MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University representatives recently appeared on WGNS Radio to discuss a new Master of Fine Arts degree in film and TV, an experiential learning project led by media students, and an upcoming annual festival led by an MTSU center.

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 of the April 20 program by clicking the links below at the end of each section.

Guests for the April program, in order of appearance, included:

• Allie Sultan, Department of Media Arts professor and Master of Fine Arts director, discussed the new Master of Fine Arts in Film and Television launching in the fall.

Housed within the Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment, the 60-credit-hour program is the first and only MFA of its kind at a public university in Tennessee. Designed as a fully on-ground, three-year graduate degree, the program aims to prepare students for advanced creative roles in the film and television industry.

As a terminal degree in the field, the MFA in Film and Television also opens pathways for graduates to pursue teaching opportunities at the college and university level.

The program is built to serve a diverse range of students, including recent graduates seeking advanced training, working professionals aiming to move into above-the-line creative roles such as producing, directing, and screenwriting, and nontraditional students looking to shift into film and television careers. Listen to the segment.

• Dr. Matthew Taylor, associate journalism professor, Justine Norton, a senior advertising and public relations major, and Gabe Soundara, a public relations major with a minor in tourism hospitality, discussed Taylor’s course in which his media students are working with Honor Flight of Middle Tennessee to reach more veterans and supporters.

Twice a year, Honor Flight of Middle Tennessee takes eligible World War II, Korean War and Vietnam veterans on a free trip to see the war memorials in the nation’s capital. MTSU media students are putting their classroom knowledge to work in an experiential learning environment to help enhance that mission.

Over the course of the semester, students have been working on a campaign book for Honor Flight of Middle Tennessee that focuses on media and event plans, as well as ways to attract more veteran applicants and donations. The next Honor Flight of Middle Tennessee takes off on Wednesday, May 6. For more information, visit honorflightmidtn.org. Listen to the segment.

• Dr. Kim Cleary Sadler, professor emerita of biology, discussed the 48th Elsie Quarterman Cedar Glade Wildflower Festival set for April 30-May 3 at Cedars of Lebanon State Park, with MTSU biology faculty, alumni and supporters returning to participate. 

The Center for Cedar Glade Studies at MTSUis co-partnering with the park, located six miles south of Lebanon, to host the festival, which was renamed in 2008 in honor of Vanderbilt cedar glade ecologist and professor Elsie Quarterman.

Cedar glades are characterized by very thin soil and exposed, rocky patches surrounded by redcedar trees. Cedar glades, which support a variety of plant life, are found in the Midstate in Wilson, Davidson and Rutherford counties. 

Sadler will be joined at the festival by other MTSU faculty, including art professor Erin Anfinson and biology professor Jeff Walck, along with alums Mary Priestley, Melissa Turentine, Todd Crabtree, Sharon Bracy, Matt Niemiller and Jason Allen, who will lead a variety of family-friendly activities throughout the weekend, ranging from hikes to gardening to journaling and more. Listen to the segment.

Students, faculty and staff who are interested in guesting on WGNS to promote their MTSU-related activities should contact Jimmy Hart, senior director of MTSU News and Media Relations, at 615-898-5131 or via email at jimmy.hart@mtsu.edu.