MTSU News Summary for January 2002
The following is a summary of major news activities at MTSU divided into National, Metropolitan, and Local, and further broken down as follows: Administrative, Athletics, Basic and Applied Sciences, Business, Education and Behavioral Science, Liberal Arts, Mass Communication, and Student Affairs.
The last category is General Interest and may include a broad spectrum of programs and people, encompassing such areas as alumni, public safety, graduate programs, human interest, special celebrations, concerts, etc.NATIONAL NEWS
Administration
Memo to the President, the newsletter of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, noted that Cingular Wireless donated $100,000 towards construction of an Honors College facility at MTSU.
Athletics
The National Collegiate Athletic Association recorded a 27 percent graduation rate for MTSU football players in 2001, reported the Los Angeles Times.

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Basic and Applied Sciences
Austin Cheney, Concrete Industry Management, discussed the C.I.M. program on WMAL-AM in Washington, D.C.
Dr. George Murphy, chair, biology, was quoted in the Washington Post about his graduate student work studying PCB pollution in Anniston, Ala., in the 1960s.
Business
Dr. William Ford, Weatherford Chair of Finance, told P.R. Newswire that same-store retail sales rose 2.5 percent in Tennessee in December.
Ford discussed the actions of the Federal Reserve on CNBC and CNN Financial News.
U.S. Newswire reported that Jennings A. Jones, who funded the Chair of Excellence in Free Enterprise and the Chair of Excellence in Urban and Regional Planning at MTSU, has received the Distinguished Leadership Award for a Citizen Planner from the American Planning Association.
Education and Behavioral Science
The University Wire quoted Dr. Kathleen Burriss, elementary and special education, on the need for what she called "alternative assessments" of students' progress throughout the school year.
Dr. Connie Jones, elementary and special education, told the University Wire that incarcerating criminals costs more than educating children to be productive members of society.
Mass Communication
Lisa L. Rollins, NPA, assistant director, and journalism adjunct, wrote a feature story on health care and an article about Missouri's Avenue Theatre for the magazine "Images of West Plains."
The syndicated television program "Inside Editon" interviewed Dr. Rich Barnet, recording industry, about ethics at concerts and in the recording process.

General Interest
Cingular Wireless donated $100,000 toward construction of a building for the MTSU Honors College, reported The Black Collegian.
Dr. Candace Rosovsky, director, June Anderson Women's Center, was quoted by Syracuse University's student newspaper, The Daily Orange, about the new chief of public safety at Syracuse, Marlene Hall.


METROPOLITAN NEWSAdministration
The Tennessean reported that MTSU President Sidney McPhee announced the consolidation of the executive vice president and provost positions into one job, as well as other restructuring moves. Page Three
Athletics
The Tennessean and WMOT-FM reported that MTSU interim athletic director Boots Donnelly was named to the permanent position.

Basic and Applied Sciences
The Chattanooga Times-Free Press noted that Federal Express donated a 727 jet to MTSU's aerospace program.
The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal reported that sixth-graders at Christ Methodist Day School in Memphis have been participating in a mock stock market trading program hosted by MTSU.
The Tennessean reported that sixth-graders at Wilson Central High School are seeking assistance from MTSU in preparing for a national robotics contest.
The Tennessean spotlighted "Bacon and Eggheads," a monthly breakfast program which brings together area business executives with faculty members from MTSU's College of Basic and Applied Sciences.

Business
Dr. William Ford, Weatherford Chair of Finance, called the attraction of $6 billion in private capital investment in Tennessee in 2001 "wonderful news to the state," reported The Tennessean.
Ford told The Tennessean he is "happy with the level of services" he's getting for his tax dollars in Tennessee.
Horace Johns' column in Nashville Westview says Ford believes the state's fiscal problems can be solved by economizing.
A December increase in the national Consumer Confidence Index reaffirms the results of MTSU's most recent survey of consumer confidence in the Nashville area, according to The Tennessean.
Jennings A. Jones, who funded MTSU's Chair of Excellence in Free Enterprise and Chair of Excellence in Urban and Regional Planning, has won the Distinguished Leadership Award for a Citizen Planner from the American Planning Association, reported The Tennessean.

Education and Behavioral Science
Dr. Diane Sawyer, director, Tennessee Center for the Study and Treatment of Dyslexia; Janet Camp, the center's Supervisor of Education Programs; Julie Woods, parent of a dyslexic child; and Sam Fraser, a dyslexic ninth-grader, discussed the center's work on "Open Line" on NewsChannel5+.
The Tennessean highlighted the center's success with an article on Camp's work with Abbey Anthony, a dyslexic child from Jackson.
Dr. Janet Belsky, psychology, says it's difficult for anyone younger than an adolescent to understand why the U.S. war in Afghanistan is justified, even though violence is wrong, according to WMOT-FM.
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Liberal Arts
Dr. Adonijah Bakari, history, and the Village Drum and Dance Ensemble will participate in a program titled "Exploring the Cultural Heritage of Tennessee," according to The Tennessean.
Dr. Mark Byrnes, political science, has written a new book about President James K. Polk, reported WMOT-FM.
MTSU's Center for Historic Preservation is researching standing slave dwellings in Tennessee, according to WMOT-FM.
WMOT-FM reported that Terry Jolley, associate director of bands, is leaving to take a similar position with a private corporation in the music business.
Steven Barnes, coordinator, alumni relations, discussed African-American History Month and the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. on WLAC-AM.
Members of the Murfreesboro Youth Orchestra and the Voices theater troupe, sponsored by MTSU, will perform together on campus, according to The Tennessean.
Dr. Pat Nation, sociology and anthropology, discussed prison expansion in Tennessee and the possible impact on communities on NewsChannel5+'s "MorningLine" program.
"El Grupo Tejano," a show featuring the work of five Chicano artists, will be displayed at MTSU, according to The Tennessean.

Mass Communication
Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner William K. Marimow lectured at MTSU on the challenges facing journalists since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, reported The Tennessean, WMOT-FM, WPLN-FM, WSMV-TV and WSM-AM.
WMOT-FM aired commentaries by Dr. Larry Burriss, journalism, on the reappearance of commercials for hard liquor on mainstream television networks, Gaylord Entertainment's consideration of a non-country music format for WSM-AM, and returning to a "normal life" following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Student Affairs
Wendy Kerstetter-Czymoch, who is majoring in professional studies with a concentration in information technology, told The Tennessean she is "thrilled" to be able to take online classes at MTSU while continuing to work.
MTSU student Christopher Goodmaster helped a Palmersville man identify a "family heirloom" as a meteorite, according to The Tennessean.
Kaycee Townsend was among the MTSU art students who visited "Ground Zero" when they traveled to New York in November, reported WMOT-FM.
MTSU freshman John Lee Hawkes' quest to build a farmhouse for his family and to give his ailing grandfather a ride in a limousine was chronicled in The Tennessean.
General Interest
The Tennessean reported that MTSU's Division of Continuing Studies and Public Service is offering a CPR certification class.
MTSU's Japan Program will host a New Year celebration featuring a potluck dinner and door prizes, according to The Tennessean.

Page Five (Metro, General Interest, cont'd.)
An exhibit entitled "Tennessee Faces for the Arctic Refuge," sponsored by the Alaska Coalition of Tennessee, was displayed at MTSU, reported WMOT-FM.
WSM-AM interviewed Dr. Carol Bader, developmental studies, on the subject of plagiarism at the college level.
The Tennessean reported that the U.S. Army's All-American Chorus will perform at MTSU's Keathley University Center Theater.
Former professional boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, who spent 20 years in prison for a murder he did not commit, will speak at MTSU, noted The Tennessean.

LOCAL NEWS
Administration
THEC Executive Director Rich Rhoda told the DNJ that MTSU's honors program is a tangible sign that the state values higher education.
MTSU Television will chronicle the tenure of former MTSU President Mel Scarlett on the program "Recollections" throughout January, reported the DNJ.
MTSU President Sidney McPhee will be the keynote speaker at this year's Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast celebration at the James Union Building, according to the DNJ.
The DNJ reported that McPhee pointed out in his address that racial problems still exist in America when only 35 percent of black males who graduate from high school go on to college.
McPhee announced that Dr. Barbara Haskew, vice president, academic affairs and provost, and Dr. Linda Hare, vice president, university relations and development, will lose their vice presidencies under an administrative restructuring plan, reported the DNJ.
A DNJ editorial said the changes McPhee made "seem to be a matter of his fulfilling his duties to be a leader."
Speaking at the annual banquet of the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, outgoing chairman Jerry Benefield urged chamber members to support McPhee and MTSU, according to the DNJ.
Rutherford Magazine said McPhee "brings to the job a keen understanding of the inner workings of higher education."
Sherian Huddleston, interim vice president for enrollment management, encouraged students who couldn’t get the courses they wanted at the start of the spring semester to try again, according to the DNJ.

Athletics
The DNJ reported that MTSU President Sidney McPhee interviewed each finalist for the athletic director's position for two hours.
McPhee will name interim athletic director Boots Donnelly to the permanent job, reported the DNJ.
The DNJ and the Tullahoma News reported that Donnelly was hired to fill the athletic director's position on a permanent basis.Page Six
Basic and Applied Sciences
The Christy-Houston Foundation has $150,000 contribution for the establishment of two nursing scholarships at MTSU, according to the DNJ.
Dr. Thomas Cheatham, interim dean, has been named to a task force charged with studying ways to revitalize the University of Tennessee Space Institute in Tullahoma, reported the Columbia Daily Herald and the Cleveland Daily Banner.
Dr. Thomas Hemmerly, biology, says he's been studying mistletoe for 25 years, but he doesn't know why it grows mainly in oak, hickory and maple trees, according to the Kingsport Times-News.
Dr. Dave Whitaker, director, agribusiness and agriscience, will speak at the first meeting of the Adult Horse Advisory Committee on the creation of an adult course on the care of horses, reported the Gallatin News-Examiner.
MTSU's Tennessee Livestock Center will host the annual Tennessee Pork Producers convention, complete with a ham breakfast, according to the DNJ and the Manchester Times.
Dr. Stephen Wright, biology, told the DNJ the increase in tuberculosis cases over the last 20 years can be attributed to various factors, including AIDS, prison populations and the increasing number of immigrants to the U.S.
MTSU is one of several partners in the Tennessee Beef Cattle Improvement Initiative, according to the Crossville Chronicle.
Dr. Carol Burger, associate professor, Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, discussed barriers to women working in the science and technology fields in a lecture at MTSU, reported the DNJ.
Dr. Cindi Smith-Walters, biology, told the DNJ that additional carbon dioxide produced over the last few hundred years has increased the amount of heat on Earth.
Dr. Carol Jo Crannell, an astrophysicist with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., will speak at MTSU about a new solar observatory to be launched in the near future, reported the DNJ.

Business
Dr. William Ford, Weatherford Chair of Finance, and Dr. Albert DePrince, director, Business and Economic Research Center, told the DNJ that Rutherford County's economy has done well, despite the national recession.
Ford told the DNJ that same-store retail sales rose 2.5 percent in Tennessee in December.
MTSU's Entrepreneurial Studies Program is attracting more non-business majors now than when it was launched four years ago, according to the DNJ.
A study prepared by MTSU's Business and Economic Research Center for the Rutherford County Industrial Development Board indicates that the quality of life in the county will suffer if better jobs are not created within the next few years, reported the DNJ.
The center's report notes that the quality of education in Rutherford County might be a motivating factor in the county's population increase, according to the DNJ.
The DNJ also cited that same report's finding that cheaper housing helps makes Rutherford the county of choice for people wanting to live in the Nashville area.Page Seven (Local, Business, cont'd.)
Jennings A. Jones, who funded MTSU's Chair of Excellence in Free Enterprise and Chair of Excellence in Urban and Regional Planning, has won the Distinguished Leadership Award for a Citizen Planner from the American Planning Association, reported the DNJ.

Education and Behavioral Science
Dr. Janice Hayes, educational leadership, told the DNJ she fears that home-schooled children are missing the great diversity of curricula offered in public schools.
Dr. Janet Belsky, psychology, hails grants from the Pets for the Elderly Foundation as "wonderful" because pet therapy helps senior citizens to feel they are giving and receiving love, reported the DNJ.
MTSU faculty members led a Southern Association of Colleges and Schools review of Hickman County schools, according to the Hickman County Times.
The Cookeville Herald-Citizen and the Newport Plain Talk highlighted the Tennessee Center for the Study and Treatment of Dyslexia's success with an article on the work Janet Camp, the center's supervisor of education programs, is doing with Abbey Anthony, a dyslexic child from Jackson.
Liberal Arts
Former Vice President Al Gore will lecture on six dates as he teaches a course titled "Family Centered Community Building II" in the spring semester, reported the DNJ, the Jackson Sun and the Lewisburg Tribune.
"Britain in American and World Politics," a spring semester course at MTSU, requires students to spend a month in London, noted the Jackson Sun.
MTSU's Center for Historic Preservation is researching standing slave dwellings in Tennessee, according to the DNJ, the Rutherford Courier and the Marshall Gazette.
Dr. Ralph Fullerton, geography and geology, retired, delivered the keynote address at the sixth annual Tennessee Geographic Alliance statewide meeting on the campus of Volunteer State Community College, reported the Alamo Times.
Dr. Charles Wolfe, English and author of a history of the early Grand Ole Opry, told the DNJ that Gaylord Entertainment's decision not to change WSM-AM's country music format is "good news."
Dr. Carroll Van West, associate professor, Center for Historic Preservation, told the DNJ that the design for Tennessee's new quarter is appropriate in terms of the state's culture and national importance.
The Columbia Daily Herald reported that Van West's graduate class in American history at MTSU is helping to restore the Greenwood Cemetery in downtown Columbia.
The DNJ reported that Dr. Mark Byrnes, political science, would discuss his book at a meeting of the Murfreesboro Women's Club.
Dr. Mary Hoffschwelle, history, was the guest speaker at a recent meeting of the Col. Hardy Murfree Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, according to the DNJ.
Grammy Award winner Jeff Coffin of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones will headline the second annual MTSU Saxophone Festival, reported the Murfreesboro Sun.Page Eight
Mass Communication
Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner William K. Marimow will lecture at MTSU on the challenges facing journalists since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, reported the DNJ.
The DNJ covered Marimow's address.
Students in electronic media communication won awards at the National Association for Telecommunications Officers and Advisors convention in Miami, noted the DNJ.
MTSU's MT Poll indicates that most Tennesseans would be willing to give up some civil liberties in order to fight terrorism, reported the Smithville Review.
Student Affairs
The Shelbyville Times-Gazette reported that MTSU art education major Jim Alex Brown created a sculpture in memory of Kenneth Beckman, a U.S. Marine who was killed in action in Vietnam in 1970.
The DNJ profiled Lauren Gillespie, who worked in the White House for a year and a half, and quoted her reaction to the death of former President Clinton's dog, Buddy.
The Cannon Courier noted the start of fundraising for the Neill-Sandler Scholars program.
Martina O'Brien and her son, Daniel, graduated in the same commencement ceremony at MTSU, according to the Smithville Review.
Congressman Bart Gordon (D-Murfreesboro) says low-income MTSU students will have more federal money for which to apply next year through the Pell Grant program, reported the Lewisburg Tribune.
MTSU student Christopher Goodmaster helped a Palmersville man identify a "family heirloom" as a meteorite, according to the Dresden Enterprise.
The Rutherford Courier noted that MTSU student Edward M. Canada IV graduated from the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps basic Camp Challenge at Fort Knox, Ky.
Businesses, camps and government agencies will provide students with information at the 11th annual Summer Jobs/Internships Fair at MTSU, reported the DNJ and the Tullahoma News.
The DNJ printed a photo of MTSU senior Amanda Wyatt negotiating a waterlogged campus on a day of heavy rains.
The DNJ also printed a photo of a student wielding an umbrella walking into the courtyard of the Business and Aerospace Building.
The Crossville Chronicle listed many scholarships available to MTSU students.
MTSU political science major Kyle Dodd is serving as an intern assigned to the Tennessee House of Representatives' State and Local Government Committee during the current legislative session, reported the Paris Post-Intelligencer.
The Murfreesboro Sun named MTSU student Misty Garrett its Hero of the Month for January for her charity work with Operation Christmas Child, a non-profit relief campaign for needy children worldwide.
General Interest
MTSU spring semester courses started Jan. 7, noted the DNJ.
In a letter to the DNJ, Alan Farley, vice chairman, Rutherford County Industrial Development Board, noted that MTSU was able to raise enough money for an Honors College building without the board's assistance.
Page Nine (Local, General Interest, cont'd.)
The Tennessee Higher Education Commission predicts that additional enrollment in Tennessee colleges and universities between 2000 and 2010 will exceed the number of students currently attending MTSU, reported the DNJ.
A DNJ editorial says a THEC study shows that fees at MTSU and other universities in the state have risen 162 percent since the fall of 1981.
That study also says MTSU ranked seventh of 11 peer universities in average faculty salary for the 2000-01 school year, according to the DNJ.
A DNJ editorial lamented the rate of faculty pay at MTSU and other Tennessee universities.
Brian Noland, director of academic programs for THEC, says tuition at MTSU is at about $3,000, reported the DNJ.
Former state Senator and gubernatorial candidate Andy Womack, an MTSU alumnus, will headline the 2002 Honors College Lecture Series, noted the DNJ, the Shelbyville Times-Gazette and the Lewisburg Tribune.
The Shelbyville Times-Gazette covered Womack's lecture.
An MTSU librarian used the Tennessee Electronic Library to research a new drug her husband was taking for Parkinson's disease, reported the Johnson City Press, the Cookeville Herald-Citizen, the Newport Plain Talk, the Jackson Sun, the Greeneville Sun, the Franklin Review-Appeal and the Oak Ridger.
The Marshall Gazette reported that MTSU's Division of Continuing Studies and Public Service is offering a CPR certification class.
Teachers and volunteer parents at Siegel Elementary School's Camp H2O in Murfreesboro are using a curriculum developed by MTSU, according to the DNJ.
The DNJ reported that officials at Stones River National Battlefield Park are working with MTSU officials to organize a symposium on the 140th anniversary of the Battle at Stones River and the 75th anniversary of the preservation of the Civil War battlefield.
The DNJ printed a photo of a landscape worker marking the location of flower bulbs to be planted between MTSU's James E. Walker Library and the Business and Aerospace Building.
MTSU's Miller Coliseum received one of only nine permits issued by the city of Murfreesboro for public buildings last year, reported the DNJ.
MTSU officials are considering how to use a tract of Hickman County land donated by Dr. Clifford and Pauline Stark, according to the Columbia Daily Herald.
The DNJ featured Japanese recipes in spotlighting the Japan Program of MTSU's New Year's Celebration and potluck dinner.
The DNJ also covered the Japanese New Year's event.
MTSU will develop an Internet telecommunications system to collect and share weather data on a 15-acre nature trail being built by a Murfreesboro elementary school, reported the DNJ.
A videoconference from MTSU will provide "A Virtual Tour of the Frist Center for the Visual Arts," according to the Shelbyville Times-Gazette.
An MTSU study shows that Nashvillians are moving to Rutherford County because they believe Rutherford has better schools, according to a DNJ editorial.
MTSU's annual Unity Luncheon, part of the university's African-American History Month celebration, will honor "unsung heroes" in Murfreesboro, noted the DNJ and the Lewisburg Tribune.
Page Ten (Local, General Interest, cont'd.)

Rutherford Magazine noted MTSU's strong ties to the county and the community.
Dr, Crosby Hunt, developmental studies, is teaching senior citizens how to write their memoirs, according to the DNJ.
The DNJ reported that Toby Foyeh and Orchestra Africa will perform African jazz at MTSU.
MTSU's Wright Music Hall will be the venue for a concert of gagaku, the music of the Japanese Imperial Court, according to the DNJ.