Monday, September 25, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Rosy scenario

Twenty-eight percent of Middle Tennesseans surveyed in the latest MT Poll say jobs are “easy to find” in the region. That’s up substantially from 19 percent in May. Only 11 percent said jobs are “hard to find” in Middle Tennessee. Forty-nine percent of respondents said they expect their personal financial situations to improve over the next six months. Dr. Tim Graeff, director of MTSU’s Office of Consumer Research, says that bodes well for local retailers. “The psychology of consumers can have dramatic effects on the future of the economy,” Graeff says. “Consumer spending makes up two-thirds of the American economy. Increases in consumer confidence that translate into accelerated purchasing patterns can have significant positive effects on the economy.”

Contact Graeff at 615-898-5124.
tgraeff@mtsu.edu

Art for the anatomy

If you’re likely to be in northern Alabama in the next few days, it might be worth your while to stop off at the Alabama A&M University Art Gallery in Norman, Ala., and check out the “wearable art” of Lori Gann-Smith, an assistant professor in MTSU’s Department of Speech and Theatre. The exhibit features pieces made of hand-dyed silk and peacock feathers, as well as wire and garbage bags. “Some of the wearable pieces reflect my interests in playing with what is acceptable and unacceptable in our culture and what things whould be like as opposed to the way they are,” Gann-Smith says.

Contact the gallery at 256-372-4072 or Gann-Smith at 615-494-8745.
lgannsmi@mtsu.edu

The Pope’s predicament

Pope Benedict XVI met today with Muslim leaders at his summer residence at Castel Gandolfo to try to defuse the fallout from a speech he delivered earlier this month. Since that address, Muslims worldwide have demonstrated, expressed outrage and burned Benedict in effigy. Dr. Sean Foley, professor of history and an expert in Middle East matters, says the pontiff implied in that speech that “Muslim thought is fatalistic: completely antithetical to Euro-Greek concepts of reason and approaches to religion.” But Foley says, “Muslims are at least as familiar with the ideas of Aristotle, Plato and other Greek philosophers as their European counterparts—they do not have to be taught ‘reason.’”

Contact Foley at 615-898-2536.
sfoley@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

GET PUMPED UP!—The MTSU School of Nursing will hold a blood drive from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. TODAY in Room 109 of the Cason-Kennedy Nursing Building. Contact Dr. Jenny Sauls at 615-898-5845 or at

WOMEN AT WORK—Terri Johnson, the new director of the June Anderson Women’s Center, will be the featured speaker at the fall luncheon of the Association of Faculty and Administrative Women from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. TOMORROW in the Hazlewood Dining Room of the James Union Building. For more information, contact Kippy Todd at 615-898-5756 or ktodd@mtsu.edu or Dr. Carol Ann Baily at 615-898-5989 or cabaily@mtsu.edu

LEAD THE WAY—The MT Leadership Conference is a unique opportunity for students to learn about the principles and techniques of effective leadership and network with other students. This year, the content will include lectures, facilitation exercises and debates on a variety of leadership topics. The conference will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. FRIDAY in the Keathley University Center. The cost is $15 for lunch and conference materials. Registration forms can be found at http://www.mtsu.edu/~mtleader. For more information, contact Jackie Victory at 615-898-5812 or jvictory@mtsu.edu

THE SWEET SMELL OF SCIENCE--Registration is open for the 2006 Expanding Your Horizons in Math and Science. The conference for girls in grades 5-8 will be held from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, across the MTSU campus. Open to the first 300 girls who register, EYH will be celebrating its 10th anniversary on campus. To register, visit http://www.mtsu.edu/~EYH. Look for the registration button on the left side. Complete, print out, and mail the form to: Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross, c/o MTSU EYH, P.O. Box 161, Murfreesboro, Tenn. 37132. For more information, contact Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross at 615-904-8253 or jiriarte@mtsu.edu