Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Improving with age

Christina Dawson of Murfreesboro and Shilo Rich-Johnson of Tullahoma are the winners of Enrichment Scholarships as Older Wiser Learners (OWLs), a student organization for nontraditional students. Dawson, the mother of a young son, majors in Spanish with minors in sociology and secondary education. Rich-Johnson, the mother of three children, majors in microbiology and minors in chemistry and criminology. Joni Maxwell, a nursing major from Murfreesboro, is the recipient of the Jane Nickell Taylor Scholarship. Dana LeGeune will receive the Joan Nickell Bailey Scholarship. LeGeune, the mother of two children and a Tullahoma resident, majors in business and minors in education. In addition, students from Murfreesboro, Woodbury, Rockvale, Antioch, La Vergne and Christiana are the recipients of 10 OWLs Academic Service scholarships.

To learn more about Older Wiser Learners, contact the Off-Campus Student Services office at 615-898-5989.

Adopt a vet

The Albert Gore Research Center is an official partner in the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. The center participates as part of its public service mission. Currently, the Gore Center has about 50 veterans of World War II and Korea on its list of those willing to be interviewed for the Veterans History Project at MTSU, but these vets are in their 80s and 90s. It is urgent that the Gore Center have funds in hand to record their stories in 2010. With each tax-deductible contribution of only $50, the Gore Center can fund one interview with a WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War or Iraq/Afghanistan veteran, or a civilian who supported the war effort by working in war industries or volunteering for the USO, Red Cross or other support organizations. Your donation will pay for tapes and other supplies, transcription, permanent archiving and posting of the materials on a website.

For more information, go to http://gorecenter.mtsu.edu/adoptvet.hem.

Taking the interfering out of transferring

MTSU and Southwest Tennessee Community College in Memphis have signed a formal memorandum of understanding to streamline student transfers from Southwest to MTSU. Courses currently considered in the agreement are those transferable to the recording industry, business administration, education and aerospace programs at MTSU. Dr. Nathan L. Essex, president of STCC, says, “The obvious advantage is that our students are going to have increased access.” Dr. Sidney A. McPhee, MTSU president, says, “We are going to be looking at providing special scholarships for these students, connecting them to our Honors College (and) providing a better transition and taking the hassle out of the transfer process.”

Contact Tom Tozer in the MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919 or Brenda J. Rayner at STCC at 901-333-4247.

TR EXTRA

WORKING WOMEN--The June S. Anderson Foundation will present the foundation scholarships for the 2010-2011 academic year to Katherine Anderson of Manchester and Rhonda Davidson of Martin, at a luncheon at 12 p.m. on Friday, May 14, at the MTSU Foundation House, 324 W. Thompson Lane in Murfreesboro. The foundation awards full tuition stipends annually to full-time MTSU undergraduate women who are 23 years of age or older and who are preparing for careers in nontraditional fields for women. Anderson (no relation to June Anderson) is pursuing an undergraduate degree in accounting and is on course to graduate in May 2011. From there, she plans to enter graduate school at MTSU and earn a master’s degree in business administration. Davidson, a 43-year-old single woman majoring in construction management, says she believes she will be able to find employment with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers when she completes her degree in 2012. For more information, go to the foundation website at http://frank.mtsu.edu/~jsa/.

APRENDA CON ME--The University School of Nashville is hosting MTSU’s 2010 Summer Language Institute, where you can learn Spanish in a fun, low-stress environment. The methods employed are Total Physical Response (TPR) and Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS). These methods mimic the way you learned your first language. Movement, games, songs and storytelling are all part of the instruction. Brian Roberts will teach Spanish I for ages 16 and up from July 19-23 at the University School and from Aug. 2-6 at the O’More School of Design in Franklin. Jason Fritze will teach Spanish II for ages 16 and up from July 19-23 at the University School. The cost for all language classes is $350 with a $20 materials fee due on the first day of class. Contact Dr. Shelley Thomas at 615-898-5757 or shthomas@mtsu.edu.

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.