MTSU Mondays: MTSU expands Invention Convention; trustees set priorities for year

Courtesy of Middle Tennessee State University

Middle Tennessee State University education professor Donald Snead, far right, listens to a student presentation at the inaugural Middle School Invention Convention in the Student Union Ballroom on Feb. 27, 2024. The middle school event is an offshoot of the annual Invention Convention put on by the College of Education the past three decades to bring students to campus from across the Midstate to showcase their range of creative, innovative inventions with the campus community.

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Middle Tennessee State University’s annual Invention Convention again welcomed over 1,000 local students to campus to showcase their gamut of creations that ranged from making others’ lives easier, solving a community problem, providing a new service or even designing a new game.

Established more than three decades ago by the College of Education, this year's festivities marked a significant milestone for Tracey Huddleston, an event director and professor in the Department of Elementary and Special Education, with the inauguration of a second Invention Convention tailored for middle school students.

The expansion extended the spring semester event from a single day of activities for fourth through sixth graders to an elementary program for fourth and fifth graders and a middle school program for sixth through eighth graders.

“We participate in the Invention Convention to provide our students an outlet for their creativity and imagination,” said Tamara Crosby, an MTSU alumna and educational facilitator and teacher at Overall Creek Elementary in Murfreesboro. “Students are given a specific set of standards they have to learn each year, and the Invention Convention allows for them to go beyond what is required into a world of anything is possible. They love to create, and I love providing a space to make that happen.

“Plus, students love coming to MTSU’s campus. It makes them feel grown, and it makes them feel like they have a purpose and something to look forward to.”

Huddleston emphasized the importance of providing opportunities for students to apply problem-solving skills, practice communication skills, work collaboratively with others as well as apply academic skills.

“The elementary program has grown to nearly 800 students over the years; we hope to likewise grow the middle school Invention Convention. Teachers and students from several school systems across the region attend including Lebanon Schools, Wilson County Schools, Murfreesboro City Schools, Williamson County Schools and beyond.”

Some eye-catching inventions from the elementary students included a “Smores-e-nator,” “Pringle Picker” and “Chicken Coop Cleaner 3000.” The middle school inventors impressed judges with a “Sustain-a-ball” (biodegradable baseball), “Shadow Glove” (for drummers), “Change-a-Chair” and “Moooon Tag,” which is a glow in the dark tag for cows.

Both conventions feature an invention presentation and rigorous judging process, special activities like a keynote speaker or lunch and an awards ceremony.

Huddleston added the Invention Conventions are made possible through support from The Jennings and Rebecca Jones Foundation, Wilson Bank & Trust, the Wright Chair of Entrepreneurship and The Clouse-Elrod Foundation. These sponsors not only provide fiduciary support but provide representatives who also serve as judges, sharing an interest in fostering innovation and nurturing the talents of the next generation.

MTSU Board of Trustees sets top university priorities for year

Middle Tennessee State University Board of Trustees Chairman Steve Smith makes a point at the trustees’ quarterly meeting held Tuesday, March 19, at the Miller Education Center on Bell Street in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Stephen B. “Steve” Smith, alumnus and MTSU Board of Trustees member

Middle Tennessee State University’s Board of Trustees has identified the pursuit of a professional school as the first of four objectives that it feels should be the institution’s top priorities.

During its quarterly meeting on March 19, trustees put the MTSU’s continued inclusion in the Princeton Review’s top colleges list, movement toward designation as a top research institution and securing more funding to renovate the 51-year-old Murphy Center among other top priorities.

The board was tasked with ranking the top four among 20-plus goals put forward in a survey as the institution’s priorities for 2024.

“We have a huge impact in Nashville and Middle Tennessee,” said Stephen Smith, board chairman. “We’re in the epicenter in the greatest growth in the greatest country right here. We just need to make a few good choices to change a lot of lives.”

Other top priorities included continuing movement of the Aerospace Department to Shelbyville and continuing to increase the graduation rate to exceed the goal of 60%.

Trustees also identified several elements as key strengths to include in developing a strategic plan such as a focus on a practical approach to education, with an emphasis on elements that help build careers; and affordability and value, among others.

Opportunities and key issues noted by trustees included changing demographics, including fewer traditional-aged freshmen nationwide, remaining competitive against options outside higher education; and modernization of facilities, among others.

For more information, visit the Board of Trustees webpage at https://www.mtsu.edu/boardoftrustees/.

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