National model of partnerships

A revised MTSU Academic Master Plan (AMP) will be unveiled next week and distributed throughout the campus and the community. The plan emphasizes academic quality, nurturing a student-centered learning environment [including encouraging more undergraduate research] and establishing partnerships with business and industry, especially in light of diminishing state resources. "We have set as a goal for MTSU to become a national model of partnerships," says Dr. Phil Mathis, biology professor and chair of the 30-member AMP committee. ... "In some areas, we have decided we need to be a leader."

Contact Mathis at 615-898-2061.
pmathis@mtsu.edu

'Throwing gasoline on a fire'

In the wake of our military victory in Iraq, some Christian religious organizations seize the opportunity to proselytize under the cover of humanitarian aid, which is a mistake, says Dr. Kevin Breault, professor, sociology/anthropology. "It is far more important for our security and the security of other nations that we also win the peace--the ideological conflict in which our enemy is the intolerance, hatred and violence of Islamic fundamentalism. Christian proselytizing would simply be like throwing gasoline on a fire."

Contact Breault at 615-898-2696 or H: 615-292-1663.
kbreault@mtsu.edu

Doing the shuttle shuffle

One aspect of the shuttle disaster that disturbs Dr. Eric Klumpe, assistant professor, physics and astronomy, is why an astronaut wasn't sent out to visually inspect the underside of the shuttle once it was safely in orbit. "Many NASA people were aware of the foam hitting the shuttle before it attempted to land. It was caught on film, and the film was reviewed by the appropriate people." Klumpe adds that when he worked at the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena back in the early 1980s, "... back then there was a concern that shuttle tiles would fall off during launch and expose the shuttle to high temperatures during re-entry." There was discussion about utilizing a "temporary repair kit "--which still does not exist today.

Contact Klumpe at 615-898-2130.
eklumpe@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA: TODAY, April 29, 9 a.m.: A videoconference reaching students and teachers in grades 5-12 titled "America after 9/11: Understanding Anxiety Disorders and the Effects of Disaster on Mental Health," with Rebecca Wylie, statewide education coordinator, Mental Health Association of Middle Tennessee; Videoconferencing Center in the Learning Resources Center. A live studio audience will also attend. Contact Dr. Connie Schmidt, director, at 615-898-2560. Media welcomed.
TONIGHT, April 29, 8 p.m.: Members of MTSU's University Orchestra will preview the world premiere of "Violin Concerto" by Stefan Petrescu when they perform the work's "Finale" movement; also featuring works by Verdi, Brahms, Mussorgsky and De Falla; Wright Music Building Music Hall; free and open. Contact Tim Musselman at 615-898-2493. Media welcomed.