Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

They COULD—GO—ALL—THE—WAY?

Is the money-making juggernaut called the National Football League losing its magic touch? Attendance league-wide is expected to tank for the third year in a row. Twenty-two games were blacked out last season. Some teams are having trouble selling tickets. Will the comfort of watching football on TV lead to empty seats? Dr. Don Roy, management and marketing, says “It will happen if the NFL treats live games as a product. The reason is that products can be duplicated. At least the benefits products provide are relatively easy to copy. In this case, technology enhancements have made watching NFL games on TV an acceptable substitute for watching a game in person. Compelling arguments can be made that the TV product has some advantages such as different camera angles and replay capability, not to mention the convenience and cost savings.”

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

“Creativity is the ability to see relationships where none exist.”—Thomas Disch

The College of Education at MTSU will partner with the Tennessee Arts Commission and the Tennessee Department of Education to develop the first annual Creativity in Education Academy. Create2011, which will take place at MTSU in July 2011, is designed to foster creativity and innovation in Tennessee schools. The academy is designed as a professional-development opportunity for educators to strengthen the practice of teaching, improve student achievement and impact school performance. The academy will offer sessions for K-12 teachers, arts specialists, special education and resource teachers, as well as principals and superintendents. MTSU’s new 87,000-square-foot education building will be completed in the spring of 2011 and will be ready in time for the July 10-14 academy.

Contact Kim Leavitt at 615-532-5934 or Dr. Lana Seivers at 615-898-2874.

Take flight

A partnership between MTSU and ISR Group will provide a hands-on training ground for MTSU students, attract industry and knowledge-based workers to Tennessee and generate permanent jobs that cannot be exported to other countries. MTSU officials have signed a memorandum of understanding on Aug. 20 with ISR Group, a Savannah, Tenn.-based provider of Unmanned Aircraft System, or USA, services. ISR assists clients in developing unmanned-vehicle technologies for air-, ground- and water-based systems. Through this collaboration, MTSU’s Department of Aerospace will be able to expand its teaching and research. The company owns a 10-square-mile flight-training range in Hardin County, Tenn. To increase ISR Group’s capability to operate and test unmanned aerial vehicles, MTSU has agreed to sponsor certificates of authorization via the Federal Aviation Administration.

Contact the Department of Aerospace at 615-898-2788.

TR EXTRA

“SO YOU’RE THE LITTLE GIRL WHO STARTED THIS BIG WAR.”--Join actress Elizabeth Davidson as she brings Uncle Tom’s Cabin author and activist Harriet Beecher Stowe to life today, Sept. 14, at MTSU’s Tucker Theatre. Free public performances of the one-woman play, “Harriet Beecher Stowe: A Literary Soldier,” are set for 9:40 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Stowe’s novel, written in 1853, helped galvanize a nation against the evils of slavery. Davidson, a Nashville-based performer, researched Stowe’s life and legacy to write the one-hour play, which features a fictionalized account of a meeting between the author and one of her detractors. “A Literary Soldier” is recommended for teens and adults only. For more information, call the College of Liberal Arts at 615-494-7628.

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. Sept. 20, Sept. 27 and 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 will be 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.
NOTHING SUCCEEDS LIKE SUCCESS--The University College Advising Center will offer a series of workshops on how to be a successful MTSU student starting at 4:30 p.m. today, Sept. 14, and 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 15, in the Corlew Hall classroom. These one-hour workshops are designed for any student who needs help or wants to learn more about the topic area. Subjects include “How to Get Started at MTSU;” “How to Use Your Time Wisely;” “How to Master Course Material;” “How to Find the Right Career for You;” “How to Use Your Academic Adviser;” “How to Give a Winning Presentation;” and “How to Prepare for Final Exams.” Students who need proof of attendance for class will receive it. For more information, contact the University College Advising Center at 615-898-2339.

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.