Friday, August 15, 2008

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

One state, two states, red states, blue states

With 2008 shaping up to be one of the most fascinating presidential election years in recent history, the MTSU University Honors College will present “Politics and the Press: The Relationship Between Government and the Fourth Estate” as its fall lecture series. Topics to be discussed by faculty experts include “Politics, the Presidency and Film;” “Politics, Non-Traditional Media and Young Voters;” “Agenda-Setting Images in National Politics;” and “Between Jesse Jackson and Barack Obama: Race Management, Electoral Populism and Presidential Politics.” The one-hour, pass/fail course will be held from 3 until 3:55 p.m. every Monday except Sept. 1 due to the Labor Day holiday and Oct. 13 due to fall break.

Contact the University Honors College at 615-898-2152.

“There is no occasion for women to consider themselves subordinate or inferior to men.”—Mohandas K. Gandhi

Dr. Newtona (Tina) Johnson, professor of English and chair of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women at MTSU, is the new director of the university’s Women’s Studies Program. Johnson took over the job Aug. 1. She succeeds Dr. Elyce Helford, also an English professor, who served as director for the past eight years. In her vision statement, Johnson wrote, “I will use my collegial relations with faculty and administrators across MTSU’s campus and my experience in recruiting faculty from diverse disciplines to create more disciplinary diversity in our curriculum, to solicit more faculty involvement in the program, and to promote the program to faculty, students, and administrators as a community of scholars that prides itself on its inclusiveness as it fosters a global feminist perspective.”

Contact Johnson at 615-898-2705.
ntjohnso@mtsu.edu

Maury matters

An assessment by MTSU’s Business and Economic Research Center (BERC) shows that Maury County is undergoing significant economic and demographic changes. The report, authored by Dr. David Penn, BERC Director, indicates that population is growing faster than the Nashville metro area and surrounding rural counties and that Maury’s retirement-age and near retirement-age population is proportionally larger than the Nashville area, but smaller than those in neighboring counties. Even though Saturn/GM dominates jobs and income, future employment and income stability call for diversification away from the economic sector, the assessment concludes. The report forecasts slower growth in population, jobs and income for Maury County for the next 10 years with little change in per capita income.

Contact Penn at 615-898-2610.
dpenn@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

A POLITICIAN IS A STATESMAN WHO APPROACHES EVERY QUESTION WITH AN OPEN MOUTH.”—ADLAI STEVENSON--Has a particular turn of phrase in a politician’s speech caught your ear and made you wonder why he or she chose those particular words? What is the speaker really saying? How do the candidates get their messages across to the voters? To figure all this out in this presidential election year, students can sign up for “Political Communication,” a class to be taught this fall at MTSU by Dr. Russell Church, speech and theatre professor. Participants will take on questions of whether race and gender are still issues, who votes and why, whether candidates are now more important than parties, whether the media now call all the shots, the power of interest groups, and how parties can increase turnout. The class will take place on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:20 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. Contact Church at 615-494-7958 or rchurch@mtsu.edu.

A REALLY BIG SHEW--The August edition of “Middle Tennessee Record” is packed with fascinating stories and compelling video of MTSU sights and sounds. Watch the Plant and Soil Science Club’s members as they grow and sell farm-fresh produce to raise funds. Check out the art deco-style Jazz Age mural painted by professor Erin Anfinsson at the Heritage Center in downtown Murfreesboro. Return with MTSU alumni to those thrilling days of yesteryear at the inaugural Alumni Summer College. And celebrate the success of the Center for Environmental Education, whose latest video to promote clean water in Tennessee won a Silver Telly Award. “Middle Tennessee Record” airs on NewsChannel5+ at 1:30 p.m. on Sundays. For a complete listing of other cable outlets that run the program, go to www.mtsunews.com. Contact John Lynch at 615-898-2919 or jlynch@mtsu.edu.

WELCOME, NEIGHBOR!--As state Rep. John Hood leaves the Tennessee General Assembly following six terms serving the 48th District, he embarks on a new mission for MTSU’s Office of Community Engagement and Support. Hood began assisting Dr. Gloria Bonner, the director of the office, on Aug. 1. “During my 12 years in the legislature, I have worked in support of MTSU, and this will give me another opportunity to represent the university with the community and local governments,” Hood says. Dr. Sidney A. McPhee, MTSU president, adds, “Any endeavor that John is involved in will be enhanced and enriched by his knowledge and skills, and we are extremely fortunate that he will continue to be a valuable resource for a university that he loves and has served for so many years.”Contact Tom Tozer in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919 or ttozer@mtsu.edu for more information.

HER SONG--“Women in Music,” a brand new class to be taught at MTSU this fall, will be an exploration of the vast variety of women’s musical activities. Dr. Felicia Miyakawa, who will teach both undergraduates and graduate students, says, “The course will cover not only women composers in the western tradition, but also women performers, women patrons, and women as objects and symbols in the marketing of music.” Students will discuss cultural constructions of gender as they pertain to music, identify important women in musical history and outline their significance, talk about connections between diverse forms of feminism and their manifestations in music and much more. Women to be studied will range from Clara Schumann to Janis Joplin and from Jenny Lind to Tori Amos. Contact Miyakawa at 615-904-8043 or miyakawa@mtsu.edu.

YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE BRETT FAVRE TO BE A JET.--Three recent graduates of MTSU have been selected to participate in the prestigious Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (JET) administered by the government of Japan. They are Jim Pruitt (Spring 2008, Digital Media), Paul Richards (Spring 2008, International Relations), and Joe Yount (Summer 2007, Finance). Dr. Kiyoshi Kawahito, former director of the U.S.-Japan Program and professor emeritus in economics and finance, says, “They will work as Assistant Language Teachers or Coordinators for International Relations for up to three years beginning this month. … Jim, Paul and Joe had all studied at MTSU’s exchange partner institutions in Japan for a year as undergraduate students.” Dr. Kaylene Gebert, vice president and provost, says, “We are extremely proud of these graduates. … I cannot believe that their study in Japan was not a key to their success.” Contact Kawahito at 615-898-5751 or kawahito@mtsu.edu.

BEYOND THE PLANTATION--“Beyond the Plantation: Slavery, Emancipation and Oaklands,” an exhibit at Oaklands Historic House Museum, focuses on the African-American experience in Murfreesboro. MTSU graduate students in public history under the instruction of Dr. Brenden Martin researched and created the project. The project focuses on four distinct themes: Plantation Culture, Civil War, Emancipation, and Legacies. Families who have ties to the community and who have items that might enhance the exhibit are encouraged to contribute. Martin and one of his students, Dollie Boyd, will discuss the exhibit at 7 a.m. this Sunday, Aug. 17, on “MTSU on the Record” on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org). For more information about the Oaklands exhibit, call 615-893-0022. For more about “MTSU on the Record,” call Gina Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.

A LONG AND SUCCESSFUL RUN--MTSU track and field coach Dean Hayes will be inducted into the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA) Hall of Fame on Wednesday, Dec. 17, at the USTFCCA convention in Phoenix, Ariz. Hayes, who has been at MTSU since 1965, has led the Blue Raiders to 29 Ohio Valley Conference titles, 14 Sun Belt championships, and 18 NCAA Top 25 finishes. He has been named OVC Coach of the Year 15 times and Sun Belt Coach of the Year 12 times, including a run of 10 straight titles from 1977 to 1986. His fellow coaches voted him NCAA Outdoor Coach of the Year in 1981. In addition to coaching at the World University Games and other international events, Hayes worked as an assistant at the Summer Olympics in Seoul in 1988 and a referee at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Contact MTSU Athletic Communications at 615-898-2968.

BUILDING A PROGRAM FROM THE GROUND UP--The unveiling of MTSU’s new Commercial Construction Management concentration in the Department of Engineering Technology will take place when fall semester classes begin Monday, Aug. 25. Dr. Walter Boles, department chair, says, “Current construction management programs in Tennessee are unable to supply enough graduates for the region. The Commercial Construction Management program is designed to prepare graduates for entry-level supervisory and estimating positions with commercial construction firms, material manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers.” Boles adds that the goal “is to become a leading program graduating 50 to 100 entry-level managers per year who would stay in Tennessee. However, our focus is on a quality program. The numbers are secondary.” Contact Boles at 615-898-5009 or wwboles@mtsu.edu.