Friday, July 10, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Learning and earning

Dr. Murat Arik, associate director of MTSU’s Business and Economic Research Center, studied a 14-county area of Tennessee located between Nashville and Huntsville and found a need for a better-educated workforce to meet the demands of a 21st century economy. Arik writes in Tennessee’s Business, “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.”

Contact Arik at 615-898-5424.
marik@mtsu.edu

Metro misery

Knoxville is the only major municipal area in Tennessee with an unemployment rate below nine percent, according to preliminary figures showing the jobless rate as a percent of the labor force. Knoxville posted an 8.8 percent jobless rate in May. Chattanooga and Nashville each had a 9.3 percent rate. In Memphis, 9.7 percent of the work force was unemployed. Clarksville’s unemployment rate was identical to the statewide jobless rate at 10.3 percent. That’s higher than the national rate of 9.7 percent.

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

Misdiagnosed malady

One of the reasons the rate of autism in this country is difficult to determine is that it frequently is diagnosed as some other condition. Ed Evans, head of MTSU’s student organization Students for Autism Awareness, says, “Many physicians and treatment programs will be tried. If you’re lucky, you will find one that will work. Once again, this is rare. In most instances, misdiagnosis is the common occurrence as psychiatrists are the one who make the diagnosis. Bipolar (disorder), schizophrenia and clinical depression are more commonly the diagnosis. However, in today’s world, autism is being labeled on every child who exhibits any of the classic signs and may do more harm than good. Mood-altering and behavior medication is handed out like candy, and the root problem goes untreated.” (Evans is the father of two autistic children.)

Contact Evans at 615-493-7379.
edevans43@comcast.net

TR EXTRA

LEADING THE WAY--The MTSU Leadership Studies Program has been named as the 2009 Outstanding Leadership Program by the Association of Leadership Educators Inc. Known as ALE, the organization’s representatives will present the award to Dr. Deana Meadows Raffo on Wednesday, July 15, at its annual conference in Providence, R.I., where the MTSU program, a 17-credit, interdisciplinary minor offered to students, will be recognized formally for excellence. An assistant professor of speech and theatre, Raffo said the MTSU Leadership Studies Program “is completing its fifth year, so I feel that the award is an indication that we have a firm foundation in place and are ready for the second phase of development with additional course offerings beyond the core courses.” As of May, the campus-based program has graduated 50 students. To request interviews with Raffo or other members of the leadership program’s committee, contact Lisa L. Rollins in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919 or lrollins@mtsu.edu.

“OH, SING TO THE LORD A NEW SONG; SING TO THE LORD, ALL THE EARTH!—PSALMS 96:1--Ben Speer’s Stamps-Baxter School of Music, based in Nashville, will provide instruction in the performance of Southern Gospel music July 12-24 on the MTSU campus. Subjects for daily classes include theory, harmony, songwriting, sight singing and ear training. Private lessons are offered in voice, piano, guitar and bass guitar. Electives include classes on how to lead congregational singing and how to build a successful career in gospel music. “The Stamps-Baxter Publishing Co. was, in its day, the premier publisher of Southern Gospel music,” says Dr. Stephen Shearon, MTSU professor of music. The Gaither Vocal Band, Allison Durham Speer, Greater Vision, Ivan Parker, Little Roy Lewis, Earl Scruggs and The Florida Boys are among the artists who have performed free concerts at the school in the past. For more information, go to http://stampsbaxterschool.com or contact Shearon at 615-898-5984 or sshearon@mtsu.edu.

SEA HUNT (MINUS LLOYD BRIDGES)--MTSU sophomore Terrance Adams and his fellow representatives of the Diving with a Purpose program will travel to Washington, D.C., July 16-17 to accept the “Take Pride in America” award in the Public-Private Partnership category from the U.S. Department of the Interior. Diving with a Purpose (DWP) is a program that trains young African-American divers. “I went to a party one time, and everybody knew how to swim except me,” says Adams, a journalism major from Madison. “I’ve been told by my peers that black people don’t scuba dive or swim. But how can you let a color determine who you are?” Divers in DWP have helped the National Park Service, a division of the Interior Department, to identify and research a number of sunken shipwrecks and develop professional site plans for historical and archaeological sites in Biscayne National Park in Florida. For more information and/or a photo of Terrance Adams, contact Gina Logue in the MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.

PRESSING ON--The legacy of MTSU’s working replica of an 18th century printing press will be explained through photos and prints as part of an exhibit at the main branch of the Nashville Public Library, 615 Church St., through Sept. 27. The exhibit is titled “Telling the Story: Letterpress Printing and Community.” The university’s segment will include the story of letterpress printing at MTSU. The works of current MTSU art students; alumni; visiting artists; faculty; elementary, middle- and high-school teachers and students who printed on the James E. Walker Library’s unique device will be highlighted. A reproduction of the English common press used by Benjamin Franklin in the early 1700s, the printing press was handcrafted in 2004 and 2005 out of chestnut and white oak wood from a 100-year-old house in Virginia. Contact Kristen Keene at 615-898-5376 or kkeene@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.

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 July. 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.