MTSU to open ‘Chris Young Café’ in fall to ‘encourage students to dream bigger’
Middle Tennessee State UniversityA new live entertainment venue on the Middle Tennessee State University campus will be named the Chris Young Café to honor the multiplatinum Nashville entertainer’s continued support of his alma mater. MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee, at an event Tuesday, July 9, at the Country Music Association headquarters on Music Row, thanked Young for lending his name — and giving $50,000 for renovations. The cafe, located in a standalone dining building and surrounded by residence halls, will be a teaching and practice place for student performers and technicians during the day and a performance venue at night for music, radio broadcasts, comedy and other entertainment. “The Chris Young Café will encourage our students to dream bigger,” McPhee said. “Chris studied at MTSU and then launched a successful music industry career, so every time they see his name on the cafe, their aspirations will seem a little more obtainable if they follow in his footsteps and work as hard as he has.”