management Program.

MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee recently shared that news and other campus updates with hundreds of faculty, staff and special guests during his traditional State of the University Address at the annual Fall Faculty and Staff Meeting inside Tucker Theatre in advance of the new academic year.

While estimated cost, size and other details are being finalized, McPhee said the proposed public-private partnership would result in a facility “that will serve our campus community, bolster tourism in the area, and be a favorite destination for visitors to our campus as well as athletic facilities.”

“Most importantly, it will be a learning laboratory and a place for practical experience for students in our newly accredited Tourism and Hospitality Management program,” he said, noting that MTSU’s program is the only such program in the state accredited by the national Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration.

The university hopes to begin construction next year and open the hotel in 2026.

McPhee praised the MTSU faculty and staff as “the lifeblood of the institution” and thanked them for their commitment to student learning and achievement, helping to graduate roughly 5,000 new alumni every academic year — with 60% of graduates living within an hour of Murfreesboro and alumni throughout the state pumping an estimated $9 billion annually in business revenue within the state, according to a recent study.

“MTSU is uniquely positioned to continue significantly impacting our students, community, region, and state,” he told the audience. “We possess a wealth of advantages that, when leveraged effectively, will propel us to new heights of excellence and innovation.”

The future hotel proposal was in line with the overall theme of McPhee’s remarks about how the university is charting a path toward a bright future, fresh off its sixth consecutive national academic ranking among top colleges and universities in The Princeton Review while awaiting the completion of a number of capital improvement projects already underway.

The $75 million Applied Engineering Building is set to open next summer, while $54 million in renovations to Kirksey Old Main and Rutledge Hall will result in state-of-the-art facilities for the University Studies Department and multiple departments College of Basic and Applied Sciences in the summer of 2026. A year later, the $60 million Aerospace training hub is expected to be fully operational at the Shelbyville Airport.

Meanwhile, work continues on the $66 million Student-Athlete Performance Center on the north end of Floyd Stadium that is set to be completed by next summer.

Read the full recap at mtsunews.com.

MTSU hosts Rutherford County College Night recruiting fair Sept. 4, featuring 50 schools

Area high school students, their parents and families are invited to attend the upcoming Rutherford County College Night — one of the first college recruiting fairs in the Midstate this fall.

The free event, hosted annually by Middle Tennessee State University, features nearly 50 colleges and universities from across the Southeast. It will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 4, in the Student Union Ballroom, 1768 MTSU Blvd. For general information, visit https://www.mtsu.edu/rccn/.

Guests will be able to park in the Student Union lot starting at 5:30 p.m., with overflow parking in the gravel lot behind Scarlett Commons across from the softball field. To find parking and building location, a printable campus map is available at https://bit.ly/MTSUParking.

Public, private and homeschool students from Rutherford and surrounding counties — including Davidson, Williamson, Wilson, Sumner, Cannon, Bedford, Coffee, Warren and others — are welcome to attend the event.

“We are excited to host students and their families from Rutherford and surrounding counties as they come to learn more about MTSU’s vast array of academic programs and other postsecondary opportunities,” said Tony Strode, MTSU undergraduate recruitment director.

There is no cost for students or their parents to register for the fair online through the automated system at https://gotocollegefairs.com.

MTSU will have a huge presence at the event, with staff from various departments manning numerous tables in the large ballroom.

For questions about the Rutherford County College Night, call 615-898-5807 or email Molly Mihm, undergraduate recruitment coordinator, at Molly.Mihm@mtsu.edu.

MTSU Mondays content is provided by submissions from MTSU News and Media Relations.

This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Plans to build hotel on campus; College Night recruiting fair Sept. 4