Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

City by city

The unemployment rates for the major metropolitan areas in Tennessee narrowed in range in the not-so-merry month of March, according to preliminary non-seasonally adjusted figures. Clarksville, the city with the largest jobless rate in February, was the only city to see a decline in joblessness, dropping from 10 percent to 9.8 percent. However, Clarksville still leads the pack. Memphis and Chattanooga tied with rates of 9.1 percent. Nashville’s unemployment rate was 8.8 percent, and Knoxville’s rate was 8.2 percent. As was the case in February, Tennessee’s statewide jobless rate outpaced the national rate in March. Tennessee posted a 9.9 percent unemployment rate compared with 9.5 percent in February. The U.S. rate rose from 8.9 percent to nine percent.

Contact the MTSU Business and Economic Research Center at 615-898-2610.

Put on a happy face?

Responses to the latest Consumer Confidence Index from MTSU’s Office of Consumer Research indicate that consumers in Middle Tennessee are trying to smile. The percentage of respondents who agreed that “Six months from now, business conditions in the U.S. will be better” shot up from 17 percent in February to 47 percent in April. The percentage who agreed that “Six months from now, business conditions in Middle Tennessee will be better” rose from 12 percent to 40 percent. Those who agreed that “Twelve months from now, I will be better off financially than I am today” soared from seven percent in February to 38 percent in April. If there was an area of stoicism, it was in response to the statement “Jobs in Middle Tennessee are easy to find.” Only two percent concurred with that statement in both February and April.

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

Selling sanitation and safety

If the pork producers and farmers are facing potentially damaging confusion due to the H1N1 flu, formerly known as “swine flu,” there are business concerns that are profiting from the outbreak. Dr. Don Roy, management and marketing, says, “Makers of soaps and hand sanitizers are stepping up their marketing efforts, and those efforts are aided by media reports in which health experts tout hand washing and sanitizing as among the most important actions we can take to minimize exposure to the flu. Brands such as Dial (soap) and HandClens (sanitizer) are responding to an increased emphasis by consumers to use their products. Also, they are promoting good hygiene in general, not ‘use our product so you won’t get swine flu.’”

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

TR EXTRA

RECOVERY MUSIC--MTSU School of Music faculty musicians will give a benefit concert for the Murfreesboro tornado victims at 7:30 p.m. tonight, May 6, in the Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus. A suggested minimum donation requested is $10 for the concert. Proceeds will go to the local chapter of the American Red Cross. A diverse program of chamber music is slated. For more information, call 615-898-2493.

SHEEPSKINS ON PARADE--More than 2,200 degree candidates (approximately 1,866 undergraduates and 375 graduate students) are expected to graduate during MTSU’s 97th spring commencement during the university’s upcoming graduation ceremonies on Saturday, May 9. The dual ceremonies will start at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., respectively, in Murphy Center. G. Edmond Clark, president and CEO of FedEx Trade Networks Inc., a subsidiary of the Memphis-based FedEx Corporation, will serve as the guest speaker for the 9 a.m. ceremony. Brig. Gen. Terry M. “Max” Haston, who was appointed as assistant adjutant general for the U.S. Army on May 6, 2008, will be the featured speaker for the 1 p.m. ceremony. For complete graduation information, go to www.mtsunews.com and click on the mortarboard and diploma.

HAVING WONDERFUL TIME IN INDIA. VISHNU WERE HERE.--This summer, Dr. Karen Petersen, political science, will teach “India on the Eve of Independence,” a fascinating course that will help you hone your negotiation and public presentation skills as you explore the impact of religion on politics from multiple perspectives. The course will run from May 11-26. Petersen says, “In this course, you will read works from the great Hindu and Muslim thinkers who guided the movement for Indian independence from British colonial rule. Then you will see if you can do it better! Through an intensive experiential learning simulation, you will play the part of one of the primary characters at the Simla conference and negotiate the end of British rule of India.”For more information, contact Petersen at 615-494-8662 or kpeterse@mtsu.edu.

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS--“People are shouting too many philosophies of health and happiness at us,” notes a commentator on the recent explosion of interest in a topic of vital interest to us all—our own perceived well-being. But long before the shouting began, philosophers like Aristotle, Epicurus, Montaigne, Spinoza, Mill, Hume and James were carefully considering the question of how to get happy and stay that way. Dr. James Oliver will lead students through an examination of this subject in “The Philosophy of Happiness,” a class slated for Tuesdays and Thursdays this fall at MTSU. “In this course, we’ll survey older philosophical ideas about happiness, the new approach in psychology, and some of the best fictional literature,” says Oliver. ”Our approach will be calm, reasonable and interdisciplinary, with no gratuitous shouting.” Contact Oliver at 615-898-2050 or poliver@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.