Victor Parkins from the Tennessee Press Association, left, chats with MTSU senior Kevin Mumphrey during a tour of the Center for Innovation in Media as part of the Tennessee Press Association’s Nov. 2 board meeting on the MTSU campus. (MTSU photos by Andy Heidt)

Gathering today on the MTSU campus for their fall meeting, the Tennessee Press Association’s Board of Directors enjoyed a luncheon in the new Student Union Building and tour of the new Center for Innovation in Media inside the John Bragg Mass Communication Building.

Mass Communication Dean Roy Moore noted that the group was getting a rare opportunity to see the new student-focused center, which brings all student media and MTSU’s National Public Radio station, WMOT 89.5 FM, under one roof.

“It is a great opportunity for the TPA board members to see firsthand why our college is one of the best and largest mass communication programs in the country,” Moore said.

The board convened at 2 p.m. for its formal meeting.

The Tennessee Press Association is the trade association of Tennessee’s daily and non-daily newspapers and is the parent organization of Tennessee Press Service and Tennessee Press Association Foundation.

It provides assistance to its 125 member newspapers by monitoring legislative activities, providing training programs, issuing press credentials, maintaining a Web site and employment database and providing regular meetings and forums to exchange information and ideas.

Stephan Foust, center, director of MTSU’s Center for Innovation in Media, explains the green hue in the robotic studio inside the center for Tennessee Press Association members Hugh Jones, left, and Sadie Fowler during a Nov. 2 tour.