Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

A whole new world

Middle Tennessee State University will look to fill the position of MT Abroad Director this summer as Jennifer Campbell prepares to depart May 30. Campbell is slated to assume the job of Director of Study Abroad at her alma mater, Rollins College, in Winter Park, Fla., starting June 2. During Campbell’s nearly six-year tenure, MTSU has sent more college students abroad than any other Tennessee Board of Regents institution. She says she remains confident that international education will remain a strong priority at MTSU. “There’s a campus here that really believes in study abroad, puts their money where their mouth is and really supports international growth on this campus,” Campbell says.

For more information about study abroad opportunities at MTSU, contact the MT Abroad office at 615-898-5179 or go to http://www.mtsu.edu/~mtabroad.

Ooh la la!

For the second consecutive year, the Cannes Film Festival, one of the most prestigious events of its kind in the world, has accepted an independent film produced by MTSU students and faculty. The movie, which is titled “Wait …,” also has been accepted by Digifest in Florence, Italy, and is under consideration by nearly other 40 festivals around the globe. “I’m astonished and humbled at the same time,” Dr. Bob Pondillo, professor of electronic media communication and the screenwriter and director of “Wait …,” says. “This validates the work of MTSU mass communication faculty and students.” Pondillo and his students first attracted attention at Cannes last year with “My Name is Wallace,” the touching tale of an emotionally challenged man who looks for love in a very unusual way. Both films star Los Angeles-based professional actor David Lawrence, who shares executive producer credit with Pondillo.

To view the film and for more information on “Wait …,” go to http://www.waitfilm.com. For interviews, contact Pondillo at 615-904-8465 or pondillo@mtsu.edu.

Blue Raiders with green thumbs

During the spring semester, students started a garden on MTSU farm property. The Plant and Soil Science Club is helping maintain the garden and will be selling produce on campus to raise club funds. Starting tomorrow, May 29 (Thursday), the club will be open for business two days a week—Tuesday mornings from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and Thursday afternoons from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Horticulture Center on Blue Raider Drive across from the Livestock Center. Selection will vary depending on what is ready for harvest, but tomorrow’s produce will include lettuce, radishes and possibly some early cabbage, as well as many ornamental Brugmansia plants.

Contact Dr. Nate Phillips at 615-494-8985.
nphillip@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

“LANGUAGE IS THE DRESS OF THOUGHT.”—SAMUEL JOHNSON--MTSU’s annual Summer Language Institute will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 16-20, June 23-27 and July 28-August 1 at the University School of Nashville. Languages to be taught will include Mandarin Chinese, French, German, Scottish Gaelic, Arabic and Spanish Levels 1 and 2. The innovative teaching methods used at the institute, are designed to teach students a second language the same way they learned their first—by relating vocabulary to movement and learning grammar through storytelling. Students are completely immersed in the language from the first day of instruction in a fun environment. “I can now tell people who regret never having studied a language or who had a bad experience that it is not too late,” says Dr. Shelley Thomas, MTSU associate professor and institute founder. Contact Thomas at 615-898-5757 or
shthomas@mtsu.edu.

“ENGLAND SWINGS LIKE A PENDULUM DO.”—ROGER MILLER--The Fab Four, miniskirts and go-go boots, the “mods” versus the “rockers”—If you’re looking for a fun and informative course to take this summer, MTSU is offering British Popular Culture from 10:10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday July 7-August 7. This English course, taught by Dr. Jill Hague, will look at the development of popular culture in the United Kingdom after World War II, focusing on innovations in music, film and drama. Students will examine the cultural, historical and political contexts of the 1950s, the phenomenon of “Swinging London” and the Beatles in the 1960s and the rise of punk culture in the 1970s. Contact Hague at 615-904-8123 or ahague@mtsu.edu.

NOW YOU’RE TALKING MY LANGUAGE!--In a recent guest editorial in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, William Scott wrote, “Arabic language programming should be readily available to us in the United States. Reading books or computer screens does nothing to improve aural comprehension, especially since written Modern Standard Arabic differs so much from the various dialects spoken throughout the Arab world.” This summer, MTSU will offer courses in Modern Standard Arabic from 10:10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday in two separate sessions—June 2-July 3 and July 7-August 8. Students will learn the Arabic script/alphabet, common useful vocabulary and basic grammatical structures. At the end of the sequence, students will be equipped with basic survival skills such as ordering food, booking hotel rooms, describing their daily lives, understanding and giving directions, etc. For more information, Kari Sue Neely, assistant professor of foreign languages, at ksneely@mtsu.edu.

THE LAND OF ENCHANTMENT--You can spend part of your summer examining the fascinating Native American history and prehistory of the Southwest and get geography or history credit for it at MTSU! The class is titled “Geography of Native Americans” and will be conducted for the 15th consecutive year by Dr. Doug Heffington, professor of historical geography and director of the Global Studies Program. “The class focuses on the examination of the human/land relationships between the native peoples of New Mexico and their natural environment,” Heffington says. “Most of our base camp is in the small colonial village of Truchas, which dates to the mid-1700s with its blend of Genizaro, Mestizo and Hispano cultures. The trip/course starts July 21st and takes about nine days to complete.” The cost is approximately $400 per student and includes transportation, two meals a day, lodging and entry fees. Contact Heffington at 615-898-5978 or jheffing@mtsu.edu.

LOOKS LIKE A HOMICIDE, HORATIO--Is your child itching to learn how forensic investigators examine crime scenes and ferret out the clues that solve real world mysteries? This summer’s “CSI: MTSU”, which will run from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on June 11-13, is a three-day program designed for students entering the 10th, 11th and 12th grades in Rutherford and surrounding counties. The students will be presented with a re-creation of an actual crime scene. They will be trained in the processes of collecting evidence, including DNA, fingerprints, hair and fibers, simulated blood splatter and shoe prints. Young people will explore the career possibilities in forensic science, understand a “real life” reason to tackle higher level math and science courses, and develop skills in teamwork, seeing and understanding details, critical thinking and presentations. The program is co-sponsored by the Forensic Institute for Research and Education (FIRE) and MTSU’s College of Continuing Education and Distance Learning. For more information, contact Eve Shockley at 615-898-5530 or eshockle@mtsu.edu.

“BLESSED ARE THE CRACKED FOR THEY SHALL LET IN THE LIGHT.”—GROUCHO MARX--How do you see God? Do you see the Almighty as a man, a woman, an ambiguous force of nature? These are questions to be explored this summer as Dr. Bob Pondillo, electronic media communication, teaches “Images of God in the American Media” from July 7 through August 8 at MTSU. Pondillo and his students will pursue the subject by examining television programs ranging from “Family Guy” to “Joan of Arcadia” and movies like “Oh, God” and “The Last Temptation of Christ.” Pondilo says, “We’ll have an intellectual discussion and a cosmological discussion and a theological discussion—a discussion, not make it a time to convert people or anything like that. Let’s just talk and try to understand.” Contact Pondillo at 615-904-8465 or pondillo@mtsu.edu.