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.


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