Friday, May 29, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

We are the world.

What does it mean to be a citizen and a member of your community in an age when a global outlook is becoming increasingly important? That is the focus of Dr. John Maynor’s summer Senior Seminar class, which is slated to run from June 1 to July 2. Maynor will explain the class at 7 a.m. this Sunday, May 31, on “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org). Designed as a capstone for the political science major, the course will allow students to utilize nontraditional classroom methods such as team-building exercises at the Campus Recreation Center and group projects. To listen to last week’s program on the impact of slavery on colleges and universities, go to http://franklmtsu.edu/~proffice/podcast2009.html and click on “May 24, 2009.”

For more information, contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.

My child is autistic and I need help.

Most of the educational therapy needs of autistic children are not covered by insurance, says Ed Evans, president of Students for Autism Awareness at MTSU. Evans, the father of two autistic children, says, “If a child is detected early enough (Let’s say two years of age.), … they will most likely be referred to TEIS (Tennessee Early Intervention). Most states have some form of this. Then recommendations are made as to the extent of needed treatment, which most states will cover until the age of three. Then, if insurance will cover it, it will be applied until the child is of school age. Then the school system picks up the responsibility and the tab. … Many physicians and treatment programs will be tried. If you’re lucky, you’ll find one that will work. Once again, this is rare.”

Contact Evans at 615-493-7379.
edevans43@comcast.net

It’s lonely at the top.

How much is an executive worth to a corporation? In a study of the shares of earnings of CEOs at Standard & Poor’s 500 companies over a 15-year period from 1993-2007, Drs. William Ford, Charles Baum, and Kevin Zhao, MTSU professors, found that the executives’ shares of corporate earnings (after-tax profits) averaged about 2.4 percent over the entire period. Ford writes, “Moreover, during that entire period, the CEOs’ average salary, in inflation-adjusted dollars, only rose by about one-third of one percent annually, and their bonuses actually declined by over one percent per year. However, their total compensation rose by roughly 6.1 percent annually, driven mainly by restricted stock grants. Because almost all corporate stocks have declined sharply in value since the end of 2007, a majority of those restricted stock grants are undoubtedly now much less valuable than they were in 2007.”

Read the entire article by Ford and Zhao in Tennessee’s Business at: http://frank.mtsu.edu/~berc/

TR EXTRA

EDUCATION IN SHACKLES--Dr. Spencer Crew, MTSU’s 2009 Distinguished Public Historian, will lead a panel discussion on “American Slavery and Its Impact on Universities, Past and Present” at 7 p.m. tonight, May 29, in the main courtroom on the second floor of the Rutherford County Courthouse. Additionally, a reception for Crew and the other participating historians will be held just prior to the panel from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at The Heritage Center, 225 W. College St. in downtown Murfreesboro. Widely recognized as one of the top public historians in the nation, Crew graduated with a Ph.D. in history from Rutgers University. His resume includes executive directorships of the National Museum of American History and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. He currently is on the faculty at George Mason University. Contact the MTSU Department of History at 615-898-2536.

GOING THROUGH CUSTOMS--Running through late July, incoming MTSU students and their families will start familiarizing themselves with their new academic home through the CUSTOMS orientation process. “So many parents and students comment on how friendly folks are and how comfortable they feel about their choice of coming to MTSU,” says Gina Poff, director of New Student and Family Programs. “Although CUSTOMS is a lot of work for the staff and the new students, it really pays off in the end. It is a great way to start off the new journey into MTSU, and the freshmen really get a sense of what it is like to be part of the MTSU community.” Poff says officials expect 50 to 75 more students at each session this summer than in previous years. Contact Poff at 615-898-2454 or gpoff@mtsu.edu.

PUTTING IT ON THE PAGE--Suzanne Fisher Staples will be the visiting author at this summer’s Youth Writer’s Camp at MTSU. Staples, a former correspondent for United Press International in Asia who now writes young adult novels, is the winner of the prestigious Newberry Award for her novel Shabanu. The Youth Writer’s Camp is a two-week intensive writing camp for 4th through 12th graders Monday through Thursday June 8-18. Youngsters can expect community building with fellow writers, realistic feedback from peers and mentors, supportive writing groups, guided writing experiences, and exploration of new writing styles and topics. Each camper will get a writer’s camp T-shirt, a writer’s notebook, and an anthology of writing. Drs. Bobbie Solley and Ellen Donovan of the MTSU Department of Elementary and Special Education are camp directors. For more information, go to www.middletnwritingproject.org or send an e-mail to dianne.hall@comcast.net

THE TOUR DU JOUR--MTSU’s Office of Admissions will offer student-led campus tours at 10 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday (excluding holidays) through July 31. The tours are by reservation only. Plenty of openings remain for all of June and July. No tours will be given July 3 because the university will be closed for that holiday. To make a reservation, call 615-898-5670 or visit mtsu.edu/admissn/tour_admissn.shtml and click on “Schedule Campus Tours.” For more information, contact Michelle Arnold at 615-898-5280 or maarnold@mtsu.edu.

GET A CLUE!--MTSU is expanding its popular CSI: MTSU four-day program for students entering the 10th, 11th and 12th grades in Rutherford and surrounding counties. This year’s event is slated for June 16-19. The goals of CSI: MTSU are: to allow students to explore many unique career possibilities in forensic science; to provide a “real life” reasons to tackle higher level math and science courses; and to develop skills in teamwork, seeing and understanding details, critical thinking and presentation skills. The student investigators will be presented with a re-creation of an actual crime scene. Each student is trained in the fundamental processes of collecting evidence, including DNA, fingerprints, hair and fibers, simulated blood spatter, and shoe prints. For more information or to register, call 615-898-2462 or send an e-mail to eshockle@mtsu.edu