overseas teaching enlightens ’11 grad · rad classes resume a free six-week series of rape...
TRANSCRIPT
a publication for the Middle Tennessee State University community www.mtsunews.com • June 20, 2011 • Vol. 19/No. 24
Inside this edition:Making a move with FirstSTEP, page 3UMath is teaching teachers, page 7 Gov’s pen opens lottery funds, page 8
RAD CLASSES RESUME
A free six-week series of Rape
Aggression Defense classes will be
offered every Thursday beginning
June 23 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the
MTSU Police Training Center at
1601 E. Main St. The RAD class is
open to all female MTSU students,
faculty and staff and the general
public. Enrollment is limited; for
more information or to enroll, call
MTSU RAD instructor Sgt. David
Smith at 615-494-7858. www.mtsunews.com
NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
MURFREESBORO TN
PERMIT NO. 169
IN BRIEF
Alumnus needs help, page 6
MTSU is firsttelecomm‘test kitchen’
MTSU has partnered withAvaya, a leader in businesscommunications, to create a
demonstration lab in the University’sTelecommunications Building to serveas a “test kitchen” for the company’sinteractive-communication products.
The lab, which will be located in thesecond-floor conference room, will beopen to students and faculty.
MTSU is the first university in thestate to house the Avaya hands-on laband will be joined by a few additionalschools in the southeast as soon asthose institutions confirm their partici-pation. Avaya technicians started set-ting up the lab at MTSU earlier thisyear, and the equipment will be accessi-ble by fall.
Avaya also will invite outside
See ‘Telecomm’ page 5
Overseas teachingenlightens ’11 grad
May MTSU graduateHeather Baker enjoyed an“absolutely amazing and
eye-opening” 2 1⁄2-month teachingexperience to finish her undergradu-ate degree in family and consumerscience from the College ofBehavioral and Health Sciences.
As a participant in theConsortium for Overseas StudentTeaching program, Baker taught con-sumer studies and life orientation atVictoria Girls’ High School inGrahamstown in South Africa’sEastern Cape province.
“Professionally, COST schoolsare different,” Baker said. “They metmy values in places where schoolshere didn’t. I have a new idea ofwhere I want to be. Personally, Idon’t think it’s possible to go some-where that different and not bechanged.”
Baker sent class “Reflections” toDr. Sandra Poirier, an associate pro-fessor of family and consumer sci-ences in the Department of HumanSciences at MTSU, during her timein South Africa.
“At the end of my last place-ment in the U.S., I wondered if I hadchosen the wrong profession,” Baker
See ‘Overseas’ page 5
by Tom Tozer
19 great years, page 2
SURROUNDED BY STUDENTS—Heather Baker, at center wearing glasses, andVictoria Girls’ High School students in the African Women Society visit a museum inGrahamstown, South Africa. Baker graduated in May after her teaching experience.
photo submitted
Shew sows SALT in new adventure
Here’s a geographical riddlefor you: How do you getfrom Iowa to Iraq by way
of Murfreesboro? Aaron Shewknows the way.
After graduating from MTSU inMay with dual bachelor’s degreesin global studies and internationalrelations, the 23-year-old signed upwith SALT International, where hisjob will be helping the Kurds ofnorthern Iraq become more self-sufficient.
SALT, which stands forSustainable Appropriate LocalTechnologies, is a relatively youngnonprofit organization with vastexperience in Southeast Asia andsome projects in Afghanistan. Thegroup’s goal in Iraq is to teach theKurds how to grow soybeans.
“A lot of my job will be net-working with the universities thereand local extension agents and agri-cultural companies here to developtraining, seminars, curricula,” says
Shew, “but I’ll also be working onour demonstration farms, helpingour chief agronomist do researchtrials and find cultivars that fit.”
The first order of business forShew, however, is to put his agri-culture minor to use in Grinnell,Iowa, a college town of about 9,500people located 45 minutes east ofDes Moines. He’llbecome familiarwith the multifac-eted soybean on a3,200-acre farmowned by a SALTboard member.
In addition totraining withother members ofthe team andlearning how tooperate a soy mill, Shew will attendU.S. Agency for InternationalDevelopment conferences in KansasCity, Mo. In October, he will livewith a Kurdish family in St. Louisto learn the Kurdish language andget a handle on how to workthrough potential cultural conflicts.
It’s unlikely Shew will
encounter many difficulties in hislatest adventure. The veteran worldtraveler lived for nine months inThailand and four months inMorocco, not to mention spendingtime in India studying the Urdulanguage.
The agricultural influencecomes from his father, who teachesagriculture at Riverdale HighSchool. But the allure of interna-tional relations was stronger, hesays, prompting Shew to change hisinitial plant-and-soil-science majorinto a minor.
His educational influencecomes from Dr. Nate Phillips,MTSU assistant professor ofagribusiness and agriscience, andDr. Karen Petersen, assistant profes-sor of political science. Petersendoesn’t see the two disciplines asstrange bedfellows.
“International agriculture, help-ing developing countries maximizetheir agricultural output, is a fieldwith tremendous growth potential,” Petersen says.
In March 2012, Shew will join
by Gina K. Logue
See ‘Shew’ page 5
by Randy Weiler
Shew
page 2 The Record June 20, 2011
Mass-comm major earns summer internship at CNN
MTSU senior Haley Ellis is another exam-ple of the University’s commitmentto the value of hands-on, real-world
learning. From a pool of 190 applicants, the electron-
ic media journalism major was one of three stu-dents selected for a summer internship at CNNProductions in Atlanta.
“She beat out candidates at some of the topschools in the country,” said CNN ExecutiveProducer Jeffery Reid, himself a graduate ofMTSU’s College of Mass Communication.
“I am very excited about my internshipwith Mr. Jeffery Reid at CNN,” Ellis said. “I wasattending the College of Mass Communicationscholarship ceremony (in April 2010) where Mr.Reid was being inducted into the MTSU Mass
Comm Wall of Fame. After the banquet, I intro-duced myself to Mr. Reid just to be friendly, and hetold me he read through my resume and hethought it looked impressive.
“The end of school came, and I did have an
internship lined up with a Nashville station, whichI was very pleased about. I went home before myinternship started, and I received a call from CNN.They interviewed me on the phone. The next day,
Mr. Reid called and told me I was accepted as anintern in the Special Investigations andDocumentary Unit.
“I’m so excited for this opportunity. I know itwill be an amazing experience that I will grow and
learn from,” Ellis continued. “My parents areso proud and beyond thrilled for me. When Iwas interviewing for the position, my momdidn’t know who I was talking to, and I wroteon my notebook, ‘CNN.’ She saw that, and herjaw dropped.
“I want to learn anything and everything Ican,” she added.
Ellis earned an associate’s degree in com-munication at Danville Area CommunityCollege, Danville, Ill., where she was a
Presidential Scholar. She is currently on the dean’slist and a member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Societyat MTSU and plans to graduate this fall.
Ellis’ parents, Jill and Walter Ellis, live inBuchanan, Va.
by Tom Tozer
After 19 years of hard workfrom the University commu-nity, our printer, mailing
services, couriers and the News andMedia Relations staff, this marks thefinal print edition of MTSU’s officialpublication, The Record.
The first edition, on Jan. 15, 1993,replaced a University newsletter, “Inthe Public Eye,” and featured a front-page photo of Ron Malone, then assis-tant director of admissions, helping asenior register for spring classes.
Some things don’t change, exceptfor the titles. Right, Ron?
It was a four-page weekly then,and Dot Harrison, MTSU PR director,wrote in a “For the Record” note that“with the addition of a digital scan-ner, we’re pleased to add photos!”
Now the printed Record is filledwith photos, in color, and on theInternet for a worldwide audience.It’s updated as news breaks, and itcontinues to focus on the people,places and events that make MTSUoutstanding.
Economic reality has made itclear, however, that the state fundsthat print and deliver this publicationcan be better used in getting morenews to more people, more often,than eight pages, twice a month, haveever been able to do.
That doesn’t mean we don’t valueprint readers. I’m still one! (I don’thave an e-reader; I love ink andpaper.) But we do have to move for-ward, to change and save money, too.
I joked the other day that “thethird time’s the charm,” since thismakes the third newspaper that’sfolded under me since I graduated
from MTSU’s then-Department ofMass Communication and startedworking for the Nashville Banner. I’dpreviously interned for The MorningPress, the daily incarnation of TheMurfreesboro Press, which also closedafter a strong run.
My training at MTSU began byhanding typewritten copy to a type-setter, but it changed at an almostblinding rate to using a computer fordesktop publishing and researchingstories. My tools have changed fromdarkroom chemicals to Photoshop,from creaky old acoustic couplers tosmart phones and RSS feeds. Myproofreading now includes HTML.
In the process, I’ve developedskills I never anticipated. That’s whatMTSU trained me to do, and that’swhat students in the College of MassCommunication are learning today:Be flexible as newspeople, and always
learn from and embrace change.Join us as MTSU takes another
leap, changing and expanding theUniversity’s news offerings withvideo, audio, slide shows and text atwww.mtsunews.com. We hope it’salready your multimedia home forMTSU news, and we look forward tocontinuing to give our audience moregreat University stories. That’s anoth-er thing that won’t change.
The late great Dot Harrison willalways be right on the money, too.
“The MTSU campus is, webelieve, an extraordinary place withextraordinarily competent and dedi-cated people at every level,” shewrote in that first Record. “We’re onthe brink of greatness.”
Gina E. Fann has edited The Recordsince January 2005 and manages contentfor www.mtsunews.com.
Last print edition of ‘Record’ isn’t end of MTSU newsby Gina E. Fann
FFOORR TTHHEE RREECCOORRDD
KEEPING BUSY—MTSU’s Department of Aerospace is flying high this summer! On May 18, Juli H. Mosley, above left, vice chair of the Metropolitan Nashville AirportAuthority Board of Commissioners, presented a check for $14,250 to Department Chair Wayne Dornan to enhance MNAA’s endowed scholarship administered through theMTSU Foundation. And during June, Midstate K-12 teachers have been attending the annual three-week MTSU Aerospace Education Workshop. Participants in the photo aboveright include Kayla Rymer of Altamont, who made an impressive rocket, Sandra Boyd of Siegel Middle School and Brigid Whitaker of Blackman Elementary, seated on the frontrow, and Amy Flatt of West End Middle School and Jim Wilson of DuPont Elementary on the back row. Workshop field trips included a visit to the Huntsville Space and RocketCenter and June 20-22 to the Naval Air Museum in Pensacola, Fla. To further prepare students for aerospace-industry careers, MTSU’s aerospace department recently acquiredan air traffic control tower flight simulator, the only facility of its kind in the nation in a university setting.
photos submitted
Flying high
Ellis
The Record June 20, 2011 page 3
Twenty MTSU rising sopho-mores participated in thisyear’s FirstSTEP Immersion
program.Mainly working as teams and
assisted by faculty and graduate andundergraduate students in fivemajor concentrations, theseFirstSTEP Immersion studentsreceived an intensive four-weekfocus in research during May andJune.
“This is wonderful,” saidAdanna Omatu, a native of Nigerianow living in Nashville. “I am get-ting experience in my field (biology).You also get to go out into the realworld and gain hands-on experi-ence.”
In addition to biology, whichwas supervised by Dr. BruceCahoon, other majors and supervi-
sors included geosciences with Dr.Mark Abolins, engineering technolo-gy with Dr. Saeed Foroudastan,physics with Dr. BillRobertson and chemistry withDr. Sing Chong.
“I’ve been surprised athow well they have done,”said Dr. Chris Stephens, theprogram’s director and anassociate professor in mathe-matical sciences. “Theylearned as much in two weeksas you would in a freshmancourse. They’ve taken owner-ship, gotten engaged andworked well together. They’veworked hard on these proj-ects.”
Last year, MTSU received$1.1 million from the NationalScience Foundation to imple-ment a program to improvesuccess rates in the science,technology, engineering andmath, or STEM, disciplines.
Dr. Tom Cheatham, dean for theCollege of Basic and AppliedSciences, served as coordinator of
the FirstSTEP program. Stephensoversaw this spring’s initial pro-gram.
by Randy Weiler
20 students make their move with FirstSTEP
READY FOR RESEARCH—MTSU sophomores dive intotheir FirstSTEP Immersion research projects on campus. In thephoto above, sophomore Gabriel Welker monitors results ofhis research project in the laser lab in Wiser-Patten ScienceHall. In the photo at left, FirstSTEP participant Kayla Ray, left,and MTSU graduate student Katrina Smith observe TaylorPaige add ingredients to make gold nanoparticles in the DavisScience Building chemistry lab. Mainly working as teams andassisted by faculty, graduate and undergraduate students infive major concentrations, the 20 FirstSTEP Immersion stu-dents for summer 2011 received an intensive four-week focusin research during May and June.
MTSU Photographic Services photos by Andy Heidt
Stop the presses! Online catalog is rolling out
After 100 years of an under-graduate catalog studentscould hold, flip through and
search for courses and other helpfulinformation, the dawn of a new cen-tury for MTSU means change for thehistoric catalog.
Just in time for CUSTOMS, theUniversity has rolled out the OnlineUndergraduate Catalog, which can befound at http://catalog.mtsu.edu.
The 2011-12 version has aCentennial flavor with a home-pageintroduction that includes an imageof the Class of 1925. It was created byMTSU Creative and Visual Services;images throughout the new onlinecatalog have been provided by theGore Center.
The introduction reads: “As wecelebrate our Centennial, MTSU intro-
duces an online catalog with search-able features. These include advancedsearch options to quickly find pro-grams, majors and courses; intuitivenavigation; and a personal portfolio—”My MT Catalog”—to store favorite
programs and courses.” The online version, which now is
prepared by the Office of theUniversity Provost, is the vision andcollaboration of Mitzi Brandon and
Sherian Huddleston with input froma transition team.
“It looks totally different,” saidBrandon. “For many years, it was pre-pared by Publication and Graphics”(now Creative and Visual Services).
Huddleston, who came out ofretirement to assist with the product,said they “created an MTSU onlinecatalog unique to MTSU out of a soft-ware template. It has a personality of
its own.“We’ve looked at ETSU (East
Tennessee State University),Tennessee Tech and UT-Knoxville, inaddition to several out-of-state insti-tutions, and they are all different,”she added.
The new online catalog, whichwill be published each spring,replaces the bound paper catalog,which had grown to 408 pages by the2009-11 volume. This catalog and fourothers dating to the 2001-03 volumeremain available in PDF format.
The 2010-12 Graduate Catalogalso is available in printed and PDFformat. It will be brought online asthe 2011-12 Graduate Catalog inAugust.
Brandon and Huddleston bothsaid they like a printed catalog, butboth noted that they can see theadvantages of an online catalog forprospective and current students aswell as advisers and faculty.
by Randy Weiler
A month of intensive research
Event dates, times and
locations may change after
press time. Please verify
specifics when making plans.
“MTSU Out of the Blue”
Cable Channel 9: Monday-Sunday, 7 a.m., 7:30 p.m.NewsChannel 5+ (Comcast 250):
Sundays, 1:30 p.m.Visit www.mtsunews.com for other airtimes orwww.youtube.com/user/MTSUOutoftheBlue for a completeshow archive.
“MTSU On the Record”
8 a.m. Sundays,WMOT 89.5-FMPodcasts availableanytime atwww.mtsunews.com.
Farmers Market Fridays
sponsored by the MTSU Plantand Soil Science Club
1-3 p.m., Horticulture Center
For information, visithttp://on.fb.me/MTGardens.
June 21-22, July 6-7, July 14-15,
July 19-20, July 22-23 and 27-28
CUSTOMS Orientation
For details, visitwww.mtsu.edu/customs.
Wednesday, June 29
Governor’s School for the Arts
Opera Finale
4 p.m., T. Earl Hinton Hall
Governor’s School for the Arts
Theatre Finale
7 p.m., Tucker TheatreFor information, visitwww.gsfta.com or contact:615-898-2223.
Thursday, June 30
Governor’s School for the Arts
Visual Art/Film Finale
5-9 p.m. display, SchermerhornSymphony Center, NashvilleFor information, visitwww.gsfta.com or contact:615-898-2223.
Governor’s School for the Arts
Dance/Music Finale
7 p.m., SchermerhornSymphony Center, NashvilleAdmission: Adults $25 and $35,children $12.50 and $17.50To buy tickets, visitwww.nashvillesymphony.org.
Monday, July 4
Independence Day Holiday
No classes; all offices closed.
Saturday, July 9
Alumni, Family and Friends
Day at Nashville Shores
Gates open 10 a.m.; lunch at noon
Nashville Shores, 4001 BellRoad, HermitageCost: $25 per person;
please pre-pay and RSVP byTuesday, July 5
For information, email [email protected] contact: 615-898-2922.
July 10-14
Create2011: Creativity in
Education Academy
College of Education BuildingFor information, watchwww.mtsunews.com.
Wednesday, July 13
Tornado Siren Test Date
11:15 a.m., campuswideFor information, contact: 615-898-2424.
Thursday, July 14
Retired Faculty/Staff Coffee
9:30 a.m., Foundation HouseFor information, contact: 615-898-2922.
Thursday, Aug. 11
Retired Faculty/Staff Coffee
9:30 a.m., Foundation HouseFor information, contact: 615-898-2922.
Saturday, Aug. 13
Summer 2011 Commencement
9 a.m., Murphy CenterFor information, visithttp://bit.ly/MTGradInfoor contact: 615-898-2600.
Campus CalendarJune 20-Aug. 13, 2011
Please note:
page 4 The Record June 20, 2011
TV Schedule
Radio Schedule
Fridays all summer
Through July
June 29
Through May 27
July 4
July 10
May 24
June 30
July 9
July 13
Aug. 11
July 14
Aug. 13
This is the final print editionof The Record, but theCampus Calendar will
remain active online atwww.mtsunews.com! Submit youritems anytime to [email protected],and they’ll appear on a regularlyupdated, searchable pagehotlinked from the MTSU Newshome page. We thank the MTSUcommunity for its great contribu-tions over the years; see you onthe Web at www.mtsunews.com!
We’ll still need your Campus Calendar items!
The Record June 20, 2011 page 5
wrote. “Teaching at the school I wasat just wasn’t what I thought it wouldbe. It didn’t feel real, tangible, true. Ispent the majority of my time understress, planning and researching andtrying to fit the mold that was inplace at the school. I just never feltcompletely at home there. Somethingwas off, and I couldn’t seem to figureout what it was.”
“After spending 10 weeks at VG(Victoria Girls’), observing and engag-ing the atmosphere, I am rejuvenat-ed,” she continued. “My passion forteaching is rekindled. Perhaps it is thelack of available resources that unitesthe students and staff; perhaps it is anoverall cultural attitude toward learn-ing new things; perhaps it is theopen-mindedness of the teachers; per-haps all three. Whatever the cause,my job here (South Africa) gave mewhat I had been lacking in the U.S.
“I really connected with the stu-dents in my classes, and, as a result, Iknew how to go about teaching themwhat they needed to know, and Icould sense when they understood ordidn’t understand or were extra-
interested or not interested at all. Ireally connected with the staff as well;on a professional level, I could seeeye-to-eye with many of them, and ona personal level, I feel like I willalways have a few friends at VG inGrahamstown, South Africa.
“… If the mission of the COSTprogram is to enhance understanding,to build character, to grow as an indi-vidual, a human being and a teacher,then, mission accomplished.”
Poirier said she believes the expe-rience has “changed (Baker’s) life for-ever. She will never see the worldagain through the same lens. Her per-spective of teaching and learning haschanged, and she will want to seekother opportunities to help build onthis wonderful experience that MTSUprovided her this semester. ”
The work provided a happy end-ing for Baker’s final year of college,who is from Chapmansboro, Tenn.Her father, Donald “Donnie” Baker,died in an August 2010 auto accident.The daughter of Angela Baker ofChapmansboro, Heather Baker saidshe is unsure of her future plans.
Overseas from page 1
consumers to the facility for product demonstrations. MTSU has usedproducts by Avaya—previously Lucent Technologies—since 1999 toserve the campus’ voice-communication needs.
“We will be able to get a first look at some of the emerging new tech-nologies that are out there in communications,” said Bruce Petryshak,vice president for MTSU’s Information Technology Division. “This willallow us to see brand-new technology, how it fits the needs of theUniversity and how we might use it. They’re bringing in and installingtheir newest equipment, and we’re upgrading our existing infrastructureso that we can interface with it.
“MTSU will have the opportunity to experiment with the latest collaboration-enabled technologies, even before they are beta-released,”Petryshak continued. “We will have the ability to experiment and per-haps write some code and see if we can do some customizing using ourfaculty and staff.”
Deborah Plante, senior systems engineer for Avaya, said the compa-ny has “taken the position of being more open-standard, which meansthat other products are compatible and adaptable. This is what everyoneis looking for. Our goal is to be able to show people what the productscan do for their business.
“With the collaborative effort here at MTSU, we’re installing ourproducts and allowing MTSU to use the products on campus. We haveapplications that can be created easily, where students can come in, becreative and get hands-on experience.”
Some of the cutting-edge technology in the lab will include touch-screen tablets with multimodal capabilities, including voice, video andinstant-message conferencing.
The drag-and-drop feature will allow the user to hold a video con-ference with one or two associates and bring additional colleagues intothe conversation by simply pulling them from the address book into thescreen’s “spotlight.” Participants will be able to drag a document intoscreen-share, interact, read and make changes in real-time, do whiteboarding,browse a website and perform other tasks.
“Video conferencing is expensive right now,” Plante said. “You have tohave a dedicated network and a dedicated room. It takes a long time to set up.Our new video products are meant to be technology that’s easy and quick touse. On the back end, it’s high-tech, but on the front end, it’s user-friendly.”
Plante said the lab will be a secured space, and individuals on- and off-campus will be asked to schedule appointments to use the equipment.
As soon as the other two or three universities in the region are on board asAvaya testing labs, Plante said, they and MTSU can use the communicationsequipment to interact with each other.
The MTSU campus community will be notified when the demonstrationlab is completely set up and ready for use. In the meantime, please watch thevideo at http://bit.ly/AvayaDemo, which provides an overview of the Avayaproducts and capabilities.
Telecomm from page 1
CHECKING THE SIGNAL—Avaya Systems Engineer Ted Combs demonstrates a touch-screen tablet for voice, video and instant-message conferencing, just one of the cutting-edgecommunications devices being tested at MTSU. A new lab will open for University use thisfall in the second-floor conference room of the Telecommunications Building.
MTSU Photographic Services photo by J. Intintoli
the other team members in Iraq, where he will stayfor 2 1⁄2 to three years. The Iraqi Kurds already plantsome wheat and barley with government subsidies,but they are dependent upon outsiders for almostall of the protein in their diet.
“Iraq, as a whole, imports about 250,000 metrictons of soy meal a year” for animal feed, Shewsays. “Northern Iraq, the Kurdish region, importsabout 88,000 metric tons of that. And they do so atwell over world-market value.”
Moreover, Shew points out, food security is amajor issue, since a great deal of the soy mealenters Iraq through hostile neighbors Turkey, Syriaand Iran—sort of an agricultural “axis of evil.”
External support, however, is not an issue.SALT’s assistants in this endeavor include theWorld Soy Foundation, the American SoybeanAssociation, the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture andthe VANO Group, a Kurdish poultry partnershipwith a vested interest in securing cheap, healthy
chicken feed.Shew and his bride, Natalie Bernardini Shew,
managed to squeeze in a weeklong honeymoon inNorth Carolina before embarking on the first greatadventure of their married life. She’s looking for-ward to it as much as he is: Natalie’s degree is ininternational relations, and her area of interest isteaching English as a second language.
Shew from page 1
WELL-DESERVED HOLIDAY—MTSU alumna Heather Baker rides in a boat head-ing for Seal Island near Cape Town, South Africa, during a brief vacation from herduties with the Consortium for Overseas Student Teaching program. Baker taughtconsumer studies and life orientation at Victoria Girls’ High School in Grahamstownbefore earning her bachelor’s degree from MTSU in May.
photo submitted
page 6 The Record June 20, 2011
Alumnus needs assistance after injury abroad
Friends and family of a criti-cally injured MTSU alum-nus are trying to raise
money to bring him back to theUnited States for medical treat-ment.
Wes Putman, who graduatedin 2008 with a bachelor’s degreein history, was in his secondplacement as an elementary-school teacher of English in Seoul,South Korea, when he was struckby a taxicab while crossing ahighway March 12.
According to his aunt,Melissa Brazier, Putman, 26, sus-tained brain-stem damage, anacute epidural hematoma and asubdural hemorrhage. Followingtwo surgeries, he has beendeemed stable enough to betransported.
While the taxi company’sinsurance firm has agreed to paypart of the costs of Putman’s care,his family remains burdened bythe expenses of flying back andforth to be with the Lawrenceburg,Tenn., native.
“God has been very good to usthroughout this ordeal, and for thatwe are thankful,” Brazier says. “Weshas friends all over the world who are
supporting him on a Wes PutmanFacebook account. It is amazing. He isa very special man.”
Putman’s brother, 23-year-oldCasey Putman, intended to take sum-mer classes at MTSU, but he putthose plans on hold following the
accident. Casey Putman is a juniormajoring in electronic media commu-nication.
Brazier says Wes Putman hasshown recent signs of progress. Shesays he is now considered to beawake, although that is a relative
term under the circumstances. Putman has responded with
“thumbs-up” answers to hismother’s questions. Brazier sayshis left eye has been open duringperiods of alertness since April,and his right eye is openingslightly.
“He seems very aware of vis-itors and his mom’s presence,”Brazier says. “He has tried tomanipulate his iPod when theyhand it to him. We are waiting onhis swallowing reflex to return sothey can remove the trachea tubebefore we know if he is able toactually talk.”
The family is still trying toselect an American rehabilitationfacility. The extent of transporta-tion expenses depends onwhether doctors will be able toremove the trachea tube beforehe travels.
“This will mean the differ-ence between a $50,000 to$60,000 commercial flight forWes, a doctor and a nurse, and a$134,000 air-ambulance flight,”Brazier says.
For more information or to obtainentry forms for the fundraisingevents, contact Melissa Brazier at 931-279-0230 or Dylan Brazier at 931-279-0231.
by Gina K. Logue
BETTER DAYS—MTSU alumnus Wes Putnam, shown at lower left, poses for a photo along-side a fishmonger’s stall in a marketplace in Seoul, South Korea, where he has been teachingEnglish to elementary-school children. Putnam was struck and critically injured by a taxi thisspring, and his family is trying to bring him home for treatment.
photo submitted
CAMP PRiSM RETURNS—Mitchell-Neilson Elementary fifth-, sixth- and seventh-grade students now have a new appreciation of math and science after their Camp PRiSMgroup visited MTSU June 7. In the photo above left, Diamond Minter, Sohaeb Ahmad, Tyler Erdman, Steven Hazelwood, Corey Harris and Angel Nunez watch as Rick Taylor,third from left, makes a small sign on a laser machine in the engineering technology machine shop. Taylor is an ET lab director. In the photo above right, students watch anddocument with cameras as Taylor demonstrates how to rotate a magnet through a fill coil to generate electricity. Shown facing the camera are, from left, Lizzie Yount, MatthewArrington and Hannah Crawford. Before having lunch in Keathley University Center, the youngsters learned about manufacturing and performed group projects with Drs.Kathy Mathis and Carol Boraiko and the principles of electricity and magnetism from Dr. Saleh Sbenaty. Camp PRiSM—Practices in Science and Math—is a science, math andtechnology collaboration between MTSU and the Murfreesboro City Schools system.
photos by News and Media Relations
From every angle
The Record June 20, 2011 page 7
UMath is teaching teachers
Co-directors Drs. DovieKimmins and Mary B. Martinonce again are helping to
ensure that UMath concepts add upfor elementary-school teachers acrossTennessee.
For three weeks, they and otherinstructors are investing time plant-ing UMath seeds in middleTennessee. June 6-10 saw them atMTSU in the Tom H. JacksonBuilding’s Cantrell Hall; the groupthen worked in Chattanooga June 13-17 and was heading to Clarksville forthe June 20-24 session.
Sixty-two math teachers in thirdthrough fifth grades are gaining new
techniques they can carry back totheir classrooms, Kimmins said.
Dr. Jeremy Winters of MTSU andAustin Peay State University mathprofessors Mary Lou Witherspoon,Andy Wilson and Jackie Vogel arebeing joined by master teachersKathryn Dillard and James andTammy Parsons of Metro NashvillePublic Schools to bring their expert-ise to the venues.
All of the participants will gatherJuly 14-15 at Fall Creek Falls StatePark for an additional workshop.They also will meet once inSeptember and once in November,Kimmins said.
UMath is a math-science partner-ship grant from the TennesseeDepartment of Education.
from Staff Reports
The Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp returns to MTSU July 25-29 witha lineup of independent rock artists to instruct and inspire buddingyoung musicians.
The campers will show off their skills ina Camper Showcase slated for 7 p.m.Saturday, July 30, at Siegel High School,located at 3300 Siegel Road inMurfreesboro.
The summer day camp for girls ages 10to 17 in the University’s Wright Music Hallstrives to create a safe, positive culture ofcollaboration and self-esteem wherecampers can express themselves, becomeempowered and rock out.
Campers will attend workshops andreceive instruction in guitar, vocals, key-boards, bass, electronic music, songwriting,drums, recording, screenprinting, musicherstory, photography, zine-making and do-it-yourself arts and crafts.
Musicians who are slated to share theirknowledge with the girls include The Ettes,
Natalie Prass, Yumi and the System, Youth Speaks Nashville andPennyhawk, along with a solo performance by drummer Leslie Hall.
All tickets to the July 30 Camper Showcase are $10 general admission.Children under 8 years old will be admitted free. Doors will open at 6 p.m.
Items to be raffled at the showcase to raise money for SGRRC includevintage guitars from the Gretsch Foundation, an overnight stay and dinner
for two at Loews Vanderbilt Hotel inNashville, a Daisy Rock electric guitar, VIPpasses to the Next Big Nashville MusicFestival and exclusive merchandise fromindie record labels Third Man Records andInfinity Cat.
To register for the camp or for moreinformation, go to http://sgrrc.com.
The Southern Girls Rock & Roll Campis a program of Youth Empowermentthrough Arts and Humanities, aMurfreesboro-based 501(c)3 nonprofitorganization that uses involvement andhands-on approaches to inspire young peo-ple to grow as individuals, artists and com-munity leaders.
For more information about YEAH!, goto www.yeahintheboro.org, call 615-849-8140or send an email to [email protected].
‘R&R’ stands for rock ‘n’ roll at annual Girls’ Camp
Along with their MTSU facultymentors, 20 McNair ScholarsProgram participants recently
embarked on their summer research.Their research will cover 18 dif-
ferent areas of concentration fromathletic training to religion to vocalperformance.
At the annual “Blast Off” recep-tion on June 7 to introduce many ofthe students and their mentors, pro-gram director Dr. Diane Miller,Assistant Director Steve Saunders andfeatured speaker Dr. John Omachonusaid they were quite impressed by thestudents’ research topics.
Saunders, who was interim direc-tor while Miller served in otheradministrative roles on campus, said“Wow!” to a number of the topics.
Omachonu, who will become vice
provost for academic affairs July 1,said he was “blown away” by theMcNair students’ topics.
“I thought I was listening to doc-toral students preparing their thesis,”said the former associate dean ofmass communication.
While sharing some of his ownhistory as an international student atU.S. universities, Omachonu told theMcNair Scholars, “You have opportu-nities many of us did not have,” andurged them to prepare for graduateschool.
“Perseverance is very critical,” hetold the students. “Stay strong, andstay in faith, if you are a believer.”
Omachonu also congratulatedthe mentors for their hard work, not-ing with a smile that they are “oftennot paid well for it.”
Miller, too, offered “deep appreci-ation for all faculty members who areinvolved with students’ research.”
Miller acknowledged the efforts
of Cindy Howell, McNair Programsecretary, and introduced graduateassistant Johnathan Gilliam, who willhelp this summer.
The program is named for RonaldE. McNair, a NASA astronaut whodied in the Challenger shuttle in 1986.
The scholars, their majors andmentors include:
• Enitan Aladejana, economicsand accounting major, mentored byDr. Mamit Deme;
• Matt Bennett, psychology andsociology, Dr. Brian Hinote;
• Kaylei Branch, psychologymajor, mentored by Dr. Paul Foster;
• Mathew Elder, managementand dance, Professor Kim Nofsinger;
• Matt Foriest, history major,mentored by Dr. Mary Evins;
• Lindsay Gates, history, men-tored by Dr. Mark Doyle;
• Matt Hampton, economicsmajor, mentored by Dr. Ellis Eff;
• Jenae Matikke, social work, Dr.
Margaret Fontanesi-Seime;• John Meese, Spanish and
economics, Dr. Stuart Fowler;• Petra Morkel, history, mentored
by Dr. Kristine McCusker;• Eric Pegues, political science,
mentored by Dr. Sekou Franklin;• Brandy Potter, anthropology
and German, Dr. Richard Pace;• Carole Presley, vocal perform-
ance, Professor Dina Cancryn;• Erica Simmons, vocal perform-
ance, mentored by Cancryn;• Paige Stubbs, mathematics
major, Dr. Michaele Chappell;• Jamie Sutton, philosophy and
religion, mentored by Dr. Jack Purcell;• Laurence Tumpag, social-work
major, mentored by Dr. Jackie Eller;• Ana Valenzuela, history, Dr.
Robert Hunt;• Melody Vaughn, studio art,
mentored by Dr. Erin Anfinson; and• Danielle Whitlow, athletic train-
ing, Dr. Thomas Brinthaupt.
McNair Scholars embark on unique summer research
by Gina K. Logue
by Randy Weiler
ANOTHER WAY TO LEARN—UMath instructor James Parsons, who teaches at MeigsMagnate School in Nashville, uses an iPad to emphasize a point during a lesson in theTom Jackson Building on the MTSU campus. Sixty-two Tennessee elementary-schoolteachers are participating in UMath, a three-week math-teaching workshop.
photo by News and Media Relations
page 8 The Record June 20, 2011
Events Around Campus
UR068-0611
Tom TozerDirector, News and Media Relations
Editor: Gina E. Fann, [email protected]
Contributors: Gina K. Logue, Paula Morton,Randy Weiler, Kelly Ford and SusanNogues.
Photos: MTSU Photographic Services,except where noted.
Printed by Franklin Web Printing Co.
Phone: 615-898-2919 Website: www.mtsunews.com
MTSU’s Office of News and MediaRelations publishes The Recordevery two weeks and distributes3,500 copies free to faculty, staff,friends and media outlets.
Address all correspondence to:
The RecordOffice of News and Media RelationsTom H. Jackson BuildingMTSU P.O. Box 721301 E. Main St.Murfreesboro, Tenn. 37132
MTSU, a Tennessee Board of RegentsInstitution, is an equal opportunity,non-racially identifiable, educationalinstitution that does not discriminateagainst individuals with disabilities.
Sgt. Ron Duncan (music) of theIndiana National Guard’s 38thInfantry Division Band performed“Taps” for the Indianapolis 500Memorial Service at Fountain Squarein downtown Indianapolis, Ind., onMay 27 and at the opening cere-monies of the 100th running of theIndy 500 on May 29. Duncan is a 2000graduate of MTSU and was a gradu-ate teaching assistant with the “Bandof Blue” from 1997 to 1999. He is nowband director for the Milton-Union(Ind.) Exempted Village Schools.
Professor Douglas Crenshaw(English), 78, passed away on May27. He was employed with MTSUfrom September 1966 until his retire-ment in July 1993. The son of ArchieWoodard Crenshaw and GraceCrenshaw of Dyer, Tenn., ProfessorCrenshaw was preceded in death byhis wife, Dortha Crenshaw. He was aveteran of the U.S. Army and taughtat MTSU for 27 years, specializing inOld English, Chaucer and literature.He is survived by a son, BenjaminCrenshaw, and his wife, LisaCrenshaw, of Bowling Green, Ky.; abrother, Archie Crenshaw, and hiswife, Geneele Crenshaw, of Athens,Ga.; and two very special grand-daughters, Caitlyn Crenshaw and
Rachael Crenshaw.
Professor Wera Dross Howard(foreign languages), 85, passed awayon May 28. She was employed byMTSU from September 1969 until herretirement in April 1986. Followingher retirement, she traveled the worldwith her husband and volunteeredwith organizations such as Hospiceand Meals on Wheels. ProfessorHoward was preceded in death byher husband of 42 years, PhilHoward. She is survived by her son,Frank Howard of Annapolis, Md.; herdaughter, Barbara Arnold, andBarbara’s husband, Bill; and four ter-rific grandchildren, Francesca, Olivia,Julia and William. Memorials may bemade to charitable organizations ofthe giver’s preference or to theMultiple Myeloma ResearchFoundation, 383 Main Avenue, FifthFloor, Norwalk, Conn., 06851, or theSouthern Poverty Law Center.
(Editor’s note: Please see the onlineedition of The Record for the press-timeobituary of Dr. Robert E. Corlew.)
Dr. Maria Revell (nursing) hasbeen appointed associate director forthe traditional Bachelor of Science inNursing program at MTSU. AnMTSU faculty member since 2000,Revell previously taught at the
University of Alabama at Huntsvilleand University of Tennessee atChattanooga. Before teaching, Revellwas a critical-care nurse.
Dr. Edd Applegate (journalism,retired) has written Journalism in theUnited States: Concepts and Issues,recently published by The ScarecrowPress, a subsidiary of The Rowman &Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.Applegate also revised his chapter,“The Development of Advertising,1700-1900,” which was recently pub-lished in the eighth edition of TheMedia in America: A History, edited byWilliam David Sloan.
Faculty/Staff Update
Honors
Passages
Publications
Personnel Changes
Governor’s pen opens lottery funds for summer school
Gov. Bill Haslam signed theTennessee Education LotteryScholarship Bill at MTSU on
June 8, a measure that will allow col-lege students across the state to uselottery-scholarship funds to enroll insummer school next year.
The signing took place inMTSU’s new Education Building.Those scholarship funds previouslywere earmarked for use only duringthe regular academic year.
“This is a big day for educationin Tennessee,” Haslam announced toan overflow audience that included alarge group of students. “There wereonly four or five items on the legisla-tive agenda that we were going tofocus on, and this was one of them.… Last year when the CompleteCollege Act was passed, it encour-aged students to be about the busi-ness of graduating. It’s importantthat we align our goals with howwe’re rewarding people.
“I had a chance to talk to severalstudents this morning, and everyone of them said, ‘I go to summerschool. I have to go to summer schoolif I want to finish on time. I have tohave Hope Scholarship money to doit.’ These students were from all overthe state with different majors, andthey all shared some things in com-mon. All of them had to borrowmoney to go to school, and they wereall Hope Lottery Scholarship users
who wanted to use it for the summer.And every one of them was workingat least one other job,” the governoradded.
Under the new law, lottery-scholarship funds will be available forqualified Tennessee recipients whobegan their post-high-school educa-tion in fall 2009 or later and who wishto enroll in summer college courses
beginning in 2012. “This new bill will be a step in
the right direction, because it encour-ages students to move at a faster pacetoward graduation,” said MTSUPresident Sidney A. McPhee. “Thislegislation also supports the goals ofthe Tennessee Complete College Actof 2010 and is one of the first of manyactions taken by the governor and the
general assembly in supporting edu-cation in this state.
“Research shows that studentswho participate in summer-schoolprograms will graduate at a signifi-cantly higher rate than those who donot attend summer school,” McPheecontinued. “That’s what we’re allabout: student success, higher gradu-ation rates and our production of aprepared workforce that will bringjobs to the state.”
Both Haslam and McPheethanked state Rep. Jim Coley ofBartlett and Sen. Jim Tracy ofShelbyville, co-sponsors of the legis-lation, as well as state Reps. RichardMontgomery of Sevierville and JoeyHensley of Hohenwald, HouseEducation Committee chair and vicechair, respectively, for their longhours of work and commitment toeducation in Tennessee.
“Several years ago, my col-leagues and I applauded the effortsof the Hope Scholarship,” Coleynoted. “This year we passed legisla-tion that opens yet another door forstudents. I was delighted to be a co-sponsor of this bill with Sen. JimTracy.”
“This is something that many ofus have been working on for at leastsix years,” added Tracy. “This willgive more students the opportunity touse the Hope Scholarship. I’m veryexcited.”
To watch a brief high-definitionvideo of the ceremony, check out thevideo on MTSU’s Facebook page athttp://on.fb.me/iZwNtV.
by Tom Tozer
MAKING IT OFFICIAL—Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, seated, signs legislation toinclude lottery-scholarship coverage for summer-school classes during a special June 8ceremony in MTSU's new Education Building. Standing behind Haslam are, from left,State Rep. Jim Coley, MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee, Reps. Richard Montgomeryand Joey Hensley, Sen. Jim Tracy and Rep. Joe Carr.
MTSU Photographic Services photo by Andy Heidt
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