Thursday, March 29, 2012

[352] Music Great 'Lead Belly' is Focus of Special University Honors Lecture April 3

Music great ‘Lead Belly’ is focus of special University Honors Lecture April 3

FOR RELEASE: March 29, 2012
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina E. Fann, 615-898-5385 or Gina.Fann@mtsu.edu

MURFREESBORO—Dr. Mark Jackson of the MTSU English Department will lead a special lecture on folk and blues musician Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter on Tuesday, April 3.

The 4:30 p.m. lecture will be held in Room 106 of the Paul W. Martin Senior Honors Building on campus. It’s part of the Spring 2012 Honors Lecture Series at MTSU, which is focused on “Prison Writing."

Ledbetter was a Louisiana native who gained national fame in the 1940s after decades of performing folk and blues music across the South. Imprisoned twice, "Lead Belly" used his jail time to learn and write more songs, even using music to gain a pardon from a Texas governor.

Folklorists Alan and John Lomax discovered Ledbetter in the Angola Prison Farm while recording prison songs for the Library of Congress and brought him and his music to the rest of the world.

"Lead Belly" was best known for his work on the 12-string guitar, although he played multiple instruments, including the accordion, mandolin and piano. He brought folk ballads like "Goodnight Irene," "Midnight Special," "The House of the Rising Sun" and "The Rock Island Line" into the mainstream and wrote his own gospel, blues, folk, political and topical songs.

Jackson teaches courses on American literature, popular culture, folklore and American song at MTSU. He published “Prophet Singer: The Voice and Vision of Woody Guthrie” through the University Press of Mississippi in 2007 and also compiled, edited and produced several CDs through the West Virginia University Press, including "Coal Digging Blues: Songs of West Virginia Miners."

The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information about the MTSU Honors Lecture Series, visit www.mtsu.edu/honors or call 615-898-2152.

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

[351] MTSU Library Celebrates 100 Years As Federal Depository

FOR RELEASE: March 29, 2012
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Kristen Keene, 615-898-5376

MTSU LIBRARY CELEBRATES 100 YEARS AS FEDERAL DEPOSITORY
Democracy, Transparency on File at MTSU, Informing Citizenry for 100 Years

MURFREESBORO— Before the Internet, before television or radio, the U.S. government’s way to assure transparency about its work in the public’s name was to send copies of its documents to specially designated libraries.

The James E. Walker Library is commemorating 100 years of service to the community as one of those libraries. A special display is available for viewing now through April 30.

Since 1813, the Federal Depository Library Program has compiled all types of government information in numerous formats to ensure that the American people have access to everything from rules and regulations to census demographics.

While regional libraries in the program must collect everything the government publishes, Walker Library’s selective status enables it to be choosy about the items it keeps on hand.

“We try to make it fit the needs of the community, the University and the curriculum,” says Beverly Geckle, serials and government documents librarian.

The Walker Library’s federal depository collection includes the Congressional Record, which is the official compendium of House and Senate floor speeches.

It also features more vibrant offerings such as guides to National Park Service trails and a full-color bilingual flow-chart biography of Smokey the Bear—in English on one side of each page and in Spanish on the other side.

Other items chronicle our nation’s history, including a Central Intelligence Agency publication, “Penetrating the Iron Curtain: Resolving the Missile Gap with Technology,” and the transcript of a conversation between Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Henry Kissinger and Soviet Ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Dobrynin, which can be found in the “Foreign Relations of the United States” series.

From the mundane to the compelling, the documents and other items represent 100 years of communication between a government and its people.

“Anyone in the community can use government document materials,” says Geckle. “That’s an important mission of the depository program.”

For more information about the exhibit or the library, contact Kristen Keene at 615-898-5376 or kristen.keene@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.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

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

For Release: March 28, 2012
Contact: Caneta Hankins, Center for Historic Preservation, 615-898-2947


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

Joseph Francis Connell, Sr. Family Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions

MURFREESBORO— The Joseph Francis Connell Sr. Family Farm, located in Van Buren County, has been designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms Program at the Center for Historic Preservation at 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.
Frank Marion Connell came to Tennessee from Indiana around 1890 and in 1905 he established a farm of approximately 147 acres four miles north of Spencer in the Cummingsville community. Frank purchased property from Dr. I. C. Morgan in 1905 and married Sara “Sallie” Ellen Cummings in 1908. Sallie’s family was originally from Glasgow, Scotland, and her ancestors included a Revolutionary War veteran, Joseph Medley Cummings, who came to the area to claim a land grant and settled in White County in 1807. Van Buren County would be formed in 1840 and the community became known as Cummingsville.
Joseph “Joe” Francis Connell Sr. was born to Sallie and Frank in 1910. During this time, the family raised cattle, hogs and chickens while also growing corn and hay.
In addition to being a successful farmer, Frank was a lumberman and contractor and the Connells gave generously to the community. They helped establish Oak Grove School for African-Americans on the property in 1925, which held classes until 1932. They also gave a portion of the land for the United Methodist Church of Cummingsville. While the Great Depression forced the family to move to Mississippi around 1930, they returned 10 years later in 1940. Frank died in 1936 and passed the farm on to his son Joe; Sallie died in 1953.
While in Mississippi, Joe married Elizabeth “Betsy” Pollard in 1935; they had their first son, Joseph Francis “Joe Frank” Connell Jr., in 1938. Lawrence “Larry” Howard Connell was born in 1943, and both boys attended the Cummingsville School. From 1940 to 1950, Joe actively farmed and “tracked timber for a local stave mill” while Betsy taught math at Spencer High school from 1944 to 1950. The family then moved to Oak Ridge but continued to oversee the farming operation on a shared or rented basis.
The two brothers, Joe Frank and Larry Connell, acquired the land in 1989, of which approximately 100 acres of the original farm remains. The Connells are actively engaged in the farm management, but Mike and Camilla Carter rent and work the land, where they raise soybeans, wheat and cattle. The remainder is woodland and pasture. Joe Connell compiled the family history and submitted the Century Farms application as a tribute to his parents, “who sacrificed greatly to keep the farm in the Connell family.”
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"! For MTSU news and information anytime, visit www.mtsunews.com.

[348] Coffee County Farm Joins Ranks of State's Century Farms Program

For Release: March 28, 2012
Contact: Caneta Hankins, Center for Historic Preservation, 615-898-2947


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

Sunrise View Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions

MURFREESBORO— Sunrise View Farm, located in Coffee 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.

On March 5, 1894, James Wilson Bryan purchased 250 acres three miles north of Hillsboro in the Asbury Community for $100. Here he and his wife, Liney Basha Meadows Bryan, raised their 11 children. Their farm operations included a large array of crops and livestock, including corn, soybeans, millet, cotton, sugar cane, peas, hay, wheat and oats and pigs, cattle, mules, horses and chickens. In 1902, they built a farmhouse that still stands today.

In 1929, James Walter Bryan acquired 100 acres of his parents’ farm. He and his wife, Flora Mae Anthony Bryan, were the parents of Jack, Jo Juanita, Walter Jr., George Washington Vernon and Paul David. This generation raised many of the same crops and livestock, but also grew a garden and made chestnut rails for fences. James also worked at a sawmill and was a carpenter, building houses, barns, and toolsheds. On the farm, he had a blacksmith shop and was able to plow two rows of corn at a time using a bull-tongue plow. He also had a one-row cultivator. Flora crocheted, made clothing and quilts out of feed sacks, canned meats and vegetables and raised chickens. She also sold two cases of eggs a week to a man who then sold them in Tullahoma.

Today, the third generation of Bryans works this historic farm. Paul David Bryan was already extensively engaged in the family’s agricultural operations when he acquired 60 of the founder’s original purchase in 1982. He purchased a VAC Case tractor in 1944 to assist his father and worked for the Coffee County Agricultural and Soil Conservation Office in the late 1950s measuring tobacco and cotton crops. He also expanded the farm by purchasing adjacent acreage.

Paul and his wife, Peggy Elizabeth Parks Bryan, met at a Young Farmers and Homemaker cookout and campout in 1958. The next year they married and had four children: Peggy Marie, Parks Anthony, Patsy Ruth and Polly Sue. In the 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, Paul and Peggy were 4-H group leaders while their children were involved in club activities. Their children and now their grandchildren have been involved in numerous activities and received several wards. Paul and Peggy were also district members of the Coffee County Farm Bureau.

Peggy is a 50-year member of the Home Demonstration Club, where she has held several positions. She is also a County Council member and has played the piano for the Ashbury United Methodist Church since 1959.

In the past, the Bryans raised dairy and beef cattle, hogs, sheep, horses and chickens as well as many of the same crops as Paul’s grandfather. Paul and Peggy continue to cultivate a garden and freeze and can the produce as well as sell some of their surplus. Their nephew, Earl Bryan, leases and cultivates soybeans and corn on most of the acreage, continuing the family’s farming traditions of nearly 120 years.

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

[349] Shelby County Farm Joins Ranks of State's Century Farms Program

For Release: March 28, 2012
Contact: Caneta Hankins, Center for Historic Preservation, 615-898-2947


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

Flippin-Castles Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions

MURFREESBORO—The Flippin-Castles Farm, located in Shelby 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 Flippin-Castles Farm is composed of two family farms in the Rosemark area. James C. Castles began farming in Shelby County in 1875, and from that property came the Castles-McCalla Century Farm, owned by Mrs. Henry McCalla, that was certified in 2002. It was not until 1906, however, that Castles purchased the 150-acre parcel of his total of 1,600 acres that is being registered as the Flippin-Castles Farm. James and his wife, Elizabeth McQuiston Castles, assigned their children’s inheritance by dividing the farm into nine parcels of “approximately equal value.” They put nine slips of paper into a jar, and each child drew a slip that indicated which piece of the farm they would inherit. In 1921, James C. Castles died, and the children became the owners of their parcels.
The Flippin family came to Rosemark in 1895 when Dr. Peter John Flippin moved to the area; three years later, he graduated from Memphis Hospital Medical College. In 1903, he purchased 3.8 acres of land in town, where he built a farmhouse to accompany a three-room house and a cotton barn already on the site. He used the house as his medical office, where he had a waiting room, exam room, and a room where he mixed his medicines. Flippin delivered 1,000 babies and during his career received the “Golden T” from the University of Tennessee for his 50 years of medical service to the community.
Flippin also purchased 320 acres near the Castles property in 1911. He married Elizabeth C. Castles, the daughter of James C. and Elizabeth McQuiston Castles. Both families grew cotton and raised cattle on their farms.
The Flippins were the parents of three children: Peter Jr., Elizabeth and Charlotte. In 1951, these three siblings inherited the 462 acres, and cotton continued to be the primary crop. The current owners of the farm are Elizabeth Flippin McCalla, Helen F. McGill, Drew F. Henwood, John R. Henwood and Lee C. Henwood.
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"! For MTSU news and information anytime, visit www.mtsunews.com.

[347] Pickett County Farms Join Ranks of State's Century Farms Program

For Release: March 28, 2012
Contact: Caneta Hankins, Center for Historic Preservation, 615-898-2947


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

Whittenburg Farm and Riley Estate Recognized for Agricultural Contributions

MURFREESBORO— The Whittenburg Farm and the Riley Estate, located in Pickett County, have been designated as Tennessee Century Farms, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms Program at the Center for Historic Preservation at 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.
William Francis Williams acquired 468 acres five miles east of Byrdstown on Aug. 3, 1868. Here, he and his wife, Martha Campbell Williams, raised their six children and improved the land. To maintain their farm, the Williamses built a granary, corn crib and barn. They raised cattle, mules, hogs and chickens and grew corn, wheat and oats.
In 1916, their daughter Betty and her husband, Oplis Whittenburg, purchased 100 acres of the original farm for $400. They raised cattle, pigs and chickens while growing hay and corn. The Whittenburgs built two houses and also set aside acreage for Williams Chapel Church and Cemetery. Their daughter, Verda E. Whittenburg, inherited the farm when they died.
When Verda passed away in 1996, her cousin, Jean Beaty, inherited the family farm. Jean is another granddaughter of the founding couple, William and Martha Williams. Many of the original farm buildings and both houses remain on the farm. Jean has restored the two houses; one had been used to store hay and hang tobacco. Today, Jean and her son, Larry Beaty, live on the 83 acres that remain in the family. They grow hay and raise cattle with the help of their cousin, Larry Stone.
Joseph David Riley acquired 45 acres outside Byrdstown around 1898; however, the farm’s earliest legal documentation is for taxes paid for 1901. Joseph traded a black mare, with its saddle and bridle, for the farm. When he and Savannah Ellen Garrett married in 1898, Ellen brought her treadle sewing machine by mule from her home in northeast Pickett County to her new log home built by their families. From their property, where they raised three sons—Dewey Webster, James Elijah and Forrest McKinley—they witnessed World War I, survived the Great Depression and were able to maintain their land despite the building of Tennessee Valley Authority’s Dale Hollow Lake in 1942.
The Rileys’ farm provided for the needs of their family, and subsistence farmers, they engaged in a wide range of agricultural activities. Ellen is remembered as a strong woman who worked alongside Joseph. She harvested the wool from their sheep, carded it, and spun it into wool thread. To supplement the farm’s income, she produced items for sale, including feather mattresses and pillows, milk, butter, cream and wine.
Joseph and Ellen lived much as their parents had and did not make use of many of the modern conveniences that the 20th Century provided. Until the Rileys died in the mid-1960s, they continued to cook on a wood-burning stove; use buckets to carry water from a spring a thousand feet from the house and used electricity sparingly. In fact, they only had two light bulbs and a basic refrigerator.
In 1934, the Rileys deeded a portion of their land to Dewey Webster “Webb” Riley, their oldest son. Their second son, James Elijah, was deeded five acres on which he built his homestead; this land remains in the family and is owned by Elbert Riley and his wife. In 1963, Webb and his wife, Maggie Jane Melton Riley, were deeded the remaining acreage for a total of 40 acres.
Webb and Maggie continued to practice subsistence farming and supplemented their income by raising tobacco, beef cattle, dairy cows and a large poultry flock and producing molasses and honey. All of these were sold to or traded with neighbors at local and regional markets. Their children were Audrey Mae, Curtis Frank and Marvin Cordell. In their retirement, Webb and Maggie sold 15 acres and transferred ownership of their farm to Audrey.
Audrey Mae and her husband, Daniel Tompkins, had three children; Gregory, Douglas and Regina. Webb Riley continued to use the property and leased the land for tobacco, alfalfa and grazing purposes. In time, Audrey continued to lease the land as her father did and also sold about eight acres.
Maggie Riley passed away in 2005, and in 2009, the founder’s great-grandson, Gregory, and his wife, Deborah Sexton-Tompkins Riley, purchased 13 acres from Audrey.
Webb and Maggie’s 1930s house still stands, as well as the main stock barn, smokehouse, bee house, chicken house and a small tobacco barn. Each of these are in the process of renovation or recently were restored by Gregory and Deborah. The land produces hay, firewood, black walnuts and cedar fence posts in addition to several thousand board feet of timber.
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"! For MTSU news and information anytime, visit www.mtsunews.com.

[345] MTSU Students Ready to Help Community for March 31 'BIG Event'

MTSU students ready to help community for March 31 ‘BIG Event’

FOR RELEASE: March 28, 2012
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Courtnei Secrest, 615-494-8912, sgaphil@mtsu.edu

MURFREESBORO—MTSU students are gearing up to step off campus and into the community to help neighbors on March 31 in the fourth annual “BIG Event” service project.

Sponsored by the University’s Student Government Association, the event is part of the largest one-day, student-run service project in the nation.

“Participants of all majors, classifications and ages will show their appreciation to the surrounding community by completing service projects such as yard work, trash pick-up, window washing, painting and many more projects for community members,” said Courtnei Secrest, philanthropic coordinator for the campus SGA.

“Last year we had more than 200 participants, and we want to make sure this year is bigger!”

Student volunteers will be registering at 9 a.m. Saturday in the Murphy Center parking lot. The service projects will be performed between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

For more information about MTSU’s “BIG Event,” visit the SGA website at www.mtsu.edu/sga/bigevent.shtml.


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

[344] MTSU Guitar Professor Plucks Gold from National Track and Field Meet

MTSU guitar professor plucks gold from national track and field meet

FOR RELEASE: March 28, 2012
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Dr. Bill Yelverton, concertguitar@comcast.net

MURFREESBORO— MTSU School of Music professor William Yelverton was in Bloomington, Ind., in 2010 for a solo guitar and lute concert at the Indiana University International Guitar Festival. He was back in Bloomington in 2012, but for a different kind of performance: sprinting in the USA Masters Indoor Track and Field Championships. Yelverton, who runs, hikes, and boats regularly when he’s not teaching classical guitar and coordinating the Guitar Studies Program at MTSU, won the Men’s 400-Meter Dash competition for his age group March 16 in Bloomington with a time of 55.90 seconds. The professor also captured a fourth-place finish in the 200-Meter National Finals with a time of 25.43 seconds. Yelverton, who will turn 52 this year, frequently competes in sprint events in local meets at MTSU, TSU, Vanderbilt, and Sewanee alongside athletes that are often more than 30 years his junior. He also holds the 400-Meter Dash record for the Tennessee Senior Games in his age group.
“It was unexpected, but it sure makes this spring very sweet,” Yelverton said. He added that the win was even more fun because he “got to go to a fancy restaurant with my dad and hear my former student Luke Finney, an IU doctoral candidate, entertain us on classical guitar.” Just after his National Championship win, Yelverton competed on March 24 at the Vanderbilt Black and Gold Meet, sprinting the 400-Meter Dash in 55.79 seconds, despite racing in a torrential downpour. He beat two college sprinters and logged the top-ranked time in the nation for his age group this season. Yelverton has been recruited by the Greater Philadelphia Track Club to compete at the Penn Relays before an expected crowd of about 50,000 at Franklin Field on April 27.

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

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

[343] Walker Library Showcases Student Collection of 'Artists' Books'

Walker Library showcases student collection of ‘Artists' Books’

FOR RELEASE: March 27, 2012
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Kristen Keene, 615-898-5376 or kristen.keene@mtsu.edu

MURFREESBORO—MTSU’s James E. Walker Library is encouraging visitors to see its “Artists’ Books: Student Works from the MTSU Book Arts Program” exhibit, currently featured in the facility’s Special Collections Reading Room on campus.

Imaginative art students have combined traditional book tools, techniques and materials with handmade and hand-painted papers, origami-folding techniques, etchings, photography, collage and innovative pop-up and 3D elements to turn the basic model of an accordion-style book into “awe-inspiring” creations, organizers say.

This unique display showcases 20 pieces created by MTSU students who were enrolled in the Department of Art's “Book Arts I” class during the fall 2011 semester.
Each work selected for display was chosen based on innovation, size and the use of materials.

Diverse objects and forms, everything from coffee cans to computer disks, make an unexpected appearance and expand the traditional book artists’ repertoire of materials and tools. Each work displayed is a unique item and reflects the learning goals of the classroom.

This exhibition is part of a continuing series of juried shows hosted by Special Collections featuring the work of MTSU's “Book Arts” students.

Special Collections is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and is located on the fourth floor of the Walker Library.

The show runs through April 18.

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

[342] Magdalene House, Thistle Farms Founder to Speak at MTSU

FOR RELEASE: March 26, 2012
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

MAGDALENE HOUSE, THISTLE FARMS FOUNDER TO SPEAK AT MTSU
Nashville-Based Rev. Becca Stevens Works for Troubled Women

MURFREESBORO—The Rev. Becca Stevens, recently named by the White House as one of 15 “Champions of Change,” will discuss how she uses social entrepreneurship to help troubled women on Tuesday, April 3, in MTSU’s Keathley University Center.

Stevens’s free public lecture is set from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.

Stevens, an Episcopal priest, also is founder of Magdalene House & Thistle Farms, a joint community and social enterprise that helps women recovering from violence, prostitution, addiction and life on the streets.

Magdalene House shelters women for up to two years at no cost to the residents. Thistle Farms employs 35 Magdalene residents and graduates who manufacture, market and sell all-natural bath and beauty products in more than 200 retail stores around the world. These products will be available for purchase in the KUC lobby following Stevens’ speech.

“The Magdalene House model is now being replicated in other cities across the United States,” says Anne Fraley, interim director of the June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students.

Stevens, who also serves as chaplain at St. Augustine’s at Vanderbilt University, has been named “Nashvillian of the Year” by the Nashville Scene and “Tennessean of the Year” by The Tennessean. In 2011, she was named the “Social Entrepreneur of the Year” in Nashville, and she became the youngest and first woman recipient of The University of the South’s “Distinguished Alumnus Award” in 2010.

To date, Stevens has raised more than $13 million for the organizations she supports, garnering awards from the Frist Foundation and the Academy of Women of Achievement.

The event is sponsored by the MTSU National Women’s History Month Committee. For more information, contact the June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students at 615-898-5989 or jacwns@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.

[341] Walker Library Sings The Blues in John Hurt's Memory

FOR RELEASE: March 26, 2012
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Kristen Keene, 615-898-5376

WALKER LIBRARY SINGS THE BLUES IN JOHN HURT’S MEMORY
Fedora Brothers Demonstrate, Explain Music Man’s Importance

MURFREESBORO—MTSU’s James E. Walker Library will host a free public concert in tribute to Mississippi John Hurt at 6 p.m. Friday, March 30, in the library’s first-floor atrium.

The Fedora Brothers, also known as Bruce Nemerov and Gene Bush, will perform numbers made famous by the blues legend to mark the closing of an exhibit about his career.

The display was produced by the Arts Center of Cannon County in partnership with the MTSU Center for Popular Music with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Following the concert, the exhibit will move to the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, Miss., where it will become part of the permanent collection there.

Hurt was a self-taught guitarist and singer whose performances at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival, in coffeehouses and on the college circuit influenced a generation of folk, blues, country and bluegrass artists.

Nemerov, a former audio specialist with the Center for Popular Music, produced the CD “John Work III: Recording Black Culture” and won a Grammy award for writing its liner notes. Bush was a friend and student of Mississippi John Hurt in the 1960s before moving to Nashville in the early 1970s.

The Arts Center of Cannon County will have “Discovery: The Rebirth of John Hurt,” a CD release from its Spring Fed Records label, available for purchase at the event. Copies of “Mississippi John Hurt: His Life, His Times, His Blues,” a new biography by Phil Ratcliffe, also will be available for purchase.

For more information, contact Kristen Keene at 615-898-5376 or Kristen.keene@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.

[340] New MTSU Education Abroad Director Sees Beyond Horizon

FOR RELEASE: March 26, 2012
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

NEW MTSU EDUCATION ABROAD DIRECTOR SEES BEYOND HORIZON
Tiffany Bickers Brings Global Awareness, Experience in MTSU Programs to Position

MURFREESBORO—Tiffany Bickers is the new director of the MTSU Office of Education Abroad, replacing Rhonda Waller, who resigned to take a position at the University of Texas in Austin.

As coordinator of the office from July 2008-March 2012, Bickers advised students regarding study-abroad programs, helped to market and promote programs through the CUSTOMS program and Study Abroad Fair and managed the budget and website, among other duties.

“My main goal is to pinpoint what our office is doing well and where we’re lacking and how to improve in those areas,” says Bickers. “Our mission is to support MTSU students who want to add an education-abroad component to their degree.”

She says many students tell her they are drawn to study in another country for the opportunity “to put yourself outside of your comfort zone and see what kind of skills you can learn from that, to adapt to a situation you never thought you could adapt to because you had to.”

Bickers says “companies are looking for students who participated in study-abroad when they were in University” because those students have better communication skills and more international knowledge.

This summer features two innovative study-abroad offerings—the June collaboration between MTSU and Fukushima University students in cleaning up debris from last year’s earthquake and tsunami and the expansion of the Honduran study-abroad experience from speech and theater students to include faculty and students from a variety of disciplines.

“A select group of MTSU faculty has designed a multifaceted approach to study, practice, engagement and reflection that sets a new standard for faculty-led programs in the United States,” says Dr. David Schmidt, vice provost for international affairs.

Bickers’ previous experience includes work as executive aide in the Office of International Education from April 2007-June 2008 and resident director and community development coordinator at Marymount College in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., from August 2005-June 2006.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and cross-cultural sociology from Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tenn., in 1997 and a master’s degree in higher education administration from MTSU in 2009.

For more information about study-abroad opportunities at MTSU, contact the Office of Education Abroad at 615-898-5179 or mtabroad@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.

[339] MTSU Welcomes Anti-Genocide Activist, Humanitarian

FOR RELEASE: March 26, 2012
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

MTSU WELCOMES ANTI-GENOCIDE ACTIVIST, HUMANITARIAN
Rwanda Civil War Survivor Carl Wilkens Speaks of Terrifying Brutality

MURFREESBORO—Carl Wilkens, the only American who chose to stay in Rwanda when the country’s civil war erupted in April 1994, will speak at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 28, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of MTSU’s Business and Aerospace Building.

Wilkens is the founder of Spokane-based “World Outside My Shoes,” which is “a nonprofit educational and professional development organization committed to inspiring and equipping people to enter the world of ‘the other,’” according to its website, www.worldoutsidemyshoes.org.

The former head of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency International, Wilkens has received the Dignitas Humana Award from Saint John’s School of Theology Seminary and a 2005 Medal of Valor from the Simon Wiesenthal Center for his work.

He has been interviewed for “The Few Who Stayed: Defying Genocide,” an American Radio Works documentary that aired on National Public Radio; “Ghosts of Rwanda,” a “Frontline” documentary that aired on PBS television; “BBC Newshour;” “The Windsor Star;” and “The New York Times,” among others.

This event is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by the MTSU College of Liberal Arts, the Distinguished Lecture Fund, the MTSU Department of Political Science, the Student Government Association and ROTARACT.

For more information, contact Dr. Karen Petersen at 615-494-8662 or karen.petersen@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.

[338] Management and Marketing Career Fair Slated for March 28

FOR RELEASE: March 26, 2012
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

MANAGEMENT AND MARKETING CAREER FAIR SLATED FOR MARCH 28
Companies Also Looking for New Talent in Sales, Operations

MURFREESBORO—The MTSU Department of Management and Marketing will host a career fair at 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 28, in the Tom H. Jackson Building.

Attendees interested in opportunities in management, marketing, sales and operations are welcome to participate. Attendees are advised to bring resumes and to dress professionally.

Students interested in attending the career fair must obtain tickets in advance from the management and marketing office in Room N-121 of the Business and Aerospace Building.

For more information, contact Dr. John Lipinski at 615-494-8993 or john.lipinski@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.

Friday, March 23, 2012

[337] MTSU Alum, TN National Guard Head Shares Leadership Qualities

For release: March 23, 2012

News and Media Relations contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu
ODK Leadership Day contacts: Matthew Hibdon/Georgia Dennis, 615-898-5645; Hibdon also can be reached at mih2c@mtmail.mtsu.edu


MTSU alum, TN National Guard head shares leadership qualities

MURFREESBORO — Tennessee National Guard Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Terry “Max” Haston says MTSU, his ROTC training while at the University and his early years in the U.S. Army helped build strong leadership qualities.

Haston (B.S. ’79) shared those traits with MTSU students and staff during a 40-minute presentation that was the keynote address for the first Omicron Delta Kappa Honors Circle True Blue Leadership Day. The event was held in the University Honors College Amphitheater.

“Leadership is a subject we deal with all the time in the military,” said Haston, a Warren County native now living in Knoxville with his wife, Anne. Their son, Travis, is a fourth-year MTSU student in the College of Mass Communication.

Later in his talk, Haston said, “Leadership is when you get people to do what you want them to do. However, in his line of work, reality takes on a serious vein “when they potentially know they could lose their life.”

“Leadership is than holding a position,” he added. “You have to learn and you have to earn their respect.” He made several references to the phrase, “If you ain’t the lead dog, the view never changes.”

Freshman Tandra Martin, a freshman Honors College Buchanan Fellow from Murfreesboro majoring in international relations, attended several sessions.

“This has been extremely beneficial,” she said. “I have been learning a lot of varied perspectives and how to approach leadership in different ways. Since I’m just starting here (at MTSU) and want to be involved in organizations, the skills I’ve learned today, hopefully, will help me in those endeavors.”

Haston supervises the Military Department of Tennessee, which includes the Army National Guard, the Air National Guard, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and the Tennessee State Guard. He shared with students and others attending his talk a “Be/Know/Do” philosophy about leadership.

He urged them to:

• “be aware of your mission and your mission in life. Be a leader: Step on out there. Once you get the mission, don’t overcomplicate it. You have to articulate and communicate what you want folks to do;

• “be a good listener. It’s very hard to be a good listener and be a good leader. Folks with a type-A personality may be listening, but they may be waiting to talk. Be a Charlie (the character actor on the Tennessee Farm Bureau TV and radio commercials);

• “be responsible and accountable. Somebody’s going to hold you responsible in your job; and

• “be passionate for what you do. If you do not have passion, you need to go on to another career. Find something you love to do and go do it. … I have a passion for what I do — the men and women (I work with) who love to do what they do every day.”

In the “know” aspect of “Be/Know/Do,” Haston says to “know about your job and what it involves. Learn your people and their skills and abilities. … A lot of people reach lofty places, and it’s hard for them to look down and tell them (others) what to do. … Know the next phase line, and always thinking about the next day and the next event.”

In the “Do” phase, Haston urged students to “give reasons and challenges, and not just talks. Our young men and women today are better, faster, stronger and quicker than any previous generation. They think broader and think globally. … Be real. People who respect you can spot a phony. I tell young commanders to leave the unit better than you found it. That’s a true sign of a leader.”

Haston concluded by telling the students they “attend one of the best universities in the nation.”

Other MTSU staff and faculty members also shared leadership qualities during the event. They included Dusty Doddridge of the MTSU Career Development Center; Heather Arrington of the University College Advising Center; Jackie Victory of MTSU Office of Leadership and Service; Dr. Deana Raffo of the Department of Management and Marketing; Dr. David Foote of the Jennings A. Jones College of Business and MTSU Institute of Leadership Excellence; and William Respess of the University’s Department of Human Resource Services.

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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.

[336] Evolution Expert Scott Will Give Talk Monday at MTSU

SPECIAL MEDIA NOTE:

MTSU officials will hold a news conference Monday, March 26, starting at 2 p.m. in Room 102 of the Wood-Stegall Center. Dr. Eugenie C. Scott will be available for interviews related to her “Controversy over the Teaching of Evolution” presentation at MTSU on Monday night. Scott is executive director of the National Center for Science Education.



For release: March 23, 2012

News and Media Relations contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu
Scholars Week contacts: Dr. Will Langston, 615-898-5489 or William.Langston@mtsu.edu
and Provost Dr. Brad Bartel, 615-898-2888 or Brad.Bartel@mtsu.edu

Evolution expert Scott will give talk Monday at MTSU

MURFREESBORO —Creation and evolution are hot-button topics that almost always evoke great passion on all sides of the debate.

Eugenie C. Scott, executive director of the Oakland, Calif.-based National Center for Science Education, will speak on “Controversy over the Teaching of Evolution” at MTSU on Monday, March 26, at 7 p.m. in the Business and Aerospace Building’s State Farm Lecture Hall (BAS 102). The event is free and open to the public.

Scott’s appearance is one of the highlights of the annual MTSU Scholars Week, a research-oriented endeavor that runs from Monday until Friday, March 30, ending with a Universitywide celebration of posters, exhibits, entertainment and more on the Murphy Center track level. More about Scholars Week events can be found at http://www.mtsu.edu/research/scholars_week.shtml.
“Her national center is the leading center in the country to disseminate proper information about evolution and work with local communities to make sure science is taught in science classrooms,” said University Provost Brad Bartel, who has been friends with Scott for 42 years since they attended graduate school at the University of Missouri at Columbia. “She’s doing a great justice to science education in the United States.”

About her talk, Scott says she “will be putting the creationism/evolution controversy into historical and political context and relating it to the current controversy in Tennessee today over the so-called ‘monkey bills.’”

Earlier this week, the State Senate passed an amended version of a bill that opens classrooms to question established scientific theories. The bill states that teachers would be allowed to find ways to deal with “debate and disputation” on subjects like evolution and global warming.

Opponents say the bill opens the way for religious and political statements to be inserted into science classrooms as though they were equal to scientific theories.

“It illustrates the crux of the issue, which is that an anti-science bill is being packaged as a critical thinking bill,” Scott wrote via email in response to a question about the recent news. “The history of this controversy reveals clearly that such ploys are back-door efforts to slip creationism into the classroom. As creationists say, ‘evidence against evolution is evidence for creationism.’”

Scott added that “creationism and evolution are hot topics because part of the Christian community rejects evolution because it is incompatible with their faith. Catholics and mainstream Protestants, on the other hand, accept evolution as the way God brought about the world as we see it today: an ancient Earth, and living things sharing common ancestry. But people who reject evolution don't want their kids to be taught it without some qualification.

“The current Tennessee laws are examples of a long-time creationist effort to discredit evolution so students don't accept it as valid science.“

Will there ever come a point in time when Scott thinks they will not be hot topics?

“There was a time when whether the Earth went around the sun or vice versa was a hot topic, but eventually, like everything else, Christian religion evolved,” Scott said. “Few Christians today dispute heliocentrism. We can look forward to a time in the future when fights over evolution education will appear just as quaint.”

Scott, a former university professor, is the Executive Director of NCSE. She has been both a researcher and an activist in the creationism/evolution controversy for more than 25 year and will address many components of this controversy. She has received national recognition for her NCSE activities, including awards from scientific societies, educational societies, skeptics groups and humanist groups.

She holds eight honorary degrees from McGill, Rutgers, Mt. Holyoke, the University of New Mexico, Ohio State University, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Colorado College and Missouri.

Scott is the author of “Evolution vs. Creationism” and co-editor, with Glenn Branch, of “Not in Our Classrooms: Why Intelligent Design Is Wrong for Our Schools.”

Off-campus visitors planning to attend Scott’s talk should be aware that nearby construction will limit parking opportunities for the lecture. University Parking and Transportation officials encourage visitors not only to arrive early, but also to park in the South Rutherford Boulevard lot and ride the Raider Xpress shuttle into the campus core to reach the BAS. A printable campus map is available at www.mtsu.edu/parking/Map_2011-2012.pdf.

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Media welcomed.

Media note: A high-resolution color jpeg photo of Eugenie C. Scott 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.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

[335] ODK Velebrates 1st "True Blue Leadership Day' March 23

For release: March 22, 2012

News and Media Relations contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu
ODK Leadership Day contacts: Matthew Hibdon/Georgia Dennis, 615-898-5645; Hibdon also can be reached at mih2c@mtmail.mtsu.edu


ODK celebrates 1st ‘True Blue Leadership Day’ March 23

MURFREESBORO — Leadership qualities, the Centennial celebration and the “True Blue Pledge” all are major aspects of Middle Tennessee State University’s heritage.

Matthew Hibdon and the other officers and members of the Omicron Delta Kappa Honors Circle aspire for MTSU students to expand that heritage by attending the first “ODK True Blue Leadership Day” on Friday. The Circle applied for and earned a $500 national Clay Grant award to support the event.

The event will be held in the University Honors College Amphitheater, which is Room 106 in the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building.

The Omicron Delta Kappa True Blue Leadership Day highlights the core values of the “True Blue Pledge” by educating participants about multiple aspects of leadership, organizers said.

“We’re excited about this event,” said Hibdon, president of the 2-year-old MTSU unit of the national leadership honor society. “We wanted to do something special to highlight the Centennial and the True Blue Pledge. The pledge reinforces the University’s core values—‘Honesty and Integrity,’ ‘Respect for Diversity,’ ‘Engagement in the Community’ and ‘Commitment to Nonviolence’—that followed the death of Lady Raiders’ basketball player Tina Stewart in March 2011.

“It’s something people can identify with ODK, an annual event for ODK to continue the True Blue message beyond our Centennial year to last the next 100 years.”

Because seating will be limited, students should make reservations by calling 615-898-5645 or emailing mtsuodk@mtsu.edu. The general public also is welcome, but also needs to make reservations at the above number and email address.
Off-campus visitors should be aware that nearby construction will limit parking opportunities for the event. University Parking and Transportation officials are encouraging visitors to park in the South Rutherford Boulevard lot and ride the Raider Xpress shuttle into the campus core to reach the Honors College. A printable campus map is available at www.mtsu.edu/parking/Map_2011-2012.pdf.

Sessions have been timed to coincide with the University’s Friday schedule so that students may attend sessions around regular classes. To view the full schedule, visit http://frank.mtsu.edu/~mtsuodk/trueblueday.html.

MTSU academic leaders will join the guest speaker, Tennessee National Guard Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Terry “Max” Haston, to offer seven 55-minute sessions of interactive programs covering a wide variety of leadership skills and information.

Haston (B.S. ’79), a McMinnville native and active alumnus, will share “Lead or the View Never Changes” in Session 3. He supervises the Military Department of Tennessee, which includes the Army National Guard, the Air National Guard, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and the Tennessee State Guard.

Before his appointment to his current post, Haston served as assistant adjutant general-Army and the deputy chief of staff for training and operations/J-3 for the Tennessee Joint Force Headquarters. He served with the U.S. Army from 1979 to 1983 after he was commissioned from the MTSU ROTC program as an armor officer.

Following the 8 a.m. welcome by University Provost Dr. Brad Bartel, students will hear leadership-inspired messages from:

• Dusty Doddridge of the MTSU Career Development Center;

• Heather Arrington of the University College Advising Center;

• Jackie Victory of MTSU Office of Leadership and Service;

• Dr. Deana Raffo of the Department of Management and Marketing;

• Dr. David Foote of the Jennings A. Jones College of Business and MTSU Institute of Leadership Excellence; and

• William Respess of the University’s Department of Human Resource Services.

Hibdon, who is a senior from McMinnville majoring in history and minoring in leadership studies who plans to graduate with honors from MTSU on May 5, will offer closing remarks.

ODK is sponsored by the University Honors College. Honors Dean John Vile serves as adviser, and Georgia Dennis is staff secretary. Other ODK officers include Jennifer Johnson, vice president; Laurence Tumpag, project coordinator; and Kaitlin Beck secretary.

MTSU’s ODK Circle is actively seeking new members. Juniors and seniors are eligible for initiation, and sophomores are eligible to be part of the Squire program.
University President Sidney A. McPhee is an ODK member. ODK faculty and staff members include Bartel and Arrington; former provost Dr. Kaylene Gebert; Mass Communication Dean Roy Moore; Dr. Philip Phillips, English professor and interim Honors College associate dean; and Dr. Jim Williams, director of the Albert Gore Research Center.

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Media welcomed. Call Randy Weiler at 615-898-5616 (office) or 615-785-1196 (cell) if you need help with parking.

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.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

[334] Tommy John Hurls His Best Pitches on "MTSU On The Record'

FOR RELEASE: March 21, 2012
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081; WMOT-FM, 615-898-2800

TOMMY JOHN HURLS HIS BEST PITCHES ON ‘MTSU ON THE RECORD’
Former Major Leaguer, Pioneering Surgery Patient Discusses Baseball, Medicine

MURFREESBORO-- Former Major League pitcher Tommy John will be Gina Logue’s guest on the next edition of “MTSU on the Record” at 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 26, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org).

This interview originally was scheduled to air Monday, March 19, but was pre-empted for pre-game coverage of the MTSU men’s basketball team’s 71-64 victory over the University of Tennessee in the National Invitational Tournament.

John, who saved his career and revolutionized his sport by undergoing a groundbreaking operation on his pitching arm, will be the luncheon speaker at MTSU’s 2012 Baseball in Literature and Culture Conference Friday, March 30.

In a three-hour operation in September 1974, Dodgers team surgeon Dr. Frank Jobe replaced the ligament in John’s left elbow with one taken from a tendon in the pitcher’s right wrist. The surgery had been performed previously on wrists and hands, but never on an elbow.

John posted 288 wins, 164 of them post-surgery, in a 26-season career with six different franchises, placing him seventh all-time among Major League southpaws. However, he is best known for what is now called “Tommy John surgery,” a procedure that has extended literally hundreds of athletes’ careers.

To listen to previous programs, go to www.mtsunews.com and click on “listen” under “Audio Clips.” For more information about “MTSU on the Record,” contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.

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

[333] MTSU Plans March 24, April 21 Spring Preview Days

For release: March 21, 2012

News and Media Relations contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu
Admissions contact: Rob Patterson, 615-898-2235 or Rob.Patterson@mtsu.edu


MTSU plans March 24, April 21 Spring Preview Days

MURFREESBORO — Registration remains open for MTSU Spring Preview Days, which will be held this Saturday, March 24, and again on Saturday, April 21, said Rob Patterson, assistant director of admissions.

Participants will need to preregister by going to www.mtsu.edu/rsvp and select “Saturday Preview Day.” You may select either March 24 or April 21.

“When choosing a college or university, nothing is more important than finding the right fit,” Patterson said. “Here is your invitation to get to know MTSU.”

Patterson added that these preview days are open to interested high-school students, transfer students and their families.

Both Spring Preview Days will begin with a continental breakfast in the Student Health, Wellness and Recreation Center. Attendees then will be given a campus tour that includes viewing several campus residence halls. Participants also can participate in an academic open house, where representatives from different departments will be available to answer questions.

“We in the Admissions Office are excited about meeting you and look forward to introducing you to Middle Tennessee State University,” Patterson said. “Come check out why we are the No. 1 choice for Tennessee’s Best!”

Parking will be available adjacent to the University Honors College and in the Mass Communication parking lots. A printable campus map is available at www.mtsu.edu/parking/Map_2011-2012.pdf.

Should you have questions about preview days or the process, call 615-898-5670.




###

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.

[332] Playtime is Learning Time at MTSU Play Symposium April 14

FOR RELEASE: March 21, 2012
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

PLAYTIME IS LEARNING TIME AT MTSU PLAY SYMPOSIUM APRIL 14
Fun, Physical Activity Enhance Learning, Reduce Childhood Obesity, Say Experts

MURFREESBORO—“Technology, Play and Physical Activity” is the theme of the fifth annual Play Symposium at MTSU, which is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 14, in the Business and Aerospace Building.

The free public gathering is for student teachers, public school and home-school teachers and parents who want to enhance their children’s learning through physical activity and play.

Experts at the symposium will focus on the importance of children’s play and the issue of childhood obesity through both panel discussions and physical activity. Participants should dress for play and movement.

“Childhood obesity is a growing problem in the United States and always leads to adult health problems,” says Dr. Kathleen G. Burriss, a professor of elementary and special education at MTSU and director of the event.

Burriss notes that Tennessee ranks as the third highest state in the nation in childhood obesity. She also says that today’s children are overly hurried and hyperstructured, leading to lost opportunities for exploration, adventure and imagination.

The event is sponsored by the MTSU Center for Physical Activity and Health, the Association for Childhood Education International and the Association for the Education of Young Children.

For more information, contact Burriss at Kathleen.burriss@mtsu.edu, or visit the symposium website at www.mtsu.edu/~play.

--30--
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.

[331] Students Set Sail With Style in 'Bon Voyage!" Fashion Show

FOR RELEASE: March 21, 2012
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

STUDENTS SET SAIL WITH STYLE IN ‘BON VOYAGE!’ FASHION SHOW
MTSU Fashion Promotion Students to Display ‘Jet Set’ Wardrobe for Spring

MURFREESBORO—“Bon Voyage!” is the theme of MTSU’s spring 2012 Student Design Fashion Show slated for 7 p.m. Saturday, April 21, in the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building.

Dr. Jasmin Kwon, assistant professor in the Department of Human Sciences, says this cruise/resort collection created by students in her fashion promotion class, TXMD 3110, will include vacation-ready fashions inspired by dreams of “the lifestyle of traveling from one stylish or exotic place to another via private aircraft.”

Entries will be divided into three categories: “Jetsetter,” for luxury travel wear; “Stylish Splash,” for beachwear and sportswear; and “Summer Nights,” for glamorous evening gowns appropriate for cruises and/or resorts.

Students must submit their designs March 26-29 with a final deadline of 6 p.m., Thursday, March 29, in Room 104 of the Ellington Health Sciences Building. Designers are limited to a maximum of five garment entries per person.

The winners will receive prizes and scholarships sponsored by Singer Sewing Company, the MTSU student organization Fashion & Design Students and the MTSU Textiles, Merchandising and Design Program.

General admission is $15, and VIP admission is $30. Seating will begin at 6:30 p.m.

The Avenue Murfreesboro and MTSU Student Programming are sponsors for this event. For more information, contact Kwon at 615-904-8340 or kwon@mtsu.edu.

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PHOTOS ARE FROM 2011 FASHION SHOW “INTO THE WILD”—Models show off the designs of Kelsey Miller, first place winner; Ashley Adkins, second place winner; Amy Yang, third place winner.
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.

[330] MTSU, Tennessean 'tweetup' With Community to Address Child Obesity

MTSU, Tennessean 'tweetup' with community to address child obesity

FOR RELEASE: March 20, 2012
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Doug Williams, 615-898-2920 or Doug.Williams@mtsu.edu

MURFREESBORO—MTSU and The Tennessean tag-teamed Twitter March 20 to help alert and inform middle Tennessee about the dangers of childhood obesity in an inaugural on-campus “Tweetup.”

About 100 people attended both afternoon sessions in person and dozens more followed a live stream at www.BrainstormNashville.com and on Twitter and Facebook that featured presentations by MTSU’s Dr. Don Morgan, an expert on physical fitness and childhood obesity, and Tennessean Education Editor Heidi Hall.

Morgan praised the effort and said he looks forward to continued partnerships with Brainstorm Nashville.

“This is one of the most challenging things we’ve ever faced,” Morgan said.

MTSU and The Tennessean teamed up March 1 to launch “Brainstorm Nashville,” a digital hub for civic engagement designed to foster community problem-solving. The Tweetup was part of a new strategic partnership supporting the new website and welcomed MTSU students and faculty, Nashville business community partners and others.

Suenalie Sythat, a sophomore public-relations major at MTSU, said she found the event “really interesting. I’ve never seen an organization like this where you can get feedback from live streaming. I think it will be really productive.”

“Children are the future. We have to do something to get things done,” added Paris McCullough, one of Sythat’s PR classmates and a junior electronic media communications major. “This can be something small or it can be something big. I wanted to do my part and participate as much as possible.”

Representing Nashville Public Television, Jo Ann Scalf provided a clip about obesity from one of the station’s seven documentaries on children’s health issues. It can be found at www.wnpt.org/childrenshealth.

Heather Cass of The Tennessean’s marketing department was one of five newspaper employees involved in the event. At one point, Cass had tweeted about 15 times during the initial two-hour event.

“We all know obesity is a problem,” Cass said. “How do we solve it and be a part of the conversation? There have been a lot of hash tags, all from the community who are following this today. The whole community is watching this live. They want to come together and help solve the problem and create action and solve this problem.”

The Tennessean’s Hall has taken a personal interest in the venture. She moved to Tennessee from Tampa, Fla., in 2007 and gained 80 pounds after the move. Since then, she has lost 96 pounds and talked her editors into initiating a campaign to fight childhood obesity.

“We want to make sure everything is being done to address childhood obesity,” she said. “It does take a Herculean effort (to lose weight). I still have more to go. I’m proof that it can be done.”

Gil Sanchez, CEO of the Ventura, Calif.-based organic foods company VendNatural, said he sees the most important aspect as “getting the schools to open up and getting kids motivated. Moderation is the best method: some sports, lower-calorie foods and low-sodium products.”

For more information about the Brainstorm Nashville project and future community ideas, visit www.BrainstormNashville.com.


—30—

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

[329] Concert Pianist David Witten to Perform at MTSU March 27

Concert pianist David Witten to perform at MTSU March 27

FOR RELEASE: March 20, 2012
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493 or Tim.Musselman@mtsu.edu

MURFREESBORO—Concert pianist David Witten will present a free public recital at 8 p.m. on March 27 in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.

Witten, the coordinator of keyboard studies at Montclair State University in New Jersey, also enjoys an international career that has included concert tours in Ireland, Finland, Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Mexico, South America and China.

His March 27 program will include works by Aaron Copland, Maurice Ravel and Nikolai Tcherepnin.

Witten recently recorded the piano works of Nikolai Tcherepnin, who also is the father of somewhat better-known composer Alexander Tcherepnin, on the Toccata Classics label and performed and lectured on the elder Tcherepnin’s works in Russia.

“Dr. Witten has always had a nose for finding interesting and less frequently performed piano works,” said Lynn Rice-See, coordinator of keyboard studies at MTSU.

One of the Nikolai Tcherepnin works on the program, “Pushkin’s Fairy Tale of The Fisherman and the Fish,” will include narration by MTSU faculty tenor H. Stephen Smith.

For more MTSU School of Music concert information, call 615-898-2493 or visit www.mtsumusic.com and click on the "Concert Calendar" link.

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

[328] AAUW Book Sale Raises funds for MTSU Student Scholarship

FOR RELEASE: March 20, 2012
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

AAUW BOOK SALE RAISES FUNDS FOR MTSU STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP
Much More Than Books Available; Contributing Easier Than Ever

MURFREESBORO—Books, CDs, DVDs, VCR tapes, cassette tapes, journals and magazines will be available at greatly reduced prices at the American Association of University Women’s annual book sale April 2-3.

The event is planned for 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday, April 2, and Tuesday, April 3, in front of Phillips Bookstore in the Keathley University Center.

Contributors may drop off their donated items from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 24, and Saturday, March 31, in front of Monohan Hall along Old Main Circle. Volunteers will be curbside to help you unload your items. Donations also will be accepted at the desk in Monohan Hall through March 31.

All proceeds will benefit the Ruth Houston Memorial Scholarship for MTSU students. For more information, contact Cathy Crawford at cathy.crabtree@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.

[327] Scott to Bring Creationism vs. Evolution Talk March 26 at MTSU

For release: March 19, 2012

News and Media Relations contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu
Scholars Week contact: Dr. Will Langston, 615-898-5489 or William.Langston@mtsu.edu


Scott to bring creationism vs. evolution talk March 26 at MTSU
Visit helps kick off full week of research-driven Scholars Week activities


MURFREESBORO — Eugenie C. Scott, executive director of the National Center for Science Education in Oakland, Calif., will speak at MTSU Monday, March 26, starting at 7 p.m.

Scott will discuss “Creationism vs. Evolution” in her presentation, which will be held in the Business and Aerospace Building’s State Farm Lecture Hall, (BAS 102). The event is free and open to the public.

It is one of many University Scholars Week activities scheduled for March 26-30 on campus, said Drs. Andrienne Friedli and Will Langston, MTSU Scholars Week Committee members who are spearheading Scholars Week publicity.

A former university professor, Scott has been both a researcher and an activist in the creationism/evolution controversy for more than 25 years, the NCSE website says of Scott, who will address many components in this ongoing controversy.

Scott has received national recognition for her National Center for Science Education activities, including awards from scientific and educational societies, skeptics groups and humanist groups.

Scott holds eight honorary degrees from McGill, Rutgers, Mt. Holyoke, the University of New Mexico, Ohio State, the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, Colorado College and the University of Missouri at Columbia.

Considered a dynamic speaker, Scott offers stimulating and thought-provoking as well as entertaining lectures and workshops, the NCSE website says about her.





Scott is the author of “Evolution vs. Creationism” and co-editor, with Glenn Branch, of “Not in Our Classrooms: Why Intelligent Design Is Wrong for Our Schools.”

Off-campus visitors planning to attend Scott’s talk should be aware that nearby construction will limit parking opportunities for the lecture. University Parking and Transportation officials are encouraging visitors not only to arrive early, but also to park in the South Rutherford Boulevard lot and ride the Raider Xpress shuttle into the campus core to reach the BAS. A printable campus map is available at www.mtsu.edu/parking/Map_2011-2012.pdf.


###

Media welcomed.

Note: A jpeg photo of Eugenia C. Scott, executive director of the National Center for Science Education, 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.

[326] Forensic Scientists Sponsor Self-Defense Workshop at MTSU

FOR RELEASE: March 16, 2012
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

FORENSIC SCIENTISTS SPONSOR SELF-DEFENSE WORKSHOP AT MTSU
Nashville-Based Trainer Experienced with Domestic, Military Personnel

MURFREESBORO—Levi Montgomery will bring his extensive background in police tactics to MTSU in a self-defense workshop scheduled for 6-9 p.m. Thursday, March 22, in the Auxiliary Gym 1 at Murphy Center.

This event is free and open to the public. It is co-sponsored by MTSU’s Forensic Institute for Research and Education and the Middle Tennessee Forensic Science Society.

Montgomery will provide participants with basic information regarding the laws that protect victims and attackers. He also will guide hands-on demonstrations of how to prevent confrontations and defend against an attack, if necessary.

Montgomery is co-owner and chief instructor for Priority One’s BASETAC Training Center in Nashville. He has developed an extensive background in police tactics, weapons use and martial arts throughout his law enforcement career, which began in 1979.

In addition, his unique methods of controlling aggression have been implemented in the United States and abroad by special operations groups such as Team MIKE in Kosovo, 118 (Hostile Area Tactical Escort) teams in Iraq and special-interest groups operating out of the western United States.

Space is limited, and pre-registration is required. To register or to obtain more information, go to www.csimtsu.com.

--30--
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.

[325] Prisoners' Rights Activist Slated to Speak at MTSU

FOR RELEASE: March 16, 2012
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Dr. Sekou Franklin, franklin@mtsu.edu

PRISONERS’ RIGHTS ACTIVIST SLATED TO SPEAK AT MTSU
Minister, Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Joseph Ingle to Talk about ‘Inferno’

MURFREESBORO—Two-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee Joseph Ingle will discuss his new book, “Inferno: Southern Morality Tale,” at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday, March 20, in Room 106 of MTSU’s Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building.

This event is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by the MTSU Department of Political Science and the African-American Studies Program.

“Inferno” chronicles Ingle’s relationship with Philip Workman, who was executed May 9, 2007, by the state of Tennessee for the murder of a Memphis police officer.

Ingle founded the Southern Coalition on Jails and Prisons in 1974. Before it closed in the early 1990s, Ingle visited every death row in the South and counseled 200 of the 1,200 condemned inmates in the region.

A United Church of Christ Minister, Ingle also is the former director of the Neighborhood Justice Center, a victim-offender mediation group that operated in Nashville for 13 years.

For more information, contact Dr. Sekou Franklin, associate professor of political science, at franklin@mtsu.edu.

--30--
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.

[324] Graduating Seniors Art on Exhibit at MTSU's Todd Gallery

FOR RELEASE: March 16, 2012
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Eric Snyder, 615-898-5653 or galleryattoddhall@gmail.com

Graduating seniors’ art on exhibit at MTSU’s Todd Gallery

MURFREESBORO—Join the MTSU Art Department for the first of the spring semester’s Bachelor of Fine Arts Candidate’s Exhibits, “Still Working,” on Monday, March 19, in the University’s Todd Art Gallery.

The exhibit, which will include an artists’ reception on March 19 at 6 p.m. in the Todd Gallery, runs through Thursday, March 22. It features work by Cullen McMackins, GT McMahon, Rhett Moser, Jennifer Baker and Dave Rollins.

The BFA exhibitions feature the MTSU Department of Art’s candidates for graduation each semester. The shows are divided into groups representing students seeking a BFA in studio art, such as book arts, clay, drawing, letter press, printmaking and sculpture, along with shows focusing on graduating seniors working in graphic design.

All exhibitions at MTSU’s Todd Gallery are free and open to the public. Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; the facility is closed on state holidays.

For directions, parking and other information, contact Todd Gallery Secretary Eric Snyder at 615-898-5653 or galleryattoddhall@gmail.com.

--30--
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.

[323] Tommy John Hurls His Best Pitches on 'MTSU On The Record'

FOR RELEASE: March 15, 2012
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081; WMOT-FM, 615-898-2800

TOMMY JOHN HURLS HIS BEST PITCHES ON ‘MTSU ON THE RECORD’
Former Major Leaguer, Pioneering Surgery Patient Discusses Baseball, Medicine

MURFREESBORO-- Former Major League pitcher Tommy John will be Gina Logue’s guest on the next edition of “MTSU on the Record” at 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 19, and 8 a.m. Sunday, March 25, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org).

John, who saved his career and revolutionized his sport by undergoing a groundbreaking operation on his pitching arm, will be the luncheon speaker at MTSU’s 2012 Baseball in Literature and Culture Conference Friday, March 30.

In a three-hour operation in September 1974, Dodgers team surgeon Dr. Frank Jobe replaced the ligament in John’s left elbow with one taken from a tendon in the pitcher’s right wrist. The surgery had been performed previously on wrists and hands, but never on an elbow.

John posted 288 wins, 164 of them post-surgery, in a 26-season career with six different franchises, placing him seventh all-time among Major League southpaws. However, he is best known for what is now called “Tommy John surgery,” a procedure that has extended literally hundreds of athletes’ careers.

To listen to previous programs, go to www.mtsunews.com and click on “listen” under “Audio Clips.” For more information about “MTSU on the Record,” contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.

--30--
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.
For MTSU news and information anytime, visit www.mtsunews.com.

[322] 'MTSU Magazine" Releases Wolfhounds for St. Patrick's Day

Editors and Reporters Note: If you’re tired of clichéd green beer stories, here’s a St. Patrick’s Day item you can sink your teeth into—the only hurling club in the state of Tennessee. And it has nothing to do with the aftermath of drinking green beer. Photos are courtesy of the MT Hurling Club.

FOR RELEASE: March 14, 2012
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081; Drew Ruble, 615-494-7756

‘MTSU MAGAZINE’ RELEASES WOLFHOUNDS FOR ST. PATRICK’S DAY
College Students Practice Classic Irish Game for Heritage, Thrills, Comraderie

MURFREESBORO—The MT Hurling Club, known as the Wolfhounds, will demonstrate the cherished Irish sport of hurling when they play the Lads of Lexington on St. Patrick’s Day, Saturday, March 17, in Lexington, Ky.

A frenetic mixture of field hockey, soccer, baseball and lacrosse skills, hurling combines 21st century whiplash speed with the centuries-old daring of its ancient Irish practitioners.

The MT Hurling Club, which was formed by Middle Tennessee State University students, is the only hurling club in the state of Tennessee. And the only place to find out more about it is by reading Gina Logue’s story in the latest edition of www.mtsumagazine.com.

The cyberspace version of its print cousin, MTSU Magazine, provides web-exclusive content you won’t see anywhere else, as well as videos, the MTSU television program “Out of the Blue” and other information about the dynamic activities of the University’s faculty and students.
MTSU Magazine is distributed twice annually to more than 96,000 alumni readers and is always available at www.mtsumagazine.com. For more information, contact Drew Ruble, senior editor of University publications, at 615-494-7756 or drew.ruble@mtsu.edu.

--30--
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.

[321] Southpaw Surgery Pioneer Tommy John to Speak at MTSU

FOR RELEASE: March 15, 2012
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

SOUTHPAW SURGERY PIONEER TOMMY JOHN TO SPEAK AT MTSU
Former Major-League Pitcher to Hurl Words at Baseball Literature Conference

MURFREESBORO—Former Major League pitcher Tommy John, who saved his career and revolutionized his sport by undergoing a groundbreaking operation, will be the luncheon speaker at MTSU’s 2012 Baseball in Literature and Culture Conference Friday, March 30.

The conference is scheduled from 8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. in the James Union Building.

John had amassed a 13-3 record for the Los Angeles Dodgers by July 1974 when a ligament in his pitching elbow ruptured. In a three-hour operation in September 1974, Dodgers team surgeon Dr. Frank Jobe replaced the ligament in John’s left elbow with one taken from a tendon in the pitcher’s right wrist. The surgery had been performed previously on wrists and hands, but never on an elbow.

Following another procedure to reroute a nerve, John underwent 18 months of extensive rehabilitation and strengthening workouts. In the 1976 season, he posted a 10-10 record with a 3.09 earned run average, netting him the National League Comeback Player of the Year Award.

In a 26-season career with six different franchises, John posted 288 wins, 164 of them post-surgery, placing him seventh all-time among Major League southpaws. However, he is best known for what is now called “Tommy John surgery,” a procedure that has extended literally hundreds of athletes’ careers.

To hear Gina Logue’s interview with Tommy John on “MTSU on the Record,” tune to WMOT-FM (89.5 or wmot.org) at 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 19, or catch the encore presentation at 8 a.m. Sunday, March 25.

Dr. Daniel Anderson will deliver the keynote address, “Renaissance Men: Sportswriting, Popular Culture and Negro League Baseball,” at 8:30 a.m. A professor of literature, composition and American Studies at Dominican University in suburban Chicago, Anderson has published essays on sports in the work of W.E.B. DuBois and on intellectualism in the Negro Leagues.

Other topics to be discussed at the conference include “Traditional Fandoms in the Digital Age,” “The Colorful, Quirky Confines of Nashville’s Sulphur Dell,” “Hip-Hop, the Blogosphere and the Emergence of Baseball Poetry” and “The Cubs and Conservatism, or Why I Hate George Will.”

“The conference has really produced a lot of useful academic work, and it’s really great to see people use this venue as a way of producing viable baseball scholarship,” says Dr. Warren Tormey, an assistant professor of English at MTSU and organizer of the conference.

In fact, Tormey says, a volume of contributions by conference presenters, titled “Baseball and Class,” is due to be published this year in late spring or early summer.

The conference registration fee, which includes breakfast, lunch and the conference program, is $70. To register in advance, mail a check or money order payable to MTSU to Baseball Conference, MTSU Box 97, Murfreesboro, Tenn. 37132. Attendees also may register in person on March 30.

For scheduling or agenda questions, contact Tormey at 615-904-8585 or tormey@mtsu.edu.

--30--
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.

[320] MTSU, Tennessean 'tweetup' for Child Obesity Awareness Day

MTSU, Tennessean 'tweetup' for Child Obesity Awareness Day

FOR RELEASE: March 14, 2012
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Doug Williams, 615-898-2920 or Doug.Williams@mtsu.edu

MURFREESBORO—MTSU and The Tennessean will combine forces to alert people in middle Tennessee and beyond about the dangers of childhood obesity in an on-campus “Tweetup” on Tuesday, March 20.

MTSU’s Dr. Don Morgan, an expert on physical fitness and childhood obesity, and Tennessean Health Editor Heidi Hall, will give a presentation framing this statewide epidemic. Their ideas to help chip away at the problem are aimed at inspiring students and parents, journalists and teachers, community and business to learn more about childhood obesity and get involved in solving it.

The event will be held in Room 121 of the Cason-Kennedy Nursing Building on the MTSU campus. Sessions are scheduled at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.

MTSU will broadcast Morgan and Hall’s presentations live on www.BrainstormNashville.com, The Tennessean’s new digital hub for community problem-solving. The broadcast will include resources and links dedicated to the problem of childhood obesity, which has been a marquee campaign for the newspaper’s journalists and editorial writers.

MTSU students, faculty and community members, as well as others in the community who can’t attend the Tweetup will be encouraged to publicize the event via Twitter and Facebook using the hashtag #ChildObesity and the Facebook event tag “Child Obesity Awareness Day.”

A “Tweetup” is a gathering of people who use Twitter, an online social-networking service that enables users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters.

Tweetups are usually social events but also are organized for special causes or to address and accomplish community goals. The later is precisely what Brainstorm Nashville hopes to do with the March 20 event.

The Tweetup is part of a new strategic partnership between MTSU and The Tennessean supporting the BrainstormNashville.com website. Organizers say the event will not only bring attention to the problem of childhood obesity but it also will serve as an educational event for those seeking to create positive change and to leverage their followers to spread the Brainstorm Nashville message.

The Cason-Kennedy Nursing Building is on the MTSU campus at the corner of Faulkinberry Drive and Champions Way, just west of the Reese Smith Jr. Baseball Stadium. Tweetup participants can park in the north lot adjoining the CKNB or in one of three lots adjacent to the building.

For more details on the March 20 Tweetup, visit http://mtsunews.com/tweetup.

—30—

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

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

[319] MTSU, NSCC Ink Agreement to Aid Students' Academic Success

FOR RELEASE: March 14, 2012
NEWS CONTACT: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu

MTSU, NSCC ink agreement to aid students’ academic success

NASHVILLE—The presidents of MTSU and Nashville State Community College signed an agreement March 14 to make it easier for students to earn degrees from both institutions.

MTSU’s Dr. Sidney A. McPhee and Nashville State’s Dr. George Van Allen officially authorized a Concurrent Enrollment and Reverse Transfer Agreement to ease the processes between the two Tennessee Board of Regents institutions and encourage students’ academic success.

The signing took place on the NSCC campus in Nashville. It expands on an already-established Dual Admission Program between the two institutions, which provides advising, registration priority and admission to MTSU while the student is still at NSCC.

MTSU also has established dual-admission programs with Chattanooga State, Dyersburg State and Motlow State community colleges.

“We already have a strong partnership with Nashville State and welcome this opportunity to strengthen it,” McPhee said. “MTSU is the No. 1 destination of transfer students in Tennessee, and this agreement makes it even easier for Nashville State students to attend our University.”

The “concurrent enrollment” aspect of the new agreement allows students to enroll for classes at both institutions simultaneously and get financial aid for the total number of credits if needed. This will help community college students in selected majors to enroll in other required lower-division courses that are currently offered only at MTSU, such as nutrition, interior design and Concrete Industry Management.

The “reverse transfer” portion of the plan gives former NSCC students, who enrolled at MTSU without receiving an NSCC associate’s degree, the opportunity to transfer MTSU credits back to NSCC and receive a two-year diploma.

Students must meet certain criteria to be eligible for the new partnership with NSCC, including meeting admissions standards for MTSU.

—30—

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"! For MTSU news and information anytime, visit w

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

[318] Women's History Month At MTSU Focuses on Education

FOR RELEASE: March 12, 2012
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH AT MTSU FOCUSES ON EDUCATION
Inspiration, Perseverance Dominant Themes of Annual Commemoration

MURFREESBORO—“Women’s Education, Women’s Empowerment” is the theme of this year’s slate of events in MTSU’s National Women’s History Month celebration.

“It’s important to take time each year to celebrate the achievements of women, past and present,” says Anne Fraley, chair of the MTSU National Women’s History Month Committee and interim director of the June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students.

“When we look back, we find courageous women who overcame challenges in their day and circumstances and who inspire us to meet and overcome the challenges we face in this day.”

Academy Award-winning actress Marlee Matlin will be the keynote speaker at 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 22, at Tucker Theatre. Doors will open at 3:15 p.m. Matlin will sign her books immediately following her presentation.

“Marlee Matlin is a woman who inspires many of us to persevere in the face of difficulty and against daunting odds,” says Fraley of the hearing-impaired actress. “She does so with humor and grace, giving voice to every woman determined to build a better life for herself and others.”

This event is free and open to the public. Seating will be limited, however, and tickets are required. Attendees may pick up tickets in person at the Tucker Theatre box office March 19-21 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

People with hearing impairments may contact Valerie Avent at 615-898-5725 or valerie.avent@mtsu.edu to reserve seats in a section close to the stage and/or to request CART, or Communication Across Real Time, translations.

CART requests must be made by Monday, March 19. Reservations for people with hearing impairments must be made by 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 21, and tickets picked up at Tucker Theatre by 3:45 p.m. Tuesday, March 22. After 3:45 p.m., those tickets will be available for walk-ins.



Other NWHM highlights include:
• The annual “Clothesline Project,” a display of T-shirts featuring messages from domestic-violence survivors, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. April 9-10 on the Keathley University Center knoll. For more information, contact Kristen Michelle Franks at kmf3r@mtmail.mtsu.edu;
• “Equal Pay Day,” an educational campaign aimed at informing the public about wage and salary disparities on Tuesday, April 17, at the KUC;
• “Take Back the Night,” a public speakout on violence against women on Tuesday, April 17, on the KUC knoll, followed by a candlelight vigil and march around campus; and
• “Becoming a Thistle Farmer: Learning to Walk with Courage and Humility,” a presentation by the Rev. Becca Stevens, 12:30-2 p.m. Tuesday, April 3, in the KUC Theater. Stevens is co-founder of Magdalene House, a residential community serving women recovering from violence, prostitution, addiction and life on the streets.

These events are free and open to the public. For more information on National Women’s History Month, contact the June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students at 615-898-5989 or Fraley at anne.fraley@mtsu.edu.


--30--
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.

[317] MTSU Co-Sponsors War of 1812 Bicentennial Symposium Events

FOR RELEASE: March 12, 2012
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

MTSU CO-SPONSORS WAR OF 1812 BICENTENNIAL SYMPOSIUM EVENTS
Conflict Expanded Tennessee’s Borders, Solidified America’s Sovereignty

MURFREESBORO—“Tennessee, the Atlantic World and the War of 1812,” a symposium to mark the bicentennial of the War of 1812, is scheduled to begin with registration at 9 a.m. Saturday, March 17, in the auditorium of the Nashville Public Library Auditorium at 615 Church St.

Dr. Carroll Van West, director of MTSU’s Center for Historic Preservation, organized the event. It is co-sponsored by the CHP, the Tennessee Historical Society, the Tennessee State Museum and Special Collections at the Nashville Public Library.

Nationally recognized scholars will discuss why the war is important and how Native Americans were affected as well as Tennessee’s role in the conflict.

Brochures produced by the CHP outlining a War of 1812 driving tour will be available at the symposium. The leaflets highlight more than 30 places and museums associated with the war.

In advance of the symposium, The Hermitage will celebrate Andrew Jackson’s birthday Thursday, March 15, with half-price admission. Teachers also may attend a Library of Congress workshop, “Teaching with Primary Sources across Tennessee,” from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday, March 16, at the Nashville Public Library.

Those who pre-register for the symposium may attend a reception and tour of a new exhibit, “Becoming the Volunteer State: Tennessee in the War of 1812,” on March 16 at the Tennessee State Museum, located at 505 Deaderick St. in Nashville.

Participants are welcome to register in advance by sending an email to the Tennessee Historical Society at info@tennesseehistory.org.

For more information, visit the CHP website at www.mtsuhistpres.org or call 615-898-2947.


--30—
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.

[316] Students Urged to Prepare for Priority Registration, Meet Academic Advisers

Students urged to prepare for priority registration, meet academic advisers

FOR RELEASE: March 9, 2012
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Dr. Laurie Witherow, 615-898-2339 or Laurie.Witherow@mtsu.edu

MURFREESBORO—MTSU students are being urged now to make sure they get the classes they need for summer and fall 2012 by registering during the University’s “Priority Registration” period April 2-13.

Freshmen and sophomores should make an appointment with an academic adviser today, because students who’ve completed fewer than 30 credit hours are now required to meet with an adviser before they can register.

Other students with questions or complex issues also should make an appointment ASAP with their academic advisers to ensure plenty of time to fully discuss their scheduling plans and course needs.

"Taking advantage of priority registration, instead of waiting to register later in the summer, is very important," said Dr. Deb Sells, vice president for the Division of Student Affairs and vice provost for enrollment services.

"Demand for specific classes is monitored during priority registration and gives our university schedulers a sense of when and if additional sections are needed while the overall schedule can still be adjusted. Last-minute registration during the summer months makes it difficult for the University to react to an unexpected demand for classes."

Officials in the University College Advising Center say that students are receiving emails now with instructions on meeting their academic-advising requirements.

“While most freshmen have always been required to see an adviser prior to registration, beginning this spring, all students with fewer than 30 completed hours will be required to meet with an academic advisor prior to being able to register for summer or fall classes,” said Dr. Laurie Witherow, assistant dean of the University College.

“Careful academic advising has been proved to help students avoid mistakes in course registration and help keep them on track for graduation. Taking advantage of the early-registration period is essential for students to ensure that they have access to the classes they need to graduate!”

In addition to all students with less than 30 earned hours, some students also will be required to see an adviser before they can register for summer or fall classes. Examples include:

• any student with a prescribed course requirement, who must consult with an adviser in the University College Advising Center until all requirements are completed;
• all undeclared students, who are required to see their UCAC advisers; and
• College of Mass Communication students with 60 earned hours and candidacy who have not filed an Upper Division form, who must meet with a faculty adviser.

Witherow added that MTSU’s academic advisers are making appointments now to see their assigned students and help with the new requirements.

Students with simple registration needs also can drop by the UCAC office in the McFarland Building for a walk-in appointment March 26-April 13. Available walk-in times at the McFarland Building during that three-week period are 8 to 10 a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and 9 to 11 a.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

A campuswide schedule for walk-in advising availability in departments and colleges is located at www.mtsu.edu/advising/WalkInAdvising.shtml.

The MTSU Summer/Fall 2012 Registration Guide will be available the week after Spring Break. Students also may view their assigned registration times in RaiderNet at that time.

For more details about Priority Registration at MTSU, visit the UCAC’s updated web page at www.mtsu.edu/advising/priorityregistration.shtml.

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