MTSU faculty experts recently provided their views in national media outlets on topics including dyslexia, national party politics, hate speech, the impeachment of President Trump and the country’s economy.

Dr. Melinda Hirschmann

Mitzie Forrest

Mitzie Forrest, a lecturer in the Department of Criminal Justice Administration, commented on four young men’s escape from the Davidson County Juvenile Justice Center for a Dec. 7 report on WKRN-TV. The story is available here.

Dr. Melinda Hirschmann, assistant director for educational services and school outreach for the Tennessee Center for the Study and Treatment of Dyslexia, responded to an educator’s comments denouncing dyslexia and phonics for a Dec. 11 post at an Education Week blog. The story is available here.

Dr. Steve Livingston

Dr. Steve Livingston, assistant director of the MTSU Business and Economic Research Center, said in a Dec. 13 story for WMOT-FM that Tennessee exports have decreased for two consecutive quarters. His remarks are available here.

Livingston also commented in a Jan. 3 article at AL.com that the Trump administration may find it difficult to continue tariffs on aircraft parts. The article is available here.

Dr. John Vile

Dr. John Vile, chair of the University Honors College and a constitutional law scholar, penned an editorial for the Dec. 18 Knoxville News-Sentinel and other Gannett newspapers on how Vice President Mike Pence might help save the Republican Party. The editorial is available here.

Dr. Michael Federici

Vile also answered questions on the Dec. 19 edition of “MorningLine” on NewsChannel5+ on political topics ranging from impeachment to the Democratic presidential race. The video is available here.

Dr. Michael Federici, chair of the Department of Political Science and International Affairs, analyzed the impeachment of President Donald Trump in the context of Alexander Hamilton’s writings in a Dec. 19 article in the Casper (Wyoming) Star-Tribune. His comments are available here.

Dr. Tim Graeff

Kent Syler

Kent Syler, a professor of political science and international affairs, reviewed Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s first year in office for a Dec. 21 article in the Chattanooga Times Free Press. The story is available here.

Syler also assessed two GOP aspirants for a U.S. Senate seat, Manny Sethi and Bill Hagerty, in a Jan. 5 article in the Times Free Press; it’s available here.

Syler also previewed the upcoming Tennessee General Assembly session for a Jan. 3 article in the Nashville Ledger, which can be read here.

Dr. Tim Graeff, director of the Office of Consumer Research at MTSU, said in a Dec. 24 story in the Times Free Press that Tennesseans have an increasingly positive view of the economy. His analysis is available here.

Ken Paulson

Ken Paulson, director of the Free Speech Center at MTSU, was quoted in a Dec. 26 post at Fresh24News.com about on a survey that shows 41 percent of college students say hate speech should not be protected by the First Amendment. The article is available here.

Lynda Williams

Dr. Racha El Kadiri

Dr. Racha El Kadiri, an assistant professor in the Department of Geosciences, co-authored an article, published Dec. 27 in the journal Geosciences, on natural and human-induced impacts on water resources in Morocco. The article is available here.

Lynda Williams, a professor of criminal justice administration, said in a Jan. 2 story in the Murfreesboro Post that she doesn’t make New Year’s resolutions.

Her perspective can be read here.

Reporters seeking expertise from MTSU personnel, as well as members of the campus community with expertise for media, may contact Gina Logue in the Office of News and Media Relations at 615-898-5081 or via email at gina.logue@mtsu.edu.