MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- A building on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University had to be evacuated Friday after a bomb threat.

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At 11:25 a.m., a call was placed to the Murfreesboro Police Department that a bomb had been placed in the Business and Aerospace building.

MTSU spokesman Tom Tozer said students were alerted via text message of the threat.

Student James Denning is an evacuee.

"The instructor told us to leave all our bags and everything we had on the table and just evacuate the building," he said.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol's bomb-sniffing dogs were called to the scene but nothing was found.

Student Travis Strattion said he knew what was happening when he got the message from the school that said "evacuate now and stay away."

"I was in my dorm room and right before I was leaving to go to class, I got a text message stating that there was a bomb alert in the BAS, and my dorm is right across from the BAS," he said.

Students sign up for the alerts with their individual cell phone carriers. About 20 percent of MTSU students have signed up.

Some complained that not everyone on campus received the alert at the same time.

"Emergency text messages were sent out. Sometimes, it may take some carriers a little longer than other cell phone carriers to get the message to their customers. But all of the messages were sent out," said MTSU Police Chief Buddy Peaster.

Police said the system is doing what it’s designed to do.

"It’s a really good tool that they have this alert system. It works. It stated what was going on, and I was aware of it," Strattion said.

Authorities said they were searching for a male who possibly called in the threat and was driving a white two-door vehicle. If found, the student could face expulsion.

All classes and events at the building were canceled for Friday.