Monday, September 27, 2010

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Don’t give up the shipping!

The second quarter was a good one for state exports. Tennessee sent $6.4 billion worth of products to other countries. That’s nearly $1 billion more than a year ago. Dr. Steve Livingston, editor of Global Commerce, writes, “It was the best second quarter in the state’s history as exports returned to the levels of before the great global crash of 2008.” It was a good three-month period for imports, too. Livingston notes, “Tennessee firms purchased $11.5 billion overseas, a $2 billion increase. In contrast to the doldrums of the domestic economy, Tennessee’s international trade was going gangbusters.”

Contact Livingston at 615-898-2720.
slivings@mtsu.edu

How to know what’s out of bounds

The Center for Sport Policy and Research at MTSU developed the Real Sportsmanship Platform, a tool to help instill important values in student-athletes and coaches. The brainchild of Dr. Colby Jubenville, professor of sport management, the Real Sportsmanship Platform is in use by all intercollegiate teams in the Sun Belt Conference, which is committed to the program over a five-year period. Athletes and coaches graded the frequency with which they agreed with certain statements on a scale of one to five with one being “never” and five being “always.” For example, coaches were asked to respond to statements such as “If a fan yells at me, I have the right to yell back” and “My players know that I am the only one that discusses calls with the official.”

Contact Jubenville at 615-898-2909.
jubenvil@mtsu.edu

Falling into fall

Consumer confidence is tanking again. Dr. Tim Graeff, director of the MTSU Office of Consumer Research, says the overall Middle Tennessee Consumer Confidence Index dropped to 76 from 102 in June. Graeff writes, “This negative shift in feelings about the economy was due to eroding perceptions of the current economy, continued concerns about the job market and a decline in the purchasing index. … The percentage of consumers who hold negative views of the current economy is still larger than the percentage of consumers who hold positive views of the current economy. … Consumers have experienced more than two years of morose feelings toward the U.S. economy.”

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

TR EXTRA

TO HAVE AND HAVANA--Visiting Cuban scholar Rodrigo Gonzalez will speak on “Cuba at a Crossroads” from 3-5 p.m. today, Sept. 27, in Cantrell Hall in MTSU’s Tom H. Jackson Building on campus. The lecture and discussion are free and open to the public and will be followed by a catered reception. “In his lecture, Gonzalez will explore the turbulent waters of U.S.-Cuban relations and discuss where Cuba is today, politically, socially and economically,” says Dr. Ric Morris, professor of Spanish and linguistics and adviser for linguistic studies in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures. Morris and Gonzalez will speak to faculty and students about study abroad opportunities in Cuba tomorrow, Sept. 28, in Room S-128 of the Business and Aerospace Building. The first session, set for 4:15-5 p.m. is for students. The 5-5:30 p.m. meeting is intended for faculty. For more information, contact Morris at 615-898-2284 or rmorris@mtsu.edu.

IF YOU YEARN TO LEARN—“Adventures in Learning,” the annual mini-school for adults age 50 and above, will take place from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. today, Sept. 27, and Monday, Oct. 4, at First United Methodist Church, 265 W. Thompson Lane in Murfreesboro. The purpose of the event, which is planned by an interfaith coalition, is to provide a program by and for older adults in which they can share knowledge, talents and skills for lifelong learning and personal growth. As usual, retired and active MTSU faculty will play prominent roles in the event. A highlight will be “Mount and Mountain,” a dialogue between Dr. Rami Shapiro, adjunct professor of religious studies and an ordained rabbi, and Dr. Michael A. Smith, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Murfreesboro. This class is based on online conversations Shapiro and Smith conducted about the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount. To register, or for more information, contact Mary Belle Ginanni at 615-895-6072.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK/A WONDERFUL TOWN—MTSU’s Baldwin Photographic Gallery is proud to play host to “New York, September 11” by world-renowned photographic cooperative Magnum Photos through Oct. 18. This stunning exhibition of 39 rare photographs began touring the nation five years after the terrorist attacks on the United States. These pictures capture images as they happened—many from an intimate, street-level perspective. Also included are beautiful photos of the World Trade Center twin towers before their fall. The Baldwin Gallery is in the McWherter Learning Resources Center. Exhibitions are free and open to the public. Hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and on Saturday from 12-4 p.m.