Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

The Big “E”

Don’t put too much stock in the Enron verdicts, says Dr. John Mullane, management and marketing, as some sort of cautionary tale for American business. The convictions of Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling don’t necessarily mean there will be more pressure on boards of directors in choosing their executives. “Unfortunately, a board can not look into the future to see how their appointed CEO will respond to situations,” Mullane says. “More board oversight may be part of the solution, but it has never been a board’s responsibility to micromanage, either.”

Contact Mullane at 615-898-2747.
jmullane@mtsu.edu

The money monster

Why do some college freshmen have so many credit cards? Why do some of them get sucked in by advertising by title loan businesses? A University 1010 financial literacy pilot program offered this past semester at MTSU helped students get their college careers off to a sound start by emphasizing prudent money management. Dr. Jim Burton, dean of the College of Business, says, too many students come from homes where the only question asked is, “Can we make the payment?” Burton says, “They don’t think about what happens if I miss a paycheck. Parents try to help their kids … and we bail them out. There comes a point in life when you have to bail yourself out.”

Contact Burton at 615-898-2764.
eburton@mtsu.edu

What price reform?

Certain proposed Social Security reform measures might not be the best thing for the U.S. economy overall. So say Drs. William Ford and Frank Michello, economics and finance, authors of a paper published in the April 2006 edition of “Business Economics.” They conclude that certain reforms which would encourage delayed retirement decisions might actually cause the unemployment rate to go up. Ford and Michello analyze recent trends in the age of the national workforce and find that urging older workers to stay on the job longer would ease labor market pressures if and only if joblessness stays near the non-accelerating inflation rate of unemployment.


Contact Ford at 615-898-2889
wfford@mtsu.edu
or Michello at 615-898-2381.
michello@mtsu.edu


TR EXTRA

SAVE THOSE TICKETS!—Due to illness, “Fresh Air” radio show host Terry Gross was notable to fulfill her previously scheduled commitments at MTSU. Her appearance has been rescheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 19. Marc J. Barr, electronic media communication, says new tickets will not be printed. Therefore, people with the original April 17 tickets are encouraged to keep them for the September event. For more information, contact Barr at 615-898-5118 or at mjbarr@mtsu.edu.

GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE GOVERNMENT--The American Legion Auxiliary’s 60th session of Volunteer Girls State will be held through June 3 at MTSU. Gov. Phil Bredesen will address the gathering at 10:30 a.m., TODAY, May 31, at Tucker Theatre. More than 500 rising seniors from across the state will engage in a week of activities, including debating the issues that challenge Tennessee’s state legislature. The girls will form their own city, county and state governments, as well. Two Girls State delegates will be picked to represent VGS at Girls Nation in Washington, D.C. in July. Program leaders will select one delegate to compete for a $10,000 college scholarship provided by the Samsung Corporation. For more information, including pictures and updates on this year’s VGS event, please visit the Web site at http://www.volunteergirlsstate.org or call Heather Hargis at 615-300-3238.

THE ART OF GOVERNOR’S SCHOOL--High school students can spend a fun and productive summer at the annual Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts June 11-July 15 at MTSU. Youngsters will enjoy intensive study in art, dance, theater and music during the five-week residence program. Students now will receive six hours of college credit instead of three, as was the case in prior years. “We had a fantastic school in 2005, with more than 200 talented students who had a wonderful, life-changing experience at MTSU,” Dale McGilliard, professor of speech and theatre, observes. “Everything from registration into classes, to buses to dorms, to the smallest detail was excellent, thanks to all the school’s teachers who worked so hard to make things happen for these young artists of Tennessee.” Contact McGilliard at 615-898-2274 or dmcgilli@mtsu.edu.

HEAD FOR THE MOUNTAINS!--Some 16 MTSU alumni and several faculty members have contributed to the newly published “Encyclopedia of Appalachia.” The title has more than 2,000 entries which provides ready reference to information about the people, culture and history of Appalachia. MTSU’s Center for Historic Preservation was contacted by scholars at East Tennessee State University’s Center for Appalachian Studies and Services about collaborating on the project. CHP Director Dr. Carroll Van West says he agreed to participate because of his interest in southern architecture and because the Applachian region suffers from stereotyping. Contact the Center for Historic Preservation at 615-898-2947.

CANCER ANSWERS--“Taking It to the Streets: Summit on the Burden of Cancer in Tennessee,” a state cancer summit, will be held Thursday, June 15, at the Vanderbilt Student Life Center. MTSU is a partner in providing funding for several initiatives aimed at reaching more people with information on the deadly illness. Issues to be addressed include creating access to services for the homeless and the utilization of churches to raise awareness of the importance of cancer screenings for African Americans. The Tennessee Comprehensive Cancer Control Coalition, which is made up of 272 individuals and organizations in Tennessee, is the driving force behind the gathering.
Contact ReJeana Colman at 615-435-5739 or Gail Hardin at 615-936-5885, or visit http://www.vicc.org/2006summit.