(EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was first published in 2016 on the website of The Bahamas Embassy in Washington, D.C., in the BAHAMIANS IN THE DIASPORA column I wrote when I was Press, Cultural Affairs and Information Manager. It was republished in BAHAMAS CHRONICLE on April 1, 2019 )
By OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C. — When he graduated from Highbury High School in Nassau, Bahamas, in 1973, Sidney McPhee had a deep love for music and his career goal at the time was to be a high school band instructor. He also, however, had a burning desire to obtain a college education, which led to him enrolling in Prairie View A&M University in Texas, from where he received bachelor’s degree (with highest honours, summa cum laude) in 1976.
Having taken that first step on the road to becoming a noted academician, Dr. McPhee subsequently received a master’s degree in 1979 from the University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, and a doctorate in applied behavioral studies in education from Oklahoma State University. He is also a graduate of the Harvard University Management Development Program and completed professional development programs at St. Mary’s University of San Antonio, Texas, and Colorado College in Colorado Springs.
Dr. McPhee is currently the tenth president of Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) and according to the university’s website he “has presided over one of the most remarkable periods of growth and progress in the institution’s century-plus of service.”
“MTSU is the oldest and largest institution in the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) and the No. 1 producer of graduates for the Greater Nashville economy,” the website notes. “It is also the top destination for transfer students in Tennessee, the top destination for adult learners in Tennessee and, since November 2015, is home to the state’s largest academic support center dedicated to veterans and military families.” See article published in BAHAMAS CHRONICLE at https://bahamaschronicle.com/bahamians-in-the-diaspora-dr-sidney-mcphee-from-highbury-high-to-the-presidency-of-mtsu/
