[489] New MTSU Student Union Awaits Late-August Opening

For release:  June 28, 2012

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

Student Affairs contacts: Dr. Deb Sells, 615-898-2440 or Debra.Sells@mtsu.edu

and Sarah Sudak, 615-898-5342 or Sarah.Sudak@mtsu.edu

New MTSU Student Union awaits late-August opening

Coming soon (late August) … to a campus near you

• MTSU’s new $65 million, nearly 211,000-square-foot Student Union;

• Features include an 840-seat ballroom, Phillips Bookstore, 6 food-service vendors, a 640-seat food court, a 102-seat casual dining restaurant, an 84-seat Parliamentary Room, a 95-seat video theater and more;

• it will be a trendy place and retreat for students and others to gather; and

• while the new Student Union will become the shiny, new pearl, Keathley University Center and James Union Building still have a lot of life left in them

By Randy Weiler

mtsunews.com

MURFREESBORO — The shiny new pearl on MTSU’s burgeoning east side of campus continues to grow toward a late-August opening.

The gem is the $65 million, nearly 211,000-square-foot Student Union. Nestled next to the year-old College of Education building to the west and the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building to the south, the Student Union will be the trendy place for students and others to gather.

“Overall, we’re tremendously excited about the opening of the new union and about the impact we think it will have on the campus community,” said Dr. Deb Sells, vice president for student affairs and vice provost for enrollment and academic services.

“The new facility is really unlike anything our current and recent students have ever had the chance to experience.”

The Student Union, which officially will open when fall 2012 semester classes begin—either Monday, Aug. 27, or the weekend of Aug. 25-26—is expected become a favorite retreat for all that utilize the facility.

“Up ’til now, the KUC (Keathley University Center) has been more about administrative offices and food service than about really being a gathering place for students,” Sells said. “While the new Student Union is architecturally beautiful, what’s most important is that it is designed to be a real home for students. I think students are going to have a lot of fun exploring the building and finding their favorite lounge or seminar room or balcony or seating area next to the huge windows—little nooks and crannies that they love to use.

“This new building will truly be the gathering space for the campus,” added Sells. “Much like the ‘family room’ in the home, this building is meant to be lived in and enjoyed. It’s meant to be a place for students, faculty and staff to interact and just hang out.”

Students attending MTSU this fall and in the future will be beneficiaries of MTSU’s newest addition.

“The new Student Union building is an incredible addition to our great institution,” said 2012-13 Student Government Association President Coby Sherlock, a senior from New Orleans, La., majoring in political science. “This building is dedicated to the student body, and I am proud that the students will have a place on campus that will enhance the community and family-style atmosphere that MTSU possesses. It is a building that will provide us with various dining options, including a sit-down restaurant for students to take a break and relax while enjoying a great meal.”

The new facility continues to catch attention across campus at MTSU, which last fall saw a record enrollment of 26,430 students and remains the largest undergraduate university in Tennessee.

“Anytime anything new comes on campus, people are really excited. This is no exception,” said Sarah Sudak, associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students.

Messer Construction workers have been working long—and hot—hours building the facility.

“It’s where it needs to be,” said Sudak, noting that construction is on schedule for the building that will succeed the 45-year-old Keathley University Center in the central campus. The KUC was the successor to the now-60-year-old James Union Building on MTSU’s west side.

“We’ve still got a lot to do in order to move in. It will be ready to go in August.”

The impressive building—“It’s a football field and a half,” Sudak said of the size—will serve students, faculty, staff, administrators, alumni and friends of the University and others well into MTSU’s second century. The structure’s overall magnitude, the use of stone and architectural design in various parts of the building, and the variety of floor types add to the luster.

The first floor features:

• Phillips Bookstore;


• six new food-service venues;


• a 640-seat food court and a 102-seat casual-dining restaurant;


• a game room; and


• an ATM area, copy center, lounge areas and email stations.

The second floor features:

• an 840-seat ballroom with a green room and two dressing rooms;


• an 84-seat Parliamentary Room and a 95-seat video theater;


• a formal meeting and dining area;


• a collaborative computer center;


• two large, two medium and three small conference rooms, and three small seminar rooms; and


• lounge spaces that include collaborative technology, email check stations, flat-screen TVs, a fireplace and seminar rooms.

The third floor features:

• offices for the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership, Student Organization, Student Government and Student Unions and Programming;


• two small seminar rooms; and


• a television lounge and other lounge spaces that include collaborative technology.

“There finally will be room for an expanded calendar of student activities, and we intend to take full advantage of that this fall,” said Sells. “Students should expect to see activities in the Union most days of the week and throughout the weekend.

“There are places for acoustic music near the eating areas; sports and other TV viewing options in the restaurant and lounges; space in the ballroom for concerts and productions; a game room for pool and video games; a collaborative computing space for group work; a video theater for movies; and comfy seating and beautiful windows for those who want to read in the new bookstore.”

Sherlock and his fellow SGA officers are looking forward not only to their new office space but also the Parliamentary Room.

“I am personally excited about the new Parliamentary Room that our senate will be meeting in beginning in this year,” he said. “The new Student Union building is very special for our students, and we are excited for its opening in the fall.”

Both the JUB and KUC will continue to be used by students, faculty, staff and others.

The JUB’s popular Tennessee Room and Hazlewood Dining Room will remain available to reserve for events.

You can view a slideshow of more photos of the new Student Union at http://mtsunews.com/new-student-union/. Click on the slideshow image to see larger images; click on the “Show info” tab to see details about each photo.

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Student Union food court.jpg photo caption

The new Student Union food court features a stone facing on the wall outside the “Provisions On Demand,” or “POD,” venue and multicolored polished terrazzo flooring. (MTSU photo by J. Intintoli)

Media note: To obtain additional high-resolution images of the new Student Union, contact Randy Weiler in News and Media Relations by calling             615-898-5616 or email Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu.

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

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

[488] MTSU's Pettey: Computer-Science Field Has Enormous Potential

For release:  June 26, 2012

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

Second contact: Dr. Chrisila Pettey, 615-898-2397 or Name.Name@mtsu.edu

MTSU’s Pettey: Computer-science field has enormous potential

20-year University faculty member appointed to chair’s job for department

MURFREESBORO — Knowing that the demand for computer-science personnel is great not only in Tennessee, but also in the U.S. and worldwide, Dr. Chrisila Pettey’s vision is to have MTSU supply more talented graduates to the workforce.

“Even if it’s indirect, every company out there needs computer programmers,” said Pettey, an MTSU alumna who recently was appointed permanent chair of the Department of Computer Science after serving as interim chair for two years. “Every business needs software, and programmers are the ones who create it. There are not enough programmers in the United States. It is a serious need.”

Pettey’s check of the web reveals real-time data: The Nashville Technology Council site indicated there were 853 technology-related job openings in the first quarter of 2012. Also, the Bureau of Labor and Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook reports a 22-percent computer and information systems projected growth between now and 2020.

Pettey said this growth rate ‘is huge.”

“In Middle Tennessee, the number of people who graduate with a computer-science degree is not enough to cover the need,” said Pettey, her comment indicating that all the region’s colleges and universities are not meeting the demand.

Students will be beneficiaries of the growing need for computer-science graduates.

“It has an advantage that it’s a very diverse field,” Pettey said. “Our graduates can go in any direction that they’re interested in. We’ve had students go to work for Google, IBM, Sony Pictures Imageworks and many more companies. They can go to work anywhere. They do not have to work in the health-care field, even though that’s a huge industry now.”

College of Basic and Applied Sciences’ Dean Tom Cheatham announced Pettey’s appointment June 20. The Tennessee Board of Regents approved Cheatham’s and the University’s recommendation of her for the position after a national search.

“Chrisila knows the department very well and has a great passion for helping people,” Cheatham said. “She will make a great chair.”

Pettey has goals and aspirations for computer science, which has 336 undergraduate majors, 28 graduate students, 11 full-time faculty and two staff members.

“My goal is to do my best to facilitate continually moving the department forward,” Pettey said. “Our discipline is a rapidly changing one, and the faculty has to work hard to stay current and keep the curriculum current as well as maintain our accreditation.”

While a main priority at present is an upcoming accreditation visit in October, Pettey said she would like to raise the bar in terms of research and working hand-in-hand with other departments.

“I would like to see more research and/or teaching collaboration between our department and other departments on campus, and more students involved in internships and research,” she said.

This spring, Pettey led efforts by the department to hold a 25^th anniversary celebration of the program. Alumni returned from various parts of the country for the event.

Pettey joined the computer-science department in 1992 as an assistant professor after she completed her Ph.D. in computer science at Vanderbilt University. She earned her bachelor’s from Lipscomb University in 1978 and a master’s in ’81 from MTSU.

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Note: A high-resolution jpeg photo of Dr. Chrisila Pettey is attached.

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

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

[487] Immerse Yourself in a New Language This Summer at MTSU

Immerse yourself in a new language this summer at MTSU!

FOR RELEASE: June 27, 2012

EDITORIAL CONTACT: Dr. Shelley Thomas, 615-898-5757 or shelley.thomas@mtsu.edu

MURFREESBORO—Instructors at the Summer Language Institute at MTSU’s Center for Accelerated Language Acquisition have found the secret to mastering a new language: Let students learn by doing—and by having fun.

MTSU’s 10th annual Summer Language Institute, which is offering three sessions of beginning language classes in July along with teacher-training workshops, uses innovative methods to help students grasp and use a new language. The cost for each course is $145, and the registration deadline is June 29.

“Total Physical Response” and “Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling” are designed to teach students a second language the same way they learned their first—by relating vocabulary to movement and learning grammar through storytelling. Students are completely immersed in the language from the first day of class.

“I have seen these methods work with adults in their 70s, even with languages as difficult as Mandarin. I can now tell people who regret never having studied a language or who had a bad experience that it is not too late,” said Dr. Shelley Thomas, an associate professor of foreign languages and literatures at MTSU and founder of the Summer Language Institute.

The beginning Spanish class is planned for July 9-13. Courses in beginning Spanish and beginning French are scheduled July 16-20.

The language classes are set from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and the teachers’ workshops will be held from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. All will be held in Room 106 of the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building at MTSU.

The morning language classes will be conducted in a fun, low-stress atmosphere using movement, songs and games, said Thomas, who has spent years teaching the language-learning methods to teachers worldwide. Participants will gain a low level of proficiency that will enable them to carry on very basic conversations.

The afternoon teachers’ workshops will discuss the language-learning process and guide participants in using the TPR and TPRS methods.

These courses at the Center for Accelerated Language Acquisition can be taken for graduate credits or as noncredit language courses.

Participants may get more information and register at www.acceleratedacquisition.com via the “Summer Language Institute July 2012” link. You also can watch video clips and read reviews of past classes at the center’s site.

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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 begins its second century of service, Pride, Tradition and Excellence remain the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"! For MTSU news and information anytime, visit www.mtsunews.com.

[486] Ferrara Appointed MTSU Interim Aerospace Chair for 2012-13

For release:  June 21, 2012

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

Aerospace contact: Dr. Ron Ferrara, 615-898-2788 or Ron.Ferrara@mtsu.edu

Ferrara appointed MTSU interim aerospace chair for 2012-13

MURFREESBORO — Dr. Ron Ferrara, a 26-year member of the MTSU aerospace faculty, has been appointed interim department chair.

Dr. Tom Cheatham, dean for the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, made the announcement June 20.

Cheatham had asked Ferrara to serve as interim chair for the 2012-13 academic year while a national search is conducted. The Tennessee Board of Regents notified University officials recently that the recommendation of Ferrara had been approved.

“Dr. Ferrara has served as chair previously and has the respect of his colleagues,” Cheatham said. “He will do a great job as chair in aerospace in the coming year.”

Ferrara replaces Dr. Wayne Dornan, who stepped down after serving as aerospace chair since joining MTSU in 2003.

“Dr. Dornan will continue to serve the department as a faculty member and director of special projects,” Cheatham said.

Ferrara, whose aviation background and MTSU career began in maintenance in the Flight Operations Center at Murfreesboro Airport, previously served as department chair from 1993-2000. He has served as aerospace graduate coordinator since 2000.

As interim chair, Ferrara said he will oversee curriculum, personnel, faculty workloads, airport operations, maintenance of aircraft and more.

“We have four separate budgets, we have contracts with Murfreesboro Airport and the city, property leases and we work closely with the FAA and the TSA (Transportation Security Administration),” he said.

Ferrara has immediate objectives he hopes to accomplish.

“My primary goal is to reengage faculty in the day-to-day operation of the department,” Ferrara said. “… I want to get everybody back together as one team, and work for what’s best for the department and not one concentration.”

Ferrara added that he wants faculty “to get back to the basics — teaching and interact with students.”

“Our department always has been a strong department,” Ferrara said. “It has a very good reputation in the industry and with the FAA and other universities. I want to see that remain high.”

Ferrara said he had a goal to retire Aug. 1, 2013. However, he said his plans might change.

“If some projects I’ve been working on for years come to fruition, I might stay a little longer,” he said. “If not, my plan is to retire.”

He said he performs research in aviation history, working on a special project for the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum.

Ferrara earned his bachelor’s at the University of Connecticut in 1968. He also obtained an associate’s degree from Western Kentucky University in ’79; a master’s in ’82 and doctorate in ’93 from the University of Kentucky; and a master’s from MTSU in 2007.

Ferrara and his wife, Julie, live in Murfreesboro. A grandson, Joey Ferrara, lives with them. Ron Ferrara said his hobbies include coin collecting and growing orchids.

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Note: Two high-resolution jpeg photos of Dr. Ron Ferrara are attached.

Captions

Ron Ferrara mug.jpg photo caption

Ron Ferrara

Ron Ferrara.jpg photo caption

Aerospace veteran faculty member Dr. Ron Ferrara has been appointed interim department chair for the 2012-13 academic year. (MTSU photo by News and Media Relations)

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

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

[485] MTSU Matches Students With International Language Needs

FOR RELEASE:  June 22, 2012

EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

MTSU MATCHES STUDENTS WITH INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE NEEDS

Critical Language Scholarships Help Scholars Fill Language, Cultural Shortages 

MURFREESBORO—Azerbaijani, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu are among the languages that can take MTSU students to fascinating, far-flung parts of the world through the Critical Language Scholarship program.

MTSU is encouraging students to take advantage of CLS to fill a pressing need for more Americans to master these languages, and others, that are strategically important for commerce, diplomacy and humanitarianism.

A Critical Language Scholarship provides undergraduates and graduate students with fully funded, group-based, intensive language instruction and structured cultural-enrichment activities abroad for seven to 10 weeks.

In 2011, CLS issued nearly 600 awards to U.S. citizen undergraduate and graduate students out of more than 5,200 applicants. MTSU is promoting Critical Language Scholarships for the upcoming academic year, along with the Fulbright Program, Boren scholarships and Gilman scholarships.

Laura Clippard, Undergraduate Fellowships Office coordinator for national scholarships, and Tiffany Bickers, director of the Office of Education Abroad, assist students in applying for the coveted educational experiences.

“What we find is that students simply do not know the opportunities that exist in the fellowship realm,” says Clippard. “MTSU students can combine their passion for academics with other opportunities.”

CLS participants receive 20 hours of formal language learning per week and are partnered with peers to practice their language.

The cultural benefits include residing with local families or others who speak the native language and participating in activities with a language-learning component, student-driven projects and roundtable discussions, and learning from guest speakers.

Instruction is available for Arabic and Persian at advanced beginning, intermediate and advanced levels; Azerbaijani, Bangla/Bengali, Hindi, Indonesian, Korean, Punjabi, Turkish and Urdu at beginning, intermediate and advanced levels; and Chinese, Japanese and Russian at intermediate and advanced levels.

Countries may include Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Morocco, Oman, Russia, South Korea, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey and others where the target languages are spoken.

Participants are expected to continue their language study beyond the scholarship period and later apply their critical language skills in their future professional careers.

Students applying for CLS are encouraged to contact Clippard at 615-898-5464 or laura.clippard@mtsu.edu.

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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 begins its second century of service, Pride, Tradition and Excellence remain the cornerstones of "Tennessee’s Best"! For MTSU news and information anytime, visit www.mtsunews.com.

[484] Sudanese 'Lost Boy' travels from anarchy to academia

FOR RELEASE: June 21, 2012

EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

SUDANESE ‘LOST BOY’ TRAVELS FROM ANARCHY TO ACADEMIA

MTSU Alumnus/Educator Tells Compelling Story of Courage on WMOT-FM

MURFREESBORO—Johnson Reng, one of the “Lost Boys of Sudan” and an MTSU graduate, will talk about his inspiring life at 5:30 p.m. Monday, June 25, and 8 a.m. Sunday, July 1, on “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org).

Reng fled his native Sudan during the Second Sudanese Civil War and lived in refugee camps until he was able to obtain passage to the United States through nongovernmental humanitarian groups.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in neuroscience at the University of Texas at Dallas in 2008 and his master’s degree in professional science with a concentration in biostatistics from MTSU in 2011.

A former graduate teaching assistant at MTSU, he now works in the University’s Department of Mathematical Sciences as an instructor.

To listen to previous programs, go to www.mtsunews.com and click on “more” under the “Audio Clips” category.

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

[483] MTSU Announces Graduates for Spring 2012

FOR RELEASE: June 12, 2012

CONTACT:  News and Media Relations, 615-898-2919

MTSU ANNOUNCES GRADUATES FOR SPRING 2012

County-by-County Listing of Spring 2012 Graduates Now Available Online

(MURFREESBORO)—Middle Tennessee State University has released the names and hometowns of those students who graduated during the spring 2012 commencement ceremony on May 5 in Murphy Center on the MTSU campus.

 Of the 2,399 who received degrees during the University’s spring Centennial commencement, 1,982 were undergraduates and 413 were graduate students, including 329 master’s candidates, 72 education-specialist recipients and 12 doctoral candidates. Four students also received graduate certificates.

For more details about MTSU’s spring 2012 commencement ceremonies, including photos and videos, please visit http://mtsunews.com/spring-2012-commencement.

How to obtain your county’s student list:  To obtain a list of those students from your county who graduated from MTSU on May 5, please go to http://mtsunews.com/information-for-media/mtsu-graduation-list.

The “Spring 2012 Graduation List” link there will include an alphabetical, county-by-county listing of those new MTSU graduates. Please note that this page also explains how to download and save your county’s list for use in your publication.

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ATTENTION, MEDIA:  If you encounter problems downloading your county’s graduation list, contact the Office of News and Public Affairs at MTSU at 615-898-2919.

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

[482] MTSU Announces Dean's List for Spring 2012

FOR RELEASE: June 20, 2012

CONTACT:  News and Media Relations, 615-898-2919

MTSU Announces Dean’s List for Spring 2012

County-by-County Listing of Current Dean’s List Students Available Online

MURFREESBORO—Middle Tennessee State University has released the names and hometowns of those students who appear on the Dean’s List for the spring 2012 semester.

To qualify for this distinction, an undergraduate student must maintain a current semester grade-point average of 3.5 or above and earn at least 12 semester hours.

How to obtain your county’s student list:  To obtain a list of those students from your county who are on the current Dean’s List, please go to http://mtsunews.com/information-for-media/mtsu-deans-list.

The “Spring 2012 Dean’s List” link there will include an alphabetical, county-by-county listing of those MTSU students who are on the 2012 spring semester Dean’s List. Please note that this page also explains how to download and save your county’s list for use in your publication.

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