[149] 'Culture Fest' Takes Guests Around the World in One Room

FOR RELEASE: Oct. 28, 2011
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

‘CULTURE FEST’ TAKES GUESTS AROUND THE WORLD IN ONE ROOM
MTSU Students in Free Enterprise Put Diversity on Display through ‘Ambassadors’

MURFREESBORO—Students in Free Enterprise at MTSU will present Culture Fest, a “Tour of the World,” from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, in the Tennessee Room of MTSU’s James Union Building.

Culture Fest aims to entertain and educate the public about understanding and respecting the multiple cultures that make up the United States, organizers say.

Upon arrival, guests will be given “passports” to be stamped at each nation’s booth. Nation “ambassadors” will deliver brief lectures about their culture. International cuisine, a variety of musical styles, traditional dances and unique ethnic items are all part of the total experience.

“Culture Fest was inspired by students from Costa Rica who wanted to present the day-to-day truth of Murfreesboro: Many people of different backgrounds live and work together harmoniously every day,” says SIFE faculty adviser Jean Wilson, an instructor in the Department of Management and Marketing.

This event is free and open to the public. Doors will open promptly at 6 p.m. For more information, contact Wilson at 615-898-2436 or jrwilson@mtsu.edu.


NOTE FOR EDITORS AND REPORTERS: Coverage by credentialed media, including photography and videography, is welcome. To receive the roster of nation ambassadors, potential political attendees and sponsors, contact Adam Williams, project manager, at acw4k@mtmail.mtsu.edu. Interviews with ambassadors and guests are welcome throughout the event. Williams, Wilson and management and marketing instructor Laura Buckner are available for interviews from 5:30 to 6 p.m.
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Celebrating its 100th anniversary and faithful to its roots as a teachers' college, MTSU continues as a top producer of teachers in Tennessee. Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!
For MTSU news and information anytime, visit www.mtsunews.com.

[148] 'A Space for Faith' On Exhibit at MTSU's Baldwin Photo Gallery

FOR RELEASE: Oct. 28, 2011
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Tom Jimison, 615-898-2085

‘A Space for Faith’ on exhibit at MTSU’s Baldwin Photo Gallery

MURFREESBORO—The fast pace of digital photography is being replaced by “A Space for Faith: Colonial Meeting Houses of New England,” a new exhibit on display now through Thursday, Dec. 8, at MTSU’s Baldwin Photographic Gallery.

Photographer Paul Wainwright will speak about the exhibit, which features photos from his published collection of the same name, on Monday, Nov. 7, at 7:30 p.m. in the State Farm Lecture Hall in MTSU’s Business and Aerospace Building.

A free public reception and booksigning in the Baldwin Gallery will follow the lecture.

Wainwright, who is based in Atkinson, N.H., works in a traditional manner with sheet film, a large-format camera and silver-gelatin printing in a wet darkroom. His work has appeared in numerous juried competitions and solo exhibitions and is included in the permanent collections of both private and corporate collectors, including Fidelity Investments and Houston’s Museum of Fine Arts.

He is a mostly self-taught photographer whose images feature space and light, subtle details and an appreciation of history, as well a sense of quiet contemplation that comes from the slow, Zen-like pace of creating his images.

“A Space for Faith: Colonial Meeting Houses of New England” is his first book of photographs.

Baldwin Photographic Gallery is located in the McWherter Learning Resources Center, and its operating hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. All photo exhibitions are free and open to the public.

For more information about the exhibit, call 615-898-2085. For more information about the photographer, visit his website at www.paulwainwrightphotography.com.


The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has recognized MTSU for its outstanding curricular engagement, community outreach and partnerships. As MTSU celebrates its 100th anniversary, Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!

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

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[146] MTSU Guest Lecturer Focuses on Youth Leadership in Sports

FOR RELEASE: Oct. 28, 2011
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

MTSU GUEST LECTURER FOCUSES ON YOUTH LEADERSHIP IN SPORTS
Dr. Tom Martinek Translates Principles into Practice with Alternative High School

MURFREESBORO—Dr. Tom Martinek, professor of exercise and sport science at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, will discuss “Youth Leadership Development: From Principles to Practice” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of MTSU’s Business and Aerospace Building.

Martinek recently established an alternative high school on the UNCG campus that allows at-risk students to explore a variety of careers in health and human performance and earn up to two years of transferable college credit at graduation.

An internationally recognized expert in alternative physical-activity program models and structures, Martinek has established youth sports-leadership programs in Chicago, Mexico, Portugal, Spain and Indonesia. He is the author or co-author of nearly 100 peer-reviewed articles and eight books on youth development in sport and physical education.

Martinek’s address will be presented by the MTSU-based Center for Physical Activity and Health in Youth as part of its Distinguished Lecture Series in Youth Fitness and Sport.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Don Morgan at 615-898-5549 or dmorgan@mtsu.edu.


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Celebrating its 100th anniversary and faithful to its roots as a teachers' college, MTSU continues as a top producer of teachers in Tennessee. Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!


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

[146] MTSU Science Education Propelled By Space Grant Funding

FOR RELEASE: Oct. 28, 2011
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

MTSU SCIENCE EDUCATION PROPELLED BY SPACE GRANT FUNDING
NASA Program Awards University $31,000 for Engineering, Aerospace, Astronomy

MURFREESBORO—Middle Tennessee State University will use most of its $31,000 in funds from the Tennessee Space Grant Consortium for various space and earth science projects by students.

The rest of the money will support the annual statewide Math and Science Education Research Conference, which will be held Feb. 2-3, 2012, in Murfreesboro.

MTSU will bolster the allocation from the NASA-funded consortium with more than $24,000 in matching funds.

One of the projects supported by the funds is the Department of Engineering Technology’s award-winning MTSU Moonbuggy. Under the guidance of Dr. Saeed Foroudastan, associate dean in the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, undergraduates will build a human-powered vehicle and enter it in the annual Great Moonbuggy Race to be held in April 2012 in Huntsville, Ala.

Other projects that will benefit from the consortium grant include undergraduate involvement in the Department of Aerospace’s flight-operations center simulator, undergraduate research in the Departments of Geosciences and Physics and Astronomy, and a student’s involvement in MTSU’s Math and Science Education doctoral program.

MTSU’s involvement in the Tennessee Space Grant Consortium dates back to 1999. For more information, contact MTSU’s campus representative to the consortium, Dr. Mark Abolins of the Department of Geosciences, at 615-594-4210 or mabolins@mtsu.edu.


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Celebrating its 100th anniversary and faithful to its roots as a teachers' college, MTSU continues as a top producer of teachers in Tennessee. Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!

For MTSU news and information anytime, visit www.mts

[145] Project Help Kids Help Blue Raiders Rev Up for Ragin' Cajuns

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

PROJECT HELP KIDS HELP BLUE RAIDERS REV UP FOR RAGIN’ CAJUNS
Children Dress for Halloween Success so MTSU Can Scare Louisiana-Lafayette

MURFREESBORO--The tiny toddlers of Project Help and their parents will welcome members of the MTSU football team to their headquarters for Halloween-flavored fun at 10 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, at 206 N. Baird Lane in Murfreesboro.

“We thought the parents and the kids would enjoy dressing up to show some Blue Raider spirit” in advance of this Saturday’s football game between MTSU and Louisiana-Lafayette, says Susan Waldrop, Project Help director. The game is slated for 6:30 p.m. at Floyd Stadium.

The kids will ask the players and coaches to help them carve a pumpkin for each Project Help classroom. In addition, the youngsters will dance the “Monster Mash,” and there will be costume recognitions for the “Silliest Blue,” the “Sportiest Blue,” the “Bluest Blue,” and the “Cheering-est Blue.”

Project Help is an early intervention resource agency affiliated with both MTSU and the Rutherford County community. It educates children with delays or disabilities from six to 36 months of age free of charge.

Media are welcomed to take advantage of this delightful photo opportunity. For more information, contact Susan Waldrop at 615-898-2458 or swaldrop@mtsu.edu.

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Celebrating its 100th anniversary and faithful to its roots as a teachers' college, MTSU continues as a top producer of teachers in Tennessee. Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!


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

[144] Incoming Dean Looks to Take MTSU's Library to Next Level

FOR RELEASE: Oct. 26, 2011
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

INCOMING DEAN LOOKS TO TAKE MTSU’S LIBRARY TO NEXT LEVEL
University of Montana Library Chief to Succeed Don Craig

MURFREESBORO—Bonnie J. Allen, dean of libraries and professor of library science at the University of Montana in Missoula, Mont., will become the new dean of Middle Tennessee State University’s James E. Walker Library around March 1, 2012.

Allen, who has led UM’s libraries since 2006, also is interim director for academic information technology. She will succeed Don Craig, who retired from MTSU after 38 years of service.

“My immediate goal is to get to know MTSU well, to get to know the culture of the institution, which also seems like a family to me,” says Allen, who says she also wants to develop the Walker Library’s learning commons and space for graduate students.

She hails the Walker Library as a “stellar building poised to do the next great thing with technology.”

During the interview process, Allen says, she was “impressed by how positive everyone was about the future and the level of engagement they had in their work. People asked very good questions.”

Allen’s professional accomplishments include membership in the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities’ Accreditation Team for Library Standards and in the Online Computer Library Center Global Council and as a commissioner of the Montana State Library.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in art history and her master’s degree in library and information science from Indiana University. Allen also earned an MBA from Portland State University.

Allen, a native of Bloomington, Ind., will be moving to the Murfreesboro area with her daughter, Quinn Walsdorf, who will receive her bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Montana in January 2012.

For more information, contact Kristen Keene at 615-898-5376 or kkeene@mtsu.edu. The Walker Library also has an extensive website at http://library.mtsu.edu.


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Celebrating its 100th anniversary and faithful to its roots as a teachers' college, MTSU continues as a top producer of teachers in Tennessee. Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!
For MTSU news and information anytime, visit www.mtsunews.com.

[143] Celebrate Your Rights with 'Freedom Sings' Nov. 2 at MTSU

FOR RELEASE: Oct. 25, 2011
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Dr. Deborah Gump, 615-898-5150, or dgump@mtsu.edu

Celebrate your rights with ‘Freedom Sings’ Nov. 2 at MTSU

MURFREESBORO—Renowned musicians will celebrate the First Amendment in song on Wednesday, Nov. 2, during a special performance of “Freedom Sings” in MTSU’s Tucker Theatre.

Scheduled performers include Ashley Cleveland, Dave Coleman, Craig Krampf, Bill Lloyd, Jonell Mosser, Jason White and Joseph Wooten.

They’ll tell the story of three centuries of banned or censored music in the United States, and the show will feature several protest songs from the 1960s still being used today, most notably by the Occupy Wall Street movement.

The 2:20 p.m. multimedia performance, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Liberty Tree Initiative, the campus-grant program of “1 for All,” a national, nonpartisan campaign to raise awareness and understanding about the First Amendment.

The program is sponsored by the McCormick Foundation, the First Amendment Center, the Newseum, the American Society of News Editors and the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information and hosted by
the Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies in MTSU’s College of Mass Communication.

Before the performance, visitors can view the original music associated with the songs featured in “Freedom Sings” via a Tucker Theatre lobby exhibit of original sound recordings, sheet music, music books, photographs and more from the collections of MTSU’s Center for Popular Music.

“Some you will recognize as being protest songs, but you may be surprised to find out what other songs were banned or censored,” said Lucinda Cockrell, the center’s assistant director and archivist.

After the show, several “Freedom Sings” performers, including Lloyd and Krampf, will join a panel discussion on the First Amendment's importance to free expression and creativity in music.

The discussion, moderated by Dr. Paul Fischer from MTSU’s Department of Recording Industry, is scheduled from 4:10 to 5:35 p.m. Nov. 2 in Room 164 of the new College of Education Building.

"Freedom Sings" began in 1999 with a concert at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville and began touring nationwide in 2000.

"Freedom Sings never fails to inspire me," said Dr. Deborah Gump, who directs the Seigenthaler Chair. "When Freedom Sings came to MTSU in 2009, it was my first year on campus, so I wanted to check it out. I blown away by how packed Tucker was and how pumped the audience was. Frankly, I'm looking forward to seeing what happens this year.”

"Freedom Sings" is a national program of the Freedom Forum's First Amendment Center. The Nashville-based The First Amendment Center works to preserve and protect First Amendment freedoms through information and education.

The Seigenthaler Chair supports a variety of activities related to free-speech and free-press rights, including welcoming visiting professors of First Amendment studies and lecturers who address issues of freedom of speech and press, along with funding research, seminars and meetings related to free expression.

For more information about Freedom Sings, including details about the performers, visit www.firstamendmentcenter.org/freedom-sings. For more information about “1 for All,” visit www.1forall.us.

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has recognized MTSU for its outstanding curricular engagement, community outreach and partnerships. As MTSU celebrates its 100th anniversary, Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!

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

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[142] Education Equality is Topic of MTSU Social-Science Symposium

FOR RELEASE: Oct. 25, 2011
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Connie Huddleston, 615-494-7628 or chudd@mtsu.edu

Education equality is topic of MTSU social-science symposium

MURFREESBORO—Is education equal in America? MTSU’s 20th annual Undergraduate Social Science Symposium will tackle the topic Oct. 31-Nov. 1 with scholars who’ve been down in the trenches with students, teachers and administrators.

“Equal Education? Evaluating the American Promise” will kick off Monday, Oct. 31, with student research-paper presentations in the James Union Building on the MTSU campus. All symposium events are free and open to the public.

The symposium will showcase a Senior Scholar Lecture by Dr. Larry Isaac, a professor of American Studies at Vanderbilt University and holder of the endowed chair as the Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of Sociology, at 11:30 a.m. Oct. 31 in the Tennessee Room. At Vanderbilt, Isaac teaches courses in social movements, political sociology, methods for analyzing historical processes of social change, the historical sociology of Gilded Age America and social change and movements in the Sixties.

A special documentary by filmmaker Davis Guggenheim, “Waiting for Superman,” will be screened on Oct. 31 at 1:50 p.m. in the JUB’s Tennessee Room. The film follows a handful of promising young students through a system that inhibits, rather than encourages, academic growth, allowing Guggenheim to take an exhaustive review of public education.

A panel discussion, “Educational Inequality: Identifying Problems and Creating Solutions,” is scheduled to follow the “Waiting for Superman” screening from 4 to 5 p.m.

On Tuesday, Nov. 1, Dr. Sonya Douglass-Horsford, author of Learning in a Burning House: Educational Inequality, Ideology and (Dis)Integration, and Brian Bordainick, a New Orleans high-school teacher, athletic director and founder of the 9th Ward Field of Dreams, will offer the symposium’s keynote lectures.

Horsford, who will speak at 11:20 a.m. in the JUB’s Tennessee Room, is a senior resident scholar of education with the Lincy Institute at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she focuses on the history of education in the United States, the politics of education and the role of schools in society. She’s currently the principal investigator in a research study, “Losing in Las Vegas: Educational Inequality, Ideology, and Reform in the West,” that examines the social and community forces and school-district-led reforms working toward greater educational equality and opportunity in southern Nevada.

Bordainick, who teaches at G. W. Carver High School in New Orleans’ 9th Ward, will speak at 6 p.m. His 9th Ward Field of Dreams has raised more than $1.9 million in less than two years to support construction of a new football field and track for the Hurricane Katrina-ravaged school’s athletic program and surrounding community.

For more details on these free public events, visit the symposium’s home page at www.mtsu.edu/soc/socsymp or contact the program committee co-chairs, Drs. Meredith Dye and Brian Hinote of the MTSU Department of Sociology and Anthropology, at mdye@mtsu.edu or bhinote@mtsu.edu, respectively.


The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has recognized MTSU for its outstanding curricular engagement, community outreach and partnerships. As MTSU celebrates its 100th anniversary, Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!

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

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[141] Marshall County Farm Joins Ranks of State's Century Farms Program

For Release: Oct. 20, 2011
Contact: Caneta Hankins, Center for Historic Preservation, 615-898-2947


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

Big Orange Country Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions

MURFREESBORO— The Big Orange Country Farm, located in Marshall 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 MTSU.
The Century Farms Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have owned and kept family land in continuous agricultural production for at least 100 years.
The Sheffield family’s farm has direct ties to the Revolutionary War. Founder Arthur Shuffield (as the name was spelled then), was a veteran of that conflict and he and his father and his two brothers fought against the British for America’s independence. Born in North Carolina in 1750, Arthur married Lucretia Hogan in 1773, and they had12 children. James, a son of Arthur and Lucretia’s, came to Wilson County around 1804 to look over the Middle Tennessee landscape and its farming possibilities before other members of the family came across the mountains to settle and begin farming. In August 1813, Arthur Shuffield purchased 150 acres on Spring Creek of the Duck River in what was then Bedford County and would become Marshall County in 1836. When Arthur died in 1824, a family cemetery was established that is still maintained by his descendants.
Lucretia inherited the farm and, with the help of several sons who owned adjoining farms, managed to keep it in operation. The family raised cotton, livestock and row crops. The Fishing Ford Road, an early route linking Nashville and Huntsville, ran beside or near these farms.
After Lucretia’s death in 1837, her children inherited the farm. The children agreed to sell the farm in 1838 to their brother, John “Jack” Shuffield, but less than five years later, Jack sold the farm to another brother, Jason Bryant Shuffield, who was a member of the first Marshall County Court that met Oct. 3, 1836. During Jason’s ownership, the farm grew to approximately 1,000 acres. Jason married twice and fathered 16 children. Several of his sons and a son-in-law fought in the Civil War. Columbus Jackson Shuffield enlisted in 1861 and he served as an officer in the 4th Tennessee Calvary, Company A until he surrendered on May 9, 1865.
When Jason died in 1874, his widow, Martha Falwell Shuffield, inherited the farm, where she lived until her death in 1883. After a court battle among the heirs, Jason and Martha’s son Columbus became the next owner, farming the property until his death in 1892. His widow, Laura Adelaide Dobson Shuffield, inherited the property, and she and her son Ephraim, worked the land and added acreage to the farm.
The family had changed their surname’s spelling by the time Ephraim and Henry Sheffield inherited the farm in 1935. Henry then sold his portion to Ephraim. Ephraim and his wife, Alice Letitia Morris, were the parents of Elisha Jackson Jack Sheffield, who inherited the farm in 1959.
Jack Sheffield and his wife, Alice Wheeler Sheffield, were the parents of three children who all were active participants in 4-H programs. To increase their income, Jack also drove a school bus and worked as a night watchman at Durango Boot Company. Alice Sheffield inherited the farm after Jack’s death.
After Alice’s death in 1997, their twin daughters, Mary Sheffield and Martha Sheffield Cook inherited the farm when Martha died. The farm passed to Mary when Martha died, and Shannon Sheffield Cook, Martha’s son and Mary’s nephew works the land today. He and his wife, Amanda, live on the farm with their son Hayden, and daughter, Harlee. Shannon and his sister, Angela Cook Baxter, who also lives on the farm with her husband, Billy Baxter, and sons Pryor and Jackson, will inherit the farm one day. The family raises cotton, tobacco, hay, dairy cows and Black Angus cattle. The remnants of a slave cabin on the farm recall the slaves who worked the Sheffield property before emancipation. Records also indicate that freed blacks continued to work on the property after the Civil War. Other farm buildings remain from the late 19th and 20th centuries.
Few farms remain in the same family and carry the same surname for nearly 200 years, but that is the case with the Tennessee farm now owned by Mary Sheffield. Big Orange Country Farm is the 14th certified Century Farm in Marshall 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.


Celebrating its 100th anniversary and faithful to its roots as a teachers' college, MTSU continues as a top producer of teachers in Tennessee. Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!

[140] Humphreys County Farm Joins Ranks of State's Century Farms Program

For Release: Oct. 20, 2011
Contact: Caneta Hankins, Center for Historic Preservation, 615-898-2947


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

The Wilbert and Annie Enochs Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions

MURFREESBORO— The Wilbert and Annie Enochs Farm, located in Humphreys 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 MTSU.
The Century Farms Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have owned and kept family land in continuous agricultural production for at least 100 years.
A millhouse included on the National Register of Historic Places, a house built in 1890 and a number of 20th century farm buildings form the picturesque farmstead begun when Enoch Enochs purchased 210 acres four miles from McEwen in 1911. Enoch and his wife, Allie Hendershot Enochs, along with their four children, raised corn, hay, wheat and peanuts.
Wilbert Nathan Enochs acquired his parents’ farm in 1917. Annie May Davis was Wilbert’s wife, and they were the parents of Kenneth, Joyce and Thelma. In addition to managing the farm, which produced corn, hay, wheat, soybeans, peanuts, cotton, dairy cattle, chickens and swine, Wilbert also built a dam and millhouse to generate electricity for his family and their neighbors. He also donated land for the Liberty Baptist Church and school, and Wilbert and Annie also purchased a school bus to transport community students to McEwen High School.
Wilbert and Annie’s daughter Joyce acquired the farm in 1980. Married to Ernest Ray Bullington (now deceased), she has two daughters, Patricia and Rebecca. Joyce and Patricia now own the farm. In the 1940s, Joyce was recognized as the Most Outstanding 4-H member for Humphreys County. Patricia who is married to Dorris Davis, and Rebecca also were active in 4-H. Dorris Davis participated in 4-H and FFA, and his and Patricia’s sons, Nathan and Enoch, who represent the next generation of family farmers, were very active in both 4-H and FFA. Joyce and Dorris operate the farm, where the family raises corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, hay, beef and dairy cattle, swine, chickens and hogs. The 1890 house also is operated as the Enochs Farm House Inn Bed and Breakfast.
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.


Celebrating its 100th anniversary and faithful to its roots as a teachers' college, MTSU continues as a top producer of teachers in Tennessee. Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!

[139] Mustangs Take Center State This Weekend at MTSU's Miller Coliseum

FOR RELEASE: Oct. 20, 2011
CONTACT: Dr. Patrick Kayser, 615-494-8849

Mustangs take center stage this weekend at MTSU’s Miller Coliseum
MURFREESBORO—This Friday through Sunday, Oct. 21 and 22, there will be an “Extreme Mustang Makeover” at MTSU’s Tennessee Miller Coliseum to showcase the beauty and versatility of this rugged horse.
All events are free and open to the public, excluding the Saturday night Top 10 finals performance. Tickets to that event are $15.
Hollywood westerns have helped the mustang become a symbol for America as the vanguard of freedom, strength, determination and hope. Considered by devotees to be tough and hardy, Mustangs endure the extremes of the summer and winter seasons as well as the ongoing threat of starvation.
“The adaptability of these horses and what they can do in the right hands is unbelievable,” said Patti Colbert, director of the Mustang Heritage Foundation. “If you have the patience to work and make a connection, then it seems that mustangs give up everything. They become training partners.”
The Texas-based foundation, in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, created the Extreme Mustang Makeover event to highlight the value of the horses through a national training competition. Over the course of 100 days, trainers—many of them local—work with these previously wild horses to transform them into trained mounts.
On Sunday, attendees will be able to enter competitive bidding to adopt the participating horses.
Mustangs virtually have no natural predators, and, therefore, their population is growing by 20 percent each year, according to information released by the Bureau of Land Management.
“We’ve got to decrease that number,” said Dr. Patrick Kayser, MTSU professor of equine health and reproductive physiology and coach of the University’s Stock Horse Team. “The Extreme Mustang Makeover is an important event to increase the amount of adoptions for mustangs.” Kayser is one of three judges for the competition.
The highlight of the weekend will be Saturday’s finale, organizers said.
“There are some stunts that they pull that I’m not going to do on my horse, let alone on a mustang,” Kayser said, adding that he has seen a mustang leap onto a moving wagon and a rider jump from a trampoline onto the saddle and dunk a basketball in between. “There is something about a mustang that will make a warm spot in your heart,” he added.
For more information about the Extreme Mustang Makeover, including times of events, visit the Mustang Heritage Foundation website at http://www.extrememustangmakeover.com/emmtennessee.php, or contact the Tennessee Miller Coliseum staff at 615.494.8961.
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For MTSU news and information anytime, visit www.mtsunews.com.
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has recognized MTSU for its outstanding curricular engagement, community outreach and partnerships. As MTSU celebrates its 100th anniversary, Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!
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[138] Weakley County Farm Joins Ranks of State's Century Farms Program

For Release: Oct. 20, 2011
Contact: Caneta Hankins, Center for Historic Preservation, 615-898-2947


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

Pemberton Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions

MURFREESBORO— The Pemberton Farm, located in Weakley 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 MTSU.
The Century Farms Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have owned and kept family land in continuous agricultural production for at least 100 years.
In January 1874, Edward Woodard purchased two tracts of land, totaling 114 acres and located west of Como, from C. D. and Amanda Lovelace. He and his wife, Sarah, were the parents of five children. One of their daughters, Sallie Woodard Pemberton, acquired a portion of the family farm in 1893, and her husband, James Houston Pemberton Sr., bought out the other heirs. They raised cattle, cotton, hay and swine on the farm. James Pemberton Sr. died of blood poisoning just before the birth of their third child, James Jr. in 1896, but Sallie was able to raise their children and take care of the farm on her own. James Houston Pemberton Jr., served in World War I in France, and Sallie asked the War Department to send her son home to help her on the farm. The letter from the War Department granting this hardship request is a part of the family’s collection.
James Pemberton Jr. inherited the farm following his mother’s death, and his sisters sold him their portions for $1. James Jr. married Laura Pebbles, and lived and worked on this farm with their daughter, Marjorie, for most of the 20th century, raising cattle, swine, corn, beans and cotton. The Pembertons were members of the Farm Bureau, and Laura was a member of the Home Demonstration Club for more than 40 years.
In 1991, Marjorie, who is married to Prince C. Blackwood, inherited the farm. Today, the couple raises wheat, beans and corn on the 100-acre farm, which is worked by David Oliver of the county’s Oliver Brothers Century Farm.
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.


The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has recognized MTSU for its outstanding curricular engagement, community outreach and partnerships. As MTSU celebrates its 100th anniversary, Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!

[137] Microsoft GM Holliday to Keynote Nov. 5 GRITS Conference

Today’s date: Oct. 20, 2011

News and Media Relations contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu
GRITS contact: Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross, 615-904-8253 or jiriarte@mtsu.edu


Microsoft GM Holliday to keynote Nov. 5 GRITS Conference

MURFREESBORO — Nancy Holliday, general manager, US Services Sales for Microsoft Corp., will be the keynote speaker for the first GRITS Collaborative Project Conference, which will be held Saturday, Nov. 5, in the James Union Building at MTSU, program director Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross said.

The conference will be held from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. Participants will meet in the JUB `lobby. Events will be in the JUB Tennessee Room and Hazlewood Dining Room.

The conference is open to girl-serving organizations (Girl Scout troop leaders, Girls Inc. leaders, etc.), educators, community and business leaders, parents and others from across Tennessee.

Holliday has more than 29 years of in-depth management, technical and sales experience, Iriarte-Gross said, adding that in her Microsoft career, Holliday has held roles as business developer, partner account manager, account team unit manager, general manager public sector services sales and GM of North America national sales and strategy. She now runs sales for US Services, a $.3 billion business.

Also during the conference, Tanya Foreman, education manager at Eastman Chemical Co. in Kingsport, Tenn., will discuss the need for diversity in the areas of STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — Iriarte-Gross said.

Foreman manages the Putting Children First program, which is a business/education partnership between Eastman and eight area school systems (104-plus schools) in northeast Tennessee and southwest Virginia.

GRITS, or Girls Raised in Tennessee Science, helps raise awareness in STEM fields and piques girls’ interests to pursue as a career.

Online registration will continue until noon on Friday, Oct. 28. The $25 registration fee will include lunch. High school and college students can register for free.

To register for the conference, go online to http://www.ngcproject.org/events/events.cfm?eventid=216. You also can register for a Nov. 4 mixer.

For more information, call 615-904-8253.

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Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU is celebrating its 100th anniversary with special events and activities
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For MTSU news and information anytime, visit www.mtsunews.com.

[136] Jackson County Farm Joins Ranks of State's Century Farms Program

For Release: Oct. 14, 2011
Contact: Caneta Hankins, Center for Historic Preservation, 615-898-2947


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

Woodard Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions

MURFREESBORO— The Woodard Farm, located in Jackson 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 MTSU.
The Century Farms Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have owned and kept family land in continuous agricultural production for at least 100 years.
In 1892, Robert E. Woodard, along with H.E. Woodard and C.H. Woodard, purchased a 100-acre farm in western Jackson County near the Gladdice community. He and his wife, Virgie Phillips Woodard, were the parents of Elbert, Eugene and Clio. The family raised cows, hogs, corn, tobacco, chickens, and sugar cane and also had a vegetable garden.
In 1948 when Robert died, the children inherited the farm. Elbert remained on the farm where he and his wife Cleo, Green Woodard, raised their family Eldon, Earleen and Francis Sue, the third generation.
Earlene Woodard Wilkerson, daughter of Elbert Woodard, and her husband, Lee Dow Wilkerson, acquired the farm in 1976 when her father’s health required him to retire from farming. The Wilkersons and their daughter, Lucinda, primarily raised cattle. Bernice Ray Woodard, a great-nephew of the founder, acquired the farm in 1997 and continued to raise cattle. Bradford Woodard, another great-nephew of the founder, acquired 35 acres of the family farm in 2009. Bradford and his wife, Shirley, live on the farm and report that a log cabin remains from the time of the founders. Ten farms in Jackson County are now certified as Century Farms.
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.

Celebrating its 100th anniversary and faithful to its roots as a teachers' college, MTSU continues as a top producer of teachers in Tennessee. Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!

[135] Humphreys County Farm Joins Ranks of State's Century Farms Program

For Release: Oct. 15, 2011
Contact: Caneta Hankins, Center for Historic Preservation, 615-898-2947


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

The Wilbert and Annie Enochs Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions

MURFREESBORO— The Wilbert and Annie Enochs Farm, located in Humphreys 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 MTSU.
The Century Farms Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have owned and kept family land in continuous agricultural production for at least 100 years.
A millhouse, included on the National Register of Historic Places, a house built in 1890 and a number of 20th century farm buildings form the picturesque farmstead begun when Enoch Enochs purchased 210 acres four miles from McEwen in 1911. Enoch and his wife, Allie Hendershot Enochs, along with their four children, raised corn, hay, wheat and peanuts.
Wilbert Nathan Enochs acquired his parents’ farm in 1917. Annie May Davis was Wilbert’s wife, and they were the parents of Kenneth, Joyce and Thelma. In addition to managing the farm which produced corn, hay, wheat, soybeans, peanuts, cotton, dairy cattle, chickens and swine, Wilbert also built a dam and millhouse to generate electricity for his family and their neighbors. He also donated land for the Liberty Baptist Church and school, and Wilbert and Annie also purchased a school bus to transport community students to McEwen High School.
Wilbert and Annie’s daughter Joyce acquired the farm in 1980. Married to Ernest Ray Bullington (now deceased) she has two daughters, Patricia and Rebecca. Joyce and Patricia now own the farm. In the 1940s, Joyce was recognized as the Most Outstanding 4-H member for Humphreys County. Patricia who is married to Dorris Davis, and Rebecca also were active in 4-H. Dorris Davis participated in 4-H and FFA, and his and Patricia’s sons, Nathan and Enoch, who represent the next generation of family farmers, were very active in both 4-H and FFA. Joyce and Dorris operate the farm, where the family raises corn, soybeans, wheat, oats, hay, beef and dairy cattle, swine, chickens and hogs. The 1890 house is also operated as the Enochs Farm House Inn Bed and Breakfast.
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.


Celebrating its 100th anniversary and faithful to its roots as a teachers' college, MTSU continues as a top producer of teachers in Tennessee. Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!

[134] 350 Girls to Attend 15th EYH Math, Science Conference at MTSU Oct. 22

News and Media Relations contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu
EYH contact: Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross, 615-904-8253 or jiriarte@mtsu.edu


350 girls to attend 15th EYH math, science conference at MTSU Oct. 22

MURFREESBORO — About 350 middle- and high-school girls from across the middle Tennessee region will be participating in the 15th annual Expanding Your Horizons in Math and Science conference this Saturday, Oct. 22, at MTSU.

The conference not only will provide many fascinating individual workshops, but also will inform participants about interesting aspects of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math)-related areas and numerous potential careers shared by experts in these fields.

Among the unique workshops for middle-school girls will be “Chicks on a Mission to Explore,” “Nurses by Day, Divas by Night,” “Concrete is Lean, Mean and Green” and “Menacing Microbes.”

Here are some of the workshop options for the high-school girls: “The Science of Hogwarts,” “Superbugs vs. Designer Drugs,” “Rocket Girls” and “Fintastic Science.”

Joining MTSU faculty as workshop presenters will be professionals from Nissan North America Inc.; Schneider Electric; Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Stones River National Battlefield; CB&S Bank; Meharry Medical College; Nashville Zoo at Grassmere; the Wilson County School System; Tennessee Technology Center at Murfreesboro; Lipscomb University; Aerospace Testing Alliance; the Business Education Partnership Foundation at the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce; U.S. Air Force; and Sanford, a Newell Rubbermaid Company.

MTSU senior Jennifer Ilsley, an EYH alumna as a middle-school participant and annual volunteer with the event since the ninth grade, will serve as the Saturday morning keynote speaker. Ilsley is a professional mathematics major and accounting minor. She maintains a 4.0 GPA and anticipates graduating in December.

Registration for this year’s EYH has closed. To learn about the 16th annual EYH at MTSU in fall 2012, call 615-904-8253.

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Media welcomed.

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has recognized MTSU for its outstanding curricular engagement, community outreach and partnerships. As MTSU celebrates its 100th anniversary, Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!
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For MTSU news and information anytime, visit www.mtsunews.com.

[133] Hands-on Learning at MTSU Reaps Rewards, Success, Hands Down

For Release: Oct. 19, 2011
Contact: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919

Hands-on learning at MTSU reaps rewards, success, hands down
Experiential Learning is heading into its sixth year at MTSU, and the program is now flourishing as a model of hands-on learning through practical application and public service.
It began in 2003 as a mandate by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to develop a Quality Enhancement Plan that would improve and enhance student learning at MTSU. After an initial planning meeting, committee members broke into small groups and bounced around QEP ideas.
“Every group came back with an idea that had something to do with service-learning,” said Dr. Jill Austin, who chaired the larger body and has led the EXL initiative from the start. “So experiential learning became our focus. We had marketing students develop logo ideas, and people voted. We came up with ‘EXL—Make It Happen!’
“We developed the QEP,” Austin continued. “We could not have imagined how many forms we would need to make this process work. We submitted the QEP in March of 2006. We implemented the program that fall. At the end of the last academic year, we had completed five years of the program.”
Every college is involved in EXL now, Austin said. More than 100 EXL courses have been approved.
“We started out with 122 EXL sections, and we’ve added to that every year,” she said. “Last year we had 314 sections. We have 168 participating faculty now. We started with 54 faculty. The first academic year of EXL classes we enrolled 1700 students. Last academic year we had nearly 5200 students.”
Students can become EXL Scholars and have the EXL designation printed on their transcript if they take 16 to 18 EXL credit hours and complete a 4000-level course that requires them to do an e-portfolio of their EXL activities,” Austin explained.
“The second year of EXL we had 15 EXL Scholars,” she noted. “Last year, we had 148.”
The economic impact of the EXL program is impressive. There have been more than 3,000 EXL projects that extended to the greater community comprising approximately 194,000 hours of public-service work, Austin said.
“We started calculating a dollar value to that. Based on $8 an hour for every hour students spent, the impact on middle Tennessee of EXL was just over one million dollars in 2007-2008. By 2010-2011, it was one and a half million dollars. EXL is making a huge impact on the community while the students are earning class credit,” she said.
“I teach organizational communication, and in our introductory course we require 10 hours of volunteer work,” said Dr. Sharon Smith, speech and theatre professor. “Some of our students have worked with Room in the Inn, Domestic Violence, Make a Wish Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Mercy Homes and the Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation.”
Smith said one of her students who never thought about nonprofit work now wants to work “somewhere where she can make a difference.” Another student discovered that she had a passion for philanthropy and one day wants to operate her own nonprofit organization.
Professor Janice Harrison, School of Nursing, said that having the EXL designation on the students’ transcript gives them more validation.
“A lot of students start preparing and talking about their future jobs while they are still in their classes,” Harrison said. “It helps when they come to school with that attitude.”
Fay Parham, director of MTSU’s Office of Institutional Effectiveness, said the survey graduating seniors take every year asks them to name three things that need to be improved at MTSU.
“For the past two or three years, students have been saying to have more EXL classes—or please add an EXL component to what we have to take. I thought that was impressive. EXL is probably among the top five quality programs in the SACS quality-enhancement plans. And I’ve seen a lot of them,” Parham said.
MTSU Senior Lindsey Rose is double-majoring in organizational communication and global studies and says EXL creates a good balance of education and experience, especially when applying for a job in a tough economy.
“It landed me a position at the Nashville Zoo, which has given me great insight into the nonprofit sector,” Rose said. “With my fellow ORCO majors, there is a certain confidence in finding a job that I don’t see as often in other majors. I have no doubt that the EXL-focused classes have a hand in this.”
“This program has enriched both my resume as well as my time spent in classes by helping me receive real-world experience in communication analysis, event planning and volunteer coordination rather than the sole knowledge one gains from texts and lectures,” commented Senior Leah Mattix.
Other EXL students are involved in producing documentaries and oral histories and applying hands-on learning in areas such as civic engagement and international studies.
“The EXL designation looks good on your resume,” stated Dr. Lorne McWatters, history professor, whose students have produced films on the history of the university, the community and their own families. “I think employers like to see that. It shows involvement.”
For more information about EXL at MTSU, contact Dr. Jill Austin at 615-898-2736 or jaustin@mtsu.edu.
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has recognized MTSU for its outstanding curricular engagement, community outreach and partnerships. As MTSU celebrates its 100th anniversary, Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!
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For MTSU news and information anytime, visit www.mtsunews.com.

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[132] MTSU's 'Pistons and Pipes Series' Returns to FUMC Oct. 24

FOR RELEASE: Oct. 19, 2011
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493 or tmusselm@mtsu.edu

MTSU’s ‘Pistons and Pipes Series’ returns to FUMC Oct. 24

MURFREESBORO—Autumn is perfect for mellow brass music, and Monday, Oct. 24, is the perfect night for a free public concert to launch the Pistons and Pipes Series’ third year.

The series, which is part of a joint venture of the MTSU School of Music and Murfreesboro’s First United Methodist Church, will begin the first performance at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 24 at FUMC, located at 265 W. Thompson Lane.

The evening’s program includes the “Liturgical Fanfares” of Henri Tomasi; “Fire Dance” by Anthony DiLorenzo; “Symphony for Brass” by Eric Ewazen; “Quintet for Brass” by Malcolm Arnold; “Como Poden per sas culpas” for solo trumpets, arranged by Phil Snedicor; and the “Suite Gothique,” by Leon Boellmann, for solo organ.

“It is a program full of exciting works for brass that will intrigue and astound audience members of all ages,” said Dr. Michael Arndt, MTSU professor of trumpet and one of the organizers of the concert series.

Concert performers will include the MTSU Symphonic Brass Ensemble, MTSU Faculty Brass Quintet and MTSU Graduate Brass Quintet, as well as Sandy Arndt, an MTSU music faculty member and FUMC organist.

Michael Arndt, who is married to Sandy Arndt, said the series consists of two to three concerts each year featuring MTSU student and faculty chamber groups and, on occasion, the FUMC choir.

“The students sound absolutely amazing. Please join us for an evening of wonderful music,” Michael Arndt said, adding that donations to help support future programs will be welcome.

For more information about the Pistons and Pipes Series, please contact Michael Arndt at michael.arndt@mtsu.edu or Tim Musselman at 615-898-2493 or tmusselm@mtsu.edu. For MTSU School of Music concert information anytime, visit www.mtsumusic.com and click on the "Concert Calendar" link.


The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has recognized MTSU for its outstanding curricular engagement, community outreach and partnerships. As MTSU celebrates its 100th anniversary, Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!

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

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[131] MTSU President, Deans to Hold Open Houses in Johnson City, Knoxville

FOR RELEASE: Oct. 14, 2011
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Andrew Oppmann, 615-494-7800 (office) or Andrew.Oppmann@mtsu.edu

MTSU president, deans to hold open houses in Johnson City, Knoxville

MURFREESBORO—Middle Tennessee State University’s president and academic deans will be in Johnson City and Knoxville on Oct. 17 and 18, respectively, to talk with prospective students and high-school guidance counselors about the Murfreesboro campus.

MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee, along with University deans, officials and admissions counselors, will host free, public open houses in Johnson City on Monday and Knoxville on Tuesday.

The Johnson City event will be held at the Millennium Centre, 2001 Millennium Place. The Knoxville event will be at the Knoxville Museum of Art at 1050 World’s Fair Park. Both events run from 5 to 7 p.m.

“We’re bringing MTSU to you,” McPhee said. “We hope prospective students can join members of the MTSU community at one of these events and learn more about our excellent programs, wonderful faculty and beautiful campus in Murfreesboro.”

Prospective students can register to attend either event by clicking on the large “See you in Knoxville and Johnson City!” box at www.mtsu.edu. Walk-in attendees also are welcome.

MTSU, which is celebrating its centennial in 2011, is the oldest and largest university in the Tennessee Board of Regents system. It is the No. 1 choice of undergraduate students and transfer students in the state.

It offers more than 140 undergraduate programs in its nine colleges. MTSU has received regional and national acclaim for a variety of programs and activities, including unique offerings in programs as diverse as recording industry management, horse science, aerospace and its pioneering academic program in Concrete Industry Management.

Many of MTSU’s more traditional programs, like agricultural science, nursing, accounting and education, are considered among the best in the region.

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


The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has recognized MTSU for its outstanding curricular engagement, community outreach and partnerships. As MTSU celebrates its 100th anniversary, Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!

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[130] Oct. 29 MTSU Fall Preview Day Awaits Prospective Students

Today’s date: Oct. 14, 2011

News and Media Relations contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu
Admissions contact: David Cicotello, 615-898-5046 or David.Cicotello@mtsu.edu

Oct. 29 MTSU Fall Preview Day awaits prospective students


MURFREESBORO — Fall Preview Day at MTSU will be held Saturday, Oct. 29, with registration beginning at 8:30 a.m. and first tour starting at 9 o’clock at the Student Health, Wellness and Recreation Center on Blue Raider Drive.

The preview day allows prospective students, their parents or guardians and families to visit and gain a glimpse of MTSU campus life.

The tour will include visits to the James E. Walker Library, John Bragg Mass Communication Building, Business and Aerospace Building, Keathley University Center and one of the residence halls, an admissions official said.

After the tour, visitors will return to the Campus Rec Center and participate in an academic open house. Representatives from admissions, financial aid, Housing and Residential Life, all of the academic colleges, Transfer Student Services and Student Programming will provide information and answer questions from prospective students and their parents or guardians.

To attend the Fall Preview Day, you must preregister online at http://www.mtsu.edu/admissn. Click on “Sign up for Special Events here.” In “Search” and in the “Location” field, select “Health, Wellness and Recreation Center.” Click “Search,” which brings up the Fall Preview Day. Click on “Register.”

Daily campus tours are held at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday through Wednesday, Dec. 7. No tours will be held Oct. 17-18 for fall break and Nov. 21-25 because it’s Thanksgiving week.

For more information about admissions, tours and Fall Preview Day, call 615-898-2111.

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Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU is celebrating its 100th anniversary with special events and activities throughout the 2011-12 academic year.

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

[129] MTSU Family Weekend is Set for Oct. 28-29

Today’s date: Oct. 13, 2011

News and Media Relations contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu
New Student and Family Programs contact: Gina Poff, 615-898-2454 or Gina.Poff@mtsu.edu

MTSU Family Weekend is set for Oct. 28-29

MURFREESBORO — For this year’s MTSU Family Weekend, Oct. 28-29, participants can “mix-and-match their favorite events to make their own personalized experience,” said Mark Murphy, interim coordinator of New Student and Family Programs.

Family Weekend will kick off Friday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m. with a volleyball game between the 2010 Sun Belt Conference champion Blue Raiders and North Texas in Alumni Memorial Gym. It will end with the Saturday, Oct. 29, 7:30 p.m. presentation of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” in Boutwell Dramatic Arts Building’s Tucker Theatre.

In between, there will be plenty of food (tailgating and an all-you-can-eat Cajun feast) and fun leading to the 6:30 p.m. Sun Belt football game between MTSU and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns in Floyd Stadium.

Parents and families are encouraged to visit their students and participate in the various campus events and activities throughout the weekend, Murphy said.

A full list of activities can be found at http://www.mtsu.edu/parents/family_weekend.shtml. While on campus, you might want to join the Parent and Family Association.

For more information, visit the website, call 615-898-2454 or 800-537-2405 or email parents@mtsu.edu. Gina Poff is director of New Student and Family Programs.

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Note: A high-resolution jpeg for Family Weekend is attached.

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has recognized MTSU for its outstanding curricular engagement, community outreach and partnerships. As MTSU celebrates its 100th anniversary, Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!
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For MTSU news and information anytime, visit www.mtsunews.com.

]128] Worldwide Research is Focus of Holocaust Studies Event

FOR RELEASE: Oct. 13, 2011
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

WORLDWIDE RESEARCH IS FOCUS OF HOLOCAUST STUDIES EVENT
MTSU Biennial Conference to Examine Aspects of Historic, Pernicious Evil

MURFREESBORO—“Global Perspectives on the Holocaust” is the theme of the 10th International Holocaust Studies Conference in the James Union Building at MTSU Oct. 19-22.

Scheduled participants include scholars from Russia, India, Austria, New Zealand, Nigeria, Israel, Germany, the United Kingdom, Australia, Ukraine, Romania, Canada, Poland, France and the United States.

The gathering is sponsored by the MTSU Holocaust Studies Committee, whose mission is to encourage interdisciplinary study, teaching and scholarship in the area of Holocaust and genocide studies.

The conference will feature special public presentations, or plenary sessions, by four top researchers in the field, including:

• Paul R. Bartrop of Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, who will discuss “Holocaust Studies and Genocide Studies: Is There a Difference? And, If So, Why?” at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19;
• Laurence Mordekhai Thomas of Syracuse University, whose topic will be “The Courage to Survive Evil” when he speaks at 11:20 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 20;
• Gerhard L. Weinberg, professor emeritus of the University of North Carolina, who will discuss “A Worldwide Holocaust Project” at 12:40 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 21; and
• Alexandra Zapruder, writer and educator, who will present “Salvaged Pages: Diaries of Teenage Girls in the Holocaust” at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 22.

Each of the plenary sessions is scheduled in the James Union Building. There is no admission charge for these special presentations.

Other topics for the conference’s daily sessions include humanitarian intervention to fight atrocities, the impact of American fiction on contemporary Holocaust awareness, and parent-child separation as a means of survival during the Holocaust. One session, slated for 1:50 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21, will feature Holocaust survivors.

Another highlight of the four-day conference will be the free public screening of “I’m Still Here: Real Diaries of Young People Who Lived During the Holocaust,” featuring actors Kate Hudson, Zach Braff, Ryan Gosling, Amber Tamblyn and Elijah Wood, and a musical score by Moby. It will be shown at 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21, in the JUB.

Zapruder, who wrote the 2005 documentary, is the granddaughter of Abraham Zapruder, whose amateur film of the 1963 Kennedy assassination is one of the most dramatic and debated historical resources of the 20th century.

MTSU students will perform a two-part Holocaust-themed dance, “Adumbration” and “Yours Faithfully,” introduced by Kim Neal Nofsinger, director of the MTSU Dance Program, at 4:10 p.m. Friday.

K-12 teachers from across the state will learn more about age-appropriate Holocaust instruction in the classroom on Saturday, Oct. 22. Presenters include Danielle Kahane-Kaminsky of the Tennessee Holocaust Commission.

The entire conference is free for MTSU faculty, staff and students. For more information, contact Dr. Nancy Rupprecht, chair of the MTSU Holocaust Studies Committee, at 615-898-2645 or holostu@mtsu.edu, or visit www.mtsu.edu/~holostu for the complete conference schedule.

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Celebrating its 100th anniversary and faithful to its roots as a teachers' college, MTSU continues as a top producer of teachers in Tennessee. Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!

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

[127] Free Sunday-Night Chinese Film Festival Returns for Fall!

FOR RELEASE: Oct. 11, 2011
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Dr. Bob Spires, 615-898-2217 or rwspires@mtsu.edu

Free Sunday-night Chinese Film Festival returns for fall!

MURFREESBORO—MTSU’s free Chinese Film Festival returns on Sunday nights beginning Oct. 23, bringing four films focusing on relationships of all kinds, courtesy of the College of Mass Communication and the Confucius Institute.

Each movie will begin promptly at 6 p.m. in Room 103 of the John Bragg Mass Communication Building. Following each movie, Liu Jue, a mass-comm master’s degree candidate, will again lead a question-and-answer session.

All movies in the series have English subtitles and are free and open to the public.

The Oct. 23 film, “Ocean Heaven,” focuses on a dying father’s struggle to find a home for his autistic adult son and the community that rises to support them.

A single mother’s struggle to raise her hearing-impaired child after a painful divorce is the subject of the Oct. 30 film, “Break the Silence.”

A post-Cultural Revolution family in Beijing struggles over 30 years with their relationships in the changing Chinese society in “Sunflower,” the Nov. 6 film at MTSU.

And on Nov. 13, “Still Life” depicts two people’s desperate search for their respective spouses before a town is destroyed to build a Yangtze River dam.

This is the festival’s 13th semester, according to organizer Dr. Bob Spires, professor of electronic media communication.

Founded in 2004, the Confucius Institute is a nonprofit organization established to strengthen educational cooperation between China and other countries. MTSU’s institute celebrated its grand opening in April 2010.

For more information, call Spires at 615-898-2217, the Confucius Institute at 615-494-8696 or Dr. Guanping Zheng at 615-904-8365.


The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has recognized MTSU for its outstanding curricular engagement, community outreach and partnerships. As MTSU celebrates its 100th anniversary, Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!

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

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[126] MTSU, Discovery Museum Partner to Show Lead Poisoning Dangers

News and Media Relations contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu
Tennessee Alliance for Lead-safe Kids contact: Leigh Woodcock, 865-244-4350 (Knoxville office) or woodcock@mtsu.edu


MTSU, Discovery Museum partner to show lead poisoning dangers

MURFREESBORO — Middle Tennessee State University is partnering with the Discovery Museum of West Tennessee in Jackson to educate local residents about the dangers and prevention of childhood lead poisoning.

Using Housing and Urban Development grant funding, MTSU has donated a lead poisoning prevention storyboard that will be housed by the Discovery Museum and used for program activities and as an exhibit display.

The display will be featured during Free Family Nights and during the National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, which is Oct. 23-29. The museum is located at 305 E. College St. in Jackson.

“We are fortunate to have HUD grant funding for this type of activity and fortunate to have found such a gracious partner in the Discovery Museum of West Tennessee,” said Dr. Kathy Mathis, co-principal investigator of MTSU lead grant programs. “They are the ones who will roll up their sleeves and get the information out there. Alone, we would not be able to reach the number of parents and children that this partnership allows,”

More than 6,000 museum visitors will enjoy this interactive exhibit, learning about lead hazards in homes, the importance of testing for lead poisoning and easy lead poisoning prevention tips. Children even can visit “Dusty” the dog to see just how easy it is pick up lead dust.

“This story board offers very valuable information in a way that really engages parents and children,” said Dr. Carol Boraiko, co-principal investigator of MTSU lead grant programs. “Kids will love the ‘Dusty the Dog’ mascot and being able to see the imitation ‘lead dust’ glow under the black light. Parents will love the wealth of information and simple prevention tips given by the interactive display.”
Children largely are exposed to lead through peeling and chipping paint or lead dust in homes built before 1978, MTSU TN LEAP (Tennessee Lead Elimination Action Programs) officials said. According to 2006-08 American Community Survey, more than 13,000 homes in Madison County were built before 1978.

A lead-poisoned child can seem like a healthy child; a simple blood test is the only way to know for sure. Effects of childhood lead poisoning can include lowered IQ points, developmental and growth delays, learning disabilities, violent and aggressive behavior and coma or even death, researchers have determined.

Join the conversation about lead poisoning prevention on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MTSUHealthyHomesforTennessee.

Contact the museum at 731-410-8621 or 731-425-8367 for hours of operation. Accommodations can be made for special hours or groups.

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Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU is celebrating its 100th anniversary with special events and activities throughout the 2011-12 academic year.
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For MTSU news and information anytime, visit www.mtsunews.com.

[125] MTSU Students, Faculty Observe Fall Break Oct. 15-18

Today’s date: Oct. 11, 2011

News and Media Relations contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu



MTSU students, faculty observe fall break Oct. 15-18

MURFREESBORO — MTSU students and faculty will observe fall break from Saturday, Oct. 15, through Tuesday, Oct. 18, officials in the University’s provost office said.

Fall semester classes will resume at their regular time on Wednesday, Oct. 19.

All MTSU offices will be open their normal hours, 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Oct. 17-18.

The James E. Walker Library will be closed Oct. 15-16. Monday, Oct. 17, hours of operation will be 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. On Oct. 18, the library will be open from 7:30 a.m. to midnight.

The Student Health, Wellness and Recreation Center facilities will be closed during fall break. Campus Rec will reopen at 6 a.m. Oct. 19. However, Health Services and the Campus Pharmacy, which are located in the rec center building, will be open Oct. 17-18 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The pharmacy’s drive through will be open to 4:30 both days.

No campus tours for prospective students will be conducted on Friday, Oct. 14, and Oct. 17-18. Daily campus tours will resume Oct. 19 at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. To schedule, visit http://www.mtsu.edu/admissn/ online (scroll down to “Campus Tours”) or call 615-898-5670.

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Celebrating its 100th anniversary and faithful to its roots as a teachers' college, MTSU continues as a top producer of teachers in Tennessee. Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!


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

[124] Writer Against Racism Speaks His Mind at MTSU

FOR RELEASE: Oct. 11, 2011
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Intercultural and Diversity Affairs, 615-898-2831

WRITER AGAINST RACISM SPEAKS HIS MIND AT MTSU
Acclaimed Author, Educator, Consultant Tim Wise to Present Views on Racial Divide

MURFREESBORO—Anti-racist writer and educator Tim Wise is scheduled to speak at 6 p.m. tonight, Oct. 11, in the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus. This event is free and open to the public.

Wise is the author of six books, including White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son: Between Barack and a Hard Place: Racism and White Denial in the Age of Obama; and Colorblind: The Rise of Post-Racial Politics and the Retreat from Racial Equity. His latest book is Dear White America: Letter to a New Minority.

An adviser to the Fisk University Race Relations Institute from 199-2003, Wise was youth coordinator and associate director of the Louisiana Coalition against Racism and Nazism in the early 1990s. His experience also includes training “corporate, government, entertainment, military and law enforcement officials on methods for dismantling racism in their institutions,” according to www.timwise.org.

This event is sponsored by the MTSU Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs in collaboration with the June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students, the MTSU Black History Month Committee, Sigma Phi Beta and MT Lambda. For more information, contact Intercultural and Diversity Affairs at 615-898-2831.


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Celebrating its 100th anniversary and faithful to its roots as a teachers' college, MTSU continues as a top producer of teachers in Tennessee. Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!

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

[123] MTSU, Vandy Co-Host Political Corruption Conference

FOR RELEASE: Oct. 11, 2011
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081, gina.logue@mtsu.edu

MTSU, VANDY CO-HOST POLITICAL CORRUPTION CONFERENCE
Scholars to Discuss Public Skullduggery in Mexico, Russia, United States of America

MURFREESBORO—Middle Tennessee State University and Vanderbilt University will present a conference on “Corruption in Mexico, Russia and the United States” Oct. 13-14, with most activities taking place at Vanderbilt’s Martha Ingram Commons.

Researchers from Mexico, Russia and Colombia will join scholars from MTSU, Vanderbilt, George Mason University, Wesleyan University, Western Illinois University, the University of Kentucky, the University of San Diego, the Kennan Institute and the Nashville-based Kline Preston law firm in tackling this persistent political ill.

Events are scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13 and from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Friday, Oct. 14.

“Corruption plagues many countries throughout the world and has become perhaps the major challenge to the deepening of democracy,” notes Dr. Stephen Morris, chair of the MTSU Department of Political Science. “Today the new democracies of Mexico and Russia both struggle to manage corruption’s pernicious impact, while the U.S. faces a growing disillusionment regarding the role of money in politics.”

As a prelude to conference activities, Sandy Johnson, director of The Center for Public Integrity, will present “Uncovering Corruption: Tackling the Special-Interest Money that is Making Washington Ungovernable” at 2:20 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of MTSU’s Business and Aerospace Building.

The Johnson event is sponsored by the Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies at MTSU’s College of Mass Communication. The Seigenthaler Chair is also a co-sponsor of the corruption conference, at which Johnson will be the Thursday luncheon speaker.

Another featured discussion at MTSU will be “Corruption and Democracy in Mexico and Russia,” which is slated for 6:45 p.m. Oct. 13 in Room 128 of the Business and Aerospace Building. It will be presented by John M. Ackerman of the Institute for Judicial Studies at Mexican National University and Andranik Migranyan of the Institute of Democracy and Cooperation.

Scheduled panel discussion topics at the Martha Ingram Commons Oct. 13 and 14 include “Corruption and Development,” “Corruption and Education,” “Private Sector Corruption and Immigration” and “Corruption, Police and Drugs.”

All conference events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Morris at 615-494-7687; Dr. Andrei Korobkov, MTSU political science professor, at 615-898-2708; or Dr. Konstantin V. Kustanovich of Vanderbilt’s Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages at 615-322-2751, or visit www.mtsu.edu/politicalscience.

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Celebrating its 100th anniversary and faithful to its roots as a teachers' college, MTSU continues as a top producer of teachers in Tennessee. Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!


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

[122] Large Fall Career Fair Oct. 12 Awaits MTSU Students, Alumni

News and Media Relations contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu
Second contact: Bill Fletcher, 615-898-2862 or bfletch@mtsu.edu


Large Fall Career Fair Oct. 12 awaits MTSU students, alumni

MURFREESBORO — A career fair boasting nearly 120 businesses, government agencies and graduate schools will be available to MTSU students and alumni only. The annual Fall Career Fair will be held Wednesday, Oct. 12, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on the Murphy Center track level.

AFLAC, Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Frito-Lay Inc., McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations LLC and TVA are just a sample of the vendors registered to attend as of Oct. 5. The corporate and government agencies encompass a wide spectrum of disciplines.

As of Oct. 5, 28 universities have registered to have vendor space to showcase their graduate schools. These include the MTSU Graduate Business Studies, Ole Miss MBA, four University of Tennessee grad programs (law, pharmacy, Health Sciences Center and mathematics), Mercer University, Vanderbilt (nursing) and others.

Representatives from at least nine law schools are expected to attend. In addition to the previously mentioned areas, chiropractic and seminary will have representatives on hand.

Officials in the Career Development Center said MTSU students and alumni from all major fields within the University should plan to arrive early, bring a resume and dress professionally. The event is not open to the public. Student IDs will be required to enter. More than 1,200 students from all seven academic colleges at MTSU are expected to greet prospective employers.

Full- and part-time positions and internships will be available. On the Career Development Center website, http://www.mtsu.edu/career/, job seekers can click on “See registered employers” and “See registered grad schools.” They can click on individual businesses’ or government agencies’ websites and learn more about companies, agencies or grad schools they are interested in for employment.

Bill Fletcher is the Career Development Center director. Pat Stamps serves as recruiting coordinator. For more information, call 615-898-2862.

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Media welcomed.
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has recognized MTSU for its outstanding curricular engagement, community outreach and partnerships. As MTSU celebrates its 100th anniversary, Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!
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For MTSU news and information anytime, visit www.mtsunews.com.

[121] Film Music Composer Clinton is MTSU Recording Industry Artist-in-Residence

FOR RELEASE: Oct. 7, 2011
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Dr. Bob Wood, 615-898-2532 or Bob.Wood@mtsu.edu

Film music composer Clinton is MTSU recording industry artist-in-residence

MURFREESBORO—Film composer George S. Clinton, the man behind the music of “Mortal Kombat,” “The Santa Clause 2” and the “Austin Powers” film series, will share his expertise with MTSU Oct. 19-20 as the 2011 Department of Recording Industry Artist-in-Residence.

During his two-day visit to campus, the Grammy- and Emmy-nominated Clinton will present two free public events and several “master classes” for MTSU recording-industry students.

The first public event, the SunTrust Brian Williams Entertainment Studies Lecture, is set for Wednesday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m. in Room 101 of the Bragg Mass Communication Building on the MTSU campus.

Williams was a SunTrust Bank senior vice president who enthusiastically supported the Nashville music business community; the SunTrust Lecture Series, supported by SunTrust Bank, was renamed in Williams’ honor after his 2006 death.

Clinton’s second public event is a question-and-answer session on the film-music industry and composition on Thursday, Oct. 20, at 4 p.m. in Room 174 of the Bragg Mass Comm Building.

The 1969 MTSU alumnus will spend the rest of his time at the University visiting classes, critiquing graduate recording-industry students’ film scores and discussing the relationship between film and the film’s musical score with a group of student screenwriters.

“George is a member of an elite group of film composers in Hollywood,” said Dr. Bob Wood, director of MTSU’s Master in Fine Arts in Recording Art and Technologies program. “The scope and quality of his work is remarkable, encompassing so many styles and genres.

“His insights into the film music industry and how to get started are invaluable to our students. There is also no substitute for the critiques he will provide our MFA student composers. Imagine receiving assistance on a student film score from a composer who has written music for so many films! They won’t forget the experience.”

Clinton is a native of Chattanooga, Tenn., and an honorary recording-industry professor at the University. He also is a member of the MTSU College of Mass Communication Board of Professional Advisors.

For more information about Clinton’s visit, contact Wood at 615-898-2532.


The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has recognized MTSU for its outstanding curricular engagement, community outreach and partnerships. As MTSU celebrates its 100th anniversary, Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!

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

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[120] MTSU Welcomes Milton Scholars to 'Paradise' of a Conference

FOR RELEASE: Oct. 7, 2011
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Dr. Kevin Donovan, 615-898-2665 or Kevin.Donovan@mtsu.edu

MTSU welcomes Milton scholars to ‘Paradise’ of a conference

MURFREESBORO—The Department of English at MTSU will celebrate its 20th anniversary as the sponsor and host of the Conference on John Milton Oct. 13-15 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Murfreesboro.

This 11th biennial conference, first held in Murfreesboro in 1991, attracts scholars of the great English poet Milton, who is best known for his 17th-century epic, Paradise Lost. Dr. Kevin Donovan, MTSU English professor, says that past conference participants have traveled from Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Norway, as well as from every region of the United States.

“Since its inception, the conference has attracted most of the leading American and Canadian scholars in the field of Milton studies,” Donovan said. "It also has resulted in a series of collected essays, two of which have won the prestigious Irene Samuel Prize from the Milton Society of America."

Donovan and MTSU Professor Emeritus Charles W. Durham, past president of the Milton Society of America, and Kristin A. Pruitt, professor emerita of Christian Brothers University, again will serve as co-directors of the event. Both Durham and Pruitt have served as president of the Milton Society of America.

This year's plenary speakers are Professor John Leonard of the University of Western Ontario and Professor Maggie Kilgour of McGill University, Donovan said.

The registration cost of this year’s event is $120 per person. In addition to admittance to all conference sessions, this fee includes the catered Oct. 13 opening reception, coffee and pastry Oct. 14-15 and dinner on Oct. 14. The conference registration fee is being waived for all departmental faculty and graduate students to attend paper sessions and the opening reception on Oct. 13.

For more information on the conference, including a full list of scheduled speakers and registration materials, please visit the conference Web site at www.mtsu.edu/english/milton or contact Donovan at 615-898-5898.


The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has recognized MTSU for its outstanding curricular engagement, community outreach and partnerships. As MTSU celebrates its 100th anniversary, Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!

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

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[119] MTSU Supporters 'Bleed Blue' in Droves AGAIN to beat WKU, Save Lives

FOR RELEASE: Oct. 7, 2011
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina E. Fann, 615-898-5385 or gina.fann@mtsu.edu

MTSU supporters ‘Bleed Blue’ in droves AGAIN to beat WKU, save lives

MURFREESBORO—MTSU students, staff and supporters “bled blue” — to the tune of 589 units of blood — to save lives and beat Western Kentucky for the second year of a friendly off-the-gridiron competition.

The winner was announced during the Oct. 6 football game against WKU at Floyd Stadium. The three-day competition drew so many potential donors to MTSU’s Student Health, Wellness and Recreation Center that even with extra supplies on hand, blood-collection supplies ran out before the event concluded.

“It was an amazing turnout and a great opportunity to help,” said Brittany Durham, senior donor-recruitment representative for the American Red Cross’s Tennessee Valley Blood Donor Services Region. “We learned the hard way that MTSU donors will turn out in droves to support a blood drive, and we’ll plan accordingly for next year’s competition.

“I want to thank MTSU’s donors and volunteers for all their support. We’re grateful to everyone who came out, on both campuses!”

WKU collected 422 units of blood, reaching a combined total of 1,011 to almost meet the competition’s goal of 1,050 units. (Western won the football game, 36-33 in double overtime, before 23,307 fans at MTSU and a live national audience on ESPNU.) Since each donation can help up to three people, the universities' combined efforts helped more than 3,033 hospital patients, Red Cross officials said.

Organizers praised campus groups and staff who worked hard to encourage potential donors and then volunteered during the drive, including student organizations, MTSU Campus Recreation, University Housing and Residential Life, the Department of Student Programming, the Office of Alumni Relations, the Athletic Department and the Student Government Association.

The donation drive also was ably assisted by the Dunn family of McMinnville, Tenn., whose youngest member, Andy, is a cancer survivor in part because of donated blood products. His older brother, Ray, is a freshman honors student at MTSU. The brothers and their parents, Dot and Daryl, spent much of the MTSU drive’s second day helping donors and volunteers on-site.

MTSU’s next blood drive is set Dec. 5-6 in Room 322 of the Keathley University Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. To make an appointment for that drive, visit www.redcrossblood.org later this month, click the blue "Enter Sponsor Code" box in the middle of the page and then enter "mtsu19" to register.

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has recognized MTSU for its outstanding curricular engagement, community outreach and partnerships. As MTSU celebrates its 100th anniversary, Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!
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For MTSU news and information anytime, visit www.mtsunews.com.
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[118] Gendered Organizations Focus of Research Series Speech

FOR RELEASE: Oct. 7, 2011
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

GENDERED ORGANIZATIONS FOCUS OF RESEARCH SERIES SPEECH
Women’s, Gender Studies Speaker Emphasizes Organizational Communication

MURFREESBORO—Dr. Janet McCormick, professor in the MTSU Department of Speech and Theatre, will discuss MTSU’s interdisciplinary major and minor in organizational communication at 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, in Room 100 of the James Union Building.

McCormick’s address, “Organizational Communication: Make it BIG—Make a DIFFERENCE—Positively ORCO,” will highlight the newest class offering in the degree track, a special-topics course on gendered organizations.

The address will be the latest in the fall semester Women’s and Gender Studies Research Series and is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Dr. Pat Bradley at 615-904-8128 or pat.bradley@mtsu.edu.


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Celebrating its 100th anniversary and faithful to its roots as a teachers' college, MTSU continues as a top producer of teachers in Tennessee. Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!

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

[117] National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week is Oct. 23-29

Today’s date: Oct. 7, 2011

News and Media Relations contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu
Tennessee Alliance for Lead-safe Kids contact: Leigh Woodcock, 865-244-4350 (Knoxville office) or woodcock@mtsu.edu


National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week is Oct. 23-29

MURFREESBORO — Oct. 23-29 is designated as National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, and MTSU’s Tennessee Alliance for Lead-safe Kids program wants people across the state to know the risks and take precautions.

“The only way to know of lead exposure is through a simple blood test, and even low levels of lead in a child’s blood can be dangerous,” said Dr. Kathy Mathis, TALK/TN LEAP Principal Investigator.

“Our target audience is parents, but also anyone (child care or health care providers) who works with children under 6,” Mathis said.

Effects of childhood lead poisoning can include lowered IQ points, developmental and growth delays, learning disabilities, violent and aggressive behavior and coma or even death, researchers have determined.

Unless they have been exposed to lead hazards, children should be tested at 12 and 24 months of age. Parents and guardians should talk to their pediatrician or local health department officials about any concerns, Mathis said.

Children are exposed to lead through peeling and chipping paint in homes built before 1978; through lead dust from paint in homes built before 1978; through some older water pipes, mini blinds, imported toys, hobbies, home remedies and jewelry; and in utero (the uterus), where lead can be passed from the mother to her unborn child.

“There is a great concern for lead poisoning from imported goods, and rightly so, but many are unaware of the lead in their own homes that could poison their children,” Mathis said. “It’s our goal to help parents take simple steps to protect their kids.”

In Tennessee, more than 1 million homes were built before 1978; thus, more than 35 percent of all Tennessee homes potentially contain lead-based paint hazards.

Housing and Urban Development Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control grant programs at MTSU can assist families in various ways:

• TALK offers outreach and education about the dangers and prevention of childhood lead poisoning; and

• TN LEAP (Tennessee Lead Elimination Action Program) has grant funding to help identify and clean up lead-based paint hazards in pre-1978 homes of those who qualify.

MTSU, in partnership with HUD, will observe this national week of lead poisoning awareness by placing Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Storyboards in children’s museums in Murfreesboro, Jackson and Tullahoma; through public bus advertisements placed in the Nashville, Chattanooga and Knoxville markets; via advertisements with Nashville Parent magazine; and by participating in numerous professional and community-based outreach events statewide.

Childhood lead poisoning is 100 percent preventable, said Dr. Carol Boraiko, TN LEAP co-principal investigator. For information on how to protect your child or children in your care and request assistance, go online to mtsu.edu/talk or join the conversation on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MTSUHealthyHomesforTennessee.

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The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has recognized MTSU for its outstanding curricular engagement, community outreach and partnerships. As MTSU celebrates its 100th anniversary, Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!
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For MTSU news and information anytime, visit www.mtsunews.com.

[116] MTSU Student Farmers Market Set for Friday in Horticulture Center

Today’s date: Oct. 6, 2011

News and Media Relations contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu
Ag contact: Dr. Nate Phillips, 615-494-8996 or nphillip@mtsu.edu


MTSU Student Farmers Market set for Friday in Horticulture Center

MURFREESBORO — The MTSU Student Farmers Market will be open Friday, Oct. 7, from noon until 2 p.m. in the Horticulture Center, officials in the School of Agribusiness and Agriscience said.

Because of classes in the Horticulture Center classroom (where the sale is held during summer), the farmers market will be in the Horticulture Center head house. Attendees should just go past the classroom into the greenhouse portion of the building.

Available for sale will be organically produced squash, zucchini, strawberries, turnip greens, mustard greens, collards, lettuce, peppers, eggplant, and more. Also available will be MTSU-produced honey.

Organizers said they expect to have a fall farmers market the next three Fridays in October. All will be from noon to 2 p.m. For more information, call 615-898-2523.

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Media welcomed.

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has recognized MTSU for its outstanding curricular engagement, community outreach and partnerships. As MTSU celebrates its 100th anniversary, Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!
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For MTSU news and information anytime, visit www.mtsunews.com.

[115] Veteran Journalist Tackles D.C. Corruption in Oct. 12 Lecture at MTSU

FOR RELEASE: Oct. 6, 2010
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Dr. Deborah Gump, 615-898-5150 or dgump@mtsu.edu

Veteran journalist tackles D.C. corruption in Oct. 12 lecture at MTSU

MURFREESBORO— Veteran journalist Sandy Johnson will tackle "Uncovering Corruption: Tracking the Special-Interest Money that is Making Washington Ungovernable" on Wednesday, Oct. 12, at MTSU.

Johnson, who is managing editor for politics and government at the Center for Public Integrity in Washington, D.C., will speak at 2:20 p.m. in the State Farm Lecture Hall in MTSU’s Business and Aerospace Building. Her lecture is part of the Seigenthaler Speaker Series, sponsored by the Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies in MTSU’s College of Mass Communication.

The address is free and open to the public.

Johnson’s work at the CPI, which began in December 2010, is oversight of campaign finance, lobbying, politics, political ethics, and federal agencies.

Before joining the center, Johnson spent nearly 30 years at the Associated Press, where she oversaw the wire service’s coverage of the federal government, elections and politics as Washington bureau chief from 1998 to 2008. The Washington bureau was recognized multiple times for its political and investigative coverage during her tenure.

Johnson was a Pulitzer finalist for refusing to project George W. Bush as winner of the 2000 presidential election when Florida remained too close to call, leading to the AP’s status as the lone major news outlet in the exit-poll consortium that didn’t have to reverse its election call.

“More than a billion dollars has been spent so far this year by 11,000 lobbyists trying to influence Congress and federal agencies, and that doesn’t include campaign contributions,” said Dr. Deborah Gump, who directs the Seigenthaler Chair. “So ‘follow the money’ isn’t just a great line from ‘All the President’s Men’; it’s what good reporters must do to find out the ‘why’ behind the ‘what.’

“Sandy Johnson not only knows better than anyone else how to follow the money, she also knows where the backroom deals are made and who’s twisting whose arm. We are incredibly fortunate to have her insider’s view of Washington power plays.”

MTSU established the John Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies in 1986 to honor the newsman’s lifelong commitment to free expression. The Seigenthaler Chair supports a variety of activities related to free-speech and free-press rights, including welcoming visiting professors of First Amendment studies and lecturers who address issues of freedom of speech and press, along with funding research, seminars and meetings related to free expression.

For more information, call Gump at 615-898-5150.


The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has recognized MTSU for its outstanding curricular engagement, community outreach and partnerships. As MTSU celebrates its 100th anniversary, Pride, Tradition and Excellence are the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"!

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

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[114] MTSU's Head of Facilities Assume Presidency of Professional Organization

Oct. 5, 2011
Contact: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919

MTSU’s head of facilities assumes presidency of professional organization
MURFREESBORO—David Gray, assistant vice president of the Department of Facilities Services at Middle Tennessee State University, recently was elected president of the Association of Physical Plant Administrators. A former banker, Gray oversees 170 employees who are responsible for maintenance, operations and construction on a campus of 26,000-plus students with a footprint of 4.9 million square feet. APPA shares resources and expertise with members and helps to emphasize the importance of strong leadership in facilities management.
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[113] Economic Outlook Conference Offers Global Perspectives

Oct. 3, 2011
Economic Outlook Conference Offers Global Perspectives
MURFREESBORO—Mark A. Emkes grabbed the attention of the partisan audience at Friday’s MTSU’s 19th annual Economic Outlook Conference when he said he knew firsthand of two MTSU graduates who were making a positive difference in their jobs—one at Bridgestone-Firestone and the other in state government.
“This is where universities like MTSU play such a significant role,” he said. “We must make sure that the youth of today are adequately prepared for the working world.”
Emkes, state commissioner of finance and administration, told the 250 business and industry leaders that Tennessee has been blessed with great fiscal leadership over the years. Tennessee sits in an enviable position with strong cash flow, a solid, budgeted pension program and a “Rainy Day Fund” that is gradually returning to good health, he observed.
“August was the 13th consecutive month that revenues have exceeded budget estimates,” Emkes noted. “Relatively speaking we’re in pretty good shape.
“If we run state government more like a business, the chance for better operation will be enhanced,” he stated.
Tenncare is doing well, he said, because it remains affordable, utilizes generic-drug programs (81 percent) and still gets high marks in quality service and customer satisfaction. He cautioned, however, that the program ($8.2 billion in 2010) will need to be constantly monitored.
“Tennessee’s fiscal house is in order. Unfortunately our federal government can’t say the same thing.”
The federal government throws money at a problem or slaps on regulations in hopes that it will fix itself, he said. Instead, it should look at its current processes and systems and see how to improve them.
“That’s an exercise companies go through on an annual basis,” he noted. “We need to get real.”
Emkes said Tennessee still ranks behind the national average (30 percent) of adult citizens over the age of 25 with a college degree. Tennessee stands at 21 percent. “Even in a factory, most jobs require significant computer skills, along with a strong knowledge of processes and systems.
Dr. David Penn, director of MTSU’s Business and Research Center, provided a local economic outlook and said the economy was like a bus stuck on an embankment.
“What will it take for the bus to get moving again? He posed.
Penn said unemployment remains virtually unchanged at 8.5 percent for Nashville MSA. Nonfarm employment growth is growing modestly, and housing construction is low by historical standards. However, areas that are stable and gradually climbing include manufacturing, construction jobs, retail sales, jobs across several industries and personal income. Unemployment remains stable.
Nashville growth will depend on growth in the U.S. economy. “It will help if Washington agreed on something—anything,” he said.
Dr. Don Ratajczak, professor emeritus in economics at Georgia State University and nationally known forecaster, told the luncheon audience that as Europe goes, so goes the United States. Some governments such as Spain, Italy and Portugal are too large and are incurring huge debt.
“Why are we concerned? Because if European banks go down, we do have some investment instruments there—and there will be a ripple effect in the financial community. But they’re not doing to us what we did to them during our mortgage crisis,” he added.
“What can we do to stymy you? That’s the game we’re playing here … so that one party can bulldoze the other.” Referring to some members of the Tea Party, Ratajczak commented, “The problem is that some probably don’t have the skills and are still following their campaign slogans. A pledge not to deliberate is a mistake,” to which there was some applause.
The inflation rate should decrease somewhat next year to 2.5 down from 3.5, and there should be some moderation in food prices. Unemployment will hover around 8 percent.
“What Congress needs to do is take a two-week holiday and do strategic planning,” he advised as a solution to the current gridlock. “Government should do what are the best practices in private enterprise.”
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