Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Education and labor

Southern Middle Tennessee has a problem—an education gap. A study by Dr. Murat Arik, associate director of MTSU’s Business and Economic Research Center, concludes, “The workforce in the southern middle Tennessee counties has a deficit in educational attainment compared to the U.S. In order for these counties, already experiencing significant economic decline, to emerge as a globally competitive manufacturing region, they should develop policies to upgrade skill and education levels of the existing workforce. In doing so, these counties are likely to increase employment opportunities as well as income level for the unemployed and underemployed labor force. Now is the right time to invest in human capital to create a globally competitive regional workforce.”

Read Arik’s complete study in Tennessee’s Business at http://frank.mtsu.edu/~berc/tnbiz/stimulus/arik.html.

In the city

The latest city-by-city unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) show figures that still hover around or above the nine percent mark. Clarksville had the highest jobless rate in April at 9.4 percent, followed by Memphis at nine percent. Chattanooga and Nashville each posted jobless marks of 8.7 percent. Knoxville continues to show the “best” figures with an 8.2 percent unemployment rate. Statewide, 9.7 percent of the labor force is out of work, compared with 8.6 percent for the country as a whole.

For more information, contact the Business and Economic Research Center at 615-898-2610.

Tell a vision

The June edition of “Middle Tennessee Record” includes features on the job market for graduates, a student’s charitable work for ill and abused children, national plaudits for a couple of top-notch alumni, educational opportunities for older learners, a student’s 10-week internship in Bangladesh, the work of the Tennessee Small Business Development Center, and the future of online degrees and distance learning. The monthly television program is available for viewing on NewsChannel5+ and Murfreesboro Cable Channel 9, as well as 16 different cable TV outlets in the region. Check your local listings or watch the show at http://www.mtsunews.com/. The stories also have been posted to YouTube.

For more information or to obtain a DVD, contact John Lynch at 615-898-5591.
jlynch@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

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.

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

THE BEST POLICY--About 25 guidance counselors from Rutherford, Davidson and other counties across Tennessee are attending the third Insurance Education Institute Workshop through today, June 10, at MTSU. The workshop’s purpose is to familiarize counselors with insurance career opportunities they can share with students at their schools. Dr. Ken Hollman, holder of the Martin Chair of Insurance, invites reporters to attend any of the following sessions: 9 until 11 a.m. today in Room 316S of the Business and Aerospace Building; 1:30-2 p.m. today in Room 106 of the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors College Building; or the graduation dinner at Parthenon Steak House, 1935 S. Church St., at 5:30 p.m. today. Contact Hollman at 615-898-2673 or khollman@mtsu.edu.

THE REV’S RECORDINGS--Martin Fisher, Manager of Recorded Music Collections at MTSU’s Center for Popular Music, is playing a major role in preserving the legacy of the Rev. Lonzie Odie Taylor for the Center for Southern Folklore in Memphis. The new online exhibit “TAYLOR MADE: The Life and Work of the Rev. L.O. Taylor” debuts to the general public today, June 10, at http://www.southernfolklore.com/. The minister was a Renaissance man whose talents as a photographer, filmmaker, writer, recording artist and producer—all from his home “studio”—made him an invaluable chronicler of life in the African-American community of Memphis. Fisher’s role in the preservation of artifacts in the exhibit was to transfer 90 audio lacquer disc recordings produced by Taylor to a digital format. Contact Fisher at 615-898-5509 or wmfisher@mtsu.edu.