Thursday, May 21, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Eight straight ain’t great.

The total value of taxable real estate transactions went down for the eighth quarter in a row in the first quarter of 2009, dropping 19.5 percent from the fourth quarter of 2008. In the latest edition of Tennessee Housing Market, Dr. David Penn, director of the MTSU Business and Economic Research Center, writes, “In fact, the rate of decline has increased greatly from the previous two quarters (-12.8 percent and -7.8 percent, respectively). Over the year, the value of transactions is down 41.6 percent for Tennessee. Keep in mind that some of the decline can be attributed to falling real estate prices with the rest caused by fewer properties changing hands. By contrast, mortgage tax collections rose sharply in the first quarter, up 19.9 percent from the previous quarter. Extremely low mortgage rates create very favorable conditions for mortgage refinancing in Tennessee and elsewhere.”

Contact Penn at 615-898-2610.
dpenn@mtsu.edu

Socialism in sight?

Some critics of the Obama administration’s approach to the economic crisis liken his acts so far to socialism. Dr. Jim Burton, dean of the MTSU College of Business, sounded off on that topic in the latest edition of Tennessee’s Business. Burton writes, “Have we really come to socialism? Well, let’s look at the auto industry. Is it an essential industry? Yes! Is it cooperatively owned? Yes, it is now! Is it democratically controlled (no pun intended)? Yes! Is there a view toward equal opportunity and benefit for all? Looks like that’s the objective. If we have not yet quite arrived at socialism, we are moving in that direction at warp speed. And the leaders of both political parties are pushing the pedal.”

Read Tennessee’s Business online at http://frank.mtsu.edu/~berc/.

How does your garden grow?

MTSU is inviting the community to enjoy the flavors of locally grown produce while supporting agricultural education at the Plant and Soil Science farmers’ market each Friday this summer. The market will open tomorrow, May 22, from 1 to 5 p.m. in the Horticulture Center off Blue Raider Drive on the MTSU campus and will remain open each Friday into the fall. Now in its second year, it will offer fresh produce as well as perennials, annuals and houseplants for sale to the community. The market will begin with cool season crops like cabbages, broccoli, onions, peas and lettuces; other crops will be added once they are ready for sale. Proceeds from the market are used to purchase supplies for MTSU’s on-campus greenhouse and to cover expenses of agriculture students’ travel to professional conferences and competitions.

Contact the Department of Agribusiness and Agriscience at 615-898-2523.

TR EXTRA

MAHER, MUHAMMAD AND MICROFINANCE—Dr. Muhammad Yunus, former MTSU economics professor and winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, is scheduled to be a guest on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” at 9 p.m. Central time (10 p.m. Eastern) this Friday, May 22. The program will be repeated several times throughout the week. Check your television listings to locate HBO on your local cable or satellite system. Yunus, president of Grameen Bank in his native Bangladesh, was awarded the Nobel for his concept of microfinance, which holds that lending to the poor and those without traditional collateral helps build a society from the ground up. Nearly 97 percent of Grameen’s seven million borrowers are women. Since 1976, Grameen has loaned more than $6.5 billion with a repayment rate above 98 percent.

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. The tours slated for May 22 and May 27 are full. Plenty of openings remain for all of June and July. No tours will be given May 25 (Memorial Day) and July 3 because the university will be closed for those holidays. 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.