MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) — Middle Tennessee State University is raising concerns about the University of Tennessee system’s plan to acquire Martin Methodist College and make it the state’s ninth four-year undergraduate school.
In a news release, MTSU President Sidney McPhee and board chairman Stephen Smith said the move would mean the southern Middle Tennessee area would have four nearby public universities.
MTSU is in Murfreesboro, 75 miles north of the Martin Methodist campus in Pulaski. Tennessee State University is in Nashville and Tennessee Technological University is in Cookeville.
Smith said it would make more sense for the Pulaski campus to become an extension of an existing entity, saying MTSU could serve that role.
The University of Tennessee signed a non-binding letter of intent in September to start discussions about adding Martin Methodist to its system.