Thursday, August 14, 2008

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer

Preliminary reports indicate that MTSU’s summer enrollment is 8,210 students. That’s a 7.1 percent decrease from summer 2007, when MTSU’s headcount was 8,845 students taking classes on campus and online. Sherian Huddleston, associate vice provost for enrollment services, says, “Historically, summer enrolment increases one year and decreases the next. However, this is the third consecutive year we have experienced a decline. The cost of gasoline certainly has been a concern, especially for those who commute several miles. I expect we will see more students opting for online and other distance-learning methods.” Huddleston says MTSU will submit its enrollment totals to the Tennessee Board of Regents soon.

Contact Huddleston at 615-898-2828.
shuddles@mtsu.edu

Immigration station

Union-centered worker centers in immigrant communities may become a way for immigrants to have their needs addressed. Dr. William Canak, sociology and anthropology, the umbrella organization Nashville Movement has made some inroads. “The coalition is modeled on Memphis’s Interfaith Coalition for Economic Justice,” says Canak. “This recent effort to build a progressive union/community alliance in metropolitan Nashville links unions with numerous community service organizations. … In the past, Nashville labor unions have established preliminary links to the immigrant community and contributed resources to such community groups as United Way and Goodwill, but these efforts have tended to become disassociated with organized labor and frequently provide subsidies to nonunion employers.”

Contact Canak at 615-898-5361.
wcanak@mtsu.edu

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.
wwboles@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.