Friday, December 21, 2007

227 MTSU SITE OF JAN. 29 LECTURE BY PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLAR NELSON

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: College of Liberal Arts, 615-898-2534

MTSU SITE OF JAN. 29 LECTURE BY PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLAR NELSON
‘MTSU’s Super Tuesday Lecture’ Free and Open to the Public


(MURFREESBORO)—Dr. Michael Nelson, the Fulmer Professor of Political Science at Rhodes College, will present a free and open lecture titled “MTSU’s Super Tuesday Lecture” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 29, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of MTSU’s Business Aerospace Building.
A member of Rhodes’ political science faculty since 1991, Nelson is the author of more than 200 articles that have been published in scholarly journals such as the Journal of Politics and Political Science Quarterly and in periodicals such as Newsweek and The Chronicle of Higher Education. Prior to accepting his current professorship at Rhodes College in Memphis, he taught at Vanderbilt University for 13 years and served.
Dr. John Vile, chairman of MTSU political science department, said Nelson’s upcoming visits promises to deliver a presentation by someone who is considered “the gold standard” when it comes to presidential discourse.
“He’s one of the leading presidential scholars in the country,” Vile said of Nelson. “He’s spoken here before … as part of the Windham Lecture series, and he will be as up-to-date and honest on the issues as they come.”
A former journalist, Nelson earned a bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary and his master’s and doctorate degrees from Johns Hopkins University. He has authored several books, including his most recent titles, How the South Joined the Gambling Nation: The Politics of State Policy Innovation and The American Presidency: Origins and Development, 1776-2007, as well as 2006’s The Presidency and the Political System and The Elections of 2004, the latter of which was released in 2005.
For more information on Nelson’s upcoming lecture, please contact the College of Liberal Arts at 615-898-2534 or Dr. Mark Byrnes in the Department of Political Science at 615-898-2351.


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226 Former Blue Raider Player, College and Pro Coach Ken Shipp Donates $50,000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 19, 2007
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Kippy Todd, 615-898-5756.

MTSU ALUM ENDOWS SCHOLARSHIP FOR RUTHERFORD COUNTIANS
Former Blue Raider Player, College and Pro Coach Ken Shipp Donates $50,000

(MURFREESBORO) – A dedicated MTSU alumnus and inductee of the Kennon Hall of Fame has donated $50,000 to his alma mater so that a worthy graduate of a Rutherford County high school can fulfill the dream of a college education.
The Ken Shipp Endowed Scholarship will be awarded to a full-time student who is working toward a degree, in good standing with the university, and eligible to receive need-based financial aid. The scholarship will be renewable for a maximum of 10 semesters provided the recipient meets the university’s requirements for continuation.
“Coach Shipp’s generous donation is a true example of the MTSU tradition,” Joe Bales, Vice President for Development and University Relations, says. “Need-based scholarships such as this one have provided thousands of people who otherwise never could have come to college a precious opportunity to improve their lives.”
Shipp, an Old Hickory native who graduated from MTSU in 1947 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education, played football for the legendary Charles “Bubber” Murphy. His first college coaching jobs were at Trinity University and Florida State University.
Future pros Jerry Rhome and Howard Twilley were recruited and coached by Shipp at the University of Tulsa, as were numerous pros who were trained by Shipp at the University of South Carolina and the University of Miami.
Shipp’s professional resume includes stints with the St. Louis Cardinals and New Orleans Saints. He is credited with signing Ole Miss’ Archie Manning for the Saints.
After Charlie Winner was dismissed as the head coach of the New York Jets nine games into the 1975 season, Shipp, who had been the receivers coach, took over. He immediately gained attention for benching superstar quarterback Joe Namath for a violation of team rules, something observers said should have happened much sooner for Namath’s own good and the good of the team.
In a July 11, 2002 column for SI.com, Paul Zimmerman wrote of Shipp, “‘Mistakes are killing us’ was his standard litany. We'd be coming off the buffet line and I'd trip and spill a plate of spaghetti all over myself and I'd hear Kenny murmuring under his breath, ‘Mistakes are killing us.’”
Shipp’s advice for the future recipients of his financial generosity is equally down-to-earth.
“You got to get on the books and work hard toward getting good grades,” Shipp says. “A lot of them don’t do that, and they’re hurting themselves. You’ve to put that time toward studying.”
Shipp also worked with lawmakers to lobby for passage of the Sports Agent Responsibility and Trust Act, or SPARTA. This measure, which became federal law in 2004, is designed to protect young student-athletes from unfair and deceptive practices by sports agents.
While Shipp’s career has been spent largely in athletics, the scholarship he is endowing is not an athletic one. It is a need-based scholarship for Rutherford County students.
For more information, contact Kippy Todd, Assistant Director for Annual Giving, in the Division of Development and University Relations at 615-898-5756.

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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a color jpeg photo of MTSU Development Office Director Kirk Purdom accepting a check from Coach Ken Shipp, contact Kippy Todd in the Division of Development and University Relations at 615-898-5756.

225 MTSU Journalism Students Gain Hands-on Experience with January MTR Broadcast

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 20, 2007
CONTACT: MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs, 615-898-2919

STUDENTS CREATE, PRODUCE LOCAL CABLE PROGRAM FOR FIRST TIME
MTSU Journalism Students Gain Hands-on Experience with January MTR Broadcast

(MURFREESBORO)—MTSU students enrolled in an entry-level JOUR-2710 class, also known as Media Writing, recently wrote, videotaped and produced the entire January edition of Middle Tennessee Record (MTR), a 30-minute cable-TV program about the people, places and events of this region.
The completion of the January program, which is broadcast throughout the month on local cable channels, including at 5 p.m. daily on Murfreesboro’s cable Channel 9 and at 1:30 p.m. Sundays on News5+ in Nashville, marks the first time that MTR has been an entirely student-created production.
John Lynch, the show’s creator and producer said, “This project was beneficial in a number of ways. First of all, the students brought a fresh perspective to the stories. Second it gave them a chance to get involved in a hands-on project in which they had to meet several critical deadlines, and it was inspiring for us to work closely with students and see our video production process through fresh eyes. This really was a student-centered project.”
The 18 students who created the broadcast were enrolled in a fall 2007 course taught by Lisa L. Rollins, adjunct professor in the School of Journalism and director of special media projects for the Office of News and Public Affairs at MTSU. Rollins divided the class into six broadcast teams of three students, and each team created its own segment for the January program.
“Although I’ve taught this course and covered writing for broadcast as part of the curriculum since 1997, until now we’ve never had the opportunity to give the students such a hands-on, tangible experience in regard to this form of media writing,” Rollins said. “It was a wonderful opportunity that we were provided with, and a tremendous amount of extra effort on everyone’s part, but the final result is well worth the investment. The students will always have access to a program they created and brought to life, not just notes about how broadcast writing is done.”
Regarding her JOUR 2710 experience, Hendersonville sophomore Shyanne Coe said, “It has been a wonderful experience and the most in-depth survey course I’ve have had. I have written a broadcast segment, a press release and (had a story published) in a local paper. Where else can you get that kind of experience in a survey class?”
The January program, which will begin airing Jan. 1 through Jan. 31, will feature the following student-created segments:
• MTSU students Coe, South Carolina freshman Jade Brinkman and Jackson, Tenn., sophomore B.J. Blackwell will provide a behind-the-scenes look at the MTSU Dairy, an award-winning agriscience/agribusiness program that does it all, “from the grass to the glass.”
• Students Lakiesha Seay of Lascassas, Michael McGee of Nashville and Krisy Parker of Lexington, Tenn., will explore MTSU’s brand-new songwriting degree that’s now offered by the university’s Department of Recording Industry.
• Chattanooga native Richard D. Long, Bridgett Buckles of Memphis and Michael Guggisberg of Lexington, Tenn., will investigate the on- and off-campus job/career outlook for today’s college students.
• Dyersburg sophomore Chris Carter, Antioch sophomore Mary Kamel and Jackson, Tenn., sophomore Jeselyn Jackson will visit with Dr. Janet Belsky, psychology professor and author, to help learn more about what actually goes into creating a college textbook versus the prices that sometimes distract all.
• James Branson of Oak Ridge, Tenn., Tanner Phillips of Knoxville and Molly Tate of Readyville, Tenn., will introduce viewers to SimMan, one of the smartest dummies around, who’s helping some of MTSU’s nursing students become better prepared for their future patients.
• Nashville’s Mason Pointer, Alyce Jones of Memphis and Atlanta, Ga., native Kalie Mosher will focus on the voting habits of college students, reasons for low voter turnout and ways for students to become more politically informed.
"Because the January edition of Middle Tennessee Record marks the first time that the program has been created by students, its broadcast is an event that's exciting for both me as a journalism educator and as a member of the NPA staff,” Rollins said. “I hope the students walk away with new confidence and new skills, and I am so appreciative of John Lynch and NPA for allowing my students to do this.”
MTR is an award-winning cable program produced by Lynch, director of marketing technologies, for MTSU’s NPA office. Each edition of the program runs throughout the month on various days and times in 12 midstate areas.
To learn more about MTR’s various broadcast dates, times and outlets, or to view the program online, please access www.mtsunews.com and click on the “Middle Tennessee Record TV Program” link on the right side of the page.
For more information about the MTR, please contact Lynch at jlynch@mtsu.edu or by calling 615-898-2919.


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***ATTENTION, MEDIA—To secure jpegs for editorial use of the JOUR 2710 students working on this broadcast, or to request interviews with the students about the project, please e-mail your request to Lisa L. Rollins at lrollins@mtsu.edu or call 615-494-8857.

224 MTSU WILL BE CLOSED DEC. 24-30 FOR HOLIDAY

Release date: Dec. 19, 2007


News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919



MTSU WILL BE CLOSED DEC. 24-30 FOR HOLIDAY


(MURFREESBORO) — MTSU will be closed from Monday, Dec. 24 until 8 a.m. Dec. 31 for the holiday break, university officials announced. All offices will be closed Dec. 24-30. MTSU offices will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 31.
MTSU undergraduate, graduate and transfer students are in the midst of a one-month winter break between semesters. Spring semester classes will begin on Monday, Jan. 14, 2008.
Keathley University Center, which will be closed Dec. 22-30, will be open from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. Dec. 31. It will be closed Jan. 1, but will reopen at 7 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 2. KUC will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Jan. 2-4, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Jan. 5-6, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Jan. 7-12 and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 13.
The James Union Building will be closed Dec. 22 through Jan. 1, reopening at 7 a.m. Jan. 2.
The James E. Walker Library will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 21, closed Dec. 22-30, open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Dec. 31 and closed Jan. 1. It will reopen at 8 a.m. Jan. 2.
No food service will be available from Dec. 22 through Dec. 30, and also Jan. 1. On Dec. 31, Quiznos will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., serving soup, salad, and
sandwiches. All other venues will be closed. Quiznos also will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Jan. 2-10. All other venues will be closed.
For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.

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Media note: For emergencies, media should contact the MTSU Police (Office of Public Safety) by calling 615-898-2424. If necessary, MTSU Police can relay messages to MTSU News and Public Affairs personnel.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

222 STATEWIDE GIRLS RAISED IN TENNESSEE SCIENCE COLLABORATIVE PROJECT MEETING SET JAN. 10 AT MTSU

mtsunews.com


Release date: Dec. 19, 2007


News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
GRITS contact: Karen Claud, 615-504-8587 or e-mail grits@mtsu.edu


STATEWIDE GIRLS RAISED IN TENNESSEE SCIENCE
COLLABORATIVE PROJECT MEETING SET JAN. 10 AT MTSU


(MURFREESBORO) — A statewide effort to bring together programs, resources and organizations in order to build a stronger community to support the success of girls and women in science, technology, engineering and math soon will hold and informational meeting at MTSU.
The GRITS Collaborative Project informational meeting will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. CST Thursday, Jan. 10, 2008, in Room 108 of the Cason-Kennedy Nursing Building. GRITS stands for Girls Raised in Tennessee Science.
“We are targeting participants that are involved with programs that support or could support girls in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math),” said Karen Claud, GRITS assistant director.
An invitation is being extended to anyone interested in attending the meeting.
Claud said the GRITS Collaborative Project is part of the National Girls Collaborative Project, which brings together organizations that are committed to informing and motivating girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math.
“The goal of the project is to encourage organizations from K-12 education, higher education, government, professional organizations, business and community-based organizations to collaborate with other girl-serving organizations to increase their capacity for continuation and broader impact,” Claud said.
GRITS, the founding program, was established through a National Science Foundation research on gender in science and engineering dissemination grant, she said.
“The GRITS Collaborative Project wants Tennessee to be the premier state in the nation for women with STEM degrees and careers,” Claud said. “We hope it will become the norm and tradition for girls and women in the South, and especially Tennessee, to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics education and careers.”
The project will serve Tennessee’s 95 counties, she added.
Those planning to attend should R.S.V.P. by calling Claud at 615-504-8587 or e-mail grits@mtsu.edu by 4:30 p.m. CST Thursday, Jan. 3. For more information about GRITS, visit mtsu.edu/~grits.
For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.

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220 MTSU’S THOMAS ACCEPTS WESTERN ILLINOIS PROVOST, ACADEMIC VICE PRESIDENT POSITION

mtsunews.com


Release date: Dec. 18, 2007


News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler or Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919



MTSU’S THOMAS ACCEPTS WESTERN ILLINOIS
PROVOST, ACADEMIC VICE PRESIDENT POSITION


(MURFREESBORO) — Dr. Jack Thomas, senior vice provost for academic affairs and professor of English at MTSU, will be leaving the university Dec. 31 after being named provost and academic vice president at Western Illinois University in Macomb, MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee announced recently.
Thomas, who came to MTSU in 2004, will assume his new duties Jan. 1, 2008, officials at Western Illinois said. WIU has an enrollment of about 13,000 students.
“I have had a great experience here at MTSU as senior vice provost for academic affairs,” Thomas said. “I am thankful for the opportunities President McPhee and Provost (Kaylene) Gebert have given me at MTSU.
“I have wonderful colleagues, great friends – I extended myself throughout the university and community that includes my church, First Baptist on East Castle Street. However, this is a great opportunity for me at Western Illinois – an opportunity that the Lord has opened for me.”
McPhee and Gebert shared remarks at a Dec. 13 reception honoring Thomas.
“Dr. Thomas has been a highly competent, loyal member of MTSU’s
leadership team,” McPhee said. “We have no doubt that he will bring the same energy and dedication that he has brought to MTSU to his new position at Western Illinois University. We know that he will be very successful in his new post and wish him the very best.”
“These four years have gone fast, but … much has been accomplished,” Gebert said, adding that the accomplishments include a new Academic Master Plan, new programs and the implementation of new promotion and tenure policies.
“Jack has lent strength to our diversity activities including a new institutional diversity office and an exceptional group of Geier dissertation scholars and visiting professors,” Gebert said. “He has handled student and faculty issues with grace, diplomacy and, at times, a firm hand. We have built a strong team concept of management with academic affairs and have had fun at the same time.”
Western Illinois President Al Goldfarb announced Thomas’ hiring earlier this month.
“Dr. Thomas’ outstanding experiences in the areas of academic enrichment programs, diversity, student affairs, internationalization and distance learning as well as his understanding of and enthusiasm for Western’s strategic plan, mission and core values made him the top choice in a field of exceptional candidates,” Goldfarb said.
Thomas was elevated to senior vice provost at MTSU in July 2006 after being vice provost for academic affairs for two years. He also served as interim dean of the College of Continuing Education and Distance Learning.
Before arriving at MTSU, Thomas served at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne, Md., from 1990 to 2004, in a number of capacities, including interim president (2001-02), executive vice president (2001), professor of English throughout his tenure and even was assistant coach for the Hawks’ track and field team for eight seasons.
Thomas earned his doctorate in English literature and criticism from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1990, his master’s in English education from Virginia State University in 1984 and his bachelor’s in English from Alabama A&M in 1983.
Thomas’ honors and distinctions include Kellogg-NAFEO MIS Leadership Fellow from 2003-04 in the Office of the President at Alabama State University; American Council on Education Fellow in the spring of 1999 while serving in the Office of the President at Maryland Eastern Shore; and American Council on Education Fellow in the fall of 1998 while serving in the Office of the President at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
Thomas said he and his family – wife Linda and sons Patrick, 16, and Darius, 12, – would move to Macomb by the end of December.
Linda Thomas has been an Oakland High School guidance counselor who will be employed at Western Illinois as a counselor and adviser, her husband said. Thomas said their sons are track standouts at Oakland High School and Central Middle School, respectively, and will be transferring to schools in Macomb.
Jack Thomas has served as associate minister of First Baptist Church on East Castle Street since October 2006.
For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.

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Media notes: A .jpg photo of Dr. Jack Thomas is attached.
To interview Thomas, call 615-347-7069 (cell phone).

219 MTSU ANNOUNCES DEAN’s LIST FOR FALL 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 17, 2007
CONTACT: News and Public Affairs, 615-898-2919


MTSU ANNOUNCES DEAN’s LIST FOR FALL 2007
County-by-County Listing of Current Dean’s List Students Available Online

(MURFREESBORO)—Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) will release the names and hometowns of those students who appear on the Dean’s List for the fall 2007 semester on Friday, Dec. 21.
To qualify for this distinction, a student must maintain a current semester grade-point average of 3.5 or above and earn at least 12 semester hours.

 HOW TO OBTAIN YOUR COUNTY’S STUDENT LIST: To obtain a list for editorial use of those students from your county who are on the current Dean’s List, please access this information on the News and Public Affairs (NPA) Web site at www.mtsunews.com and click on the “MTSU Dean’s List” link on the upper, left-hand side of the page.
Next, click on the “Fall” link, which will include an alphabetical, county-by-county listing of those MTSU students who are on the 2007 fall semester Dean’s List. ***Please note that this page also contains directions on how to download and save your county’s list for editorial use in your publication.


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ATTENTION, MEDIA: If you encounter any problems downloading and saving your county’s dean’s list, please contact the Office of News and Public Affairs at MTSU at 615-898-2919 for assistance.

218 LISTENING FOR SUCCESS: SPEECH-HEARING-LANGUAGE CLINIC TURNS 38

LISTENING FOR SUCCESS: SPEECH-HEARING-LANGUAGE CLINIC TURNS 38
Unique MTSU Facility Serves Community Needs While Training Undergrads

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 14, 2007
EDITORIAL CONTACTS: Elizabeth Smith, 615-898-2662 (elsmith@mtsu.edu),
Dr. Rebecca Fischer, 615-898-2641 (rfischer@mtsu.edu)

(MURFREESBORO)—Shelves crammed full of toys line the walls of a hallway behind one of the therapy rooms in the Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic at Middle Tennessee State University.
Another room holds a bookshelf full of children’s books; yet another a small blackboard and a tiny table with little chairs. Closets and offices scattered along the second floor of the campus’s Boutwell Dramatic Arts Building hold more supplies and learning tools that will be used in therapy sessions with clients.
“We use every inch of space we have!” said Clinic Coordinator Elizabeth Smith.
The 22 clients attending the clinic, mostly children, use these facilities during their therapy sessions with the 24 student clinicians who currently are participating in the clinic’s practicum program.
In all, there are eight therapy rooms in the clinic, all of them equipped to allow parents and supervisors to observe.
“Guidelines set by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association state that our students’ therapy sessions with the clients must be observed by a supervisor at least 25 percent of the time,” Smith said. “Students also must have passed a prerequisite methods course and be at least a junior to participate in the program.”
The Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic has been serving clients and allowing student clinicians to gain valuable experience through its clinical practicum program for 38 years, but many at the university are not even aware of its existence.
The clinic allows students majoring in communication disorders, a pre-professional program for speech-language pathology and audiology, to receive hands-on experience with clients.
“We are the only school in the state of Tennessee that has an undergraduate clinical program,” Smith said. “We are preparing our majors for graduate school, and clinical experience makes them very competitive at the graduate level.”
For the last several years, at least 70 percent of MTSU’s communications disorders majors have been accepted into graduate school, said Dr. Kay Garrard, a professor in the discipline. In 2006, 100 percent were accepted.
“Our reputation is very strong in the community,” Garrard said.
The clinical practicum is a three-hour class; each week, students spend one hour in clinic class, one hour with supervisors and two hours working with clients.
Clients can be referred to the clinic from a variety of sources, including parents, physicians, school personnel, and self-referrals, said Smith.
“The number of clients we can serve depends on the number of students enrolled in the clinical practicum,” Smith said. “Right now, the waiting list for clients is about two years,” added Carolyne Shaw, an executive aide who has been with the Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic for 29 years.
In addition to their work on campus, the clinical instructors provide speech-language-hearing screenings in the community as a public service, including hearing screenings for children in first through fourth grades in the Cannon County school system.
The communication disorders major, originally called the speech and hearing major, originated in 1966 as part of the Department of Speech and Theatre and had its first graduates in 1971.
The Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic, located in BDA Room 232, is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, call 615-898-2661 or visit the communications disorders Web site at www.mtsu.edu/~comm_dis.


For MTSU news and information, visit www.mtsunews.com.

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ATTENTION, MEDIA: This release was written by Bonnie Bailey, a junior majoring in journalism at MTSU. We encourage your use of her byline if you use the release in its entirety.

For color JPEGs of students and story principals working in the clinic, please contact Gina E. Fann in the Office of News and Public Affairs via e-mail at gfann@mtsu.edu or by calling 615-898-5385.

Thanks!

216 MTSU COMMENCEMENT AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET

Dec. 13, 2007

CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919


MTSU COMMENCEMENT AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET


MURFREESBORO—The MTSU Fall 2007 commencement ceremonies (Saturday, Dec. 15, 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. in Murphy Center) will be available via Web cast for those people unable to attend in person and have access to the Internet. The following steps will provide the Web cast link:

1. Go to the university home page: www.mtsu.edu
2. Scroll down and click on “Fall 2007 Graduation Information.”
3. Click on “Graduation Streaming Video” and follow instructions.

You will need Windows Media Player or read the directions provided to access the Web cast. Please note that on the day of commencement, the link will not be active until approximately 15 minutes prior to the start of each commencement ceremony.

For more news and information, visit www.mtsunews.com.

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215 SHIELD LAWS ‘CRUCIAL’ TO FREE, EFFECTIVE PRESS, SAYS PROFESSOR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 12, 2007
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, 615-898-2919 or lrollins@mtsu.edu

SHIELD LAWS ‘CRUCIAL’ TO FREE, EFFECTIVE PRESS, SAYS PROFESSOR

(MURFREESBORO, Tenn.)—Members of the House of Representatives recently passed legislation giving reporters the right to protect confidential sources in most federal cases,
and in doing so, said the right is crucial to a free and effective press.
Regarding the legislation, known as the Free Flow of Information Act of 2007, which was co-authored by U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) and U.S. Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), “The (proposed) law is not absolute, however, and reporters could still be compelled to disclose information on sources if that information is needed to prevent acts of terrorism or harm to the national security,” says Dr. Larry Burris, a First Amendment scholar and journalism professor at Middle Tennessee State University.
Although many may be more familiar with so-called “whistle-blower” statutes, which are laws that protect workers when they report incidents of wrongdoing such as fraud, waste and abuse by company officials, “shield laws” are the media world’s closest equivalent for protection to help guard against retaliation.
“Shield laws,” Burriss explains, “generally protect a reporter from having to disclose the identity of a confidential source. Most states have shield laws, usually with the proviso that the reporter must reveal his or her source if there is imminent danger to human life.”
In 1972, the Supreme Court ruled that journalist-source relationships were not protected under the Constitution, and currently, reporters have no privileges to refuse to appear and testify in federal legal proceedings. The situation is different in state courts, Burriss notes, with 33 states, including Tennessee, having media-shield statutes and 16 other states having judicial precedents protecting reporters.
“The impetus for the recent shield-law legislation was more than 40 cases in the past three years, where reporters have been asked to identify sources or testify in federal criminal and civil cases,” Burriss says. “The most famous case involved former New York Times reporter Judith Miller, who was jailed for 85 days in 2005 for refusing to identify which Bush administration officials had talked with her about CIA agent Valerie Plame.”
Although the recent 398-21 decision by the House in favor of the shield legislation represents a significant and crucial victory for a free and effective press, the Free Flow of Information Act of 2007’s future as it heads to the Senate remains uncertain.
“As you might expect, the White House has said President Bush will veto the bill if it reaches his desk,” says Burriss, who also holds a J.D. from Concord Law School. “In addition, the Justice Department and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence opposed the legislation, saying it would make it nearly impossible to enforce federal laws pertaining to the unauthorized release of classified information.”
Burris says it’s important to understand that the act does not protect a reporter so much as it protects the public's right to know what the government is doing.
“Maybe some people are willing to just let the government do what it wants, using the theory that the government knows best. And that may certainly be true. Maybe the government does know best. But how will we really know,” he asks, “unless we can be sure government officials are accountable to the people who elected them and whose interests they are supposed to be serving?”
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• ATTENTION, MEDIA—Dr. Larry Burriss, First Amendment scholar and journalism professor at MTSU, is available for print and broadcast interviews upon request. To request an interview or jpeg of Burriss for editorial use, please contact Lisa L. Rollins in the Office of News and Public Affairs at MTSU via e-mail at lrollins@mtsu.edu or by calling 615-494-8857.

214 IMMIGRATION LAWS NEED REFORM FOR SAKE OF U.S. ECONOMY, FORD SAYS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 12, 2007
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, 615-898-2919 or lrollins@mtsu.edu

IMMIGRATION LAWS NEED REFORM FOR SAKE OF U.S. ECONOMY, FORD SAYS
12 Million-Plus Undocumented Workforce Vital to U.S. Economy as Baby Boomers Retire; Low U.S. Birth Rate and Educational Output Make Immigration Reform Necessary, Expert Reports

(MURFREESBORO, Tenn.)–When it comes to illegal versus legal immigration in the United States, it’s crucial to consider the positive influence and impact that the nation’s 12 million-plus undocumented workers have on the U.S., says Dr. William F. Ford, holder of the Weatherford Chair of Finance at Middle Tennessee State University.
“Based on the pure economics of this situation, it would be much better if we had an unheated discussion of what these people (illegal immigrants) contribute (to the U.S. economy) and why they’re here, rather than just appealing to people’s gut instinct to say it’s illegal (for them to be here), let’s round’ em up and throw them out,” adds Ford, former CEO for the Federal Reserve Bank in Atlanta.
Ford, who authored “Immigrationomics: A Discussion of Some Key Issues,” an article in the October 2007 issue of the Economic Education Bulletin, says that when it comes to the debate surrounding immigration in the U.S., and especially illegal immigration, the economic aspects of the issue are often ignored in favor of focusing on the legal, political, social and cultural aspects of the issue. However, he asserts, it’s vital that economic considerations related to immigration—including the major roles that both legal and illegal immigrants contribute to the labor force and production and spending—be factored into the discourse
According to Ford’s research, an estimated 37 million immigrants, which is one-eighth of the national’s total population of 300 million, resided in the U.S. at the close of 2006. Of that number, he estimates, about 12 million of those immigrants—or 4 percent of the nation’s current population—are in the country illegally, per the United States’ current laws.
“Therefore,” Ford says, “we need to reconsider what we need to do about immigration reform and there are thoughtful people on both sides of the political aisle who know this who are trying to get it done.” By the same token, there also are “people like (political pundit) Lou Dobbs who are sort of waving the red flag, saying that (immigration reform) is totally wrong and let’s just throw them out and then worry about it later.”
Such a viewpoint, he continues, is a “shortsighted, unproductive approach that will not work economically,” he warns. And in the big picture, the immigrant workforce in the U.S. is here because there is a demand and need for them, he notes.
“I think it’s a very unfortunate thing that (some politicians and political commentators) play on the instincts of some people to say (that having undocumented workers in the U.S.) … is illegal, it’s immoral, it’s terrible. … The problem with that is it doesn’t take account of the economic realities,” Ford says. “We need these people, they’re here, (and) … 7 million illegals are working here because American employers need them.”
Furthermore, Ford observes, as the U.S. population ages, it’s likely the need for this workforce will do nothing but increase, especially as the first wave of baby boomers reach retirement age.
“The first baby boomers, including (former) President Clinton and President Bush, they reach 62 next year. They can then take early retirement in 2012 and 2013, just four, five years from now,” says Ford, who adds that as the U.S. begins getting a large influx of people in their 60s retiring, the number of people available to replace them in the American economy “is totally inadequate to keep the labor force up, to keep growth of the labor force.”
Moreover, Ford reports, “The technical estimates made by Federal Reserve say the effect of that, absent more immigration, would be to reduce our growth of the (gross domestic product) from 3 percent to 2-and-a-quarter percent within the next 20 years. That’s a deadly, dangerous thing for us to do when China and India are both growing (economically) by 9 or 10 percent (each year). Do we want our economy’s growth slowed down because we don’t have enough workers?”
The logical answer, Ford says, is no. Plus, he adds, “We know a lot of baby boomers aren’t really ready to retire financially, but even the ones that are ready, when a big chunk of the labor force retires, just because they have the money to buy things doesn’t mean that somebody (doesn’t have) to produce the fruits and vegetables and beef steaks or tacos or whatever that they want.
“We need to have the labor force able to meet the needs of the aged who are no longer working,” he reasons. “And that, too, in my judgment requires a careful consideration of whether or not we shouldn’t again reform our immigration laws to make it possible to bring more people in, to keep our productivity up, to keep our economy growing, and to take care of our elderly citizens.”
In short, when it comes to the debate regarding immigration in the U.S., Ford says the economy is, and should be, a crucial consideration within the hot-topic discussion.
“The problem is with the law, and the law itself needs to be changed to allow more legal immigration so we don’t have so much illegal immigration,” Ford suggests. “We need to meet the needs of our economy, and we can’t do it with the low birth rates that we have in America and the low educational output that we have, so we need these (immigrants) and we need to reform the laws rather than trying to round up 7 million people, most of whom—not all of whom—are hard-working, decent people.”


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• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request interviews with Ford or request a jpeg for editorial use, please contact Gina Logue in the Office of News and Public Affairs at MTSU by calling 615-898-5081 or via e-mail at gklogue@mtsu.edu.
Audio excerpts by Ford on this topic are available for download online at www.mtsunews.com, then click on the “MTSU Audio Clips” link on the right side of the Web page.

213 OPEN GOVERNMENT REQUIRES PARTICIPATION, SAYS FIRST AMENDMENT SCHOLAR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 12, 2007
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, 615-898-2919 or lrollins@mtsu.edu

OPEN GOVERNMENT REQUIRES PARTICIPATION, SAYS FIRST AMENDMENT SCHOLAR
‘Throw Them Out’ Simple Solution to Reps Who Seek to Limit Public’s Info, Prof Says

(MURFREESBORO, Tenn.)—In spite of the fact U.S. citizens can’t vote on each individual issue or dilemma facing our nation, that’s no excuse for Americans to refrain from participating in their own governance, declares Dr. Larry Burris, a First Amendment scholar and journalism professor at Middle Tennessee State University.
“We have a republican form of government, which means we elect people to represent us,” Burriss says, “(but) that does not means we abdicate all responsibility and sit back and let ‘them’ do whatever they want, to ‘us.’
“Just because we can't vote on every issue and problem that faces our
neighborhood, county, state or nation doesn't mean we can't participate in
our own governance. But the only way we can participate is if we know what
is going on with our elected representatives. And that seems to be something ‘they’ are mightily opposed to.”
In spite of the fact the U.S. endorses an open government, “For some reason, many of our elected leaders think that once they get into office they should be above the law,” observes Burriss, who also holds a J.D. from Concord Law School. “They think we should just leave them alone to do what they want, which usually means lining their own pockets at our expense. But of course, we have no way of knowing that because we don't have access to many of the records that would point out such activities.”
For Burriss, however, the solution to local, county, state and federal officials who think it’s OK, even necessary, to limit how much information the public is entitled to knowing, is quite simple.
Says Burriss: “Pass a law that says no secret meetings, no secret discussions, no secret decisions. Period. We get to know how much money each representative receives from which lobbyist. We get to know each and every time a city council member, county commissioner or state representative or senator meets with any group, lobbyist or concerned citizen—and that also goes for agency and department heads. Period.”
Further, he adds, “The same rules apply to public records: we get to see every contract, budget and police report. For agency heads and representatives, we get a copy of their tax returns, their business tax returns and their medical records.”
As for those elected representatives who don’t care to comply, the solution, Burriss says, again is quite elementary in nature.
“Throw them out. Any council member, commissioner or representative who makes any kind of noise about limiting public access to the decision-making process should be voted out of office,” Burriss suggests. “(And) maybe if a few of them lost their jobs, the rest would get the idea that the public's business should be conducted in public; not in smoke-filled rooms, restaurants or sports facilities.”

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• ATTENTION, MEDIA—Dr. Larry Burriss, First Amendment scholar and journalism professor at MTSU, is available for print and broadcast interviews upon request. To request an interview or jpeg of Burriss for editorial use, please contact Lisa L. Rollins in the Office of News and Public Affairs at MTSU via e-mail at lrollins@mtsu.edu or by calling 615-898-2919.

212 MTSU ANNOUNCES GRADUATES FOR FALL 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 11, 2007
CONTACT: News and Public Affairs, 615-898-2493

MTSU ANNOUNCES GRADUATES FOR FALL 2007
County-by-County Listing of Fall 2007 Graduates Available Online Dec. 17

(MURFREESBORO)—Beginning Monday, Dec. 17, Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) will release the names and hometowns of those students who will graduate during the fall 2007 commencement ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 15, in Murphy Center on the MTSU campus.
Of the 1,489 set to graduate during the 96th fall commencement, 1,289 are undergraduates and 200 are graduate students, including 187 master’s candidates, 10 education specialist (Ed.S.) degree candidates and three Ph.D. candidates.
The dual-commencement event will feature Gregg F. Morton, who serves as president of AT&T Tennessee, one of the world’s largest telecommunications holding companies and the largest in the United States, as the guest speaker for the 9 a.m. ceremony.
Dr. Viola Miller, who was appointed commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services in December 2003, will be the featured speaker for the 1 p.m. commencement ceremony. A veteran child-welfare administrator, Miller is the former secretary of families and children for the Commonwealth of Kentucky and past dean of Murray State University’s Center for Continuing Education and Academic Outreach. She has an academic background in special education and speech therapy.
Following the ceremonies’ respective guest speakers, degree candidates from the College of Graduate Studies, Jennings A. Jones College of Business, and College of Education and Behavioral Science will be conferred with their degrees in the morning ceremony, while degree candidates in the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, College of Liberal Arts, College of Mass Communication, and the College of Continuing Education and Distance Learning, will be conferred during the afternoon event.

 HOW TO OBTAIN YOUR COUNTY’S STUDENT LIST: To obtain a list for editorial use of those students from your county who graduated during MTSU’s fall 2007 commencement, please access this information on the News and Public Affairs (NPA) Web site at www.mtsunews.com and click on the “MTSU Graduation Lists” link on the upper, left-hand side of the page.
Next, click on the “Fall 2007” link, which will include an alphabetical, county-by-county listing of those MTSU students who graduate on Dec. 15.
***Please note that this Web page also contains directions on how to download and save your county’s list for editorial use in your publication.

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ATTENTION, MEDIA: If you encounter any problems downloading and saving your county’s dean’s list, please contact the Office of News and Public Affairs at MTSU at 615-898-2919 for assistance.

211 ‘DISTINGUISHED’ FIRST BOARD OF VISITORS FOR UNIVERSITY HONORS COLLEGE WILL PROVIDE LEADERSHIP, DIRECTION

Release date: Dec. 6, 2007


News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
University Honors College contact: Dr. Phil Mathis, 615-898-2152


‘DISTINGUISHED’ FIRST BOARD OF VISITORS FOR UNIVERSITY
HONORS COLLEGE WILL PROVIDE LEADERSHIP, DIRECTION
Inaugural meeting takes place Dec. 7 at MTSU in Martin Honors Building


(MURFREESBORO) — The inaugural meeting of the University Honors College Board of Visitors Friday, Dec. 7, at the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building will bring together a “distinguished” group whose mission “is to provide leadership in promoting sustained program quality and positive change in the University Honors College.”
The first-time Board of Visitors will meet from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Honors College Dean Phil Mathis said in order for the board to achieve its mission, it would:
• Assist the college in realizing and maintaining a distinctive niche within the domain of higher education;
• Provide consultation to the dean concerning the perceived needs of students and society in a changing world;
• Promote public and student awareness of the academic programs of the
University Honors College; and
• Enhance academic quality through assistance in identifying and securing funding sources.
In addition to its mission, the Board of Visitors role is expanded so that the “broad intent is to support the aspirations and mission of the Honors College. In fulfilling its role, the board is expected to facilitate fund raising through personal giving in support of selected programs and projects; to provide advice and planning support to help the Honors College marshal resources through alumni, friends and foundations; and to provide guidance and support that will promote awareness and respect for Honors College programs to the college dean.”
“It’s truly a distinguished board,” said Mathis, who added that the group will include Board Chairman John F. “Jeff” Whorley, retired executive vice president for debt management with the Sallie Mae Corp. (a student loan company); Murfreesboro’s Don R. Ash, circuit court judge for the 16th judicial district in Tennessee; James H. Bailey III, AIA, Johnson & Bailey Architects, PC, in Murfreesboro; Albert Cauz, headmaster at The Webb School in Bell Buckle; Emily P. Ellis, vice president for STAR Culture with Gaylord Entertainment in Nashville; Mark A. Hall, Turnage Professor of Law at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C.; Emil Hassan, retired senior vice president for Nissan North America in Smyrna; Murfreesboro’s Debra H. Hopkins, Southeast regional director for National Geographic School Publishing and Hampton-Brown;
H. Lee Martin, chairman of Abunga.com LLC in Knoxville; Paul W. Martin Jr., chief managing member of Clarity Resources LLC in Knoxville; Chasity Wilson Nicoll, partner in the law office of Nicoll & Nicoll in Manchester; Utpal P. Patel, physician with the Murfreesboro Medical Clinic and SurgiCenter; Byron Smith, retired chief marketing officer with Asurion Corp. in Nashville; Holly Thompson, morning co-anchor for WSMV-TV in Nashville; Nashville’s James A. Thorpe, vice president and general manager for the Kentucky/Tennessee region for AT&T; Shelbyville’s Jim Tracy, Tennessee state senator from the 16th congressional district; and Nashville’s Vincent Windrow, vice president of Zycron Computers, with offices in Nashville, Memphis, Chattanooga and Dallas.
Eight board members — Ash, Ellis, Hall, Hopkins, Paul W. Martin Jr., Smith, Thompson and Windrow — are MTSU alumni.
Distinguished Members of the board include alumnus James M. Buchanan, Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences, professor emeritus in economics at both George Mason University and Virginia Tech, and June Hall McCash, founding director of the MTSU Honors Program and professor emeritus in foreign languages and literatures at MTSU.
The meeting agenda will include PowerPoint presentations on the history and role of the honors college by Mathis; panel presentations/discussion with students; tours of the Martin Honors Building and Monahan Hall (future home for Honors College students), MTSU’s development and marketing vision shared Joe Bales, vice president for the Office of Development and University Relations and an ex-officio board member along with Mathis; a mid-afternoon business meeting led by Whorley; and the signing of the “Book of Town and Gown.”
For more information, call the Honors College at 615-898-2152.
For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.

210 MTSU’S TOURS OFFICE MOVES TO COPE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING FIRST-FLOOR LOBBY AREA

Release date: Dec. 4, 2007


News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919



MTSU’S TOURS OFFICE MOVES TO COPE
ADMINISTRATION BUILDING FIRST-FLOOR LOBBY AREA


(MURFREESBORO) — Starting Wednesday, Dec. 5, MTSU’s tours’ office will be located in the information desk on the first floor of the Cope Administration Building, Lynn Palmer, director for the Office of Admissions, said this week.
After moving from her second-floor office area, tours’ coordinator Betty Pedigo will be centrally located because campus tours begin in the first-floor lobby area, she said.
Pedigo will continue to take tour reservations, and provide visitors with campus information from the information desk from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
“We provide catalogs, visitor parking passes, maps, self-guided tours and all campus materials,” Pedigo said.
The twice-daily fall tours will end Dec. 5. After the Christmas and New Year’s holidays and winter break between semesters, the student-led tours will resume Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2008.
Except for holidays and spring break (Feb. 29-March 7), daily tours will be held at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. No tours will be given March 21 because of Good Friday. The tours will end Wednesday, April 23. Summer 2008 tours will begin Monday, May 12, Pedigo said.
Tours are offered for prospective and transfer students and their families. MTSU even offers tours for large groups.
For more information, call Pedigo at 615-898-5670.
For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

197 More than 1,400 SET TO PARTICIPATE IN FALL COMMENCEMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 3, 2007
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Office of News and Public Affairs, 615-898-2919

MORE THAN 1,400 GRADUATES SET TO PARTICIPATE IN FALL COMMENCEMENT
AT&T’s Gregg F. Morton & State’s Director of Children’s Services Viola Miller
Will Serve as Featured Speakers for Dual-Ceremony Graduation Event at MTSU

(MURFREESBORO)—More than 1,400 degree candidates are expected to graduate during MTSU’s 96th fall commencement during the university’s upcoming commencement ceremonies, reports Dr. Sherian Huddleston, associate vice provost, Enrollment Services.
On Saturday, Dec. 15, MTSU will again feature dual ceremonies and dual speakers starting at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. in Murphy Center. Of the 1,489 set to graduate, 1,289 are undergraduates and 200 are graduate students, including 187 master’s candidates, 10 education specialist (Ed.S.) degree candidates and three Ph.D. candidates.
Candidates from the College of Graduate Studies, Jennings A. Jones College of Business, and College of Education and Behavioral Science will receive their degrees in the morning ceremony. That afternoon degrees will be conferred on candidates in the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, College of Liberal Arts, College of Mass Communication, and the College of Continuing Education and Distance Learning, said Dr. Jack Thomas, senior vice provost for academic affairs and chairman of the commencement committee.
Gregg F. Morton, who currently serves as president of AT&T Tennessee, will be the guest speaker for the 9 a.m. ceremony. A native of Aiken, S.C., he was appointed to his current post Sept. 4, 2007. However, he previously served as AT&T's vice president of legislation and chief of staff for government relations, based in Washington, D.C.
One of the world's largest telecommunications holding companies and the largest in the United States, AT&T Inc. operates globally under the AT&T brand and holds a 60 percent ownership interest in Cingular Wireless, which is the No. 1 U.S. wireless services provider, with 58.7 million wireless customers.
An administrative-management graduate of Clemson University and former chairman of the school's board of visitors, Morton began his telecommunications career nearly three decades ago with BellSouth in South Carolina as a manager in Charleston before going to Washington, D.C., as that company's director of legislative affairs in the 1980s. He returned to Columbia, S.C., in the 1990s, where he was promoted to BellSouth liaison to the U.S. Telecom Association.
In addition to his most recent accomplishments, Morton also is a former chairman of the Board of Regents for Leadership South Carolina and past president of AT&T South Carolina.
Dr. Viola Miller, who was appointed commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services on Dec. 23, 2003, will be the featured speaker for the 1 p.m. ceremony. A veteran child-welfare administrator, Miller is the former secretary of families and children for the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Having dedicated much of her professional career to serving children and youth in various capacities, Miller—prior to her tenure as Kentucky’s secretary for families and
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children—served as dean of Murray State University's Center for Continuing Education and Academic Outreach. She also has an academic background in special education and speech therapy.
Miller received a Bachelor of Arts in speech and hearing therapy from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, La., in 1964 and a Master of Science in speech-pathology and audiology from Tulane University in 1966. She later completed a residency at Duke University Medical Center in medical speech pathology. In 1978, she earned an Ed.D. in special education from the University of Alabama.
Regarding the upcoming commencement event, Thomas said he wanted to remind all degree candidates of the importance of appropriate dress, decorum and respect for the commencement ceremony.
“We believe this is a very important day in the lives of many people,” Thomas said. “Commencement is a day that families always remember as special. It is difficult to give the ceremony the dignified atmosphere it deserves if people are using air horns or leaving before the completion of the ceremony.”
Additionally, per Thomas, the graduation committee also emphasized that students who participate in commencement will be required to stay for the entire ceremony. The ceremony should last about two hours. If candidates are planning celebration activities, please be aware of this commitment, he said.
“To make this a special day, it requires cooperation from everyone in attendance,” Thomas said. “We believe it should be a dignified ceremony, which adds to its enjoyment of all in attendance.”
On Dec. 15, the doors to Murphy Center will open at 8 a.m. for the morning ceremony and candidates are expected to be in their assigned areas, dressed in their caps and gowns, no later than 8:30 a.m. For the afternoon ceremony, the doors will open at noon, and candidates are expected to be in their assigned areas and ready at 12:30 p.m.
Officials report that students who are not in their assigned gyms at the proper times will not be allowed to participate in the ceremony. Because commencement rehearsals are no longer conducted, timely attendance is mandatory for students to receive important instructions.
• For more information about commencement or receiving a degree in absentia, please visit the Records Office Web site at www.mtsu.edu/~records/grad.htm. Questions about graduation may be directed to the Records Office at 615-898-2600.


MTSU FALL 2007 COMMENCEMENT AT A GLANCE

Who: Approximately 1,489 graduates* (1,289 undergraduates, 200 graduate students)
What: 2007 MTSU fall commencement
When: 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Dec. 15
Where: Murphy Center on the MTSU campus.
Commencement speakers:
• Gregg F. Morton, president of AT&T Tennessee, at 9 a.m. ceremony.
• Dr. Viola Miller, commissioner of Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, at 1 p.m. ceremony.

*— Approximate number as of Nov. 26, 2007.

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

209 MTSU STUDENT REPORTS POSSIBLE SEXUAL ASSAULT

MTSU STUDENT REPORTS POSSIBLE SEXUAL ASSAULT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 4, 2007
CONTACT: Gina E. Fann, 615-898-5385

(MURFREESBORO)—A female MTSU student reported that she was possibly sexually assaulted by someone she knew at the MTSU Kappa Alpha fraternity house in the early-morning hours of Saturday, Dec. 1. The female student reported that the alleged assault took place following a party at the house and that she was incapacitated at the time of the incident.

This case is under investigation by the MTSU Police Department. Anyone with any information regarding this case is asked to call MTSU Police at 615-898-2424.

Faculty, staff, students and visitors to the university are reminded that it is statistically more likely for individuals to be assaulted on campus by someone they know. Additionally, the abuse of alcohol and drugs plays a major factor in increasing one’s chances of being victimized. MTSU Police also operate a walking escort service 24 hours a day for anyone needing a walking escort across campus. To request an escort on campus, please call 615-898-2424.


For MTSU news and information, visit www.mtsunews.com.


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208 ONE STUDENT’S TRASH IS ANOTHER STUDENT’S TRANSFORMATION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 4, 2007
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Kristen Keene, Walker Library, 615-898-5376

ONE STUDENT’S TRASH IS ANOTHER STUDENT’S TRANSFORMATION MTSU Students Send a Message about Paper Waste with Unique Art Project

(MURFREESBORO) – Three MTSU art students have turned waste into wonder with a project that turns a trip to the James E. Walker Library into a consciousness-raising experience.
Hannah Green of Knoxville, Christine Peterson of Lyles and Erin Piper of Murfreesboro, members of the Student Art Alliance, will leave their artwork, titled “Reduce,” in place through the last day of final exams Thursday, Dec. 13. It consists of a pile of bags of paper from copiers and recycle bins and strings of crumpled paper stretched across the library atrium.
Kristen West, assistant professor at the library, says only two weeks’ worth of discarded paper was used, an estimated 3,600 sheets of paper for the nine strings alone.
“We were looking for a visual message about library printing and paper use, and we wanted to get people thinking about what they could do to use our resources wisely,” West says.
Posters made of recycled cardboard and located beside the pile on the main floor in front of the staircase alert library users to the wisdom of printing double-sided and previewing before they print to avoid waste.
Since collection was an integral part of the experience, it is only fitting that Green, Peterson and Piper respond to questions about the project collectively, via e-mail.
“We brainstormed together as early as September,” they write, “determining what would be most effective while honoring safety guidelines and the comfort of library employees and users. We went through many permutations, including various performative and sculptural elements, of this idea before settling on the specific installation you see now.”
The artists strung clumps of paper on nine 60-foot extensions of carbon-infused fishing line, three on each floor, treating the empty space above the patrons’ heads rather like a Christmas tree decorated with strings of popcorn balls.
“Initially, we had to adhere to ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements, and the library requested we not attach anything to the walls,” the trio write. “As we worked, we realized a few ideas would not work due to the heavy traffic in the atrium and factors such as wind, noise and mobility.”

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According to the Walker Library blog, 6,347,650 pages were printed in the library last year. If laid end to end, they would stretch 1100 miles or, if they were stacked, they would be 2,115 feet tall.
The library’s printing costs are covered, in part, by the $100 Technology Access Fee that each student pays each semester. This fiscal year, the library has $73,133.27 to spend on printing. To date, $44,129.50 has been spent.
Although the consciousness-raising about environmental and monetary costs is important, it is not the only benefit. Green, Peterson and Piper assert that they had fun working as a group and solving the issues involved in putting the project together. Furthermore, they express gratitude for the feedback they’ve received.
“Most viewers were encouraging of our work and the message,” they write. “Besides the environmental message, it seemed library users liked having something new and interesting to look at—this is the first time the atrium space has ever been utilized in this capacity since the library’s construction.”

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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For color jpeg photos of the “Reduce” project, contact Kristen Keene at the Walker Library at 615-898-5376.

204 MTSU COMMERICAL MUSIC ENSEMBLE CONCERT SET DEC. 5

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 29, 2007
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493

MTSU COMMERICAL MUSIC ENSEMBLE CONCERT SET DEC. 5
High-Energy Pop Band Will Take on an Array of Musical Classics, Newer Favorites

(MURFREESBORO)—The MTSU Commercial Music Ensemble will perform at 7: 30 p.m. Dec. 5 in the T. Earl Hinton Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
A few of the works to be performed include In The Midnight Hour, Josie, Rock with You and My Cherie Amour, among many others.
The MTSU Commercial Music Ensemble is a high-energy pop band that performs a wide array of music from both yesterday and today.
“The program features five vocalist backed by a rockin' rhythm section of two guitars, keyboards, bass and drums as well as a four-piece horn section,” said Rich Adams, director of the ensemble.
Members of the ensemble are made up of students from both the MTSU music school and the Department of Recording Industry.
“Wednesday's concert will sure to please all with performances of classic hits from Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and Steely Dan, as well as new songs from Martina McBide and Alicia Keys,” Adams said.
This concert is free and open to the public.
For more information on this and other events in the MTSU School of Music please visit www.mtsumusic.edu or call 615-898-2493.



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203 ‘FREED VOICES’ CONCERT FEATURES AFRICAN-AMERICAN GUEST ARTISTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 29, 2007
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, 615-898-2919 or lrollins@mtsu.edu

‘FREED VOICES’ CONCERT FEATURES AFRICAN-AMERICAN GUEST ARTISTS
Jan. 19-20 Event Celebrates & Explores Diversity; Free Lectures, Workshops Set

(MURFREESBORO)—“Freed Voices: A Dance Concert Featuring Choreography and Performance by African-American Guest Artists,” a concert to explore and celebrate diversity in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 19 and at 2 p.m. Jan. 20 in Tucker Theatre on the MTSU campus.
More than 30 members of MTSU Dance Theatre, as well as four internationally and nationally known guest artists, will be featured in the upcoming performance.
The production’s featured guest artists—Zelma Badu-Younge, Erica Wilson-Perkins, Ursula Payne and Travis D. Gatling—were individually commissioned to create works for the student performers, as well as perform solos during the upcoming concert event, said Kim Neal Nofsinger, director of dance at MTSU.
“The dances created encompass a myriad of views and perspectives on the African-American experience,” he explained, “(and) following each concert there will be a feedback session featuring the four choreographers that is moderated by Dr. Maura Keefe, a nationally recognized dance scholar.”
Guest artist Badu-Younge, for example, “created a commissioned work for ‘Freed Voices’ based on the oldest North American slave narrative known,” Nofsinger commented. “It is the story of Marie-Joseph Angélique, commonly known as Angélique, who died June 21, 1734.”
A Portuguese-born black slave in New France, later known as the Province of Quebec in Canada, Angélique was tried and convicted of setting fire to her owner's home, burning much of what is now referred to as old Montreal.
“In creating her solo, Badu-Younge used issues of race and gender as key components to the development of movement material,” Nofsinger explained, “(and her) lecture and master class focuses on her creative process and learning excerpts from the culminating solo.”
Nofsinger said the residency program that brought each of the African-American guest dancer-choreographers to campus to create works for dance students took place between July 2007 and January 2008, with each artist spending a week at MTSU working with student performers.
Additionally, during their respective residencies, each choreographer taught master classes, presented lectures and staged choreography based on their understanding of the black experience in the United States and how it has been shaped by slavery and issues of discrimination, Nofsinger said.
“For the creative process of their choreography, each artist has or will use slave narratives and personal experiences as primary sources,” he noted. “The choreography created by each of these artists will be performed by local professional dancers or by members of MTSU Dance Theatre.”
The MTSU dance director said that in association with the guest artists’ return for the Jan. 19-20 concert, each choreographer will teach additional classes, present
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lectures and workshops and participate in a panel discussions and audience-feedback sessions.
“The focus of these events for the community and university will be on their creative process, research and the resulting work,” Nofsinger said, regarding the dance-related, education events, which are free and open to the public.
•CONCERT TICKETS: Tickets to the Jan. 19-20 performances are $10 per person, with group rates available. MTSU students will be admitted free with a valid university ID.
For more information about the upcoming dance performances or master classes, panel discussions or workshops, please contact Nofsinger via e-mail at nofsinge@mtsu.edu or by calling 615-494-7904.

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SCHEDULE OF DANCE-RELATED EVENTS

Thursday, Jan. 17, 2008
• 4:20-5:45 p.m.—Master Class—Modern dance, featuring Travis Gatling, MTSU’s Fairview Building, Room 140.

• 6-8 p.m.—Workshop No. 1—"Claiming and Denying Identity: The Obligation of Cultural Identity and the Desire for Individuality in the Creative Process of Today's Artist," featuring Erica Wilson-Perkins, MTSU’s Fairview Building, Room 140.
This experiential workshop will explore how today's artist integrates issues of self-identity based on ethnicity/traditions/culture while simultaneously striving to find individuality within one’s work. Participants will use their own movement vocabulary to create works that embody who they are as defined by race, religion, gender or sexuality. Additionally, this experience will investigate through discourse, reflection and the creative process, the participants’ beliefs on the responsibility of the artist to “give back” to society versus freedom to self-express.

Friday, Jan. 18, 2008
• 9:10-10:05 a.m.—Lecture titled “Beyond the Footlights: The Impact of the Female Dance Soloist on Perceptions of Women,” with dance scholar/moderator Maura Keefe, MTSU’s Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building, Room 106.
This lecture traces the history of modern dance from early pioneers such as Ruth St. Denis to contemporary choreographers such as Elizabeth Streb as changing responses to women's place in culture during the 20th century. This lecture and discussion will integrate a series of solos—St. Denis’ “Radha,” Martha Graham’s “Lamentation,” Trisha Brown’s “Accumulation with Talking Plus Watermotor” and Elizabeth Streb’s “Little Ease.” Explored will be how the solo form performed by choreographer gives voice/agency to the female in ways that have had an impact on the way audiences perceive women off of the stage.

• 10:20-11:15—Panel Discussion titled “Issues of Performing Race and Gender,” moderated by Maura Keefe, MTSU’s Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building, Room 106.
The guest artists will present a panel discussion on their perceptions of race and gender and how it influences and defines their work. Key within this will be their links to and knowledge of historically, well-known people in the field of dance and the evolution of dance in the United States during the 20th century as it began to acknowledge and embrace issues of race, gender and sexuality.

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• 1-3 p.m.—Workshop No. 2—“Womanist Theory in Performance,” featuring Ursula Payne, MTSU’s Fairview Building, Room 140.
A creative process that includes inner dialogues about cultural and gender oppression will fuel this workshop. Participants, through guided movement experiences, will explore their own perceptions and responses to components of these issues. This experience will serve as a vehicle to bring greater awareness and understanding of the complex nature embedded within these issues and will serve as a springboard for action and a gateway to alternative strategies for building empowerment from within the individual. Participants will grasp the potential role of the arts in promoting empowerment and healing within the bodies and lives of women of diverse communities.

Saturday, Jan. 19, 2008
• 7:30 p.m.—“Freed Voices: A Concert Featuring Choreography and Performance by African-American Choreographers and Dancers,” with a panel discussion/audience-feedback session moderated by Maura Keefe, MTSU’s Tucker Theatre, Boutwell Dramatic Arts Building.

Sunday, Jan. 20, 2008
• 2 p.m.—“Freed Voices: A Concert Featuring Choreography and Performance by African-American Choreographers and Dancers,” with a panel discussion/audience feedback-session moderated by Maura Keefe, MTSU’s Tucker Theatre, Boutwell Dramatic Arts Building.

Monday, Jan. 21, 2008: Martin Luther King Holiday
• 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m.—Master Classes, MTSU’s Fairview Building, Room 140.
***Participants of all backgrounds and experiences are invited. No dance training is required.

Reminder: All events are free except for the “Freed Voices Concert.” Master classes and workshops have limited capacity; to register for these, please contact Nofsinger at nofsinge@mtsu.edu.

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••• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request review tickets for the upcoming concert, or to request interviews with any of the performers, please contact Lisa L. Rollins in the Office of News and Public Affairs at MTSU at 615-898-2919 or via e-mail at lrollins@mtsu.edu. Please note that artist bios for each of the four featured guest artists are available upon request.