Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Nashville by the numbers

Construction and mining employment increased 5.74 percent in Oct. 2007 over the same period a year ago, according to the latest economic indicators for the Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro Metro Statistical Area compiled by MTSU’s Business and Economic Research Center (BERC). The BERC also learned that manufacturing employment was down slightly more than three percent and information employment decreased a little more than one percent. The unemployment rate for Nashville dipped slightly to 3.7 percent from 3.8 percent in October 2006.

Contact the Business and Economic Research Center at 615-898-2610.

The bully pulpit

Forty-four percent of respondents polled by the Employment Law Alliance say they have worked for an abusive supervisor. Too bad, says Dr. David Foote, management and marketing. Foote says, “ … bullies have been around forever, and, while I don’t condone the bullying, maybe the bullies do serve a purpose. After all, I learned a lot about how NOT to manage people from the bullies I worked for in the military. Some of my best (albeit, more painful, as well) lessons about how to treat people right came from watching them treat people wrong. To be fair, I also had some outstanding bosses during my military days, and I learned a lot from them, too.”

Contact Foote at 615-898-2022.
dfoote@mtsu.edu

Reading between the lines

Would you miss the feel of a book, the sound of turning pages, if you had to read everything you wanted to read online? Dr. Don Roy, management and marketing, says Amazon.com might have an answer for you. It’s an e-book reader called Kindle, and it is supported with more than 90,000 titles. Roy says, “Positioning for Kindle is the convenience of having so many books at your disposal. It is a wise positioning strategy because positioning Kindle as somehow being on par with the experience of reading a paper book would be futile and not very credible. Early feedback on Kindle has been positive considering Amazon is currently out of stock.”

Contact Roy at 615-898-8564.
droy@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.

POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE--More than 1,400 degree candidates are expected to graduate during MTSU’s 96th fall commencement ceremonies, according to Dr. Sherian Huddleston, associate vice provost for enrollment services. On Saturday, Dec. 15, MTSU again will feature dual ceremonies and dual speakers starting at 9 a.m and 1 p.m. in Murphy Center. Gregg F. Morton, president of AT&T Tennessee, will be the guest speaker for the 9 a.m. ceremony. Dr. Viola Miller, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, will be the featured speaker for the 1 p.m. ceremony. On Dec. 15, the doors to Murphy Center will open at 8 a.m. for the morning ceremony. For the afternoon ceremony, the doors will open at noon. Contact the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919.

REDUCE, REFLECT, AND RECYCLE--Three MTSU art students have transformed waste into wonder with a project that turns a trip to the James E. Walker Library into a consciousness-raising experience. Hannah Green of Knoxville, Christine Peterson of Lyles and Erin Piper of Murfreesboro, members of the Student Art Alliance, will leave their artwork, titled “Reduce,” in place through the last day of final exams tomorrow, Dec. 13. It consists of a pile of bags of paper from copiers and recycle bins and strings of crumpled paper stretched across the library atrium. Posters made of recycled cardboard and located beside the pile on the main floor in front of the staircase alert library users to the wisdom of printing double-sided and previewing before they print to avoid waste. Contact Kristen Keene at the Walker Library at 615-898-5376 or kkeene@mtsu.edu.