The Record April 19, 2010 V.18.20

Click here to view the PDF version

Students' project sows seeds of good health
by Elizabeth Warren

An example of how organizations at MTSU can help students gain real-life experience in their area of study, and how those organizations can also aid the surrounding community, is exhibited by the university's chapter of the Student Dietetic Association.

SDA is dedicated to informing the community about food and nutrition. Just as they will once they graduate and become dietitians or health professionals, the members aim to help people develop healthy eating habits.

Each semester, the organization works on one large project, along with a few smaller ones, so that they offer a gamut of ways to educate their Murfreesboro neighbors on healthy eating.

SDA President Monique Richard said this semester's main project is collaborating with a Murfreesboro elementary school to begin healthful-eating education at a young age. The effort dovetails with a new national spotlight on improving childhood nutrition awareness focused on and publicized by First Lady Michelle Obama.

SDA began discussions with Hobgood Elementary School in December 2009 about creating a garden plot at the school, where the students would be able to grow their own vegetables for the school cafeteria's salad bar.

The organization then teamed up with Hobgood science teacher Chick Knitter. Initial planning for the project began Feb. 26, when SDA members went to the kindergarten- through sixth-grade school to teach the children how to plant and cultivate the garden plot. SDA also provided different seed packets for the original planting.

Knitter said that SDA's dedication to the children's project has led to a "a wonderful and exciting opportunity for the kids to watch and be involved in."; He added that giving time to the younger students' education is just as important—and as necessary—as donating money.

"[The school] loves to have partnerships, and it also loves for the kids to have mentors they can look up to,"; said Hobgood Vice Principal Beth Swain.

Since March was National Nutrition Month, on March 16 SDA also worked with Hobgood to educate students' parents on healthy eating. They handed out calendars and information sheets with more than a dozen fast, easy, healthy recipes for families.

That same evening, the MTSU group also taught the children how to create recycled-newspaper planting pots. Rolling two sheets of newspaper together to create a pot and then placing a small impatiens plant in the center helped the Hobgood students learn about recycling. The newspaper, once the entire pot with flower and soil was put in the ground, eventually will erode and serve as food for the plant.

Other SDA projects include two major health fairs and two healthy-eating cooking demos on MTSU's campus at the Keathley University Center and the Student Health, Wellness and Recreation Center. An ongoing project is a cookbook that the group hopes to have out by Christmas 2010. The association is seeking healthy and delicious recipes from students all over campus.

SDA has monthly membership meetings that include information to further students' education. For example, at the March meeting, students from across middle Tennessee who now have internships in the field of dietetics offered real-life tips and advice for members.

For more information on SDA or to submit a recipe, contact Richards at 615-525-8670 or mmr2v@mtsu.edu.

>>Top of Page

Grand opening set for CIMTSU; partnership leads to celebration in music, dance
by Gina K. Logue

MTSU will celebrate the grand opening of the Confucius Institute on campus by welcoming a delegation from the People's Republic of China and a performance by traditional Chinese entertainers on Wednesday, April 21.

MTSU cemented a relationship with Hangzhou Normal University on Dec. 1, 2009, when President Sidney A. McPhee and Hangzhou's president, Dr. Ye Gaoxiang, signed a partnership agreement at the Confucius Institute's MTSU office in Peck Hall. In addition, Dr. Diane Miller, interim provost, accompanied Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen on a trade mission to China in October 2009.

The pact covers development of Chinese language classes, student and faculty exchanges, cultural exchanges, outreach programs to area kindergarten- through 12th-grade schools, training educators to teach Chinese as a foreign language, and research about contemporary China, among other mutual interests.

Among the dignitaries slated to join the visiting delegation are Mr. Cui Pengfei, chairman of Hangzhou Normal's university council; Mr. Chen Xiaoping, vice mayor of Hangzhou City; and Dr. You Shaozhong, minister counselor for education affairs for the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States.

"The grand opening of our Confucius Institute is something that we have all been looking forward to since last fall,"; McPhee said. "The official opening of this institute is yet another step toward demonstrating MTSU's commitment to enhancing the international programs on our campus and developing the kind of academic environment that speaks to our appreciation of other cultures as well as the diversity of our university community.";

The dignitaries will tour the MTSU campus prior to a meeting of the Confucius Institute Board of Directors. At 5:30 p.m., McPhee, Miller and other local officials will dine with the delegation at an invitation-only banquet in the Tom H. Jackson Building.

At 7:30 p.m., faculty and students from Hangzhou Normal will perform "An Oriental Monsoon"; in MTSU's Wright Music Hall. The event is free and open to the public, but early arrival is advised due to limited seating.

The concert will include "Spring Outing,"; a classic Chinese dance incorporating postures found in sculptural reliefs on bricks of the Han Dynasty; "Mulberry Trees,"; an instrumental solo inspired by Li Bai, the most famous poet in Chinese literature; "The Drunken Beauty,"; an aria from a renowned Beijing opera; "Spin, Spin and Spin,"; a prize-winning folk dance in the tradition of the Xinjiang region; and much more.

"After several months of preparation, CIMTSU is now ready to offer services to the community,"; says Dr. Guanping Zheng, institute director and associate professor of electronic media communication. "The future for the institute is exciting. Through the work of the institute, I hope to facilitate collaborations for exchange and collaboration between communities in Tennessee and in China. CIMTSU will also help our campus to expand its opportunities in China.";

The Confucius Institute at MTSU is made possible with a five-year, $500,000 grant from the nonprofit organization of the same name. According to its Web site, www.confuciusinstitute.net, "as of October 2009, 396 Confucius Institutes and classrooms have been established in 87 different countries and regions. Each Confucius Institute takes advantage of its unique character to develop rich and diverse educational and cultural activities.";

For more information, contact Zheng at 615-904-8365 or gzheng@mtsu.edu, or Yvonne Elliott in the Confucius Institute at 615-494-8696 or elliott@mtsu.edu.

>>Top of Page

Restructuring plan awaiting more review
by Gina E. Fann

MTSU's proposed college restructuring already has received significant input, but President Sidney A. McPhee is seeking additional comments from the university community before he offers his response to the recommendations by semester's end.

The restructuring proposal, which germinated during a deans' retreat in June 2009, followed the president's recommendation in his Positioning the University for the Future Initiative to "not only address our current budget challenges but also strategically and aggressively strengthen our institution to better meet the current and future needs of our students.";

Open forums with college deans, the MTSU Faculty Senate, the Chairs Council, vice presidents and other faculty members and representatives helped to define and refine suggestions to meet that goal, said Interim Provost Dr. Diane Miller, who prepared the restructuring proposal and submitted it to McPhee on April 1.

Miller's full proposal is available online for review at www.mtsu.edu/strategic/docs/restructuring_040110.pdf. In a nutshell, it realigns and in some cases renames colleges to better reflect the services of their departments and their focus for the future. The proposed plan features the Colleges of:

  • Arts and Sciences;
  • Communication, Fine Arts and Entertainment Industries;
  • Applied, Behavioral and Health Sciences; and
  • University College, formerly the College of Continuing Education and Distance Learning.

The University Honors College, College of Graduate Studies, the Jennings A. Jones College of Business and the College of Education would remain as they are under the restructuring proposal.

The College of Education already had received Tennessee Board of Regents approval for its name change, so restructuring allowed discussions within the behavioral-science departments to help capitalize on their strengths. That led to the proposed teaming of the behavioral sciences with the applied and health sciences departments.

"I've been privy to many larger meetings and other individual meetings on the process, so I was very open to reporting on the proposal,"; said Deborah Belcher, Faculty Senate president and an assistant professor of interior design in the Department of Human Sciences. Under the proposal, her department would move into the new College of Applied, Behavioral and Health Sciences from the College of Education.

"The Textiles, Merchandising and Design program is very excited about potentially being in this new college,"; Belcher said. "It gives us a lot of new synergies and helps us see new ways of connecting and creating experiences for students.";

Miller noted that regardless of what proposal ultimately is put in place, day-to-day operations like funding allocations, tenure and promotion policies and even clerical and support staffing still will be "worked out as we go.";

"This has been a great opportunity to consider what we are doing in our programs, departments and colleges and what we need to be doing to best serve our students and the community,"; she said.

"Change is difficult,"; added Belcher, "but it also gives us a great opportunity to move forward and look at where we need to be going.";

>>Top of Page

In Brief: Address change for HRS

The MTSU post-office box number for Human Resource Services, P.O. Box 35, has been reassigned to another department. All campus mail for the HRS departments (payroll, benefits, employment and/or general HRS needs) should be addressed simply to Human Resource Services or HRS. No box number will be required for delivering campus mail to HRS.

>>Top of Page

For the Record: Cultivating a strong crop of mock-trial winners
by Dr. John R. Vile

Asked about his occupation, an Iowa farmer reputedly claimed not to be growing corn but raising children! So too, MTSU is not just about generating student credit hours, or SCHs, but preparing students for the future. To this end, we engage in numerous cocurricular and extracurricular activities.

For 21 years, I have been privileged to coach students on MTSU's mock-trial teams. We have been about as successful as any state school in the nation in tournaments sponsored by the American Mock Trial Association, or AMTA, and have consistently qualified for the top national tournaments.

This year, we faced disappointment. We made the Opening Round Championship Tournament at Furman University by placing second of 24 teams in regional competition and then won five of eight ballots to place seventh in a field of 26 teams. This was one place shy of where we needed to be to attend the final championship competition at Rhodes College in Memphis.

Before qualifying teams were announced, fellow mock-trial students selected our team to receive the prestigious "Spirit of AMTA"; award as the team at the tournament that best exemplified the spirit of fair play and good sportsmanship. Over the past 20 years, MTSU has won this award many times. In what may well be a record, MTSU won this award at the last two regional tournaments and at the last two opening-round championship tournaments. Significantly, when our team received seventh place, the entire auditorium gave our members a standing ovation.

Among the members of this year's MTSU team are two remarkable students, Austin Purvis and Daniel Vaughan, with whom my fellow coach Brandi Snow (herself an MTSU mock-trial alumna) and I have worked for four years. Both are honors students who have written theses and are going to law school. Rachel Harmon, another of our students who is a junior, won an award as best witness. (Austin won one as best attorney.) In addition to other talented sophomores and juniors who had not participated as long, a freshman accompanied us on the trip to be better prepared for next year.

It is bittersweet to miss the mark for qualifying for the highest tournament, but I left the tournament with pride in a group of hard-working, well-mannered and respectful students. Many of our graduates go into law. Others go into a variety of other careers. Like bountiful harvests of corn to the farmer, our students' wins indicate that they have the reasoning and speaking skills to succeed. The Spirit of AMTA award is further evidence that they will exercise the values like fair play and respect that will serve our society well. The Spirit of AMTA award reminds us that we're not trying to win trophies but to educate productive citizens!

Dr. John R. Vile is dean of the University Honors College and a former professor in and chair of the Department of Political Science. The mock-trial teams he co-coaches with Brandi Snow have placed in the top 10 nationally for 11 years. For a recent article on MTSU's Mock Trial Team, please see the Feb. 8 print edition of The Record or view it online at www.mtsunews.com.

>>Top of Page

RaiderNet, Banner system downtime set April 17-21

The RaiderNet and Banner systems will be down Saturday, April 17, through the close of business Wednesday, April 21, for a major system upgrade, according to reminders from MTSU's Information Technology Division and Business and Finance Services.

Users will not be able to access RaiderNet via PipelineMT during the five-day period, but ITD is making a temporary Web page available from which users can access RaiderNet or Banner.

Both systems will be pointing to a set of data frozen from the evening of April 16, however, so users will not be able to update any data and students cannot drop or add classes during the downtime.

Users will receive additional information from ITD on how to access the temporary Web page as the downtime date nears. Also, payroll information will be processed on a compacted timeline, so Human Resource Services will need user cooperation to process employee time sheets quickly.

These changes also will occur:

  • No deposit receipts will be available from the Business Office cashier windows. Deposits should still be made at the cashier windows according to university procedures. A receipt will be mailed to the department's campus mailbox once the system becomes available again;
  • No student payments will be processed through RaiderNet or at the cashier windows;
  • Foundation deposits should be delivered to Advancement Services in the Wood-Stegall Center behind Parking Services. Gifts received after noon on April 16 will be processed on Thursday, April 22, when Banner systems are back up;
  • No checks or direct deposits will be processed. This includes payment authorizations, travel advances, travel claims, reimbursements, petty cash, student refunds, student checks, etc. Emergency funds also will not be available, so please plan ahead for payments that need to be made;
  • No MTSU Marketplace transactions will be processed. Stores and U-Pay sites on the MTSU Market-place will be offline for processing. All activity that normally goes through the Marketplace will be processed manually; and
  • There will be noe access to MT$ource, the Banner Document Management Suite or e-Print reports.

SunTrust ESP still will be available for coding P-Card transactions and will not be affected by the Banner upgrade, officials said.

>>Top of Page

QuarterFest galloping with horse-science opportunities
by Randy Weiler

After serving as a volunteer for the first QuarterFest at Tennessee Miller Coliseum in 2009, senior Amanda Martin relishes the opportunity to participate in the second one.

"I would love to help out,"; said Martin, a nursing major and equestrian- team member from Peachtree City, Ga. "A lot of my friends go to the clinics, and I'll watch them. I got to be part of a clinic by (professional) Julie Goodnight. It was fabulous. Seeing them ask the horses to do so many things was neat.

"It was neat to see all the different disciplines here. QuarterFest did well with the rain, considering it rained all three days.";

The American Quarter Horse Association is bringing QuarterFest back to Murfreesboro Friday through Sunday, April 30 through May 2, at Miller Coliseum. It's an event packed with clinics, shopping and fun, AQHA customer service representative Kayla Randall said.

Several clinicians, including Curt Pate, Bo Winslow, Tammy Pate, Stacy Westfall, Mike Major, Christy Landwehr and Ken McNabb, will join Goodnight at this year's event.

MTSU Equestrian Team Coach Anne Brzezicki said horse-science students like Martin will assist in several areas, including participating in clinics, night watch, seating people and more.

"They can make a lot of connections,"; Brzezicki said. "It's a great opportunity for students to see a piece of the horse industry we normally don't see. Recreational riding (on quarter horses) is not our focus, but many of our students will find jobs and careers in the recreational riding industry.";

"The industry pros are an example of who these kids could become,"; added Dr. David Whitaker, director of the horse science program. "AQHA is the largest breed of horses in the world. The organization is huge with eight million quarter horses registered and 350,000 members around the world. There's even an international breed.";

Brzezicki said, "(Horse) show people know about us—Dave's judging teams, my (equestrian) teams and our goal-setting and goal-achieving. The rest of the horse industry can see our facilities and meet our students (at QuarterFest). Our horses are a part of this at all the teaching clinics, especially at the lower levels.";

Brzezicki added that the event is conducted in conjunction with the Certified Horsemanship Association.

The event also includes a trade show featuring clothing, riding equipment, books and videos, horse feed and other nutritional and pharmaceutical needs, training videos, riding trips, jewelry, ironwork and leatherwork. Businesses like Tractor Supply Company, trailer and fencing companies and tractor manufacturers will be among the vendors.

Attendees can bring their own horses to participate in the clinics led by the professionals. Children ages 6 to 16 can have their first riding lesson for $15.

Visit the AQHA Web site at www.aqha.com/quarterfest or call 866-424-7433 for more information.

>>Top of Page

Getting a good look at campus
by Lindsey Austin

At 8 a.m. on a Saturday, you don't expect to find the campus abuzz with prospective students, but MTSU's Admissions Office is keeping busy once again with its Spring Preview Days.

March 27 marked the first preview day of spring 2010, and April 24 is the second Preview Saturday.

So just what is a preview day?

"It is a one-stop-shop for prospective students and families,"; says Scott Hurt, assistant director of admissions. "They can not only take a tour of the campus but can also meet with representatives from Housing, Financial Aid and other departments across campus.";

The Admissions Office conducts two preview days each fall and two each spring. This marks the 10th year of presenting MTSU's campus to prospective students on a larger scale—one that has drawn more than 1,000 potential enrollees and their parents at a time.

What makes preview days so different from a regular campus tour?

"A lot of first-time freshmen can get all of their questions answered in one place,"; Hurt says. "And we also get the opportunity to showcase our beautiful new (Student Health, Wellness and) Recreation Center.";

On March 27, over 533 students, parents and guests flocked to MTSU's campus for their preview. Families from places like Pennsylvania, Arizona and even California came to experience this unique event.

"I think it's really awesome that all of the departments get together and help pack the campus on the weekend,"; says Jillian Stoner, a junior computer engineering technology major and Raider Rep tour guide.

There still may be room to attend the second Spring Preview Day this semester, but visitors will have to move fast. Reserve a space by logging on to www.mtsu.edu/admissn/tour_admissn.shtml or call 615-898-5670.

>>Top of Page

ITSC making technology accessible
by Claire Rogers

The Instructional Technology Support Center, located in Room 101 of the McWherter Learning Resources Center provides open lab hours, equipment for technology instruction and a large media library to MTSU faculty, staff and students.

The ITSC contains two computer classrooms, LRC 101-A and 101-B, which are available for instruction on a short-term basis. These classrooms are fully furnished for teachers in any college or department who may find technological resources useful for their curriculum.

"The purposes for using the ITSC computer classrooms are as wide in variety as the number of different classes we have scheduled there,"; said Dr. Connie Schmidt, director of the ITSC. Disciplines regularly using the classrooms range from speech and theatre majors to the Student Athlete Enhancement Center.

"We have a demo lab for any professor on campus who needs a lab once or twice, to show the class how to use a particular type of software, or to share online resources with their students,"; Schmidt noted.

An elementary education class, for example, recently used the projectors in computer classroom A to discuss how best to present grammar lessons to young students.

Graduate students can find resources catering to their particular needs as well. The Graduate Multimedia Development Center, co-sponsored by the ITSC and the College of Graduate Studies, provides equipment such as digital cameras and scanners specifically for graduate students at no cost.

"The technology access fee provides funding for the equipment and the software because the lab is part of the main university lab at the LRC,"; said Schmidt.

Graduate students using the center may receive one-on-one research guidance from staff, discuss their projects in groups or simply use the equipment to go to work. The equipment is particularly useful for graduate students working on presentations for their research.

"We provide a full-time computer-facilities manager, Anthony Tate, who oversees operation of the graduate lab,"; Schmidt said, "and the College of Graduate Studies provides a graduate assistant, Dustin Guldin, who works in the lab 20 hours per week.";

A schedule of Guldin's availability to help graduate students is posted online at www.mtsu.edu/~itsc.

Resources for undergraduate students include open lab hours with PC and Mac platforms, a library of electronic and media-related resources and audiovisual viewing rooms.

"We are the only university lab that has Macs available on a walk-in basis for any student,"; Schmidt noted, "so we have the whole Adobe creative suite on those nice, large monitors, which are quite popular.";

Students in classes such as Advertising Campaigns and Public Relations Publications have found the lab software and other resources particularly helpful in their coursework this semester, she added.

Other specialized software includes statistical programs like SPSS and SAS, engineering software such as AutoCAD and communication programs to edit audio and video. The lab also provides access to color printing for final drafts of art and media design students.

The Instructional Media Resources library at the ITSC has a large collection of educational and popular media titles, from audio recordings and DVDs to CD-ROM programs. These resources include everything from films about minstrelsy to the classic movie "Nosferatu"; and modern works like ";Fight Club."; All audiovisual resources, including those from the Phillip C. Howard Music Library, can be enjoyed in one of the IMR's viewing stations.

Most IMR holdings are available for checkout by faculty, and audio materials—including popular and educational books on tape—may be checked out by students and staff. All IMR holdings are searchable through James E. Walker Library's Voyager catalog, online at http://voyager.mtsu.edu.

Instructional Technology Support Center and Instructional Media Resources Spring 2010 Hours of Operation

Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-10 p.m.; Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Saturday, noon-4 p.m.; Sunday, 6-10 p.m.

More information is available at www.mtsu.edu/~itsc and www.mtsu.edu/~imr.

>>Top of Page

Accounting alumni events held April 29

The 19th annual Accounting Alumni Appreciation Day at MTSU will be held Thursday, April 29, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:50 p.m., in the State Farm Lecture Hall, Room S102, in the Business and Aerospace Building.

The event is targeting those interested in accounting, auditing, taxation and computer training, organizers said.

The fee will be $100 for MTSU alumni and $150 for all others. Lunch and breaks are provided. All profits from the event are for accounting scholarships.

Participants will earn eight hours of Continuing Professional Education credit and will have the opportunity to visit with alumni and former professors and see how the campus is changing.

Wynne Baker of KraftCPAs PLLC will open the conference with a session on the state of community banking. MTSU accounting professor Dr. Paula Thomas then will present a session on a Financial Accounting Standards Board update. Angie Hoke of Ernst and Young will complete the morning with a session on audit updates.

The afternoon is filled with breakout sessions and one general session. The breakout session leaders and topics include:

  • Dr. Tim Koski, MTSU accounting professor, issues in taxation;
  • Dr. Lara Daniel, MTSU professor of business law, the constitutionality of Sarbanes-Oxley;
  • MTSU accounting professors Dr. Mary Phillips and Dr. Tammy Bahmanziari, XBRL, or eXtensible Business Reporting Language;
  • Dr. Jeannie Harrington, MTSU associate professor of accounting, corporate sustainability and environmental reporting;
  • Rick Murray, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Commerce Union Bank, an information-technology topic;
  • Dr. Pat Wall, MTSU associate professor of business law, an employment-law update; and
  • Dr. G. Robert "Smitty"; Smith Jr., MTSU Department of Accounting chair, a Government Accounting Standards Board update presentation.

The final session of the day will be from Dennis Dycus, director of municipal audit for the state of Tennessee, who will discuss why auditors fail to detect fraud.

Seating is limited, so participants should register early. To do so, visit www.mtsu.edu/accounting.

For more information, call Melanie Nichols in the MTSU Department of Accounting at 615-898-5306.

>>Top of Page

Team player

GREAT WORK!—Colleagues in the Division of Student Affairs, Enrollment and Academic Services cheer as Administrative Assistant Betty Smithson, center, accepts a plaque as the latest quarterly Secretarial/ Clerical Award winner from their boss, Dr. Debra Sells, left, vice president for student affairs and vice provost for enrollment and academic services, and Ben Jones, right, Business Office manager and chairman of MTSU's Employee Recognition Committee. Smithson and other winners of employee awards for 2009-10 also will be recognized on Wednesday, April 21, at the Employees of the Year Award Reception in the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building. The event, planned for 9 to 10:30 a.m., also will recognize university staffers who are accepting voluntary buyouts. MTSU's Employee Recognition Committee salutes staffers who make outstanding contributions and demonstrate excellence in their roles. To nominate an administrative, secretarial/clerical, classified or technical/ service co-worker for the award program, go to the HR website.

>>Top of Page

University Writing Center offers free public workshop
by Lisa L. Rollins

Members of the University Writing Center staff will offer a one-day, writing-focused event, including a free resume workshop, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 24, in Room 325 of MTSU's Peck Hall.

Organizers of the free public event said the tutorial will be especially beneficial to those in the surrounding community who may have been affected by the poor economy and are in need of one-on-one assistance with resumes, cover letters or curriculum-vita development, as well as help with college and scholarship applications or assistance completing materials related to job hunting or returning to school.

The Writing Center staff will not provide job placement or career counseling, organizers noted, but its tutors will offer writing-related services to assist those actively seeking work or further education. Information from MTSU's Financial Aid Office and representatives from MTSU's Admissions Office and Career Development Center also will be available to those who attend.

The UWC event also will include an hourlong workshop, "Keeping Your Resume Out of the Trash and Your Name in the Loop,"; by Nancy Stubblefield, a coordinator with MTSU's Career Development Center, beginning at 10 a.m.

"The Writing Center is always looking for ways to branch out and serve the community on- and off-campus,"; said Jamie Smith, a peer mentor at the center. "We're bringing this workshop back (for a second year) so that people who aren't necessarily MTSU students can benefit, especially now that so many are out of work and back on the job hunt.";

The one-day tutorial event is open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information, please email uwc.career@gmail.com or call the center at 615-904-8237.

>>Top of Page

April 21 luncheon helps students, honors professionals
from Staff Reports

MTSU's Rutherford County Alumni are holding their annual fundraiser lunch at Bonefish Grill, located at 505 N. Thompson Lane in Murfreesboro, to benefit the organization's scholarship program.

Seating times will be available on Wednesday, April 21, at 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., an event organizer said. The cost is $12 per person, and the buffet lunch includes Caesar salad, shrimp, chicken marsala or salmon with lemon butter, Jasmine rice and macadamia nut brownie. Tea and soft drinks also will be included.

"Since the lunch will take place on Administrative Professionals Day, we are giving people the option of purchasing tickets for someone in their office, and the Office of Alumni Relations will send an Administrative Professionals Day card with the tickets included,"; said Paul Wydra, alumni relations assistant director.

Last year, the fund awarded $19,000 in scholarships for incoming MTSU freshmen from Rutherford County, Wydra said, adding that the group plans to increase that number this year. The fund has awarded almost $60,000 in scholarships to Rutherford County students in the last three years.

"We go every year and take several friends,"; said Don Witherspoon, a Rutherford County alumnus and supporter. "It is a great event for a very worthy cause. We have participated in the scholarship program for several years and have seen the positive results it has produced for several Rutherford County students.";

To make reservations, please call 615-898-2922 or visit www.mtalumni.com. Office and employee groups, as well as individuals, are encouraged to make reservations.

Seating is limited, Wydra added, so reservations should be made early.

>>Top of Page

'Sidelines' team captures 2010 campus Quiz Bowl crown
from Staff Reports

A four-member team from MTSU's student newspaper, Sidelines, held off the challenge of two University Honors College teams to earn the first-place award in the Scotty Tucker Memorial Quiz Bowl April 6 in the Learning Resources Center television studio.

Rosalind Ruth, Dustin Evans, Michael Stone and Larry Sterling provided the winning spark for Sidelines, which earned $175 for the first-place award.

Finishing second and winning $100 was the Buchanan Scholars team of Kaitlin Beck, Troy Berry, Lee Reed and Erica Cathey. Third place was earned by the Honors College quartet of Sam Mitchell, Shannon Murphy, Amy Goldstein and Tony Pritchard, who received $75.

The Omega Chapter of Gamma Iota Sigma, an honor fraternity for students pursuing careers in risk management, insurance and actuarial science, and Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society co-sponsored the Quiz Bowl, said Dr. Ken Hollman, holder of the Martin Chair of Insurance and Gama Iota Sigma adviser. Megan Richardson is president of MTSU's Gamma Iota Sigma chapter, while Dr. Bill Badley is president of the Phi Kappa Phi chapter.

This marks the 21st straight year Quiz Bowl has been held, Hollman said. He added that it was videotaped for later airing on MTTV Channel 10, the student-run TV station at MTSU.

"It will be aired several times over a one- to two-week period when editing is finished,"; he said.

The Quiz Bowl involved 12 four-person teams from across campus, Hollman said. Entry fees were $30.

The questions involved trivia from almost every discipline represented on the MTSU campus.

>>Top of Page

April 20 state math contest to feature 30 regional schools
from Staff Reports

Between 300 and 400 students representing 36 schools from across the region will be heading to MTSU on Tuesday, April 20, for the 54th annual Statewide High School Mathematics Contest.

The MTSU Department of Mathematical Sciences once again will be a regional host for the state event, which will begin at 9 a.m. in the James Union Building's Tennessee Room. Other state math contests are held at other regional sites.

Drs. Jacob Klerlein and Jinjia Li, math department assistant professors, will be the test center chairs. Those invited will include groups from public elementary, middle and high schools and private schools, Klerlein said.

He added that participants may compete in only one of six test divisions: algebra I, geometry, algebra II, statistics, precalculus, calculus and advanced topics.

Invited schools include Barfield Elementary; Blackman High and Middle Schools; Buchanan Elementary; Cannon County High; Cedar Hall School; Central Middle School; Christiana Elementary; Coffee County Central High; Eagleville High School; East and West Middle schools in Tullahoma; Harris Middle School in Shelbyville; Holloway High School; Kittrell Elementary School; Lascassas Elementary School; La Vergne High and Middle schools; McFadden School of Excellence; Oakland and Riverdale High schools; Rock Springs Middle School; Rockvale Elementary School; Roy Waldron School; St. Paul the Apostle Catholic School in Tullahoma; Shelbyville Central High School; Siegel High and Middle schools; Smyrna High and Middle schools; Stewart's Creek Middle School; Thurman Francis Arts Academy; Tullahoma and Watertown High schools; The Webb School in Bell Buckle; and Westwood Junior High in Manchester.

For more information about the contest, please call 615-898-2669.

>>Top of Page

People Around Campus: MT Represents in spring residency for new playwrights
by Lisa L. Rollins

"No. 731 Degraw Street, Brooklyn, or Emily Dickinson's Sister,"; a full-length, original play by Dr. Claudia Barnett, is one of a handful of new works that will staged this spring during the Ingram New Works Festival.

Set for April 28-May 8 in Nashville, the festival will feature new works that, in part, were created by participants in the Ingram New Works Lab, a collective of Tennessee playwrights-in-residence who have worked together throughout the season on their plays with the support of the Tennessee Repertory Theatre.

A member of MTSU's English faculty, Barnett said the in-residence playwrights have worked with David Auburn, the Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Proof,"; as part of the new lab experience to create their respective plays.

"Last summer, I was invited to apply for a new program that sounded too good to be true and turned out to be better than I could have imagined: the Ingram New Works residency at Tennessee Repertory Theatre,"; Barnett said.

"The plan was for seven playwrights-in-residence all to write new full-length plays; to attend monthly script meetings; to work with actors, directors and other Tennessee Rep professionals; to participate in an intensive weeklong symposium with Ingram New Works Fellow David Auburn … and, finally, to have a New Works Festival of staged readings of our plays.";

Thus far, Barnett said, "everything's miraculously happened according to plan, and we're about to start rehearsals for the festival.";

Prior to the theater fest, all the playwrights will participate in a free public meet-and-greet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 22, in the Community Meeting Room at Davis-Kidd Booksellers in the Mall at Green Hills, located at 2126 Abbott Martin Road in Nashville.

Barnett's newly completed work, "No. 731 Degraw Street, Brooklyn, or Emily Dickinson's Sister"; is the story of Kate Stoddard, who murdered Charles Goodrich in 1873 after he told her they weren't really married and had her evicted from his Brooklyn brownstone in a blizzard.

"Kate's struggles to maintain her sanity and her identity, both before and after she shot her one true love three times in the head, are the subject of this play,"; Barnett explained, "which moves backward and forward through time and invokes a poetry of madness.";

Barnett's work will be presented at the Nashville Children's Theatre at 25 Middleton St. on Monday, May 3, at 7 p.m.

MTSU alumnus Ross Brooks also is among the playwrights-in-residence. Currently the artistic director of the People's Branch Theatre in Nashville, his original play, "Supernova,"; will be staged at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 5, at the children's theatre site.

Brooks said his play is "a little sci-fi, a little family drama, a little thriller and a whole lot of tension. I kind of had this idea about how people would deal with the end of the world if they actually knew it was coming.";

A 1997 graduate of MTSU's speech and theatre program, Brooks said he, "pretty much got my start as a playwright at MTSU."; He noted that Barnett "was actually one of my first playwriting teachers, so it's kind of fun now to be considered a colleague instead of a student.

"One of the original pieces that I produced with People's Branch last season, 'Three Gods Walk into a Bar,' was conceived and begun as part of one of Claudia's classes (that) she co-taught with (MTSU Professor) Deborah Anderson, and it was a very exciting, open and energetic writing process for the entire class.

"Having such a positive experience in class at MTSU is exactly what encouraged me to continue studying playwriting in graduate school at Boston University,"; Brooks said, "so that's where it all began.";

For more information about the Ingram New Works Festival, including the full list of playwrights and slated readings, please visit www.tennesseerep.org.

Admission to the readings is free for Tennessee Rep subscribers, and a $5 minimum donation at the door is requested for nonsubscribers. A festival pass, which includes all eight playwright readings, is available in advance or at the door for $25.

>>Top of Page

Faculty/Staff Update

Conferences

Drs. Kim Cleary Sadler and Cindi Smith-Walters (Center for Environmental Education), along with alumna Cari Ambruster, now a fifth-grade science and literature teacher in Wilson County, presented a workshop on "Mitosis and Meiosis"; to a standing-room-only crowd at the National Science Teachers' Association conference March 18-21 in Philadelphia.

Drs. Wandi Ding and Zach Sinkala (mathematical sciences) attended the University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge National Laboratory-Kentucky Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network Bioinformatics Summit 2010 March 19-21 in Cadiz, Ky.

Personnel Changes

Cathy Kirchner (Records Office and Scheduling Center) is the new registrar (formerly director of records), and Teresa Thomas (Enrollment Services) is the new director of technical systems.

Presentations

Dr. Edd Applegate (journalism) presented "The Development of Advertising and Marketing Education in the United States: The First 75 Years"; in "Integrated Marketing Communications: Advances, Trends and Tips,"; a session sponsored by the Marketing Management Association at the 2010 Midwest Business Administration Association International Conference in Chicago March 24-26. The paper received the 2010 MBAA International McGraw-Hill/Irwin Distinguished Paper Award as well as the Donald Shawver Award for Outstanding Paper in Marketing Education. Applegate also presented "The Literary Digest's Presidential Poll: Did It Attract Advertisers?"; in the conference session "Potpourri,"; which was sponsored by the Business/Society/Government Track.

Grover Baker (Center for Popular Music) presented "Just The Basics: Music Reference,"; in collaboration with Chris Durman (University of Tennessee-Knoxville) and sponsored by the Music Library Association's Educational Outreach Program, at the Tennessee Library Association's annual conference March 17-19 in Nashville.

Dr. Andrei Korobkov (political science) presented a paper on "Migration of Russian Highly-Skilled Workers"; at the Institutions, Networks and Trust in European-Russian Relations Conference at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy, March 26-27.

Christie Underdown (Center for Popular Music) presented the following at the Tennessee Library Association's annual conference March 17-19 in Nashville:

  • "Learn & Discover 2.0: How Four Volunteers Got 300 People to Sign Up and Have Fun via Weekly Online Classes,"; sponsored by Tenn-Share;
  • "Acting Techniques for Story Time: Proven Ways to Liven up a Book,"; in collaboration with Pete Turner of Greensboro Montessori School in Greensboro, N.C.;
  • "The Power of Positive Words: Marketing the Library to a Unique Clientele,"; in collaboration with Donna Slaton of the Green River Correctional Complex in Central City, Ky., and co-sponsored by the TLA Special Libraries Section and Special Libraries Association's Tennessee Valley and MidSouth chapters;
  • "Get Fit, Wii Fit: Exploring Fitness and Gaming in Libraries,"; in collaboration with Dr. H. Joey Gray (health and human performance) and sponsored by the TLA Public Libraries division; and
  • a conference poster session, "Facebook: Water Cooler 2.0,"; sponsored by the TLA Technical Services Roundtable.

Dr. Dennis Walsh (mathematical sciences) spoke on "Discovering identities using simple urn models"; at the 89th Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Section of the Mathematical Association of America, held March 26 at Elon University in Elon, N.C.

Paul F. Wells (Center for Popular Music) presented "Fiddlers and Fiddling: Tune Complexes in North American Traditional Fiddling"; on March 20 at the Society for American Music annual conference in Ottawa, Ontario.

Publications

Dr. Debra Rose Wilson (nursing) published an article, "Breastfeeding: A women's health issue,"; in the American Holistic Nurses' Association's publication Beginnings in January 2010.

Get noticed in The Record!

Submit your Faculty/Staff Update items and other news tips to gfann@mtsu.edu by 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 21, for the May 3 edition of The Record or 3 p.m. Wednesday, May 5, for the May 17 Record.

>>Top of Page

Campus Calendar
April 19-May 2, 2010

Please note: Event dates, times and locations may be subject to change after press time. Please verify event specifics when making attendance plans.

TV Schedule for "Middle Tennessee Record"
Cable Channel 9: Monday-Sunday, 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.
NewsChannel 5+: Sundays, 1:30 p.m.

Radio Schedule
"MTSU On the Record"

8 a.m. Sundays, WMOT 89.5-FM
Podcasts available anytime at www.mtsunews.com.

April 19-20
National Women's History Month: Clothesline Project

11 a.m.-2 p.m. daily, Keathley University Center Knoll
For information, visit www.mtsu.edu/~jawc or contact: 615-898-2193.

Monday, April 19
MTSU Concert Band

7:30 p.m., Hinton Music Hall
For information, visit www.mtsumusic.com or contact: 615-898-2493.

Tuesday, April 20
Martin Chair of Insurance Golf Tournament

10:30 a.m. registration/lunch, noon shotgun start
Champions Run Golf Course, Rockvale
For information, contact: 615-898-2673.

National Women's History Month: Equity Pay Day
11 a.m.-2 p.m., KUC Knoll
For information, visit www.mtsu.edu/~jawc.

MT Baseball vs. Tennessee Tech
6 p.m., Reese Smith Jr. Field
For information, visit www.goblueraiders.com.

National Women's History Month: Take Back the Night
5 p.m.: Keynote speaker Deloris E. Jordan, KUC Theater
6-9 p.m.: Rally, KUC Knoll
For information, visit www.mtsu.edu/~jawc.

April 21-22
Tennessee Optional Retirement Program Participant Meetings

Wednesday: 9:30 a.m., 1 p.m.; Thursday, 2 p.m.
KUC Theater
For information, email lbatey@mtsu.edu or contact: 615-898-2929.

Wednesday, April 21
Green Expo

10 a.m.-2 p.m., KUC Knoll (rain location is KUC first floor)
For information, contact: 615-898-5732.

MT Softball vs. Tennessee State
5 p.m., Blue Raider Field

M T Baseball vs. Vanderbilt
6 p.m., Reese Smith Jr. Field
For information, visit www.goblueraiders.com.

Thursday, April 22
College of Basic and Applied Sciences Awards Day

2:30 p.m., JUB Tennessee Room
For information, contact: 615-898-2613.

MTSU Wind Ensemble
7:30 p.m., Hinton Music Hall
For information, visit www.mtsumusic.com.

April 23-25
MT Baseball vs. Arkansas-Little Rock

6 p.m. Friday, 4 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. Sunday

Reese Smith Jr. Field
For information, visit www.goblueraiders.com.

Friday, April 23

MTSU Flute Studio Recital
2 p.m., Hinton Music Hall
For information, visit www.mtsumusic.com.

April 24 and 25
MTSU Theatre and Dance: Spring Dance Concert

8 p.m. Saturday; 1, 4 and 8 p.m. Sunday

Tennessee Room, JUB
Tickets: $10 general admission; $5 MTSU faculty/staff and K-12 students; MTSU students admitted free with valid ID
For information, visit www.mtsu.edu/~theatre or contact: 615-494-8810.

Saturday, April 24
MTSU Music: Day of Percussion

For information, visit www.mtsumusic.com.

Office of Admissions: Spring Preview Day
For information, visit www.mtsu.edu/admissn or contact: 615-898-5670.

MTSU Symphony Concert
4 p.m., Hinton Music Hall
For information, visit www.mtsumusic.com.

Monday, April 26
MTSU Women's Chorale

7:30 p.m., Hinton Music Hall
For information, visit www.mtsumusic.com.

Tuesday, April 27
MTSU Symphonic Band and MTSU Symphonic Brass

7:30 p.m., Hinton Music Hall
For information, visit www.mtsumusic.com.

Wednesday, April 28
Last day of classes


MTSU Commercial Music Ensemble

7:30 p.m., Hinton Music Hall
For information, visit www.mtsumusic.com.

April 29
Study Day

No classes; university offices open.

Positive Behavior Support Initiative and Inclusion Conference
Speaker: Dr. Harry K. Wong
7 a.m.-4 p.m., JUB
For information, visit www.mtsu.edu/pbsi.

Department of Engineering Technology Open House and Awards Ceremony
3-5 p.m., Cantrell Hall, Tom H. Jackson Building
For information, contact: 615-898-2776.

Free Legal Clinic
sponsored by the June Anderson Women's Center
6:30-8 p.m., JUB 206
Open to all MTSU personnel; appointments required
For information, contact: 615-898-2193.

Tennessee Gubernatorial Candidates' Forum
7 p.m., Murphy Center (doors open at 6 p.m.)
Admission is free, but tickets are required
For information, contact: 615-898-2919.

April 30-May 6
Final exams