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Kris Thomas says ‘Voice’ adventure ‘only the beginning’

May 22, 2013 By

MTSU alumnus Kris Thomas is already assuring fans that the end of his reality-show adventure on NBC’s “The Voice” is nowhere near the end of his musical career.

Viewers sent Thomas home Tuesday night after an eight-week run on the vocal competition that saw the Memphis native repeatedly praised for his “incredible” vocal performances and called “one of the good guys.”

MTSU alumnus Kris Thomas listens carefully to the judges’ commnents after his May 20 live performance on NBC’s “The Voice.” (photos courtesy of NBC.com)

“I knew going into the competition (that) I would be the underdog, being that R&B isn’t as big as pop and country, but I held my own and I am proud,” the 2008 MTSU psychology grad tweeted early today at @kristhomasmusik.

“This is only the beginning, TRUST me.”

He added that he “can’t wait to get back in the studio and record and drop new music!” and told supporters to “be on the lookout for more things to come.”

Thomas had noted that he was the only male R&B performer left in the show’s top 10. Fellow Memphis resident Sarah Simmons remains in the top eight.

Thomas was excited to get advice from former “Voice” coach Cee Lo Green to prepare for his third live solo performance Monday night, tackling Grammy winner Miguel’s “Adorn.”

“It’s awesome to have Cee Lo, who is a ladies’ man himself, show me how to become charismatic,” Thomas joked while rehearsing, admitting he wasn’t quite comfortable with the seductive, upbeat number because “he’s sweet-talking the lady and it’s the opposite of what I’m going through.”

“Find you somebody in the audience to sing it to,” Green advised. “That’s that swagger you’re gonna need.”

Unfortunately, Thomas ran into gentle criticism from some of the judges, citing that same discomfort.

“I wanna feel you thinking less,” Maroon 5 frontman/coach Adam Levine told Thomas. “Throw it away and have fun. Open up more and get more comfortable.”

“You were thinking a lot,” echoed singer/producer/judge Usher. “You could have chosen a better song, definitely, but I do feel it was 100 percent a great attempt. … You are an incredible vocalist, man. Your voice is crazy.”

Thomas’ coach and mentor, singer-songwriter/judge Shakira, seemed to take offense at her fellow judges’ comments, diving into a minute-long defense of Thomas that led Usher and Levine to jokingly run behind their chairs.

“He showed us everything he’s capable of doing with his voice,” she said. “Yeah, he might be a little bit nervous, but hey, give him a break, he’s new at this.

“The important thing about this show is that we’re all discovering the talent that’s here in America, not like who’s got the strongest personality to not feel nerves at all. Kris, you have a sound that sets you apart from everyone in this competition.”

Thomas also performed the Pretenders’ classic “I’ll Stand by You” live on Tuesday’s show with Shakira and teammate Sasha Allen.

Kris Thomas sings “I’ll Stand by You” Tuesday night as his coach, Shakira, listens approvingly.

When the viewers’ decision was announced and Thomas was the second singer ousted, Shakira became visibly upset. Thomas, however, hugged his fellow competitors with smiles all around. He and the other members of “The Voice’s” top 10 are set to appear on the Oprah Winfrey Network on June 2.

“Just want to say thank you to ALL of you that voted and supported me!” Thomas tweeted. “Out of over 50,000 people that auditioned for the show, I made it to the top 10, and it’s because of God and you guys voting.”

Thomas made his reality-show debut March 25 during “The Voice’s” initial “blind auditions,” when the judges could only hear, not see, the contestants.

Shakira chose Thomas to mentor on her team before he could sing the chorus of the R&B classic “Saving All My Love for You.” The other judges expressed surprise at seeing a man at the microphone because of Thomas’ pitch-perfect high tenor vocals on the Whitney Houston classic.

Thomas, 27, minored in industrial and organizational psychology and management at MTSU and performed in talent showcases during his school years. A piano player since age 5, his musical foundation came from singing in his father’s church.

He began work on an MBA degree at MTSU but decided that music was his true goal. He landed a brief record development deal, cutting a debut single and working with country superstar Pam Tillis on “Two Kings,” a tribute to Elvis Presley and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Thomas told Shakira during a “Voice” rehearsal that after that recording deal fell through, he “was about to join the Navy, but something wouldn’t let me sign.… Literally two weeks later, the show called.”

You can watch all Thomas’ performances on “The Voice” at NBC.com.

Thomas’ page at NBC is available here and features videos from all his performances. You also can learn more about him at his website, http://kristhomasmusik.com.

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Buchanan estate gives $2.5M, Nobel medal to MTSU (w/video)

May 9, 2013 By

A $2.5 million bequest from the estate of economist James M. Buchanan to the MTSU Honors College was announced today in special ceremonies outside the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building.

Buchanan’s nephew Jeff Whorley of Indianapolis, Ind., made the formal announcement to MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee, Honors College Dean John Vile, guests, the campus community and alumni and friends of the university.

Jeff Whorley glances at a photo of his late uncle, Nobel laureate and MTSU alumnus James M. Buchanan, today during a special celebration of Buchanan’s life outside the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building. (MTSU photo by J. Intintoli)

The gift announcement came near the end of the celebration of life held for Buchanan (1919-2013), a Rutherford County native, 1940 graduate from Middle Tennessee State Teachers College, World War II veteran and 1986 recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.

Buchanan died Jan. 9 in Blacksburg, Va., at the age of 93.

Later, in the lobby of the James E. Walker Library, Whorley presented the Nobel Prize and his uncle’s Bronze Star to McPhee and the university. Both will be on loan from the family.

“Jim Buchanan did have very close relationships with several institutions of higher learning,” said Whorley, a retired businessman, adding that the list included UCLA, Florida State, University of Tennessee, University of Chicago, Virginia Tech, University of Virginia and George Mason University.

“But in the end, MTSU had a truly special place in Jim Buchanan’s heart and mind.”

Whorley added that he was pleased to announce that on May 6, MTSU received a check for $2.5 million from Buchanan’s estate.

“As the executor said to me, ‘He (Buchanan) decided that once all the smaller gifts are made and the taxes are paid, he wanted everything that was left to go to the Honors College at MTSU,’” Whorley explained.

A stridently independent thinker, Buchanan earned the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his development of Public Choice theory, which brings the tools of economic analysis to the study of public decision-making.

Buchanan is the only MTSU alumnus to receive a Nobel Prize.

“As we’ve said many times here on our campus, MTSU is a very large family and I especially appreciate your recognition of some of the people who helped make sure MTSU always felt like home to Dr. James Buchanan,” McPhee said.

“I have no doubt that it was this sense of home and his lifelong connection to his alma mater that helped influence this wonderful bequest to our campus and our Honors College.”

The Buchanan gift is the largest donation so far to MTSU’s respected Honors College. In 2002, brothers Lee and Paul Martin Jr. gave $2 million to the university to help construct the building that bears their late father’s name. They attended today’s event, too, along with Lee’s wife, Carla. (Watch a video from the event below.)

 

 

“While Jim Buchanan’s gift to the Honors College is the largest from a single individual, I believe the Martin brothers’ gift — which came at a crucial time over a decade ago — was the most impactful gift,” Whorley said.

The Martin gift, which inspired a number of donors to help the university raise $2 million in matching funds, led to the building that’s home to the honors program.

Buchanan was a significant financial supporter of the Honors College for many years, and his contributions funded the Buchanan Fellows program, the highest scholarship offered by the university to attract superior scholars from across the country.

MTSU senior Kelsey Wells, a fiddle player who provided special music during today’s celebration, is a Buchanan Fellow.

“Over the past several years, Dr. Buchanan has been one of our most generous and consistent givers,” Honors Dean John Vile said. “The money will be used chiefly to enhance the Buchanan Fellowship Program and a speakers’ series.”

In addition to praising the Martins, Whorley said he couldn’t say enough about the efforts by Vile and former Dean Phil Mathis, who shared McPhee’s vision in taking the Honors College to its current level of excellence and providing “an enriching relationship” with Buchanan.

“I noticed over the last decade, especially in the last six or seven years, when Uncle Buck thought or talked about Tennessee, when he thought about home, he most often thought about this university and what is happening here,” Whorley said.

“In his later years, he thought a great deal about what was happening with Buchanan Fellows and other outstanding students in that building, the Honors College. He took real, personal pride in his association with it.”

McPhee said MTSU and George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., will “explore a potential partnership” — being called “The Buchanan Papers Project, a Collection of the Papers of James M. Buchanan” — that will “create an exceptionally accessible and complete record of Dr. Buchanan’s work.”

Part of the bequest will be used to establish the “James M. Buchanan Lecture Series: Applying the Ideas of James Buchanan in Today’s World,” McPhee said.

The lecture series will end on Buchanan’s 100th birthday in 2019, Oct. 3. The university then intends to make printed and video versions of the lectures available as part of the Buchanan Papers.

McPhee added that starting with this December’s graduation, Buchanan Fellows who have successfully completed requirements for the Honors College will receive The Buchanan Medallion. The medallion will be cast in bronze, like the Bronze Star earned by Buchanan for his World War II service in World War II, with his likeness on the front and with ribbon in Raider blue.

Whorley, founder and president of JFW Consulting and an Honors College Board of Visitors member and past chairman, has enjoyed a successful career as an administrator in higher education’s student-loan process. He is a former president of Student Aid Services, former executive at Sallie Mae and former senior vice president at USA Group, now USA Funds.

Whorley said there “probably will be additional funds coming to MTSU once the (estate’s) books are closed one to two years from now.”

Other memorabilia related to Buchanan and his grandfather, Rutherford County’s only governor, John Price Buchanan, will be coming to MTSU for display in the Buchanan Reading Room at the Walker Library.

Whorley and his wife, Lisa, funded the Buchanan Reading Room with matching gifts from The Sallie Mae Fund, a charitable organization sponsored by the student-loan corporation, during the years that Whorley served as an executive vice president at Sallie Mae.

The Whorleys’ son, Haynes, and daughter, Phifer, also attended the celebration.

MTSU alumna Elizabeth “Liz” Bradley, Buchanan’s youngest sister and former principal at Homer Pittard Campus School, was presented with a U.S. flag at today’s event.

Dr. Barbara Haskew, professor emerita in economics and finance in the Jennings A. Jones College of Business and former university provost who now serves on the Tennessee Valley Authority board, was invited to share her remembrances of Buchanan.

Dr. Reuben Kyle, professor emeritus in economics and finance and author of “From Nashboro to the Nobel Prize: The Buchanans of Tennessee,” provided remarks before Whorley’s presentation of the medal.

Joe Bales, vice president for development and university relations at MTSU, said details are being worked out for the eventual public display of the Nobel Prize.

You can learn more about Buchanan and the fellowship program that bears his name in the University Honors College here.

— Randy Weiler (randy.weiler@mtsu.edu)

 

James M. Buchanan, left, accepts the 1986 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. (photo submitted)

Dr. James M. Buchanan, left, accepts the 1986 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. (photo submitted)

Dr. James M. Buchanan holds his 1986 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics and Science while visiting MTSU in February 1988. He received the honor “for his development of the contractual and constitutional bases for the theory of economic and political decision-making.” He is the only MTSU alumnus to be awarded a Nobel Prize. (MTSU file photo)

Nobel economics laureate and MTSU alumnus Dr. James Buchanan speaks to MTSU graduates at the May 2000 commencement ceremony. (MTSU file photo)

Nobel economics laureate and MTSU alumnus Dr. James Buchanan speaks to MTSU graduates at the May 2000 commencement ceremony. (MTSU file photo)

Nobel laureate Dr. James M. Buchanan, third from right, joins the celebration of the inaugural class of the Buchanan Fellows in this October 2007 file photo. Family members Jeff Whorley and Liz Bradley are standing to the left of McPhee. (MTSU file photo)

MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee adjusts the late James M. Buchanan’s Bronze Star from his World War II service alongside his medal for the 1986 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in a temporary display at the James E. Walker Library today. Looking on are Buchanan’s niece-in-law Lisa Whorley, younger sister Liz Bradley and MTSU Honors College Dean John Vile. (MTSU photo by J. Intintoli)

 

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‘Zebras and Cheetahs’ invade ‘MTSU On the Record’

May 6, 2013 By

The next edition of “MTSU On the Record” will profile the types of “animals” that are best equipped to survive in a precarious economic climate.

Host Gina Logue interviewed the co-authors of the book “Zebras and Cheetahs: Look Different and Stay Agile to Survive in the Business Jungle.”

Dr. Colby Jubenville

Micheal Burt

Dr. Colby Jubenville is a professor in MTSU’s Department of Health and Human Performance, and Coach Micheal J. Burt, an MTSU alumnus, is an entrepreneur and author of nine books on leadership and success.

The show will air from 8 to 8:30 a.m. Sunday, May 12, on WMOT- FM (89.5 and www.wmot.org).

According the website for the book, www.zebrasandcheetahs.com, Jubenville and Burt’s model for business improvement “allows leadership to define roles so that everyone understands where they fit, offers the highest value of everyone’s time toward a dominant aspiration and focus, increases accountability, tracks and measures success and drastically enhances the energy of your tribe in exciting ways.”

To listen to previous “MTSU On the Record” programs, go to the “Audio Clips” archives here and here.

For more information about “MTSU On the Record,” contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.

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MTSU honors donors at 1911 Society luncheon (w/video)

April 25, 2013 By

MTSU held the inaugural 1911 Society luncheon recently to recognize those community members who have made financial commitments to the university for the long term.

The group, named in honor of MTSU’s founding year, celebrates individuals and families who have created gifts to the university through their estate plans.

Also honored at the April 19 event were members of the Signal Society, which honors annual donors who have supported the university in 20 or more years. The group is named for Middle Tennessee Normal School’s first newspaper/magazine, The Signal, which was originally published in 1912.

Bill Mooningham, president of the MTSU Foundation, gives remarks at the inaugural 1911 Society luncheon on April 19 inside the Tom Jackson Building.

Bill Mooningham, president of the MTSU Foundation, gives remarks at the inaugural 1911 Society luncheon on April 19 inside the Tom Jackson Building.

Signal Society members honored at the recent luncheon inside the Tom Jackson Building were those members who have donated for at least 40 years.

Attending the luncheon were 24 members of the 1911 Society and 17 Signal Society members.

“We’re here to honor you,” said President Sidney A. McPhee. “‘Thank you’ is inadequate. But we will try to express our gratitude to you.

“It’s humbling to me to see and to experience and to recognize that so many of you care so deeply about our university … that you have made us part of your long-term estate plans.”

McPhee noted that earlier in the day, the university celebrated the transfer of ownership of property on Bell Street from Middle Tennessee Medical Center to the university. The purchase of that property for $11.1 million was made possible in large part because of a donation from an alumnus.

Don Witherspoon, co-chair of the Centennial Campaign and 1911 Society member, updated the crowd on the campaign’s goal of raising $80 million. The Centennial Campaign, announced a year ago, is the largest such effort in the university’s history.

Witherspoon said the campaign already has reached the $62 million mark, with several other projects in the works to get closer to the $80 million goal. He noted that 16,000 donors have made contributions to the campaign so far.

MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee presents donor Pamela Zimmerman, left, with a framed rendering of Kirksey Old Main at the inaugural 1911 Society luncheon on April 19 at the Tom Jackson Building.

MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee presents donor Pamela Zimmerman, left, with a framed rendering of Kirksey Old Main at the inaugural 1911 Society luncheon on April 19 at the Tom Jackson Building.

Among them are he and wife Hannah, longtime supporters who met on the MTSU campus.

“We think it was one of the most important decisions of our lives to come here, and now we have the opportunity with you to help other people realize their dreams and achieve their goals through our support of MTSU,” he said.

He reminded the crowd that the campaign had four distinct goals: maintaining a strong student population with scholarships, fellowships, travel abroad opportunities and research grants; ensuring the “highest quality” faculty and staff; improving the physical plant of the campus; and increasing the competitive level of the athletic program.

Music student William T. Duke, a recipient of the Linse Bock Scholarship, thanked the crowd for their contributions, which help students like him pursue their undergraduate and graduate degrees without having to take on even more student loan debt.Print

“What really helps me out is that this scholarship … is not only paying for my undergraduate (classes), but that money is also going toward my graduate school, which is required of a vocal performance major like me if I want to have a job.”

The Murfreesboro native, a sophomore vocal performance major, said the scholarship allows him to focus on his studies more because he could work a part-time job and still pay for school, unlike some of his friends who had to take on full-time jobs.

“Your support means a lot for people like me and for so many of my peers,” he said.

In presenting the day’s awards, Joe Bales, vice president for development and university relations, noted: “We are extremely grateful for the tremendous support provided by our 1911 Society and Signal Society donors. Their contributions have established a legacy of lifetime support that will ensure the continued prosperity of the university.”

Members of the 1911 Society receive a framed rendering of Kirksey Old Main, one of the original buildings on campus, while Signal Society donors are presented with an engraved medallion reflecting their years of support.

For more information about making donations, go to www.mtsu.edu/development and choose from the selection of tabs about giving on the left.

— Jimmy Hart (jimmy.hart@mtsu.edu)

MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee presents longtime donor and alumna Dr. Liz Rhea, left, with a framed rendering of Kirksey Old Main at the inaugural 1911 Society luncheon on April 19 at the Tom Jackson Building. (MTSU photos by Andy Heidt)

MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee presents longtime donor and alumna Dr. Liz Rhea, left, with a framed rendering of Kirksey Old Main at the inaugural 1911 Society luncheon on April 19 at the Tom Jackson Building. (MTSU photos by Andy Heidt)

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Accounting Alumni Appreciation Day planned May 2

April 18, 2013 By

You still have time to register for the upcoming Accounting Alumni Appreciation Day at Middle Tennessee State University.

The 22nd annual event will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 4:50 p.m. Thursday, May 2, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business and Aerospace Building.

The event is targeted to those interested in accounting, taxation and computer training.

Dept of Accounting logo webThe fee will be $100 each for MTSU alumni and $150 for all others; the fee includes lunch. Net proceeds will be earmarked for accounting scholarships.

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

Dr. James Burton, outgoing dean of the Jennings A. Jones College of Business, and Dr. Robert “Smitty” Smith, chair of the Department of Accounting, will open the conference and introduce the first speaker: Scott Augenbaum, supervisory special agent for the FBI Cyber Crime Squad, who will speak on “Cyber Security: A Significant Business Risk.”

During the afternoon general session, Dr. Stan Clark, MTSU associate professor of accounting, will discuss “Current Issues in Revenue Recognition.” David Haddock, director of training for Nashville-headquartered accounting and financial services giant LBMC, will end the conference with a session on “TN State-Specific Ethics.”

Breakout sessions and leaders will include:

  • “Advanced Excel and Microsoft Access” with Dr. Tammy Bahmanziari, MTSU assistant professor.
  • “Current Issues in Managerial Accounting,” Dr. Jeannie Harrington, MTSU associate professor.
  • “Common Mistakes in Problem Solving” with Dr. Becky Heath, MTSU associate professor.
  • “Business Law Watch: An Update on Business Litigation in Tennessee,” Dr. Lara Daniel, MTSU professor.
  • “Issues in Taxation” with Dr. Tim Koski, MTSU professor.
  • “Audit Update,” MTSU instructor Bill Mooningham.
  • “Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB) Update,” with accounting department chair Smith.
  • “Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Update” with Dr. Paula Thomas, MTSU professor.
  • Facilitator/Student Presentations led by Dr. Terry Ward, MTSU professor.

You can view the full schedule at http://tinyurl.com/MTAccountingAlumni2013.

Seating is limited, so participants should register early at http://tinyurl.com/MTAcctgAlumReg2013.

For more information, call the MTSU Department of Accounting at 615-898-5306 or visit www.mtsu.edu/accounting/appreciation_day.php.

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Spring into Middle during 2013 Alumni Weekend

April 15, 2013 By

Get ready for a full weekend of MTSU activities and Blue Raider fun.

The second Spring into Middle Alumni Weekend will be held this Friday through Sunday, April 19-21, at venues both on and off campus.

MTSU Alumni Relations assistant director Paul Wydra holds a copy of the Spring into Middle schedule of events that will be held Friday through Sunday, April 19-21, at on- and off-campus venues. The event schedules, which also feature a campus map on the other side, will be available for attendees. (Photo by MTSU News and Media Relations)

MTSU Alumni Relations assistant director Paul Wydra holds a copy of the Spring into Middle schedule of events that will be held Friday through Sunday, April 19-21, at on- and off-campus venues. The event schedules, which also feature a campus map on the other side, will be available for attendees. (Photo by MTSU News and Media Relations)

There are activities, many of them free, for alumni, friends and families. For a complete list of Alumni Spring Weekend events, please visit www.mtalumni.com or click on the graphic at bottom right. A printable campus map is available online at http://tinyurl.com/MTParkingMap12-13.

People can attend open houses, sporting events, music performances, take tours, use a special pass to utilize the Campus Recreation Center and much more.

“Alumni Weekend allows us to offer a variety of activities drawing alumni and friends of the university back to campus to re-experience MTSU and reacquaint them with events that take place each year,” said Paul Wydra, Alumni Relations assistant director and event coordinator.

Highlights include:

• attending a 75th anniversary reunion of Student Government Association past presidents. It will be held from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Friday in the Student Union Building’s third-floor Parliamentarian Room;

• participating in Alumni Night at the Discovery Center at Murfree Spring, which will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Friday at the facility located at 502 S.E. Broad St. in Murfreesboro. RSVP by email to alumni@mtsu.edu;

• partaking in the Alumni Spring Weekend Lunch, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday in the Kennon Sports Hall of Fame (reservations required and can be made online);

• viewing the aerospace department’s Flight Operations Center (9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday) at Murfreesboro Airport, 1930 Memorial Blvd., and Air Traffic Control Technology and Focus labs (1 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday) in the Business and Aerospace Building. RSVP by email to alumni@mtsu.edu;

• seeing the College of Behavioral and Health Science underwater treadmill from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday in Alumni Memorial Gym. (RSVP to bea.perdue@mtsu.edu or call 615-898-2417);

• attending the Blue Raider spring football game that starts at 1 p.m. in Floyd Stadium;

Click on the graphic above to find a complete schedule of events.

• using a 20 percent off coupon to make purchases in Phillips Bookstore 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. (Bookstore coupons and Campus Rec Center passes will be available Friday at the Alumni House on Middle Tennessee Boulevard and at Alumni Spring Weekend registration from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday at the Kennon Hall of Fame near Murphy Center and Floyd Stadium; and

• hearing the Nashville Chamber Singers (3 p.m.), Kayla Allsop’s junior vocal recital (5 p.m.) and the bras chamber ensemble (7 p.m.), which will conclude the weekend’s events Sunday in the Wright Music Building.

If you have any questions or need assistance, visit www.mtalumni.com or contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 615-898-2922 or alumni@mtsu.edu.

— Randy Weiler (randy.weiler@mtsu.edu)

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State House honors MTSU alumnus Read for agriculture promotion

April 5, 2013 By

“Ag Day on the Hill” in Nashville now has an added special meaning for MTSU alumnus Pettus Read.

Read always attends the annual event at the Tennessee State Capitol highlighting agriculture statewide — and usually plays a lead role or two. Presenting a bucket trophy to House Speaker Beth Harwell, who out-milked Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey in a cattle-milking competition, was one of those roles on April 2.

During the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee meeting that same day, the committee presented Read, a Rockvale, Tenn., resident and 1970 MTSU graduate with a degree in plant and soil science, with the Outstanding Commitment to Tennessee Agriculture Award.

MTSU alumnus Pettus Read (B.S. ’70), second from right, accepts a framed resolution from the state House of Representatives, honoring him with the Outstanding Commitment to Tennessee Agriculture Award for 2013. The award was presented April 2 during "Ag Day on the Hill" at the state Capitol in Nashville. Pictured with Read are, from left, state Commissioner of Agriculture Julius Johnson; state Rep. Curtis Halford, a member of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee; state Rep. Andy Holt, committee vice chair; and Tennessee Farm Bureau President Lacy Upchurch. (photo submitted)

MTSU alumnus Pettus Read (B.S. ’70), second from right, accepts a framed resolution from the state House of Representatives honoring him with the Outstanding Commitment to Tennessee Agriculture Award for 2013. The award was presented April 2 during “Ag Day on the Hill” at the state Capitol in Nashville. Pictured with Read are, from left, state Commissioner of Agriculture Julius Johnson; state Rep. Curtis Halford, a member of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee; state Rep. Andy Holt, committee vice chair; and Tennessee Farm Bureau President Lacy Upchurch. (photo submitted)

Read, an author, editor and Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation director of communications, also was recognized with a House resolution for his many years of service for covering and promoting the rural way of life in Tennessee.

“I was humbled beyond words for receiving such an outstanding award from my peers and the Tennessee General Assembly recognition for doing something I have always enjoyed so much doing on a daily basis,” said Read.

“Agriculture always has been an important part of my life from my very beginning, and after receiving a degree in agriculture from MTSU in 1970, I have spent my career promoting and educating others about where their food, fiber and even fuel comes from,” he added. “”I have been very blessed to have worked in a field that involves us all in some way or the other.”

In recognizing Read, state Rep. Andy Holt, the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee vice chairman said, “There could not have been a more deserving individual to have received the award than our 2013 recipient, Pettus Read. Congrats, my friend.”

Holt, a farmer and businessman from Dresden, Tenn., represents Weakley and Obion counties and part of Carroll County.

Dr. Warren Gill, MTSU School of Agribusiness and Agriscience director, has known Read for decades and said the state recognition is a well-deserved honor.

“Pettus is a remarkable spokesman for agriculture,” Gill said. “His passion is agriculture. He’s one of the reasons for the unprecedented growth and interest in agriculture for high school students and why enrollments in ag programs in colleges are growing.

“His (newspaper) column … reaches over 400,000 people each week. It’s always good, positive, often funny, poignant and smart. He’s a great wordsmith. He sells agriculture. And wherever he is, he’s a proud supporter of MTSU and our ag department.”

Read is editor of the bimonthly Tennessee Farm Bureau News newspaper and the quarterly Tennessee Home & Farm magazine. He also authors the column “Read All About It,” which appears in more than 55 state newspapers.

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)

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MTSU alumnus Pratt earns Rangel Fellowship, heads to GWU

March 29, 2013 By

A leap of faith” by Tullahoma native and MTSU alumnus Patrick Pratt has led to life- and career-changing moves.

Pratt learned recently he is being awarded a 2013 Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Fellowship “following a highly competitive nationwide contest,” said Patricia H. Scroggs, director of the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center at Howard University in Washington, D.C.

Honors College logo cropped

He is the first graduate from a Tennessee university to receive this honor, which is named for the U.S. congressman who represents Harlem in New York City.

“It’s not easy to describe what this award means,” Pratt said. “… Two of my biggest life goals are to attend a top-ranked school of International Affairs and to join the U.S. Foreign Service. The Rangel Fellowship has essentially given me everything I’ve been working toward in one package. Now I can attend a great school and my dream job is waiting at the end of it.”

A year ago, he said he was selected as a Rangel Fellowship finalist. He returned from Tanzania for an interview.

“It’s an extremely competitive process, with a writing exam and interview, and I was unsuccessful,” he said. “I made the very difficult decision to turn down a half-tuition fellowship from a great school in order to try again for the Rangel Fellowship this year. So it was a leap of faith that paid off in a big way.”

On March 28, two weeks after receiving admissions offers from six prestigious graduate schools, Pratt chose George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs in downtown Washington, D.C. He said he will enroll in the Master of Arts international affairs program with a concentration in international security this fall and added that George Washington University is “highly regarded throughout the world, especially here in Washington.”

Patrick Pratt

Patrick Pratt

Laura Clippard of the University Honors College said the Rangel Fellowship will provide up to $20,000 per year for tuition and fees, $15,000 a year for expenses for two years of graduate study; an 11-week internship on Capitol Hill; a Foreign Service mentor; and a 10-week overseas internship in a U.S. Embassy between his first and second years of graduate school.

In return, Pratt will serve a minimum of three years as a Foreign Service Officer.

GWU offered Pratt the High Achievement Fellowship, an additional $15,000 per year award. Essentially, he will attend graduate school for free.

Pratt said he also considered other major university graduate programs.

The Rangel program is a collaborative effort between Howard University and the U.S. State Department that seeks to attract and prepare outstanding young people for careers as diplomats in the U.S. Foreign Service. The program seeks people who are interested in helping to shape a freer, more secure and prosperous world through formulating, representing and implementing U.S. foreign policy.

Clippard told Pratt he is “the hardest-working person” she has ever known. Honors Dean John Vile said Pratt “has scored numerous ‘home runs’ by winning the David L. Boren, Fulbright and Rangel awards. His tenacity of purpose and his commitment to serving his country will be tremendous assets as he engages in a career with the Foreign Service.”

After graduating from Tullahoma High School in 2002, Pratt took a management position for a Murfreesboro pizza delivery store. He returned home to Tullahoma, attending Motlow State Community College. Always interested in global issues and after taking a geography class, he decided to study international relations. At Motlow, he earned the Outstanding Achievement Award in psychology.

At MTSU, Pratt majored in international relations and political science and minored in geography and African studies. Before graduating, he earned the Department of Political Science Meritorious Service Award for participation and leadership in student organizations.

With assistance from the MTSU Office of Education Abroad, Pratt participated in a yearlong education abroad program to the United States International University in Nairobi, Kenya, earning credits toward his MTSU degree and was awarded the Boren scholarship. The Boren scholarship’s focus is to provide undergraduate students the opportunity to study in world regions critical to U.S. interests.

Dr. Karen Petersen in political science and Clippard, who heads the Honors College’s Undergraduate Fellowships Office, encouraged Pratt to apply for the Fulbright, which he received to study civil society and public accountability in development in Tanzania.

While applying for graduate schools, Pratt completed an internship at the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., where he has been residing and working.

The youngest of six children, he is the son of Harvey and Carol Pratt, formerly from Tullahoma and now living in Florida. Pratt said a brother, Philip, and sisters Anita and Stephanie all attended MTSU.

MTSU’s Undergraduate Fellowships Office has assisted students in earning 35 national awards, 32 since 2007. These include eight Fulbright Awards and five Goldwater recipients.

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)

Filed Under: Alumni News Tagged With: , , , ,

‘MTSU On the Record’ examines Al Gore’s career

March 25, 2013 By

The next edition of the “MTSU On the Record” radio program will focus on the Carthage, Tenn., native who served two terms as vice president and won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.Gipson Gore book cover web

Host Gina Logue’s interview with Troy Gipson, an MTSU alumnus and author of From Carthage to Oslo: A Biography of Al Gore, will air from 8 to 8:30 a.m. Sunday, March 31, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and www.wmot.org).

Gipson, a Winchester, Tenn., native, met Gore in 1976 as Gore was campaigning for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Gipson says Gore inspired him to study political science at MTSU.

Vice President Al Gore, right, signs an invitation to the January 1997 inauguration in this December 1996 photo at the Nashville International Airport as MTSU alumnus Troy Gipson, left, and an unidentified woman look on. (Photo courtesy of Troy Gipson)

Vice President Al Gore, right, signs an invitation to the January 1997 inauguration in this December 1996 photo at the Nashville International Airport as MTSU alumnus Troy Gipson, left, and an unidentified woman look on. Gipson is the author of a new book about Gore. (Photo courtesy of Troy Gipson)

While in college, Gipson served as an intern in Gore’s Washington office in 1981 and again from 1984 to 1985. Gipson graduated from MTSU with a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1986.

From 1989 to 2009, Gipson worked as an internal auditor and property management specialist for the Boeing Company in Long Beach, Calif., and Huntsville, Ala.

He is the co-founder of “Politics Profile,” an Internet politics and news blog for which he has written and published more than 50 articles.

To listen to previous “MTSU On the Record” programs, go to the “Audio Clips” archives here and here.

For more information about “MTSU On the Record,” contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.

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Art alumnus Wayne White’s advice: ‘Do what you love’

March 19, 2013 By

If artist Wayne White is ever in the market for a “third act” for his life, he might consider motivational speaking.

Maybe then, by encouraging even more people to focus on their dreams and to maintain strong friendships and family ties, White will get even more of the respect he so richly deserves.

MTSU art alumnus Wayne White, right, signs a poster advertising his March 19 visit to campus for Dr. Bonnie Rushlow, an associate professor in the Department of Art. The pair visited at a brief reception for White inside the Todd Art Gallery before a screening of "Beauty is Embarrassing" in the Keathley University Center Theater. (MTSU photo by J. Intintoli)

MTSU art alumnus Wayne White, right, signs a poster advertising his March 19 visit to campus for Dr. Bonnie Rushlow, an associate professor in the Department of Art. The pair visited at a brief reception for White inside the Todd Art Gallery before a screening of “Beauty is Embarrassing” in the Keathley University Center Theater. (MTSU photo by J. Intintoli)

The MTSU alumnus repeatedly brought a full house in the Keathley University Center Theater to laughter and applause Tuesday night after — and during — a screening of the 2012 documentary about his life and work, “Beauty is Embarrassing.”

Dancing a jig in front of the screen as the credits rolled, White unexpectedly pulled his longtime friend, fellow alumnus P. Michael “Mike” Quinn, onstage for an audience Q-and-A session.

The pair, who met in an MTSU drawing class, did puppet shows at college parties and got their first serious creative jobs on a Nashville public TV children’s show. They’ve encouraged and supported each other’s creative exploits for the last 35 years.

The partners in puppetry exhorted the KUC crowd to “do what you love; it’s gonna lead you to where you want to go.”

“How do you resist the temptation to go for the straight-ahead life, though? I’m finding I can’t resist the allure of the white picket fence and the regular paycheck,” one earnest young man asked.

“I got the white picket fence AND the paycheck by following what I love,” White answered, just as earnestly, referring to his family and career in Los Angeles. “This documentary makes it look like it was easy, like I’ve solved all the problems and answered all the questions. I most certainly have not. But … you have to commit to what you want to do. Don’t hedge your bets.

“The world is dying for stuff that’s done out of love. Most everything in the world now is done out of fear: fear of losing your job, fear of making someone angry …. Art is one thing that’s done out of love. That’s what the world needs.”

Wayne White, right, plays the banjo while longtime friend and fellow MTSU alumnus Mike Quinn encourages him in this still photo from the documentary "Beauty is Embarrassing." (photo courtesy of Future You Pictures)

Wayne White, right, plays the banjo while longtime friend and fellow MTSU alumnus Mike Quinn encourages him in this still photo from the documentary “Beauty is Embarrassing.” (photo courtesy of Future You Pictures)

“We both have always been open to what comes along,” added Quinn, who earned a master’s degree in biology, minored in art and blended both into a unique teaching career that led him to his current fine-arts post at The Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tenn.

One highlight so far has been working with his students to create a giant puppet of school founder William Robert “Old Sawney” Webb, with White’s help. (Watch a Webb School video of the result here. The project is also included in “Beauty is Embarrassing.”)

“I goof around and pretend I’m making art. I’ve done crazy things on stage, and my students say, “What is he doing?’” Quinn continued with a laugh. “You also make connections in school, in college, and you don’t know where they’ll lead.”

White, a native of Hixson, Tenn., who explains in the film that how MTSU connected him to friends and life-changing discoveries, agreed.

“Your fellow students are an important part of your education,” he said. “They’re the real treasure. You may learn more from them than from your teachers! You’ll never have this shared society of ideas again. Use it. Enjoy it. You’re a big influence on each other. We were.”

After graduating from MTSU, White moved to New York and worked as an illustrator for several publications, including the New York Times and the Village Voice. In 1986, he became a designer and puppeteer for “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” earning three Emmy Awards in the process.

"He Acts All Weird for No Good Reason" is one of MTSU alumnus Wayne White's word paintings. White was on campus March 19 to discuss and screen the documentary "Beauty is Embarrassing." (photo courtesy of WayneWhiteArt.com)

“He Acts All Weird for No Good Reason” is one of MTSU alumnus Wayne White’s text paintings. White was on campus March 19 to discuss and screen the documentary “Beauty is Embarrassing.” (photo courtesy of WayneWhiteArt.com)

He and his wife, artist and author Mimi Pond, then moved to California, where he continued his TV work with sets and characters for “Shining Time Station,” “Beakman’s World,” “Riders in the Sky” and “Bill & Willis.” He also worked with music videos, winning Billboard and MTV Music Video Awards as an art director for his work on The Smashing Pumpkins’ “Tonight, Tonight” and Peter Gabriel’s “Big Time.”

After a long struggle with the Hollywood hierarchy led White to work himself nearly to a frazzle to support his family, he embarked on a “second act” with the new century, creating paintings, sculptures and public works exhibited around the world.

White’s most recognized fine arts work now are his word paintings, which use thrift-shop-scavenged “sofa painting” landscapes as backdrops for detailed, deadpan 3-D words and phrases like “He Acts All Weird for No Good Reason,” “Awopbopalubop,” “Not All There” and “I Took Off Work and Came All The Way Down Here.”

“I consider them a form of poetry or a very, very short story,” White said with a grin. “They’re sorta my bread and butter right now. I want to keep turning them into sculpture, too.”

Beauty is Embarrassing poster webOne of those word paintings, “Maybe Now I’ll Get The Respect I So Richly Deserve,” also lent its name to a 2009 400-page monograph of White’s work, edited by designer Todd Oldham.

The subsequent publicity and exposure helped to launch the documentary, which was directed by Neil Berkeley and premiered at the 2012 SXSW Film Festival.

White said he’d traveled all over the country as a result of “Beauty is Embarrassing,” often hearing “I didn’t know you did all that stuff!” from admirers who’ve seen the documentary.

“That’s every artist’s dream,” he said. “Actually, it’s everyone’s dream. It’s what everyone wants: to know that you had an impact on people somehow.”

White’s visit was sponsored by Raider Entertainment, the MTSU College of Liberal Arts and the Distinguished Lecture Committee. You can see more of White’s work at his website, www.waynewhiteart.com, and buy the “Beauty is Embarrassing” DVD there. White also plans an outdoor sculpture project at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival June 13-16.

— Gina E. Fann (gina.fann@mtsu.edu)

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