Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Harry Christopher “Skip” Caray (1939-2008)

Atlanta Braves fans and all baseball aficionados are mourning the loss of longtime Braves broadcaster Skip Caray, who died Sunday at age 68 following a long battle with diabetes and other ailments. Caray’s call on Sid Bream’s slide at home plate to provide the margin of victory in Game 7 of the 1992 National League Championship Series is a classic. Fans found his sardonic wit to be a refreshing change from some announcers’ unbridled boosterism. Dr. Roger Heinrich, an electronic media communication professor who teaches a course on sports and the media, says it’s a family affair. “Caray’s father, Harry, had a storied career with the Chicago Cubs and is one of the few broadcasters inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame,” Heinrich notes. “Skip’s sons are both baseball broadcasters. Chip is part of the Braves’ broadcast team, and Josh is working on the radio for the minor league Rome (Ga.) Braves.”

Contact Heinrich at 615-904-8565.
heinrich@mtsu.edu

Oh, Canada!

The Middle East market for automobiles from Tennessee picked up during the first economic quarter of the year. Those countries doubled the number of vehicles they bought from Tennessee, accounting for 41 percent of the state’s car exports and 64 percent of its SUV and truck exports. However, this silver lining has a dark cloud. Dr. Steven Livingston, political science, says sales to Canada and Mexico were down. “In fact, SUV sales to Canada were off by a third, and car sales fell by an astounding 60 percent,” Livingston says. “This combined with troubles in the computer sector (mostly linked to Dell) to produce a net loss in total exports to Canada, the state’s biggest market. State exports to Canada dropped by more than $200 million for the quarter, a loss of 13.2 percent of the state’s exports from a year earlier.”

Contact Livingston at 615-898-2720.
slivings@mtsu.edu

It’s not too late to graduate.

Cancer survivor Gayle Jones has overcome enormous obstacles to earn her degree in liberal studies, which she will collect at MTSU’s summer 2008 commencement this Saturday, Aug. 9, in Murphy Center. The 50-year-old Hendersonville resident says, “The very same week I started fall classes at MTSU is when I started having (health) problems. I went to the doctor. He said it was a thyroid problem, but he did not know if it was malignant because the tests were inconclusive. I had surgery Oct. 9—in the middle of fall break and midterms. They tested it, and it was malignant, so they removed the entire thyroid.” Doctors recently told Jones she is cancer-free. Her 22-year-old son, Jordan, is a junior and a business administration major at MTSU.

For an interview with Jones, contact Randy Weiler in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919.
jweiler@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.

MICKEY MOUSE MEANS BUSINESS!--MTSU and the Jennings A. Jones College of Business are pleased to present Disney Institute’s professional development program, the “Disney Keys to Excellence,” to the greater Nashville community. The event will be held from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 9, at the Sheraton Downtown Nashville, 623 Union Street. “Participants will discover Disney success stories and learn about management philosophies and behind-the-scenes operations that have made the Disney Parks and resorts a benchmark for businesses around the world,” says George Aguel, senior vice president for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “MTSU is preparing young men and women to become ethical, entrepreneurial successes in the business world, and the Disney Keys program is clearly in sync with our educational philosophy,” says Dr. Jim Burton, dean of the Jones College of Business. For more information and to register for the program, go to www.keysnashville.com. Contact Burton at 615-898-2764 or eburton@mtsu.edu. For press credentials and interview arrangements, contact Tom Tozer in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919 or ttozer@mtsu.edu.

“POVERTY IS LIKE PUNISHMENT FOR A CRIME YOU DIDN’T COMMIT”—ELI KHAMAROV--MTSU student Steve Sibley will realize the educational experience of a lifetime this fall when he interns for 10 weeks in Bangladesh with the Grameen Bank, the financial institution founded by Nobel Peace Prize-winner and former MTSU professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus. Sibley is the first recipient of the Kawahito Scholarship for Experiential World Poverty Studies. Dr. Kiyoshi Kawahito, for whom the scholarship is named, says he created it to give students a chance to live in some of the most debilitating conditions on the planet, examine why these areas are impoverished and witness conscientious efforts to fight the poverty. “You have to jump into the midst of poverty and really observe and feel how poor people live and struggle,” says the professor emeritus of economics and finance and former director of the U.S.-Japan Program. For interviews or photos, contact Gina Logue in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.