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MTSU releases digital first look at new Science Building

April 22, 2013 By

MTSU released computer-generated “fly-through” video and still images on Monday showing how its Science Building, now under construction on the Murfreesboro campus, will look upon completion.

The video and images, which will be used for student and faculty recruitment and university marketing, animates the plans for the $147 million project. It shows the building’s interior spaces and how the structure will change the landscape of the campus.

You can watch the video here:

University officials said Turner Construction Co. is scheduled to substantially complete the project by the summer of 2014, with final completion, commissioning, equipment installations and administrative move-in planned for the fall of 2014. The building should be ready for classes for the 2015 spring semester.

Construction of the Science Building was about 30 percent complete as of April 15. Work is now focused on the building’s exterior, including roofing, metal panels, glazing and masonry. Installation of the building’s heating and air-conditioning systems, plumbing and drywall is underway.

“The university eagerly awaits the completion of this much–needed Science Building and we are very pleased with the progress made to date by our partners at Turner Construction,” said MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee.

The Science Building will provide more than 250,000 gross square feet of teaching, faculty and student research laboratories and collaborative learning spaces. At least 80 percent of all MTSU students will take at least one class in the new building.

MTSU’s enrollment has almost quadrupled in the last four decades alone — from 6,779 students in 1968 to more than 25,000 students today — with no increase in space for science education. The university’s existing Wiser-Patten Science Hall and Davis Science Building were built in 1932 and 1967, respectively, and have a combined total of only 75,332 net square feet.

To see the Science Building’s construction progress so far, visit mtsunews.com/sciencebuilding/constructionupdates and bookmark the page for regular updates.

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MTSU summit tackles ‘cyberthreats’ to community at all levels

April 19, 2013 By

The 2013 Middle Tennessee Cyber Summit will be held May 7-8 at MTSU in the ballroom of the new Student Union Building.

The free event, which is open to the public, will be of particular interest to government agencies at all levels, as well as the utility, education, health care, transportation and financial services industries — and others — that want to protect their operations from online attack.

Click on the flier above for more information at the FIRE site.

The theme of the event, sponsored by MTSU’s Forensic Institute for Research and Education, is “Building Partnerships and Understanding the Threat.”

The summit will address how a company or agency’s assets and reputation can be threatened by electronically breaching its security, confidentiality, data or other facets of its operations via external or internal unauthorized access.

“Cybersecurity has been labeled the greatest challenge to economic prosperity and security by the highest levels of U. S. government and industry,” said Dr. Hugh Berryman, director of MTSU’s FIRE and an internationally recognized forensic science expert.

“Our partnership with Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security to host this summit will build inroads between these victimized industries and agencies that investigate cyber intrusions.”

In addition to representatives from the state homeland security office, speakers at the two-day event will include representatives from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Secret Service and private-sector cybersecurity companies.

A complete agenda of speakers and their topics is available at www.mtsu.edu/fire/FinalAgenda2.pdf. To register for the summit, book a hotel room or get more information, please visit www.mtsu.edu/fire/workshops.php or contact FIRE at 615-898-2221 or fire@mtsu.edu.

Along with FIRE, the 2013 Middle Tennessee Cyber Summit is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, MTSU’s Information Technology Division, Enterasys Inc. and Mandiant.

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MTSU to purchase former MTMC site (w/ video)

April 19, 2013 By

MTSU announced April 19 that it will purchase the former Middle Tennessee Medical Center site near downtown Murfreesboro.

The university will pay $11.1 million for the 17.4-acre site, which includes:

  • the 115,000-square-foot Bell Street Building;
  • a 143,000-square-foot parking garage with 407 parking spaces;
  • surface parking with 188 spaces; and
  • a large green-space area that was the site of the old main hospital building, surrounded by East Bell Street, North Highland Avenue, East Lytle Street and North University Street.

MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee and Gordon Ferguson, president and CEO of Middle Tennessee Medical Center, marked the change of ownership in a ceremony at the Bell Street Building attended by administrators from both institutions as well as community leaders.

“For nearly 85 years, our two campuses anchored the east side of Murfreesboro and served for much of that time as two of largest employers in our community,” McPhee said, “but we shared much more than proximity and size — our two organizations also share many common values.

“Today’s ceremony marks the next step in that relationship and underscores the importance we place on serving the needs of our students and the community.”

MTSU-MTMC logos webMTMC had been looking for a buyer for its old hospital site since its move into a $267 million medical campus in October 2010. Its seven-acre site on Medical Center Parkway is more than four times larger than its old location, where the hospital was established in 1927.

“We continued a legacy of innovation and advancement at our Bell Street location, serving the community with outstanding medical care,” Ferguson said. “With the sale of this land, we pass along that legacy to our partner MTSU as they now grow and create new opportunities for our community.”

McPhee said the university will use the Bell Street Building for academic purposes. He said, however, that final decisions on which units and operations will occupy the space have yet to be determined.

“Once we acquire the property, we will determine the best and most appropriate use for the facility,” the university president explained.

“It will be used for academic purposes, and while we are considering several options, we have yet to make a final decision on what would be best at that location.”

This view of the old Middle Tennessee Medical Center site, looking north from East Lytle Street to East Bell Street, shows most of the 17.4-acre site along North Highland Avenue. It includes green space, a 115,000-square-foot building at right and a 143,000-square-foot parking garage at left. (MTSU file photo by News and Media Relations)

University spokesman Andrew Oppmann said the Bell Street Building will require some renovations to change its usage from medical to academic.

“We will need to determine what work needs to be done and how long that work will take — all of which will factor into our decisions on how the facility will be used,” Oppmann said.

He added that the university currently has no plans for the old hospital parking lot and that the area will remain open green space for the foreseeable future.

McPhee said the university will be “good stewards of this facility and good neighbors to our community and use it to better serve our students and the people of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County.

“We are extremely proud to have worked with Gordon and his staff, Lee (Moss, chairman of the MTMC board of directors) and the hospital board and the entire Saint Thomas Health Services family to make this a reality,” McPhee continued.

— Andrew Oppmann (andrew.oppmann@mtsu.edu)

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Annual plant sale benefits MTSU ag scholarships

April 15, 2013 By

The MTSU School of Agribusiness and Agriscience’s annual plant sale will be held on campus all this week and the last Thursday and Friday in April: April 15-19 and April 25-26.

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Pat Thomas, coordinator in MTSU’s Office of the University Provost, admires trays of plants to be sold at the School of Agribusiness and Agriscience’s annual plant sale April 15-19 and April 25-26. (MTSU photo by News and Media Relations)

The announcement of this week’s special sale hours was made early today. The sale originally was set only for the last three Thursdays and Fridays in April.

Open to the general public and campus community from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., the sale will take place in the MTSU Horticulture Center, located on Lightning Way across from the Tennessee Livestock Center.

Off-campus visitors should obtain a visitor’s parking pass from the Office of Parking Services and Transportation, located on East Main Street at the entrance to campus.

To find parking near the Horticulture Center, a printable campus map is available at http://tinyurl.com/MTParkingMap12-13.

Students enrolled in a class called “Horticulture in Our Lives” have grown the plants. Funds from the sale are used for scholarships, said Dr. Cliff Ricketts, the event organizer and an MTSU professor.

A large selection of hanging baskets and bedding plants will be available for sale. The hanging baskets include Wave petunias, coleus, Wandering Jew and lantana.

No ferns will be available this year.

Bedding plants include petunias, impatiens, begonias, vinca, snapdragon, celosia, coleus and Dusty Miller. New to the sale this year will be marigolds.

Geraniums are $3 for a 6-inch pot. All hanging baskets and flats are $12.

Vegetable plants for sale include tomatoes — both Bradley and Big Boy — as well as peppers, okra, squash, cucumber and more.

For more information and a printable flier, visit http://tinyurl.com/MT2013PlantSale.

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State tourism commissioner stresses partnerships, opportunities

April 12, 2013 By

Commissioner Susan Whitaker of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development visited MTSU recently to give campus and community members an opportunity to hear more about Gov. Bill Haslam’s agendas and plans for the tourism industry in Tennessee.

Susan Whitaker, center, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, listens to Caneta Hankins, assistant director of the MTSU Center for Historic Preservation, during a March 28 visit to the center. At left is Dr. Stacey Graham, and Kira Duke is at right. (MTSU photos by Jimmy Hart)

Whitaker, who came to campus as visiting Jennings & Rebecca Jones Chair of Excellence in Urban and Regional Planning, spoke to classes in both the Jones College of Business and in the MTSU Center for Historic Preservation.

“She wanted to emphasize that tourism is one of the state’s most vibrant and significant industries, and that for Tennessee, effective heritage tourism is one of the state’s competitive advantages,” said Dr. Carroll Van West, director of the Center for Historic Preservation.

Whitaker talked with students and faculty about the ongoing efforts at sustainable cultural tourism in the Smokies and the statewide work for the Civil War sesquicentennial.

She also met with the larger campus community at a reception at the Rutherford County Convention and Visitors Bureau and at a luncheon downtown at the Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County, where she discussed new partnerships and programs with Murfreesboro Main Street and the Center for Historic Preservation.

“I was very honored to be there as the Jennings chair,” said Whitaker of her March 28 visit. “The campus is just growing. It’s just beautiful.”

Dr. Carroll Van West

Dr. Carroll Van West

Whitaker, who has been commissioner for more than a decade, said she was very impressed with how engaged the students and staff were during her visit as she shared opportunities that tourism provides in entrepreneurial activities.

“The Center (for Historic Preservation) and Dr. Van West have been partners with us for the past decade,” she said.

“The center has been critical in sending students out in the community to learn about the history, and once that’s established, they can in turn offer it to community.”

Caneta Hankins, assistant director of the MTSU Center for Historic Preservation, speaks during a March 28 roundtable discussion.

It’s important that tourists to the Volunteer State know that Tennessee offers more than fishing, Dollywood and the Country Music Awards, Whitaker said, noting that small towns and communities throughout the state provide a rich history that represents “the authentic Tennessee connection. There’s a lot to see in Tennessee.”

She pointed to the Jack Trail, one of 16 self-guided driving tours in Tennessee Tourism’s Discover Tennessee Trails & Byways program.

The Jack Trail covers 328 tourism sites across 348 miles, and its stops in Rutherford County include the Stones River Battlefield in Murfreesboro and the Sam Davis Home in Smyrna.

Such stops can easily lead to visits to downtown areas, lesser-known historic sites and even evolving sites such as MTSU, Whitaker said.

“All of that works together,” she said. “I think the center and Dr. Van West have been at the forefront of creating partnerships to take advantage of these opportunities.

“He’s very innovative in the way he approaches his students and subject matter. I think it’s a model for other state agencies to form partnerships with higher education.”

To learn more about the MTSU Center for Historic Preservation, visit www.mtsuhistpres.org.

— Jimmy Hart (jimmy.hart@mtsu.edu)

Susan Whitaker, center, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, talks with staff of the MTSU Center for Historic Preservation during a March 28 visit to the center.

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College of Ed shares learning expertise with K-12 districts

April 5, 2013 By

MTSU’s College of Education is reaching out to area school districts with training aimed at helping administrators meet the challenges of the state’s First to the Top initiative to improve student performance.

The university recently hosted a professional development training session with about 30 administrators from 11 southern Midstate public school districts to help them establish or improve their own systems’ Professional Learning Communities.

Staffers from 11 public school districts in the southern Midstate discuss implementing Professional Learning Communities within their own systems at a March 27 training session on the MTSU campus. (MTSU photo by News and Media Relations)

Staffers from 11 public school districts in the southern Midstate discuss implementing Professional Learning Communities within their own systems at a March 27 training session on the MTSU campus. (MTSU photo by News and Media Relations)

Professional Learning Communities, or PLCs, focus on student learning and results by creating better collaboration and more accountability for teachers and administrators.

Under the direction of President Sidney A. McPhee and Dean Lana Seivers, the MTSU College of Education has been partnering with surrounding school districts on a number of school improvement initiatives, including PLCs.

Dr. Bob Eaker, a professor in the university’s Womack Family Educational Leadership Department, conducted the March 27 training session in the McWherter Learning Resources Center. It was recorded by the Center for Educational Media and will soon be available for other school districts’ training on the center’s website, www.mtsu.edu/education/cem.php.

Joe T. Wood, the Tennessee liaison for education consultant Battelle for Kids, attended the training session, which included school district directors and central office staff. Another daylong training session for principals is scheduled for May.

Battelle is a national not-for-profit organization that provides strategic counsel and solutions for school improvement efforts. The organization has worked with school officials in more than 19 states, including California, Georgia, Ohio, Oklahoma, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas.

Battelle logo for webUsing First to the Top funds, Battelle for Kids is coordinating services with school districts through the state Department of Education’s eight Centers for Regional Excellence, or CORE.

The recent training targeted the south central CORE district, which includes Bedford, Coffee, Franklin, Giles, Hickman, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Marshall, Maury, Moore, Perry and Wayne counties and city systems in Manchester, Tullahoma and Fayetteville.first to the top logo web

“MTSU wanted to expand out into the region and support the districts in the region,” said Wood, a former district director in West Tennessee. “Our role has been to coordinate these efforts between the districts and MTSU to make sure that everything was coming together properly.”

Wood emphasized the importance of such training being available and archived on MTSU’s website so districts throughout the state can access it at any time.

For more information about the MTSU Center for Educational Media, visit www.mtsu.edu/education/cem.php; for more on the Womack Family Educational Leadership Department, visit www.mtsu.edu/edu_leadership.

— Jimmy Hart (jimmy.hart@mtsu.edu)

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Student Food Pantry seeks help to restock for spring (w/ video)

April 5, 2013 By

The MTSU Student Food Pantry is in critical need of supplies this spring to ensure that every MTSU student in need is able to have at least one meal a day.

The pantry is located in the University College Advising Center of the McFarland Building. It’s a partnership between the University College Advising Center and the Student Government Association and has served almost 200 students since its inception in October 2012.

“That number continues to grow as students are made aware of the pantry,” said Becca Seul, adviser at the University College Advising Center and manager of the MTSU Food Pantry. “Summer is getting closer, which typically means more students in need on campus.”

Watch a video about the Student Food Pantry here.

Although the initial drive just before the holiday season produced a generous response, help is needed to sustain students throughout the rest of the spring term and into the summer.

“We have lots of canned goods, but are missing most of the stuff that the students tend to take the most,” Seul said.

Seul is encouraging campus classes and organizations to consider food drives this semester as a way of boosting supplies.

While all nonperishable groceries are accepted — a complete list is located on the food pantry website, www.mtsu.edu/foodpantry — there are specific items that the pantry is in need of immediately, including food items of popcorn, granola bars, crackers, Jell-O or gelatin desserts, pudding cups, snack packs, fruit cups, canned meats and shelf-stable milk.

Also needed are individual beverages: canned, boxed and bottled juices; bottled water and other drinks.

Student Food Pantry logoEverything donated in bulk is separated into individual portions so as many people can benefit as possible.

As more students in need of assistance are made aware of the pantry, the demand for supplies has grown.

“Any active, currently enrolled student can come and access the food pantry,” said Seul. “They don’t have to be referred to us.”

However, Seul emphasizes that the pantry is not a grocery store, but instead is a place where a student who is struggling with hunger can find a meal.

Donations can be made directly to the pantry, which is open 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, in person, by mail or online at the pantry’s website.

A printable campus map is available at http://tinyurl.com/MTParkingMap12-13.

For more information or if you are an MTSU student who is in need of assistance, contact Seul at 615-494-8910 or Becca.Seul@mtsu.edu or visit the pantry’s website at www.mtsu.edu/foodpantry.

— Lauren Price (news@mtsu.edu)

The MTSU Student Food Pantry located in the McFarland Building is seeking the community's help in restocking its shelves for the spring and summer semesters. (MTSU photos by Jimmy Hart)

The MTSU Student Food Pantry, located in the McFarland Building, is seeking the community’s help in restocking its shelves for the spring and summer semesters. (MTSU photos by Jimmy Hart)

Individual beverages are among the needed supplies to properly restock the MTSU Student Food Pantry.

Individual beverages are among the needed supplies to properly restock the MTSU Student Food Pantry.

 

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Curtains go up on 13th MTSU Student Film Festival

April 5, 2013 By

The lights will go down and the curtains go up April 8-12 as some of MTSU’s finest student filmmakers showcase their work nightly at the 13th Annual MTSU Student Film Festival in the Student Union Video Theater.

student film festival 2013 poster web

A special treat is an April 12 Q-and-A session with local filmmaker Christopher Roberts and a screening of his documentary “Street Paper.”

“The Films Council is eager and ready to judge a new batch of student projects,” said Justin Cousineau, MTSU Films chair and festival coordinator. “Last year had great entries and showcased a variety of talent in our diverse student body across all genres and areas of production. I’m interested in seeing what this year’s contestants will bring.”

The “Street Paper” discussion and screening will be held at 5 p.m. April 12, before the awards ceremony.

“‘Street Paper’ was an Official Selection film at the 2012 Nashville Film Festival about Nashville’s successful newspaper sold by homeless citizens, The Contributor, and we are very excited to host him,” Cousineau added.

On awards night, trophies will be presented to the top three participants in the 2013 Student Film Festival, and the Audience Favorite Award once again will allow audience members to vote for their favorite student entry. All the top films will receive other prizes, including gift cards.

For more information about the MTSU Student Film Festival, contact Cousineau at 615-898-2551 or films@mtsu.edu. Information also is available at www.mtsu.edu/events/studentfilm.php.

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MTSU men to don women’s shoes for worthy walk

April 4, 2013 By

The image of men trying to propel themselves forward in pumps and stilettos might not conjure up thoughts of any serious issues.

Walk a Mile flier webThe intrepid men of MTSU, however, will try to “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” to raise awareness about sexual violence starting at 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 10, at the Student Health, Wellness and Recreation Center on campus.

Members of the Interfraternity Council of Men, among others, will walk a mile in women’s shoes as part of the observance of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Registration will begin at 4:30 p.m. Immediately following the walk, participants will gather for free food and karaoke. The first 100 participants will receive a free T-shirt.

“Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” is sponsored by the MTSU Interfraternity Council, Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life and the June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students.

For more information, contact Barbara Scales, director of the June Anderson Center, at 615-898-2193 or barbara.scales@mtsu.edu.

— Gina K. Logue (gina.logue@mtsu.edu)

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MTSU takes comprehensive approach to fighting crime on campus

April 3, 2013 By

The latest MTSU campus crime statistics from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation show noticeable year-over-year drops in some categories and an overall crime rate that remains low.

campus crime report coverThe TBI released the 2012 statistics for the annual report today. MTSU officials attribute campus safety successes to community policing efforts that take a comprehensive approach to crime prevention for a campus community of 27,000-plus people.

For 2012, MTSU reported no homicides, one sexual assault and three robberies, as well as significant drops in thefts, weapon law violations, DUIs and liquor law violations.

“For a campus of roughly 30,000 people, crime remains relatively low,” said Chief Buddy Peaster, director of the MTSU Department of Public Safety.

“Over the last several years, the university has done two important things regarding campus safety: continuously provided support toward programs that help make our campus safer and responded to situations that could show additional resources and programming were needed.”

MTSU’s overall crime rate in 2012 is comparable to other Tennessee Board of Regents campuses, though Peaster again noted that comparisons must account for factors such as the surrounding neighborhoods and the number of dorms on a particular campus.

Here’s a summary of decreases in other crime categories for 2012 with the percent decrease from 2011 in parentheses:

  • Thefts — 186 (down 29 percent)
  • Burglary — 29 (down 12 percent)
  • Vandalism — 81 (down 19 percent)
  • Weapon law violations — 4 (down 56 percent)
  • DUI — 50 (down 43 percent)
  • Liquor law violations — 65 (down 49 percent)

“Theft remains the No. 1 crime,” said campus police Sgt. Broede Stucky, while noting that 2012 saw a significant year-over-year drop in such crimes.

And while the number of reported assaults showed a spike overall — from 52 in 2011 to 80 in 2012 — most of the jump came in the assault subcategory of “intimidation” — from six reported in 2011 to 35 in 2012. Campus police encourages people to report threatening situations before they escalate.

Aggravated and simple assaults remained basically flat year-over-year, the report shows.

Chief Buddy Peaster

Chief Buddy Peaster

In assessing the year-over-year changes in drug violations and DUIs, the chief noted that his department partnered with the Governor’s Highway Safety Office to do checkpoints and targeted patrols to crack down on driving under the influence and underage drinking on campus.

DUI offenses were down from 88 in 2011 to 50 in 2012; drunkenness offenses were up from 10 in 2011 to 23 last year; and drug/narcotics violations were up from 43 in 2011 to 62 in 2012.

Peaster cautioned against reading too much into a single year of crime statistics, stressing that his office looks at trends over time to gauge whether prevention and enforcement efforts are effective in keeping students, faculty and staff safer.

Reducing crime often involves a combination of enforcement activities and changes in student behavior as well as preventive actions, such as a Campus Planning project that improved lighting across campus, increased police foot patrols after the new Student Union opened last year and public awareness campaigns through Student Health Services and MTSU Housing and Residential Life.

“Housing talks with students about crime prevention and campus safety being a shared responsibility,” said Andrew Bickers, Housing and Residential Life director.

Lisa Schrader

Lisa Schrader

Housing security measures include around-the-clock front desk coverage in dormitories, card-swipe access systems and locked entry doors.

“We ask students to keep their windows and doors locked, not to prop open locked access doors and to report suspicious behavior to housing staff and MTSU police,” Bickers said, adding that his department collaborates with campus police on an Adopt-A-Cop program that assigns a specific officer to each residence hall.

Lisa Schrader, director of the MTSU Health Promotion Office for Student Health Services, said Health Services and Health Promotion educate students on risk reduction techniques for substance use and violence prevention.

“We utilize social norms campaigns to demonstrate that, unlike common stereotypes, the majority of our students make responsible decisions most of the time when it comes to risky behaviors,” Schrader said. “We partner with other campus offices to offer free, late-night activities for students to give them a safe environment to interact with other students.

“We also implement wellness programs in first-year seminars and other courses around topics such as alcohol, drugs and sexual responsibility, which provide health information to students as well as information on the campus resources available to them on these issues.”

The MTSU Department of Public Safety currently employs 35 full-time police officers, five full-time dispatchers and about 20 part-time student workers. It operates around the clock to protect the 500-plus-acre university campus.

To view the full TBI Crime on Campus Report, visit http://tinyurl.com/TBICampusCrime2012 or click on the report cover above. The MTSU statistics are featured on pages 67 and 152 of the 241-page report.

— Jimmy Hart (jimmy.hart@mtsu.edu)

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