Economic center reaches out to K-12 teachers, kids

by Tom Tozer

If ever there was an example of cooperative education, plain and simple, it is MTSU's Center for Economic Education (CEE) and its outreach to area schools. The Center's focus, as well as the energy and enthusiasm of Maria Edlin, CEE assistant director, is targeted at helping K-12 teachers teach economics education to their students.

That task is done through creative workshops for teachers, the Stock Market Game, a new multimedia teaching tool called Virtual Economics, newsletters, satellite programs, and whatever else is available, affordable, and works.

Edlin's job is to seek out new material from publishers around the country and tailor programs around it, both for teachers and students. She also tries to shake dollars loose from business and industry to help defray the cost of materials and equipment.

With guidance from CEE Director Dr. Richard Hannah, professor of Economics and Finance, Edlin is truly the Center's fund-raiser and fun-raiser.

Recently, during the Academy for Teachers of the Gifted, the Center sponsored a quiz bowl and also presented students with the Stock Market Game, where they could sit at a computer and conduct trading via the Internet.

"I've actually seen 4th-graders playing the Stock Market Game," Edlin said. "I had a parent one time tell me that her son was at that age when he just never talked. He started playing the Stock Market Game, and 'that's all we talk about anymore. Thanks!'"

With some programs already lined up well into next spring, Edlin is always looking ahead and thinking of new ideas.

"There's a curriculum called 'Wallet Wisdom' that we're going to use to do a prom night," she said. "It'll be a virtual prom. We'll bring in some actual dresses and some tuxedo samples. We'll bring in menus and let students choose what they're going to eat. We'll discuss transportation, and we'll make a prom budget using cost/benefit analysis and things like that. If they decide to have dinner at the Parthenon rather than McDonald's, then they may say, 'Well, since I'm spending more on my dinner, I guess I'll have to drive to the prom instead of rent a helicopter."

Edlin says she plans from three to four workshops a semester based on available curriculum for various grade levels. While she may lead a session, she also looks for good material and tires to match it with qualified presenters. She organizes the workshops, finds workshop space--on or off campus--and handles all the details that enable her to pull off a smooth-running event.

"When thinking of workshop ideas, I also pay attention to current events," she noted. "I check out web sites in our area to see if there is something needed--like the workshop on grant writing, which is our most popular one because it means money for the classroom. If teachers know how to write a grant proposal and know what grants are available ... I always have a massive waiting list for that one."

With 40-50 people signing up for CEE workshops, Edlin says they are the ones who make the program work, they and people like Jennings and Rebecca Jones, and Paul Vaughan and the Jones Foundation, who sponsor CEE events and provide financial assistance.

"I love the workshops the most," she said, "even though they're hard work. Being with teachers is fun because I learn just as much as they do."

Edlin says a program called "Zoorific," based on a curriculum designed for elementary students that uses patterns and puppets, was just presented this week.

"We held it at the Nashville Zoo, and it included a 30-minute animal presentation for the teachers. ... We're having one in October at the Center for the Arts here in town called 'Arts Mart' and another in November at the Country Club called 'Dippin' to Economics,' based on the Dippin' Dots Ice Cream."

A workshop called "Home Ownership" was presented last April, she said.

Economics curriculum is getting better and better all the time, Edlin said.

Edlin plans from six to eight months in advance and starts by attending conferences to see what kind of ideas and materials are out there. The National Council of Economic Education and several state councils put out catalogs and are helpful in providing ideas.

"The founding directors were elected to proceed with the formation of Tennessee Council of Economic Education," Edlin said. "Plans are proceeding to acquire 501C3 status and explore funding options." The tax code 501C3 refers to the tax- exempt status for nonprofit organizations.

Edlin added that once the council is established, "there's so much more the Center can do through our own council." Some of those possibilities include writing curriculum and training teachers to be workshop leaders, she said.

The Center is beginning to extend its reach across the state. Currently the staff is working with Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City.

"Dr. Gary Young, dean of Business at Carson-Newman, has offered their facilities and resources to help extend the reach of the Center further east in Tennessee," Edlin noted. "And the Knoxville News-Sentinel, with the help of Alice Dollar, is helping us to expand our activities into the Knoxville region.

"At the higher grades, we want students to know that economics isn't just one of those classes to be dreaded, but rather it is an integral part of their lives in almost everything they do. I think once they see just how much economics affects them, they'll be able to use those disciplines to get where they want to go."

For more information on the Center for Economic Education, call Hannah at 898-2228 or Edlin at 898-2427. To browse the Stock Market Game web page, access http://www.smg2000.org.

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In Brief

Get promoted

The Promotion and Tenure Workshop sponsored annually by the Association of Faculty and Administrative Women will be held Tuesday, Sept. 19, in the Faculty Senate Room of the JUB. Refreshments will be served at 3:45, and Dr. Robert Jones, associate vice president for Academic Affairs, will speak briefly at 4 p.m. Jones' talk will be followed by brief talks from several faculty members who have recently successfully undergone the promotion and/or tenure process. They will answer questions and share their collections of support materials as well as offer advice and encouragement. The workshop will end by 5:30 p.m. For more information, call Dr. Sara Dunne at 898-2688 or Dr. Georgeanne Ross at 898-2019.

Dr. Doyle can't do it all

MTSU's recycle program needs you! Anyone who is willing to the recycling effort any number of hours per week is asked to call the department of Biology at 898-2847. All donated time helps a great cause.

An apple for teacher

During Greek Week, the fraternities and sororities presented the Golden Apple Award to a faculty member in each college. The awards were based on excellence in the classroom and a willingness to help students outside the classroom. Faculty recipients include Dr. Adonijah Bakari (Liberal Arts), Ginger Corley (Basic and Applied Sciences), Dr. Boyd Evans (Business), Dr. Dawn Shelar (Education), and Cathy Hendon (Mass Communication).

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Insurance chair endowment tops $1 million
The Chair's success is due, in large part, to the care and attention of the man who holds it

by Tom Tozer

For the first time in the history of MTSU, an endowment for a professional position, provided entirely from private giving, has surpassed $1 million.

The Tommy T. Martin Chair of Insurance, founded by friends and alumni in 1980-1981 in honor of insurance giant Tommy Martin, has a primary endowment of $735,000. It also has $250,000 in endowed scholarship accounts and $30,000 in another endowed account.

Martin, a highly successful underwriter with MONY for nearly 60 years, passed away last March at age 86.

"Tripping over the $1 million mark in the endowment accounts is a significant milestone in the history of the Chair of Insurance," said Dr. Ken Hollman, chairholder. "It marks the first time in the history of the university that the endowment for a professional position has grown to a $1 million level solely with private funds.

"Our goal is to raise the endowment to $1,250,000 by the year 2005," he continued. Hollman is the only holder of the Martin Chair since its inception.

"In order for the Chair to exist in perpetuity, sufficient funds must be available for investment purposes to allow retention of the principal and the use of the interest for the program," he added.

The interest from the main endowment account is used to cover operating expenses of the Chair of Insurance, he explained, while interest from the endowment scholarship accounts is used solely for those purposes indicated.

What does all of that have to do with turning out a great "product," in this case, qualified graduates? In 1999-2000, 43 students earned scholarships through the program. Since the chair has been established, a total of 226 students have earned 455 scholarships valued at more than $300,000.

These are the insurance and finance superstars who are landing the internships and gaining valuable work experience related to their career objectives--while at the same time, earning college credit, Hollman noted. These are tomorrow's bank presidents, insurance leaders, market investors, and financial analysts, among others.

"In the spring of 2000, 10 students held internships and seven more students were summer interns," he said. "A total of 260 students have now finished internships. Most of the interns have worked in research, underwriting, or claims adjusting jobs with an insurance company, but some have worked in sales positions. Many internship students have accepted full-time positions with their intern sponsor upon graduation.

"The Chair strives to provide adequate background and training for those students who wish to sit for the qualification examinations for agents' and brokers' licenses or for the professional designations. It also endeavors to stimulate university-wide interest in insurance," Hollman added.

Hollman's colleagues regard him as a tireless worker who spends seemingly every waking hour in his office discovering or creating newer opportunities for his students. His work with students has paid off in the form of national recognition for individual scholars as well as for the Omega Chapter of Gamma Iota Sigma (GIS), the national scholastic insurance fraternity, which was chartered in 1984.

As of last spring, the chapter has 60 members and has won 43 national awards, second only to one other chapter in the country. Omega chapter has twice been voted "Most Outstanding Chapter" in the nation, and specific members have in five different years been selected for the Warren L. Weeks Award as the "Most Outstanding Student" among GIS chapters.

Hollman is quick to share the credit, acknowledging the work and contributions of Dr. Emily Norman-Zietz, who also teaches insurance courses, as well as other colleagues in the de

partment of Economics and Finance, "who work closely [with us] in the instructional phase of the insurance program."

Recently voted the "Most Outstanding Professor" in the College of Business (along with Dr. Terry Ward, Accounting), presented by the COB Business Advisory Council, Hollman has also received the Outstanding Researcher Award (1998) and the Outstanding Public Service Award (1999).

The Record, September 18, 2000, V9.06

	YOU TAKE THE HIGH ROAD: The Fifth Annual Tennessee Highland Games will be held Oct. 7 at MTSU. The field games begin at 8:30 a.m. and include the caber toss, hammer throw, and ax throwing. Tickets are $10 for adults and $3 for children 3-12. Several clans will set up displays and exhibits, vendors will sell Scottish foods and merchandise. There will be a highland dance competition as well as demonstrations of sheep herding, spinning, and a parade of clans. Children's activities will include face painting, haggis hurling, and storytelling. For information, call (615) 848-9193.

The Record, September 18, 2000, V9.06

WHERE THE LAVA FLOWED--MTSU undergraduate geology majors Brandy Sue Sanders, left, and Beverly Klusendorf examine a boulder of lava at Mt. Hood volcano in Oregon. The students' hands-on work in August was part of the the department of Geography and Geology's field work at the volcano. Samples of lava collected by the students will be geochemically analyzed in the MTSU x-ray fluorescence lab by Klusendorf, who will then use the data in her study of the geologic history of volcanic vents on the flanks of Mt. Hood. The peak in the background is the 11, 239-foot summit of Mt. Hood.

Stakes in conformity

Why some children refuse to fail despite overwhelming odds

For the Record

by Faye Johnson, Sociology/Anthropology

As evidenced by the recent political conventions, children and education will be two of the significant themes in this fall's campaign. Much has been said--and will continue to be said--about what can be done to make sure children have a "good start" in life.

I have wondered this myself, why some young people fall into a violent and destructive behavior while others, facing an equally difficult situation, go on to excel in life?

It is a question that our society as a whole is now struggling with. How can children rise above extraordinary hardships --experience the death of one or both parents, suffer physical or emotional abuse, deal with extreme financial hardships, and live a "normal" life? Children of a single working parent constantly struggling to feed and clothe the family. Latchkey kids. Divorce. Multiple foster homes. An incarcerated dad. Why is it some students who have faced these problems drop out of school, get into trouble with the law, abuse alcohol and drugs, and others don't?

Obviously no magic formula insures success against the odds. But we do know that something is happening in the lives of those children who succeed, that in all likelihood is missing in the lives of those who don't. What is it? Travis Hirshi, a well-respected sociologist, talks about some of the things that have to happen for an adolescent to have a chance at success in life. Young people have to have what he calls "stakes in conformity." Adolescents have to have the opportunity to be insulated against delinquency.

Most importantly, a child must develop a sense of attachment. He must be given the chance to learn to trust himself and others, with at least one loving, caring person very early on in his or her life. He must feel safe, secure, cared for, and loved. Children need someone who provides the closeness and intimacy they need so that they can come to know how it feels to be wanted and to belong.

So much of what a child sees and hears today comes from television sitcoms, video games, and pop culture. Their heroes are often professional athletes, Hollywood types, and rock stars. Not that any of these in themselves is evil--but are pop culture icons the role models we want our children to emulate?

A child must have a chance to develop a sense of commitment to family and community values. To develop that commitment means that children must have someone in their lives to teach them, to share with them, and to model for them those values. They have to get involved in church or school groups, learn to sing, dance, or act; have chores so that they can learn to do work that matters, play sports for fun. By getting involved in these activities, children learn about themselves while also learning the rules of community life.

As children and adolescents put down these stakes in conformity, they are developing keys to success. They cannot do it alone. Those who succeed have an unfailing positive attitude to turn adversity into success.

How did they learn this? They tell us that they have thrived because someone reached out to encourage them to grow, to learn, and to succeed. Their mentors did not insulate them from challenges, but were there constantly to build them back up whenever they fell down. Soon they learned that challenges were only doorways to success; rather than being diminished by the challenges they face, they view obstacles as something to overcome.

Faye Johnson is an associate professor in the department of Sociology and Anthropology. Her research interest is juvenile delinquency and social change. Do you have something to say "For the Record"? Send column ideas to mreed@mtsu.edu

The Record, September 18, 2000, V9.06

Grad student receives first-ever US Oncology Scholarship

by Lisa L. Rollins

Cynthia Maule-Trail, a mother of seven and a three-time cancer survivor, knows what it means to persevere in the face of adversity.

A graduate student in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Maule-Trail was recently named as the first-ever recipient of the US Oncology Scholarship, a $5,000 award that is funded by the Patient Advocate Foundation of Newport News, Va.

In late September, Maule-Trail will travel to Washington, D.C., where she will accept the scholarship prize and address the Patient Congress.

Regarding the $5,000 honor, the Murfreesboro resident said, "What this will enable me to do is continue the last year of my master's degree in Sociology ... with an emphasis on domestic violence."

In order to be eligible for the Patient Advocate Foundation's US Oncology Scholarship, applicants must be enrolled full time in a degree-seeking program of study, maintain at least a 3.0 GPA, demonstrate financial need, complete at least 20 hours of community service for the year in which the scholarship will be dispensed, write an essay related to the major area of study, and be a survivor of a life-threatening, chronic, or debilitating disease.

On the latter requirement, Maule-Trail is qualified three times over, and unfortunately, her husband has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

"I was a first-generation cancer victim," explained Maule-Trail, whose children now range in age from 21 to 36. "I was diagnosed with uterine cancer when I was 30 and pregnant with my last child, then I did a self-examination and discovered the breast cancer ... and the ovarian cancer that I had was discovered when I went in for my annual check-up.

"I am a firm believer in annual medical check-ups for both males and females and I always stress the importance for self-examination," she continued. "If I hadn't found [the breast cancer], if I'd let it go, I could have lost much more than just what I lost. ... And I wasn't feeling ill with ovarian cancer when I went in for a checkup.

"With cancer, you won't feel bad until it's too late," she warned. "We need to constantly be aware. Cancer is most generally not visible, and most generally, we don't get help until we are too ill and it's too late. We are so fearful of it that we put it off."

Currently, Maule-Trail has a 4.0 grade point average and plans to graduate with her master's degree in May 2001. Prior to beginning her current graduate studies in fall 1999, she earned a bachelor's degree in Sociology, with minors in English and Psychology, from MTSU in May 1998.

As an undergraduate, Maule-Trail also excelled as a student and advocate for those who were victims of domestic abuse, especially teens who were in abuse situations. Subsequently, it was during her undergraduate studies that Maule-Trail began to direct her professional focus toward domestic violence and its affect on the family, community, and society as a whole.

While still an undergrad, Maule-Trail--herself a one-time victim of mental and physical abuse--developed and helped implement an adolescent-counseling program that was utilized by the Murfreesboro Domestic Violence Program. For this, she was presented with her academic department's Joe Leatherman Award in April '98.

Dr. Pat Nation, assistant professor (Sociology and Anthropology), said, "Cindy is an outstanding and dedicated student. Our department, and especially myself as her [academic] adviser, are very proud of her many accomplishments.

"She has worked hard in pursuing her academic goals and is more than deserving of the recognition an award of this type bestows. I have no doubt that Cindy will succeed at anything she tries."

A veteran of the U.S. Army who has served at the U.S. Pentagon, during the Vietnam era, and in Europe, Maule-Trail first became acquainted with her current scholarship's sponsor, the Patient Advocate Foundation, after she was diagnosed with cancer for the third time.

According to its web site, the PAF is a national nonprofit organization that serves as an active liaison between the patient and their insurer, employer, and/or creditors to resolve insurance, job discrimination and/or debt crisis matters relative to their diagnosis through case managers, doctors and attorneys. PAF seeks to safeguard patients through effective mediation assuring access to care, maintenance of employment and preservation of their financial stability.

"I think the thing I find most significant about the PAF is that it provides individuals an opportunity to have medical attention that is otherwise unavailable to them. We would have eventually lost our home to fight a disease that was going to take our lives, anyway," she noted. "And this scholarship is their way of saying here's an opportunity for you to advance academically so you can make a difference and touch someone else's life.'"

The Record, September 18, 2000, V9.06

BACK TO SCHOOL: The recent graduate school orientation welcomed more than 150 students who toured exhibits and talked to representatives about various programs and services. Seated, Dr. Candace Rosovsky, director of the June Anderson Women's Center, chats with Crystal Coward, a child development and family studies major, from Knoxville.

Professor heads down under for Olympic Games

by Lisa L. Rollins

Dr. Bill Whitehill, associate professor of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Safety (HPERS), has taken his health and massage knowledge and expertise to the Sydney Olympic Games, where Olympic athletes will benefit from his professional training and care.

A certified athletic trainer, licensed massage therapist, and director of MTSU's newly created Holistic Institute for Health, Whitehill's current trip to Sydney marks the second time that the educator has volunteered his time and talents behind the scenes to the Olympic Games and its athletes.

"In 1995 I was hired by the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games to work as the program manager for athlete care," says Whitehill, who received a one-year leave of absence from MTSU to work with the participants and organizers of the Atlanta Games.

Whitehill says it was at the '96 Olympic competition held in Atlanta that he first met representatives of Sydney's medical community who would later oversee the care of the Olympic athletes during the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games in Australia.

"The next Olympic group always attends the (Olympic contest) before them to gain valuable working knowledge for the one day they will host," recalls Whitehill. "At that time (in Atlanta), I met people from Sydney's medical field ... [and] they gave me the information to apply for a position (at the 2000 Olympics)."

Although he initially applied to serve as an athletic trainer for the Sydney Olympics, Whitehill says that because one must be a licensed physiotherapist in Australia in order to do so, working as an athletic trainer was not an option this time around. Subsequent-ly, he was encouraged to apply--and was accepted--as a massage therapist in Olympic Village for the 2000 Sydney competition, which will began Sept. 15 and will continue through Oct. 1.

According to information released by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), total viewer hours of the Sydney Olympic Games is "expected to eclipse 40 billion viewer hours as a result of increased coverage, reach, and interest in the Olympic Games."

Moreover, the IOC projects that the duration of broadcast coverage of the upcoming Olympics is expected to be record-setting, with almost half of all broadcasters increasing their coverage above that of Atlanta in 1996. In turn, the IOC estimates that the broadcast coverage of the Sydney Olympic Games will reach 3.7 billion of the 3.9 billion people in the world who have access to a television.

The Record, September 18, 2000, V9.06

Continuing Education offers workshop for caregivers

by Lisa L. Rollins

It has been estimated that sooner or later, everyone will be touched by caregiving at least once in their lives, be it in an informal or formal capacity, says Dr. James E. Taylor, an assistant professor of Social Work.

Many, however, are unprepared or inadequately prepared for the challenges that caregiving brings, adds Taylor, an expert on caregiving who knows firsthand both the receiving and administering ends of caregiving.

Thus, in an effort to help those who are currently faced with the challenges of caregiving as well as those who anticipate serving as a caregiver, MTSU's Division of Continuing Studies and Public Service will offer a six-week course, "Family Caregiving: Across the Life Span," 6-8 p.m. Tuesdays beginning Sept. 26 through Nov. 14 at the St. Clair Street Senior Center in Murfreesboro. (There will be no class Nov. 7.) The cost of the entire six-week course is $69 per person.

"The term 'caregiver' refers to anyone who provides assistance to someone else who needs it to maintain an optimal level of independence," explains Taylor, who will instruct the course. "Put another way, a caregiver is a person who cares for a person who is ill, incapacitated, or disabled."

Because families provide the majority of an individual's care needs, they are referred to as "family caregivers." However, Taylor adds, caregivers may be informal (non-professional, not hired) or formal (professional) people.

"Informal caregivers probably have not been trained to administer care and may be a relative or friend to the person receiving care," he says. "Formal caregivers may have no family ties to the person receiving the care and have been trained and hired to provide care in such places as the home, medical centers, nursing homes, hospices, and the like."

Several topics related to caregiving that will be focused upon during the workshop include a profile of caregivers, family caregiving across the life span, cost burdens, demands of home situations, burden of certain groups (Alzheimer's disease, kidney disease, cancer, AIDS, etc.), respite care, long-distance caregiving and emerging trends, managing family stress, and gender roles, among other related subjects.

As a cancer survivor, Taylor knows well what it means to be the recipient of caregiving. In addition, he is currently a caregiver for his elderly mother. And as an expert on caregiving issues, Taylor works closely with local, regional, and national caregiving organizations.

"It has been estimated that sometime in each person's life they will be a caregiver," observes Taylor. "Short-term caregiving, such as that given by a parent who has to be absent from work a few days to care for a child with a common cold or a broken arm, poses no major problems for the family. However, that same child born with spina bifida creates burdens for the total family."

Additionally, he says, "An inspection of recent health-care statistics suggests that, as the population increases, more persons in all age groups will have to have someone close to them to either care for them or arrange to see that they receive proper care."

Taylor says the "Family Caregiving" workshop is designed to focus on "needs of the caregivers" and instruction on how to sort through the various issues and problems that they will confront as they face new or existing roles as a family caregiver. For formal caregivers, the workshop will help prepare them to be advocates for family caregivers and better prepare them to work with family caregivers and the problems they face.

To register for the six-week "Family Caregiving" workshop, please call the Division of Continuing Studies and Public Service at (615) 898-2462.

The Record, September 18, 2000, V9.06

MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE: "God is Love, Empire Grove, E. Poland ME" is one of 53 photos by Wendy Erickson on display in the Baldwin Photographic Gallery in the McWherter Learning Resources Center through Oct. 26. The photos are part of Erickson's "American Camp Meetings" project.

Photo exhibit explores 'camp meeting' culture

by Lisa L. Rollins

Documenting specific places that are rich in history and tradition is the passion of photographer-teacher Wendy Erickson, whose "The Calling Ground, American Camp Meeting" exhibit is on display now through Oct. 26 at the Baldwin Photographic Gallery.

The 53-piece exhibit is composed of color prints that were printed by Erickson from medium-format color negative film. In addition, the exhibit was designed by the photographer to explore the history, artifacts, and culture of camp meetings.

The beginnings of what would become Erickson's "American Camp Meeting" project first found their inception in 1983-87 when she worked as a volunteer and visiting artist with a team of photographers for the National Park Service at New York's Ellis Island. During their time at Ellis Island, the group documented the historic restoration of the island, and Erickson's photographs from the project were widely displayed in the U.S. and Italy and published in the Aperture book titled "Ellis Island, Echoes from a Nation's Past."

A 21-year veteran of the photographic industry who is now employed by ILFORD Imaging U.S.A. Inc., Erickson is currently writing, researching, and illustrating a book titled "The Calling Ground, American Camp Meeting." "She's an excellent documentary photographer, which is work that she does outside her job for ILFORD Imaging Inc.," says Tom Jimison, gallery director. "She's also very tenacious in her investigation and research; she'll go wherever she needs to go to get the images that she wants."

In her ongoing efforts to document historical places and cultures, Erickson also has visited New Jersey landmarks, where she photographed Ocean Grove, N.J. Originally, this area was a Methodist camp meeting ground founded in 1879. The photography from this expedition resulted in Erickson's portfolio work, "Shelters of Canvas."

The Baldwin Photographic Gallery is located on the first level of MTSU's LRC. Gallery hours are 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; 8-11:45 a.m. Saturdays; and 6-9:45 p.m. Sundays. Admission is free.

For more information, call Jimison at (615) 898-2085.

The Record, September 18, 2000, V9.06

Honors lecture looks at 'scientific revolution'

by Rhoda Gilbert

"Science is a contact sport," says Dr. Preston J. MacDougall, associate professor of Chemistry.

"When people feel threatened when others attack their world views or paradigm, they get hostile," he says.

This view about science was examined in the late chemist Thomas Kuhn's book, "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions." MacDougall will discuss the concept of paradigm shift, a phrase coined by Kuhn, at 3 p.m. Sept. 25 in PH 109A.

The discussion is part of the Fall 2000 Honors Lecture Series titled "Revolution," sponsored by MTSU's Honors College. Admission is free and the public is welcomed to attend. A question-and-answer period will follow MacDougall's presentation.

In his opinion, MacDougall says Kuhn intended the phrase "paradigm shift" to mean changes in worldviews.

"[They are] scientific discoveries that change the way you view the past and present," he says. Yet since Kuhn's time, scientists and people in general have used the phrase to mean something different.

"The meaning of the words becomes diluted," MacDougall says.

Not only does MacDougall intend to explain the original understanding of the phrase, he also will link it to other disciplines beyond chemistry by using past and present examples.

Why, one asks, is this information significant?

"The 20th century was the century of science," MacDougall notes. "It is important for people to have a better understanding of how these events played themselves out on a personal level.

"Kuhn hoped that better understanding of paradigm shifts would benefit more than the scientific community. [This lecture] may help students understand the more human aspects of science in terms of competition for the supremacy of ideas," he says.

For more information on the "Structures of Scientific Revolutions" lecture, please call MacDougall at 615-898-2741.

The Record, September 18, 2000, V9.06

MAKING A DIFFERENCE: James Delk, senior nursing student, was recently appointed to the National Advisory Council on Nurse Education, under the auspices of U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna E. Shalala. Here, Delk, holds the letter from HHS with, at left, Dr. Pam Holder, director, School of Nursing, and, at right, Dr. Maria Smith, associate professor, Nursing.

Senior nursing student receives national appointment

by Tom Tozer

It was no ordinary letter that senior nursing student James Delk received last spring. Signed by Donna E. Shalala, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, it was an invitation to Delk to serve a four-year term on the National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and the Practice of the Health Resources and Services Administration.

"As I understand it, we will advise Donna Shalala, who, in turn, advises the president, on matters particularly pertinent to nurses --on how we practice and how we educate our student nurses," noted Delk, a Cookeville resident. "I'm grateful to Dr. Maria Smith, who was primarily responsible for my being selected. She asked some of my prior teachers and evidently some of them selected me. They gave her the nomination, and she sent it to a lady in Washington who serves on the Advisory Council."

Both Delk and Smith, who is an associate professor of Nursing, were recognized recently at a School of Nursing reception.

"Based on the recommendations of his faculty and after an extensive review of his academic record, I am confident that he has the ability to effectively contribute to the Council," Dr. Pam Holder, director of MTSU's School of Nursing, wrote in her letter to Washington, D.C., recommending Delk.

According to an HRSA fact sheet, the Council provides advice and recommendations to both the Secretary and Congress concerning policy matters arising in the administration of Title VIII, including improvements in the nurse workforce, education, and practice. The Council consists of nine members who are leading authorities in nursing and higher education, two practicing professional nurses, two members from the general public, and two full-time students enrolled in schools of nursing.

Delk will graduate from MTSU in May.

The Record, September 18, 2000, V9.06

Employee Benefits fair to showcase services, include prizes

by Tom Tozer

An incentives package of coffee, muffins, danish, popcorn, and Coke products, sweetened with door prizes--some valued at over $100--will be available to all who attend the annual MTSU Employee Benefits Fair on Oct. 11. The event will showcase more than 50 vendors and several charitable organizations.

Open to all MTSU employees, exhibits will be displayed in the Tennessee Room of the JUB from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The fair will provide an opportunity to learn more about the benefits offered through MTSU and about the many services available in the community. MTSU's own health, dental, and life insurance programs, as well as various 401(k) and 403 (b) companies, will be among the exhibits. Banks, long-term disability and long-term care companies, and charitable organizations will also have exhibits.

According to Lisa Batey, benefits coordinator in Human Resource Services, many organizations will donate door prizes, among which will be restaurant gift certificates and several other items.

"There will be more than 100 door prizes," Batey said, adding that employees will need to register in-person for the door prizes but will not need to be present to win.

Outside vendors will include Blue Cross Blue Shield, Prudential Health Care HMO, United Health Care HMO, Provident Life and Accident, Denticare & Protective, AFLAC, TCRS, TIAA-CREF, AETNA, VALIC, ITT Hartford, Employee Assistance Program, Fringe Benefits Management Company, and Insurance Administration Office, among others.

JUST THE FACTS: Did you know that MTSU's student body is 54 percent female? Or that most of the international students come from Thailand? Did you know that the University Library contains 1,873,882 publications in its collection?

The MTSU Fact Book recently won "Best Fact Book" at the Tennessee Association for Institutional Research conference (TENNAIR). The award was selected by the votes of peers representing both public and private, four- and two-year institutions within Tennessee. Dr. Cornelia Wills, director of Institutional Research, serves as president of TENNAIR. The Fact Book includes information about nearly every aspect of campus life.