Zdravstvujtyefrom MTSU! Aviation trends · interested in bringing back Russian intellectuals who...

MTSU’s Aerospace Depart-ment will serve as host forthe first National Confer-

ence on General Aviation Trends inChina, set for Dec. 1-2 in the DonaldMcDonald Hangar inside the univer-sity’s Flight Operations Center atMurfreesboro Airport.

“We are extremely excited aboutthis conference, as it is one of thefirst in the United States that willhave members of one of the largestuniversities in China here to learnabout U.S. general aviation,” saidAerospace Chair Wayne Dornan.

“We have a distinguished list ofU.S. speakers that will lend theirexpertise to the Chinese officials. ... I am unaware of any such gatheringthat has taken place in the UnitedStates where high-ranking officialsfrom both countries interact on aviation.”

The first day’s activities willinclude:

a publication for the Middle Tennessee State University community www.mtsunews.com • Nov. 29, 2010 • Vol. 19/No. 11

Inside this edition:COHRE offers business training, page 3Problem-based learning, page 6Mock-trial team winners, page 8

CLASS HELPS WITH HIV TESTS

Students in Dr. Catherine

Crooks’ Psychology 4600 course

are teaming up with Nashville

CARES to offer free HIV testing on

Thursday, Dec. 2, in the Keathley

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the second floor at an information

table just outside the KUC Grill.

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More great MT news, page 5More great MT news, page 5

Zdravstvujtye from MTSU!

Time for givingNov. 30 is last day to submit

employee pledge cardsDetails at www.mtsu.edu/givemtsu

Brand-new college off to collaborative start

The educational disciplines that focus on serv-ice to society are now under one umbrella atMTSU. As part of Dr. Sidney A. McPhee’s

Repositioning the University for the FutureInitiative, the new College of Behavioral andHealth Sciences is taking its first steps toward thefuture.

With the departments of Criminal Justice,Health and Human Performance, Human Sciencesand Psychology leaving the College of Education,the new college also welcomed the Department ofSocial Work from the College of Liberal Arts andthe School of Nursing from the College of Basic andApplied Sciences. In addition, the CommunicationDisorders program moved from its affiliation with

the Department of Speech and Theatre to theDepartment of Health and Human Performance.

Joining the academic departments are theCenters for Health and HumanServices, Organizational andHuman Resource Effectiveness,and Physical Activity and Healthfor Youth, as well as theTennessee Center for ChildWelfare, the Speech, Languageand Hearing Clinic and theAdams Chair of Excellence inHealth Care Services.

“We really see ourselves as aresearch-powerful operation forgetting grants and other opportu-nities because of cross-collaboration between disci-plines,” says Dr. Harold “Terry” Whiteside, dean of

the new college. Whiteside views the TCCW, in particular, as a

grant-management operation that will serve otherdepartments, help with paperwork and identifyadditional grants.

Dr. Rick Short, associate dean, says the formerCollege of Education and Behavioral Science under-standably gravitated overwhelmingly towardteacher education. The reorganization not only pro-vides education with its own point of focus, hesays; it enables the other disciplines that share acommon thread to become part of the same fabric.

Behavioral and Health Sciences’ mission state-ment reads, in part, that it “coalesces around a stu-dent-centered approach to provide reality-based,direct learning experiences that serve their

To get even 10 min-utes of access to amajor head of state

is a gift that would makethousands of lobbyistsgiddy with anticipation.

Dr. Andrei Korobkov,MTSU professor of politi-cal science, spoke withRussian President DmitryMedvedev for two hoursat a Nov. 4 state receptionand dinner at the Kremlin.

Korobkov encoun-tered Medvedev at thefourth annual Assembly ofthe Russian WorldFoundation, which tookplace Nov. 2-4 in Moscow.

“The organization isactively supported byPresident Medvedev, whois very interested in push-ing it and considers it away to reestablish linkswith the Russian diasporaabroad,” says Korobkov.

“Increasingly, he is gettinginterested in bringing backRussian intellectuals wholeft.”

Medvedev has poureda great deal of his politicalcapital into the SkolkovoProject, an attempt at aRussian Silicon Valleynorth of Moscow. He hasobtained monetary contri-butions from Microsoft,Cisco and several Japanesecompanies.

“Huge amounts ofmoney are being investedthere, but for now, theirattempts to bring largenumbers of Russian aca-demics are in vain, basical-ly,” Korobkov says. “Ihave been studying thisproblem for a long time,so I gave the main presen-tation at the conference.”

Korobkov says heemphasized to Medvedevthat Russian intellectualswho have achieved tenureat universities in the West

will not be inclined toreturn to their home coun-try, especially given thedegree of interaction withthe Russian governmentthey would be expected toendure.

“To imagine that in

Russia it would be possi-ble to leave academicsalone is very hard,because it’s an extremelybureaucratized country,and it became more

by Gina K. Logue

[email protected]

MARKING HISTORY—MTSU professor Andrei Korobkovpauses for a photo in front of a monument in Germanysigned by Soviet soldiers when they conquered the Nazis.

photo submitted

Whiteside

Professor greets, advises Russianleaders during trip home for seminar

See ‘Aviation’ page 5

by Gina K. Logue

[email protected]

Aviation trendsin China guidenew conferenceby Randy Weiler

[email protected]

See ‘Brand-new’ page 3

We won! See page 5

See ‘Hello’ page 5

More Chinese visitors, page 2

The Record Nov. 29, 2010

Iam an administrator in theAcademic Office of ChinaAgricultural University in Beijing.

I and Ms. Zhanrong Zhong visitedMTSU from March to August 2010 asshadowing researchers to learn howMTSU committed itself to serve stu-dents from Tennessee and beyond.

On Sept. 27, I shared my experi-ence in a two-hour lecture with myCAU colleagues, chaired by Mr.Wenliang Wu, the provost of CAU.

CAU is a 211 university in China.“211” is a Chinese National Educa-tional Project, during which the gov-ernment will support the top 100 uni-versities of the 3,000 institutions ofhigher education nationwide to helpthem become the best Chinese univer-sities in the 21st century.

With Dr. Sidney A. McPhee’s ini-tiatives and continuous efforts, CAUand MTSU have developed strongpartnerships in the areas of studentexchanges, visiting scholars and jointresearch since 2001. Ms. Zhong and Ispent six months at MTSU as the firstgroup of visiting administrators.

“I wrote a 50-page report on howthe best university in Tennessee offersstudents a quality education,” Iexplained to my colleagues. “Myreport covers the university profile,admission policies, freshman orienta-tion, personalized academic advising,

a robust computer system for teach-ing and learning, and universal accessto technology.

“The (Student Health, Wellnessand) Recreation Center is a veryenjoyable place and a good facility forfaculty and students as well. Ienjoyed backward floating very muchwhen I swam after working longhours in the office.

“My gratitude is great for the

hospitality I received from MTSU,and the days I spent in Murfreesborowill become a valuable memory forthis trip to the United States.”

My colleagues expressed stronginterest in how the university facultyand staff serve students and create astudent-centered learning community.MTSU’s efficient practices, robustadministration and a technologicalsystem serving more than 25,000 stu-

dents stirred up the meeting partici-pants’ heated discussion.

MTSU graduate student WenchengHu received this article and photo fromMs. Wang and sent it to the Office ofNews and Public Affairs for publicationin The Record.

‘Our happy, productive experience at MTSU’by Jianhua Wang

[email protected]

FFOORR TTHHEE RREECCOORRDD

STATUS REPORT—Jianhua Wang, at far right, uses her laptop to present her report on her visit to MTSU earlier this year with col-league Zhanrong Zhong. Wang is an administrator in the Academic Office of China Agricultural University in Beijing, and she andZhong shadowed researchers for six months to learn more about MTSU’s “student-centered learning community.”

photo submitted

TEACHING MORE TEACHERS—Former Hangzhou Normal University President Lin Zhengfandiscusses “The Development and Future Perspective of Primary-School Teachers in Rural Areas inChina” with students in the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building Nov. 9. Dr. Lin and his delegationfrom MTSU’s Confucius Institute partner school visited MTSU, three Murfreesboro schools and schoolsystems in east Tennessee during their Nov. 7-14 visit to observe teaching methods in kindergartenthrough 12th grades in both city and rural settings. The delegation, which also included GenzhenZhen, Jing Zhang and Jianmei Shen, visited the Discovery School at Reeves Rogers, Siegel MiddleSchool and Siegel High School in Murfreesboro to observe local teachers in action. The group conclud-ed their week in Tennessee with a visit to the Capitol to meet Gov. Phil Bredesen and tour theTennessee State Museum and Frist Center, then attended MTSU’s 29th annual Salute to ArmedServices events on Nov. 13.

MTSU Photographic Services photo by Andy Heidt

A welcome guest

MTSU officials support preliminary discussionsby lawmakers to secure funding for the pro-posed $126 million science building by reduc-

ing the state’s share of the project to less than $100 mil-lion.

Dr. Sidney A. McPhee said he was grateful for thework by legislators, state officials and others to advancethe science building, which has been on the state’s pri-ority list for higher-education building projects since1998 and designated as the No. 1 priority for the lastthree years. The university’s current science buildingshave been deemed outdated and inadequate to supportdemand created by MTSU’s record-breaking enroll-ment.

State Sens. Bill Ketron, R-Murfreesboro, and JimTracy, R-Shelbyville, said at a Rutherford CountyChamber of Commerce legislative luncheon on Nov. 17that they thought the project would fare better beforethe Legislature if the state’s cost could be reducedbelow the $100 million mark.

McPhee said he will work with the senators, as wellas the entire local legislative delegation and other keylawmakers, on ways to reduce the state’s portion of thecost and move the project forward. Under such a sce-nario, he said, the university would secure the balanceneeded to finish the building through other optionsapart from state funding.

The president also echoed the senators’ urgency onmoving quickly with the project to take advantage oflower construction and material costs. While the projecthas been scaled back considerably during the years-long planning process, McPhee said the university willlook for additional ways to reduce costs while preserv-ing the building’s functionality and educational mis-sion.

MTSU supports officials’efforts to secure fundingfor new science building

The Record Nov. 29, 2010 page 3

Department revives Cuba trip after 6-year hiatus

After a six-year hiatus due tostringent U.S. governmentcontrols on travel to Cuba

by American citizens, MTSU’sDepartment of Foreign Languagesand Literatures has revived its suc-cessful Cuba study-abroad programfor summer 2011.

The new program, called“Project Cuba,” has been retooled tofit new laws and is one of only a fewsuch programs in existence nation-wide.

“It’s a shame to wait out politicalchanges that might never come,”said Dr. Ric Morris, professor ofSpanish and linguistics at MTSU,who is serving as program director.“There has never been greaterurgency for Americans to get behindthe Iron Curtain and see for them-selves what Cuba is all about.”

Because of the trade embargo,visiting Cuba without U.S. govern-ment permission can incur fines inthe hundreds of thousands of dollarsand up to 10 years in prison. As aresult, very few Americans go there.The 2011 Cuba program is coveredunder an academic license, however,and is 100 percent legal for all quali-fying participants.

The program will be open tothree classifications of participants:

undergraduate students, graduatestudents and faculty. All threegroups will depart Nashville togeth-er on May 20, 2011, but will return atdifferent times. Faculty and graduatestudents will stay two weeks andreturn on June 3. Undergraduateswill stay 10 weeks and return onJuly 31.

“The undergraduate program islonger because U.S. law requiresundergraduatestudy in Cuba tobe at least 10 con-tinuous weeks, noexceptions,”Morris explains.“Graduate studyfalls under the cat-egory of researchand is not dura-tionally restricted.”

While in Cuba,undergraduates will earn nine hoursof Spanish credit taking languageclasses at the University of Havana.They also will take a custom-designed course, “AnthropologicalHistory of the Cuban People,” to betaught in English at the MontanéAnthropological Museum inHavana. On return to MTSU, thecourse may be equated to threehours of credit either in ANTH 3710,Special Topics in Anthropology, orGS 3010, Global Studies: StudyAbroad.

Graduate students and facultywill conduct independent-researchprojects. As much as possible, theywill work in the field with researchassistants, who will also help breakdown any cultural or language barri-ers encountered along the way.

For the duration of the visit, allthree groups will reside in Havanain comfortable guest- house lodging.They will take meals together andenjoy cultural activities and excur-sions as a group.

“The only difference will bewhat each person does during work-ing hours,” Morris says“Undergraduates will be takingclasses, while the faculty and gradstudents are working on theirresearch.”

All three prongs of the programare open to participants in any aca-demic field and with any level ofSpanish ability.

So why visit Cuba? Morrisexplains that much of what we hearabout Cuba in the United Statestoday is highly politicized, leadingto grossly inaccurate perceptions ofwhat Cuba is really like.

“We have no excuse for beingignorant about Cuba,” he says.“Cuba is closer to our borders thanChattanooga is to Murfreesboro, butwhat do we really know about Cubabesides the fact that it’s Marxist andexports cigars? How many

Americans know, for example, thatCuba has virtually eradicated severallethal diseases that still kill thou-sands of Americans each year?”

Morris points out that past tripparticipants typically come awaydeeply challenged by the experienceof being in Cuba even for just a fewweeks.

“A lot of what you’ve believedabout Cuba turns out to be correct,but even more turns out to bewrong,” he says.

“Cuba is the final frontier,”Morris adds. “After graduating col-lege, most Americans will neverhave the opportunity to visit Cubaagain legally. If Cuba intrigues you,there won’t be a better time to gothan now.”

Morris has been to Cuba fivetimes: four as an educational-pro-gram director and once on a human-itarian mission.

For more information aboutProject Cuba, interested students andfaculty should contact Morris assoon as possible at 615-898-2284 [email protected].

You also can listen to Morris dis-cuss “Project Cuba” in the Nov. 21,2010, podcast of “MTSU On theRecord,” available anytime atwww.mtsunews.com.

from Staff Reports

[email protected]

COHRE offers new training for private business

Sometimes a project works so well in the private sector that a governmen-tal agency decides it’s worth copying and broadening. The MTSU Centerfor Organizational and Human Resource Effectiveness is doing the same

thing in reverse. COHRE is taking the Foundational Leadership Academy it created three

years ago to help Rutherford County government employees and offering it toprivate businesses and organizations.

The Foundational Leadership Academy conducts fivehalf-day sessions once a month with county workers whohave leadership potential. Up to 12 trainees and two primarytrainers provide individual attention and cover the issuesbusiness leaders constantly encounter.

Dr. Patrick McCarthy, director of COHRE, says the acad-emy was designed to be practical, rigorous, hands-on andaffordable, is quite adaptable to private-sector circumstancesand is applicable in both large and small businesses.

“It’s still about running a business,” notes McCarthy.“It’s still about managing people. It’s still about motivating.It’s still about dealing with conflict effectively and construc-tively.”

Rutherford County Mayor Ernest G. Burgess is a believer. He writes, “Werecognize the value of developing our people, and COHRE has done a won-derful job adapting the training to the needs of each individual group. COHREis a competent, energetic, resourceful and trustworthy organization.”

“While, on the one hand, we’re a stand-alone consulting firm of sorts, our

affiliation with the university means a key part of our mission is to serve ourcommunity,” McCarthy says.

After three years of proven performance, the time seemed right to take theFoundational Leadership Academy to the Rutherford County business com-munity. Dr. Michael Hein, associate director of COHRE, says many firms arediscovering that they need to bolster their bench strength.

“What’s actually happening is the retirement of the Baby Boomers,” saysHein, ”and a lot of companies are realizing they’re going to have to move a lotof people up into positions to replace those people. And they don’t have theskills to do that.”

In the Foundational Leadership Academy, participantstackle specific scenarios within groups with each individualplaying the roles of observer, feedback provider and feed-back receiver at different times during the exercises.Ultimately, the entire group will discuss their approaches tothe scenarios together.

“We’ve had one person in the county with several yearsof business experience whose comment was that this was thebest training she’s ever received,” Hein says.

COHRE’s qualifications are found in its people—consult-ants with both peer-reviewed academic expertise anddecades of real-world experience. Some of Hein’s former

clients include Toshiba, the Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Ingram Books and theMurfreesboro Police Department. Among McCarthy’s former clients areProctor and Gamble, Union Carbide, State Farm, Pearl Drum Corporation andUnited Way.

To find out more about COHRE and the Foundational LeadershipAcademy, go to www.mtsu.edu/~cohre or call 615-217-2084.

by Gina K. Logue

[email protected]

McCarthy Hein

graduates as well as future professionals. Theseexperiences also prepare students to enter competi-tive graduate programs in their respective areas ofinterest and disciplines.”

Whiteside says he takes an egalitarian approachto administration, and that means the process offashioning this new college must be inclusive.

“I didn’t come in here to dictate anything toanybody,” he says, “so the mission statement is acollaboration of all of us. The strategic plan is a col-laboration of all of us.”

“The next process for thestrategic planning committee …will be setting up goals and iden-tifying opportunities and thensetting a timeline for that,” Shortadds.

“Typically, strategic planningis on a five-year horizon. So we’llat least have a sense of wherewe’ll be in five years or wherewe’ll want to be in five years.”

What does all this mean for students and alum-ni? As a practical matter, teaching and learning willcontinue as usual. Graduates who wish to makedonations may do so for their particular depart-ments or for the university as a whole. Whitesidesays e-mails explaining the particulars will be sentin the near future.

Lucie Burchfield is the college’s point personfor development. To contact her, call 615-898-5032or send an e-mail to [email protected].

Brand-new from page 1

Short

R. Morris

Event dates, times and

locations may change after

press time. Please verify

specifics when making plans.

“MTSU Out of the Blue”

Cable Channel 9: Monday-Sunday, 7 a.m., 5 p.m.NewsChannel 5+: Sundays, 1:30 p.m.Visit www.mtsunews.comfor other cable-outlet airtimesor www.youtube.com/mtsunewsfor a complete show archive.

“MTSU On the Record”

8 a.m. Sundays,WMOT 89.5-FMPodcasts availableanytime atwww.mtsunews.com.

Dec. 9: Women’s Basketball

vs. Xavier, 7 p.m.

Dec. 11: Track and Cross

Country Middle Tennessee

Christmas Invitational

Dec. 12: Women’s Basketball

vs. James Madison, 12:30 p.m.

Dec. 12: Men’s Basketball

vs. Furman, 3 p.m.

For information, visit www.goblueraiders.com.

Nov. 29-Dec. 3

Bachelor of Fine Arts Candi-

dates’ Exhibition: Studio 3

8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Todd Gallery(opening reception 6-8 p.m.Monday, Nov. 29)For information, visitwww.mtsu.edu/artor contact: 615-898-2455.

Monday, Nov. 29“Pistons and Pipes”: MTSU

Faculty Brass, Symphonic Brass

Ensemble, organist Sandy

Arndt and the First United

Methodist Church Choir

7:30 p.m., FUMC, WestThompson LaneFor information, visitwww.mtsumusic.comor contact: 615-898-2493.

Tuesday, Nov. 30Deadline: Employee Charitable

Giving Pledge Forms

For information, visitwww.mtsu.edu/givemtsuor contact: 615-898-2953.

Wednesday, Dec. 1

MTSU Music: “A Clarinet

Christmas”

6 p.m., Hinton Music HallFor information, visitwww.mtsumusic.com.

MTSU Music: “Twas the Brass

Before Christmas”


Dec. 2-4

MTSU Dance Theatre:

Fall Dance Concert

7:30 nightly, Tucker TheatreAdmission: $10 adults, $5 MTSUfaculty, staff and K-12 students;MTSU students admitted free

with valid ID

For information, visitwww.mtsu.edu/tuckertheatreor contact: 615-494-8810.

Thursday, Dec. 2

Retired Faculty/Staff Coffee

9:30 a.m., Foundation HouseFor information, contact: 615-898-2922.

Free HIV Testing

sponsored by Dr. CatherineCrooks’ Psychology 4600course and Nashville CARESnoon-5 p.m., second floor,Keathley University Center For information, visit:http://mtsufreehivtesting.weebly.com.

MTSU Music: “Jazz Nutcracker”

7:30 p.m., Hinton Music HallFor information, visitwww.mtsumusic.com.

Friday, Dec. 3

MTSU Flute Choir


Friday, Dec. 3

First Friday Star Party:

Dr. Chuck Higgins, “Long

Wavelength Astronomy”

6:30 p.m. lecture, Room 102,Wiser-Patten Science Building;followed by telescope viewingat the MTSU Observatory For information, contact: 615-898-5946.

MTSU Guitar Ensembles


Saturday, Dec. 4

“Operation Christmas Care”

Sorting and Packaging Project

8 a.m., MTSU PoliceDepartment training roomFor information, e-mail [email protected] contact: 615-904-8573.

Faculty Piano Studio Recital:

Lynn Rice-See


Dec 5-6

MTSU Music: Handel’s

“Messiah”

7:30 p.m., Hinton Music HallAdmission: $10 at the doorFor information, visitwww.mtsumusic.com.

Sunday, Dec. 5

MTSU Symphony Orchestra


Monday, Dec. 6

Faculty Senate Meeting

4:30 p.m., Room 100, JamesUnion BuildingFor information, visitwww.mtsu.edu/facultysenateor contact: 615-898-2582.

Tuesday, Dec. 7MTSU Symphonic Band/

Brass Ensemble/Chamber

Winds


Wednesday, Dec. 8

Last Day of Classes

MTSU Commercial Music

Ensemble


Thursday, Dec. 9

Study Day

No classes; university officesopen.

Department of Accounting

Continuing Professional

Education Day

7:30 a.m.-4:50 p.m., Room S102(State Farm Lecture Hall),Business and AerospaceBuilding Cost: $150 (includes lunch)For information, visitwww.mtsu.edu/accountingor contact: 615-898-5306.

Faculty Piano Studio Recital:

Arunesh Nadgir

2 p.m., Hinton Music Hall

String Studio Recital


Dec. 10-16

Final Exams

Sunday, Dec. 12

“Operation Christmas Care”

Final Sorting and Packaging

MTSU Police Department train-ing room (after the RutherfordCounty Christmas Parade)For information, e-mail [email protected] contact: 615-904-8573.

Campus CalendarNov. 29-Dec. 12, 2010

Please note:

page 4 The Record Nov. 29, 2010

TV Schedule

Radio Schedule

Sports @ Home

Nov. 30

Nov. 29

Dec. 2

Dec. 3

Submit Campus Calendaritems and other news [email protected] by 3 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 1, for the finalfall 2010 edition of The Record, Dec. 13. (Include items occurringbetween Dec. 13 through Jan. 16,2011.) Submit news for the first2011 edition of The Record (Jan. 17)by 3 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011.Thanks for another great year!

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bureaucratized than it was under the Sovietregime, ironically,” he says.

The MTSU professor says he suggested toMedvedev that incentives be provided to lureRussian academics back for short periods sothey could give crash courses to top-flightgraduate students and set them on the pathtoward becoming the country’s new “braingain.”

On a personal level, Korobkov saysMedvedev operates as a person accustomed tohaving power and not shy to show it.

“He is not used to people disagreeing withhim,” Korobkov says. ”And a couple of timeshe was kind of sharply, angrily asking me, ‘So,what, you disagree with me?’”

Korobkov also talked politics withVyacheslav Nikonov, the Russian WorldFoundation executive director, who has been aKremlin insider for some 20 years and anadviser to both Medvedev and the Russianprime minister, Vladimir Putin. Nikonov is thegrandson of Vyacheslav Molotov, former Sovietprime minister and then foreign minister under Joseph Stalin after Stalinassumed the prime minister’s title.

“He is a kind of shadow operator who has access to the highest echelonsof power,” says Korobkov. ”Nikonov is very smart, very well-educated, prettycalculating, a typical political consultant. If you look in the U.S., you can prob-ably compare him to David Axelrod working for (President Barack) Obama orKarl Rove working for (President George W.) Bush.”

Before attending the Russian World Federation conference, Korobkov par-

ticipated in an Oct. 27-30 gathering inGarmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, spon-sored by the George C. Marshall EuropeanCenter for Security Studies.

Members of parliaments, committeechairs, representatives of internationalorganizations and the European Union, aswell as academics, discussed security andstability in Central Asia and Mongolia.Korobkov says the countries of this regionface great challenges due to water shortagesand governments that are either openlyauthoritarian or lean in that direction.

However, some of these countries,which include the former Soviet republics ofKazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan,Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, are rich inimportant substances, including plutonium,platinum, oil and natural gas.

“There is a huge flow of migrants fromthose countries to Russia and from Russia toother parts of the world,” Korobkov says.“Second, this region is becoming increasing-

ly the traffic route for drugs from Afghanistan.” Korobkov says it would be unlikely, however, that these countries would

be invited to join NATO or the European Union as a way of protecting themfrom totalitarian takeovers.

“After the Georgian-Russian War, it became very dangerous to expandNATO because, in NATO, an attack against any member is an attack againstevery member,” he says.

Hello from page 1

BEHIND THE SCENES—MTSU Professor Andrei Korobkov, right,greets Russian World Federation Executive Director VyacheslavNikonov, center, and an unidentified friend at the RWF Assembly.

photo submitted

• welcoming remarks by Dr.Sidney A. McPhee;

• a conference overview fromMike Vaughn, director of governmentservices for Smyrna-based CorporateFlight Management;

• a discussion of general aviation in the United States, provid-ed by Craig Spence, vice president foroperations and international affairsfor the Aircraft Owners and PilotsAssociation;

• news about aviation in China,from Dr. Sun Xinqiang, vice dean ofthe Beihang University Law School;

• a panel discussion on generalaviation in China and the UnitedStates; and

• an update from Dean Fulmer,project manager for the FederalAviation Administration’s National

Special Use Airspace project manager,and unmanned aviation systemsoperations in the airspace from theSavannah, Tenn.-based ISR Group Inc.

Following lunch, Mark Libby,head of collaborative decision-makingat the FAA’s Air Traffic ControlSystem Command Center, will lead asession on airspace management andair traffic control. The chief of China’sair traffic control system will thenspeak on airspace management andtraffic control in that nation, and adiscussion of similarities and differ-ences in air traffic control in thenations will close the session beforethe group tours the MTSU ATC labs.

Thursday’s morning session willbegin with a talk on regional airlineoperations in the United States fromCharles “Chuck” Howell, CEO of

Great Lakes Aviation Ltd., and will befollowed by:

• a discussion of regional airlinedevelopment in China, led by Li RuiYi, general manager for China FlyingDragon Aviation;

• a review of fixed-base opera-tions and the role of charter airlines,led by Allen Howell of CorporateFlight Management;

• a manufacturers’ panel discus-sion on general aviation businesstrends; and

• closing remarks from BeihangUniversity’s Sun.

After lunch, the group will tourSmyrna Airport’s aviation facilities,followed by a Corporate FlightManagement-sponsored reception.

Aviation from page 1

POINTS AND PINTS—American RedCross Donor Recruitment RepresentativeBrittany Durham, center, congratulatesMTSU Athletics Director Chris Massaro,left, and Western Kentucky University ADRoss Bjork Nov. 20 after announcingMTSU’s win in the inaugural weeklongblood-drive contest. MTSU students, facul-ty, staff and community supporters donat-ed a total of 551 units of blood Nov. 15-18during the “Bleed Blue to Beat WKU”competition, Durham said, whileWestern’s campus donated 508 units. “Thisis so awesome and I am so happy for youall,” Durham said in a congratulatory cam-puswide e-mail. “What a successful firstyear at doing this!” The blood-drive resultswere announced during the first quarter ofthe MTSU-WKU football game in BowlingGreen, which the Blue Raiders won 27-26.The competition will become an annualevent before each MTSU and Western foot-ball game, organizers said.

photo courtesy of

Aaron Thompson/Daily News Journal

Bleeding Blue, beating WKU

National coachesbestow 9th awardfor soccer GPAs

MTSU’s Sun Belt champi-on soccer team hasbeen recognized by the

National Soccer Coaches Associa-tion of America with a 2010NSCAA Team Academic Award.

The group annually awardsthe honor to schools with a teamGPA of 3.0 or higher. The awardis for the 2009-10 academic year.

The women, who posted a3.34 team GPA, have won thehonor nine consecutive years,dating back to head coach AstonRhoden’s first season in 2002.

The Record Nov. 29, 2010

Women and Gender Studiesoffering graduate certificate

Professionals seeking togain an advantage in atight labor market can

add another credential aftertheir names with a new interdis-ciplinary graduate certificateoffered by MTSU’s Women’sand Gender Studies Program.

“The 18-credit-hour pro-gram is an opportunity for pro-fessionals in areas such as healthcare, education, legal and socialservices and in the nonprofit sec-tor to acquire expertise onwomen’s and gender issues thatcan help them advance in theircareers,” says Dr. Newtona“Tina” Johnson, Women’s andGender Studies director.

Starting in spring 2011, stu-dents can gain advanced train-ing in the areas of feminist theo-ry and methodologies and in-depth knowledge of genderinequality, along with the inter-section of gender and otherforms of social identity and posi-tioning, such as race, age, ability,religion, nationality, ethnicity,sexual orientation and socioeco-nomic class.

“The program will exposestudents to new ways of think-ing about women and genderthat interrogate and expand theprocesses by which knowledgeabout human beings is acquired,interpreted and transmitted,”Johnson says. “Students willhave the opportunity to researchthese new ways of thinking andto apply the knowledge to their

personal and professional lives.” The certificate can be a

stand-alone credential for non-degree-seeking students or anadditional credential for stu-dents who are enrolled in MTSUgraduate-degree programs.

Core requirements constitutenine of the 18 credit hours toobtain the certificate. They areFeminist Theory (WGST 6000),Feminist Methods (WGST 6010)and either an internship (WGST6020) or Directed Reading andResearch (WGST 6021).

“People who are alreadyworking professionals not aim-ing for a graduate degree mightprefer the internship, whereasstudents who are thinking of anacademic career might want todo more research,” saysJohnson.

Nine hours of electives maybe chosen from at least two dif-ferent departments that offerapproved electives, includingEnglish, history, psychology andsociology/anthropology. At leastthree credit hours of electivesmust be taken at the 6000 level.

Electives must be 5000-,6000-or 7000-level courses thatmeet WGST criteria for courseselection. They also must beapproved by the WGST curricu-lum committee, taught by grad-uate faculty and approved bythe graduate council.

For information, contactJohnson at 615-898-5910 or [email protected] or theCollege of Graduate Studies at615-898-2840 or [email protected].

by Gina K. Logue

[email protected]

LT&ITC gives problem-based learning a fresh focus

The Learning, Teaching and InnovativeTechnologies Center at MTSU has just fin-ished a fall 2010 First Tuesday Series that

educated teachers on problem-based learning, anapproach that encourages students to seek answersto real-world problems.

Problem-based learning aims to build a bridgebetween what happens on campusand what occurs in real life, accordingto Dr. Terry Goodin, an assistant pro-fessor in MTSU’s Womack FamilyEducational Leadership Departmentand a First Tuesday Series presenter.

“Problem-based learning connectsreal life to learning in tangible situa-tions,” Goodin explained.

The new teaching approach isbeing used across the United States insimilar teacher-education redesignplans. The PBL approach restructuresthe teaching process to make it a more meaningful,practical experience for students rather than simplylearning and reciting facts. The process was firstused in medical schools, where students worked tounderstand and solve real patient cases for class,and it continues to be a problem-based curriculum.

Problems are used to stimulate students’ cre-ativity and initiate real-life applications. Studentsend up with higher levels of comprehension, devel-opment of creativity and social skills, Goodin said,adding that the process seems to reflect the way themind actually works.

In response to the growing interest in PBL, theTennessee Board of Regents has implemented aTeacher Education Redesign program, which isbeing developed at East Tennessee State University,Tennessee Tech, the University of Memphis,Tennessee State, Austin Peay and MTSU. As aresult, MTSU is working with these institutions,along with Vanderbilt University and theUniversity of Tennessee, to discover the best PBLpractices and applications.

MTSU is playing a leading role in the TBR’seducation-redesign program through itsReady2Teach program, formerly known as theTeaching Quality Initiative. The TQI pilot program,launched in fall 2008, focused on using PBL to helpprepare future educators to meet the needs of 21st-century learners. Ready2Teach emphasizes real-world learning activities and offers an extended-residency program for prospective teachers at theundergraduate level.

The First Tuesday three-session series involvedapproximately 45 participants who learned about

the new teaching style, including a practical appli-cation of PBL during the final session.

Goodin said the series received an enthusiasticresponse from the attendees, and organizers plan tobring a guest speaker to campus next spring to pro-vide more information about PBL.

What changes can educators expect to see as aresult of PBL training over the next five years?

“I think a lot of our professors use PBL kind ofinformally,” Goodin said, “because what we try to

do a lot of times is link learning topractice and give students an experi-ence in doing something with theknowledge that they are giventhrough their course, which is theunderlying premise of PBL.

“I wish … to formalize what weare doing informally, so we can studyit and find out what the best practicesand best ways of using PBL are at thecollege level.”

To discuss real-life situations inthe classroom that are encountered in

the workplace is an incredible tool for both teachersand students, he said, adding that colleges will besending candidates into the work force who willfeel more prepared because of their education, sowhy not start now?

For more information about problem-basedlearning at MTSU, visit the LT&ITC website atwww.mtsu.edu/ltanditc/problembasedlearningtr.shtml orcontact Goodin at [email protected].

by Leslie Lynn

[email protected]

Goodin


The MTSU Veterans MemorialCommittee planted a tree to honorall Vietnam-era veterans in a Nov.

13 ceremony near the memorial in frontof the Tom H. Jackson Building.

A flag paying tribute to prisoners ofwar and personnel listed as missing inaction was added to the new flagpole inan installation ceremony conducted byRolling Thunder.

The memorial is a bipartite blackgranite wall engraved with the names ofmembers of the MTSU community whohave perished in the service of the nation.It is a living memorial constructed in theform of a plaza that can be used for class-room instruction, formal ceremonies orprivate contemplation.

Brick pavers, many featuring thenames of family members and otherloved ones who have served their country, are arrayed in rows between the wall andthe Jackson Building. Proceeds from the ongoing sale of the pavers go into the memori-al fund.

For more information about the Veterans Memorial or how to purchase personal-ized brick pavers, contact Robyn Kilpatrick at 615-390-5675 or [email protected].

Vietnam-era vets focus of memorial observanceby Gina K. Logue

[email protected]

(horse science) presented “AerobicDecomposition for Large ScaleAnimal Fatalities” Oct. 6 at theDepartment of Homeland SecurityScience and Technology SoutheastRegional Research Initiative Semi-Annual Projects Review Meeting inWashington, D.C. On Oct. 14,Berryman presented “ThermalTrauma to Bone” at the NationalAdvocacy Center in Columbia, S.C.,for the National District AttorneysAssociation.

Rachel Kirk and Jason Vance(Walker Library) and Dr. JustinGardner (agribusiness) presented apaper, “Using Student Data to AssessLibrary Instruction’s Role in StudentSuccess and Retention,” at the LibraryAssessment Conference in Baltimore,Md., on Oct. 25. Fagdeba Bakoyema(Walker Library) presented a paper,

“Engaging Library Websites UsersThrough Usability Testing andInquiries Using Morae,” at the sameconference on Oct. 26.

Dr. Zachariah Sinkala (mathe-matical sciences) presented “Comput-ing the stochastic dynamics of multi-scale model of MAPK signaling cas-cade” at the MEEG 2010 internationalConference on MolecularEpidemiology and EvolutionaryGenetics of Infectious Diseases inAmsterdam, Netherlands Nov. 3-5.He also chaired a symposium,“General mechanisms of evolution,”at the conference.

Michael Wilson (assistant golfcoach) spoke Nov. 12 on “CollegiateGolf Strength and Conditioning” atthe 2010 World Golf Fitness Summitin Orlando, Fla.

Drs. Jeremy Winters (elementaryand special education) and DovieKimmins (mathematical sciences)presented “Teachers Now: PreparingMore and Better Middle Grades Mathand Science Teachers” at the SchoolScience and Mathematics Associationannual conference Nov. 4 in FortMyers, Fla.

Dr. William F. Ford (WeatherfordChair of Finance) published an article,“The World’s Most ProfitableCompany,” in the November 2010American Institute for EconomicResearch Bulletin. Ford’s article alsowas referenced in the Nov. 3 issue ofThe Wall Street Journal.

Dr. Jane Marcellus (journalism)has published Business Girls and Two-

Job Wives: Emerging Media Stereotypesof Employed Women (Hampton Press).

Dr. Debra Rose Wilson (nursing)published a book review on TheCulture of Teenage Mothers by J.Gregson in the Journal of Health Carefor the Poor and Underserved, 21(4),1414-1415.

Dr. Warren Anderson (agribusi-ness and agriscience) discussed soil-structure problems arising from soilcompaction at the “Get Your Grass inGear” workshop presented by KnoxCounty Stormwater Management. Healso helped the Rutherford CountyNatural Resource ConservationService host the countywide 4-H andFuture Farmers of America land-judging contest.

Faculty from page 8

WorkshopsPublications

Blueraider #1 wins 1st computer-programming contest

MTSU Blueraider #1 produced a feat noother MTSU computer-science competi-tion teams have ever achieved: winning

the 2010 Association for Computing MachineryMid-Central USA Programming Contest.

MTSU Blueraider #1 solved seven of nine prob-lems in capturing first place Nov. 6 in the competi-tion at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville.

Team members include Matt Bradley andMichael Chasteen of Smyrna and Nathan Reale ofFranklin. All are computer-science majors.

The trio ranked eighth out of 142 teams in theentire mid-central region, which includes Missouri,Arkansas, Illinois (and the Greater Chicago metro-politan area), Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee,said Dr. Zhijiang Dong, the team’s co-coach alongwith Dr. Sung Yoo.

“I’m really excited about it,” Chasteen wrote inan e-mail about the team’s accomplishment. “Ibelieve this is the first time MTSU has taken firstplace. I’m glad I had the opportunity to representthe school and the computer science department atthis event.

“All the professors in the computer-sciencedepartment are wonderful instructors, and I owemy success to them. We have a great programhere.”

Of the nine problems, Chasteen said, “thedegree of difficulty ranged from trivial toadvanced. The more challenging problems requireda lot of critical thinking, problem-solving skills andadvanced programming methods to solve.”

MTSU Blueraider #1 finished ahead of runner-up Tennessee Tech’s Thrashing the Cache, whichsolved six problems, and third-place Belmont BruteForce, which solved five, as did fourth-placeTennessee Tech The Gutsmen.

MTSU Blueraider #2 solved three problems andplaced 17th overall out of the 22-team field. Teammembers included computer-science majorsAnthony Mills of Murfreesboro, Chris Brasingtonof Sevierville and Tom Richards of Germantown.

“We only have five hours to solve as manyproblems as we can, as fast as we can,” Chasteensaid of the ACM contest. “In school, we usuallyhave a week or two to do one program. We wereable to solve seven of nine problems. We almost gotthe eighth one solved, but we ran out of time.

“One of the reasons we won was because we

split up the problems amongst ourselves andsolved them on our own. This enabled us to rotateturns on the one computer we were allowed to useto type up our solutions and submit them. After wegot the easy problems done, we started teaming upon the harder ones. And when one of us had aproblem getting a solution to work right, the rest ofthe team would stop and help debug the code.”

“They all did a wonderful job,” Dong said. “Weare extremely proud of how they performed. Onlythree teams in the whole region solved more prob-lems. We have never been so close to the ACM-Intercollegiate Programming Contest WorldFinals.”

The news quickly spread throughout thedepartment.

“We’re excited,” said Dr. Chrisila Pettey, inter-im chairwoman for computer science. “This is thefirst time in 20-plus years that we’ve won. We’recompeting against Tennessee Tech, the Universityof Tennessee at Knoxville, Belmont, East TennesseeState and others. Those are impressive schools to becompeting against.”

by Randy Weiler

[email protected]

HONORING THEIR SERVICE—Members of Rolling Thunder, above left, anonprofit organization that honors prisoners of war and service membersmissing in action, install the POW/MIA flag at the MTSU Veterans Memorialat a special ceremony on Nov. 13. Above, MTSU Army ROTC cadets march information during the ceremony. They are, from left, Sonia Dixson, TommieLane, Jayson Cantrell, Melvin Taylor and Joshua Wilcox.

photos courtesy of Cadet Capt. Keith C. Stewart

Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross (chem-istry, GRITS Collaborative Project)attended the first National GirlsCollaborative Project Collaborationconference Oct. 20-22 in Washington,D. C. She facilitated a session on“Encouraging Parent Involvement inGirls’ Science Learning” presented byDale McCreedy of The FranklinInstitute. Iriarte-Gross also was aninvited panelist for the plenary ses-sion “Sharing Strategies—Voices fromthe Collaboratives.” The GRITSCollaborative Project also was high-lighted at the Collaboration Showcaseduring the conference.

Dr. Jason D. Johnson (mathemat-ical sciences) hosted the fourth annu-al Middle Tennessee NewMathematics Teacher Conference atMTSU Oct. 9. The conference wasdesigned to support local new mathteachers in grades six through 12.

Dr. Robert B. Blair (businesscommunication and entrepreneur-ship, Center for Economic Education)received a framed international cur-rency collection from Janice Bosman,president of the International Societyfor Business Education, after herretirement from teaching this sum-mer. The collection is on display in

the Center for Economic Educationlibrary and includes currency fromArgentina, Aruba, Belgium, Canada,China, France, Germany, Japan,Mexico, the Netherlands, thePhilippines, Singapore, Sweden,Trinidad/Tobago and the UnitedKingdom.

Dr. Carroll Van West (Center forHistoric Preservation) served as co-chair of the Tennessee Civil WarSesquicentennial Commission, whichcoordinated the Tennessee sesquicen-tennial Nov. 12-13 in Nashville.Events included a workshop on inter-pretation, special projects andexhibits sponsored by the TennesseeState Library and Archives and theMTSU Center for HistoricPreservation.

Drs. Jette Halladay (theatre),Tony V. Johnston (agribusiness),Robert B. Blair (BCEN), Stephen D.Morris (political science) and GeraldMorton (concrete industry manage-ment) received a $6,350 InternationalEducation Fee Funding Opportu-nities/Faculty Development ThroughEducation Abroad Opportunitiesgrant to fund an interdisciplinaryexploratory trip to Honduras toinvestigate international experiential/

service-learning program opportuni-ties for MTSU students and faculty.The project will begin in early 2011.

Dr. Vic Montemayor (physicsand astronomy) delivered the closingplenary talk at a July 22-25 summerschool, organized by the AmericanAssociation of Physicists in Medicine,at the University of Pennsylvania inPhiladelphia. The event discussedmethods of improving medicalphysics graduate programs and wasattended by about 120 faculty or pro-gram directors from four continents.

Ms. Barbara Jean Albert(Facilities Services) passed away Nov.9. She is survived by her son, IrvinAlbert, Jr.; three daughters, ConnieAnderson, Connie Landers andTawana Albert; and many other rela-tives and friends. Ms. Albert wasemployed by MTSU from April 1996until her retirement in March 2002.

Drs. Hugh Berryman (anthropol-ogy, Forensic Institute for Researchand Education) and John Haffner

page 8 The Record Nov. 29, 2010

UR030-1110

Tom TozerDirector, News and Public Affairs

Editor: Gina E. Fann, [email protected]

Contributors: Gina K. Logue, Paula Morton,Randy Weiler, Sydney Hester, LindseyAustin, Binetou Soumare’, Leslie Lynn,Kelly Ford and Susan Nogues.

Photos: MTSU Photographic Services,except where noted.

Printed by Franklin Web Printing Co.

Phone: 615-898-2919 Website: www.mtsunews.com

MTSU’s Office of News and Public Affairspublishes The Record every two weeksand distributes 3,500 copies free to faculty, staff, friends and media outlets.

Address all correspondence to:

The RecordOffice of News and Public AffairsTom H. Jackson BuildingMTSU P.O. Box 721301 E. Main St.Murfreesboro, Tenn. 37132

MTSU, a Tennessee Board of RegentsInstitution, is an equal opportunity, non-racially identifiable, educational institu-tion that does not discriminate againstindividuals with disabilities.

An MTSU mock-trial teamplaced second in its divisionand MTSU students received

the top number of individual awardsat the Mid-South Invitational MockTrial Tournament held at MTSU Nov.12-13.

Sixty-four teams from collegesand universities as far away asCalifornia, Texas, Utah, Minnesotaand Florida participated in the four-round tournament, which, after 20years, is one of the longest continu-ously running invitational tourna-ments in the nation. In it, teams of sixto eight students argue each trial overroughly three hours before two attor-neys.

MTSU senior Rachel Harmon ofAtlanta was named one of the tour-nament’s top attorneys. Senior KarenLenoir of Antioch, Tenn., freshmanMegan McClarty of Smyrna,Nashville junior Constance Grievesand freshman Lisa Starke of Euless,Texas, were included in their divi-sion’s top-10 witnesses.

Three MTSU mock-trial teamsparticipated in the two-divisionevent.

One MTSU team came in secondoverall with a record of 7-1 by captur-ing two ballots against BellarmineUniversity, splitting ballots with theUniversity of North Carolina atChapel Hill, gaining two ballotsagainst Southern MethodistUniversity and winning both ballotsagainst Rhodes College. The teamincluded students Harmon, NathanBrown and Zac Barker as attorneysand McClarty, Jordan Cassadine,

Ashley Fuqua and Andrew Mitchellas witnesses. Only the eight ballotswon by the University of SouthCarolina, which won both the divi-sion and the tournament, bested theirefforts.

A second MTSU team broughthome a 5.5-2.5 record and includedDavid Haggard, Lee Whitwell andSamantha Farish as attorneys andKaren Lenoir, Kristin Johnson, LexiSengupta, Kayla Crabtree and RyanWilliams as witnesses. That group

carried two ballots against GeorgiaTech, had a win and a tie with RhodesCollege, lost two ballots to NorthAlabama and won two ballots againsta second team from Georgia Tech.

MTSU’s third mock-trial teamincluded Grieves, Kaitlin Beck andHeather Haggard serving as attorneysand Jessica Seitz, Mariane Schiff, LisaStarke and Andrew Dellinger servingas witnesses. That team had a 5-3record, winning both ballots againstFresno State University and Georgia

Tech, losing two ballots to Bob JonesUniversity and splitting ballots withthe University of Alabama atBirmingham.

The tournament is directed by Dr.John R. Vile, dean of MTSU’sUniversity Honors College, in con-junction with fellow coaches BrandiSnow, Shiva Bozarth and KevinRayburn, who are local attorneys andMTSU mock-trial alumni, and PamDavis, the administrative assistant inthe Department of Political Science.

People Around Campus

Students bring home honors in mock-trial tourney

Faculty/Staff Update

Conferences

Donations

WELL DONE—Members of MTSU’s Mock Trial Team celebrate their second-place finish at the Mid-South Invitational Tournament.

photo submitted

See ‘Faculty’ page 7

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