Middle Tennessee State University trustees, administrators and faculty turned Nashville True Blue recently during the institution's annual legislative outreach at the State Capitol.

A delegation that included President Sidney A. McPhee, Board of Trustees Chairman Steve Smith, Trustee J.B. Baker and former House Speaker Beth Harwell, who now serves as a distinguished visiting professor, met with Gov. Bill Lee, Lt. Gov. Randy McNally and House Speaker Cameron Sexton, along with several key legislators, on Feb. 25.

Several lawmakers and key aides attended a lunch hosted by the university to recognize students serving as legislative aides through College of Liberal Arts and student journalists covering the General Assembly through a class offered by the College of Media and Entertainment.

Many True Blue alumni serving in the legislature wore their True Blue colors to show support for MTSU, with many stopping by the university's table in the Cordell Hull Office Building to sample a bottle of the university's award-winning chocolate milk.

"It was so wonderful to reconnect with our friends and supporters in the General Assembly and the state administration during our annual Day on the Hill," McPhee said. "We were proud to report on the progress of our many ready-to-work programs and our success in producing college graduates for the state's economy."

McPhee and professor Charlie Apigian, co-director of the university's Data Science Institute, also talked about MTSU's recent announcement about its newly created Tennessee Data Initiative. Beginning this fall, MTSU will offer a bachelor's degree of data science as well as a graduate certificate geared toward working professionals in the emerging field.