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Middle Tennessee State University, founded 1911, is a university located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. MTSU was originally known as the Middle Tennessee Normal School. The normal school became a state college in 1943 and officially became a university in 1965.
Athletics
Middle Tennessee State's colors are blue, silver, and white, with black trim. Their nickname is the Blue Raiders. Middle Tennessee State sports teams participate in NCAA Division I (I-A for football) in the Sun Belt Conference. MTSU's mascot is a pegasus named "Lightning".
The athletic facilities, including Murphy Center and Floyd Stadium, are located in the northwest corner of campus.
Enrollment
As of Spring 2005, MTSU has the state's largest undergraduate student body, with approximately 22,000 students.
Beginning May 2005, MTSU will hold two graduation ceremonies each spring and autumn to accommodate the large number of graduates (average 1,600 per class) and their families wishing to attend. The ceremonies are held in the 10,000-seat Charles E. Murphy Athletic Center, the university's basketball arena.
Campus Information
The campus is 1.3 miles east on East Main Street from downtown Murfreesboro. The oldest building on campus, Kirksey Old Main, lies at the north end of the origional quadrangle. Flanking it to the west are Rutledge Hall, a dormitory, the James Union, and Lyon and Monohan Halls, which are also dorms. Flanking to the east are Jones Hall (now an office building), Todd Hall (the former library), Wiser-Patten Science Hall, and Smith, a mens' dormitory. These are the key original buildings on campus and form its historic core. Between these buildings are Peck Hall, (English and History departments), Walnut Grove, and Cope Administration Building. Further east are newer additions, such as the Keathley University Center, John Bragg Mass Communications Building, James Walker University Library, Business and Aerospace Building, Campus Recreation Center, and the campus' newest building, the Honors College. In the early 2000s, nine fraternities moved to the university's state-of-the-art Greek Row, located on the extreme eastern side of campus.
The campus is situated in a square and is largely cut off to non-university traffic, but is surrounded by four heavily-traveled Murfreesboro thoroughfares:
- Middle Tennessee Boulevard to its west
- East Main Street to its south
- North Rutherford Boulevard to its east
- Greenland Drive to its north
Middle Tennessee State University has no auxiliary campuses.
Trivia
Alumni and boosters have repeatedly tried to persuade the state to change the university's name to the University of Middle Tennessee, but the request has been consistently rejected by the Tennessee Board of Regents.
Middle Tennessee State University has its own zip code (Murfreesboro, Tennessee 37132) and telephone prefix (615)898-****
Parking is abundant on campus, but mostly lies on the outside perimeter. Parking is a constant gripe among students.
The university's newspaper is entitled "Sidelines"
MTSU holds the licenses to two FM radio stations:
- 88.3 WMTS (typical student-programmed college radio station)
- 89.5 WMOT (professionally-programmed jazz station, home to MTSU athletics)
MTSU has been awarded Comcast's channel 10, which has been named "MTTV", throughout Rutherford County and southeastern portions of Davidson County/Nashville for student-created programs and official university announcements.
Home to Tennessee's high school volleyball, basketball, and football championship games.
Floyd Stadium, the university's football field, is thought to be the geographic center of Tennessee, though the official marker sits approximately a half-mile north of the stadium on Old Lascassas Pike.
The three main roads through campus were named A Street, B Street, and C street until 2001. Then they were renamed Alumni Avenue, Blue Raider Drive, and Champion Way in correlation with their original A, B, C names. Another road, Faulkinberry Drive, kept its original name.
Middle Tennessee State University has its own police force.
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