Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Classical class

John Hill, a professor in MTSU’s Department of Recording Industry, has a special interest in the outcome of the often overlooked Grammy Awards for classical records. Hill was one of the engineers who worked on “Ravel: L’Enfant et les sortileges,” which is nominated in the category of Best Classical Album. The work features the Nashville Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Alistair Willis, the Chattanooga Boys Choir, the Chicago Symphony Chorus, the Nashville Symphony Chorus and eight operatic soloists. “I really consider myself a musician who has a set of technical skills to draw on,” Hill explains. “For this type of work, you would definitely not want to have somebody who is just fiddling with knobs. … One really has to have some type of working knowledge of music.” The Grammy Awards telecast is slated for this Sunday, Jan. 31, on CBS.

Contact Hill at 615-898-5868.
jphill@mtsu.edu

Ready to work

The MTSU Business and Economic Research Center’s study of the underemployed in seven Middle Tennessee counties finds that the potentially available labor force is 39 percent of the labor force plus all marginally attached. “Identifying the underemployed workforce and analyzing their characteristics will help the region in three distinct ways,” says Dr. Murat Arik, associate director of the BERC. “First the region will be able to attract new businesses by demonstrating that the region has enough supply of qualified workforce; second, underutilization of workforce is a loss to the area economy. Identifying and addressing the causes of underutilization will help the study area economy create a sustainable growth; and third, identifying and addressing workforce skill-related issues means better-paying jobs and job satisfaction for the area workforce.”

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

May we approach the bench?

An MTSU team won the 5th annual Ramblin’ Wreck Mock Trial Tournament at Georgia Tech on Jan. 24 after competing against some of the best teams in the nation, including Vanderbilt, Duke, Emory, Furman, Georgia, Alabama-Birmingham and Southern Methodist. MTSU senior Austin Purvis, a political science major from Memphis, was named one of the tourney’s top attorneys. This year’s case is a hypothetical criminal case involving allegations that movie producer Jackie Owens, a member of Trifecta Enterntainment in Midlands, was responsible for murdering a partner, Jacob Bennett. Each team at the tournament argued two rounds on behalf of the prosecution and two on behalf of the defense. The teams were judged by two attorneys in each trial. MTSU Mock Trial is coached by Dr. John Vile and attorney Brandi Snow.

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

TR EXTRA

HOME IS WHERE THE ART IS.--“Ramblings and Dwellings,” a joint exhibit of work by husband-and-wife artists Ken and Libby Rowe, is on display in MTSU’s Todd Art Gallery now through Tuesday, Feb. 9. An award-winning figurative sculptor, Ken’s “Ramblings” feature small-scale ceramic sculptures with a narrative bend and a whimsical nature. “His sculptures rely on a strong sense of humor and are often viewed as sardonic and quirky,” says Eric Snyder, gallery curator. In “Dwellings,” Libby’s current photographic work, she explores the emotional state of dwelling through the construction and photographing of small sculptural houses. The exhibit is free and open to the public. The Todd Gallery is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Admission is free. Call Snyder at 615-898-5653 or esnyder@mtsu.edu.

HOME IS WHERE THE VOLUNTEERS ARE.--MTSU students will begin building a second Habitat for Humanity home for a Rutherford County resident on Wed., Jan. 27. Building dates will include Wednesdays, Fridays and some Saturdays. There will be two shifts per day—in the morning from 8:30 a.m. to noon and in the afternoon from noon until 4 p.m. The home dedication is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, March 25. The Office of Leadership and Service is rounding up volunteers from student organizations for this humanitarian effort. The future resident’s family also will be helping to build their home, and Central Middle School and Jason’s Deli are pitching in. Media welcomed. Good photo opportunities throughout the construction process. For more information, contact Jackie Victory at 615-898-5812 or mtleader@mtsu.edu.