Thursday, January 27, 2011

[285] MTSU Provost Bartel Initiates Spring Honors Lecture Series Jan. 31

Release date: Jan. 27, 2011

News and Media Relations contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or jweiler@mtsu.edu
Honors College contacts: Dr. John Vile, 615-898-2152 or jvile@mtsu.edu
or Dr. Scott Carnicom, 615-898-2152 or carnicom@mtsu.edu

MTSU Provost Bartel Initiates Spring Honors Lecture Series Jan. 31

(MURFREESBORO) — University Provost Brad Bartel will kick off the Spring 2011 Honors Lecture Series, “Celebrating Creative Scholarship,” this Monday, Jan. 31.
Bartel’s lecture is titled “The Mother-Goddess Figurine Problem on the European Paleolithic.” It will begin promptly at 3 p.m. in Room 106 of the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building. The one-hour lecture is free and open to the public.
“For more than 125 years, historians, archaeologists and social scientists have interpreted the meaning of figurines labeled as ‘mother-goddesses’ from various prehistoric periods,” Bartel said of the synopsis of the lecture. “Not only have they linked these figurines to functionally-known figurines from historic periods, they have placed them in a continuum to support concepts of ancient social organization for society.”
The first-year provost said the lecture “reviews the problem from a modern archaeological perspective using the most recent data from European archaeological sites. It also demonstrates how interpretations have changed through time based on the theoretical framework of the archaeologists, as well as gender of the individuals making the interpretation.”
Bartel joined the MTSU administration after serving as president of Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo., from 2004 to 2010. His background is in anthropology. To learn more about him, go online to http://www.mtsu.edu/provost/bartel.shtml.
The 10-week lecture series runs through April 11. For a series list, go online to http://www.mtsu.edu/honors/Spring_Lecture_Series.shtml.

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Media welcomed.

Note: a jpeg photo of Dr. Brad Bartel, university provost, is available. To obtain by e-mail, contact Randy Weiler in MTSU News and Media Relations, by calling 615-898-5616 or e-mail jweiler@mtsu.edu.

Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree — the only one in Tennessee — as a model program. MTSU recently unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.

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

[284] MTSU Financial-Aid Reps Ready for Jan. 30 College Goal Sunday

Release date: Jan. 27, 2011

News and Media Relations contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or jweiler@mtsu.edu
Financial Aid contact: Bonnie McCarty, 615-904-8414 or bmccarty@mtsu.edu

MTSU Financial-Aid Reps Ready for Jan. 30 College Goal Sunday

(MURFREESBORO) — Prospective college students and their parents or guardians are invited to College Goal Sunday, which will be held Jan. 30 starting at 2 p.m. in the Business and Aerospace Building’s north lobby entrance.
MTSU financial-aid representatives will assist families of new MTSU students or current high-school seniors with FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), scholarship and other questions they might have at this time.
College Goal Sunday is free. To preregister, go online to tn.gov/collegegoalsunday. Visit mtsu.edu/financialaid/cgs.shtml online to learn more.
Parking is available in BAS and adjacent lots.

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Media welcomed.

Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree — the only one in Tennessee — as a model program. MTSU recently unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.

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

[283] MTSU Construction Management Technology Team Lands Second Place in National Competition

Release date: Jan. 27, 2011

News and Media Relations contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or jweiler@mtsu.edu
Construction Management contact: Dr. David Hatfield, 615-898-2781
or dhatfiel@mtsu.edu

MTSU Construction Management Technology Team Lands Second Place in National Competition;
Female Leader Wright Guides Group to Runner-up Showing

(MURFREESBORO) — MTSU’s Construction Management Technology team placed second out of 43 teams at the recent National Association of Homebuilders Student Chapters Residential Construction Management Competition in Orlando, Fla.

Team members include Kaitlyn Wright (team leader/marketing and sales) of Murfreesboro; Brandon Castle, (green building) of Smyrna; Andrew Ethridge (estimating) of Brentwood; Maverick Green (land developing) of Shelbyville; and Mike Sandman (finance) of Murfreesboro.

“I could not be more proud to be associated with the members of this team and everyone who helped us,” said Wright, the first woman to be selected MTSU’s team leader and third female overall to participate on one of the MTSU squads. “The win was a great reward for a lot of hard work and will help keep our program recognized as one of the top programs in the country.”

MTSU finished runner-up to Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, with perennial power Brigham Young University placing third. MTSU won the competition in 2007 and finished second in 2009. MTSU has finished in the top-10 nine out of the last 11 years it has competed in the national.

The NAHB Student Chapters Residential Construction Management Competition is one of the highlights at the
annual International Builders’ Show, which was attended by 47,000-plus builders and associates from around the world.

The competition gives students the opportunity to apply skills learned in the classroom to a real construction company by completing a project management proposal, said Dr. David Hatfield, construction management programs director and professor.

MTSU’s comprehensive proposal was submitted to the competition chairman two weeks before the event, Hatfield said, adding, that during the convention students presented the proposal to five executives who acted as judges in front of an audience. A question-and-answer period followed, with judges asking specific questions about the proposal.

The 143-page project manual proposal included market analysis, demographics, scheduling, estimating, infrastructure, plans, cash flow and a management approach for the project, Hatfield said. Each team member spent more than 300 hours developing the project manual proposal for Sedgewick Homes in North Carolina.

“The Sedgewick Homes-proposed project manual and the team presentation showed teamwork and dedication, which are major requirements in the construction program and industry,” Hatfield said.

“Our Construction Management students once again have earned our respect and pride in their accomplishments,” said Dr. Walter Boles, Engineering Technology Department chair. “Their second-place performance is a great example of teamwork, not only within the student team, but with our industry advisers and faculty as well. Our students, faculty and industry advisers all deserve recognition to be able to successfully compete with any other program in the nation.”

MTSU’s Construction Management program is affiliated with the Rutherford County Home Builders Association, Home Builders Association of Tennessee and the National Home Builders Student Association.

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In brief …

MTSU’s five-member Construction Management Technology team placed second in the recent national competition in Orlando. Kaitlyn Wright, the first woman to lead an MTSU team and third female to participate with an MTSU team in the nationals, led teammates Brandon Castle, Andrew Ethridge, Maverick Green and Mike Sandman to the runner-up spot behind Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo. MTSU earned first place in 2007 and was second in 2009. Dr. David Hatfield serves as program director and professor/adviser to the group.

Editors: A digital photo of MTSU’s winning team can be e-mailed upon request. To obtain, contact Randy Weiler in MTSU News and Media Relations by calling 615-898-5616.


Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree — the only one in Tennessee — as a model program. MTSU recently unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.

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

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

[282] Tour Makes Golden Goggles Presentation Tonight at MTSU

Release date: Jan. 26, 2011

News and Media Relations contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or jweiler@mtsu.edu
Golden Goggles contacts: Dr. Andrienne Friedli, 615-898-2071, 615-494-7669 or afriedli@mtsu.edu or Dr. Martin Stewart, 615-898-2073 or mstewart@mtsu.edu

Tour Makes Golden Goggles Presentation Tonight at MTSU

(MURFREESBORO) — James M. Tour, Ph.D., a synthetic organic chemist, will speak on “Nanomaterials, Nanoelectronics, Nanomedicine and Nanocars” tonight at 7 during the 15th annual Golden Goggles Invitational Lecture at MTSU. The event will be held in Room 102 of Wiser-Patten Science Hall. The event is free, open to the public and will be held despite the winter weather that hit the region earlier today.
“He (Tour) does a lot of applied work,” said Dr. Andrienne Friedli, MTSU chemistry professor and director of the Center for Advancement of Research and Scholarship. “He’s very entrepreneurial. He does a lot of things that capture kids’ imagination. Everybody may not understand the chemistry, but everybody can relate.”
Tour received a special award in 2008 from the Nashville chapter of the American Chemical Society, Friedli said, adding that he “is a great speaker.”
Tour, a Rice University professor and part of the Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, is a highly acclaimed and awarded scholar, researcher, consultant, board member and more. He was ranked one of the top-10 chemists in the world for the past decade by a Thomson Reuters citations per publication index survey in 2009.
Tour earned his B.S. in chemistry from Syracuse University, his doctorate in synthetic organic and organometallic chemistry from Purdue University and postdoctoral training in synthetic organic chemistry at the University of Wisconsin and Stanford University. He spent 11 years on the University of South Carolina faculty.

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Media welcomed.

Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree — the only one in Tennessee — as a model program. MTSU recently unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.

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

[280] Music, Poetry, History Topics of MTSU Spring Lectures

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 25, 2011
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

MUSIC, POETRY, HISTORY TOPICS OF MTSU SPRING LECTURES
Women and Gender Studies Program Presents Faculty Research Topics

(MURFREESBORO) – The MTSU Women’s and Gender Studies Program will present three lectures in its spring 2011 series, beginning with “The Privileges and Perils of Ethnography: Learning ‘Divine Wisdom’ from the ‘Earths’ of the Five Per Cent Nation” from 3-4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 27, in Room 100 of the James Union Building.
Dr. Felicia Miyakawa, assistant professor of musicology, will deliver the address. Miyakawa is the author of Five Percenter Rap: God Hop’s Music, Message and Black Muslim Mission. Her research areas include hip-hop music and culture, Black Nationalism, American popular music, African American music and literature, gender and pedagogy and queer studies.
In addition, Dr. Rebecca King, associate professor of English, will speak on “Anne Bradstreet: Colonial Poet from 3-4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17, in Room 227 of the Todd Building, and Dr. Nancy Rupprecht, professor of history, will deliver “When Civil War is Waged by Women: The Militant British Women’s Suffrage Movement” from 3-4 p.m. Thursday, April 14, in Room 100 of the James Union Building.
All lectures in the Women’s and Gender Studies Research Series are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Pat Bradley, associate professor of English, at 615-904-8128 or pbradley@mtsu.edu.


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Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree—the only one in Tennessee—as a model program. Recently, MTSU unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.

[279] Diverse Scholars Bring Distinguished Lectures To MTSU In February

FOR RELEASE: Jan. 25, 2011
EDITORIAL CONTACTS: Dr. William Yelverton, 615-898-2004; Connie Huddleston, 615-494-7628.

DIVERSE SCHOLARS BRING DISTINGUISHED LECTURES TO MTSU IN FEBRUARY
Poet Sandburg and the Spanish Guitar, Scribes Who Changed Bible Are Topics

(MURFREESBORO)—Scholars who study Carl Sandburg’s musical interests and the history of early Christianity will bring their expertise to MTSU in February as part of the university’s ongoing Distinguished Lecture Series.
On Tuesday, Feb. 8, Dr. Jhon C. Akers will interpret the works of poet Carl Sandburg on classical guitar in “Carl Sandburg and the Spanish Guitar,” a free public lecture slated for 7:30 p.m. in the State Farm Lecture Hall, Room S102, of the Business and Aerospace Building.
Akers, an associate professor of modern languages at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C., was the featured lecturer twice for the Sandburg Days Festival in Galesburg, Ill.
Sandburg, a poet, historian and winner of three Pulitzer Prizes, also collected folk songs and wrote children’s literature and had a lifelong love for the Spanish guitar.
And on Friday, Feb. 18, the Department of Philosophy at MTSU is sponsoring a free public lecture, “Misquoting Jesus: Scribes Who Changed the Bible and Readers Who May Never Know,” by Dr. Bart D. Ehrman.
The lecture is planned for 3:30 p.m. in the State Farm Lecture Hall in the BAS. Ehrman will sign copies of his books immediately following his lecture.
Ehrman, the author of more than 20 books, including three New York Times bestsellers (Jesus Interrupted, God’s Problem and Misquoting Jesus), is the James A. Gray Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is a leading authority on the New Testament and the history of early Christianity. His work has been featured in Time, The New Yorker, The Washington Post and other print media, and he has appeared on NBC's “Dateline,” “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” CNN and other top media outlets.
The Ehrman lecture is part of the annual Applied Philosophy Lyceum in conjunction with MTSU’s Distinguished Lecture Committee.
For more information on the Feb. 8 Sandburg lecture, contact Dr. William Yelverton at 615-898-2004 or 615-898-5623.
For more information on the Feb. 18 Ehrman lecture, contact Connie Huddleston at 615-494-7628.

****EDITORS: Spelling of “Jhon” in second graf (“Dr. Jhon C. Akers”) is CQ.****

Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate university. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree—the only one in Tennessee—as a model program. This fall, MTSU unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.
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IN BRIEF: Scholars who study Carl Sandburg’s musical interests and the history of early Christianity will bring their expertise to MTSU in February as part of the university’s ongoing Distinguished Lecture Series. On Tuesday, Feb. 8, Dr. Jhon C. Akers will interpret the works of poet Carl Sandburg on classical guitar in “Carl Sandburg and the Spanish Guitar,” a free public lecture slated for 7:30 p.m. in the State Farm Lecture Hall, Room S102, of the Business and Aerospace Building. And on Friday, Feb. 18, the Department of Philosophy at MTSU is sponsoring a free public lecture, “Misquoting Jesus: Scribes Who Changed the Bible and Readers Who May Never Know,” by Dr. Bart D. Ehrman. The lecture is planned for at 3:30 p.m. in the State Farm Lecture Hall in the BAS. For more information on the Feb. 8 Sandburg lecture, contact Dr. William Yelverton at 615-898-2004 or 615-898-5623. For more information on the Feb. 18 Ehrman lecture, contact Connie Huddleston at 615-494-7628.

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

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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For color JPEGs of Dr. Akers, Dr. Ehrman and/or one of Ehrman’s latest book covers, contact Gina E. Fann in the Office of News and Public Affairs via e-mail at gfann@mtsu.edu or by calling 615-898-5385. Thanks!

[278] MTSU Art Department Issues National Call For Artists

FOR RELEASE: Jan. 25, 2011
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Sisavanh Houghton, Houghton@mtsu.edu

MTSU ART DEPARTMENT ISSUES NATIONAL CALL FOR ARTISTS
8-by-10 Works to be Included in New Benefit Exhibition, Sale

(MURFREESBORO)—The Department of Art at MTSU has issued a national call for artists to submit 8-by-10-inch works on paper by Friday, March 11, for inclusion in “80 Square,” a new scholarship-benefit exhibition and sale.
Drawings, paintings, photographs, prints and mixed media will be accepted. All work submitted will be included in the “80 Square” exhibit and sale on Saturday, March 19, and proceeds from all sales will benefit the MTSU Department of Art Scholarship program.
Tinney Contemporary will host the one-night exhibition on March 19 from 6 to 9 p.m. at its gallery at 237 Fifth Ave. N. in Nashville. An artist preview is planned from 5 to 6 p.m. at the gallery.
Artists can download full submission details at www.mtsu.edu/~art or contact Sisavanh Houghton at Houghton@mtsu.edu for more information. Remember, all entries must be received by March 11 to be included in the event.

Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree—the only one in Tennessee—as a model program. MTSU recently unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.

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IN BRIEF: The Department of Art at MTSU has issued a national call for artists to submit 8-by-10-inch works on paper by Friday, March 11, for inclusion in “80 Square,” a new scholarship-benefit exhibition and sale. Drawings, paintings, photographs, prints and mixed media will be accepted. All work submitted will be included in the “80 Square” exhibit and sale on Saturday, March 19, and proceeds from all sales will benefit the MTSU Department of Art Scholarship program. Artists can download full submission details at www.mtsu.edu/~art or contact Sisavanh Houghton at Houghton@mtsu.edu for more information.


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

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NOTE: Media needing a JPEG of the “80Square” logo should contact the Office of News and Public Affairs via e-mail at gfann@mtsu.edu or by calling 615-898-538

[277] Stones River Chamber Players Slate 2nd of Season

FOR RELEASE: Jan. 25, 2011
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493

STONES RIVER CHAMBER PLAYERS SLATE 2ND CONCERT OF SEASON
‘Happy Anniversary 2011!’ Celebrates Composers’ Births

(MURFREESBORO)—The Stones River Chamber Players will present the second concert of the 2010-11 season, “Happy Anniversary 2011!”, dedicated to the anniversaries of composers’ births, at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 31, in Hinton Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
During the free public concert, the SRCP will perform works by Charles Loeffler, Gian Carlo Menotti and Malcolm Arnold.
“This year marks 200 years since the birth of Loeffler and 100 years since both Menotti and Arnold were born,” said Angela DeBoer, professor of horn at MTSU and co-coordinator of the group.
Also on the program is a work by Peter Ware, who was born 60 years ago.
The SRCP is scheduled to perform Ware’s “Chama, the Eagle and the Plumed Serpent,” Loeffler’s “Ballade Carnevalesque,” Menotti’s “Canti della lontananza” and Arnold’s “Brass Quintet Op. 73.”
“This program really showcases our talented and diverse faculty, bringing to the stage strings, piano, guitar, voice, woodwinds and brass,” DeBoer said.
MTSU faculty performer and pianist Dr. Arunesh Nadgir said the Loeffler work has "frequent changes in character, evoking a fantasy-like feel with wonderful instrumental combinations that create beautiful and vibrant colors."
Performer and MTSU faculty voice teacher Christine Isley-Farmer added that Mennoti’s “Canti della lontananza” was written for and dedicated to the famous German soprano Elizabeth Schwarzkopf.
“The set depicts an emotionally complex and broad landscape, ranging in subject matter from the uncertainty of lovers’ discord and grief-stricken drunkenness to eerie images of the death of inspiration depicted by glass-eyed mice,” Isley-Farmer said. “Menotti’s use of bitonality, chromaticism and hypnotic rhythmic patterns underscores the desolately intimate nature of these songs.”
The final piece of the program by Arnold has rather interesting origins, according to Dr. David Loucky, performer and professor of trombone at MTSU.
“John Swallow, who was the trombonist in the New York Brass Quintet for its entire history, tells that the group’s founder, trumpeter Bob Nagel, had occasion to meet Malcolm Arnold in England and asked if Arnold had ever written anything for brass,” Loucky said. “Arnold indicated that he never had, but Nagel simply made the suggestion to write for the NYBQ. … Several months later, a package arrived in the mail with Arnold's ‘Quintet.’ It was a gift to the group.”
DeBoer, Isley-Farmer, Loucky and Nadgir will be joined in the concert by fellow MTSU music professors Don Aliquo on saxophone, Michael Arndt on trumpet, Andrea Dawson on violin, Daryl Johnson on tuba, Deanna Little on flute, Laura Ann Ross on oboe, Jamey Simmons on trumpet, Maya Stone on bassoon and William Yelverton on guitar.
For more information on this and other concerts at the MTSU School of Music, please call 615-898-2493 or visit www.mtsumusic.com and click on the “Concert Calendar” link.

Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree—the only one in Tennessee—as a model program. MTSU recently unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.

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IN BRIEF: The Stones River Chamber Players will present the second concert of the 2010-11 season, “Happy Anniversary 2011!”, dedicated to the anniversaries of composers’ births, at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 31, in Hinton Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus. During the free public concert, the SRCP will perform works by Charles Loeffler, Gian Carlo Menotti, Malcolm Arnold and Peter Ware. For more information on this and other concerts at the MTSU School of Music, please call 615-898-2493 or visit www.mtsumusic.com and click on the “Concert Calendar” link.

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

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Tuesday, January 25, 2011

[276] MTSU Announces Graduates for Fall 2010

Jan. 24, 2011
CONTACT: News and Media Relations, 615-898-2919

MTSU ANNOUNCES GRADUATES FOR FALL 2010
County-by-County Listing of Fall 2010 Graduates Now Available Online

(MURFREESBORO)—Middle Tennessee State University has released the names and hometowns of students who graduated during the fall 2010 commencement ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 18, in Murphy Center on the MTSU campus.
Of the 1,646 who were set to graduate during the university’s fall commencement, 1,378 were undergraduates and 268 were graduate students, including 247 master’s candidates, 12 education specialist recipients and 5 doctoral candidates.
The dual-commencement event featured J. Stanley Rogers, senior partner with the Rogers & Duncan law firm in Manchester, Tenn. addressing the morning graduates and State Sen. Randy McNally, R-5th District speaking to the afternoon graduates.
Graduates from the College of Graduate Studies, Jennings A. Jones College of Business, and College of Education and Behavioral Sciences received their degrees in the morning ceremony, while degrees were conferred upon candidates in the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, College of Liberal Arts, College of Mass Communication, and the College of Continuing Education and Distance Learning, during the afternoon event.
 HOW TO OBTAIN YOUR COUNTY’S STUDENT LIST: To obtain a list for editorial use of students from your county who graduated during MTSU’s fall 2010 commencement, please go to the News and Media Relations website at www.mtsunews.com and click on the “Graduation Lists” link on the upper left-hand side of the page.
Next, click on the “Fall 2010 Graduation List” link, which will include an alphabetical, county-by-county listing of those MTSU students who graduated Dec. 18, 2010.
***Please note that this Web page also contains directions on how to download and save your county’s list for editorial use in your publication.

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ATTENTION, MEDIA: If you encounter any problems downloading and saving your county’s list, please contact the Office of News & Media Relations at MTSU at 615-898-2919.

Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree—the only one in Tennessee—as a model program. MTSU recently unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.

[275] MTSU Announces Dean's List For Fall 2010

January 24, 2011
CONTACT: News and Media Relations, 615-898-2919

MTSU ANNOUNCES DEAN’S LIST FOR FALL 2010
County-by-County Listing of Fall 2010 Dean’s List Now Available Online

(MURFREESBORO)—Middle Tennessee State University has released the names and hometowns of undergraduate students who were named to the Dean’s List during the fall 2010 semester. To qualify for the distinction, a student must maintain a current semester grade-point average of 3.5 or higher and earn at least 12 semester hours.
HOW TO OBTAIN YOUR COUNTY’S STUDENT LIST: To obtain a list for editorial use of students from your county who are included on MTSU’s fall 2010 Dean’s List, please go to the News and Media Relations website at www.mtsunews.com and click on the “Dean’s List” link on the left side of the page.
Next, click on the “Fall 2010” link, which will include an alphabetical listing by county of those MTSU students included on the Fall 2010 semester’s Dean’s List.
***Please note that this Web page also contains directions on how to download and save your county’s list for editorial use in your publication.

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ATTENTION, MEDIA: If you encounter any problems downloading and saving your county’s dean’s list, please contact the Office of News and Media Relations at MTSU at 615-898-2919


Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree—the only one in Tennessee—as a model program. MTSU recently unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.

Monday, January 24, 2011

[274] MTSU’s 11th Annual Flute Festival Set Jan. 29

FOR RELEASE: Jan. 24, 2011
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493

MTSU’S 11th ANNUAL FLUTE FESTIVAL SET JAN. 29
Guest Flutist Bradley Garner Featured Throughout the Day

(MURFREESBORO)—The eleventh annual MTSU Flute Festival, featuring guests Dr. Bradley Garner and John Steele Ritter, will be held Saturday, Jan. 29, with registration beginning at 8 a.m. in the Wright Music Building lobby on the MTSU campus.

The day’s events include:
• a 9 a.m. master class with guest flutist Garner;
• exhibits on flute products and repair;
• a high-school solo and junior solo competition with cash prizes;
• a festival flute choir of participants;
• a 1 p.m. flute recital with featured guests Garner and Ritter;
• a 2:15 master class with Garner; and
• a final concert at 4:30 p.m. featuring solo winners, the festival flute choir and more.

“I am excited and honored to have Dr. Garner as this year’s guest artist for the 2011 festival,” said Dr. Deanna Little, professor of flute at MTSU. “He has been a truly positive influence in my life and career as a musician. He is a dynamic performer and a highly motivating teacher.”

Garner teaches on the faculties of The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Queens College, New York University and the Juilliard School. His students have won positions in orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the Korean Broadcasting Symphony, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Charlotte Symphony, and in major festivals throughout the United States and abroad. He has been described as one of today's most exciting flutists and has played concerts and recitals worldwide with great acclaim. He is an active soloist, teacher and recording artist in Cincinnati, Ohio, and New York City.

Guest pianist Ritter has recorded 11 classical CDs and currently is teaching at the College Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati. He performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic from 1972 to 1974 and in 1975 commenced his longstanding association with French flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal.

“I have no doubt that this year's festival will be a true musically and ‘flutistically’ inspiring event,” Little said.

Admission for the flute festival is $10 to preregister online as a participating flutist or $15 at the door. Members of the general public may register as a guest for one or all of the public concerts and public competitions for only $5.

For more information, please visit www.mtsu.edu/~drhahn/flutefest11.html or call Little at 615-898-2473.

Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree—the only one in Tennessee—as a model program. MTSU recently unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.

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IN BRIEF: The eleventh annual MTSU Flute Festival, featuring guests Dr. Bradley Garner and John Steele Ritter, will be held Saturday, Jan. 29, with registration beginning at 8 a.m. in the Wright Music Building lobby on the MTSU campus. The day’s events include master classes with guest flutist Garner, exhibits on flute products and repair, a high-school solo and junior solo competition with cash prizes, a festival flute choir of participants; and a final concert at 4:30 p.m. Admission for the flute festival is $10 to preregister online as a participating flutist or $15 at the door. Members of the general public may register as a guest for one or all of the public concerts and public competitions for only $5. For more information, please visit www.mtsu.edu/~drhahn/flutefest11.html or call Dr. Deanna Little at 615-898-2473.


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

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NOTE: Media needing a color JPEG of Dr. Bradley Garner should contact the Office of News and Public Affairs via e-mail at gfann@mtsu.edu or by calling 615-898-5385. Thanks!

Friday, January 21, 2011

[273] Help Teens Defray Cost of Prom Night By Donating Dresses

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 21, 2011
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

HELP TEENS DEFRAY COST OF PROM NIGHT BY DONATING DRESSES
MTSU Sorority, Alumna Head Prom Dress Collection Drive for High-School Girls

(MURFREESBORO) – MTSU’s Eta Kappa chapter of the Gamma Sigma Sigma national service sorority will present its third annual Prom Dress Collection Drive from Monday, Feb. 14, through Saturday, Feb. 25.
The sorority is asking for donations of prom dresses for distribution to high-school junior and senior girls who are on the free and reduced lunch programs in surrounding counties. The distribution is slated for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 26, at Calvary Baptist Church, 431 Dejarnette Lane in Murfreesboro.
Dresses must be from 2002 to the present, must be dry-cleaned and on hangers and must be prom dresses, formal gowns or fancy party dresses. Garments that were purchased before 2002 or have not been dry-cleaned, wedding dresses, casual or semiformal clothing and tuxedoes are unacceptable.
Claressa Johnson initiated the prom drive as “Archie’s Promise” in 2009 when she was a senior at MTSU and a member of the Eta Kappa chapter. Still an active member of Gamma Sigma Sigma, Johnson now belongs to the White Rose Alumni Chapter.
A 2009 Hearst Teen survey found that teenage girls spent an average of $220 on a prom dress and $893 total on the prom night experience.
“In 2009, we distributed more than 50 dresses to Rutherford County girls who were on the free and reduced lunch program,” says Johnson. “Last year, we reached an ultimate goal and helped over 100 young women from Rutherford and Williamson counties find a dress for a prom.”
Dresses should be donated at Holiday Cleaners, 911 Memorial Blvd. in Murfreesboro. To make an appointment for donating a dress or to make a monetary donation, contact Johnson at 615-427-1816 or claressa0467@hotmail.com.

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Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree—the only one in Tennessee—as a model program. Recently, MTSU unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.

[272] Passion For Self-Expression Focus Of 'MTSU On the Record'

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 20, 2011
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081, or WMOT-FM, 615-898-2800

PASSION FOR SELF-EXPRESSION FOCUS OF ‘MTSU ON THE RECORD’
‘The Writer’s Loft’ Enables Budding Scribes, Promotes Mentorship, Creativity

(MURFREESBORO) – Anyone who has ever wanted to write the Great American Novel—or poem, short story or nonfiction book—can gain insight and perspective in The Writer’s Loft, the topic of discussion of “MTSU on the Record” at 8 a.m. this Sunday, Jan. 23, with host Gina Logue on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org).
Dr. Rami Shapiro, director of The Writer’s Loft and adjunct professor of religious studies at MTSU, will talk about the non-residency creative writing program in which students work one-on-one with mentors to hone their skills. Students also learn how to get their works published and how to use social media to their best advantage.
Shapiro is the author of more than 20 books on religion and spirituality and writes a regular column for “Spirituality and Health” magazine. He also blogs regularly at rabbirami.blogspot.com.
To listen to previous 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.

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Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree—the only one in Tennessee—as a model program. MTSU recently unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

[271] MTSU History Professor Builds Relationships In South Asia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan.20, 2011
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

MTSU HISTORY PROFESSOR BUILDS RELATIONSHIPS IN SOUTH ASIA
Dr. Sean Foley Promotes MTSU Abroad, Enhances Research in Islamic World

(MURFREESBORO) – Dr. Sean Foley is putting his third Fulbright Fellowship to use in a relatively little-explored but highly relevant area of scholarship as he continues to investigate religious connections between the Arab Gulf States and Southeast Asia under the auspices of International Islamic University Malaysia.
Foley, an assistant professor of history at Middle Tennessee State University, is working and studying mostly in Malaysia with a stipend from the Fulbright Program, which is sponsored by the United States Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. However, his experiences in other countries in the region are yielding future benefits not only for academia in general, but for MTSU specifically.
On Foley’s visit to India last month, the historian built ties with both Muslim and non-Muslim universities on the subcontinent, including Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.
“My trip will lay the foundation for future classes on Indian history, Islam generally and Islam in South Asia, including India and Pakistan,” Foley writes via e-mail. “This trip will also cement ties between MTSU and its history department with universities in India to facilitate the work of department scholars who are interested in work on India.”
Building partnerships with institutions of higher learning around the globe and facilitating international exchange and study-abroad opportunities for both faculty and students are high-priority goals at MTSU.
“Sean’s travel and research presentations in India will highlight the name ‘Middle Tennessee State University’ throughout the region,” says Dr. Amy Sayward, chair of the MTSU Department of History. “We hope that Sean’s contacts today will lead to a more international graduate-student body in our department and on our campus in the years to come.”
Foley delivered a lecture on the Arab Gulf States at the Indian-Arab Cultural Center at Jamia Milia University in New Delhi on Dec. 20 and on Dec. 21 at the Indian National Seminar, which was held at the Centre for West Asian Studies at Aligarh University in Aligarh, India.
“The seminar is India’s premier annual national conference on Middle East studies and included the top scholars in the field,” Foley writes. “It was covered in

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India’s English- and Hindu-language newspapers … While at the conference, I also chaired a panel on conflict and peace resolution in South Asia. I also built close ties to Indian faculty and graduate students.”
As of fall 2010, 400 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 60 countries were enrolled at MTSU, according to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, Planning and Research Fact Book.
“As we continue to build our Ph.D. program in Public History, we believe this will draw an international student body, as every country and region is interested in preserving and presenting its history to a public audience,” says Sayward. “We're already seeing our Ph.D. students thinking about their own research more broadly, as we've had students from Iran and Libya join the program this year.”
Foley’s itinerary includes trips to Singapore and Thailand. He will return to New Delhi in April to deliver another lecture at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
For more information, contact Gina Logue in the MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu or Dr. Amy Sayward at 615-898-2569 or asayward@mtsu.edu.

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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For color jpeg photos of Dr. Sean Foley at the Taj Majal in Agra, India, contact Gina Logue in the MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081.


Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree—the only one in Tennessee—as a model program. MTSU recently unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.

[270] Music, Memory, Matriculation Part Of Black History Month

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 20, 2011
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Vincent Windrow, 615-898-2238

MUSIC, MEMORY, MATRICULATION PART OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH
MTSU Venue for Dancing, Singing, Reflection, Appreciation in February

(MURFREESBORO) – Following the 150th anniversary of the end of the conflict that nearly tore the United States apart, the MTSU Black History Month Committee will present “African Americans and the Civil War: The Struggle Continues,” a slate of artistic and educational events in February.
Black History Month originated in 1926 with the first celebration of Negro History Week, which was created by historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson. Only the second African American to earn a doctorate from Harvard University, Woodson’s brainstorm raised awareness of blacks’ contributions to the American experience. MTSU’s chapter of Omega Psi Phi will sponsor a display in Woodson’s honor from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 1, on the second floor of the Keathley University Center (KUC).
Activities include the annual Unity Luncheon honoring five neighborhood heroes at 11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 3, in the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building (JUB). The keynote speaker will be Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings, a nationally recognized pedagogical theorist and teacher educator. Ladson-Billings, the author of The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African-American Children, will deliver a Campus and Community Collaboration address that evening at 6 p.m. also in the Tennessee Room.
Dr. H. Richard Milner IV, the Betts Associate Professor of Education in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Vanderbilt University, will deliver the Brown Bag Tenure Lecture from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22, in the JUB’s Faculty Senate Room. Milner has consulted about diversity issues, the achievement gap, curriculum development, goal-setting, developing leadership skills and effective teaching in public and private schools, universities and organizations.
Dr. Quito Swan, author of Black Power in Bermuda and the Struggle for Decolonization, will speak on “Black Power in Bermuda and Beyond” at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23, in the KUC Theater. Swan is an assistant professor at Howard University in Washington, D.C. He specializes in the global African diaspora.
Other Black History Month events in February at MTSU include:

• Campus Sing, noon, Tuesday, Feb. 1, KUC Theater;
• Keith Craig Musical Medley, 5-6 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 1, Wright Music Hall;

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• “Omegas in the Military” Display, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 8, second floor, KUC;
• John Pleas Faculty Recognition Award, 4-6 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 8, Tom H. Jackson Building;
• “Evolution of Black Music,” 6-8 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 17, Tom H. Jackson Building;
• “Omegas in the Laboratory” Display, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 22, second floor, KUC;
• Black History Mobile Museum, 5 a.m.-5 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 23, KUC Knoll;
• “Black Girls Rock!” 6 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 24, Tom H. Jackson Building.

All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise indicated. For more information, contact Vincent Windrow, director of the Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs and chairman of the MTSU Black History Month Committee, at 615-898-2238 or vwindrow@mtsu.edu.

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Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree—the only one in Tennessee—as a model program. MTSU recently unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.

[269] MTSU Student Examines First-Generation Collegians' Challenges

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 19, 2011
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

MTSU STUDENT EXAMINES FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGIANS’ CHALLENGES
Tara Perrin Finds Family Factor of Being First in College Little Studied, Misunderstood

(MURFREESBORO) – Intrigued by a documentary in which a young woman was ostracized by her parents for two years because she realized her dream of attending college, Tara Perrin set out to find out how other first-generation college students handle the challenges of their unique educational lives.
Perrin, a 36-year-old sociology major originally from Tallahassee, Fla., is writing her master’s thesis on first-generation students’ perceptions of changing family relationships due to the acquisition of higher education and how they feel these changes impact their college careers.
“For some people, it’s a really smooth transition, and, for others, it’s a very, very difficult transition to go to school and to stay in school because your family can be quite antagonistic toward you,” says Perrin, a first-generation student who says she had her parents’ total support.
In 1996, surveys conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, bolstered by data from follow-up surveys in 1998 and 2001, found that approximately 40 percent of all college freshmen are the first in their families to attend college.
In performing her qualitative research, Perrin is analyzing her interviews with students and comparing them to the existing academic data. While there is a great amount of quantitative research in which grade-point averages and retention and graduation rates are assessed, Perrin finds little research is available on the family dynamics of the first-generation student’s experience.
“Without really hearing qualitative stories about their struggles and how they deal with things and how these instances do come out, I feel like the literature’s really lacking in that regard,” Perrin says.
Even if academia has little to say on the subject, personal anecdotes abound. Some of the recurring themes include parents who say they are supportive but never ask their sons or daughters about their studies or, worse yet, rebuke or dismiss students who try to initiate a conversation about what they’re learning in college.
In one of the few qualitative studies Perrin has found on the subject, a student was criticized by her parents for playing classical music in the home, saying they resented what they perceived as an attempt to try to make her family “better” than it is. In an argument unrelated to school, one parent criticized a student interviewed by Perrin for using language the parent didn’t understand.
“A lot of parents who have not been to college can’t relate to what their children are doing,” says Steve Saunders, interim director of MTSU’s McNair Program, a federally-funded endeavor that strives to help low-income, first-generation college students prepare for doctoral study. “They have no point of reference.”


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Saunders, a first-generation college student himself, says students who are the educational groundbreakers in their families also have stressors that students from more educated families don’t understand, such as worrying about finding money for food, rent and utilities while trying to concentrate on studies.
“I think what (first-generation students) see are hurdles that other students don’t see because they don’t exist for those other students, those who come from families that have a fairly high level of education,” Saunders says.
Perrin thinks universities have a role to play by asking students on admissions forms whether they are the first in their families to go to college so that they can be counted and their progress documented. She thinks the information gathered might even become a marketing tool that can be used to promote the university to a potential clientele that is not necessarily targeted for solicitation.
“People don’t come here with the goal of failing,” Perrin says. “They want to be successful. Sometimes you have to give some students a little more support in order for that to happen, and I just feel like we need to know who those students are. Quantifying first-generation status would be a good step toward figuring that out.”
Perrin’s thesis is due in March. She is on track to graduate from MTSU with her master’s degree in sociology in May 2011.

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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For color jpegs of Tara Perrin and/or Steve Saunders, please contact Gina Logue in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.


Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree—the only one in Tennessee—as a model program. MTSU recently unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.

[268] Playing College Game To Win Is Objective of Young Professor's Strategic Talks At MTSU

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 18, 2011
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

PLAYING COLLEGE GAME TO WIN IS OBJECTIVE OF YOUNG
PROFESSOR’S STRATEGIC TALKS AT MTSU
High School Students, College Students, Parents, Nontraditional
Students--All Can Benefit from Dr. Ryan Otter’s Advice and Experience

(MURFREESBORO) – “How to Win at the Game of College,” a three-part seminar series to equip students and parents with the tools and strategies to ensure college success, will begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 26, in the State Farm Lecture Hall (Room S102) of the Business and Aerospace Building (BAS) at Middle Tennessee State University.
A dynamic, interactive and audio-visual presentation by Dr. Ryan Otter, assistant professor of biology at MTSU, and based on his book How to Win at the Game of College: Practical Advice from a College Professor, the opening installment of the series is titled “The Benefits of the ‘Be Weird’ Strategy.” It will focus on how college is different from high school and how being “weird” will lead to success.
“In today’s global economy, higher education has never been more important or competitive,” says Otter. “Success depends on using unique tools and strategies, as well as having a basic understanding of how to interact with key professionals on campus.”
Drawing on his own experience as an aimless youth who very nearly whiled away his college career, Otter directs this enlightening guide to finding one’s path in life without falling prey to the stresses and misconceptions that prompt many fledgling collegians to give up. His method for success helped him earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in zoology from Michigan State University and a doctorate in environmental toxicology from Clemson University.
The 31-year-old Otter is still young enough to remember his own struggles and now grapples with his students’ indecision and lack of direction.

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“Three million new freshmen enroll in college every year, and most have no idea about the game they are about to start playing,” says Otter. “A failure to understand that the game of college is different from the game of high school is the cause of most issues faced by incoming freshmen and is a major reason why one-half of all students who start college never finish.”
In addition to the January seminar, Otter will present “Exploit the Expected and Unexpected Tools” at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 23, and “Capitalize on the Campus Pros” at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 23, both in BAS S102. Question-and-answer sessions will follow each 45-minute seminar. All three events are free and open to the public.
For more information, contact Otter at 615-898-2063 or rrotter@mtsu.edu or Gina Logue of the MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu, or go to www.thecollegegameproject.org.

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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a jpeg of Dr. Ryan Otter and the front page of How to Win at the Game of College, contact Gina Logue in the MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.


Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree—the only one in Tennessee—as a model program. MTSU recently unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

[267] MTSU Will Be Closed Jan. 17 for Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday

Release date: Jan. 13, 2011

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


MTSU Will Be Closed Jan. 17 for Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday

(MURFREESBORO) — MTSU will be closed Monday, Jan. 17, for the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday, university officials said.
No classes will be held and no offices will be open. University classes will resume Tuesday, Jan. 18. All offices will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. that day.
Saturday, Jan. 15, classes will be held, an MTSU official said.
The James E. Walker Library will be closed Sunday and Monday, reopening at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday. It will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
The Student Health, Wellness and Recreation Center will be closed Saturday through Monday, reopening at 6 a.m. Tuesday. It will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday. The Campus Pharmacy, which will be closed all weekend, will reopen at 8 a.m. Tuesday. Friday’s hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the drive-through open until 4:30.

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Media note: In case of emergency, contact MTSU Campus Police at 615-898-2424. They can contact MTSU News and Public Affairs personnel.


Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree — the only one in Tennessee — as a model program. MTSU recently unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.

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

[266] Excitement, Anticipation Await MTSU's Spring Semester

Release date: Jan. 13, 2011

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


Excitement, Anticipation Await MTSU’s Spring Semester

(MURFREESBORO) — Academics and celebration will be essential elements as MTSU enters 2011 and a new year of excitement and anticipation.
Spring-semester classes began today for more than 24,800 combined undergraduate and graduate students registered for classes and the university’s full- and part-time faculty. Seniors’ academic studies are building toward the two commencement ceremonies set for Murphy Center on Saturday, May 7.
The campus community also is making preparations for its Centennial Celebration, which officially begins Friday, Sept. 9, with the Centennial Gala at Murfreesboro’s Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center. A new Centennial website, www.mtsu.edu/centennial, will provide details of ongoing projects throughout the year, along with the March 2011 Alumni Record and the revamped MTSU magazine.
Spring 2011 enrollment should surpass that of spring 2010, when 23,653 students were registered for classes, representing a 5 percent increase from 2009’s 22,516-student total. As of midnight Jan. 12, 24,343 students were registered for classes, an 8.19 percent increase from the same time in 2010. The numbers change daily. Census totals will be submitted to the Tennessee Board or Regents sometime after Jan. 26.
The new semester features a full schedule of activities for students, faculty and staff. A sampling includes:
• daily campus tours for prospective students beginning Monday, Jan. 24, with 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. tour times (615-898-5670 or www.mtsu.edu/admissn);
• College Goal Sunday on Sunday, Jan. 30, starting at 2 p.m. in the Business and Aerospace Building, when financial-aid personnel will assist students with questions on Free Application for Federal Student Aid forms, scholarships and the like (www.mtsu.edu/financialaid/cgs.shtml);
• the 10-week Honors Lecture Series, “Celebrating Creative Scholarship,” kicking off on Monday, Jan. 31, with University Provost Brad Bartel’s presentation, “The Mother-Goddess Figurine Problem of the European Paleolithic,” at 3 p.m. in Room 106 of the Paul W. Martin Honors Building (www.mtsu.edu/honors/Spring_Lecture_Series.shtml);
• the 38th annual Groundhog Day Luncheon on Wednesday, Feb. 2, for MTSU baseball starting at 11:30 a.m. in the James Union Building’s Tennessee Room (call 615-898-2103 for tickets);
• the launch of MTSU’s Black History Month activities with the annual Unity Luncheon on Thursday, Feb. 3, at 11 a.m. in the James Union Building’s Tennessee Room (call 615-898-2591 or e-mail bwunder@mtsu.edu for tickets);
• free First Friday Star Parties beginning Feb. 4 at 6:30 p.m. in Room 102 of Wiser-Patten Science Hall (call 615-898-2130 for more information);
• a Spring Career Fair in Williamson County on Tuesday, Feb. 8, and an Internships and Summer Jobs Fair at Murphy Center Wednesday, Feb. 23,, both sponsored by MTSU’s Career Development Center (visit www.mtsu.edu/career for details);
• the University Honors College’s second President’s Day Open House, set for Monday, Feb. 21, starting at noon in the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building (call 615-898-5464 or e-mail lclippar@mtsu.edu for more information);
• the second National Recreational Sports, Fitness and Wellness Day Health Fair on Tuesday, Feb. 22, in MTSU’s Student Health, Wellness and Recreation Center (call 615-494-8704);
• a School of Agribusiness and Agriscience Career Fair in March (call 615-898-2523 or visit www.mtsu.edu/abas/ABAS_Career_Fair.shtml for final dates and event updates);
• Admissions’ Spring Preview Days on Saturday, March 26, and Saturday, April 30, both starting at 9 a.m. (www.mtsu.edu/admissn);
• the annual Scholars Week, set April 4-8 and culminating on Friday, April 8, with a poster session in Murphy Center (visit www.mtsu.edu/research and look for “Scholars Week”);
• the School of Music’s full schedule of concerts and events (www.mtsu.edu/music and find “Concert Calendar” Link); and
• numerous MT athletic events (www.goblueraiders.com).
Spring semester 2011
• January 13 Classes began
• January 17 Martin Luther King Holiday – no classes
• March 7 - 13 Spring break
• March 11 University holiday
• April 27 Last day of classes
• April 28 Study day-no classes
• April 29 - May 5 Final Examinations
• May 7 Commencement
• May 9 Deadline for Final Grades

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Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree — the only one in Tennessee — as a model program. MTSU recently unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.

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

[265] Wikileaks, Future Of News In Viral Age Topics On WMOT-FM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 13, 2011
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081, or WMOT-FM, 615-898-2800

WIKILEAKS, FUTURE OF NEWS IN VIRAL AGE TOPICS ON WMOT-FM
Professor Chris Harris Likens Wikileaks Controversy to Pentagon Papers Case

(MURFREESBORO) – U.S. Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) wants Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner to prohibit American persons and companies from doing business with Wikileaks, the website that stirred worldwide outrage by publishing classified U.S. State Department cables. The Wikileaks dilemma is the topic of “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue at 8 a.m. this Sunday, Jan. 16, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org).
Chris Harris, a professor of electronic media communication who teaches visual imaging and media ethics courses at MTSU, will dissect the Wikileaks issue with an eye to First Amendment freedoms, national security interests and the approach the mainstream media take toward publishing information released by the website.
To listen to previous 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.
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Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree—the only one in Tennessee—as a model program. MTSU recently unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

[263] TBR Honors MTSU Alumna Wright with Award for Excellence in Philanthropy

Release date: Jan. 12, 2011

News and Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or jweiler@mtsu.edu
MTSU Development and University Relations contact: Joe Bales, 615-898-5014 or jbales@mtsu.edu


TBR Honors MTSU Alumna Wright with Award for Excellence in Philanthropy

(MURFREESBORO) — MTSU alumnus and Nashville businesswoman Pamela J. Wright recently was recognized by the Tennessee Board of Regents with its Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Philanthropy.
The award, presented by TBR Chancellor John Morgan, recognizes Wright, who made a $1.25 million commitment in 2007 to establish an endowed chair in entrepreneurship, for her outstanding support of MTSU.
Morgan said the award, established in 2004, recognizes “those exceptional philanthropic leaders who truly make a difference” at a TBR institution.
MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee, who nominated Wright for the honor, said Wright’s “desire to positively impact future generations of MTSU students” led her to establish the endowed chair.
To date, the university has received four of five annual payments to fully endow the chair.
“The Wright Travel Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship will allow MTSU to attract a renowned teacher, researcher and publisher in entrepreneurship, building upon an already strong academic program,” McPhee said.
Endowed chairs typically represent the very best in a given field. “It has been said that scholarships serve individual students, while a professorship in a particular discipline can influence generations of students,” McPhee said.
McPhee said Wright’s “personal journey has been shaped largely by her own entrepreneurial instincts.”
Wright is founder, CEO and owner of Nashville-based Wright Travel, which in 1989 was named to the Inc. 500 list of 500 fastest-growing, privately held American companies.
A Lebanon, Tenn., native, Wright earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from MTSU in 1973.
Her career began as a social worker for the Tennessee Department of Corrections. In 1981, she established Wright Travel, which has grown to 18 full-service branch locations in nine states and $128 million in annual sales.
Wright also has served MTSU as a member of the MTSU Foundation Board; the President’s Advisory Council; and the Jennings A. Jones College of Business Advisory Board.
Her civic involvement also includes serving on the board of directors for Junior Achievement of Nashville and the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau and as a member of the Nashville Chamber of Commerce Partnership 2020 Leadership Council.

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A high-resolution jpeg photo is available. To request, contact MTSU News and Public Affairs by calling 615-898-2919 or e-mail jweiler@mtsu.edu.


Photo caption


Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor John Morgan, left, presents alumna Pamela J. Wright with the 2010 Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Philanthropy during fall commencement ceremonies in Murphy Center. MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee, right, nominated her for the award.

Photo by J. Intintoli/MTSU Photographic Services



Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree — the only one in Tennessee — as a model program. MTSU recently unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.

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

[262] MTSU’S Todd Gallery Welcomes Spring With “Small Scale” Art Exhibition

FOR RELEASE: Jan. 12, 2010
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Eric Snyder, 615-898-5653 or esnyder@mtsu.edu

MTSU’S Todd Gallery Welcomes Spring With “Small Scale” Art Exhibition
Works on Display Jan. 13-Feb. 10; Other Spring Exhibits Also Scheduled

(MURFREESBORO)—MTSU’s Todd Art Gallery is abloom with creativity this spring, launching the semester with an exhibition that’s proof great things do indeed come in smaller packages.

The Department of Art’s third biennial exhibition of “12” X 12”: A National Juried Exhibition of Small Scale Works of Art” opens Thursday, Jan. 13, and will be on display through Thursday, Feb. 10. It’s free and open to the public during the Todd Gallery’s regular hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.

Hamlett Dobbins, an acclaimed visual artist and curator of Clough-Hansen Gallery on the campus of Rhodes College in Memphis, served as the juror for the exhibition. Artists from all across the United States submitted more than 180 pieces for consideration. There were no media restrictions, and all works could be no larger than 12” in any direction.

Dobbins’ selections for the exhibit include traditional and experimental media. Subject matter ranges from representational through abstraction and non-objective, showcasing a wide range of styles and media.

Artists included in the show are Michelle Acuff, Anna Kell, Dan Tulk, Brent Dubas, Libby Garner, Anne Havel, Metra Mitchell, Fletcher Smith, Ed Angell, Kimia Ferdowski, Gwyneth Scally, Yareth Fernandez, Tammie Rubin, Laura Drapac, Tina Gebhart, Joshua Huyser, Sean O’Meallie, Anna Kordsmeier, Monique Belitz, Margi Weir, Briena Harmening. Kurt Dyrhaug and Julie Puttgen.

Dobbins chose O’Meallie’s “Blanket” as recipient of the President’s Award as best of show. Other winners include Rubin’s “one” in first place, “Small Tractor Device” by Dyrhaug in second, Tulk’s “Untitled” in third place and “Untitled” by Weir for honorable mention.

A closing reception in the Todd Art Gallery honoring the participating artists and Dobbins is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 8, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Additional spring 2011 exhibits in MTSU’s Todd Gallery include:

• Feb.15–March 3—“Foundations/Survey Exhibition,” with an opening reception set for Tuesday, Feb. 15, from 6 to 8 p.m.;

• March 15-24—Exhibition of works by Studio 1 Bachelor of Fine Arts degree candidates, with an opening reception set for 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 15;

• March 29-April 7—Studio BFA #2 exhibition, with an opening reception planned for Monday, March 28, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.;

• April 12-21—Exhibition of works by Graphic Design #1 BFA degree candidates, with an opening reception set for 6:30-8:30 p.m. Monday, April 11; and

• April 26–May 5—Graphic Design BFA #2 exhibition, with an opening reception set for 6:30-8:30 p.m. Monday, April 25.

For more information, or for directions to the Todd Gallery on the MTSU campus, contact Eric Snyder at 615-898-5653 or esnyder@mtsu.edu.


Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree—the only one in Tennessee—as a model program. MTSU recently unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.

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IN BRIEF: MTSU’s Todd Art Gallery is abloom with creativity this spring, launching the semester with an exhibition that’s proof great things do indeed come in smaller packages. The Department of Art’s third biennial exhibition of “12” X 12”: A National Juried Exhibition of Small Scale Works of Art” opened Jan. 13 and will be on display through Thursday, Feb. 10. It’s free and open to the public during the Todd Gallery’s regular hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays. For more information, or for directions to the Todd Gallery on the MTSU campus, contact Eric Snyder at 615-898-5653 or esnyder@mtsu.edu.

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

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NOTE: Media needing color JPEGs of some of the 12” X 12” works or a graphic featuring five of the works to be displayed should contact the Office of News and Public Affairs via e-mail at gfann@mtsu.edu or by calling 615-898-5385. Thanks!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

[261] Maury County Farms Join Ranks of State's Century Farms Program

MAURY COUNTY FARMS JOIN RANKS OF STATE’S CENTURY FARMS PROGRAM

Tindell Farms Recognized for Agricultural Contributions

(MURFREESBORO)—The Tindell Farms, “Northside” and “Southside,” located in southeastern Maury County, have been designated as Tennessee Century Farms, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms Program at the Center for Historic Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University.
The Century Farms Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have owned and kept family land in production continuously for at least 100 years.
Founded by Thomas Jefferson Tindell in 1887, the farm continues to be owned and worked by his descendants more than 130 years later. Tindell and his wife, Van “Vannie” Daley Cheek Tindell, established their farmstead when the Civil War and Reconstruction were still fresh in memory. Four of Thomas’s brothers served in the Confederate army and one, Hazard Cappon Tindell, died from injuries he received at Chattanooga. Of Vannie’s five brothers who also fought for the Confederacy, three were killed during the conflict.
Thomas and Vannie had four children--George Washington, Henry Madison, Wilburn Thomas and Lillie L. On 437 acres, the family raised swine, cattle, row crops and tobacco. In April 1932, Wilburn Thomas Tindell Sr. inherited the 437 acres of land. He continued to raise traditional crops. Wilburn married Annie Mai Hendrix, and they had two children, Mildred Belle Tindell Sharp and Wilburn Thomas Tindell Jr. When their father died, the two children inherited the farm.
The “Northside” portion of the farm went to Wilburn Thomas Tindell Jr. in 1955. He and his wife Mary Frances Mash Tindell, had two children, Thomas Henry Tindell and Mary Susan Tindell Terry. He, like his father and grandfather, raised swine, cattle, row crops and tobacco with the addition of dairy cattle.
Twenty years later, the farm passed to both his children. Mary married Charles I. Terry Jr. and had four children: Jacob Andrew, Jessica Leah, Jonathon Matthew and Joshua Stephen. Thomas and his wife, Margaret Barron Tindell, have two children, Caitlin Elizabeth and Thomas Barron Tindell. Thomas and Thomas Barron Tindell raise cattle, swine, row crops and tobacco.
The “Southside” part of the Tindell Farm went to Mildred Belle Tindell Sharp. She and her husband, Eugene A. Sharp, are the parents of Wayne and Betty. Her acreage was used to raise diverse crops and livestock. Wayne and Betty Sharp Thomason have owned the land since 1996. Wayne’s daughter Karen Michelle and her husband, Jim Stiteler, and their children Trey and Shelby, live on the farm along with her father and aunt. Wayne manages the farm and raises cattle, row crops and tobacco. On this portion of the land, a house built by John Jones Williams in 1863 still stands. It has remained a constant feature through the generations of descendents of Thomas Jefferson and Vannie Tindell.
Since 1984, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farms Program. For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit www.tncenturyfarms.org.The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132 or 615-898-2947.

• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To interview the farm’s owner or request jpegs of the farm for editorial use, please contact the CHP at 615-898-2947.




Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree—the only one in Tennessee—as a model program. MTSU recently unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.

[260] Van Buren County Farm Joins Ranks of State's Century Farms Program

CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, Center for Historic Preservation, 615-898-2947


VAN BUREN COUNTY FARM JOINS RANKS OF STATE’S CENTURY FARMS PROGRAM

Sparkman Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions

(MURFREESBORO)—The Sparkman Farm, located in Van Buren 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 at Middle Tennessee State University.
The Century Farms Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have owned and kept family land in production continuously for at least 100 years.
On Dec. 23, 1905, John B. Sparkman wrote his last will and testament that gave land to his three sons, Frank, Willy and Lynville. The farm is located in the community of Sparkman, named after the many families by that name, including early settlers George and Berthina Goddard Sparkman, who began farming in 1823.
John B. Sparkman and his wife, who died in 1894, had six children. Their sons inherited the land after his death in 1910, and their three daughters, according to his will, were to receive “two hundred and fifty dollars each, to be paid in one and three years from my death, which I consider their equal part of my estates.” He made note that one of his daughters, Hattie Cruise, already had received part of her inheritance, which consisted of a mule colt worth $30, a horse worth $50 for her husband, Jon and an additional sum of cash that would be subtracted from her $250.
Frank Cheatem Sparkman inherited 75 acres of his father’s land along the Caney Fork River. He and his wife, Corrie, had two children, Franklin and Tabitha. After their mother’s death, the children received the land. Franklin H. Sparkman died in 1997, and his share of the land went to his sister, Tabitha Sparkman Hollingsworth. That same year, she sold the property to her children, Donald Hollingsworth and Dorothy Madewell. Donald raises hay, poplar pine and other forestry products on 40 acres. The Sparkman Farm is the fifth certified Century Farm in Van Buren County.
Since 1984, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farms Program. For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit www.tncenturyfarms.org. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132 or 615-898-2947.

• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To interview the farm’s owner or request jpegs of the farm for editorial use, please contact the CHP at 615-898-2947.




Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree—the only one in Tennessee—as a model program. MTSU recently unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.

Monday, January 10, 2011

[258] Budding Oral Historians Document Diversity At MTSU

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 7, 2011
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081, or WMOT-FM, 615-898-2800

BUDDING ORAL HISTORIANS DOCUMENT DIVERSITY AT MTSU
Students Examine Groups Ranging from Muslims to Musicians
(MURFREESBORO) – A project that enabled MTSU students to explore diversity through interviews with various on- and off-campus groups is the focus of this week’s edition of “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue at 8 a.m. this Sunday, Jan. 9 on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org).
Dr. Martha Norkunas, professor of history, guided her students through the art and the craft of oral history as they discovered the differences and the similarities between themselves and underrepresented groups of people, shattering some myths and misconceptions along the way.
In addition to Norkunas, the student guests on the program include Garet Bleddynn (Nashville), Hallie Fieser (Jackson, Mo.), Jessi Klinedinst (Nashville), Cheri LaFlamme (Nashville), Mandi Pitt (Nashville), and Sara Rieger (Union City).
To listen to previous 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.
--30--


Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree—the only one in Tennessee—as a model program. MTSU also recently unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.

Friday, January 07, 2011

[257] Sesquicentennial Book Discussion: Robert Penn Warren's The Legacy of the Civil War

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Antoinette van Zelm
The Heritage Center
Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area, MTSU
Phone: 615-217-8013
E-mail: avanzelm@mtsu.edu

Sesquicentennial Book Discussion:
Robert Penn Warren’s The Legacy of the Civil War

(Murfreesboro, Tenn.)—Jan. 6, 2011—To kick off the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War, the “Between the Lines: Reading about the Civil War” book group will discuss Robert Penn Warren’s The Legacy of the Civil War.
Published in 1961 for the centennial of the war, this short book contains a wealth of insights from one of America’s greatest writers. The book group will meet at the Heritage Center, 225 W. College St. in Murfreesboro, at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 20, and Thursday, Jan. 27. Both sessions are free and open to the public.
Warren (1905-1989), a native of Kentucky and a graduate of Vanderbilt University, had a distinguished career as a poet, novelist and essayist. He was awarded an unprecedented three Pulitzer Prizes during his lifetime. Deeply interested in history, Warren responded enthusiastically in 1961 when asked to write about the war’s centennial. The result was what one historian has described as “the most memorable short piece ever written on the symbolic meaning of the Civil War.”
“The Legacy of the Civil War is incredibly thought-provoking and also beautifully written,” said Antoinette van Zelm, historian for the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area. “At just over 100 pages, the book is really an extended essay, but it stimulates your thinking in so many different ways. It really makes you think about not just the Civil War but the whole scope of American history.” Among Warren’s many insights are his claims that the Civil War gave the United States a history and made it a nation.
The “Between the Lines” book discussion group is sponsored by the TCWNHA, Linebaugh Public Library and the Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County. The TCWNHA receives funding from the National Park Service and is administered by the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU.
Linebaugh Library, which sponsors several book groups, serves the citizens of Rutherford County through four branches.
The Heritage Center is a joint venture among TCWNHA the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area, Main Street: Murfreesboro/Rutherford County, the City of Murfreesboro and the CHP. Additional support for the Heritage Center comes from Rutherford County government and State Farm Insurance.
For more information on “Between the Lines: Reading about the Civil War,” please call 615-217-8013 or send an e-mail to avanzelm@mtsu.edu.


Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree — the only one in Tennessee — as a model program. MTSU recently unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.

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

[256] Current, Prospective MTSU Students Should File FAFSA ASAP

mtsunews.com


Release date: Jan. 7, 2011

News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or jweiler@mtsu.edu
Financial Aid contact: Bonnie McCarty, 615-904-8414 or bmccarty@mtsu.edu

Current, Prospective MTSU Students Should File FAFSA ASAP

(MURFREESBORO) — An MTSU financial-aid official urges all current and prospective students and their parents or guardians to file their FAFSA as soon as possible.
“If you expect to receive need-based (financial) aid, file your FAFSA as early as possible,” Bonnie McCarty, assistant director of scholarships, said of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid process to help them to potentially receive financial aid for college.
Online, FAFSA is found at fafsa.ed.gov.
McCarty said if the expected family contribution on the FAFSA is $2,100 or less and you are a Tennessee resident, “you may qualify for a $2,000 grant from the state.
“However, they ran out of funds in mid-February for the 2010-11 year and probably will run out by mid-January for the upcoming 2011-12 year. So you need to file your FAFSA as early as possible.”
McCarty said people “can use estimated income information to get the FAFSA filed quickly, then go back and correct the numbers once parents file their actual tax returns.”
During presentations at high school financial-aid nights, McCarty said she shares the following:
• use 2009 tax return and final 2010 pay stubs to estimate total income and taxes;
• when the 2010 tax return is completed, compare with the estimated information on FAFSA;
• if the estimate was correct, make no changes to FAFSA; or
• if the estimate was incorrect, correct the FAFSA and resubmit it.
On Sunday, Jan. 30, starting at 2 p.m. in the Business and Aerospace Building north lobby area, MTSU financial-aid representatives will assist families of new or prospective high-school seniors and their parents or guardians with FAFSA and financial aid questions during College Goal Sunday. The event is free. You can preregister by going online to tn.gov/collegegoalsunday.
Visit mtsu.edu/financialaid/cgs.shtml online to learn more about College Goal Sunday or visit mtsu.edu/financialaid online to learn more about the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office, a division of Student Affairs.

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Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree — the only one in Tennessee — as a model program. MTSU recently unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.

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

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

[255] Henry County Farm Joins Ranks of State's Century Farms Program

Jan. 5, 2010
CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, Center for Historic Preservation, 615-898-2947


HENRY COUNTY FARM JOINS RANKS OF STATE’S
CENTURY FARMS PROGRAM

(MURFREESBORO)—The Edgman Farm, located in Henry 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 at Middle Tennessee State University.
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have owned and kept family land in production continuously for at least 100 years.
John Payton Kimbrough and his wife, Nancy Higginson, are the ancestors of the generations that continue to live on farm land purchased in 1850. According to family history, Nancy H. Kimbrough was a “small but spunky woman.”During the Civil War, she was warned that a group of Union soldiers were approaching the farm. She gathered an “apron full of fresh baked tea cakes and went out to meet them.”The soldiers accepted her offering and moved on down the road without taking any other food or livestock.
John Payton Kimbrough died in 1863, and Nancy had no one in the immediate family to help her on the farm. She told her grandson, John Boden, son of her daughter, Sarah and Jeremiah Boden, that if he would come and work the farm and take care of her until she died, he could have the farm and log house. John, who was fighting in the Civil War, accepted her offer, and when the war was over came to live on the family farm. He and his wife, Mary Cecilia Burnett, were the parents of 10 children. They took care of Nancy until her death in 1874 and inherited the farm as she had promised. The farm was known as “The Old Boden Place” for many years.
James was a constable and worked in timber, also raising cotton, cattle, poultry, and swine with his large working family. After his death from diphtheria in 1915, Mary, along with some of her children who lived nearby, kept the farm in operation. Even at that, Mary had a difficult time. Her daughter, Luna, had married J. T. McFall and moved to St. Louis. They were successful in business and more financially secure than other members of the family. Mary asked them to provide for her living expenses and medical needs, in exchange for the farm when she died. They agreed to the arrangement, which also allowed other members of the family to live and work on the farm. In 1933, Luna’s sister, Yuda Tennessee Boden, and her husband, Tobe Blackwood, purchased the farm for $800.
Yuda and Tobe Blackwood had four children—Quitman, Clifford, Leone, and Fay Nell. After Tobe’s death, Quitman and Leone continued to live and work on the farm with their mother until her death in 1961. Quitman lived there until his death in 1975. Leone, who was handicapped from birth, then went to live with her sister, Fay Nell, in Memphis. After Clifford passed away in 1966, his son, Prince Blackwood, continued to take care of the farm for his aunts until his own death in 1988.
Janice Blackwood Edgman, granddaughter of Clifford, and her husband, Gerald, purchased the farm from her Aunt Fay Nell and other heirs in 1990. They returned from Kentucky in 1991 and built a home behind a grove of cedar trees that were planted during or before the founders’ time in the 1860s. They have made many improvements on the farm and have built two barns and three ponds. Currently they raise beef cattle and hay. Janice and Gerald are the parents of Carrie and Rebecca, the latter of whom is married to Jason Alexander. Carrie and her husband, Mark Dicus, live on part of the original farm along with the ninth generation to occupy that land, Avery Nicole. Janice credits her aunt, Fay Nell Blackwood Moss, with keeping and sharing family stories and history, much of which she learned from her own mother, Yuda Tennessee Boden Blackwood. Because these women have passed along their knowledge, future generations of the family will know something of their history on the farm in Henry County.
Since 1984, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program.
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its website at www.tncenturyfarms.org. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132 or 615-898-2947.

• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To interview the farm’s owner or request jpegs of the farm for editorial use, please contact the CHP at 615-898-2947.




Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree—the only one in Tennessee—as a model program. Recently, MTSU unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.

[254] Clay County Farm Joins Ranks of State's Century Farms Program

January 5, 2011
CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, Center for Historic Preservation, 615-898-2947


CLAY COUNTY FARM JOINS RANKS OF
STATE’S CENTURY FARMS PROGRAM

King Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions

(MURFREESBORO)— King Farm, located in Clay 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 at Middle Tennessee State University.
The Century Farms Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have owned and kept family land in production continuously for at least 100 years.
The Oak Grove community of Clay County, where a school existed as early as 1881, is home to the King Farm, established in 1889 by George Washington “G.W.” King. King, a Civil War veteran who served in the Eighth Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, married Lucinda Copas, and the couple had nine children. The family farmed 75 acres from the 1889 purchase along with another 40 acres bought in 1890. Livestock and grains were the primary commodities. H. B. King, son of G. W. and Lucinda, acquired 33 acres in 1907 and the remainder of the property in 1925. Married first to Floy Reneau and then to Lillie Ritter, he was the father of six children.
The family recalls that H. B. King, who served on the school board for several years, “restored and mended shoes by hand for almost everyone in the Oak Grove community for $.05 to $20.” Lillie King, a member of the Home Demonstration Club, “pieced and quilted quilts for as low as $1.25 each.” The Kings were members of the Campground Methodist Church at both the early log building and then the present building constructed in 1885, which continues in use.
The King Farm not only had a cobbler and a quilter, but also operated a sawmill on the farm through the years. The industry of the H. B. King family was noted by a 1940 certificate, signed by dignitaries including Gov. Prentice Cooper, that recognized them for “growing 75% or more of the food necessary for the family and livestock.”
At the death of H. B. King, the heirs received portions of the property. Today, Mark King, Elaine King Cherry and Mary A. King Hamilton are the owners, with Mark operating the farm. Mark, the great-grandson of G. W. and Lucinda, was honored by the Clay County Soil Conservation District in 2000 for his service. He and his wife, Vickie, and his mother, Maddelle King, live on the farm where he raises cattle and grows hay.
Since 1984, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program. For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit www.tncenturyfarms.org. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132 or 615-898-2947.

• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To interview the farm’s owner or request jpegs of the farm for editorial use, please contact the CHP at 615-898-2947.




Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree—the only one in Tennessee—as a model program. Recently, MTSU unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.