Thursday, June 4, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Are you sure you want to use that defense, Coach?

Is there a place for college student-athletes’ evaluations of their coaches’ performance? Research by Dr. Colby Jubenville, health and human performance, and Dr. Michael B. Phillips of Tennessee Tech seems to indicate it might be a good idea. Jubenville and Phillips studied athlete’s perceptions of men’s basketball head coaches’ competence at 15 NCCAA Division II Christian colleges. In an article in the MTSU-based Journal of Sport Administration and Supervision (www.jsasonline.org), The professors write, “This evaluation process can be used as a tool that can enable coaches to evaluate the four dimensions of coaching competency [character building, game strategy, motivation and, in this case, basketball techniques] that will help solidify the congruency between the coach and the student-athlete.”

Contact Jubenville at 615-898-2909.
jubenvil@mtsu.edu

Excellence in the key of “C”

Silviu Ciulei (pronounced SIL-view chu-LAY), who graduated from MTSU with a bachelor’s degree in Guitar Performance in 2008, won the $1,000 fifth prize in the Parkening International Guitar Competition at Pepperdine University May 28-30. Dr. William Yelverton, music professor and director of guitar studies at MTSU, says, “The triennial Parkening Competition is the preeminent guitar competition in the world, offering $65,000 in cash prizes. Silviu, age 23, was the only USA college student to win a prize in the 2009 Parkening International Competition (The other prize winners hailed from Italy, Spain, Scotland and Finland.)” A native of Romania who speaks five languages, Silviu was MTSU’s first full undergraduate international music scholar.

For more information, contact Yelverton at 615-898-5623.
yelverto@mtsu.edu

CLEAR thinking

Representatives of the CLEAR (Collaborative Education and Research) Water Institute at MTSU will discuss their ongoing assessment of Stewart’s Creek at the annual meeting of the Stones River Watershed Association at noon, Saturday, June 6, at the Creek House at the Sam Davis Home in Smyrna. The institute is working with the Town of Smyrna to monitor conditions in the creek. The professors will present a hands-on demonstration. The goal of CLEAR is to bring as many researchers as possible together from a variety of disciplines to work on projects with an integrated, holistic approach. “We’re working together and we’re going to have a track record of working together for multiple projects on multiple different aspects,” says Dr. Ryan Otter, assistant professor of biology. “As we go up for very highly competitive grants at the top level, our track record should speak for itself.”

Contact Randle Branch at 615-686-3602 about the Stones River Watershed Association.To find out more about CLEAR, go to http://frank.mtsu.edu/~clearmt/, call 615-898-2660 or send an e-mail to clearmt@mtsu.edu.

TR EXTRA

SUPER SOUND--New MTSU Audio Clips and radio-ready stories are available at www.mtsunews.com. Click on “Audio Clips” on the right side of the page. In this edition, Dr. Laura Blackwell Clark, an associate professor of educational leadership, advocates equal opportunity for access to higher education for undocumented immigrants and explains her position. Also, Martin Fisher, director of Recorded Music Collections at MTSU’s Center for Popular Music, loves to record sounds on wax cylinders not unlike those Thomas Edison used at the advent of the phonograph. Fisher likes to demonstrate and talk about his craft, too. Listen to one of his 21st century recordings on early 20th century equipment and compare it to a 1906 recording on an Edison device! For more information about MTSU Audio Clips, contact Gina Logue in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.

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