Monday, December 8, 2008

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

To buy or not to buy

Believe it or not, consumer confidence in Middle Tennessee actually went up a little bit in October from -1 to +4 on MTSU’s Consumer Confidence Index. The poll of 501 randomly selected adult residents of Davidson, Rutherford and Williamson counties was conducted on the evenings of Monday, Dec. 1, and Tuesday, Dec. 2. Dr. Tim Graeff, director of the Office of Consumer Research, says, “As consumers’ perceptions of the current economy worsen, they also believe that now is a good time to make large purchases because of the good deals being offered by retailers.” Graeff says local consumers’ perceptions of the overall American economy and the American job market are slightly more negative than perceptions on a nationwide scale. However, local consumers are more optimistic about the future.

Contact Graeff at 615-898-5124.
tgraeff@mtsu.edu

If you build it, will they come?

Believe it or not, housing construction activity has not yet hit bottom in the Nashville area. The latest edition of Midstate Economic Indicators from MTSU’s Business and Economic Research Center takes stock of permits issued for new construction. It states that “the rate of decline accelerated in the third quarter for single-family homes, down 12.2 percent compared with an over-the-year decline of 41.3 percent. Most of the decline for the third quarter occurred in July and August, with September showing much less of a drop over the year. As we move later into the year, we may find that the over-the-year comparisons show much less of a decline in construction because the brunt of the downturn began about a year ago. So, as long as permits do not experience another precipitous decline, we may witness a leveling off of activity or bottoming out within the next couple of months in comparison with last year.”

Contact Dr. David Penn, BERC Director, at 615-898-2610.
dpenn@mtsu.edu

Middle East Mackie

An MTSU senior is one of only 10 college students in the nation selected to study as a William Jefferson Clinton Scholar in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, next semester. Nick Mackie, who is a double major in archaeology and international relations with a minor in Middle East studies, will depart for UAE on Tuesday, Jan. 6, and study at American University in Dubai (AUD) through the spring 2009 semester, returning on April 30. Although a semester at AUD costs $15,000, the Clinton scholarship will absorb nearly $10,700 of that amount. His courses include Comparative Politics of the Middle East, Islamic Art and Architecture, Media Culture and Society, History of the Middle East, and second-year Arabic language studies.

For more information, contact Dr. Karen Petersen, assistant professor of political science, at 615-494-8662.
kpeterse@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

LEAVE ROOM FOR THE BLOOMS--MTSU’s Plant and Soil Science Club continues its annual poinsettia sale on Thursday, Dec. 11, and Friday, Dec. 12, from 12-5 p.m. at the Horticulture Facility just off Blue Raider Drive. Four-inch pots cost $3 each, and 6-inch pots cost $5 each. Chrysanthemums also will be on sale in four-inch pots for $3 each. For more information, contact Nathan Phillips at 615-494-8985.

A WORK OF ART--The works of MTSU art professors John Donovan and Erin Anfinson are on display at the Tennessee Arts Commission Gallery in Nashville through Friday, Dec. 12. Anfinson’s encaustic paintings and Donovan’s ceramic sculpture have been on display since Nov. 6. Both artists view this exhibition as an opportunity to connect what they teach in the classroom with their own creative studio practices. Their students will have the opportunity to view and enjoy the work and to better understand the effort that goes into an active and successful creative career. The gallery is free and open to the public Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, call Julie Roberts at 615-532-9798 or julie.roberts@state.tn.us.