Middle Tennessee State University wraps up 2019 following a year full of successes — named among the nation’s best colleges; an $8 billion alumni impact statewide; national recognition as a ‘Grammy factory’; the long-awaited reopening of an upgraded Middle Tennessee Boulevard; and a disaster relief effort to aid student families.

These were among a few of the top news stories of the year for the Blue Raider campus.

After years of enhancements to curriculum, research efforts and facilities, MTSU was named over the summer to the 2020 “The Best 385 Colleges” guide by the Princeton Review, an honor given to roughly 13 percent of the nation’s 3,000 or so four-year institutions.

In past years, MTSU has been included in the review’s list of top schools in the Southeast, and remains on that regional list by virtue of its inclusion on the review’s top national list.

“The university continued to make tremendous strides this past year in enhancing our campus in numerous ways to provide a great educational experience for our students while supporting our dedicated faculty and staff with the resources they need,” President Sidney A. McPhee said.

“We take pride in producing thousands of ready-to-work graduates each year, most of whom stay in this community and region to give back to their communities.”

A study released at the beginning of the year by the university’s Business and Economic Research Center revealed just how much of an impact its alumni are having.

Key findings from the BERC study include: MTSU alumni and their employees generated over $8 billion in business revenue within Tennessee in 2017; and over $3 billion in total business revenue was generated within Tennessee that year by the added value of MTSU degrees earned.