[015] Veteran Professor Takes Reins Of Recording-Industry Department

VETERAN PROFESSOR TAKES REINS OF RECORDING-INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT
Mulraine Says MTSU Can ‘Expand, Diversify’ to Meet Entertainment Needs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 13, 2010
EDITORIAL CONTACTS: Dr. Loren Mulraine, 615-904-8364; Gina E. Fann, 615-898-5385

(MURFREESBORO)—Dr. Loren Mulraine is ready for a fresh polish on one of MTSU’s crown jewels—the Department of Recording Industry.
The longtime associate professor took on the chairman’s job this month, replacing the retiring Chris Haseleu and already anticipating a challenging new academic year for the 33-year-old department.
“Our consensus has been that we don’t want to solely be reactionary to the industry but to give thought to how we can lead the industry,” explains Mulraine, an entertainment law attorney who’s taught at MTSU since 1998 and served two stints as interim associate dean of the College of Mass Communication.
“It’s important that we find a way to steer the ship into uncharted territory, which is precisely where the industry is headed. We can expand and diversify our programs so we’re not just focusing on ‘recording industry’ but entertainment, and that means music for film, TV and gaming …
“We have to continue to create opportunities for our students to be well-rounded. If we don’t put a good product on the street, we lose our credibility. When we started more than 30 years ago, we were unique. Now we have all sorts of competition.”
The recording-industry department, which is the largest of its kind in the United States, boasts more than 1,200 majors and 28 full-time faculty members. It’s regularly expanded its course offerings and concentrations, creating partnerships within and outside MTSU to form programs like the Master of Fine Arts in Recording Arts and Technology and the commercial songwriting concentration, which has strategic alliances with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Faculty ties with industry professionals have led to classroom training by multiplatinum artists and producers, participation in international trade shows and even Grammy nominations for professors.
“The good news is that our students are well-prepared when they leave here. Wherever MTSU RIM students go, they shine,” notes Mulraine, a gospel artist and songwriter who also runs Ten 21 Entertainment, Inc., which includes recording, publishing, booking and artist-management divisions, and a consulting company, The Mulraine Firm, which handles legal issues.
Taking the next steps will include expanding the department’s presence on Music Row, developing a greater online presence with more distance-learning courses and creating more industry partnerships to help maintain program quality in the wake of ongoing funding cuts.
“Our greatest challenge is finding a way to maintain and increase the quality of our students’ education in a world of diminished resources,” the new chairman says. “It’s never enough to stay where we were. We must continuously strive to get better.”
For more information about MTSU’s Department of Recording Industry, visit http://recordingindustry.mtsu.edu.


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IN BRIEF: Dr. Loren Mulraine is ready for a fresh polish on one of MTSU’s crown jewels—the Department of Recording Industry. The longtime associate professor took on the chairman’s job this month, replacing the retiring Chris Haseleu and already anticipating a challenging new academic year for the 33-year-old department. “Our consensus has been that we don’t want to solely be reactionary to the industry but to give thought to how we can lead the industry,” explains Mulraine, an entertainment law attorney who’s taught at MTSU since 1998 and served two stints as interim associate dean of the College of Mass Communication. “We have to continue to create opportunities for our students to be well-rounded. If we don’t put a good product on the street, we lose our credibility. When we started more than 30 years ago, we were unique. Now we have all sorts of competition.”

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

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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a color JPEG of Mulraine, please contact Gina E. Fann in the Office of News and Public Affairs via e-mail at gfann@mtsu.edu or by calling 615-898-5385.