Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

“Where you lead, I will follow.”—Carole King and Toni Stern

MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee will conduct town hall meetings at 4 p.m. tomorrow, Feb. 11, and at noon, Thursday, Feb. 12, in the Keathley University Center Theater. These events are part of Leadership Week 2009 presented by the Office of Leadership and Service. In addition, team students will take part in ”Family Feud” from 6:30-10 p.m. tomorrow night, Feb. 11, in Room S102 of the Business and Aerospace Building. Based on the television game show, it’s billed as “an evening of fun with friends with an educational twist.” And Vincent Windrow, director of the Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs, will address the topic of “Breakthrough Thinking” at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow, Feb. 11, in Room 322 of the Keathley University Center. All these events are free and open to the public.

For more information, go to www.mtsu.edu/leadandserve.

Up and down arrows

Local consumers now have a more negative perception of the national economy and the job market than consumers in the nation as a whole. According to the latest Middle Tennessee Consumer Confidence Index, only 2 percent of respondents believe “business conditions in the U.S. are good” compared with 6 percent nationwide. Only 2 percent believe “jobs are easy to find” compared with 7 percent in the country as a whole. However, local consumers are more optimistic than the rest of the country in other areas. Thirty percent believe “six months from now, business conditions in the U.S. will be better” compared with 13 percent nationwide. And 19 percent believe “six months from now, there will be more job openings” compared with 9 percent in the country as a whole.

Contact Dr. Tim Graeff, director of the Office of Consumer Research, at 615-898-5124.
tgraeff@mtsu.edu

Flaky behavior?

In case it isn’t obvious to you why a man with his lips wrapped around a bong is being prohibited from selling cornflakes, Dr. Don Roy, management and marketing, has this take on Kellogg’s dissolution of its endorsement deal with Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps. “Kellogg had little choice but to sever ties with Phelps,” says Roy. “Its products are based on promoting good health, and its target market is moms and children. Associating with someone who is perceived as a party guy (other photos and video help create that image), Kellogg cannot afford to risk its brand reputation further. A common theoretical explanation for how celebrity endorsements impact consumer behavior is that the image of the endorser transfers to the image of the brand being endorsed.”

Contact Roy at 615-904-8564.
droy@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER--The Leadership Recruitment Fair is slated for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today, Feb. 10, in the Keathley University Center. Information will be available on BOLT (Bettering Our Leaders for Tomorrow), Lightning Leadership Coordinators, Resident Assistants, Leadership Studies Minor, SOAs (Student Orientation Assistants), Up ‘Til Dawn, SGA (Student Government Association), Blue Elite, Student Ambassadors, Judicial Board and Student Programming Board. For more information, go to www.mtsu.edu/leadandserve.

STIMULUS PACKAGE—Today, Feb. 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds in Nashville, MTSU will partner with 15 area universities to host the College to Career Fair and Teacher Recruitment Fair. More than 120 employers will be recruiting for various full-time, degreed positions. A free ticket is required and a limited number are available at the Career Development Center in Room 328 of the Keathley University Center. Contact the Career Development Center at 615-898-2500 or career@mtsu.edu.

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME.--To help students dealing with high prices and tight budgets, the MTSU Off-Campus Housing Web site will waive its $25 fee for posting notices of apartments to be sublet effective immediately. The Web site (www.mtsuoffcampus.com) was created in November 2007 by the Office of Off-Campus Student Services in cooperation with Off-Campus Partners, a Virginia-based company providing services to nearly 30 universities. Property managers pay fees to post information such as location, price and type about apartments, condominiums and houses for rent and for sale. To make it easier for students to cut transportation costs, the Web site also features Carpool Central, a message board for people seeking rides to and from school; Ride Board, for rides wherever they want to go out of town; and a Roommate Matching message board. For more information, contact the Office of Off-Campus Student Services at 615-898-5989 or ocss@mtsu.edu.

Y’ALL COME BACK NOW, YOU HEAR?--The MTSU Department of Art’s Gallery at Todd Hall presents “Revisited,” an exhibit featuring the collective works of four of its retired faculty members, through Friday, Feb. 20. The artists whose work is being showcased are Ollie Fancher, who taught graphic design and drawing; Jim Gibson, sculpture; Klaus Kallenberger, jewelry; and David LeDoux, painting. Eric Snyder, gallery curator, says these individuals “contributed a great deal to the Department of Art’s program and curriculum and have been asked to return to MTSU in honor of their hard work.” The gallery is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays and is closed on all state holidays. Admission is always free and exhibits are open to the public. For more information, contact Snyder at 615-898-5653 or esnyder@mtsu.edu.