MTSU’s appeared on WGNS Radio recently to talk about an upcoming guaranteed scholarship deadline, the ongoing conflict in Israel and a grant to support mental health town halls for people of color.

They appeared on the live “Action Line” program with host Scott Walker broadcast on FM 100.5, 101.9 and AM 1450 from the WGNS studio in downtown Murfreesboro. If you missed it, you can listen to podcast segments from the Nov. 20 program by clicking the “discussed” hyperlinks below for each segment.

Guests included:

• Tony Strode, MTSU undergraduate recruitment director, discussed the Dec. 1 application deadline for guaranteed scholarships, campus tours and more.

Admissions representatives highly recommend students apply by the Dec. 1 deadline in order for qualifying students to receive guaranteed scholarships. Transfer students have a Feb. 15, 2024, deadline to apply. 

Prospective students must have a complete application on file with the MTSU Admissions Office by Friday, Dec. 1, to be considered for an academic merit guaranteed scholarship, ranging from $3,500 to $8,000 per year for four years based on ACT scores and GPA, for the 2022-23 academic year. For more information, call 615-898-2233 or email admissions@mtsu.edu.

• Dr. Sean Foley, history professor and expert on the Middle East history, discussed the war in Israel and the history of the region.

Foley specializes in Middle East history and the cultural, political and religious trends in the wider Islamic World. He has published widely and delivered public presentations to major institutions and conferences around the world.  

His second book, “Changing Saudi Arabia: Art, Culture, and Society in the Kingdom,” was published by Lynne Rienner Press in 2019 and is widely regarded as the definitive text on the Saudi arts community. It is based on extensive in-country research and interviews. He has also won multiple fellowships and grants for work in countries as different as Australia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Turkey. For more on his work, see his website: www.seanfoley.org. 

• Dr. Chandra Story, professor and interim chair of the Department of Health and Human Performance, and Dr. Carmelita Dotson, (by phone) assistant professor and coordinator of the Bachelor of Social Work program, discussed the grant they co-authored that supported recent town halls on mental health in communities of color.

The two faculty members co-authored a grant with assistant professor Donna Dopwell, director of social work at Tennessee State University, to build capacity for mental health among communities of color in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Grant funding came through the Office of Minority Health at the Tennessee Department of Health. The culmination was recent town hall meetings in Murfreesboro and Davidson County that were free and open to the public. 

Black families had higher levels of comorbidity, mortality and complications in relation to COVID-19, Story said. This was due to a myriad of factors, which could include early misdiagnosis of COVID-19, chronic disease, and living conditions. Students, faculty and staff who are interested in guesting on WGNS to promote their MTSU-related activities should contact Jimmy Hart, director of MTSU News and Media Relations, at 615-898-5131 or via email at jimmy.hart@mtsu.edu.