Friday, December 11, 2009

EDITORS: TODAY’S RESPONSE IS GOING ON HOLIDAY HIATUS. WE WILL RETURN ON JANUARY 18, 2010. WE WISH YOU A MERRY REST OF DECEMBER AND A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Angels we have heard on high

Due to an advanced case of laryngitis, Dr. Robb McDaniel, associate professor of political science, will not be the guest this Sunday, Dec. 13, on “MTSU On the Record” on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org) as originally planned and announced. Instead, McDaniel will analyze President Barack Obama’s first year in office at 8 a.m. on the Sunday, Dec. 20, program, health permitting. At 8 a.m. this Sunday, Dec. 13, host Gina Logue will welcome Dr. Rami Shapiro, adjunct professor of religious studies and an ordained rabbi, to discuss his new book The Angelic Way: Angels through the Ages and Their Meaning for Us (BlueBridge). Shapiro’s book examines the role of angel-like beings in the Abrahamic faiths and eastern religions and their roles as metaphors to help humans transcend their ego-driven agendas to embrace a more holistic consciousness.

Contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.

Pumping it up

Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm says she supports an increase in that state’s diesel fuel tax from 15 cents a gallon to 19 cents a gallon. Whatever happened to the glowing reports that biodiesel was going to be a promising alternative fuel that would help America wean itself off of foreign oil? Dr. Cliff Ricketts, agribusiness and agriscience, says, “With the price of fuel as cheat as it is now, people are just playing it safe and using regular diesel. In my opinion, as soon as all the alternative fuel plants go out of business, the price of oil will rise again. … Anyone using pure biodiesel better have two sets of filters on hand ready for the replacement. The problem is that … clogged filters can and will happen at an inopportune time.”

Contact Ricketts at 615-898-2430.
srickett@mtsu.edu

Even a Founding Father needs a second opinion.

December 15 is designated as “Bill of Rights Day” because it marks the ratification of the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution by Virginia, the 11th state. This step was necessary to secure the amendments’ ratification. Dr. John Vile, political scientist and dean of the University Honors College, says, “Virginia’s ratification is especially appropriate given the role of James Madison of Virginia as ‘father’ of the Bill of Rights. Initially tepid about the need for such a list of rights, letters from his friend Thomas Jefferson, as well as the sentiments of his own Virginia constituents, convinced him that a Bill of Rights could do no harm and might serve both to educate the people and to give power to courts to protect individual liberties.” (Vile dons wig and period dress on occasion to pose as Madison for special events.)

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

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THE OTHER WAR---Dr. Sean Foley, assistant professor of history, will discuss the international ramifications of the Obama administration's Afghanistan policy on "Inside Politics" on NewsChannel5+ at 7 p.m. tonight, Friday, Dec. 11. The program, hosted by Pat Nolan, will reair at 5 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. tomorrow, Dec. 12, and 5 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 13, as well as 5 a.m. on NewsChannel5 proper.

THE RED AND GREEN BADGE OF COURAGE--In October 2006, Lee Ann Newton, executive aide for MTSU’s Tennessee Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Center (TMSTEC), learned that a friend’s son had lost both legs in an IED (improvised explosive device) explosion in Iraq. His tragedy and those of other wounded soldiers prompted Newton to launch Operation Christmas Care. She has placed a drop box in the hallway on the first floor of the Fairview Building, 820 Fairview Ave. in Murfreesboro, where members of the campus community can drop off holiday greetings for injured military personnel, and she is encouraging others on campus to collect cards in their buildings. Newton writes, “E-mails are nice, but a colorful card or letter with a heartfelt message of support and encouragement can beam from their walls until they leave (the hospital).” To ensure timely delivery, Newton says she will send the last batch of cards on Tuesday, Dec. 15. Contact Newton at 615-904-8573 or lnewton@mtsu.edu.

SAY IT TO THE SECRETARY—“Student Voices on Education: A National Town Hall Meeting with Arne Duncan” has been rescheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15, live on the Education Resource Channel@Middle Tennessee. Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education, will serve as moderator for the broadcast, which will air live in Murfreesboro on Comcast Channel 9. The program is part of the monthly “Education News Parents Can Use” series that airs evenings on ERC@MT during the K-12 school year. Gail Fedak, director for Instructional Media Resources at MTSU, says the program’s town hall-focused format will allow for call-in and e-mail questions. In turn, schools in Rutherford County that normally receive the university’s K-12 programming on ERC@MT, as well as interested community members, may tune in to participate in the live discussion. Contact Fedak at 615-898-2740 or gfedak@mtsu.edu.

HAIL THE HEROES!--MTSU’s Black History Month Committee is accepting nominations for unsung heroes to be honored at the annual Unity Luncheon, which is slated for Feb. 3, 2010. Nominees must be individuals who have made outstanding contributions to their community, are age 60 or older and have lived in the Middle Tennessee area for 25 years or more. The deadline for submitting nominations is today, Dec. 11. To nominate a person worthy of this great traditional honor, go to http://www.mtsu.edu/aahm/nominations/shtml and fill in the online questionnaire. For more information, contact Valerie Avent, assistant director of the Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs at 615-898-2718 or vavent@mtsu.edu.

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 Tuesday, Jan. 19. For more information, contact Dr. Samantha Cantrell at 615-494-8751 or scantrel@mtsu.edu.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Kiddie care careers

Tennesseans who want to pursue an education in child care or early childhood education have a new scholarship option, thanks to the Tennessee Early Childhood Training Alliance (TECTA). TECTA will be providing scholarships for the 2009-10 academic year to cover 100 percent of a recipient’s tuition plus related expenses for Child Development Associate credentials, technical certificates and academic degrees as funds allow. These scholarships provide full tuition support to retrain displaced and underemployed workers in the child care field and those looking to make the transition to a career in child care. This is the first initiative to allow TECTA to provide full tuition support for students at both public and private two-year and four-year institutions and is designed to remove the financial constraints for adults entering and returning to school.

For TECTA information at MTSU, contact Debbie Simpson at 615-904-8318.
dsimpson@mtsu.edu

The family that multitasks together …

In the 21st century two-parent family, each parent has two full-time jobs: family and work. How will you manage the demands of your career and family in the future? Are you currently juggling the two? What is the second shift and how does it affect you? How does the balancing act of work and family create inequality between men and women? Are work and family friends or enemies? Dr. Gretchen Webber, assistant professor of sociology, and her students will explore these questions and more in “Work, Family, Gender in the 21st Century,” a new class that will be offered at MTSU in the spring 2010 semester. It’s available as either an undergraduate or graduate course. The class also qualifies as a Women’s Studies and Gender Studies elective and meets the requirements for a minor in Family Studies.

Contact Webber at 615-898-2519.
gwebber@mtsu.edu

O, come all ye secular

There will be no holiday singing in the South Orange-Maplewood School District in New Jersey this year. A federal appellate court has upheld a lower court ruling that the district’s limits on religious music are not unconstitutional. The father of two children who attend school in the district challenged the policy on the grounds of violating the First Amendment’s clauses pertaining to freedom of speech and establishment of religion. David Hudson, adjunct political science professor and First Amendment Center scholar, says the appellate court determined that the school district’s “purpose of maintaining a position of neutrality toward religion and avoiding claims of promoting religion was legitimate.” Hudson says the court also ruled that “school officials must screen various policies to ensure that they maintain church-state separation and that such routine screening doesn’t cross the line into excessive entanglement.”

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

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THE RED AND GREEN BADGE OF COURAGE--In October 2006, Lee Ann Newton, executive aide for MTSU’s Tennessee Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Center (TMSTEC), learned that a friend’s son had lost both legs in an IED (improvised explosive device) explosion in Iraq. His tragedy and those of other wounded soldiers prompted Newton to launch Operation Christmas Care. She has placed a drop box in the hallway on the first floor of the Fairview Building, 820 Fairview Ave. in Murfreesboro, where members of the campus community can drop off holiday greetings for injured military personnel, and she is encouraging others on campus to collect cards in their buildings. Newton writes, “E-mails are nice, but a colorful card or letter with a heartfelt message of support and encouragement can beam from their walls until they leave (the hospital).” To ensure timely delivery, Newton says she will send the last batch of cards on Tuesday, Dec. 15. Contact Newton at 615-904-8573 or lnewton@mtsu.edu.

IMPULSE ART--The final Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Candidates Exhibition for the fall semester is on display through today, Dec. 10, at MTSU’s Todd Art Gallery in Room 224 of the Todd Building. Titled “follow {y}our impulse,” it is described as a show “designed around impulse and creativity.” The participants write, “Creative thought, uncurbed passion and refined talent are necessary for success, and we incorporate those ideals into our work daily. We believe as designers we tend to design off our own impulses as well as those we perceive from our audience and clients.” Todd Art Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, closing only on state and university holidays. Contact Eric Snyder, gallery director, at 615-898-5653 or esnyder@mtsu.edu.

CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS--The first annual Department of Accounting CPE (Continuing Professional Education) Day at MTSU will be held today, Dec. 10, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business and Aerospace Building. Seminars during the conference include presentations on Ponzi schemes and fraud, international financial reporting standards, accounting and financial reporting, auditing and taxation. Participants can earn up to eight hours of CPE credit. The cost is $150, which includes all seminars, materials and lunch. Due to limited seating, participants should register early. Visit http://www.mtsu.edu/accounting or call the MTSU Department of Accounting at 615-898-5306.

SAY IT TO THE SECRETARY—“Student Voices on Education: A National Town Hall Meeting with Arne Duncan” has been rescheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15, live on the Education Resource Channel@Middle Tennessee. Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education, will serve as moderator for the broadcast, which will air live in Murfreesboro on Comcast Channel 9. The program is part of the monthly “Education News Parents Can Use” series that airs evenings on ERC@MT during the K-12 school year. Gail Fedak, director for Instructional Media Resources at MTSU, says the program’s town hall-focused format will allow for call-in and e-mail questions. In turn, schools in Rutherford County that normally receive the university’s K-12 programming on ERC@MT, as well as interested community members, may tune in to participate in the live discussion. Contact Fedak at 615-898-2740 or gfedak@mtsu.edu.

HAIL THE HEROES!--MTSU’s Black History Month Committee is accepting nominations for unsung heroes to be honored at the annual Unity Luncheon, which is slated for Feb. 3, 2010. Nominees must be individuals who have made outstanding contributions to their community, are age 60 or older and have lived in the Middle Tennessee area for 25 years or more. The deadline for submitting nominations is tomorrow, Dec. 11. To nominate a person worthy of this great traditional honor, go to http://www.mtsu.edu/aahm/nominations/shtml and fill in the online questionnaire. For more information, contact Valerie Avent, assistant director of the Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs at 615-898-2718 or vavent@mtsu.edu.

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 Tuesday, Jan. 19. For more information, contact Dr. Samantha Cantrell at 615-494-8751 or scantrel@mtsu.edu.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Dream when you’re feeling red, white and blue

Every culture honors core myths that define its nature and purpose. One that is most enduring for Americans is “the American Dream.” But when we discover its many expressions around us and then examine its meaning for ourselves, “the American Dream” becomes more complicated, far richer, even problematic in a time of economic crisis. In “Living the American Dream,” an interdisciplinary seminar course to be taught in spring 2010 by Dr. David Rowe, history, students will examine themselves—their gifts, desires, potential. Each student will find a way to express “the American dream” using the gifts he or she has—narrative, music, art, poetry and video. What will it take to realize the dream? At the end, students will have had an opportunity, using their university education, to reach out beyond themselves and connect to a greater vision that can inspire.

Contact Rowe at 615-898-2646.
dlrowe@mtsu.edu

UTeachM

MTSU has received a five-year, $1.925 million grant to help launch MTeach. The program, which will launch Jan. 1, is a replicate of the nationally known UTeach program created at the University of Texas at Austin in 1997. “UTeach recruits strong math and science majors with a chance to try out teaching for free through two one-credit freshman courses that help the college student prepare and deliver an active-learning lesson for elementary school students and middle school students,” says Dr. Tom Cheatham, dean of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences. Dr. Phil Waldrop, associate dean of the College of Education and Behavioral Science, says, “This grant gives us the opportunity to do exciting work in the preparation of math and science teachers and will allow us to recruit top students into the teaching profession in ways that aren’t possible now.”

Contact Cheatham at 615-898-2613 or cheatham@mtsu.edu
Contact Waldrop at 615-898-2874 or pwaldrop@mtsu.edu

Underwater in a landlocked state

Mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures were weak in the second quarter. According to Tennessee Housing Market, a publication of MTSU’s Business and Economic Research Center, “The continued weakness in mortgage loans is a consequence of the financial stress Tennessee households are experiencing as joblessness rises and household incomes fall. Mortgages past due in Tennessee rose to 10.33 percent in the second quarter, higher than 10.09 percent in the first. New foreclosures in Tennessee continued to climb, reaching one percent of all mortgages. The current inventory of mortgages in foreclosure recorded its largest increase yet, rising by .26 percentage points from the previous quarter.”

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

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THE RED AND GREEN BADGE OF COURAGE--In October 2006, Lee Ann Newton, executive aide for MTSU’s Tennessee Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Center (TMSTEC), learned that a friend’s son had lost both legs in an IED (improvised explosive device) explosion in Iraq. His tragedy and those of other wounded soldiers prompted Newton to launch Operation Christmas Care. She has placed a drop box in the hallway on the first floor of the Fairview Building, 820 Fairview Ave. in Murfreesboro, where members of the campus community can drop off holiday greetings for injured military personnel, and she is encouraging others on campus to collect cards in their buildings. Newton writes, “E-mails are nice, but a colorful card or letter with a heartfelt message of support and encouragement can beam from their walls until they leave (the hospital).” To ensure timely delivery, Newton says she will send the last batch of cards on Tuesday, Dec. 15. Contact Newton at 615-904-8573 or lnewton@mtsu.edu.

IMPULSE ART--The final Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Candidates Exhibition for the fall semester is on display through Thursday, Dec. 10, at MTSU’s Todd Art Gallery in Room 224 of the Todd Building. Titled “follow {y}our impulse,” it is described as a show “designed around impulse and creativity.” The participants write, “Creative thought, uncurbed passion and refined talent are necessary for success, and we incorporate those ideals into our work daily. We believe as designers we tend to design off our own impulses as well as those we perceive from our audience and clients.” Todd Art Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, closing only on state and university holidays. Contact Eric Snyder, gallery director, at 615-898-5653 or esnyder@mtsu.edu.

CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS--The first annual Department of Accounting CPE (Continuing Professional Education) Day at MTSU will be held Thursday, Dec. 10, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business and Aerospace Building. Seminars during the conference include presentations on Ponzi schemes and fraud, international financial reporting standards, accounting and financial reporting, auditing and taxation. Participants can earn up to eight hours of CPE credit. The cost is $150, which includes all seminars, materials and lunch. Due to limited seating, participants should register early. Visit http://www.mtsu.edu/accounting or call the MTSU Department of Accounting at 615-898-5306.

SAY IT TO THE SECRETARY—“Student Voices on Education: A National Town Hall Meeting with Arne Duncan” has been rescheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15, live on the Education Resource Channel@Middle Tennessee. Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education, will serve as moderator for the broadcast, which will air live in Murfreesboro on Comcast Channel 9. The program is part of the monthly “Education News Parents Can Use” series that airs evenings on ERC@MT during the K-12 school year. Gail Fedak, director for Instructional Media Resources at MTSU, says the program’s town hall-focused format will allow for call-in and e-mail questions. In turn, schools in Rutherford County that normally receive the university’s K-12 programming on ERC@MT, as well as interested community members, may tune in to participate in the live discussion. Contact Fedak at 615-898-2740 or gfedak@mtsu.edu.

BOOK IT!--The University Writing Center at MTSU is joining forces with Project Help and Murfreesboro City Schools Outreach during the holiday season to encourage children’s literacy. In its team effort to promote the cause, UWC staff will accept new and gently used children’s books now through today, Dec. 9, as well as money donations, which will go toward the purchase of youth titles. Meagan McManus, a peer mentor and UWC writing assistant, says members of the UWC staff will attend Project Help’s fall semester celebration on Thursday, Dec. 17, to share some of the donated books with the lab’s children. Donations are accepted in Room 325 of Peck Hall from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays. For more information, contact the UWC at 615-904-8237 or e-mail McManus at mcm2r@mtsu.edu.

HAIL THE HEROES!--MTSU’s Black History Month Committee is accepting nominations for unsung heroes to be honored at the annual Unity Luncheon, which is slated for Feb. 3, 2010. Nominees must be individuals who have made outstanding contributions to their community, are age 60 or older and have lived in the Middle Tennessee area for 25 years or more. The deadline for submitting nominations is Friday, Dec. 11. To nominate a person worthy of this great traditional honor, go to http://www.mtsu.edu/aahm/nominations/shtml and fill in the online questionnaire. For more information, contact Valerie Avent, assistant director of the Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs at 615-898-2718 or vavent@mtsu.edu.

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 Tuesday, Jan. 19. For more information, contact Dr. Samantha Cantrell at 615-494-8751 or scantrel@mtsu.edu.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

When did you stop beating your gums?

Do we really want the news media to ask the tough questions we say we want them to ask of our elected officials? Dr. Larry Burriss, journalism professor and First Amendment expert, doubts it. “More and more, I suspect, we want reporters to be lap dogs and just take what the government gives out,” Burriss says. “We see that particularly when it comes to terms like ‘patriotism’ and ‘support of the president.’ Patriotism does not mean simply sitting by and letting the government do what it wants without question. As (Edward R.) Murrow said, asking questions and engaging in debate is not disloyal. That’s what the founding fathers intended, and that’s certainly what the media are supposed to be doing. A strong, fearless news media is essential to the proper functioning of a democracy.”

Contact Burriss at 615-898-2983.
lburriss@mtsu.edu

I’m no one special and I approved this message.

Business leaders and professional athletes have the greatest impact among all celebrity endorsers of products. A recent Adweek Media/Harris Poll finds that 37 percent of consumers consider business leaders the most persuasive and credible. Twenty-one percent said athletes were the most persuasive group. But Dr. Don Roy, management and marketing, says endorsement advertising affects only a small part of the overall audience. “The Adweek/Harris study found that 80 percent of persons surveyed are not swayed by the presence of celebrities in ads,” Roy says. “The implication of this finding is that marketers must understand celebrity endorsements are not the answer for every brand. We return to a basic tenet of marketing: know thy customer.”

Contact Roy at 615-904-8564.
droy@mtsu.edu

Me and my arrows

Most of the arrows point downward in the latest MTSU Middle Tennessee Consumer Confidence Index. Agreement with the statement “Six months from now, business conditions in Middle Tennessee will be better” declined 17 percent from September 2009. The statement “Six months from now, business conditions in the U.S. will be better saw a nine percent drop, as did the statement “Six months from now, there will be more job openings in Middle Tennessee.” Eight percent fewer respondents agreed with the statement “Twelve months from now, I will be better off financially than I am today.” The survey by the MTSU Office of Consumer Research is based on phone interviews with 410 randomly selected adult residents of Davidson, Rutherford and Williamson counties on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.

Contact Dr. Tim Graeff at 615-898-5124.
tgraeff@mtsu.edu

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THE RED AND GREEN BADGE OF COURAGE--In October 2006, Lee Ann Newton, executive aide for MTSU’s Tennessee Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Center (TMSTEC), learned that a friend’s son had lost both legs in an IED (improvised explosive device) explosion in Iraq. His tragedy and those of other wounded soldiers prompted Newton to launch Operation Christmas Care. She has placed a drop box in the hallway on the first floor of the Fairview Building, 820 Fairview Ave. in Murfreesboro, where members of the campus community can drop off holiday greetings for injured military personnel, and she is encouraging others on campus to collect cards in their buildings. Newton writes, “E-mails are nice, but a colorful card or letter with a heartfelt message of support and encouragement can beam from their walls until they leave (the hospital).” To ensure timely delivery, Newton says she will send the last batch of cards on Tuesday, Dec. 15. Contact Newton at 615-904-8573 or lnewton@mtsu.edu.

IMPULSE ART--The final Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Candidates Exhibition for the fall semester is on display through Thursday, Dec. 10, at MTSU’s Todd Art Gallery in Room 224 of the Todd Building. Titled “follow {y}our impulse,” it is described as a show “designed around impulse and creativity.” The participants write, “Creative thought, uncurbed passion and refined talent are necessary for success, and we incorporate those ideals into our work daily. We believe as designers we tend to design off our own impulses as well as those we perceive from our audience and clients.” Todd Art Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, closing only on state and university holidays. Contact Eric Snyder, gallery director, at 615-898-5653 or esnyder@mtsu.edu.

CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS--The first annual Department of Accounting CPE (Continuing Professional Education) Day at MTSU will be held Thursday, Dec. 10, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business and Aerospace Building. Seminars during the conference include presentations on Ponzi schemes and fraud, international financial reporting standards, accounting and financial reporting, auditing and taxation. Participants can earn up to eight hours of CPE credit. The cost is $150, which includes all seminars, materials and lunch. Due to limited seating, participants should register early. Visit http://www.mtsu.edu/accounting or call the MTSU Department of Accounting at 615-898-5306.

SAY IT TO THE SECRETARY—“Student Voices on Education: A National Town Hall Meeting with Arne Duncan” has been rescheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15, live on the Education Resource Channel@Middle Tennessee. Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education, will serve as moderator for the broadcast, which will air live in Murfreesboro on Comcast Channel 9. The program is part of the monthly “Education News Parents Can Use” series that airs evenings on ERC@MT during the K-12 school year. Gail Fedak, director for Instructional Media Resources at MTSU, says the program’s town hall-focused format will allow for call-in and e-mail questions. In turn, schools in Rutherford County that normally receive the university’s K-12 programming on ERC@MT, as well as interested community members, may tune in to participate in the live discussion. Contact Fedak at 615-898-2740 or gfedak@mtsu.edu.

BOOK IT!--The University Writing Center at MTSU is joining forces with Project Help and Murfreesboro City Schools Outreach during the holiday season to encourage children’s literacy. In its team effort to promote the cause, UWC staff will accept new and gently used children’s books now through tomorrow, Dec. 9, as well as money donations, which will go toward the purchase of youth titles. Meagan McManus, a peer mentor and UWC writing assistant, says members of the UWC staff will attend Project Help’s fall semester celebration on Thursday, Dec. 17, to share some of the donated books with the lab’s children. Donations are accepted in Room 325 of Peck Hall from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays. For more information, contact the UWC at 615-904-8237 or e-mail McManus at mcm2r@mtsu.edu.

HAIL THE HEROES!--MTSU’s Black History Month Committee is accepting nominations for unsung heroes to be honored at the annual Unity Luncheon, which is slated for Feb. 3, 2010. Nominees must be individuals who have made outstanding contributions to their community, are age 60 or older and have lived in the Middle Tennessee area for 25 years or more. The deadline for submitting nominations is Friday, Dec. 11. To nominate a person worthy of this great traditional honor, go to http://www.mtsu.edu/aahm/nominations/shtml and fill in the online questionnaire. For more information, contact Valerie Avent, assistant director of the Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs at 615-898-2718 or vavent@mtsu.edu.

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 Tuesday, Jan. 19. For more information, contact Dr. Samantha Cantrell at 615-494-8751 or scantrel@mtsu.edu.

Monday,December 7, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

I want a game just like the game that captivated dear old Dad.

One glance at the histories of certain major professional sports will show that careers in big-time athletic endeavors are family affairs. Baseball can claim the DiMaggios, the Alous, and the Ripkens, among others. Football has the Barbers and the Mannings. NASCAR can claim the Pettys, the Earnhardts, the Yarbroughs, and the Marlins. Dr. Mark Anshel, health and human performance, says, “It is known from scientific studies that there is strong association between the sport skill level of parents and their children. Abilities such as reaction time, speed and accuracy of cognitive processing and movement quality have a strong genetic component. In this way, child athletes of former highly skilled athletes will be expected to perform at a superior level than their peers whose parents were not highly skilled.”

Contact Anshel at 615-898-2812.
manshel@mtsu.edu

They can’t bank on it.

A report released last week by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) says that 53 percent of African-American households and 43 percent of Hispanic households use check cashers, payday lenders or pawnbrokers rather than banks. Dr. Jacque Wade, social work, says, “The extent that a disproportionate percentage of African-Americans and Latino-Americans—especially Mexicans and Puerto Ricans—are among the ranks of the poor is the extent to which check cashing venues are more accessible to these populations than are banks. Just a cursory visit to many, if not most, low-income/poor communities will find a proliferation of these stores almost on every street corner. One would not find this to be true of banks.”

Contact Wade at 615-898-2477.
jewade@mtsu.edu

Making egg nog with no eggs and no nog

How much do you intend to spend on Christmas or holiday gifts this holiday season? The latest Middle Tennessee Consumer Confidence Index finds that 46 percent of local consumers plan to spend less than last year. Only eight percent say they plan to spend more than last year. Forty-two percent expect to spend more than $500. However, writes Dr. Tim Graeff, director of the MTSU Office of Consumer Research, “This compared favorably to the 26 percent of consumers across the country as a whole who plan to spend more than $500 (Conference Board Survey, Nov. 23, 2009). The slow economy has not dampened the spending spirits of all consumers. One in six (16 percent) expect to spend more than $1,000 on Christmas and holiday gifts this year.”

Contact Graeff at 615-898-5124.
tgraeff@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

THE RED AND GREEN BADGE OF COURAGE--In October 2006, Lee Ann Newton, executive aide for MTSU’s Tennessee Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Center (TMSTEC), learned that a friend’s son had lost both legs in an IED (improvised explosive device) explosion in Iraq. His tragedy and those of other wounded soldiers prompted Newton to launch Operation Christmas Care. She has placed a drop box in the hallway on the first floor of the Fairview Building, 820 Fairview Ave. in Murfreesboro, where members of the campus community can drop off holiday greetings for injured military personnel, and she is encouraging others on campus to collect cards in their buildings. Newton writes, “E-mails are nice, but a colorful card or letter with a heartfelt message of support and encouragement can beam from their walls until they leave (the hospital).” To ensure timely delivery, Newton says she will send the last batch of cards on Tuesday, Dec. 15. Contact Newton at 615-904-8573 or lnewton@mtsu.edu.

IMPULSE ART--The final Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Candidates Exhibition for the fall semester is on display through Thursday, Dec. 10, at MTSU’s Todd Art Gallery in Room 224 of the Todd Building. Titled “follow {y}our impulse,” it is described as a show “designed around impulse and creativity.” The participants write, “Creative thought, uncurbed passion and refined talent are necessary for success, and we incorporate those ideals into our work daily. We believe as designers we tend to design off our own impulses as well as those we perceive from our audience and clients.” Todd Art Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, closing only on state and university holidays. Contact Eric Snyder, gallery director, at 615-898-5653 or esnyder@mtsu.edu.

CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS--The first annual Department of Accounting CPE (Continuing Professional Education) Day at MTSU will be held Thursday, Dec. 10, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business and Aerospace Building. Seminars during the conference include presentations on Ponzi schemes and fraud, international financial reporting standards, accounting and financial reporting, auditing and taxation. Participants can earn up to eight hours of CPE credit. The cost is $150, which includes all seminars, materials and lunch. Due to limited seating, participants should register early. Visit http://www.mtsu.edu/accounting or call the MTSU Department of Accounting at 615-898-5306.

SAY IT TO THE SECRETARY—“Student Voices on Education: A National Town Hall Meeting with Arne Duncan” has been rescheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15, live on the Education Resource Channel@Middle Tennessee. Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education, will serve as moderator for the broadcast, which will air live in Murfreesboro on Comcast Channel 9. The program is part of the monthly “Education News Parents Can Use” series that airs evenings on ERC@MT during the K-12 school year. Gail Fedak, director for Instructional Media Resources at MTSU, says the program’s town hall-focused format will allow for call-in and e-mail questions. In turn, schools in Rutherford County that normally receive the university’s K-12 programming on ERC@MT, as well as interested community members, may tune in to participate in the live discussion. Contact Fedak at 615-898-2740 or gfedak@mtsu.edu.

BOOK IT!--The University Writing Center at MTSU is joining forces with Project Help and Murfreesboro City Schools Outreach during the holiday season to encourage children’s literacy. In its team effort to promote the cause, UWC staff will accept new and gently used children’s books now through Wednesday, Dec. 9, as well as money donations, which will go toward the purchase of youth titles. Meagan McManus, a peer mentor and UWC writing assistant, says members of the UWC staff will attend Project Help’s fall semester celebration on Thursday, Dec. 17, to share some of the donated books with the lab’s children. Donations are accepted in Room 325 of Peck Hall from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays. For more information, contact the UWC at 615-904-8237 or e-mail McManus at mcm2r@mtsu.edu.

HAIL THE HEROES!--MTSU’s Black History Month Committee is accepting nominations for unsung heroes to be honored at the annual Unity Luncheon, which is slated for Feb. 3, 2010. Nominees must be individuals who have made outstanding contributions to their community, are age 60 or older and have lived in the Middle Tennessee area for 25 years or more. The deadline for submitting nominations is Friday, Dec. 11. To nominate a person worthy of this great traditional honor, go to http://www.mtsu.edu/aahm/nominations/shtml and fill in the online questionnaire. For more information, contact Valerie Avent, assistant director of the Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs at 615-898-2718 or vavent@mtsu.edu.

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 Tuesday, 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 Wednesday, Dec. 9. Exhibitions are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Tom Jimison at 615-898-2085 or tjimison@mtsu.edu.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Comprehending the communication

Here’s a quick quiz: Why is Iraq an Arab culture but Iran isn’t? Who do Muslim women cover their hair—and some cover their face? What are “honor killings” and why do they occur? Why would the opening lines in the movie “The Departed” be particularly offensive to Arabs? These are just some of the questions to be covered in “Communication in the Middle East,” an exciting new course for the spring 2010 semester at MTSU. Led by Dr. Linda Gail Seward, associate professor of speech and theatre, students will explore the values, perceptions and communication patterns of cultures in the Middle East. This course counts for a film minor, Middle East minor, and communication studies minor.

Contact Seward at 615-904-8572.
lseward@mtsu.edu

Big issues, big challenges

Anna Kelma of Madisonville, an International Relations major with a focus on Latin America, and Joshua Fryer of Springfield, an International Relations major and Model U.N. head delegate, will attend a Millennium Development Leadership Program in Costa Rica in January 2010 at the Universidad por la Paz. The program provides participants with the skills and knowledge to start and lead projects related to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (ending hunger and poverty, providing universal education, ensuring gender equality, delivering child and maternal health, combating HIV and AIDS, building environmental sustainability, and creating global partnerships). Funding for this trip is provided by MTSU as part of the U.N. Academic Impact initiative.

Contact the Department of Political Science at 615-898-2708.

Hope is a stubborn thing.

Dr. Phil Oliver, philosophy, says students repeatedly say that, in their view, “Humans will never learn to cooperate with those of different background and ethnicity or to tolerate those with different religious or political views. As I said in class, ‘Let’s keep the books open on that.’ New research seems to indicate that we’re natively more sympathetic towards others than convention supposes. We have it in us, in germ, to be better people. … If we’re going to keep hope alive, we may have to trust ourselves more than my students’ reports indicate we should. Can we take it on faith, folks—and on accumulating evidence—that we can do better? Yes, we can.”

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

TR EXTRA

PICTURE NOT-SO-PERFECT--On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated a lower court order for the federal government to release photos of foreign detainees being tortured by American personnel. Sean Hannity and Fox News apologized for using footage of one rally to represent the size of a crowd at another rally. MSNBC’s Dylan Ratigan apologized for using a photoshopped picture of Sarah Palin on his program. A Chattanooga judge tries to decide whether to allow jurors in the trial of a torture slaying suspect to view gruesome pictures of the victims. (He eventually ruled that they could.) Chris Harris, professor of electronic media communication who has shot photos for Time, Newsweek and The New York Times, among other news-gathering entities, will discuss these issues and others pertaining to the ethical use of photographs on “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue at 8 a.m. this Sunday, Dec. 6, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org). Contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.

GOOD EVENING, STARSHINE--MTSU’s Department of Physics and Astronomy will host its final Star Party of the year at 6:30 p.m. today, Dec. 4, in Room 102 of the Wiser-Patten Science Building. Jeff Gritton, an MTSU instructor who teaches “Observing the Universe,” will discuss “Binary Stars: Strange Star Dances.” The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will be followed by outdoor telescope viewing, weather permitting. Parking is free behind the Wiser-Patten building after 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Handicap parking requires a state permit. Contact Dr. Eric Klumpe at 615-898-2483 or Dr. Chuck Higgins at 615-898-5946.

THE RED AND GREEN BADGE OF COURAGE--In October 2006, Lee Ann Newton, executive aide for MTSU’s Tennessee Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Center (TMSTEC), learned that a friend’s son had lost both legs in an IED (improvised explosive device) explosion in Iraq. His tragedy and those of other wounded soldiers prompted Newton to launch Operation Christmas Care. She has placed a drop box in the hallway on the first floor of the Fairview Building, 820 Fairview Ave. in Murfreesboro, where members of the campus community can drop off holiday greetings for injured military personnel, and she is encouraging others on campus to collect cards in their buildings. Newton writes, “E-mails are nice, but a colorful card or letter with a heartfelt message of support and encouragement can beam from their walls until they leave (the hospital).” To ensure timely delivery, Newton says she will send the last batch of cards on Tuesday, Dec. 15. Contact Newton at 615-904-8573 or lnewton@mtsu.edu.

IMPULSE ART--The final Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Candidates Exhibition for the fall semester is on display through Thursday, Dec. 10, at MTSU’s Todd Art Gallery in Room 224 of the Todd Building. Titled “follow {y}our impulse,” it is described as a show “designed around impulse and creativity.” The participants write, “Creative thought, uncurbed passion and refined talent are necessary for success, and we incorporate those ideals into our work daily. We believe as designers we tend to design off our own impulses as well as those we perceive from our audience and clients.” Todd Art Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, closing only on state and university holidays. Contact Eric Snyder, gallery director, at 615-898-5653 or esnyder@mtsu.edu.

CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS--The first annual Department of Accounting CPE (Continuing Professional Education) Day at MTSU will be held Thursday, Dec. 10, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business and Aerospace Building. Seminars during the conference include presentations on Ponzi schemes and fraud, international financial reporting standards, accounting and financial reporting, auditing and taxation. Participants can earn up to eight hours of CPE credit. The cost is $150, which includes all seminars, materials and lunch. Due to limited seating, participants should register early. Visit http://www.mtsu.edu/accounting or call the MTSU Department of Accounting at 615-898-5306.

SAY IT TO THE SECRETARY—“Student Voices on Education: A National Town Hall Meeting with Arne Duncan” has been rescheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15, live on the Education Resource Channel@Middle Tennessee. Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education, will serve as moderator for the broadcast, which will air live in Murfreesboro on Comcast Channel 9. The program is part of the monthly “Education News Parents Can Use” series that airs evenings on ERC@MT during the K-12 school year. Gail Fedak, director for Instructional Media Resources at MTSU, says the program’s town hall-focused format will allow for call-in and e-mail questions. In turn, schools in Rutherford County that normally receive the university’s K-12 programming on ERC@MT, as well as interested community members, may tune in to participate in the live discussion. Contact Fedak at 615-898-2740 or gfedak@mtsu.edu.

BOOK IT!--The University Writing Center at MTSU is joining forces with Project Help and Murfreesboro City Schools Outreach during the holiday season to encourage children’s literacy. In its team effort to promote the cause, UWC staff will accept new and gently used children’s books now through Wednesday, Dec. 9, as well as money donations, which will go toward the purchase of youth titles. Meagan McManus, a peer mentor and UWC writing assistant, says members of the UWC staff will attend Project Help’s fall semester celebration on Thursday, Dec. 17, to share some of the donated books with the lab’s children. Donations are accepted in Room 325 of Peck Hall from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays. For more information, contact the UWC at 615-904-8237 or e-mail McManus at mcm2r@mtsu.edu.

HAIL THE HEROES!--MTSU’s Black History Month Committee is accepting nominations for unsung heroes to be honored at the annual Unity Luncheon, which is slated for Feb. 3, 2010. Nominees must be individuals who have made outstanding contributions to their community, are age 60 or older and have lived in the Middle Tennessee area for 25 years or more. The deadline for submitting nominations is Friday, Dec. 11. To nominate a person worthy of this great traditional honor, go to http://www.mtsu.edu/aahm/nominations/shtml and fill in the online questionnaire. For more information, contact Valerie Avent, assistant director of the Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs at 615-898-2718 or vavent@mtsu.edu.

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 Tuesday, 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 Wednesday, Dec. 9. Exhibitions are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Tom Jimison at 615-898-2085 or tjimison@mtsu.edu.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

A “Dubaious” distinction

Reportedly, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is in negotiations to restructure $26 billion worth of its massive debt. Revelations that the oil-rich Middle East nation is in arrears to creditors worldwide have shocked the financial markets. Dr. Sean Foley, history, is working on the final edits for his book The Arab Gulf States: Beyond Oil and Islam (Lynne Rienner Publishers), which is slated for release in March 2010. While Foley agrees that oil has been essential to maintaining the Dubai economy, he identifies other issues that have been eroding that base for decades. They include telecommunications, the lack of jobs for men, and the surging pocketbook power of women and minorities.

Contact Foley at 615-904-8294.
sfoley@mtsu.edu

Picture not-so-perfect

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated a lower court order for the federal government to release photos of foreign detainees being tortured by American personnel. Sean Hannity and Fox News apologized for using footage of one rally to represent the size of a crowd at another rally. MSNBC’s Dylan Ratigan apologized for using a photoshopped picture of Sarah Palin on his program. A Chattanooga judge tries to decide whether to allow jurors in the trial of a torture slaying suspect to view gruesome pictures of the victims. (He eventually ruled that they could.) Chris Harris, professor of electronic media communication who has shot photos for Time, Newsweek and The New York Times, among other news-gathering entities, will discuss these issues and others pertaining to the ethical use of photographs on “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue at 8 a.m. this Sunday, Dec. 6, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org).

Contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.

Good evening, starshine

MTSU’s Department of Physics and Astronomy will host its final Star Party of the year at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow, Dec. 4, in Room 102 of the Wiser-Patten Science Building. Jeff Gritton, an MTSU instructor who teaches “Observing the Universe,” will discuss “Binary Stars: Strange Star Dances.” The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will be followed by outdoor telescope viewing, weather permitting. Parking is free behind the Wiser-Patten building after 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Handicap parking requires a state permit.

Contact Dr. Eric Klumpe at 615-898-2483 or Dr. Chuck Higgins at 615-898-5946.

TR EXTRA

THE RED AND GREEN BADGE OF COURAGE--In October 2006, Lee Ann Newton, executive aide for MTSU’s Tennessee Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Center (TMSTEC), learned that a friend’s son had lost both legs in an IED (improvised explosive device) explosion in Iraq. His tragedy and those of other wounded soldiers prompted Newton to launch Operation Christmas Care. She has placed a drop box in the hallway on the first floor of the Fairview Building, 820 Fairview Ave. in Murfreesboro, where members of the campus community can drop off holiday greetings for injured military personnel, and she is encouraging others on campus to collect cards in their buildings. Newton writes, “E-mails are nice, but a colorful card or letter with a heartfelt message of support and encouragement can beam from their walls until they leave (the hospital).” To ensure timely delivery, Newton says she will send the last batch of cards on Tuesday, Dec. 15. Contact Newton at 615-904-8573 or lnewton@mtsu.edu.

IMPULSE ART--The final Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Candidates Exhibition for the fall semester is on display through Thursday, Dec. 10, at MTSU’s Todd Art Gallery in Room 224 of the Todd Building. Titled “follow {y}our impulse,” it is described as a show “designed around impulse and creativity.” The participants write, “Creative thought, uncurbed passion and refined talent are necessary for success, and we incorporate those ideals into our work daily. We believe as designers we tend to design off our own impulses as well as those we perceive from our audience and clients.” Todd Art Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, closing only on state and university holidays. Contact Eric Snyder, gallery director, at 615-898-5653 or esnyder@mtsu.edu.

PEACE BE WITH YOU--Representatives of the Peace Corps will facilitate a GlobeTalk Information Session from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. today, Dec. 3, in Room 318 of the KUC. “Currently, we expect over 15,000 applications for 3,800 assignments in 74 countries,” says David Leavitt, public affairs specialist. “We encourage students to visit with us to gain a better understanding how to competitively apply for these limited positions.” Currently, seven MTSU alumni are serving overseas in Samoa, Kyrgyz Republic, Gambia, Tanzania, Kazakhstan, the Philippines and Honduras. Sixty-six MTSU alumni have served since the Peace Corps’ inception in 1961. Contact Leavitt or Toby Rowell at 404-562-3472 or dleavitt@peacecorps.gov or trowell@peacecorps.gov.

CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS--The first annual Department of Accounting CPE (Continuing Professional Education) Day at MTSU will be held Thursday, Dec. 10, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business and Aerospace Building. Seminars during the conference include presentations on Ponzi schemes and fraud, international financial reporting standards, accounting and financial reporting, auditing and taxation. Participants can earn up to eight hours of CPE credit. The cost is $150, which includes all seminars, materials and lunch. Due to limited seating, participants should register early. Visit http://www.mtsu.edu/accounting or call the MTSU Department of Accounting at 615-898-5306.

SAY IT TO THE SECRETARY—“Student Voices on Education: A National Town Hall Meeting with Arne Duncan” has been rescheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15, live on the Education Resource Channel@Middle Tennessee. Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education, will serve as moderator for the broadcast, which will air live in Murfreesboro on Comcast Channel 9. The program is part of the monthly “Education News Parents Can Use” series that airs evenings on ERC@MT during the K-12 school year. Gail Fedak, director for Instructional Media Resources at MTSU, says the program’s town hall-focused format will allow for call-in and e-mail questions. In turn, schools in Rutherford County that normally receive the university’s K-12 programming on ERC@MT, as well as interested community members, may tune in to participate in the live discussion. Contact Fedak at 615-898-2740 or gfedak@mtsu.edu.

BOOK IT!--The University Writing Center at MTSU is joining forces with Project Help and Murfreesboro City Schools Outreach during the holiday season to encourage children’s literacy. In its team effort to promote the cause, UWC staff will accept new and gently used children’s books now through Wednesday, Dec. 9, as well as money donations, which will go toward the purchase of youth titles. Meagan McManus, a peer mentor and UWC writing assistant, says members of the UWC staff will attend Project Help’s fall semester celebration on Thursday, Dec. 17, to share some of the donated books with the lab’s children. Donations are accepted in Room 325 of Peck Hall from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays. For more information, contact the UWC at 615-904-8237 or e-mail McManus at mcm2r@mtsu.edu.

HAIL THE HEROES!--MTSU’s Black History Month Committee is accepting nominations for unsung heroes to be honored at the annual Unity Luncheon, which is slated for Feb. 3, 2010. Nominees must be individuals who have made outstanding contributions to their community, are age 60 or older and have lived in the Middle Tennessee area for 25 years or more. The deadline for submitting nominations is Friday, Dec. 11. To nominate a person worthy of this great traditional honor, go to http://www.mtsu.edu/aahm/nominations/shtml and fill in the online questionnaire. For more information, contact Valerie Avent, assistant director of the Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs at 615-898-2718 or vavent@mtsu.edu.

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 Tuesday, 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 Wednesday, Dec. 9. Exhibitions are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Tom Jimison at 615-898-2085 or tjimison@mtsu.edu.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

The mystery of history

With funding from two federal agencies in hand, three MTSU historians have embarked on research for two national parks and a treasured Tennessee landmark. Dr. Jim Williams, director of the Albert Gore Research Center, will conduct oral history interviews for Congaree National Park. Williams says he would like to interview about 30 people, including those who were involved either with the creation of the park or its transition from a monument to a park. Dr. Ellen Garrison, associate professor of history, will help improve the archival materials at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in east Tennessee. Dr. Jan Leone, professor of history, will design workshops for high school teachers that will combine classroom and field studies, including archaeology, for her project “The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson and America 1801-1861.”

To request interviews with the researchers about their respective history-related projects, please contact Lisa L. Rollins in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919.
lrollins@mtsu.edu

The red and green badge of courage

In October 2006, Lee Ann Newton, executive aide for MTSU’s Tennessee Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Center (TMSTEC), learned that a friend’s son had lost both legs in an IED (improvised explosive device) explosion in Iraq. His tragedy and those of other wounded soldiers prompted Newton to launch Operation Christmas Care. She has placed a drop box in the hallway on the first floor of the Fairview Building, 820 Fairview Ave. in Murfreesboro, where members of the campus community can drop off holiday greetings for injured military personnel, and she is encouraging others on campus to collect cards in their buildings. Newton writes, “E-mails are nice, but a colorful card or letter with a heartfelt message of support and encouragement can beam from their walls until they leave (the hospital).” To ensure timely delivery, Newton says she will send the last batch of cards on Tuesday, Dec. 15.

Contact Newton at 615-904-8573.
lnewton@mtsu.edu

Impulse art

The final Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Candidates Exhibition for the fall semester is on display through Thursday, Dec. 10, at MTSU’s Todd Art Gallery in Room 224 of the Todd Building. Titled “follow {y}our impulse,” it is described as a show “designed around impulse and creativity.” The participants write, “Creative thought, uncurbed passion and refined talent are necessary for success, and we incorporate those ideals into our work daily. We believe as designers we tend to design off our own impulses as well as those we perceive from our audience and clients.” Todd Art Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, closing only on state and university holidays.

Contact Eric Snyder, gallery director, at 615-898-5653.
esnyder@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

PEACE BE WITH YOU--Representatives of the Peace Corps will visit MTSU from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. today, Dec. 2, in the lobby of Keathley University Center (KUC) to encourage graduating seniors to participate actively in national service by working overseas as volunteers. Additionally, a GlobeTalk Information Session is slated for 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. tomorrow, Dec. 3, in Room 318 of the KUC. “Currently, we expect over 15,000 applications for 3,800 assignments in 74 countries,” says David Leavitt, public affairs specialist. “We encourage students to visit with us to gain a better understanding how to competitively apply for these limited positions.” Currently, seven MTSU alumni are serving overseas in Samoa, Kyrgyz Republic, Gambia, Tanzania, Kazakhstan, the Philippines and Honduras. Sixty-six MTSU alumni have served since the Peace Corps’ inception in 1961. Contact Leavitt or Toby Rowell at 404-562-3472 or dleavitt@peacecorps.gov or trowell@peacecorps.gov.

CHEMICAL CAPERS--Dr. Richard N. “Dick” Zare, Marguerite Blake Wilbur Professor of Natural Science and department chair at Stanford University, will present a student lecture, “The Joys of Chemical Discovery,” at 7 p.m. tonight, Dec. 2, in the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building Amphitheater, Room 106. This event is sponsored by the Distinguished Lecture Series.

CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS--The first annual Department of Accounting CPE (Continuing Professional Education) Day at MTSU will be held Thursday, Dec. 10, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business and Aerospace Building. Seminars during the conference include presentations on Ponzi schemes and fraud, international financial reporting standards, accounting and financial reporting, auditing and taxation. Participants can earn up to eight hours of CPE credit. The cost is $150, which includes all seminars, materials and lunch. Due to limited seating, participants should register early. Visit http://www.mtsu.edu/accounting or call the MTSU Department of Accounting at 615-898-5306.

SAY IT TO THE SECRETARY—“Student Voices on Education: A National Town Hall Meeting with Arne Duncan” has been rescheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15, live on the Education Resource Channel@Middle Tennessee. Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education, will serve as moderator for the broadcast, which will air live in Murfreesboro on Comcast Channel 9. The program is part of the monthly “Education News Parents Can Use” series that airs evenings on ERC@MT during the K-12 school year. Gail Fedak, director for Instructional Media Resources at MTSU, says the program’s town hall-focused format will allow for call-in and e-mail questions. In turn, schools in Rutherford County that normally receive the university’s K-12 programming on ERC@MT, as well as interested community members, may tune in to participate in the live discussion. Contact Fedak at 615-898-2740 or gfedak@mtsu.edu.

BOOK IT!--The University Writing Center at MTSU is joining forces with Project Help and Murfreesboro City Schools Outreach during the holiday season to encourage children’s literacy. In its team effort to promote the cause, UWC staff will accept new and gently used children’s books now through Wednesday, Dec. 9, as well as money donations, which will go toward the purchase of youth titles. Meagan McManus, a peer mentor and UWC writing assistant, says members of the UWC staff will attend Project Help’s fall semester celebration on Thursday, Dec. 17, to share some of the donated books with the lab’s children. Donations are accepted in Room 325 of Peck Hall from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays. For more information, contact the UWC at 615-904-8237 or e-mail McManus at mcm2r@mtsu.edu.

HAIL THE HEROES!--MTSU’s Black History Month Committee is accepting nominations for unsung heroes to be honored at the annual Unity Luncheon, which is slated for Feb. 3, 2010. Nominees must be individuals who have made outstanding contributions to their community, are age 60 or older and have lived in the Middle Tennessee area for 25 years or more. The deadline for submitting nominations is Friday, Dec. 11. To nominate a person worthy of this great traditional honor, go to http://www.mtsu.edu/aahm/nominations/shtml and fill in the online questionnaire. For more information, contact Valerie Avent, assistant director of the Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs at 615-898-2718 or vavent@mtsu.edu.

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 Tuesday, 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 Wednesday, Dec. 9. Exhibitions are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Tom Jimison at 615-898-2085 or tjimison@mtsu.edu.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

“Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous.”--Confucius

MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee will host a ceremonial signing of the Confucius Institute agreement with representatives from its Chinese partner institution, Hangzhou Normal University in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, today, Dec. 1, at 10 a.m. in Room 106 of MTSU’s Peck Hall. Founded in 2004, the Confucius Institute is a nonprofit organization established to strengthen educational cooperation between China and other countries. The programs supported by the institute are designed to enhance the understanding of Chinese language and culture, deepen friendly relations between China and other nations and promote the development of multiculturalism and global harmony. MTSU is making plans to host the grand opening of its institute in spring 2010.

Contact Dr. Guanping Zheng, associate professor in the Department of Electronic Media Communication, at 615-904-8365.
gzheng@mtsu.edu

Peace be with you

Representatives of the Peace Corps will visit MTSU from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. today, Dec. 1, and tomorrow, Dec. 2, in the lobby of Keathley University Center (KUC) to encourage graduating seniors to participate actively in national service by working overseas as volunteers. Additionally, a GlobeTalk Information Session is slated for 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 3, in Room 318 of the KUC. “Currently, we expect over 15,000 applications for 3,800 assignments in 74 countries,” says David Leavitt, public affairs specialist. “We encourage students to visit with us to gain a better understanding how to competitively apply for these limited positions.” Currently, seven MTSU alumni are serving overseas in Samoa, Kyrgyz Republic, Gambia, Tanzania, Kazakhstan, the Philippines and Honduras. Sixty-six MTSU alumni have served since the Peace Corps’ inception in 1961.

Contact Leavitt or Toby Rowell at 404-562-3472.
dleavitt@peacecorps.gov
trowell@peacecorps.gov

Home sales, sweet home sales

Tennessee Housing Market, a publication of MTSU’s Business and Economic Research Center (BERC), reports that housing sales in Tennessee are looking up. According to the latest edition, third-quarter single-family home construction and sales of homes for the Nashville, Memphis and Knoxville areas rose compared to the second quarter. “Both sales and construction of single-family homes increased during the quarter, benefitting from low mortgage rates, the first-time buyers’ income tax credit and high HFA qualifying thresholds,” writes Dr. David Penn, director of the BERC. “Aggregate measures of economic activity continued to weaken, however, as job losses continued across a variety of sectors. Achieving sustained improvement in the housing market will be difficult without job and income increases.”

Contact the BERC at 615-898-2610.

TR EXTRA

CHEMICAL CAPERS--Dr. Richard N. “Dick” Zare, Marguerite Blake Wilbur Professor of Natural Science and department chair at Stanford University, will present a community lecture, “How to be Successful,” at 7 p.m. tonight, Dec. 1, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of MTSU’s Business and Aerospace Building. Zare also will present a student lecture, “The Joys of Chemical Discovery,” at 7 p.m. tomorrow, Dec. 2, in the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building Amphitheater, Room 106. These events are sponsored by the Distinguished Lecture Series.

CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS--The first annual Department of Accounting CPE (Continuing Professional Education) Day at MTSU will be held Thursday, Dec. 10, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business and Aerospace Building. Seminars during the conference include presentations on Ponzi schemes and fraud, international financial reporting standards, accounting and financial reporting, auditing and taxation. Participants can earn up to eight hours of CPE credit. The cost is $150, which includes all seminars, materials and lunch. Due to limited seating, participants should register early. Visit http://www.mtsu.edu/accounting or call the MTSU Department of Accounting at 615-898-5306.

SAY IT TO THE SECRETARY—“Student Voices on Education: A National Town Hall Meeting with Arne Duncan” has been rescheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15, live on the Education Resource Channel@Middle Tennessee. Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education, will serve as moderator for the broadcast, which will air live in Murfreesboro on Comcast Channel 9. The program is part of the monthly “Education News Parents Can Use” series that airs evenings on ERC@MT during the K-12 school year. Gail Fedak, director for Instructional Media Resources at MTSU, says the program’s town hall-focused format will allow for call-in and e-mail questions. In turn, schools in Rutherford County that normally receive the university’s K-12 programming on ERC@MT, as well as interested community members, may tune in to participate in the live discussion. Contact Fedak at 615-898-2740 or gfedak@mtsu.edu.

BOOK IT!--The University Writing Center at MTSU is joining forces with Project Help and Murfreesboro City Schools Outreach during the holiday season to encourage children’s literacy. In its team effort to promote the cause, UWC staff will accept new and gently used children’s books now through Wednesday, Dec. 9, as well as money donations, which will go toward the purchase of youth titles. Meagan McManus, a peer mentor and UWC writing assistant, says members of the UWC staff will attend Project Help’s fall semester celebration on Thursday, Dec. 17, to share some of the donated books with the lab’s children. Donations are accepted in Room 325 of Peck Hall from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays. For more information, contact the UWC at 615-904-8237 or e-mail McManus at mcm2r@mtsu.edu.

HAIL THE HEROES!--MTSU’s Black History Month Committee is accepting nominations for unsung heroes to be honored at the annual Unity Luncheon, which is slated for Feb. 3, 2010. Nominees must be individuals who have made outstanding contributions to their community, are age 60 or older and have lived in the Middle Tennessee area for 25 years or more. The deadline for submitting nominations is Friday, Dec. 11. To nominate a person worthy of this great traditional honor, go to http://www.mtsu.edu/aahm/nominations/shtml and fill in the online questionnaire. For more information, contact Valerie Avent, assistant director of the Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs at 615-898-2718 or vavent@mtsu.edu.

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 Tuesday, 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 Wednesday, Dec. 9. Exhibitions are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Tom Jimison at 615-898-2085 or tjimison@mtsu.edu.