Thursday, February 21, 2008

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Tiny tykes

Tucked away in a nondescript corner of the MTSU campus is a sunny collection of vivid colors and smiling faces with the uncharacteristically sterile name of the MTSU Child Care Lab. For students, faculty and staff who have children, it is a haven that enables those parents to pursue school or work without worrying about their youngsters’ welfare. “The purpose of this curriculum is not just academic—colors, numbers, letters, preparation for kindergarten—but, at this age, it’s just as important to get them ready for the social skills, learning to be in a group setting, learning how to share, learning how to follow directions, maybe more than one direction at a time,” says Nancy James, director of the lab, who has been there for more than 19 years.

Contact James at 615-898-2970.
njames@mtsu.edu

Very bright Fulbright

MTSU recently was selected to serve as the host institution for Dr. Vladimir Ilin, a Fulbright Visiting Scholar for the 2007-2008 academic year. Ilin, who is a professor of sociology at St. Petersburg State University in Russia, is one of about 800 outstanding foreign faculty and professionals who will teach and do research this year in the U.S. throughout the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Ilin, who arrived at MTSU in January, “will be providing occasional lectures on global inequality and conducting research on consumption patterns in the U.S.” during his visit, which will end in October, says Dr. Ron Aday, interim chairman of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.

Contact Aday at 615-898-2509.
raday@mtsu.edu

When sport comes up short

Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee have told Congress conflicting stories about whether Clemens used performance-enhancing drugs. U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Penn.) is calling NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to account for why he destroyed the tapes that proved the New England Patriots guilty of cheating. Indiana University men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson is under a microscope for alleged recruiting violations. Will the scandals that have plagued professional sports lately have consequences for the bottom line? Dr. Don Roy, management and marketing, says, “Companies in virtually all industries profess to place a premium on ethical conduct in their dealings with customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders. If businesses breach the trust of a stakeholder group, they suffer financial consequences (e.g., lost sales, employee turnover) or even legal consequences such as fines or other sanctions. The sports industry must realize that it can suffer the same consequences if unethical behavior is not brought under control.”

Contact Roy at 615-904-8564.
droy@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

AN ARTIST’S DOZEN--The Department of Art’s second 12”x12” biannual national juried exhibition is on display through Friday, Feb. 22, in The Gallery at MTSU’s Todd Hall. Dave Hickey, nationally acclaimed culture and art critic, served as the juror for the exhibition. More than 200 artists from across the United States submitted more than 600 pieces of work for consideration. There were no media restrictions, and all works were to measure no more than 12” in any direction. Three-dimensional pieces were not to exceed 12” in any direction including the base. Included in the show are the works of Tennessee artists Rocky Horton, Nashville; Arlyn Ende, Sewanee; Dwayne Butcher and Trever Nicholas, Memphis; Melissa Krosnick, Cowan; and Sarah Shebaro, Knoxville. The exhibition is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Lon Nuell at 615-898-2505 or lrnuell@mtsu.edu.

POETRY IN MOTION--Distinguished poet and scholar Nikki Giovanni will speak on “Race in the 21st Century” at 7 p.m., tonight, Feb. 21, in Room 221 of MTSU’s Learning Resources Center. Her address, an event in MTSU’s continuing observance of Black History Month, is free and open to the public. A Knoxville native, Giovanni is a 1968 alumna of Fisk University in Nashville with a degree in history. A Distinguished Professor of English at Virginia Tech, she holds more than 20 honorary degrees, a life membership and scroll from the National Council of Negro Women and NAACP Image awards for her books Love Poems, Blues: For All the Changes, and Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea. In 2007, Giovanni became the first poet to receive the Carl Sandburg Literary Award for lifetime achievement. Contact Dr. Sekou Franklin at 615-904-8232 or franklin@mtsu.edu, or Luther Buie at 615-898-2987 or lbuie@mtsu.edu.

NOT FOOTLOOSE AND FANCY FREE?—“Poetry and Footbinding: Women in Late Imperial China (1600-1800)” will be the next presentation in MTSU’s Women’s Studies Research Series at 3 p.m. today, Feb. 21, in Room 100 of MTSU’s James Union Building. This lecture is free and open to the public. Dr. Yuan-Ling Chao, associate professor of history, will deliver the address and answer questions. “The popular image of the traditional Chinese woman is one of submission within family and society, symbolized by her tiny bound feet,” Chao says. “But what was life like for a woman in late imperial times?” For more information, contact Dr. Jane Marcellus at 615-898-5282 or jmarcell@mtsu.edu, or contact the Women’s Studies office at 615-898-5910 or womenstu@mtsu.edu.