FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 31, 2008
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, (615) 898-2493
JAZZ PIANIST GERI ALLEN MAKES FEB. 26 CONCERT STOP IN MURFREESBORO
Free Performance Features Player at the Forefront of Jazz Creativity, Aliquo Says
(MURFREESBORO)—Award-winning jazz pianist Geri Allen will perform a free and open concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26, in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
"Allen is currently one of the top jazz pianists in the world,” said Don Aliquo, coordinator of jazz studies and professor of saxophone at MTSU. “She has been at the forefront of some of the most creative jazz to be performed in recent years.”
The evening event will feature Allen performing a solo piano concert. She will also be conducting a master class in conjunction with the concert.
A Detroit native and a graduate of that city’s famous Cass Technical High School, Allen graduated from Howard University, where she also served as assistant professor of music. During that period, the university honored her with both Distinguished Alumni and
Distinguished Professor honors.
Allen, who is presently associate professor of jazz and contemporary improvisation at the University of Michigan, holds a Master's Degree in ethnomusicology from the University of Pittsburgh. She is married to trumpeter Wallace Roney, a mother, composer, producer, educator and bandleader.
Additionally, she has been hailed as “a jazz pianist who dares to follow an unmarked road” by the New York Times and was honored for “her extensive music education and a devotion to the swinging roots of jazz” by the Los Angeles Times.
“We are very lucky to have an artist of this caliber on our campus,” said Aliquo.
In addition to the MTSU music school, the Feb. 26 concert will be sponsored by the Black History Month Committee, National Women’s History Month and the June Anderson Women’s Center at MTSU.
For more information on this and other events in the MTSU School of Music, please visit www.mtsumusic.com, www.geriallen.com or call 615-898-2493.
—30—
Thursday, January 31, 2008
257 CHALLENGES, PERILS OF PENDING PARENTHOOD FOCUS OF ‘BABY’
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 30, 2008
CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, 615-898-2919 or lrollins@mtsu.edu
CHALLENGES, PERILS OF PENDING PARENTHOOD FOCUS OF ‘BABY’
MTSU Production Offers Theatergoers ’Smart, Energetic Show,’ Gibson Says
(MURFREESBORO)—MTSU’s Department of Speech and Theatre will tackle the exciting, frightening and utterly transformational role of parenthood when it presents “Baby,” a musical, at 7:30 nightly Feb. 15-16 and 20-23 at in MTSU’s Tucker Theatre.
Set in Chicago, the production focuses on three couples who are embarking on one of life’s most amazing journeys, childbirth. Liz and Danny are university juniors who have just moved in together. Pam and husband Nick, a sports instructor, are having some trouble conceiving. Meanwhile, Arlene, already the mother of three grown daughters, is unsure of what to do and is contemplating abortion, even though her husband, Alan, is thrilled with the thought of a new baby.
Throughout the course of this nine-month period, these lovable and quirky characters experience the emotional stresses and triumphs, and the desperate lows and the comic highs, that accompany the anticipation and arrival of a baby.
Based on the book written by Sybille Pearson, “’Baby’ is a smart, energetic show with a lot of charm,” said Jeff Gibson, director, MTSU Theatre. “Audiences should love this show for its great characters and music. It’s packed with music and laughter, and ‘Baby’ moves beyond mood swings and labor pains to celebrate life—and the challenges of creating it!
Dale E. McGilliard, MTSU professor and the musical’s producer, said “’Baby’ appealed to me as a really exciting look at having a baby. It is a fun show, people trying to get pregnant or being pregnant. ‘Baby’ is greatly nostalgic, cute and heartwarming.
“It’s a perfect show for anyone who’s ever had a baby … or anyone who’s ever been one!” he added.
• TICKET INFO: Tickets for “Baby” may be purchased at the door on the evening of the performance. Ticket prices range from $5 to $10. MTSU students will be admitted free of charge with a valid ID.
For more information, please call (615) 494-8810 or visit the theater program’s Web site at www.mtsu.edu/~theatre.
—30—
ATTENTION, MEDIA—For editorial needs, including interview requests with performers or faculty, photo requests or to obtain review tickets, please contact Lisa L. Rollins in the Office of News and Public Affairs at MTSU at lrollins@mtsu.edu.
CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, 615-898-2919 or lrollins@mtsu.edu
CHALLENGES, PERILS OF PENDING PARENTHOOD FOCUS OF ‘BABY’
MTSU Production Offers Theatergoers ’Smart, Energetic Show,’ Gibson Says
(MURFREESBORO)—MTSU’s Department of Speech and Theatre will tackle the exciting, frightening and utterly transformational role of parenthood when it presents “Baby,” a musical, at 7:30 nightly Feb. 15-16 and 20-23 at in MTSU’s Tucker Theatre.
Set in Chicago, the production focuses on three couples who are embarking on one of life’s most amazing journeys, childbirth. Liz and Danny are university juniors who have just moved in together. Pam and husband Nick, a sports instructor, are having some trouble conceiving. Meanwhile, Arlene, already the mother of three grown daughters, is unsure of what to do and is contemplating abortion, even though her husband, Alan, is thrilled with the thought of a new baby.
Throughout the course of this nine-month period, these lovable and quirky characters experience the emotional stresses and triumphs, and the desperate lows and the comic highs, that accompany the anticipation and arrival of a baby.
Based on the book written by Sybille Pearson, “’Baby’ is a smart, energetic show with a lot of charm,” said Jeff Gibson, director, MTSU Theatre. “Audiences should love this show for its great characters and music. It’s packed with music and laughter, and ‘Baby’ moves beyond mood swings and labor pains to celebrate life—and the challenges of creating it!
Dale E. McGilliard, MTSU professor and the musical’s producer, said “’Baby’ appealed to me as a really exciting look at having a baby. It is a fun show, people trying to get pregnant or being pregnant. ‘Baby’ is greatly nostalgic, cute and heartwarming.
“It’s a perfect show for anyone who’s ever had a baby … or anyone who’s ever been one!” he added.
• TICKET INFO: Tickets for “Baby” may be purchased at the door on the evening of the performance. Ticket prices range from $5 to $10. MTSU students will be admitted free of charge with a valid ID.
For more information, please call (615) 494-8810 or visit the theater program’s Web site at www.mtsu.edu/~theatre.
—30—
ATTENTION, MEDIA—For editorial needs, including interview requests with performers or faculty, photo requests or to obtain review tickets, please contact Lisa L. Rollins in the Office of News and Public Affairs at MTSU at lrollins@mtsu.edu.
256 BROCK MCGUIRE BAND TO BRING IRISH TRADITIONS TO MTSU FEB. 25
BROCK MCGUIRE BAND TO BRING IRISH TRADITIONS TO MTSU FEB. 25
Bandleader Brock Also Slated for Afternoon Lecture
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 30, 2008
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Paul Wells, 615-898-2449
(MURFREESBORO)—The Brock McGuire Band, one of Ireland’s top traditional groups, will perform a free concert on Monday, Feb. 25, at 7:30 p.m. in the State Farm Lecture Hall in the Business and Aerospace Building at MTSU.
The concert is presented by MTSU’s Center for Popular Music, with the sponsorship of the university’s Distinguished Lecture Committee.
Leaders of the band, button accordionist Paul Brock and fiddler Manus McGuire, are two of Ireland’s most celebrated traditional musicians. Their playing has been recognized with numerous awards, and both men have recorded extensively as solo artists and in various groups. They previously played together in the acclaimed group Moving Cloud, a Clare-based band that recorded two albums for Green Linnet Records in the 1990s.
Brock’s 1986 collaboration with fiddler Frankie Gavin, “Tribute to Joe Cooley,” is regarded by critics and fellow musicians as one of the outstanding traditional albums of the modern era. The Chicago-based Irish American News voted him Best Male Musician in 2004, and his recent duo album with fellow band member Enda Scahill, “Humdinger,” was named Irish Music Album of the Year in 2006 by the Irish Times. “Humdinger” has been released in the United States by Nashville-based Compass Records.
McGuire is an Irish fiddler who blends dazzling technique with far-ranging taste. Raised in County Sligo, one of Ireland’s most renowned fiddling regions, he absorbed the local fiddle style made famous by such legendary players as Michael Coleman, James Morrison, and Paddy Killoran. His recent solo CD, “Fiddlewings,” received a Bravo Award from Trad Magazine in France, and he was voted Male Musician of the Year for 2006 by the Irish American News.
Joining Brock and McGuire are tenor banjoist Enda Scahill from Galway and pianist Denis Carey from Tipperary.
Scahill is one of the most critically acclaimed banjoists in Ireland today. The Irish American News said of his playing: “he does things on the banjo that should be impossible.” Carey is a musician/composer/arranger with a diverse musical background that ranges from Irish traditional to classical, jazz and pop. He has performed and recorded with leading international artists. His compositions have been performed by various international groups and orchestras, including Symphony Nova Scotia and the Scottish National Orchestra. Denis runs his own Academy of Music based in Limerick.
Before the concert, Brock will present a lecture from 3 to 4 p.m., “Irish Traditional Music in America—The Golden Era,” in which he will discuss the early history of the recording of Irish American music. Brock will illustrate his lecture with recorded examples and with live performances of his own and by other members of the Brock McGuire Band. The lecture also will be held in the State Farm Lecture Hall. Both lecture and concert are free and open to the public.
For more information, contact the Center for Popular Music at 615-898-2449.
-------
IN BRIEF: The Brock McGuire Band, one of Ireland’s top traditional groups, will perform a free concert on Monday, Feb. 25, at 7:30 p.m. in the State Farm Lecture Hall in the Business and Aerospace Building at MTSU. The concert is presented by MTSU’s Center for Popular Music, with the sponsorship of the university’s Distinguished Lecture Committee. Leaders of the band, button accordionist Paul Brock and fiddler Manus McGuire, are two of Ireland’s most celebrated traditional musicians. Before the concert, Brock will present a lecture from 3 to 4 p.m., “Irish Traditional Music in America—The Golden Era,” in which he will discuss the early history of the recording of Irish American music. Brock will illustrate his lecture with recorded examples and with live performances of his own and by other members of the Brock McGuire Band. The lecture also will be held in the State Farm Lecture Hall. Both lecture and concert are free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Center for Popular Music at 615-898-2449.
For MTSU news and information, visit www.mtsunews.com.
—30—
ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a color JPEG of the Brock McGuire Band or an individual JPEG of Paul Brock, you may visit the press area of www.brockmcguire.com to download photos. You also may 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 to receive the JPEGs.
Thanks!
Bandleader Brock Also Slated for Afternoon Lecture
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 30, 2008
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Paul Wells, 615-898-2449
(MURFREESBORO)—The Brock McGuire Band, one of Ireland’s top traditional groups, will perform a free concert on Monday, Feb. 25, at 7:30 p.m. in the State Farm Lecture Hall in the Business and Aerospace Building at MTSU.
The concert is presented by MTSU’s Center for Popular Music, with the sponsorship of the university’s Distinguished Lecture Committee.
Leaders of the band, button accordionist Paul Brock and fiddler Manus McGuire, are two of Ireland’s most celebrated traditional musicians. Their playing has been recognized with numerous awards, and both men have recorded extensively as solo artists and in various groups. They previously played together in the acclaimed group Moving Cloud, a Clare-based band that recorded two albums for Green Linnet Records in the 1990s.
Brock’s 1986 collaboration with fiddler Frankie Gavin, “Tribute to Joe Cooley,” is regarded by critics and fellow musicians as one of the outstanding traditional albums of the modern era. The Chicago-based Irish American News voted him Best Male Musician in 2004, and his recent duo album with fellow band member Enda Scahill, “Humdinger,” was named Irish Music Album of the Year in 2006 by the Irish Times. “Humdinger” has been released in the United States by Nashville-based Compass Records.
McGuire is an Irish fiddler who blends dazzling technique with far-ranging taste. Raised in County Sligo, one of Ireland’s most renowned fiddling regions, he absorbed the local fiddle style made famous by such legendary players as Michael Coleman, James Morrison, and Paddy Killoran. His recent solo CD, “Fiddlewings,” received a Bravo Award from Trad Magazine in France, and he was voted Male Musician of the Year for 2006 by the Irish American News.
Joining Brock and McGuire are tenor banjoist Enda Scahill from Galway and pianist Denis Carey from Tipperary.
Scahill is one of the most critically acclaimed banjoists in Ireland today. The Irish American News said of his playing: “he does things on the banjo that should be impossible.” Carey is a musician/composer/arranger with a diverse musical background that ranges from Irish traditional to classical, jazz and pop. He has performed and recorded with leading international artists. His compositions have been performed by various international groups and orchestras, including Symphony Nova Scotia and the Scottish National Orchestra. Denis runs his own Academy of Music based in Limerick.
Before the concert, Brock will present a lecture from 3 to 4 p.m., “Irish Traditional Music in America—The Golden Era,” in which he will discuss the early history of the recording of Irish American music. Brock will illustrate his lecture with recorded examples and with live performances of his own and by other members of the Brock McGuire Band. The lecture also will be held in the State Farm Lecture Hall. Both lecture and concert are free and open to the public.
For more information, contact the Center for Popular Music at 615-898-2449.
-------
IN BRIEF: The Brock McGuire Band, one of Ireland’s top traditional groups, will perform a free concert on Monday, Feb. 25, at 7:30 p.m. in the State Farm Lecture Hall in the Business and Aerospace Building at MTSU. The concert is presented by MTSU’s Center for Popular Music, with the sponsorship of the university’s Distinguished Lecture Committee. Leaders of the band, button accordionist Paul Brock and fiddler Manus McGuire, are two of Ireland’s most celebrated traditional musicians. Before the concert, Brock will present a lecture from 3 to 4 p.m., “Irish Traditional Music in America—The Golden Era,” in which he will discuss the early history of the recording of Irish American music. Brock will illustrate his lecture with recorded examples and with live performances of his own and by other members of the Brock McGuire Band. The lecture also will be held in the State Farm Lecture Hall. Both lecture and concert are free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Center for Popular Music at 615-898-2449.
For MTSU news and information, visit www.mtsunews.com.
—30—
ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a color JPEG of the Brock McGuire Band or an individual JPEG of Paul Brock, you may visit the press area of www.brockmcguire.com to download photos. You also may 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 to receive the JPEGs.
Thanks!
255 Feb. 11, 2008 Record, part of message to neighborhood
Feb. 11, 2008 Record, part of message to neighborhood
Communities know that universities bring vitality and economic stability through employment, retail sales, commercial and residential uses and their support of cultural and social events. College towns attract employers and a diverse workforce. According to a study conducted by the Business and Economic Research Center at Middle Tennessee State University, during fiscal year 2003, MTSU contributed nearly $700 million in business revenue, provided 9,100 jobs and generated $343 million in personal income. No doubt those numbers have increased over the last few years, and with a current fall enrollment surpassing 23,000 students, the benefits of all that a vibrant university offers trickle down into every aspect of living.
With that growth, however (nearly 2 percent every year), there comes the need for the campus to expand. Neighborhood residents are sometimes distrustful, even fearful, of an ever-growing institution like MTSU because of its need to add new buildings and parking lots. Likewise, MTSU faces the challenge of planning that growth and also being sensitive to neighbors’ concerns and quality of life. While not every plan for campus expansion pleases everyone, campus planning staff and university administrators make every effort to respond to residents’ concerns.
In addition to open forums on campus that welcome neighbors to an open discussion of the issues, The Record, the official publication of the university, signifies our intention of keeping the lines of communication open with our friends and neighbors. This issue is the first of three issues in 2008 that we will send to the neighborhood. In each we will provide up-to-date information on campus construction and expansion. We hope you’ll enjoy the other stories as well. We’d like you to know that several of our Record stories throughout the year are written by our students, a fact of which we are quite proud.
The campus Master Plan, as reflected in the future-oriented map of campus seen here, is a response to the university’s Academic Master Plan. The physical plan supports the academic goals of the university and provides a framework for future additions and modifications to accommodate the enrollment growth and the educational needs of our students. In particular, the campus Master Plan helped to define the requirements for a new Science Building and for a new education building in the College of Education and Behavioral Science. Along with buildings, the plan also summarizes utility and infrastructure work that needs to be done to keep pace with campus development.
While these two buildings are essential for MTSU’s growth, they will not solve all of the university’s shortage of space. Right now, MTSU has significantly less space per student than all other institutions in the Tennessee Board of Regents. Currently, there is 84.54 net square feet per student at MTSU; other TBR schools average 114.53 net square feet per student. With a target total headcount of 27,000 students, MTSU will still need to construct 1.6 million gross square feet of non-residential space to be on par with its sister TBR schools. Rather than being an exercise in growth for growth’s sake, MTSU’s current and future physical expansion is the result of a carefully designed plan to catch up to current and future demands.
New buildings, additional parking lots, upgraded and expanding infrastructure—all are necessities to accommodate the educational needs of our students so that they will graduate and become contributing, successful citizens. MTSU, which has the largest undergraduate enrollment in the state, continues to attract many of the best and brightest students from Tennessee and around the nation. We must provide them with the finest learning environment and facilities as possible.
Note: On Thursday, Feb. 14, MTSU’s Campus Master Plan will be presented to the State Building Commission.
Communities know that universities bring vitality and economic stability through employment, retail sales, commercial and residential uses and their support of cultural and social events. College towns attract employers and a diverse workforce. According to a study conducted by the Business and Economic Research Center at Middle Tennessee State University, during fiscal year 2003, MTSU contributed nearly $700 million in business revenue, provided 9,100 jobs and generated $343 million in personal income. No doubt those numbers have increased over the last few years, and with a current fall enrollment surpassing 23,000 students, the benefits of all that a vibrant university offers trickle down into every aspect of living.
With that growth, however (nearly 2 percent every year), there comes the need for the campus to expand. Neighborhood residents are sometimes distrustful, even fearful, of an ever-growing institution like MTSU because of its need to add new buildings and parking lots. Likewise, MTSU faces the challenge of planning that growth and also being sensitive to neighbors’ concerns and quality of life. While not every plan for campus expansion pleases everyone, campus planning staff and university administrators make every effort to respond to residents’ concerns.
In addition to open forums on campus that welcome neighbors to an open discussion of the issues, The Record, the official publication of the university, signifies our intention of keeping the lines of communication open with our friends and neighbors. This issue is the first of three issues in 2008 that we will send to the neighborhood. In each we will provide up-to-date information on campus construction and expansion. We hope you’ll enjoy the other stories as well. We’d like you to know that several of our Record stories throughout the year are written by our students, a fact of which we are quite proud.
The campus Master Plan, as reflected in the future-oriented map of campus seen here, is a response to the university’s Academic Master Plan. The physical plan supports the academic goals of the university and provides a framework for future additions and modifications to accommodate the enrollment growth and the educational needs of our students. In particular, the campus Master Plan helped to define the requirements for a new Science Building and for a new education building in the College of Education and Behavioral Science. Along with buildings, the plan also summarizes utility and infrastructure work that needs to be done to keep pace with campus development.
While these two buildings are essential for MTSU’s growth, they will not solve all of the university’s shortage of space. Right now, MTSU has significantly less space per student than all other institutions in the Tennessee Board of Regents. Currently, there is 84.54 net square feet per student at MTSU; other TBR schools average 114.53 net square feet per student. With a target total headcount of 27,000 students, MTSU will still need to construct 1.6 million gross square feet of non-residential space to be on par with its sister TBR schools. Rather than being an exercise in growth for growth’s sake, MTSU’s current and future physical expansion is the result of a carefully designed plan to catch up to current and future demands.
New buildings, additional parking lots, upgraded and expanding infrastructure—all are necessities to accommodate the educational needs of our students so that they will graduate and become contributing, successful citizens. MTSU, which has the largest undergraduate enrollment in the state, continues to attract many of the best and brightest students from Tennessee and around the nation. We must provide them with the finest learning environment and facilities as possible.
Note: On Thursday, Feb. 14, MTSU’s Campus Master Plan will be presented to the State Building Commission.
254 MTSU Alumna Gives Back in a Big Way
Record, Feb. 11, 2008
MTSU Alumna Gives Back in a Big Way
Scholarships are wonderful, but they target individual students. A professorship in a particular discipline influences generations of students. That’s one major reason why MTSU alumna Pam Wright (B.S. ’73) decided to establish an endowed professorship in entrepreneurship in the Jennings A. Jones College of Business at the university she loves and has served for many years.
“I felt it met what I wanted to achieve,” Wright explained, “which was a broader concept of what will serve as an opportunity to promote growth with entrepreneurship in middle Tennessee and beyond. The middle Tennessee community has been extremely beneficial to me, and the spirit here has greatly contributed toward my company’s success.”
The $1.25 million pledge, paid over a period of five years, will provide funding for the endowed chair and will allow university officials to launch a search for the position and to begin chair activities. The first installment has been completed.
“An endowed chair typically represents the best in their field,” Joe Bales, vice president for development and university relations, noted. “Pam has helped us establish the first chair of this type, and we are eternally grateful to her.”
Wright is president and CEO of Wright Travel, which she established in 1981. The largest agency of its kind in Tennessee now employs 70 people and operates offices in eight states.
“I wanted not only to be just an alumna but a business connection to this community,” she said. “The university has been fabulous in allowing me the opportunity to participate and contribute through board and committee involvement.” Wright has served on the MTSU Foundation Board and the College of Business Advisory Board. In 2002, she was among the first group to receive the Exemplar Award, presented to alumni who have served as models of achievement in business and industry to students.
Wright said she had been thinking for a few years about how she might contribute to the university.
“I met with Jim Burton [business dean] a while back, and he promoted involvement between business and the university,” she said. “In addition, whenever I was at a board meeting or an event and heard Dr. [Sidney A.] McPhee talk … he creates a lot of motivation to do something to contribute to the university.”
“There is always a need for scholarships to support our students,” Burton commented, “but given the shortage of faculty in the business disciplines, one of the issues that we have is attracting and retaining the highest quality faculty. This endowed chair will enable us to do that. This person will hopefully be an outstanding teacher, researcher and publisher and will provide leadership in entrepreneurship and continue to build that program on the basis of what our excellent faculty is already doing.”
Burton noted that the curriculum for the entrepreneurship program at MTSU originally was a joint venture between the departments of Management and Marketing and Business Communication and Entrepreneurship (formerly BMOM). The dean also alluded to a report recently released by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce that touts entrepreneurship as a driving force for creating jobs in the region. Rather than being an alternative to not finding steady work, entrepreneurship has become a deliberate choice for students who want to be their own boss, he said.
President McPhee viewed the endowed chair in the context of the university’s goals in the Academic Master Plan.
“A gift such as this is a rare gem because an endowed professorship of this kind brings together the three major goals of the university, enabling us to be even more student-centered in the discipline of entrepreneurship, enhancing our academic quality, and demonstrating the power of partnership between business and education,” he said. “We are grateful to Pam Wright, whose success as a person and a businesswoman will serve as an example to thousands of students in years to come.”
Burton was quick to point out that the endowed chair was the product of a team effort. “I’m extraordinarily grateful to Pam, for her generosity and vision and her sitting down with Joe [Bales] and working through the issues to bring this to fruition. Joe was very influential in making this happen, and his role should not be underplayed.”
Wright said her motivation to launch her own business came from a very strong work ethic, good parenting, and her sense that there was a need for this kind of business in the travel industry.
“When I opened it, it was not my intention to expand it to other states,” she said. “That came as a result of continued success, and frankly, hard work, commitment and passion for what I do. And maybe the ability to believe that no one told me I couldn’t do it,” she added with a laugh. “I am a very lucky person. After 26 years, I still love doing what I do.”
Wright said she encourages students to explore entrepreneurship but cautioned that it is a life-long commitment. “People can make choices to change careers—that’s much easier to do when you haven’t made a commitment to own your own company. It’s a big decision. Plan on spending a lot of time and putting in a lot of work.”
####
NOTE: Entrepreneurship Week will be from Feb. 23 to March 1. Dr. Robert Lahm, assistant professor, BCE, is coordinating events at MTSU. Visit http://mtsu.edu/~rlahm.
MTSU Alumna Gives Back in a Big Way
Scholarships are wonderful, but they target individual students. A professorship in a particular discipline influences generations of students. That’s one major reason why MTSU alumna Pam Wright (B.S. ’73) decided to establish an endowed professorship in entrepreneurship in the Jennings A. Jones College of Business at the university she loves and has served for many years.
“I felt it met what I wanted to achieve,” Wright explained, “which was a broader concept of what will serve as an opportunity to promote growth with entrepreneurship in middle Tennessee and beyond. The middle Tennessee community has been extremely beneficial to me, and the spirit here has greatly contributed toward my company’s success.”
The $1.25 million pledge, paid over a period of five years, will provide funding for the endowed chair and will allow university officials to launch a search for the position and to begin chair activities. The first installment has been completed.
“An endowed chair typically represents the best in their field,” Joe Bales, vice president for development and university relations, noted. “Pam has helped us establish the first chair of this type, and we are eternally grateful to her.”
Wright is president and CEO of Wright Travel, which she established in 1981. The largest agency of its kind in Tennessee now employs 70 people and operates offices in eight states.
“I wanted not only to be just an alumna but a business connection to this community,” she said. “The university has been fabulous in allowing me the opportunity to participate and contribute through board and committee involvement.” Wright has served on the MTSU Foundation Board and the College of Business Advisory Board. In 2002, she was among the first group to receive the Exemplar Award, presented to alumni who have served as models of achievement in business and industry to students.
Wright said she had been thinking for a few years about how she might contribute to the university.
“I met with Jim Burton [business dean] a while back, and he promoted involvement between business and the university,” she said. “In addition, whenever I was at a board meeting or an event and heard Dr. [Sidney A.] McPhee talk … he creates a lot of motivation to do something to contribute to the university.”
“There is always a need for scholarships to support our students,” Burton commented, “but given the shortage of faculty in the business disciplines, one of the issues that we have is attracting and retaining the highest quality faculty. This endowed chair will enable us to do that. This person will hopefully be an outstanding teacher, researcher and publisher and will provide leadership in entrepreneurship and continue to build that program on the basis of what our excellent faculty is already doing.”
Burton noted that the curriculum for the entrepreneurship program at MTSU originally was a joint venture between the departments of Management and Marketing and Business Communication and Entrepreneurship (formerly BMOM). The dean also alluded to a report recently released by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce that touts entrepreneurship as a driving force for creating jobs in the region. Rather than being an alternative to not finding steady work, entrepreneurship has become a deliberate choice for students who want to be their own boss, he said.
President McPhee viewed the endowed chair in the context of the university’s goals in the Academic Master Plan.
“A gift such as this is a rare gem because an endowed professorship of this kind brings together the three major goals of the university, enabling us to be even more student-centered in the discipline of entrepreneurship, enhancing our academic quality, and demonstrating the power of partnership between business and education,” he said. “We are grateful to Pam Wright, whose success as a person and a businesswoman will serve as an example to thousands of students in years to come.”
Burton was quick to point out that the endowed chair was the product of a team effort. “I’m extraordinarily grateful to Pam, for her generosity and vision and her sitting down with Joe [Bales] and working through the issues to bring this to fruition. Joe was very influential in making this happen, and his role should not be underplayed.”
Wright said her motivation to launch her own business came from a very strong work ethic, good parenting, and her sense that there was a need for this kind of business in the travel industry.
“When I opened it, it was not my intention to expand it to other states,” she said. “That came as a result of continued success, and frankly, hard work, commitment and passion for what I do. And maybe the ability to believe that no one told me I couldn’t do it,” she added with a laugh. “I am a very lucky person. After 26 years, I still love doing what I do.”
Wright said she encourages students to explore entrepreneurship but cautioned that it is a life-long commitment. “People can make choices to change careers—that’s much easier to do when you haven’t made a commitment to own your own company. It’s a big decision. Plan on spending a lot of time and putting in a lot of work.”
####
NOTE: Entrepreneurship Week will be from Feb. 23 to March 1. Dr. Robert Lahm, assistant professor, BCE, is coordinating events at MTSU. Visit http://mtsu.edu/~rlahm.
253 MAN CONFESSES TO INCIDENTS OF LEWD BEHAVIOR ON AND AROUND MTSU CAMPUS
MAN CONFESSES TO INCIDENTS OF LEWD BEHAVIOR ON AND AROUND MTSU CAMPUS
Jan. 29, 2008
CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919
Chief Buddy Peaster, 615-898-2426
MURFREESBORO—Earlier today, the MTSU Police Department apprehended Matthew Skaggs, age 28, of Murfreesboro, who confessed to committing at least five acts of lewd and lascivious behavior in Murfreesboro and on the MTSU campus since September of last year. These acts included driving his vehicle near females and exposing himself in their presence.
Beginning last fall, MTSU Police received three official reports of a white male subject driving an older-model, red vehicle around the Fairview Avenue area of campus. The subject reportedly was driving closely enough to women that they could sometimes see that the subject was fondling himself as he watched them. During the first part of this month, Murfreesboro Police and the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office each had a similar report of indecent exposure which occurred in separate locations.
Undercover MTSU Police officers spotted Skaggs’ car yesterday in the Fairview Avenue area. Skaggs was identified by police and later questioned about the MTSU incidents. Skaggs confessed to committing all five acts, and he has formally been charged with the three MTSU incidents. A court date has been set for March 3. Skaggs was released, but he has been barred permanently from the MTSU campus.
####
Contact MTSU Police Chief Buddy Peaster for follow-up comments: 615-898-2426 or cpeaster@mtsu.edu. No photo available.
Tom Tozer, directorMTSU News and Public AffairsFor news and information, visit mtsunews.com
Jan. 29, 2008
CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919
Chief Buddy Peaster, 615-898-2426
MURFREESBORO—Earlier today, the MTSU Police Department apprehended Matthew Skaggs, age 28, of Murfreesboro, who confessed to committing at least five acts of lewd and lascivious behavior in Murfreesboro and on the MTSU campus since September of last year. These acts included driving his vehicle near females and exposing himself in their presence.
Beginning last fall, MTSU Police received three official reports of a white male subject driving an older-model, red vehicle around the Fairview Avenue area of campus. The subject reportedly was driving closely enough to women that they could sometimes see that the subject was fondling himself as he watched them. During the first part of this month, Murfreesboro Police and the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office each had a similar report of indecent exposure which occurred in separate locations.
Undercover MTSU Police officers spotted Skaggs’ car yesterday in the Fairview Avenue area. Skaggs was identified by police and later questioned about the MTSU incidents. Skaggs confessed to committing all five acts, and he has formally been charged with the three MTSU incidents. A court date has been set for March 3. Skaggs was released, but he has been barred permanently from the MTSU campus.
####
Contact MTSU Police Chief Buddy Peaster for follow-up comments: 615-898-2426 or cpeaster@mtsu.edu. No photo available.
Tom Tozer, directorMTSU News and Public AffairsFor news and information, visit mtsunews.com
252 STONES RIVER CHAMBER PLAYERS DELIVER FIRST 2008 PERFORMANCE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 29, 2008
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, (615) 898-2493
STONES RIVER CHAMBER PLAYERS DELIVER FIRST 2008 PERFORMANCE
Feb. 4 Concert Featuring Works by Composer Spohr is Free & Open to the Public
(MURFREESBORO)—The Stones River Chamber Players, ensemble in residence at MTSU, will present its third concert of the 2007-2008 season titled “From the Rhine to the Blue Danube” at 7:30 p.m. Feb 4 in T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
The concert will consist of four of Louis Spohr’s Six German Songs, Op. 103, which will be performed by Dina Cancryn (soprano), Todd Waldecker (clarinet) and Lynn Rice-See (piano), as well as Robert Schumann’s Piano Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 47 performed by Rice-See, Andrea Dawson (violin), Sarah Coté (viola) and Xiao-Fan Zhang (violoncello).
Rice-See, co-director of the SRCP, said Spohr, a Romantic contemporary of Schumann and Chopin, wrote the Six German Songs in a variety of styles.
"The first, Be Still, My Heart, is highly dramatic, while in the second song, Two Songs, the clarinet plays the part of a bird as the soprano outlines the tale of a young girl and a bird singing a duet in praise of spring," she explained.
"The third song is a tender lullaby, and the group will end with Wake Up!, which dances a graceful praise of all the qualities of springtime," she added.
The Schumannn quartet was composed in 1842. also known as the “chamber music year,” and Rice-See said his only two piano quartets were both composed and performed in the same venues as his string quartets, both of which demonstrate a greater interest in counterpoint.
"This can easily be heard in the two fugato sections of the last movement, but it is also evident in the delicate tendrils wound around the melody in the second half of the slow movement," she noted.
Regarding the performers, soprano Cancryn hails from Long Island and has sung leading roles at Rome Opera Festival, Nashville Opera and the Aspen Opera Theater. She was educated at the Eastman School of Music and Indiana University, respectively, and has written and produced a musical theater production, Portraits: the First Black American Divas of Song and Opera, in which she is currently appearing.
Waldecker, principal clarinetist of the Nashville Chamber Orchestra, was also educated at Indiana University as well as at Yale University and the University of Missouri. He is a member of the faculty of the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts and MTSU.
Rice-See holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Peabody Conservatory, a Master of Music from The Juilliard School and a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Southern California. From 1989 to 2005, she was a member of the piano faculty at East Tennessee State University. She has also worked as an opera coach at the opera houses of Münster and Essen, Germany, as well as at Michigan Opera and Dayton Opera.
Dawson is a recent addition to the SRCP. She has performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the U.S. and Mexico. Her principal teachers include Lynn Blakeslee, Camilla Wicks, Taras Gabora, Kathleen Winkler and Robert Koff.
Coté, another graduate of the Indiana University School of Music, has taught at MTSU, the Eastern Music Festival and the Indiana Young Violinists Program. She was a member of the San Antonio Symphony for 16 years.
Cellist Zhang received his early musical training in Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenyang. He earned a master's degree in music performance from the University of South Carolina and went on to pursue a DMA at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He is currently a cellist with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra.
This event 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.com or call 615-898-2493.
—30—
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, (615) 898-2493
STONES RIVER CHAMBER PLAYERS DELIVER FIRST 2008 PERFORMANCE
Feb. 4 Concert Featuring Works by Composer Spohr is Free & Open to the Public
(MURFREESBORO)—The Stones River Chamber Players, ensemble in residence at MTSU, will present its third concert of the 2007-2008 season titled “From the Rhine to the Blue Danube” at 7:30 p.m. Feb 4 in T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
The concert will consist of four of Louis Spohr’s Six German Songs, Op. 103, which will be performed by Dina Cancryn (soprano), Todd Waldecker (clarinet) and Lynn Rice-See (piano), as well as Robert Schumann’s Piano Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 47 performed by Rice-See, Andrea Dawson (violin), Sarah Coté (viola) and Xiao-Fan Zhang (violoncello).
Rice-See, co-director of the SRCP, said Spohr, a Romantic contemporary of Schumann and Chopin, wrote the Six German Songs in a variety of styles.
"The first, Be Still, My Heart, is highly dramatic, while in the second song, Two Songs, the clarinet plays the part of a bird as the soprano outlines the tale of a young girl and a bird singing a duet in praise of spring," she explained.
"The third song is a tender lullaby, and the group will end with Wake Up!, which dances a graceful praise of all the qualities of springtime," she added.
The Schumannn quartet was composed in 1842. also known as the “chamber music year,” and Rice-See said his only two piano quartets were both composed and performed in the same venues as his string quartets, both of which demonstrate a greater interest in counterpoint.
"This can easily be heard in the two fugato sections of the last movement, but it is also evident in the delicate tendrils wound around the melody in the second half of the slow movement," she noted.
Regarding the performers, soprano Cancryn hails from Long Island and has sung leading roles at Rome Opera Festival, Nashville Opera and the Aspen Opera Theater. She was educated at the Eastman School of Music and Indiana University, respectively, and has written and produced a musical theater production, Portraits: the First Black American Divas of Song and Opera, in which she is currently appearing.
Waldecker, principal clarinetist of the Nashville Chamber Orchestra, was also educated at Indiana University as well as at Yale University and the University of Missouri. He is a member of the faculty of the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts and MTSU.
Rice-See holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Peabody Conservatory, a Master of Music from The Juilliard School and a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Southern California. From 1989 to 2005, she was a member of the piano faculty at East Tennessee State University. She has also worked as an opera coach at the opera houses of Münster and Essen, Germany, as well as at Michigan Opera and Dayton Opera.
Dawson is a recent addition to the SRCP. She has performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the U.S. and Mexico. Her principal teachers include Lynn Blakeslee, Camilla Wicks, Taras Gabora, Kathleen Winkler and Robert Koff.
Coté, another graduate of the Indiana University School of Music, has taught at MTSU, the Eastern Music Festival and the Indiana Young Violinists Program. She was a member of the San Antonio Symphony for 16 years.
Cellist Zhang received his early musical training in Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenyang. He earned a master's degree in music performance from the University of South Carolina and went on to pursue a DMA at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He is currently a cellist with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra.
This event 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.com or call 615-898-2493.
—30—
251 JAZZ ARTIST SERIES FEATURES GRAMMY-WINNING SAXOPHONIST JEFF COFFIN
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 28, 2008
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, (615) 898-2493
JAZZ ARTIST SERIES FEATURES GRAMMY-WINNING SAXOPHONIST JEFF COFFIN
Feb 7 Concert Will Treat Jazz Lovers to a ‘Charismatic Performer,’ Aliquo Says
(MURFREESBORO)—Two-time Grammy award-winning saxophonist and composer Jeff Coffin will perform in the MTSU Jazz Artist Series at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 7 the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall in the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
Coffin, who has said he rejects all labels other than that of a “musician,” has traveled the world with the Bela Fleck and the Flecktones since 1997. He has shared the stage and recording studio with such diverse artists as The Dave Matthews Band, DJ Logic, McCoy Tyner, Garth Brooks, Phish, Van Morrison, J. D. Souther, The Dixie Chicks, Brooks and Dunn, Umphrey's McGee, Lynyrd Skynyrd and many others.
"Coffin is an outstanding saxophonist and a charismatic performer,” said Don Aliquo, associate professor of saxophone and jazz studies at MTSU. “His music covers a wide range of the jazz spectrum and he plays with amazing energy.”
Along with all originally composed music, the concert will also feature Coffin performing with the MTSU Jazz Ensemble I and the MTSU Graduate Jazz Combo. A master class will be given as well in conjunction with the concert, with the time and place yet to be announced.
“The students are thrilled to have the opportunity to perform with him,” Aliquo said.
Currently in its ninth season, the Jazz Artist Series brings internationally renowned jazz artists to the region for performances and educational workshops. Past guest artists have included some of the most important jazz musicians and educators in jazz history. Aliquo noted.
The series is offered each academic year and typically features three concerts. In addition to the Feb. 7 concert, this year’s series will also feature saxophonist Lee Konitz on April 12. All concerts will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall.
ADMISSION: Individual tickets are $15 at the door. MTSU students, faculty and staff will be admitted free with a valid university ID.
For more information on the Jazz Artist Series or other events in the MTSU School of Music, visit www.mtsumusic.com or contact Tim Musselman at 615-898-2493.
For additional information on Coffin, please visit his Web site at www.jeffcoffin.com.
—30—
• ATTENTION, MEDIA—A full-size jpeg of Jeff Coffin is available on a bottom link on the jeffcoffin.com Web site under the "gallery" heading.
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, (615) 898-2493
JAZZ ARTIST SERIES FEATURES GRAMMY-WINNING SAXOPHONIST JEFF COFFIN
Feb 7 Concert Will Treat Jazz Lovers to a ‘Charismatic Performer,’ Aliquo Says
(MURFREESBORO)—Two-time Grammy award-winning saxophonist and composer Jeff Coffin will perform in the MTSU Jazz Artist Series at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 7 the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall in the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
Coffin, who has said he rejects all labels other than that of a “musician,” has traveled the world with the Bela Fleck and the Flecktones since 1997. He has shared the stage and recording studio with such diverse artists as The Dave Matthews Band, DJ Logic, McCoy Tyner, Garth Brooks, Phish, Van Morrison, J. D. Souther, The Dixie Chicks, Brooks and Dunn, Umphrey's McGee, Lynyrd Skynyrd and many others.
"Coffin is an outstanding saxophonist and a charismatic performer,” said Don Aliquo, associate professor of saxophone and jazz studies at MTSU. “His music covers a wide range of the jazz spectrum and he plays with amazing energy.”
Along with all originally composed music, the concert will also feature Coffin performing with the MTSU Jazz Ensemble I and the MTSU Graduate Jazz Combo. A master class will be given as well in conjunction with the concert, with the time and place yet to be announced.
“The students are thrilled to have the opportunity to perform with him,” Aliquo said.
Currently in its ninth season, the Jazz Artist Series brings internationally renowned jazz artists to the region for performances and educational workshops. Past guest artists have included some of the most important jazz musicians and educators in jazz history. Aliquo noted.
The series is offered each academic year and typically features three concerts. In addition to the Feb. 7 concert, this year’s series will also feature saxophonist Lee Konitz on April 12. All concerts will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall.
ADMISSION: Individual tickets are $15 at the door. MTSU students, faculty and staff will be admitted free with a valid university ID.
For more information on the Jazz Artist Series or other events in the MTSU School of Music, visit www.mtsumusic.com or contact Tim Musselman at 615-898-2493.
For additional information on Coffin, please visit his Web site at www.jeffcoffin.com.
—30—
• ATTENTION, MEDIA—A full-size jpeg of Jeff Coffin is available on a bottom link on the jeffcoffin.com Web site under the "gallery" heading.
250 MTSU STUDENTS WILL BE WAITING UP ’TIL DAWN FEB. 1-2
mtsunews.com
Release date: Jan. 30, 2008
News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
MTSU STUDENTS WILL BE WAITING UP ’TIL DAWN FEB. 1-2
(MURFREESBORO) — From her role now as a graduate assistant and three previous years’ experience on the Up ’til Dawn committee, Megan Flippin has a veteran’s perspective for the 2008 event.
Flippin can offer lots of advice to this year’s committee hierarchy—Executive Director Crystal Griffey and Associate Directors Josh McKenzie and Jameel Braddock.
“They’ve been working really, really hard,” Flippin said of the committee, which has spent countless hours preparing for the event that will be held from 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1, to 7 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 2, in the Campus Recreation Center.
This year marks a milestone in MTSU’s participation.
“The most special thing about this year’s event is that it marks 10 years that MTSU has been raising funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,” Griffey said. “Students came to our Great Lick-a-Thon back in November and helped send out thousands of letters that helped spread awareness and raise funds for the hospital.
“Students do all types of fundraisers to help raise money for the hospital. Although they were not able to participate this year, a group of students called the Pink Raider Knitting Brigade have raised at least $8,000 over the past two to three years. They would hand-make jewelry, candy, and knit scarves and hats to sell them on campus and in the community, with all proceeds going to St. Jude.
“One team hosted a baseball tournament last spring to jump-start their fundraising for this year. The committee hosted a chili luncheon for faculty and staff. So we have definitely been working hard all year.”
Griffey and her committee mates have set a lofty goal, and she expects their hours of volunteering to pay off.
“We have set our standards high by setting a $105,000 goal for the 2007-08 year,” she said. “The committee has spent countless hours organizing fundraising events and preparing for the finale. “Many of the committee members have been talking with businesses about sponsorship, making donations and providing door prizes for the finale event. We also meet at least once a week to help keep the momentum going all year long. It entails a lot of long hours and dedication from our committee members and student fundraisers to reach our goal but the experience working with ALSAC/St. Jude staff and raising funds for the hospital outweighs the toll of the long hours. I personally have gone from being a team captain to committee chair and am now executive director. So I am dedicated to all that St. Jude does and hope to work with or for the in the future.”
Up ’til Dawn will be open to the public from 7 p.m. to midnight Feb. 1. A $5 donation is requested. Attendees will be entertained by sporting events, live entertainment and free food. A hypnotist is expected to be part of the late-night activities. Among those attending will be a guest patient speaker from St. Jude. The patient will attend with his family.
The committee works under the guidance of Jackie Victory, director, leadership and service.
For more information, call 615-904-8270 or visit mtsu.edu/~uptldawn.
For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.
MTSU Up ’til Dawn contributions through the years
Year Teams Amount raised
2008 80* $105,000*
2007 72 $96,000+
2006 48 $80,000+
2005 56 $82,000+
2004 45 $62,000+
2003 48 $55,000+
2002 30 $40,000+
2001 40 $29,000+
2000 20 $25,000+
1999 20 $19,000+
* — Goals for 2008
###
Media welcomed.
Release date: Jan. 30, 2008
News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
MTSU STUDENTS WILL BE WAITING UP ’TIL DAWN FEB. 1-2
(MURFREESBORO) — From her role now as a graduate assistant and three previous years’ experience on the Up ’til Dawn committee, Megan Flippin has a veteran’s perspective for the 2008 event.
Flippin can offer lots of advice to this year’s committee hierarchy—Executive Director Crystal Griffey and Associate Directors Josh McKenzie and Jameel Braddock.
“They’ve been working really, really hard,” Flippin said of the committee, which has spent countless hours preparing for the event that will be held from 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1, to 7 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 2, in the Campus Recreation Center.
This year marks a milestone in MTSU’s participation.
“The most special thing about this year’s event is that it marks 10 years that MTSU has been raising funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,” Griffey said. “Students came to our Great Lick-a-Thon back in November and helped send out thousands of letters that helped spread awareness and raise funds for the hospital.
“Students do all types of fundraisers to help raise money for the hospital. Although they were not able to participate this year, a group of students called the Pink Raider Knitting Brigade have raised at least $8,000 over the past two to three years. They would hand-make jewelry, candy, and knit scarves and hats to sell them on campus and in the community, with all proceeds going to St. Jude.
“One team hosted a baseball tournament last spring to jump-start their fundraising for this year. The committee hosted a chili luncheon for faculty and staff. So we have definitely been working hard all year.”
Griffey and her committee mates have set a lofty goal, and she expects their hours of volunteering to pay off.
“We have set our standards high by setting a $105,000 goal for the 2007-08 year,” she said. “The committee has spent countless hours organizing fundraising events and preparing for the finale. “Many of the committee members have been talking with businesses about sponsorship, making donations and providing door prizes for the finale event. We also meet at least once a week to help keep the momentum going all year long. It entails a lot of long hours and dedication from our committee members and student fundraisers to reach our goal but the experience working with ALSAC/St. Jude staff and raising funds for the hospital outweighs the toll of the long hours. I personally have gone from being a team captain to committee chair and am now executive director. So I am dedicated to all that St. Jude does and hope to work with or for the in the future.”
Up ’til Dawn will be open to the public from 7 p.m. to midnight Feb. 1. A $5 donation is requested. Attendees will be entertained by sporting events, live entertainment and free food. A hypnotist is expected to be part of the late-night activities. Among those attending will be a guest patient speaker from St. Jude. The patient will attend with his family.
The committee works under the guidance of Jackie Victory, director, leadership and service.
For more information, call 615-904-8270 or visit mtsu.edu/~uptldawn.
For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.
MTSU Up ’til Dawn contributions through the years
Year Teams Amount raised
2008 80* $105,000*
2007 72 $96,000+
2006 48 $80,000+
2005 56 $82,000+
2004 45 $62,000+
2003 48 $55,000+
2002 30 $40,000+
2001 40 $29,000+
2000 20 $25,000+
1999 20 $19,000+
* — Goals for 2008
###
Media welcomed.
249 JAN. 29, MARCH 25 MTSU SATELLITE CENTER STUDENT WEBCASTS WILL FEATURE ASTRONAUT TRAINING
mtsunews.com
Release date: Jan. 28, 2008
News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
JAN. 29, MARCH 25 MTSU SATELLITE CENTER STUDENT WEBCASTS WILL FEATURE ASTRONAUT TRAINING
(MURFREESBORO) — History, social studies, fine arts, English, geography, science and health will be among the range of topics covered during the spring K-12 education program schedule that will be webcast by the MTSU Satellite and Webcasting Center.
The Tennessee Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Center will sponsor two programs connecting astronaut training at the Johnson Space Center in Houston to the K-6 classroom on Jan. 29 and March 25.
“These programs feature a tour of the center hosted by Billy Hix, a Motlow State Community College computer science professor, and Terry Sue Fanning, the curriculum and technology coordinator for Moore County Schools,” said Dr. Connie Schmidt, director of the Instructional Technology Support Center.
Enrichment programs designed for students will air at 9 a.m. CST every Tuesday, except March 4, March 18 and April 15. Except for Feb. 19, all of the programs will be live.
Professional development programs designed for teachers will be offered from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. CST on Thursdays beginning Jan. 31.
Karen Hargrove and Dr. Cindi Smith-Walters from MTSU’s Center for Environmental Education will show elementary students how a heart works and how to find their own heart rates just in time for Valentines Day in “Hearts and Flowers” Feb. 12, Schmidt said.
Dr. Larry Burriss (journalism) and Dr. Kathy Burriss (elementary and special education) will visit the Land Down Under with students in grades four through eight in “An Australian Adventure” on March 1.
Dr. Janet Colson and two of her Department of Human Sciences students will alert middle- and high-school students to the dangers of fast food in “Fast Food Feeding Frenzy” on April 1, Schmidt said. Dr. Bobbie Solley in the Department of Elementary and Special Education and Beverly Barnes, a faculty member at Eagleville School, will help middle-school students create poems to communicate what they have learned about the Holocaust in “The Holocaust: Thinking and Writing to Learn” on April 8.
Dr. Zaf Khan in the Department of Elementary and Special Education will offer three professional development workshops during the semester, Schmidt said. The first workshop (Jan. 31) focuses on Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act. A Thursday, March 13, program will show teachers and schools how to “bully-proof” their classrooms. Khan will conclude his series with an April 10 program promoting differentiated instruction to maximize student growth by meeting each student “where he or she is” and assisting in the learning process.
Teachers and students in Bedford, Cannon, Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Knox, Lincoln, Marshall, Moore and Warren counties may view the programs via satellite. Schools and homes in Nashville may view the programs on MEAC Channel 10; viewers in Huntsville, Ala., may tune in on ETV Channel 9; and Wilson County viewers may watch on BNN Channel 9.
Viewers with questions may call in on the toll-free phone line at 866-904-8352 or at 615-904-8352.
More information about the spring program series may be found on the ITSC Web site at mtsu.edu/ ~itsc.
For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.
###
Media welcomed.
Release date: Jan. 28, 2008
News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
JAN. 29, MARCH 25 MTSU SATELLITE CENTER STUDENT WEBCASTS WILL FEATURE ASTRONAUT TRAINING
(MURFREESBORO) — History, social studies, fine arts, English, geography, science and health will be among the range of topics covered during the spring K-12 education program schedule that will be webcast by the MTSU Satellite and Webcasting Center.
The Tennessee Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Center will sponsor two programs connecting astronaut training at the Johnson Space Center in Houston to the K-6 classroom on Jan. 29 and March 25.
“These programs feature a tour of the center hosted by Billy Hix, a Motlow State Community College computer science professor, and Terry Sue Fanning, the curriculum and technology coordinator for Moore County Schools,” said Dr. Connie Schmidt, director of the Instructional Technology Support Center.
Enrichment programs designed for students will air at 9 a.m. CST every Tuesday, except March 4, March 18 and April 15. Except for Feb. 19, all of the programs will be live.
Professional development programs designed for teachers will be offered from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. CST on Thursdays beginning Jan. 31.
Karen Hargrove and Dr. Cindi Smith-Walters from MTSU’s Center for Environmental Education will show elementary students how a heart works and how to find their own heart rates just in time for Valentines Day in “Hearts and Flowers” Feb. 12, Schmidt said.
Dr. Larry Burriss (journalism) and Dr. Kathy Burriss (elementary and special education) will visit the Land Down Under with students in grades four through eight in “An Australian Adventure” on March 1.
Dr. Janet Colson and two of her Department of Human Sciences students will alert middle- and high-school students to the dangers of fast food in “Fast Food Feeding Frenzy” on April 1, Schmidt said. Dr. Bobbie Solley in the Department of Elementary and Special Education and Beverly Barnes, a faculty member at Eagleville School, will help middle-school students create poems to communicate what they have learned about the Holocaust in “The Holocaust: Thinking and Writing to Learn” on April 8.
Dr. Zaf Khan in the Department of Elementary and Special Education will offer three professional development workshops during the semester, Schmidt said. The first workshop (Jan. 31) focuses on Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act. A Thursday, March 13, program will show teachers and schools how to “bully-proof” their classrooms. Khan will conclude his series with an April 10 program promoting differentiated instruction to maximize student growth by meeting each student “where he or she is” and assisting in the learning process.
Teachers and students in Bedford, Cannon, Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Knox, Lincoln, Marshall, Moore and Warren counties may view the programs via satellite. Schools and homes in Nashville may view the programs on MEAC Channel 10; viewers in Huntsville, Ala., may tune in on ETV Channel 9; and Wilson County viewers may watch on BNN Channel 9.
Viewers with questions may call in on the toll-free phone line at 866-904-8352 or at 615-904-8352.
More information about the spring program series may be found on the ITSC Web site at mtsu.edu/ ~itsc.
For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.
###
Media welcomed.
248 SPRING HONORS LECTURE SERIES INVESTIGATES ‘THE MIND’
mtsunews.com
Release date: Jan. 25, 2008
News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
University Honors College contact: Dr. Scott Carnicom, 615-898-2152
SPRING HONORS LECTURE SERIES INVESTIGATES ‘THE MIND’
(MURFREESBORO) – The theme of MTSU’s Spring 2008 Honors Lecture Series is deceptively short for such a mysterious topic: “The Mind.”
The lecture series will begin Monday, Jan. 28, in the amphitheater (Room 106) of the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building. All lectures are free and open to the public and are held from 3 to 3:50 p.m. each Monday, with the exceptions of March 3 (spring break) and April 23 (last day of classes).
The lecture schedule includes:
Jan. 28 — “A Brief History of the Brain,” presented by Dr. Scott Carnicom, associate dean of the Honors College;
Feb. 4 — “Stress and Coping in Sport: What Elite Athletes Can Teach Us about Effective Coping Skills,” presented by Dr. Mark Anshel (health and human performance);
Feb. 11 — “Developing Minds Through Higher Education: The Role of the University,” presented by Dr. Kaylene Gebert, executive vice president and provost;
Feb. 18 — “I’m Just Talking to Myself! How the Mind Uses Self-Talk,” presented by Dr. Tom Brinthaupt (psychology);
Feb. 25 — “Dyslexia: How the Brain Reads and What Happens When It Doesn’t,” presented by Stuart Bernstein (Center for the Study and Treatment of Dyslexia);
March 10 — “Acquisition and Expression of Language: A Brain-Based Approach,” presented by Drs. Shelley Thomas (foreign languages and literatures), and Will Langston (psychology);
March 17 — “Sex and the Brain: Neurobiology of Mating,” presented by Dr. Amy Jetton (biology);
March 24 — “The Mind of the Renaissance Individual,” presented by Dr. Ed Beemon (history);
March 31 — “Social Conformity, Group Think and Violence: Social Activism in the 1960s,” presented by Dr. Ben Austin (sociology and anthropology);
April 7 — “On the Neurobiology of Truth,” presented by Dr. Ron Bombardi (philosophy).
Honors thesis presentations will wrap up the series on April 14 and 21.
For more information about the series, contact Carnicom by e-mail (carnicom@mtsu.edu) or by calling 615-898-2152.
For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.
###
Media welcomed.
Release date: Jan. 25, 2008
News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
University Honors College contact: Dr. Scott Carnicom, 615-898-2152
SPRING HONORS LECTURE SERIES INVESTIGATES ‘THE MIND’
(MURFREESBORO) – The theme of MTSU’s Spring 2008 Honors Lecture Series is deceptively short for such a mysterious topic: “The Mind.”
The lecture series will begin Monday, Jan. 28, in the amphitheater (Room 106) of the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building. All lectures are free and open to the public and are held from 3 to 3:50 p.m. each Monday, with the exceptions of March 3 (spring break) and April 23 (last day of classes).
The lecture schedule includes:
Jan. 28 — “A Brief History of the Brain,” presented by Dr. Scott Carnicom, associate dean of the Honors College;
Feb. 4 — “Stress and Coping in Sport: What Elite Athletes Can Teach Us about Effective Coping Skills,” presented by Dr. Mark Anshel (health and human performance);
Feb. 11 — “Developing Minds Through Higher Education: The Role of the University,” presented by Dr. Kaylene Gebert, executive vice president and provost;
Feb. 18 — “I’m Just Talking to Myself! How the Mind Uses Self-Talk,” presented by Dr. Tom Brinthaupt (psychology);
Feb. 25 — “Dyslexia: How the Brain Reads and What Happens When It Doesn’t,” presented by Stuart Bernstein (Center for the Study and Treatment of Dyslexia);
March 10 — “Acquisition and Expression of Language: A Brain-Based Approach,” presented by Drs. Shelley Thomas (foreign languages and literatures), and Will Langston (psychology);
March 17 — “Sex and the Brain: Neurobiology of Mating,” presented by Dr. Amy Jetton (biology);
March 24 — “The Mind of the Renaissance Individual,” presented by Dr. Ed Beemon (history);
March 31 — “Social Conformity, Group Think and Violence: Social Activism in the 1960s,” presented by Dr. Ben Austin (sociology and anthropology);
April 7 — “On the Neurobiology of Truth,” presented by Dr. Ron Bombardi (philosophy).
Honors thesis presentations will wrap up the series on April 14 and 21.
For more information about the series, contact Carnicom by e-mail (carnicom@mtsu.edu) or by calling 615-898-2152.
For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.
###
Media welcomed.
247 MTSU SCHOLARS WEEK SETS SUBMISSION DEADLINE OF FEB. 11
mtsunews.com
Release date: Jan. 25, 2008
Scholars Week contact: Dr. Andrienne Friedli, 615-898-2071
News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
MTSU SCHOLARS WEEK SETS SUBMISSION DEADLINE OF FEB. 11
(MURFREESBORO) — Faculty and students are preparing for Scholars Week 2008, which will be held March 31-April 4, organizers said.
A key date to remember is Monday, Feb. 11, which is the deadline for online abstracts for poster and multimedia presentations to be submitted to http://mtsu32.mtsu.edu:11202/Scholars_Week/ScholarsForm.asp.
Planned Scholars Week activities will include talks, readings, performances, posters and multimedia, as well as invited speakers and luncheons.
Faculty members are being asked to encourage all students to participate – either as presenters or observers – in events during the week, said Dr. Andrienne Friedli, professor of chemistry, assistant to the vice provost for research and committee technical chair.
“Scholars Week is a great celebration and demonstration of the various roles that research and creative activities play at MTSU,” said Dr. Kaylene Gebert, executive vice president and provost, and Scholars Week committee chair. “Campus-wide participation shows the vitality, high quality and pervasiveness of scholarship throughout our academic community. The organizing committee is doing a fantastic job, and we encourage everyone to mark the dates and events on their calendars.”
For more information, visit mtsu.edu/~research/scholarsweek.html.
For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.
###
Release date: Jan. 25, 2008
Scholars Week contact: Dr. Andrienne Friedli, 615-898-2071
News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
MTSU SCHOLARS WEEK SETS SUBMISSION DEADLINE OF FEB. 11
(MURFREESBORO) — Faculty and students are preparing for Scholars Week 2008, which will be held March 31-April 4, organizers said.
A key date to remember is Monday, Feb. 11, which is the deadline for online abstracts for poster and multimedia presentations to be submitted to http://mtsu32.mtsu.edu:11202/Scholars_Week/ScholarsForm.asp.
Planned Scholars Week activities will include talks, readings, performances, posters and multimedia, as well as invited speakers and luncheons.
Faculty members are being asked to encourage all students to participate – either as presenters or observers – in events during the week, said Dr. Andrienne Friedli, professor of chemistry, assistant to the vice provost for research and committee technical chair.
“Scholars Week is a great celebration and demonstration of the various roles that research and creative activities play at MTSU,” said Dr. Kaylene Gebert, executive vice president and provost, and Scholars Week committee chair. “Campus-wide participation shows the vitality, high quality and pervasiveness of scholarship throughout our academic community. The organizing committee is doing a fantastic job, and we encourage everyone to mark the dates and events on their calendars.”
For more information, visit mtsu.edu/~research/scholarsweek.html.
For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.
###
246 INPUT SOUGHT FOR ACCREDITATION OF MTSU SCHOOL OF NURSING
mtsunews.com
Release date: Jan. 25, 2008
News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
School of Nursing contact: Dr. Lynn Parsons, 615-898-2437
INPUT SOUGHT FOR ACCREDITATION OF MTSU SCHOOL OF NURSING
(MURFREESBORO) — The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education will be conducting an accreditation site visit for the baccalaureate degree in nursing program on the MTSU campus from April 14 to 16.
Written and signed third-party comments will be accepted by CCNE until 30 days before the site visit, or March 15.
Please direct comments to Ms. LiAnn Shepard, Accreditation Assistant, Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, One Dupont Circle, Suite 530, Washington, D.C., 20036-1120.
###
Release date: Jan. 25, 2008
News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
School of Nursing contact: Dr. Lynn Parsons, 615-898-2437
INPUT SOUGHT FOR ACCREDITATION OF MTSU SCHOOL OF NURSING
(MURFREESBORO) — The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education will be conducting an accreditation site visit for the baccalaureate degree in nursing program on the MTSU campus from April 14 to 16.
Written and signed third-party comments will be accepted by CCNE until 30 days before the site visit, or March 15.
Please direct comments to Ms. LiAnn Shepard, Accreditation Assistant, Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, One Dupont Circle, Suite 530, Washington, D.C., 20036-1120.
###
Thursday, January 24, 2008
245 SYNDICATED COLUMNIST DEWAYNE WICKHAM TO SPEAK AT MTSU FEB. 7
SYNDICATED COLUMNIST DEWAYNE WICKHAM TO SPEAK AT MTSU FEB. 7
‘Race, The Media and Presidential Politics’ Launches Yearlong Lecture Series
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 24, 2008
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Beverly Keel, 615-898-5150 or bkeel@mtsu.edu
(MURFREESBORO)—Nationally syndicated columnist DeWayne Wickham will deliver the lecture "Race, the Media and Presidential Politics: The Truth about the Facts" at MTSU Thursday, Feb. 7.
The event, which begins at 9:45 a.m. in the Keathley University Center Theater, is free and open to the public. The lecture is sponsored by MTSU's Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies.
Wickham is a columnist for USA Today and the Gannett News Service. His syndicated column is distributed to more than 130 daily newspapers in the United States. He also is the director of the Institute for Advanced Journalism Studies at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.
This event, part of the university’s Black History Month activities, is also the first talk in a yearlong series exploring the media and the 2008 presidential election.
“I am delighted that DeWayne will be sharing his observations and insights about the media coverage of this historic presidential race,” said Beverly Keel, director of the Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence. “He has been reporting from the campaign trail, so I am eager to hear his analysis of the truth behind the sound-bites and the candidates’ sparring, and what it all means.”
In June 2007, he was one of three journalists to interview the Democratic presidential candidates on “The All-American Presidential Forums on PBS.” It was the first time presidential candidates were interviewed on national television by a panel made up solely of journalists of color.
During his journalism career, Wickham has covered the U.S. Capitol for U.S. News & World Report and worked as the Washington correspondent for Black Enterprise magazine and as a reporter for the Baltimore Sun and Baltimore Evening Sun newspapers. Wickham also has worked as an analyst for CBS News and as executive editor of BlackAmericaWeb.com.
Wickham covered the Watergate cover-up trial that resulted in the convictions of several top aides to President Richard Nixon. He was a member of the traveling press corps that accompanied Nelson Mandela throughout the United States during his first visit to this country following his release from a South Africa prison in 1990.
On Oct. 15, 1994, Wickham was one of a small group of journalists on the State Department plane that returned exiled Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide to his homeland. In February 1999, Wickham traveled to Cuba and had a six-hour dinner meeting with Fidel Castro.
Wickham holds a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism from the University of Maryland-College Park and a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Baltimore. He is a cofounder of The Trotter Group, an organization of black columnists, and a founding member and former president of the National Association of Black Journalists.
The editor of Thinking Black: Some of the Nation’s Best Black Columnists Speak Their Mind, (Crown Publishers, Inc., 1996), Wickham is the author of Woodholme: A Black Man’s Story of Growing Up Alone, (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1995), and Fire At Will, (USA Today Books, 1989) and Bill Clinton and Black America (Ballantine Books, 2002).
For more information about the lecture, please call 615-898-5150 or e-mail bkeel@mtsu.edu.
-------
IN BRIEF: Nationally syndicated columnist DeWayne Wickham will deliver the lecture "Race, the Media and Presidential Politics: The Truth about the Facts" at MTSU Thursday, Feb. 7, at 9:45 a.m. in the Keathley University Center Theater. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by MTSU's Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies. Part of the university’s Black History Month activities, Wickham’s lecture is also the first in a yearlong series exploring the media and the 2008 presidential election. For more information about the lecture, please call 615-898-5150 or e-mail bkeel@mtsu.edu.
For MTSU news and information, visit www.mtsunews.com.
—30—
ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a color JPEG of DeWayne Wickham to accompany this release, 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!
‘Race, The Media and Presidential Politics’ Launches Yearlong Lecture Series
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 24, 2008
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Beverly Keel, 615-898-5150 or bkeel@mtsu.edu
(MURFREESBORO)—Nationally syndicated columnist DeWayne Wickham will deliver the lecture "Race, the Media and Presidential Politics: The Truth about the Facts" at MTSU Thursday, Feb. 7.
The event, which begins at 9:45 a.m. in the Keathley University Center Theater, is free and open to the public. The lecture is sponsored by MTSU's Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies.
Wickham is a columnist for USA Today and the Gannett News Service. His syndicated column is distributed to more than 130 daily newspapers in the United States. He also is the director of the Institute for Advanced Journalism Studies at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.
This event, part of the university’s Black History Month activities, is also the first talk in a yearlong series exploring the media and the 2008 presidential election.
“I am delighted that DeWayne will be sharing his observations and insights about the media coverage of this historic presidential race,” said Beverly Keel, director of the Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence. “He has been reporting from the campaign trail, so I am eager to hear his analysis of the truth behind the sound-bites and the candidates’ sparring, and what it all means.”
In June 2007, he was one of three journalists to interview the Democratic presidential candidates on “The All-American Presidential Forums on PBS.” It was the first time presidential candidates were interviewed on national television by a panel made up solely of journalists of color.
During his journalism career, Wickham has covered the U.S. Capitol for U.S. News & World Report and worked as the Washington correspondent for Black Enterprise magazine and as a reporter for the Baltimore Sun and Baltimore Evening Sun newspapers. Wickham also has worked as an analyst for CBS News and as executive editor of BlackAmericaWeb.com.
Wickham covered the Watergate cover-up trial that resulted in the convictions of several top aides to President Richard Nixon. He was a member of the traveling press corps that accompanied Nelson Mandela throughout the United States during his first visit to this country following his release from a South Africa prison in 1990.
On Oct. 15, 1994, Wickham was one of a small group of journalists on the State Department plane that returned exiled Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide to his homeland. In February 1999, Wickham traveled to Cuba and had a six-hour dinner meeting with Fidel Castro.
Wickham holds a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism from the University of Maryland-College Park and a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Baltimore. He is a cofounder of The Trotter Group, an organization of black columnists, and a founding member and former president of the National Association of Black Journalists.
The editor of Thinking Black: Some of the Nation’s Best Black Columnists Speak Their Mind, (Crown Publishers, Inc., 1996), Wickham is the author of Woodholme: A Black Man’s Story of Growing Up Alone, (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1995), and Fire At Will, (USA Today Books, 1989) and Bill Clinton and Black America (Ballantine Books, 2002).
For more information about the lecture, please call 615-898-5150 or e-mail bkeel@mtsu.edu.
-------
IN BRIEF: Nationally syndicated columnist DeWayne Wickham will deliver the lecture "Race, the Media and Presidential Politics: The Truth about the Facts" at MTSU Thursday, Feb. 7, at 9:45 a.m. in the Keathley University Center Theater. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by MTSU's Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies. Part of the university’s Black History Month activities, Wickham’s lecture is also the first in a yearlong series exploring the media and the 2008 presidential election. For more information about the lecture, please call 615-898-5150 or e-mail bkeel@mtsu.edu.
For MTSU news and information, visit www.mtsunews.com.
—30—
ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a color JPEG of DeWayne Wickham to accompany this release, 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!
244 AWARD-WINNING ACTIVIST/AUTHOR DIANE WILSON VISITS MTSU IN MARCH
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 24, 2008
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, 615-898-2919, or lrollins@mtsu.edu
AWARD-WINNING ACTIVIST/AUTHOR DIANE WILSON VISITS MTSU IN MARCH
Free & Open Lecture Outlines Shrimp-boat Captain’s Battle for the Environment
(MURFREESBORO, Tenn.)—Activist Diane Wilson, author of An Unreasonable Woman: A True Story of Shrimpers, Politicos, Polluters, and the Fight for Seadrift, Texas (Chelsea Green, 2006), will visit the MTSU campus March 12-13 to speak with classes and deliver a free public lecture.
Sponsored by the American Democracy Project (ADP), the Distinguished Lectures Committee and National Women’s History Month, Wilson’s upcoming talk titled "Diane versus Goliath: Taking on Politicians and Corporations to Protect Family and the Environment" will get under way at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 12, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of MTSU’s Business Aerospace Building, with a book signing to follow.
A native of Seadrift, Texas, Wilson is a fourth-generation shrimp-boat captain and mother of five who learned that she lived in the most polluted county in the U.S., and then decided to fight back by launching a campaign against a multibillion-dollar corporation that reportedly covered up spills, silenced workers and dumped lethal ethylene dichloride and vinyl chloride into the bays along the Gulf Coast.
Cited as an epic tale of bravery, An Unreasonable Woman chronicles Wilson’s fight at the chemical plant’s doors and through the court system. Diligent in her efforts to stop the pollution and its cover-up, Wilson encountered scorn, bribery and death threats before realizing she had to break the law to achieve justice.
Wilson’s story of her battle to stop the industrial pollution and its resulting contamination to both water and people has been characterized by authors such as Jim Hightower and Rick Bass as “a mind-bending story of corporate intrigue, government shenanigans and all-around political dirty tricks” that also resonates as “one of this nation’s greatest works of nonfiction.”
Dr. Jim Williams, ADP coordinator and MTSU history professor, said he first heard Wilson speak in June 2006 in Philadelphia at an ADP annual meeting.
“She was introduced as a somewhat shy person who would need prompting to tell her story of being transformed from a working-class mother of five scraping out a living as a shrimper on the gulf coast of Texas to a political activist and environmental crusader,” he said. “Once she got rolling, however, I knew I was in the presence of a great storyteller in the tradition of common folk from the South.
“I was on the edge of my seat as she revealed each detail of her story, with all its triumphs and heartbreak,” Williams continued. “She reminds me of the late Molly Ivins and Ann Richards, both kick-butt-and-take-no-prisoners Texas women, too.”
Although her upcoming visits marks the first time she’s been to MTSU, it’s a stop Wilson said she’s looking forward to.
“I’ve briefly been through the state of Tennessee and was totally taken with its beauty,” she remarked. ”It was very lush when I visited, and all the trees were just starting to turn different colors. Also, the mountainous area where I visited was very different from the flat Gulf Coast.”
In addition to her March 12 public lecture, the activist/author—whose “South Texas dialogue resides somewhere between Alice Walker and William Faulkner”—will be available to speak to MTSU classes 2-4 p.m. March 12 and in the early morning or early afternoon on March 13, Williams said.
“I'm excited for Wilson to visit MTSU so that our students and faculty and the Middle Tennessee community can be inspired by her story and awed by her persistence in the face of huge political and economic forces that allied against her efforts to stop more pollution of the gulf shrimp areas,” he noted.
“She literally risked her life and family's livelihood for the greater good. She went from 'an ordinary mom' to a highly charged political activist, yet she retains her 'aw-shucks' attitude about it all.”
The discussion topics Wilson generally tackles, she said, include “a citizen's progression into civil disobedience, the differences in working
inside and outside the box, community involvement or lack of it, media indifference, forming allies with unexpected forces, the art of misbehaving, corporations' lack of accountability, and the status quo.”
Moreover, the award-winning writer’s talks innately include “more than the students will ever want to know about the psychology of shrimpers,” she added, wryly.
Following her March 12 public lecture, Wilson will be available to sign copies of An Unreasonable Woman, which became available in paperback in October. Copies of the title, $18 each, also will be available for purchase following the lecture, said Allison Lennox, author events coordinator for the Vermont-based Chelsea Green Publishers.
“In an election year, Wilson reminds us that citizens can and must do more than vote every two or four years,” Williams observed. “They need to engage in the daily workings of their communities if they really wish to keep American democracy vibrant and vital in our lives.
“That's the message we are trying to teach our students here so that after they graduate they will do into their communities as educated, engaged citizens."
As for Wilson, “I have been around the USA visiting college campuses and am always curious about campuses (that) take on issues,” she said. “Frankly, I’m probably more interested in the questions (students) might have (because) … that is the best part!”
MTSU faculty and staff interested in scheduling Wilson for a classroom visit during her campus stopover, or to learn more about her free and open March 12 presentation, please e-mail Williams at amerdem@mtsu.edu.
To learn more about Wilson, read reviews or excerpts from her book or to order An Unreasonable Woman online, please access http://www.chelseagreen.com/2006/items/unreasonablewomanpa.
—30—
• ATTENTION, MEDIA—To request an advance interview or jpeg of Wilson for editorial use, please e-mail your inquiry to Lisa L. Rollins in the Office of News and Public Affairs at MTSU at lrollins@mtsu.edu.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, 615-898-2919, or lrollins@mtsu.edu
AWARD-WINNING ACTIVIST/AUTHOR DIANE WILSON VISITS MTSU IN MARCH
Free & Open Lecture Outlines Shrimp-boat Captain’s Battle for the Environment
(MURFREESBORO, Tenn.)—Activist Diane Wilson, author of An Unreasonable Woman: A True Story of Shrimpers, Politicos, Polluters, and the Fight for Seadrift, Texas (Chelsea Green, 2006), will visit the MTSU campus March 12-13 to speak with classes and deliver a free public lecture.
Sponsored by the American Democracy Project (ADP), the Distinguished Lectures Committee and National Women’s History Month, Wilson’s upcoming talk titled "Diane versus Goliath: Taking on Politicians and Corporations to Protect Family and the Environment" will get under way at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 12, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of MTSU’s Business Aerospace Building, with a book signing to follow.
A native of Seadrift, Texas, Wilson is a fourth-generation shrimp-boat captain and mother of five who learned that she lived in the most polluted county in the U.S., and then decided to fight back by launching a campaign against a multibillion-dollar corporation that reportedly covered up spills, silenced workers and dumped lethal ethylene dichloride and vinyl chloride into the bays along the Gulf Coast.
Cited as an epic tale of bravery, An Unreasonable Woman chronicles Wilson’s fight at the chemical plant’s doors and through the court system. Diligent in her efforts to stop the pollution and its cover-up, Wilson encountered scorn, bribery and death threats before realizing she had to break the law to achieve justice.
Wilson’s story of her battle to stop the industrial pollution and its resulting contamination to both water and people has been characterized by authors such as Jim Hightower and Rick Bass as “a mind-bending story of corporate intrigue, government shenanigans and all-around political dirty tricks” that also resonates as “one of this nation’s greatest works of nonfiction.”
Dr. Jim Williams, ADP coordinator and MTSU history professor, said he first heard Wilson speak in June 2006 in Philadelphia at an ADP annual meeting.
“She was introduced as a somewhat shy person who would need prompting to tell her story of being transformed from a working-class mother of five scraping out a living as a shrimper on the gulf coast of Texas to a political activist and environmental crusader,” he said. “Once she got rolling, however, I knew I was in the presence of a great storyteller in the tradition of common folk from the South.
“I was on the edge of my seat as she revealed each detail of her story, with all its triumphs and heartbreak,” Williams continued. “She reminds me of the late Molly Ivins and Ann Richards, both kick-butt-and-take-no-prisoners Texas women, too.”
Although her upcoming visits marks the first time she’s been to MTSU, it’s a stop Wilson said she’s looking forward to.
“I’ve briefly been through the state of Tennessee and was totally taken with its beauty,” she remarked. ”It was very lush when I visited, and all the trees were just starting to turn different colors. Also, the mountainous area where I visited was very different from the flat Gulf Coast.”
In addition to her March 12 public lecture, the activist/author—whose “South Texas dialogue resides somewhere between Alice Walker and William Faulkner”—will be available to speak to MTSU classes 2-4 p.m. March 12 and in the early morning or early afternoon on March 13, Williams said.
“I'm excited for Wilson to visit MTSU so that our students and faculty and the Middle Tennessee community can be inspired by her story and awed by her persistence in the face of huge political and economic forces that allied against her efforts to stop more pollution of the gulf shrimp areas,” he noted.
“She literally risked her life and family's livelihood for the greater good. She went from 'an ordinary mom' to a highly charged political activist, yet she retains her 'aw-shucks' attitude about it all.”
The discussion topics Wilson generally tackles, she said, include “a citizen's progression into civil disobedience, the differences in working
inside and outside the box, community involvement or lack of it, media indifference, forming allies with unexpected forces, the art of misbehaving, corporations' lack of accountability, and the status quo.”
Moreover, the award-winning writer’s talks innately include “more than the students will ever want to know about the psychology of shrimpers,” she added, wryly.
Following her March 12 public lecture, Wilson will be available to sign copies of An Unreasonable Woman, which became available in paperback in October. Copies of the title, $18 each, also will be available for purchase following the lecture, said Allison Lennox, author events coordinator for the Vermont-based Chelsea Green Publishers.
“In an election year, Wilson reminds us that citizens can and must do more than vote every two or four years,” Williams observed. “They need to engage in the daily workings of their communities if they really wish to keep American democracy vibrant and vital in our lives.
“That's the message we are trying to teach our students here so that after they graduate they will do into their communities as educated, engaged citizens."
As for Wilson, “I have been around the USA visiting college campuses and am always curious about campuses (that) take on issues,” she said. “Frankly, I’m probably more interested in the questions (students) might have (because) … that is the best part!”
MTSU faculty and staff interested in scheduling Wilson for a classroom visit during her campus stopover, or to learn more about her free and open March 12 presentation, please e-mail Williams at amerdem@mtsu.edu.
To learn more about Wilson, read reviews or excerpts from her book or to order An Unreasonable Woman online, please access http://www.chelseagreen.com/2006/items/unreasonablewomanpa.
—30—
• ATTENTION, MEDIA—To request an advance interview or jpeg of Wilson for editorial use, please e-mail your inquiry to Lisa L. Rollins in the Office of News and Public Affairs at MTSU at lrollins@mtsu.edu.
243 INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN CLARINETIST JOINS MTSU PIANIST IN CONCERT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 23, 2008
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, (615) 898-2493
INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN CLARINETIST JOINS MTSU PIANIST IN CONCERT
(MURFREESBORO)—Internationally known clarinetist James Campbell will perform in concert with collaborative pianist Leopoldo Erice at 8 p.m. Jan. 30 in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
Additionally, Campbell will also give a two-hour master class at 11:30 a.m. the same day. Both events are free and open to the public.
“James Campbell is a truly great musician, whose sound is gorgeous and his artistry is outstanding,” said Erice, assistant professor of collaborative piano at MTSU. “It is a privilege for MTSU to have him visit our campus.”
The concert will feature Luigi Bassi’s Concert Fantasy on Motives from Verdi's Rigoletto, Johannes Brahms's Sonata in F Minor, op. 120, No. 1, Carl Maria von Weber's Grand Duo Concertant op. 48, Maurice Ravel's Pièce en forme de Habanera and Leonard Bernstein’s Sonata.
Campbell, acclaimed as “Canada 's preeminent clarinetist and wind soloist” by the Toronto Star, has followed his muse to five television specials, more than 40 recordings, 30-plus works commissioned, a Juno Award for Stolen Gems (Marquis Records), a Roy Thomson Hall Award, Canada 's Artist of the Year and the Order of Canada. Most recently, Campbell received The Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal.
He has performed in most of the world's major concert halls and with more than 50 orchestras, including the London Symphony, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and the Russian Philharmonic. He has collaborated and performed with many of the world's great musicians, including Janos Starker, Menahem Pressler, the Borodin Trio and the late Glenn Gould and Aaron Copland, respectively, as well as with the Penderecki, Amadeus and Colorado String Quartets.
Since 1989, Campbell has made Bloomington, Ind., his base during the academic year as a professor of music at Indiana University.
MTSU’s Erice is an accomplished recitalist, soloist and chamber musician who has performed extensively in Europe, America and Asia. He is the winner of various prestigious national prizes such as Royale, Gregorio Baudot, Infanta Cristina and Ciudad de Albacete. He has recorded several CDs and his performances have been recorded and broadcasted for diverse radio and TV programs. He is the founder and the director of the Festival Internacional de Música Clásica de Ribadeo in Spain.
• For more information on this and other events in the MTSU School of Music, please visit www.mtsumusic.com or call 615-898-2493.
—30—
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, (615) 898-2493
INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN CLARINETIST JOINS MTSU PIANIST IN CONCERT
(MURFREESBORO)—Internationally known clarinetist James Campbell will perform in concert with collaborative pianist Leopoldo Erice at 8 p.m. Jan. 30 in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
Additionally, Campbell will also give a two-hour master class at 11:30 a.m. the same day. Both events are free and open to the public.
“James Campbell is a truly great musician, whose sound is gorgeous and his artistry is outstanding,” said Erice, assistant professor of collaborative piano at MTSU. “It is a privilege for MTSU to have him visit our campus.”
The concert will feature Luigi Bassi’s Concert Fantasy on Motives from Verdi's Rigoletto, Johannes Brahms's Sonata in F Minor, op. 120, No. 1, Carl Maria von Weber's Grand Duo Concertant op. 48, Maurice Ravel's Pièce en forme de Habanera and Leonard Bernstein’s Sonata.
Campbell, acclaimed as “Canada 's preeminent clarinetist and wind soloist” by the Toronto Star, has followed his muse to five television specials, more than 40 recordings, 30-plus works commissioned, a Juno Award for Stolen Gems (Marquis Records), a Roy Thomson Hall Award, Canada 's Artist of the Year and the Order of Canada. Most recently, Campbell received The Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal.
He has performed in most of the world's major concert halls and with more than 50 orchestras, including the London Symphony, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and the Russian Philharmonic. He has collaborated and performed with many of the world's great musicians, including Janos Starker, Menahem Pressler, the Borodin Trio and the late Glenn Gould and Aaron Copland, respectively, as well as with the Penderecki, Amadeus and Colorado String Quartets.
Since 1989, Campbell has made Bloomington, Ind., his base during the academic year as a professor of music at Indiana University.
MTSU’s Erice is an accomplished recitalist, soloist and chamber musician who has performed extensively in Europe, America and Asia. He is the winner of various prestigious national prizes such as Royale, Gregorio Baudot, Infanta Cristina and Ciudad de Albacete. He has recorded several CDs and his performances have been recorded and broadcasted for diverse radio and TV programs. He is the founder and the director of the Festival Internacional de Música Clásica de Ribadeo in Spain.
• For more information on this and other events in the MTSU School of Music, please visit www.mtsumusic.com or call 615-898-2493.
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242 NEW MTSU JOURNAL SEEKS TO CHANGE FACE OF SPORT INDUSTRY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 22, 2008
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
NEW MTSU JOURNAL SEEKS TO CHANGE FACE OF SPORT INDUSTRY
Empowerment of Practitioners Is Driving Force Behind MTSU Professor’s Brainchild
(MURFREESBORO) – MTSU’s Sport Management Program will be the point of origin of a new scholarly journal that will provide cutting-edge research on issues affecting the sport industry.
A call for papers will be issued soon to scholars around the world requesting submissions for the Journal of Sport Administration & Supervision. The publication is the brainchild of Dr. Colby Jubenville, associate professor of health and human performance and coordinator of that department’s graduate program.
“We are soliciting some of the top academics and practicing professionals in the sport industry to them know that we want to provide a platform from which information can be produced and consumed, and that we want them to be part of this process,” Jubenville says.
In a twist on conventional academic publications, Jubenville says that, in addition to academicians, sport practitioners will be allowed to review scholars’ works, examine their research, and assess whether it is useful to them.
“One of the things that we must provide is a foundation of theory, but we also need to be a conduit to channel that theory into meaningful application, because that is a glaring void in modern sport industry,” Jubenville says.
Dr. Benjamin Goss of Missouri State University, another founder of the journal who serves as its editor-in-chief, says that such a void exists because of a basic misunderstanding or fear of research in the sport industry.
“Until recently, many sport-related and sport management college program curricula have not had any basic research courses or even any business-based research/statistics courses,” Goss says. “So research can rightfully be seen as very intimidating by the average practitioner.”
Goss asserts that the journal will seek actively to package research in ways that will make it accessible and user-friendly to league and team administrators, coaches and managers.
“We will be very aggressive with efforts to publicize the essential findings of the research in palatable ways that the media can understand and utilize,” Goss says. “If practitioners on our review board give their stamps of approval to pieces of research, we feel confident that other practitioners across sport can understand it, particularly at the upper administrative levels, because almost all of those sport managers are ultra-savvy business people who work with information constantly in making decisions.”
Possible issues to be tackled by writers for the journal include the influence of drug cultures on sport; parental involvement with youth spots; the impact of globalization and internationalization of sport; images, role models and sportsmanship; the impact of marketing practices (sponsorships, branding, advertising, etc.) on sport; and influences of television on decision-making on high school/college athletics.
The future and the face of sport is ultimately what we’re going to address here,” Jubenville says.
The journal’s layout and design were created largely by MTSU doctoral student Mike Martinez. A former sports information specialist for The University of Southern Mississippi and sportswriter, Martinez brings his graphic arts, journalism and public relations skills to the project.
“For me, this is a good fit because I’m kind of both sides of the coin,” Martinez says. “My perception of education is not only to teach people to think critically but be productive in what they choose to do.”
Artwork for the journal will be provided by Douglas C. Hess of Madison, Ala. Hess, whose imagery has been compared to that of Norman Rockwell, has captured numerous sports moments, such as Bear Bryant’s final victory as head football coach at the University of Alabama and the Tennessee Titans’ “Music City Miracle,” on canvas.
Through a partnership with the University of Michigan Library’s Scholarly Publishing Office, which will house the journal, and the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, as well as generous donations from a benefactor who supports the journal’s mission, Jubenville says he expects the first issue to be released in late 2008 or early 2009.
For more information, contact Jubenville at 615-898-2909 or jubenvil@mtsu.edu or Goss at 417-836-6592 or drbengoss@hotmail.com. The journal’s Web site is http://www.jsasonline.org.
A podcast of Jubenville’s interview on “MTSU On the Record,” originally broadcast Dec. 16, 2007, on WMOT-FM, is available at http://www.mtsu.edu/~proffice/podcast2007.html. Radio-ready news stories and audio clips are available for radio stations at http://www.mtsu.edu/~proffice/audio/audio_clips.html.
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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a color jpeg of Douglas C. Hess’s art or interviews with Dr. Colby Jubenville or Dr. Ben Goss, 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
NEW MTSU JOURNAL SEEKS TO CHANGE FACE OF SPORT INDUSTRY
Empowerment of Practitioners Is Driving Force Behind MTSU Professor’s Brainchild
(MURFREESBORO) – MTSU’s Sport Management Program will be the point of origin of a new scholarly journal that will provide cutting-edge research on issues affecting the sport industry.
A call for papers will be issued soon to scholars around the world requesting submissions for the Journal of Sport Administration & Supervision. The publication is the brainchild of Dr. Colby Jubenville, associate professor of health and human performance and coordinator of that department’s graduate program.
“We are soliciting some of the top academics and practicing professionals in the sport industry to them know that we want to provide a platform from which information can be produced and consumed, and that we want them to be part of this process,” Jubenville says.
In a twist on conventional academic publications, Jubenville says that, in addition to academicians, sport practitioners will be allowed to review scholars’ works, examine their research, and assess whether it is useful to them.
“One of the things that we must provide is a foundation of theory, but we also need to be a conduit to channel that theory into meaningful application, because that is a glaring void in modern sport industry,” Jubenville says.
Dr. Benjamin Goss of Missouri State University, another founder of the journal who serves as its editor-in-chief, says that such a void exists because of a basic misunderstanding or fear of research in the sport industry.
“Until recently, many sport-related and sport management college program curricula have not had any basic research courses or even any business-based research/statistics courses,” Goss says. “So research can rightfully be seen as very intimidating by the average practitioner.”
Goss asserts that the journal will seek actively to package research in ways that will make it accessible and user-friendly to league and team administrators, coaches and managers.
“We will be very aggressive with efforts to publicize the essential findings of the research in palatable ways that the media can understand and utilize,” Goss says. “If practitioners on our review board give their stamps of approval to pieces of research, we feel confident that other practitioners across sport can understand it, particularly at the upper administrative levels, because almost all of those sport managers are ultra-savvy business people who work with information constantly in making decisions.”
Possible issues to be tackled by writers for the journal include the influence of drug cultures on sport; parental involvement with youth spots; the impact of globalization and internationalization of sport; images, role models and sportsmanship; the impact of marketing practices (sponsorships, branding, advertising, etc.) on sport; and influences of television on decision-making on high school/college athletics.
The future and the face of sport is ultimately what we’re going to address here,” Jubenville says.
The journal’s layout and design were created largely by MTSU doctoral student Mike Martinez. A former sports information specialist for The University of Southern Mississippi and sportswriter, Martinez brings his graphic arts, journalism and public relations skills to the project.
“For me, this is a good fit because I’m kind of both sides of the coin,” Martinez says. “My perception of education is not only to teach people to think critically but be productive in what they choose to do.”
Artwork for the journal will be provided by Douglas C. Hess of Madison, Ala. Hess, whose imagery has been compared to that of Norman Rockwell, has captured numerous sports moments, such as Bear Bryant’s final victory as head football coach at the University of Alabama and the Tennessee Titans’ “Music City Miracle,” on canvas.
Through a partnership with the University of Michigan Library’s Scholarly Publishing Office, which will house the journal, and the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, as well as generous donations from a benefactor who supports the journal’s mission, Jubenville says he expects the first issue to be released in late 2008 or early 2009.
For more information, contact Jubenville at 615-898-2909 or jubenvil@mtsu.edu or Goss at 417-836-6592 or drbengoss@hotmail.com. The journal’s Web site is http://www.jsasonline.org.
A podcast of Jubenville’s interview on “MTSU On the Record,” originally broadcast Dec. 16, 2007, on WMOT-FM, is available at http://www.mtsu.edu/~proffice/podcast2007.html. Radio-ready news stories and audio clips are available for radio stations at http://www.mtsu.edu/~proffice/audio/audio_clips.html.
--30--
ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a color jpeg of Douglas C. Hess’s art or interviews with Dr. Colby Jubenville or Dr. Ben Goss, contact Gina Logue in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.
241 MTSU STUDENTS NET NOMINATIONS IN PRESTIGIOUS THEATER CONTEST
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 18, 2008
CONTACT: Jeff Gibson, (615) 898-5916
MTSU STUDENTS NET NOMINATIONS IN PRESTIGIOUS THEATER CONTEST
MTSU Faculty Member McGilliard Garners Directing Nomination for ‘Romeo & Juliet’
(MURFREESBORO)—An Intervention from God, an award-winning play by MTSU senior Jayme M. Smith, a theatre major from Liberty, Tenn., will be one of five showcased productions set for performance at the Region IV presentation of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) on Feb. 5-10 at Clemson University in South Carolina.
Jeff Gibson, assistant professor of speech and theatre at MTSU and Region IV chairman for KCACTF, said, “We are so pleased that Jayme's play is being recognized with its presentation at the festival. Her work is a great representation of our program and its talented students.”
The showcased productions will be considered for an all-expense paid trip to the national festival April 14-20 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., to be performed. A national selection team will choose a total of from four to six productions, taken from eight regions across the country, for showcase at the Kennedy Center. In addition to the chance to perform with peers in Washington, the students will also be candidates for a host of scholarships and awards.
While the KCACTF honors excellence in overall production, Gibson noted, individual students are also recognized for excellence in specific categories. Awards will be announced at the Kennedy Center during the national festival.
MTSU students nominated for individual awards at the regional festival
include the following Irene Ryan Award acting nominees: Matthew Frazier-Smith of Nashville and Murfreesboro’s Georgia Hemrick for Kid Icarus; Justin Bourdet of Murfreesboro and Franklin resident Paige Hall for Ramona Quimby; Ashland City native Estelle Hatcher and Valerie Meek of Smyrna for The Country Wife; Leah Fincher of Bells, Tenn., and Vance McCarty of Knoxville for Mother Courage and Her Children; Dustin Napier of Lebanon and Alli Scott of Murfreesboro for Romeo and Juliet; and David Bennett for An Intervention from God.
Franklin native Paige Hall also was nominated for a stage management award for her work with Romeo and Juliet, while Katrina Stanifer of Lexington, Tenn., was nominated for a Barbizon Costume Design Award and an Alcone Makeup Award for her work with Kid Icarus. Pleasantview, Tenn., native Hunter Raymond also was nominated for a Barbizon Lighting Design Award for his work with The Country Wife. Speech and theatre professor Dale E. McGilliard also was nominated for a faculty directing award for his work on Romeo and Juliet.
In addition to Gibson, MTSU faculty working with the Region IV festival includes speech and theatre professors Deborah Anderson (playwriting chairwoman) and M. Crosby Hunt (regional director of the National Critics Institute).
For more information about the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, please visit www.kcactf4.org.
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CONTACT: Jeff Gibson, (615) 898-5916
MTSU STUDENTS NET NOMINATIONS IN PRESTIGIOUS THEATER CONTEST
MTSU Faculty Member McGilliard Garners Directing Nomination for ‘Romeo & Juliet’
(MURFREESBORO)—An Intervention from God, an award-winning play by MTSU senior Jayme M. Smith, a theatre major from Liberty, Tenn., will be one of five showcased productions set for performance at the Region IV presentation of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) on Feb. 5-10 at Clemson University in South Carolina.
Jeff Gibson, assistant professor of speech and theatre at MTSU and Region IV chairman for KCACTF, said, “We are so pleased that Jayme's play is being recognized with its presentation at the festival. Her work is a great representation of our program and its talented students.”
The showcased productions will be considered for an all-expense paid trip to the national festival April 14-20 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., to be performed. A national selection team will choose a total of from four to six productions, taken from eight regions across the country, for showcase at the Kennedy Center. In addition to the chance to perform with peers in Washington, the students will also be candidates for a host of scholarships and awards.
While the KCACTF honors excellence in overall production, Gibson noted, individual students are also recognized for excellence in specific categories. Awards will be announced at the Kennedy Center during the national festival.
MTSU students nominated for individual awards at the regional festival
include the following Irene Ryan Award acting nominees: Matthew Frazier-Smith of Nashville and Murfreesboro’s Georgia Hemrick for Kid Icarus; Justin Bourdet of Murfreesboro and Franklin resident Paige Hall for Ramona Quimby; Ashland City native Estelle Hatcher and Valerie Meek of Smyrna for The Country Wife; Leah Fincher of Bells, Tenn., and Vance McCarty of Knoxville for Mother Courage and Her Children; Dustin Napier of Lebanon and Alli Scott of Murfreesboro for Romeo and Juliet; and David Bennett for An Intervention from God.
Franklin native Paige Hall also was nominated for a stage management award for her work with Romeo and Juliet, while Katrina Stanifer of Lexington, Tenn., was nominated for a Barbizon Costume Design Award and an Alcone Makeup Award for her work with Kid Icarus. Pleasantview, Tenn., native Hunter Raymond also was nominated for a Barbizon Lighting Design Award for his work with The Country Wife. Speech and theatre professor Dale E. McGilliard also was nominated for a faculty directing award for his work on Romeo and Juliet.
In addition to Gibson, MTSU faculty working with the Region IV festival includes speech and theatre professors Deborah Anderson (playwriting chairwoman) and M. Crosby Hunt (regional director of the National Critics Institute).
For more information about the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, please visit www.kcactf4.org.
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240 MTSU SITE FOR EIGHTH ANNUAL FLUTE FESTIVAL ON JAN. 26
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 18, 2008
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, (615) 898-2493
MTSU SITE FOR EIGHTH ANNUAL FLUTE FESTIVAL ON JAN. 26
(MURFREESBORO)—The eighth annual MTSU Flute Festival featuring guest artist Jonathan Keeble will be held Saturday, Jan. 26, with registration beginning at 8 a.m. in the Wright Music Building lobby on the MTSU campus.
Guest artist Keeble will give a 2 p.m. recital performance and a 4 p.m. master class in the Hinton Music Hall located in the Wright Music Building. In addition, Keeble will make a presentation titled Making Old Music New: Transforming the ‘Warhorses’ Into Modern Language.
“Other flute festival events include a High School Solo and a Junior Solo Competition, which takes place in the morning. Also, area college teachers will be the hosts of a Flute Chat session,” said Deanna Little, festival coordinator and assistant professor of flute.
The participating college teachers include Roger Martin from Tennessee Tech University, Lisa Vanarsdel from Austin Peay State University, Carolyn Treybig from Belmont University and Tracey Schmidt from Vanderbilt University.
An early morning Breathing Gym session by Celine Thackston and an Emergency Flute Repair Session with Miles Davis from Miles Ahead Instrument Service and Sales also will be part of the festival.
Keeble, professor of flute at the University of Illinois, has an active solo and chamber career and is the principle flute of Sinfonia Camera.
“An engaging and vibrant sound” (Rochester Democrat & Chronicle) and a “beautiful flutist and charismatic teacher” (Tom George, Madeline Island Music Camp) are just a pair of Keeble’s recent accolades. A regular on concert series throughout North America, Keeble is one of the leading performers of his generation.
Admission for the flute festival is $15 to register for the day as a participating flutist. The general public may register as a guest for one or all of the public concerts and public competitions for a one-time charge of $5.
For more information, please access www.mtsu.edu/~drhahn/keeble or call Little at 615-898-2473.
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CONTACT: Tim Musselman, (615) 898-2493
MTSU SITE FOR EIGHTH ANNUAL FLUTE FESTIVAL ON JAN. 26
(MURFREESBORO)—The eighth annual MTSU Flute Festival featuring guest artist Jonathan Keeble will be held Saturday, Jan. 26, with registration beginning at 8 a.m. in the Wright Music Building lobby on the MTSU campus.
Guest artist Keeble will give a 2 p.m. recital performance and a 4 p.m. master class in the Hinton Music Hall located in the Wright Music Building. In addition, Keeble will make a presentation titled Making Old Music New: Transforming the ‘Warhorses’ Into Modern Language.
“Other flute festival events include a High School Solo and a Junior Solo Competition, which takes place in the morning. Also, area college teachers will be the hosts of a Flute Chat session,” said Deanna Little, festival coordinator and assistant professor of flute.
The participating college teachers include Roger Martin from Tennessee Tech University, Lisa Vanarsdel from Austin Peay State University, Carolyn Treybig from Belmont University and Tracey Schmidt from Vanderbilt University.
An early morning Breathing Gym session by Celine Thackston and an Emergency Flute Repair Session with Miles Davis from Miles Ahead Instrument Service and Sales also will be part of the festival.
Keeble, professor of flute at the University of Illinois, has an active solo and chamber career and is the principle flute of Sinfonia Camera.
“An engaging and vibrant sound” (Rochester Democrat & Chronicle) and a “beautiful flutist and charismatic teacher” (Tom George, Madeline Island Music Camp) are just a pair of Keeble’s recent accolades. A regular on concert series throughout North America, Keeble is one of the leading performers of his generation.
Admission for the flute festival is $15 to register for the day as a participating flutist. The general public may register as a guest for one or all of the public concerts and public competitions for a one-time charge of $5.
For more information, please access www.mtsu.edu/~drhahn/keeble or call Little at 615-898-2473.
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238 NO PAROLE FROM RAVAGES OF OLD AGE FOR WOMEN BEHIND BARS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 17, 2008
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
NO PAROLE FROM RAVAGES OF OLD AGE FOR WOMEN BEHIND BARS
MTSU Women’s Studies Research Series Examines Aging Women in Prisons
(MURFREESBORO) – “Grandma Lifers in Prison: Approaches to Understanding the Lives of a Forgotten Population” will be the first presentation of the new year in the Women’s Studies Research Series at 3 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 24, in Room 100 of MTSU’s James Union Building. This lecture is free and open to the public.
Dr. Ron Aday, professor of sociology and anthropology, will deliver the address and answer questions. One of his areas of scholarly research is the treatment of the aged behind bars.
“The number of women inmates in state and federal prisons has increased rapidly in recent decades and, more recently, older women have been the fastest growing segment of this population,” Aday says. “As a forgotten minority, virtually nothing is known about the distinct experiences of older women in prison.
According to Aday, focus groups and personal interviews in seven state prisons for women reveal that aging presents “numerous complications” for female inmates serving life sentences.
“The voices of these older women illustrate the ‘pains of imprisonment’ they encounter in the areas of personal identity, social and familial relationships, health concerns and environmental deprivations,” Aday says. “As these lifers make prison their home, understanding the strategies they use to cope with the dehumanizing conditions and deprivations of prison life is important as correctional facilities respond to the special needs of this forgotten prison population.”
"The MTSU Women's Studies Research Series has something for everyone interested in women's experience,” says Dr. Jane Marcellus, professor of mass communication. “By bringing together scholars from across campus, we touch on a wide variety of feminist viewpoints in an informal monthly gathering.”
For more information, contact 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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EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
NO PAROLE FROM RAVAGES OF OLD AGE FOR WOMEN BEHIND BARS
MTSU Women’s Studies Research Series Examines Aging Women in Prisons
(MURFREESBORO) – “Grandma Lifers in Prison: Approaches to Understanding the Lives of a Forgotten Population” will be the first presentation of the new year in the Women’s Studies Research Series at 3 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 24, in Room 100 of MTSU’s James Union Building. This lecture is free and open to the public.
Dr. Ron Aday, professor of sociology and anthropology, will deliver the address and answer questions. One of his areas of scholarly research is the treatment of the aged behind bars.
“The number of women inmates in state and federal prisons has increased rapidly in recent decades and, more recently, older women have been the fastest growing segment of this population,” Aday says. “As a forgotten minority, virtually nothing is known about the distinct experiences of older women in prison.
According to Aday, focus groups and personal interviews in seven state prisons for women reveal that aging presents “numerous complications” for female inmates serving life sentences.
“The voices of these older women illustrate the ‘pains of imprisonment’ they encounter in the areas of personal identity, social and familial relationships, health concerns and environmental deprivations,” Aday says. “As these lifers make prison their home, understanding the strategies they use to cope with the dehumanizing conditions and deprivations of prison life is important as correctional facilities respond to the special needs of this forgotten prison population.”
"The MTSU Women's Studies Research Series has something for everyone interested in women's experience,” says Dr. Jane Marcellus, professor of mass communication. “By bringing together scholars from across campus, we touch on a wide variety of feminist viewpoints in an informal monthly gathering.”
For more information, contact 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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Wednesday, January 16, 2008
237 SIX PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS JOIN FORCES FOR JAN. 28 OBOE RECITAL
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 15, 2008
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, (615) 898-2493
SIX PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS JOIN FORCES FOR JAN. 28 OBOE RECITAL
(MURFREESBORO)—George T. Riordan will present a faculty oboe recital and be joined by five other professional musicians in a free and open concert at 8 p.m. Jan. 28 in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
Riordan, who is director of the MTSU School of Music, will be joined by faculty and friends Lynn Rice-See (piano), Karen Clarke (violin), Sarah Coté (viola), Chris Stenstrom (cello) and Murray Somerville (harpsichord).
The performance will include Georg Philipp Telemann’s Partita 2 in G Major, Carl Stamitz’s Quartet in D Major, Camille Saint-Saëns’s Sonate pour hautbois avec accompt de piano and Charles Martin Loeffler’s Two Rhapsodies of 1905.
Riordan has performed with modern and period instrument ensembles and orchestras and taught at festivals throughout the country. He is currently principal oboist with the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra and Belle Meade Baroque.
Rice-See is coordinator of the keyboard area at the MTSU School of
Music, where she teaches piano.
Violinist Clarke has performed with modern and period instrument groups throughout the nation and is currently concertmaster of the Atlanta Chamber Orchestra and Belle Meade Baroque. In 2007, she began teaching at Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music after 27 years as professor of violin in the College of Music at Florida State University.
Violist Coté performs with numerous groups throughout the mid-South and serves on the faculties of the MTSU and Belmont University schools of music, as well as the Eastern Music Festival. Cellist Stenstrom is a member of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, and is executive director of Alias, the Nashville chamber music ensemble. Additionally, harpsichord player Somerville serves as director of music at St. George’s Episcopal Church in Nashville and the director of Belle Meade Baroque.
The Jan. 28 recital 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.com or call 615-898-2493.
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ATTENTION, MEDIA—To secure a jpeg of Riordan for editorial use please e-mail Tim Musselman at tmusselm@mtsu.edu.
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, (615) 898-2493
SIX PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS JOIN FORCES FOR JAN. 28 OBOE RECITAL
(MURFREESBORO)—George T. Riordan will present a faculty oboe recital and be joined by five other professional musicians in a free and open concert at 8 p.m. Jan. 28 in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
Riordan, who is director of the MTSU School of Music, will be joined by faculty and friends Lynn Rice-See (piano), Karen Clarke (violin), Sarah Coté (viola), Chris Stenstrom (cello) and Murray Somerville (harpsichord).
The performance will include Georg Philipp Telemann’s Partita 2 in G Major, Carl Stamitz’s Quartet in D Major, Camille Saint-Saëns’s Sonate pour hautbois avec accompt de piano and Charles Martin Loeffler’s Two Rhapsodies of 1905.
Riordan has performed with modern and period instrument ensembles and orchestras and taught at festivals throughout the country. He is currently principal oboist with the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra and Belle Meade Baroque.
Rice-See is coordinator of the keyboard area at the MTSU School of
Music, where she teaches piano.
Violinist Clarke has performed with modern and period instrument groups throughout the nation and is currently concertmaster of the Atlanta Chamber Orchestra and Belle Meade Baroque. In 2007, she began teaching at Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music after 27 years as professor of violin in the College of Music at Florida State University.
Violist Coté performs with numerous groups throughout the mid-South and serves on the faculties of the MTSU and Belmont University schools of music, as well as the Eastern Music Festival. Cellist Stenstrom is a member of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, and is executive director of Alias, the Nashville chamber music ensemble. Additionally, harpsichord player Somerville serves as director of music at St. George’s Episcopal Church in Nashville and the director of Belle Meade Baroque.
The Jan. 28 recital 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.com or call 615-898-2493.
—30—
ATTENTION, MEDIA—To secure a jpeg of Riordan for editorial use please e-mail Tim Musselman at tmusselm@mtsu.edu.
236 MTSU Black History Month 2008
Jan. 15, 2008
MTSU Black History Month 2008
Calendar of Events
Contact: Chairpersons Dr. Sekou Franklin, 615-904-8232 and Luther Buie, 615-898-2987
This year's MTSU Black History Month theme is “Carter G. Woodson and the Origins of Multiculturalism.”
NOTE: All events are free and open to the public unless an admission price is included in the information. MTSU News and Public Affairs may have access to photos of guest speakers; however that may not always be the case. Give us a call at 615-898-2919. We will do our best to assist you. Thank you for your help in sharing this information.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
(For events Jan. 20 to 27, visit www.mtsu.edu/aahm.)
Monday, January 28
Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars Concert
7:00 p.m., Tennessee Room, James Union Building
Sponsored by the Student Programming Department
Event is free and open to the public
Monday and Tuesday, February 4 and 5
Sponsored by the Student Government Association
Black Inventions Exhibit
10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m., KUC Lounge
Wednesday, February 6 Unity Luncheon (“Unsung Heroes” Honors)
11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Tennessee Room, James Union Building
$18 adult; $8 student with MTSU ID
To purchase tickets, contact Brenda Wunder at 898-2797
or bwunder@mtsu.edu. The deadline to purchase tickets is Jan. 31.
Thursday, February 7
“Africa and the Diaspora: African, African-American,
and Caribbean Student Dialogue”
Co-Sponsored by the International Programs and Services Office
2:00-4:00 p.m., Faculty Senate Room, James Union Building (Room 100)
Thursday, February 7
“Street Fight”: a film about racial politics in Newark, New Jersey
Sponsored by the University Honors College
5: 00 p.m., University Honors College Amphitheatre, Room 106
Tuesday, February 12
A(Wearness) Runaway Project
Co-Sponsored by Women in Action
6:00 p.m., Tennessee Room, James Union Building
Wednesday, February 13
John Pleas Faculty Award
4:00-6:00 p.m., Tom Jackson Building (Old Alumni Building)
Monday and Tuesday, February 18 and 19
“The Meeting: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X”
(A Student Produced Play)
7:30 p.m., Boutwell Dramatic Arts Building
Monday, February 18
Reflections on the “Jena 6” Protest: Film and Discussion
Co-Sponsored by the American Democracy Project
4:00-5:30 p.m., CKNB N116 (The Nursing Building)
Wednesday, February 20
Felony Disenfranchisement and the Right to Vote in Tennessee
Co-Sponsored by the ACLU Right-to-Vote Campaign and
the American Democracy Project
12:30-2:00 p.m., CKNB 121 (Nursing Building)
Wednesday, February 20
Black History Quiz Bowl
Co-Sponsored by the NAACP Collegiate Chapter
5:30 p.m., Location TBA
Thursday, February 21
“Race in the 21st Century”
Poet and Essayist Dr. Nikki Giovanni
7:00 p.m., Learning Resource Center Auditorium (Room 221)
Sunday, February 24
Annual Gospel Extravaganza
6:00 p.m., Tucker Theatre
$10.00 adults, $5.00 students,
Free for children under 6 years old
Tuesday, February 26
Geri Allen Jazz Concert
Co-sponsored by the International Association for Jazz Education
7:30 p.m., T. Earl Hinton Music Hall (Wright Music Building)
Free and open to the public
Tuesday, March 11
Lecture by Author Rebecca Walker
Co-Sponsored by National Women's History Month Committee,
June Anderson Women’s Center and the Distinguished Lecture Fund
4:00 p.m., KUC Theater
Free and open to the public
Monday, March 24
Lecture by Bernice G. Armour
The first African-American woman combat pilot in US history
6:00 p.m., Tennessee Room, James Union Building
Free and open to the public
MTSU Black History Month 2008
Calendar of Events
Contact: Chairpersons Dr. Sekou Franklin, 615-904-8232 and Luther Buie, 615-898-2987
This year's MTSU Black History Month theme is “Carter G. Woodson and the Origins of Multiculturalism.”
NOTE: All events are free and open to the public unless an admission price is included in the information. MTSU News and Public Affairs may have access to photos of guest speakers; however that may not always be the case. Give us a call at 615-898-2919. We will do our best to assist you. Thank you for your help in sharing this information.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
(For events Jan. 20 to 27, visit www.mtsu.edu/aahm.)
Monday, January 28
Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars Concert
7:00 p.m., Tennessee Room, James Union Building
Sponsored by the Student Programming Department
Event is free and open to the public
Monday and Tuesday, February 4 and 5
Sponsored by the Student Government Association
Black Inventions Exhibit
10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m., KUC Lounge
Wednesday, February 6 Unity Luncheon (“Unsung Heroes” Honors)
11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Tennessee Room, James Union Building
$18 adult; $8 student with MTSU ID
To purchase tickets, contact Brenda Wunder at 898-2797
or bwunder@mtsu.edu. The deadline to purchase tickets is Jan. 31.
Thursday, February 7
“Africa and the Diaspora: African, African-American,
and Caribbean Student Dialogue”
Co-Sponsored by the International Programs and Services Office
2:00-4:00 p.m., Faculty Senate Room, James Union Building (Room 100)
Thursday, February 7
“Street Fight”: a film about racial politics in Newark, New Jersey
Sponsored by the University Honors College
5: 00 p.m., University Honors College Amphitheatre, Room 106
Tuesday, February 12
A(Wearness) Runaway Project
Co-Sponsored by Women in Action
6:00 p.m., Tennessee Room, James Union Building
Wednesday, February 13
John Pleas Faculty Award
4:00-6:00 p.m., Tom Jackson Building (Old Alumni Building)
Monday and Tuesday, February 18 and 19
“The Meeting: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X”
(A Student Produced Play)
7:30 p.m., Boutwell Dramatic Arts Building
Monday, February 18
Reflections on the “Jena 6” Protest: Film and Discussion
Co-Sponsored by the American Democracy Project
4:00-5:30 p.m., CKNB N116 (The Nursing Building)
Wednesday, February 20
Felony Disenfranchisement and the Right to Vote in Tennessee
Co-Sponsored by the ACLU Right-to-Vote Campaign and
the American Democracy Project
12:30-2:00 p.m., CKNB 121 (Nursing Building)
Wednesday, February 20
Black History Quiz Bowl
Co-Sponsored by the NAACP Collegiate Chapter
5:30 p.m., Location TBA
Thursday, February 21
“Race in the 21st Century”
Poet and Essayist Dr. Nikki Giovanni
7:00 p.m., Learning Resource Center Auditorium (Room 221)
Sunday, February 24
Annual Gospel Extravaganza
6:00 p.m., Tucker Theatre
$10.00 adults, $5.00 students,
Free for children under 6 years old
Tuesday, February 26
Geri Allen Jazz Concert
Co-sponsored by the International Association for Jazz Education
7:30 p.m., T. Earl Hinton Music Hall (Wright Music Building)
Free and open to the public
Tuesday, March 11
Lecture by Author Rebecca Walker
Co-Sponsored by National Women's History Month Committee,
June Anderson Women’s Center and the Distinguished Lecture Fund
4:00 p.m., KUC Theater
Free and open to the public
Monday, March 24
Lecture by Bernice G. Armour
The first African-American woman combat pilot in US history
6:00 p.m., Tennessee Room, James Union Building
Free and open to the public
235 21,096 STUDENTS START MTSU SPRING 2008 SEMESTER
Release date: Jan. 14, 2008
News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
Enrollment Services contact: Dr. Sherian Huddleston, 615-898-2828
21,096 STUDENTS START MTSU SPRING 2008 SEMESTER
(MURFREESBORO) — The first day of spring 2008 classes at MTSU included a headcount of 21,096 students enrolled in classes, Dr. Sherian Huddleston, associate vice provost for enrollment services, said earlier today.
The Day 1 headcount is 299 more than the 20,797 students who attended the first day of classes Jan. 16, 2007, Huddleston said, adding that it is a 1.4 percent increase.
Final spring enrollment totals will be submitted Sunday, Jan. 27, the 14-day census report date, or shortly thereafter to the Tennessee Board or Regents. Until then, the numbers will change daily because of late registration and students dropping and adding classes, and withdrawing, she said.
By mid-morning today, the academic affairs and student affairs offices reported no problems and things running smoothly as classes resumed.
Students can continue to register for classes through Tuesday, Jan. 15, on RaiderNet. A $100 late fee will be added. Students can drop or add classes through Friday, Jan. 18, on RaiderNet.
The spring late registration fee payment deadline will be 4:30 p.m. Jan. 18 at the business office in Cope Administration Building or on RaiderNet. This is for students who selected classes Jan. 9-18.
Huddleston said Jan. 27 would be the day students could receive a “75 percent fee refund if they drop below full time and the deadline for them to drop a course without a grade being recorded on their transcript.”
Jan. 13 was the last day to withdraw to receive a 100 percent fee adjustment. Saturday, Feb. 9, is the last day for students to drop to part time or withdraw (dropping all classes) from the university and receive a 25 percent fee adjustment.
Sunday, March 2, is the last day to drop or withdraw with a grade of “W.”
Huddleston said if students have trouble getting onto the system to select their classes, they should call the MTSU Scheduling Center at 615-898-5800 and if they have technical problems, they should call the ITD Help Desk at 615-898-5345.
For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.
###
News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
Enrollment Services contact: Dr. Sherian Huddleston, 615-898-2828
21,096 STUDENTS START MTSU SPRING 2008 SEMESTER
(MURFREESBORO) — The first day of spring 2008 classes at MTSU included a headcount of 21,096 students enrolled in classes, Dr. Sherian Huddleston, associate vice provost for enrollment services, said earlier today.
The Day 1 headcount is 299 more than the 20,797 students who attended the first day of classes Jan. 16, 2007, Huddleston said, adding that it is a 1.4 percent increase.
Final spring enrollment totals will be submitted Sunday, Jan. 27, the 14-day census report date, or shortly thereafter to the Tennessee Board or Regents. Until then, the numbers will change daily because of late registration and students dropping and adding classes, and withdrawing, she said.
By mid-morning today, the academic affairs and student affairs offices reported no problems and things running smoothly as classes resumed.
Students can continue to register for classes through Tuesday, Jan. 15, on RaiderNet. A $100 late fee will be added. Students can drop or add classes through Friday, Jan. 18, on RaiderNet.
The spring late registration fee payment deadline will be 4:30 p.m. Jan. 18 at the business office in Cope Administration Building or on RaiderNet. This is for students who selected classes Jan. 9-18.
Huddleston said Jan. 27 would be the day students could receive a “75 percent fee refund if they drop below full time and the deadline for them to drop a course without a grade being recorded on their transcript.”
Jan. 13 was the last day to withdraw to receive a 100 percent fee adjustment. Saturday, Feb. 9, is the last day for students to drop to part time or withdraw (dropping all classes) from the university and receive a 25 percent fee adjustment.
Sunday, March 2, is the last day to drop or withdraw with a grade of “W.”
Huddleston said if students have trouble getting onto the system to select their classes, they should call the MTSU Scheduling Center at 615-898-5800 and if they have technical problems, they should call the ITD Help Desk at 615-898-5345.
For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.
###
Friday, January 11, 2008
234 PRINCETON REVIEW NAMES MTSU ONE OF THE BEST IN SOUTHEAST
PRINCETON REVIEW NAMES MTSU 1 OF THE BEST IN SOUTHEAST
University's educational experience called 'best bang for your buck'
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 10, 2008
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Doug Williams, 615-898-2919
(MURFREESBORO)--The Princeton Review has designated MTSU as one among 146 "Best Southeastern Colleges" as the result of a survey of MTSU students by the publication.
According to survey findings, students said that MTSU offers "the best bang for your buck in academia, sports, parties and overall experience." The Princeton Review conducts surveys with millions of college undergraduates in hopes of identifying the top schools in each region of the country.
"We include schools that we have a high opinion of their academics and overall college experience," said Jen Adams, Princeton Review student survey manager. "We survey many, many students and guidance counselors before we make our selections. MTSU should be pleased with being part of this group."
In 2007, a random population of MTSU undergraduate students was surveyed by the Review and praised their professors as "extremely knowledgeable and very willing to meet with students outside of class." One MTSU junior offered that "if I've ever had a problem, the administration and professor were there to help me."
The comments mirror MTSU's efforts to be the best comprehensive university in the state of Tennessee and come as no great surprise, said President Sidney A. McPhee.
"We are very pleased to get this feedback from The Princeton Review that MTSU is one of their best rated universities in the South," McPhee said. "More importantly, we are pleased that our students feel MTSU is working hard to make sure they get the support they need from both the faculty and administration."
McPhee added that the designation by The Princeton Review reflects the values in the university's "I'M ONE" campaign of treating each student as an individual.
"This is another reminder that our faculty has a deep commitment to excellence in teaching and a willingness to be involved with every student as an individual," McPhee said. "We must each day reaffirm our commitment to helping students reach their full potential."
The Princeton Review is a for-profit educational preparation company that offers test preparation for standardized achievement tests and advice regarding college admissions. The Web site www.princetonreview.com gets approximately 1.2 million unique hits per year, according to Sat Sharma of TPR admissions services.
To read MTSU's complete entry in the rankings, visit www.princetonreview.com, register for free access and search for "Middle Tennessee State University" in the school search box.
Founded in September 1911, MTSU is the oldest and largest public university in the Tennessee Board of Regents System. Located 30 miles southeast of Nashville, the campus is on 500 acres in Murfreesboro, the geographic center of the state.
The university has a long-term history and commitment to educating Tennesseans, and with a fall 2007 enrollment of 22,641 students, is the largest undergraduate university in the state. Of the almost 77,000 total alumni, approximately 90 percent were born in Tennessee, and the vast majority remain in Tennessee after graduation.
MTSU is a member of Division I-A in all sports and a new addition to the 12- member Sun Belt Conference. MTSU athletes will compete against some of the nation's finest athletes in large media markets, including New Orleans, Denver and Miami. The Sun Belt Conference produced 23 All-Americans last year and 601 student-athletes were recognized for academic success.
A comprehensive university, MTSU offers over 140 undergraduate degrees in its six colleges-Basic and Applied Sciences, Business, Education, Liberal Arts, Mass Communication and University Honors-and over 55 graduate programs, including doctoral degrees.
-------
IN BRIEF: MTSU has been named one of the 146 Best Southeastern Colleges by The Princeton Review, which conducts surveys with millions of college undergraduates in hopes of identifying the top schools in each region of the country. "We include schools that we have a high opinion of their academics and overall college experience," said Jen Adams, Princeton Review student survey manager. "We survey many, many students and guidance counselors before we make our selections. MTSU should be pleased with being part of this group." To read MTSU's complete entry in the rankings, visit www.princetonreview.com, register for free access and search for "Middle Tennessee State University" in the school search box.
For MTSU news and information, visit www.mtsunews.com.
-30-
University's educational experience called 'best bang for your buck'
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 10, 2008
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Doug Williams, 615-898-2919
(MURFREESBORO)--The Princeton Review has designated MTSU as one among 146 "Best Southeastern Colleges" as the result of a survey of MTSU students by the publication.
According to survey findings, students said that MTSU offers "the best bang for your buck in academia, sports, parties and overall experience." The Princeton Review conducts surveys with millions of college undergraduates in hopes of identifying the top schools in each region of the country.
"We include schools that we have a high opinion of their academics and overall college experience," said Jen Adams, Princeton Review student survey manager. "We survey many, many students and guidance counselors before we make our selections. MTSU should be pleased with being part of this group."
In 2007, a random population of MTSU undergraduate students was surveyed by the Review and praised their professors as "extremely knowledgeable and very willing to meet with students outside of class." One MTSU junior offered that "if I've ever had a problem, the administration and professor were there to help me."
The comments mirror MTSU's efforts to be the best comprehensive university in the state of Tennessee and come as no great surprise, said President Sidney A. McPhee.
"We are very pleased to get this feedback from The Princeton Review that MTSU is one of their best rated universities in the South," McPhee said. "More importantly, we are pleased that our students feel MTSU is working hard to make sure they get the support they need from both the faculty and administration."
McPhee added that the designation by The Princeton Review reflects the values in the university's "I'M ONE" campaign of treating each student as an individual.
"This is another reminder that our faculty has a deep commitment to excellence in teaching and a willingness to be involved with every student as an individual," McPhee said. "We must each day reaffirm our commitment to helping students reach their full potential."
The Princeton Review is a for-profit educational preparation company that offers test preparation for standardized achievement tests and advice regarding college admissions. The Web site www.princetonreview.com gets approximately 1.2 million unique hits per year, according to Sat Sharma of TPR admissions services.
To read MTSU's complete entry in the rankings, visit www.princetonreview.com, register for free access and search for "Middle Tennessee State University" in the school search box.
Founded in September 1911, MTSU is the oldest and largest public university in the Tennessee Board of Regents System. Located 30 miles southeast of Nashville, the campus is on 500 acres in Murfreesboro, the geographic center of the state.
The university has a long-term history and commitment to educating Tennesseans, and with a fall 2007 enrollment of 22,641 students, is the largest undergraduate university in the state. Of the almost 77,000 total alumni, approximately 90 percent were born in Tennessee, and the vast majority remain in Tennessee after graduation.
MTSU is a member of Division I-A in all sports and a new addition to the 12- member Sun Belt Conference. MTSU athletes will compete against some of the nation's finest athletes in large media markets, including New Orleans, Denver and Miami. The Sun Belt Conference produced 23 All-Americans last year and 601 student-athletes were recognized for academic success.
A comprehensive university, MTSU offers over 140 undergraduate degrees in its six colleges-Basic and Applied Sciences, Business, Education, Liberal Arts, Mass Communication and University Honors-and over 55 graduate programs, including doctoral degrees.
-------
IN BRIEF: MTSU has been named one of the 146 Best Southeastern Colleges by The Princeton Review, which conducts surveys with millions of college undergraduates in hopes of identifying the top schools in each region of the country. "We include schools that we have a high opinion of their academics and overall college experience," said Jen Adams, Princeton Review student survey manager. "We survey many, many students and guidance counselors before we make our selections. MTSU should be pleased with being part of this group." To read MTSU's complete entry in the rankings, visit www.princetonreview.com, register for free access and search for "Middle Tennessee State University" in the school search box.
For MTSU news and information, visit www.mtsunews.com.
-30-
233 WELCOME BACK! 21,600 STUDENTS EXPECTED FOR MTSU’S SPRING SEMESTER
WELCOME BACK! 21,600 STUDENTS EXPECTED FOR MTSU’S SPRING SEMESTER
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 11, 2008
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
(MURFREESBORO)—Spring may not have sprung yet, but the spring semester has for MTSU students and faculty.
Classes begin Monday, Jan. 14, for the approximately 21,600 students projected to be registered for the semester, said Dr. Bob Glenn, vice president for student affairs and vice provost for enrollment and academic services.
“Generally speaking, the trends we see suggest that we may be down slightly, but there are also a number of trends that suggest that students may be waiting longer to register for the spring semester,” Glenn said.
“Spring enrollment typically runs from 1,500 to 1,600 students less than the previous fall term,” he added. “The fall 2007 enrollment was 23,246. If this trend continues, we should expect approximately 21,600 students to be enrolled for spring 2008.”
Spring enrollment totals will be submitted to the Tennessee Board of Regents on or around Sunday, Jan. 27, said Dr. Sherian Huddleston, associate vice provost for enrollment services.
The spring semester will lead to the May 3 commencement, when what likely will be the largest graduating class in MTSU’s history will be introduced publicly in separate 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. ceremonies in Murphy Center.
In addition to classes and lectures, the winter and early spring months will be full of activities on campus, including:
• Black History Month events in January, February and March. For a full schedule, visit mtsu.edu/~aahm or call the Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs at 615-898-2987;
• the annual Up ’til Dawn fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, set for Feb. 1-2 (mtsu.edu/~uptldawn), and the Groundhog Day Luncheon for the MT baseball program, planned for 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1, in Murphy Center;
• a performance by Read Gainsford in the 7:30 p.m. Feb. 12 Presidential Concert Series. Call 615-898-2493 or visit the School of Music Web site (mtsu.edu/~music) for more details and other music events;
• National Women’s History Month (March) activities, which can be found by visiting http://womenstu.web.mtsu.edu or calling the Office of Women’s Studies at 615-898-5910;
• a lecture by Dr. Joel Primack and Nancy Ellen Abrams, who’ll speak on “What it Means to be Human: Science, Consciousness and Our Place in the Universe” March 27 in the MTSU Science and Spirituality Forum Distinguished Lecture Series in the Business and Aerospace Building’s State Farm Lecture Hall;
• Scholars Week activities March 31-April 4, with a Feb. 11 deadline for abstracts.
• Some of the region’s sharpest young minds will visit campus and participate in the Science Olympiad Feb. 23 and the Invention Convention Feb. 29 from 8 a.m. to noon.
• Many of Tennessee’s top girls’ (March 5-8) and boys’ March 12-15) basketball teams head for Murphy Center for the TSSAA state tournaments. Visit www.tssaa.org or call 615-889-6740 for ticket and other information;
• First Friday Star Parties will be held starting at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 1, March 7, April 4 and May 2 in Wiser-Pattern Science Hall Room 102; and
• the Center for Cedar Glade Studies Wildflower Weekend, April 12-13 at Cedars of Lebanon State Park. For more information, call Kim Cleary Sadler at 615-904-8283;
Spring also will mark the return of the Jennings A. Jones College of Business Executives in Residence (April 11), the President’s Celebration of Excellence (April 12; call 1-800-533-6878 or visit mtalumni.com for more information), the College of Education and Behavioral Science’s Tennessee Teacher Hall of Fame ceremony (mtsu.edu/~tthf), Neill-Sandler Scholars at MTSU (April 22) and Tennessee Labor Management Conference (mtsu.edu/~tnclmr).
Alumni relations (mtalumni.com) will hold Paint the Zoo Raider Blue events in Knoxville (March 29), Memphis (April 12), Atlanta (May 3) and Nashville (May 17).
For athletic events, visit goblueraiders.com. For theatre and dance events, visit mtsu.edu/ ~theatre.
Spring 2008 dates to remember are:
• Jan. 14—classes begin;
• Jan. 21—M.L King holiday, no classes;
• March 3-8—spring break;
• March 7—spring holiday, university closed;
• April 23—last day of classes;
• April 24—student study day, no classes;
• April 25-May 1—final exams;
• May 3—commencement.
Watch mtsunews.com for updates.
For MTSU news and information, visit www.mtsunews.com.
—30—
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 11, 2008
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
(MURFREESBORO)—Spring may not have sprung yet, but the spring semester has for MTSU students and faculty.
Classes begin Monday, Jan. 14, for the approximately 21,600 students projected to be registered for the semester, said Dr. Bob Glenn, vice president for student affairs and vice provost for enrollment and academic services.
“Generally speaking, the trends we see suggest that we may be down slightly, but there are also a number of trends that suggest that students may be waiting longer to register for the spring semester,” Glenn said.
“Spring enrollment typically runs from 1,500 to 1,600 students less than the previous fall term,” he added. “The fall 2007 enrollment was 23,246. If this trend continues, we should expect approximately 21,600 students to be enrolled for spring 2008.”
Spring enrollment totals will be submitted to the Tennessee Board of Regents on or around Sunday, Jan. 27, said Dr. Sherian Huddleston, associate vice provost for enrollment services.
The spring semester will lead to the May 3 commencement, when what likely will be the largest graduating class in MTSU’s history will be introduced publicly in separate 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. ceremonies in Murphy Center.
In addition to classes and lectures, the winter and early spring months will be full of activities on campus, including:
• Black History Month events in January, February and March. For a full schedule, visit mtsu.edu/~aahm or call the Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs at 615-898-2987;
• the annual Up ’til Dawn fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, set for Feb. 1-2 (mtsu.edu/~uptldawn), and the Groundhog Day Luncheon for the MT baseball program, planned for 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1, in Murphy Center;
• a performance by Read Gainsford in the 7:30 p.m. Feb. 12 Presidential Concert Series. Call 615-898-2493 or visit the School of Music Web site (mtsu.edu/~music) for more details and other music events;
• National Women’s History Month (March) activities, which can be found by visiting http://womenstu.web.mtsu.edu or calling the Office of Women’s Studies at 615-898-5910;
• a lecture by Dr. Joel Primack and Nancy Ellen Abrams, who’ll speak on “What it Means to be Human: Science, Consciousness and Our Place in the Universe” March 27 in the MTSU Science and Spirituality Forum Distinguished Lecture Series in the Business and Aerospace Building’s State Farm Lecture Hall;
• Scholars Week activities March 31-April 4, with a Feb. 11 deadline for abstracts.
• Some of the region’s sharpest young minds will visit campus and participate in the Science Olympiad Feb. 23 and the Invention Convention Feb. 29 from 8 a.m. to noon.
• Many of Tennessee’s top girls’ (March 5-8) and boys’ March 12-15) basketball teams head for Murphy Center for the TSSAA state tournaments. Visit www.tssaa.org or call 615-889-6740 for ticket and other information;
• First Friday Star Parties will be held starting at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 1, March 7, April 4 and May 2 in Wiser-Pattern Science Hall Room 102; and
• the Center for Cedar Glade Studies Wildflower Weekend, April 12-13 at Cedars of Lebanon State Park. For more information, call Kim Cleary Sadler at 615-904-8283;
Spring also will mark the return of the Jennings A. Jones College of Business Executives in Residence (April 11), the President’s Celebration of Excellence (April 12; call 1-800-533-6878 or visit mtalumni.com for more information), the College of Education and Behavioral Science’s Tennessee Teacher Hall of Fame ceremony (mtsu.edu/~tthf), Neill-Sandler Scholars at MTSU (April 22) and Tennessee Labor Management Conference (mtsu.edu/~tnclmr).
Alumni relations (mtalumni.com) will hold Paint the Zoo Raider Blue events in Knoxville (March 29), Memphis (April 12), Atlanta (May 3) and Nashville (May 17).
For athletic events, visit goblueraiders.com. For theatre and dance events, visit mtsu.edu/ ~theatre.
Spring 2008 dates to remember are:
• Jan. 14—classes begin;
• Jan. 21—M.L King holiday, no classes;
• March 3-8—spring break;
• March 7—spring holiday, university closed;
• April 23—last day of classes;
• April 24—student study day, no classes;
• April 25-May 1—final exams;
• May 3—commencement.
Watch mtsunews.com for updates.
For MTSU news and information, visit www.mtsunews.com.
—30—
232 MTSU LIBRARY POSTERS INSPIRE TENNESSEE YOUTHS TO READ MORE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 10, 2008
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
MTSU LIBRARY POSTERS INSPIRE TENNESSEE YOUTHS TO READ MORE
College Students of Courage and Achievement Find Reading is Key to Succeeding
(MURFREESBORO) – Four recent MTSU graduates now grace the halls of the James E. Walker Library and the walls of Tennessee high schools on posters encouraging students to read.
The latest READ posters are available for viewing in the periodicals section of the library on the main floor. They feature young people from dramatically different walks of life who found reading to be essential to their academic, spiritual and professional lives.
“All of them have in common that reading is an important part of their success,” says Bill Black, library professor in charge of administrative services.
Black says the project started a couple of years ago when the American Library Association made the software for its own READ poster program available to libraries across the country. While the national project displays celebrities, the MTSU counterpart touts the university’s superstar students.
“It really took the shape of identifying students on campus who could serve as examples to younger students, and younger students would be able to look at these individuals and get some inspiration for what they might be able to do,” says Black.
With a grant from the university and production assistance from the offices of Marketing and Communications, News and Public Affairs, Publications and Graphics and Photo Services, library officials are working gradually to distribute the posters to schools throughout Tennessee.
“It’ll take a fair amount of money to distribute it across the schools with this iteration,” Black says. “But if we do a subset of that and then next year we do another four, eventually there’ll be a set of four in each high school across the state.”
In each poster, a student holds a book that exemplifies that individual’s interests or attitudes. The featured students on this year’s posters are:
*John Awan, a native of southern Sudan and a refugee camp survivor who now is enrolled in seminary at The University of the South in Sewanee; An MTSU graduate with a major in public administration, Awan has volunteered in the United Nation’s Child-to-Child program and worked to collect two tons of books for shipment to Sudan. He is focused on putting his knowledge and his faith to use for the betterment of his war-torn nation. “I know very well that my years at Middle Tennessee State University have prepared me for these future challenges,” Awan says. “This is an honor I see as an encouragement to do some more work, and I will carry it with me for the rest of the time ahead of me.” He holds the Walker Library’s re-edition of the Gutenberg Bible.
*Matthew Bullington of Murfreesboro, the recipient of a Presidential Scholarship, which paid for all four years of his MTSU education; Now holding an economics degree, Bullington was active on campus in the Student Government Association, University Honors Council, Raider Representatives, and the university orchestra. He belonged to two honor societies, Phi Kappa Phi and Golden Key International. Bullington’s volunteer work included musical performances at residential care centers and debate coaching for a home-school debate team. He holds the book 1776 by David McCullough.
* Kimberly “Kimmie” Jones of Brentwood, who graduated with honors, majoring in advertising with minors in art and English; A volunteer for the Muscular Dystrophy Association who uses a scooter to overcome her physical limitations, Jones was Visual Arts Editor of the MTSU arts journal Collage and has interned at McNeely, Pigott and Fox, a Nashville public relations firm. “I am so proud to be a part of something as recognizable as the READ posters,” Jones says. “I love to read, so when I was asked, I thought it was one of the coolest opportunities I have had.” She holds the book Make a Difference: America’s Guide to Volunteering and Community Service by Arthur I. Blaustein.
* Petar Skobic of Pleasant View, a native of Zagreb, Croatia, whose struggle to continue to pay for his education was the focus of a special fundraising effort by volunteers on campus; An exchange student who learned English by reading Stephen King and J.R.R. Tolkien novels, Skobic was president of MTSU’s Financial Management Association and graduated with an MBA with an emphasis on finance. Skobic now is a district manager for the Aldi supermarket chain. He holds the book Absolute Honesty: Building a Corporate Culture That Values Straight Talk by Larry Johnson and Bob Phillips.
--30—
ATTENTION, MEDIA: For color jpegs of the READ posters, contact Gina Logue in the MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
MTSU LIBRARY POSTERS INSPIRE TENNESSEE YOUTHS TO READ MORE
College Students of Courage and Achievement Find Reading is Key to Succeeding
(MURFREESBORO) – Four recent MTSU graduates now grace the halls of the James E. Walker Library and the walls of Tennessee high schools on posters encouraging students to read.
The latest READ posters are available for viewing in the periodicals section of the library on the main floor. They feature young people from dramatically different walks of life who found reading to be essential to their academic, spiritual and professional lives.
“All of them have in common that reading is an important part of their success,” says Bill Black, library professor in charge of administrative services.
Black says the project started a couple of years ago when the American Library Association made the software for its own READ poster program available to libraries across the country. While the national project displays celebrities, the MTSU counterpart touts the university’s superstar students.
“It really took the shape of identifying students on campus who could serve as examples to younger students, and younger students would be able to look at these individuals and get some inspiration for what they might be able to do,” says Black.
With a grant from the university and production assistance from the offices of Marketing and Communications, News and Public Affairs, Publications and Graphics and Photo Services, library officials are working gradually to distribute the posters to schools throughout Tennessee.
“It’ll take a fair amount of money to distribute it across the schools with this iteration,” Black says. “But if we do a subset of that and then next year we do another four, eventually there’ll be a set of four in each high school across the state.”
In each poster, a student holds a book that exemplifies that individual’s interests or attitudes. The featured students on this year’s posters are:
*John Awan, a native of southern Sudan and a refugee camp survivor who now is enrolled in seminary at The University of the South in Sewanee; An MTSU graduate with a major in public administration, Awan has volunteered in the United Nation’s Child-to-Child program and worked to collect two tons of books for shipment to Sudan. He is focused on putting his knowledge and his faith to use for the betterment of his war-torn nation. “I know very well that my years at Middle Tennessee State University have prepared me for these future challenges,” Awan says. “This is an honor I see as an encouragement to do some more work, and I will carry it with me for the rest of the time ahead of me.” He holds the Walker Library’s re-edition of the Gutenberg Bible.
*Matthew Bullington of Murfreesboro, the recipient of a Presidential Scholarship, which paid for all four years of his MTSU education; Now holding an economics degree, Bullington was active on campus in the Student Government Association, University Honors Council, Raider Representatives, and the university orchestra. He belonged to two honor societies, Phi Kappa Phi and Golden Key International. Bullington’s volunteer work included musical performances at residential care centers and debate coaching for a home-school debate team. He holds the book 1776 by David McCullough.
* Kimberly “Kimmie” Jones of Brentwood, who graduated with honors, majoring in advertising with minors in art and English; A volunteer for the Muscular Dystrophy Association who uses a scooter to overcome her physical limitations, Jones was Visual Arts Editor of the MTSU arts journal Collage and has interned at McNeely, Pigott and Fox, a Nashville public relations firm. “I am so proud to be a part of something as recognizable as the READ posters,” Jones says. “I love to read, so when I was asked, I thought it was one of the coolest opportunities I have had.” She holds the book Make a Difference: America’s Guide to Volunteering and Community Service by Arthur I. Blaustein.
* Petar Skobic of Pleasant View, a native of Zagreb, Croatia, whose struggle to continue to pay for his education was the focus of a special fundraising effort by volunteers on campus; An exchange student who learned English by reading Stephen King and J.R.R. Tolkien novels, Skobic was president of MTSU’s Financial Management Association and graduated with an MBA with an emphasis on finance. Skobic now is a district manager for the Aldi supermarket chain. He holds the book Absolute Honesty: Building a Corporate Culture That Values Straight Talk by Larry Johnson and Bob Phillips.
--30—
ATTENTION, MEDIA: For color jpegs of the READ posters, contact Gina Logue in the MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.
230 GUEST OBOIST AND PIANIST PERFORM FREE RECITAL AT MTSU
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 7, 2008
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, (615) 898-2493
GUEST OBOIST AND PIANIST PERFORM FREE RECITAL AT MTSU
(MURFREESBORO)—Guest artist Laura Ann Ross (oboe), along with pianist Jackson Henry, will perform a free recital at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 15, in the Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
The artists will perform Handel's Sonata No.1 in C minor, Howell's Sonata for oboe, Dutilleux's Sonate pour Hautbois et Piano and Pasculli's Concert sopra Motivi from the opera La Favorita by Donizetti.
Ross is a freelance oboist and teacher in the Nashville area. She is the acting principal oboist of the Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra and a substitute for both the Nashville Symphony Orchestra and the New World Symphony in Miami.
Before moving to Tennessee, she played principal oboe with the Great Hall Chamber Orchestra in Bryn Mawr, Pa., and served as a substitute for both the Haddonfield Symphony in New Jersey and the Reading Symphony in Pennsylvania. Ross holds a Master of Music degree from Temple University and a bachelor’s degree in music from Miami University, where she was a student of with Louis Rosenblatt and Andrea Ridilla, respectively.
Pianist Henry is a church musician and pianist who hails from Kingsport, Tenn. He now serves in Murfreesboro at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church as director of Music Ministries. He holds a Bachelor of Music performance from Tennessee Technological University, where he studied with Drs. Catherine and Herman Godes. While At TTU, Henry received the Joan Derryberry Award, the Charles F. Bryan Award, and the Charles C. Young Fine Arts Award.
The Jan. 15 concert is free and open to the public.
For more information on this and other concerts in the MTSU School of Music, please visit www.mtsumusic.com or call 615-898-2493.
—30—
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, (615) 898-2493
GUEST OBOIST AND PIANIST PERFORM FREE RECITAL AT MTSU
(MURFREESBORO)—Guest artist Laura Ann Ross (oboe), along with pianist Jackson Henry, will perform a free recital at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 15, in the Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
The artists will perform Handel's Sonata No.1 in C minor, Howell's Sonata for oboe, Dutilleux's Sonate pour Hautbois et Piano and Pasculli's Concert sopra Motivi from the opera La Favorita by Donizetti.
Ross is a freelance oboist and teacher in the Nashville area. She is the acting principal oboist of the Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra and a substitute for both the Nashville Symphony Orchestra and the New World Symphony in Miami.
Before moving to Tennessee, she played principal oboe with the Great Hall Chamber Orchestra in Bryn Mawr, Pa., and served as a substitute for both the Haddonfield Symphony in New Jersey and the Reading Symphony in Pennsylvania. Ross holds a Master of Music degree from Temple University and a bachelor’s degree in music from Miami University, where she was a student of with Louis Rosenblatt and Andrea Ridilla, respectively.
Pianist Henry is a church musician and pianist who hails from Kingsport, Tenn. He now serves in Murfreesboro at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church as director of Music Ministries. He holds a Bachelor of Music performance from Tennessee Technological University, where he studied with Drs. Catherine and Herman Godes. While At TTU, Henry received the Joan Derryberry Award, the Charles F. Bryan Award, and the Charles C. Young Fine Arts Award.
The Jan. 15 concert is free and open to the public.
For more information on this and other concerts in the MTSU School of Music, please visit www.mtsumusic.com or call 615-898-2493.
—30—
229 MTSU FRESHMAN SURVIVES SHARK SHOCK TO WALK INTO NURSING
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 7, 2008
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
MTSU FRESHMAN SURVIVES SHARK SHOCK TO WALK INTO NURSING
Bite and Blood Convince Craig Hutto to Switch from Computers to Health Care
(MURFREESBORO) – When MTSU student Craig Hutto lost a leg, he gained a new appreciation of the medical profession—one so intense that it prompted him to change his major.
A week before his 17th birthday in June 2005, the Lebanon youngster was on vacation with his family at Cape Sand Blas, about 50 miles southeast of Panama City. As Craig was fishing with his brother Brian when a bull shark estimated to be six to eight feet long attacked Craig’s right leg. Brian grabbed his brother and tried desperately to pull him to shore as Craig tried to pry the creature’s jaws open only to witness his hands being ripped to shreds.
“Right when it bit me, I went straight into shock,” Craig says. “So I don’t know the exact spot where it bit me, but I know it bit me from mid-thigh all the way down in different spots.”
Unbeknownst to Craig at the time, the shark’s teeth had pierced his right femoral artery, which carries blood from the heart to the lower extremities. It was bleeding from this artery that cost Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor his life when he was shot in November 2007. Medical professionals say controlling hemorrhaging in the immediate aftermath of an injury to this artery is critical.
“To my advantage, there were three nurses, an EMT (emergency medical technician) and a doctor on the shore, just on vacation,” Craig says, “and right when I got on the shore, they immediately did what they were trained to do, which was elevate my right leg and then hold pressure on … my right femoral artery. I mean, they did everything they were supposed to do, and I believe that’s why I’m still alive today.”
While the ambulance arrived on the scene within 10 minutes, Craig had to wait inside the ambulance for 45 minutes for the LifeFlight helicopter to transport him to a Panama City hospital. He stayed there two-and-a-half weeks, enduring six operations. He walks today with a titanium prosthesis. However, when he concentrates on his walking, there is no evidence of a device because the shark did not rip his quadriceps muscle.
“Every time I walk, I’m supposed to fire the quad where I can just be sturdy and I won’t limp, but I always get lazy and just forget to do it,” Craig says. “I still walk around with a little limp all the time.”
Returning to athletics with an artificial leg was an issue for Craig, who excelled at baseball and basketball prior to the attack. He did not want to be the focus of undue attention or the recipient of pity from his competitors. Even so, in 2006, he flew to California and competed in a triathlon, forming a three-man team with both of his brothers. Brian ran; Zach biked; Craig swam. It was the first time he entered ocean water since the accident.
“I wasn’t too worried about it, honestly, until I got in the water,” Craig says, “and once I was in the water, I wasn’t freaking out, but I was questioning myself—like, why was I doing this?”
With the training of a coach who taught Craig how to adjust his swimming technique to accommodate the loss of his leg, the former lifeguard completed the 1.2 mile swim in 35 minutes.
“It’s just finding the balance on top of the water and then rotating your hips, not just your legs,” Craig says.
He altered more than just his swimming style. He changed his mind about the direction of his life. Craig says he was thinking about a career in computer science prior to the accident, but he says his tragic experience made him realize how important doctors and nurses really are. Now Craig is planning to become a nurse anesthetist.
Craig lost 3,500 cubic centimeters of blood in the accident. He was given two body transfusions and 16 extra pints of blood in the hospital. Now Craig makes it his mission to speak to anyone who will listen about the importance of donating blood.
“The greatest thing about giving blood is that someone will give a pint of blood and (might) never know who they’ll help at all,” he says.
The one thing Craig says he does know is that his Sigma Chi fraternity brothers will not allow him to think of himself either as a hero or a victim.
“All my friends … get on me, and I’m glad they do because that’s kind of what keeps me sane,” Craig says. “I’m glad they treat me like everybody else.”
--30—
ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a color jpeg photo of Craig Hutto, contact Gina Logue in the MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
MTSU FRESHMAN SURVIVES SHARK SHOCK TO WALK INTO NURSING
Bite and Blood Convince Craig Hutto to Switch from Computers to Health Care
(MURFREESBORO) – When MTSU student Craig Hutto lost a leg, he gained a new appreciation of the medical profession—one so intense that it prompted him to change his major.
A week before his 17th birthday in June 2005, the Lebanon youngster was on vacation with his family at Cape Sand Blas, about 50 miles southeast of Panama City. As Craig was fishing with his brother Brian when a bull shark estimated to be six to eight feet long attacked Craig’s right leg. Brian grabbed his brother and tried desperately to pull him to shore as Craig tried to pry the creature’s jaws open only to witness his hands being ripped to shreds.
“Right when it bit me, I went straight into shock,” Craig says. “So I don’t know the exact spot where it bit me, but I know it bit me from mid-thigh all the way down in different spots.”
Unbeknownst to Craig at the time, the shark’s teeth had pierced his right femoral artery, which carries blood from the heart to the lower extremities. It was bleeding from this artery that cost Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor his life when he was shot in November 2007. Medical professionals say controlling hemorrhaging in the immediate aftermath of an injury to this artery is critical.
“To my advantage, there were three nurses, an EMT (emergency medical technician) and a doctor on the shore, just on vacation,” Craig says, “and right when I got on the shore, they immediately did what they were trained to do, which was elevate my right leg and then hold pressure on … my right femoral artery. I mean, they did everything they were supposed to do, and I believe that’s why I’m still alive today.”
While the ambulance arrived on the scene within 10 minutes, Craig had to wait inside the ambulance for 45 minutes for the LifeFlight helicopter to transport him to a Panama City hospital. He stayed there two-and-a-half weeks, enduring six operations. He walks today with a titanium prosthesis. However, when he concentrates on his walking, there is no evidence of a device because the shark did not rip his quadriceps muscle.
“Every time I walk, I’m supposed to fire the quad where I can just be sturdy and I won’t limp, but I always get lazy and just forget to do it,” Craig says. “I still walk around with a little limp all the time.”
Returning to athletics with an artificial leg was an issue for Craig, who excelled at baseball and basketball prior to the attack. He did not want to be the focus of undue attention or the recipient of pity from his competitors. Even so, in 2006, he flew to California and competed in a triathlon, forming a three-man team with both of his brothers. Brian ran; Zach biked; Craig swam. It was the first time he entered ocean water since the accident.
“I wasn’t too worried about it, honestly, until I got in the water,” Craig says, “and once I was in the water, I wasn’t freaking out, but I was questioning myself—like, why was I doing this?”
With the training of a coach who taught Craig how to adjust his swimming technique to accommodate the loss of his leg, the former lifeguard completed the 1.2 mile swim in 35 minutes.
“It’s just finding the balance on top of the water and then rotating your hips, not just your legs,” Craig says.
He altered more than just his swimming style. He changed his mind about the direction of his life. Craig says he was thinking about a career in computer science prior to the accident, but he says his tragic experience made him realize how important doctors and nurses really are. Now Craig is planning to become a nurse anesthetist.
Craig lost 3,500 cubic centimeters of blood in the accident. He was given two body transfusions and 16 extra pints of blood in the hospital. Now Craig makes it his mission to speak to anyone who will listen about the importance of donating blood.
“The greatest thing about giving blood is that someone will give a pint of blood and (might) never know who they’ll help at all,” he says.
The one thing Craig says he does know is that his Sigma Chi fraternity brothers will not allow him to think of himself either as a hero or a victim.
“All my friends … get on me, and I’m glad they do because that’s kind of what keeps me sane,” Craig says. “I’m glad they treat me like everybody else.”
--30—
ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a color jpeg photo of Craig Hutto, contact Gina Logue in the MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.
228 MTSU DOCTORAL STUDENT TAKES TIME OUT TO ADVANCE HIS SPORT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 2, 2008
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
MTSU DOCTORAL STUDENT TAKES TIME OUT TO ADVANCE HIS SPORT
England’s Jeremy Bettle Hones American Rugby Players’ Skills While Learning
(MURFREESBORO) – In rugby, the ball can be advanced only by running or kicking it forward. Only lateral passes are allowed. In a sense, that rule characterizes the career path of MTSU student Jeremy Bettle. Instead of consuming a vast area in one gargantuan aerial display, as American football players do, the British native grinds it out at his own pace.
The 26-year-old doctoral candidate from Leicester put his educational life on hold to work with USA Rugby, examining videotape of scrimmages and matches and analyzing players to help them improve their skills. In September, the Americans made it to the World Cup in France, playing England, Tonga, Samoa and South Africa, the eventual tournament winner, before being eliminated.
“It was a great personal experience,” Bettle says. “We are so far ahead of where we were. It was impressive.”
Bettle says his interest in rugby began at about age nine, when he began playing in junior leagues. He likens these children’s groups to tag football in that kids don’t play the full-contact rugby their elders do. However, he insists that early involvement is the key to staying healthy.
“The earlier you start, the less likely you are to get hurt,” Bettle says.
For those who have never seen a rugby scrum, it vaguely resembles one of those NFL piles immediately following a fumble except the players are standing up instead of lying down. An American audience might be intrigued to learn that the players wear no protective equipment, even on the most sensitive parts of the body. Even so, the game has a mental component and employs considerable thought in both the training of players and the execution of strategy.
In 2002, Bettle completed his bachelor’s degree in sport and exercise science at Leeds Metropolitan University. In 2003, he came to MTSU on the recommendation of his biological father, who has lived in the U.S. for 15 years. Bettle studied the school’s rugby club team for his master’s degree in exercise science, which he completed May 2005.
Dr. Jennifer Caputo, professor of health and human performance at MTSU, says Bettle took time out from his studies while he had an assistantship at the university, a highly unusual move.
“That just demonstrates his love for rugby because he got the opportunity and couldn’t pass it up,” Caputo says. “We wanted to have him teach exercise physiology for us, but he just didn’t have the opportunity before he left, unfortunately.”
In fact, it was in pursuit of his doctoral degree that he made contact with USA Rugby. As Bettle was exploring the physiology of his sport on an academic level, he asked the team for a chance to do some research. As it turned out, they were willing to pay him for his combination of mental and physical skills. They offered him a job, and he took it.
“At any time when you’re just starting out, you’re moving around a bit,” Bettle says.
Interrupting his education to help the Americans gain a foothold in a sport which is all but alien to most American sports fans was less of an internal conflict for Bettle than watching USA Rugby play his fellow Brits in the World Cup.
“It was a little strange, but it was more important to watch our guys do well than to watch England play,” Bettle says. When he calls USA Rugby “our guys,” Bettle means it, and the “guys” are as diverse as America itself. The 30 players, each of whom performs on both offense and defense, range from a Chicago stockbroker to an Aspen rancher.
Of course, Bettle didn’t just fall in love with a country and its people. He fell in love with one particular American, the former Deana Michelle Simms of Lebanon, Tenn., whom he married in July 2005. Jeremy continues to work for USA Rugby and a physical therapy firm out of state. He expects to complete his doctoral degree by December 2008.
--30--
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
MTSU DOCTORAL STUDENT TAKES TIME OUT TO ADVANCE HIS SPORT
England’s Jeremy Bettle Hones American Rugby Players’ Skills While Learning
(MURFREESBORO) – In rugby, the ball can be advanced only by running or kicking it forward. Only lateral passes are allowed. In a sense, that rule characterizes the career path of MTSU student Jeremy Bettle. Instead of consuming a vast area in one gargantuan aerial display, as American football players do, the British native grinds it out at his own pace.
The 26-year-old doctoral candidate from Leicester put his educational life on hold to work with USA Rugby, examining videotape of scrimmages and matches and analyzing players to help them improve their skills. In September, the Americans made it to the World Cup in France, playing England, Tonga, Samoa and South Africa, the eventual tournament winner, before being eliminated.
“It was a great personal experience,” Bettle says. “We are so far ahead of where we were. It was impressive.”
Bettle says his interest in rugby began at about age nine, when he began playing in junior leagues. He likens these children’s groups to tag football in that kids don’t play the full-contact rugby their elders do. However, he insists that early involvement is the key to staying healthy.
“The earlier you start, the less likely you are to get hurt,” Bettle says.
For those who have never seen a rugby scrum, it vaguely resembles one of those NFL piles immediately following a fumble except the players are standing up instead of lying down. An American audience might be intrigued to learn that the players wear no protective equipment, even on the most sensitive parts of the body. Even so, the game has a mental component and employs considerable thought in both the training of players and the execution of strategy.
In 2002, Bettle completed his bachelor’s degree in sport and exercise science at Leeds Metropolitan University. In 2003, he came to MTSU on the recommendation of his biological father, who has lived in the U.S. for 15 years. Bettle studied the school’s rugby club team for his master’s degree in exercise science, which he completed May 2005.
Dr. Jennifer Caputo, professor of health and human performance at MTSU, says Bettle took time out from his studies while he had an assistantship at the university, a highly unusual move.
“That just demonstrates his love for rugby because he got the opportunity and couldn’t pass it up,” Caputo says. “We wanted to have him teach exercise physiology for us, but he just didn’t have the opportunity before he left, unfortunately.”
In fact, it was in pursuit of his doctoral degree that he made contact with USA Rugby. As Bettle was exploring the physiology of his sport on an academic level, he asked the team for a chance to do some research. As it turned out, they were willing to pay him for his combination of mental and physical skills. They offered him a job, and he took it.
“At any time when you’re just starting out, you’re moving around a bit,” Bettle says.
Interrupting his education to help the Americans gain a foothold in a sport which is all but alien to most American sports fans was less of an internal conflict for Bettle than watching USA Rugby play his fellow Brits in the World Cup.
“It was a little strange, but it was more important to watch our guys do well than to watch England play,” Bettle says. When he calls USA Rugby “our guys,” Bettle means it, and the “guys” are as diverse as America itself. The 30 players, each of whom performs on both offense and defense, range from a Chicago stockbroker to an Aspen rancher.
Of course, Bettle didn’t just fall in love with a country and its people. He fell in love with one particular American, the former Deana Michelle Simms of Lebanon, Tenn., whom he married in July 2005. Jeremy continues to work for USA Rugby and a physical therapy firm out of state. He expects to complete his doctoral degree by December 2008.
--30--
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