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Grad gets degree surprise
by Carrie Hargett
Tosheena Robinson-Blair traveled far to earn her higher education, but she didn't expect to receive her master's degree in mass communication from a former news source.
Robinson-Blair, a native of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas, graduated from MTSU May 6 with a master's in mass communication. The Bahamian prime minister, The Right Hon. Perry G. Christie, was the guest speaker at the 9 a.m. commencement ceremony.
After the speech, Robinson-Blair, like her fellow graduates, prepared to stride across the stage and accept her hard-earned degree from university President Sidney A. McPhee.
When Robinson-Blair's name was called, however, McPhee stepped aside and Christie stepped forward with the precious document.
The veteran journalist spent several years on the parliamentary beat during her tenure with the Caribbean branch of the Associated Press, as well as The Tribune Bahamas and The Bahama Journal newspapers and radio station Love 97-FM, and came to know the prime minister during that time.
"The media isn't that large (in the Bahamas), so it's easy to know politicians," she said.
Robinson-Blair, who hopes to work in broadcast journalism, came to Tennessee from the Bahamas in 2002. She received her bachelor's degree from Tennessee State University in December 2004 and the following semester enrolled at MTSU.
"I found out about MTSU on the Web," she said.
Her first semester at MTSU was overwhelming, Robinson-Blair recalled. Her husband was serving in Afghanistan with the National Guard, and she was raising their new baby while working and attending classes.
Robinson-Blair received an assistantship to help pay her tuition, which included international student rates, and worked closely with the dean of the College of Mass Communication. Her responsibilities included grading papers, teaching introductory-level classes and writing papers for various publications.
"If I hadn't gotten the assistantship, I would not have been able to afford it (school)," Robinson-Blair said.
She plans to stay in the United States with her husband until he finishes his time with the National Guard. If she does decide to return to the Bahamas, she's been told she'll have a job waiting for her at Love 97 and The Bahamas Journal.
Carrie Hargett is a May 2006 graduate of MTSU majoring in mass communication.
HARD WORK PAYS OFF-Tosheena Robinson-Blair, right, smiles as she accepts her master's degree in mass communication from her fellow Bahamas native, Prime Minister Perry G. Christie, as MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee, left, also a native of the islands, and Dr. Jack Thomas, vice provost for academic affairs, look on. Christie spoke at the May 6 morning commencement.
photo by Jack Ross
Athletes, fans anticipating Spring Fling
from Staff Reports
Get ready for some spring fun as Rutherford County, Murfreesboro and MTSU serve as hosts May 22-27 for the TSSAA BlueCross Spring Fling-the annual spring sports championships for high school athletes from across the state.
TSSAA officials voted last June to award Spring Fling to Murfreesboro for the next three years. As a result, the city gave MTSU $5.5 million to make permanent improvements on university venues used for the events.
Spring Fling could mean a potential $3 million boon to the area economy each year, officials have said. MTSU already plays host to the BlueCross Bowl state football championships (in December) and the TSSAA boys' and girls' state basketball tournaments (in March) through 2009.
Spring Fling features state championships in baseball, softball, track and field, tennis and boys' soccer. Events are held from Monday through Saturday, and MTSU will host tennis, baseball and track and field events. Softball will be played at the Murfreesboro StarPlex and McKnight Field, and soccer is set at the city's Siegel Soccer Complex.
The BlueCross Spring Fling schedule at MTSU is as follows:
¥ Monday, May 22, Session I-Decathlon and Pentathlon: MTSU Track & Field Facility, 10 a.m.
¥ Tuesday, May 23, Session II-Tennis: Buck Bouldin Tennis Center (D-II, AAA Team), 8 a.m.
Baseball: Reese Smith Field (AAA), 10 a.m. (two games on all fields)
Decathlon: MTSU Track & Field Facility, 10 a.m.
¥ Tuesday, May 23, Session III-Baseball: Reese Smith Field (AAA), 7 p.m. (one game on all fields)
¥ Wednesday, May 24, Session IV-Tennis: Buck Bouldin Tennis Center (singles and doubles), 8 a.m.
¥ Wednesday, May 24, Session V-Track & Field: MTSU Track & Field Facility (girls' AAA preliminaries, 3,200-meter finals/all classifications, girls' AAA pole vault), 5 p.m.
¥ Thursday, May 25, Session VI-Tennis: Buck Bouldin Tennis Center (singles and doubles), 8 a.m.
Track & Field: MTSU Track & Field Facility (girls' A-AA D-II, AAA) 9 a.m. (all day)
Tennis: Buck Bouldin Tennis Center (A-AA & DIV II singles and doubles), 10 a.m.
¥ Thursday, May 25, Session VII-Baseball: Reese Smith Field (AAA), 4 p.m.
Track & Field: MTSU Track & Field Facility (girls' running events), 6 p.m.
¥ Friday, May 26, Session VIII-Track & Field: MTSU Track & Field Facility (boys' 3,200 meter and field events), 9 a.m. (all day)
Baseball: Reese Smith Field (Class A Championship, 10 a.m.; Class AA Championship, 1 p.m.; DIV II Championship, 4 p.m.; Class AAA Championship, 7 p.m.)
¥ Friday, May 26, Session IX-Track & Field: MTSU Track & Field Facility (boys' running events), 5 p.m.
For more information about the Spring Fling or for the full venue schedule, visit the TSSAA's Web site at www.tssaa.org.
'Tis season for unique courses
by Gina K. Logue
If you've ever stuffed chocolates in your bra at a candy factory, felt like going on a cursing and shooting spree, imbibed too much or proselytized for fun and profit, you can relive all those pleasant memories with maximal educational benefit and minimal damage to your reputation in some of MTSU's most unique summer classes.
Dr. Tom Berg, associate professor of electronic media communication, returns with his popular class on television situation comedies. This summer, he starts again with "I Love Lucy" and ends with "Friends," but there will be a lot to think and talk about between those classics.
"The truly great situation comedies just have fantastic writers who know how to explore the human condition and to help us to see ourselves in that human condition," Berg says.
Berg says sitcoms that stand the test of time are more likely to be nontopical politically and socially, whether they concentrate on the family or the workplace.
"I would call 'Frasier' an evergreen in its own right because it's looking at human beings, characters, and it doesn't really talk about who's in office at that particular time or what the social problems are of that time, the hot-button issues," Berg says.
While the format has evolved over the years, Berg does not welcome all the changes. He says the increase in commercial content gives writers less time to develop fully formed characters. Berg says he's also tired of seeing the TV screen polluted with what he considers endless promos and crawls that detract from the comedy and offer largely useless information.
Each student will investigate two sitcoms, write a paper, deliver an oral presentation and examine popular literature of each particular sitcom's era.
In the final season of HBO's groundbreaking drama "The Sopranos," Dr. David Lavery, English professor, is initiating an exploration of the series buttressed by an analysis of another HBO effort, "Deadwood." These unique treatments of the gangster and Western formats, respectively, will prompt students to rethink their views of television as literature.
"The best of television does still require us to engage our intellects in ways that are very much like reading a book," Lavery says. "We have to do the interpreting. We have to figure out how this character works. We have to figure out how to respond to him."
Lavery, who has written extensively about another long-running drama, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," says there is a lot to challenge viewers in the programs his students will be viewing.
To hear Lavery explain the dialogue of "The Sopranos" is to listen to a review of subtle references so varied and deep that the guiding rubric surely was either a T.S. Eliot poem replete with footnotes or at least a Dennis Miller monologue.
"The language on 'Deadwood' is positively Shakespearean, even though it's profane," Lavery adds.
Students will spend seven weeks on "The Sopranos," about which Lavery has edited two books, and three weeks on "Deadwood," the subject of another book edited by Lavery. They will write three critical essays; videos and DVDs will be made available.
Just when you thought the short story was something you left behind in high school, another English professor, Dr. Claudia Barnett, revives it with "Hurdles and Hangovers: Stories of Everyday Life."
"Almost all short stories are about hurdles of some kind because you have something to overcome, which is what makes it into a story to begin with," Barnett says. "But, strangely, many of these short stories had hangovers in them, too," especially characters in author Raymond Carver's writings. Later in the semester, Barnett says, the hangovers become less physical and more metaphorical.
Students will read four books of contemporary short stories and two older longer stories. They will write critical analyses, one for each of the big books.
"I think, in the long run, it's less reading and more writing than a class would do during a full semester because it seems like you can balance it out more reasonably," Barnett says.
The two older short stories Barnett has chosen are "The Death of Ivan Ilych" by Leo Tolstoy and Franz Kafka's "Metamorphosis," which Barnett says is "a great hangover story, if you look at it that way.
"There are all these famous old short stories that everybody knows, like 'Metamorphosis,' but this short-story class has more to do with today, and I think that makes the hurdles and hangovers more appropriate," Barnett says.
The Southern undergraduate who fails to see the South as a region of religious diversity is in for a shock in "Prophets and Preachers," which is being taught by Dr. David Rowe, history professor. Rowe uses film clips from "Driving Miss Daisy," "O Brother, Where Art Thou?," "Gone With the Wind," "Beloved" and other movies to show a wide range of Southern spirituality.
"In a sense, what we might call Southern religion is very much like what Northern religion became before the Civil War," Rowe says. "It's very much centered on the capacity of a particular individual to convey a message in a dramatic way. Demagogic politics and fundamental religion and enthusiastic religion are very similar to each other."
Students also will read "A Turn in the South," the perspective of Trinidad's V.S. Naipaul, who traveled the South to ask what it is to be Southern. Rowe says he hopes this book will help students view the region and its religions through the eyes of a stranger. He says the South historically has treated non-Protestant Christians and people of other faiths as outsiders unless they assimilate to the overall culture.
"If you want to maintain your religiosity in whatever way you want in private, that's fine, so long as in public you conform, which is how other traditions in the South have learned to survive for the most part," Rowe says. "Those that have bucked the system can do it successfully only if they are physically isolated from the rest of the South, just so far removed that nobody pays much attention to them."
Summer enrollment on par with '05
by Randy Weiler
MTSU's 2006 summer enrollment appears on par with the previous two years' totals and may slightly surpass last year's total of 9,096, an enrollment services official said.
As of May 8, 8,553 had registered for classes, which began May 15, said Dr. Sherian Huddleston, assistant vice provost, enrollment services. She added that the MTSU headcount stood at 8,612 May 8-nearly 60 fewer students than had registered by the same date in 2005.
"We have a slight decrease from where we were last year," Huddleston said, "so we're showing a decline in summer enrollment."
Huddleston said the 9,096 students enrolled in 2005 "was actually a slight increase over the previous summer (9,027), but going into the summer we were slightly behind. We had not quite a 1 percent increase."
Huddleston said students planning to attend any of the various sessions this summer should be aware of the final days to register, which are the first day of class for that session and will include a $100 late fee.
Summer session registration deadlines include June 5 for Session II, June 5 for Session III, July 10 for Session IV, July 3 for Session VI and June 5 for Session O-RODP (Regents Online Degree Program).
IN BRIEF:
'Dear sir or madam, will you give some books?'
The Walker Library will soon provide a new service to the university community: a paperback book exchange collection, which will be maintained in the Starbucks area of the library's study/vending room off the vestibule. To get the collection started, organizers need donations of paperback novels of interest to students as well as others on campus. Books may be donated at the service desk in the library atrium, or donors may call 615-898-2772 to have books picked up on campus.
Spring-cleaning discoveries can help refugee students
MTSU's Community Assistance for International and Refugee Students is planning ahead for its June 17 yard sale/bake sale, scheduled from 8 a.m. until noon at the St. Rose of Lima School Gymnasium, 1601 N. Tennessee Blvd. CAIRS is encouraging the university community to set aside treasures discovered during spring and end-of-semester cleanings. Past donations have been turned into $100 grants to help international students cover unexpected costs such as medical expenses, emergency car repairs, replacing stolen textbooks and buying groceries. This sale's goal also is to raise funds for citizenship fees for refugee students, which are more than $500 each. Bring donated items and homemade baked goods to the gym on Friday, June 16, between 5 and 8 p.m. or 7-8 a.m. on the sale date. For more information, e-mail CAIRS organizer Karen Case at kcase@mtsu.edu.
Student chapter of HR group earns national recognition
MTSU's student chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management is among the student chapters that will be honored at the SHRM Annual Student Conference on June 24 in Washington, D.C. The MTSU chapter, one of 430 nationwide, has earned the Superior Merit Award for 2005-2006 with a total of 2,065 points and includes students and faculty in the industrial-organizational psychology major and graduate program. The Superior Merit Award is the top honor SHRM bestows on student chapters.
MTSU faculty, grads are contributors; Encyclopedia of Appalachia 'a testament to quality'
by Justin Dinger
Some 16 MTSU alumni and several faculty members have made significant editorial contributions to the newly published Encyclopedia of Appalachia, a comprehensive reference guide that encompasses many facets of Appalachian culture.
The new title, with more than 2,000 entries, "serves as a one-stop reference for students, teachers, scholars and the general public as they seek information about Appalachia's land, people, economics, cultures and institutions," according to the encyclopedia's Web site (www.etsu.edu/cass).
Members of the MTSU community became involved with the East Tennessee State University project after Dr. Carroll Van West, director of MTSU's Center for Historic Preservation, was contacted by the CHP's sister Center of Excellence-the Center for Appalachian Studies and Services at ETSU.
"I had occasion to meet with (ETSU center representatives) and help in initial planning for the project," West said. "I also agreed to be the section editor for architecture and ... I turned to many of our past M.A. historic preservation students that have built successful careers throughout the region" to contribute to the encyclopedia.
West said he agreed to undertake the assignment not only because of his research interests in southern architecture, but also out of the conviction that Appalachia particularly suffers from stereotypes.
"All architecture in Appalachia is not composed of log cabins, as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park suggests," West said of the region along the Appalachian Mountain chain that stretches from northern Alabama to Maine.
"The section certainly includes an entry on log buildings," West remarked, "but it also includes such key American architectural landmarks as Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater in Pennsylvania and the Grove Park Inn in North Carolina."
Southern architecture aside, however, the CHP-related contributions to the Encyclopedia of Appalachia highlight the academic endeavors of MTSU's history department and programs.
"The newly published encyclopedia on the historical roots and cultural accomplishments of Appalachia is an important addition to what can be broadly called Southern Studies-an addition to which the faculty and students in our history department and Center for Historic Preservation have made significant contributions," said Dr. John McDaniel, dean of MTSU's College of Liberal Arts.
"With mentoring and partnering from senior faculty in the MTSU Public History Program, graduate students have had a unique opportunity to experience the rigors and delights of researching and publishing in a volume sure to have national significance as a scholarly reference work."
And West couldn't agree more.
"The Encyclopedia of Appalachia is not only a document of the well-recognized research and expertise of the Center for Historic Preservation," he said, "it is also a testament to the quality of our graduate assistants and how we always try to advance their research and careers by involving them in experiential learning experiences."
Drs. Bren Martin and Kris McCusker, associate professors of history at MTSU, and the late Dr. Charles Wolfe, MTSU English professor, folklorist and historian, also contributed to the Appalachian reference work, among others.
Published by the University of Tennessee Press, the Encyclopedia of Appalachia was unveiled at the Appalachian Studies Association's conference March 17-19 in Dayton, Ohio.
For more information about the Encyclopedia of Appalachia, please visit the Center for Appalachian Studies and Services Web site at www.etsu.edu/cass or contact Cheryl Carson at the University of Tennessee Press at 865-974-4440.
Justin Dinger is a May 2006 graduate of MTSU majoring in recording industry.
Civil War forum planned
by Lisa L. Rollins
Rethinking the Civil War at 150 Years" is the title and focus of a public forum at MTSU to be led by Dr. Dwight Pitcaithley, the 2006 Visiting Distinguished Public Historian for MTSU's Department of History.
The free and open discussion will be held 7-8:45 p.m. Thursday, June 22, in the State Farm Lecture Hall in the Business and Aerospace Building.
"The topic of the public forum ... gives us an opportunity to spotlight two important developments in middle Tennessee: the opening of the new visitors' center at Stones River National Battlefield last spring and the current effort to establish a national battlefield park in Franklin to commemorate the Battle of Franklin," said Dr. Rebecca Conard, MTSU history professor.
"It also is an opportunity for anyone interested in Civil War history to participate in a discussion with several well-known Tennesseans who will be involved in planning for the sesquicentennial of the Civil War."
In addition to Pitcaithley, former chief historian for the National Park Service (1995-2005), the June 22 event will feature a panel discussion of the opportunities and challenges associated with commemorating the upcoming Civil War sesquicentennial (2011-2015).
Dr. John Coski, author of The Embattled Emblem: The History of the Confederate Battle Flag, will serve as moderator for the panel, which also will include Nancy Bassett, former director of the Carnton Historic Plantation and spokeswoman for the United Daughters of the Confederacy; state historian Walter Durham; Robert Hicks, author of the best-selling Widow of the South and a leader in the movement to establish the Battle of Franklin historic site; Norman Hill, chairman of the Tennessee Historical Commission; Stuart Johnson, superintendent of Stones River National Historic Battlefield; and Wayne Wilson of the Rutherford County chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
During Pitcaithley's June 5-July 7 residency as Visiting Distinguished Public Historian, he will teach Current Issues in Public History Practice, a course for graduate and doctoral students in public history that will examine the strategies adopted by the three National Historic Battlefields and two museums to interpret a broader history of the Civil War.
"We are extremely pleased that Dr. Pitcaithley is joining us this summer to teach a graduate course examining real-world strategies for telling a more complex story of the Civil War at historic places," said Conard, who is the director of MTSU's public history program.
For more information regarding the June 22 forum or Pitcaithley's visit, please contact Conard at 615-898-2423.
Girls State returns May 28
from Staff Reports
Tennessee high schools have chosen their best and brightest for the American Legion Auxiliary's 60th session of Volunteer Girls State, scheduled May 28-June 3 at MTSU.
More than 500 rising seniors from across the state will be on campus for a week of activities focused on building strong, informed citizens, led by a volunteer group staff and counselors-all VGS alumni-who return each year from across the country to support and further the program.
Delegates will be busy in meetings and activities across campus during the week, so MTSU staff, faculty and students are urged to drive carefully near the busiest pedestrian intersections, such as MTSU Boulevard and Blue Raider Drive near the Cason-Kennedy Nursing Building and MTSU Boulevard and Founder's Lane near the Business and Aerospace Building.
VGS delegates are selected from high schools across the state based on their academic and leadership potential. Businesses, civic organizations, and schools within the local community sponsor delegates.
Performances by the VGS Chorus are among the week's highlights. Another favorite activity is the VGS Olympics, which showcases the athleticism of VGS citizens.
In what has become a great VGS tradition, the Girls State chorus also will visit and perform for veterans at a Middle Tennessee Veterans Administration Hospital. The chorus will also deliver to the VA thousands of personal items donated by VGS citizens.
Speakers at this year's program will include Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen. VGS alumna Kathleen Houff Isaacson of Weakley County, an Army veteran of Bosnia and Desert Storm, will share a Memorial Day message about freedom and sacrifice.
Other speakers include former Girls State Governor Amy Piper of Maryville and VGS Director Sherri Bishop of Chattanooga, who is retiring after 35 years of service.
Participants in VGS learn and live responsible citizenship by debating the issues that challenge Tennessee's state legislature and establishing their own city, county and state governments.
Two citizens will be selected to represent VGS at Girls Nation in Washington, D.C. in July. Program leaders also will select one delegate to compete for a $20,000 college scholarship sponsored by the Samsung Corporation. In recent years, VGS has assisted its nominees in earning nearly $110,000 in Samsung scholarship aid.
Wanted: Faculty, staff expertise for news tips
from Staff Reports
Faculty and staff: Do you have expertise in a particular area? Do you like to talk about it? The Office of News and Public Affairs is always looking for experts-those who have research background, training and experience in specific areas of interest to the media.
"Today's Response" is a media tip sheet that NPA sends out every weekday to more than 170 print and electronic media members, offering expert commentary on timely news topics.
A recent "TR" item, for example, quoted Dr. Reuben Kyle, economics and finance, on the potential impact of high gas prices on midterm Congressional elections; others have been as wide-ranging as mumps, Mother's Day and the death of a comet. (To get a feel for TR, check out its blog at http://todays-response-from-mtsu.blogspot.com.)
To ensure the success of TR-and keep MTSU's wealth of expertise at the forefront when local media need commentary-NPA needs to continually replenish the pool of experts on campus.
If you are a new faculty member, or if you've never volunteered your expertise before, visit the NPA Web site at www.mtsunews.com and click on "Experts List." The form provided there can be filled out and sent to NPA, or you can do the same with the form at right.
There's also much more for everyone on the Web site. Check out "Successful Events: How NPA Can Help," which includes a list of colleges and departments on campus that each NPA staff member covers. In whatever list your area appears, that public information officer is your initial point of contact for public relations and publicity needs.
Also at www.mtsunews.com, check out the links to "MTSU News Releases," the "MT Record" TV program, the "MTSU On the Record" radio program podcasts and "MTSU Audio Clips." They're just a sample of the ways MTSU is in the news.
For more information, call Tom Tozer, director, News and Public Affairs, at 615-898-5131 or e-mail him at ttozer@mtsu.edu.
Mass Comm adding ethicist to teaching arsenal
by Gina E. Fann
A nationally renowned educator will join MTSU's College of Mass Communication this fall to spearhead a yearlong national conversation on what's right, what's wrong and what must change about media ethics.
Dr. Thomas Cooper, a professor of visual and media arts at Boston's Emerson College, will be the new Ethicist-in-Residence at MTSU for the 2006-2007 academic year, teaching courses, giving public lectures and conducting interactive workshops with local media outlets on journalistic values.
He'll also be responsible for coordinating a national conference on media ethics and assisting with a poll to "get the pulse of the public on the topic."
"It is an extraordinary opportunity, and there are endless opportunities here," Cooper said of the coming academic year.
"There are areas where we can be serving the public as well as education. I want to know our priorities in the ethical field and what steps can be taken to raise consciousness. I want to learn from my colleagues, the public and media professionals about their ethical concerns."
Cooper, the author or co-author of five published books and more than 100 articles and reviews and the co-publisher of Media Ethics magazine, has taught at Emerson, the nation's only four-year college devoted almost exclusively to the study of communications and the performing arts, since 1983.
He served as an assistant to Marshall McLuhan and assisted speechwriters in the White House; co-produced some of the first audio spacebridges between U.S. and Soviet communications professionals; and was founding director of the Association for Responsible Communication, which was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1988.
His tenure as ethicist-in-residence at MTSU is funded by a $120,000 grant from the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation in Oklahoma City.
The grant prompted a national search for a high-profile media scholar to discuss the challenging ethical demands of the profession with students, the public and local media, and Cooper fit the bill perfectly.
"Tom Cooper is a scholar-teacher of high caliber," said Dr. Anantha Babbili, dean of the College of Mass Communication.
"He has a track record spanning more than two decades of focusing on journalism and media ethics. He has engaged seminal scholars and outstanding journalists in important conversations on how to improve on professional conduct in our field. He makes ethics come alive for students and professionals.
"I am hoping our students and faculty, as well as the newsrooms of Tennessee, will benefit from his tenure at MTSU."
Federal grant helps WMOT with production costs
from Staff Reports
WMOT-FM 89.5 has received a $41,733 Corporation for Public Broadcasting grant to help with production costs, officials said.
The station plans to use the funds to cover half of two salaried positions, with the remainder going toward transmitters or program production, said John High, the station's director of broadcasting.
CPB administers the money Congress appropriates for local public television and radio stations. WMOT received a portion of the largest grant program, the Community Service Grant, which enables stations to produce or acquire local and national programming; to strengthen local services, such as outreach initiatives and educational workshops; and for operational expenses.
"The idea of the program is to help stations get funding above and beyond what they can raise from the community," High said.
The station reaches nearly 2 million listeners in the Middle Tennessee area, according to U.S. Census figures.
"WMOT is a great asset to Middle Tennessee," said Congressman Bart Gordon in announcing the grant.
"These funds from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting will enable WMOT to continue its high-quality broadcasts."
WMOT-FM has received Community Service Grants since 1980. The station, which is housed on the second floor off the McWherter Learning Resource Center on campus, also offers news, an events calendar and a streaming broadcast on its Web site, www.wmot.org.
Photo: A word from our sponsors
HELPING WOMEN TAKE FLIGHT-Officials from Diamond Aircraft, the manufacturer of MTSU's newest fleet of 20 aircraft for the aerospace program, celebrate the company's sponsorship of the university's Women in Aviation chapter, the Air Raiders, with members of the student group. Diamond purchased organizational polo shirts that the Air Raiders in turn sold as fund-raising items to pay members' admission to the National Conference of Women in Aviation in Nashville in March. Diamond officials joining the Air Raiders are, seated from left, Paul Woessner, Gary Gaudreau and Glenn Lawler.
photo submitted
Human Sciences awards scholarships to 4
by Lisa L. Rollins
Members of MTSU's Human Sciences Department Scholarship Committee have awarded scholarships to four local high-school seniors, according to Dr. Dellmar Walker, chairwoman of the department.
"We are very pleased to be able to offer the Roddy Memorial Scholarships to incoming new freshmen who plan to major in one of our five undergraduate programs in human sciences," said Walker, who noted that the scholarships were made possible through a generous endowment from the Christine and A. F. Roddy family.
Walker said the scholarships will provide financial support to help students who plan to major in early childhood education, interior design, family and consumer sciences, nutrition and food science, or textiles, merchandising and design.
The recipients of the Christine and A. F. Roddy Memorial Scholarships for the fall 2006 and 2007 semesters are:
¥ Jessica Lynn Hickman of La Vergne, currently a student at La Vergne High School with an intended major in apparel design;
¥ Chris Register of Murfreesboro, currently a student at Oakland High School with an intended major of early childhood education;
¥ Chloe Robinson of Murfreesboro, currently a student at Siegel High School with an intended double major in family and consumer sciences and business; and
¥ Sarah Elise Wilson of Murfreesboro, currently a student at Middle Tennessee Christian High School with an intended major in early childhood education.
"We hope to 'get the word out' to high school counselors about this opportunity to encourage students to pursue a degree in the Department of Human Sciences," Walker said.
For more information about the Roddy Memorial Scholarships, please contact the department at 615-898-2884.
Photo: Best of the best!
EMPLOYEES OF THE YEAR-MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee, right, joins recipients of the university's annual Employee Recognition Awards during a special reception honoring their achievements. The winners were chosen from among dozens of nominees, including the quarterly award recipients in the secretarial/clerical category during the 2005-2006 academic year. From left are Robin Pitts of Grounds Services, winner of the 2006 Technical/Service Award; Carolyne Shaw of the Speech & Theatre Department, 2006 Secretarial/Clerical Award winner; and Cynthia Howell of the McNair Scholars Program, winner of the 2006 Classified Award. Not pictured is Wendy Brown of Human Resource Services, winner of the 2006 Administrative Award. To nominate staff for MTSU's Employee Recognition Awards, visit the Web site at hrs.web.mtsu.edu/er/recog.html.
photo by Ken Robinson
Mrs. Prescott: 1924-2006
from Staff Reports
Mrs. Margaret Belle Hale Prescott, 82, wife of former MTSU president Dr. Wallace Prescott, passed away May 10 in Cookeville. Funeral services were conducted May 13 at First Baptist Church in Cookeville.
She was born Feb. 29, 1924, in Knoxville to the late Paul G. and Sara Pauline Jones Hale. Mrs. Prescott graduated from Bradley County High School and received her bachelor's and master's of science degrees from Tennessee Tech, where she was an honor graduate and served as the first female Associated Student Body president.
Her career in education included teaching English at the college and high-school levels, elementary teacher and supervisor of instruction for 16 years for the Putnam County school system. After 32 years of service, the Putnam County Board of Education named Prescott Central Middle School in honor of her and her husband.
In addition to extensive community and church service, Mrs. Prescott was the recipient of the Tennessee Tech Outstanding Alumni Service Award and had the unique opportunity to serve as first lady at both TTU and MTSU on an interim basis.
In addition to her husband of more than 60 years, her family includes two daughters and a son-in-law, Sara and Doug Hudgens of Cookeville and Marnie Walsh of Asheville, N.C.; two grandsons, Christopher Hudgens of Cookeville and Shawn Hudgens and wife Kellie of Knoxville; a brother, Dudley Hale of Lenoir City; a sister-in-law, Ann Hale of Memphis; a special friend of more than 60 years, Virginia Lee Brown of Cookeville; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Memorial donations may be made to Cookeville First Baptist Church Building Fund or library, the Wallace/ Margaret Prescott Scholarship fund at TTU or Prescott Central Middle School Fund by contacting Hooper-Huddleston & Horner Funeral Home, 59 N. Jefferson Ave., Cookeville, Tenn., 38501, 931-526-6111.
Dr. Prescott was MTSU's seventh president, serving in an interim capacity from 1990 until 1991, launching the facilities master plan still in use today at the university. A plaque honoring Prescott stands in Walnut Grove between Peck Hall and the Cope Administration Building.
Students craft promotional videos; class projects fatten portfolios, flaunt MTSU
by Gina E. Fann
Flashes of campus scenes, focuses on signature programs and the ever-present "Raider Blue" swoop of color boost the profiles of two student-created 30-second promotional videos commissioned to publicize MTSU.
Graduate students in Chris Haseleu's spring Production Seminar I class knew they'd be expected to create short films as a final project to showcase their technical and artistic skills.
But when university marketing director Doug Williams asked for help from the Master's in Recording Arts and Technologies 6110 class to create a new video image for MTSU, they jumped at the chance.
"Our aim was to fulfill the things Mr. Williams requested," said graduate student Jon Bufkin, group leader for the "Home of Tennessee's Best" video.
"All the dialogue in our promo, for example, is from [someone from] Knoxville, Memphis or Nashville, to include all areas of the state. The focus was supposed to be on MTSU being a great university with great progress in Middle Tennessee as well as across the state."
"With only 30 seconds, we knew we had to focus on some signature programs: recording industry, equine science and aerospace," added senior Jason Martin, group leader for the "Reach for Your Potential at MTSU" promo. "We wanted to show both the diversity of the student body and people reaching their full potential at MTSU."
Williams sought the talents of Pat Jackson and Ty Whitaker of Audio Visual Services last year to create the initial promotional videos for the university's new branding campaign. The move to student-created promos was a way to keep both a student-centered focus on the campaign and a lid on expenses.
"We knew at the very least that these would be something to include on the university Web site and possibly to include on the DVDs we give out to potential students," Williams said.
"With the quality of these promos, we may even show them on the local cable station. The biggest message they'll convey is that students created these, and you, the potential student, can, too."
The students, who've provided creative license permissions for the university's use of their work, will receive full production credits, when possible, when the promos air.
"These are great portfolio fodder, so don't let the opportunity pass you by," Haseleu told the students. "These showed a lot of hard work and creativity. I'm really pleased with what was submitted."
Wilson, Cannon scholars earn top Neill-Sandler awards
by Randy Weiler
It's been quite a year for Watertown High School senior Wesley Frazier.
On top of the upcoming finals and graduation activities for Watertown seniors, Frazier, who endured many family hardships as a youngster and teenager, and his girlfriend, sophomore Shycottia Riddle, became parents of a son, Landon, nearly two months ago.
On May 3, Frazier was selected to receive the $10,000 Ray Danner Scholarship during the eighth annual Scholars at MTSU Strive for Excellence Banquet in the James Union Building's Tennessee Room.
Wilson County Schools Superintendent Jim Duncan, Watertown Principal Rick L. Martin, Guidance Counselor Lee Hodges and Riddle attended the banquet.
"Wesley has had many roadblocks in his life," Martin wrote in a letter of recommendation to the Neill-Sandler Scholarship committee.
"Wesley's one constant is his success in school. Wesley needs accomplishment and success to encourage belief in himself."
Frazier, 18, who said he plans to study aerospace at MTSU in hopes of becoming a commercial pilot, has worked at the Alexandria CafŽ for five years to support his family. He and Riddle plan to marry.
"My life has been difficult, but the one thing that has kept me going all this time is the simple thought that hardships only make a person stronger," he said.
"While today may be dark and gloomy, tomorrow is always a glorious, bright and brand new day."
Cannon County High School senior Michelle Pruett of Bradyville received the $7,500 Elizabeth and Sidney A. McPhee Scholarship. Pruett, who was born prematurely with twin sister Brittany, has had to overcome family challenges that included a single-parent home and a job loss for their mother.
Despite the hardships, and with "determination (that) carried me beyond what all 'experts' predicted I would accomplish," Pruett has maintained a near 3.7 grade point average and scored an overall 21 on her American College Test.
"Michelle has been a model student," Cannon County guidance counselor Daniel Gregory said.
"I have no doubt that Michelle will earn a college degree, and this great opportunity held by the Neill-Sandler Scholarship will find in her an example of why this scholarship was created and what a great blessing it is and that it continues to be."
Eight others who have overcome hardship and achieved success along the way received $5,000 scholarships from the Neill-Sandler Foundation and the Nashville-based Danner Company. They included:
¥ Wartrace resident Danee Crosslin of Cascade High School;
¥ Jamey Hurst of Coffee County Central High School in Manchester;
¥ Dowelltown resident Bethany Davis of DeKalb County High School;
¥ Jeff Sanders of Huntland High School;
¥ Murfreesboro resident Elizabeth D. Allen of La Vergne High School;
¥ Chelsea Beaty of Warren County High School in McMinnville;
¥ Franklin resident Kasey Stannard of Page High School; and
¥ Stephanie McGowen of Tullahoma High School.
The program, which has so far awarded 75 scholarships, was established in 1999 through the efforts of business partners Gary Neill of Knoxville, Mike Sandler of Murfreesboro and Randy Morton of the Neill-Sandler Foundation.
For more information about the Neill-Sandler Scholars at MTSU program, visit www.mtsu.edu/~devofc/neill-sandler.
For information about other scholarships or admission to MTSU, call the admissions office at 615-898-2111 or visit www.mtsu.edu/~admissn/.
Art students' design work honored with Addys
by Lisa L. Rollins
Eleven art students at MTSU recently received prestigious ADDY honors for their creative work in graphic design from the Nashville Advertising Federation during the district-level ceremony in Atlanta, Ga.
Each year, the NAF, which acts as the local chapter of the American Advertising Federation, sponsors an awards competition for regional ad agencies and design firms.
In turn, each year MTSU art students, with the mentoring and instruction of art faculty, compete in the contest.
"There were more than 1,000 entries from 23 colleges and universities throughout the South," said Dr. Jean Nagy, art department chairwoman.
"Several of our students were awarded gold and silver medals ... and the winners will advance to the national event in San Francisco."
Students garnering top ADDY honors were:
¥ Chris Jenke of Tullahoma, Gold Award winner in Editorial Design for his "Delicious Pear Exotic Foods" entry;
¥ Eric Kreutter of Nashville, Gold Award winner in the Web site category for his Keith Walker Web site;
¥ Kayla Clark of Camden, Gold Award winner in Packaging for her "Holitorius" entry;
¥ Courtney Edwards of Nashville; Matt Thompson of Medina, Tenn.; Johnny King of La Vergne; and Bryan Kemp of Lebanon, Ohio, winners of the Gold Award in the Ad Campaign category for their "Pets Do It, Too: Spay U.S.A." campaign;
¥ Ben Stewart of Franklin, winner of the Silver Award in the Stationery Package category for his "Shrubber" entry; and
¥ Leigh Bernstein of Germantown, Tenn.; Chad Cooper of Picture Rocks, Pa.; and Daniel Brown of Wartrace and Bell Buckle, Tenn., winners of the Silver Award in the Scott Products Ad Campaign category for their "Soft, Strong, Long-Lasting" entry.
"Being recognized by nationally renowned designers/jurors is a great incentive for a student preparing to enter the workplace," said Barry Buxkamper, associate professor of art.
"Although they are students, the work they do parallels (by categories) that of working professionals in the competition. "
Photo: Scrambling to help CIM
TEE TIME-Julie Luther, left, and Robert Garbini of the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association lead the pack while waiting for the start of the MTSU Concrete Industry Management Golf Scramble May 3 at Indian Hills Golf Club. Luther, president of the CIM Patron Board, and Garbini, a member of CIM's National Steering Committee, were among the 110 golfers who helped raise $104,000 for CIM's building fund.
photo submitted
People Around Campus: Instruction digs into geosciences technology
by Jared Brickey
At the end of the day, few people enjoy their work and even fewer have a passion for it. But Zada Law is an exception to that rule.
Law radiates charisma. She speaks with enthusiasm, energy and a smile, laughing and gesturing as she explains even the smallest details that others in her field might consider tedious.
As a part-time instructor for MTSU's geosciences department, Law is able to pass on what she's learned to others. She also finds time to serve as a private consultant in Nashville, as well as working on projects for the Tennessee Historic Commission-all while commuting from Ashland City to Murfreesboro.
As for what fuels her desire to always learn and do more, Law said her passion for working within geosciences began years ago when she was a child.
"I wanted to be an archaeologist from the time I was 11 years old," she recalled. "When I was 16, I got a National Science Foundation Grant to go on an archaeological dig. I went and I fell in love with it.
"I really like doing the fieldwork," she continued, "and I like being out on the planet, but now I'm developing the skill to take that information and [I'm] transferring it into what I always thought it could be."
Combining her zeal for history and archaeology, Law has made finding a practical way to access geographic information about Tennessee her business. In the process, she's made life easier for some of her fellow archaeologists.
"The (geographic information system) work I'm doing for the Tennessee Historical Commission is funded by the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Transportation and archaeologists are going to be able to sit at their desks and ... draw a box around an area and see what historic properties are in a certain location," she explained of the geography-related technology she's begun to explore.
By incorporating geographic information system technology-commonly referred to as GIS-Law said the DOT archaeologists will be able to work with newfound convenience.
"If they're involved with the design of a roadway, they'll be able to see quite easily, without leaving their desk, what is out there," she observed.
Law first had to learn about GIS before she could implement such innovations within the transportation department, so it was her desire to learn about GIS that brought her to MTSU in the first place.
A doctoral candidate at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Law said she took a break from completing her dissertation because of the GIS knowledge she needed to finish. Then, before she could resume her studies, events went differently than planned.
"Life took various turns and I ended up starting a little consulting practice in Nashville," she said. "I started out constructing archaeological databases, just databases of information that you could search for a location. But I always wanted to do more."
Law took an adventurous step forward to try to do just that.
"I went to the state capitol to a party, and I just said, 'I gotta do something else. I want to do something more. I'm going to walk in here and get a job!'" she said, laughing.
Indeed, by the party's close, Law landed a job working with fellow attendee Tom Nolan, director of the R.O. Fullerton Laboratory for Spatial Technology at MTSU, where she's since learned about GIS technology and its geography-relevant applications.
Law said that Nolan, a geosciences professor, played an important role in encouraging her to come to MTSU to take his GIS class. She did just that, and today she teaches undergraduate geosciences students in her own classroom.
"By working here with Nolan, I have learned so much. And then he mentored me in going beyond and doing a lot of my own projects," she said. "I've been teaching it this semester and I just love it. I love the students and the enthusiasm that they bring."
A glance at Law's projects is impressive, to say the least. She has been involved with the Nashville City Cemetery restoration, working to repair the damaged gravestones and monuments that had been ignored once Nashville became industrialized. She worked on the Pinson Mound project, redrawing lines and boundaries to protect the historic grounds of Native Americans. Law even worked on the restoration and preservation of Fort Negley, an otherwise forsaken monument to the Civil War.
All in all, she's effectively combined her success, her enthusiasm and even her personal life to motivate her work with GIS.
"My husband is a professor at Vanderbilt; he's a behavioral psychologist. He's interested in eating disorders and behaviors-everything that could make us not as healthy as we could be-and he has started using GIS," said Law, smiling at the thought of her influence.
"What I like about the GIS class, and I think what I'm able to bring to because of my husband's background, is that I'm interested from the environmental side and from a historic side, but also I understand how you can use it in other situations.
"I think because of my interest in how geographic information can be used and displayed, I can bring a lot to that GIS class," she added.
A native of Minnesota, Law said that although she's enjoyed working on successful regional projects like Pinson Mound, Fort Negley and Nashville City Cemetery, her role as a teacher is perhaps her proudest accomplishment.
"I think all the work is valuable, and if I can get just one student into something like that who really becomes interested in GIS. ... I love that," she said. "To me, that's huge."
Jared Brickey is a junior majoring in mass communication at MTSU.
ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL EFFORT-Adjunct geosciences instructor Zada Law shows author Jared Brickey maps of the Pinson Mound site in West Tennessee.
photo by J. Intintoli
The Record, May 22, 2006, V14.22
Campus Calendar
>>Top of Page
Campus Calendar, May 22-June 4
May 22-27
TSSAA Spring Fling
State track and field, tennis and I-AAA baseball championships
For information, visit www.tssaa.org or contact: 615-889-6740.
May 27-28
"All-American Classic" Miniature Horse Show
Tennessee Livestock Center
For information, contact: 931-684-4117.
Sunday, May 28
"MTSU On the Record-Physical Mysticism"
Guest: Steven Wyre
7 a.m., WMOT 89.5-FM
Podcast at www.mtsunews.com
Monday, May 29
Memorial Day Holiday
No classes; university offices closed
June 1-3
4-H District Horse Show
9 a.m. daily, Miller Coliseum
No admission charge
For information, contact: 615-832-6550.
Friday, June 2
Final Exams-Summer Session I
Saturday, June 3
Middle Tenn. Arabian Horse Association "Open Fun Show"
9 a.m., Tenn. Livestock Center
For information, contact: 270-725-1652.
Sunday, June 4
"MTSU On the Record-Health and Wellness"
Guest: Dr. Mark Anshel
7 a.m., WMOT 89.5-FM
Podcast at www.mtsunews.com
Rick Stockstill Combine Camp
for rising ninth- through 12th-grade football players
1-5 p.m., Jones Field
Cost: $20 per camper
For information, contact: 615-898-2311.
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