State lawmaker ‘impressed with direction MTSU is taking’ during campus visit

Tennessee House of Representatives Majority Leader William Lamberth recalls being a young legislator who helped push through a budget awarding $147 million for a new Middle Tennessee State University Science Building in 2012.

He saw and heard more about the facility, which opened in 2014, and much more during a campus visit led by MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee on Friday, June 25. Lamberth was joined by fellow attorney and state lobbyist Russ Farrar, an MTSU advocate.

Lamberth (R-Portland) asked many questions, shared his interest in the MTSU-Meharry Medical College initiative and community college partnerships and gained insight from information shared by McPhee during his midday visit.

“Obviously, I’m interested in all of our higher education institutions, especially MTSU, in succeeding and doing well,” Lamberth said, adding that the visit “was very impressive.”

“It obviously sounds like you’ve got strong leadership here, you’ve got a great campus — one of the fastest growing in the state — and so I’ve been impressed with the direction the university is taking.”

McPhee said he appreciates such visits by state lawmakers “because they get an up-close look at the university’s progress and our beautiful campus and, more importantly, how taxpayer dollars are being used to provide a top quality education to the current and future workforce since the vast majority of our graduates remain in the region and state.”

Topics covered included tuition, enrollment, teacher preparation, signature programs including aerospace and recording industry, adult degree completion programs, MTSU’s role with Nashville being a hub for Oracle and Amazon and job potential and more.

Lamberth noted MTSU has land available for growth and expansion. He and Farrar both said they look forward to returning to the Murfreesboro campus in the future.