Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

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Governor Phil Bredesen will be on campus TODAY to sign into law a bill that will provide additional operating funds for higher education ... the first time for such an increase since 1998. The signing will take place at 11 a.m. in the courtyard of the Business and Aerospace Building. Faulkinberry Drive will be blocked off to construction, as well as the Rutherford Boulevard entrance. Reporters may come either from Church Street to Rutherford and up to Greenland Drive (turning left), or they may come from the west on Clark Boulevard, then turn left on Greenland. From there, turn right on Champions Way, left on Blue Raider Drive, and right on Founders Lane. Parking will be available on both sides of Founders Lane.

Contact the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919.

A preview of coming attractions

Twenty-seven college freshmen are in the midst of the second of three weeks of the Tennessee Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Summer Bridge Program at MTSU. Under the guidance of Dr. Barbara Knox, director, and various MTSU faculty, the students are spending 12 hours each day in various classes, including math, chemistry, physics, computer science, aerospace and writing in order to get a taste of college life. They also will visit other colleges and universities in the alliance. On FRIDAY, they will visit the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, then spend the next 24 hours visiting Dollywood and Pigeon Forge Mall.

Contact Knox at 615-898-5311.
bknox@mtsu.edu

You might be a Southerner if …

Southern humor is more popular than ever, as evidenced by the success of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour headlined by Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy. How does this generation of “redneck” humor compare to that of the prior generation of country clowns? Dr. Sara Dunne, English, says a recent book titled “The Enduring Legacy of Old Southwest Humor,” edited by Ed Piacentino, addresses this in some detail. “Brother Dave Gardner, Lewis Grizzard, Andy Griffith, Jerry Clower, even Cajun comedian Justin Wilson, are all part of the same blue collar tradition that relies on storytelling, animals, scatology and (sometimes) sex, with a bit of well-placed violence,” Dunne says. “It’s all part of the same literary/entertainment tradition.”

Contact Dunne at 615-898-2688.
sdunne@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.

SCIENCE CAN BUILD A BRIDGE--Select students from Chattanooga’s Dalewood Middle School will visit MTSU TODAY and TOMORROW for their annual “Building a Bridge to College” summer workshop. They will be under the guidance of alumnus and Dalewood math and science teacher Buddy Sullivan (B.S. ’70). MTSU faculty, staff and students from the campus organization Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) will provide the youngsters with a taste of college life. Workshop topics include “Connecting toYour Heritage,” “You and the Force,” “WISE Chemistry,” and “Microscopic Investigations! CSI at MTSU.” Media welcomed. Contact Randy Weiler, news and public affairs, at 615-898-2919 or jweiler@mtsu.edu.

THE WAR BETWEEN THE STATES—TOMORROW, 7 p.m.--“Rethinking the Civil War at 150 Years,” a panel discussion featuring Civil War experts, will take place TOMORROW in the State Farm Lecture Hall in the Business Aerospace Building. Two of the topics will be the opening of the new visitors center at Stones River National Battlefield last spring and the ongoing effort to create a park to commemorate the battle of Franklin. Dr. Dwight Pitcaithley, MTSU’s 2006 Visiting Distinguished Public Historian, will lead the public forum. Pitcathley was chief historian for the National Park Service from 1995-2005. During Pitcaithley’s residency, he is teaching Current Issues in Public History Practice, a course for M.A. and Ph.D. students in the public history program. Media welcomed. Contact Dr. Rebecca Conard, history, at 615-975-0593 or
rconard@mtsu.edu.

TEACHING ANDREW JACKSON--MTSU and The Hermitage are collaborating in a “Landmarks of American History Teacher Workshop” funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. “The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson, and “America 1801-1861” will be offered June 25-30 and July 10-14 at The Hermitage. These workshops will enable K-12 educators to intensify their study and increase their knowledge of important historical topics through direct on-site experiences. Topics to be explored include “Growing Democracy,” “Cotton Economy and Slavery,” “Indians and Westward Expansion,” “Reform and Religion,” “Women’s Lives in a Changing America,” and “Developing a Distinct American Material Culture.” Contact Dr. Janice Leone, history, at 615-898-5580 or jmleone@mtsu.edu.

GET ACCUSTOMED TO IT--Nine sessions of orientation for new students, called CUSTOMS, will be offered in June and July for freshmen and transfers on a first-come, first-served basis. Students pursuing majors in the colleges of Basic and Applied Science and Mass Communications and undeclared majors will have CUSTOMS June 23-24, July 11-12 and July 24-25. Students pursuing majors in the colleges of Education and Behavioral Science, Liberal Arts and Business and undeclared majors will be held July 6-7 and July 20-21. Transfers may complete CUSTOMS online and be cleared by their advisers to register for fall classes. For more information, call the Office of New Student and Family Programs at 615-898-5533 or visit http://www.mtsu.edu/~customs.

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.

STAR-SPANGLED PARTY—INDEPENDENCE DAY--Once again, MTSU will host “Celebration Under the Stars.” The party will start at 5 p.m., Tuesday, July 4, on the intramural field. There will be games and activities for the youngsters from 5-8 p.m. There will be prizes and promotional giveaways. Wal-Mart will donate the “Celebration Under the Stars” birthday cakes. At 8 p.m., the Murfreesboro Fire Department’s color guard will present the colors. The Tennessee Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra will perform patriotic tunes, Sousa marches and inspirational classics. Capping off the evening’s entertainment will be the traditional fireworks display at 9 p.m. Contact Marlane Sewell, steering committee chair, at 615-896-6710.