Thursday, February 22, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Do the math (and science)

The Tennessee Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Center will hold its first statewide Mathematics and Science Education Research Conference funded by the Tennessee Space Grant Consortium and MTSU. About 70 math and science educators from across the state are expected to take part at MTSU TODAY AND TOMORROW. The purposes of the event are to raise awareness of the need to improve K-16 math and science education in the nation and particularly in Tennessee; to inform participants of national initiatives to enhance math and science education and of funding sources; to encourage and facilitate more statewide collaboration in conducting research that could lead to improving K-16 math and science education in the state; and to provide a venue for some of Tennessee's math and science educators to discuss their current research projects.

Contact Ray Phillips and Dovie Kimmins at 615-904-8573.

The working world

A highly skilled workforce is critical in order to compete in today's global economy. What should our community do to build a competitive workforce? These matters and others will be discussed in a community forum titled "Building the Next Workforce: Making Choices for Our Community" from 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. TOMORROW at Through the Grapevine Restaurant, 630 Broadmor St. in Murfreesboro. This event is sponsored by MTSU and the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce through the auspices of the Southern Growth Policies Board. Among the topics to be discussed are educational achievement, serving industry, and workforce traits.

Contact Rosemary Owens at 615-898-2180.
owens@mtsu.edu

The road to (and from) Morocco

Dr. Ron Messier, professor emeritus of MTSU and senior lecturer at Vanderbilt University , will give a lecture titled “Allah and Dr. Buzzard: Muslim Slaves in America ” at 4:30 p.m. on MONDAY in Room 106 of the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building. The event is free and open to the public. A well-known and highly respected figure in Middle East Studies, Dr. Messier recently has headed extensive archeological investigations of the medieval city of Sijilmasa and an Aghmat site in Morocco . Messier taught courses in Middle East history for thirty years at MTSU and has been an instrumental, moving force behind the creation of MTSU’s new Middle East Center .

Contact Dr. Allen Hibbard, director, Middle East Center, at 615-898-2665.
ahibbard@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

BEAUTIFUL BIWA--The Japan-U.S. Program of MTSU will present the Junko Tahara Biwa Ensemble at this year’s Music from Japan concert at 7 p.m. MONDAY in Hinton Hall in the Wright Music Building. Tahara has performed extensively in Japan and at major venues around the world, including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in the United States. Her instrument, the biwa, is a fretted lute frequently used in the performance of traditional Japanese music. The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. To obtain tickets by mail, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the Japan-U.S. Program, Box 167, MTSU, Murfreesboro, TN, 37132. For more information, contact Dr. Kiyoshi Kawahito at 615-898-2229 or japan@mtsu.edu.

WE’RE NOT PUTIN YOU ON.--Dr. Vladimir Mukomel, lead researcher at the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, will speak at 6 p.m. MONDAY in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business Aerospace Building. Mukomel will discuss the ethnic aspects of migration in Russia and President Vladimir Putin’s policies in the area of civil liberties. The holder of doctorates in sociology and economics, Mukomel has published more than 120 academic works, including 13 books. He regularly comments on Russian politics for the Russian and international media. This event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the American Democracy Project, GLOBAL (Get Lost Outside Boundaries and Limitations), and Americans for Informed Democracy (AID).Contact Dr. Andrei Korobkov at 615-898-2945 or korobkov@mtsu.edu or GLOBAL President Candi Nunley at global@mtsu.edu or AID President Angie Feeney at amf3g@mtsu.edu.

“PERFORMING GENDER”--Discussions, performance art, and feminist films are all part of the 2007 Interdisciplinary Conference in Women’s Studies slated for TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY in the James Union Building. The theme of the 2007 gathering, which is held every two years, is “Performing Gender.” Special guests include keynote speaker Jill Dolan, author of Presence and Desire: Essays on Gender, Sexuality, and Performance; Marissa Richmond, historian and president of the Tennessee Transgender Action Committee; and Deb Margolin, playwright and performance artist and founding member of Split Britches Theater Company. To register, please visit http://womenstu.web.mtsu.edu and click on “Women’s Studies Conference.” For more information, call the Women’s Studies program at 615-898-5910.

YES, THERE’S LIFE AFTER COLLEGE, BUT IS THERE MONEY?--“From Student Poverty to Financial Security: Planning to Get from Here to There” is the theme of the 14th annual Adult Learning in Tennessee Conference TODAY AND FRIDAY. This year’s gathering will focus on giving “both adult students and the educational professionals who work with them some new insights about preparing for financial security after graduation,” according to conference literature. The luncheon and keynote speaker Feb. 22 will be Dallas Nichols Ruddell, a 1996 alumna who lived on food stamps while earning her degree. After graduating with a degree in psychology, Ruddell moved to the San Francisco area, where she recruits and trains insurance agents and financial advisers. For more information, contact the Adult Services Center at 615-898-5989.

GIVE ME JUST A LITTLE MORE TIME--Officials at MTSU have extended the deadline to March 1 for prospective students wanting to apply for the EdScholar scholarships and approximately 70 MTSU Foundation scholarships offered by the Office of Financial Aid, Bonnie McCarty, assistant director of scholarships, says. The deadline was to be Feb. 15. A transition to a new computer software system from an old one is the reason for the extension. In addition to applying for the scholarships (EdScholar can be done online), students must apply for admission to the university. For information, call Admissions at 615-898-2111 or Financial Aid at 615-898-2830, or visit their Web sites at http://www.mtsu.edu.

SOUTH OF THE BORDER--“Landscapes of Mexico,” a photography exhibit featuring the works of Hector Montes de Oca, is on display through February 28 at Baldwin Photographic Gallery in the Learning Resources Center. The exhibit is made up of 40 silver gelatine black-and-white prints. He is considered to be one of the most prominent Mexican photographers of his generation. He is especially distinguished for his black-and-white landscapes, which reveal his native country in a most striking and intimate manner. The exhibit will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. Mr. de Oca will present a slide show/lecture on his work at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 28, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business Aerospace Building. Exhibitions and lectures are free and open to the public. Contact Tom Jimison at 615-898-2085 or tjimison@mtsu.edu.

“THE EMPIRES OF THE FUTURE ARE THE EMPIRES OF THE MIND.”—WINSTON CHURCHILL--The cigar-chomping bulldog of Britain during World War II, Winston Churchill’s wartime leadership is legendary. But what about the other Churchills—prisoner of war, disgraced politician, painter, and Nobel Prize-winning author? MTSU is offering a July 2007 study-abroad history course which will take students to the Cabinet War Rooms underneath London, as well as Parliament, Churchill’s birthplace, his country estate, and other sites related to the life of this great statesman. The instructor will be Dr. Jim Williams, a Churchill Fellow of Westminster College in Fulton, Mo., site of Churchill’s famous “Iron Curtain” speech in 1946. Contact Williams at 615-898-2633 or jhwillia@mtsu.edu or Jennifer Campbell, MTSU Study Abroad Office, at 615-898-5179 or jjcampbe@mtsu.edu.

DROP AND GIVE ME 20!--A groundbreaking ceremony for the Campus Recreation Center expansion and new Health and Wellness Center will be held at 2 p.m. FRIDAY in the dance aerobics room at the Rec Center. The expansion program will include an enlarged weight room, sport club/dance room, outdoor recreation equipment room, cardiovascular room, group meeting room, office suite, new entrance lobby, health assessment room, and family changing room. Another part of the expansion program already well underway is the multi-sport field complex on East Main Street. The project will include a field house, three fields, a jogging track, and parking area. This project is slated for completion this August. Recreation Center/Health and Wellness staff and Campus Planning officials will be on hand at the groundbreaking to answer questions. Media welcomed. Contact Arthur Reed, manager, campus planning, at 615-494-8867 or adreed@mtsu.edu.

CUMBERLAND MOUNTAIN HIGH--Dr. Jack Justin Turner, professor emeritus of political science, will discuss his novel, The Sheriffs’ Murder Cases (Chestnut Hill, 2006), at 2:30 p.m., Thursday, Mar. 1, in Room 103 of the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building. This event is free and open to the public. Turner will read selected portions of his book, which is the story of Jake Herald, High Sheriff or Chief Deputy or Chinoe County from 1920-1945. “I think of Jake Herald as a kind of mixture, and it’s a strange mixture, of Hamlet, maybe, and Dirty Harry,” Turner says, referring to William Shakespeare’s tragic prince and Clint Eastwood’s vigilante movie detective. “He likes to think about things and work them out, but once he gets started, he’s capable of taking extreme action, if necessary.” Contact Connie Huddleston, events coordinator for the College of Liberal Arts, at 615-494-7628 or chudd@mtsu.edu.

BRICK BY BRICK--Each and every brick to be laid in the MTSU Veterans Memorial will represent the support of an entire community for the enlightenment and inspiration of future generations. The bricks may be reserved by all those who wish to honor a veteran or active-duty service member or merely acknowledge their support for the construction of a permanent on-campus memorial to MTSU faculty, students, staff and administrators who perished while serving their country. The bricks will be integrated into the overall memorial design. All proceeds will help to pay for the memorial, which will be an outdoor classroom that includes a wall with the names of the military personnel. To purhcase a brick with a memorial message, send a tax-deductible check of $150 payable to “MTSU Foundation—Veterans Memorial,” to P.O. Box 109, Murfreesboro, TN 37132. Credit cards also are accepted. Address any questions about brick purchases or donations to Robyn Kilpatrick at 615-898-5223 or rkilpatr@mtsu.edu.

READING, WRITING, AND FREE SPEECH--The U.S. Supreme Court has said students do not leave their First Amendment rights outside the schoolhouse door. But the court also has given school administrators wide latitude in controlling behavior, including speech. What are the requirements and options when rights and responsibilities come into conflict? Dr. Larry Burriss, journalism professor and First Amendment expert, will discuss this topic in “Time, Place, and Manner: When the First Amendment and School Discipline Collide,” a professional development program for K-12 teachers and administrators to be made available by MTSU’s Satellite and Webcasting Center at 3:30 p.m. TODAY. For details, call 615-898-2737 or contact itsc@mtsu.edu.