Being part of a team, developing leadership skills and simply doing their part are reasons six MTSU students have chosen to be part of the first I’m One! Clean Campus Crew.

“Our campus looks so good in the fall, I wanted to be part of helping keep it that way,” said Nicole Poag-Wilson, a sophomore from Culleoka. “Simply by doing my part in this program, I hope to make more people aware of what they can do to help keep our campus clean. Every little bit helps.”

Andrew Geerts, a sophomore from Smyrna on a work-study scholarship, said he would rather be out helping keep the campus clean than working indoors.

“I wanted to do more with my (work-study) hours than just sitting behind a desk somewhere,” said Geerts. “It doesn’t feel right walking onto campus and seeing trash and litter. If students see other students cleaning up, maybe they will be motivated to help by putting litter in trash cans from the start.”

As part of the Tennessee’s Best program, these MTSU students will walk selected areas on campus, helping to pick up litter and removing signage that’s posted on lampposts, trees and other areas not approved for signage. They were selected for the team when they responded to a request from the Office of Financial Aid for students with work-study scholarships to join the Clean Campus Crew. Each student will be assisting Grounds Services by canvassing their areas twice a week.

In addition to Poag-Wilson and Geerts, the I’m One! Clean Campus Crew includes Mildred O. Bledsoe, Brooke Hazen, Jarrett Miller and Chase Cribbs.

David Gray, assistant vice president of Facilities Services, said he’s pleased these students will be putting in some “sweat equity” to inspire the university community to have the cleanest, prettiest and best campus in the state.

“We are pleased that these students want to assist MTSU in keeping our campus clean,” Gray said. “Our people work hard in many areas to keep our campus as attractive as possible, but it is a very big job. If all 23,000 students assist in this effort, it would make a big difference.”

Bledsoe is a nontraditional student who works during the day and goes to school in the evening. She is happy to spend one hour twice a week between work and class to keep her campus “home” looking good.

“This program is right up my alley,” she said. “We need to be considerate and think about what we are doing and how it affects others and the environment. I hope everyone will make the little extra effort and dispose of litter properly the first time.”

For more information on the Clean Campus Crew, please visit www.mtsu.edu/marketing or call 615-494-7800.

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CLEANUP CREW—Sophomore Nicole Poag-Wilson, center, works to keep the MTSU campus clean not only for herself but for her son, Mason. Sophomore Andrew Geerts, left, and junior Mildred O. Bledsoe, right, also are “Clean Campus Crew” members. photos by Andy Heidt and J. Intintoli; NPA photo illustration

Your students are creating something amazing. You’ve just received professional acclaim. Or your department is ready to host an event of local, regional or even national interest.

This is no time to be meek or count on a word-of-mouth campaign. You need to get noticed! But how?

Join the staff of the Office of News and Public Affairs at one of our fall information sessions on publicity. We’ve scheduled three sessions in September to accommodate as many faculty and staff schedules as possible. Join us in Cantrell Hall, next to our new office in the Tom Jackson Building, on:

• Tuesday, Sept. 23, 10-11 a.m.;
• Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2-3 p.m.; or
• Thursday, Sept. 25, 10-11 a.m.

There’s no need to register to attend; just grab a seat in the big meeting room and be ready to ask questions and offer your suggestions on publicizing your news.

“We don’t want to be a best-kept secret,” said NPA Director Tom Tozer. “We want everyone on campus to be familiar with our services and our many communication vehicles. And now that we’ve moved to the Tom Jackson Building, we want everyone to visit our new location. We’d love to have a room full for all three sessions.”

Each session will feature a quick summary of the publicity approaches the NPA office takes to get your news noticed. We’ll tell you how our award-winning work on The Record and The Alumni Record, the “MTSU On the Record” radio show and the “Middle Tennessee Record” monthly video magazine is only the first step in getting your story out to the world.

“The best way for you, your work and your students to ‘get noticed’ is for us to show you how, by working together, we can achieve that,” Tozer said. “When the media spotlight is on you, it shines on all of this. Effective publicity isn’t done by magic; it’s accomplished through hard work, coordination and communication.”

To get a feel for the kind of publicity you can get, visit the NPA Web site at www.mtsunews.com. Click back through the online archives, listen to a podcast or watch some of the video segments. Then join us for any one of the three sessions and hear how we can help get you noticed!

Dr. James Bullard, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, will serve as keynote speaker at MTSU’s 16th annual Economic Outlook Conference, Friday, Sept. 26, with registration beginning at 8:15 a.m. Bullard will speak at 9 a.m.

This year the event will be held at the new Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center, located at 1200 Conference Center Blvd. in Murfreesboro. Registration is free.

“The Economic Outlook Conference has become an MTSU tradition because it delivers what it promises—substance, expertise, and an opportunity for business and industry professionals to share common concerns,” said Dr. Jim Burton, dean of MTSU’s Jennings A. Jones College of Business. The premise of the conference, Burton said, is to promote the idea of free enterprise and to promote events that proudly wave that banner.

Burton noted that the conference is especially of interest to bankers, business owners and managers, community officials and leaders as well as business and economics faculty and students—“and to anyone interested in economic growth in the region and nation.”

Bullard, who took office April 1, directs the activities of the bank’s head office in St. Louis and its three branches in Little Rock, Ark.; Louisville, Ky.; and Memphis. He also represents the bank of the Federal Open Market Committee, the Federal Reserve’s chief monetary policymaking body.

Bullard began his career in 1990, when he joined the research division of the bank in St. Louis. Before his recent appointment, he was deputy director of research for monetary analysis.

The St. Cloud, Minn., native holds a bachelor’s degree in quantitative methods and information systems and economics from St. Cloud State University and a doctorate in economics from Indiana University.

Continuing its tradition of providing substantive information, the conference also will feature Dr. David Penn, director of MTSU’s Business and Economic Research Center, who will provide a Midstate/regional economic update at 10:30 a.m.

The BERC maintains significant databases of regional, national and international information and provides research resources and databases for the MTSU community.

Following the presentation of the Jennings A. Jones Champion of Free Enterprise Award at 11:30 a.m., another mainstay of the annual conference, Dr. Donald Ratajczak, Regents Professor of Economics Emeritus at Georgia State University and nationally known economic forecaster, will address the luncheon audience. Ratajczak has become a staple of the annual event.

The conference will dismiss at 1:15 p.m.

The conference draws national media interest, including Dow Jones, Bloomberg News and Reuters news services. Previous keynote speakers have included:

• Dennis P. Lockhart, 14th president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta (2007);
• William Poole, president, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (2006);
• Mark W. Olson, member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve (2005);
• David M. Darst, managing director of Morgan Stanley (2004); and
• Dr. Susan S. Bies, member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve (2003).

The MTSU Economic Outlook Conference is co-sponsored by the Jones College, the Jones Chair of Excellence in Free Enterprise, the college’s Business and Economic Research Center and the Jack O. Weatherford Chair of Finance. Partial funding is provided by U.S. Bank.

For more information, call 615-898-2764 or visit the Jones College of Business Web site at http://business.web.mtsu.edu.

A free series of six Rape Aggression Defense, or RAD, classes will be offered every Thursday through Oct. 9 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the MTSU Police training room at 1412 E. Main St. The class is open to all female MTSU students, faculty and staff as well as to the general public, but enrollment is limited. For more information, call MTSU RAD Instructor David Smith at 615-692-2424.

Retention is a hot-button issue in higher education. How do we attract students and keep them through graduation? Why do students drop out of college? Is it homesickness, finances, failing grades, boredom or something else? A common thread that runs through at least two and perhaps three of these reasons relates directly or indirectly to the surroundings, the living environment in which new students find themselves.

Is there a level of comfort that our campus offers? Is there a sense of welcome fostered by students, faculty and administrators? Is there ready access to facilities? Are there opportunities for social involvement and active participation? It would seem that successful retention, rather than reflecting a “lowering of the bar” as it is sometimes characterized, is the result of making a commitment to students to help them get over the bar and experience real success. It is a combined effort of many factors, and taking care—or the caretaking—of students from top administrators to the faculty, from the food cashier to the custodian is an important part of the package. I’ve not taken any surveys, but I would venture to guess that if you asked ex-students why they dropped out of a particular university, many would respond with something like, “I just wasn’t happy there.”

Is it our job to make students happy? I don’t know that anyone can be entrusted with making someone else happy. But we can create a campus climate that opens the door to positive experiences. A student may have the funds, the smarts and a spirit of self-reliance to succeed in college. But if that student isn’t happy—isn’t made to feel welcome—at a particular university, why would he or she stay? At the risk of spouting water-cooler jargon, good customer service would seem to be an important piece of the retention puzzle.

The Disney people may hold a key or two that would be helpful. MTSU’s Jennings A. Jones College of Business is a Silver Sponsor for the Disney Keys to Excellence program, a special one-day conference, which will be held Tuesday, Sept. 9, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Sheraton Downtown Nashville. The event will be an interactive workshop that provides business, industry and education professionals with the opportunity to experience the “business behind the magic.”

We often hear that the Disney people know how to do customer service, that their objective is to make guests to their theme parks and resorts feel special from arrival to departure. Sounds a little like retention, doesn’t it? The purpose of the full-day program is showcasing the Disney formula for promoting leadership, management, customer service and loyalty. The organizers of the program feel confident that university faculty, staff and administrators also will be able to use much of what they learn when addressing retention issues on campus. Topics will include:

• “Leadership, Disney Style,” which will show how effective leadership has been the catalyst to drive employee/customer satisfaction;
• “Management, Disney Style,” which will examine the importance of integrating an organization’s corporate culture into the selection, training and care of employees;
• “Customer Service, Disney Style,” which will explore the Disney principles for excellence in service; and
• “Loyalty, Disney Style,” which will teach practices and principles in building and sustaining loyalty.

For more information and to register for the program, visit www.keysnashville.com. For a special MTSU discount, use the following promotional code at registration: MTSUSP. It’s not too late; registrations will be accepted right up to the day of the event.

Travel to Japan, dig in the dirt, fuel the future and zone out in the glades—or, if you’re a teacher, do all of the above, plus learn how to better motivate students and understand the state mathematics standards for young children during the fall kindergarten-through-12th-grade education program schedule to be webcast by the MTSU Satellite and Webcasting Center.

Enrichment programs designed for students will air at 9 a.m. every Tuesday, except Oct. 21 and 28 and Nov. 25.

Professional development programs designed for teachers are offered from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Thursdays beginning Sept. 11.

Teachers and students in Bedford, Cannon, Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Knox, Lincoln, Marshall, Moore and Warren counties may view the programs via satellite. Schools and homes in Nashville may view the programs on MEAC Channel 10; viewers in Huntsville, Ala., may tune in on ETV Channel 9; and Wilson County viewers may watch on BNN Channel 9.

Details about the planned programs follow:

K-12 Student programs (9 a.m. Tuesdays)

• Sept. 9—Journey to Japan, led by Drs. Larry (journalism) and Kathy Burriss (MTSU elementary and special education);
• Sept. 16—Women Scientists Digging in the Dirt, led by Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross (MTSU chemistry and Girls Raised in Tennessee Science director), Lacey Fleming (GRITS assistant director) and Cacy DeSheles (GRITS program coordinator);
• Sept. 23—Fueling the Future Update: Building Engines that Run on Sun and Water, led by Dr. Cliff Ricketts (MTSU agribusiness and agriscience);
• Sept. 30—Utopian Societies in Tennessee: A Student’s Introduction to Primary Sources at the Tennessee State Library and Archives and an Unusual Chapter in our State’s History, led by Gwynn Thayer and Kathy Lauder (TSLA);
• Oct. 7—The Battle Continues, led by John McKay and Jim Lewis (Stones River National Battlefield);
• Oct. 14—Zoning Out in the Glades, led by Dr. Kim Cleary Sadler (MTSU Center for Cedar Glade Studies and biology);
• Nov. 4—The Best of Photography and Film from the George Eastman House Collection, led by Andrea Steele (Frist Center for the Visual Arts);
• Nov. 11—Looking Up: Thinking About the Moon, Part 1, led by Billy Hix (Motlow State Community College and Marshall Space Flight Center/NASA) and Terry Sue Fanning (Moore County Schools);
• Nov. 18—The Rainforest, led by Patrick Dawes (Nashville Zoo at Grassmere);
• Dec. 2—Water, Water Everywhere … But Which Type is Best to Drink?, led by Daniel Vaden, Mark Crowell and Dr. Janet Colson (MTSU human sciences).

Professional development programs for teachers (3:30 p.m. Thursdays)

• Sept. 11—Utopian Societies in Tennessee: A Student’s Introduction to Primary Sources at TSLA and an Unusual Chapter in our State’s History, led by Thayer and Lauder (State Library and Archives);
• Sept. 18—Getting to Know the New Tennessee Mathematics Standards for Grades K-2, led by Dr. Jeremy Winters (elementary and special education) and Cindy Cliché and Marrie Lasater (Homer Pittard Campus School);
• Sept. 25—Teaching with Archaeology at Stones River National Battlefield, led by McKay and Lewis (SRNB);
• Oct. 2—Motivation is an Inside Job: Reaching and Teaching the Unmotivated Student, led by Dr. Zaf Khan (MTSU elementary and special education);
• Oct. 9—Getting to Know the New Tennessee Mathematics Standards for Grades K-2, led by Winters, Cliché and Lasater;
• Oct. 16—Building Academic Vocabulary, led by Susan Dalton (Tennessee Education Association);
• Nov. 6—Inclusion Implies Exclusion! The Art and Science of Creating Tiered Activities for All Students, led by Khan;
• Nov. 13—Professional Educator Ethics, led by Nicki Fields (Tennessee Education Association);
• Nov. 20—Children’s Play, Test Scores and Teachers’ Knowledge, led by Dr. Kathy Burriss;
• Dec. 4—Engaged, Empowered and Excited: Teaching with Primary Sources, led by Dr. Stacey Graham (MTSU historic preservation).

More information on the fall series, including program archives, may be found on the Instructional Technology Support Center Web site at www.mtsu.edu/~itsc.

In its third year of competing in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ Solar Splash World Championship of Intercollegiate Solar Boating, MTSU started from scratch with both a brand-new team and a brand-new craft.

“Despite facing the difficulties of forming a completely new team, the students came together for an excellent performance,” said faculty co-adviser Dr. Saeed Foroudastan. “Our team was able to participate and complete each event, and MTSU received the 2008 Solar Splash Teamwork Award in recognition of their collaboration during the entire event.”

The five-day event took place in Fayetteville, Ark., and saw 18 national and international teams competing. After the first day of thorough technical inspections of each craft, the remaining four days were occupied with on-water competitions, including sprint, maneuverability, endurance and speed competitions.

“Each craft is powered completely by batteries and a solar array,” Foroudastan said. “This power combination on a watercraft creates its own interesting set of challenges: not only must the craft be very efficient hydrodynamically, but it must use its power extremely effectively.

“The main purpose of the Solar Splash competition is to design a boat that can perform well in an endurance event and a sprint event. This is not an easy task, considering most endurance hulls are designed as displacement hulls and sprint hulls are often planing surfaces. Innovation was used to overcome this dilemma: the boat was designed as a catamaran that can be flipped over—one side for endurance, the other for sprint.”

The 2008 MTSU Solar Boat Team members participating in the race were Jennifer Duckworth, Bryan Bodkin, Jason Burks, Stanley Whitehouse, Dan Peery, Greg Van Sickle and Jacob Gonzalez. More than 20 students participated in the complete project, Foroudastan said, which ultimately led to their winning the event’s Teamwork Award.

“We are extremely proud to have received this award, as it highlights the students’ cooperation and collaboration in the face of several obstacles,” he said. “Plans are already in progress to return the solar boat to the water for testing and improvements. This team will remain together next year and return to the Solar Splash Competition stronger than ever.”

Duckworth’s role as team leader was a first for women involved in Experimental Vehicle Projects at MTSU. “Jennifer is greatly appreciated for putting forth a tireless effort to ensure the success of the project,” Foroudastan said. “Jennifer is a great example of the increasing role of women in engineering.”

Faculty co-adviser Ken Sergeant of the Department of Engineering Technology also earned acclaim for his work with the team and “is especially thanked for taking on such a large project and for agreeing to continue leading this team, even after retirement, next year,” Foroudastan said.

“The team also is indebted to Rick Taylor in the engineering technology machine shop for his continued support. His exceptional assistance and mentorship among the students with machining and design has been invaluable.”

The group also expressed appreciation to Dr. Gene Fitch and Jacqueline Victory in the Division of Student Affairs, Lance Chandler of the Chandler Foundation, Drs. Walter Boles and Charles Perry and Dean Thomas Cheatham of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences for their support.

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FIRST-RATE CREW—Members of the MTSU Solar Boat Team pose with their craft at the recent Solar Splash World Championship in the photo above. From left are faculty co-advisers Dr. Saeed Foroudastan and Ken Sergeant; students Stanley Whitehouse, Bryan Bodkin, Jacob Gonzalez and Dan Peery; machine shop director Rick Taylor; student team leader Jennifer Duckworth, student Jason Burks, and Whitehouse’s grandfather, who came to Lake Fayetteville, Ark., to support the team. In the photo below left (see PDF, page 3) , team leader Duckworth pauses during the competition. photos submitted

Jason Stisser is not a typical 18-year-old cadet who’s become part of MTSU’s Military Science and ROTC program. Stisser is a true freshman, although he has taken one online course in Arabic.

But at 25 and after spending two tours of duty in Iraq as a member of the Tennessee Army National Guard, he does have a leg up on classmates Wendell Bryant of Ooltewah, Jonathan Hartsfield of Old Hickory and Joshua Wilcox of Clarksville.

“It’s an interesting transition,” Stisser said, acknowledging his move from military to college student. “I’m low man on the totem pole. My rank is MS1 cadet. I’ve got a huge learning curve on these 18-year-old guys. I will try to help guide them along as best as I can.

“My goals are to be involved in one or two of the programs. I want to walk out of here making good use of taxpayer dollars.”

Stisser is attending MTSU, what he considers his hometown university and where he wants to be, on the U.S. Army’s Green to Gold Scholarship.

“MTSU has the most to offer,” said Stisser, who said he will be a mathematics major. “They have a great math department. And the ROTC program here is excellent.”

He said the “military bug is something I picked up when I was young. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.”

Stisser graduated from Nashville’s Stratford High School but served as cadet corps commander one semester in the Air Force Junior ROTC program in which he participated at Maplewood High.

Wilcox, a Kenwood High School graduate, will be following in his father’s footsteps. Sylvester Wilcox retired as a sergeant first class from the U.S. Army.

At MTSU, Joshua Wilcox plans to major in aerospace.

“I’m hoping to get into the aviation field and fly helicopters for the Army,” he said.

Wilcox said he chose MTSU because it’s close to his home and he “knew about the (MTSU) ROTC program because I did JROTC in high school all four years.”

He added that his mother, Tammy, “has been a big supporter.”

MTSU's Office of Parking and Transportation Services has provided the following update for anyone traveling on campus this fall:

Alumni Drive from the intersection of Blue Raider Drive and Alumni Drive to Friendship Street, as shown on the map on page 5 (see PDF, page 5) , will be closed this fall for road improvements.

With the closing of Alumni, the library parking lot, located south of the building, will be inaccessible. The lot to the east of the library, alongside the Bragg Mass Communication Building, will not be affected.

During the construction period, the northern part of the parking lot by the Honors Building will be changed from green to white. The southern end of the lot by Ezell Hall will remain green for students.

Motorists also won’t be able to access the campus via Womack Lane from East Main Street.

The Raider Xpress blue and red routes will be altered during construction, too. A map is available at www.mtsu.edu/~parking.

“We appreciate your patience during construction, and we’re sorry for your inconvenience,” said Nancy Weatherly, manager of Parking and Transportation Services.

The MTSU Department of Aerospace will show its appreciation to a special alumnus and his wife with the naming of the Donald McDonald Aerospace Maintenance Laboratory.

The naming of the new hangar at MTSU Flight Operations Center at Murfreesboro will take place at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 17, at the airport, said Dr. Wayne Dornan, aerospace chair.

McDonald (B.S. ’63) and his wife, the former Frances Wright, have been extremely generous in their giving to MTSU and the aerospace department, Dornan said.

“Donald and his wife have made significant contributions to aerospace,” Dornan said. “When we needed extra funds for the hangar, Donald McDonald came to the rescue. He donated significant funds that made it happen.”

Dornan said MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee presented the proposal for the naming of the hangar at the Tennessee Board of Regents’ spring meeting.

“I went with Dr. McPhee to the TBR meeting in Chattanooga,” Dornan said. “It was a unanimous vote by TBR.”

McPhee and other local and state dignitaries will be on hand for the ceremony.

Dornan, who said McDonald is a pilot, has “wanted to create a sense of identity” for MTSU at Murfreesboro Airport.

“He has paid to do all new signs at the airport so that people can see MTSU is a part of the airport.”

Alumnus John Ellington (B.S. ’56), former chief pilot for Delta Airlines and who retired as COO of World Airways Inc., will be one of the special guests, said Dornan. He, McDonald and Ellington, who had never met one another, recently met for lunch.

Dornan also announced that a new Donald McDonald Scholarship, which will be housed in the MTSU Foundation, would be awarded to a freshman for the 2009-10 academic year.

“It will be a full-ride scholarship that pays 100 percent for four years,” Dornan said, adding that it will be open to any of five aerospace concentrations—professional pilot, technology, maintenance, administrative and flight dispatch—as well as engineering technology.

“If the recipient is from the professional pilot concentration, the scholarship covers tuition and partial flight training. That’s pretty substantial,” Dornan added.

Dr. Margaret Howlett Ordoubadian, a scholar of children’s literature and the oral traditions surrounding fairy tales and folktales, has been formally recognized by colleagues for her inspiring, tireless and outstanding efforts on behalf of both MTSU and the greater teaching community.

Ordoubadian was awarded the rank of professor emeritus Aug. 8 during a ceremony at MTSU’s summer commencement. Dr. Tom Strawman, chairman of the English department, nominated the Murfreesboro resident for the honor, citing her many significant accomplishments on behalf of the English program, where she taught full-time for 34 years until her 2003 retirement, followed by four years of part-time teaching.

Referring to Ordoubadian’s teaching innovation, Strawman noted that she had adopted a “psychoanalytical approach to the study of children’s literature and fairy and folktales (that) became so influential with so many students at MTSU…that the department began to hire more professors to teach in this area, because Professor Ordoubadian had created such a demand for it in the university as a whole.”

Added Dr. John McDaniel, dean of MTSU’s College of Liberal Arts: “Excellent teaching is only one of Dr. Ordoubadian’s many outstanding contributions during her time at Middle Tennessee State University. She inspired and created the study of children’s literature at MTSU, working tirelessly to create the children’s literature collection, which has been greatly expanded in the Walker University Library.

“She also helped create the Conference on Modern Critical Approaches to Children’s Literature, one of the major annual professional meetings in the United States in this field,” he continued. “(And) it was Dr. Ordoubadian’s idea to establish a University Writing Center, an indispensable resource for ensuring that MTSU students graduate from the university with the language and conceptual skills necessary to meet the demands of a complex and changing world.”

In further acknowledgement of Ordoubadian’s contributions to the university, the on-campus center she helped create has been renamed in her honor. The writing lab, located in Room 325 in Peck Hall, is now known as the Margaret H. Ordoubadian Writing Center.

The longtime English professor also was honored at the Seventh Biennial Conference on Modern Critical Approaches to Children’s Literature in Nashville, where she was heralded for bringing children’s literature into the mainstream of the department’s course offerings and for bringing academic respect to an international conference in the field.

“This commendation was accompanied by a donation to the Curriculum Library toward books of folktales and fairy tales, Margaret’s field of interest,” said Dr. Ellen Donovan of MTSU’s English faculty.

Beginning this fall, an award named for Ordoubadian also will be presented to an outstanding graduate student tutor at MTSU each year. Publisher Bedford-St. Martin’s will fund the award.

“In her long tenure at MTSU, Dr. Ordoubadian worked tirelessly to raise her students’ expectations of themselves in every way, to provide the physical resources to ensure this end, to promote an appreciation and understanding of children’s literature and to make the university a better place in which to work, study and learn,” McDaniel said.

A 1953 graduate of Hillsville, Va., High School, Ordoubadian earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Duke University in 1957 and a Master of Arts degree from MTSU in 1966 before receiving her law degree from the Nashville School of Law in 1987.

Early fall 2008 semester numbers indicate MTSU once again is headed for a record enrollment.

Totals collected from the Office of Records early on Aug. 26 showed 23,771 students registered for classes, said Sherian Huddleston, associate vice provost for enrollment services.

Compared to the same date in 2007 when 23,221 were registered, there are 550 more students signed up for classes—a 2.37 percent increase, Huddleston said.

Final enrollment totals were not to be complete until the 14-day census date, Sunday, Sept. 7, and they will not be submitted to the Tennessee Board of Regents until sometime after that date, she said.

MTSU experienced another record enrollment in 2007 when 23,246 students were attending classes or taking online courses.

“What we’re seeing now is an increase in re-enrolling students, ones who have been out awhile and have returned to MTSU,” Huddleston said, adding that the increase is at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

“I think it’s significant we’re seeing an increase in graduate enrollment and in our returning students. That tells us our retention efforts are having an effect,” she said.

Huddleston said the increase in re-enrolling students “traditionally correlates with the unemployment rate. As the unemployment rate increases, we see an increase in students returning to MTSU to retool and retrain.”

Two days into the semester, Huddleston said MTSU is “down slightly in our new freshmen and new transfers.”

Early on Aug. 26, records data revealed there were 3,471 new freshmen compared to 3,595 in 2007 and 1,926 transfers compared to 1,944 in 2007, she said.

Students were able to register after Aug. 26, but only by special permission, she said. Students already registered could continue to add classes, but after Aug. 26, they had to submit written permission from their academic adviser as approved by their dean, and the process had to go through the scheduling center, Huddleston said.

Some students were expected to encounter the business office’s second purge on Aug. 29.

“Entering the Modern Era: Murfreesboro’s Jazz Age,” an expanded exhibit, is now on display at the Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County.

Supported by the Center for Historic Preservation, the newly expanded exhibit will celebrate its official grand opening Thursday, Sept. 11. The history-themed exhibit is anchored by a 6-foot tall, 20-foot long mural recently completed by nationally recognized artist Erin Anfinson, assistant professor of art, and two art program students, Emily May-Ragland and Sarah Sullivan.

Anfinson and the students used art deco designs, patterns and color palettes from the 1920s as inspiration for the mural’s scene portraying couples enjoying a night out on the town.

“The Jazz Age exhibit uses historic images and artifacts, set against the backdrop of the mural by Anfinson, May-Ragland and Sullivan, to explore the events, people and institutions that helped transform Murfreesboro and Rutherford County during early 20th century expansion, along with Jim Crow segregation and Depression-era hardship,” said Melissa Zimmerman, heritage programming specialist for the center.

“New transportation routes, along with the emergence of educational and medical facilities and industries, helped shape the quality of life during this modern era of social change and urbanization.”

Anfinson said the summerlong mural project “provided an excellent opportunity for the MTSU art department students to experience the hands-on process of sketching, painting and the color mixing involved in a large commissioned project.”

“The mural truly showcases Emily and Sarah’s talent, along with Professor Anfinson’s vision, with a modern sensibility that succeeds at reflecting the energy and art deco aesthetics of the Jazz Age,” Zimmerman added.

Located at 225 W. College St., the center is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding major holidays, and features guided walking tours of the town square on the hour. Group tours are available Monday through Saturday by advance reservation. Admission is free.

The Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County is a joint venture between the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area and Main Street: Murfreesboro/Rutherford County Inc. The Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area receives funding from the National Park Service and is administered by the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU. Additional support comes from Rutherford County Government and State Farm Insurance.

For more information, please call 615-217-8013 or e-mail Jennifer Butt at jbutt@mtsu.edu.

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EVERYBODY’S A CRITIC—Young Elliot Anfinson, center, eyes art student Sarah Sullivan’s work on the mural for the “Entering the Modern Era: Murfreesboro’s Jazz Age” exhibit at the Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County as his mom, artist and professor Erin Anfinson, observes the project’s progress. A summer’s effort will culminate in the exhibit’s grand opening Thursday, Sept. 11, at the center, located at 225 W. College St. in Murfreesboro. Anfinson and the students used art deco designs, patterns and color palettes from the 1920s as inspiration for the scene of couples enjoying a night out on the town. You can watch a video on the exhibit’s creation in the August edition of “Middle Tennessee Record” at www.mtsu.edu/~proffice/MTR.html. photo by News and Public Affairs

As part of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Ag Enhancement Grant received by MTSU’s School of Agribusiness and Agriscience, the department will hold a field day.

The field day will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, at MTSU’s new farm (the former Guy James Farm) on Halls Hill Pike, east of campus.

The event is open to the campus community and general public, but attendees are encouraged to contact Dr. Jessica Carter, associate professor, so she can keep a head count for a ribeye steak meal being provided.

School Director Dr. Warren Gill said the event would feature the state ag department’s enhancement program, hay-wrapping demonstrations and a new planting of warm season perennials, including Switchgrass, Big Bluestem and a wildlife mixture.

“We received an ag enhancement grant to study wrapping hay in plastic to improve the product,” Gill said. “If you put hay up wet, it makes for a slightly improved product.”

Gill added that newer hay-wrapping techniques now could help farmers save more money and time than conventional methods.

“Farmers are busy,” he said. “We’ll show people how this machinery works.”

Traditionally, Tennessee cattle producers harvest hay for winter-feeding purposes. Most producers have not considered using hay-wrapping machines due to the initial cost of investment.

“Many Tennessee cattle producers do not understand the real benefits of feeding haylage because research on animal performance has not been adequately documented in Tennessee,” said Gill. “Information will be presented on the costs and benefits of balage production.”

At 4 p.m., state Commissioner of Agriculture Ken Givens and Gill will present a welcome and overview of the state agricultural enhancement program.

The hay-wrapping demonstrations, which will be conducted by Bruce Savage of ACI Distributors and Tim Redd of the MTSU Farm Laboratories, will take place at 4:30 p.m.

Gill, Carter and Farm Lab Manager Daniel Boyer will provide an overview of MTSU beef cattle research projects at 5 p.m.

At 5:30 p.m., a Switchgrass, Bluestem and wildlife plot project overview and tour will be led by Patrick Keyser, Craig Harper and Mitchell Mote of the UT Extension, and Danny Troup of MTSU.

The dinner and question-and-answer session will begin at 6 p.m.

For more information, call Carter at 615-898-2419, Gill at 615-898-2404 or Redd at 615-898-2431. You also may reach either Mote or Rebekah Norman at 615-898-7710.

Millions of people from all over the world have visited Stones River National Battlefield, so the September edition of “Middle Tennessee Record” examines the mutually beneficial relationship of MTSU and the historic national park.

In the latest edition of MTSU’s monthly video magazine, Dr. Tom Nolan and archaeologist Zada Law talk about their geospatial/archaeological research on land near the park, which soon will undergo commercial development. Students working at the park also discuss their efforts to preserve history as well as the natural beauty of the landscape.

The September focus of “The A List,” MTR’s profile of an outstanding MTSU student, is on history major Keith Schuman. He says working at the park has been a dream come true for him. Schuman’s interest in history also gave him the opportunity to participate in a prestigious weeklong program in New York City. He was one of only 50 students in the nation chosen as a 2008 Gilder Lehrman History Scholar Finalist.

Now that the Olympics are over, MTR can look back on the excitement with three-time Olympic veteran Dr. Andrew Owusu of the Department of Health and Human Performance.

In a regular feature of MTR, “Centennial Countdown” steps back from today’s economic pinch and returns to 1935 to take a look at the ingenious way three MTSU freshmen cut costs while attending college during the Depression.

To see the September edition of “Middle Tennessee Record,” watch local Cable Channel 9 daily at 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., Sundays at 1:30 p.m. on News-Channel5+, or anytime via www.mtsunews.com. The show also is available on YouTube; go to www.mtsu.edu/~proffice/MTR.html and click on the YouTube icon.

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AN MT STATE OF MIND—History major Keith Schuman walks through Times Square in New York City during a prestigious weeklong program for history scholars. Schuman is on “The A-List” in the September edition of “Middle Tennessee Record,” the university’s award-winning monthly video magazine. To watch, visit www.mtsunews.com or tune in to NewsChannel5+ in Nashville or Cable Channel 9 in Murfreesboro. video submitted/screencap by News and Public Affairs