The League of Women Voters of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County is teaming up with MTSU’s University Honors College and MT Engage to bring the important national discussion on immigration to local audiences on Monday, Sept. 20.

“Immigration, Law and Local Consequences: Current Issues for Immigrants and Refugees in Rutherford County” is set for 3 p.m. Central Sept. 20 in Room 201 of MTSU’s Student Union at 1768 MTSU Blvd.

The discussion also will be available online via Zoom.

The panelists include Kellye Branson, an MTSU alumna and the director of refugee and immigration services for Catholic Charities of Nashville, and Abdou Kattih, founder of Murfreesboro Muslim Youth and a longtime community service organizer.

Barbara “Bobbie” Ibarra of the League of Women Voters will moderate the conversation, which is open to the public and free. Masks and appropriate distancing will be required.

A campus parking map is available here. Off-campus visitors can obtain a one-day permit at https://mtsu.edu/parking/visit.php, park in the university’s Rutherford Boulevard Lot, and ride the Raider Xpress shuttle to the Student Union.

The event’s Zoom link is available here, and the meeting ID is 371 301 9570. Zoom participants should use the passcode “rucoburo” to access the live feed.

“Immigration, Law and Local Consequences” is part of the University’s Honors College fall 2021 Honors Lecture Series, an upper-division class and public lecture opportunity with a new topic each spring and fall. Both MTSU faculty and off-campus experts join the discussion and share their knowledge at the weekly lectures.

This semester’s Honors Lecture Series topic is “Rewriting the Constitution.”

MT Engage, a program designed to enhance students’ college educations by expanding their learning inside and outside the classroom, is MTSU’s most recent Quality Enhancement Plan, required for reaccreditation through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.  

It began in 2016 and creates opportunities for students to develop more engaged learning and integrative thinking, increasing their satisfaction with their education and ultimately increasing graduation and retention rates.

Kellye Branson

Panelist Branson has coordinated refugee and immigration services for Catholic Charities of Nashville since 2008. Before she joined the organization, she worked in the child welfare and juvenile justice fields, making valuable use of her MTSU undergrad degree in criminal justice and psychology and her master’s in forensic psychology from the University of North Dakota.

Abdou Kattih

Kattih, who arrived in the United States from his native Syria in 1998, is a pharmacist with more than two decades’ experience in retail and corporate management. He established Murfreesboro Muslim Youth in 2015 to help expand youth development and social work and is a board member for the Rutherford Interfaith Council, Community Helpers and the Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Center.

Barbara “Bobbie” Ibarra

Ibarra’s 30-plus years of experience in government, corporate, nonprofit and philanthropic management includes serving as the national director of civil rights for the U.S. Department of Transportation and work with the homeless and child welfare in Miami, Florida. Her service has continued with her work with the League of Women Voters since her recent move to Middle Tennessee.

The fall 2021 Honors Lecture Series continues through Monday, Nov. 22. For more information, visit www.mtsu.edu/honors/lecture-series/Fall21_Constitution.php.

For more information about the MT Engage program, visit www.mtsu.edu/mtengage.

— Gina E. Fann (gina.fann@mtsu.edu)

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