Monday, July 13, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Sotomayor in the spotlight

The Senate Judiciary Committee begins hearings today on the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to fill the slot on the U.S. Supreme Court being vacated by Justice David Souter. The American Bar Association gives Sotomayor a rating of “well qualified,” its highest possible ranking. David Hudson, adjunct political science professor and First Amendment Center scholar, says lawyers who have argued cases before her give her high marks. He says Robert J. Anello, president-elect of the Federal Bar Council, told him Sotomayor was “well-informed and active during oral arguments” in the case he argued. Kent A Yalowitz, who lost a case before Sotomayor, told Hudson that Sotomayor is “very smart and generally practical. I think she will make an excellent addition to the Court should she be confirmed.”

Contact Hudson at 615-727-1342.
dhudson@fac.org

Solid as a Rock Blok

Registration opens Wednesday, July 15, for this fall’s Rock Blok workshop at MTSU. Young musicians ages 10-17 can learn music, make friends and form a band at the workshop, which is slated to begin September 5th. “When a student signs up, he or she is assigned to a band with other students,” says Ryan York, executive leader of Youth Empowerment through Arts and Humanities (YEAH!) and workshop leader. “Each band has two professional musicians as volunteer teachers. The students then spend two hours each Saturday learning music, working up a set list, making merchandise for their band, recording an album and writing music.” At the conclusion of the workshop, the bands will perform in concert. The fee is $40 a month ($120 total).

For more information, go to www.YEAHintheBoro.org, send an e-mail to info@YEAHintheBoro.org, or call 615-849-8140.

STEM cells

MTSU has been awarded a $2.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation for teacher preparation and leadership in science and math. The latest award includes support for a Master Teaching Fellows Program ($1.5 million) and for the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program ($900,000), both of which will assist in beefing up K-12 education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The MTSU Master Teaching Fellows Program, a five-year project and one of only six such programs across the nation, will place 14 exceptional math and science teachers at high-needs high schools in Rutherford and Davidson counties, with support from STEM industry partners through Mind2Marketplace and the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce.

Contact Randy Weiler in the MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919.
jweiler@mtsu.edu

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 through July 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.