Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Nine is fine.

MTSU’s Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs (IDA) will mark the ninth day of the ninth month of 2009 with a campus-wide celebration tomorrow, Sept. 9. Faculty from the Department of History will mark the occasion by sharing historical events that occurred on Sept. 9 with students in their classes. In honor of all students who were born on Sept. 9, IDA will present a huge birthday cake at noon in the Keathley University Center (KUC) courtyard. The comedy movie “Waterboy,” starring Sept. 9 birthday boy Adam Sandler, will be presented at midnight in the KUC Theater. Another celebrity born on Sept. 9, Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Harland “Colonel” Sanders, will be seen strolling around the campus. Since the Colonel passed away in 1980, a gifted impersonator, “Colonel” Bob Thompson, former mayor of Lawrenceburg, Ky., will assume Sanders’ identity.

For more information, contact Vincent Windrow, director of IDA, at 615-898-2831.
vwindrow@mtsu.edu

Injection for protection

MTSU Health Services will administer seasonal flu vaccine injections to faculty, staff and students and multiple locations next week. These vaccinations are not for the H1N1 virus, commonly referred to as “swine flu.” Seasonal flu vaccinations will be available from 10 a.m.-noon today, Sept. 8, in the second floor conference room of the Cope Administration Building and from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 14, in the second floor lounge of the Keathley University Center. Payment may be made by cash or check at these locations. Shots will be given in the atrium of the Health, Wellness and Recreation Center from 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 9, and from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10. At this location, payment may be made by cash, check, Visa, MasterCard or American Express, or students may charge the expense to their MTSU accounts. The cost is $15 for students and $20 for faculty and staff. No appointment is necessary.

Contact Health Services at 615-898-2988.

Best of the best

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi recently recognized the campus chapter at MTSU as a Chapter of Merit. This award is given to chapters that not only comply with the Society’s national standards but also demonstrate an active commitment to excellence. “The MTSU Phi Kappa Phi chapter’s distinction as a Chapter of Merit speaks to the academic quality of our faculty and students and their leadership in scholarly excellence and service,” says Dr. Diane Miller, MTSU interim executive vice president and provost. “This award also recognizes our students who have competed nationally and received PKP fellowships and scholarships.” Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Baton Rouge, La., Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest, largest and most selective all-discipline honor society.

Contact Dr. John Vile at 615-898-2596.
jvile@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

GETTING TO KNOW US--Today, Sept. 8, the courtyard will be the venue for the Volunteer Fair from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The Student Organization Fair is slated for 10 a.m.-2 p.m. tomorrow, Sept. 9. From 8 p.m.-midnight on Friday, Sept. 11, it’s “Dance the Night Away” in the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building. Contact Randy Weiler in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919 or jweiler@mtsu.edu.

WHEN YOU YEARN TO LEARN--MTSU professors, past and present, will serve as some of the tour guides for the 19th annual “Adventures in Learning,” an interesting educational experience for persons age 50 and older, on four successive Mondays, Sept. 14, 21, and 28, and Oct. 5, at First United Methodist Church, 265 W. Thompson Lane in Murfreesboro. Topics to be explored include recreation, literature, country music, genealogy, technology, ethnicity and history. Classes will last from 9:30-10:30 a.m. and 10:45-11:45 a.m. “Adventures in Learning” is made possible by a local interfaith coalition. The cost for all four weeks is $8 in advance or $10 after Sept. 2. Lunch reservations and payments must be made in advance of the classes. Lunch will be catered by Carolyn’s Creations, followed by forums on various items of civic interest. Contact Mary Belle Ginanni at 615-895-6072.

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.

ART FROM THE HEART--The Todd Art Gallery at MTSU will present the art department’s 2009 biennial Faculty Art Exhibition through Sept. 17. “This exhibit will feature works of art by faculty members as a way to introduce their work to art majors, the broader campus population and the community,” says Eric Snyder, gallery curator, who adds that the artworks represented will vary in media and styles—from representational, abstract and non-objective to traditional media in a straightforward manner and mixed media with a “twist.” The gallery, which is located in the Todd Building on the MTSU campus, is open from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. each Monday-Friday and is closed on state and university holidays. Admission is always free. Contact Snyder at 615-898-5653 or esnyder@mtsu.edu.