Thursday, May 6, 2010

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Caps and gowns

More than 2,100 degree candidates are expected to graduate during MTSU’s 99th spring commence ceremonies. MTSU again will feature dual ceremonies and dual speakers beginning at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday, May 8, in Murphy Center. There are 1,804 undergraduates and 376 graduate students, including 278 master’s candidates, 88 education specialist recipients and 10 doctoral candidates. Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett will address the 9 a.m. ceremony for candidates from the colleges of Graduate Studies, Business, and Education. James C. Free, president and CEO of the Smith-Free Group, will address the 1 p.m. ceremony for candidates from the colleges of Basic and Applied Sciences, Liberal Arts, Mass Communication, and Continuing Education and Distance Learning. The doors will open at 8 a.m. for the morning ceremony and at noon for the afternoon ceremony.

For more information, visit the Records Office website at www.mtsu.edu/~records/grad.htm.

Lucy in the sky with doctors

A spokesman for the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies says more research on psychedelic drugs is taking place worldwide now than at any time in the last 40 years. Scientists at such prestigious institutions as Johns Hopkins University, New York University and UCLA are trying to determine the impact of the drugs in conjunction with psychotherapy on medical maladies like cancer anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. Dr. Doug Winborn, health and human performance, says, “Some of these drugs were actually developed with medicinal intent. When the mind-altering characteristics of the drugs were discovered, recreational use overshadowed therapeutic applications. Publicized excess users (Timothy Leary and all around him at that time) negated the therapeutic potential for most of these drugs.”

Contact Winborn at 615-898-5110.
jwinborn@mtsu.edu

Tiger, tiger, burning bright

Dr. Jid Lee, associate professor of English, will discuss her memoir To Kill a Tiger (Overlook Press) at 8 a.m. this Sunday, May 9, with host Gina Logue on “MTSU on the Record” on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org). Lee seamlessly blends the story of five generations of a Korean family into the tortured history of her native country, including the Korean War and the government persecution of the Cold War. She also provides her unique perspective on America and the West through the eyes of a woman whose personality and self-awareness are products of both tradition and feminism. Lee came to the United States as an international student and became an American citizen in 1989. She holds degrees in English from Korea University, State University of New York at Albany, and the University of Kansas. Lee also is the author of the book From the Promised Land to Home.

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

TR EXTRA

DR. MCD.--A memorial service will be held tomorrow, May 7, at 2 p.m. at Woodfin Memorial Chapel in Murfreesboro for Dr. John N. McDaniel, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. Visitation will be from 12-2 p.m. that same day. McDaniel, one of the most beloved members of the MTSU community, died Monday at Middle Tennessee Medical Center. A member of the faculty since 1970, McDaniel joined the English department as an assistant professor before ultimately becoming chairman in 1978. He was named Liberal Arts dean in 1987. “John McDaniel was the face and the heart of the College of Liberal Arts for the quarter-century he served as its dean,” says Dr. Mark Byrnes, associate dean. “His devotion to the college and the university was complete. Generations of faculty members, department chairs and students benefited from his steady leadership.” In lieu of flowers, donations in McDaniel’s honor may be made to the John N. McDaniel Teaching Excellence Award in care of Robyn Kilpatrick, MTSU, Box 109, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132.

BURNING THE MIDNIGHT OIL--MTSU’s James E. Walker Library will continue to observe later hours this week to serve students studying for final exams. Today, May 6, the hours are 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Tomorrow, May 7, the hours are 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. On Saturday, May 8, the library will be closed for commencement. In addition, the Starbucks café inside the library will observe longer hours, closing one hour before the library’s closing time this week. The schedule adjustment was made in response to a Student Government Association resolution which called for the library to be open 24 hours a day during the end-of-the-semester studying period. However, library officials say, in the absence of sufficient personnel to provide around-the-clock service, they believe the extended schedule will be helpful. Contact the library at 615-898-2772.

A FOREIGN AFFAIR--MTSU junior Aaron Shew will depart for Turkey around May 14 for study experiences that will enhance not only his education but his prestige and his portfolio. Shew, a double major in plant and soil science and international relations from Murfreesboro, will join students from other institutions in a conflict resolution course in Cyprus and Turkey at his own expense. Through June 9, Shew will question government diplomats on best practices for negotiating solutions to thorny issues between countries. From there, Shew will head back to Lucknow, India, where he studied in the summer of 2009 under a Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) from the U.S. Department of State, for extensive instruction in the Urdu language. His summer studies will be funded with another CLS. The 2010-2011 academic year is covered under a fully endowed fellowship from the American Institute of Indian Studies. For an interview with Shew, contact Gina Logue in the MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.