Tuition hikes

The recent announcement of tuition hikes of 9 to 14 percent in Tennessee follows a nationwide trend of shifting the costs of higher education from taxpayers to students, says Dr. Reuben Kyle, professor, economics and finance. At the beginning of the 1990s, Tennessee students paid less of their education costs than all but two or three of our neighboring states--today Tennessee students pay among the largest shares. "Still, public education in Tennessee is a relative bargain. Despite the double-digit tuition increases over the past three or four years, enrollments continue to increase." One consequence of tuition and fee hikes is that graduates will have a higher debt burden, he notes.

Contact Kyle at 615-898-5617.
rkyle@mtsu.edu

The Nextel Cup

Wireless communications provider Nextel faces opportunities and challenges as it replaces R.J. Reynolds' Winston brand as title sponsor of NASCAR's top series starting next year, says Dr. Don Roy, expert on corporate sponsorships. It will enjoy a loyal fan base and a marketing reach second only to the NFL. "The primary challenge Nextel faces is replacing [the cup name] in the minds of millions of NASCAR fans. It is a transformation that will take time, and Nextel's commitment of $30 million a year to promote its association with NASCAR will be key in rebranding the series."

Contact Roy by leaving voice mail at 615-904-8564 or droy@mtsu.edu

Human hosts

Peter Daszak, executive director, Consortium for Conservation Medicine, says, "Every emerging disease is driven by some form of human or environmental change." MTSU's Dr. Stephen Wright, microbiologist, says that every infectious agent typically has a particular niche or host where it lives. "When that niche is perturbed by humans, those agents may adjust to the environmental change by using us as an additional host. Examples include Hantavirus, Ebola and Monkeypox. Humans need to be aware that our activities can have a dramatic effect on the natural cycles of disease in animal populations."

Contact Wright at 615-898-2056.
smwright@mtsu.edu