Even as a busy semester drew to a close, MTSU faculty and staff found time to share their expertise with news outlets on a variety of topics, including presidential concession speeches, racism, police violence, life in Japan and the Bible in American politics, among others.

Dr. Sekou Franklin

Dr. Fusae Ekida

• Dr. Sekou Franklin, an associate professor of political science and international relations, posited that some of President Donald Trump’s success can be attributed to disgruntled white voters’ feeling that minority groups are responsible for their problems in a Nov. 6 article in The Chronicle of Higher Education. His comments can be accessed here.

• Dr. Fusae Ekida, an assistant professor in the Department of World Languages, Literature and Cultures, participated Nov. 9 in “Reading Between the Lines,” a discussion of contemporary life in Japan sponsored by the Japan-America Society of Tennessee. The video can be accessed here.

Dr. John Vile

• Dr. John Vile, dean of the University Honors College and a political scientist, analyzed the results of the presidential election and the impact of the extended vote-counting process for “Inside Politics” on NewsChannel5+. The program, which was posted Nov. 10, can be viewed here.

Vile provided historical perspective on presidential candidates’ concession speeches for a Nov. 10 Associated Press story that was published worldwide. One posting, by Telemundo Puerto Rico, can be read here.

Vile weighed in on President Trump’s refusal to give a concession speech in a Nov. 13 article for Politifact. His comments can be accessed here.

Vile participated in a video about the history of presidential concession speeches for a Nov. 17 post for Business Insider. The video can be seen here.

Vile discussed his book “The Bible in American Law and Politics” on “Issues of Faith” on NewsChannel5+. The video, which was posted Nov. 19, can be viewed here.

Kent Syler

Dr. Ashleigh McKinzie

• Kent Syler, a professor of political science and international relations, explained his students’ election projection map and compared it to the election results in a Nov. 10 report on WSMV-TV in Nashville. The video and transcript are available here.

Syler assessed poll results showing that most Americans think the country is headed in the wrong direction in a Nov. 14 story in the Chattanooga Times-Free Press. His views can be read here.

• Dr. Ashleigh McKinzie, an assistant professor of sociology, compared American racism with India’s caste system on a Nov. 12 podcast hosted by Summa Sinthanaigal. The video can be accessed here.

Dr. Katie Foss

Nick Lenczycki

• Nicholas Lenczycki, MTSU flight operations program manager, assessed a new reporting capability that enables students to track performance records and analyze data more efficiently in a Nov. 13 story for Aviation Pros. His remarks can be read here.

• Dr. Katie Foss, a professor of media studies, talked about how the media have shaped how people have viewed epidemics throughout history on a Nov. 15 podcast for Infectious Historians. The audio can be heard here.

Lynda Williams

Charlie Dahan

• Lynda Williams, a professor in the Department of Criminal Justice Administration, was interviewed about racially motivated police violence for the Amerikan Therapy podcast. The video, which was posted to YouTube Nov. 19, is available here.

• Charlie Dahan, a professor of recording industry, explained the legacy of Gennett Records, a small Indiana-based label that recorded some of the greatest artists in American history, for a Nov. 20 story by News Nirvana. His comments can be accessed here.

Dr. Sidney A. McPhee

• Dr. Sidney A. McPhee, MTSU president, wrote an editorial on how to be grateful in the midst of a pandemic. The opinion piece was published Nov. 24 in the Knoxville News-Sentinel and other newspapers and is available 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 615-631-8322 or via email at gina.logue@mtsu.edu.

— Gina Logue (gina.logue@mtsu.edu)