MC News Briefs: Sept. 15, 2026
From Staff Reports | Sept. 15, 2026
EDITOR’S NOTE: New this year, The Highland Echo is collecting news briefs about the College, events, activities and news of note that give you greater insight into what’s happening around Maryville College. If you have a suggestion for something specific you’d like to see published, email News Editor Ansley Hoard at [email protected].
Downtown Center gets dented
It’s one of the newest of Maryville College facilities, but it’s looking a little ragged after an accident last week: According to Chris Kennedy, director of Facilities Operations, an unmanned work truck rolled into the front of the Maryville College Downtown Center on Tuesday, Sept. 8, shattering glass windows and mangling the frames.
The construction vehicle was part of a crew working on the soon-to-open Wells Tavern in downtown Maryville – ironically, a Scottish-themed pub that will be located between Two Doors Down and Brackins. Workers were parked on the backside of the building when the truck slipped out of gear, according to a Today@MC brief from Kennedy, rolled downhill and hit the front of the Downtown Center.
No injuries were reported as the building was unoccupied at the time; however, structural damage was still being assessed at press time, and all events scheduled at the Downtown Center through Sunday, Sept. 13, were canceled or moved to a different location until the assessment is complete and a repair schedule can be determined.
Sept. 23: Graduate School Fair to take place
Seniors and those looking ahead to graduation, circle your calendars: The Maryville College 2026 Graduate School and Continuing Education Fair will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 23, in the Clayton Center for the Arts.
Organized by the MC Career Center, the fair brings representatives from accredited graduate schools and continuing education programs, who set up tables in the William Baxter Lee III Grand Foyer of the Clayton Center to meet interested Scots seeking the next phase of their journeys after graduating from MC.
Schools and programs scheduled to attend include: Asbury Theological Seminary; Bryan College; Campbellsville University; East Tennessee State University’s Graduate School, and Quillen College of Medicine; the Health Sciences graduate program at High Point University; Johnson University; Lee University; Lees-McRae College; representatives from Lincoln Memorial University’s Carter & Moyers School of Education, DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine, Knoxville Physician Assistant Program, the School of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Graduate Programs, the School of Business and the School of Law; Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology; Middle Tennessee State University’s Master of Science in Professional Science program; Richmont Graduate University; Southern Adventist University’s School of Business; the Graduate Studies program at Tennessee Tech University; the University of Pikeville; the Vanderbilt School of Nursing Accelerated Advanced Practice Nursing (MSN) and Master of Nursing (MN) program; and the following University of Tennessee institutions: the Baker School Graduate Programs, the College of Social Work, the Department of Chemistry, the Haslam College of Business, UT-Chattanooga’s College of Business, and UT Health Science Center’s College of Pharmacy.
For more information, call the Career Center at 865-981-8400, or email [email protected]. Also, circle Nov. 4, 2026, on your calendar: “Highland Hires,” the 2026 Career and Internship Fair, takes place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. that day.
Changes on football Saturdays
While admission to Maryville College Football home games is still free, the College will charge members of the public for parking: A $15-per-car fee, or a $50 season pass, will be assessed for fans who are not part of the MC student body, faculty or staff.
According to Athletics, students who return to campus, or need to leave and return, during game days will be allowed to park in student-designated spots by showing parking attendants their student ID. Parking attendants will be set up at the Court Street entrance and in front of Lloyd Hall. For more information, visit mcscots.com/news/2026/9/1/information-gameday.aspx.
The only exception will be Homecoming Saturday, Oct. 24, when all parking will be free.
Hispanic Heritage Month Fiesta set
The Latinx Student Alliance and the MC Office of Community and Belonging have scheduled a “Hispanic Heritage Month Fiesta” from 4-7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30, at the Clayton Center for the Arts.
Activities include live mariachi music, traditional food and desserts, folklorico dance, games and more. The event is open to everyone, and admission is free.
Get your Dog on
The Office of Community and Belonging will hold a “Chili Dog Fest” from 4-6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, at McArthur Pavilion on the edge of the Maryville College Woods.
The event will feature chili dogs for consumption, lawn games, a program on “Chili” — the beloved pet buried just outside of the Maryville College cemetery — and a visit from the therapy dogs of HABIT (Human-Animal Bond in Tennessee), a program by the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine.
Admission is free, and the “Chili Dog Fest” is open to all students.
‘Scots Stay Cozy’ at the CCM
Counseling Center intern Kalli Wilson (’27) is organizing a weekly meeting at the Center for Campus Ministry called “Scots Stay Cozy,” billed as a “peer support group” designed to help attendees “learn life tips, engage in discussion, enjoy cozy crafts and decompress.” Snacks and drinks will be provided, and the support group meets each Monday from 6:45-7:45 p.m. in the CCM. The first “Scots Stay Cozy” took place Monday, Sept. 14, continues each Monday throughout the semester, and is open to all students. Email Wilson at [email protected] for more information.
‘Becoming Her’ women’s circle launches
Another initiative of the MC Counseling Center, “Becoming Her” – described as “a women’s circle focused on identity, confidence, connection, self-trust, and empowerment” designed to “explore the experiences we may want to let go of, and what it means to intentionally become the women we want to be” – launches this week. The first meeting will take place from 4-5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16, in the Counseling Center, located in Room 308 of Bartlett Hall. Additional meetings follow at the same time on subsequent Wednesdays. Interested participants are encouraged to register via a Google Form; find it at https://tinyurl.com/mcwomenscircle.
News you might’ve missed: New partnership with Vanderbilt
Over the summer, Maryville College signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing in Nashville to establish a formal collaboration that guarantees admission to Vanderbilt’s Master of Nursing program for Maryville College graduates who earn a cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of 3.6 or higher and complete the program’s prerequisite coursework.
According to Vanderbilt University School of Nursing officials, Maryville College is the first institution in the nation to establish a guaranteed-admission agreement with Vanderbilt’s Master of Nursing pathway. The partnership is designed for students who want the benefits of a traditional four-year liberal arts education, including opportunities in athletics, student leadership, undergraduate research, study abroad and more — before transitioning into Vanderbilt’s accelerated Master of Nursing program, which combines rigorous classroom instruction with extensive clinical training. The accelerated program is consistently ranked among the nation’s top nursing schools.
“Our graduates have had very successful and satisfying educational experiences at VUSN,” said Dr. Liz Perry-Sizemore, vice president and dean of Maryville College. “This partnership reflects a mutual understanding of that and will encourage current and future MC students to advance in nursing, and it’s one of many ways we support student interests and ensure that vital sectors of the economy are well-supported by a broadly educated workforce.”
For more information, visit https://www.maryvillecollege.edu/news/2026/mcnursing/