Guest Columnist

Wednesday, February 25. 2009
By Dr. Don Robertson
VP for Student Affairs

I always tell new students at freshman orientation: It’s your campus; get involved. I think the same sentiments can be applied to faculty and staff, as well students.


Continue reading "Guest Columnist"

Lovett Live Onstage with Justin Townes Earle

Wednesday, February 25. 2009
Justin Townes Earle will be in concert at the Lovett Live Onstage series, Feb 27, at 7:30 p.m. Like the late Van Zandt, Earle uses a base of acoustic blues and prewar folk to build his own brand of American roots music." Nashville Scene With Justin Townes Earle’s pedigree come mixed blessings. As the son of legendary singer/songwriter Steve Earle, high expectations are the name of the game, and he’s shown that he is up to the task on The Good Life, crafting stark portraits and narrative tales with elements of blues, classic country and rock n’roll. A modern-day troubadour, Earle blends genres seamlessly, framing his songs in warm musical settings and creating tunes that could easily be mistaken for classics. “I started out to make an old timey country record, but I listen to so many other kinds of music,” Justin explained. “Some of the songs were rearranged on the spot and took on other lives and album is now more of an exploration of southern music.” Earle approaches universal topics like traveling and matters of the heart (“Hard Living”, “The Good Life”) with the same fervor with which he evokes the bleak loneliness of a Civil War soldier on “Lone Pine Hill”. Tickets are $10 and are available through Ticketmaster.com, the RSEC box office, and will be available at the door. If the show sells out (180 seats onstage) seats will be sold in the balcony.

Minority Fellowship application deadline is Mar. 1

Wednesday, February 25. 2009
The Minority Graduate Fellowship Program is now accepting applications. Please visit the website to download the application. All applications are due on or before March 1, 2009.

Continue reading "Minority Fellowship application deadline is Mar. 1"

Murray Shakespeare Festival begins Monday

Wednesday, February 25. 2009
During the first week of March, The American Shakespeare Center On Tour (Staunton, Virginia) will come to campus for three performances of Hamlet, one performance of The Comedy of Errors, and one performance of Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. The festival will also feature the several events.


Continue reading "Murray Shakespeare Festival begins Monday"

MSU alum is associate producer of 43rd Annual CMA Awards

Wednesday, February 25. 2009
With over eight months until show time, Cindy Miller is counting down the days to “The 43rd Annual CMA (Country Music Association) Awards.” As associate producer of “Country Music’s Biggest Night,” Miller is the envy of every accountant in Nashville, Tenn. Camera crews, stage props, dancers, stylists-you name it; Miller works with hundreds of these vendors/crews to finalize every detail of this internationally televised awards show budget.


Continue reading "MSU alum is associate producer of 43rd Annual CMA Awards"

College of Education redesigns graduate programs

Wednesday, February 25. 2009
The College of Education begins a new era of collaboration with our K-12 school districts and regional campus sites. Beginning in the fall of 2009 the College is offering a new graduate program for teachers based on the teacher leader model. The teacher leader model requires a higher level of collaboration between the program, the teacher, and the school by working on issues and problems designed by the teacher and with the goal of improving student achievement. The teacher leader program will also involve the principal of the school by asking him or her to review and approve two leadership projects the teacher will develop during the program. This greater level of collaboration will make the master’s degree work for the benefit of all parties. Teacher Leader programs will be offered in elementary education, interdisciplinary early childhood education, middle school education, secondary education and special education. The complete program will be available at the main campus in Murray and all of the regional sites – Henderson, Hopkinsville, Madisonville and Paducah beginning with the 2009 fall semester.

This week on Roundabout U

Wednesday, February 25. 2009
Associate Professor, John Fannin, recently named the College/University Teacher of the Year by the Kentucky Music Education Association, is featured in this week’s Roundabout U “Faculty Spotlight." Fannin teaches instrumental music classes and directs the Symphonic Band and Marching Band at Murray State University. The Racer Marching Band has nearly tripled from 85 to 245 members and been featured at the Bands of America Grand National Marching Band under his knowledge and direction.


Continue reading "This week on Roundabout U"

Bundy and Cates receive KAS research grant

Wednesday, February 25. 2009
Undergraduate students Nathan Bundy and Susan Cates, along with their faculty advisor, Dr. Dayle Saar, were awarded a $712 research grant from the Kentucky Academy of Science for their proposal entitled “Chromosome Variation and Population Dynamics of a Mountain Species from Mexico (Dahlia coccinea), as Influenced by Climate Change.” Bundy, a sophomore from Lexington, and Cates, a junior from West Paducah, will be investigating the biogeography of the scarlet-flowered dahlia, which is widely distributed throughout the mountains in Mexico.



Continue reading "Bundy and Cates receive KAS research grant"

University launches ‘Give Them a Break’ program

Wednesday, February 25. 2009
While many students are planning vacations to the beach or trips to the mountains, many international students cannot travel extensively and are staying in Murray. Student Affairs and the Institute for International Studies are starting the “Give them a Break” program, which encourages American students and members of the Murray community to take an international student home for part of spring break.

Continue reading "University launches ‘Give Them a Break’ program"

Frankenberger speaks to Management and Entrepreneur Classes

Wednesday, February 25. 2009
MSU alumnus Denis Frankenberger of Louisville spoke to Steve Dublin’s sales management and entrepreneurship classes Wednesday, Feb. 25. With over 40 years of successful entrepreneurial and business experience, his firm, Advance Machinery, Inc. has grown from a small regional company in the early 70s into one of the largest of its kind in the U.S.



Continue reading "Frankenberger speaks to Management and Entrepreneur Classes"

OVC Reception in Nashville

Wednesday, February 25. 2009
The MSU Alumni Association has tentatively scheduled receptions in the Burgundy Room at Bailey's Pub and Grille, 408 Broadway, Nashville, Tenn., in the event the MSU men and women's basketball teams advance to their Championship games in Nashville at the Sommet Center on Saturday, March 7. The Women's Reception is 12:30-2:30 p.m. with the Women's Championship Game to begin at 3 p.m. The Men's Reception is 5-6:30 p.m. with the Men's Championship Game beginning at 7 p.m. Cost is $5 per person, per event, and you may pay at the door. A cash bar will be available. The pre-game reception will be cancelled if either team does not advance to its respective Championship game. For more information, contact the MSU Alumni Association at 809-5600.

Ireland to Present at International Conference

Wednesday, February 25. 2009
Ashley Ireland, reference librarian/assistant professor, has been invited to present her original paper, “Teaching Information Literacy to Students of the Long-Tail Market: A Pedagogical Approach,” at the Librarians’ Information Literacy Annual Conference on March 31st in Cardiff, Wales. This paper explores the information-seeking habits of the “Google generation”, which has reached adulthood in a marketplace not driven by scarcity, and how this behavior creates disenchantment with traditional library resources that do not respond similarly to Amazon.com, iTunes, NetFlix, etc. Ireland, a Murray State graduate, has a B.A. in English literature and sociology and a M.S. in library science from the University of Kentucky. She joined University Libraries in January of 2008 and serves as the liaison to the College of Science, Engineering and Technology and the School of Agriculture.

This year's MSU Equestrian Team season a "high point"

Wednesday, February 25. 2009
"New day, New horse, New judge" this phrase created by equestrian team member Gretchen Haas describes a typical show day in the
Intercollegiate Horse Show Association. The stock seat equestrian team began the show season by winning high point team three days
in a row back in November at the Murray State home show and they did not stop there. The team has had an extremely successful end
to their regular season on Sunday February 22nd at Tennessee Tech. University. Normally the shows consist of two or three days of
competition, but the final competition was two shows in one day. The team won the overall high point award for the morning show
and Senior Laura Sadecki won the overall high point rider award. In the afternoon, the team took home the reserve high point
rider award and senior Callie Edie won the high point rider award.


Continue reading "This year's MSU Equestrian Team season a "high point""