[134] 18th-century instruments featured in Oct. 29 trio concert at MTSU

FOR RELEASE: Oct. 26, 2012

EDITORIAL CONTACT: Tim Musselman, Tim.Musselman@mtsu.edu or 615-898-2493

MURFREESBORO — The music of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven will be featured on the instruments of the composers’ own classical period in a free public concert set for 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 29, in Hinton Music Hall inside MTSU’s Wright Music Building.

“The instruments that we know today were altered significantly in the 19th century,” said Dr. George T. Riordan, director of the MTSU School of Music.

“Our artists will be recreating the style that the composers would have expected so the music may be heard in all its original color and clarity.”

One of the instruments featured in the concert will be the fortepiano, the late 18th-century forerunner of the modern piano. MTSU music faculty member Lillian Pearson will perform on this instrument, which was acquired a year ago by the School of Music.

Riordan noted that unlike later pianos with cast-iron frames built from the mid-19th century onwards, the fortepiano has an interior wooden frame and a simpler action. That creates a tone that is lighter and softer than its more familiar modern counterparts, he said.

Karen Clarke, a member of the faculty of the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University, will perform on a violin from the same time period. Nashville Symphony Orchestra member Christopher Stenstrom will perform on the period cello.

Pearson, Clarke and Stenstrom are also all members of Music City Baroque, Nashville’s period instrument ensemble. 

Music featured in the Oct. 29 concert includes Franz Joseph Haydn’s “Trio in E Major,” Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Sonata in F Major” and Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Trio in G Major.”

           

The trio also will perform in Nashville on Sunday, Oct. 28, at 8 p.m. in the Turner Recital Hall at the Blair School of Music.

For more information on any MTSU School of Music performances, please call 615-898-2493 or see the complete listing of concerts at www.mtsumusic.com at the “Calendar of Events” link.

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MTSU is committed to developing a community devoted to learning, growth and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them:  “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news anytime, visit www.MTSUNews.com.

[133] 'Bluebloods' take it to the Hilltoppers on 'MTSU On the Record'

EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081, gina.logue@mtsu.edu

 

MURFREESBORO — The off-the-field “blood battle” between MTSU and Western Kentucky University will be the topic of the next “MTSU On the Record” with host Gina Logue.

The program will air at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 29, and Sunday, Nov. 4, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org).

Regina Raccuglia, communications manager for the Tennessee Valley Blood Services Region of the American Red Cross, and an MTSU alumna, will discuss the third annual MTSU vs. WKU Blood Battle Challenge, set Oct. 29-31.

The winner of the blood donation drive will be announced at the football game between the Blue Raiders and the Hilltoppers on Thursday, Nov. 1, in Bowling Green, Ky.

To listen to previous “MTSU On the Record” programs, go to the “Audio Clips” archives at www.mtsunews.com.
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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MTSU is committed to developing a community devoted to learning, growth, and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them:  “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news anytime, visit www.MTSUNews.com.

[132] Largest MTSU Salute to Armed Services event set for Oct. 27

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

MTSU Athletics contact: Marco Born, 615-898-5260 or Marco.Born@mtsu.edu

MURFREESBORO — Organizers are preparing for the largest Salute to Armed Services/Veterans Day event in the 31 years it has been held at MTSU.

Between 700 and 1,000 veterans and active-duty military personnel are invited and expected to attend the Saturday, Oct. 27, events on campus.

“It’s going to be an exciting day,” said Marco Born, assistant athletic director in marketing and the ticket office. “It will be a busy day, but exciting. So much planning — eight or nine months — has gone into this by our committee.”

In addition to the morning Veterans Memorial Service, one of the annual highlights will be the naming of the Joe Nunley Award winner. This year, World War II veteran Em T. Ghianni, 90, of Nashville, is the honoree.

Another much-anticipated part of the day comes during halftime when the nearly 460-member Band of Blue pays a special patriotic salute to the U.S. Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.

As their particular branch’s military marching music is played, veterans and active-duty personnel will walk (some in wheelchairs, aided by family or friends) across Horace Jones Field in a moving ceremony.

The day is full of events, including:

•10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. — Healthcare and Benefits Fair near Floyd Stadium Gate 3, presented by the Veterans Affairs/Tennessee Valley Healthcare System;

• 11 to 11:30 a.m. — Veterans Memorial Service outside the Tom H. Jackson Building;

• 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. — Pregame picnic at the Kennon Sports Hall of Fame;

• 1 to 1:30 p.m. — Presentation of the Joe Nunley Award at the Kennon Sports Hall of Fame;

• 2:30 p.m. — MTSU vs. North Texas kickoff; and

• 4 p.m. (time approximate) — Halftime salute to U.S. Armed Services.

During the morning memorial service, veteran and Murfreesboro businessman Fayne Haynes will be the featured speaker. After the ceremony, World War II veterans will be honored by the planting of a tree near the memorial site. A bugler will render a salute with the playing of “Taps.”

“We are expecting our largest Salute to Veterans event ever,” Born said, referring to the effort by the athletics department to visit and personally invite veterans and staff at veterans’ facilities in Nashville, Smyrna and Murfreesboro and the role primary sponsors State Farm, Barrett Firearms, Bridgestone, USAA and the National Guard have played in purchasing tickets for the special guests.

Soldiers and veterans from Clarksville and Fort Campbell, Ky., also are expected to attend, Born said.

For the first time, a silent auction benefiting Toys for Tots will be set up inside the Kennon Hall of Fame. Anyone attending the game or Salute to Armed Services events may participate in the auction, which will end at 1:45 p.m.

Representing the family, Joe Nunley Jr. will participate in the ceremony. Joe Nunley Sr. was a U.S. Army World War II veteran who retired as alumni director at MTSU in 1987 and previously had been a professor in education starting in 1961. He died in 1993.

Also taking place:

• the game coin, to be delivered by a PackBot robot from the MTSU aerospace department’s unmanned aerial system program;

• the coin toss, to be performed jointly by retired U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Daniel Bivens, a two-time combat veteran and Purple Heart recipient, and Lance Cpl. Eric Frazier, who lost both legs while serving in Iraq and received a Purple Heart and other awards;

• the national anthem will be performed by retired Sgt. Joe Wilson Sr.; and

• the Marine Corps-sponsored Toys for Tots will be collecting new toys at each gate.

Born said Boy and Girl Scouts will be in attendance.

To find parking on campus, use this a printable campus map is available at http://tinyurl.com/MTParkingMap12-13. 

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Media welcomed (Note: Entrance to Floyd Stadium requires special media credential. Contact MTSU Athletic Communications at 615-898-2968.)

[131] MTSU hosts 51st Contest of Champions Oct. 20 in Floyd Stadium

For release:  Oct. 19, 2012

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

MTSU Band of Blue contact: Jennifer Stembridge, 615-898-5583 or Jen.Stembridge@mtsu.edu

MURFREESBORO — The 51st annual Contest of Champions high school marching band competition will be held Saturday, Oct. 20, in Middle Tennessee State University’s Floyd Stadium.

The preliminary event starts at 10 a.m. and the final event featuring the eight highest-scoring bands will begin at 7:30 p.m. A printable campus map is available at http://tinyurl.com/MTParkingMap12-13. 

More than 6,000 band members and spectators will attend the competition that is the oldest consecutive marching band competition in the country and attracts the best marching bands in the state, plus Kentucky, Indiana and Oklahoma.

This year’s field includes three-time defending Tennessee champion Siegel of Murfreesboro; perennial contenders Franklin, Overton and McGavock from Nashville; and four-time Kentucky champion Barren County.

By late Saturday evening, the next Tennessee State Marching Band Champion will be crowned, with the top Tennessee and Kentucky bands receiving their respective Governor’s Cups. Awards also are presented to the top three bands in the A, AA and AAA classifications, and the out-of-state entries are eligible for these honors.

Other Class AAA contenders include Riverdale, Jasper, Ind., Knoxville Halls, Kingsport Dobyns-Bennett and Columbia Central. Class AA participants include Sapulpa, Okla., Seymour, Tenn., and Louisville, Ky., Male. Additional Class A bands include Station Camp of Gallatin, Tenn., Coffee County Central from Manchester, Tenn., Oakland, Antioch and Mt. Juliet.

In addition to the high school competition, the event will feature two exhibition performances from the nearly 460-member MTSU Band of Blue.

The competition not only brings people to Rutherford County who might not usually visit the area — bands from as far away as New York and Florida, have competed in past years — but it is also an opportunity for MTSU to recruit quality students from all disciplines.

Most of MTSU’s Band of Blue members aren’t music majors, said band coordinator Jennifer Stembridge. More than three-quarters of the band — 78 percent of the students who march and play — major in other areas.

Seven judges from around the country will rate bands on music performance, general effect and visual performance.

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Media welcomed

       MTSU is committed to developing a community devoted to learning, growth, and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them:  “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news anytime, visit www.MTSUNews.com.

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[130] Donation appointments still available to 'Bleed Blue' for MTSU

FOR RELEASE: Oct. 25, 2012

EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina E. Fann, 615-898-5385 or gina.fann@mtsu.edu

MURFREESBORO — Attention MTSU students, alumni, employees, friends and supporters: Have you made your appointment to "bleed blue" for MTSU next week? 

There's still time to beat the rush, support the university and, most importantly, save lives!

Visit www.redcrossblood.org/MTSUWKU today and choose your most convenient time to donate blood Oct. 29-31 — Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday — in MTSU's annual "Bleed Blue, Beat WKU" competition with Western Kentucky.

Appointments are still open from noon to 6 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 29; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30; and 9 a.m.-7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 31. Halloween, the final donation day, is expected to be the busiest.

The blood-collection champion Blue Raiders are competing for a third year with WKU's Hilltoppers to donate the most pints of blood for the region before they meet on the football field Thursday, Nov. 1.

MTSU supporters can donate blood in the university's Student Health, Wellness and Recreation Center on Blue Raider Drive on the east side of campus. The American Red Cross's Heart of Tennessee Chapter also will accept MTSU-affiliated donations at its Murfreesboro office at 501 Memorial Blvd. on Oct. 29.

Walk-in donors will be welcome during the three-day drive, but making an appointment will help donors get the most convenient times and speedier processing on donation day. Reserved parking also will be available at the Rec Center for blood donors all three days.

The winner of the 2012 “Bleed Blue-Beat WKU” drive will be announced at halftime of the MTSU-WKU game on Nov. 1 in Bowling Green, Ky., at WKU’s Smith Stadium.

For directions to MTSU's Rec Center, visit www.mtsu.edu/camprec/directions.php. For updates and more information about the blood drive, visit http://mtsunews.com/bleed-blue-2012 or www.redcrossblood.org/MTSUWKU.

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MTSU is committed to developing a community devoted to learning, growth and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them:  “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news anytime, visit www.MTSUNews.com.

[129] MTSU departments featured in Nashville schools' career fair

FOR RELEASE: Oct. 23, 2012

EDITORIAL CONTACT: Doug Williams, 615-494-7800 or doug.williams@mtsu.edu

NASHVILLE — MTSU’s 40-foot, $1.7 million HD mobile production lab stands to be a big hit at the 2012 “My Future, My Way” Career Exploration Fair for high school freshmen at the Nashville Convention Center Oct. 24.

The production truck, manned by students from the university’s Department of Electronic Media Communication, will be among several dozen local exhibits demonstrating real-world careers to thousands of Metro Nashville Public School students.

MTSU’s aerospace department also is participating in the Metro fair, bringing students, faculty and equipment to Nashville to give the high schoolers an inside view of the aerospace industry.

The Nashville Chamber of Commerce created the Career Fair to provide an avenue for students to explore a breadth of career areas.

“Our university’s strategic master plan calls for us to build partnerships, in Nashville and throughout the state, that benefit our community and provide hands-on experience for our students,” said MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee. 

“We value our close ties to Nashville and are glad our students and faculty will provide a meaningful and memorable experience for the students in attendance.”

MTSU students regularly use the mobile production lab to cover sports, concerts and events for broadcast, cable stations and national cable networks — most recently at the Capitol Street Party, where students were key to production of the Oct. 17 outdoor concert attended by 14,000 people in downtown Nashville.

The Career Exploration Fair will feature six industry areas for interested students, including:

·       arts, media and communications;

·       health and services;

·       business, marketing and information technology;

·       hospitality and tourism; and

·       engineering, manufacturing and industrial technology.

Students will be able to visit with at least five exhibit volunteers, ask questions and participate in hands-on activities. They also will participate in an essay contest and other follow-up activities to demonstrate what they learned.

The Career Exploration Fair will run from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, including a list of participating exhibitors, visit www.mnps.org/Page86480.aspx.

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MTSU is committed to developing a community devoted to learning, growth and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them:  “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news anytime, visit www.MTSUNews.com.

[128] Vietnam Scholar to discuss 'The War that Won't Go Away' at MTSU Oct. 25

FOR RELEASE: Oct. 22, 2012

EDITORIAL CONTACT: Connie Huddleston, 615-494-7628 or connie.huddleston@mtsu.edu

MURFREESBORO — Dr. George C. Herring, author of America’s most widely used textbook on the Vietnam War, will deliver the 2012 Strickland Visiting Scholar Lecture in History on Thursday, Oct. 25, in the State Farm Lecture Hall, Room S-102, of MTSU’s Business and Aerospace Building.

The topic of his 6:30 p.m. address is "Vietnam: The War That Won’t Go Away." It’s free and open to the public.

Herring, author of “America's Longest War: The United States and Vietnam 1950-1975,” also will meet for formal and informal classes and workshops with undergraduates, graduates and faculty during his visit to MTSU, which is coordinated by the College of Liberal Arts.

The Strickland Visiting Scholar program allows students to meet with renowned scholars whose expertise spans a variety of historical issues. The Strickland family established the program in memory of Dr. Roscoe Lee Strickland Jr., a longtime professor of European history at MTSU and the first president of the university’s Faculty Senate.

Herring has been teaching about and researching the Vietnam War for more than 25 years and has made presentations on the subject throughout the world, earning National Endowment for the Humanities, Fulbright and Guggenheim fellowships and visiting professorships along the way.

The Alumni Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Kentucky joined the UK faculty in 1969 after four years at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. He served three terms as the UK history department chair and taught classes ranging from introductory survey courses in U.S. history to graduate seminars. He also directed the work of 35 doctoral students and more than 50 Master of Arts students.

In addition to “America’s Longest War,” now in its fourth edition, Herring is the author of “From Colony to Superpower: U.S. Foreign Relations Since 1776,” a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in nonfiction and the recipient of the 2008 Robert Ferrell Award by the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations. He also is the author of "The Secret Diplomacy of the Vietnam War: The Negotiating Volumes of the Pentagon Papers" and "LBJ and Vietnam: A Different Kind of War."

Herring, now retired from teaching, is a member and former president and journal editor of The Society of American Historians, an honorary organization created to encourage literary distinction in history writing.

For more information about this Strickland Visiting Scholar Lecture, please contact Connie Huddleston at 615-494-7628 or via e-mail at Connie.Huddleston@mtsu.edu.

 

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MTSU is committed to developing a community devoted to learning, growth and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them:  “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news anytime, visit www.MTSUNews.com.

[127] MTSU's Jazz Series opens 14th season Oct. 25 with pianist Andy LaVerne

FOR RELEASE: Oct. 19, 2012

EDITORIAL CONTACT: Tim Musselman, Tim.Musselman@mtsu.edu or 615-898-2493

 

MURFREESBORO — Pianist Andy LaVerne, who’s worked with a veritable “Who’s Who” of jazz, will launch the 14th season of the MTSU Jazz Artist Series on Thursday, Oct. 25, in Hinton Hall inside the Wright Music Building.

 

The performance is set for 7:30 p.m., and public admission to the concert is $15 at the door. MTSU students, faculty and staff with valid IDs will be admitted free. 

The MTSU Jazz Artist Series brings internationally renowned jazz artists to the region each year for performances and educational workshops.

 “Past guest artists for the series have included some of the most important jazz musicians and educators in jazz history,” said Jamey Simmons, professor of jazz trumpet and director of jazz studies at the MTSU School of Music.

“LaVerne is really an important voice in contemporary jazz, bringing the jazz tradition to the stage while at the same time expanding into new territory through his original compositions and arrangements. He also is known as a teacher of the music, which will give our students an insight into the art of one of the masters.”

MTSU music faculty performing with LaVerne will include Simmons on trumpet, Don Aliquo on saxophone, Jim Ferguson on bass, Derrek Phillips on drums and Pat Coil performing a piano duo with the guest.

LaVerne, who studied at Juilliard, Berklee and the New England Conservatory, has worked with the greats of jazz: Frank Sinatra, Stan Getz, Woody Herman, Dizzy Gillespie, Chick Corea, Lionel Hampton, Michael Brecker, Elvin Jones and more.

In addition to the Oct. 25 concert, a free artist’s clinic with LaVerne is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 24, at 3 p.m. in Room 101 of MTSU’s Saunders Fine Arts Building.

The MTSU Jazz Artist series will continue its 2012-13 season on Feb. 14 with the MTSU Jazz Faculty Nonet performing music from Miles Davis’s legendary “Birth of the Cool” and on Feb. 23 with the MTSU Jazz Festival, featuring composer and arranger Bill Holman.

Discount admission also is available for area high school and middle school music students. To reserve tickets, call 615-898-2724 or email James.Simmons@mtsu.edu.

For more information on any MTSU School of Music performances, please call 615-898-2493 or see the complete listing of concerts at www.mtsumusic.com at the “Calendar of Events” link.

 

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MTSU is committed to developing a community devoted to learning, growth and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them:  “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news anytime, visit www.MTSUNews.com.

[126] MTSU students invite food contributions for those less fortunate

FOR RELEASE: Oct. 22, 2012

EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081, gina.logue@mtsu.edu

 

MURFREESBORO—Any and all donations of non-perishable food items are welcome as the MTSU Student Government Association tries to “Fill the MT” Oct. 22-27.

 A large wooden “MT” container is set up inside the Student Government Association office, Room 306 in the Student Union Building for contributions to people in need of food.

All proceeds will be donated to the MTSU Student Food Pantry, which is co-sponsored by student government and the University College Advising Center, and Journey Home of Murfreesboro.

For more information, contact Brandon Brown, philanthropic coordinator of the Student Government Association, at 615-494-8912.

 

 

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MTSU is committed to developing a community devoted to learning, growth, and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them:  “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news anytime, visit www.MTSUNews.com.

 

 

[125] Free Sunday-night Chinese Film Festival is back for fall!

FOR RELEASE: Oct. 19, 2012

EDITORIAL CONTACT: Dr. Bob Spires, 615-898-2217 or rwspires@mtsu.edu

 

MURFREESBORO — MTSU’s free Chinese Film Festival celebrates its 15th semester this Sunday, Oct. 21, with the first in a quartet of films focusing on relationships.

 

Sponsored by the College of Mass Communication and the Confucius Institute, each movie will begin promptly at 6 p.m. in Room 103 of the John Bragg Mass Communication Building.

 

Chan Chen, a mass-comm master’s degree candidate, will lead a question-and-answer session after each screening.

 

All movies in the series have English subtitles. There is no admission charge, and each is open to the public.

 

The award-winning Oct. 21 presentation, “A Simple Life” (2011), focuses on the relationship between a successful Hong Kong movie producer and a lifelong family servant who suffers a stroke.

 

A lonely middle-aged entrepreneur turns to personal ads to find a mate and discovers that love can come unexpectedly in the 2010 film “If You Are the One,” which will be screened Oct. 28.

 

Zhang Yimou, China’s most noted director, tells the story of a remote Chinese village who loses its only teacher for a month in the 2000 film “Not One Less,” which will be shown Nov. 4 and features an award-winning cast of non-actors and real-life settings.

 

And on Nov. 11, “Examination 1977” (2009) tells the story of a group of young idealists battling for the right to return home and restart their lives after years of toil on a state-run re-education farm in China.

 

Dr. Bob Spires, professor of electronic media communication and the festival’s organizer, said student attendance will be taken at each screening and reported to instructors on request.

 

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

 

For more information, contact Spires at 615-898-2217 or rwspires@mtsu.edu or the Confucius Institute at 615-494-8696 or cimtsu@mtsu.edu.

 

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MTSU is committed to developing a community devoted to learning, growth and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them:  “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news anytime, visit www.MTSUNews.com.

[124] Mums, other produce draw public to MTSU Farmers Market Oct. 19

 

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

Student Farmers Market contact: Dr. Nate Phillips, 615-494-8996 or Nate.Phillips@mtsu.edu

 

MURFREESBORO — “Mum” is the word at MTSU, where five or six varieties of chrysanthemums will be on sale to the public for $5 each — from noon to 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19 — at the Horticulture Center on Lightning Way near Greenland Drive.

The mums will be the focus of this week’s Student Farmers Market, which is winding down its fall sale season. To find the “Hort Center,” a printable campus map is available at http://tinyurl.com/MTParkingMap12-13. 

 School of Agribusiness and Agriscience assistant professor Dr. Nate Phillips said kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, turnips, beans, carrots and possibly broccoli will be on sale, along with honey.

 The mums, other plants and produce are grown at the MTSU Farm in Lascassas. Proceeds from the sales throughout the spring, summer and fall benefit the farm and the MTSU Plant and Soil Science Club.

Phillips said the final Student Farmers Market is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 26.

 

For more information, call 615-494-8996 or 615-898-2523.

 

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Media welcomed

 

Photo captions

 

Nate Phillips w/mums1.jpg caption

 

MTSU School of Agribusiness and Agriscience assistant professor Dr. Nate Phillips is shown with four of the varieties of chrysanthemums, which will be on sale Friday, Oct. 19. (Photo by MTSU News and Media Relations)

 

 

       MTSU is committed to developing a community devoted to learning, growth, and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them:  “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news anytime, visit www.MTSUNews.com.

 

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[123] Project Help's Family Fall Festival offers plenty of fun for little ones - and big ones, too

FOR RELEASE: Oct. 18, 2012

EDITORIAL CONTACT: Susan Waldrop, 615-898-2458 or susan.waldrop@mtsu.edu

MURFREESBORO — Mix a dollop of face paint, a handful of cupcake sprinkles and some pumpkin-seed-covered giggles in a sandbox, then let it all bake in a sunny fall afternoon.

That's the recipe for Project Help's Family Fall Festival every year at MTSU, and the result is always delicious — and sometimes hilarious.

Families, friends, teachers, neighbors and community supporters turned out Thursday to spend the afternoon with the kids of Project Help, Rutherford County’s only community- and center-based program serving very young children, including those with special needs.

The festival, enhanced by the breezy October blue skies, welcomed dozens of visitors with snacks, games and the MTSU Dairy's always-crowd-pleasing chocolate milk. Several members of the Blue Raider football team and coaches took a break from practice to carve pumpkins, and Brad Hopkins, a former Tennessee Titan and current sports radio host, stopped by for a quick visit with the Project Help kids, too.

"The goal is to provide our children and their families with an afternoon filled with free, fun and fabulous fall festivities," said Director Susan Waldrop. "The weather's cooperated beautifully and we've all been having a great time!"

Founded in 1983, the nonprofit Project Help provides free early-intervention and family-support services to toddlers with disabilities and developmental delays. It currently serves 68 children, including 45 with special needs.

 

Project Help’s progressive preschool serves children from 15 months to 3 years old. The new “Project Help Prep” for children ranging from 3 years old to kindergarten currently offers a half-day, tuition-only program four days a week.

The center’s staff, which includes more than 150 student volunteers each semester, works with parents through family-support programs that include workshops, one-to-one interactions and informal training seminars.

 For more details about Project Help and its services, visit www.mtsu.edu/ProjectHelp.

 

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MTSU is committed to developing a community devoted to learning, growth and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them:  “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news anytime, visit www.MTSUNews.com.

 

[122] French comedy 'Le Havre' will be screened Saturday at MTSU

FOR RELEASE: Oct. 18, 2012

EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081, gina.logue@mtsu.edu

 

MURFREESBORO — The bittersweet French comedy “Le Havre,” a poignant story of an African refugee trying to avoid deportation, will be shown at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20, in MTSU’s Student Union Building video theater.

Set in the port city of Normandy, “Le Havre” tells the tale of a young man who comes under the protection of a French shoeshine man and his neighbors as he tries to avoid the authorities.

 “Le Havre” takes the tone of a utopian dream under the direction of Aki Kaurismaki, the prolific Finnish filmmaker influenced by Charlie Chaplin and Jean Renoir.

The movie is the latest in the fall semester’s International Film Series sponsored by MTSU Student Programming and Activities and the MTSU Office of International Affairs.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Student Programming at 615-898-2551 or International Affairs at 615-904-8190.

 

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MTSU is committed to developing a community devoted to learning, growth, and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them:  “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news anytime, visit www.MTSUNews.com.

 

 

[121] 'MTSU On the Record' revisits vietnam with expert historian

FOR RELEASE: Oct. 18, 2012

EDITORIAL CONTACT:  Gina Logue, 615-898-5081, gina.logue@mtsu.edu

 

MURFREESBORO — One of the nation’s foremost experts on the Vietnam War will be the guest on the next “MTSU On the Record” with host Gina Logue.

The program will air at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 22, and 8 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 28, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org).

Dr. George Herring will give a lecture, “Vietnam: The War That Won’t Go Away,” beginning at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, in the State Farm Room of the Business and Aerospace Building. This event is free and open to the public.

A professor emeritus and former alumni professor of history at the University of Kentucky, Herring served as chair of the Department of History from 1973-1976 and 1988-1996. In 2002, he was awarded the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations’ Norman A. Graebner Prize for distinguished contributions to the field.

Herring’s published works on the Vietnam War include “America’s Longest War: The United States and Vietnam, 1950-1975”; “The Secret Diplomacy of the Vietnam War: The ‘Negotiating Volumes’ of the Pentagon Papers” and “LBJ and Vietnam: A Different Kind of War.”

To listen to previous “MTSU On the Record” programs, go to the “Audio Clips” archives at www.mtsunews.com.

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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MTSU is committed to developing a community devoted to learning, growth, and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them:  “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news anytime, visit www.MTSUNews.com.