FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 31, 2009
CONTACT: Lynn Palmer, Admissions, 615-898-2111
580-PLUS STUDENTS EARN MTSU SCHOLARSHIPS FOR FALL 2009
By-County Listing of Recipients Now Available for Media Download
(MURFREESBORO)—Admissions officials from Middle Tennessee State University have released their list of 589 students who have accepted scholarships to attend MTSU beginning in the 2009-10 academic year, which begins Aug. 29.
To obtain the list of students from your Tennessee county who received scholarships for the upcoming academic term, please go to the News and Public Affairs Web site at www.mtsunews.com and click on the “Scholarship List” link on the upper left side of the page. Next, click on the “August 2009” link, which will lead to an alphabetical, county-by-county listing of those MTSU scholarship recipients from Tennessee. (Scholarship recipients from outside Tennessee are listed after the in-state list.) This list may be downloaded and saved for editorial use by hometown media outlets.
The list includes each student’s hometown, high school attended, name of scholarship and award amount. Please note that students are listed by hometown county based on information they provided to MTSU's Records Office. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that his or her MTSU records accurately reflect the permanent residence.
For more information about the admissions process for high-school seniors, contact the Office of Admissions at 615-898-2111 or visit www.mtsu.edu/~admissn.
—30—
ATTENTION, MEDIA: If you encounter any problems downloading and saving your county’s dean’s list, please contact the Office of News and Public Affairs at MTSU at 615-898-2919.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
[036] MTSU TO OFFER NEW GRADUATE EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN SHELBYVILLE FOR FALL 2009
July 29, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: David Foster, 615-898-5033; Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919
MTSU TO OFFER NEW GRADUATE EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN SHELBYVILLE FOR FALL 2009
MURFREESBORO—Middle Tennessee State University will offer a full-degree program in Shelbyville, Tenn., for those interested in earning a Master of Education or Education Specialist degree. Both programs are designed for currently licensed professional educators who wish to pursue additional higher education and acquire the skills to play a greater leadership role in educational institutions.
An enrollment meeting will be held Monday, Aug. 24 at 4 p.m. at the Bedford County Board of Education office.
The Master of Education (M.Ed.) is a 33-hour, track program designed for graduate study in the field of curriculum and instruction. The Education Specialist (Ed.S.) is a 30-hour track program specifically for teachers, counselors and administrators wishing to pursue graduate study beyond the master’s level.
“We’ve been doing this for eleven years and have about twenty complete programs around the state” said Dr. Marvin Peyton, coordinator of graduate off-campus programs in education leadership at MTSU. “Our graduation rate is in the range of 96 percent, and our students do not have to come to the main campus for anything but graduation.”
Students enrolled in this peer graduate off-campus cohort program can finish their graduate degree in five semesters. A peer cohort is a model in which an entering group of learners stays together for the entire program.
The first two classes held in Shelbyville this fall will meet at Central High School while work is still being done on the new Middle Tennessee Education Center in the Medical Arts Building. Classes are usually offered onsite Friday evenings from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Two classes will be offered each semester comprising six weekends.
Students who wish to be a part of this cohort will be required to enroll in the graduate school and register for the two fall classes. Students must bring the following items to the enrollment meeting: 1) a copy of your teaching license; 2) a copy of your college transcript where you completed your most recent degree; and 3) a means of paying the enrollment fee and class fees. The Aug. 24 enrollment meeting is the deadline for the cohort enrollment.
Students who wish to enroll or want more information should contact Angie Brown at 615-898-2855 (akbrown@mtsu.edu) or Dr. Peyton at 615-893-2574.
For more information on all online programs from MTSU visit www.mtsuanytime.com. For MTSU news, go to mtsunews.com.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: David Foster, 615-898-5033; Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919
MTSU TO OFFER NEW GRADUATE EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN SHELBYVILLE FOR FALL 2009
MURFREESBORO—Middle Tennessee State University will offer a full-degree program in Shelbyville, Tenn., for those interested in earning a Master of Education or Education Specialist degree. Both programs are designed for currently licensed professional educators who wish to pursue additional higher education and acquire the skills to play a greater leadership role in educational institutions.
An enrollment meeting will be held Monday, Aug. 24 at 4 p.m. at the Bedford County Board of Education office.
The Master of Education (M.Ed.) is a 33-hour, track program designed for graduate study in the field of curriculum and instruction. The Education Specialist (Ed.S.) is a 30-hour track program specifically for teachers, counselors and administrators wishing to pursue graduate study beyond the master’s level.
“We’ve been doing this for eleven years and have about twenty complete programs around the state” said Dr. Marvin Peyton, coordinator of graduate off-campus programs in education leadership at MTSU. “Our graduation rate is in the range of 96 percent, and our students do not have to come to the main campus for anything but graduation.”
Students enrolled in this peer graduate off-campus cohort program can finish their graduate degree in five semesters. A peer cohort is a model in which an entering group of learners stays together for the entire program.
The first two classes held in Shelbyville this fall will meet at Central High School while work is still being done on the new Middle Tennessee Education Center in the Medical Arts Building. Classes are usually offered onsite Friday evenings from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Two classes will be offered each semester comprising six weekends.
Students who wish to be a part of this cohort will be required to enroll in the graduate school and register for the two fall classes. Students must bring the following items to the enrollment meeting: 1) a copy of your teaching license; 2) a copy of your college transcript where you completed your most recent degree; and 3) a means of paying the enrollment fee and class fees. The Aug. 24 enrollment meeting is the deadline for the cohort enrollment.
Students who wish to enroll or want more information should contact Angie Brown at 615-898-2855 (akbrown@mtsu.edu) or Dr. Peyton at 615-893-2574.
For more information on all online programs from MTSU visit www.mtsuanytime.com. For MTSU news, go to mtsunews.com.
[035] WAYNE WHITE’S BID FOR RESPECT TOPIC OF “MTSU ON THE RECORD”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 29, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081; WMOT-FM, 615-898-2800
WAYNE WHITE’S BID FOR RESPECT TOPIC OF “MTSU ON THE RECORD”
MTSU Alumnus Puts Award-winning Career on Display in New Coffee Table Book
(MURFREESBORO) – Three-time Emmy Award-winner and MTSU alumnus Wayne White will talk about a new book compiling the creative efforts of his three-decade career at 7 a.m. on “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue at 7 a.m. this Sunday, August 2, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org).
The book, titled Maybe Now I’ll Get the Respect I So Richly Deserve (Ammo Books), displays his work as an illustrator, cartoonist, animator, puppeteer and production designer. White won his Emmys for art direction for “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse.” He also is the recipient of an MTV Award for Smashing Pumpkins’ video “Tonight, Tonight” and a Billboard Award for Peter Gabriel’s video “Big Time.”
To hear last week’s program about the dual admission program between MTSU and Nashville State Community College, go to http://frank.mtsu.edu/~proffice/podcast2009.html and click on “July 26, 2009.” For more information, contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081; WMOT-FM, 615-898-2800
WAYNE WHITE’S BID FOR RESPECT TOPIC OF “MTSU ON THE RECORD”
MTSU Alumnus Puts Award-winning Career on Display in New Coffee Table Book
(MURFREESBORO) – Three-time Emmy Award-winner and MTSU alumnus Wayne White will talk about a new book compiling the creative efforts of his three-decade career at 7 a.m. on “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue at 7 a.m. this Sunday, August 2, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org).
The book, titled Maybe Now I’ll Get the Respect I So Richly Deserve (Ammo Books), displays his work as an illustrator, cartoonist, animator, puppeteer and production designer. White won his Emmys for art direction for “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse.” He also is the recipient of an MTV Award for Smashing Pumpkins’ video “Tonight, Tonight” and a Billboard Award for Peter Gabriel’s video “Big Time.”
To hear last week’s program about the dual admission program between MTSU and Nashville State Community College, go to http://frank.mtsu.edu/~proffice/podcast2009.html and click on “July 26, 2009.” For more information, contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.
[034] MTSU STUDENTS ‘WIRED’ FUNDS TO STUDY THE SCIENCES
July 29, 2009
CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919
MTSU STUDENTS ‘WIRED’ FUNDS TO STUDY THE SCIENCES
MURFREESBORO—Forty-five Middle Tennessee State University students from eight counties in southern Tennessee have received a $4,000 scholarship for the 2009-2010 academic year to pursue study in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM).
The counties include Franklin, Giles, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Marion, Marshall and Maury.
“MTSU is very fortunate to be able to offer these scholarships to some very
talented students,” David Hutton, MTSU financial aid director, said.
The Tennessee Valley’s Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) Scholarship was awarded from the U.S. Department of Labor to students in 23 total counties in Tennessee and Alabama. Recipients attend both two-year and four institutions.
The awarding of the scholarships is based on several criteria in addition to the geographic location. Students must be U.S. citizens or have a permanent status, must be enrolled full-time (12 hours) and maintain that status during the semester and must have a minimum 2.75 grade point average. They also must complete the required forms from the U.S. Department of Labor. The funds may be used for tuition, fees and books.
MTSU recipients will be required to visit the campus in mid-August to complete all the necessary paperwork. The funds support students pursuing associate, bachelor’s and graduate degrees in STEM fields.
The WIRED grant was originally awarded in January 2007 from the U.S. Department of Labor and promotes education, workforce development and economic development in southern Tennessee and Northern Alabama. Calhoun Community College in Decatur, Ala., serves as the fiscal agent for the original $5 million grant and is responsible for administrative oversight of the project. In addition to the half-a-million dollars in scholarship funding, during the last two years, the grant has provided support for a number of innovative projects and programs throughout the 23-county region addressing WIRED’s major goals.
Other four-year schools that received WIRED allotments are Alabama A&M University, Martin Methodist College, and the University of Alabama at Huntsville. Motlow State Community College and Columbia State Community College are the only two-year schools in Tennessee that received WIRED funds.
For more information about the WIRED Scholarship, please contact the MTSU Office of Financial Aid at 615-898-2242.
CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919
MTSU STUDENTS ‘WIRED’ FUNDS TO STUDY THE SCIENCES
MURFREESBORO—Forty-five Middle Tennessee State University students from eight counties in southern Tennessee have received a $4,000 scholarship for the 2009-2010 academic year to pursue study in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM).
The counties include Franklin, Giles, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Marion, Marshall and Maury.
“MTSU is very fortunate to be able to offer these scholarships to some very
talented students,” David Hutton, MTSU financial aid director, said.
The Tennessee Valley’s Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) Scholarship was awarded from the U.S. Department of Labor to students in 23 total counties in Tennessee and Alabama. Recipients attend both two-year and four institutions.
The awarding of the scholarships is based on several criteria in addition to the geographic location. Students must be U.S. citizens or have a permanent status, must be enrolled full-time (12 hours) and maintain that status during the semester and must have a minimum 2.75 grade point average. They also must complete the required forms from the U.S. Department of Labor. The funds may be used for tuition, fees and books.
MTSU recipients will be required to visit the campus in mid-August to complete all the necessary paperwork. The funds support students pursuing associate, bachelor’s and graduate degrees in STEM fields.
The WIRED grant was originally awarded in January 2007 from the U.S. Department of Labor and promotes education, workforce development and economic development in southern Tennessee and Northern Alabama. Calhoun Community College in Decatur, Ala., serves as the fiscal agent for the original $5 million grant and is responsible for administrative oversight of the project. In addition to the half-a-million dollars in scholarship funding, during the last two years, the grant has provided support for a number of innovative projects and programs throughout the 23-county region addressing WIRED’s major goals.
Other four-year schools that received WIRED allotments are Alabama A&M University, Martin Methodist College, and the University of Alabama at Huntsville. Motlow State Community College and Columbia State Community College are the only two-year schools in Tennessee that received WIRED funds.
For more information about the WIRED Scholarship, please contact the MTSU Office of Financial Aid at 615-898-2242.
Monday, July 27, 2009
[032] NEW STUDENT PUBLICATION RAISES PREVIOUSLY STILLED VOICES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 24, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
NEW STUDENT PUBLICATION RAISES PREVIOUSLY STILLED VOICES
June Anderson Women’s Center Creates Outlet for “Voices We Haven’t Heard”
(MURFREESBORO) – Lines and images of assertion, anger, ennui, yearning, reverie—these are the contents of “Voices We Haven’t Heard,” a new collection of student art and literature compiled by the June Anderson Women’s Center at MTSU.
The inaugural edition is the first of many annual editions to come if Terri Johnson, the center’s director, has anything to say about it.
“I think it’s a wonderful way for students to express themselves in a creative, artistic forum,” says Johnson.
In “Please, Hear Me,” Julie Paige writes, “Hear me/my black man/my brother/my lover/and my friend/I know it has been hard for you/To keep your head held high/When the master is beating you/I know you love me and want to provide for me/And that is why you continue to work so hard/Even though the master continues to beat you.”
Another voice previously unheard, William Meek, states, “You wonder who we are,/And what we may do./You wonder what we say,/And about the things we believe./You ask all these questions,/But you never ask us./What we believe,/Who we are./We believe in rights./We live for other, too./We want you to be happy./We live to love for you” in “This Is What a Feminist Looks Like.”
The works between the beige covers serve as the students’ rebuttal to the racism, sexism, harassment, and homophobia they see in the world around them, both on-campus and off-campus.
Sometimes independence is message enough. In “In the Morning,” Stacie Wanamaker writes, “Don’t thrust a mirror in my face/Don’t tell me I need to find myself/I know what I want and it’s to be away from here/Away from everything I’ve known, Away from everything I’ve grown up near/It’s driving me insane to be, to not be me/I think you’d understand if you took the time to see.”
Johnson says she already has had tremendous feedback from parents and prospective students at CUSTOMS and elsewhere. She adds she has heard remarkable interest from those who wish to contribute to the next edition.
Free copies of “Voices We Haven’t Heard” are available from the June Anderson Women’s Center. For more information, contact the center at 615-898-2193 or jawc@mtsu.edu.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
NEW STUDENT PUBLICATION RAISES PREVIOUSLY STILLED VOICES
June Anderson Women’s Center Creates Outlet for “Voices We Haven’t Heard”
(MURFREESBORO) – Lines and images of assertion, anger, ennui, yearning, reverie—these are the contents of “Voices We Haven’t Heard,” a new collection of student art and literature compiled by the June Anderson Women’s Center at MTSU.
The inaugural edition is the first of many annual editions to come if Terri Johnson, the center’s director, has anything to say about it.
“I think it’s a wonderful way for students to express themselves in a creative, artistic forum,” says Johnson.
In “Please, Hear Me,” Julie Paige writes, “Hear me/my black man/my brother/my lover/and my friend/I know it has been hard for you/To keep your head held high/When the master is beating you/I know you love me and want to provide for me/And that is why you continue to work so hard/Even though the master continues to beat you.”
Another voice previously unheard, William Meek, states, “You wonder who we are,/And what we may do./You wonder what we say,/And about the things we believe./You ask all these questions,/But you never ask us./What we believe,/Who we are./We believe in rights./We live for other, too./We want you to be happy./We live to love for you” in “This Is What a Feminist Looks Like.”
The works between the beige covers serve as the students’ rebuttal to the racism, sexism, harassment, and homophobia they see in the world around them, both on-campus and off-campus.
Sometimes independence is message enough. In “In the Morning,” Stacie Wanamaker writes, “Don’t thrust a mirror in my face/Don’t tell me I need to find myself/I know what I want and it’s to be away from here/Away from everything I’ve known, Away from everything I’ve grown up near/It’s driving me insane to be, to not be me/I think you’d understand if you took the time to see.”
Johnson says she already has had tremendous feedback from parents and prospective students at CUSTOMS and elsewhere. She adds she has heard remarkable interest from those who wish to contribute to the next edition.
Free copies of “Voices We Haven’t Heard” are available from the June Anderson Women’s Center. For more information, contact the center at 615-898-2193 or jawc@mtsu.edu.
[031] MTSU CREATES NEW COURSES FOR THOSE WHO WORK WITH AUTISTIC YOUTH
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 22, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, lrollins@mtsu.edu, 615-494-8857
MTSU CREATES NEW COURSES FOR THOSE WHO WORK WITH AUTISTIC YOUTH
Elementary & Special Education Prof Designs, Teaches ASD-Related Grad Classes
(MURFREESBORO)—When it comes to training professionals who work with children with autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, the College of Education and Behavioral Science at MTSU is “very cutting edge,” declared Dr. Jim Calder.
A professor of elementary and special education, Calder said the addition of Dr. Lesley Craig-Unkefer, associate professor of elementary and special education, to the MTSU faculty is not just a win for the university and the students who enroll in her classes, but also for the community at larger, thanks to her extensive background and research experience in working with children who have ASD.
Although Craig-Unkefer joined the faculty only last year, already she has developed new coursework that focuses on working with children with ASD.
According to Autism Connection, ASD is “a collective term given to a group of bio-neurological developmental disabilities that impair the way that individuals interact and communicate with others.”
Because autism influences the normal development of the brain in areas such as social interaction, communication skills and cognitive function, those with autism generally have difficulty with verbal and nonverbal communication, social interactions and play activities, experts say.
With symptoms that span from mild to severe, ASD generally is diagnosed when individuals are young, said Craig-Unkefer, who specializes in training teachers and other professionals—including social workers and counselors—how to recognize autism spectrum disorders in children and work with ASD learners.
Open to master’s-level students, the autism-related classes (three-credit hours each) that Craig-Unkefer developed are titled Introduction to ASD (SPED 6700) and Methods of Instruction for Students with ASD (SPED 6730). The spring 2009 semester was the first time the former class was offered, she said, and nine students enrolled. The Intro class will be offered again this fall.
To enroll in the new ASD classes, graduate students need only an interest in the subject, shared Craig-Unkefer, who said the Intro course had a variety of student backgrounds its first semester.
“It was interesting in that all of the students had some level of experience with students with autism, from very minimal to they had seen a student with autism in their class to they had students with autism who they were instructors for,” she shared.
Because there is no single best treatment package for all children diagnosed with ASD, it is crucial that decisions about best treatments be made by the parents of the children with ASD, with assistance from trusted experts. However, parents are always a child’s first teacher and advocate, stressed both Calder and Craig-Unkefer, and as such, vital to a child’s ongoing learning and support.
—more—
ASD
Add 1
The new curriculum that Craig-Unkefer developed and teaches at MTSU, however, is for those professionals who work with children with ASD and their families. And already, there is discussion that MTSU is positioned to create an ASD teaching certification, if Tennessee allows such a certification or licensure in the future.
“The state of Tennessee does not have currently have a licensure or certificate for ASD at this point,” she said, “and I don’t know when that will occur, but in preparation for that, I would like to get more of our ASD courses up and running.”
Beyond the current ASD offerings Craig-Unkefer teaches, there are plans for an ASD practicum, she noted, and “because there is an interest, we’ve discussed developing one-hour online courses that have specific (ASD) content that would reach out to individuals in more rural areas or who would just prefer to get that information online.”
Regarding the requirements for creating an ASD certification at MTSU, although situations vary, “The state allows universities to put together a program,” Calder said, “but generally, anywhere from 12 to 15 hours is what they ask.
“We already have a course on the books, Working with Families (SPED 6720), which Dr. Craig-Unkefer would likely tie into (to create the ASD certification),” he continued. “And she plans on developing three, and so if you combine that with what she already has developed, it would be a total of 15 hours.”
Calder said those who take the new ASD courses from MTSU versus the traditional in-service autism training most receive have an edge when it comes to gleaning top-notch training in working with children with ASD in the classroom.
“(MTSU is) going at this kind of training from a broad-based perspective, a professional perspective and a university perspective, rather than get as much as you can from this expert who visits or that expert,” he remarked.
“We feel very, very cutting edge in this respect, because we have an expert. … “(Craig-Unkefer is) an expert in preschool education, special education and an expert in the area of autism spectrum disorders—someone people will learn a great deal from and someone who not only has not a knowledge of those kinds of disorders, but a working knowledge from hands-on experience of working with these children and their teachers.”
For more information on MTSU’s new ASD-related courses, please contact the Department of Elementary and Special Education by calling 615-898-2680.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, lrollins@mtsu.edu, 615-494-8857
MTSU CREATES NEW COURSES FOR THOSE WHO WORK WITH AUTISTIC YOUTH
Elementary & Special Education Prof Designs, Teaches ASD-Related Grad Classes
(MURFREESBORO)—When it comes to training professionals who work with children with autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, the College of Education and Behavioral Science at MTSU is “very cutting edge,” declared Dr. Jim Calder.
A professor of elementary and special education, Calder said the addition of Dr. Lesley Craig-Unkefer, associate professor of elementary and special education, to the MTSU faculty is not just a win for the university and the students who enroll in her classes, but also for the community at larger, thanks to her extensive background and research experience in working with children who have ASD.
Although Craig-Unkefer joined the faculty only last year, already she has developed new coursework that focuses on working with children with ASD.
According to Autism Connection, ASD is “a collective term given to a group of bio-neurological developmental disabilities that impair the way that individuals interact and communicate with others.”
Because autism influences the normal development of the brain in areas such as social interaction, communication skills and cognitive function, those with autism generally have difficulty with verbal and nonverbal communication, social interactions and play activities, experts say.
With symptoms that span from mild to severe, ASD generally is diagnosed when individuals are young, said Craig-Unkefer, who specializes in training teachers and other professionals—including social workers and counselors—how to recognize autism spectrum disorders in children and work with ASD learners.
Open to master’s-level students, the autism-related classes (three-credit hours each) that Craig-Unkefer developed are titled Introduction to ASD (SPED 6700) and Methods of Instruction for Students with ASD (SPED 6730). The spring 2009 semester was the first time the former class was offered, she said, and nine students enrolled. The Intro class will be offered again this fall.
To enroll in the new ASD classes, graduate students need only an interest in the subject, shared Craig-Unkefer, who said the Intro course had a variety of student backgrounds its first semester.
“It was interesting in that all of the students had some level of experience with students with autism, from very minimal to they had seen a student with autism in their class to they had students with autism who they were instructors for,” she shared.
Because there is no single best treatment package for all children diagnosed with ASD, it is crucial that decisions about best treatments be made by the parents of the children with ASD, with assistance from trusted experts. However, parents are always a child’s first teacher and advocate, stressed both Calder and Craig-Unkefer, and as such, vital to a child’s ongoing learning and support.
—more—
ASD
Add 1
The new curriculum that Craig-Unkefer developed and teaches at MTSU, however, is for those professionals who work with children with ASD and their families. And already, there is discussion that MTSU is positioned to create an ASD teaching certification, if Tennessee allows such a certification or licensure in the future.
“The state of Tennessee does not have currently have a licensure or certificate for ASD at this point,” she said, “and I don’t know when that will occur, but in preparation for that, I would like to get more of our ASD courses up and running.”
Beyond the current ASD offerings Craig-Unkefer teaches, there are plans for an ASD practicum, she noted, and “because there is an interest, we’ve discussed developing one-hour online courses that have specific (ASD) content that would reach out to individuals in more rural areas or who would just prefer to get that information online.”
Regarding the requirements for creating an ASD certification at MTSU, although situations vary, “The state allows universities to put together a program,” Calder said, “but generally, anywhere from 12 to 15 hours is what they ask.
“We already have a course on the books, Working with Families (SPED 6720), which Dr. Craig-Unkefer would likely tie into (to create the ASD certification),” he continued. “And she plans on developing three, and so if you combine that with what she already has developed, it would be a total of 15 hours.”
Calder said those who take the new ASD courses from MTSU versus the traditional in-service autism training most receive have an edge when it comes to gleaning top-notch training in working with children with ASD in the classroom.
“(MTSU is) going at this kind of training from a broad-based perspective, a professional perspective and a university perspective, rather than get as much as you can from this expert who visits or that expert,” he remarked.
“We feel very, very cutting edge in this respect, because we have an expert. … “(Craig-Unkefer is) an expert in preschool education, special education and an expert in the area of autism spectrum disorders—someone people will learn a great deal from and someone who not only has not a knowledge of those kinds of disorders, but a working knowledge from hands-on experience of working with these children and their teachers.”
For more information on MTSU’s new ASD-related courses, please contact the Department of Elementary and Special Education by calling 615-898-2680.
[029] MTSU CENTER SPONSORS ADAPTIVE RECREATION CAMP FOR YOUTH
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 22, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, lrollins@mtsu.edu, 615-898-2919
MTSU CENTER SPONSORS ADAPTIVE RECREATION CAMP FOR YOUTH
Media Invited to Attend, Cover Camp ENRGY on Aug. 3-7, Organizers Say
(MURFREESBORO)—The MTSU Center for Physical Activity and Health in Youth will sponsor Camp ENRGY, a five-day camp designed for youth with physical disabilities, Aug. 3-7.
Camp ENRGY (Excellence ‘N’ Recreation and Games for Youth), which is free for its youth participants, will be conducted 8 a.m.-3 p.m. daily on and off the MTSU campus, with many activities taking place in the university’s recreation center, said Dr. Don Morgan, professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance.
MTSU doctoral students Sandy Stevens and Jenny Hutchens are co-directors of the adaptive recreation camp, now in its first year, which is set to include activities such as soccer, martial arts, nature trail, basketball, baseball and swimming.
By sponsoring an activity camp for children with disabilities, Morgan said he hopes MTSU and the Center for Physical Activity and Health in Youth will lay important groundwork for others.
“We hope that this summer camp will become a template for other camps for physically challenged youth here in Tennessee and throughout the nation,” remarked Morgan, center director.
“We also hope that we can raise awareness of the need for local recreations groups and organizations to provide meaningful activity and sports opportunities for these kids.”
For more information about Camp ENRGY, please e-mail co-organizers Stevens at sstevens@mtsu.edu or Hutchens at jgs2a@mtsu.edu. Or, contact Morgan by calling 615-898-5549.
—30—
• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request interviews with the camps co-organizers, please contact Lisa L. Rollins at lrollins@mtsu.edu. Please note that MEDIA ARE WELCOMED to attend the camp to take photographs or collect footage/interviews for news-editorial use, but advance notice is requested. The camp will conclude with a graduation ceremony for participants on Friday, Aug. 7, and this may be a desired “photo opp” for some.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, lrollins@mtsu.edu, 615-898-2919
MTSU CENTER SPONSORS ADAPTIVE RECREATION CAMP FOR YOUTH
Media Invited to Attend, Cover Camp ENRGY on Aug. 3-7, Organizers Say
(MURFREESBORO)—The MTSU Center for Physical Activity and Health in Youth will sponsor Camp ENRGY, a five-day camp designed for youth with physical disabilities, Aug. 3-7.
Camp ENRGY (Excellence ‘N’ Recreation and Games for Youth), which is free for its youth participants, will be conducted 8 a.m.-3 p.m. daily on and off the MTSU campus, with many activities taking place in the university’s recreation center, said Dr. Don Morgan, professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance.
MTSU doctoral students Sandy Stevens and Jenny Hutchens are co-directors of the adaptive recreation camp, now in its first year, which is set to include activities such as soccer, martial arts, nature trail, basketball, baseball and swimming.
By sponsoring an activity camp for children with disabilities, Morgan said he hopes MTSU and the Center for Physical Activity and Health in Youth will lay important groundwork for others.
“We hope that this summer camp will become a template for other camps for physically challenged youth here in Tennessee and throughout the nation,” remarked Morgan, center director.
“We also hope that we can raise awareness of the need for local recreations groups and organizations to provide meaningful activity and sports opportunities for these kids.”
For more information about Camp ENRGY, please e-mail co-organizers Stevens at sstevens@mtsu.edu or Hutchens at jgs2a@mtsu.edu. Or, contact Morgan by calling 615-898-5549.
—30—
• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request interviews with the camps co-organizers, please contact Lisa L. Rollins at lrollins@mtsu.edu. Please note that MEDIA ARE WELCOMED to attend the camp to take photographs or collect footage/interviews for news-editorial use, but advance notice is requested. The camp will conclude with a graduation ceremony for participants on Friday, Aug. 7, and this may be a desired “photo opp” for some.
[028] MORE THAN 900 GRADUATE FROM MTSU AT 97th SUMMER COMMENCEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 27, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Office of News and Public Affairs, 615-898-2919
MORE THAN 900 GRADUATE FROM MTSU AT 97th SUMMER COMMENCEMENT
Single-Ceremony Event Will Again be Webcast for Those Unable to Attend
(MURFREESBORO)—A projected 936 degree candidates will graduate during the 97th annual summer commencement ceremony, MTSU officials announced recently.
The single-ceremony graduation will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, in Murphy Center on the campus of MTSU, with Dr. Alfred Lutz, professor for the Department of English and the current MTSU representative of the Tennessee Board of Regents’ (TBR) Faculty Subcouncil, delivering the commencement address.
An estimated 681 of this summer’s degree candidates will be undergraduates, said Sherian Huddleston, assistant vice provost, Enrollment Services, with 255 students slated to graduate from the College of Graduate Studies. This total includes 218 master's degrees, 31 specialist in education degrees (Ed.S.) and six PhD. graduates.
Now completing a second term as president of the faculty senate, Lutz joined MTSU’s English department in 1998, where he teaches general composition and literature courses, Introduction to English Studies, Survey of British Literature, 18th Century Literature, Travel Literature and Holocaust Literature, respectively.
In addition to a term as an MTSU senator in 2004–06 and as senate president, Lutz has served on the Academic Appeals Committee; University Discipline Committee, which he also chaired; Library Committee, which he also chaired; and the Faculty Research and Creative Projects Committee. He also has served two terms as president of the MTSU Chapter of the American Association of University Professors.
Lutz’s service in the Department of English includes membership on the Advisory Committee, Lower Division Committee, Freshman Writing Award Committee, Tenure-Track Faculty Search Committee, Graduate Committee and the Chair Search Committee, which he co-chaired.
A member of the American Association of University Professors and the Tennessee University Faculty Senates, among professional organizations, Lutz earned his Ph.D. (1993) and a Master of Arts (1987), both in English literature, from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts (1982) in history and English literature from Tübingen University in the Federal Republic of Germany.
Lutz, who is the recipient of several Faculty Research and Creative Activity Grants, has authored articles on 18th century subjects in journals such as Studies in Philology, Modern Language Quarterly, Studies in the Novel, Anglia:Zeitschrift für Englische Philologie, Studies in English Literature and Papers on Language & Literature.
Dr. Diane Miller, interim executive vice president and provost, said she wanted to remind all degree candidates of the importance of appropriate dress, decorum and respect for the commencement ceremony.
“We believe this is a very important day in the lives of many people,” Miller said. “Commencement is one of those few days that families always remember as
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special. It is difficult to give the ceremony the dignified atmosphere it deserves if attendees are using air horns or leaving before the completion of the ceremony.”
Additionally, Miller noted that the graduation committee also emphasized that students who participate in commencement will be required to stay for the entire ceremony. The ceremony should last about two hours. If candidates are planning celebration activities, please be aware of this commitment, she said.
“To make this a special day, it requires cooperation from everyone in attendance,” Miller said. “We believe it should be a dignified ceremony, which adds to its enjoyment of all in attendance.”
At 8:30 a.m. Aug. 8, Murphy Center doors will open for the commencement
ceremony. Candidates are expected to be in their assigned areas, dressed in their caps and gowns, no later than 9 a.m. Officials report that students who are not in their assigned gym at the proper times will not be allowed to participate in the ceremony. Because commencement rehearsals are no longer conducted, timely attendance is mandatory for students to receive important instructions.
Graduation information—including how to access the graduation ceremony via streaming video the day of commencement, maps and driving directions to Murphy Center, cap-and-gown information and how to order a DVD of the summer ceremony— is available online by accessing www.mtsunews.com and clicking on the “Graduation Information” link at the top, center of the Web page.
For more information about receiving a degree in absentia, please visit the Records Office Web site at www.mtsu.edu/~records/ grad.htm . Any additional questions about graduation may be directed to the Records Office at 615-898-2600.
MTSU SUMMER 2009 COMMENCEMENT AT A GLANCE
Who: 936 graduates* (681 undergraduates, 255 graduate students)
What: MTSU’s 97th annual summer commencement ceremony.
When: 10 a.m. Aug. 8; doors open at 8:30 a.m.
Where: Murphy Center
Commencement speaker: Dr. Alfred Lutz, professor for the Department of English and the current MTSU representative of the Tennessee Board of Regents’ (TBR) Faculty Subcouncil
* — Approximate number as of July 20, 2008.
**ATTENTION, MEDIA—To secure a jpeg of Dr. Lutz for editorial use, please e-mail your request to gfann@mtsu.edu in the Office of News and Public Affairs at MTSU.
—30—
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Office of News and Public Affairs, 615-898-2919
MORE THAN 900 GRADUATE FROM MTSU AT 97th SUMMER COMMENCEMENT
Single-Ceremony Event Will Again be Webcast for Those Unable to Attend
(MURFREESBORO)—A projected 936 degree candidates will graduate during the 97th annual summer commencement ceremony, MTSU officials announced recently.
The single-ceremony graduation will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, in Murphy Center on the campus of MTSU, with Dr. Alfred Lutz, professor for the Department of English and the current MTSU representative of the Tennessee Board of Regents’ (TBR) Faculty Subcouncil, delivering the commencement address.
An estimated 681 of this summer’s degree candidates will be undergraduates, said Sherian Huddleston, assistant vice provost, Enrollment Services, with 255 students slated to graduate from the College of Graduate Studies. This total includes 218 master's degrees, 31 specialist in education degrees (Ed.S.) and six PhD. graduates.
Now completing a second term as president of the faculty senate, Lutz joined MTSU’s English department in 1998, where he teaches general composition and literature courses, Introduction to English Studies, Survey of British Literature, 18th Century Literature, Travel Literature and Holocaust Literature, respectively.
In addition to a term as an MTSU senator in 2004–06 and as senate president, Lutz has served on the Academic Appeals Committee; University Discipline Committee, which he also chaired; Library Committee, which he also chaired; and the Faculty Research and Creative Projects Committee. He also has served two terms as president of the MTSU Chapter of the American Association of University Professors.
Lutz’s service in the Department of English includes membership on the Advisory Committee, Lower Division Committee, Freshman Writing Award Committee, Tenure-Track Faculty Search Committee, Graduate Committee and the Chair Search Committee, which he co-chaired.
A member of the American Association of University Professors and the Tennessee University Faculty Senates, among professional organizations, Lutz earned his Ph.D. (1993) and a Master of Arts (1987), both in English literature, from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts (1982) in history and English literature from Tübingen University in the Federal Republic of Germany.
Lutz, who is the recipient of several Faculty Research and Creative Activity Grants, has authored articles on 18th century subjects in journals such as Studies in Philology, Modern Language Quarterly, Studies in the Novel, Anglia:Zeitschrift für Englische Philologie, Studies in English Literature and Papers on Language & Literature.
Dr. Diane Miller, interim executive vice president and provost, said she wanted to remind all degree candidates of the importance of appropriate dress, decorum and respect for the commencement ceremony.
“We believe this is a very important day in the lives of many people,” Miller said. “Commencement is one of those few days that families always remember as
—more—
SUMMGRAD
Add 1
special. It is difficult to give the ceremony the dignified atmosphere it deserves if attendees are using air horns or leaving before the completion of the ceremony.”
Additionally, Miller noted that the graduation committee also emphasized that students who participate in commencement will be required to stay for the entire ceremony. The ceremony should last about two hours. If candidates are planning celebration activities, please be aware of this commitment, she said.
“To make this a special day, it requires cooperation from everyone in attendance,” Miller said. “We believe it should be a dignified ceremony, which adds to its enjoyment of all in attendance.”
At 8:30 a.m. Aug. 8, Murphy Center doors will open for the commencement
ceremony. Candidates are expected to be in their assigned areas, dressed in their caps and gowns, no later than 9 a.m. Officials report that students who are not in their assigned gym at the proper times will not be allowed to participate in the ceremony. Because commencement rehearsals are no longer conducted, timely attendance is mandatory for students to receive important instructions.
Graduation information—including how to access the graduation ceremony via streaming video the day of commencement, maps and driving directions to Murphy Center, cap-and-gown information and how to order a DVD of the summer ceremony— is available online by accessing www.mtsunews.com and clicking on the “Graduation Information” link at the top, center of the Web page.
For more information about receiving a degree in absentia, please visit the Records Office Web site at www.mtsu.edu/~records/ grad.htm . Any additional questions about graduation may be directed to the Records Office at 615-898-2600.
MTSU SUMMER 2009 COMMENCEMENT AT A GLANCE
Who: 936 graduates* (681 undergraduates, 255 graduate students)
What: MTSU’s 97th annual summer commencement ceremony.
When: 10 a.m. Aug. 8; doors open at 8:30 a.m.
Where: Murphy Center
Commencement speaker: Dr. Alfred Lutz, professor for the Department of English and the current MTSU representative of the Tennessee Board of Regents’ (TBR) Faculty Subcouncil
* — Approximate number as of July 20, 2008.
**ATTENTION, MEDIA—To secure a jpeg of Dr. Lutz for editorial use, please e-mail your request to gfann@mtsu.edu in the Office of News and Public Affairs at MTSU.
—30—
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
[027] MTSU AND NSCC JOIN FORCES TO OPEN DOORS TO MORE SCHOLARS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 22, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081, or WMOT-FM, 615-898-2800
MTSU AND NSCC JOIN FORCES TO OPEN DOORS TO MORE SCHOLARS
New Accord to be Examined in Full on “MTSU On the Record” this Sunday
(MURFREESBORO) –Michelle Blackwell, director of Transfer Student Services, will talk about the new agreement between MTSU and Nashville State Community College at 7 a.m. on “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue at 7 a.m. this Sunday, July 26, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org).
The dual-admission pact, which is slated to be signed on Wednesday, July 29, at MTSU, is designed to make it easier for transfer students from NSCC to obtain admission to a four-year institution. After meeting certain requirements, NSCC students will be guaranteed acceptance to MTSU, and at the outset, they will be able to map out their college career paths. Students will save money by being able to enroll in a community college their first two years at lower tuition and fees.
To hear last week’s program about “The Philosophy of Music,” a new fall class at MTSU, go to http://frank.mtsu.edu/~proffice/podcast2009.html and click on “July 19, 2009.” For more information, contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081, or WMOT-FM, 615-898-2800
MTSU AND NSCC JOIN FORCES TO OPEN DOORS TO MORE SCHOLARS
New Accord to be Examined in Full on “MTSU On the Record” this Sunday
(MURFREESBORO) –Michelle Blackwell, director of Transfer Student Services, will talk about the new agreement between MTSU and Nashville State Community College at 7 a.m. on “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue at 7 a.m. this Sunday, July 26, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org).
The dual-admission pact, which is slated to be signed on Wednesday, July 29, at MTSU, is designed to make it easier for transfer students from NSCC to obtain admission to a four-year institution. After meeting certain requirements, NSCC students will be guaranteed acceptance to MTSU, and at the outset, they will be able to map out their college career paths. Students will save money by being able to enroll in a community college their first two years at lower tuition and fees.
To hear last week’s program about “The Philosophy of Music,” a new fall class at MTSU, go to http://frank.mtsu.edu/~proffice/podcast2009.html and click on “July 19, 2009.” For more information, contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.
[026] NEW ONLINE DEGREE PROGRAMS OFFERED AT MTSU
July 22, 2009
CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919; College of Continuing Education and Distance Learning, 615-898-2177.
NEW ONLINE DEGREE PROGRAMS OFFERED AT MTSU
MURFREESBORO—Online degree programs are becoming increasingly popular because students can fit their studies around work and home responsibilities. Beginning this fall, MTSU will further accommodate those busy students by offering several new degree online programs.
Students in the online programs also may take classes on the MTSU campus, said Dr. Dianna Rust, associate dean of continuing education and distance learning. “A degree from the Middle Tennessee State University shows you've worked hard to succeed at a nationally recognized, fully accredited state university.”
The Master of Professional Studies (MPS) program has a new concentration in Training and Development, with sub-specializations in corporate training and online training. The MPS is a 33 hour interdisciplinary graduate program designed for the working adult and may be done completely online.
“The training and development concentration is particularly appropriate for human resource professionals, corporate trainers or those who wish to teach online courses,” said Dr. David Gotcher, director of academic outreach and advisor for the program. Gotcher noted that the program is based on the American Society for Training and Development E-Learning Competencies, which meet industry standards.
Additionally, MTSU is piloting a new online cohort program for psychology (B.S. Psychology) beginning this fall. A cohort is a model in which an entering group of learners stays together for the entire program. Students entering the program should have earned an associate’s degree or 60 hours of general education credit. The program is designed for full-time students who meet the requirements to finish their bachelor degree program in approximately two years.
Students accepted into the cohort program will have reserved space in the cohort classes if they register during the priority-registration period. Due to space limitations, however, not all applicants who meet the requirements will be admitted to the cohort. Students not accepted into the cohort program can still earn their psychology major online.
For more information regarding these and other programs, please contact MTSU’s College of Continuing Education and Distance Learning at 615-898-2177 or by email at learn@mtsu.edu. The deadline to apply for the fall 2009 semester is August 28. Courses will begin August 29.
For more information on all online programs from MTSU visit www.mtsuanytime.com.
CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919; College of Continuing Education and Distance Learning, 615-898-2177.
NEW ONLINE DEGREE PROGRAMS OFFERED AT MTSU
MURFREESBORO—Online degree programs are becoming increasingly popular because students can fit their studies around work and home responsibilities. Beginning this fall, MTSU will further accommodate those busy students by offering several new degree online programs.
Students in the online programs also may take classes on the MTSU campus, said Dr. Dianna Rust, associate dean of continuing education and distance learning. “A degree from the Middle Tennessee State University shows you've worked hard to succeed at a nationally recognized, fully accredited state university.”
The Master of Professional Studies (MPS) program has a new concentration in Training and Development, with sub-specializations in corporate training and online training. The MPS is a 33 hour interdisciplinary graduate program designed for the working adult and may be done completely online.
“The training and development concentration is particularly appropriate for human resource professionals, corporate trainers or those who wish to teach online courses,” said Dr. David Gotcher, director of academic outreach and advisor for the program. Gotcher noted that the program is based on the American Society for Training and Development E-Learning Competencies, which meet industry standards.
Additionally, MTSU is piloting a new online cohort program for psychology (B.S. Psychology) beginning this fall. A cohort is a model in which an entering group of learners stays together for the entire program. Students entering the program should have earned an associate’s degree or 60 hours of general education credit. The program is designed for full-time students who meet the requirements to finish their bachelor degree program in approximately two years.
Students accepted into the cohort program will have reserved space in the cohort classes if they register during the priority-registration period. Due to space limitations, however, not all applicants who meet the requirements will be admitted to the cohort. Students not accepted into the cohort program can still earn their psychology major online.
For more information regarding these and other programs, please contact MTSU’s College of Continuing Education and Distance Learning at 615-898-2177 or by email at learn@mtsu.edu. The deadline to apply for the fall 2009 semester is August 28. Courses will begin August 29.
For more information on all online programs from MTSU visit www.mtsuanytime.com.
[025] MTSU Rutherford County Alumni’s Annual Pigskin Pre-Game
Release date: July 21, 2009
News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919 or jweiler@mtsu.edu
Alumni Relations contact: Paul Wydra, 615-898-2922 or pwydra@mtsu.edu
MTSU Rutherford County Alumni’s Annual Pigskin Pre-Game
Scheduled for Aug. 29 at Marymont Manson on Rucker Lane
(MURFREESBORO) — The MTSU Rutherford County Alumni Chapter’s annual Pigskin Pre-Game will be held on Saturday, Aug. 29, to kickoff the football season.
The event will be held at Marymont Mansion in Marymont Springs, located at 1140 Rucker Lane in Murfreesboro.
“Last year, almost 500 people attended Pigskin and we were able to raise almost $10,000 toward the scholarship fund,” said Paul Wydra, assistant director in the Office of Alumni Relations at MTSU. “Great food, entertainment and people. We hope even more people can attend this year.”
Tickets for the event, which will run from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m., will be $35. Attendees must pre-pay and reply by Wednesday, Aug. 26, to secure their ticket. The ticket price includes food, entertainment by Danny Lowe, beverages, door prizes and more, Wydra said, adding that on-site parking will be available.
All proceeds from Pigskin Pre-game will benefit the Rutherford County Alumni Scholarship Fund. The Rutherford County Alumni Fund awarded $20,000 in scholarships to incoming freshman for the 2008-09 school year. In the last three years, the fund has awarded $57,000 in scholarships to incoming MTSU students from Rutherford County.
Participating sponsors include Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Stones River Total Beverages, DET Distributing and Pepsi/MTSU Vending.
For more information about this event, sponsorship opportunities or to reserve tickets, please call 1-800-533-6878 or visit mtalumni.com. You can also mail your payment to the Office of Alumni Relations, MTSU Box 104, Murfreesboro, TN, 37132.
For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.
News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919 or jweiler@mtsu.edu
Alumni Relations contact: Paul Wydra, 615-898-2922 or pwydra@mtsu.edu
MTSU Rutherford County Alumni’s Annual Pigskin Pre-Game
Scheduled for Aug. 29 at Marymont Manson on Rucker Lane
(MURFREESBORO) — The MTSU Rutherford County Alumni Chapter’s annual Pigskin Pre-Game will be held on Saturday, Aug. 29, to kickoff the football season.
The event will be held at Marymont Mansion in Marymont Springs, located at 1140 Rucker Lane in Murfreesboro.
“Last year, almost 500 people attended Pigskin and we were able to raise almost $10,000 toward the scholarship fund,” said Paul Wydra, assistant director in the Office of Alumni Relations at MTSU. “Great food, entertainment and people. We hope even more people can attend this year.”
Tickets for the event, which will run from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m., will be $35. Attendees must pre-pay and reply by Wednesday, Aug. 26, to secure their ticket. The ticket price includes food, entertainment by Danny Lowe, beverages, door prizes and more, Wydra said, adding that on-site parking will be available.
All proceeds from Pigskin Pre-game will benefit the Rutherford County Alumni Scholarship Fund. The Rutherford County Alumni Fund awarded $20,000 in scholarships to incoming freshman for the 2008-09 school year. In the last three years, the fund has awarded $57,000 in scholarships to incoming MTSU students from Rutherford County.
Participating sponsors include Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Stones River Total Beverages, DET Distributing and Pepsi/MTSU Vending.
For more information about this event, sponsorship opportunities or to reserve tickets, please call 1-800-533-6878 or visit mtalumni.com. You can also mail your payment to the Office of Alumni Relations, MTSU Box 104, Murfreesboro, TN, 37132.
For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.
Monday, July 20, 2009
[024] MTSU ADULT DEGREE COMPLETION PROGRAM EXPANDS TO SHELBYVILLE
July 20, 2009
CONTACT: Molly Culbreath, 931-685-4444; Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919
MTSU ADULT DEGREE COMPLETION PROGRAM EXPANDS TO SHELBYVILLE
New program in the fall will consider prior learning experience for college credit
Murfreesboro, TN, July 13, 2009 – The MTSU College of Continuing Education and Distance Learning is bringing the popular Adult Degree Completion Program (ADCP) to the new Middle Tennessee Education Center (MTEC) in Shelbyville, making the attainment of a college degree even more convenient.
MTEC is a partnership project between MTSU, Motlow State Community College and Bedford County. Through this program over 600 adult students have returned to finish a bachelor’s degree.
Students in the Adult Degree Completion Program may choose a Bachelor of Science in Professional Studies with concentrations in Information Technology or Organizational Leadership—or they may choose a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Studies. Students may take classes online or at MTEC.
Beginning with the fall 2009 semester, MTSU will offer a new hybrid course (PRST 3010) for those interested in earning undergraduate college credit for prior learning.
“Hybrid courses offer the best of both worlds”, said Lance Ikard, an MTSU instructor for the course. “It combines the convenience of online education and the comfort of a few face-to-face class meetings.” Students will take most of the course online in addition to several in-person class sessions, he noted.
Prior Learning Assessment is a nationally recognized program that utilizes the value of prior learning for those who are seeking to finish their undergraduate degree. The PLA program was designed to evaluate the credit worthiness of prior learning for on-the-job training, certificate programs, seminars, corporate training, military education and other non-traditional courses.
Dr. Dianna Rust, the associate dean who supervises the program, said, “A degree from the Middle Tennessee State University shows you've worked hard to succeed at a nationally recognized, fully accredited state university. The PLA program simply makes it faster, easier and more cost-effective for those who qualify.”
For more information regarding this and other programs, please contact the Molly Culbreath, site coordinator for MTEC, at 931-685-4444 or by email at mculbrea@mtsu.edu. The deadline to apply for the fall 2009 semester is August 28. Courses at Middle Tennessee Education Center will begin August 29.
For more information on the new Prior Learning Assessment hybrid course please visit www.mtsuanytime.com.
####
CONTACT: Molly Culbreath, 931-685-4444; Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919
MTSU ADULT DEGREE COMPLETION PROGRAM EXPANDS TO SHELBYVILLE
New program in the fall will consider prior learning experience for college credit
Murfreesboro, TN, July 13, 2009 – The MTSU College of Continuing Education and Distance Learning is bringing the popular Adult Degree Completion Program (ADCP) to the new Middle Tennessee Education Center (MTEC) in Shelbyville, making the attainment of a college degree even more convenient.
MTEC is a partnership project between MTSU, Motlow State Community College and Bedford County. Through this program over 600 adult students have returned to finish a bachelor’s degree.
Students in the Adult Degree Completion Program may choose a Bachelor of Science in Professional Studies with concentrations in Information Technology or Organizational Leadership—or they may choose a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Studies. Students may take classes online or at MTEC.
Beginning with the fall 2009 semester, MTSU will offer a new hybrid course (PRST 3010) for those interested in earning undergraduate college credit for prior learning.
“Hybrid courses offer the best of both worlds”, said Lance Ikard, an MTSU instructor for the course. “It combines the convenience of online education and the comfort of a few face-to-face class meetings.” Students will take most of the course online in addition to several in-person class sessions, he noted.
Prior Learning Assessment is a nationally recognized program that utilizes the value of prior learning for those who are seeking to finish their undergraduate degree. The PLA program was designed to evaluate the credit worthiness of prior learning for on-the-job training, certificate programs, seminars, corporate training, military education and other non-traditional courses.
Dr. Dianna Rust, the associate dean who supervises the program, said, “A degree from the Middle Tennessee State University shows you've worked hard to succeed at a nationally recognized, fully accredited state university. The PLA program simply makes it faster, easier and more cost-effective for those who qualify.”
For more information regarding this and other programs, please contact the Molly Culbreath, site coordinator for MTEC, at 931-685-4444 or by email at mculbrea@mtsu.edu. The deadline to apply for the fall 2009 semester is August 28. Courses at Middle Tennessee Education Center will begin August 29.
For more information on the new Prior Learning Assessment hybrid course please visit www.mtsuanytime.com.
####
Friday, July 17, 2009
[023] STATEWIDE PROGRAM RECOGNIZES GREENE COUNTY PROPERTY AS PIONEER FARM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 17, 2009
CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947
STATEWIDE PROGRAM RECOGNIZES GREENE COUNTY PROPERTY AS PIONEER FARM
Greene County Fair Will Recognize Horse Creek Farm’s Contributions on Aug. 12
(MURFREESBORO)—The Horse Creek Farm in Greene County is one of a select group of historic farms in Tennessee to be designated as a Pioneer Century Farm, reported Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation, which is located on the MTSU campus.
Jacob Broyles, a descendent of German and French immigrants who moved to the eastern part of Tennessee during the 18th century, founded the Horse Creek Farm in 1778. Family and community history indicates that this land was settled as early as 1765 and previously owned by Emanuel Sandusky.
According to reports, Cherokees are said to have kidnapped Sandusky’s daughter, and soon thereafter, he and moved to Newport. Prior to his departure, Jacob Broyles obtained the 640 acres. Although Broyles may have lived in the area and farmed the land earlier than 1778, it was Nov. 2 of that year that the deed was officially recorded for the property in what was then the state of North Carolina.
Jacob and his wife, Elizabeth Yowell, had seven children: Lewis, Delilah, Jeremiah, James, Keziah, John and Ezekial. As with most farm families, the Broyles were as self-sufficient as possible, raising a variety of livestock and crops, including cattle, horses, sheep, hogs, oats, barley and corn.
In 1794, still two years before Tennessee became a state, Lewis Broyles became the second generation to own the farm. He and wife Mary McCain also had seven children. During their ownership, the farm produced tobacco, barley, oats, wheat, cattle, hogs, sheep and horses. In addition to farming, the family built a gristmill on the property. According to the family’s records, a two-room house was built above the mill for the traveling doctor who came to the community.
The farm passed through several generations, and in 1989, the great-great- great-great-great-grandson of the founder, Tim Armstrong, acquired the land. Tim and his wife Nedra are the parents of Scott and Brandy. Tim and Scott work the land and raise corn silage, rye, orchard grass as well as registered Guernsey and Jersey cattle.
The family has been active in the community over the years. Tim served as a director on Farm Bureau Board in Greene County for four years, was a county commissioner from 1994 to 2002 and sat on the Greene County School Board from 2004 to 2008. Tim also served on the boards of Dairymen Incorporated, Mid-American Dairymen and Dairy Farmers of America. In addition to these organizations, Tim has also been “the voice” of the Black Knights basketball team at Chuckey-Doak High School.
Nedra was in the 4-H and all of the family has shown registered Jerseys and Guernseys throughout the state and in national shows in Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Wisconsin. Scott and Brandy have also been active in the 4-H and they both have received the American Farmer Degree from the FFA. They are the first family from Tennessee to have father, son and daughter to all receive the American Farmer Degree.
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At 6 p.m. Aug. 12, the Greene County Fair will recognize and honor Horse Creek Farm, along with 45 other certified Century Farms, which now includes seven Pioneer Century Farms. These are farms that have been in the same family since before or in the year of 1796 when Tennessee became a state.
“Greene County is third in the state, following Wilson and Smith, in the total number of certified Century Farms,” Hankins observed. “It leads the state, however, in the number of Pioneer Century Farms, illustrating the county’s significance as an area of early settlement and agricultural traditions.”
About the Century Farms Program
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the CHP at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture began the Tennessee Century Farm Program, which now includes Pioneer Farms, in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA provides a
metal outdoor sign, noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins said, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
—30—
ATTENTION, MEDIA: To interview the farm’s owners or request a jpeg of this Pioneer Farm property, please contact the CHP directly at 615-898-2947.
CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947
STATEWIDE PROGRAM RECOGNIZES GREENE COUNTY PROPERTY AS PIONEER FARM
Greene County Fair Will Recognize Horse Creek Farm’s Contributions on Aug. 12
(MURFREESBORO)—The Horse Creek Farm in Greene County is one of a select group of historic farms in Tennessee to be designated as a Pioneer Century Farm, reported Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation, which is located on the MTSU campus.
Jacob Broyles, a descendent of German and French immigrants who moved to the eastern part of Tennessee during the 18th century, founded the Horse Creek Farm in 1778. Family and community history indicates that this land was settled as early as 1765 and previously owned by Emanuel Sandusky.
According to reports, Cherokees are said to have kidnapped Sandusky’s daughter, and soon thereafter, he and moved to Newport. Prior to his departure, Jacob Broyles obtained the 640 acres. Although Broyles may have lived in the area and farmed the land earlier than 1778, it was Nov. 2 of that year that the deed was officially recorded for the property in what was then the state of North Carolina.
Jacob and his wife, Elizabeth Yowell, had seven children: Lewis, Delilah, Jeremiah, James, Keziah, John and Ezekial. As with most farm families, the Broyles were as self-sufficient as possible, raising a variety of livestock and crops, including cattle, horses, sheep, hogs, oats, barley and corn.
In 1794, still two years before Tennessee became a state, Lewis Broyles became the second generation to own the farm. He and wife Mary McCain also had seven children. During their ownership, the farm produced tobacco, barley, oats, wheat, cattle, hogs, sheep and horses. In addition to farming, the family built a gristmill on the property. According to the family’s records, a two-room house was built above the mill for the traveling doctor who came to the community.
The farm passed through several generations, and in 1989, the great-great- great-great-great-grandson of the founder, Tim Armstrong, acquired the land. Tim and his wife Nedra are the parents of Scott and Brandy. Tim and Scott work the land and raise corn silage, rye, orchard grass as well as registered Guernsey and Jersey cattle.
The family has been active in the community over the years. Tim served as a director on Farm Bureau Board in Greene County for four years, was a county commissioner from 1994 to 2002 and sat on the Greene County School Board from 2004 to 2008. Tim also served on the boards of Dairymen Incorporated, Mid-American Dairymen and Dairy Farmers of America. In addition to these organizations, Tim has also been “the voice” of the Black Knights basketball team at Chuckey-Doak High School.
Nedra was in the 4-H and all of the family has shown registered Jerseys and Guernseys throughout the state and in national shows in Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Wisconsin. Scott and Brandy have also been active in the 4-H and they both have received the American Farmer Degree from the FFA. They are the first family from Tennessee to have father, son and daughter to all receive the American Farmer Degree.
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PIONEER
Add 1
At 6 p.m. Aug. 12, the Greene County Fair will recognize and honor Horse Creek Farm, along with 45 other certified Century Farms, which now includes seven Pioneer Century Farms. These are farms that have been in the same family since before or in the year of 1796 when Tennessee became a state.
“Greene County is third in the state, following Wilson and Smith, in the total number of certified Century Farms,” Hankins observed. “It leads the state, however, in the number of Pioneer Century Farms, illustrating the county’s significance as an area of early settlement and agricultural traditions.”
About the Century Farms Program
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the CHP at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture began the Tennessee Century Farm Program, which now includes Pioneer Farms, in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA provides a
metal outdoor sign, noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins said, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
—30—
ATTENTION, MEDIA: To interview the farm’s owners or request a jpeg of this Pioneer Farm property, please contact the CHP directly at 615-898-2947.
[022] MTSU ALUMNI OF DISTINCTION
Release date: July 17, 2009
News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
MTSU Alumni Relations contact: Michelle Stepp, 615-898-2922
MTSU ALUMNI OF DISTINCTION
Mitchell, Frost, Vance named Distinguished Alumni;
Agee recognized as Young Alumni Achievement Honoree
(MURFREESBORO) — The MTSU Alumni Association has announced its three Distinguished Alumni and one Young Alumni Achievement Award recipients for 2009-10.
The Distinguished Alumni recipients include:
• David Mitchell (’73) of Franklin, Tenn., who is being honored in the Professional Achievement category;
• Tom Vance (’76) of McMinnville, Tenn., who is being recognized in the Service to the Community category; and
• George Frost (’56) of Hendersonville, Tenn., who is being saluted in the Service to the University category.
The Young Alumni Achievement honoree is:
• Lauren Agee (’01) of Murfreesboro.
All four will be recognized during Homecoming 2009 activities Oct. 24 and other times during the next year.
The MTSU Alumni Association annually seeks and accepts nominations for the Distinguished Alumni and Young Alumni Achievement Awards. The selection is made from candidates who have distinguished themselves by obtaining a high level of service to their profession, their community and/or MTSU.
Mitchell was named commissioner of the Department of Safety by Gov. Phil Bredesen in January 2007 and has served as director of the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security since November 2005. He had a 26-year career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which included serving in New Orleans, New York City, Atlanta and Milwaukee field offices, and in the FBI Washington, D.C., headquarters as supervisor of domestic terrorism investigations in 1987 and 1998 as an inspector. In his current capacity, Mitchell’s efforts helped establish a statewide program called Interdiction Plus, he has overseen the reorganization of the Department of Safety and programs implemented during his tenure have helped reduce traffic fatalities.
Mitchell, a political science major while at MTSU, and wife Rosie have two children and five grandchildren.
Vance, president and CEO of First National Bank of McMinnville and First McMinnville Corporation since 2006, has been in the banking business since 1977. He spent a number of years in banking in Murfreesboro, and was president and executive director of the Middle Tennessee Medical Center Foundation from 2002-06.
Vance is a member of the Noon Rotary Club of McMinnville. He has held board and officer positions with the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee, United Way of Rutherford County, Boy Scouts, Middle Tennessee Christian School, Rotary Club of Murfreesboro, Paul Harris Fellow, Tennessee Bankers Association, MTSU selection committee for the Weatherford Chair of Banking and tournament chair for the Weatherford Chair of Banking Golf Tournament.
Vance, who graduated with a B.B.A. degree, and Nancy Florida Vance, his wife of 35 years and herself a 1974 MTSU alumna (B.S. in education in 1974), have two grown children, Ashley Vance Jensen (’01) and Andrew Thomas Vance.
Frost is president of Frost Insurance Agency, a company he has owned for 39 years. During this time, he trained two sons, two son-in-laws, two grandsons and one granddaughter in the business, continuing the legacy of the agency.
Frost’s service to the university runs deep and wide through campus. He helped endow the Tommy Martin Chair of Insurance by arranging a $30,000 gift from Cigna Insurance. He served as chair of the Insurance Steering Committee for five years. He was president of the MTSU Foundation in 1987 and Blue Raider Varsity Club in 1990. Frost has served on the Blue Raider Sports Hall of Fame Selection Committee numerous times and been a Blue Raider Athletic Association member 10 years. He was a donor in the capital campaign for the Kennon Hall of Fame and director of athletics Ring of Honor 2007 recipient. He played football and ran track for the Blue Raiders from 1952-56.
Frost, who was an economics major at MTSU, and his wife, Mattie Sue (’55), have been married more than 50 years. He is a former Little League baseball and youth basketball coach, 25-year member of the Hendersonville Chamber of Commerce and served on the Connell United Methodist Church finance committee for three years.
Agee serves as senior policy adviser for State Sen. Jim Kyle, for whom she has worked since February 2005. She oversees all administrative duties in the office. She meets regularly with constituents, advocacy groups and lobbyists regarding legislative and policy issues. Agee assists Democratic senators during Senate floor proceedings and monitors senate and house committee meetings. She oversees passage of senator’s and governor’s yearly legislative package, including the annual state budget. Additionally, she helps formulate policy and legislation for the senator and democratic caucus.
Agee worked from May 2002 until January 2005 as executive assistant and scheduler for Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, who represented California’s 16th district. From July 2001 until February 2002, Agee worked as scheduling coordinator in the Andy Womack for governor campaign. She also held three positions in the Office of Legislative Affairs at the White House in Washington, D.C., from May 1999 until December 2000.
Agee earned her B.S. in political science (public administration emphasis) and minors in English and mass communication. She and husband Kelly married in 2006. Her father, the late Dr. Cliff Gillespie (’71) was a 2001 Distinguished Alumnus. Her mother, Gayle (’72, ’74) teaches at Homer Pittard Campus School.
For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.
###
Note: High-resolution photos of the Distinguished Alumni and Young Alumni Award recipients are available upon request. Contact MTSU News and Public Affairs by calling 615-898-2919.
News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
MTSU Alumni Relations contact: Michelle Stepp, 615-898-2922
MTSU ALUMNI OF DISTINCTION
Mitchell, Frost, Vance named Distinguished Alumni;
Agee recognized as Young Alumni Achievement Honoree
(MURFREESBORO) — The MTSU Alumni Association has announced its three Distinguished Alumni and one Young Alumni Achievement Award recipients for 2009-10.
The Distinguished Alumni recipients include:
• David Mitchell (’73) of Franklin, Tenn., who is being honored in the Professional Achievement category;
• Tom Vance (’76) of McMinnville, Tenn., who is being recognized in the Service to the Community category; and
• George Frost (’56) of Hendersonville, Tenn., who is being saluted in the Service to the University category.
The Young Alumni Achievement honoree is:
• Lauren Agee (’01) of Murfreesboro.
All four will be recognized during Homecoming 2009 activities Oct. 24 and other times during the next year.
The MTSU Alumni Association annually seeks and accepts nominations for the Distinguished Alumni and Young Alumni Achievement Awards. The selection is made from candidates who have distinguished themselves by obtaining a high level of service to their profession, their community and/or MTSU.
Mitchell was named commissioner of the Department of Safety by Gov. Phil Bredesen in January 2007 and has served as director of the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security since November 2005. He had a 26-year career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which included serving in New Orleans, New York City, Atlanta and Milwaukee field offices, and in the FBI Washington, D.C., headquarters as supervisor of domestic terrorism investigations in 1987 and 1998 as an inspector. In his current capacity, Mitchell’s efforts helped establish a statewide program called Interdiction Plus, he has overseen the reorganization of the Department of Safety and programs implemented during his tenure have helped reduce traffic fatalities.
Mitchell, a political science major while at MTSU, and wife Rosie have two children and five grandchildren.
Vance, president and CEO of First National Bank of McMinnville and First McMinnville Corporation since 2006, has been in the banking business since 1977. He spent a number of years in banking in Murfreesboro, and was president and executive director of the Middle Tennessee Medical Center Foundation from 2002-06.
Vance is a member of the Noon Rotary Club of McMinnville. He has held board and officer positions with the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee, United Way of Rutherford County, Boy Scouts, Middle Tennessee Christian School, Rotary Club of Murfreesboro, Paul Harris Fellow, Tennessee Bankers Association, MTSU selection committee for the Weatherford Chair of Banking and tournament chair for the Weatherford Chair of Banking Golf Tournament.
Vance, who graduated with a B.B.A. degree, and Nancy Florida Vance, his wife of 35 years and herself a 1974 MTSU alumna (B.S. in education in 1974), have two grown children, Ashley Vance Jensen (’01) and Andrew Thomas Vance.
Frost is president of Frost Insurance Agency, a company he has owned for 39 years. During this time, he trained two sons, two son-in-laws, two grandsons and one granddaughter in the business, continuing the legacy of the agency.
Frost’s service to the university runs deep and wide through campus. He helped endow the Tommy Martin Chair of Insurance by arranging a $30,000 gift from Cigna Insurance. He served as chair of the Insurance Steering Committee for five years. He was president of the MTSU Foundation in 1987 and Blue Raider Varsity Club in 1990. Frost has served on the Blue Raider Sports Hall of Fame Selection Committee numerous times and been a Blue Raider Athletic Association member 10 years. He was a donor in the capital campaign for the Kennon Hall of Fame and director of athletics Ring of Honor 2007 recipient. He played football and ran track for the Blue Raiders from 1952-56.
Frost, who was an economics major at MTSU, and his wife, Mattie Sue (’55), have been married more than 50 years. He is a former Little League baseball and youth basketball coach, 25-year member of the Hendersonville Chamber of Commerce and served on the Connell United Methodist Church finance committee for three years.
Agee serves as senior policy adviser for State Sen. Jim Kyle, for whom she has worked since February 2005. She oversees all administrative duties in the office. She meets regularly with constituents, advocacy groups and lobbyists regarding legislative and policy issues. Agee assists Democratic senators during Senate floor proceedings and monitors senate and house committee meetings. She oversees passage of senator’s and governor’s yearly legislative package, including the annual state budget. Additionally, she helps formulate policy and legislation for the senator and democratic caucus.
Agee worked from May 2002 until January 2005 as executive assistant and scheduler for Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, who represented California’s 16th district. From July 2001 until February 2002, Agee worked as scheduling coordinator in the Andy Womack for governor campaign. She also held three positions in the Office of Legislative Affairs at the White House in Washington, D.C., from May 1999 until December 2000.
Agee earned her B.S. in political science (public administration emphasis) and minors in English and mass communication. She and husband Kelly married in 2006. Her father, the late Dr. Cliff Gillespie (’71) was a 2001 Distinguished Alumnus. Her mother, Gayle (’72, ’74) teaches at Homer Pittard Campus School.
For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.
###
Note: High-resolution photos of the Distinguished Alumni and Young Alumni Award recipients are available upon request. Contact MTSU News and Public Affairs by calling 615-898-2919.
[020] MTSU RESEARCH TO IDENTIFY EXTENT OF UNDEREMPLOYED LABOR
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 13, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Dr. David Penn, 615-904-8571; Dr. Murat Arik, 615-898-
5424
MTSU RESEARCH TO IDENTIFY EXTENT OF UNDEREMPLOYED LABOR
Business and Economic Research Center Study to Encompass Seven-County Area
(MURFREESBORO) – The Business and Economic Research Center (BERC) at MTSU will conduct a study to determine the population of the underemployed in a seven-county area of middle Tennessee, a project that could help prospective employers target the labor they need.
Bedford, Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Lincoln, Moore and Warren counties will be included in the study, which will be funded with a grant from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
The primary goal of this study is to identify the number of underemployed and their characteristics in the seven-county study area. In the coming weeks, researchers working on behalf of MTSU will be conducting a phone survey of area residents to measure the extent of underemployment.
“Overall, the results of this study will be an excellent resource for the local governments as they recruit new employers to their counties,” says Dr. Murat Arik, BERC Associate Director. “The availability of the labor force for a particular business operation is at the top of concerns in business relocation and expansion decisions. Official ‘unemployment’ figures often are not a useful metric to determine the availability of labor.”
Arik says the study will help the region in three distinct ways.
“First, the region will be able to attract new businesses by demonstrating that the region has enough supply of qualified workforce,” says Arik. “Second, identifying and addressing the causes of underutilization will help the study-area economy create a sustainable growth. Third, identifying and addressing workforce skill-related issues means better-paying jobs and job satisfaction for the area workforce.”
The researchers appreciate, in advance, the assistance of area households in completing this important project. For more information, contact the BERC at 615-898-2610.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Dr. David Penn, 615-904-8571; Dr. Murat Arik, 615-898-
5424
MTSU RESEARCH TO IDENTIFY EXTENT OF UNDEREMPLOYED LABOR
Business and Economic Research Center Study to Encompass Seven-County Area
(MURFREESBORO) – The Business and Economic Research Center (BERC) at MTSU will conduct a study to determine the population of the underemployed in a seven-county area of middle Tennessee, a project that could help prospective employers target the labor they need.
Bedford, Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Lincoln, Moore and Warren counties will be included in the study, which will be funded with a grant from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
The primary goal of this study is to identify the number of underemployed and their characteristics in the seven-county study area. In the coming weeks, researchers working on behalf of MTSU will be conducting a phone survey of area residents to measure the extent of underemployment.
“Overall, the results of this study will be an excellent resource for the local governments as they recruit new employers to their counties,” says Dr. Murat Arik, BERC Associate Director. “The availability of the labor force for a particular business operation is at the top of concerns in business relocation and expansion decisions. Official ‘unemployment’ figures often are not a useful metric to determine the availability of labor.”
Arik says the study will help the region in three distinct ways.
“First, the region will be able to attract new businesses by demonstrating that the region has enough supply of qualified workforce,” says Arik. “Second, identifying and addressing the causes of underutilization will help the study-area economy create a sustainable growth. Third, identifying and addressing workforce skill-related issues means better-paying jobs and job satisfaction for the area workforce.”
The researchers appreciate, in advance, the assistance of area households in completing this important project. For more information, contact the BERC at 615-898-2610.
[019] MTSU CLASS PROVIDES MUSIC FOR THOUGHT THIS FALL SEMESTER
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 16, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081; WMOT-FM, 615-898-2800
MTSU CLASS PROVIDES MUSIC FOR THOUGHT THIS FALL SEMESTER
Dr. Ron Bombardi Describes “The Philosophy of Music” on “MTSU on the Record”
(MURFREESBORO) – Dr. Ron Bombardi, chair of the Department of Philosophy, will discuss a new fall course, “The Philosophy of Music,” on “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue at 7 a.m. this Sunday, July 19, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org).
“Not only have recent feminist and postmodern sensibilities shifted debates from the recital hall to the dance hall, but the social significance of music and music-making has come into focus as a long neglected dimension of political theory, economics and the philosophy of revolution and social change,” says Bombardi. “So, too, modern neuroscience has opened surprisingly new avenues of inquiry into the psychology of musical performance and experience.”
To hear last week’s program about the Albert Gore Research Center, go to http://frank.mtsu.edu/~proffice/podcast2009.html and click on “July 12, 2009.” For more information, contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081; WMOT-FM, 615-898-2800
MTSU CLASS PROVIDES MUSIC FOR THOUGHT THIS FALL SEMESTER
Dr. Ron Bombardi Describes “The Philosophy of Music” on “MTSU on the Record”
(MURFREESBORO) – Dr. Ron Bombardi, chair of the Department of Philosophy, will discuss a new fall course, “The Philosophy of Music,” on “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue at 7 a.m. this Sunday, July 19, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org).
“Not only have recent feminist and postmodern sensibilities shifted debates from the recital hall to the dance hall, but the social significance of music and music-making has come into focus as a long neglected dimension of political theory, economics and the philosophy of revolution and social change,” says Bombardi. “So, too, modern neuroscience has opened surprisingly new avenues of inquiry into the psychology of musical performance and experience.”
To hear last week’s program about the Albert Gore Research Center, go to http://frank.mtsu.edu/~proffice/podcast2009.html and click on “July 12, 2009.” For more information, contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.
[018] ROBERT E. ROSE TO BE INDUCTED INTO INSURANCE HALL OF FAME
July 17, 2009
CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919
Dr. Kenneth Hollman, 615-898-2673
ROBERT E. ROSE TO BE INDUCTED INTO INSURANCE HALL OF FAME
MURFREESBORO—Robert E. Rose, insurance professional and public servant for five decades in middle Tennessee, will be inducted into Middle Tennessee State University’s Robert E. Musto Tennessee Insurance Hall of Fame, joining 40 other professionals in that esteemed group. The ceremony will be held at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center in Murfreesboro on Tuesday, Aug. 4.
In 1948, as the Tennessee Farm Bureau was organizing an insurance division to serve its membership, Mr. Rose was one of the first agents hired to open and operate the Rutherford County Farm Bureau office. It was first located in downtown Murfreesboro, then later moved to Broad Street and is now at 818 Church Street. As Rutherford County agency manager, Rose was in charge of handling the staff and agents of a large insurance agency while also serving as a liaison to the Rutherford County Farm Bureau Board of Directors. He served in this capacity for 37 years until he retired in 1985.
During this period, Mr. Rose built the Rutherford County Farm Bureau into the largest Farm Bureau agency in the state. By the time he retired, Rutherford County Farm Bureau had a larger number of insured members than any other county in Tennessee.
During his almost four-decade tenure, Rose oversaw the inception and growth of Tennessee Farmers Mutual Insurance Company, which offered home, auto and farm insurance. The company provided life insurance through an arrangement with Southern Farm Bureau until Tennessee Farmers Life Insurance Company was formed in 1972. Throughout his career, Mr. Rose won many of the incentive trips offered by Southern Farm Bureau and Tennessee Farmers Life, and he enjoyed the reputation of being a champion for the agents who worked under him.
Rose’s extensive involvement in civic affairs includes membership in the North Boulevard Church of Christ, since 1944, and the Optimist Club, where he helped establish Little League Baseball in Murfreesboro. He was a founding board member of National Bank of Murfreesboro in 1955. He remained in that position following the merger with First Tennessee Bank and then became the board chairman in 1976, a position from which he just recently stepped down.
In addition, Rose has served on the Rutherford County Board of Education (1956 to 1964), Murfreesboro City Council (1966 to 1982), Murfreesboro Electric Board for 30 years, Rutherford County Industrial Development Board for 12 years, Rutherford County Adult Activity Center Board for 20 years and the Rutherford County Election Commissioner for 16 years.
The City of Murfreesboro honored Mr. Rose for his years of dedication and service to our city by naming a street after him, Robert E. Rose Drive, which runs behind Stones River Mall through Thompson Lane. The only other individual within the insurance industry for whom Murfreesboro has bestowed the same honor is the late Tommy Martin, namesake of the Martin Chair of Insurance at MTSU and an inductee in the Robert E. Musto Tennessee Insurance Hall of Fame Class of 1999.
In 1997, Robert L. Musto, son of Robert E. Musto, presented a $10,000 gift to MTSU's Martin Chair of Insurance in honor of his father, which provided the foundation for the hall of fame. The late Robert E. Musto served as vice president of the former National Life and Accident Insurance Company. Robert L. Musto of Nashville, who died earlier this year, was regional sales manager of the company his father helped build.
Including the inductees for 2009, there are 41 members in the Robert E. Musto Insurance Hall of Fame, which is under the auspices of the Tommy T. Martin Chair of Insurance in MTSU’s Jennings A. Jones College of Business. Dr. Kenneth W. Hollman is holder of the Martin Chair.
Also being inducted on Aug. 4 are Joseph M. Clinard Jr. of Nashville and E. Denby Brandon Jr. of Memphis.
####
CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919
Dr. Kenneth Hollman, 615-898-2673
ROBERT E. ROSE TO BE INDUCTED INTO INSURANCE HALL OF FAME
MURFREESBORO—Robert E. Rose, insurance professional and public servant for five decades in middle Tennessee, will be inducted into Middle Tennessee State University’s Robert E. Musto Tennessee Insurance Hall of Fame, joining 40 other professionals in that esteemed group. The ceremony will be held at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center in Murfreesboro on Tuesday, Aug. 4.
In 1948, as the Tennessee Farm Bureau was organizing an insurance division to serve its membership, Mr. Rose was one of the first agents hired to open and operate the Rutherford County Farm Bureau office. It was first located in downtown Murfreesboro, then later moved to Broad Street and is now at 818 Church Street. As Rutherford County agency manager, Rose was in charge of handling the staff and agents of a large insurance agency while also serving as a liaison to the Rutherford County Farm Bureau Board of Directors. He served in this capacity for 37 years until he retired in 1985.
During this period, Mr. Rose built the Rutherford County Farm Bureau into the largest Farm Bureau agency in the state. By the time he retired, Rutherford County Farm Bureau had a larger number of insured members than any other county in Tennessee.
During his almost four-decade tenure, Rose oversaw the inception and growth of Tennessee Farmers Mutual Insurance Company, which offered home, auto and farm insurance. The company provided life insurance through an arrangement with Southern Farm Bureau until Tennessee Farmers Life Insurance Company was formed in 1972. Throughout his career, Mr. Rose won many of the incentive trips offered by Southern Farm Bureau and Tennessee Farmers Life, and he enjoyed the reputation of being a champion for the agents who worked under him.
Rose’s extensive involvement in civic affairs includes membership in the North Boulevard Church of Christ, since 1944, and the Optimist Club, where he helped establish Little League Baseball in Murfreesboro. He was a founding board member of National Bank of Murfreesboro in 1955. He remained in that position following the merger with First Tennessee Bank and then became the board chairman in 1976, a position from which he just recently stepped down.
In addition, Rose has served on the Rutherford County Board of Education (1956 to 1964), Murfreesboro City Council (1966 to 1982), Murfreesboro Electric Board for 30 years, Rutherford County Industrial Development Board for 12 years, Rutherford County Adult Activity Center Board for 20 years and the Rutherford County Election Commissioner for 16 years.
The City of Murfreesboro honored Mr. Rose for his years of dedication and service to our city by naming a street after him, Robert E. Rose Drive, which runs behind Stones River Mall through Thompson Lane. The only other individual within the insurance industry for whom Murfreesboro has bestowed the same honor is the late Tommy Martin, namesake of the Martin Chair of Insurance at MTSU and an inductee in the Robert E. Musto Tennessee Insurance Hall of Fame Class of 1999.
In 1997, Robert L. Musto, son of Robert E. Musto, presented a $10,000 gift to MTSU's Martin Chair of Insurance in honor of his father, which provided the foundation for the hall of fame. The late Robert E. Musto served as vice president of the former National Life and Accident Insurance Company. Robert L. Musto of Nashville, who died earlier this year, was regional sales manager of the company his father helped build.
Including the inductees for 2009, there are 41 members in the Robert E. Musto Insurance Hall of Fame, which is under the auspices of the Tommy T. Martin Chair of Insurance in MTSU’s Jennings A. Jones College of Business. Dr. Kenneth W. Hollman is holder of the Martin Chair.
Also being inducted on Aug. 4 are Joseph M. Clinard Jr. of Nashville and E. Denby Brandon Jr. of Memphis.
####
[017] JOE CLINARD JR. TO BE INDUCTED INTO INSURANCE HALL OF FAME
July 17, 2009
CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919
Dr. Kenneth Hollman, 615-898-2673
JOE CLINARD JR. TO BE INDUCTED INTO INSURANCE HALL OF FAME
MURFREESBORO—Joseph M. Clinard Jr., of Nashville, will be inducted into Middle Tennessee State University’s Robert E. Musto Tennessee Insurance Hall of Fame, joining 40 other professionals in that esteemed group. The ceremony will be held at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center in Murfreesboro on Tuesday, Aug. 4.
In 1946, Clinard went to work for Hardware Mutual Casualty Company of Stevens Point, Wis., as a field man with the title of safety engineer. He worked out of the Atlanta office. In 1948 he was brought into the home office as an underwriter, and by 1949, he was underwriting all lines of casualty insurance.
In 1950, Shelby (Ohio) Mutual Insurance Company hired Mr. Clinard as special agent to set up a branch office in Nashville, covering the entire state. In 1965, Shelby Mutual appointed him resident vice president. He subsequently expanded the company’s operations into Mississippi and Arkansas.
By 1978, Shelby wrote an estimated 70 percent of Tennessee Doctors Professional Liability Insurance. As the line trended toward non-profitability, most carriers, including Shelby, decreased their writing. Because of the market shortage, the state created the Tennessee Temporary Joint Underwriting Association (TTJUA).
Clinard was elected to the board of directors of the TTJUA and subsequently was elected chair. He served in that capacity until 1988. The organization was recognized as one of the best and most successful of its kind in the country.
During his years with Shelby, Clinard served 18 years on the Tennessee Assigned Risk Plan Board of Directors, 14 of those years as chairman. He also served for 18 years as treasurer of the Tennessee 1752 Club, a service club of field men and women of mutual insurance companies. He was the first person to be named “Field Man of the Year” by the Tennessee Mutual Insurance Agents Association.
In January of 1984, the Metropolitan Government of Nashville hired Mr. Clinard to develop a self-insurance property and casualty insurance program that was fiscally and actuarially sound. Nineteen years later that goal was met and on May 31, 2003, Clinard retired.
Clinard’s passion is flying. He made his first solo flight on his 21st birthday, Oct. 21, 1939, and he purchased his first airplane in early 1940. In 1993, he set two cross-country, point-to-point speed records in the National Aeronautic Association’s Microlight Aircraft category. He made his last solo flight in 2007. After 68 years, he decided it was time to give up flying.
His other enthusiasm is physical fitness. He began distance running at 59 years of age and for the next nine years continued competing in distances up to 15 miles. After his third knee operation, his doctor advised that he change to something else. While in “rehab,” he was introduced to a Concept 11 Ergometer, a state-of-the-art rowing machine that is used by rowing teams to train athletes during winter months when they can’t get on the water. Soon after, he became a world-class rower. In 1999, he set a record in the 80-90 age division of 8:03.6 minutes for 2000 meters, a record that held for three years. On March 17, 1995, Nashville Mayor Phil Bredesen presented Clinard with a Certificate of Merit as Athlete of the Year.
Clinard and his wife have two children and are members of the Westview United Methodist Church.
In 1997, Robert L. Musto, son of Robert E. Musto, presented a $10,000 gift to MTSU's Martin Chair of Insurance in honor of his father, which provided the foundation for the hall of fame. The late Robert E. Musto served as vice president of the former National Life and Accident Insurance Company. Robert L. Musto of Nashville, who died earlier this year, was regional sales manager of the company his father helped build.
Including the inductees for 2009, there are 41 members in the Robert E. Musto Insurance Hall of Fame, which is under the auspices of the Tommy T. Martin Chair of Insurance in MTSU’s Jones College of Business. Dr. Kenneth W. Hollman is holder of the Martin Chair.
Also being inducted on Aug. 4 are E. Denby Brandon Jr. of Memphis and Robert E. Rose of Murfreesboro.
####
CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919
Dr. Kenneth Hollman, 615-898-2673
JOE CLINARD JR. TO BE INDUCTED INTO INSURANCE HALL OF FAME
MURFREESBORO—Joseph M. Clinard Jr., of Nashville, will be inducted into Middle Tennessee State University’s Robert E. Musto Tennessee Insurance Hall of Fame, joining 40 other professionals in that esteemed group. The ceremony will be held at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center in Murfreesboro on Tuesday, Aug. 4.
In 1946, Clinard went to work for Hardware Mutual Casualty Company of Stevens Point, Wis., as a field man with the title of safety engineer. He worked out of the Atlanta office. In 1948 he was brought into the home office as an underwriter, and by 1949, he was underwriting all lines of casualty insurance.
In 1950, Shelby (Ohio) Mutual Insurance Company hired Mr. Clinard as special agent to set up a branch office in Nashville, covering the entire state. In 1965, Shelby Mutual appointed him resident vice president. He subsequently expanded the company’s operations into Mississippi and Arkansas.
By 1978, Shelby wrote an estimated 70 percent of Tennessee Doctors Professional Liability Insurance. As the line trended toward non-profitability, most carriers, including Shelby, decreased their writing. Because of the market shortage, the state created the Tennessee Temporary Joint Underwriting Association (TTJUA).
Clinard was elected to the board of directors of the TTJUA and subsequently was elected chair. He served in that capacity until 1988. The organization was recognized as one of the best and most successful of its kind in the country.
During his years with Shelby, Clinard served 18 years on the Tennessee Assigned Risk Plan Board of Directors, 14 of those years as chairman. He also served for 18 years as treasurer of the Tennessee 1752 Club, a service club of field men and women of mutual insurance companies. He was the first person to be named “Field Man of the Year” by the Tennessee Mutual Insurance Agents Association.
In January of 1984, the Metropolitan Government of Nashville hired Mr. Clinard to develop a self-insurance property and casualty insurance program that was fiscally and actuarially sound. Nineteen years later that goal was met and on May 31, 2003, Clinard retired.
Clinard’s passion is flying. He made his first solo flight on his 21st birthday, Oct. 21, 1939, and he purchased his first airplane in early 1940. In 1993, he set two cross-country, point-to-point speed records in the National Aeronautic Association’s Microlight Aircraft category. He made his last solo flight in 2007. After 68 years, he decided it was time to give up flying.
His other enthusiasm is physical fitness. He began distance running at 59 years of age and for the next nine years continued competing in distances up to 15 miles. After his third knee operation, his doctor advised that he change to something else. While in “rehab,” he was introduced to a Concept 11 Ergometer, a state-of-the-art rowing machine that is used by rowing teams to train athletes during winter months when they can’t get on the water. Soon after, he became a world-class rower. In 1999, he set a record in the 80-90 age division of 8:03.6 minutes for 2000 meters, a record that held for three years. On March 17, 1995, Nashville Mayor Phil Bredesen presented Clinard with a Certificate of Merit as Athlete of the Year.
Clinard and his wife have two children and are members of the Westview United Methodist Church.
In 1997, Robert L. Musto, son of Robert E. Musto, presented a $10,000 gift to MTSU's Martin Chair of Insurance in honor of his father, which provided the foundation for the hall of fame. The late Robert E. Musto served as vice president of the former National Life and Accident Insurance Company. Robert L. Musto of Nashville, who died earlier this year, was regional sales manager of the company his father helped build.
Including the inductees for 2009, there are 41 members in the Robert E. Musto Insurance Hall of Fame, which is under the auspices of the Tommy T. Martin Chair of Insurance in MTSU’s Jones College of Business. Dr. Kenneth W. Hollman is holder of the Martin Chair.
Also being inducted on Aug. 4 are E. Denby Brandon Jr. of Memphis and Robert E. Rose of Murfreesboro.
####
[016] Memphis’ Brandon Will Be Inducted into Musto Tennessee Insurance Hall of Fame Aug. 4 in Murfreesboro
Memphis’ Brandon Will Be Inducted into Musto Tennessee Insurance Hall of Fame Aug. 4 in Murfreesboro
(MURFREESBORO) — E. Denby Brandon, a longtime member of the insurance profession, will be inducted into the Robert E. Musto Tennessee Insurance Hall of Fame Tuesday, Aug. 4. The Hall of Fame is housed in the Jennings A. Jones College of Business at Middle Tennessee State University. The induction ceremony festivities will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center in Murfreesboro. “Mr. Brandon has contributed to the betterment of the life insurance business in many ways,” said Dr. Ken Hollman, chairholder of the Martin Chair of Insurance, which is housed at Middle Tennessee State University.
“… Mr. Brandon helped create the personal financial planning movement and has helped to enhance the image of financial planning and life insurance in general,” Hollman added. “In so doing, he has focused favorable attention on the city of Memphis and on our state. “It is entirely fitting that Mr. Brandon be enshrined in the Robert E. Musto Tennessee Insurance Hall of Fame on the 40th anniversary of the founding of the CFP movement.” Brandon and two other industry professionals, Joseph M. “Joe” Clinard Jr. of Nashville and Robert E. Rose of Murfreesboro, were selected for induction by a Musto Hall of Fame committee, which considered additional nominations. The Memphis businessman and sons E. Denby III and Ray Brandon operate their family-owned firm, Brandon Financial Planning Inc. at 5101 Wheelis (Suite 112) in Memphis. Brandon has long supported the insurance industry through membership in and support of professional and trade associations, Hollman said. He was a member of the original Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards in 1985 and became chairman in 1989-90. He was the first chairman of the board of Affiliated Associations (the CFP Global Standing Setting Organizations) in 1992. He also is a member of the Financial Planning Association, the membership organization of financial planners worldwide. Brandon and Oliver Welch of Atlanta wrote The History of Financial Planning, the first book to provide a comprehensive history of the financial planning profession. It is scheduled for international publication by John Wiley & Sons in October. Hollman said Brandon was one of the leaders in establishing the Financial Planning History Center at Texas Tech University in Lubbock in 2005, serving the global financial planning community both in space and cyberspace. Backed by the Financial Planning Association, the book offers a clear overview of the industry and how it has grown and changed through the years. It chronicles the history of the profession – from 1954 until today – with an explanation of how the financial planning movement has grown beyond the United States to other countries particularly in the last 15 years. Brandon received his B.A. degree with honors in philosophy from the then Southwestern at Memphis (now Rhodes College) in 1950, where he was Phi Beta Kappa, student body president and later named to the Rhodes Hall of Fame. He performed graduate work at Yale and Duke universities, earning an M.A. from Duke in 1952. He received the chartered life underwriter designation in 1957 from the American College of Life Underwriters in Bryn Mawr, Pa.; he has a diploma in agency management from the American College of Life Underwriters in 1961; he earned the CFP designation in 1982 from the College of Financial Planning; and received the chartered financial consultant designation in 1984 from the American College. To date, Brandon remains an internationally known speaker and writer in various phases of financial planning. Brandon has been married to Helen D. Brandon for 56 years. In 1997, Robert L. Musto, son of Robert E. Musto, presented a $10,000 gift to MTSU's Martin Chair of Insurance in honor of his father, which provided the foundation for the hall of fame. The late Robert E. Musto served as vice president of the former National Life and Accident Insurance Company. Robert L. Musto of Nashville, who died earlier this year, was regional sales manager of the company his father helped build. Including the inductees for 2009, there are 41 members of the Robert E. Musto Insurance Hall of Fame, which is under the auspices of the Tommy T. Martin Chair of Insurance in MTSU’s Jones College of Business. Dr. Kenneth W. Hollman is holder of the Martin Chair.
Also being inducted on Aug. 4 are Joseph M. Clinard Jr. of Nashville and Robert E. Rose of Murfreesboro.
For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.
###
(MURFREESBORO) — E. Denby Brandon, a longtime member of the insurance profession, will be inducted into the Robert E. Musto Tennessee Insurance Hall of Fame Tuesday, Aug. 4. The Hall of Fame is housed in the Jennings A. Jones College of Business at Middle Tennessee State University. The induction ceremony festivities will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center in Murfreesboro. “Mr. Brandon has contributed to the betterment of the life insurance business in many ways,” said Dr. Ken Hollman, chairholder of the Martin Chair of Insurance, which is housed at Middle Tennessee State University.
“… Mr. Brandon helped create the personal financial planning movement and has helped to enhance the image of financial planning and life insurance in general,” Hollman added. “In so doing, he has focused favorable attention on the city of Memphis and on our state. “It is entirely fitting that Mr. Brandon be enshrined in the Robert E. Musto Tennessee Insurance Hall of Fame on the 40th anniversary of the founding of the CFP movement.” Brandon and two other industry professionals, Joseph M. “Joe” Clinard Jr. of Nashville and Robert E. Rose of Murfreesboro, were selected for induction by a Musto Hall of Fame committee, which considered additional nominations. The Memphis businessman and sons E. Denby III and Ray Brandon operate their family-owned firm, Brandon Financial Planning Inc. at 5101 Wheelis (Suite 112) in Memphis. Brandon has long supported the insurance industry through membership in and support of professional and trade associations, Hollman said. He was a member of the original Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards in 1985 and became chairman in 1989-90. He was the first chairman of the board of Affiliated Associations (the CFP Global Standing Setting Organizations) in 1992. He also is a member of the Financial Planning Association, the membership organization of financial planners worldwide. Brandon and Oliver Welch of Atlanta wrote The History of Financial Planning, the first book to provide a comprehensive history of the financial planning profession. It is scheduled for international publication by John Wiley & Sons in October. Hollman said Brandon was one of the leaders in establishing the Financial Planning History Center at Texas Tech University in Lubbock in 2005, serving the global financial planning community both in space and cyberspace. Backed by the Financial Planning Association, the book offers a clear overview of the industry and how it has grown and changed through the years. It chronicles the history of the profession – from 1954 until today – with an explanation of how the financial planning movement has grown beyond the United States to other countries particularly in the last 15 years. Brandon received his B.A. degree with honors in philosophy from the then Southwestern at Memphis (now Rhodes College) in 1950, where he was Phi Beta Kappa, student body president and later named to the Rhodes Hall of Fame. He performed graduate work at Yale and Duke universities, earning an M.A. from Duke in 1952. He received the chartered life underwriter designation in 1957 from the American College of Life Underwriters in Bryn Mawr, Pa.; he has a diploma in agency management from the American College of Life Underwriters in 1961; he earned the CFP designation in 1982 from the College of Financial Planning; and received the chartered financial consultant designation in 1984 from the American College. To date, Brandon remains an internationally known speaker and writer in various phases of financial planning. Brandon has been married to Helen D. Brandon for 56 years. In 1997, Robert L. Musto, son of Robert E. Musto, presented a $10,000 gift to MTSU's Martin Chair of Insurance in honor of his father, which provided the foundation for the hall of fame. The late Robert E. Musto served as vice president of the former National Life and Accident Insurance Company. Robert L. Musto of Nashville, who died earlier this year, was regional sales manager of the company his father helped build. Including the inductees for 2009, there are 41 members of the Robert E. Musto Insurance Hall of Fame, which is under the auspices of the Tommy T. Martin Chair of Insurance in MTSU’s Jones College of Business. Dr. Kenneth W. Hollman is holder of the Martin Chair.
Also being inducted on Aug. 4 are Joseph M. Clinard Jr. of Nashville and Robert E. Rose of Murfreesboro.
For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.
###
Monday, July 13, 2009
[14] GORE CENTER FOCUS OF “MTSU ON THE RECORD” THIS SUNDAY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 10, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081; WMOT-FM, 615-898-2800
GORE CENTER FOCUS OF “MTSU ON THE RECORD” THIS SUNDAY
Dr. Jim Williams, Director, Explains Historical Bounty Preserved on Campus
(MURFREESBORO) – The Albert Gore Research Center at MTSU is a treasure trove of historical information and research material, and it will play a major role in the celebration of MTSU’s 100th birthday in 2011. The center’s director, Dr. Jim Williams, will talk about the center’s many aspects, from political paraphernalia to pedagogical pertinence, on “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue at 7 a.m. this Sunday, July 12, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org).
The Gore Center houses not only the official papers of the late U.S. Sen. Albert Gore. It also houses the Tennessee Folklore Society Collection, the Margaret Lindsley Warden Library for Equine Studies, and oral histories provided by military veterans and survivors of Hurricane Katrina, among others.
To hear last week’s program about Ben Speer’s Stamps-Baxter School of Music at MTSU, go to http://frank.mtsu.edu/~proffice/podcast2009.html and click on “July 5, 2009.” For more information, contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.
--30--
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081; WMOT-FM, 615-898-2800
GORE CENTER FOCUS OF “MTSU ON THE RECORD” THIS SUNDAY
Dr. Jim Williams, Director, Explains Historical Bounty Preserved on Campus
(MURFREESBORO) – The Albert Gore Research Center at MTSU is a treasure trove of historical information and research material, and it will play a major role in the celebration of MTSU’s 100th birthday in 2011. The center’s director, Dr. Jim Williams, will talk about the center’s many aspects, from political paraphernalia to pedagogical pertinence, on “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue at 7 a.m. this Sunday, July 12, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org).
The Gore Center houses not only the official papers of the late U.S. Sen. Albert Gore. It also houses the Tennessee Folklore Society Collection, the Margaret Lindsley Warden Library for Equine Studies, and oral histories provided by military veterans and survivors of Hurricane Katrina, among others.
To hear last week’s program about Ben Speer’s Stamps-Baxter School of Music at MTSU, go to http://frank.mtsu.edu/~proffice/podcast2009.html and click on “July 5, 2009.” For more information, contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.
--30--
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
[13] MTSU PROFESSOR PART OF INVESTIGATION INTO EXPLORER’S DEMISE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 8, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
MTSU PROFESSOR PART OF INVESTIGATION INTO EXPLORER’S DEMISE
Dr. Hugh Berryman Working with Descendants of Meriwether Lewis to Find Answers
ATTENTION, EDITORS: For audio from today’s news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., and radio-ready stories, go to www.mtsunews.com and click on “Audio Clips.”
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Dr. Hugh Berryman, forensic anthropologist and research professor of anthropology at MTSU, could play a key role in determining whether one of America’s foremost explorers committed suicide or was murdered.
In a Washington, D.C., news conference today, the 206th anniversary of the launch of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark’s historic expedition to reach the Pacific shore, Berryman joined Lewis’ collateral descendants as they again implored the National Park Service to allow them to exhume Lewis’ remains.
Berryman, the principal investigator for the scientific team working with the descendants, said the exhumation could be completed in one day and the forensic examination would be finished in a week. The procedure would be conducted at MTSU by Berryman and his team.
“If preservation permits, it’s almost as though you’re conducting an interview with Meriwether Lewis,” Berryman said. “The answers we hope to glean will provide better insight into his life, his general health conditions, and, specifically, what happened the morning of Oct. 11, 1809. Exhumation is essential in order to make these determinations.”
Berryman cautioned that the preservation of buried bone is highly variable. He said that the fact that the Lewis remains have been underneath a monument and an additional layer of soil for decades may have preserved them, but there is no way of knowing for certain.
“If we are allowed to proceed with an exhumation, we may discover that we cannot conclude anything because of the poor condition of the bones,” Berryman says. “We hope that this will not be the case. We hope that the bones will be in good enough shape that we can determine whether the gunshot ‘trauma’ is consistent with suicide or homicide.”
For years, a dispute has lingered about how Lewis died. He was the governor of the Louisiana Territory when he died of multiple gunshot wounds at the age of 35 at Grinder’s Stand, an inn along the Natchez Trace, while on his way to Washington, D.C.
--more--
LEWIS
Add 1
A monument about eight miles southeast of Hohenwald, Tenn., marks his grave along the Natchez Trace Parkway, which is administered by the National Park Service.
Berryman said that the monument would have to be dismantled, stored off-site and later reassembled prior to the exhumation. He said the monument was disassembled and reassembled 10 years ago for a restoration project.
The Washington-based law firm of Crowell & Moring LLP has been performing pro bono work for the Lewis descendants since 1996. Kirsten Nathanson, a partner in the firm, said the descendants are awaiting preparation of an environmental assessment that will determine whether the exhumation would affect the environment. The National Park Service will seek public comments as part of the process.
“We call on Americans to voice their opinions about the proposed exhumation,” said Nathanson, whose firm has worked pro bono for the descendants since 1996. “We welcome public input about a public figure buried on public land. A free and open society demands such dialogue, and the family invites it.”
Howell Lewis Bowen, a great-great-great-great-nephew of Lewis from Charlottesville, Va., says the descendants want to give Lewis a Christian burial, something he was denied at the time of his death, following the forensic examination.
“Close to 200 of Uncle Meriwether’s descendants have said they want the National Park Service to remove 13 years’ worth of bureaucratic hurdles and allow the exhumation,” said Bowen. “It doesn’t matter whether he committed suicide or was murdered. We only want to find the truth.”
Bowen added that the exhumation and examination would not cost the nation’s taxpayers any money. The descendants are trying to raise the estimated cost of $250,000 from private sources.
On Oct. 7, 2009, the 200th anniversary of his death, a bronze bust of Lewis will be dedicated to the Natchez Trace Parkway in conjunction with plans for the erection of a visitors’ center.
To contact Berryman, call 615-494-7896 or send an e-mail to berryman@mtsu.edu. To learn more about the efforts of Lewis’ collateral descendants, contact John Egan at 512-494-2871 or jegan@EChristianPR.com. More information about the ongoing campaign to exhume Lewis’ body is available at www.solvethemystery.org.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
MTSU PROFESSOR PART OF INVESTIGATION INTO EXPLORER’S DEMISE
Dr. Hugh Berryman Working with Descendants of Meriwether Lewis to Find Answers
ATTENTION, EDITORS: For audio from today’s news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., and radio-ready stories, go to www.mtsunews.com and click on “Audio Clips.”
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Dr. Hugh Berryman, forensic anthropologist and research professor of anthropology at MTSU, could play a key role in determining whether one of America’s foremost explorers committed suicide or was murdered.
In a Washington, D.C., news conference today, the 206th anniversary of the launch of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark’s historic expedition to reach the Pacific shore, Berryman joined Lewis’ collateral descendants as they again implored the National Park Service to allow them to exhume Lewis’ remains.
Berryman, the principal investigator for the scientific team working with the descendants, said the exhumation could be completed in one day and the forensic examination would be finished in a week. The procedure would be conducted at MTSU by Berryman and his team.
“If preservation permits, it’s almost as though you’re conducting an interview with Meriwether Lewis,” Berryman said. “The answers we hope to glean will provide better insight into his life, his general health conditions, and, specifically, what happened the morning of Oct. 11, 1809. Exhumation is essential in order to make these determinations.”
Berryman cautioned that the preservation of buried bone is highly variable. He said that the fact that the Lewis remains have been underneath a monument and an additional layer of soil for decades may have preserved them, but there is no way of knowing for certain.
“If we are allowed to proceed with an exhumation, we may discover that we cannot conclude anything because of the poor condition of the bones,” Berryman says. “We hope that this will not be the case. We hope that the bones will be in good enough shape that we can determine whether the gunshot ‘trauma’ is consistent with suicide or homicide.”
For years, a dispute has lingered about how Lewis died. He was the governor of the Louisiana Territory when he died of multiple gunshot wounds at the age of 35 at Grinder’s Stand, an inn along the Natchez Trace, while on his way to Washington, D.C.
--more--
LEWIS
Add 1
A monument about eight miles southeast of Hohenwald, Tenn., marks his grave along the Natchez Trace Parkway, which is administered by the National Park Service.
Berryman said that the monument would have to be dismantled, stored off-site and later reassembled prior to the exhumation. He said the monument was disassembled and reassembled 10 years ago for a restoration project.
The Washington-based law firm of Crowell & Moring LLP has been performing pro bono work for the Lewis descendants since 1996. Kirsten Nathanson, a partner in the firm, said the descendants are awaiting preparation of an environmental assessment that will determine whether the exhumation would affect the environment. The National Park Service will seek public comments as part of the process.
“We call on Americans to voice their opinions about the proposed exhumation,” said Nathanson, whose firm has worked pro bono for the descendants since 1996. “We welcome public input about a public figure buried on public land. A free and open society demands such dialogue, and the family invites it.”
Howell Lewis Bowen, a great-great-great-great-nephew of Lewis from Charlottesville, Va., says the descendants want to give Lewis a Christian burial, something he was denied at the time of his death, following the forensic examination.
“Close to 200 of Uncle Meriwether’s descendants have said they want the National Park Service to remove 13 years’ worth of bureaucratic hurdles and allow the exhumation,” said Bowen. “It doesn’t matter whether he committed suicide or was murdered. We only want to find the truth.”
Bowen added that the exhumation and examination would not cost the nation’s taxpayers any money. The descendants are trying to raise the estimated cost of $250,000 from private sources.
On Oct. 7, 2009, the 200th anniversary of his death, a bronze bust of Lewis will be dedicated to the Natchez Trace Parkway in conjunction with plans for the erection of a visitors’ center.
To contact Berryman, call 615-494-7896 or send an e-mail to berryman@mtsu.edu. To learn more about the efforts of Lewis’ collateral descendants, contact John Egan at 512-494-2871 or jegan@EChristianPR.com. More information about the ongoing campaign to exhume Lewis’ body is available at www.solvethemystery.org.
[12] MTSU AWARDED NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION GRANT
July 8, 2009
CONTACT: Tom Tozer or Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
MURFREESBORO—Middle Tennessee State University recently was awarded a $2.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation for teacher preparation and leadership in science and math. This follows a $2.7 million NSF grant awarded to MTSU this past spring to improve biology education in Rutherford County and Metro Nashville high schools.
“Studies have shown that average math and science scores of U.S. students trail significantly behind nearly all countries in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Congressman Bart Gordon, who has been instrumental in obtaining grant funding. “These awards will work to reverse this trend.”
The latest award includes support for a Master Teaching Fellows Program ($1.5 million) and for the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program ($900K), both of which will assist in beefing up K-12 education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
The MTSU Master Teaching Fellows Program, a five-year project and one of only six such programs across the nation, will place 14 exceptional math and science teachers at high-needs high schools in Rutherford and Davidson counties, with support from STEM industry partners through Mind2Marketplace and the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce.
[Mind2Marketplace, a consortium of academicians, businesspeople, educators and government officials, was formed in 2006 following a challenge by Congressman Gordon to coordinate efforts to develop, test and bring to the marketplace technology-based ideas in order to create jobs and increase economic vitality.]
“Oftentimes there is a disconnect between the discoveries made by scientists and what teachers are teaching in the classroom,” Gordon noted. “The Teaching Fellows Program will bring teachers, top researchers at MTSU and industry experts together to develop the most effective ways to teach high school math and science in Tennessee.”
The Master Teaching Fellows Program project team includes MTSU’s Dr. Rick Vanosdall, director of mathematics and science education; Drs. Michaele Chappell and Mary Enderson, professors of mathematical sciences; Dr. Kyle Butler, associate professor of educational leadership; Dr. Dorothy Craig, professor of educational leadership; Dr. Terry Goodin, assistant professor, educational leadership; Dr. Pat Patterson, associate professor of chemistry; Dr. Michael Rutledge, professor of biology; and Dr. Ron Henderson, interim chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Other team members are Andrea Loughery, chairperson, and Sandy Ponder, executive director, of Mind2Marketplace; and Stephanie Brackman, interim president, Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce.
The second component of the award is the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, which is earmarked to encourage students majoring in the sciences to become K-12 math and science teachers. Funding will support scholarships and programs to undergraduate STEM majors ($10,000 a year per recipient) who commit to teaching in high-need school districts for a period of two years for each year of support they receive.
[Robert Norton Noyce, 1927-1990, nicknamed the “Mayor of Silicon Valley,” co-founded the Fairchild Semiconductor in 1957 and Intel in 1968. He also is credited, along with Jack Kilby, with inventing the microchip.]
MTSU’s Drs. Diane Miller, interim executive vice president and provost, and Robert Carlton, retired chair or the Department of Physics and Astronomy, designed the program that addresses the acute shortage of math and physics teachers in Tennessee.
“Future teachers will be contributors to the restoration of America's competitiveness through the next generation of minds they will touch and inspire,” Carlton said.
Students will participate in pre-service field experiences and inquiry-based learning opportunities that reflect research-proven best practices. They will be mentored by top middle and high-school teachers and university professors. Graduates of the Noyce program will receive dual certification in physics and math.
“MTSU’s Noyce Program will prepare undergraduates to become the physics and math teachers needed in Tennessee high schools to provide students with a 21st-century education,” said Gordon, who authored the 2007 law, which established the Robert Noyce Scholarship Program.
“It’s a wonderful program to attract students into the teaching profession … where they are badly needed,” added MTSU’s Dr. Tom Cheatham, dean of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences. “Both of these programs will impact teachers across the state.”
####
CONTACT: Tom Tozer or Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
MURFREESBORO—Middle Tennessee State University recently was awarded a $2.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation for teacher preparation and leadership in science and math. This follows a $2.7 million NSF grant awarded to MTSU this past spring to improve biology education in Rutherford County and Metro Nashville high schools.
“Studies have shown that average math and science scores of U.S. students trail significantly behind nearly all countries in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Congressman Bart Gordon, who has been instrumental in obtaining grant funding. “These awards will work to reverse this trend.”
The latest award includes support for a Master Teaching Fellows Program ($1.5 million) and for the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program ($900K), both of which will assist in beefing up K-12 education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
The MTSU Master Teaching Fellows Program, a five-year project and one of only six such programs across the nation, will place 14 exceptional math and science teachers at high-needs high schools in Rutherford and Davidson counties, with support from STEM industry partners through Mind2Marketplace and the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce.
[Mind2Marketplace, a consortium of academicians, businesspeople, educators and government officials, was formed in 2006 following a challenge by Congressman Gordon to coordinate efforts to develop, test and bring to the marketplace technology-based ideas in order to create jobs and increase economic vitality.]
“Oftentimes there is a disconnect between the discoveries made by scientists and what teachers are teaching in the classroom,” Gordon noted. “The Teaching Fellows Program will bring teachers, top researchers at MTSU and industry experts together to develop the most effective ways to teach high school math and science in Tennessee.”
The Master Teaching Fellows Program project team includes MTSU’s Dr. Rick Vanosdall, director of mathematics and science education; Drs. Michaele Chappell and Mary Enderson, professors of mathematical sciences; Dr. Kyle Butler, associate professor of educational leadership; Dr. Dorothy Craig, professor of educational leadership; Dr. Terry Goodin, assistant professor, educational leadership; Dr. Pat Patterson, associate professor of chemistry; Dr. Michael Rutledge, professor of biology; and Dr. Ron Henderson, interim chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Other team members are Andrea Loughery, chairperson, and Sandy Ponder, executive director, of Mind2Marketplace; and Stephanie Brackman, interim president, Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce.
The second component of the award is the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, which is earmarked to encourage students majoring in the sciences to become K-12 math and science teachers. Funding will support scholarships and programs to undergraduate STEM majors ($10,000 a year per recipient) who commit to teaching in high-need school districts for a period of two years for each year of support they receive.
[Robert Norton Noyce, 1927-1990, nicknamed the “Mayor of Silicon Valley,” co-founded the Fairchild Semiconductor in 1957 and Intel in 1968. He also is credited, along with Jack Kilby, with inventing the microchip.]
MTSU’s Drs. Diane Miller, interim executive vice president and provost, and Robert Carlton, retired chair or the Department of Physics and Astronomy, designed the program that addresses the acute shortage of math and physics teachers in Tennessee.
“Future teachers will be contributors to the restoration of America's competitiveness through the next generation of minds they will touch and inspire,” Carlton said.
Students will participate in pre-service field experiences and inquiry-based learning opportunities that reflect research-proven best practices. They will be mentored by top middle and high-school teachers and university professors. Graduates of the Noyce program will receive dual certification in physics and math.
“MTSU’s Noyce Program will prepare undergraduates to become the physics and math teachers needed in Tennessee high schools to provide students with a 21st-century education,” said Gordon, who authored the 2007 law, which established the Robert Noyce Scholarship Program.
“It’s a wonderful program to attract students into the teaching profession … where they are badly needed,” added MTSU’s Dr. Tom Cheatham, dean of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences. “Both of these programs will impact teachers across the state.”
####
[011] STATEWIDE PROGRAM RECOGNIZES GILES COUNTY FARM’S CONTRIBUTIONS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 8 2009
CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947
STATEWIDE PROGRAM RECOGNIZES GILES COUNTY FARM’S CONTRIBUTIONS
Gooch Farm Brings County’s Tennessee Century Farms Total to 29
(MURFREESBORO)—The Gooch Farm in Giles County has been designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation, which is located on the MTSU campus.
Founder William B. Gooch, who was married to Alice Roland Gooch, purchased 35 acres south of Pulaski in 1884. The couple’s children were Walter, Claud, Hattie, Georgie, Clarence and Arch. The family raised their food and made their living from the farm, which supported dairy cattle, pigs and chickens, as well as corn, cotton and hay. Then, in 1909, William purchased and additional 31 acres adjacent to his farm.
In 1943, Walter Gooch became the second-generation owner of the property, which—by this time—had increased to 116 acres. He and his wife, Alma May Kerr Gooch, had three children. During their ownership, the family cultivated corn, wheat, cotton and hay. They also raised Poland China pigs, dairy cattle and chickens.
William F. Gooch, the grandson of the founders, and his wife, Alice Bass Gooch, acquired the property from Alma Gooch in 1965. Alice reports that her husband was “born, lived and died on the farm.” In addition to his farming duties, William served as vice president of the First National Bank for 30 years, from 1972 to 2002, where he was the farm appraiser.
Following William’s death in a farming accident, Alice, along with their daughters, Sheila Gooch Price and Angela Gooch Mayes, continued to own and operate the family farm.
Currently, Alice’s son-in-law and Sheila’s husband, Tommy Price, works the land. The family produces a wide variety of crops, including corn, grain sorghum, cotton, wheat and hay. In addition, they raise Black Angus beef cattle, dairy cattle and Poland China pigs.
A frame house that was built in 1883 is maintained by the family as a reminder of the long history of this farm.
“The Gooch Farm is the 29th Tennessee Century Farm to be certified in Giles County,” Hankins confirmed.
About the Century Farms Program
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the CHP at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
—more—
GOOCH
Add 1
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA provides a
metal outdoor sign, noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins said, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
—30—
ATTENTION, MEDIA: To interview the farm’s owners or request a jpeg of the property, including one of the property’s home built in 1883, please contact the CHP directly at 615-898-2947.
CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947
STATEWIDE PROGRAM RECOGNIZES GILES COUNTY FARM’S CONTRIBUTIONS
Gooch Farm Brings County’s Tennessee Century Farms Total to 29
(MURFREESBORO)—The Gooch Farm in Giles County has been designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation, which is located on the MTSU campus.
Founder William B. Gooch, who was married to Alice Roland Gooch, purchased 35 acres south of Pulaski in 1884. The couple’s children were Walter, Claud, Hattie, Georgie, Clarence and Arch. The family raised their food and made their living from the farm, which supported dairy cattle, pigs and chickens, as well as corn, cotton and hay. Then, in 1909, William purchased and additional 31 acres adjacent to his farm.
In 1943, Walter Gooch became the second-generation owner of the property, which—by this time—had increased to 116 acres. He and his wife, Alma May Kerr Gooch, had three children. During their ownership, the family cultivated corn, wheat, cotton and hay. They also raised Poland China pigs, dairy cattle and chickens.
William F. Gooch, the grandson of the founders, and his wife, Alice Bass Gooch, acquired the property from Alma Gooch in 1965. Alice reports that her husband was “born, lived and died on the farm.” In addition to his farming duties, William served as vice president of the First National Bank for 30 years, from 1972 to 2002, where he was the farm appraiser.
Following William’s death in a farming accident, Alice, along with their daughters, Sheila Gooch Price and Angela Gooch Mayes, continued to own and operate the family farm.
Currently, Alice’s son-in-law and Sheila’s husband, Tommy Price, works the land. The family produces a wide variety of crops, including corn, grain sorghum, cotton, wheat and hay. In addition, they raise Black Angus beef cattle, dairy cattle and Poland China pigs.
A frame house that was built in 1883 is maintained by the family as a reminder of the long history of this farm.
“The Gooch Farm is the 29th Tennessee Century Farm to be certified in Giles County,” Hankins confirmed.
About the Century Farms Program
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the CHP at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
—more—
GOOCH
Add 1
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA provides a
metal outdoor sign, noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins said, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
—30—
ATTENTION, MEDIA: To interview the farm’s owners or request a jpeg of the property, including one of the property’s home built in 1883, please contact the CHP directly at 615-898-2947.
[010] STATEWIDE PROGRAM RECOGNIZES DICKSON COUNTY FARM’S CONTRIBUTIONS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 8 2009
CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947
STATEWIDE PROGRAM RECOGNIZES DICKSON COUNTY FARM’S CONTRIBUTIONS
Buchanan Farm Brings County’s Tennessee Century Farms Total to 21
(MURFREESBORO)—The Buchanan Farm in Dickson County has been designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation, which is located on the MTSU campus.
Located on busy Highway 48 between Dickson and Charlotte, the Buchanan Farm was founded in 1909 by Matthew “Henry” Buchanan and his wife, Minnie Coulter Buchanan. Both were children of Civil War veterans who moved to the area from Pennsylvania following the war.
In the early part of the 20th century, the farm was a place where travelers and livestock often rested and enjoyed the good spring water. In later years, cars sometimes became stuck in the marshy soil around the creek bottom, the family reports, and Henry and his sons would “be called upon to help get them on their way again.”
The couple had five sons—Coulter, Douglas, Allen, Henry and Ray—and two daughters, Helen and Margaret. The farm supported hay, corn, cattle, hogs, sheep and poultry. Minnie, like many farm wives, raised poultry for family table as well as for cash income and a photograph from the 1930s pictures her with some of her flock. Timber was also a valuable commodity and the “timber for construction of Mt. Lebanon Methodist Church was sawn by Henry Buchanan.” From 1953 to1976, the farm was a Grade-A dairy farm.
In 1975, Henry “Hunter” Buchanan became the second generation to own the farm. He and his wife, Corinne Deal Buchanan, are the parents of Kay, Carol, Jan and Julie. Active in agricultural organizations, Hunter is a member of the Farm Bureau and the Dickson Farmers Cooperative. Corinne was a member of the Dickson Home Demonstration Club and also a 4-H volunteer. Each of the couple’s daughters was an active member of the Dickson County 4-H Club.
Today, a barn built in 1920 by the founder is still used, along with the sheds that were added by Hunter in 1953.
“Celebrating its centennial this year, the historic Buchanan Farm is the 21st Tennessee Century farm to be certified in Dickson County,” Hankins noted.
About the Century Farms Program
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the CHP at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
—more—
BUCHANAN
Add 1
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA provides a
metal outdoor sign, noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins said, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
—30—
ATTENTION, MEDIA: To interview the farm’s owners or request a jpeg of the property, including a circa 1930s photo of one of the farm’s founders. Minnie Buchanan, feeding her chickens, please contact the CHP directly at 615-898-2947.
CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947
STATEWIDE PROGRAM RECOGNIZES DICKSON COUNTY FARM’S CONTRIBUTIONS
Buchanan Farm Brings County’s Tennessee Century Farms Total to 21
(MURFREESBORO)—The Buchanan Farm in Dickson County has been designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation, which is located on the MTSU campus.
Located on busy Highway 48 between Dickson and Charlotte, the Buchanan Farm was founded in 1909 by Matthew “Henry” Buchanan and his wife, Minnie Coulter Buchanan. Both were children of Civil War veterans who moved to the area from Pennsylvania following the war.
In the early part of the 20th century, the farm was a place where travelers and livestock often rested and enjoyed the good spring water. In later years, cars sometimes became stuck in the marshy soil around the creek bottom, the family reports, and Henry and his sons would “be called upon to help get them on their way again.”
The couple had five sons—Coulter, Douglas, Allen, Henry and Ray—and two daughters, Helen and Margaret. The farm supported hay, corn, cattle, hogs, sheep and poultry. Minnie, like many farm wives, raised poultry for family table as well as for cash income and a photograph from the 1930s pictures her with some of her flock. Timber was also a valuable commodity and the “timber for construction of Mt. Lebanon Methodist Church was sawn by Henry Buchanan.” From 1953 to1976, the farm was a Grade-A dairy farm.
In 1975, Henry “Hunter” Buchanan became the second generation to own the farm. He and his wife, Corinne Deal Buchanan, are the parents of Kay, Carol, Jan and Julie. Active in agricultural organizations, Hunter is a member of the Farm Bureau and the Dickson Farmers Cooperative. Corinne was a member of the Dickson Home Demonstration Club and also a 4-H volunteer. Each of the couple’s daughters was an active member of the Dickson County 4-H Club.
Today, a barn built in 1920 by the founder is still used, along with the sheds that were added by Hunter in 1953.
“Celebrating its centennial this year, the historic Buchanan Farm is the 21st Tennessee Century farm to be certified in Dickson County,” Hankins noted.
About the Century Farms Program
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the CHP at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
—more—
BUCHANAN
Add 1
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA provides a
metal outdoor sign, noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins said, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
—30—
ATTENTION, MEDIA: To interview the farm’s owners or request a jpeg of the property, including a circa 1930s photo of one of the farm’s founders. Minnie Buchanan, feeding her chickens, please contact the CHP directly at 615-898-2947.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
[009] GIRL SCOUTS’ ANNUAL GIRL UNIVERSITY EVENT COMES TO MTSU JULY 18
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 7, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, lrollins@mtsu.edu
GIRL SCOUTS’ ANNUAL GIRL UNIVERSITY EVENT COMES TO MTSU JULY 18
Organizers Extend Registration Period, Encourage Girls in Grades 9-12 to Attend
(MURFREESBORO)—Girl University will come to the MTSU campus July 18 for a one-day series of workshops designed to help young women and their parents get a head start on planning for life after high school.
Open to girls in grades 9-12, GU is program sponsored by Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee designed to provide young women and their parents with access to information and professionals who can assist in making important decisions and know-how about topics such as college applications, financial needs, how to choose a major, working with college advisers, college life and more.
Lynn Palmer, MTSU’s admissions director, said that this year’s campus-based endeavor is the second time the university has been a host site for GU.
“The event is designed to give girls a jump-start in preparing for college,” Palmer explained. “Girls and parents will attend classes led by college experts and business professionals. They will get information to make informed decisions and plan for life after high school.”
Megan Davis, program supervisor for Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee, said, “Girl Scouts, since its founding in 1912, has sought to prepare girls for the wide range of opportunities in their futures, and so getting ready to survive and thrive on campus is a natural goal of ours.”
As for the university’s role in GU, “MTSU is centrally located in the Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee's 39-county district,” Davis continued. “And as the largest university population in the state, it's a great way to introduce girls and their families to the college experience.”
During the course of the GU experience, Palmer said, “They take about 50 young women on a bus to tour selected schools across the state during the week (and) … they culminate their activities by spending Friday evening at MTSU,” she added. “Then, on Saturday, those 50 women are joined by about another 200 to participate in the (career- and college-planning) sessions on campus.”
The MTSU sessions will get under way with an 8:15 a.m. registration and 8:45 a.m. welcome, followed by three back-to-back workshops and a 12:30-1:25 p.m. lunch, and then two more sessions before concluding at 4 p.m., with a door-prize giveaway that will include a Dell Mini Notebook laptop.
Although GU is a Girl Scouts-sponsored activity, young women are not required to members of the Girl Scouts organization to participate, said Davis, who added that registration for GU had been extended and will continue to include on-site registration July 18. Also, there’s room for up to 200 participants, she remarked.
“Each participant gets their own personalized schedule based on the choices they indicated on the registration,” she shared, referring to the workshop options available.
Cost: The cost of GU, which includes workshops and lunch, is $12 for those who have membership in Girls Scouts. Those who are non-members may sign up for an additional $5. This fee entitles registrants to Girl Scout membership and its related benefits through Sept. 30, 2009. Please note that financial aid is available for those who qualify.
For more information about GU, including workshops available or to download a registration form, please access http://gsmidtn.org/calendar/girl-university/.
For more information by phone, please contact Davis at 615-460-0216.
—30—
• Attention, Media: To secure a stock of Girl Scouts Mallory Klotzback and Michelle Stansbery of Troop 1868, both of whom are Silver Award 2009 recipients, or a jpeg of Megan Davis, please e-mail your request to Lisa L. Rollins at lrollins@mtsu.edu.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, lrollins@mtsu.edu
GIRL SCOUTS’ ANNUAL GIRL UNIVERSITY EVENT COMES TO MTSU JULY 18
Organizers Extend Registration Period, Encourage Girls in Grades 9-12 to Attend
(MURFREESBORO)—Girl University will come to the MTSU campus July 18 for a one-day series of workshops designed to help young women and their parents get a head start on planning for life after high school.
Open to girls in grades 9-12, GU is program sponsored by Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee designed to provide young women and their parents with access to information and professionals who can assist in making important decisions and know-how about topics such as college applications, financial needs, how to choose a major, working with college advisers, college life and more.
Lynn Palmer, MTSU’s admissions director, said that this year’s campus-based endeavor is the second time the university has been a host site for GU.
“The event is designed to give girls a jump-start in preparing for college,” Palmer explained. “Girls and parents will attend classes led by college experts and business professionals. They will get information to make informed decisions and plan for life after high school.”
Megan Davis, program supervisor for Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee, said, “Girl Scouts, since its founding in 1912, has sought to prepare girls for the wide range of opportunities in their futures, and so getting ready to survive and thrive on campus is a natural goal of ours.”
As for the university’s role in GU, “MTSU is centrally located in the Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee's 39-county district,” Davis continued. “And as the largest university population in the state, it's a great way to introduce girls and their families to the college experience.”
During the course of the GU experience, Palmer said, “They take about 50 young women on a bus to tour selected schools across the state during the week (and) … they culminate their activities by spending Friday evening at MTSU,” she added. “Then, on Saturday, those 50 women are joined by about another 200 to participate in the (career- and college-planning) sessions on campus.”
The MTSU sessions will get under way with an 8:15 a.m. registration and 8:45 a.m. welcome, followed by three back-to-back workshops and a 12:30-1:25 p.m. lunch, and then two more sessions before concluding at 4 p.m., with a door-prize giveaway that will include a Dell Mini Notebook laptop.
Although GU is a Girl Scouts-sponsored activity, young women are not required to members of the Girl Scouts organization to participate, said Davis, who added that registration for GU had been extended and will continue to include on-site registration July 18. Also, there’s room for up to 200 participants, she remarked.
“Each participant gets their own personalized schedule based on the choices they indicated on the registration,” she shared, referring to the workshop options available.
Cost: The cost of GU, which includes workshops and lunch, is $12 for those who have membership in Girls Scouts. Those who are non-members may sign up for an additional $5. This fee entitles registrants to Girl Scout membership and its related benefits through Sept. 30, 2009. Please note that financial aid is available for those who qualify.
For more information about GU, including workshops available or to download a registration form, please access http://gsmidtn.org/calendar/girl-university/.
For more information by phone, please contact Davis at 615-460-0216.
—30—
• Attention, Media: To secure a stock of Girl Scouts Mallory Klotzback and Michelle Stansbery of Troop 1868, both of whom are Silver Award 2009 recipients, or a jpeg of Megan Davis, please e-mail your request to Lisa L. Rollins at lrollins@mtsu.edu.
[008] MTSU, NSCC TO BECOME PARTNERS IN DUAL-ADMISSION PROGRAM
July 1, 2009
CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2929
MTSU, NSCC TO BECOME PARTNERS IN DUAL-ADMISSION PROGRAM
MURFREESBORO—Any partnership between education institutions that benefits students and makes it easier to obtain a four-year degree would appear to be a winning ticket for the state of Tennessee, its workforce and economic health. The newly formed Dual Admission Program between Middle Tennessee State University and Nashville State Community College is that ticket to attaining a bachelor’s degree for thousands of Tennesseans.
Imagine earning an Associate of Arts, Associate of Science or Associate of Science in Teaching degree from NSCC, then being guaranteed acceptance to MTSU to complete the work and walk across the platform on graduation day to receive your diploma.
“MTSU takes pride in developing and supporting programs and services that demonstrate our commitment to helping students achieve their academic and personal goals,” said MTSU president Sidney A. McPhee. “This partnership is a huge step in helping students simplify the process of transitioning to a four-year institution and is consistent with our Academic Master Plan and its focus on pursuing partnerships with other institutions to increase access to educational opportunities and degree attainment among the citizens of this region.”
“The program is another attempt to bring higher education to more of our citizens,” Dr. Van Allen, NSCC president, echoed. “It will give students the most economical path from a high school diploma to a college degree. The program will be well received by our students.”
Freshmen orientation for NSCC began July 1. A formal signing of the agreement will take place Wednesday, July 29, at NSCC.
To apply for dual admission, a student must plan on pursuing a bachelor’s degree, meet the admission criteria for NSCC, have 29 or fewer college-level semester hours and a cumulative GPA of 2.0. A student also must complete all required high school courses to qualify for transfer to MTSU.
Additionally, in order to transfer to MTSU, a student must have earned an A.A., A.S. or A.S.T. degree. Once enrolled in the dual-admission program, a student must maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA.
The dual-admission program is another step toward fulfilling one of MTSU’s major goals—to become even more student-centered. After meeting certain requirements, NSCC students will be guaranteed acceptance to MTSU, and at the outset, they will be able to map out their college career path. Students will save money by being able to enroll in a community college their first two years at lower tuition and fees. They will get to know MTSU academic advisers and staff even before they come to the university because they will receive advising from both institutions concurrently. Students ending their tenure at NSCC will be able to register at MTSU during a priority time period.
“I plan on transferring to MTSU after I receive my associate of arts degree, and this will make the process so much easier,” said William Wheeler, NSCC student.
CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2929
MTSU, NSCC TO BECOME PARTNERS IN DUAL-ADMISSION PROGRAM
MURFREESBORO—Any partnership between education institutions that benefits students and makes it easier to obtain a four-year degree would appear to be a winning ticket for the state of Tennessee, its workforce and economic health. The newly formed Dual Admission Program between Middle Tennessee State University and Nashville State Community College is that ticket to attaining a bachelor’s degree for thousands of Tennesseans.
Imagine earning an Associate of Arts, Associate of Science or Associate of Science in Teaching degree from NSCC, then being guaranteed acceptance to MTSU to complete the work and walk across the platform on graduation day to receive your diploma.
“MTSU takes pride in developing and supporting programs and services that demonstrate our commitment to helping students achieve their academic and personal goals,” said MTSU president Sidney A. McPhee. “This partnership is a huge step in helping students simplify the process of transitioning to a four-year institution and is consistent with our Academic Master Plan and its focus on pursuing partnerships with other institutions to increase access to educational opportunities and degree attainment among the citizens of this region.”
“The program is another attempt to bring higher education to more of our citizens,” Dr. Van Allen, NSCC president, echoed. “It will give students the most economical path from a high school diploma to a college degree. The program will be well received by our students.”
Freshmen orientation for NSCC began July 1. A formal signing of the agreement will take place Wednesday, July 29, at NSCC.
To apply for dual admission, a student must plan on pursuing a bachelor’s degree, meet the admission criteria for NSCC, have 29 or fewer college-level semester hours and a cumulative GPA of 2.0. A student also must complete all required high school courses to qualify for transfer to MTSU.
Additionally, in order to transfer to MTSU, a student must have earned an A.A., A.S. or A.S.T. degree. Once enrolled in the dual-admission program, a student must maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA.
The dual-admission program is another step toward fulfilling one of MTSU’s major goals—to become even more student-centered. After meeting certain requirements, NSCC students will be guaranteed acceptance to MTSU, and at the outset, they will be able to map out their college career path. Students will save money by being able to enroll in a community college their first two years at lower tuition and fees. They will get to know MTSU academic advisers and staff even before they come to the university because they will receive advising from both institutions concurrently. Students ending their tenure at NSCC will be able to register at MTSU during a priority time period.
“I plan on transferring to MTSU after I receive my associate of arts degree, and this will make the process so much easier,” said William Wheeler, NSCC student.
[007] PRAISE AND GRACE COMBINE WITH TECHNIQUE AT MUSIC SCHOOL
PRAISE AND GRACE COMBINE WITH TECHNIQUE AT MUSIC SCHOOL
Ben Speer’s Stamps-Baxter School of Music Promotes Southern Gospel Tradition
(MURFREESBORO) – Ben Speer’s Stamps-Baxter School of Music, based in Nashville, will provide instruction in the performance of Southern Gospel music July 12-24 on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University.
Subjects for daily classes include theory, harmony, songwriting, sight singing and ear training. Private lessons are offered in voice, piano, guitar and bass guitar. Electives include classes on how to lead congregational singing and how to build a successful career in gospel music.
“Of all the shaped-note singing schools, this is the most professionally oriented,” says Dr. Stephen Shearon, professor of music at MTSU. “Many of the faculty have professional performing careers in the Southern Gospel and contemporary Christian music fields, and some of them are regulars on the Bill Gaither ‘Homecoming’ videos, which are quite popular among this culture.”
Gaither, a mentor to many rising gospel stars, is quoted on the school’s Web site as saying, “It is one of the most important things that young people today can take advantage of and something that is so necessary if we are to retain the quality of musicianship that our Gospel Music pioneers possessed.”
The Gaither Vocal Band, Allison Durham Speer, Greater Vision, Ivan Parker, Little Roy Lewis, Earl Scruggs and The Florida Boys are among the artists who have performed free concerts at the school in the past.
“The Stamps-Baxter Publishing Co. was, in its day, the premier publisher of Southern Gospel music,” says Shearon. “It’s a very familiar name to many people in the American Protestant world. Ben Speer, the current eminence grise (elder statesman) of Southern Gospel, now owns the Stamps-Baxter school name and employs it here.”
For more information, go to http://stampsbaxterschool.com or contact Shearon at 615-898-5984 or sshearon@mtsu.edu.
Ben Speer’s Stamps-Baxter School of Music Promotes Southern Gospel Tradition
(MURFREESBORO) – Ben Speer’s Stamps-Baxter School of Music, based in Nashville, will provide instruction in the performance of Southern Gospel music July 12-24 on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University.
Subjects for daily classes include theory, harmony, songwriting, sight singing and ear training. Private lessons are offered in voice, piano, guitar and bass guitar. Electives include classes on how to lead congregational singing and how to build a successful career in gospel music.
“Of all the shaped-note singing schools, this is the most professionally oriented,” says Dr. Stephen Shearon, professor of music at MTSU. “Many of the faculty have professional performing careers in the Southern Gospel and contemporary Christian music fields, and some of them are regulars on the Bill Gaither ‘Homecoming’ videos, which are quite popular among this culture.”
Gaither, a mentor to many rising gospel stars, is quoted on the school’s Web site as saying, “It is one of the most important things that young people today can take advantage of and something that is so necessary if we are to retain the quality of musicianship that our Gospel Music pioneers possessed.”
The Gaither Vocal Band, Allison Durham Speer, Greater Vision, Ivan Parker, Little Roy Lewis, Earl Scruggs and The Florida Boys are among the artists who have performed free concerts at the school in the past.
“The Stamps-Baxter Publishing Co. was, in its day, the premier publisher of Southern Gospel music,” says Shearon. “It’s a very familiar name to many people in the American Protestant world. Ben Speer, the current eminence grise (elder statesman) of Southern Gospel, now owns the Stamps-Baxter school name and employs it here.”
For more information, go to http://stampsbaxterschool.com or contact Shearon at 615-898-5984 or sshearon@mtsu.edu.
[005] SOUTHERN GIRLS ROCK THE HOUSE AT ANNUAL DAY CAMP AT MTSU
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 6, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081; Nicole Tekulve, 615-849-8140
SOUTHERN GIRLS ROCK THE HOUSE AT ANNUAL DAY CAMP AT MTSU
Those Darlins, DJ Eticut, Korean is Asian, Tristen and Heavy Cream to Show the Way
(MURFREESBORO) – Scores of girls ages 10 to 17 will convene July 27 through July 31 at MTSU for the seventh annual Murfreesboro edition of the Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp (SGRRC), a week-long gathering that nurtures musical talent and self-esteem in a positive, supportive atmosphere.
The day camp, which will operate from 9 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. each day, will feature instruction in drums, vocals, keyboards, guitar and bass, as well as workshops in recording, screenprinting, songwriting, music herstory, photography, zine-making and do-it-yourself arts and crafts.
On Saturday, Aug. 1, at 7 p.m., the girls will display the skills they honed in bands throughout the week by performing in a showcase concert in Tucker Theater. Admission is $8 per person. Doors open at 6 p.m.
Throughout the evening, some 25 items will be raffled off to raise funds for the camp, including a vintage Gretsch guitar, selections from Tulle Clothing’s spring 2009 line, a stay at the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel in Nashville, a Daisy Rock acoustic guitar, items autographed by country music star Wanda Jackson, and gift certificates to local restaurants and attractions.
Professional performers who are slated to guide the girls are:
* Korean is Asian, a band that counts The Band, Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, Tom Waits and Neil Young among its influences;
*Tristen, a Nashville-based solo artist who grew up in Chicago and whose music has been described as “a simple, straightforward pop-influenced folk style;”
*Heavy Cream, a four-piece indie rock band on the Infinity Cat label that describes its music as sounding like “chasing some strange tail;”
*DJ Eticut, aka Sarah Chrosniak, a DJ/hip-hop producer whose beats have been used on several rap albums; she also is an MTSU student who serves as DJ and backup singer for The Billy Goats;
*and Those Darlins, a three-woman band that includes SGRRC founder Kelley (Darlin) Anderson. Their self-titled debut CD on their own label (Oh Wow Dang! Records) has received rave reviews in national media. As David Carr wrote in the March 19 edition of The New York Times, Those Darlins have “a comically leering sexuality and the kind of abandon that seems scarce these days. Their punk hootenanny sensibility reminds us that you don’t have to act serious to be taken seriously.”
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SGRRC
Add 1
As in the past, girls will have an opportunity to ask questions of musicians and other music industry professionals in panel discussions. This year’s participants include Meredith Kotas, marketing and promotion specialist with Pirate!Promotion; Rachel Briggs, graphic designer at American Songwriter magazine; Sarah Chrosniak aka DJ Eticut, disc jockey and performer; Cali Devaney, stylist; Tristen Gaspaderek, songwriter and performer; and Kelley Anderson, member of Those Darlins and SGRRC founder.
Sponsors for this year’s camp include MTSU, Kohl’s, Singer Sewing Company, Daisy Rock Guitars, Ernie Ball, Textbook Brokers, Red Bull, Tugboat Productions, The Gretsch Foundation, Griffen Technology, Loews Vanderbilt Hotel and Grand Palace Silkscreen.
The Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp is a program of Youth Empowerment through Arts and Humanities, a Murfreesboro-based 501(c)3 nonprofit organization which “uses involvement and hands-on approaches to inspire young people to grow as individuals, artists and community leaders,” states its Web site. For more information, go to www.yeahintheboro.org or send an e-mail to info@yeahintheboro.org.
--30—
ATTENTION, MEDIA: For color jpegs of artists scheduled to appear at this year’s Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp and/or color jpegs from prior camps, contact Gina Logue in the MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu or Nicole Tekulve, SGRRC Director, at 615-849-8140 or sgrrc@yeahintheboro.org.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081; Nicole Tekulve, 615-849-8140
SOUTHERN GIRLS ROCK THE HOUSE AT ANNUAL DAY CAMP AT MTSU
Those Darlins, DJ Eticut, Korean is Asian, Tristen and Heavy Cream to Show the Way
(MURFREESBORO) – Scores of girls ages 10 to 17 will convene July 27 through July 31 at MTSU for the seventh annual Murfreesboro edition of the Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp (SGRRC), a week-long gathering that nurtures musical talent and self-esteem in a positive, supportive atmosphere.
The day camp, which will operate from 9 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. each day, will feature instruction in drums, vocals, keyboards, guitar and bass, as well as workshops in recording, screenprinting, songwriting, music herstory, photography, zine-making and do-it-yourself arts and crafts.
On Saturday, Aug. 1, at 7 p.m., the girls will display the skills they honed in bands throughout the week by performing in a showcase concert in Tucker Theater. Admission is $8 per person. Doors open at 6 p.m.
Throughout the evening, some 25 items will be raffled off to raise funds for the camp, including a vintage Gretsch guitar, selections from Tulle Clothing’s spring 2009 line, a stay at the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel in Nashville, a Daisy Rock acoustic guitar, items autographed by country music star Wanda Jackson, and gift certificates to local restaurants and attractions.
Professional performers who are slated to guide the girls are:
* Korean is Asian, a band that counts The Band, Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, Tom Waits and Neil Young among its influences;
*Tristen, a Nashville-based solo artist who grew up in Chicago and whose music has been described as “a simple, straightforward pop-influenced folk style;”
*Heavy Cream, a four-piece indie rock band on the Infinity Cat label that describes its music as sounding like “chasing some strange tail;”
*DJ Eticut, aka Sarah Chrosniak, a DJ/hip-hop producer whose beats have been used on several rap albums; she also is an MTSU student who serves as DJ and backup singer for The Billy Goats;
*and Those Darlins, a three-woman band that includes SGRRC founder Kelley (Darlin) Anderson. Their self-titled debut CD on their own label (Oh Wow Dang! Records) has received rave reviews in national media. As David Carr wrote in the March 19 edition of The New York Times, Those Darlins have “a comically leering sexuality and the kind of abandon that seems scarce these days. Their punk hootenanny sensibility reminds us that you don’t have to act serious to be taken seriously.”
--more--
SGRRC
Add 1
As in the past, girls will have an opportunity to ask questions of musicians and other music industry professionals in panel discussions. This year’s participants include Meredith Kotas, marketing and promotion specialist with Pirate!Promotion; Rachel Briggs, graphic designer at American Songwriter magazine; Sarah Chrosniak aka DJ Eticut, disc jockey and performer; Cali Devaney, stylist; Tristen Gaspaderek, songwriter and performer; and Kelley Anderson, member of Those Darlins and SGRRC founder.
Sponsors for this year’s camp include MTSU, Kohl’s, Singer Sewing Company, Daisy Rock Guitars, Ernie Ball, Textbook Brokers, Red Bull, Tugboat Productions, The Gretsch Foundation, Griffen Technology, Loews Vanderbilt Hotel and Grand Palace Silkscreen.
The Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp is a program of Youth Empowerment through Arts and Humanities, a Murfreesboro-based 501(c)3 nonprofit organization which “uses involvement and hands-on approaches to inspire young people to grow as individuals, artists and community leaders,” states its Web site. For more information, go to www.yeahintheboro.org or send an e-mail to info@yeahintheboro.org.
--30—
ATTENTION, MEDIA: For color jpegs of artists scheduled to appear at this year’s Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp and/or color jpegs from prior camps, contact Gina Logue in the MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu or Nicole Tekulve, SGRRC Director, at 615-849-8140 or sgrrc@yeahintheboro.org.
[004] TEST OF MTSU TORNADO SIREN 7/8/2009
July 6, 2009
CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919; Chief Buddy Peaster, 615-898-2424
MURFREESBORO—There will be a test of MTSU’s tornado siren Wednesday, July 8, at 11:15 a.m., conducted by the university Department of Public Safety. This will only be a test—no action will be required or taken by MTSU personnel. MTSU officials want to inform the surrounding neighborhood so that when they hear the siren, they will not become alarmed.
The MTSU siren is tested monthly to ensure that it is operating properly.
CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919; Chief Buddy Peaster, 615-898-2424
MURFREESBORO—There will be a test of MTSU’s tornado siren Wednesday, July 8, at 11:15 a.m., conducted by the university Department of Public Safety. This will only be a test—no action will be required or taken by MTSU personnel. MTSU officials want to inform the surrounding neighborhood so that when they hear the siren, they will not become alarmed.
The MTSU siren is tested monthly to ensure that it is operating properly.
[003] MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE WITH TODAY’S TOP GOSPEL SINGERS AT MTSU
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 1, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081; WMOT-FM, 615-898-2800
MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE WITH TODAY’S TOP GOSPEL SINGERS AT MTSU
“MTSU on the Record” Explains Ben Speer’s Stamps-Baxter School of Music
(MURFREESBORO) –Aficionados of traditional American gospel music will attend Ben Speer’s Stamps-Baxter School of Music on the MTSU campus July 12-24. Dr. Stephen Shearon, professor of music, will provide details about this unique singing school on “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue at 7 a.m. this Sunday, July 5, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org).
“Of all the shape-note singing schools, this is the most professionally oriented,” says Shearon. “Many of the faculty (members) have professional performing careers in the Southern gospel and contemporary Christian music fields, and some of them are regulars on the Bill Gaither ‘Homecoming’ videos, which are quite popular among this culture. Many of the students who come to this school also hope to have professional careers. During the evenings, there usually are performances, sometimes by some of the finest performers in Southern gospel and contemporary Christian music.”
To hear last week’s program featuring Dr. Larry Burriss’ critique of various kinds of news media coverage, go to http://frank.mtsu.edu/~proffice/podcast2009.html and click on “June 28, 2009.” For more information, contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081; WMOT-FM, 615-898-2800
MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE WITH TODAY’S TOP GOSPEL SINGERS AT MTSU
“MTSU on the Record” Explains Ben Speer’s Stamps-Baxter School of Music
(MURFREESBORO) –Aficionados of traditional American gospel music will attend Ben Speer’s Stamps-Baxter School of Music on the MTSU campus July 12-24. Dr. Stephen Shearon, professor of music, will provide details about this unique singing school on “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue at 7 a.m. this Sunday, July 5, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org).
“Of all the shape-note singing schools, this is the most professionally oriented,” says Shearon. “Many of the faculty (members) have professional performing careers in the Southern gospel and contemporary Christian music fields, and some of them are regulars on the Bill Gaither ‘Homecoming’ videos, which are quite popular among this culture. Many of the students who come to this school also hope to have professional careers. During the evenings, there usually are performances, sometimes by some of the finest performers in Southern gospel and contemporary Christian music.”
To hear last week’s program featuring Dr. Larry Burriss’ critique of various kinds of news media coverage, go to http://frank.mtsu.edu/~proffice/podcast2009.html and click on “June 28, 2009.” For more information, contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.
[002] E.P.A. AWARDS $165,000 TO MTSU PROFESSOR FOR RESEARCH
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 1, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
E.P.A. AWARDS $165,000 TO MTSU PROFESSOR FOR RESEARCH
Dr. Melissa Lobegeier Studies Pollution-Resistant Organisms
(MURFREESBORO) - With a $165,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency, Dr. Melissa Lobegeier is preparing for her second major research project of the year. Beginning this fall and for the next two years, Lobegeier, an assistant professor of geosciences, will study water quality in the Clinch and Powell rivers of southwestern Virginia, where pollution from mining is a concern.
Lobegeier will examine two types of microorganisms that are indicators of pollution. Thecamoebians and foraminifera are hard-shelled, single-celled organisms that tend to be very well preserved because of their hard shells. While a lot remains unknown about them because it’s difficult to keep them alive in the lab, Lobegeier says they are believed to catch food particles by sticking protoplasm out through holes in the shells. Their reproductive cycle is something of a puzzle.
“They have an asexual phase where they reproduce by splitting up their protoplasm up into a whole lot of juveniles and then regrow,” she says. “And then they have a sexual phase where that asexual generation produces the egg and the sperm, which then they release from their shell. And they come together to form the next juveniles, who reproduce asexually.”
However, Lobegeier says it’s not the methods by which the organisms reproduce that determine their value to scientists. It’s the speed with which those methods take place.
“Generally, their life cycle is less than a year,” she says. “When you have pollution coming into an area, we will lose the ones that aren’t very tolerant of pollution, and the ones that are opportunistic and can tolerate pollution will start to reproduce quicker. You’ll see a big shift in the population.”
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POLLUTION
Add 1
Researchers know more about foraminifera, which are found in brackish and salt water, than about thecamoebians, which are found in fresh water. Lobegeier says the oil industry examines foraminifera to date the ages of sediment beds in the search for new sources of oil.
Foraminifera figured heavily in the other project Lobegeier recently completed in Florida. She and her students examined paper mill pollution in the Fenholloway River near Perry, in Eight Mile Creek near Pensacola and in St. Andrew’s Bay near Panama City. In the case of the Fenholloway, researchers discovered that female mosquito fish near a paper mill that dumped effluent into the river were developing masculine characteristics.
“We’re trying to see how far the pollution is flowing from the source into the Gulf of Mexico because all of these areas are areas where people go to swim and particularly to fish,” Lobegeier says. “I think it’s important to know whether the pollution is making it into those areas and whether we should continue to eat that food.”
The Florida project was funded with a $12,494 internal grant from MTSU’s Faculty Research and Creative Activity Committee. But it wasn’t used to buy sophisticated laboratory equipment. Lobegeier drew on her Australian culture to integrate the yabby pump into the research.
A yabby pump is a steel cylinder tube with a plunger device that enables shrimpers to suck little crustaceans called yabbies out of the holes they burrow into the seashore. Lobegeier finds it useful for drawing tubular cores of sediment from the rivers, which she and her students wrap in PVC pipe and aluminum foil and secure with duct tape. The cores are then frozen to preserve them and the microorganisms inside for future examination.
“I’m hoping it will give us a better idea of how the rivers have been affected because with the Clinch/Powell river project I’m hoping to core and go back to pre-European times,” says Lobegeier.
--30—
ATTENTION, MEDIA: For color jpeg photos of Dr. Melissa Lobegeier and her students working to detect pollution in Florida waterways, 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
E.P.A. AWARDS $165,000 TO MTSU PROFESSOR FOR RESEARCH
Dr. Melissa Lobegeier Studies Pollution-Resistant Organisms
(MURFREESBORO) - With a $165,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency, Dr. Melissa Lobegeier is preparing for her second major research project of the year. Beginning this fall and for the next two years, Lobegeier, an assistant professor of geosciences, will study water quality in the Clinch and Powell rivers of southwestern Virginia, where pollution from mining is a concern.
Lobegeier will examine two types of microorganisms that are indicators of pollution. Thecamoebians and foraminifera are hard-shelled, single-celled organisms that tend to be very well preserved because of their hard shells. While a lot remains unknown about them because it’s difficult to keep them alive in the lab, Lobegeier says they are believed to catch food particles by sticking protoplasm out through holes in the shells. Their reproductive cycle is something of a puzzle.
“They have an asexual phase where they reproduce by splitting up their protoplasm up into a whole lot of juveniles and then regrow,” she says. “And then they have a sexual phase where that asexual generation produces the egg and the sperm, which then they release from their shell. And they come together to form the next juveniles, who reproduce asexually.”
However, Lobegeier says it’s not the methods by which the organisms reproduce that determine their value to scientists. It’s the speed with which those methods take place.
“Generally, their life cycle is less than a year,” she says. “When you have pollution coming into an area, we will lose the ones that aren’t very tolerant of pollution, and the ones that are opportunistic and can tolerate pollution will start to reproduce quicker. You’ll see a big shift in the population.”
--more--
POLLUTION
Add 1
Researchers know more about foraminifera, which are found in brackish and salt water, than about thecamoebians, which are found in fresh water. Lobegeier says the oil industry examines foraminifera to date the ages of sediment beds in the search for new sources of oil.
Foraminifera figured heavily in the other project Lobegeier recently completed in Florida. She and her students examined paper mill pollution in the Fenholloway River near Perry, in Eight Mile Creek near Pensacola and in St. Andrew’s Bay near Panama City. In the case of the Fenholloway, researchers discovered that female mosquito fish near a paper mill that dumped effluent into the river were developing masculine characteristics.
“We’re trying to see how far the pollution is flowing from the source into the Gulf of Mexico because all of these areas are areas where people go to swim and particularly to fish,” Lobegeier says. “I think it’s important to know whether the pollution is making it into those areas and whether we should continue to eat that food.”
The Florida project was funded with a $12,494 internal grant from MTSU’s Faculty Research and Creative Activity Committee. But it wasn’t used to buy sophisticated laboratory equipment. Lobegeier drew on her Australian culture to integrate the yabby pump into the research.
A yabby pump is a steel cylinder tube with a plunger device that enables shrimpers to suck little crustaceans called yabbies out of the holes they burrow into the seashore. Lobegeier finds it useful for drawing tubular cores of sediment from the rivers, which she and her students wrap in PVC pipe and aluminum foil and secure with duct tape. The cores are then frozen to preserve them and the microorganisms inside for future examination.
“I’m hoping it will give us a better idea of how the rivers have been affected because with the Clinch/Powell river project I’m hoping to core and go back to pre-European times,” says Lobegeier.
--30—
ATTENTION, MEDIA: For color jpeg photos of Dr. Melissa Lobegeier and her students working to detect pollution in Florida waterways, contact Gina Logue in the MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.
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