Thursday, November 12, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

The unbearable lightness of (human) being

Should humanists be content with a vibrant humanist subculture in a society that embraces religion, or should their goal be to make the mainstream culture more secular and humanistic? Dr. Phil Oliver, philosophy, says, “It seems to me there’s no reason why humanists should not be happy to embrace the claim that a more humanistic mainstream culture would also be more (naturalistically) ‘spiritual.’ And there’s every reason why they should be averse to reinforcing the popular prejudice that humanists, atheists and secularists generally are best defined by their aversions. Tell the people what you’re for if you really want to move the culture forward.”

Contact Oliver at 615-898-2050.
poliver@mtsu.edu

Play, laugh, grow

The MTSU-based Center for Physical Activity and Health in Youth will present Dr. Thomas Rowland speaking on “The Biological Basis of Physical Activity in Youth” at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 17, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business and Aerospace Building. Rowland is Director of Pediatric Cardiology at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Mass., and Professor of Pediatrics at Tufts University School of Medicine. He has written more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and presented nearly 80 keynote talks to national and international audiences on a wide range of topics, including developmental exercise physiology, the effects of lifestyle on cardiovascular function in children, iron deficiency in adolescent athletes and determinants of exercise performance in youth. This event is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Dr. Don Morgan at 615-898-5549.
dmorgan@mtsu.edu

Who’s minding the store?

The president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Dennis Lockhart, tells Bloomberg News that bank losses in commercial real estate will slow down the pace of economic recovery. Dr. Doug Timmons, economics and finance, says, “I fear that tough times, at least in the short term, lie ahead for commercial real state. If macroeconomic conditions continue to worsen, particularly in the retail and service sectors, commercial real estate fundamentals will be hurt. Additionally, unless the credit markets start to open up, market activity will continue to dampen. If the commercial property situation does grow worse, banks are likely to face further losses. One factor that might mitigate these risks is that the commercial real estate sector wasn’t as grossly overbuilt heading into the current economic slowdown as it had been in the early 1990s.”

Contact Timmons at 615-898-5750.
jtimmons@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

LORE FROM DAYS OF YORE--The Albert Gore Research Center at MTSU extends an invitation to preview the opening of the records of the Tennessee Folklore Society during the editorship of the late Dr. Charles Wolfe, professor of English. Highlights from the collection will be on display for browsing from 1-4 p.m. today, Nov. 12, in Room 128 of the Todd Building. There is no program or admission charge. For more information, contact Dr. Jim Williams, director of the Gore Center, at 615-898-2633 or jhwillia@mtsu.edu.

BURRITOS FOR BABIES--Up ‘til Dawn will host a percentage night from 6-9 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 16, at Blue Coast Burrito, 1122 Memorial Blvd. in Murfreesboro. A percentage of your purchase will go to the Up ‘til Dawn program at MTSU if you let the staff know you are there on behalf of the program. Up ‘til Dawn is a nationwide, student-led, student-run program to raise funds for and awareness of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. Though called Up ‘til Dawn, the program usually takes place throughout the academic year and provides opportunities in leadership for college students, allowing them to gain valuable work experience by organizing and participating in fundraising activities. For more information, contact Edgard Izaguirre at 270-987-2448 or eizag001@gmail.com.

THE POWER OF THE PRESS--Local artist Shona Cowart will lecture from 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. today, Nov. 12, in Room 462, followed by the public’s chance to make their own prints on the library’s showpiece, its 18th century-replica printing press, from 7-8 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. Each participant in the Community “Pull the Bar” Night will be allowed to manipulate the press under professional supervision to print and keep a quote from English essayist and lexicographer Samuel Johnson on off-white classic-laid text, also known as “printer’s paper.” A reproduction of the English common press used by Benjamin Franklin in the early 1700s, the press was handcrafted from chestnut and white oak wood and features brass, iron and steel parts forged by hand. Media welcomed. For more information, contact Kristen Keene at 615-898-5376 or kkeene@mtsu.edu.

“A KALEIDOSCOPIC PHANTASMAGORIA”—NBC EXECUTIVE PAT WEAVER DESCRIBING MONITOR RADIO--The November 2009 edition of “Middle Tennessee Record” is a kaleidoscopic phantasmagoria indeed. This month, the program features perspectives from Dr. David Penn, director of MTSU’s Business and Economic Research Center, Georgia State University Professor Emeritus Donald Ratajczak, and MTSU students on the state of the economy; the poignant expressions of Holocaust liberators and survivors at MTSU’s ninth biennial International Holocaust Studies Conference; and an exhibit displaying the dazzling lineup of stars who have appeared at Murphy Center over the years—everyone from Garth Brooks to Elton John. To see the cable TV schedule or view the video online, go to mtsunews.com and click on “Middle Tennessee Record.” For more information, contact John Lynch at 615-898-5591 or jlynch@mtsu.edu.

IN MEMORIAM--As part of MTSU’s 28th annual Salute to Armed Forces/Veterans Day activities, the MTSU Veterans Memorial Committee will celebrate the completion of the wall and the implantation of commemorative brick pavers at the memorial site with a formal ceremony at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, in front of the Tom H. Jackson Building on the campus. A multibranch color guard, remarks by special guests and the playing of “Taps” are among the tributes on the ceremonial agenda. A time capsule containing publicity, fundraising memorabilia, photos and blueprints, among other items, will be embedded in the ground near the memorial after the ceremony. The names of 63 members of the MTSU community who perished in the service of their country are engraved on the north side of the wall, a bisected light gray polished granite structure. For more information, go to http://www.mtsu.edu/military/memorial/index.shtml.

I’LL GRANT YOU THAT.--The MTSU President’s Commission on the Status of Women is offering three grants of $1,800 each to faculty members who want to integrate the experiences and perspectives of women into the curriculum. The grants are intended for use in the summer of 2010. The 2009 winners include Dr. Gretchen Webber, sociology, for her new undergraduate course “Gender, Work and Family in the 21st Century; Dr. Meredith Huey Dye, sociology, for her special topics course “Women in Prison;” and Dr. Tricia Farwell, journalism, for her “Advertising and Social Media” course. The deadline for faculty to submit applications for the 2010 grants is Jan. 19. For more information, contact Dr. Samantha Cantrell at 615-494-8751 or scantrel@mtsu.edu.

PICTURES OF YOU, PICTURES OF ME--A different take on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is on display in Stan Strembicki’s exhibit “Memory Loss/Lost Library” in the Baldwin Photographic Gallery in the Learning Resources Center at MTSU. Strembicki has been photographing the streets, people and events of New Orleans since 1984. Returning after Katrina, he was drawn to photograph not the ubiquitous crushed homes or overturned cars, but the subtler tragedy of washed-away personal ephemera in the debris of the Lower Ninth Ward. “Memory Loss/Lost Library” will be on display until Dec. 9. Exhibitions are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Tom Jimison at 615-898-2085 or tjimison@mtsu.edu.

MICKEY MAKES A SCHEDULE CHANGE--The date of the Disney Keys to Excellence Conference hosted by MTSU’s Jennings A. Jones College of Business at the Sheraton Downtown Nashville has been changed to Tuesday, Dec. 1, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This is a rare opportunity to take an exclusive look at the "business behind the magic" from Walt Disney World© insiders, who will share the successful business practices and unique philosophies that have made the Disney name synonymous with creativity, quality, and innovation the world over. To learn more and to register, go to www.keysnashville.com or call 877-544-2384.