Thursday, November 29, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

“And I’ll probably feel a whole lot better when you’re gone.”—The Byrds

Dr. John Vile, chair of the Department of Political Science, says he thinks last night’s CNN/YouTube Republican Debate was “the liveliest to date. I think the most significant answer might have been Ron Paul’s statement that he would not run as an independent if he did not get the Republican nomination. This is important because the Republicans are going to need all the support they can get. [Fred] Thompson got off some good one-liners (his comments on judicial appointments especially seemed to resonate with his audience), but did not appear to be among the top three or four of the night’s debaters. I thought it significant that the Thompson ad that aired attacked [Mitt] Romney and [Mike] Huckabee rather than [Rudy] Giuliani. Huckabee got off a good line about what Jesus would do about capital punishment.”

Contact Vile at 615-898-2596.
jvile@mtsu.edu

“Long may you run/Long may you run/Although these changes have come/With your chrome heart shining in the sun/Long may you run”—Neil Young, about his first car, a 1948 Buick Roadmaster hearse

Rock icon Neil Young is having his 1959 Lincoln Continental revamped into a hybrid (electric/biodiesel). The original was 19-and-a-half feet long and two-and-a-half tons. Can a big car built in the days of real steel get the kind of gas mileage today's hybrids right off the assembly line can get? What's next, a Studebaker? A Hudson? Dr. Cliff Ricketts, agriscience and agribusiness professor and alternative fuels expert, says, “The old cars such as the one described can not come close to today’s more efficient vehicles. The Toyota Prius approaches 60 miles per gallon. The classic car described probably gets 15 miles per gallon at best.”

Contact Ricketts at 615-898-2430.
srickett@mtsu.edu

“Thanks for the memory”—Bob Hope and Shirley Ross in “The Big Broadcast of 1938”

Officials at the James E. Walker Library at MTSU are embarking on a program to convert the heirlooms of the university’s storied past into accessible digital images in preparation for the school’s centennial in 2011 and beyond. The librarians and students who will work on the MTSU Memory Project seek to collect photographs, correspondence, memorabilia and other items from the campus community and the community at large. The archivists are not content to look in every nook and cranny of the campus itself. If it’s in an attic, a piano bench, or a living room bookshelf, the librarians want to make a digital image of it and preserve it for all time to come.

Contact Ken Middleton at 615-898-8524
kmiddlet@mtsu.edu
or Mayo Taylor at 615-898-5605.
mtaylor@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

TUNE IN NEXT TIME--The December edition of the television program “Middle Tennessee Record” will present MTSU homecoming highlights; the groundbreaking at the site where a veterans memorial will be erected on campus; the dedication of a new home built by MTSU students volunteering for Habitat for Humanity; the annual Expanding Your Horizons conference to encourage girls who are interested in math and science; a new television program from the Department of Recording Industry that offers professional advise on songwriting; and other features that highlight MTSU faculty, students and events. To find out when “Middle Tennessee Record” airs in your area, go to http://www.mtsunews.com and click on “Middle Tennessee Record” on the right side of the page. For more information, contact John Lynch, Director of Marketing Technologies, at 615-898-5591 or jlynch@mtsu.edu.

A FIRST AT THE FRIST--The Frist Center for the Visual Arts, 919 Broadway in Nashville, will feature “Mid-State Art Majors,” an aptly titled exhibit that will include works by eight MTSU art students through Monday, Dec. 31. “I’ve been here four years and there’s never been a show put together like this,” says Erin Anfinson, assistant professor of art and liaison for the exhibit. “They came to us with the opportunity, and we were thrilled.” Art professors nominated MTSU students to be featured in the exhibit. Then a panel of faculty chose students to represent each of the concentrations of the art department—printmaking, ceramics, paintings, sculpture and graphic design. For more information about the exhibit, including driving directions, please visit the center’s online site at http://www.fristcenter.org.

I’LL GRANT YOU THAT--The President’s Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW) at MTSU is accepting applications from faculty for its 2008 Curriculum Integration Grants. The 2007 grants, which have been awarded to three professors in allocations of $1,800 each, are being used to infuse courses at MTSU with an appreciation for the experiences and perspectives of women. Dr. Jane Marcellus, journalism, will teach a course in the spring semester titled “Women in Journalism History.” Dr. Karen Petersen, political science, used her grant to create a version of her “Foundations of Government” general education class that would be applicable in a study-abroad context in Cherbourg, France. And Jeremy Rich, history, fashioned a course on “Women in Africa.” For more information on how to apply for this year’s grants, contact Dr. Tina Johnson, PCSW chair and associate professor of English at 615-898-2705 or ntjohnso@mtsu.edu.

GET THE PICTURE?--“One Perspective/Two Countries: Mexico/Italy” is the photography exhibit on display through Thursday, Dec. 6 at the Baldwin Photographic Gallery at MTSU. Harvey Stein teaches at the International Center of Photography and has been on the faculty of the New School University, the Rochester Institute of Technology, Drew University, Bridgeport University and Jersey City State College. His photographs have been published in numerous magazines, including Time, Life, Esquire, The New Yorker, Forbes, People, and Smithsonian. For gallery hours, contact Tom Jimison at 615-898-2085 or tjimison@mtsu.edu.

THE CIVIL WAR AND MORE--The Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County will honor its successful community partnership and commemorate its official grand opening with a “Warm, White Winter Welcome” public reception from 3-5 p.m. tomorrow, Nov. 30. Located at 225 West College St., the center’s staff will kick off the free and open event with a 3 p.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony that also celebrates the completion of The Heritage Center’s main exhibit gallery, The Time that Changed Everything. Missouri native Julie Lenger, who is a graduate student enrolled in MTSU’s history program, was one of two student designers of the permanent display. “The Civil War exhibit is more elaborate than previous Heritage Center exhibits, both in scope and style,” she says. “This exhibit includes 13 interpretive panels that explain the events of the war in Rutherford County and includes period maps, photographs and drawings.” For more information, contact Melissa Zimmerman at 615-217-8013 or mzimmerm@mtsu.edu.

STEP LIVELY!--MTSU Dance Theatre’s 40-member cast will bring new life to the stage through innovative and classical choreography in its Fall Dance Concert, which will be presented at 7:30 p.m. daily through Saturday, Dec. 1 in the Boutwell Dramatic Arts Building’s Tucker Theatre. This year’s concert will feature “Crossing Ground,” choreographed by Michelle Ikle, a specialist in jazz, and “Freedom Riders,” choreographed by Travis D. Gatling, a celebration of individuals who had the courage to take a stand on racial issues in the 1960s. “MTSU’s guest artists match those of larger universities or more established programs,” remarks Kim Nofsinger, director of dance for MTSU. “Exposure to the artists provides students with a variety of insights and experiences within dance.” For more information, please call 615-494-8810 or visit the department’s Web site at http://www.mtsu.edu/~theatre.

STEELY PAN--Liam Teague, a speel-pan (drum) virtuoso, will perform in a public concert at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2, in the T. Earl Hinton Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus. Hailed as the “Paganini of the Steel Pan,” Teague is recognized as a prodigy in his native Trinidad. A three-time winner of the National Solo Pan Competition, Teague currently serves as assistant professor of music and co-director of the Northern Illinois University Steel Band, the same institution where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music. Lalo Davila, associate professor of percussion at MTSU, says Teague’s playing as soloist with a symphony orchestra has led to performances in Europe, Asia, North America and the Caribbean. General admission for this concert is $5. For more information, call 615-898-2493 or visit http://www.mtsumusic.com.