Thursday, April 30, 2009

[451] MTSU PRESIDENT ISSUES HEALTH MESSAGE; UNIVERSITY POSTPONES STUDY-ABROAD TRIPS TO MEXICO

April 30, 2009
CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919

MTSU PRESIDENT ISSUES HEALTH MESSAGE; UNIVERSITY POSTPONES STUDY-ABROAD TRIPS TO MEXICO

MURFREESBORO—Middle Tennessee State University has joined many other universities around the nation in issuing campuswide information regarding the swine flu (H1N1 virus). Information has been posted on the Student Health and Wellness Center Web site, including a message from MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee.
The president’s message to the campus can be found at http://www.mtsu.edu/healthservices/swineflu.shtml.
Additional information on precautions that people can take is posted at http://www.mtsu.edu/healthservices/swineflu_prevent.shtml.
McPhee assured the campus that officials are monitoring the situation, and procedures will be followed as outlined in the MTSU Emergency Management Plan related to public-health emergencies and health and safety guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov).
Two MTSU Study-Abroad trips to Mexico have been postponed, McPhee explained, adhering to directives from the CDC regarding nonessential travel to Mexico.
University officials will work in cooperation with other agencies to ensure the safety of students, faculty and staff, the president stated.

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[450] AFRICAN YOUTH HEALTH SUBJECT OF “MTSU ON THE RECORD”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 30, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081; WMOT-FM, 615-898-2800

AFRICAN YOUTH HEALTH SUBJECT OF “MTSU ON THE RECORD”
MTSU Professor Studies Wellness and Teen Behaviors in His Native Ghana

(MURFREESBORO) – Dr. Andrew Owusu, assistant professor of health and human performance, will discuss the second stage of his study of youth health and wellness in his native Ghana at 7 a.m. this Sunday, May 3, on “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org).
Owusu is the primary investigator/country coordinator for the Ghana School-Based Student Health Survey project, which began in 2006 in partnership with the World Health Organization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Ghana’s Ministry of Education, Science and Sports.
The first phase of the investigation involved the initiation of capacity-building activities and data collection on health-risk behaviors among approximately 6,000 students. With this achievement, MTSU became the first U.S. institution to successfully lead the implementation of a comprehensive nationwide surveillance system dedicated to the health of school children in an African country.
For more information, contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800. To listen to last week’s program on the Liberty Fund Socratic Seminar, go to http://frank.mtsu.edu/~proffice/podcast2009.html and click on “April 26, 2009.”

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[449] MTSU SPRING COMMENCEMENT CEREMONIES AVAILABLE ONLINE

April 30, 2009
CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919

MTSU SPRING COMMENCEMENT CEREMONIES AVAILABLE ONLINE

MURFREESBORO—The spring 2009 MTSU Commencement ceremonies will be available to view via Web cast. To do so, go to www.mtsunews.com and click on the blue cap-and-diploma graphic next to “Commencement ceremony May 9, 2009.” Then click “Graduation live streaming video” and follow the instructions.
In addition to the video link, the “Grad info” page also has links to other important graduation news, including maps, visitors’ information and photo and DVD purchases. Video will be available about 15 minutes before each ceremony begins. It will be necessary to have Windows Media Player in order to view it.


MTSU SPRING 2009 COMMENCEMENT AT A GLANCE

• Who: Approximately 2,261 graduates* (1,886 undergraduates, 375 graduate students)
• What: 2009 MTSU spring commencement
• When: 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. May 9
• Where: Murphy Center on the MTSU campus.
• Speakers: G. Edmond Clark, president/CEO, FedEx Networks Inc., at 9 a.m. ceremony and Brig. Gen. Terry M. Haston at 1 p.m. ceremony
*— Approximate number as of March 19, 2009.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

[448] Engineering Technology Open House April 30 Showcases Student Projects, Research, Awards

Release date: April 29, 2009


News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919 or jweiler@mtsu.edu


Engineering Technology Open House April 30
Showcases Student Projects, Research, Awards


(MURFREESBORO) — The MTSU Department of Engineering Technology’s third annual open house will be held Thursday, April 30, from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Tom H. Jackson Building’s Cantrell Hall.
The free open house will:
• showcase student projects, research and national awards;
• exhibit departmental talent to the campus community; and
• introduce major areas of study to interested students.
“We are proud to exhibit departmental talent to the campus community,” said Dr. Walter Boles, Engineering Technology chair. “This is an excellent opportunity to introduce our major program areas to interested students. Even during this period of unemployment, technology will continue to drive the economy. Our goal is to build tomorrow’s technology careers today.”
Planned exhibits will include an electro-hybrid retrofit device for automobiles; “Concrete: The Sustainable Building Material”; hydraulic lever systems; robotics; hydrogen fuel cells; friction welding; rockets; a Space Elevator; construction management’s National Association of Home Builders national student team award; TN LEAP’s lead elimination economic impact study; and more.
Outdoor presentations will include the Formula SAE racer, Mini-Baja, Moonbuggy, Solar Boat and Solar Car. These student-build experimental vehicles will be on display in front of the Tom H. Jackson Building.
At 3:30, there will be an awards ceremony for outstanding students and scholarship award recipients.
Door prizes will include jump drives and an iPod. Refreshments will be served.
The MTSU Engineering Technology department prepares students for a broad range of technical and management positions. It offers undergraduate majors in ET, concrete industry management, construction management and an interdisciplinary major in environmental science and technology. Pre-professional programs include pre-architecture and pre-engineering. Graduate majors include ET and occupational health and safety.
For more information, call Elizabeth Lamb, the department secretary, at 615-898-2776.
For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.

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[447] MTSU Faculty Lead May 1-2 Cedar Glade Workshops

Release date: April 29, 2009


News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919 or jweiler@mtsu.edu
MTSU Center for Cedar Glades contact: Dr. Kim Cleary Sadler, 615-904-8283


MTSU Faculty Play Key Roles in Cedar Glade
Wildflower Festival May 1-2 Near Lebanon


(MURFREESBORO) — MTSU faculty will play a key role in the 31st annual Elsie Quarterman Cedar Glade Wildflower Festival May 1-2 at Cedars of Lebanon State Park near Lebanon.
Dr. Kim Cleary Sadler, associate professor in biology and director of the MTSU Center for Cedar Glade Studies, will oversee the center’s third Research Roundtable from 1 until 5 p.m. Friday, May 1, in the park’s Assembly Hall.
Dr. Kurt Blum, professor in biology, will be a co-leader in two walks to the cedar glades on Saturday, May 2.
Dr. Vince Cobb, biology professor, will discuss “Snakes of Middle Tennessee” during a 10 a.m. May 2 talk in the Assembly Hall.
Most of the activities will take place May 2, Sadler said. These include bird walk starting at 7 a.m.; a talk and cave trip starting at 12:15 p.m.; a talk about flowers of the glades at 3:30 p.m.; photography tips at 12:15 p.m.; and talks and walks related to butterflies (1:30 p.m.) and nonflowering plants (4:30 p.m.) of the glades
All programs are free and will be held rain or shine, said Sadler.
The Elsie Quarterman Cedar Glade Wildflower Festival is a weekend of nature study. All activities will be held in and around one of the few remaining natural ecosystem in Middle Tennessee, the Limestone Glades of the Central Basin.
The park and center have collaborated to bring together an outstanding group of ecologists, botanists and naturalists in the country to present the beauty and uniqueness of the glades in the spring.
For more information about Middle Tennessee Cedar Glades, visit the Center for Cedar Glades Web site at mtsu.edu/~gladectr.
For park information, contact Wayne “Buddy” Ingram (wayne.ingram@tn.gov), 328 Cedar Forest Rd., Lebanon, TN 37090, or call 615-444-4565 or 443-2769

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

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[446] MTSU, UT Space Institute Academic Partnership Takes Flight

Release date: April 28, 2009


News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919 or jweiler@mtsu.edu


MTSU, UT Space Institute Academic Partnership Takes Flight

(MURFREESBORO) — Wayne Dornan called it “a monumental event” for the MTSU Department of Aerospace program he oversees.
Dr. Angie Bukley, University of Tennessee Space Institute interim associate vice president and chief administrator, said she’s “looking forward to a strong partnership” and already can “see examples of the great students we’ll have at UTSI.”
MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee added that it “is a very unique partnership between two great universities that have world-class facilities, faculty and students.”
Bukley, McPhee and Dornan formally announced an academic partnership in the area of flight test engineering in MTSU’s Business and Aerospace Building Tuesday morning.
Final approval must come from the Tennessee Board of Regents, Dornan said.
Under the partnership, students will spend 3½ years at MTSU. In their last semester, they will take classes at the UTSI campus near Tullahoma. These classes will go toward their undergraduate degree while at the same time count as prerequisite classes for the M.S. at UTSI.
“It’ll be a great program to have,” said Nathaniel Gallagher, a senior aerospace technology major from Pelham, who will graduate May 9 from MTSU and whose Grundy County home down Interstate 24 is in close proximity to UTSI. “UTSI is a high-ranking institution. It’s a great opportunity (for MTSU) to partner with them.”
Gallagher was one of six MTSU students expressing an interest in doing graduate work at UTSI.
The others include seniors (and May 9 graduate hopefuls) Joseph Prince of Murfreesboro and formerly from Hendersonville and Cary Smith of Franklin; sophomore Tanner Merritt of Arlington; senior Kevin Bonds of Nashville; and senior Jud McCracken of Murfreesboro and Jackson. McCracken already has been accepted at UTSI, Dornan said.
“I really like the sound of this program,” said Merritt. “It’s more directed than just a technology program. This seems a little clearer. It’ll be locked down by the time I’m a senior.
“To do this with a partner who’s so close (geographically) is great,” Bukley said. “Hopefully, this will open doors with the whole university system.
Along with Bukley from UTSI were Dr. Ahmad Vakili, interim assistant vice president for research; Dr. Basil Antar, degree program chair for the engineering science program; and Dr. Stephen Corda, program chair for the flight test engineering program.
Bukley said University of Tennessee-Knoxville College of Engineering Dean Wayne Davis and Greg Sedrick, UTSI professor and dean of academic affairs, were unable to attend.
“UTSI certainly will benefit from the additional enrollment of highly qualified candidates entering our degree program,” Bukley said. “We are extremely pleased about this partnership and look forward to exploring other avenues of cooperation.”
“This is a very unique partnership,” Dornan said. “It provides an avenue for MTSU aerospace students to pursue a master’s in flight test engineering in a way that would not be possible without the partnership.
McPhee credited Murfreesboro-based consortium Mind2Marketplace for playing a vital role in the UTSI-MTSU partnership. M2M, which was represented by Chair Andrea Loughry and Executive Director Sandy Ponder, looks for multiple partnerships between universities, chambers of commerce, existing businesses and government agencies. M2M covers a 40-county region between Oak Ridge National Laboratories and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.
Since fall 2005, academic officials at both universities began the partnering process to build the flight test engineering program, Dornan said, adding that in the last several years, faculty and administrators from both schools have worked to make it a reality.
Flight test engineering supports the development, certification and modification of civilian and military aircraft and systems, Dornan said, adding that there is only one other degree program of this type in the western world.

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

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Monday, April 27, 2009

[438] MTSU MUSIC FACULTY PLAN MAY 6 BENEFIT CONCERT FOR LOCAL TORNADO VICTIMS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 27, 2009
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, School of Music, 615-898-2493

MTSU MUSIC FACULTY PLAN MAY 6 BENEFIT CONCERT FOR LOCAL TORNADO VICTIMS
Public Encouraged to Attend Upcoming Show to Help Aid Murfreesboro Community

(MURFREESBORO)—MTSU School of Music faculty musicians will give a benefit concert for the Murfreesboro tornado victims at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 6, in the Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
"We will present (this) concert featuring a diverse program of chamber music to benefit the victims of the April 10 Murfreesboro tornado," said William Yelverton, MTSU professor of guitar.
Faculty participants, in addition to Yelverton, will include Leopoldo Erice (piano), Andrea Dawson (violin), Stephen Smith (tenor), Christine Isley-Farmer (soprano), Titus Bartos (piano) and Don Aliquo (saxophone).
A suggested minimum donation requested is $10 for the concert. Proceeds will go to the local chapter of the American Red Cross.
According a Rutherford County Emergency Management Agency press release, 818 homes have been confirmed as damaged by the F4-category tornado, with 111 of those homes completely destroyed. The same source estimated the cost to businesses and residents is currently $40.2 million dollars.
"Please show your support and plan to attend," Yelverton requested.
For more information, please contact the music school at 615-898-2493.



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° Note: According to the F Scale, which was developed by Theodore Fujita of the University of Chicago, an F4 tornado has winds of 207-260 mph and resulting damages includes the following: Well-constructed homes leveled; structures with weak foundations blown off some distance; cars thrown and disintegrated; large missiles generated; trees in forest uprooted and carried some distance away.

[436] MORE THAN 2,200 GRADUATES SET TO PARTICIPATE IN SPRING COMMENCEMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 27, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Office of News and Public Affairs, 615-898-2919

MORE THAN 2,200 GRADUATES SET TO PARTICIPATE IN SPRING COMMENCEMENT
FedEx Trade Networks President/CEO G. Edmond Clark & Brig. Gen. Terry M. Haston
Will Serve as Featured Speakers for Dual-Ceremony Graduation Event at MTSU

(MURFREESBORO)—More than 2,200 degree candidates are expected to graduate during MTSU’s 97th spring commencement during the university’s upcoming graduation ceremonies, reports Dr. Sherian Huddleston, associate vice provost, Enrollment Services.
On Saturday, May 9, MTSU will again feature dual ceremonies and dual speakers starting at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. in Murphy Center. Of the 2,261 set to graduate during the commencement, 1,886 are undergraduates. Sixteen Ph.D. candidates will graduate, as will 286 master’s candidates and 73 education specialist (Ed.S.) candidates.
Candidates from the College of Graduate Studies, Jennings A. Jones College of Business, and College of Education and Behavioral Science will receive their degrees in the morning ceremony. That afternoon degrees will be conferred on candidates in the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, College of Liberal Arts, College of Mass Communication, and the College of Continuing Education and Distance Learning, said Dr. Diane L. Miller, executive vice provost and chairwoman of the commencement committee.
•G. Edmond Clark, president and CEO of FedEx Trade Networks Inc., which is a subsidiary of the Memphis-based FedEx Corporation, will serve as the guest speaker for the 9 a.m. ceremony.
A 26-year employee of FedEx, Clark is responsible for the leadership and strategic direction of the company, which is one of North America’s largest-volume customs entry filers and a leading provider of global cargo distribution, trade advisory services and value-added logistics solutions. He has been the head of FedEx Trade Networks since its 2000 formation in 2000. According to his bio, Clark’s vision and leadership led to combining several of the finest regional customs brokerage and international freight-forwarding firms in the United States and Canada, many with histories going back more than a century, to form FedEx Trade Networks. He has led the company as it has grown in size, enlarged its service offerings and expanded its global network. Prior to joining FedEx Trade Networks, Clark held a wide variety of management jobs in finance and operations at FedEx Express, both in the U.S. and in Asia, including manager of investor relations; director of finance for air and hub operations; vice president-finance for Asia, Pacific and Middle East (based in Hong Kong); vice president-corporate financial planning; and senior vice president of operations support and engineering. Clark serves on various industry and education boards, including his role as chairman of the Vanderbilt University School of Engineering Alumni Advisory Board. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Business Administration degree in finance from the University of Houston. Clark has three children, and he and his wife reside in Germantown, Tenn. His eldest son, Edmond, is a 2005 graduate from MTSU with a bachelor’s degree in aerospace, with a professional pilot concentration.
• Brig. Gen. Terry M. “Max” Haston, who was appointed as assistant adjutant general for the U.S. Army on May 6, 2008, will be the featured speaker for the 1 p.m. commencement ceremony. Prior to his current appointment, Haston served as the deputy chief of staff for training and operations for the Joint Forces Headquarters, Tenn.
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A native of McMinnville, Haston currently resides in Knoxville. He was commissioned as an armory officer in the U.S. Army in 1979 from MTSU. Upon completion of his armor officer basic courses at Fort Knox, Ky., he was assigned to the XM-1 project and later, to the 2/5 Calvary, 1st Calvary Division at Forth Hood, Texas, at the rank of tank platoon leader. He went on to serve 3-67 Armor, 2nd Armored Division, where he was a tank platoon leader, company executive officer and support platoon leader, among other leadership roles.
Haston left active duty in 1983 and joined the Tennessee Army National Guard, where he commanded an armored cavalry regiment in Rockwood, Tenn. In ’87, he joined the active guard/reserve program and served as a training officer before joining the 278th Regimental staff in 1989. Ultimately, he became the commander of the 278th ACR (Phantom Raider Squadron) and also served, simultaneously, as the training officer for the Tennessee Army National Guard.
Haston completed resident courses at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle Barracks, Pa., where he earned a master’s degree in strategic studies, and became commander of the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Knoxville. Following this command, he was assigned to serve as the deputy chief of staff for operations at Joint Forces Headquarters. Then, in May 2005, he mobilized and deployed as the chief of reserve components for Multi-National Corps Iraq (XVIII Airborne Corps), where he completed his tour in the Middle East and returned to Joint Forces Headquarters in Knoxville.
Among his numerous honors, Brig. Gen. Haston is the recipient of both Army and Indonesian Parachute Badges, the Tennessee National Guard Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, among many others.
Regarding the upcoming commencement event, Miller said she wanted to remind all degree candidates of the importance of appropriate dress, decorum and respect for the commencement ceremony.
“We believe this is a very important day in the lives of many people,” Miller said. “Commencement is a day that families always remember as special. It is difficult to give the ceremony the dignified atmosphere it deserves if people are using air horns or leaving before the completion of the ceremony.”
Additionally, per Miller, the graduation committee also emphasized that students who participate in commencement will be required to stay for the entire ceremony. The ceremony should last about two hours. If candidates are planning celebration activities, please be aware of this commitment, she said.
“To make this a special day, it requires cooperation from everyone in attendance,” Miller said. “We believe it should be a dignified ceremony, which adds to its enjoyment of all in attendance.”
On May 9, the doors to Murphy Center will open at 8 o’clock for the morning ceremony and candidates are expected to be in their assigned areas, dressed in their caps and gowns, no later than 8:30 a.m. For the afternoon ceremony, the doors will open at noon and candidates are expected to be in their assigned areas and ready at 12:30 p.m.
Officials report that students who are not in their assigned gyms at the proper times will not be allowed to participate in the ceremony. Because commencement rehearsals are no longer conducted, timely attendance is mandatory for students to receive important instructions.
• For more information about commencement or receiving a degree in absentia, please visit the Records Office Web site at www.mtsu.edu/~records/grad.htm. Questions about graduation may be directed to the Records Office at 615-898-2600.

MTSU SPRING 2009 COMMENCEMENT AT A GLANCE

• Who: Approximately 2.261 graduates* (1,886 undergraduates, 375 graduate students)
• What: 2009 MTSU spring commencement • When: 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. May 9 • Where: Murphy Center on the MTSU campus.
• Speakers: G. Edmond Clark, president/CEO, FedEx Networks Inc., at 9 a.m. ceremony and Brig. Gen. Terry M. Haston at 1 p.m. ceremony
*— Approximate number as of March 19, 2009.

ATTENTION, MEDIA: To obtain a jpeg of guest speakers for editorial use, please call the Office of News and Public Affairs at MTSU at 615-898-2919 or e-mail your jpeg request to gfann@mtsu.edu.

[435] NATURAL RIGHTS THROUGH THE YEARS ON ‘MTSU ON THE RECORD’

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 24, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081; WMOT-FM, 615-898-2800

NATURAL RIGHTS THROUGH THE YEARS ON ‘MTSU ON THE RECORD’
MTSU’s Dr. Bill Levine Reviews Legal Scholar’s Tome on American Principles

(MURFREESBORO) – Dr. William Levine, MTSU English professor, will recap his presentation at the Liberty Fund Socratic Seminar last month in Indianapolis on ‘MTSU on the Record’ with host Gina Logue at 7 a.m. this Sunday, April 26, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org).
Levine applied his expertise in 18th century literature to an analysis of Restoring the Lost Constitution by Randy E. Barnett. The author asserts that American Constitutional rights as seen through the prism of natural rights have eroded over the years through judicial misinterpretation.
For more information about “MTSU on the Record,” contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800. To hear last week’s program about the vanishing rural landscape of Tennessee, go to http://frank.mtsu.edu/~proffice/podcast2009.html and click on “April 19, 2009.”

Thursday, April 23, 2009

[433] TSU, MTSU Celebrate $2.7 Million NSF Grant to Improve Biology Education

Release date: April 23, 2009


News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919 or jweiler@mtsu.edu



TSU, MTSU Celebrate $2.7 Million NSF
Grant to Improve Biology Education


(MURFREESBORO) — Tennessee State and Middle Tennessee State university officials today celebrated the announcement of a $2.7 million National Science Foundation TRIAD GK-12 partnership grant to improve biology education.
The event was held in the Tom H. Jackson Building’s Cantrell Hall.
Congressman (and MTSU alumnus) Bart Gordon’s office announced the NSF grant through a news release late Wednesday afternoon.
“Jobs of the future will necessitate a strong educational foundation in the sciences,” said Gordon, who was unable to attend because of Washington commitments.
GK-12 is a NSF program that places graduate students in K-12 classrooms. MTSU and Tennessee State University grad students will work with Rutherford County Schools and Metro Nashville Public Schools’ students.
TSU and MTSU will use the grant to support nine STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) graduate fellows each year for the next five years, officials said.
Project objectives include bringing graduate fellows’ research enthusiasm to the classroom; mentoring student research projects; and incorporating biotechnology applications into the science curriculum.
“We believe this approach will be very effective and sustainable,” said Dr. Tony Farone, an MTSU biology professor and the project’s principle investigator. “Our team is looking forward to working together to train future STEM scientists who will find communicating science to the general public and K-12 outreach a natural part of their career.”
MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee said the project’s research will “engage in solutions and help us move forward as a society,” and “advance the mission of the university.” He added that external grants have grown beyond $40 million while he has served as president.
Dr. Todd Gary, director of TSU’s Center of Excellence in Information Systems, introduced the project team: both universities; nonuniversity partners BioTN of Franklin, the Business Education Partnership Committee of the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce and Hendersonville’s Pope John Paul II High School; the two public school districts; and graduate faculty mentors from TSU and MTSU.
Dr. Maria Thompson, TSU’s interim vice president of the Division of research and Sponsored Programs, said the “grant project … provides working capital for graduate students to both instruct and inspire high-school students of Davidson and Rutherford counties.
“The graduate fellows will partner with local high-school teachers to engage in inquiry-based research for high-school biology students in high-need schools. This NSF award will strengthen our graduate programs by providing theses students with an opportunity to bolster the educational fabric of middle Tennessee, specifically inculcating young minds with the twin educational values of research and innovation.”
BioTN co-founder Dr. Leslie Lynch said the grant’s attractiveness stemmed from the “incorporation of the industry component into the training program.”
“Not only will the graduate student benefit,” Lynch added, “but the graduate student will partner with a teacher from secondary education twice a week.”
Lynch added that BioTN is an acronym for Bridging Innovations in Tennessee.
“Our goal is to change the way we train graduate students at MTSU,” Dr. Tom Cheatham, dean of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, said. “He added that “to be successful, we needed to partner with TSU” and that the joint submission beat more than 200 other grants submitted to NSF.

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

[432] MTSU GROUPS’ ACTIVITIES COMMEMORATE PAY EQUITY DAY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 22, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

MTSU GROUPS’ ACTIVITIES COMMEMORATE PAY EQUITY DAY
Women Still Lag Behind Men in Equal Pay Battle 46 Years after Federal Law Signed

(MURFREESBORO) –When the federal Equal Pay Act was signed into law in 1963, a woman in the United States earned only 59 cents for each dollar a man earned. Today, according to 2007 statistics from the National Committee on Pay Equity, a U.S. woman earns only 78 cents for each dollar a man earns.
To draw attention to this imbalance, the June Anderson Women’s Center, the Women’s Studies Program, the President’s Commission on the Status of Women and the Murfreesboro chapter of the American Association of University Women are co-sponsoring Pay Equity Day on Tuesday, April 28, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the Keathley University Center knoll.
Volunteers will distribute literature explaining the disparity and offering suggestions for action. Supporters are encouraged to wear red to dramatize women’s ongoing struggle of being “in the red.”
In addition, Dr. Jackie Gilbert, professor of management and marketing, will speak on the topic “Equal Pay, the Individual and the Institution” at 2 p.m. in Room 100 of the James Union Building (the Faculty Senate room). This presentation is free and open to the public.
“Especially during tough economic times, its’ important to continue to promote this agenda,” says Terri Johnson, director of the Women’s Center. “People forget about inequality, and those who are behind fall even farther behind.”
For more information, contact the Women’s Center at 615-898-2913 or jawc@mtsu.edu.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

[430] New MTSU Development Director Perlick Brings ‘Diversity of Experiences’

Release date: April 22, 2009


News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919 or jweiler@mtsu.edu


New MTSU Development Director
Perlick Brings ‘Diversity of Experiences’

(MURFREESBORO) — After conducting an eight-month national search, MTSU found new Director of Development Nick Perlick right in its back yard.
Perlick, 31, a Pittsburgh, Pa., native and former development director and officer at Ohio State University from 2003 to 2005, moves to MTSU after serving as the Middle Tennessee Medical Center Foundation’s executive director since December 2006.
“I’m very excited to be here,” said Perlick, who started March 23. “Most of my previous experience has been in higher education at large state universities. I’m hopeful that some of the things I learned at those institutions we can bring here to help MTSU.
“In the first few weeks,” he added, “I have found the staff in development and university relations to be a wonderful group of people. They have been great to work with so far.”
In his position, Perlick will oversee an office of 10 people, which includes development directors who work with the Colleges of Basic and Applied Sciences, Business, Education/Distance Learning, Liberal Arts and Mass Communications; an assistant director and coordinator for annual giving; an executive aide; and a secretary.
Joe Bales, vice president for development and university relations, said he is pleased with the selection of Perlick and his decision to accept the job’s challenges.
“We’re extremely excited to have Nick here,” Bales said. “The diversity of experiences he brings, having worked at two major institutions (Ohio State and Florida State universities) and the hospital, is an added dimension.
“He will bring new ideas and perspectives to our program and help provide the highest service to our donors and alumni. He will be a great fit for us.”
Perlick said development’s “primary job is to raise private funding for a wide variety of university needs.
In light of current economic times, Perlick said he knows the challenge will be great.
“Clearly, the great challenge the university is facing now is similar for us in development,” he said. “The alumni and donor prospects we will be engaging are facing the same economic difficulties the university is facing.

“Interestingly, what we’re going through provides a unique opportunity to strengthen our case for support. … Never before have we needed philanthropy to be such a major part of the university’s funding.”
The new development director said he “hopes the dollars the development office is able to raise can help significantly in the continued transformation of the university.”
At the MTMC Foundation, Perlick led the oversight and management of all fundraising efforts. In his role there, his personal cultivation and solicitation of individual, corporate and foundation gifts ranged from $100 to $10 million. When he left, the MTMC Foundation was in the midst of planning and coordinating a $20 million capital campaign.
Perlick replaces Kirk Purdom, who left MTSU in July 2008 to become vice president of advancement at Kentucky Wesleyan College in his hometown of Owensboro.
Perlick and his wife, Erin, a native of Crossville, live in Murfreesboro. They have an 8-month-old son, Ross.

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

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Note: For a high-resolution jpeg photo of new Director of Development Nick Perlick or to schedule an interview with him, contact Randy Weiler at 615-898-5616

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

[429] MTSU Riders Seek IHSA National Championship April 23-26 in Miller Coliseum

Release date: April 21, 2009


News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919 or jweiler@mtsu.edu
MTSU equestrian team contact: Anne Brzezicki, 615-904-8481 or abrzezic@mtsu.edu


MTSU Riders Seek IHSA National Championship April 23-26 in Miller Coliseum


(MURFREESBORO) — MTSU once again will host the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association National Championships at Tennessee Miller Coliseum, with this year’s events set Thursday through Sunday, April 23-26.
MTSU has seven riders advancing to the championships, including Megan Hephner, a sophomore from Georgetown, Ky., in the advanced Western division and Korry Bailey, a freshman from Cookeville, in the reining division.
MTSU also hosted the regional competitions for Western riders on March 15 at Miller Coliseum in the adjacent Horse Science Arena. Regional competitions are divided by riding style, whether Western or hunter seat.
MTSU hosted the 1979 IHSA National Championships, where Western horsemanship was first included in IHSA events and team competition was introduced into the nationals. The university hosted the national competition again in 2003 and 2004.
“We have the best facility in America for this competition,” Equestrian Team Coach Anne Brzezicki said of MTSU’s selection as host university. “We are also in a region that is known for being very involved with and supportive of IHSA.”
Brzezicki rode in and coached the equestrian team at the University of Connecticut before moving to MTSU to teach in 1976. She founded the MTSU Equestrian Team in 1977, which helped add a new region to IHSA competition by including schools west of Virginia.
During her time at MTSU, Brzezicki has coached the team to numerous regional and zone championships in both the hunter seat and Western styles. In 2003, Brzezicki received the IHSA Lifetime Achievement Award, and she was named IHSA Coach of the Year in 2004. She will serve as a horse selection chair for this year’s national competition.
Competing students ride horses provided by the host university, and horses are matched with riders by random selection.
“The competition will borrow about 170 horses—10 will come from MTSU, and the rest from nearby IHSA schools and farms as far as Virginia and Illinois,” Brzezicki said.

“We look for highly trained horses, because riders are asked to demonstrate complex maneuvers, but the horses must also be forgiving. A competition horse must have a good attitude and can tolerate being ridden by several people in one day.”
By eliminating the cost of owning, boarding and transporting horses, IHSA shows are financially accessible to more students. It also allows students to compete regardless of their riding experience.
Ohio State University (Western category) and the University of Kentucky (Hunter-Seat) earned national titles in 2008.
For more information about and show details for the IHSA Nationals, visit www.ihsainc.com and click the “IHSA Nationals” link.

IHSA schedule of events
At Tennessee Miller Coliseum
All times Central
Thursday — 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Friday — 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Saturday — 9 a.m. – 9 pm.
Sunday — 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Admission: Free
Directions: http://frank.mtsu.edu/~horsesci/ and click on “Map and Directions”

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

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Media welcomed.

Note: This Office of News and Public Affairs news release was written by Claire Rogers, who is a junior public relations major from Franklin.

[428] “LISTENING TO THE DYING” TOPIC OF MTSU BROWN BAG DISCUSSION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 21, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

“LISTENING TO THE DYING” TOPIC OF MTSU BROWN BAG DISCUSSION
Science and Spirituality Talks to Include Guardian Hospice Personnel

(MURFREESBORO) – “Listening to the Dying: Spiritual Growth at the End of Life” is the theme of the next Science and Spirituality Forum, a brown bag luncheon and discussion slated for 11:30 a.m. Thursday, April 24, in the fourth floor conference room of MTSU’s James E. Walker Library (Room 475). This event is free and open to the public.
Three officials from Guardian Hospice in Murfreesboro are scheduled to participate. Scott Owings is the chaplain and spiritual director of the hospice. He also is an adjunct professor and a Doctor of Ministry candidate at the University of the South in Sewanee. Before working at Guardian, Owings was a minister in Brentwood and missionary in Eastern Europe for 10 years. One of his hobbies is helping people of all ages, especially those facing death, interpret their dreams.
Rhonda Price, R.N., B.S.N., is Guardian’s director of clinical services. She has worked in the hospice profession for more than seven years, providing direct patient care to admission nursing. Price also has worked in hospital settings and on mission trips to assist families with medical care.
Shawn Wright, L.M.S.W., is Guardian’s bereavement coordinator. He specializes in end-of-life care. Wright has worked for many years in an inpatient hospice setting focusing care on patients and families in an acute, short-length-of-stay setting. Wright also has facilitated support groups related to grief and loss.
Science and Spirituality Forums, which began in spring 2008, are co-sponsored by the James E. Walker Library, the Colleges of Basic & Applied Sciences, Liberal Arts and Honors, the Department of Physics & Astronomy and the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost. The purpose of these exchanges is to help us appreciate how both areas of thought can enrich the human experience without regarding them as mutually exclusive of one another. For more information, contact Bill Black at 615-898-2772.

[427] WMOT-JAZZ 89 CELEBRATES 40 YEARS OF AWARD-WINNING NEWS, FEATURES, COMMENTARY

WMOT-JAZZ 89 CELEBRATES 40 YEARS OF AWARD-WINNING NEWS, FEATURES, COMMENTARY
MTSU’s NPR-Member Station Also Conducting Spring Fundraiser Through April 29


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 20, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACTS: Keith Palmer, 615-898-2800 or kpalmer@mtsu.edu;
Gina E. Fann, 898-5385 or gfann@mtsu.edu

(MURFREESBORO)—The 89.5 FM frequency in middle Tennessee went on the air in April 1969, and now WMOT-JAZZ 89 is celebrating 40 years of providing award-winning local news, features, commentary and, of course, great jazz.
The National Public Radio-member station also will conduct its spring fundraiser through Wednesday, April 29.
“This is the perfect opportunity for the community to show MTSU administration the importance of having WMOT on the air to train and mentor students, promote the university and to provide news, arts and culture for the community as a whole,” said Keith Palmer, WMOT development manager. “Every dollar raised means a dollar less the station has to rely on university funding, which, as we’ve seen recently, has become very precarious.”
Discussions of closing or reorganizing the station to help meet MTSU’s ongoing financial cutbacks have resulted in an outpouring of support from listeners from all over the world, thanks to the station’s international reach via live streaming audio at its Web site, www.wmot.org. In 1980, WMOT became the first radio station in Tennessee to use satellite broadcasting. It began broadcasting online in 2003, expanded its signal strength with a new antenna in 2005 and began simulcasting on HD Radio in 2008 to offer better fidelity via digital technology.
“You can even listen to WMOT on your iPhone or iPod Touch!” Palmer said of the station’s ever-increasing availability to fans.
As a public broadcasting station and a public service of MTSU and its College of Mass Communication, WMOT relies on funding from MTSU and the public through membership dollars, business-support underwriting and fundraising ventures. The station recently received a $1,000 donation from the Wal-Mart Foundation and is encouraging fans to consider corporate support and including WMOT in estate-planning efforts.
For information on how your dollars can help, or to donate, visit www.wmot.org anytime or call 615-898-2800.

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IN BRIEF: The 89.5 FM frequency in middle Tennessee went on the air in April 1969, and now WMOT-JAZZ 89 is celebrating 40 years of providing award-winning local news, features, commentary and, of course, great jazz. The National Public Radio-member station also will conduct its spring fundraiser through Wednesday, April 29. “This is the perfect opportunity for the community to show MTSU administration the importance of having WMOT on the air to train and mentor students, promote the university and to provide news, arts and culture for the community as a whole,” said Keith Palmer, WMOT development manager. “Every dollar raised means a dollar less the station has to rely on university funding, which, as we’ve seen recently, has become very precarious.” For information on how your dollars can help, or to donate, visit www.wmot.org anytime or call 615-898-2800.


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

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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a color TIFF of the WMOT-JAZZ 89 logo, please contact Gina E. Fann in the Office of News and Public Affairs via e-mail at gfann@mtsu.edu or by calling 615-898-5385.

Monday, April 20, 2009

[426] FROM BCS TO BASEBALL, NEW MTSU SPORTS JOURNAL SPREADS INFO

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 20, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

FROM BCS TO BASEBALL, NEW MTSU SPORTS JOURNAL SPREADS INFO
Journal Conceived by MTSU Professor Informs Sport Managers, Academicians

(MURFREESBORO) – Athletic conferences affiliated with the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) commit significantly more major recruiting violations than non-BCS conferences. That’s one finding of an article in the inaugural issue of the Journal of Sport Administration & Supervision (JSAS), released this month by MTSU’s Sport Management Program.
The BCS article, written by Texas A&M professors Robert S. Clark and Paul J. Batista, includes the averages of all major violations and secondary violations in Division I collegiate football programs from 1970 to 2007 with specific focus on major infractions from 1987 through 2007, when the current Division I structure was instituted.
The journal also features articles on social problems in Major League Baseball, the effectiveness of product endorsements by athletes, perceptions of basketball coaches at NAIA Division II Christian schools, marketing college baseball programs with limited resources, and the World Baseball Classic’s potential as a promotional tool for Major League Baseball.
“This issue will be a landmark event in turning the attention of the sport management academy toward serving the practitioner population of the sport industry, and we believe that its revolutionary approach to scholarship will continue to attract cutting-edge research that can make a difference in sport institutions everywhere,” says Dr. Colby Jubenville, co-founder and publisher of JSAS and director of the Sport Management Program.
So that the journal can be used more easily by nonacademic sport practitioners, a whitepaper accompanies and summarizes each scholarly article for quick reading.
“We know sport managers are busy people, but they face a critical need for information, just like managers in any industry,” says JSAS Editor Benjamin D. Goss. “Whitepapers are widely used in today’s managerial world to help digest large quantities of information, so we decided to import that concept into the sport management academy.”
Other highlights of the inaugural issue are an excerpt from Hara Estroff Marano’s A Nation of Wimps, a book which describes how some parents undermine their children’s success and short-circuit the youngsters’ brain development by incorrectly defining success, and an excerpt on NCAA Division II programs from College Athletics Clips, a publication of executives summaries of news and issues in college sports.

--more--
JSAS
Add 1

“We have entered a new era of scholarly publication, not only in the field of sport management, but in academia as a whole, and we invite other journals to consider the new model we have contrived and draw inspiration from it to benefit future research efforts,” Jubenville says.
MTSU publishes the Journal of Sport Administration and Supervision in partnership with the University of Michigan Library and its Scholarly Publishing Office and the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition. To access the debut issue, go to www.jsasonline.org. For more information, contact Jubenville at 615-898-2909 or jubenvil@mtsu.edu or Goss at 417-836-6592 or drbengoss@hotmail.com.

[425] MTSU ACHIEVES HIGH RANKS FOR SERVICES TO ADULT LEARNERS

FOR IMMEDIATE RESPONSE: April 20, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

MTSU ACHIEVES HIGH RANKS FOR SERVICES TO ADULT LEARNERS
Off-Campus Student Services, Director Awarded for Aiding Nontraditional Students

(MURFREESBORO) – Colleges and universities at the Association for Non-Traditional Students in Higher Education’s (ANTSHE) annual conference have bestowed their second-highest ranking on MTSU and designated the university’s director of Off-Campus Student Services a “National Treasure.”
In ANTSHE’s campus survey of members, associates and friends, MTSU received a Two Star rating for the services it provides to nontraditional students, the second-highest rating of the 47 uniquely identified institutions surveyed. Among the services graded are having a student organization, scholarship and services office. MTSU also received additional points for services offered above and beyond those graded, including peer mentoring services, a Website for off-campus housing and an annual adult learner conference.
Dr. Carol Ann Baily, director of Off-Campus Student Services at MTSU, was presented with the ANTSHE National Treasure Award. Baily, who was nominated by her peers, won the honor “based on her untiring efforts on behalf of the student on her campus and her continued advocacy through participation and mentoring of national programs for all nontraditional students,” according to an ANTSHE news release.
Baily is a founding member of ANTSHE and chaired the 2008 national ANTSHE conference at MTSU. She has served as chair of the Advising Adult Learners Commission of the National Academic Advising Association and contributed the chapter on advising adult learners to their publication on advising special populations.
In congratulating Baily at ANTSHE’s 12th annual conference last month at St. Martin’s University in Lacey, Wash., ANTSHE President Jeffrey Bunnell said, “It was my honor to present Dr. Baily this award. I have known her for several years now and can think of no one who is more deserving of this honor.”
In a letter to MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee, Bunnell wrote, “We congratulate Middle Tennessee State University on their achievements and superior ranking in support of nontraditional students and for allowing us the privilege and honor of recognizing an outstanding member of your university community.”
“ANTSHE is an international partnership of students, academic professionals, institutions, and organizations whose mission is to encourage and coordinate support, education and advocacy for the adult learner,” according to www.antshe.org.

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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a color jpeg of Dr. Carol Ann Baily, contact Gina Logue in the MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.

[424] ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS FOCUS OF EARTH DAY 2009 AT MTSU

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 17, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Dr. Mark Abolins, 615-594-4210

ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS FOCUS OF EARTH DAY 2009 AT MTSU
Test Water, Identify Rocks and Fossils, Observe Environmental Computer Program

(MURFREESBORO) – Water testing, computer demonstrations, and rock and fossil identifications are all part of MTSU’s celebration of Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22.
Earth Day began in 1970 as a nationwide protest against the deterioration of the environment. Some 20 million Americans answered U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson’s call to participate in teach-ins and demonstrations. The event marked the beginning of the modern environmental movement.
“Earth Day provides a very good opportunity to get MTSU students involved in understanding the earth through science,” says Dr. Mark Abolins, associate professor of geology. “Through involvement in the MTSU Geosciences Program, students can become part of the solution to the environmental problem.”
From 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Earth Day, students in Dr. Warner Cribb’s Geology 4000 class will conduct 100 free geochemical analyses of metals in drinking water in the MTSU inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry lab. Anyone wishing to have a water sample tested should pick up a vial and instructions in Room 325 in the Kirksey Old Main (KOM) building. The students will be available to explain the analytical method used to test the water and the results of each analysis.
From 4-6 p.m., faculty members will explain the use of computers to solve environmental problems in the Global Information Science Lab in Room 308 of KOM. The Academy Award-winning documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” will be shown at 6 p.m. in Room 452 of KOM. Drs. Jim Henry and Melissa Lobegeier of the Department of Geosciences will facilitate a question-and-answer session following the film. Henry also will entertain questions about the recent tornadoes in middle Tennessee.
Dr. Clay Harris will identify fossils and rocks from 4-6 p.m. in Room 300 of KOM. Members of the MTSU community and the general public may bring fossils and rocks to Harris for identification.
“Fossils and rocks tell the story of Earth’s past environments and provide insights into environmental change,” says Abolins.
All Earth Day activities at MTSU are free of charge. Media welcomed. For more information, contact Abolins at 615-594-4210 or mabolins@mtsu.edu.

[423] ANNUAL WOMEN’S CENTER ACTIVITIES DENOUNCE SEXUAL ASSAULT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 17, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: June Anderson Women’s Center, 615-898-2193

ANNUAL WOMEN’S CENTER ACTIVITIES DENOUNCE SEXUAL ASSAULT
Clothesline Project, Take Back the Night Raise Awareness of Violence against Women

(MURFREESBORO) – The late feminist author Audrey Lord said “Your silence will not protect you.” That’s why MTSU students, faculty and staff will speak out Monday, April 20, through Wednesday, April 22, during the June Anderson Women’s Center’s annual Clothesline Project and Take Back the Night activities.
“If you really want to make a change, especially here on our campus, this is a great way to say you won’t tolerate sexual violence,” says Terri Johnson, director of the Women’s Center.
The Clothesline Project uses T-shirts with messages that protest violence against women. The shirts, some from past projects and some newly designed, will hang on the line from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 20-22 on the Keathley University Center (KUC) knoll. Stories of sexual assault will be displayed around the T-shirts, as well.
At 4 p.m. on Monday, April 20, the JAWC will show “I Never Thought It Was Rape” in the KUC Theater. This documentary will dispel misconceptions about sexual assault by depicting and explaining confusing situations that could impact both the target and the perpetrator for the rest of their lives.
Instructors from Progressive Martial Arts will offer free self-defense training from 5-7 p.m. on Monday, April 20, in Dining Room C of MTSU’s James Union Building.
Take Back the Night is a multifaceted activity that will include a candlelight vigil, an open microphone for anyone to express views on sexual assault, music by Jay Chalmers and a march around campus. It will start on the KUC knoll on Tuesday, April 21, and is slated to last from 6-9 p.m.
An additional feature of this year’s Take Back the Night is “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes.” Organized by MTSU senior Malcolm Oyobio, members of two fraternities and all other males who wish to participate will walk in the campus march in high-heeled shoes. The concept is aimed at giving men an idea of what women go through wearing uncomfortable shoes to make themselves look more attractive.
All events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact the June Anderson Women’s Center at 615-898-2193.

Friday, April 17, 2009

[422] FINAL SPRING ’09 SENIOR ART EXHIBIT AT MTSU ON DISPLAY APRIL 27-MAY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 16, 2009
CONTACT: Eric Snyder, gallery curator, 615-898-5653

FINAL SPRING ’09 SENIOR ART EXHIBIT AT MTSU ON DISPLAY APRIL 27-MAY
Public Encouraged to Attend Free April 27 Artists’ Reception, View ‘Port Folio’

(MURFREESBORO)—The Department of Art at MTSU will serve as host for the third of three spring 2009 art exhibits by seniors who are candidates for the department’s Bachelor of Fine Arts degree beginning April 27.
“Port Folio” is the title of the final spring ‘09 show, which will feature works by student artists Erik Blom, Matthew Callis, Cara Charlton, Richard Craddick, Christina Gomez, Katie Gordon, Kyle Jones, Antonio Marble, Chet Overall, Devin Shoulders and Brett Warren.
On display in the Art Gallery at Todd Hall through May 1, the show will showcase the student projects that utilize their skill in print, Web, motion, book arts and more.
The “Port Folio” exhibit, said Eric Snyder, gallery curator, “will be a fictional 'reality show' created to promote Middle Tennessee State University's Spring '09 Graphic Design Senior Show.”
The graphic design exhibit will open with a 6:30-8:30 p.m. April 27 reception in Room 224 of MTSU’s Todd Building, where visitors “can join in and be a member of the audience … enjoy with food and drinks and a close look at some of the finest work to ever come out of the MTSU graphic design program,” Snyder observed.
The show and reception are free and open to the public.
•GALLERY HOURS: The Art Gallery at Todd Hall is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, closing only on university-recognized state holidays.
For more information or directions, contact Snyder at (615) 898-5653.

[420] Omicron Honor Society Trio Captures 20th Quiz Bowl Crown

Release date: April 15, 2009


News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919 or jweiler@mtsu.edu



Omicron Honor Society Trio Captures 20th Quiz Bowl Crown


(MURFREESBORO) — The three-member Omicron Honor Society team bested 10 other four-person teams from across the MTSU campus to capture the Scotty Tucker Memorial Quiz Bowl recently in the McWherter Learning Resources Center television studio.
Omicron team members Rachel Simes, Merranda Holmes and Gina Logue received $175 for their first-place finish.
In second place and earning $100 was the Sidelines team, which was composed of Michael Stone, Chris Martin, Tiffany Gibson and Alicia Wilson.
Third-place honors and $75 went to Honors College I team that included Shannon Murphy, Jarett McCall, Mattie Ragland and Rebekah Horton.
Omega Chapter of Gamma Iota Sigma Fraternity and Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society co-sponsored the Quiz Bowl, which was held for the 20th straight year.
Dr. Ken Hollman is adviser to and Brad Lamb is president of Omega chapter. Dr. Lucy Langworthy is president of Phi Kappa Phi.
As in past years, it was taped for later replay on MTTV, Channel 10, the student-run TV station at MTSU, Hollman said. He added that it would be broadcast several times during a one- to two-week period when editing is finished.
Hollman said the questions teams were asked involved trivia from almost every discipline represented on the MTSU campus.

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

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[419] MTSU Financial Aid Shifts This Fall to Federal Direct Loan Program

Release date: April 15, 2009


News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919 or jweiler@mtsu.edu
Financial aid contacts: David Hutton, 615-898-2422 or dhutton@mtsu.edu
David Chambers, 615-898-2246 or dchambers@mtsu.edu

MTSU Financial Aid Shifts This Fall to Federal Direct Loan Program


(MURFREESBORO) — Effective for the fall 2009 semester, MTSU will participate in the Federal Direct Loan Program for Stafford and PLUS loans, Financial Aid Director David Hutton said.
MTSU will no longer process Stafford and PLUS loans through lenders in the Federal Family Education Loan Program, he said.
“Our main reason for the change is to help guarantee the availability of loan funds and to help simplify the loan process for our students,” Hutton said. “This year, several lenders have stopped processing loans, they have been late in delivering funds, or they changed guarantors without notifying their borrowers, which required students to sign additional promissory notes.
“With MTSU having over 12,000 students borrowing in excess of 90 million dollars each year, we do not want these problems to occur again next fall, so we examined the process and decided that now is the time to switch to Direct Lending,” Hutton continued. “Under this program, students will borrow funds directly from the federal government. The loans will be guaranteed faster, and MTSU can disburse funds quicker.”
Early indications are that students are adapting to the change quickly.
“Three days after notifying students of the change, we had more than 500 (students) electronically signing Direct Lending master promissory notes,” Hutton said.
MTSU is joining the universities of Louisville, Auburn and Alabama, Motlow and Nashville State Community Colleges and others in shifting to the Federal Direct program, said David Chambers, financial aid assistant director, who added that the program “is becoming more and more prevalent.”
Until this year, Federal Family Education Loan Program lenders offered attractive benefits to MTSU borrowers, Hutton said.
Recent volatility in the national credit markets and reductions in federal subsidies available to lenders participating in the Federal Family program, however, have led many lenders to stop offering borrower discounts or to discontinue participation in the program altogether.

Hutton said it became evident during MTSU’s research that the Federal Direct Loan Program was better for students and parents here. He added that the National Direct Student Loan Coalition document, “Benefits of Direct Lending,” provides an excellent comparison of loan programs.
For fall ’09 and spring 2010, all returning and new borrowers will need to sign a Federal Direct/Stafford master promissory note at http://dlenote.ed.gov/empn/index.jsp. All new students must complete an entrance interview at www.dl.ed.gov/borrower/EntrCounselingStart.do.
The master promissory note and entrance interviews generally must be completed once. Direct Lending makes the process easier for students because the federal Web sites are easier to navigate and the results can be electronically loaded to the student’s account.
The MTSU Financial Aid Web site, www.mtsu.edu/financialaid, has additional information, including a section on frequently asked questions about the Federal Direct lending program.

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

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

[418] FOOD SECURITY, ACCESS TOPIC OF FREE APRIL 17 PHILOSOPHY LYCEUM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 14, 2009
CONTACT: Department of Philosophy, 615-898-2907.


FOOD SECURITY, ACCESS TOPIC OF FREE APRIL 17 PHILOSOPHY LYCEUM
Guest Lecture & Author Lisa Heldke Delivers Open Talk, Q&A and Reception to Follow

(MURFREESBORO)—Philosophy Professor Lisa Heldke will present a free and open lecture, “Food Security: Three Conceptions of Access,” at 3:30 p.m. Friday, April 17, in Room 304 of MTSU’s James Union Building.
Sponsored by the Department of Philosophy at MTSU, the lecture is part of the department’s annual Applied Philosophy Lyceum. The purpose of the lyceum is to provoke philosophical reflection by bringing distinguished scholars to the MTSU campus to address crucial contemporary issues. Guest lecturer Heldke is professor of philosophy at Gustavus Adolphus College. Her main research interests include questions about the nature of justice, questions about oppression and resistance and questions surrounding human liberation, especially as it relates to racism, sexism and heterosexism.
Heldke also is committed to exploring the philosophical significance of food, a topic about which philosophers historically have had very little to say. Her current research interests include an examination of the dichotomy between cosmopolitanism on the one hand, and localism on the other, using the lens of "local food" as her focusing device; the development of a notion of "radical listening" as a tool for making social change; and an exploration of the question of how a college might use food as a vehicle for realizing its mission statement. She is the author of Exotic Appetites: Ruminations of a Food Adventurer, co-editor of Cooking, Eating, Thinking: Transformative Philosophies of Food and The Atkins Diet and Philosophy. After the free lecture, a question-and-answer session will be held, with an informal reception afterward. For more information, please contact the MTSU philosophy department at 615-898-2907.

[417] COLLEGES AGAINST CANCER MTSU CHAPTER

Release date: April 14, 2009


News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919 or jweiler@mtsu.edu
Colleges Against Cancer contact: Samantha Nichols, 731-499-1505 or sln2t@mtsu.edu


COLLEGES AGAINST CANCER MTSU CHAPTER
PLANS APRIL 16 INFORMATIONAL MEETING IN KUC


(MURFREESBORO) — An informational meeting of the MTSU chapter of Colleges Against Cancer will be held from 6 until 7 p.m. Thursday, April 16, in Keathley University Center Room 322, event organizer Samantha Nichols said recently.
Nichols, a junior organizational communication major from Jackson, is recruiting students, faculty and staff to help educate the campus community about cancer-related issues.
The MTSU chapter of Colleges Against Cancer is affiliated nationwide with the American Cancer Society.
For more information, contact Nichols by e-mailing her at slnt@mtsu.edu.

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

[416] STATEWIDE PROGRAM RECOGNIZES WASHINGTON COUNTY FARM’S CONTRIBUTIONS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 10, 2009
CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947

STATEWIDE PROGRAM RECOGNIZES WASHINGTON COUNTY FARM’S CONTRIBUTIONS
Lewis Family Farms Bring County’s Tennessee Century Farms Total to 22

(MURFREESBORO, Tenn.)—The Lewis Family Farms in Washington County have been designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reported Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation, which is located on the MTSU campus.
• In 1880, Jasper Newton Lewis and Mary Watson Lewis founded a 150-acre farm 10 miles north of Jonesborough in the Harmony community. The couple had 11 children and they raised tobacco, mules, horses, cattle and feed grains.
The second generation to own the farm was the founder’s son, Everett Matthew Lewis, who obtained the property in 1909 following his father’s death. Lewis married Ola Kate Moore and they had 11 children. A self-sufficient farmstead, the family produced tobacco, chickens, hogs, cattle, feed grains, fruit trees and garden vegetables. The family also operated a gristmill, blacksmith shop and sugarcane mill for the production of sorghum molasses.
In 1973, Kathleen Lewis, the granddaughter of the founders, became the owner of the farm. The family said they remember that in the fall each year, friends, neighbors and relatives, as well as the congregation of the nearby Valley View Methodist Church, gathered for weeks at a time to make molasses.
In 1996, the great-grandson of the founding couple, Billy Joe Lewis, and his wife, Kathie, became the current owners of the farm. They are the parents of Kalen and Kara. Today, the family produces hay and beef cattle. A barn, a springhouse, a shed and a farmhouse that was built in 1921 and restored in 1996 by the current owners are part of the historic farmstead.
• The Lewis Family Farm II follows the same history until 1909 when Jasper and Mary’s son, Charles, became the owner of the farm. Charles fathered nine children and the family raised cattle, tobacco, chickens, corn and pigs.
In 1940, Charles’s son, Foy Lewis, became the owner of the farm. Foy’s children were Charlie, Don, Martha and Clarence. On 60 acres, the family produced tobacco, cattle, chickens, corn and pigs.
Bill Lewis and wife Anne became the owners of the farm in 1955. Currently, Bill and his son, Billy Joe Lewis, work the land and grow cattle, feed grains, hay and garden vegetables.
• A third family farm also originated with Jasper and Mary Lewis. The story of this farm changes in 1973 when a 20-acre parcel was divided between James Alvin Lewis and Evelyn Lewis Fulwiler.
James had four children—Michael, Sharon, Kathy and Steven. On 10 acres, the family raised cattle and hay. Evelyn had two children, Barbara and Mark. Like James’s parcel, the farm produced cattle and hay. In 1993, the great-grandson of the founder, Steven K. Lewis, and wife Konnie became the owners of the Lewis Family Farm III, where they live on 20 acres with their two sons, Matthew Lewis and Kary Gentry, and raise hay and horses.
The Lewis Family Farms the number of certified Century Farms in Washington County to 22, Hankins confirmed.
About the Century Farms Program

The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the CHP at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s

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agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA provides a
metal outdoor sign, noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins said, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.



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ATTENTION, MEDIA: To interview the farm’s owners or request a jpeg of the farms, please contact the CHP directly at 615-898-2947.

Thursday, April 09, 2009

[415] MTSU GRADUATING SENIORS MIGHT CONSIDER ARMY OCS

Release date: April 9, 2009


News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919 or jweiler@mtsu.edu
Military Science contact: Lt. Col. Mike Walsh, 615-898-2470 or mwalsh@mtsu.edu


GRADUATING MTSU SENIORS MIGHT CONSIDER
U.S. ARMY OFFICER CANDIDATE SCHOOL


(MURFREESBORO) — The chair of the MTSU’s military science department, Lt. Col. Mike Walsh, wants all graduating seniors to know that the U.S. Army Officer Candidate School might be for you.
“It’s an opportunity graduating seniors may not know about,” Walsh said, adding that candidates may be eligible to be an officer in the U.S. Army, reserves or active duty, and that the Army will repay up to $65,000 in student loans.
The salary for active-duty officers is roughly $48,000, with 30 days paid leave and paid medical coverage — and you don’t have to have any military background, Walsh said.
It all starts with a 23-week training program, which includes Initial Entry Training (basic training) and Officer Candidate School, Walsh said.
In the nine weeks of Initial Entry Training, participants will learn the basics of soldiering from some of the best soldiers anywhere. You will attend classes and participate in calisthenics, drills and weapons training, helping you to grow physically and mentally.
Upon graduation, officer candidates will attend Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Ga. OCS is 14 weeks of intense classroom and field training. Participants will receive the kind of leadership development training that is unmatched by any other program, developing your potential mentally, physically and emotionally.
Candidates will be grouped into squads where you will gain experience in all leadership roles, culminating in verbal and written feedback on your improvement.
Walsh said qualifications include passing a physical; graduating from a four-year university with a minimum 2.0 grade point average; candidates must be U.S. citizens and must be able to obtain a secret security clearance. Following the 23-week program, candidates will be commissioned second lieutenants — the same rank that graduates of West Point and ROTC programs receive.
For service obligation requirements or for more information, contact Maj. Trey Brannom, assistant professor, at 615-898-5702, or SFC Alex Lopez by calling 615-898-2564, or visit www.goarmy.com/ocs.

For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.
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Wednesday, April 08, 2009

[413] APRIL 22 MTSU SCHOLARSHIP FUNDRAISER LUNCH IS A SELLOUT

Release date: April 8, 2009


News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919 or jweiler@mtsu.edu
Alumni Relations contact: Paul Wydra, 615-904-8199 or pwydra@mtsu.edu


APRIL 22 MTSU SCHOLARSHIP FUNDRAISER LUNCH IS A SELLOUT


(MURFREESBORO) — The Rutherford County MTSU Alumni Chapter’s benefit Lunch at Bonefish Grill to raise scholarship funds is a sellout, an event organizer announced Tuesday.
“We have sold out all of the available seats for the lunch,” said Paul Wydra, an assistant director with the Office of Alumni Relations. “Thank you for your amazing response … and your support for this wonderful event and scholarship.”
For those who purchased tickets, the fundraiser will be held Wednesday, April 22, with 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. seating times.
The alumni chapter awarded $20,000 in scholarships for the 2008-09 academic year, Wydra said. Funds raised this year will be part of the organization’s scholarship awards for the 2009-10 academic year.
The restaurant is located at 505 N. Thompson Lane in Murfreesboro.

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

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Tuesday, April 07, 2009

[412] MTSU EARNS ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AWARD FROM D.C.-BASED ORGANIZATION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 6, 2009
CONTACT: Department of Social Work, at 615-898-2868.

MTSU EARNS ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AWARD FROM D.C.-BASED ORGANIZATION
Social Work Department Programs, Collaborative Partnership Garner National Honor

(MURFREESBORO)—MTSU has been presented with an Academic Award of Excellence from the American Public Human Services Association, a nonprofit, bipartisan organization of individuals and agencies concerned with human services that is based in Washington, D.C.
Frank Solomon, spokesman for APHS, said the award is given annually to a human service, social work or social service department or program at a nationally accredited college or university that has distinguished itself in its academic achievements.
MTSU was selected to receive this year’s award during APHSA’s spring conference on April 5-7 at the Fairmont in Washington, D.C., because of its record as “a strong collaborative partner of the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services.”
Since August 2004, MTSU has assumed the lead responsibility of a multimillion-dollar training grant awarded by the Department of Children’s Services.
MTSU houses two programs that have had a significant impact on the public child welfare reform effort in Tennessee—specifically, the Department of Social Work, which served as one of key catalysts for the creation of the Tennessee Work Education Consortium, the first consortium of its kind in Tennessee, and the Tennessee Center for Child Welfare, an MTSU program that, in 2004, began as the DCS child-welfare training operations base.
The TCCW subcontracts with TSWEC members for the implementation of regional learning centers that provide professional training programs for DCS staff in the states’ 13 regions. In addition, the center has pioneered a corps of MSW supervisory specialists who work as consultants and coaches to support direct-service supervisors across the state.
Most recently, the center established the Tennessee Child Welfare Learning Collaborative—a partnership of TCCW, the consortium, DCS and private provider staff— in developing a statewide training system that promotes practice excellence.
“The Tennessee Department of Children’s Services has made great strides to reform public child welfare,” said Viola Miller, commissioner of the department, who nominated the university for the award. “Without the strong support of MTSU, we could not have achieved so much so quickly.”
For more information about APHSA, please contact Soloman at fsoloman@aphsa.org.

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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For more information, please contact Dr. Rebecca Smith, chairwoman of the Department of Social Work, at 615-898-2868.

Monday, April 06, 2009

[411] MTSU DANCE THEATRE PRESENTS ITS SPRING CONCERT APRIL 16-18

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 6, 2009
CONTACT: Kim Neal Nofsinger, 615-898-

MTSU DANCE THEATRE PRESENTS ITS SPRING CONCERT APRIL 16-18

(MURFREESBORO)—MTSU Dance Theatre Spring Concert 2009 is the title of upcoming performance showcases that will be presented at 7:30 p.m. daily April 16-18 in the university’s Tucker Theatre.
Kim Neal Nofsinger, artistic director of the dance program, said the springtime performances “provide the perfect opportunity to culminate the end of the academic year and the beginning of the summer break.”
The upcoming dance concerts, he continued, will be presented to showcase the achievements of the 40-member MTSU Dance Theatre and highlight the many attributes dance has.
“The concert has works designed to tickle the funny bone, to celebrate the passage of time and to tap into the wealth of human emotions,” he said.
The April concert will feature the premier of “I’ve Read your Book, I Know that Look” by guest artist Stefanie Batten Bland. An American expatriate now living in France, Bland conducted a three-week residency at MTSU, wherein she interacted with students through classes, workshops and the staging of this high-energy repertory piece, Nofsinger said.
“This year is a hallmark in the dance program’s existence, as it has its first graduates with a dance cognate, a degree through the Department of Speech and Theatre that allows students to specialize in dance,” he noted. In turn, MTSU student Steven Prince Tate has been selected to present his work, “Keep the Fire Burning.”
Referring to the work, “This innovative dance fuses traditional and contemporary movement vocabulary,” Nofsinger said, “as it explores issues of domestic violence and provides a capstone project for Tate’s studies in dance and gender studies.”
Lighting design for the concert will be overseen by graduating cognate Faith Stevenson. As a component of her dance training, Stevenson has focused on lighting design for dance and will culminate her experience by designing for Bland’s aforementioned dance.
Dance faculty members Nancy Ammerman, Marsha Barsky, Elaine Husted and Nofsinger will round out the performances.
• TICKET INFO: Tickets may be purchased in advance by calling the MTSU Theatre and Dance Ticket Office at 615-494-8810 or by visiting the ticket office in the lobby of Tucker Theatre from noon- 4 p.m. each Monday through Friday.
Tickets may also be purchased at the door prior to performance. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for MTSU staff and K-12 students. MTSU students are admitted free of charge with a valid ID.
For more information, please visit the dance program’s Web site at www.mtsu.edu/theatre.

[410] ‘TRAVELING THE DIXIE HIGHWAY THROUGH RUTHERFORD COUNTY’

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 6, 2009
CONTACT: Jennifer Butt. The Heritage Center, 615-217-8013


‘TRAVELING THE DIXIE HIGHWAY THROUGH RUTHERFORD COUNTY’
TOPIC OF APRIL 23 COMMUNITY HERITAGE LECTURE SERIES
Free Lecture Features Guest Speaker Megan Akerstrom, Concludes Spring Series

(MURFREESBORO)—The Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County and the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area invite the public to attend the final springtime Community Heritage Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 23.
Traveling the Dixie Highway in Rutherford County is the focus of the free lecture, which will feature Megan Akerstrom, an MTSU master’s candidate in public history. Akerstrom will speak about the history of the Dixie Highway system, its impact on Rutherford County and the highway remnants that can still be seen today.
Sponsored by the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area, which is a partnership unit of the National Park Service, the upcoming lecture will be held at the Heritage Center, just off the square at 225 West College St.
The center is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each Monday through Friday, excluding major holidays, and features guided walking tours of the town square on the hour. Group tours are available Monday through Saturday by advance reservations. Admission is always free.
The Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County is a joint venture between the TCWNHA, Main Street: Murfreesboro/Rutherford County, the City of Murfreesboro and the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU. Additional support comes from the Rutherford County government and State Farm Insurance.
For more information on the Community Heritage Lecture Series, please call the center at 615-217-8013 or e-mail jbutt@mtsu.edu.

[409] MTSU PARTNERS WITH LOCAL BUSINESS TO PRESERVE RUTHERFORD COUNTY HISTORY

MTSU PARTNERS WITH LOCAL BUSINESS TO PRESERVE RUTHERFORD COUNTY HISTORY

April 6, 2009

CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919

MURFREESBORO—Middle Tennessee State University’s Public History Program will present Visions of the Past: Through the Lens of Shacklett’s Photography, a free exhibit featuring the historic collection of Shacklett’s photographs, beginning Thursday,
April 30, from 4 to 7 p.m. at The Heritage Center, located at 225 West College Street in Murfreesboro.
In order to preserve this critically important collection, the MTSU public history program, Rutherford County Archives and Shacklett’s Photography collaborated for this Heritage Reclamation Project. This ongoing initiative will preserve hundreds of historically significant images through digitization.
Using this project as a foundation, MTSU graduate students will design and build an interpretive exhibit to provide a glimpse into Rutherford County’s rich heritage.
“The exhibit looks at four aspects of local culture: religion, education, sports and the changing landscape,” said exhibit director Layton Carr. There will also be a piece on photo conservation, which explains the cleaning and digitization processes employed in restoring the collection, Carr added.
Bill Shacklett, owner of Shacklett’s photography, noted, “The Heritage Reclamation Project is setting a standard through such exhibits for preserving historically significant photographs.”
The exhibit will be on display until July 31. The Heritage Center is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

[408] DR. ANNE SLOAN, HOMETOWN UNIVERSITY PIONEER, DIES AT AGE 59

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 5, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

DR. ANNE SLOAN, HOMETOWN UNIVERSITY PIONEER, DIES AT AGE 59
Cancer Claims MTSU Advocate for International Education, Political Science, Women

(MURFREESBORO) – Dr. Anne Twining Sloan, a landmark contributor to educational progress at MTSU, died Saturday, April 4, at Middle Tennessee Medical Center in Murfreesboro following a long struggle with cancer. She was 59 years old.
Sloan was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999. More breast cancer was discovered in 2004. In 2006, the cancer had metastasized to her bones. Sloan had been absent from MTSU since October 2008, when she suffered a broken leg.
“She was the bravest, most optimistic person regarding her illness,” said Dr. Nancy Bertrand, a close friend and former professor in the Department of Elementary and Special Education.
An associate professor of political science at MTSU since 1993, Sloan served in numerous positions with the Tennessee Political Science Association, including president, between 1994 and 2004. At the time of her passing, she held the title of Special Assistant to the Provost for International Education since August 2004, a position she assumed full-time in January 2006.
Dr. John Vile, dean of the University Honors College, was chair of the Department of Political Science when he hired Sloan in 1994.
“She was a devoted teacher and scholar who wanted to open the wider world to MTSU students,” Vile said. “Both her students and colleagues will miss her deeply.”
Sloan altered the curricular landscape, introducing the Model United Nations at MTSU. She also helped to design the Global Studies courses and minor. She directed the Global Studies Program from fall 1995 to August 2001.
“When it (Global Studies) became a minor, Anne took the lead,” said Dr. Doug Heffington, who succeeded Sloan as director of the Global Studies Program. “I’m not sure you could ask for a better mentor and colleague. She told me, ‘You don’t just need to work. You need to work the halls. You need to be attentive and talk to people.’”
Her other curricular innovations include the creation of courses on U.S. national security policy and comparative and international politics. During her MTSU career, she taught all those courses, as well as Comparative European Governments, International Relations, Foundations of Government, and the Political Status of Women in the World.
She held the title of Interim Associate Dean of Liberal Arts from January 2001 to July 2001, becoming associate dean in August 2001 and maintaining that post until December 2005.

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“Dr. Sloan and her family have deep roots in the University and Murfreesboro Communities,” said Dr. John McDaniel, dean of the College of Liberal Arts. “She will be missed by her many friends and associates who have come to admire her as a professional, a professor, and, most of all, as a person. For me, she was not only an ally but a friend.”
Her university service includes chairing three department search committees and membership on numerous panels that dealt with the transition to a 120-credit-hour degree track, tenure and promotion for faculty members, and the erection of a memorial to MTSU students, staff, faculty and administrators who perished in military conflict, among other issues.
Born in Lebanon in 1949, Sloan grew up in Murfreesboro, where she attended Campus School and graduated from Central High School in 1967. Her father, Eugene Holloway Sloan, was a longtime fixture at MTSU. Among his various positions, he last served as a public relations spokesperson. One of her sisters-in-law, the late Thelma Sloan, was a secretary in the College of Education, as it was then known.
In addition to her academic achievements, Sloan belonged to the Col. Hardy Murfree Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution She also served on the Parent-Teachers Organization board, the Futures Committee, and the Curriculum Committee of Bradley School.
Before coming to MTSU, Sloan taught at the University of South Carolina and the State University of New York at Albany.
Sloan earned her bachelor’s degree from MTSU in 1971, her master’s degree from Louisiana State University in 1974, and her doctorate from The Ohio State University in 1982.
Sloan is survived by her husband, Steve Saunders, assistant director of the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program at MTSU, and her daughter, Samantha Saunders, a 19-year-old freshman at the University of Virginia; brothers Gene and Bill Sloan, both of Murfreesboro; and brother Joe Sloan of Nashville.
Visitation is slated for 4-7 p.m. Monday, April 6, at Woodfin Funeral Chapel, 1488 Lascassas Pike in Murfreesboro. The funeral is scheduled for Tuesday, April 7, at 10 a.m. at Woodfin with interment to follow in Cedar Grove Cemetery in Lebanon. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the MTSU Foundation.

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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a color jpeg photo of Dr. Anne Twining Sloan, contact Gina Logue in the MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.

[407] CARE GIVING CONFERENCE SLATED FOR APRIL 24

April 6, 2009
CONTACT: Linda League at 615-898-5950; Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919

CARE GIVING CONFERENCE SLATED FOR APRIL 24

MURFREESBORO—The fifteenth annual “Dynamics of Elderly Caregiving’’ conference, to be held Friday, April 24, at the St. Clair Street Senior Center in Murfreesboro, will focus on providing contacts, resources and support to individuals who provide necessary assistance to elderly patients and family members.
The conference is being sponsored by the MTSU School of Nursing and multiple community agencies.
Program day registration check-in begins at 7:30 a.m., and conference presentations conclude at 3:30 p.m. The cost for the program is $50 for participants and $15 for students.
Multiple workshops and presentations will offer a variety of training and management ideas for caregivers, particularly for new Baby Boomers who are, or soon will be, facing the challenges of transitional roles as caregivers for their elderly family members while still working and raising their own families.
The featured conference speaker is Dr. J. Eric Gentry, Ph.D., an internationally recognized author, presenter and leader in the study and treatment of compassion fatigue.
Dr. Gentry has developed an “Accelerated Recovery Program” for compassion fatigue, a powerful tool to aid laypersons and professionals that address these conditions daily. In 1998, Dr. Gentry and partners introduced a Certified Compassion Fatigue Specialist training certificate, aiding professionals who handle traumatic scenarios, including disaster survivors. Elements of compassion fatigue will be identified. Issues such as emotional stress and burnout of caregivers also will be addressed.
Two morning presentations by Gentry will be followed with lunch and break-out sessions that address personal and unique training for all attendees. A third caregiver training by Gentry will conclude the supportive training atmosphere of the conference.
Once again the Dynamics of Elderly Caregiving conference is organized to welcome all levels of caregivers, including physicians, nurses, CNTs, nursing-home administrators, social workers, long-term care professionals, educators, clergy, volunteer relief workers and direct-aide providers, advocates for caregivers and lay caregivers.
Local sponsors and patrons have generously stepped up to ensure a quality training experience. Professional continuing education credits are available for career participants. For more details on the Caregivers Conference, contact Linda League at 615-898-5950 or online at http://nursing.web.mtsu.edu/caring.htm

[406] DISTINGUISHED VANDERBILT PROFESSOR TO ADDRESS CRISIS IN EDUCATION AT MTSU LYCEUM

DISTINGUISHED VANDERBILT PROFESSOR TO ADDRESS CRISIS IN EDUCATION AT MTSU LYCEUM

April 3, 2009

CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919

MURFREESBORO—John Lachs, Centennial Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University, will present a lecture titled, “Education in a Time of Crisis,” Wednesday, April 8, at 4 p.m., at Middle Tennessee State University. The program will take place in the James Union Building, Dining Room C, and it is free and open to the public.
Among the questions that Dr. Lachs will address are: What does it mean to become an educated person? What is the function of the university?
Professor Lachs is the author of many books including those on Santayana, Fichte, Hegel and Marx. In addition, he has authored works which engage the philosophical life, including The Relevance of Philosophy to Life, A Community of Individuals, The Human Search, The Cost of Comfort, and Intermediate Man.
Lachs is chair of the American Philosophical Association’s Centennial Committee, which is dedicated to supporting the private value and social usefulness of philosophy. He is a recipient of the Herbert Schneider Award for Lifetime Contributions to American Philosophy. A member of the Vanderbilt faculty since 1967, he has won numerous teaching awards both for undergraduate and graduate education, spoken frequently to both academic and community groups and is considered one of Tennessee’s true public intellectuals.
The lecture is sponsored by the Department of Philosophy at MTSU as part of its annual Applied Philosophy Lyceum. The purpose of the Lyceum is to provoke philosophical reflection by bringing distinguished scholars to the MTSU campus to address crucial contemporary issues. A discussion period and an informal reception will follow the lecture.
For more information, contact the MTSU philosophy department at 615-898-2907.

Friday, April 03, 2009

[405] MTSU PROFESSOR TAKEN FOR RIDE OF A LIFETIME

MTSU PROFESSOR TAKEN FOR RIDE OF A LIFETIME

April 3, 2009

CONTACT: Erin Bridges or Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919

MURFREESBORO—Each year the U.S. Navy Blue Angels stun spectators at air shows across the country, and every year they select only a few people to fly with them. Dr. Wayne Dornan, chair of the Department of Aerospace at Middle Tennessee State University, was honored to be one of those chosen for the 2009 season. He strapped himself in and took flight April 1, just prior to the Blue Angels air show in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
The Blue Angels selected Dornan in honor of MTSU’s nationally recognized aerospace department, the high caliber of students produced by the program and the department’s many contributions to the military. Dornan’s pilot was Blue Angel Lt. Ben Walborn.
“To me, it’s quite an honor to be invited to do this,” Dornan said. “You’d never dream you would even have this opportunity unless you were a Blue Angels pilot. So for me to experience this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“They rarely choose from school programs,” Dornan added. “Normally celebrities or university presidents are chosen.”
Prior to takeoff, Dornan underwent medical tests to ensure that he could handle the physical stress of the flight. The F/A-18 Hornet can travel faster than the speed of sound and reaches heights resulting in weightlessness.
The Blue Angels were created in 1946 to encourage the public’s interest in naval aviation. Since then, they have captivated growing audiences and had more than 13 million spectators attend last season’s shows.
Dornan came to MTSU in 2003.

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NOTE: For a H&S of Dornan or other images of the Blue Angels, email Randy Weiler, News and Public Affairs, at jweiler@mtsu.edu. Thank you.

[404] APRIL 22 LUNCH AT BONEFISH GRILL RAISES FUNDS

Release date: April 2, 2009


News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919 or jweiler@mtsu.edu
Alumni Relations contact: Paul Wydra, 615-904-8199 or pwydra@mtsu.edu


APRIL 22 LUNCH AT BONEFISH GRILL RAISES FUNDS
FOR RUTHERFORD COUNTY MTSU ALUMNI CHAPTER SCHOLARSHIPS


(MURFREESBORO) — The Rutherford County Alumni Chapter invites you to Lunch at Bonefish Grill, 505 N. Thompson Lane, Wednesday, April 22, to benefit the Rutherford County Alumni Scholarship fund.
Available seating times will be 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
Lunch, which is $12 per person, will include Caesar salad, Bang Bang Shrimp, Chicken Marsala, Atlantic salmon with lemon butter, Jasmine rice and macadamia nut brownie. Tea or soft drinks are included.
The Rutherford County Alumni Chapter awarded $20,000 in scholarships for the 2008-09 academic year, said Paul Wydra, an alumni relations assistant director.
Since April 22 is Administrative Professionals Day, Wydra said the lunch “would make a wonderful gift for anyone in your office.” The MTSU Office of Alumni Relations will send the person of your choice an Administrative Professionals Day card informing them of the gift and include a ticket to the lunch.
Wydra said seating is limited so attendees should make reservations soon.
To make reservations, please call 615-898-2922 or visit www.mtalumni.com.

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

[403a] NEW STATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE CHAIRS VISIT, TOUR MTSU

NEW STATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE CHAIRS VISIT, TOUR MTSU

April 2, 2009

MURFREESBORO—It was appropriate that the new education committee chairs in both the Tennessee House and Senate visited Middle Tennessee State University on Thursday, the school of choice of valedictorians and salutatorians across middle Tennessee and the institution where more undergraduates are getting their education than anywhere else in the state.
MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee welcomed Rep. Harry Brooks, R-Knoxville (19th District), and Sen. Dolores Gresham, R-Somerville (26th District), for an informal visit to get acquainted and to learn more about Tennessee’s fastest-growing university. Following lunch, the president took the legislators on a driving tour of the 500-acre campus where they saw the new Health and Wellness Center and pharmacy, took a turn on the new roundabout and viewed the sites of the future Student Union, College of Education Building and the proposed Science Building.

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NOTE: Photos will be e-mailed to you this afternoon. If you do not receive them by late afternoon, please call Tom Tozer, 615-898-5131 or email intintol@mtsu.edu.

[403] MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY CENTER, STUDENTS TACKLING CANCER IN HIGH-RISK STATE

MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY CENTER, STUDENTS TACKLING CANCER IN HIGH-RISK STATE

April 2, 2009

MURFREESBORO, TENN—Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in Tennessee, which is one reason why the Center for Health and Human Services at Middle Tennessee State University has been working with the Tennessee Department of Health the past five years to compile and distribute the state’s first control plan through the Tennessee Comprehensive Cancer Control Coalition. The CHHS is also assisting with the recently revised and updated 2009-2012 cancer plan.
Part of the overall effort has been to establish six regional Cancer Coalitions throughout the state to bring together providers, medical centers, universities, researchers and patient advocates to sponsor educational programs and initiatives and to encourage citizens to undergo cancer screenings.
Tennessee ranks 3rd in the nation in deaths caused by cancer, according to Feb. 2009 figures from the CDC. The CDC report also states that Tennessee ranks 21st in the nation in new cases of cancer. The only neighboring state that fares worse is Kentucky, which ranks 4th in new cases and 1st in national death rates. Why does Tennessee rank so high in cancer—why 21st in new cases and 3rd in deaths? The coalition will continue to seek answers to those puzzling questions.
While agencies are joining forces to find those elusive answers, they also are preaching prevention through personal responsibility.
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tells us that colorectal cancer screening saves lives,” says Dr. Martha Jo Edwards, CHHS director and holder of the interdisciplinary Adams Chair of Excellence in Health Care Services at MTSU. “If everyone 50 years and older were screened regularly, as many as 60 percent of deaths from this cancer could be avoided.” While deadly, colorectal cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed forms of cancers, Edwards added.
Colorectal cancer, in most cases, develops from precancerous polyps (abnormal growths) in the colon or rectum. Screening tests can find those polyps early and often prevent cancer from proliferating. Edwards says that studies show that increased physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight may decrease the risk of colorectal cancer. Other prevention measures are less clear. Experts agree that a diet low in animal fat and high in fruits, vegetables and whole-grain products reduces the risk of chronic diseases.
Not surprisingly those who are uninsured or underinsured run the greatest risk of falling victim to colorectal cancer because of the lack of insurance. Cindy Chafin, who is CHHS project director for the Cancer Control Project, points out that the TCCCC and the American Cancer Society are advocating in the Tennessee General Assembly this year for the creation of a Tennessee Colorectal Cancer Screening Pilot Program to help low-income residents gain access to screening for early detection.
“Under the pilot program, colorectal screening would be offered to eligible participants at 250 percent of the poverty level and below,” Chafin explains. “Eligible participants would be defined as those between 50 and 64 years of age.”
When detected early, the five-year survival rate for colon cancer is 90 percent; however, only 39 percent of colorectal cancers are diagnosed at this stage due to low rates of screening. And as a person gets older, the five-year survival rate after detection declines dramatically, Chafin notes.
According to information from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the recommended screening tests for this type of cancer include (a) a colonoscopy every 10 years; (b) high-sensitivity fecal occult blood test (FOBT) every year; and (c) flexible sigmoidoscopy every five years.
For more information about the work of MTSU’s Center for Human and Human Services, in conjunction with the TCCCC, contact Edwards at 615-898-2905 or Chafin at 615-847-3081. For a copy of the 2009-2012 Coalition Control Plan, visit http://health.state.tn.us/CCCP.

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SIDEBAR:

MTSU STUDENT LAUNCHES ‘COLLEGES AGAINST CANCER’ ON CAMPUS

MTSU junior Samantha Nichols, organizational communication major from Jackson, Tenn., decided to do something positive to fight cancer by starting ‘Colleges Against Cancer’—and organization that is affiliated nationwide with The American Cancer Society. Nichols is single-handedly recruiting students, faculty and staff to help educate the campus community about cancer-related issues. For starters, she says she plans to push for a tougher policy on campus smoking. Nichols wants to organize regular meetings, develop initiatives and utilize the voices of cancer survivors and those who have lost loved ones to create interest and momentum.
“I really wanted to start this organization because everybody in some way has been affected by cancer,” Nichols says. “I have had an uncle and a grandmother pass away from cancer, and two cousins have fought it and beat it. It has all been on my mom’s side. So I’ve been touched by cancer.”
According to 2007 CDC numbers, 24 percent of adults in Tennessee smoke cigarettes compared to the national average of 19 percent. Forty-one percent of Tennessee students in public high schools smoke cigarettes.
According to figures published by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, smoking kills more people than alcohol, AIDS, car crashes, illegal drugs, murders and suicides combined.
Nichols says she also plans to organize a mini-relay event in the fall on the MTSU campus.
Nichols can be reached at 731-499-1505 or sln2t@mtsu.edu--or contact MTSU News and Public Affairs, Tom Tozer, at 615-898-2919.