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11-week MTSU CUSTOMS orientation series begins this week

May 20, 2013 By
Signs point the way for people attending MTSU CUSTOMS, two-day orientation sessions that will be held for 11 weeks between May 22 and July 31 on campus. (Photo by MTSU News and Media Relations)

Signs point the way for people attending MTSU CUSTOMS, two-day orientation sessions that will be held for 11 weeks between May 22 and July 31 on campus. (Photo by MTSU News and Media Relations)

CUSTOMS, Middle Tennessee State University’s summer orientation program for new students, gets underway this week with the first of 11 sessions that will run through July 31.

Major scholarship recipients will visit campus Wednesday and Thursday, May 22-23. Other students who preregister on a first-come, first-served basis will attend CUSTOMS in the following weeks.

Find full details, including dates for all sessions, online at http://www.mtsu.edu/customs/.  To find parking, attendees should use this printable link: http://tinyurl.com/MTParkingMap12-13.

CUSTOMS shows freshmen the ropes of being an MTSU student. It helps new undergraduate students make the transition into the university; it prepares them for educational opportunities; and it propels them into the intellectual, cultural and social climate of the university.

Transfer students who have earned 14 or more credit hours do not have to participate in the traditional CUSTOMS program designed for freshmen. They must complete an online orientation before registering to meet with an adviser. Preferred transfer student advising days include three Mondays — June 21, July 12, Aug. 9 — and Friday, Aug. 19.

Many events will move to the Student Union Building, said Gina Poff, director of New Student and Family Programs.

“One of the big changes this year is we are going to be in the Student Union for most of the events, so we have lots of room this year,” she said.

Before things shift to the Student Union on Day 1 of the two-day sessions, attendees will register in the James Union Building, attend the welcome and general assembly in Murphy Center and view an orientation video in Learning Resources Center Room 221.

Also, My MT Connection Point is a new CUSTOMS program “to get freshmen connected by attending events when school begins immediately,” Poff said.

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

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Confucius Institute hosts Chinese culture summer camp

May 14, 2013 By

MTSU’s Confucius Institute is hosting a different kind of summer day camp filled with fun for youngsters ages 7 through 12.

The Chinese Language and Culture Summer Camp is scheduled for June 10-14 in Room 106 of Peck Hall on the MTSU campus.

flying horseActivities include formal language lessons in basic vocabulary and conversation. Youngsters also will experience Chinese culture through games, crafts, calligraphy and art.

Courses and activities will start at 9 a.m. Parents may drop off their children as early as 8 a.m. and pick them up at 4:30 p.m.

The maximum number of participants is limited to 25. Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Tuition is $120 per child. A $25 nonrefundable deposit for registration must accompany each registration form. Students who do not register in advance must pay a $30 per day drop-in fee plus a one-time $25 registration fee.

For more information, including registration forms, go to www.mtsu.edu/cimtsu/cimtsu-summercamp.php or call the Confucius Institute at 615-494-8696. Checks should be made payable to CIMTSU and mailed with registration forms to MTSU, Box 114, Peck Hall 106, Murfreesboro, Tenn. 37132.

For parking information, go to http://tinyurl.com/MTParkingMap12-13.

— Gina K. Logue (gina.logue@mtsu.edu)

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Haslam: State needs ‘brainpower’ of MTSU grads (w/videos)

May 11, 2013 By

More than 2,640 MTSU students joined their family, friends, professors and other supporters in Murphy Center today to celebrate one of their greatest and most challenging accomplishments: earning a university degree.

“You are joining a legion of folks who are contributing not just to our state but to the entire country,” Gov. Bill Haslam told graduates at the morning ceremony for MTSU’s spring 2013 commencement exercises.

Gov. Bill Haslam explains Tennessee’s need for new MTSU graduates’ “brainpower” and “work ethic” during his speech at this morning’s spring 2013 commencement ceremony in Murphy Center. (MTSU photo by J. Intintoli)

“If Middle Tennessee is to be a strong, healthy part of our state, MTSU has to be a strong, healthy university producing people of quality like you. We need you here. We need your brainpower and your work ethic.”

MTSU recognized two of those “people of quality” today when President Sidney A. McPhee presented former Congressman Bart Gordon and the family of the late Nobel laureate James M. Buchanan, with honorary Doctor of Letters degrees.

Gordon, an honors graduate of MTSU’s Class of 1971 who represented the 6th District in the U.S. House of Representatives for 26 years, grinned and shrugged as McPhee placed the ceremonial gold doctoral hood over his head at the morning ceremony.

The Washington, D.C.-based attorney also holds an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, a law degree from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and a 2012 designation of “Officer” in the French Legion of Honor.

MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee, right, congratulates alumnus and former Congressman Bart Gordon on receiving one of the university’s first honorary doctorates today during the spring 2013 commencement ceremony in Murphy Center. (MTSU photo by J. Intintoli)

Buchanan received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1986 for his work on the “Public Choice” theory of economics.

His sister Liz Bradley, also an MTSU alumna, accepted the honorary doctorate on his behalf at the afternoon commencement ceremony.

The Buchanan family presented a $2.5 million gift to the University Honors College on May 9 as well as Buchanan’s Nobel medal and other memorabilia. (You can learn more about the gifts here.)

Buchanan, who graduated first in the Class of 1940 at then-Middle Tennessee State Teachers College after majoring in social sciences, English and mathematics, taught economics at UT and several other universities.

He was professor emeritus and advisory general director of the James M. Buchanan Center for Political Economy at George Mason University when he died in January at age 93.

“These are the first honorary degrees to be conferred in the history of this university,” McPhee told the near-capacity crowd.

Liz Bradley, left, an MTSU alumna and former principal of the Homer Pittard Campus School, accepts an honorary Doctorate of Letters on behalf of her late brother, Nobel laureate James M. Buchanan, from MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee at today’s spring 2013 commencement ceremonies in Murphy Center. (MTSU photo by Andy Heidt)

Dr. James M. Buchanan

“I can’t think of any two individuals more appropriate to receive these honors. They recognize people whose life reflects exceptional achievement … and who inspire others in the community to emulate the recipient.”

MTSU alumnus Pete Fisher, vice president/general manager for the Grand Ole Opry, encouraged graduates at the afternoon commencement ceremony to consider the values touted at the recent funeral for country music legend George Jones.

“Be honest,” Fisher, a 1987 recording industry graduate and 2004 distinguished alumnus, said. “Be authentic. Have integrity. Be accessible … and persevere. Keep an attitude of gratitude for all who’ve helped you reach this point and for all you’re given.”

Of the 2,642 students receiving their degrees in today’s dual commencement ceremonies, 2,115 were undergraduates and 527 were graduate students, including 510 master’s candidates and education-specialist recipients and 12 doctoral candidates. Five graduate students also received graduate certificates.

Chelsey Meek of Thompson’s Station, Tenn., was among the anxious graduates gathered in one of the auxiliary gyms in lower Murphy Center preparing to march toward a bright future.

“I’m so excited. It’s been a very long journey, but well worth it,” said Meek, a K-6 interdisciplinary studies major. “Late nights studying, tough professors … there were some struggles along the way, but it’s paying off today, for sure.”

Pete Fisher, vice president/general manager for the Grand Ole Opry and an MTSU alumnus, laughs while addressing the afternoon spring 2013 commencement ceremony today. (MTSU photo by Andy Heidt)

Now that she’s a proud alumnus of the No. 1 producer of teachers in Tennessee, Meek will start her search for a teaching position in an elementary school, preferably in-state.

“I absolutely love kids, and my heart is anywhere that a child is,” she said. “My passion is to help children learn.”

Richard Nelson of Murfreesboro already has three job offers — one in California, two in Tennessee — to consider as a new alumnus of MTSU’s nationally recognized concrete industry management program. Nelson is leaning toward staying closer to home.

“In my program, concrete industry management, it’s amazing all the faculty that help you,” he said. “They give you opportunities. They reach out to other companies and try to give you job opportunities immediately coming out of college.”

Fellow graduate D’Juan Epps of Murfreesboro said he feels “blessed” to be an MTSU graduate with a degree in business administration, but he’s also already considering pursuing a master’s degree in sports management.

“Something within basketball operations, that’s my love, that’s my passion, so that’s eventually what I’d like to do,” said Epps, who will use his current degree to move into a full-time position with the Veterans Administration.

For 21-year-old Molly Amber Jones, commencement was the perfect culmination of a journey that began with her childhood love of country music.

“I can appreciate all kinds of music, but country has always been the one that I connect most with,” said the recording industry major from Kingston, Tenn.

Jones said she played flute in her high school band and a little bit of piano, but she aspires to land a job in music publishing. She said her MTSU education has been “wonderful,” especially her upper-division courses, in which she performed more hands-on work.

“I don’t know if I could get a job if I hadn’t had that experience and made those connections,” Jones said.

 

Chelsey Meek of Thompson’s Station, Tenn., waits with her fellow degree candidates for MTSU’s spring 2013 commencement to begin. Meek received her bachelor’s degree in K-6 interdisciplinary studies. (MTSU photo by News and Media Relations)

MTSU graduates D’Juan Epps, left, and Richard Nelson, both of Murfreesboro, are all smiles before graduation ceremonies Saturday at Murphy Center. Epps earned a degree in business administration, and Nelson’s degree is in concrete industry management. (MTSU photo by News and Media Relations)

Molly Amber Jones, a recording industry major from Kingston, Tenn., waits with her fellow students for the afternoon processional of the spring 2013 commencement ceremony. (MTSU photo by News and Media Relations)

MTSU alumni-to-be prepare for the spring 2013 commencement ceremony in Murphy Center.(MTSU photo by Classic Photography)

A group of happy MTSU students prepare to receive their degrees at the spring 2013 commencement ceremony. (MTSU photo by Classic Photography)

You can see more photos from the spring 2013 morning commencement ceremony here. Photos from the afternoon ceremony are available here. You also can watch another brief video from the day’s events below.

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Furry friends can take part in ‘See Spot Run’ event at MTSU

May 3, 2013 By

Some four-legged walkers will put their best paws forward with their human friends for a worthy cause at MTSU on Saturday, May 18.

Human and canine entrants prepare to take part in the 2012 “See Spot Run” 5K Run/Walk at MTSU. This year’s event is Saturday, May 18. (file photo submitted)

The eighth annual See Spot Run 5K Run/Walk is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. May 18 at MTSU’s Peck Hall.

Participants will walk or run to benefit Rutherford County Habitat for Humanity and the MTSU Habitat Blitz Build.

So far, MTSU students have built three homes in Murfreesboro with the money they’ve raised. They want to raise $40,000 to build a fourth.

Early registration is available until Sunday, May 12, for $25. After May 12, the registration fee is $30. On-site registration on race day will start at 7:30 a.m.

Click on the poster above for more information.

Participants may register via a link at www.active.com.

Each preregistered participant will receive a shirt. Awards will be presented to the top finishers in various age groups.

The event is sponsored by the MTSU Office of Leadership and Service and Sigma Pi fraternity.

For more information, contact Jackie Victory at 615-898-5812 or go to www.mtsu.edu/leadandserve/seespotrun.php. For campus parking information, go to http://tinyurl.com/MTParkingMap12-13.

— Gina K. Logue (Gina.Logue@mtsu.edu)r4

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MTSU, partners produce Metro student video awards show

May 3, 2013 By

NASHVILLE — The Academy of Health Science and Law at McGavock High School won the Best in Show at the second annual Academies of Nashville Video Awards Show sponsored by Middle Tennessee State University, the Nashville Film Festival and the Metro Nashville Public Schools.

 

MTSU's Billy Pittard and Metro Nashville Public Schools administrator Dr. Chaney Mosley present the Best In Show check for $1,000 to the Academy of Health Science and Law at McGavock. (Left to right): Mosley; Elise Taylor, student at McGavock; Barclay Randall, broadcasting teacher at McGavock; Robert Bagwell, student at McGavock; DeLaney Williams, student at McGavock,; and Pittard, chair of MTSU's Department of Electronic Media Communications.(MTSU photos by J. Intintoli)

MTSU’s Billy Pittard and Metro Nashville Public Schools administrator Dr. Chaney Mosley present the Best in Show check for $1,000 to the Academy of Health Science and Law at McGavock. Left to right are Mosley; Elise Taylor, a student at McGavock; Barclay Randall, broadcasting teacher at McGavock; Robert Bagwell, student at McGavock; DeLaney Williams, a student at McGavock,; and Pittard, chair of MTSU’s Department of Electronic Media Communication. (MTSU photos by J. Intintoli)

The winning videos were a result of a districtwide competition created to tell the stories of the Academies of Nashville offerings within the 12 Metro Nashville high schools. The awards show was held April 22 at the Regal Green Hills Cinema.

Co-producers Kelsey Lebechuck (back row) and Matt Binford (foreground front row), were two of 40 undergraduates in the Electronic Media Communications department from MTSU who produced the AON Awards Show on April 22.

Co-producers Kelsey Lebechuck, shown in the back row, and Colby Graham, shown in the foreground, were two of 40 undergraduates in MTSU’s Department of Electronic Media Communication who worked on the Academies of Nashville Video Awards Show on April 22.

Billy Pittard, chair of MTSU's Electronic Media Communications department, welcomes the crowd at the second annual Academies of Nashville Video Awards Show at Regal Cinema in Green Hills.

MTSU EMC department chair Billy Pittard welcomes the crowd at the second annual Academies of Nashville Video Awards Show at Regal Green Hills Cinema.

This is the second year MTSU has agreed to be the title sponsor of the show.

“We were delighted to again be part of the Academies of Nashville Video Awards Show,” said Dr. Sidney A. McPhee, president of MTSU. “This show unites the talented students from Metro Schools with our exceptional students from the Department of Electronic Media Communication.”

MTSU students also produced the awards show using the university’s state-of-the-art $1.2 million mobile production truck. There were 40 students from Metro Schools and MTSU working the hourlong production. Kelsey Lebechuck and Matt Binford, EMC undergraduate students at MTSU, co-produced the show.

Other winning entries included:

• Best Arts, Media, and Communication: Academy of Design and Technology at Hunters Lane.

• Best Business, Marketing, and Information Technology: USCCU Academy of Business and Finance/ Gaylord Entertainment Academy of Hospitality at McGavock.

• Best Engineering, Manufacturing, and Industrial Technology: Academy of Public Service at Whites Creek.

• Best Health and Public Service: Academy of Health and Human Service at Hunters Lane.

• Best Hospitality and Tourism: Academy of Hospitality at Hunters Lane.

• Best Freshman Video: McGavock High School Freshman Academy.

• Best Creativity in Presentation: Academy of Architecture and Construction at Cane Ridge.

• Best Video Personality: Academy of Entertainment Communication at Pearl-Cohn Entertainment Magnet High School.

• Best Hands-On Learning: Academy of Health Science and Law at McGavock.

• Best Script: Academy of International Business and Communication at Hillsboro.

• Best Content: CMT Academy of Digital Design and Communication at McGavock.

• Community Vote: Academy of Science and Engineering at Stratford STEM Magnet High School.

— Doug Williams (doug.williams@mtsu.edu)

 

Co-host Kayla Knolenburg, MTSU senior, and Gerald Harris, senior at Pearl-Cohn Entertainment Magnet, prepare to recognize one of the 12 winners at the AON Awards Show ceremony on April 22 at Regal Cinema in Green Hills.

Co-host Kayla Knolenburg, MTSU senior, and Gerald Harris, a senior at Pearl-Cohn Entertainment Magnet, prepare to recognize one of the 12 winners at the AON Awards Show.

Co-host Jordan Hall, MTSU senior, and Wan Rashid, sophomore at Glencliff, recognize one of the 12 winners at the AON Awards Show ceremony on April 22 at Regal Cinema in Green Hills.

Co-host Jordan Hall, an MTSU senior, and Wan Rashid, a sophomore at Glencliff, recognize one of the 12 winners at the AON Awards Show ceremony.

 

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Sharpen your pencils for MTSU summer Youth Writers’ Camps

May 3, 2013 By

Young people across the Midstate with a flair for writing — and a love for reading — are invited to MTSU’s annual Youth Writers’ Camps June 10-20 on the university’s Murfreesboro campus.

Past participants at MTSU’s annual Youth Writers Camp work on their writing projects in a quiet stairwell on campus. (file photo submitted)

Students who’ve finished fourth through 11th grades can spend two weeks learning to “read like writers” and then use their pencils and keyboards to tell stories to others with the help of the Middle Tennessee Writing Project.

The camps — one for younger children and one for teenagers — will be held at MTSU Monday through Thursday, June 10-20, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. each day.

Registration costs are $200 for new campers and $175 for returning participants, and the deadline to register is Wednesday, May 15.

The Youth Writers’ Camps are led by local teachers with the Writing Project who encourage students to explore different writing styles and topics and work with their peers and teachers to become more confident in their own writing, organizers said.

“Campers really enjoy the opportunity to have fun with their writing,” said Dr. Ellen Donovan, director of the Middle Tennessee Writing Project and a professor of English at MTSU.

“Budding poets, novelists, comic book makers and songwriters get a chance to work on projects, try new ideas and strategies and learn the same techniques used by professional writers.”

Candie Moonshower

Legend of Zoey coverThis year’s campers will enjoy an “Authors’ Celebration” and a special visit with Candie Moonshower, author of the award-winning novel “The Legend of Zoey.”  Each student also will receive a camp T-shirt, a writer’s notebook, a daily morning snack and a writing anthology.

Campers and parents can get more information and find a downloadable application form at www.middletnwritingproject.org/camp-info.

The Middle Tennessee Writing Project serves the greater Middle Tennessee region as one of more than 200 networked sites that form the National Writing Project, a professional development effort for teachers of kindergarten through college-aged students.

The MTWP focuses on improving writing instruction, helping teachers use writing as an effective teaching strategy in other areas, and developing teacher leadership to reform and improve education.

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Elementary Science Olympiad set May 4 for area schools

May 3, 2013 By

Science Olympiad logoMix together 14 elementary school teams, 300 students and more than 90 pizzas. Add a pinch of science, a dash of technology and math, and large doses of excitement and fun.

What you have is the sixth annual Elementary Science Olympiad, which will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at John Pittard Elementary School, 745 DeJarnette Lane, in Murfreesboro. Registration will be held in the lobby from 7:30 to 8:15 a.m., with medals and trophies for first through 10th place from 1 to 2:30 p.m. in the school’s gymnasium.

Dan Royse, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation assistant director in the forensics division, plans to attend and be a part of the awards’ ceremony, event director Dr. Pat Patterson said.

The Elementary Science Olympiad is held to stimulate elementary school students’ interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM disciplines.

Twelve teams from 11 Rutherford County elementary schools and two teams from Robertson County are registered to participate. Teams can bring up to 30 students. Outside events may be canceled because of rain, Patterson said.

The entries include six Murfreesboro City Schools: Black Fox, Bradley Academy, the Discovery School at Reeves Rogers, John Pittard (two teams), Northfield and Scales; five Rutherford County Schools: Barfield, Buchanan, Christiana, Homer Pittard Campus School and Thurman Francis Arts Academy in Smyrna, Tenn.; and two teams from Dayspring Academy in Greenbrier, Tenn.

Patterson, associate professor in the MTSU Department of Chemistry, also coordinates the annual Science Olympiad for middle and high school students in February.

More than 10 MTSU faculty, staff and community supporters and 50 MTSU students volunteer to assist Patterson with the Elementary Science Olympiad competitive tournament.

Patterson said funding for this year’s Elementary Science Olympiad is from an MTSU Public Service Grant and money still available from a $3,000 donation from General Mills in 2012.

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

 

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Public invited to MTSU engineering technology open house

May 1, 2013 By

The MTSU Department of Engineering Technology will hold its annual open house from 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday, May 2, in the Tom H. Jackson Building on campus.

ET open house poster webStudent projects from the university’s Experimental Vehicles Program that will be on display include the solar boat, Formula SAE and Baja SAE vehicles and the Moonbuggy.

MTSU’s Moonbuggy placed third overall and was best in the United States in the college and university division at the 20th annual Great Moonbuggy Race April 26-27at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

The public and campus community are invited to the open house. A printable campus map is available online at http://tinyurl.com/MTParkingMap12-13.

“We are having our awards ceremony for scholarships and outstanding seniors and about 20 student poster presentations,” said Dr. Walter Boles, engineering technology chair.

“Our Experimental Vehicles Program projects will be on display, and we will provide departmental tours for those who are interested.”

Dr. Charles Perry, chairholder of the Russell Chair of Manufacturing Excellence, coordinates the student awards portion of the event.

Refreshments will be served and free engineering technology T-shirts will be available.

Engineering technology is one of 10 departments in the College of Basic and Applied Sciences.

For more information, call 615-898-2776.

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

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Hall of Fame honorees ‘put Volunteer State journalism on map’

April 26, 2013 By

Representing nearly three centuries of combined journalistic excellence, the first members of the Tennessee Journalism Hall of Fame proudly stood before family, friends and colleagues at MTSU today to encourage the next generation of media professionals.

“This is the first all-inclusive hall of fame in the state to showcase talented media professionals in all areas,” John Hood, MTSU director of governmental and community affairs, told the crowd assembled inside Murphy Center for the ceremony.

The first members of the Tennessee Journalism Hall of Fame gather for a photo after an April 26 ceremony in MTSU’s Murphy Center celebrating their accomplishments. From left are inductees John Seigethaler, Chris Clark, Karen Miller representing her late husband Dan Miller, Dean Stone, Bill Williams Jr. and Anne Holt. The new Hall of Fame will be housed in the Center for Innovation in Media inside the Bragg Mass Communication Building at MTSU. (MTSU photo by Andy Heidt)

“These people all put Volunteer State journalism on the world map of credibility. We also appreciate that the hall of fame is at MTSU, because its College of Mass Communication is recognized globally for producing all kinds of media professionals.”

The hall’s inaugural inductees include:

  • Chris Clark, retired chief news anchor for WTVF-TV NewsChannel 5 in Nashville, who produced multiple global documentaries and played a strategic role in convincing the Tennessee Supreme Court to allow cameras in courtrooms. Clark, the longest tenured news anchor in Tennessee with his 41-year stint at WTVF, is currently an MTSU mass communication instructor.
  • Anne Holt, who is a 30-year veteran and three-time Emmy Award winner at WKRN-TV News 2 in Nashville. Among her numerous accolades, she is a recipient of the coveted George Foster Peabody Award for investigative reporting and the Distinguished Service Award from the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters.
  • The late Dan Miller, the longtime chief news anchor at Nashville’s WSMV-TV Channel 4, where he was once named the “Most Popular News Anchor in America” and was voted Nashville’s “Best News Anchor” multiple times. A winner of multiple Emmy Awards, Miller died in 2009.
  • John Seigenthaler, who is chairman emeritus of The Tennessean in Nashville, founding editorial director of USA Today and founder of the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University as well as MTSU’s Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies.
  • Dean Stone, who is editor of The Daily Times in Maryville as well as a featured columnist. He served multiple terms as president of the Tennessee Associated Press Managing Editors, now known as the Tennessee Associated Press Media Editors.
  • William Bryant “Bill” Williams Jr., a third-generation community newspaper publisher, who is publisher emeritus of the Paris (Tenn.) Post-Intelligencer, a newspaper that has served the Henry County community since 1866.

Each of the inductees had words of thanks for their supporters as well as encouragement for the students gathered for their own annual awards ceremony.

Tenn Journalism Hall of Fame logo

Holt reminded the young people of their “obligation” to ensure the accuracy of their news stories. Miller’s wife, Karen, recalled the “flurry of information to be sifted through” in the newsroom where her husband worked, often with their young daughter at his feet under his anchor desk, “working” alongside her dad.

Seigenthaler, who started in 1948 as a copyboy in the newsroom of the newspaper he’d later lead, noted the dedication of the media industry people around him, saying, “For most of my professional life, I’ve interacted with all the people up here in this inaugural class with me.”

Stone, who continues working at his newspaper at age 88 and has founded and contributed to numerous service organizations in Blount County, said that his journalism work was a part of his determination to be of service to the community. And Williams, who has 28 members of his extended family working in some form of media outlet or printing and still serves as the paper’s chief editorial writer, joked that he has a granddaughter in college radio to continue the family tradition.

Dan Miller

The new Tennessee Journalism Hall of Fame at MTSU, which was officially unveiled in October 2012 after four years of planning, will be housed at the John Bragg Mass Communication Building inside the Center for Innovation in Media.

The hall was the brainchild of Hooper Penuel, a retired lieutenant colonel and public information officer for the Tennessee National Guard, and newspaper columnist Dan Whittle.

“It was an idea born about four years ago of a backyard visit,” Hood explained to the crowd, “to include all aspects of modern journalism, not only print, radio and TV but electronic media and public relations in Tennessee.”

MTSU journalism professor Larry Burriss joined the pair in their efforts, becoming president of the hall’s board of directors with Whittle as vice president and Penuel as secretary/treasurer.

After the special Hall of Fame induction, the College of Mass Communication recognized another group of MTSU alumni and friends as members of its “Wall of Fame.”

The Wall of Fame began in 2000 as a way to both honor successful mass-communication graduates and inspire current students to continue working toward their goals. Each year, each of the college’s departments solicits nominees from faculty, chooses an honoree and submits his or her name to the dean. The inductees are added to the Wall of Fame roster at the college’s annual Awards Day for students.

The 2013 Mass Communication Wall of Fame inductees bring the total membership to 75. They are:

  • Dr. Harold Baldwin, an MTSU professor emeritus of photography and the latest “Friend of the College,” who built and curated the renowned photo gallery on campus that now bears his name and will reopen soon in a revamped site.
  • MTSU alumnus Garry Hood (B.S. ’77), a respected TV production executive who has served as head stage manager for more than 1,000 hours of the finest network television specials, including Olympic opening and closing ceremonies, presidential inaugurals, the Kennedy Center Honors, Super Bowl halftime shows as well as the Oscars, Emmys, Grammys, Tonys and other award shows, commercials, music videos and films.
  • Alumnus Keith Ryan Cartwright (B.S. ’01), an award-winning journalist since his college days at Sidelines, the student newspaper, enjoyed a successful freelance writing and television production career before becoming the senior writer for Professional Bull Riders Inc. He now manages online content for the organization’s website and helps produce televised bull-riding events that draw more than 100 million viewers each year.
  • Alumnus Gary Overton (B.S. ’84), chairman and CEO of Sony Music Nashville and the former longtime executive vice president of EMI Music Publishing’s Nashville division. Overton, who served as chair of the Country Music Association in 2012 and is a member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, also was superstar Alan Jackson’s personal manager and served as head of A&R for BNA Entertainment and vice president of Warner/Chappell Music.
  • The late Dr. Thomas “Tom” Hutchison, a longtime member of MTSU’s Department of Recording Industry who made significant contributions to MTSU’s Music Business Program, including serving as coordinator of the Music Business Internship Program and the Executive Online Music Business Program. He also was instrumental in starting the MTSU/ASCAP Songwriting Degree and in bringing the NARAS-sponsored Grammy University Network to MTSU, which was one of the first colleges to adopt the program. Hutchison was on leave from MTSU to serve as professor of marketing and director of the School of Business and Management at Husson University in Bangor, Maine, as well as executive director of academic affairs for Husson’s College of Business, when he died unexpectedly in May 2012.

The College of Mass Communication capped today’s ceremony by honoring more than 100 students in the Department of Electronic Media Communication, School of Journalism, Department of Recording Industry and graduate studies program for their scholarship and professional accomplishments.

“This all has been an example to our students that professionalism and talent can be recognized and rewarded,” Mass Communication Dean Roy Moore said.

“This year we are fortunate to be presenting our students with more than $35,000 in scholarships and awards, all funded through private donations.”

For more information about the Tennessee Journalism Hall of Fame, visit www.tnjournalismhof.org. For more information about MTSU’s College of MassCommunication, visit www.mtsu.edu/masscomm. You also can watch an excerpt from the Hall of Fame ceremony below.

 

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Syria, North Korea are subjects of discussion at seminar

April 23, 2013 By

A panel of experts from diverse backgrounds will shed light on some dangerous areas of the world at a discussion sponsored by MTSU.

Dr. Moses Tesi

“Syria, North Korea and United States Leadership in the World,” a “Reflections on World Affairs” seminar, is slated for 11:20 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, April 25, in Room 100 of MTSU’s James Union Building. The seminar is free and open to the public.

Dr. Moses Tesi, professor of political science and director of that department’s graduate studies, will moderate the discussion.

Scheduled panelists will include the Rev. John Hinkle, senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Murfreesboro; Sheikh Dr. Ossama Bahloul, imam of the Murfreesboro Islamic Center; and Sheldon Lutz, president of Sherith Israel Synagogue in Nashville.

The MTSU Department of Political Science’s master’s degree program in international affairs and the Office of the Vice Provost for International Affairs will host the event.

For more information, call 615-898-2708 or 615-898-2115. For parking information, go to http://tinyurl.com/MTParkingMap12-13.

— Gina K. Logue (Gina.Logue@mtsu.edu)

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