Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Madame Justice Sotomayor?

President Obama’s choice to succeed David Souter on the U.S. Supreme Court is Judge Sonia Sotomayor of the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Dr. John Vile, University Honors College Dean and expert on Constitutional law, says, “He (Obama) has chosen to follow the increasingly conventional route of appointing someone who is already a member of an Appeals Court. Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was the last justice who was appointed who had held an elective office, even though some of the greatest justices in history (Chief Justice John Marshall, Earl Warren, Hugo Black, and many others) did not have prior judicial experience.”

Contact Vile at 615-898-2596.
jvile@mtsu.edu

You gotta be a laboratory hero.

Why isn’t as much emphasis placed on securing coaches for K-12 scholars as there is on securing coaches for K-12 athletes? Dr. Preston MacDougall, chemistry, says, “There is a proposal being considered by the education subcommittee of the American Chemical Society to seed selected members from its 160,000-strong membership as ‘science coaches’ in every high school in the country. Their purpose would be to advise, encourage and, when necessary, help locate advanced laboratory resources for students who want to taste the thrill of scientific discovery. Of course, they would also be there to help students adapt to the agony of technical complications.”

Contact MacDougall at 615-898-5265.
pmacdoug@mtsu.edu

“In the long run, we are all dead.”—John Maynard Keynes

The federal stimulus package passed by the Congress adds exponentially to the overall federal deficit. This has prompted some to say “We’re all Keynesians now,” a reference to economist John Maynard Keynes. He believed that governments must pump up the economy when it slows down to keep people fully employed because the private sector won’t invest enough. In the latest edition of Tennessee’s Business, Dr. Martin Kennedy, economics and finance, writes, “The Obama administration’s projections show a deficit of five percent of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and falling five years out, when growth will be robust and unemployment low. The Congressional Budget Office projections show a growing deficit five years out. Their GDP growth estimates are not as optimistic as the administration’s. One wonder what Keynes would have thought about running deficits, in good times and in bad, in peace and in war, which we began practicing in the early ‘80s.”

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

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. on Friday, 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. The tour slated for today, May 27, is full. 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