[061] Pabon's Personal Perspective On Hip-Hop History At MTSU

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 26, 2010
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

PABON’S PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE ON HIP-HOP HISTORY AT MTSU
‘PopMaster Fabel’ to Cover Urban Music Culture from Streets to Cinema

(MURFREESBORO) – Hip-hop dancer, choreographer, activist and historian Jorge “PopMaster Fabel” Pabon will show part of his new documentary “Apache Line: From Gangs to Hip-Hop” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 7, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of MTSU’s Business and Aerospace Building. This event is free and open to the public.
The film, which will be followed by a question-and-answer period with Pabon, offers an insider’s view of the New York street culture that preceded what has come to be known as hip-hop. Afrika Bambaataa, T.KID 170 and INK 76 are among the icons interviewed in the movie.
“We scheduled this event especially because of the recent dialogue about gangs in the community, and we hope it will contribute to a positive conversation,” says Dr. Felicia Miyakawa, associate professor of musicology, assistant director of the MTSU School of Music and faculty adviser for the MTSU B-boy/B-Girl Club.
A native of Spanish Harlem in New York City, Pabon co-authored, co-directed and co-choreographed the first two hip-hop musicals ever, “So! What Happens Now?” and “Jam on the Groove.” He won the 1991 Bessie Award for choreography along with fellow members of the Rhythm Technicians and the Rock Steady crew.
Some of his dancing credits include Lincoln Center’s “Serious Fun!”; PBS’s “Great Performances 20th Anniversary Special”; the 1994 American-Japan Festival sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution; the 1983 and 1991 Kennedy Center Honors events.
Pabon served as a consultant, moderator, panelist and writer for “The Hip-Hop Nation: Roots, Rhyme and Rage,” an exhibit and conference at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1999. In 2001, he addressed delegates at the United Nations’ “Hip-Hop Conference for Peace.”
As adjunct professor at New York University, Pabon teaches movement in the Experimental Theater Wing of the college’s prestigious Tisch School of the Arts. In addition, he leads workshops and teaches master classes for numerous schools, universities, community groups and dance studios.
“He has been part of it since the beginning,” says Miyakawa. “He started as a writer, b-boy and DJ. He also gives us the benefit of a research-based perspective on hip-hop history. He’s a walking encyclopedia.”

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In addition to the documentary viewing, Pabon will speak to Miyakawa’s “Hip-Hop Music and Culture” class and will lead a b-boy/b-girl workshop during his time on campus. Video of Pabon in action is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsdZLGQMCpI and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQfGrz21kus.
Pabon’s visit to MTSU is sponsored by the Distinguished Lecture Fund, the MTSU School of Music, the Center for Popular Music and the Department of Recording Industry. For more information, contact Miyakawa at 615-904-8043 or miyakawa@mtsu.edu.


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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a jpeg photo of Jorge “PopMaster Fabel” Pabon, contact Gina Logue in the MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.



With three Nobel Prize winners among its alumni and former faculty, Middle Tennessee State University confers master’s degrees in 10 areas, the Specialist in Education degree, the Doctor of Arts degree and the Doctor of Philosophy degree. MTSU is ranked among the top 100 public universities in the nation in the Forbes “America’s Best Colleges” 2009 survey.

[060] They're Back: New, Returning MTSU Students and Faculty Begin to Arrive

Release date: Aug. 26, 2010

News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or jweiler@mtsu.edu
Student Affairs contact: Dr. Debra Sells, 615-898-2440 or dsells@mtsu.edu

They’re Back: New, Returning MTSU
Students and Faculty Begin to Arrive


(MURFREESBORO) — As students and faculty prepare to return to campus for the start of the fall 2010 semester, activity in and around the MTSU campus increases significantly starting Friday, Aug. 27.
Classes officially begin Saturday as set by the Tennessee Board of Regents. Classes resume in earnest Monday, Aug. 30, for the more than 25,650 undergraduate, graduate and online students taking courses to start the 2010-11 academic year, university officials report.
“We’re looking forward to a terrific move-in weekend, with the weather forecast cooperating by giving us sunshine, lower humidity and cooler evenings,” said Dr. Debra Sells, vice president for student affairs and vice provost for enrollment and academic services. “Our staff and many volunteers will be ready to help students moving into the residence halls beginning Friday, followed by the Friday evening dinner and outdoor movie.
“More students will arrive and move in on Saturday, and then we’ll all spend some time together having fun and getting acquainted at the annual Courtyard Carnival.”
The annual University Convocation, this year featuring keynote speaker Warren St. John as he discusses the assigned summer reading book, “Outcasts United,” starts at 2 p.m. Sunday in Murphy Center.
“Sunday will be a real milestone in the lives of our new students as they make the transition to officially becoming Blue Raiders and beginning their participation in the MTSU learning community.”
Starting at 9 a.m. Friday, Aug. 28, the Student Leadership and Service-led We Haul will assist students moving into dormitories. Director Jackie Victory’s crew will perform the same service starting at 9 a.m. Saturday.
“C’Mon Get Happy”-themed Week of Welcome activities, include:
Friday, Aug. 27
All day (9 a.m.-4 p.m.) – We-Haul
6:30 p.m. – Dinner and music, Keathley University Center Courtyard
8 p.m. – Outdoor movie, “The Blind Side,” KUC Courtyard
Saturday, Aug. 28
All day (9a.m.-4 p.m.) – We-Haul
10 a.m.-4 p.m. –Information booths
6 p.m. – Dinner and Courtyard Carnival, KUC Courtyard
Sunday, Aug. 29
2 p.m. – University Convocation featuring speaker Warren St. John, Murphy Center
After Convocation – President’s Picnic, Walnut Grove
Tuesday, Aug. 31
10 a.m.-2 p.m. – Meet Murfreesboro, KUC Courtyard
Wednesday, Sept. 1
10 a.m.-2 p.m. – Meet Murfreesboro, KUC Courtyard
8 p.m. – Comedian Josh Blue, Murphy Center
Thursday, Sept. 2
11 a.m.-1 p.m. – MTSU Department Fair, KUC Courtyard
Noon – Free cookies and lemonade, KUC Courtyard
4:15 p.m. – Raider Walk, Walnut Grove
6:30 p.m. – MTSU vs. Minnesota football game, Floyd Stadium
Fall Semester 2010 academic calendar
• Aug. 28 – Classes begin
• Sept. 6 – Labor Day holiday (no classes)
• Oct. 16–19 – Fall Break – (no classes)
• Nov. 25-27 – Thanksgiving holidays – no classes
• Dec. 8 – Last day of classes
• Dec. 9 – Study day (no classes)
• Dec. 10-16 – Final examinations
• Dec. 18 – Commencement (9 a.m. and 2 p.m. ceremonies), Murphy Center
• Dec. 20 Deadline for final grades

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Media welcomed.

Media note: In regard to We Haul Friday and Saturday, Andy Bickers, director of Housing and Residential Life, requests any media videoing or taking digital photos remain outside the dorms. No one is permitted on any residential floor (including exterior access buildings).

With three Nobel Prize winners among its alumni and former faculty, Middle Tennessee State University confers master’s degrees in 10 areas, the Specialist in Education degree, the Doctor of Arts degree and the Doctor of Philosophy degree. MTSU is ranked among the top 100 public universities in the nation in the Forbes “America’s Best Colleges” 2009 survey.

For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.

[059] MTSU Professor's Third Fulbright Takes Him To Malaysia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 26, 2010
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

MTSU PROFESSOR’S THIRD FULBRIGHT TAKES HIM TO MALAYSIA
Sean Foley to Study Arab Muslim Links to Culturally Diverse Southeast Asian Land

(MURFREESBORO) – Dr. Sean Foley, assistant professor of history at Middle Tennessee State University, will embark in mid-September on a 10-month research excursion in Southeast Asia after winning the third Fulbright Fellowship of his career.
Foley will work and study primarily in Malaysia, where he will examine religious links between Southeast Asia and the Arab-dominated Middle East region under the auspices of International Islamic University Malaysia in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur.
In addition, Foley’s study and lecture itinerary will take him to India, Thailand, and Brunei, an experience he will chronicle with periodic columns in the Nashville-based newspaper The Tennessean.
Foley’s 2010-11 fellowship comes from the prestigious Fulbright Program, which is sponsored by the United States Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Marianne Craven, the bureau’s managing director of academic programs, says the program funds faculty and research scholars such as Foley as well as international scholars’ work in the U.S.
“It’s really a program that exemplifies academic excellence, but even more than that, it’s a program that promotes mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries,” Craven says.
In addition, the Fulbright Program promotes teacher exchanges for primary and secondary schools, Humphrey Fellowships for mid-career professionals to come to the U.S. for a year, and student exchanges that enable American college graduates to go overseas and international students to come to the U.S. for graduate study and language instruction. MTSU alum and graduate student Eric Little will depart in late September for Portugal with a student grant to teach American culture and the English language.
More than 40 alumni of the Fulbright Program have won Nobel Prizes, including former MTSU professor Muhammad Yunus, who, along with his Grameen Bank in his native Bangladesh, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his development of microcredit and microfinance.
Craven says the Fulbright Program changes the proportion of fellowships available as events warrant, including an increased emphasis on the Muslim world after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. However, the goal is to help the United States achieve broad foreign policy priorities and advance bilateral relationships with countries around the world.
“We’ve tended to see Southeast Asia as ‘something else’ or “different,” Foley says. “Some Americans may have had experience—either themselves or their parents—with Vietnam. But it’s part of a larger global network in which the Indian Ocean has been important for a very long time.”

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Although Americans learn relatively little about the region in the news media, Foley says it has probably the most important sea lane in the world in the Straits of Malacca, the gateway between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
As for Malaysia in particular, it provides the world with electronic equipment, petroleum, rubber and palm oil. Foley says it is a commerce-based society that is an important trading partner of the U.S.
“It is certainly a middle-class, well-educated country that has emphasized education and particularly learning English as part of a way of integrating itself into the global economy,” Foley notes.
Foley says it has become a destination for Muslims who seek a lifestyle that provides a balance between tradition and modernity. Sharia law is a part of the legal system, but the government is a constitutional monarchy with a king, prime minister and parliament.
“In fact, the legal code of Malaysia reflects the fact that it is a highly diverse society,” says Foley.
According to the Central Intelligence Agency’s World Factbook, Malaysia’s population is 50.4 percent Malay, 23.7 percent Chinese and 7.1 percent Indian. Muslims make up 60.4 percent of the faithful, followed by Buddhists with 19.2 percent, Christians with 9.1 percent and Hindus with 6.3 percent.
The locale and the research subject fit Foley’s expertise and experience perfectly. He did his doctoral dissertation at Georgetown University on the Sufi movement, which has a huge following in the region. His most recent book, The Arab Gulf States: Beyond Oil and Islam (Lynne Rienner Press), finds numerous linkages between those six nations and Southeast Asia.
Aside from the professional advantages, Foley will benefit from the company of his wife, Kerry, for the entire 10 months. He says she speaks Russian, Somali and Arabic and picks up new languages with great facility.
Foley recently taped three segments with the Voice of America—one for the Turkish-language service, one for the Persian-language service and one for the Azeri-language service. His Azeri-language interview about Iran and Turkey is available for viewing at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhGKTwWecuQ.
For more information about Foley’s research, go to www.seanfoley.org. An interview with Foley and Craven is available for listening at http://www.mtsu.edu/news/podcast/podcast2010.shtml. Click on “August 8, 2010.”


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With three Nobel Prize winners among its alumni and former faculty, Middle Tennessee State University confers master’s degrees in 10 areas, the Specialist in Education degree, the Doctor of Arts degree and the Doctor of Philosophy degree. MTSU is ranked among the top 100 public universities in the nation in the Forbes “America’s Best Colleges” 2009 survey.

[058] MTSU Professors Turn To The 'Dark Side' For Autism Benefit

MTSU PROFESSORS TURN TO THE ‘DARK SIDE’ FOR AUTISM BENEFIT
Tribute Band to Perform Pink Floyd Classic Sept. 4 at The Blue Rooster

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 26, 2010
EDITORIAL CONTACTS: Dale Brown, dbrown@mtsu.edu or 615-898-2454;
Steve Holeman, steve@steveholeman.com or 615-995-6013

(MURFREESBORO)—The Pink Floyd tribute band Us and Them will perform Pink Floyd’s best-selling album “Dark Side of the Moon” on Saturday, Sept. 4, at The Blue Rooster on Murfreesboro’s Public Square to benefit Autism Speaks.
There’ll be no cover charge for the benefit event, which begins at 6 p.m., but donations for the nonprofit organization will be appreciated.
Us and Them includes MTSU recording-industry professors Dale Brown, Bill Crabtree and Cosette Collier and Amy Hennington, a Computer Information Systems professor, as part of a 10-piece band. Us and Them features three keyboard players, a guitarist, bassist, drummer, saxophonist and three background vocalists.
John Merchant, a fellow MTSU recording-industry professor, has been recruited as sound engineer for the live event.
The idea to perform “Dark Side of the Moon,” Pink Floyd’s most commercially successful album, arose during rehearsals for a cover band called 2nd & Vine, which features Brown on bass and vocals, Crabtree on drums, Collier on keyboards, Hennington on vocals, Steve Holeman on guitar and vocals and Stacey Lee on vocals.
Brown, who also plays keyboards and guitar, and his longtime friend, keyboard player John Nichols, always wanted to try to perform the famous recording, including every musical part and sound effect, since they first heard it in the early 1970s. It quickly became apparent, however, that the group would have to recruit additional help from other musicians and friends to perform all the complex musical parts.
The additional musicians joining 2nd & Vine and Nichols are MTSU alumnus Tinnon Martin on bass, Memphis-based saxophonist Chris Piecuch and background singer Candace Warner. The result has been a faithful recreation of the entire album “from the first heartbeat to the last,” Brown said.
“Dark Side of the Moon,” which has sold more than 15 million copies in the United States alone, spawned two singles, “Money” and “Us and Them.”
2nd & Vine will play the opening set at the benefit, followed by Us and Them’s performance.
For more information, contact Brown at 615-479-3183 or djbrown@mtsu.edu or Holeman at 615-995-6013 or steve@steveholeman.com.
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IN BRIEF: The Pink Floyd tribute band Us and Them will perform Pink Floyd’s best-selling album “Dark Side of the Moon” on Saturday, Sept. 4, at The Blue Rooster on Murfreesboro’s Public Square to benefit Autism Speaks. There will be no cover charge for the benefit event, which begins at 6 p.m., but donations for the nonprofit organization will be appreciated. Us and Them includes MTSU recording-industry professors Dale Brown, Bill Crabtree and Cosette Collier and Amy Hennington, a Computer Information Systems professor, as part of a 10-piece band. For more information, contact Brown at 615-479-3183 or djbrown@mtsu.edu or Holeman at 615-995-6013 or steve@steveholeman.com.


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


NOTE: Media needing a color JPEG of the Us and Them benefit performance poster should contact the Office of News and Public Affairs before 3 p.m. via e-mail at gfann@mtsu.edu or by calling 615-898-5385. Thanks!

[057] MTSU Business Dean Adds Corporate-Governance Training

MTSU business dean adds corporate-governance training

Aug. 23, 2010
CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919

MURFREESBORO—Dr. Jim Burton, dean of the Jennings A. Jones College of Business at Middle Tennessee State University, has attained the status of “Certified Director” from the John E. Anderson School of Management at the University of California at Los Angeles.
The designation represents a higher level of endorsement that entitles him to sit on corporate boards of directors and participate in the corporate governance of major companies throughout the nation.
“There are a number of schools of business in the country that offer training programs for directors,” Burton said, “but this is the only one that I’m aware of that has any sort of certification process at the end of it.”
The 30 participants included board directors, business owners, higher-education officials and others who have a vested interest in learning more about corporate governance, liability issues, performance-based pay and how pending federal legislation will change the way business does business.
“There were discussions that heightened your awareness and made you think about them in new ways,” Burton noted. “It re-energized your thinking on several things.”
Burton said the certification becomes a point of recognition and distinction and may generate additional requests to serve as a director in companies around the country. He has served on the board of Piedmont Gas for several years.
“It was an arduous three days, jam-packed with reading, speakers and workshops. … Several people out there knew of MTSU through athletics or a particular academic program or they knew someone who was here.”

[055] McPhee Touts MTSU, Pitches Partnerships to Business Rountable

Aug. 22, 2010
Contact: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919

MCPHEE TOUTS MTSU, PITCHES PARTNERSHIPS TO BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE

MURFREESBORO—Tennessee needs to produce 20,000 more college graduates by 2025 in order to reach the national average. Progress in that direction will produce an increased and better-trained workforce and spur economic development, which is what the Complete College Tennessee Act of 2010 Act is designed to address.
An important part of meeting that challenge is to find newer ways to partner with business. Recently the Tennessee Business Roundtable met with higher-education officials to discuss “The Changing Face of Higher Education: The Role of Business.” Members heard from TBR Chancellor Charles Manning, MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee and Dr. Jan Simek, interim president at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Manning reminded roundtable members that in the last 10 years, enrollment in the TBR system has grown from 181,000 to 210,000 students.
“We have received zero new operating money from the state,” Manning said. “We’re operating on a 2000-2001 operating budget. … We need partners in the community.”
“While we are supportive of this landmark legislation … it should not be perceived as a silver bullet, solving all our problems,” McPhee told the audience. “We will make programs more accountable.”
The legislation calls for basing the funding formula more on successful outcomes and graduation rates rather than enrollment numbers. In addition it gives community colleges more prominence in the educational process, calls for a more seamless transition from a 2-year college to 4-year university, requires both the TBR and UT systems to establish dual-admission and dual-enrollment policies and recognizes the importance of enhancing education at the K-12 level.
McPhee reminded members that MTSU already provides more college graduates to the state’s workforce than any other institution in the state.
“More than 55 percent of our alumni live within a hour of Nashville,” he said. “The combined direct and indirect economic impact on the area’s economy from the university is estimated to be in excess of $1 billion annually.” He added that more than 70 percent of MTSU graduates live in Tennessee.
The lack of state funding has made it difficult for schools to meet the anticipated enrollment growth, McPhee said, and many schools, including MTSU, are limping along with antiquated facilities and equipment. The panel agreed that business needs to step up and provide financial support when appropriate, including offering more scholarships and internships.
“There must be better coordination and communication between business and educational leaders to assure that we are relevant in our programming and that our academic systems are in line with the needs of the business community,” McPhee noted.
Simek told the gathering that a recent survey of UT students who had dropped out of school revealed that they did so because they did not feel engaged.
“We need to provide a sense of belonging … create smaller communities of students within the larger student population … and we need better and more accurate advising,” Simek said. “We have to instill the notion that we are partners with students.”
The Tennessee Business Roundtable and the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce partnered with the Tennessee Higher Education Commission and the Lumina Foundation in sponsoring the event.

[054] MTSU AG Students Dare To Be Grape For Worthy Cause

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 20, 2010
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Dr. Tony Johnston, 615-556-1495

MTSU AG STUDENTS DARE TO BE GRAPE FOR WORTHY CAUSE
We Hear Through the Grapevine Power of the Press Makes Juice for Jelly

(MURFREESBORO) – Students from the MTSU College of Agribusiness and Agriscience, including students from the Plant and Soil Science Club, will press 200 pounds of grapes at 2 p.m. Monday, Aug. 23, at the at the Tennessee State Veterans Home, 345 Compton Road in Murfreesboro.
The red, seeded grapes were grown in the university’s experimental vineyard on the north end of the Rutherford County Extension Office property at the corner of Gresham Lane and John Rice Boulevard. The vineyard was made possible by a 2005 agreement establishing it as the only joint Tennessee Board of Regents/University of Tennessee system experimental agricultural venture.
Dr. Tony Johnston, associate professor of food science and agribusiness and enology consultant, says the students will use a small table-top press that can accommodate two gallons of fruit. The residents of the veterans’ home will use the juice to make jelly.
Media welcomed. For more information, contact Johnston at 615-556-1495 or johnston@mtsu.edu.


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With three Nobel Prize winners among its alumni and former faculty, Middle Tennessee State University confers master’s degrees in 10 areas, the Specialist in Education degree, the Doctor of Arts degree and the Doctor of Philosophy degree. MTSU is ranked among the top 100 public universities in the nation in the Forbes “America’s Best Colleges” 2009 survey.

[053] MTSU Is Ready To 'Meet Murfreesboro' As Fall 2010 Begins

MTSU IS READY TO ‘MEET MURFREESBORO’ AS FALL 2010 BEGINS
Local Businesses, Organizations Invited to Welcome Students Aug. 31-Sept. 1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 20, 2010
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Rob Patterson, NSFP coordinator, 615-898-2454

(MURFREESBORO)—MTSU is continuing a tradition started in 2001 by inviting area businesses and organizations to welcome students back to campus during the festive Week of Welcome—the first days of the fall semester—at Meet Murfreesboro days Tuesday and Wednesday, Aug. 31-Sept. 1.
Participants can visit with students and display products by reserving space in tents placed in the courtyard outside the Keathley University Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Display space costs $250 and includes a table and chairs, lunch for two people each day and access to electricity for both days. Merchants also will receive two visitor-parking passes per day.
“We encourage businesses to bring free samples, specialty giveaways and coupons to give students,” said Gina Poff, director of the Office of New Students and Family Programs.
“The students really enjoy the event, and in past years, we have had vendors tell us they gave away as many as 5,000 items per day.”
Poff added that if merchants want to participate but cannot attend Meet Murfreesboro days, the university will provide them with free welcome-back posters for display at their businesses.
Local agencies and campus groups may also participate in the Volunteer Fair on campus on Tuesday, Sept. 7, and share volunteer opportunities with MTSU students. There is no cost for volunteer agencies to participate in the event.
MTSU expects to enroll 25,700-plus students this fall, and economic-impact studies have shown that students spend more than $6 million locally during the school year. Recent estimates place MTSU’s total economic impact at more than $1 billion.
Deadline for participant registration is Monday, Aug. 30, and space is limited. For more information, contact Rob Patterson, NSFP coordinator, at 615-898-2454 or visit www.mtsu.edu/nsfp/PDFs/10meetmboro.pdf.
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IN BRIEF: MTSU is continuing a tradition started in 2001 by inviting area businesses and organizations to welcome students back to campus during the festive Week of Welcome—the first days of the fall semester—at Meet Murfreesboro days Tuesday and Wednesday, Aug. 31-Sept. 1. Participants can visit with students and display products by reserving space in tents placed in the courtyard outside the Keathley University Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Display space costs $250 and includes a table and chairs, lunch for two people each day and access to electricity for both days. Deadline for participant registration is Monday, Aug. 30, and space is limited. For more information, contact Rob Patterson, NSFP coordinator, at 615-898-2454 or visit www.mtsu.edu/ nsfp/PDFs/10meetmboro.pdf.

For MTSU news and information, visit

[052] Creating A Community From A Group of Strangers

CREATING A COMMUNITY FROM A GROUP OF STRANGERS
MTSU Convocation to Feature Address by ‘Outcasts United’ Author St. John

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 20, 2010
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina E. Fann, 615-898-5385 or gfann@mtsu.edu

(MURFREESBORO)—Creating a community from a group of strangers is the focus of author Warren St. John’s Outcasts United, and it’s also the goal of MTSU’s annual University Convocation, where St. John is scheduled to speak on Sunday, Aug. 29.
The author’s 2 p.m. address at Murphy Center will help mark the beginning of the 2010-11 academic year at MTSU, when Convocation welcomes new students into the MTSU learning community. Faculty march in their regalia to dramatic compositions performed by the MTSU Band of Blue, and the traditions and rituals of the university are explained to the newest members of the MTSU family.
St. John’s national bestseller, the 2010 Summer Reading Selection for the university, chronicles the impromptu social experiment created when a small town in Georgia became a center for refugee resettlement and one woman attempted to change lives through soccer.
St. John, a native of Birmingham, Ala., has written for the New York Observer, The New Yorker, Wired and Slate, in addition to his work as a reporter for The New York Times. His first book, Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: A Journey into the Heart of Fan Mania, was named one of Sports Illustrated’s best books of the year, and ranked No. 1 on The Chronicle of Higher Education’s list of the best books ever written about collegiate athletics.
MTSU’s Summer Reading Program, created in 2002, aims to provide a unifying experience for entering freshmen, give them a chance to read and interact with acclaimed authors and affirm the importance of reading for a successful and fulfilling life.
Incoming freshmen are expected to read the book before fall classes start Aug. 28, and all University 1010 classes will discuss the selection. Faculty members also are being encouraged to incorporate the book into their fall lesson plans.
Outcasts United may be purchased on campus and at local bookstores. It’s available in hardback and paperback, and online sellers also may have used copies. For more information about the book, its subjects and its author, visit http://outcastsunited.com.
The University Convocation is free and open to the public. First-year students are expected to attend; their families and members of the MTSU and Murfreesboro communities are welcome to attend. Call 615-898-2454 for more information, or visit www.mtsunews.com.

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IN BRIEF: Author Warren St. John, whose book Outcasts United chronicles an impromptu social experiment created when a small town-turned-refugee resettlement center tried soccer as a unifying element, is the guest speaker at MTSU’s annual University Convocation on Sunday, Aug. 29, at 2 p.m. in Murphy Center on Middle Tennessee Boulevard. The event, which is free and open to the public, is an annual ceremony welcoming new students into the MTSU learning community. For more information, call 615-898-2454.


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


NOTE: Media needing a color JPEG of St. John’s book cover and/or a headshot of the author should contact the Office of News and Public Affairs via e-mail at gfann@mtsu.edu or by calling 615-898-538

[051] Princeton Review Once Again Adds MTSU To Top Colleges List

PRINCETON REVIEW ONCE AGAIN ADDS MTSU TO TOP COLLEGES LIST
Company Includes University in ‘Best of the Southeast’ Ratings

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 20, 2010
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919 or ttozer@mtsu.edu

(MURFREESBORO)—MTSU once again is receiving accolades from the education-services company The Princeton Review, joining 133 institutions recommended in the “Best in the Southeast” section of its website feature, “2011 Best Colleges Region by Region.”
Collectively, the 623 colleges named “regional best” constitute about 25 percent of the nation’s 2,500 four-year colleges.
The Princeton Review asked students to rate their schools based on accessibility of the professors, the quality of food and campus life in general. The company’s staff also based their evaluation on the quality of academic programs and observations during visits to campus over the years.
“We are proud to once again be listed among the ‘Best in the Southeast’ by The Princeton Review,” said MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee, noting that the company also gave the university the honor in 2008.
“We are committed to continuing Middle Tennessee State University’s long-standing tradition of offering our students outstanding academic programs in the kind of nurturing environment which addresses their individual needs. Our continued success is due to the hard work of our outstanding faculty and staff.”
“We’re pleased to recommend Middle Tennessee State University to users of our site as one of the best schools to earn their undergrad degree,” said Robert Franek, senior vice president/publishing for The Princeton Review. “We chose it and the other terrific institutions we name as ‘regional best’ colleges mainly for their excellent academic programs.”
The Princeton Review is a for-profit educational preparation company that offers test preparation for standardized achievement tests and advice on college admissions.
Forbes magazine ranked MTSU as the No. 1 public institution in Tennessee, as well as one of the Top 50 higher-education “Best Buys” in the nation and one of the top 100 U.S. public universities, in its 2009 “America’s Best Colleges” listing.
To read MTSU’s complete entry in the Princeton Review rankings, register free at www.princetonreview.com, then click the “Find a College” tab at the top of the page and type “Middle Tennessee State University” in the school search box.
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IN BRIEF: MTSU once again is receiving accolades from the education-services company The Princeton Review, joining 133 institutions recommended in the “Best in the Southeast” section of its website feature, “2011 Best Colleges Region by Region.” “We are proud to once again be listed among the ‘Best in the Southeast’ by The Princeton Review,” said MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee, noting that the company also gave the university the honor in 2008. “We’re pleased to recommend Middle Tennessee State University to users of our site as one of the best schools to earn their undergrad degree,” said Robert Franek, senior vice president/publishing for The Princeton Review. “We chose it and the other terrific institutions we name as ‘regional best’ colleges mainly for their excellent academic programs.”

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


NOTE: Media needing a color graphic of the “Best of College in the Southeast” badge should contact the Office of News and Public Affairs via e-mail at gfann@mtsu.edu or by calling 615-898-5385 before 3 p.m. Thanks!

[049] MTSU Aerospace, ISR Group to Sign Agreement Friday

Release date: Aug. 19, 2010


News & Public Affairs contact: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919 or ttozer@mtsu.edu
Aerospace contact: Dr. Wayne Dornan, 615-898-2788 or wdornan@mtsu.edu
ISR Group contact: Bob Boggan, 731-926-4188 or bboggan@isrgroup.com

MTSU Aerospace, ISR Group to Sign Agreement Friday
Partnership Relates to Unmanned Aerial Systems Research, Training, Education

(MURFREESBORO) — MTSU’s nationally ranked aerospace department and Savannah, Tenn.-based ISR Group will sign a memorandum of understanding to create a Center of Excellence in Unmanned Aerial Systems research, training and education, officials from both organizations announced.
The signing will be held Friday, Aug. 20, at 10 a.m. in the Business and Aerospace Building’s first-floor east lobby area. Events will start at 9 a.m. with a welcome by new MTSU Provost Dr. Brad Bartel, remarks by President Sidney A. McPhee, ISR Group CEO Alfred Lumpkin and others.
ISR Group is the leading provider of unmanned aircraft system training services, said Dr. Wayne Dornan, the aerospace department chair.
“We couldn’t be more delighted with this partnership,” Dornan added.
“We are extremely proud of our aerospace program, and this is a great leap forward to propelling it to the leading edge of contemporary aeronautical science,” McPhee said. “This is consistent with MTSU’s Academic Master Plan, which promotes education and research through internal and external collaboration”
MTSU Flight Operations Center representatives will fly the ISR Group officials to Murfreesboro from Savannah Friday morning. A static display of a full-size scan eagle (UAS) will be on display at the signing, Dornan said.
“We are excited about this partnership with MTSU,” said Bob Boggan, ISR executive vice president. “In conjunction with MTSU, ISR Group is focused on developing a Center of Excellence for unmanned technology in this region of the country. By leveraging state, academic, and private business, we have created a powerful combination that brings tremendous value to the unmanned market and to the southeastern U.S. The unmanned market is growing rapidly and is attracting investment as well as talented, knowledgeable people. Tennessee has the right business environment, and the MTSU/ISR Group Team has the right strategy to capture business and attract talented people to our state. Our ultimate goal is to develop a leading position in the unmanned market.”
ISR Group owns a 10-square-mile UAS flight training range in Hardin County. In order for ISR Group to test UAVs, they need MTSU to sponsor certificates of authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration, Dornan said.
“We’ll be the only institution in the mid-south to have anything like this,” Dornan said of the proposed collaborative program in UAS within the aerospace program, which is considered one of the best in the country.
The ISR Group employs highly skilled professionals in support of research and development, testing and evaluation, production, operations, maintenance, training and logistical support activities of UAS on a worldwide basis.
As MTSU and the aerospace department pursue a new concentration in unmanned aerial systems, IRS Group has agreed to provide equipment, personnel and an opportunity for MTSU students to spend time in Savannah flying the unmanned vehicles, Dornan said.
“ISR and MTSU will begin to create a new curriculum and explore the possibility of adding a new multi-disciplinary concentration in aerospace of UAS,” Dornan said. “UAVs will become part of our reality in the next decade, and one of the major questions is how will these UAVs safely fly among general aviation and commercial aircraft in the national airspace.
“We will work with ISR and our ITT partners to design a UAS that will replace the human in the aircraft, but still be safe in the national air space. This new concentration will attract a new kind of student. Today’s generation of kids love computer games, simulation and virtual reality. This would be a perfect concentration for them.”
The aerospace chair said students who graduate from this program would be able to operate a UAS.
“And this is very important,” Dornan said, “because of the widespread application of the UAS: agriculture, fisheries, law enforcement, forestry, to name a few. In the next 10 years, there will be a verifiable explosion of the UAS in our country, and our students will have the expertise to operate these systems.”

About MTSU
Nearing its Centennial celebration, Middle Tennessee State University sits on 515 acres, has 137 permanent buildings (not including rentals; farm, airport or foundation buildings and others) and is part of the Tennessee Board of Regents system. Academically, MTSU features nine colleges and nearly 150 degree programs. Eight bachelor’s degrees are offered while the College of Graduate Studies confers master’s degrees in 10 areas, a Specialist in Education degree and the Doctor of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degree. It houses three Centers of Excellence (Historic Preservation, Popular Music and the Tennessee Center for the Study and Treatment of Dyslexia). There are nine Chairs of Excellence, funded with a mix of state and private monies, to bring leaders in their fields to MTSU. The MTSU Foundation endows two chairs (Tommy Martin Chair of Insurance and Jack Weatherford Chair of Finance). MTSU was ranked 57th among the best public universities in the nation in the Forbes “America’s Best Colleges” 2009 survey and the 47th best buy.

About MTSU Aerospace
MTSU’s Department of Aerospace, housed in both the Business and Aerospace Building on campus and Flight Operations Center at Murfreesboro Airport, is considered one of the elite programs nationally and one of the university’s signature programs. The program, established in 1942, includes 14 full-time faculty, 35 flight instructors and more than 750 students majoring in any of five concentrations (professional pilot, flight dispatch, maintenance management, administration and technology. Through efforts by the state of Tennessee, MTSU’s administration and department leaders, the program has remained on the cutting edge in technology and has one of the most modern fleets of planes as a training ground for current and future graduates working all across the U.S. and abroad.

About ISR Group
Headquartered in Savannah, Tenn. (Hardin County), ISR Group owns five facilities in and near the town. It is a leading provider of unmanned aircraft system services and support to customers worldwide. Full life cycle support solutions include training systems, technical services, logistics and depot level maintenance and range facilities. Other strengths include a strong customer base, multi-platform experience and a highly skilled workforce with exceptional technical capabilities. Of its 200-plus employees, more than 85 percent are cleared to perform classified projects. It has the largest privately owned range facility in the U.S. It has partnerships with Boeing, Northrop Grumman the Department of Defense and others.

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Media welcomed.

Note: ISR Group officials are expected to have an unmanned aerial systems vehicle on display at the signing. Attached is a high-resolution jpeg of a scan eagle. For more information, please contact Tom Tozer in MTSU News and Public Affairs by calling 615-898-2919 or e-mail ttozer@mtsu.edu.



With three Nobel Prize winners among its alumni and former faculty, Middle Tennessee State University confers master’s degrees in 10 areas, the Specialist in Education degree, the Doctor of Arts degree and the Doctor of Philosophy degree. MTSU is ranked among the top 100 public universities in the nation in the Forbes “America’s Best Colleges” 2009 survey.

For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.

[047a] New Course Serves Nation's Largest Kurdish Community

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 18, 2010
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

NEW COURSE SERVES NATION’S LARGEST KURDISH COMMUNITY
MTSU Offers Kurdish Language Instruction Starting with Fall 2010 Semester

(MURFREESBORO) – In the shadow of the largest Kurdish community in the nation, MTSU will become one of a mere handful of American universities offering Kurdish language courses in the fall 2010 semester.
“The reason we think we can do it here when other places can’t is because we have the support of the Kurdish community,” says Dr. Kari Neely, assistant professor of foreign languages and a member of the working group that helped devise the classes.
Estimates of the number of Kurds living in Nashville range from 11,000 to 14,000 people. Kovan Murat, senior political science major and co-founder of the Kurdish Students Association (KSA), says they arrived in three waves—in the 1960s, in 1992 after the infamous poison gas attacks staged by Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq, and from 1995-1998 with the help of nongovernmental organizations.
Murat says the language is endangered because Saddam’s operatives forced Kurds to learn how to read and write Arabic. He says those who dared to teach Kurdish would be putting their lives and the lives of everyone in their village at risk.
“Even right now, when I go home, I’m not allowed to speak another language besides Kurdish,” says Murat. “That’s my father’s goal of preserving Kurdish because he was a rebel fighter against Saddam Hussein.”
“In a diaspora situation, which is what this is, by the third generation, there’s language assimilation if they’re not very diligent about language preservation,” says Neely.
Dr. Allen Hibbard, English professor and director of the Middle East Center; Dr. William Canak, sociology professor and advisor to the KSA; Dr. Clare Bratten, an electronic media communication professor who has produced documentaries on the Kurdish people, and Neely formed a working group to explore the possibilities.
Neely led efforts to develop Kurdish language proposals and apply for a Tennessee Board of Regents Diversity Grant to provide support for an instructor. To respond quickly to student interest before the Kurdish classes could be offered, the group devised a spring 2010 special topics course titled “Introduction to Kurdish History and Culture” as a part of the Middle East Studies minor.
“We launched our Middle East Studies minor four years ago with new courses in Arabic and Hebrew,” says Hibbard. “These Kurdish language courses will greatly enrich

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our offerings. These exciting and unexpected developments would likely not have happened without the presence of the Middle East Center on campus. There is a lot of potential here.”
The instructor will be Deniz Ekici of the Center for Kurdish Studies at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom. Ekici, a native of Turkey who is working on his doctorate, earned his bachelor’s degree from Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts in Istanbul and his master’s degree from City University of New York.
Ekici’s professional experience is in educational and learning technologies. He has developed and taught Kurmanji-Kurdish courses at the beginning, intermediate and advanced levels. He collaborated with educators at the University of Arizona to develop the first interactive Kurdish DVD. His Kurmanji-Kurdish Reader, a multilevel reference tool with an extensive grammar section, was published by Dunwoody Press in 2007.
“Considering the fact that Kurdish language and culture have been oppressed for so many decades and remains understudied, these classes are crucial,” says Ekici via e-mail from Exeter. “They will make a great contribution to Kurdish studies, and I hope they set an example for other academic institutions across the country.”
Ekici will teach Kurmanji, which is the most prevalent dialect in Kurdish and the one spoken by most Kurds in the Nashville community. Kurmanji employs the Latin alphabet instead of the Arabic alphabet, which Neely says should make it more accessible to non-Kurds who want to take the class.
“There are a lot of service sector jobs that come in contact with the Kurdish community in Nashville on a fairly regular basis,” says Neely. “So people who are going into education, social work, law enforcement, medicine--any of these areas could benefit by having some kind of Kurdish background.”
In addition, Neely says, the Middle East Center is working with the Department of Military Science because of a need for Kurdish and Arabic language specialists and sensitivity training for their troops.
“These classes will add to students’ cross-cultural understanding as far as the non-Kurdish students are concerned because only through learning the language can one be exposed to a certain ethnic group’s network of cultural values that are otherwise inaccessible,” says Ekici.

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With three Nobel Prize winners among its alumni and former faculty, Middle Tennessee State University confers master’s degrees in 10 areas, the Specialist in Education degree, the Doctor of Arts degree and the Doctor of Philosophy degree. MTSU is ranked among the top 100 public universities in the nation in the Forbes “America’s Best Colleges” 2009 survey.

[047] Interfaith Coalition Sponsors "Adventures In Learning"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 16, 2010
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

INTERFAITH COALITION SPONSORS “ADVENTURES IN LEARNING”
Variety of Fascinating Subjects Awaits Adults Age 50 and Older Who Yearn to Learn

(MURFREESBORO) – “Adventures in Learning,” the annual mini-school for adults age 50 and above, will take place from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Sept. 13, Sept. 20, Sept. 27 and Oct. 4 at First United Methodist Church, 265 W. Thompson Lane in Murfreesboro.
The purpose of the event, which is planned by an interfaith coalition, is to provide a program by and for older adults in which they can share knowledge, talents and skills for lifelong learning and personal growth.
Each Monday features classes from 9:30-10:30 a.m. and 10:45-11:45 a.m. Some of the topics slated for this year’s “Adventures in Learning” include “Our Aging Minds,” “Vital Singing: Why Hymns are Important,” and “Technological Know-How.”
As usual, retired and active MTSU faculty will play prominent roles in the event. A series under the title “A Sense of Time and Place” will feature lectures on Morocco by Dr. Ron Messier, professor emeritus of history; on ancient Egypt by Dr. Dawn McCormack, assistant professor of history; on Mexico by Dr. Christoph Rosenmuller, associate professor of history; and on Radnor Lake by Dr. Doug Heffington, Director of Global Studies.
In addition, Dr. William Windham, professor emeritus of history, will lead discussions on “Reform Movements in Antebellum America,” and Dr. Charles Dean, professor emeritus of English, will conduct classes on “Poetry Then and Now—Now and Then” with analyses of the works of Emily Dickinson, Mary Oliver, Wendell Berry and Robert Frost.
In a class on books, retired MTSU English instructor Lynette Ingram will examine Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann, and Dr. Larry Mapp, former MTSU English professor, will dissect The Thousand Autumns of Jacob DeZoot: A Novel by David Mitchell.
A highlight of this year’s “Adventures in Learning” will be “Mount and Mountain,” a dialogue between Dr. Rami Shapiro, adjunct professor of religious studies and an ordained rabbi, and Dr. Michael A. Smith, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Murfreesboro. This class will be based on the online conversations Shapiro and Smith conducted for nearly two years about the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.

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ADVENTURES
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Registration is $8 before Sept. 2 and $10 after Sept. 2. The cost for lunch, catered by Carolyn’s Creations, is $10 per day or $36 for all four lunches. Mail a check to AIL Treasurer, 1267 N. Rutherford Blvd., Murfreesboro, TN 37130. Please indicate which days you plan to attend and which days you plan to eat lunch. For more information, contact Mary Belle Ginanni at 615-895-6072.
The interfaith coalition sponsoring “Adventures in Learning” includes representatives from Allen Chapel AME; Central Christian Church; East Main Church of Christ; First Baptist Church, East Main St.; First Baptist Church, East Castle St.; First Presbyterian Church; First United Methodist Church; Northminster Presbyterian Church; St. Mark’s United Methodist Church; St. Paul’s Episcopal Church; and St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church.


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With three Nobel Prize winners among its alumni and former faculty, Middle Tennessee State University confers master’s degrees in 10 areas, the Specialist in Education degree, the Doctor of Arts degree and the Doctor of Philosophy degree. MTSU is ranked among the top 100 public universities in the nation in the Forbes “America’s Best Colleges” 2009 survey.

[046] Fulbright Honor is Big News for Portugal-bound Little

Release date: Aug. 12, 2010


News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or jweiler@mtsu.edu
Honors College contacts: Dr. John Vile, 615-898-2152 or jvile@mtsu.edu
or Laura Clippard, 615-898-5464 or lclippar@mtsu.edu

Fulbright Honor is Big News for Portugal-bound Little
Alum, Grad Student’s Recognition is MTSU’s Second Student Honor in 2010

(MURFREESBORO) — MTSU alumnus Eric Little’s plans for 2010 centered on developing skills in his relatively new job in sales in Nashville and continuing his quest to earn a master’s in foreign language (Spanish) pedagogy.
His plans encountered a definite U-turn in late spring.
The U.S. Department of State informed Little, who is a Murfreesboro native, that he would be the recipient of a Fulbright U.S. Student grant to go overseas. He will leave in late September for Faro, Portugal, where he will teach American culture (music from the 1950s to present) and the English language to freshmen at the University of the Algarve.
“I’m very humbled,” Little said. “I’m actually pleasantly surprised. When I told my friends and family, they weren’t very surprised. They were very happy for me. They said, ‘We knew you’d get it.’ They have a lot of confidence in me. My friends, family and the university have been very supportive, and have gone great lengths to help.”
Little, who graduated from MTSU in 2008 with a degree in Spanish and with minors in history and Latin American studies, becomes the second MTSU honoree in 2010. May graduate Kaitlen Howell received the Fulbright and will pursue medical research in Germany. It’s the first time MTSU has had two Fulbright student recipients in the same year. MTSU assistant history professor Dr. Sean Foley also was awarded a Fulbright grant; he will begin 10 months of research in Malaysia in September.
University Honors College Dean John Vile notes that with MTSU’s increased devotion to study abroad, it is “unlikely to be the last” time the university has two Fulbrights in the same year. Honors College adviser Laura Clippard has applied thorough and organized efforts in the Undergraduate Fellowships Office, which is where Little and Howell initiated their Fulbright quests.
Vile said Little’s ability to speak Portuguese and his love for teaching greatly enhanced his chances.
“Part of the Fulbright interview process involved conversations with a professor who knew Portuguese,” Vile said. “Although the rest of us on the committee didn’t know what was being said, it was quite obvious Eric had great command of the language.
“Eric is committed to teaching, and will be a great representative not only of MTSU but of the United States in Portugal.”
As for projections on what life will be like when he arrives in Portugal, Little said he knows he will be living off-campus in a university teachers’ residence.
“I’m assuming it’s an apartment or a very small condo. It’s just me … living space (for one),” he said, adding that basically he will receive “stipends to eat and have the basics. I have a laptop, hand-held camcorder and clothes. I’m a minimalist.”
The Fulbright award funds his travel to and from Portugal, his stay there and upkeep – “anything they require (me to do) they will pay for.”
Little said his teaching would be a 50/50 split between the American culture and the English language.
“I’ve been a graduate student here,” he said. “I’ll be using the strategies I’ve learned in the M.A.T. (Master of Arts in Teaching) program and be teaching English through the culture.”
In the music aspect, Little said is “going to have some units that include rock ‘n’ roll, ‘The Day the Music Died’ (1960s and the search for American identity), the ‘Roaring ’90s (a time when everything – the economy, culture and all the stats – was up) and the post-9/11 world (how the world changed and the music reflected it).”
When not teaching and with his free time, Little said he wants to “travel throughout Spain and Portugal as best I can, basically documenting things I find … through photos, to collect teaching materials for the future.” He said he also would be doing a “scholarly video blog. Details to come.”
His greatest challenge, he said, will be “coming up with enough money to do my traveling. I’m going to do research on the side in Barcelona.” He will be adding to his Honors thesis (“The Medieval Crown of Aragon-Expansionism in a Non-Competitive Arena”) with more literary documents and fewer historical documents,” he said.
A 4.0 GPA student as an undergraduate, Little said he credits Dr. Soraya Nogueira (Department of Foreign Languages), and Junior ROTC instructors Lt. Col. Doug Chaffin and Master Sgt. Jim Thurston, both now retired, as being teachers and mentors who influenced him and supported him 110 percent.
As for post-July 4, 2011, and the rest of his life, Little said, “I have ideas, but they’re not concrete yet.”
Vile said MTSU is placing increasing emphasis on sending students abroad and in diversifying student experiences on campus by inviting foreign students here.
For information about Fulbright and other undergraduate fellowship opportunities, contact Clippard at 615-898-5464 or e-mail Lclippar@mtsu.edu.




About Fulbright

Since the establishment of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, named for the late U.S. Sen. J. William Fulbright, more than 47,000 U.S. students and 152,000 from abroad have benefited from the experience. In all, more than 294,000 participants, chosen for their leadership potential, have had the opportunity to observe each others’ political, economic and cultural institutions, exchange ideas and embark on joint ventures of importance to the general welfare of the world’s inhabitants. (Visit us.fulbrightonline.org/about for more information.)

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Notes to media: High-resolution jpeg photos of Eric Little are available. To obtain, contact Randy Weiler in the Office of News and Public Affairs by calling 615-898-5616 or 898-2919, or e-mail jweiler@mtsu.edu.
To request an interview with Mr. Little, please contact Randy Weiler at the above phone numbers and e-mail address.


With three Nobel Prize winners among its alumni and former faculty, Middle Tennessee State University confers master’s degrees in 10 areas, the Specialist in Education degree, the Doctor of Arts degree and the Doctor of Philosophy degree. MTSU is ranked among the top 100 public universities in the nation in the Forbes “America’s Best Colleges” 2009 survey.

For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.

[045] MTSU Summer Commencement Will Be Available Via Webcast

Aug. 11, 2010
CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919

MTSU SUMMER COMMENCEMENT WILL BE AVAILABLE VIA WEBCAST
MURFREESBORO—Nearly 900 degree candidates will graduate during MTSU’s 99th summer commencement ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 14. It will begin at 10 a.m. in the university’s Murphy Center complex.

The ceremony will be available live by webcast. To access the webcast, go to http://bit.ly/bAJpD5. That will take you to the MTSU News and Public Affairs page, where you should scroll down and click on “Streaming video of commencement.” The webcast will go live 15 minutes prior to the start of the ceremony.

Deborah Belcher, professor in Department of Human Sciences and current MTSU representative of the Tennessee Board of Regents’ Faculty Subcouncil, will deliver the commencement address.

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[044] Ford Land's Inch, Chamber's Rennick Head Aug. 12 Forum to Raise Girls' Math, Science Awareness

Release date: Aug. 10, 2010


News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or jweiler@mtsu.edu
GRITS contact: Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross, 615-904-8253 or jiriarte@mtsu.edu

Ford Land’s Inch, Chamber’s Rennick Head Aug. 12
Forum to Raise Girls’ Math, Science Awareness

(MURFREESBORO) — More than 40 people from across Tennessee wanting to help girls have a greater interest in math and science will be attending the GRITS Collaborative Project 2010 Forum on Wednesday, Aug. 12, from noon until 3 p.m. in the James Union Building’s Tennessee Room.
People from Memphis to Johnson City have registered to attend, said Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross, chemistry professor and WISTEM Center director at MTSU. WISTEM is an acronym for women in science, technology, engineering and math. GRITS is an acronym for Girls Raised in Tennessee Science.
Lee Rennick, executive director of business education partnership with the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, will provide the keynote address, “Standing on the Shoulders of Giants.”
Guest speaker Donna M. Inch, appointed chairwoman and CEO of Ford Land in January, will discuss the importance of attracting and retaining women in the engineering and science pipeline. That morning, Inch will speak at the Southern Automotive Women’s Forum in Nashville.
Inch, who joined Ford in 1978 as an industrial-relations analyst, has global responsibility for real estate, construction and facility services for Ford Motor Company.
Other presentations by GRITS Collaborative members will include:
• “Networking for All” by Dr. Kaylene Gebert, a professor in the Department of Speech and Theatre and the former MTSU executive vice president and provost;
• “Hands-on STEM for Your Classroom or EYH (Expanding Your Horizons)” by Mary Thomas, senior general contractor for Schneider Electric and member of the GRITS Collaborative Project Champions Board;
• “GRITS Program Directory and Mini-Grants” by Mary Moore, principal technologist for Eastman Chemical Co. in Kingsport and a member of the GRITS Collaborative Project Leadership Team; and
• “Getting WISE about WISTEM” by Dr. Kathy Mathis, a professor of engineering technology at MTSU.
The cost to attend is $10. Students may attend free.
Business meeting agenda items also will include forums for West and East Tennessee, mini-grants, upcoming events and more.
The GRITS Collaborative Project brings together organizations and individuals who are committed to informing and motivating girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics to encourage collaboration and improve interprogram communication.
For more information, contact Iriarte-Gross 615-904-8253 or jiriarte@mtsu.edu.

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Media welcomed.


With three Nobel Prize winners among its alumni and former faculty, Middle Tennessee State University confers master’s degrees in 10 areas, the Specialist in Education degree, the Doctor of Arts degree and the Doctor of Philosophy degree. MTSU is ranked among the top 100 public universities in the nation in the Forbes “America’s Best Colleges” 2009 survey.

For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.

[043] Keeping Nashville's Economy Healthy With Health Care

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 5, 2010
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081, or WMOT-FM, 615-898-2800

KEEPING NASHVILLE’S ECONOMY HEALTHY WITH HEALTH CARE
Documentation of Health Care Industry in Music City on “MTSU on the Record”

(MURFREESBORO) – Dr. Murat Arik, assistant director of the MTSU Business and Economic Research Center, will explain his recent study assessing the impact of the health care industry in Nashville at 8 a.m. this Sunday, Aug. 8, on “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org).
The study, which was unveiled at a July 7 news conference, shows one in eight Nashville workers to be employed by health care providers. Furthermore, more than 250 health care companies have operations in Nashville, which ranks it above 13 other similar cities, including Atlanta, Birmingham, Dallas, Denver, Indianapolis and Louisville.
“The findings of this study underscore what we’ve always known to be true—that Nashville’s health care industry is unique to other markets, especially in the creation of jobs, both locally and globally,” says Arik.
To listen to prior programs, go to http://www.mtsu.edu/news/podcast/podcast2010.shtml. For more information about “MTSU on the Record,” contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.


With three Nobel Prize winners among its alumni and former faculty, Middle Tennessee State University confers master’s degrees in 10 areas, the Specialist in Education degree, the Doctor of Arts degree and the Doctor of Philosophy degree. MTSU is ranked among the top 100 public universities in the nation in the Forbes “America’s Best Colleges” 2009 survey.
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[042] Musto Tennessee Insurance Hall of Fame Inducts Rutledge's Brooks July 30

Release date: Aug. 4, 2010


News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or jweiler@mtsu.edu
Martin Chair of Insurance contact: Dr. Ken Hollman, 615-898-2673
or khollman@mtsu.edu


Musto Tennessee Insurance Hall of Fame
Inducts Rutledge’s Brooks July 30

Dan R. Brooks, left, of Rutledge receives his Robert E. Musto Tennessee Insurance Hall of Fame Award from Dr. Ken Hollman, chairholder of the Martin Chair of Insurance at MTSU, during the annual induction ceremony July 30 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Murfreesboro. Tom McDonald of Franklin and Joseph M. “Joe” Rackley Jr., of Pulaski, also were inducted.

Photo credit: Ken Robinson Photography

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With three Nobel Prize winners among its alumni and former faculty, Middle Tennessee State University confers master’s degrees in 10 areas, the Specialist in Education degree, the Doctor of Arts degree and the Doctor of Philosophy degree. MTSU is ranked among the top 100 public universities in the nation in the Forbes “America’s Best Colleges” 2009 survey.

For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.

[041] Musto Tennessee Insurance Hall of Fame Inducts Rackley

Release date: Aug. 4, 2010


News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or jweiler@mtsu.edu
Martin Chair of Insurance contact: Dr. Ken Hollman, 615-898-2673
or khollman@mtsu.edu


Musto Tennessee Insurance Hall of Fame Inducts Rackley

Joseph M. “Joe” Rackley, left, of Pulaski receives his Robert E. Musto Tennessee Insurance Hall of Fame Award from Dr. Ken Hollman, chairholder of the Martin Chair of Insurance at MTSU, July 30 during the annual induction ceremony at the DoubleTree Hotel in Murfreesboro. Dan R. Brooks of Rutledge and Tom McDonald of Franklin also were 2010 inductees.

Photo credit: Ken Robinson Photography

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With three Nobel Prize winners among its alumni and former faculty, Middle Tennessee State University confers master’s degrees in 10 areas, the Specialist in Education degree, the Doctor of Arts degree and the Doctor of Philosophy degree. MTSU is ranked among the top 100 public universities in the nation in the Forbes “America’s Best Colleges” 2009 survey.

For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.

[040] Summer Enrollment of 9,318 shows 8.31% Increase

Release date: Aug. 5, 2010

News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or jweiler@mtsu.edu
Enrollment Services contact: Dr. Deb Sells, 615-898-2440 or dsells@mtsu.edu

Summer Enrollment of 9,318 shows 8.31% Increase


(MURFREESBORO) — MTSU’s summer enrollment surpassed 9,300 students, said Dr. Deb Sells, vice president for Student Affairs and vice provost for Enrollment Services.
The total of 9,318 is an 8.31 percent increase from summer 2009, when the university’s head count was 8,603.
MTSU officials have made final edits to the data, which have been submitted to the Tennessee Board of Regents.
The 2010 summer total for May through August enrollment marks an increase of 715 students from last summer.
Sells said she attributes the increase of students to the availability of the federal Pell Grant during the summer terms and more students taking courses online.
There have been 2,170 students utilizing Pell Grant money this summer compared to 389 in 2009, she said.
Enrollment Services noted a 46 percent increase in the number of online courses, 227 offered this summer compared to 155 offered in 2009, Sells said.
MTSU Enrollment Services and other administration officials anticipate another record enrollment this fall. In 2009, 25,188 students were registered for classes.

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With three Nobel Prize winners among its alumni and former faculty, Middle Tennessee State University confers master’s degrees in 10 areas, the Specialist in Education degree, the Doctor of Arts degree and the Doctor of Philosophy degree. MTSU is ranked among the top 100 public universities in the nation in the Forbes “America’s Best Colleges” 2009 survey.

For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.

[039] MTSU Faculty Piano Recital: Lynn Rice-See To Perform

For Immediate Release: Aug. 4, 2010
Media Contact: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493 or tmusselm@mtsu.edu


MTSU FACULTY PIANO RECITAL: LYNN RICE-SEE TO PERFORM

(MURFREESBORO) — Lynn Rice-See, faculty pianist at Middle Tennessee State University, will perform piano works by Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms and Ludwig van Beethoven at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 10, in Hinton Music Hall in the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus. The event is free and open to the public.
Rice-See discusses the works she will perform:
“The Carnaval, by Robert Schumann, is one of his most popular works,” she said. “It consists of twenty-one vignettes from a masked ball celebrating Fasching, the Austrian equivalent of Mardi gras. Both real people and imaginary characters are depicted.”
Rice-See said the Schumann work will be accompanied by visual aids to assist less experienced concertgoers in tracking the individual movements as they are performed.
“Johannes Brahms’ Three Intermezzi, Op. 117, date from the last years of his life,” continued Rice-See.
“They are very bittersweet, touching short works giving a personal view into his thoughts and regrets as he reflected on his life and career. The first is a lullaby. Brahms never married, yet he adored children. One can hear the tenderness from the very first notes.”
Concerning The sonata by Beethoven, no. 31, Op. 110, Rice-See explains that the dates are from his mature era.
“It is the next-to-last sonata Beethoven wrote for piano,” she said.
“Like the last sonata and his last string quartets, Op. 110 explores an abstract, spiritual realm, and ends with a burst of ecstasy that reminds me of heavenly fireworks,” explained Rice-See.
For more information, contact Tim Musselman in the School of Music at 615-898-2493 or visit www.mtsumusic.com.

About the Performer
Since her 1982 Carnegie Recital Hall debut, Dr. Lynn Rice-See has appeared as recitalist, concerto soloist, and chamber musician in the United States and in Europe. She has appeared three times with the Janácek Philharmonic Orchestra in Ostrava, Czech Republic. In the United States, she has appeared as soloist with the Gulf Coast Symphony, the Huntsville Symphony, the Johnson City Symphony and the Kingsport Symphony. In 1992, she appeared in recital in Brussels, sponsored by the Ministere de la Communauté Français, and her 1993 recital tour of Germany was sponsored by the German-American Institute in Saarbrücken. She was a member of the Tennessee Arts Commission touring roster from 1991 through 1994. She holds the Bachelor of Music degree from Peabody Conservatory and the Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Southern California. Rice-See is a professor in the MTSU School of Music and faculty member since 2005.

In brief
Who: Dr. Lynn Rice-See, MTSU School of Music professor
What: Piano recital, featuring works of Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms and Ludwig van Beethoven
When: 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 10
Where: Hinton Music Hall, Wright Music Building at MTSU
Etc.: Event is free and open to the public
Contact: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493 or tmusselm@mtsu.edu

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Note: To request a photo of Dr. Lynn Rice-See, please contact Tim Musselman by calling 615-898-2493 or e-mail him at tmusselm@mtsu.edu.

With three Nobel Prize winners among its alumni and former faculty, Middle Tennessee State University confers master’s degrees in 10 areas, the Specialist in Education degree, the Doctor of Arts degree and the Doctor of Philosophy degree. MTSU is ranked among the top 100 public universities in the nation in the Forbes “America’s Best Colleges” 2009 survey.

For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.

[037] MTSU Celebrates, Honors Late Liberal Arts Dean John McDaniel with Sept. 9 Memorial Service on Campus; Public Invited to Attend

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 3, 2010
CONTACT: Connie Huddleston, College of Liberal Arts, 615-494-7628.

MTSU Celebrates, Honors Late Liberal Arts Dean John McDaniel with Sept. 9 Memorial Service on Campus; Public Invited to Attend

(MURFREESBORO)—The College of Liberal Arts at MTSU will serve as host for a memorial service in honor of the late Dr. John Noble McDaniel, longtime dean of the college, beginning at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 9, in the Wright Music Building’s T. Hinton Hall.

Dr. Mark Byrnes, associate dean of the college, said the event is being held for several reasons.

“First, because the dean’s funeral took place May 7, 2010, after the end of the spring semester, this event will give people a chance to pay their respects during the regular academic year,” he explained.

“Also, because the dean was such a long and ardent supporter of the arts on campus, it is fitting that he will be honored with music and dance performances. In addition, a couple of the dean’s longtime friends who were unable to attend his funeral will speak, namely, former professors Bill Connelly (English) and Kendall Blanchard (sociology and anthropology).”

A member of MTSU’s faculty since 1970, McDaniel joined the university’s English department as an assistant professor before ultimately becoming chairman in 1978. He was named dean of the College of Liberal Arts in 1984, a job he fulfilled with distinction throughout his tenure.

Before joining the MTSU faculty, McDaniel served as an instructor, graduate fellow and graduate-teaching assistant at Florida State University, where he earned his doctorate in 1972 and received the Outstanding Teacher Award in 1966-67. Prior to his teaching duties at FSU, McDaniel was a teacher at McDonogh School, a coeducational day and boarding college preparatory school in Owings Mills, Md., from 1964 to 1966.

In addition to his doctorate, McDaniel earned a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Johns Hopkins University (1964) and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hampden-Sydney College (1963), where he graduated cum laude.

An accomplished scholar, McDaniel served as an associate editor and advisory board member to The Upstart Crow, a scholarly journal of Shakespeare studies, and as a consulting editor for Philip Roth Studies in 2009. He also was named as a Distinguished Member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars in 2009.

In 2008, he was the recipient of the Bob Womack Distinguished Faculty Award at MTSU, and he previously received MTSU’s Distinguished International Service Award, among other honors, including a National Endowment for the Humanities grant to complete The History of Folklore in Europe in 1981.

Born Jan. 30, 1941, McDaniel died May 3, 2010. He is survived by his wife, Jean; two sons, Scott (wife Donetta) and Craig McDaniel; and three granddaughters.

Those who wish to make donations in McDaniel’s honor may direct them to the John N. McDaniel Teaching Excellence Award in care of Robyn Kilpatrick, MTSU Box 109, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132.

For more information about the Sept. 9 memorial, please contact the College of Liberal Arts by calling 615-494-7628.

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With three Nobel Prize winners among its alumni and former faculty, Middle Tennessee State University confers master’s degrees in 10 areas, the Specialist in Education degree, the Doctor of Arts degree and the Doctor of Philosophy degree. MTSU is ranked among the top 100 public universities in the nation in the Forbes “America’s Best Colleges” 2009 survey.

[036] MTSU Project SEED Research Gives Warren County Grad Rambo 'Insight' into College Expectations

Release date: Aug. 2, 2010


News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or jweiler@mtsu.edu

MTSU Project SEED Research Gives Warren County
Grad Rambo ‘Insight’ into College Expectations


(MURFREESBORO) — En route to an undergraduate career studying biochemistry and criminology at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Ashley Rambo has had a summer stopover at MTSU, learning various forms of research through the Project SEED program.
"It has been an eye-opening experience," said Rambo, 18, who graduated in the top 10 percent of her senior class at Warren County High School in McMinnville. "It has given me insight in what to expect in college."
Project SEED, which stands for Summer Educational Experience for the Economically Disadvantaged, is sponsored by the American Chemical Society. It's a summer research program that gives high-school juniors and seniors a chance to work with scientist mentors on research projects in industrial, academic and federal laboratories. Participants receive a stipend and learn fundamental laboratory skills and analytical methods during the 10-week program.
While holding her daily lab journal containing hours of data and information related to her research with MTSU chemistry professor Dr. Beng G. “B.G.” Ooi, Rambo noted that she's "always loved science and math, my best two subjects."
She's had ties to MTSU through Expanding Your Horizons in Math and Science, GRITS — aka Girls Raised in Tennessee Science — and the MTSU Educational Talent Search program, which includes Warren County students.
"I came here not knowing anything," she said. "I learned a whole lot more than I ever dreamed. It's different here doing labs than in a high-school lab. The slightest mistake can mess up the whole experiment—and I've made a lot of mistakes."
Her first project, "Keeping Your Hands Clean," was research that led to a July 9 presentation at the Discovery Center at Murfree Spring in Murfreesboro. The study tried to verify the best method for cleaning hands, whether hand-washing with soap or using hand sanitizer or antibacterial wipes.
"It was to see which one killed the most germs," Rambo said. "They all kill germs; some work better than others."
Another simple Discovery Center project allowed her to show children visiting the center how to make salt crystals and rock candy at home "to get the little kids involved in science and how to use it in their daily life."
Her most recent research project was on Avicel, a pure form of cellulose, which she worked to make "loose so enzymes can digest it."
“Ashley has carried out research in developing chemistry-based experiments for demonstrating to young students and investigating the pretreatment of cellulose to make it more readily digestible by the cellulase enzyme to produce sugar,” Ooi, associate professor in chemistry, said.
“The science demonstrations at the Discovery Center helped develop her confidence in public speaking,” Ooi added. “The cellulose chemistry research provides a unique experience for her to learn the methodology of scientific research and to appreciate the societal impact of being able to improve the performance of gasoline fuels in cars producing ethanol from cellulose derived from grass and agricultural wastes like corn stover.”
Rambo, who is required to complete a minimum of 320 hours' work this summer, will receive a $2,800 stipend from the ACS committee on Project SEED. She said she also receives Pell Grant money and funds from the ASPIRE (Access to Student Assistance Programs in Reach of Everyone) program.
Incoming MTSU freshman Tara Greer is in the midst of Project Seed II. Working with chemistry professor Dr. Sing Chong, Greer has expanded on her 2009 Project SEED research, "Infrared Analysis of Sol-Gel Materials."
Greer was the recipient of a $5,000 Ullyot Scholarship, established by the late South Dakota chemist Dr. Glenn Ullyot to recognize American Indian high-school seniors who have demonstrated strong academic potential and a commitment to their communities.
Along with Ooi and Chong, MTSU chemistry professors Drs. Bill Illsley and Judith Iriarte-Gross have helped mentor both Rambo and Greer.
The MTSU Department of Chemistry, the Nashville Section of ACS and the Office of Research Services also are supporting MTSU Project SEED.

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Note: High-resolution jpeg photos of Ashley Rambo and Tara Greer are available to media. To Request, contact Randy Weiler in News & Public Affairs by calling 615-898-5616 or 898-2919.

With three Nobel Prize winners among its alumni and former faculty, Middle Tennessee State University confers master’s degrees in 10 areas, the Specialist in Education degree, the Doctor of Arts degree and the Doctor of Philosophy degree. MTSU is ranked among the top 100 public universities in the nation in the Forbes “America’s Best Colleges” 2009 survey.

For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.