FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 30, 2007
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
NOV. 5 RECITAL BY BASSOONIST STONE FEATURES ‘USER-FRIENDLY’ MUSIC
Joseph Walker Will Serve as Guest Pianist for Free, Open Performance
(MURFREESBORO)—Maya Stone, MTSU instructor of bassoon, together with pianist and MTSU accompanist Joseph Walker, will perform in a faculty recital at 8 p.m. Nov. 5 in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
“We will be playing a program that I like to refer to as the ‘casual bassoon,’” Stone said. “The music is very listener-friendly. People will be able to sit back, close their eyes if they wish, relax and enjoy the harmonious qualities of the bassoon and piano.”
Stone and Walker will perform works by Hurlstone, Schubert, Elgar and Hindemith.
“I hope many people will be able to join us at what will be a very warm recital for a cold November evening,” she added.
This event is free and open to the public.
For more information on this and other events in the music school at MTSU, please call 615-898-2493 or visit www.mtsumusic.com.
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• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To secure a jpeg for editorial use, please e-mail your request to Tim Musselman in the music school at tmusselm@mtsu.edu.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
165 MTSU Computer Programming Aces Vie for a Coveted Spot at the World Finals
MEDIA ADVISORY
Press Contact: Dana Procaccino, 215.790.4358
Local Contact: Tom Tozer, MTSU News and Public Affairs, 615.898.5131
MTSU Computer Programming Aces Vie for a Coveted Spot at the World Finals of the 32nd Annual International “Battle of the Brains”
University Computer Talent to Sharpen Problem-Solving Skills at Regional Competition of IBM-sponsored Contest
WHAT: Imagine completing a semester’s worth of computer programming in one afternoon. The computer programming teams from Middle Tennessee State University, and top collegiate programmers from surrounding areas, will do just that in an all-out “battle of the brains.” The IBM-sponsored ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest, the most prestigious computer programming competition of its kind, will include 6,099 university teams during its preliminary rounds through December. Ninety teams from 82 countries on six continents will earn coveted spots at the Contest’s World Finals April 8-12, 2008, in Banff Springs, Alberta, Canada.
WHO: Two teams from MTSU will compete in the Mid-Central Programming regional contest
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 3, 2007
WHERE: Tennessee Tech University, Cookeville, Tenn.
DETAILS: The 32nd annual Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) International Collegiate Programming Contest challenges teams of three university students to use their programming skills and rely on their mental endurance to solve complex, real world problems under a grueling five-hour deadline. Ninety successful teams will advance to the World Finals in Banff Springs, Alberta, Canada. IBM’s sponsorship has fueled the growth of the contest to include tens of thousands of students. Since the IBM sponsorship began in 1997, the number of teams participating has increased by a factor of seven and a half. For more information on previous contests, problem sets and last year’s final standings, please visit http://icpc.baylor.edu/icpc/.
LOCAL INTEREST:
MTSU has two teams that will compete in Mid-Central Programming contest at Tennessee
Tech University site on Nov. 3rd.
Team advisers are: Dr. Zhijiang Dong, and Dr. Sung Yoo.
Dr. Dong, assistant professor, computer science, can be reached at 615-898-2397 (zdong@mtsu.edu)
Dr. Yoo, professor, computer science, can be reached at 615-898-5737 (csyoojp@mtsu.edu)
Chairman of the Department of Computer Science is Dr. Richard Detmer, 6150898-2397 (rdetmer@mtsu.edu)
Team members are:
Team members of Blueraider #1 Kent, Joshua C Ells, David Williams, Brian Robert Team members of Blueraider #2 Bridges, William Fiala, David Fulton, Scott Jacob
###
Tom Tozer, directorMTSU News and Public AffairsFor news and information, visit mtsunews.com
Press Contact: Dana Procaccino, 215.790.4358
Local Contact: Tom Tozer, MTSU News and Public Affairs, 615.898.5131
MTSU Computer Programming Aces Vie for a Coveted Spot at the World Finals of the 32nd Annual International “Battle of the Brains”
University Computer Talent to Sharpen Problem-Solving Skills at Regional Competition of IBM-sponsored Contest
WHAT: Imagine completing a semester’s worth of computer programming in one afternoon. The computer programming teams from Middle Tennessee State University, and top collegiate programmers from surrounding areas, will do just that in an all-out “battle of the brains.” The IBM-sponsored ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest, the most prestigious computer programming competition of its kind, will include 6,099 university teams during its preliminary rounds through December. Ninety teams from 82 countries on six continents will earn coveted spots at the Contest’s World Finals April 8-12, 2008, in Banff Springs, Alberta, Canada.
WHO: Two teams from MTSU will compete in the Mid-Central Programming regional contest
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 3, 2007
WHERE: Tennessee Tech University, Cookeville, Tenn.
DETAILS: The 32nd annual Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) International Collegiate Programming Contest challenges teams of three university students to use their programming skills and rely on their mental endurance to solve complex, real world problems under a grueling five-hour deadline. Ninety successful teams will advance to the World Finals in Banff Springs, Alberta, Canada. IBM’s sponsorship has fueled the growth of the contest to include tens of thousands of students. Since the IBM sponsorship began in 1997, the number of teams participating has increased by a factor of seven and a half. For more information on previous contests, problem sets and last year’s final standings, please visit http://icpc.baylor.edu/icpc/.
LOCAL INTEREST:
MTSU has two teams that will compete in Mid-Central Programming contest at Tennessee
Tech University site on Nov. 3rd.
Team advisers are: Dr. Zhijiang Dong, and Dr. Sung Yoo.
Dr. Dong, assistant professor, computer science, can be reached at 615-898-2397 (zdong@mtsu.edu)
Dr. Yoo, professor, computer science, can be reached at 615-898-5737 (csyoojp@mtsu.edu)
Chairman of the Department of Computer Science is Dr. Richard Detmer, 6150898-2397 (rdetmer@mtsu.edu)
Team members are:
Team members of Blueraider #1 Kent, Joshua C Ells, David Williams, Brian Robert Team members of Blueraider #2 Bridges, William Fiala, David Fulton, Scott Jacob
###
Tom Tozer, directorMTSU News and Public AffairsFor news and information, visit mtsunews.com
164 GROUND TO BE BROKEN ON SITE OF “LIVING” MTSU VETS MEMORIAL
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 29, 2007
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
GROUND TO BE BROKEN ON SITE OF “LIVING” MTSU VETS MEMORIAL
Granite Wall, Brick Pavers Part of Permanent Space for Learning, Reflection
(MURFREESBORO) – Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) officials will break ground on the future site of a permanent memorial to military veterans at 8:30 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 10, at the Tom H. Jackson Building (formerly the Alumni Building) during a day of festivities to acknowledge the contributions and sacrifices of military personnel.
The memorial will honor MTSU faculty, students, staffers and administrators who served their country in the United States armed forces from the university’s inception in 1911 to the present and beyond. It will be a living memorial constructed in the form of a plaza that can be used equally well for classroom instruction, formal ceremonies or private contemplation.
“We’re excited that finally we’re going to have a groundbreaking so that veterans and their families can now come to campus and feel that they have a place, a place that recognizes them in some way,” Dr. Robb McDaniel, MTSU Veterans Committee Chairman and associate professor of political science, says.
The plan designed by Garry Askew of Bauer/Askew Architecture Pllc. of Nashville will be on display at the groundbreaking. It includes a bipartite gray granite wall with a polished base. The names of the deceased will be featured on the north side. The south side will display a constellation of stars on one section. On the opposite section, the words “To Support and Defend the Constitution” will be engraved.
Brick pavers, many featuring the names of family members and other loved ones who served their country, will be arrayed in rows between the wall and the Jackson Building, flanked on either side with benches and emblems of the branches of the armed services. Proceeds from the ongoing sale of the pavers will go toward funding the memorial.
A honed gray granite circle inscribed with the MTSU seal will be situated between the pavers and the Jackson Building. It will be aligned with a polished gray granite podium to be used by professors during class lectures or speakers at special ceremonies. A flagpole aligned with the podium will be placed behind the wall.
“We’ve been working on this project for about two years now, and … we’re at a point where we’ve got a design that we’re really enthusiastic about,” McDaniel says, noting that the site is in the older part of campus, linked with much of the university’s history.
To date, the committee has collected the names of some 60 members of the university community killed in the line of duty. To bring more names to the committee’s attention, contact Dr. Derek Frisby, assistant professor of history and Desert Storm veteran, at 615-494-8856 or dfrisby@mtsu.edu. For more information, go to http://www.mtsu.edu/veterans.
Tax-deductible contributions to the memorial can be made by mail to MTSU Veterans Memorial Fund, c/o MTSU Foundation, P.O. Box 109, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN 37132. On-line donations can be made at http://www.mtsu.edu/~devofc/giving.html. Information about automatic bank drafts also is available on the Web site. To donate by phone with Visa or MasterCard, call 615-898-2502 or 1-877-444-6878.
Refreshments will be available, and the media are welcome to attend.
--30--
ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a graphic of the memorial wall design that will be on display at the groundbreaking, contact Gina Logue in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
GROUND TO BE BROKEN ON SITE OF “LIVING” MTSU VETS MEMORIAL
Granite Wall, Brick Pavers Part of Permanent Space for Learning, Reflection
(MURFREESBORO) – Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) officials will break ground on the future site of a permanent memorial to military veterans at 8:30 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 10, at the Tom H. Jackson Building (formerly the Alumni Building) during a day of festivities to acknowledge the contributions and sacrifices of military personnel.
The memorial will honor MTSU faculty, students, staffers and administrators who served their country in the United States armed forces from the university’s inception in 1911 to the present and beyond. It will be a living memorial constructed in the form of a plaza that can be used equally well for classroom instruction, formal ceremonies or private contemplation.
“We’re excited that finally we’re going to have a groundbreaking so that veterans and their families can now come to campus and feel that they have a place, a place that recognizes them in some way,” Dr. Robb McDaniel, MTSU Veterans Committee Chairman and associate professor of political science, says.
The plan designed by Garry Askew of Bauer/Askew Architecture Pllc. of Nashville will be on display at the groundbreaking. It includes a bipartite gray granite wall with a polished base. The names of the deceased will be featured on the north side. The south side will display a constellation of stars on one section. On the opposite section, the words “To Support and Defend the Constitution” will be engraved.
Brick pavers, many featuring the names of family members and other loved ones who served their country, will be arrayed in rows between the wall and the Jackson Building, flanked on either side with benches and emblems of the branches of the armed services. Proceeds from the ongoing sale of the pavers will go toward funding the memorial.
A honed gray granite circle inscribed with the MTSU seal will be situated between the pavers and the Jackson Building. It will be aligned with a polished gray granite podium to be used by professors during class lectures or speakers at special ceremonies. A flagpole aligned with the podium will be placed behind the wall.
“We’ve been working on this project for about two years now, and … we’re at a point where we’ve got a design that we’re really enthusiastic about,” McDaniel says, noting that the site is in the older part of campus, linked with much of the university’s history.
To date, the committee has collected the names of some 60 members of the university community killed in the line of duty. To bring more names to the committee’s attention, contact Dr. Derek Frisby, assistant professor of history and Desert Storm veteran, at 615-494-8856 or dfrisby@mtsu.edu. For more information, go to http://www.mtsu.edu/veterans.
Tax-deductible contributions to the memorial can be made by mail to MTSU Veterans Memorial Fund, c/o MTSU Foundation, P.O. Box 109, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN 37132. On-line donations can be made at http://www.mtsu.edu/~devofc/giving.html. Information about automatic bank drafts also is available on the Web site. To donate by phone with Visa or MasterCard, call 615-898-2502 or 1-877-444-6878.
Refreshments will be available, and the media are welcome to attend.
--30--
ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a graphic of the memorial wall design that will be on display at the groundbreaking, contact Gina Logue in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.
163 Survivor-Turned-Activist to Address Domestic Violence, Sexual Abuse Issues
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 30, 2007
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
FORMER JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL TO SPEAK AT MTSU
Survivor-Turned-Activist to Address Domestic Violence, Sexual Abuse Issues
(MURFREESBORO) – Olga Trujillo, a much-honored activist against the abuse of women, children and immigrants, will speak at 4 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 13, in the Tennessee Room of MTSU’s James Union Building. Her speech is free and open to the public.
Trujillo, who survived abuse as a child and rape as an adult, is Director of Programs at Casa de Esperanza in St. Paul, Minn., and founder of O.R.T. Solutions, Inc., a company that works on domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, immigration and human trafficking issues.
Her career began in the U.S. Department of Justice, where she assessed asylum regulations implemented by the Immigration and Naturalization Service. She also oversaw the department’s implementation of the Mariel Cuban program.
As General Counsel of the Office of Justice Programs, Trujillo led the agency’s implementation of the Omnibus Crime Control Act of 1994, including the Violence against Women Act and several immigration provisions.
Later, Trujillo served as Legal Counsel in the Office for Victims of Crime, urging officials to pursue funding for victims of immigrant crime. Her most recent position at the Justice Department was Director of the Special Projects Division of the Office for Victims of Crime, managing an $8 million discretionary grant program for nationwide training on victim issues.
Trujillo has worked as a consultant with several organizations, including Praxis International, the Family Violence Prevention Fund, the Battered Women’s Justice Project, the National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators, the National Association of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, as well as local and state groups.
She is the recipient of the 2006 Bud Cramer Leadership Award from the National Children’s Alliance and is one of the recipients of the 2006 Peace Award from the Sunshine Lady Foundation.
Olga Trujillo’s appearance is sponsored by the June Anderson Women’s Center at MTSU. For more information, contact the center at 615-898-2913 or jawc@mtsu.edu.
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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a color jpeg photo of Olga Trujillo, contact Gina Logue in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
FORMER JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL TO SPEAK AT MTSU
Survivor-Turned-Activist to Address Domestic Violence, Sexual Abuse Issues
(MURFREESBORO) – Olga Trujillo, a much-honored activist against the abuse of women, children and immigrants, will speak at 4 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 13, in the Tennessee Room of MTSU’s James Union Building. Her speech is free and open to the public.
Trujillo, who survived abuse as a child and rape as an adult, is Director of Programs at Casa de Esperanza in St. Paul, Minn., and founder of O.R.T. Solutions, Inc., a company that works on domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, immigration and human trafficking issues.
Her career began in the U.S. Department of Justice, where she assessed asylum regulations implemented by the Immigration and Naturalization Service. She also oversaw the department’s implementation of the Mariel Cuban program.
As General Counsel of the Office of Justice Programs, Trujillo led the agency’s implementation of the Omnibus Crime Control Act of 1994, including the Violence against Women Act and several immigration provisions.
Later, Trujillo served as Legal Counsel in the Office for Victims of Crime, urging officials to pursue funding for victims of immigrant crime. Her most recent position at the Justice Department was Director of the Special Projects Division of the Office for Victims of Crime, managing an $8 million discretionary grant program for nationwide training on victim issues.
Trujillo has worked as a consultant with several organizations, including Praxis International, the Family Violence Prevention Fund, the Battered Women’s Justice Project, the National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators, the National Association of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, as well as local and state groups.
She is the recipient of the 2006 Bud Cramer Leadership Award from the National Children’s Alliance and is one of the recipients of the 2006 Peace Award from the Sunshine Lady Foundation.
Olga Trujillo’s appearance is sponsored by the June Anderson Women’s Center at MTSU. For more information, contact the center at 615-898-2913 or jawc@mtsu.edu.
--30—
ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a color jpeg photo of Olga Trujillo, contact Gina Logue in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.
162 CONSULTANT TO JORDAN AND EGYPT GOVERNMENTS TO SPEAK
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 29, 2007
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
CONSULTANT TO JORDAN AND EGYPT GOVERNMENTS TO SPEAK
Waleed El-Ansary to Address Topic of Religions and Spirituality Around the World
(MURFREESBORO) – Dr. Waleed El-Ansary, professor of religious studies at the University of South Carolina, will speak on “Bridging the Gaps of Global Religions and Spirituality” at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31, in MTSU’s James Union Building. The public and the media are welcome to attend.
His research focuses on the relationship among religion, science and economics. “As an expert in interfaith dialogue, he is a consultant to the Royal Court of Jordan and the Grand Mufti of Egypt,” Dr. Allen Hibbard, director of MTSU’s Middle East Center and professor of English, says.
El-Ansary’s publications include Not by Bread Alone: Lectures of E.F. Schumacher (forthcoming), The Quantum Enigma and Islamic Sciences of Nature: Implications for Islamic Economic Theory, and A Perennialist Perspective on Religion and Conflict.
Hibbard says El-Ansary has degrees in human sciences, Islamic studies and economics from George Washington University, where he worked closely with Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr, one of the leading Muslim philosophers of our time.
El-Ansary’s address is co-sponsored by the Middle East Center in conjunction with the Third Biennial International Conference on Cultural Diversity. For more information, contact Hibbard at 615-494-8809 or ahibbard@mtsu.edu.
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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a jpeg photo of Dr. Waleed El-Ansary, contact Gina Logue in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
CONSULTANT TO JORDAN AND EGYPT GOVERNMENTS TO SPEAK
Waleed El-Ansary to Address Topic of Religions and Spirituality Around the World
(MURFREESBORO) – Dr. Waleed El-Ansary, professor of religious studies at the University of South Carolina, will speak on “Bridging the Gaps of Global Religions and Spirituality” at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31, in MTSU’s James Union Building. The public and the media are welcome to attend.
His research focuses on the relationship among religion, science and economics. “As an expert in interfaith dialogue, he is a consultant to the Royal Court of Jordan and the Grand Mufti of Egypt,” Dr. Allen Hibbard, director of MTSU’s Middle East Center and professor of English, says.
El-Ansary’s publications include Not by Bread Alone: Lectures of E.F. Schumacher (forthcoming), The Quantum Enigma and Islamic Sciences of Nature: Implications for Islamic Economic Theory, and A Perennialist Perspective on Religion and Conflict.
Hibbard says El-Ansary has degrees in human sciences, Islamic studies and economics from George Washington University, where he worked closely with Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr, one of the leading Muslim philosophers of our time.
El-Ansary’s address is co-sponsored by the Middle East Center in conjunction with the Third Biennial International Conference on Cultural Diversity. For more information, contact Hibbard at 615-494-8809 or ahibbard@mtsu.edu.
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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a jpeg photo of Dr. Waleed El-Ansary, contact Gina Logue in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.
161 Location of the Michael Eric Dyson address will be the Alumni Memorial Gym
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 29, 2007
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
MEDIA ADVISORY
Editors: Please note that the location of the Michael Eric Dyson address will be the Alumni Memorial Gym, NOT the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building as originally stated. All other information is correct. Please make the appropriate corrections. We apologize for the inconvenience.
“HIP-HOP INTELLECTUAL” MICHAEL ERIC DYSON TO TALK AT MTSU
Nationally Acclaimed Author to Speak Out on Race, Religion, Rap and Rhetoric
(MURFREESBORO) – Author, academic, minister and commentator Michael Eric Dyson, known as “the hip-hop intellectual” among critics and fans, will speak at MTSU at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 31, in the Alumni Memorial Gym. His address, including a question-and-answer period, is free and open to the public.
Dyson, who has been named one of the 100 most influential black Americans by Ebony magazine, was appointed a University Professor at Georgetown University earlier this year. He teaches classes in English, theology and African-American Studies.
He is the author of 15 books, including Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster; Is Bill Cosby Right? Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind?; and his latest, Know What I Mean?, an examination of hip-hop music with an introduction by Jay-Z.
In an Oct. 5 speech at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Dyson described singer Kanye West as the ultimate gangster for speaking out against President George W. Bush following Hurricane Katrina, reports the Oct. 8 edition of UKMC’s University News.
Prior to joining Georgetown earlier this year, Dyson was the Avalon Foundation Professor in the Humanities in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. He also has taught at DePaul, Chicago Theological Seminary, the University of North Carolina, Columbia and Brown. His resume includes pastoral and ministerial work at several Baptist churches.
Dyson graduated magna cum laude from Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tenn., with a bachelor’s degree in 1982, received a master’s degree from Princeton University in 1991, and earned his doctorate from Princeton in 1993.
A frequent guest on radio and television talk shows, Dyson’s appearances include “The Charlie Rose Show,” “Oprah,” “Real Time with Bill Maher” on Home Box Office, Cable News Network and National Public Radio.
Dyson’s appearance at MTSU is co-sponsored by the Black History Month Committee and the Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs (IDA).
“Dr. Dyson is an intellectual leader in the Academy and society on media, race and politics,” Luther Buie, interim director of IDA and co-chair of the Black History Month Committee, says. “We look forward to his insights.”
"It is truly an honor to have Dr. Michael Eric Dyson come to MTSU,” says Dr. Sekou Franklin, assistant professor of political science and co-chair of the Black History Month Committee. “His scholarship and vigorous activism have made him one of the nation's most important intellectuals and commentators on how race and class intersect with politics and culture."
“This is really a student-driven event,” says Buie. “We’re starting with the desires of the students and seeing a real spirit of collaboration among academic departments, Intercultural and Diversity Affairs and student organizations.”
Buie says special thanks are due to the Collegiate 100, the student chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the African-American Women’s Council and the African-American Students Association.
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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a jpeg photograph of Michael Eric Dyson, contact Gina Logue in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
MEDIA ADVISORY
Editors: Please note that the location of the Michael Eric Dyson address will be the Alumni Memorial Gym, NOT the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building as originally stated. All other information is correct. Please make the appropriate corrections. We apologize for the inconvenience.
“HIP-HOP INTELLECTUAL” MICHAEL ERIC DYSON TO TALK AT MTSU
Nationally Acclaimed Author to Speak Out on Race, Religion, Rap and Rhetoric
(MURFREESBORO) – Author, academic, minister and commentator Michael Eric Dyson, known as “the hip-hop intellectual” among critics and fans, will speak at MTSU at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 31, in the Alumni Memorial Gym. His address, including a question-and-answer period, is free and open to the public.
Dyson, who has been named one of the 100 most influential black Americans by Ebony magazine, was appointed a University Professor at Georgetown University earlier this year. He teaches classes in English, theology and African-American Studies.
He is the author of 15 books, including Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster; Is Bill Cosby Right? Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind?; and his latest, Know What I Mean?, an examination of hip-hop music with an introduction by Jay-Z.
In an Oct. 5 speech at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Dyson described singer Kanye West as the ultimate gangster for speaking out against President George W. Bush following Hurricane Katrina, reports the Oct. 8 edition of UKMC’s University News.
Prior to joining Georgetown earlier this year, Dyson was the Avalon Foundation Professor in the Humanities in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. He also has taught at DePaul, Chicago Theological Seminary, the University of North Carolina, Columbia and Brown. His resume includes pastoral and ministerial work at several Baptist churches.
Dyson graduated magna cum laude from Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tenn., with a bachelor’s degree in 1982, received a master’s degree from Princeton University in 1991, and earned his doctorate from Princeton in 1993.
A frequent guest on radio and television talk shows, Dyson’s appearances include “The Charlie Rose Show,” “Oprah,” “Real Time with Bill Maher” on Home Box Office, Cable News Network and National Public Radio.
Dyson’s appearance at MTSU is co-sponsored by the Black History Month Committee and the Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs (IDA).
“Dr. Dyson is an intellectual leader in the Academy and society on media, race and politics,” Luther Buie, interim director of IDA and co-chair of the Black History Month Committee, says. “We look forward to his insights.”
"It is truly an honor to have Dr. Michael Eric Dyson come to MTSU,” says Dr. Sekou Franklin, assistant professor of political science and co-chair of the Black History Month Committee. “His scholarship and vigorous activism have made him one of the nation's most important intellectuals and commentators on how race and class intersect with politics and culture."
“This is really a student-driven event,” says Buie. “We’re starting with the desires of the students and seeing a real spirit of collaboration among academic departments, Intercultural and Diversity Affairs and student organizations.”
Buie says special thanks are due to the Collegiate 100, the student chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the African-American Women’s Council and the African-American Students Association.
--30--
ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a jpeg photograph of Michael Eric Dyson, contact Gina Logue in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.
160 JOINT FACULTY RECITAL FEATURES JAZZ ENSEMBLE I, ORIGINAL WORKS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 26, 2007
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
JOINT FACULTY RECITAL FEATURES JAZZ ENSEMBLE I, ORIGINAL WORKS
Free & Open Event Will Showcase Talents of Sax Player Aliquo and Trumpeter Simmons
(MURFREESBORO)—An MTSU faculty jazz concert featuring Don Aliquo (tenor sax) and Jamey Simmons (trumpet) will be held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30, in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
"The concert will have original music by both (Aliquo) and myself," Simmons said.
Jazz Ensemble I, the premier jazz ensemble at MTSU, will assist on the program during the performances of Thelonious Monk’s Bright Mississippi and an original work by Simmons titled Damascus. The big-band tunes will feature jazz alumnus Oscar Utterstrom (trombone) and Vinnie Ciesielski (trumpet), a professional musician based in Nashville. Additionally, many of the other selections will be original works by Aliquo.
Another featured group will be MTSU’s graduate jazz rhythm section that consists of Mason Embry (piano), Chris Munson (drums) and Jimmie McEachern (bass).
Simmons is the associate professor of jazz studies and jazz trumpet at MTSU and has written arrangements and compositions that have been performed by the Rochester Chamber Orchestra, the Glenn Miller Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cedar Avenue Big Band and the MTSU Wind Ensemble.
Aliquo, MTSU’s director of jazz studies and associate professor of saxophone, has had extensive experience as an educator and performer, with recent concert appearances at the International Association of Jazz Educators Conference in New York City, the University of Northern Colorado Jazz Festival and the North American Saxophone Alliance International Conference.
This concert is free and open to the public.
For more information on this and other events in the music school at MTSU, please call 615-898-2493 or visit www.mtsumusic.com.
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• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To secure a jpeg for editorial use, please e-mail your request to Tim Musselman in the music school at tmusselm@mtsu.edu.
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
JOINT FACULTY RECITAL FEATURES JAZZ ENSEMBLE I, ORIGINAL WORKS
Free & Open Event Will Showcase Talents of Sax Player Aliquo and Trumpeter Simmons
(MURFREESBORO)—An MTSU faculty jazz concert featuring Don Aliquo (tenor sax) and Jamey Simmons (trumpet) will be held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30, in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
"The concert will have original music by both (Aliquo) and myself," Simmons said.
Jazz Ensemble I, the premier jazz ensemble at MTSU, will assist on the program during the performances of Thelonious Monk’s Bright Mississippi and an original work by Simmons titled Damascus. The big-band tunes will feature jazz alumnus Oscar Utterstrom (trombone) and Vinnie Ciesielski (trumpet), a professional musician based in Nashville. Additionally, many of the other selections will be original works by Aliquo.
Another featured group will be MTSU’s graduate jazz rhythm section that consists of Mason Embry (piano), Chris Munson (drums) and Jimmie McEachern (bass).
Simmons is the associate professor of jazz studies and jazz trumpet at MTSU and has written arrangements and compositions that have been performed by the Rochester Chamber Orchestra, the Glenn Miller Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cedar Avenue Big Band and the MTSU Wind Ensemble.
Aliquo, MTSU’s director of jazz studies and associate professor of saxophone, has had extensive experience as an educator and performer, with recent concert appearances at the International Association of Jazz Educators Conference in New York City, the University of Northern Colorado Jazz Festival and the North American Saxophone Alliance International Conference.
This concert is free and open to the public.
For more information on this and other events in the music school at MTSU, please call 615-898-2493 or visit www.mtsumusic.com.
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• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To secure a jpeg for editorial use, please e-mail your request to Tim Musselman in the music school at tmusselm@mtsu.edu.
Monday, October 29, 2007
159 RECITAL BY FLUTIST LITTLE WILL FEATURE 20TH CENTURY SONATAS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 26, 2007
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
NOV. 1 RECITAL BY FLUTIST LITTLE WILL FEATURE 20TH CENTURY SONATAS
Lipscomb University’s Jerome Reed Will Serve as Guest Pianist for Free, Open Performance
(MURFREESBORO)—Deanna Little, MTSU professor of flute, and pianist Jerome A. Reed will perform a free and open recital at 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1, in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
The program will include sonatas by Erwin Schulhoff, Samuel Zyman and Denis Bedard.
“These are all 20th century sonatas and are repertoire for a CD that (Reed) and I will be recording (later) this academic year,” Little said.
In addition to the sonatas, the duo will perform a standard French work called Sonatine by Henri Dutilleux. Hahn will also present a solo piccolo work by Laurence Trott titled Bird Fancier's Delight, which will be accompanied by photographs of the birds being depicted by the work.
A professor of music at Lipscomb University, Reed provides private piano and composition lessons, coaches the University String Ensemble at Lipscomb and teaches classroom courses in piano literature and pedagogy. He holds a doctorate and master’s degree in piano performance from the Catholic University of America and a bachelor’s degree in music from MTSU.
As a professor at MTSU, Little currently teaches applied flute, classes in woodwind methods, literature and pedagogy and directs the MTSU Flute Choir. As an active performer, Little is a member of the Stones River Chamber Players and a frequent guest on Nashville's WPLN Live from Studio C radio broadcasts. She has performed with the Nashville Symphony and the Nashville Chamber Orchestra.
For more information on this and other events in the music school at MTSU, please call 615-898-2493 or visit www.mtsumusic.com.
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• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To secure a jpeg for editorial use, please e-mail your request to Tim Musselman in the music school at tmusselm@mtsu.edu.
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
NOV. 1 RECITAL BY FLUTIST LITTLE WILL FEATURE 20TH CENTURY SONATAS
Lipscomb University’s Jerome Reed Will Serve as Guest Pianist for Free, Open Performance
(MURFREESBORO)—Deanna Little, MTSU professor of flute, and pianist Jerome A. Reed will perform a free and open recital at 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1, in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
The program will include sonatas by Erwin Schulhoff, Samuel Zyman and Denis Bedard.
“These are all 20th century sonatas and are repertoire for a CD that (Reed) and I will be recording (later) this academic year,” Little said.
In addition to the sonatas, the duo will perform a standard French work called Sonatine by Henri Dutilleux. Hahn will also present a solo piccolo work by Laurence Trott titled Bird Fancier's Delight, which will be accompanied by photographs of the birds being depicted by the work.
A professor of music at Lipscomb University, Reed provides private piano and composition lessons, coaches the University String Ensemble at Lipscomb and teaches classroom courses in piano literature and pedagogy. He holds a doctorate and master’s degree in piano performance from the Catholic University of America and a bachelor’s degree in music from MTSU.
As a professor at MTSU, Little currently teaches applied flute, classes in woodwind methods, literature and pedagogy and directs the MTSU Flute Choir. As an active performer, Little is a member of the Stones River Chamber Players and a frequent guest on Nashville's WPLN Live from Studio C radio broadcasts. She has performed with the Nashville Symphony and the Nashville Chamber Orchestra.
For more information on this and other events in the music school at MTSU, please call 615-898-2493 or visit www.mtsumusic.com.
—30—
• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To secure a jpeg for editorial use, please e-mail your request to Tim Musselman in the music school at tmusselm@mtsu.edu.
158 FREE OCT. 29 RECITAL AT MTSU FEATURES PIANO-CLARINET WORKS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 26, 2007
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
FREE OCT. 29 RECITAL AT MTSU FEATURES PIANO-CLARINET WORKS
Concert Features Music that Varies from the Obscure to Contemporary, Says Waldecker
(MURFREESBORO)—MTSU Faculty clarinetist Todd Waldecker will perform a free and open recital with pianist and local church musician, Jackson Henry, at 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 29, in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
The concert will feature a variety of works for clarinet and piano, from the obscure Rhapsody manuscript written in 1941 by the Russian-Jewish composer Grigori Krejn to the more contemporary sounds of Paul Reade’s soundtrack for a 1990's BBC television gardening documentary.
"Monday evening's program demonstrates the flexibility of the clarinet and piano repertoire," Waldecker said. "Our selections display how tender music can be in Tedesco's Lullaby and how fierce we can play in the Jewish wedding sounds of Sargon's Klezmusik. There should be something that appeals to everyone."
Waldecker has been associate professor of clarinet in the MTSU School of Music at since 1998 and also serves on the faculty of the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts. He holds a Doctor of Music from Indiana University, Master of Music from Yale University and a music education degree from the University of Missouri.
Active as a chamber musician, he performs with The Crescent Trio and The Stones River Chamber Players. As principal clarinetist with The Nashville Chamber Orchestra, he has worked with such diverse artists as Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Sharon Isbin, Allison Krauss, The Nashville Bluegrass Band and Phish’s Trey Anastasio. Waldecker frequently performs as a guest with The Nashville Symphony Orchestra and The Huntsville Symphony Orchestra
Pianist Henry serves as director of music ministries in Murfreesboro at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church and also as an adjunct accompanist on the keyboard faculty of the MTSU School of Music. He is a graduate of the Master of Sacred Music program at Perkins School of Theology/Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University, where he received the Prothro Promise for Ministry Scholarship, the Roger Deschner Prize in Sacred Music and the Master of Sacred Music Award, respectively.
While at SMU, Henry also was assistant director of the Seminary Singers under Dr. C. Michael Hawn. Before coming to Murfreesboro, he served as director of music ministries at the United Methodist Church of the Disciple in DeSoto, Texas.
For more information on this and other events in the music school at MTSU, please call 615-898-2493 or visit www.mtsumusic.com.
—30—
• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To secure a jpeg for editorial use, please e-mail your request to Tim Musselman in the music school at tmusselm@mtsu.edu.
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
FREE OCT. 29 RECITAL AT MTSU FEATURES PIANO-CLARINET WORKS
Concert Features Music that Varies from the Obscure to Contemporary, Says Waldecker
(MURFREESBORO)—MTSU Faculty clarinetist Todd Waldecker will perform a free and open recital with pianist and local church musician, Jackson Henry, at 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 29, in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
The concert will feature a variety of works for clarinet and piano, from the obscure Rhapsody manuscript written in 1941 by the Russian-Jewish composer Grigori Krejn to the more contemporary sounds of Paul Reade’s soundtrack for a 1990's BBC television gardening documentary.
"Monday evening's program demonstrates the flexibility of the clarinet and piano repertoire," Waldecker said. "Our selections display how tender music can be in Tedesco's Lullaby and how fierce we can play in the Jewish wedding sounds of Sargon's Klezmusik. There should be something that appeals to everyone."
Waldecker has been associate professor of clarinet in the MTSU School of Music at since 1998 and also serves on the faculty of the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts. He holds a Doctor of Music from Indiana University, Master of Music from Yale University and a music education degree from the University of Missouri.
Active as a chamber musician, he performs with The Crescent Trio and The Stones River Chamber Players. As principal clarinetist with The Nashville Chamber Orchestra, he has worked with such diverse artists as Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Sharon Isbin, Allison Krauss, The Nashville Bluegrass Band and Phish’s Trey Anastasio. Waldecker frequently performs as a guest with The Nashville Symphony Orchestra and The Huntsville Symphony Orchestra
Pianist Henry serves as director of music ministries in Murfreesboro at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church and also as an adjunct accompanist on the keyboard faculty of the MTSU School of Music. He is a graduate of the Master of Sacred Music program at Perkins School of Theology/Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University, where he received the Prothro Promise for Ministry Scholarship, the Roger Deschner Prize in Sacred Music and the Master of Sacred Music Award, respectively.
While at SMU, Henry also was assistant director of the Seminary Singers under Dr. C. Michael Hawn. Before coming to Murfreesboro, he served as director of music ministries at the United Methodist Church of the Disciple in DeSoto, Texas.
For more information on this and other events in the music school at MTSU, please call 615-898-2493 or visit www.mtsumusic.com.
—30—
• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To secure a jpeg for editorial use, please e-mail your request to Tim Musselman in the music school at tmusselm@mtsu.edu.
156 Martin Lectureship will welcome Governor Phil Bredesen to MTSU Nov. 7
Martin Lectureship will welcome Governor Phil Bredesen to MTSU Nov. 7
Oct. 26, 2007
CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919
MURFREESBORO—The Paul W. Martin Sr. Lectureship will welcome Governor Phil Bredesen to Middle Tennessee State University on Wednesday, Nov. 7. The governor’s address, “Exploring Issues in Education,” will commence at 2 p.m. in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business and Aerospace Building, and it will be open to the campus community and the general public.
Elected governor of Tennessee in 2002, Bredesen has continued to make education his top priority. Under his leadership, teachers’ salaries have increased, and his focus on the state’s pre-K initiative has now expanded that program to include 4-year-olds. He created the Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation, which provides free books every month to children up to 5 years of age and now encompasses all 95 counties in Tennessee. In Bredesen’s fourth year in office, education funding rose to a record $366.5 million. He was overwhelmingly reelected in 2006.
The Paul W. Martin Sr. Lectureship was established in 2004 to enhance the stature of the University Honors College at MTSU—and to enrich the relationship between MTSU and the community. The Martin Lectureship is funded by
Dr. H. Lee Martin, son of Paul W. Martin Sr. The program is sponsored by the University Honors College in collaboration with the colleges of Liberal Arts, Education and Behavioral Science, Business, Basic and Applied Sciences and Mass Communication.
For more MTSU news and information, visit mtsunews.com.
####
Oct. 26, 2007
CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919
MURFREESBORO—The Paul W. Martin Sr. Lectureship will welcome Governor Phil Bredesen to Middle Tennessee State University on Wednesday, Nov. 7. The governor’s address, “Exploring Issues in Education,” will commence at 2 p.m. in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business and Aerospace Building, and it will be open to the campus community and the general public.
Elected governor of Tennessee in 2002, Bredesen has continued to make education his top priority. Under his leadership, teachers’ salaries have increased, and his focus on the state’s pre-K initiative has now expanded that program to include 4-year-olds. He created the Governor’s Books from Birth Foundation, which provides free books every month to children up to 5 years of age and now encompasses all 95 counties in Tennessee. In Bredesen’s fourth year in office, education funding rose to a record $366.5 million. He was overwhelmingly reelected in 2006.
The Paul W. Martin Sr. Lectureship was established in 2004 to enhance the stature of the University Honors College at MTSU—and to enrich the relationship between MTSU and the community. The Martin Lectureship is funded by
Dr. H. Lee Martin, son of Paul W. Martin Sr. The program is sponsored by the University Honors College in collaboration with the colleges of Liberal Arts, Education and Behavioral Science, Business, Basic and Applied Sciences and Mass Communication.
For more MTSU news and information, visit mtsunews.com.
####
155 MTSU ENDOWMENT’S ‘REMARKABLE GROWTH’ REFLECTS SMART MANAGEMENT, INCREASED SUPPORT
MTSU ENDOWMENT’S ‘REMARKABLE GROWTH’ REFLECTS SMART MANAGEMENT, INCREASED SUPPORT
Oct. 24, 2007
CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919
Joe Bales, 615-898-5818
MURFREESBORO—The MTSU endowment ranks right up there with the endowment at Harvard University. Well, in one aspect anyway—overall performance. While Harvard’s endowment is in the billions ($34.9 billion) and MTSU’s is in the millions ($34.9 million), both funds enjoyed a similar proportional increase during the past fiscal year.
MTSU’s jump from $29.8 million to its current figure is the result of a lot of hard work, smart asset management, and, as Joe Bales, vice president of development and university relations confirms, signifies that the MTSU Foundation is in excellent shape.
“The Foundation really has had remarkable growth over the last two years,” Bales noted. “For 2005-2006, we had asset value appreciation of more than 13 percent. Add to that the gifts we received that year, and the total growth of our endowment put us in the top 25 percent of colleges and universities in the nation.”
Bales added that this accomplishment occurred during a period when there was a significant decrease nationwide in the percentage of alumni who contributed to their alma mater, especially among public universities.
“We went the other way,” Bales said. “We’ve had a slow but steady increase. Even though we leveled off some last year, over the past few years we have seen an increase in alumni participation and an increase in total donors. I believe that’s a sign that people are confident in what’s going on at this university—and it’s worth a personal investment.”
While MTSU alumni giving is up, Bales also attributes the foundation’s impressive report card to knowledgeable people who serve on the board.
“The foundation board and its finance committee, as well as the professional fund manager whom we utilize, all work together well and try to maximize what this endowment can bring to this university,” he explained. “The other factor is that a couple of years ago the board changed strategically the way it managed the endowment. They looked at ways to stabilize the way we provided funds to the academic units and to balance the need for pay-out with the need to grow the endowment.”
More than a $1 million a year is now pumped into academic units in earnings from the endowment, which appear in the form of scholarships, faculty awards and student-support programs. Bales says the way MTSU manages its endowment and directs its fund-raising programs mirrors the practices of the best colleges and universities in the nation.
“To cultivate more donors, we have placed development officers in all of the colleges in order to create a better link between our alumni and friends and their particular areas of interest,” Bales said. “When people donate, they can see exactly how that money will be used—they can see the results and understand the impact.”
For years, the understanding was that a public university received most of its support from the state, some support from tuition, and morsels from contracts from grants. That reality has changed over the last 30 years, Bales noted, with decreasing state support, higher tuition and a slight increase in contracts and grants.
“The fourth pillar that has really had to come into play is private philanthropy,” he said. “A lot of people don’t view the public university as a philanthropy. We’ve had to inform and educate our alumni on why we need to ask for money and how their giving can significantly impact an area that is important to them. If someone calls and says he or she would like to give to the university, my first question is, What are you interested in? When people can see their money doing something that is important to them, they feel better about it.”
Bales emphasizes that gifts both large and small fuel the vitality of private support.
“While we welcome and certainly appreciate large gifts, we know that small gifts can meld together and accomplish just as much as a major gift,” he said. “We have a member of our staff who utilizes students to call annual donors because we want those donors to have personal contact from the university. We want people to understand that their dollars make a difference. If we can make people feel proud of their gift, then we have done our job.”
####
For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.
Oct. 24, 2007
CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919
Joe Bales, 615-898-5818
MURFREESBORO—The MTSU endowment ranks right up there with the endowment at Harvard University. Well, in one aspect anyway—overall performance. While Harvard’s endowment is in the billions ($34.9 billion) and MTSU’s is in the millions ($34.9 million), both funds enjoyed a similar proportional increase during the past fiscal year.
MTSU’s jump from $29.8 million to its current figure is the result of a lot of hard work, smart asset management, and, as Joe Bales, vice president of development and university relations confirms, signifies that the MTSU Foundation is in excellent shape.
“The Foundation really has had remarkable growth over the last two years,” Bales noted. “For 2005-2006, we had asset value appreciation of more than 13 percent. Add to that the gifts we received that year, and the total growth of our endowment put us in the top 25 percent of colleges and universities in the nation.”
Bales added that this accomplishment occurred during a period when there was a significant decrease nationwide in the percentage of alumni who contributed to their alma mater, especially among public universities.
“We went the other way,” Bales said. “We’ve had a slow but steady increase. Even though we leveled off some last year, over the past few years we have seen an increase in alumni participation and an increase in total donors. I believe that’s a sign that people are confident in what’s going on at this university—and it’s worth a personal investment.”
While MTSU alumni giving is up, Bales also attributes the foundation’s impressive report card to knowledgeable people who serve on the board.
“The foundation board and its finance committee, as well as the professional fund manager whom we utilize, all work together well and try to maximize what this endowment can bring to this university,” he explained. “The other factor is that a couple of years ago the board changed strategically the way it managed the endowment. They looked at ways to stabilize the way we provided funds to the academic units and to balance the need for pay-out with the need to grow the endowment.”
More than a $1 million a year is now pumped into academic units in earnings from the endowment, which appear in the form of scholarships, faculty awards and student-support programs. Bales says the way MTSU manages its endowment and directs its fund-raising programs mirrors the practices of the best colleges and universities in the nation.
“To cultivate more donors, we have placed development officers in all of the colleges in order to create a better link between our alumni and friends and their particular areas of interest,” Bales said. “When people donate, they can see exactly how that money will be used—they can see the results and understand the impact.”
For years, the understanding was that a public university received most of its support from the state, some support from tuition, and morsels from contracts from grants. That reality has changed over the last 30 years, Bales noted, with decreasing state support, higher tuition and a slight increase in contracts and grants.
“The fourth pillar that has really had to come into play is private philanthropy,” he said. “A lot of people don’t view the public university as a philanthropy. We’ve had to inform and educate our alumni on why we need to ask for money and how their giving can significantly impact an area that is important to them. If someone calls and says he or she would like to give to the university, my first question is, What are you interested in? When people can see their money doing something that is important to them, they feel better about it.”
Bales emphasizes that gifts both large and small fuel the vitality of private support.
“While we welcome and certainly appreciate large gifts, we know that small gifts can meld together and accomplish just as much as a major gift,” he said. “We have a member of our staff who utilizes students to call annual donors because we want those donors to have personal contact from the university. We want people to understand that their dollars make a difference. If we can make people feel proud of their gift, then we have done our job.”
####
For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.
154 GRANT MONEY INTEGRATES WOMEN’S PERSPECTIVES INTO CLASSES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 23, 2007
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
GRANT MONEY INTEGRATES WOMEN’S PERSPECTIVES INTO CLASSES
President’s Commission Funds Unique Courses and Curricula Highlighting Women
(MURFREESBORO) – The President’s Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW) at Middle Tennessee State University is accepting applications from faculty for its 2008 Curriculum Integration Grants.
“The commission is thrilled with the growing interest in the grants in the past few years,” Dr. Tina Johnson, PCSW chair and associate professor of English, says.
The 2007 grants, which have been awarded to three professors in allocations of $1,800 each, are being used to infuse courses at MTSU with an appreciation for the experiences and perspectives of women.
Dr. Jane Marcellus, an assistant professor of journalism, will teach a course in the spring semester titled “Women in Journalism History.” The course description in the syllabus reads, in part, “Grounded in the assumption that sex is biologically determined but gender is socially constructed, we will ask how ideas about gender have shaped the field and prescribed both men’s and women’s roles.”
“I got the idea out of teaching journalism history and also just working with women students,” Marcellus says. “I really saw a need for role models in a profession that is, by tradition, fairly male-dominated.”
Marcellus points to Margaret Fuller, one of the first woman reporters to be hired full-time by a newspaper; Mary Margaret McBride, who fashioned her mother’s way of talking to her friends into a radio interview technique; and Nellie Bly, who pretended to be insane to get an insider’s view of conditions in an asylum, as examples.
Dr. Karen Petersen, an assistant professor of political science, used her grant to create a version of her “Foundations of Government” general education class that would be applicable in a study-abroad context in Cherbourg, France.
“I would like to, in this class, explore the issue of immigration in France, immigration politics, and the way in which women are at the center of that debate,” Petersen says.
She notes that Islamic women in France feel they need protection from Western values, and Western women in France feel they need protection from fundamentalist Islam, while other women are caught in the middle with no real power.
“It makes an interesting case study when so many of their neighbors, or, at least, a lot of their neighbors have made progress toward enfranchising women structurally, of course, using quota systems and the like, and France has not been able to do that,” Petersen says.
Jeremy Rich, an assistant professor of history, fashioned a 3000-level class on “Women in Africa” to dispel the notion that African women are little more than passive victims on the world stage. He posits that it would be a serious mistake to characterize all African women that way when they have been richly diverse in their achievements.
Rich’s course examines the impact of colonization on family life, how African women have coped with economic deprivation and civil war, and the colonial and post-colonial political roles of African women.
Tenured or tenure-track faculty members who wish to pursue the revision of a course, the creation of a new course, the reconceptualization of a current minor, or the creation of a new minor are eligible to apply for the next slate of grants.
Each proposal should include a completed grant application form; a brief description of the project; a statement of goals and objectives; a timeline for completion and implementation of the project; a tentative bibliography, including materials on the theories and methods of curriculum integration; and curriculum vitae.
Current recipients are in agreement about the importance of these grants to the expansion of the curriculum and the enlightenment of students.
“I think it’s an incentive to do what we all should be doing anyway,” Marcellus says, “but it’s an incentive to make it happen, and I think it’s a proactive step on the university’s part to encourage everybody to do that.”
“It’s quite popular to talk the talk about women’s issues and incorporating women’s concerns into the curriculum or into higher education policy,” Petersen says. “But for a university to actually put some funds behind that, which is really what it’s all about, it makes the difference between me being able to do this and not being able to do this under the workload we already have.”
Johnson says the popularity of the grants “shows that there is much interest at MTSU in bringing women’s experiences, issues and interests into the classroom.”
The deadline for faculty to submit grant applications is Feb. 1, 2008. For more information, contact Johnson at 615-898-2705 or ntjohnso@mtsu.edu.
--30--
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
GRANT MONEY INTEGRATES WOMEN’S PERSPECTIVES INTO CLASSES
President’s Commission Funds Unique Courses and Curricula Highlighting Women
(MURFREESBORO) – The President’s Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW) at Middle Tennessee State University is accepting applications from faculty for its 2008 Curriculum Integration Grants.
“The commission is thrilled with the growing interest in the grants in the past few years,” Dr. Tina Johnson, PCSW chair and associate professor of English, says.
The 2007 grants, which have been awarded to three professors in allocations of $1,800 each, are being used to infuse courses at MTSU with an appreciation for the experiences and perspectives of women.
Dr. Jane Marcellus, an assistant professor of journalism, will teach a course in the spring semester titled “Women in Journalism History.” The course description in the syllabus reads, in part, “Grounded in the assumption that sex is biologically determined but gender is socially constructed, we will ask how ideas about gender have shaped the field and prescribed both men’s and women’s roles.”
“I got the idea out of teaching journalism history and also just working with women students,” Marcellus says. “I really saw a need for role models in a profession that is, by tradition, fairly male-dominated.”
Marcellus points to Margaret Fuller, one of the first woman reporters to be hired full-time by a newspaper; Mary Margaret McBride, who fashioned her mother’s way of talking to her friends into a radio interview technique; and Nellie Bly, who pretended to be insane to get an insider’s view of conditions in an asylum, as examples.
Dr. Karen Petersen, an assistant professor of political science, used her grant to create a version of her “Foundations of Government” general education class that would be applicable in a study-abroad context in Cherbourg, France.
“I would like to, in this class, explore the issue of immigration in France, immigration politics, and the way in which women are at the center of that debate,” Petersen says.
She notes that Islamic women in France feel they need protection from Western values, and Western women in France feel they need protection from fundamentalist Islam, while other women are caught in the middle with no real power.
“It makes an interesting case study when so many of their neighbors, or, at least, a lot of their neighbors have made progress toward enfranchising women structurally, of course, using quota systems and the like, and France has not been able to do that,” Petersen says.
Jeremy Rich, an assistant professor of history, fashioned a 3000-level class on “Women in Africa” to dispel the notion that African women are little more than passive victims on the world stage. He posits that it would be a serious mistake to characterize all African women that way when they have been richly diverse in their achievements.
Rich’s course examines the impact of colonization on family life, how African women have coped with economic deprivation and civil war, and the colonial and post-colonial political roles of African women.
Tenured or tenure-track faculty members who wish to pursue the revision of a course, the creation of a new course, the reconceptualization of a current minor, or the creation of a new minor are eligible to apply for the next slate of grants.
Each proposal should include a completed grant application form; a brief description of the project; a statement of goals and objectives; a timeline for completion and implementation of the project; a tentative bibliography, including materials on the theories and methods of curriculum integration; and curriculum vitae.
Current recipients are in agreement about the importance of these grants to the expansion of the curriculum and the enlightenment of students.
“I think it’s an incentive to do what we all should be doing anyway,” Marcellus says, “but it’s an incentive to make it happen, and I think it’s a proactive step on the university’s part to encourage everybody to do that.”
“It’s quite popular to talk the talk about women’s issues and incorporating women’s concerns into the curriculum or into higher education policy,” Petersen says. “But for a university to actually put some funds behind that, which is really what it’s all about, it makes the difference between me being able to do this and not being able to do this under the workload we already have.”
Johnson says the popularity of the grants “shows that there is much interest at MTSU in bringing women’s experiences, issues and interests into the classroom.”
The deadline for faculty to submit grant applications is Feb. 1, 2008. For more information, contact Johnson at 615-898-2705 or ntjohnso@mtsu.edu.
--30--
153 AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY MEETS AT MTSU NOV. 3-4
Release date: Oct. 23, 2007
News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
Department of Mathematical Sciences contact: Dr. Jim Hart, 615-898-2402
AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY MEETS AT MTSU NOV. 3-4
(MURFREESBORO) — For the first time, the Department of Mathematical Sciences at MTSU will host a meeting of the American Mathematical Society.
Held on Nov. 3-4, the Fall Southeastern Meeting of the AMS will feature keynote addresses from leading mathematicians, along with 16 special sessions that will allow participants to present and learn about a host of research topics.
All sessions and keynote addresses will take place in the Business and Aerospace and John Bragg Mass Communication buildings.
To date, more than 300 mathematicians from more than 30 states will be on campus that weekend sharing results and ideas on topics ranging from financial mathematics to algorithmic methods in algebra.
Research from 12 MTSU math faculty will be presented at the meeting, and nine of the special topic sessions have been organized or co-organized by MTSU math faculty. In all, 17 members of the math department will be presenting, hosting special sessions or serving on the organizing committee.
They include Michaele Chappell, Curtis Church, Wandi Ding, James Hart, Don Hong, Jason Johnson, Abdul Khaliq, Jacob Klerlein, Rong Luo, Yuri Melnikov, Diane Miller, Don Nelson, Terrence Quinn, Zachariah Sinkala, Chris Stephens, Xiaoya Zha and Ping Zhang.
The AMS is the largest professional organization for research mathematicians in the country.
To host a regional meeting, universities must have organizing committees apply to the AMS several years in advance. The organizing committee must propose or solicit engaging topics for special sessions, provide evidence that the sessions will attract speakers and show that the university has sufficient resources and adequate facilities to provide a pleasant environment for the participants.
MTSU was one of several southeastern universities applying for the November meeting. While location played a role, MTSU was selected primarily because of the number and diversity of the special topic sessions proposed.
For specific information about the meeting, please visit the AMS website (ams.org).
For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.
###
News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
Department of Mathematical Sciences contact: Dr. Jim Hart, 615-898-2402
AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY MEETS AT MTSU NOV. 3-4
(MURFREESBORO) — For the first time, the Department of Mathematical Sciences at MTSU will host a meeting of the American Mathematical Society.
Held on Nov. 3-4, the Fall Southeastern Meeting of the AMS will feature keynote addresses from leading mathematicians, along with 16 special sessions that will allow participants to present and learn about a host of research topics.
All sessions and keynote addresses will take place in the Business and Aerospace and John Bragg Mass Communication buildings.
To date, more than 300 mathematicians from more than 30 states will be on campus that weekend sharing results and ideas on topics ranging from financial mathematics to algorithmic methods in algebra.
Research from 12 MTSU math faculty will be presented at the meeting, and nine of the special topic sessions have been organized or co-organized by MTSU math faculty. In all, 17 members of the math department will be presenting, hosting special sessions or serving on the organizing committee.
They include Michaele Chappell, Curtis Church, Wandi Ding, James Hart, Don Hong, Jason Johnson, Abdul Khaliq, Jacob Klerlein, Rong Luo, Yuri Melnikov, Diane Miller, Don Nelson, Terrence Quinn, Zachariah Sinkala, Chris Stephens, Xiaoya Zha and Ping Zhang.
The AMS is the largest professional organization for research mathematicians in the country.
To host a regional meeting, universities must have organizing committees apply to the AMS several years in advance. The organizing committee must propose or solicit engaging topics for special sessions, provide evidence that the sessions will attract speakers and show that the university has sufficient resources and adequate facilities to provide a pleasant environment for the participants.
MTSU was one of several southeastern universities applying for the November meeting. While location played a role, MTSU was selected primarily because of the number and diversity of the special topic sessions proposed.
For specific information about the meeting, please visit the AMS website (ams.org).
For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.
###
Monday, October 22, 2007
152 EYH MATH, SCIENCE CONFERENCE HELPS GIRLS EXPLORE CAREER FIELDS
Date: Oct. 25, 2007
EYH contact: Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross, 615-904-8253 (office) / 615-594-7493 (cell)
Dr. Rebecca Zijlstra, 615-898-5776 (office) / 615-848-8960 (cell)
EXPANDING YOUR HORIZONS MATH, SCIENCE
CONFERENCE HELPS GIRLS EXPLORE CAREER FIELDS
Who: 300 girls in grades 5-8; 50 girls in grades 9-12
What: 11th annual Expanding Your Horizons in Math and Science Conference
When: 8 a.m.- 3 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 27 (girls meet in Learning Resources Center)
Events go from 9:50 until 2 p.m.
Where: MTSU campus, Murfreesboro
Sites include Wiser-Patten Science Hall, Davis Science Building and others
Why: Opportunity for girls to explore science, technology, engineering, math fields
Great photo ops
• “Designing Women,” 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m., Wiser-Patten Science Building Room 220, led by Ashley Taylor of TVA and Fiona King of Nashville;
• “Concrete is More Than a Birdhouse,” 9:45 a.m.-10:45 p.m., Voorhies Industrial Studies Room 171, led by Dr. Heather Brown, MTSU ETIS Concrete Industry Management program;
• “Rocket Girls,” 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m., Davis Science Building Room 100, led by Fisk University students and a faculty member, and Rudy Gowstowski of NASA (also presented
t1 p.m. in DSB 100)
• “Paleontology: Boning Up,” 1 to 2 p.m., Kirksey Old Main Room 300, led by Dr. Melissa Lobegeier, MTSU geosciences.
###
EYH contact: Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross, 615-904-8253 (office) / 615-594-7493 (cell)
Dr. Rebecca Zijlstra, 615-898-5776 (office) / 615-848-8960 (cell)
EXPANDING YOUR HORIZONS MATH, SCIENCE
CONFERENCE HELPS GIRLS EXPLORE CAREER FIELDS
Who: 300 girls in grades 5-8; 50 girls in grades 9-12
What: 11th annual Expanding Your Horizons in Math and Science Conference
When: 8 a.m.- 3 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 27 (girls meet in Learning Resources Center)
Events go from 9:50 until 2 p.m.
Where: MTSU campus, Murfreesboro
Sites include Wiser-Patten Science Hall, Davis Science Building and others
Why: Opportunity for girls to explore science, technology, engineering, math fields
Great photo ops
• “Designing Women,” 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m., Wiser-Patten Science Building Room 220, led by Ashley Taylor of TVA and Fiona King of Nashville;
• “Concrete is More Than a Birdhouse,” 9:45 a.m.-10:45 p.m., Voorhies Industrial Studies Room 171, led by Dr. Heather Brown, MTSU ETIS Concrete Industry Management program;
• “Rocket Girls,” 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m., Davis Science Building Room 100, led by Fisk University students and a faculty member, and Rudy Gowstowski of NASA (also presented
t1 p.m. in DSB 100)
• “Paleontology: Boning Up,” 1 to 2 p.m., Kirksey Old Main Room 300, led by Dr. Melissa Lobegeier, MTSU geosciences.
###
151 ALUMNI, VOLUNTEERS HELP KEEP EYH TRADITION ALIVE
Release date: Oct. 19, 2007
News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
EYH Contacts: Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross, director, 615-904-8253
Dr. Rebecca Zijlstra, co-director, 615-898-5776
ALUMNI, VOLUNTEERS HELP KEEP EYH TRADITION ALIVE
Oct. 27 Math/Science Event at MTSU Brings 350 Girls to Campus
(MURFREESBORO) — MTSU seniors Sharese Richardson and Mallory Faulkner and freshmen Ashley Martin and Jennifer Ilsley volunteer their time for Expanding Your Horizons in Math and Science because they know middle- and high-school girls potentially can make their mark and have careers in these fields.
“It lets girls know they are capable of doing things in math and science,” said Richardson, an interdisciplinary studies major that plans to teach after graduating in May 2008.
Faulkner, a chemistry major from Jackson, Tenn., said helping with EYH “gives me the opportunity to share my science background with younger students.”
The 11th annual EYH will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, across the MTSU campus. About 300 middle school and 50 high-school girls will participate, said event director, Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross, professor in the chemistry department. They will attend workshops in science, technology, engineering and math.
Girls will be from Rutherford, Williamson, Wilson, Putnam, Davidson, Warren, Sumner, Maury, Cheatham, and Coffee counties and other areas, said Dr. Rebecca Zijlstra, co-director and math professor.
Martin and Ilsley have been EYH participants as middle-school students. They enjoy keeping the math and science doors open for the next generation of young women.
“There’s so much I learned and gained from my experiences,” Martin, who is a graduate of Blackman High School, said. “… I gained so much education-wise, but also the confidence to do whatever I put my mind to. I attended workshops that ranged from aerospace to Web design to chemistry and nutrition.
“I want to be an example to these young girls, like the presenters and group leaders were to me. I want to pass on the wisdom that these girls can do anything. When I heard this comment from my group leader in my seventh grade experience, I took it to heart and excelled in math, history and science in high school.”
Ilsley, a 2007 Oakland High graduate, became a volunteer for the organization while in middle school. Her father is Dr. William “Bill” Ilsley, who is a chemistry department professor.
Dr. Kaylene Gebert, executive vice president and provost, will deliver the keynote address.
Iriarte-Gross said outstanding faculty and off-campus professionals would lead the workshops.
Co-sponsors of the event include MTSU, the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, Murfreesboro branch of the American Association of University Women and Girl Scout Council of Cumberland Valley.
For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.
###
Media welcomed.
News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
EYH Contacts: Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross, director, 615-904-8253
Dr. Rebecca Zijlstra, co-director, 615-898-5776
ALUMNI, VOLUNTEERS HELP KEEP EYH TRADITION ALIVE
Oct. 27 Math/Science Event at MTSU Brings 350 Girls to Campus
(MURFREESBORO) — MTSU seniors Sharese Richardson and Mallory Faulkner and freshmen Ashley Martin and Jennifer Ilsley volunteer their time for Expanding Your Horizons in Math and Science because they know middle- and high-school girls potentially can make their mark and have careers in these fields.
“It lets girls know they are capable of doing things in math and science,” said Richardson, an interdisciplinary studies major that plans to teach after graduating in May 2008.
Faulkner, a chemistry major from Jackson, Tenn., said helping with EYH “gives me the opportunity to share my science background with younger students.”
The 11th annual EYH will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, across the MTSU campus. About 300 middle school and 50 high-school girls will participate, said event director, Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross, professor in the chemistry department. They will attend workshops in science, technology, engineering and math.
Girls will be from Rutherford, Williamson, Wilson, Putnam, Davidson, Warren, Sumner, Maury, Cheatham, and Coffee counties and other areas, said Dr. Rebecca Zijlstra, co-director and math professor.
Martin and Ilsley have been EYH participants as middle-school students. They enjoy keeping the math and science doors open for the next generation of young women.
“There’s so much I learned and gained from my experiences,” Martin, who is a graduate of Blackman High School, said. “… I gained so much education-wise, but also the confidence to do whatever I put my mind to. I attended workshops that ranged from aerospace to Web design to chemistry and nutrition.
“I want to be an example to these young girls, like the presenters and group leaders were to me. I want to pass on the wisdom that these girls can do anything. When I heard this comment from my group leader in my seventh grade experience, I took it to heart and excelled in math, history and science in high school.”
Ilsley, a 2007 Oakland High graduate, became a volunteer for the organization while in middle school. Her father is Dr. William “Bill” Ilsley, who is a chemistry department professor.
Dr. Kaylene Gebert, executive vice president and provost, will deliver the keynote address.
Iriarte-Gross said outstanding faculty and off-campus professionals would lead the workshops.
Co-sponsors of the event include MTSU, the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, Murfreesboro branch of the American Association of University Women and Girl Scout Council of Cumberland Valley.
For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.
###
Media welcomed.
150 NOV. 3 MTSU FALL VISIT DAY SURPASSES CAPACITY
Release date: Oct. 22, 2007
News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
Office of Admissions contact: Christopher Fleming, 615-898-2237
NOV. 3 MTSU FALL VISIT DAY SURPASSES CAPACITY
(MURFREESBORO) — Officials in the MTSU Office of Admissions said recently that the Fall Visit Day, which will be held Saturday, Nov. 3, is full. Nearly 500 prospective students and their family members have registered.
Admissions representatives request that prospective students and their families take one of the daily tours offered now through Wednesday, Dec. 5.
Please note that no tours will be offered Nov. 14-16 (admissions staff attending a conference that day) and Nov. 21-23 (Thanksgiving holiday). The Nov. 3 Fall Visit Day will start at 9 a.m. CDT in the Cope Administration Building.
For more information, visit mtsu.edu/~admissn or call 615-898-5670.
For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.
###
News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
Office of Admissions contact: Christopher Fleming, 615-898-2237
NOV. 3 MTSU FALL VISIT DAY SURPASSES CAPACITY
(MURFREESBORO) — Officials in the MTSU Office of Admissions said recently that the Fall Visit Day, which will be held Saturday, Nov. 3, is full. Nearly 500 prospective students and their family members have registered.
Admissions representatives request that prospective students and their families take one of the daily tours offered now through Wednesday, Dec. 5.
Please note that no tours will be offered Nov. 14-16 (admissions staff attending a conference that day) and Nov. 21-23 (Thanksgiving holiday). The Nov. 3 Fall Visit Day will start at 9 a.m. CDT in the Cope Administration Building.
For more information, visit mtsu.edu/~admissn or call 615-898-5670.
For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.
###
148 SEIVERS, TRAIL, PRINCE NAMED DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI
Release date: Oct. 16, 2007
News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
Office of Alumni Relations contact: Michelle Stepp, 615-898-2922
SEIVERS, TRAIL, PRINCE NAMED DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI;
BARNETT RECEIVES YOUNG ALUMNI RECOGNITION
(MURFREESBORO) — Dr. Lana Seivers, Sandra Trail and Gale Prince have been named 2007-08 MTSU Distinguished Alumni and Brady Barnett the 2007-08 Young Alumni Award recipient, the National Alumni Association announced through the Office of Alumni Relations recently.
Seivers (B.S. ’72), a Nashville resident formerly from Clinton, was named Distinguished Alumni in the category of Professional Achievement. Trail (B.S. ’72), a Murfreesboro resident, was named Distinguished Alumni in the category of Service to the University. Prince (B.S. ’57), a Murfreesboro resident, was named Distinguished Alumni in the category of Service to the Community.
Barnett (B.M. ’97, B.S. ’97), who lives in Mt. Pleasant, Tenn., was named Young Alumni Achievement recipient.
All will be formally recognized next spring during the 2008 President’s Celebration of Excellence. The date and details of the event will be announced later.
Seivers serves as Tennessee Commissioner of Education for the State Department of Education, an appointed position by Gov. Phil Bredesen. Previously, Seivers was superintendent of Clinton City Schools from 1988-2003, and was a teacher and administrator in the Oak Ridge School System from 1972-88. She has served on the Tennessee Board of Regents, University of Tennessee Board of Trustees, Tennessee Workplace Development Board, 2003-06 MTSU National Alumni Association Board member and held many other advisory capacities.
L. Quentin Lane of Ooltewah nominated Seivers for the award “for her professional achievements including her services as a teacher, principal, director of early childhood education, superintendent and commissioner of education for the state of Tennessee.”
Trail has been in private law practice since 1983. Using her legal and accounting background, she has spent many hours revising many of the organizational documents for
the MTSU Foundation and Alumni Association as well as helping prepare numerous
contracts and agreements on the university’s behalf – all free of charge. Trail served as National Alumni Association president, and was involved in the negotiating and preparing of the agreement between the association and MTSU relating to the purchase of the Alumni House.
“She represents the very best of those qualities we want to see in our graduates, excellent leadership, intelligence, integrity, and a deep loyalty to the university,” alumnus Ross Speilman (B.S. ’55, M.A. ’66) wrote when nominating Trail, who also was nominated by Circuit Court Judge Don R. Ash (B.S. ’77).
Prince, a retired lieutenant colonel in the United States Army, has devoted his life to community service in Murfreesboro. His greatest service has been in serving the Murfreesboro Lions Club. He personally took on the challenge of battling amblyopia in young children. This eye disease eventually causes low vision and blindness. Prince has traveled the state speaking to Lions Club members, explaining the challenge and raising financial support. He devotes endless hours to photo screening children throughout the town. He has screened more than 12,500 children, with 446 of them referred for some degree of vision care. Prince is a volunteer with other nonprofit organizations in the city.
“Gale has dedicated his life to serving others,” alumnus Andy Womack (B.S. ’70) wrote in his nomination of Prince.
Barnett, an independent producer and engineer in the recording industry field, has taken time to serve as an adjunct professor in MTSU’s recording industry department since 2000 despite his busy professional schedule. He spent several years at prominent facilities in Los Angeles. Barnett has engineered multi-platinum and Grammy-winning albums, and engineered for artists such as Keith Urban, LeeAnn Rimes, George Jones, Brad Paisley and others. He co-owns Of Sound Mind Productions, a full-service music production company outside of Nashville. Additionally, he has authored a book and a set of instructional videos for the recording industry.
“Brady Barnett’s experience as a recording engineer, producer and author include several years at prominent facilities in Los Angeles,” Dr. Bob Wood, recording industry professor, wrote in nominating Barnett. “He has helped our department develop new courses. Brady would be a worthy recipient.”
For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.
###
Note: Photos of the recipients will be sent as attachments.
News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
Office of Alumni Relations contact: Michelle Stepp, 615-898-2922
SEIVERS, TRAIL, PRINCE NAMED DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI;
BARNETT RECEIVES YOUNG ALUMNI RECOGNITION
(MURFREESBORO) — Dr. Lana Seivers, Sandra Trail and Gale Prince have been named 2007-08 MTSU Distinguished Alumni and Brady Barnett the 2007-08 Young Alumni Award recipient, the National Alumni Association announced through the Office of Alumni Relations recently.
Seivers (B.S. ’72), a Nashville resident formerly from Clinton, was named Distinguished Alumni in the category of Professional Achievement. Trail (B.S. ’72), a Murfreesboro resident, was named Distinguished Alumni in the category of Service to the University. Prince (B.S. ’57), a Murfreesboro resident, was named Distinguished Alumni in the category of Service to the Community.
Barnett (B.M. ’97, B.S. ’97), who lives in Mt. Pleasant, Tenn., was named Young Alumni Achievement recipient.
All will be formally recognized next spring during the 2008 President’s Celebration of Excellence. The date and details of the event will be announced later.
Seivers serves as Tennessee Commissioner of Education for the State Department of Education, an appointed position by Gov. Phil Bredesen. Previously, Seivers was superintendent of Clinton City Schools from 1988-2003, and was a teacher and administrator in the Oak Ridge School System from 1972-88. She has served on the Tennessee Board of Regents, University of Tennessee Board of Trustees, Tennessee Workplace Development Board, 2003-06 MTSU National Alumni Association Board member and held many other advisory capacities.
L. Quentin Lane of Ooltewah nominated Seivers for the award “for her professional achievements including her services as a teacher, principal, director of early childhood education, superintendent and commissioner of education for the state of Tennessee.”
Trail has been in private law practice since 1983. Using her legal and accounting background, she has spent many hours revising many of the organizational documents for
the MTSU Foundation and Alumni Association as well as helping prepare numerous
contracts and agreements on the university’s behalf – all free of charge. Trail served as National Alumni Association president, and was involved in the negotiating and preparing of the agreement between the association and MTSU relating to the purchase of the Alumni House.
“She represents the very best of those qualities we want to see in our graduates, excellent leadership, intelligence, integrity, and a deep loyalty to the university,” alumnus Ross Speilman (B.S. ’55, M.A. ’66) wrote when nominating Trail, who also was nominated by Circuit Court Judge Don R. Ash (B.S. ’77).
Prince, a retired lieutenant colonel in the United States Army, has devoted his life to community service in Murfreesboro. His greatest service has been in serving the Murfreesboro Lions Club. He personally took on the challenge of battling amblyopia in young children. This eye disease eventually causes low vision and blindness. Prince has traveled the state speaking to Lions Club members, explaining the challenge and raising financial support. He devotes endless hours to photo screening children throughout the town. He has screened more than 12,500 children, with 446 of them referred for some degree of vision care. Prince is a volunteer with other nonprofit organizations in the city.
“Gale has dedicated his life to serving others,” alumnus Andy Womack (B.S. ’70) wrote in his nomination of Prince.
Barnett, an independent producer and engineer in the recording industry field, has taken time to serve as an adjunct professor in MTSU’s recording industry department since 2000 despite his busy professional schedule. He spent several years at prominent facilities in Los Angeles. Barnett has engineered multi-platinum and Grammy-winning albums, and engineered for artists such as Keith Urban, LeeAnn Rimes, George Jones, Brad Paisley and others. He co-owns Of Sound Mind Productions, a full-service music production company outside of Nashville. Additionally, he has authored a book and a set of instructional videos for the recording industry.
“Brady Barnett’s experience as a recording engineer, producer and author include several years at prominent facilities in Los Angeles,” Dr. Bob Wood, recording industry professor, wrote in nominating Barnett. “He has helped our department develop new courses. Brady would be a worthy recipient.”
For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.
###
Note: Photos of the recipients will be sent as attachments.
147 STATEWIDE PROGRAM RECOGNIZES SMITH COUNTY FARM
STATEWIDE PROGRAM RECOGNIZES SMITH COUNTY FARM FOR CONTRIBUTIONS
151-Year-Old Lancaster/O’Fallon Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions
(MURFREESBORO)—The Lancaster/O’Fallon Farm in Smith County has been designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms Program at the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP), which is located on the MTSU campus.
Just west of Lancaster lies the Lancaster/O’Fallon Farm that was founded in 1856 by Michael Lancaster. On 1,240 acres, Michael, wife Roxana and their five children raised corn, tobacco, cattle, pigs and vegetables. Michael also built many of the buildings, including the farmhouse, a smokehouse, a blacksmith shop, chicken houses and a wash house.
In August of 1916, the founder’s son, Thomas, known as Rainer Tom” Lancaster, acquired the property. Married to Tennie Washer Lancaster, the couple was parents to Ara, Michael, Sallie, Marvin and Lillie. The family raised cattle, pigs, mules, corn, hay and tobacco. Then, in 1939, Thomas’s son, Michael became the third generation to own the farm.
During World War II, training maneuvers took place in the area. According to the family’s records, one of the army trucks was too heavy for a nearby bridge and fell through. The soldiers camped on the farm while they constructed a new bridge. The family remembers that Beulah, Michael’s wife, provided both sweet milk and buttermilk to the soldiers who bivouacked on the farm.
In January 1964 the land was deeded to Michael and Beulah’s daughter, Cleora. Married to Henry Woodard, Cleora was active in the community. She was in the Home Demonstration Club of Lancaster and a reporter for the Carthage Courier for 53 years.
In 1991, the great-great-grandchildren of the founder—Elva Hart and her brother, William “Billy” Woodard—became the owners of the farm. Today, Billy and Elva manage the property that mainly produces hay. Elva is a member of the Farm Bureau and remembers many of the stories handed down to her. She also advises that the Lancaster Hill Church of God was built on this farm as was a mop and broom factory.
“The farmhouse and a barn, as well as a cemetery established by the founders, are reminders of the long tenure of this family in Smith County,” Hankins said.
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the CHP at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA provides a
metal outdoor sign, noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins said, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
—30—
ATTENTION, MEDIA: To interview Hankins or the farm’s owners, or secure jpegs of the farm for editorial use, please contact the CHP directly at 615-898-2947.
151-Year-Old Lancaster/O’Fallon Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions
(MURFREESBORO)—The Lancaster/O’Fallon Farm in Smith County has been designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms Program at the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP), which is located on the MTSU campus.
Just west of Lancaster lies the Lancaster/O’Fallon Farm that was founded in 1856 by Michael Lancaster. On 1,240 acres, Michael, wife Roxana and their five children raised corn, tobacco, cattle, pigs and vegetables. Michael also built many of the buildings, including the farmhouse, a smokehouse, a blacksmith shop, chicken houses and a wash house.
In August of 1916, the founder’s son, Thomas, known as Rainer Tom” Lancaster, acquired the property. Married to Tennie Washer Lancaster, the couple was parents to Ara, Michael, Sallie, Marvin and Lillie. The family raised cattle, pigs, mules, corn, hay and tobacco. Then, in 1939, Thomas’s son, Michael became the third generation to own the farm.
During World War II, training maneuvers took place in the area. According to the family’s records, one of the army trucks was too heavy for a nearby bridge and fell through. The soldiers camped on the farm while they constructed a new bridge. The family remembers that Beulah, Michael’s wife, provided both sweet milk and buttermilk to the soldiers who bivouacked on the farm.
In January 1964 the land was deeded to Michael and Beulah’s daughter, Cleora. Married to Henry Woodard, Cleora was active in the community. She was in the Home Demonstration Club of Lancaster and a reporter for the Carthage Courier for 53 years.
In 1991, the great-great-grandchildren of the founder—Elva Hart and her brother, William “Billy” Woodard—became the owners of the farm. Today, Billy and Elva manage the property that mainly produces hay. Elva is a member of the Farm Bureau and remembers many of the stories handed down to her. She also advises that the Lancaster Hill Church of God was built on this farm as was a mop and broom factory.
“The farmhouse and a barn, as well as a cemetery established by the founders, are reminders of the long tenure of this family in Smith County,” Hankins said.
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the CHP at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA provides a
metal outdoor sign, noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins said, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
—30—
ATTENTION, MEDIA: To interview Hankins or the farm’s owners, or secure jpegs of the farm for editorial use, please contact the CHP directly at 615-898-2947.
146 MTSU PARTNERS WITH RED CROSS TO PROVIDE EMERGENCY SHELTER SPACE
MTSU PARTNERS WITH RED CROSS TO PROVIDE EMERGENCY SHELTER SPACE
Oct. 16, 2007
CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-5131
Ray Wiley, 615-898-2104
MURFREESBORO—The Recreation Center at Middle Tennessee State University will officially become a new Red Cross emergency shelter. Several months of planning will culminate in a formal agreement between the two entities that will be signed at a public ceremony Monday, Oct. 22, at 2:30 p.m.
The event will be held in the upstairs dance studio in the Recreation Center, and everyone is invited. Because of the adjacent construction of the new Student Health, Wellness & Recreation facility, attendees should arrive early.
The driving force behind this effort at MTSU is Ray Wiley, associate director for student recreation, who said he became particularly interested in Red Cross Disaster Services following Hurricane Katrina and signed up as a disaster volunteer.
“I personally felt very helpless during this disaster,” Wiley commented. “I wanted to help, and although I’m a 20-year volunteer with the American Red Cross, I did not have the required training I needed in disaster services to be eligible to help with the shelters.”
Wiley said following Katrina, the MTSU Recreation facility was considered as a potential shelter site for those who were left homeless, but at the time, “we were under-prepared to take on the enormous responsibility.
“I felt I could do more,” Wiley continued. “That was the reason I became a disaster volunteer and a disaster instructor for the Red Cross Heart of Tennessee Chapter. Although I am very excited that we now have this agreement in place, we need many more volunteers who are willing to be trained.”
“This is a wonderful partnership, the very best example of a university and community coming together and combining its resources to help those who are displaced during a catastrophe,” added MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee. “I encourage students, faculty and staff, as well as local citizens to give their time and energy to this humanitarian effort.”
Greg King, CEO of the Heart of Tennessee Chapter and a 1986 MTSU alumnus, echoed the need for volunteers. “Past disasters such as Katrina taught us as a nation that a mass relocation of victims is a reality, and areas away from the devastation must be prepared to assist with the evacuees. We applaud MTSU for its willingness to help our community prepare for significant local and regional disasters.”
MTSU and Red Cross officials spent nearly a year exchanging information and filling out the required documents to assure that the MTSU facility could meet the requirements. Designated basketball courts in the Recreation Center will be converted to shelters and will accommodate approximately 160 cots. Space will be allotted for storage, first-aid stations, restroom and shower facilities, eating and leisure areas, and offices.
Since MTSU’s Police Department will be responsible for handling security during a shelter operation, Chief Buddy Peaster requested that all of his officers go through the Red Cross training.
“I want to thank everyone at MTSU and the Heart of Tennessee Chapter for their commitment and diligence in bringing this partnership to reality,” Wiley said.
The site of the Oct. 22nd signing will be set up with cots and other equipment to simulate an actual shelter layout.
####
Oct. 16, 2007
CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-5131
Ray Wiley, 615-898-2104
MURFREESBORO—The Recreation Center at Middle Tennessee State University will officially become a new Red Cross emergency shelter. Several months of planning will culminate in a formal agreement between the two entities that will be signed at a public ceremony Monday, Oct. 22, at 2:30 p.m.
The event will be held in the upstairs dance studio in the Recreation Center, and everyone is invited. Because of the adjacent construction of the new Student Health, Wellness & Recreation facility, attendees should arrive early.
The driving force behind this effort at MTSU is Ray Wiley, associate director for student recreation, who said he became particularly interested in Red Cross Disaster Services following Hurricane Katrina and signed up as a disaster volunteer.
“I personally felt very helpless during this disaster,” Wiley commented. “I wanted to help, and although I’m a 20-year volunteer with the American Red Cross, I did not have the required training I needed in disaster services to be eligible to help with the shelters.”
Wiley said following Katrina, the MTSU Recreation facility was considered as a potential shelter site for those who were left homeless, but at the time, “we were under-prepared to take on the enormous responsibility.
“I felt I could do more,” Wiley continued. “That was the reason I became a disaster volunteer and a disaster instructor for the Red Cross Heart of Tennessee Chapter. Although I am very excited that we now have this agreement in place, we need many more volunteers who are willing to be trained.”
“This is a wonderful partnership, the very best example of a university and community coming together and combining its resources to help those who are displaced during a catastrophe,” added MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee. “I encourage students, faculty and staff, as well as local citizens to give their time and energy to this humanitarian effort.”
Greg King, CEO of the Heart of Tennessee Chapter and a 1986 MTSU alumnus, echoed the need for volunteers. “Past disasters such as Katrina taught us as a nation that a mass relocation of victims is a reality, and areas away from the devastation must be prepared to assist with the evacuees. We applaud MTSU for its willingness to help our community prepare for significant local and regional disasters.”
MTSU and Red Cross officials spent nearly a year exchanging information and filling out the required documents to assure that the MTSU facility could meet the requirements. Designated basketball courts in the Recreation Center will be converted to shelters and will accommodate approximately 160 cots. Space will be allotted for storage, first-aid stations, restroom and shower facilities, eating and leisure areas, and offices.
Since MTSU’s Police Department will be responsible for handling security during a shelter operation, Chief Buddy Peaster requested that all of his officers go through the Red Cross training.
“I want to thank everyone at MTSU and the Heart of Tennessee Chapter for their commitment and diligence in bringing this partnership to reality,” Wiley said.
The site of the Oct. 22nd signing will be set up with cots and other equipment to simulate an actual shelter layout.
####
145 STATEWIDE PROGRAM RECOGNIZES HAYWOOD COUNTY FARM
STATEWIDE PROGRAM RECOGNIZES HAYWOOD COUNTY FARM FOR CONTRIBUTIONS
131-Year-Old Pineyhill Farm 15th Century Farms in County, Hankins Confirms
(MURFREESBORO)—The Pineyhill Farm in Haywood County has been designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms Program at the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP), which is located on the MTSU campus.
In 1876, Joshua A. Jones purchased land in the northeast corner of Haywood County from A. C. Shaw and established a farm. Three years later, he obtained an adjacent section of property from B. M. Williamson. Together, the land totaled 138 acres.
Married to Nancy Wallace Jones, the couple was parents to Mary, William, John, Francis, Joseph and James. The family raised corn and cotton as primary crops. Their eldest son, William B. Jones, continued with these main crops where he acquired the property in 1907. He and his wife, Sallie Warren Jones, had three children, Alma Grace, Fannie Bess and Lurline.
In 1954, the land was divided into two sections. Lurline Jones owned the northern section and Georgia W. Elizer owned the southern section, the only child of Alma. While Lurline managed the farm, she was also active in the Home Demonstration Club during the 1950s and ‘60s. Georgia and her husband, James T. Elizer, had two children, Grace and Warren, who were active 4-H Club members. In 1977, Grace won the national honors for public speaking, while Warren received national recognition for his photography in 1981.
In 1987, Lurline passed away and Georgia assumed the total ownership of all the land. Today, Georgia and James manage the property that is devoted to pines, hardwoods, and warm season grasses.
Pineyhill is the 15th Haywood County farm to receive certification as a Tennessee Century Farm, Hankins said.
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the CHP at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA provides a
metal outdoor sign, noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins said, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
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ATTENTION, MEDIA: To interview Hankins or the farm’s owners, or to secure a jpeg for editorial use of the farm’s founders, please contact the CHP directly at 615-898-2947.
131-Year-Old Pineyhill Farm 15th Century Farms in County, Hankins Confirms
(MURFREESBORO)—The Pineyhill Farm in Haywood County has been designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms Program at the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP), which is located on the MTSU campus.
In 1876, Joshua A. Jones purchased land in the northeast corner of Haywood County from A. C. Shaw and established a farm. Three years later, he obtained an adjacent section of property from B. M. Williamson. Together, the land totaled 138 acres.
Married to Nancy Wallace Jones, the couple was parents to Mary, William, John, Francis, Joseph and James. The family raised corn and cotton as primary crops. Their eldest son, William B. Jones, continued with these main crops where he acquired the property in 1907. He and his wife, Sallie Warren Jones, had three children, Alma Grace, Fannie Bess and Lurline.
In 1954, the land was divided into two sections. Lurline Jones owned the northern section and Georgia W. Elizer owned the southern section, the only child of Alma. While Lurline managed the farm, she was also active in the Home Demonstration Club during the 1950s and ‘60s. Georgia and her husband, James T. Elizer, had two children, Grace and Warren, who were active 4-H Club members. In 1977, Grace won the national honors for public speaking, while Warren received national recognition for his photography in 1981.
In 1987, Lurline passed away and Georgia assumed the total ownership of all the land. Today, Georgia and James manage the property that is devoted to pines, hardwoods, and warm season grasses.
Pineyhill is the 15th Haywood County farm to receive certification as a Tennessee Century Farm, Hankins said.
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the CHP at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA provides a
metal outdoor sign, noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins said, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
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ATTENTION, MEDIA: To interview Hankins or the farm’s owners, or to secure a jpeg for editorial use of the farm’s founders, please contact the CHP directly at 615-898-2947.
144 MTSU TO RECOMMEND MUSIC SCHOOL NAME CHANGE
MTSU TO RECOMMEND MUSIC SCHOOL NAME CHANGE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, Oct. 15, 2007
(MURFREESBORO)— MTSU President Dr. Sidney A. McPhee announced today that he has recommended to Chancellor Charles Manning and the Tennessee Board of Regents that the name Robert W. McLean be removed from the university’s School of Music.
“When considering all the facts regarding this matter, and in light of the bankruptcy trustee’s recent report that indicates there are likely to be no funds to fulfill the commitment, I felt it was most appropriate to request that Mr. McLean’s name be removed from the school,” McPhee said. “Our world-class school of music will now be referred to as the Middle Tennessee State University School of Music.”
The change will require final approval by the Tennessee Board of Regents.
In addition, President McPhee noted that MTSU and the MTSU Foundation, through their respective legal representatives, are in discussion with the bankruptcy trustee in the McLean bankruptcy case.
Dr. McPhee went on to say, “We recognize that many lives in our community have been adversely affected by this unfortunate and sensitive situation. Therefore, MTSU and the MTSU Foundation are working with the trustee towards a resolution of the legal issues in the bankruptcy proceeding."
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, Oct. 15, 2007
(MURFREESBORO)— MTSU President Dr. Sidney A. McPhee announced today that he has recommended to Chancellor Charles Manning and the Tennessee Board of Regents that the name Robert W. McLean be removed from the university’s School of Music.
“When considering all the facts regarding this matter, and in light of the bankruptcy trustee’s recent report that indicates there are likely to be no funds to fulfill the commitment, I felt it was most appropriate to request that Mr. McLean’s name be removed from the school,” McPhee said. “Our world-class school of music will now be referred to as the Middle Tennessee State University School of Music.”
The change will require final approval by the Tennessee Board of Regents.
In addition, President McPhee noted that MTSU and the MTSU Foundation, through their respective legal representatives, are in discussion with the bankruptcy trustee in the McLean bankruptcy case.
Dr. McPhee went on to say, “We recognize that many lives in our community have been adversely affected by this unfortunate and sensitive situation. Therefore, MTSU and the MTSU Foundation are working with the trustee towards a resolution of the legal issues in the bankruptcy proceeding."
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143 300 MTSU STUDENTS EMBARK ON TWO-WEEK BUILDING BLITZ FOR LOCAL FAMILY
300 MTSU STUDENTS EMBARK ON TWO-WEEK BUILDING BLITZ FOR LOCAL FAMILY
SGA Still Working to Raise Money for $50K Volunteer Project, Donations Welcomed
(MURFREESBORO)—MTSU students will sponsor the first Habitat for Humanity home, with 300 student volunteers beginning construction this week on a new house that will be completed within two weeks and dedicated at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1.
Walls will begin going up Thursday, Oct. 18, at the construction site located at 446 State St. in Murfreesboro, as teams working in two shifts labor to build a Habitat home for the Bautista family, whose five members have lived with family, in a basement and in public housing over the years, but never had a place to truly call home.
Jacqueline I. Victory, director of MTSU’s Office of Leadership & Service, said the MTSU Student Government Association has spent two years working to raise the $50,000 needed to build the Habitat home for the Bautista family, which is headed by Matthew and Leinaala, the parents of three children—Makaiio, Makamae and Makana.
Originally from Hawaii, the Bautista family “is very grateful to Middle Tennessee State University for sponsoring their home (and) providing volunteers to help build their home, but mostly for allowing their dream of having a home and a back yard for their children come true,” Victory said.
Dubbed the MTSU Blitz Build, the student-sponsored, two-week home construction schedule is an intense one, Victory confirmed, with volunteers
standing and aligning walls and preparing walls for trusses on Oct. 18; setting trusses and installing fascia, deadwood and exterior doors Oct. 19; installing roof decking, truss backing and windows Oct. 20; preparing the home for vinyl siding Oct. 21; and installing the siding, insulation and rough gradework on Oct. 22-24.
The second and final week of the project, students will form for concrete pour on Oct. 25 and pour concrete, as needed, Oct. 26, before completing gradework and landscaping on Oct. 27. The house will be prepared for interior trim Oct. 28, and the following day, Oct. 29, interior trim and doors will be installed and prepared for painting. Next, volunteers will paint the interior and clean floors and vinyl Oct. 30 before finally installing the home’s hardware accessories and completing house cleanup on Oct. 31.
Victory said that in addition to helping students build their home, Matthew and Leinaala will participate in MTSU’s Homecoming Parade on Nov. 10. Moreover, she added, students are still working to help raise money for the volunteer project.
***To contribute to the MTSU Blitz Build, tax-deductible donations may be made to the Rutherford County Habitat for Humanity, 850 Mercury Blvd., Murfreesboro, or brought to Room 326-S of MTSU’s Keathley University Center for delivery to the local Habitat office.
Although the Bautistas—whom Victory describes as a “hard-working family with kindred spirits and good hearts”—have endured hardships throughout the years, they don’t complain, she observed.
“We are a very close family,” said Leinaala, smiling. “We try to do everything with a smile, and always look at the positive side of things. We love MTSU and we are so excited to meet and work with the students on our home build.
“Because of MTSU’s generosity, Makaiio will have his football room, Makamae and Makana will have their camouflage room, and they will share an orange bathroom. Some may tease us about the bright colors in our home,” she added, “but we would not have it any other way!”
—30—
•ATTENTION, MEDIA: Media representatives are welcomed and encouraged to visit the MTSU Blitz Build Habitat site and interview, photograph and record visual footage for broadcast, as needed. Project organizers have indicated that Oct. 18-20 will be especially good days for video footage to be secured. Building-site shifts begin at 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on the construction days noted herein.For additional media inquiries, please contact Lisa L. Rollins or Tom Tozer in MTSU’s Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919, or e-mail Rollins at lrollins@mtsu.edu.
SGA Still Working to Raise Money for $50K Volunteer Project, Donations Welcomed
(MURFREESBORO)—MTSU students will sponsor the first Habitat for Humanity home, with 300 student volunteers beginning construction this week on a new house that will be completed within two weeks and dedicated at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1.
Walls will begin going up Thursday, Oct. 18, at the construction site located at 446 State St. in Murfreesboro, as teams working in two shifts labor to build a Habitat home for the Bautista family, whose five members have lived with family, in a basement and in public housing over the years, but never had a place to truly call home.
Jacqueline I. Victory, director of MTSU’s Office of Leadership & Service, said the MTSU Student Government Association has spent two years working to raise the $50,000 needed to build the Habitat home for the Bautista family, which is headed by Matthew and Leinaala, the parents of three children—Makaiio, Makamae and Makana.
Originally from Hawaii, the Bautista family “is very grateful to Middle Tennessee State University for sponsoring their home (and) providing volunteers to help build their home, but mostly for allowing their dream of having a home and a back yard for their children come true,” Victory said.
Dubbed the MTSU Blitz Build, the student-sponsored, two-week home construction schedule is an intense one, Victory confirmed, with volunteers
standing and aligning walls and preparing walls for trusses on Oct. 18; setting trusses and installing fascia, deadwood and exterior doors Oct. 19; installing roof decking, truss backing and windows Oct. 20; preparing the home for vinyl siding Oct. 21; and installing the siding, insulation and rough gradework on Oct. 22-24.
The second and final week of the project, students will form for concrete pour on Oct. 25 and pour concrete, as needed, Oct. 26, before completing gradework and landscaping on Oct. 27. The house will be prepared for interior trim Oct. 28, and the following day, Oct. 29, interior trim and doors will be installed and prepared for painting. Next, volunteers will paint the interior and clean floors and vinyl Oct. 30 before finally installing the home’s hardware accessories and completing house cleanup on Oct. 31.
Victory said that in addition to helping students build their home, Matthew and Leinaala will participate in MTSU’s Homecoming Parade on Nov. 10. Moreover, she added, students are still working to help raise money for the volunteer project.
***To contribute to the MTSU Blitz Build, tax-deductible donations may be made to the Rutherford County Habitat for Humanity, 850 Mercury Blvd., Murfreesboro, or brought to Room 326-S of MTSU’s Keathley University Center for delivery to the local Habitat office.
Although the Bautistas—whom Victory describes as a “hard-working family with kindred spirits and good hearts”—have endured hardships throughout the years, they don’t complain, she observed.
“We are a very close family,” said Leinaala, smiling. “We try to do everything with a smile, and always look at the positive side of things. We love MTSU and we are so excited to meet and work with the students on our home build.
“Because of MTSU’s generosity, Makaiio will have his football room, Makamae and Makana will have their camouflage room, and they will share an orange bathroom. Some may tease us about the bright colors in our home,” she added, “but we would not have it any other way!”
—30—
•ATTENTION, MEDIA: Media representatives are welcomed and encouraged to visit the MTSU Blitz Build Habitat site and interview, photograph and record visual footage for broadcast, as needed. Project organizers have indicated that Oct. 18-20 will be especially good days for video footage to be secured. Building-site shifts begin at 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on the construction days noted herein.For additional media inquiries, please contact Lisa L. Rollins or Tom Tozer in MTSU’s Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919, or e-mail Rollins at lrollins@mtsu.edu.
142 WAR IS UNHEALTHY FOR WOMEN AND OTHER LIVING BEINGS
WAR IS UNHEALTHY FOR WOMEN AND OTHER LIVING BEINGS
MTSU Professor Examines Women as Warriors, Victims, Home Front Helpmates
(MURFREESBORO) – Dr. Divya Saksena, associate professor of English at MTSU, will present “Women and War—Active and Passive Engagements,” the latest lecture in the Fall 2007 Women’s Studies Research Series, at 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, in Room 100 of MTSU’s James Union Building. The lecture is free and open to the public.
“This presentation aims to introduce its audience to the historical, literary and cultural parameters within which women’s participation in armed conflicts has been marginalized and women themselves reduced to gendered ciphers and statistics,” Saksena says.
Saksena will examine why and how women were excluded from combat, how World War I provided new opportunities for women, and why the role of women was so critical by World War II.
“Although women now operate in an increasingly wide range of military ranks, including jet fighter pilots in the (British) Royal Navy, RAF (Royal Air Force) and U.S. Air Force, and transport pilots in the Indian Air Force, they still struggle to overcome gender biases, prejudices and stereotypes,” Saksena says.
However, Saksena notes, the majority of victims in modern warfare are women, according to reports by the United Nations and the International Red Cross/Red Crescent.
“Therefore, the presentation will conclude by considering women not only as combatants, but also a refugees, civil detainees and military POWs,” Saksena says. “It will create an understanding of the specific needs of women in armed conflicts. It will also make its audience aware of the need for policymakers and activists to translate into practical terms guidance documents for ensuring that humanitarian programs and services adequately address the circumstances and contributions of women in war and its aftermath.”
For more information on the Women’s Studies Research Series, contact Dr. Jane Marcellus at 615-898-5282 or jmarcell@mtsu.edu, or contact the Women’s Studies office at 615-898-5910 or womenstu@mtsu.edu.
--30--
MTSU Professor Examines Women as Warriors, Victims, Home Front Helpmates
(MURFREESBORO) – Dr. Divya Saksena, associate professor of English at MTSU, will present “Women and War—Active and Passive Engagements,” the latest lecture in the Fall 2007 Women’s Studies Research Series, at 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, in Room 100 of MTSU’s James Union Building. The lecture is free and open to the public.
“This presentation aims to introduce its audience to the historical, literary and cultural parameters within which women’s participation in armed conflicts has been marginalized and women themselves reduced to gendered ciphers and statistics,” Saksena says.
Saksena will examine why and how women were excluded from combat, how World War I provided new opportunities for women, and why the role of women was so critical by World War II.
“Although women now operate in an increasingly wide range of military ranks, including jet fighter pilots in the (British) Royal Navy, RAF (Royal Air Force) and U.S. Air Force, and transport pilots in the Indian Air Force, they still struggle to overcome gender biases, prejudices and stereotypes,” Saksena says.
However, Saksena notes, the majority of victims in modern warfare are women, according to reports by the United Nations and the International Red Cross/Red Crescent.
“Therefore, the presentation will conclude by considering women not only as combatants, but also a refugees, civil detainees and military POWs,” Saksena says. “It will create an understanding of the specific needs of women in armed conflicts. It will also make its audience aware of the need for policymakers and activists to translate into practical terms guidance documents for ensuring that humanitarian programs and services adequately address the circumstances and contributions of women in war and its aftermath.”
For more information on the Women’s Studies Research Series, contact Dr. Jane Marcellus at 615-898-5282 or jmarcell@mtsu.edu, or contact the Women’s Studies office at 615-898-5910 or womenstu@mtsu.edu.
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141 MTSU SITE OF 16TH ANNUAL SOCIAL SCIENCE SYMPOSIUM FOR STUDENTS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 12, 2007
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, 615-898-2919, or lrollins@mtsu.edu
MTSU SITE OF 16TH ANNUAL SOCIAL SCIENCE SYMPOSIUM FOR STUDENTS
Nov. 15-16 Event Promotes Scientific Study of Human Interaction, Exchange of Ideas
(MURFREESBORO)—"Migrations" is the theme of the 16th annual Tennessee Undergraduate Social Science Symposium at MTSU on Nov. 15-16 that is expected to attract 800-1,000 undergraduates and educators from the local campus as well as from across the state.
Free and open to the public, the annual event was designed to encourage student interest in the scientific study of human interaction and foster professional growth, while providing opportunities for the intellectual and social exchange of ideas, said Dr. Vicky MacLean, associate professor of sociology at MTSU and the event’s co-director.
Founded by Dr. Rodger Bates at Lambuth College in Jackson, Tenn., some 30 years ago, the symposium has called MTSU its home since 1993.
Moreover, MacLean added, "This year's symposium promises to be as exciting as those that have preceded it; it is clear to us that the developmental experiences of our students lay at the heart of its success.”
The event will open Thursday, Nov. 15, with student research paper presentations that will continue throughout the two-day symposium. Although "Migrations" is the central symposium theme, papers will be accepted through Nov. 1 on any social topic, organizers reported.
“Papers presented by students will include a variety of topics (such as) immigration, social problems, social and cultural theory, hate crimes, race and ethnicity, Appalachian studies, health, family and work, sociology of emotions, and experiential learning in archaeological studies and study abroad,” MacLean said. Additionally, Dr. Shannon Hodge, assistant professor of anthropology, said, “We are excited about this year's paper competition, because it honors student achievement in independent research and puts us in league with many of the professional conferences in the social sciences, which often feature student paper prizes … to encourage student research and participation in the professions."
This year, the paper competition will include a first-, second- and third-place award for outstanding papers. Student paper titles for presentation may be submitted via e-mail to Dr. Ida Fadzillah, event co-director, at ifadzill@mtsu.edu, or MacLean at vmaclean@mtsu.edu. To enter the competition, students must submit complete papers to Hodge at shodge@mtsu.edu no later than Nov. 8.
MTSU student Lynn Funkhouser, president of the university’s Anthropology Society, said the undergraduate conference is a valuable opportunity for students.
"The symposium experience is important for undergraduate students, because it provides us with a forum to present our own research,” she explained. “Because the
symposium is for undergraduates, the experience is less intimidating than a professional conference, where many of the presenters are the same people writing one’s textbooks.
“The symposium also provides undergraduates with a public-speaking opportunity outside of a classroom setting,” Funkhouser added. “(And) presenting at this venue can be a way for many who are completely unused to such activities to work past any associated fears or misgivings."
At 1 p.m. Nov. 15 in the James Union Building’s (JUB) Tennessee Room, Dr. Will Leggett, assistant professor of anthropology and one of the event’s organizers, will lead a panel discussion titled "Immigration in the American South."
"The goal of the forum is to bring together local representatives of immigrant groups living in the area to explore the impact of various forms of migration on the traveling populations and local communities in both the host country and the countries of origin," he said.
Following the panel discussion, a to-be-announced documentary film screening will be sponsored by the Middle Tennessee Anthropological Society and the Sociology Club in the Keathley University Center Theater from 4:15 to 6 p.m. No tickets are required and those interested in attending are welcomed.
Dr. Katharine Donato, professor of sociology at Vanderbilt University, will deliver the keynote address, “Changing Faces, Changing Places: The Emergence of New Immigration Gateways in the United States,” at 7 p.m. Nov. 15 in the JUB’s Tennessee Room.
A research fellow at Vanderbilt's Center for Nashville Studies and the Center for the Americas, Donato’s research interest focus on topics related to social stratification and demography; namely, international migration between Mexico and the U.S. and questions related to the impact of U.S. immigration policy on the labor market’s incorporation of migrants.
“Given recent debates on immigration policy and the growing diversity of ethnic communities in the middle Tennessee region, the lecture is expected to be of interest to a large audience of participants,” MacLean said.
The symposium will conclude Friday, Nov. 16, with additional paper presentations that culminate with a brown-bag luncheon discussion on "Careers in the Social Sciences" at 12:30 in the JUB’s Hazelwood Dining Room.
Organized by Dr. Craig Carter, assistant professor of sociology, the career panel will feature various alumni, faculty and practicing social scientists and will explore potential career paths for students.
"We hope that the career panel discussions inspire students to explore the various occupations in the social sciences and perhaps (and) to think more creatively about acquiring the types of jobs available to students with degrees in the social sciences," he said.
Sponsorship for the symposium was provided by the dean of the College of Liberal Arts at MTSU, Dr. John McDaniel; the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Dr. Ronald Aday; the Distinguished Lecture Committee; and student activity fees.
For information on the annual forum, please contact Connie Huddleston, coordinator for the College of Liberal Arts, at chudd@mtsu.edu or 615-494-7628.
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• ATTENTION, MEDIA: For editorial needs, including interview requests with symposium organizers or panelists, or to secure a jpeg of keynote speaker Dr. Katharine Donato, please send your request to Lisa L. Rollins in the Office of News and Public Affairs at MTSU at lrollins@mtsu.edu or by calling 615-898-2919.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, 615-898-2919, or lrollins@mtsu.edu
MTSU SITE OF 16TH ANNUAL SOCIAL SCIENCE SYMPOSIUM FOR STUDENTS
Nov. 15-16 Event Promotes Scientific Study of Human Interaction, Exchange of Ideas
(MURFREESBORO)—"Migrations" is the theme of the 16th annual Tennessee Undergraduate Social Science Symposium at MTSU on Nov. 15-16 that is expected to attract 800-1,000 undergraduates and educators from the local campus as well as from across the state.
Free and open to the public, the annual event was designed to encourage student interest in the scientific study of human interaction and foster professional growth, while providing opportunities for the intellectual and social exchange of ideas, said Dr. Vicky MacLean, associate professor of sociology at MTSU and the event’s co-director.
Founded by Dr. Rodger Bates at Lambuth College in Jackson, Tenn., some 30 years ago, the symposium has called MTSU its home since 1993.
Moreover, MacLean added, "This year's symposium promises to be as exciting as those that have preceded it; it is clear to us that the developmental experiences of our students lay at the heart of its success.”
The event will open Thursday, Nov. 15, with student research paper presentations that will continue throughout the two-day symposium. Although "Migrations" is the central symposium theme, papers will be accepted through Nov. 1 on any social topic, organizers reported.
“Papers presented by students will include a variety of topics (such as) immigration, social problems, social and cultural theory, hate crimes, race and ethnicity, Appalachian studies, health, family and work, sociology of emotions, and experiential learning in archaeological studies and study abroad,” MacLean said. Additionally, Dr. Shannon Hodge, assistant professor of anthropology, said, “We are excited about this year's paper competition, because it honors student achievement in independent research and puts us in league with many of the professional conferences in the social sciences, which often feature student paper prizes … to encourage student research and participation in the professions."
This year, the paper competition will include a first-, second- and third-place award for outstanding papers. Student paper titles for presentation may be submitted via e-mail to Dr. Ida Fadzillah, event co-director, at ifadzill@mtsu.edu, or MacLean at vmaclean@mtsu.edu. To enter the competition, students must submit complete papers to Hodge at shodge@mtsu.edu no later than Nov. 8.
MTSU student Lynn Funkhouser, president of the university’s Anthropology Society, said the undergraduate conference is a valuable opportunity for students.
"The symposium experience is important for undergraduate students, because it provides us with a forum to present our own research,” she explained. “Because the
symposium is for undergraduates, the experience is less intimidating than a professional conference, where many of the presenters are the same people writing one’s textbooks.
“The symposium also provides undergraduates with a public-speaking opportunity outside of a classroom setting,” Funkhouser added. “(And) presenting at this venue can be a way for many who are completely unused to such activities to work past any associated fears or misgivings."
At 1 p.m. Nov. 15 in the James Union Building’s (JUB) Tennessee Room, Dr. Will Leggett, assistant professor of anthropology and one of the event’s organizers, will lead a panel discussion titled "Immigration in the American South."
"The goal of the forum is to bring together local representatives of immigrant groups living in the area to explore the impact of various forms of migration on the traveling populations and local communities in both the host country and the countries of origin," he said.
Following the panel discussion, a to-be-announced documentary film screening will be sponsored by the Middle Tennessee Anthropological Society and the Sociology Club in the Keathley University Center Theater from 4:15 to 6 p.m. No tickets are required and those interested in attending are welcomed.
Dr. Katharine Donato, professor of sociology at Vanderbilt University, will deliver the keynote address, “Changing Faces, Changing Places: The Emergence of New Immigration Gateways in the United States,” at 7 p.m. Nov. 15 in the JUB’s Tennessee Room.
A research fellow at Vanderbilt's Center for Nashville Studies and the Center for the Americas, Donato’s research interest focus on topics related to social stratification and demography; namely, international migration between Mexico and the U.S. and questions related to the impact of U.S. immigration policy on the labor market’s incorporation of migrants.
“Given recent debates on immigration policy and the growing diversity of ethnic communities in the middle Tennessee region, the lecture is expected to be of interest to a large audience of participants,” MacLean said.
The symposium will conclude Friday, Nov. 16, with additional paper presentations that culminate with a brown-bag luncheon discussion on "Careers in the Social Sciences" at 12:30 in the JUB’s Hazelwood Dining Room.
Organized by Dr. Craig Carter, assistant professor of sociology, the career panel will feature various alumni, faculty and practicing social scientists and will explore potential career paths for students.
"We hope that the career panel discussions inspire students to explore the various occupations in the social sciences and perhaps (and) to think more creatively about acquiring the types of jobs available to students with degrees in the social sciences," he said.
Sponsorship for the symposium was provided by the dean of the College of Liberal Arts at MTSU, Dr. John McDaniel; the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Dr. Ronald Aday; the Distinguished Lecture Committee; and student activity fees.
For information on the annual forum, please contact Connie Huddleston, coordinator for the College of Liberal Arts, at chudd@mtsu.edu or 615-494-7628.
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• ATTENTION, MEDIA: For editorial needs, including interview requests with symposium organizers or panelists, or to secure a jpeg of keynote speaker Dr. Katharine Donato, please send your request to Lisa L. Rollins in the Office of News and Public Affairs at MTSU at lrollins@mtsu.edu or by calling 615-898-2919.
140 T-SHIRTS, CANDLES HEIGHTEN AWARENESS OF VIOLENCE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 12, 2007
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
T-SHIRTS, CANDLES HEIGHTEN AWARENESS OF VIOLENCE
“Clothesline Project” and “Reclaim the Night” Focus on Defiance of Fear
(MURFREESBORO) – The June Anderson Women’s Center at MTSU will sponsor the “Clothesline Project” from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and “Reclaim the Night” from 6-9 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23, on the Keathley University Center knoll.
These events are efforts by the Women’s Center to promote greater understanding of an ever-present social issue during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
During the “Clothesline Project,” T-shirts decorated with messages symbolizing fear, anger or other emotions associated with domestic violence or sexual assault will hang from a clothesline on the knoll.
“Reclaim the Night” is a fall semester version of the Women’s Center’s annual “Take Back the Night” spring event. Concerned members of the campus and community will hold a rally with an open microphone segment during which anyone who wishes to express thoughts on the issues of domestic violence and sexual assault is welcome to speak. The rally will be followed by a brief march on campus and a candlelight vigil.
Both events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Women’s Center at 615-898-2193 or jawc@mtsu.edu.
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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For photos from prior Clothesline Projects, contact Gina Logue in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
T-SHIRTS, CANDLES HEIGHTEN AWARENESS OF VIOLENCE
“Clothesline Project” and “Reclaim the Night” Focus on Defiance of Fear
(MURFREESBORO) – The June Anderson Women’s Center at MTSU will sponsor the “Clothesline Project” from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and “Reclaim the Night” from 6-9 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23, on the Keathley University Center knoll.
These events are efforts by the Women’s Center to promote greater understanding of an ever-present social issue during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
During the “Clothesline Project,” T-shirts decorated with messages symbolizing fear, anger or other emotions associated with domestic violence or sexual assault will hang from a clothesline on the knoll.
“Reclaim the Night” is a fall semester version of the Women’s Center’s annual “Take Back the Night” spring event. Concerned members of the campus and community will hold a rally with an open microphone segment during which anyone who wishes to express thoughts on the issues of domestic violence and sexual assault is welcome to speak. The rally will be followed by a brief march on campus and a candlelight vigil.
Both events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Women’s Center at 615-898-2193 or jawc@mtsu.edu.
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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For photos from prior Clothesline Projects, contact Gina Logue in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.
139 MTSU JAZZ COMBOS PRESENT FREE & OPEN CONCERT OCT. 22
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 12, 2007
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
MTSU JAZZ COMBOS PRESENT FREE & OPEN CONCERT OCT. 22
Jazz Coordinator Aliquo Says Audience Will Hear ‘Anything from Blues to Ballads’
(MURFREESBORO)—The MTSU Jazz Combos will perform a free and open concert at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 22, in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
“Our upcoming jazz combos concert will feature an array of talent primarily from the jazz studies concentration, although several of the students are music majors of other concentrations,” said Don Aliquo, coordinator of jazz studies.
The combos are coached by the MTSU jazz faculty and each group will perform two numbers that showcase the particular talents of each group. Aliquo said the musical selections are chosen from the vast catalogue that is part of the jazz tradition, but groups often compose and arrange their own pieces to present at this concert.
“The primary focus of jazz combos curriculum is to develop the jazz improvisational skills of the players that is a major part of a successful jazz performance,” Aliquo explained.
The jazz studies program at MTSU, he noted, is a vital and rapidly growing facet of the MTSU School of Music, offering a course of study leading to a Bachelor of Music or Master of Arts in jazz studies.
“The audience can expect to hear anything from blues to ballads to newer jazz/rock- oriented pieces,” Aliquo said.
This concert is free and open to the public.
For more information on this and other events in the music school at MTSU, please call 615-898-2493 or visit www.mtsumusic.com.
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• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To secure a jpeg for editorial use, please e-mail your request to Tim Musselman in the music school at tmusselm@mtsu.edu.
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
MTSU JAZZ COMBOS PRESENT FREE & OPEN CONCERT OCT. 22
Jazz Coordinator Aliquo Says Audience Will Hear ‘Anything from Blues to Ballads’
(MURFREESBORO)—The MTSU Jazz Combos will perform a free and open concert at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 22, in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
“Our upcoming jazz combos concert will feature an array of talent primarily from the jazz studies concentration, although several of the students are music majors of other concentrations,” said Don Aliquo, coordinator of jazz studies.
The combos are coached by the MTSU jazz faculty and each group will perform two numbers that showcase the particular talents of each group. Aliquo said the musical selections are chosen from the vast catalogue that is part of the jazz tradition, but groups often compose and arrange their own pieces to present at this concert.
“The primary focus of jazz combos curriculum is to develop the jazz improvisational skills of the players that is a major part of a successful jazz performance,” Aliquo explained.
The jazz studies program at MTSU, he noted, is a vital and rapidly growing facet of the MTSU School of Music, offering a course of study leading to a Bachelor of Music or Master of Arts in jazz studies.
“The audience can expect to hear anything from blues to ballads to newer jazz/rock- oriented pieces,” Aliquo said.
This concert is free and open to the public.
For more information on this and other events in the music school at MTSU, please call 615-898-2493 or visit www.mtsumusic.com.
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• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To secure a jpeg for editorial use, please e-mail your request to Tim Musselman in the music school at tmusselm@mtsu.edu.
138 MTSU SERVES AS HOST FOR BIENNIAL HOLOCAUST STUDIES CONFERENCE
MTSU SERVES AS HOST FOR BIENNIAL HOLOCAUST STUDIES CONFERENCE
Internationally Known Holocaust Scholar Gerhard Weinberg Among Featured Speakers
(MURFREESBORO, Tenn.)—Distinguished scholars will join Nazi concentration camp survivors and some of the American military veterans who liberated them as they explore the effects of the Holocaust on Nov. 8-10 during the eighth biennial Holocaust Studies Conference at MTSU in the university’s James Union Building.
“Questions of Memory and Conscience” is the theme of the three-day event, which will include “Countering Holocaust Denial in the Middle East: A New Approach,” a 1:15 p.m. Nov. 8 presentation by Dr. Robert Satloff, among its highlights.
Dr. Nancy E. Rupprecht, chairwoman of the MTSU Holocaust Studies Committee, said, among the many academics participating in the conference will be Gerhard L. Weinberg, an internationally recognized German scholar and expert on World War II, who will present the keynote address, “The Nuremberg Trials and the Holocaust,” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8, in addition to participating in two other featured conference presentations.
A professor emeritus of history at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Weinberg is the scholar who discovered the secret, unpublished sequel to Hitler’s Mein Kampf among the reams of German documents captured by the Allies during World War
II.
Additionally, Weinberg is the subject of the History Channel’s acclaimed 2004 documentary titled “Hitler’s Lost Plan.” This documentary will be shown at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7, as part of a preconference Holocaust exhibit at the Linebaugh Library in Murfreesboro. Admission to the showing is free and open to the general public.
Rupprecht, MTSU history professor, said the 4:15 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, conference panel discussion, ”Survivors and Liberators,” will get under way with a military color guard, then honor Holocaust survivors and the Allied troops who freed them.
“For this event, U. S. Army veterans, and Holocaust survivors will tell the audience about a variety of extraordinary experiences,” she explained, “including what it was like to liberate a death camp, what it was like to attempt to survive in concentration, work and extermination camps, what it was like to be a hidden child or an émigré during the Holocaust and how terrifying it was to attempt to live ‘underground’ by passing as Aryan.”
New to this year’s conference will be an entire day, Nov. 12, aimed at K-12 teachers, Rupprecht added. In addition to the Survivors/Liberators session, the day’s activities will include a 2:30 p.m. performance by nationally known pianist Claudia Stevens, who will read the words of Fanya Fenelon, director of the Auschwitz Women’s Orchestra, and play the music of the orchestra she directed. Both the performance by Stevens and the Survivors/Liberators session will be free and open to the general public.
“This year’s conference will be a truly notable event, (and) a powerful and poignant experience is in store for both the participants and the audiences,” Rupprecht remarked. “ In addition to the public session described above, the academic sessions include scholarship in a rich variety of forms—papers, discussions and exhibits, as well as film, music and a live dance performance.”
For more information on the 2007 Holocaust conference, including a detailed schedule that lists conference events that are open to the public, please access its Web site at www.mtsu.edu/~holostu. Those interested in attending the academic sessions sponsored by conference organizers may find registration forms and information on the site.
For additional information by phone or via e-mail, please contact Connie Huddleston, associate conference chairwoman, at 615-494-7628 or chudd@mtsu.edu.
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• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request interviews with Holocaust conference organizers or speakers, please contact Lisa L. Rollins in the Office of News and Public Affairs at MTSU at lrollins@mtsu.edu or by calling 615-898-2919.
Internationally Known Holocaust Scholar Gerhard Weinberg Among Featured Speakers
(MURFREESBORO, Tenn.)—Distinguished scholars will join Nazi concentration camp survivors and some of the American military veterans who liberated them as they explore the effects of the Holocaust on Nov. 8-10 during the eighth biennial Holocaust Studies Conference at MTSU in the university’s James Union Building.
“Questions of Memory and Conscience” is the theme of the three-day event, which will include “Countering Holocaust Denial in the Middle East: A New Approach,” a 1:15 p.m. Nov. 8 presentation by Dr. Robert Satloff, among its highlights.
Dr. Nancy E. Rupprecht, chairwoman of the MTSU Holocaust Studies Committee, said, among the many academics participating in the conference will be Gerhard L. Weinberg, an internationally recognized German scholar and expert on World War II, who will present the keynote address, “The Nuremberg Trials and the Holocaust,” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8, in addition to participating in two other featured conference presentations.
A professor emeritus of history at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Weinberg is the scholar who discovered the secret, unpublished sequel to Hitler’s Mein Kampf among the reams of German documents captured by the Allies during World War
II.
Additionally, Weinberg is the subject of the History Channel’s acclaimed 2004 documentary titled “Hitler’s Lost Plan.” This documentary will be shown at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7, as part of a preconference Holocaust exhibit at the Linebaugh Library in Murfreesboro. Admission to the showing is free and open to the general public.
Rupprecht, MTSU history professor, said the 4:15 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, conference panel discussion, ”Survivors and Liberators,” will get under way with a military color guard, then honor Holocaust survivors and the Allied troops who freed them.
“For this event, U. S. Army veterans, and Holocaust survivors will tell the audience about a variety of extraordinary experiences,” she explained, “including what it was like to liberate a death camp, what it was like to attempt to survive in concentration, work and extermination camps, what it was like to be a hidden child or an émigré during the Holocaust and how terrifying it was to attempt to live ‘underground’ by passing as Aryan.”
New to this year’s conference will be an entire day, Nov. 12, aimed at K-12 teachers, Rupprecht added. In addition to the Survivors/Liberators session, the day’s activities will include a 2:30 p.m. performance by nationally known pianist Claudia Stevens, who will read the words of Fanya Fenelon, director of the Auschwitz Women’s Orchestra, and play the music of the orchestra she directed. Both the performance by Stevens and the Survivors/Liberators session will be free and open to the general public.
“This year’s conference will be a truly notable event, (and) a powerful and poignant experience is in store for both the participants and the audiences,” Rupprecht remarked. “ In addition to the public session described above, the academic sessions include scholarship in a rich variety of forms—papers, discussions and exhibits, as well as film, music and a live dance performance.”
For more information on the 2007 Holocaust conference, including a detailed schedule that lists conference events that are open to the public, please access its Web site at www.mtsu.edu/~holostu. Those interested in attending the academic sessions sponsored by conference organizers may find registration forms and information on the site.
For additional information by phone or via e-mail, please contact Connie Huddleston, associate conference chairwoman, at 615-494-7628 or chudd@mtsu.edu.
—30—
• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request interviews with Holocaust conference organizers or speakers, please contact Lisa L. Rollins in the Office of News and Public Affairs at MTSU at lrollins@mtsu.edu or by calling 615-898-2919.
137 BRASS BAND OF HUNTSVILLE HIGHLIGHTS ANNUAL CLINIC
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 10, 2007
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
BRASS BAND OF HUNTSVILLE HIGHLIGHTS ANNUAL PERFORMANCE CLINIC
Nov. 3 Performance Rare Opportunity to See British-Style Brass Band, Says Riordan
(MURFREESBORO)—The fourth annual MTSU Brass Performance Clinic, an all-day event sponsored by MTSU’s music school, will culminate with a free and open concert by The Brass Band of Huntsville (BBH) at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3 in the T. Earl Hinton Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
The performance clinic will be open to all high-school students, grades nine through 12. School music teachers and private instructors are also invited to attend and participate. Participants will attend clinics conducted by MTSU faculty and area professionals, including members of the Nashville Symphony and Nashville recording artists.
In addition, a 1:30 p.m. concert will feature the MTSU Faculty Brass Quintet, the MTSU Symphonic Brass Ensemble and the resident, award-winning student ensemble, the Broad Street Brass.
Regarding the BBH and the final concert, the lineup is a traditional British brass band consisting of 25 members, with conical bored instruments and trombones. The conductor is Joel Mason, a former adjunct tuba professor at MTSU, and one of the euphonium players is Larry Crews, a graduate of MTSU's music program who now teaches in Huntsville, Ala.
“We have never had a British-style brass band here,” said George Riordan, director of the MTSU School of Music. “There is quite a tradition in Britain of these brass bands who have developed their own literature, style of playing and a whole social milieu. It would be very good for our students to see an ensemble that performs in the British manner.”
Founded in April 2001, the BBH is dedicated to musical excellence and the advancement of brass band music and it’s the lone British-style brass band in Alabama. Its members come from many varied professions such as university professors, high-school teachers, engineers, scientists, ministers of music, law enforcement officers and college students.
MTSU brass faculty members Michael Arndt (trumpet) and David Loucky (euphonium) will perform as guest soloists with the BBH on a piece titled Arabesque by Joseph Turrin.
“This is an engaging piece with a delightful mix of flash and dash technique, combined with expressive lyricism,” said Loucky, MTSU professor of trombone, euphonium and low brass. “It is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.”
Both the 1:30 and the 7:30 p.m. concerts are free and open to the public.
For more information on this and other events in the MTSU music school, please call 615-898-2493 or visit www.mtsumusic.com.
For more information on the 2007 Brass Performance Clinic, please visit www.mtsubrass.com/brassfestival. For additional information on the BBH, please access its Web site at brassbandofhuntsville.org.
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CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
BRASS BAND OF HUNTSVILLE HIGHLIGHTS ANNUAL PERFORMANCE CLINIC
Nov. 3 Performance Rare Opportunity to See British-Style Brass Band, Says Riordan
(MURFREESBORO)—The fourth annual MTSU Brass Performance Clinic, an all-day event sponsored by MTSU’s music school, will culminate with a free and open concert by The Brass Band of Huntsville (BBH) at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3 in the T. Earl Hinton Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
The performance clinic will be open to all high-school students, grades nine through 12. School music teachers and private instructors are also invited to attend and participate. Participants will attend clinics conducted by MTSU faculty and area professionals, including members of the Nashville Symphony and Nashville recording artists.
In addition, a 1:30 p.m. concert will feature the MTSU Faculty Brass Quintet, the MTSU Symphonic Brass Ensemble and the resident, award-winning student ensemble, the Broad Street Brass.
Regarding the BBH and the final concert, the lineup is a traditional British brass band consisting of 25 members, with conical bored instruments and trombones. The conductor is Joel Mason, a former adjunct tuba professor at MTSU, and one of the euphonium players is Larry Crews, a graduate of MTSU's music program who now teaches in Huntsville, Ala.
“We have never had a British-style brass band here,” said George Riordan, director of the MTSU School of Music. “There is quite a tradition in Britain of these brass bands who have developed their own literature, style of playing and a whole social milieu. It would be very good for our students to see an ensemble that performs in the British manner.”
Founded in April 2001, the BBH is dedicated to musical excellence and the advancement of brass band music and it’s the lone British-style brass band in Alabama. Its members come from many varied professions such as university professors, high-school teachers, engineers, scientists, ministers of music, law enforcement officers and college students.
MTSU brass faculty members Michael Arndt (trumpet) and David Loucky (euphonium) will perform as guest soloists with the BBH on a piece titled Arabesque by Joseph Turrin.
“This is an engaging piece with a delightful mix of flash and dash technique, combined with expressive lyricism,” said Loucky, MTSU professor of trombone, euphonium and low brass. “It is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.”
Both the 1:30 and the 7:30 p.m. concerts are free and open to the public.
For more information on this and other events in the MTSU music school, please call 615-898-2493 or visit www.mtsumusic.com.
For more information on the 2007 Brass Performance Clinic, please visit www.mtsubrass.com/brassfestival. For additional information on the BBH, please access its Web site at brassbandofhuntsville.org.
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136 STATEWIDE PROGRAM RECOGNIZES PERRY COUNTY FARM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 10, 2007
CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947
STATEWIDE PROGRAM RECOGNIZES PERRY COUNTY FARM FOR CONTRIBUTIONS
162-Year-Old Patterson Farm Becomes County’s 12th Designated Century Farm
(MURFREESBORO, Tenn.)—The Patterson Farm in Perry County has been designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms Program at the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP), which is located on the MTSU campus.
Robert Carson Patterson founded the Patterson Farm near Tom’s Creek in the Pineview community in 1845. Born in Virginia in 1789, he was the son of William Patterson, a veteran of the War of 1812. Even before the formation of Perry County, Robert and wife Malinda had settled on Tom’s Creek. The first records show that Robert initially obtained two land grants totaling just over 52 acres in 1845 and a year later he received another land grant in the same area of 250 acres.
The farm always included timberlands, a traditional and vital part of Perry County’s agriculture. Robert and Malinda’s eight children were named William, Mary Malinda, Martha Ann, Elizabeth Dilworth, Jesse Harvey, Margaret, Robert Harrison and Carson.
In the 1860s, the Civil War dramatically changed the lives of all Tennessee families including the Pattersons. Jesse Harvey and Robert Harrison both enlisted. In December 1862, Jesse Harvey was killed at the Battle of Stones River. In 1864, Robert Harrison was captured as a prisoner of war and spent a year at Fort Delaware before being exchanged in February 1865.
After the war, Robert returned to Perry County, where he remained the rest of his life. He purchased 102 acres from his father and over the next 10 years acquired additional acreage from the other heirs. The farm supported cereal crops, livestock, and timber, but peanuts were the primary cash crop. Married twice, Robert fathered seven children.
In 1886, James Washington Patterson purchased the farm from his father, Robert. James married Margaret Patterson and they had three children. Their names were Howell, Alta and Alice. During World War I, Howell served in the army and was on duty overseas in France when the Armistice was signed. Not long after he returned home, Howell married Nettie Jane Roberts. They had two sons, Jesse Rex and James, the latter of whom died in infancy.
When Howell owned the farm, livestock was the main market product. Hereford cattle and hogs were raised on the farm, which also supported grains, hay, horses, mules, chickens and soybeans, the latter of which were grown rather than peanuts. Additionally, during this time trucks replaced riverboats as the primary route to markets, and like most families during this time, Howell and Nettie had a vegetable garden, with Nettie canning most of their food.
The couple was also very active in the community. Nettie was a member of the Home Demonstration Club and Howell served on the board of directors of the Perry County Farm Bureau and the Perry County Farmers Cooperative. He also worked to secure electricity for the community and was the last mail carrier for the Denson’s Landing Post Office before it closed in the 1940s.
Howell died in 1957 and the farm passed to wife Nettie and their son, Rex. Two years later, Rex married Wilda Graves and they had two children, Mark and Melody. After Nettie passed away in 1972, Rex and wife Wilda became the sole owners of the farm.
Currently, the farm produces corn, soybeans, feed grain, hay and timber. The owners and Gene Strickland, a neighbor, work the land.
Hankins said, “A hand-hewn chestnut log barn that was built more than 100 years ago is an impressive reminder of the five generations of the Patterson family who have lived on, farmed and served as stewards of this land.”
The Patterson Farm is the 12th certified Century Farm in Perry County, Hankins noted.
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the CHP at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA provides a
metal outdoor sign, noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins said, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
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ATTENTION, MEDIA: To interview the farm’s owners, or to obtain jpegs of the farm, including the old log barn mentioned herein, please contact the CHP directly at 615-898-2947.
CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947
STATEWIDE PROGRAM RECOGNIZES PERRY COUNTY FARM FOR CONTRIBUTIONS
162-Year-Old Patterson Farm Becomes County’s 12th Designated Century Farm
(MURFREESBORO, Tenn.)—The Patterson Farm in Perry County has been designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms Program at the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP), which is located on the MTSU campus.
Robert Carson Patterson founded the Patterson Farm near Tom’s Creek in the Pineview community in 1845. Born in Virginia in 1789, he was the son of William Patterson, a veteran of the War of 1812. Even before the formation of Perry County, Robert and wife Malinda had settled on Tom’s Creek. The first records show that Robert initially obtained two land grants totaling just over 52 acres in 1845 and a year later he received another land grant in the same area of 250 acres.
The farm always included timberlands, a traditional and vital part of Perry County’s agriculture. Robert and Malinda’s eight children were named William, Mary Malinda, Martha Ann, Elizabeth Dilworth, Jesse Harvey, Margaret, Robert Harrison and Carson.
In the 1860s, the Civil War dramatically changed the lives of all Tennessee families including the Pattersons. Jesse Harvey and Robert Harrison both enlisted. In December 1862, Jesse Harvey was killed at the Battle of Stones River. In 1864, Robert Harrison was captured as a prisoner of war and spent a year at Fort Delaware before being exchanged in February 1865.
After the war, Robert returned to Perry County, where he remained the rest of his life. He purchased 102 acres from his father and over the next 10 years acquired additional acreage from the other heirs. The farm supported cereal crops, livestock, and timber, but peanuts were the primary cash crop. Married twice, Robert fathered seven children.
In 1886, James Washington Patterson purchased the farm from his father, Robert. James married Margaret Patterson and they had three children. Their names were Howell, Alta and Alice. During World War I, Howell served in the army and was on duty overseas in France when the Armistice was signed. Not long after he returned home, Howell married Nettie Jane Roberts. They had two sons, Jesse Rex and James, the latter of whom died in infancy.
When Howell owned the farm, livestock was the main market product. Hereford cattle and hogs were raised on the farm, which also supported grains, hay, horses, mules, chickens and soybeans, the latter of which were grown rather than peanuts. Additionally, during this time trucks replaced riverboats as the primary route to markets, and like most families during this time, Howell and Nettie had a vegetable garden, with Nettie canning most of their food.
The couple was also very active in the community. Nettie was a member of the Home Demonstration Club and Howell served on the board of directors of the Perry County Farm Bureau and the Perry County Farmers Cooperative. He also worked to secure electricity for the community and was the last mail carrier for the Denson’s Landing Post Office before it closed in the 1940s.
Howell died in 1957 and the farm passed to wife Nettie and their son, Rex. Two years later, Rex married Wilda Graves and they had two children, Mark and Melody. After Nettie passed away in 1972, Rex and wife Wilda became the sole owners of the farm.
Currently, the farm produces corn, soybeans, feed grain, hay and timber. The owners and Gene Strickland, a neighbor, work the land.
Hankins said, “A hand-hewn chestnut log barn that was built more than 100 years ago is an impressive reminder of the five generations of the Patterson family who have lived on, farmed and served as stewards of this land.”
The Patterson Farm is the 12th certified Century Farm in Perry County, Hankins noted.
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the CHP at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA provides a
metal outdoor sign, noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins said, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
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ATTENTION, MEDIA: To interview the farm’s owners, or to obtain jpegs of the farm, including the old log barn mentioned herein, please contact the CHP directly at 615-898-2947.
135 “HIP-HOP INTELLECTUAL” MICHAEL ERIC DYSON TO TALK
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 11, 2007
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
“HIP-HOP INTELLECTUAL” MICHAEL ERIC DYSON TO TALK AT MTSU
Nationally Acclaimed Author to Speak Out on Race, Religion, Rap and Rhetoric
(MURFREESBORO) – Author, academic, minister and commentator Michael Eric Dyson, known as “the hip-hop intellectual” among critics and fans, will speak at MTSU at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 31, in the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building. His address, including a question-and-answer period, is free and open to the public.
Dyson, who has been named one of the 100 most influential black Americans by Ebony magazine, was appointed a University Professor at Georgetown University earlier this year. He teaches classes in English, theology and African-American Studies.
He is the author of 15 books, including Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster; Is Bill Cosby Right? Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind?; and his latest, Know What I Mean?, an examination of hip-hop music with an introduction by Jay-Z.
In an Oct. 5 speech at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Dyson described singer Kanye West as the ultimate gangster for speaking out against President George W. Bush following Hurricane Katrina, reports the Oct. 8 edition of UKMC’s University News.
Prior to joining Georgetown earlier this year, Dyson was the Avalon Foundation Professor in the Humanities in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. He also has taught at DePaul, Chicago Theological Seminary, the University of North Carolina, Columbia and Brown. His resume includes pastoral and ministerial work at several Baptist churches.
Dyson graduated magna cum laude from Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tenn., with a bachelor’s degree in 1982, received a master’s degree from Princeton University in 1991, and earned his doctorate from Princeton in 1993.
A frequent guest on radio and television talk shows, Dyson’s appearances include “The Charlie Rose Show,” “Oprah,” “Real Time with Bill Maher” on Home Box Office, Cable News Network and National Public Radio.
Dyson’s appearance at MTSU is co-sponsored by the Black History Month Committee and the Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs (IDA).
“Dr. Dyson is an intellectual leader in the Academy and society on media, race and politics,” Luther Buie, interim director of IDA and co-chair of the Black History Month Committee, says. “We look forward to his insights.”
"It is truly an honor to have Dr. Michael Eric Dyson come to MTSU,” says Dr. Sekou Franklin, assistant professor of political science and co-chair of the Black History Month Committee. “His scholarship and vigorous activism have made him one of the nation's most important intellectuals and commentators on how race and class intersect with politics and culture."
“This is really a student-driven event,” says Buie. “We’re starting with the desires of the students and seeing a real spirit of collaboration among academic departments, Intercultural and Diversity Affairs and student organizations.”
Buie says special thanks are due to the Collegiate 100, the student chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the African-American Women’s Council and the African-American Students Association.
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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a jpeg photograph of Michael Eric Dyson, contact Gina Logue in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
“HIP-HOP INTELLECTUAL” MICHAEL ERIC DYSON TO TALK AT MTSU
Nationally Acclaimed Author to Speak Out on Race, Religion, Rap and Rhetoric
(MURFREESBORO) – Author, academic, minister and commentator Michael Eric Dyson, known as “the hip-hop intellectual” among critics and fans, will speak at MTSU at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 31, in the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building. His address, including a question-and-answer period, is free and open to the public.
Dyson, who has been named one of the 100 most influential black Americans by Ebony magazine, was appointed a University Professor at Georgetown University earlier this year. He teaches classes in English, theology and African-American Studies.
He is the author of 15 books, including Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster; Is Bill Cosby Right? Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind?; and his latest, Know What I Mean?, an examination of hip-hop music with an introduction by Jay-Z.
In an Oct. 5 speech at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Dyson described singer Kanye West as the ultimate gangster for speaking out against President George W. Bush following Hurricane Katrina, reports the Oct. 8 edition of UKMC’s University News.
Prior to joining Georgetown earlier this year, Dyson was the Avalon Foundation Professor in the Humanities in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. He also has taught at DePaul, Chicago Theological Seminary, the University of North Carolina, Columbia and Brown. His resume includes pastoral and ministerial work at several Baptist churches.
Dyson graduated magna cum laude from Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tenn., with a bachelor’s degree in 1982, received a master’s degree from Princeton University in 1991, and earned his doctorate from Princeton in 1993.
A frequent guest on radio and television talk shows, Dyson’s appearances include “The Charlie Rose Show,” “Oprah,” “Real Time with Bill Maher” on Home Box Office, Cable News Network and National Public Radio.
Dyson’s appearance at MTSU is co-sponsored by the Black History Month Committee and the Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs (IDA).
“Dr. Dyson is an intellectual leader in the Academy and society on media, race and politics,” Luther Buie, interim director of IDA and co-chair of the Black History Month Committee, says. “We look forward to his insights.”
"It is truly an honor to have Dr. Michael Eric Dyson come to MTSU,” says Dr. Sekou Franklin, assistant professor of political science and co-chair of the Black History Month Committee. “His scholarship and vigorous activism have made him one of the nation's most important intellectuals and commentators on how race and class intersect with politics and culture."
“This is really a student-driven event,” says Buie. “We’re starting with the desires of the students and seeing a real spirit of collaboration among academic departments, Intercultural and Diversity Affairs and student organizations.”
Buie says special thanks are due to the Collegiate 100, the student chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the African-American Women’s Council and the African-American Students Association.
--30--
ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a jpeg photograph of Michael Eric Dyson, contact Gina Logue in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.
134 Todd Gallery Features Works by Five Nationally Recognized Artists
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 8, 2007
CONTACT: Eric Snyder, gallery assistant, 615-898-5653.
CONTEMPORARY FIGURATIVE CERAMIC PIECES FOCUS OF EXHIBIT
Todd Gallery Features Works by Five Nationally Recognized Artists, Reports Curator
(MURFREESBORO, Tenn.)— The Todd Gallery at MTSU will present “Of the Body,” an exhibition of contemporary figurative ceramic works from five artists of national recognition Oct. 15 through Nov. 2.
Lon Nuell, MTSU art professor and gallery curator, said, “The works to be seen in ‘Of the Body’ represent five unique perspectives that derive from the artists’ personal experiences and interpretations of the human presence in the contemporary world. Within these interpretations five manifestations occur.”
The artists whose work will be showcased are Tom Bartel, an associate professor of ceramics at Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green; Jason Briggs, an adjunct instructor at Belmont University, Nashville; John Donovan, foundations instructor at MTSU, Murfreesboro; Debbie Kupinsky, a part-time ceramics instructor at Santa Ana College, Santa Ana, Calif.; and Malcolm Mobutu-Smith, an associate professor of ceramic art at Indiana University, Bloomington.
Regarding Bartel, Nuell said he produces stylized figures that “question various stages of life, which are determined primarily by the biological development of the body from birth to death.” Artist Briggs, meanwhile, “pushes palpable sensibilities toward a critical awareness of unease by creating biomorphic forms that are at once sensually tactile and disquietingly beautiful.”
According to materials describing the respective artists’ creations, Donovan’s artworks “infuse his figurative based work with a push/pull sense of play between the innocence of childhood and the ‘relentless fear’ of growing up” and Kupinsky’s pieces focus on allegorical references of the body filtered through mythologies and fairytales manifesting work that juxtaposes “the beauty and innocence in the world with the inevitable loss of innocence.”
“Her works recall benign porcelain figurines pushed to grotesque ends,” Nuell remarked.
The Mobutu-Smith works, in turn, are described as “powerful vessel forms that fuse the residues of being human” such as graffiti, comic-book art and music.
“Mobutu-Smith synthesizes these and other sources to produce works that speak toward his own creative experiences and heritage,” Nuell noted.
An opening reception for the artists will be held 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Oct. 16 in the gallery. Admission is free and open to the public.
• GALLERY HOURS: Located on the first floor of MTSU’s Todd Building, the Todd Gallery is open 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays. Admission is free and the exhibit is open to the public. Please note that the gallery will be closed on Labor Day, Sept. 3.
For more information regarding the current exhibit, please contact Eric Snyder, gallery assistant, 615-898-5653.
—30—
ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request an interview with any of the exhibit’s participating artists, please contact Lisa L. Rollins at 615-898-2919 or via e-mail at lrollins@mtsu.edu. Jpegs of featured art is expected to be made available upon request.
CONTACT: Eric Snyder, gallery assistant, 615-898-5653.
CONTEMPORARY FIGURATIVE CERAMIC PIECES FOCUS OF EXHIBIT
Todd Gallery Features Works by Five Nationally Recognized Artists, Reports Curator
(MURFREESBORO, Tenn.)— The Todd Gallery at MTSU will present “Of the Body,” an exhibition of contemporary figurative ceramic works from five artists of national recognition Oct. 15 through Nov. 2.
Lon Nuell, MTSU art professor and gallery curator, said, “The works to be seen in ‘Of the Body’ represent five unique perspectives that derive from the artists’ personal experiences and interpretations of the human presence in the contemporary world. Within these interpretations five manifestations occur.”
The artists whose work will be showcased are Tom Bartel, an associate professor of ceramics at Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green; Jason Briggs, an adjunct instructor at Belmont University, Nashville; John Donovan, foundations instructor at MTSU, Murfreesboro; Debbie Kupinsky, a part-time ceramics instructor at Santa Ana College, Santa Ana, Calif.; and Malcolm Mobutu-Smith, an associate professor of ceramic art at Indiana University, Bloomington.
Regarding Bartel, Nuell said he produces stylized figures that “question various stages of life, which are determined primarily by the biological development of the body from birth to death.” Artist Briggs, meanwhile, “pushes palpable sensibilities toward a critical awareness of unease by creating biomorphic forms that are at once sensually tactile and disquietingly beautiful.”
According to materials describing the respective artists’ creations, Donovan’s artworks “infuse his figurative based work with a push/pull sense of play between the innocence of childhood and the ‘relentless fear’ of growing up” and Kupinsky’s pieces focus on allegorical references of the body filtered through mythologies and fairytales manifesting work that juxtaposes “the beauty and innocence in the world with the inevitable loss of innocence.”
“Her works recall benign porcelain figurines pushed to grotesque ends,” Nuell remarked.
The Mobutu-Smith works, in turn, are described as “powerful vessel forms that fuse the residues of being human” such as graffiti, comic-book art and music.
“Mobutu-Smith synthesizes these and other sources to produce works that speak toward his own creative experiences and heritage,” Nuell noted.
An opening reception for the artists will be held 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Oct. 16 in the gallery. Admission is free and open to the public.
• GALLERY HOURS: Located on the first floor of MTSU’s Todd Building, the Todd Gallery is open 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays. Admission is free and the exhibit is open to the public. Please note that the gallery will be closed on Labor Day, Sept. 3.
For more information regarding the current exhibit, please contact Eric Snyder, gallery assistant, 615-898-5653.
—30—
ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request an interview with any of the exhibit’s participating artists, please contact Lisa L. Rollins at 615-898-2919 or via e-mail at lrollins@mtsu.edu. Jpegs of featured art is expected to be made available upon request.
132 Exhilarating Physical Challenges Will Raise Money for MTSU Veterans Memorial
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 8, 2007
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
SCALE THE TOWER AND FEEL THE POWER OF PAINTBALL FOR VETS
Exhilarating Physical Challenges Will Raise Money for MTSU Veterans Memorial
(MURFREESBORO) – Two physically and mentally challenging competitions open to the public as well as the MTSU community are slated for early next month to raise money for the MTSU Veterans Memorial.
The Alpine Tower Challenge is scheduled for 1-5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1, and Friday, Nov. 2 behind the Campus Recreation Center. The National Guard Paintball Tournament is set for 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3, at Middle Tennessee Paintball, 4215 Kedron Road, in Spring Hill, Tenn. There is no entrance fee for either event, but donations to fund the memorial are encouraged.
In the tower challenge, teams of two persons each will attempt to scale a 55-foot-high wooden structure by using climbing holds, four dangling poles, a wooden “corporate ladder” with several feet of space between the rungs and a cargo net ladder.
“It looks like a big bonfire,” laughs Josh Stone, adventure trips coordinator at the recreation center.
The teams will be divided into a division of male/male and female/female teams and a division of male/female teams. One individual from each team will attempt to climb to the top on each side of the tower simultaneously. The other partners on the team will follow in similar fashion. The best of the two times posted by each team member is the time that will stand for that team for each round.
“The format I’m using is what they use in rock climbing speed competitions,” Stone says.
For safety’s sake, all participants must wear helmets, and they will be harnessed and belayed by trained Recreation Center staffers.
“Any time you have nothing between your butt and the ground but air, it’s kind of scary,” Stone says.
Trophies and prizes will be awarded for the first- and second-place winners in each category. Plaques and prizes will be awarded to the organizations with the first-, second- and third-highest totals of money raised for the Veterans Memorial.
“We would like each organization on campus to have a two-person team and also raise funds for the Veterans Memorial,” Maj. Chuck Giles, assistant professor of military science, says.
The first 100 participants will get goodie bags with free T-shirts, power bars and gift certificates. Free beverages will be provided for all.
Up to 200 combatants will be able to participate in the paintball tournament. Staff Sergeant Julius Santini, a Tennessee National Guard representative at MTSU, says each team must have at least 10 members. Individuals can register and be placed on a team.
The first-place team will win $1,000, and additional prizes will be awarded to the second- and third-place teams. Other prizes will be given away throughout the day. All equipment will be furnished. Free lunch will be provided to all participants.
To register for the tower challenge, go to http://www.mtsu.edu/~camprec/outdoors/news.html, then click on “waiver form.” The registration deadline is Oct. 26.
A registration kiosk for the paintball tournament will be positioned in front of the Keathley University Center (KUC) from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31, and registration desks will be inside the KUC and at the alpine tower challenge from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1, and Friday, Nov. 2. Online registration is available at http://www.guardpaintball.com.
The MTSU Veterans Memorial will be dedicated in front of the Tom Jackson Building from 8:30-10:00 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, prior to the Homecoming football game between the Blue Raiders and Louisiana-Lafayette. For more information about the Veterans Memorial dedication and design, contact Dr. Derek Frisby at 615- 494-8856 or dfrisby@mtsu.edu.
To learn more about the Alpine Tower Challenge, contact Stone at the Campus Recreation Center at 615-898-2104 or jrstone@mtsu.edu. SSgt. Santini is the contact person for the National Guard Paintball Tournament at 615-494-7682 or julius.santini@us.army.mil. For directions to Middle Tennessee Paintball and to view photos of the courses, go to http://themiddletennesseepaintball.com.
--30—
ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a color jpeg of the alpine tower at MTSU and color jpeg photos of National Guard paintball competitors, contact Gina Logue at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
SCALE THE TOWER AND FEEL THE POWER OF PAINTBALL FOR VETS
Exhilarating Physical Challenges Will Raise Money for MTSU Veterans Memorial
(MURFREESBORO) – Two physically and mentally challenging competitions open to the public as well as the MTSU community are slated for early next month to raise money for the MTSU Veterans Memorial.
The Alpine Tower Challenge is scheduled for 1-5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1, and Friday, Nov. 2 behind the Campus Recreation Center. The National Guard Paintball Tournament is set for 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3, at Middle Tennessee Paintball, 4215 Kedron Road, in Spring Hill, Tenn. There is no entrance fee for either event, but donations to fund the memorial are encouraged.
In the tower challenge, teams of two persons each will attempt to scale a 55-foot-high wooden structure by using climbing holds, four dangling poles, a wooden “corporate ladder” with several feet of space between the rungs and a cargo net ladder.
“It looks like a big bonfire,” laughs Josh Stone, adventure trips coordinator at the recreation center.
The teams will be divided into a division of male/male and female/female teams and a division of male/female teams. One individual from each team will attempt to climb to the top on each side of the tower simultaneously. The other partners on the team will follow in similar fashion. The best of the two times posted by each team member is the time that will stand for that team for each round.
“The format I’m using is what they use in rock climbing speed competitions,” Stone says.
For safety’s sake, all participants must wear helmets, and they will be harnessed and belayed by trained Recreation Center staffers.
“Any time you have nothing between your butt and the ground but air, it’s kind of scary,” Stone says.
Trophies and prizes will be awarded for the first- and second-place winners in each category. Plaques and prizes will be awarded to the organizations with the first-, second- and third-highest totals of money raised for the Veterans Memorial.
“We would like each organization on campus to have a two-person team and also raise funds for the Veterans Memorial,” Maj. Chuck Giles, assistant professor of military science, says.
The first 100 participants will get goodie bags with free T-shirts, power bars and gift certificates. Free beverages will be provided for all.
Up to 200 combatants will be able to participate in the paintball tournament. Staff Sergeant Julius Santini, a Tennessee National Guard representative at MTSU, says each team must have at least 10 members. Individuals can register and be placed on a team.
The first-place team will win $1,000, and additional prizes will be awarded to the second- and third-place teams. Other prizes will be given away throughout the day. All equipment will be furnished. Free lunch will be provided to all participants.
To register for the tower challenge, go to http://www.mtsu.edu/~camprec/outdoors/news.html, then click on “waiver form.” The registration deadline is Oct. 26.
A registration kiosk for the paintball tournament will be positioned in front of the Keathley University Center (KUC) from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31, and registration desks will be inside the KUC and at the alpine tower challenge from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1, and Friday, Nov. 2. Online registration is available at http://www.guardpaintball.com.
The MTSU Veterans Memorial will be dedicated in front of the Tom Jackson Building from 8:30-10:00 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, prior to the Homecoming football game between the Blue Raiders and Louisiana-Lafayette. For more information about the Veterans Memorial dedication and design, contact Dr. Derek Frisby at 615- 494-8856 or dfrisby@mtsu.edu.
To learn more about the Alpine Tower Challenge, contact Stone at the Campus Recreation Center at 615-898-2104 or jrstone@mtsu.edu. SSgt. Santini is the contact person for the National Guard Paintball Tournament at 615-494-7682 or julius.santini@us.army.mil. For directions to Middle Tennessee Paintball and to view photos of the courses, go to http://themiddletennesseepaintball.com.
--30—
ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a color jpeg of the alpine tower at MTSU and color jpeg photos of National Guard paintball competitors, contact Gina Logue at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.
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