Bully-free zone Inside this edition: Workplace-behavior expert Alumnus’ gift can make history , page 2 schedules special lecture Béla Fleck is Windham speaker, page 3 see page 6 Hannah travels to Bangladesh, page 7 Nontraditional path, page 8 a publication for the Middle Tennessee State University community www.mtsunews.com • Feb. 28, 2011 • Vol. 19/No. 16 Traffic is changing along MTSU Boulevard Construction’s final phase will be a challenge until it ends this fall he final and possibly the most challenging phase of construction has begun on MTSU T Boulevard, which connects the interior of campus to Rutherford Boulevard. The work will cause some changes in traffic and parking along the thoroughfare, said Ron Malone, assistant vice president for events and transportation services. Plans are to maintain one lane of traffic along the construction route, Malone said, but vehicular travel between the Blue Raider Drive/MTSU Boulevard intersection and the Rutherford Boulevard campus entrance/exit will be affected Malone said all parking along the street, and Building. until the project is completed this fall. even some parking in adjacent parking lots, will be “MTSU will provide periodic updates concern- Workers have placed new fencing along both affected and will be temporarily relocated. Campus ing future road closures, and we appreciate the sides of the street between the roundabout and the officials are recommending that commuters park in cooperation from the campus and community as Cason-Kennedy Nursing Building. A pathway perimeter lots, such as those along Rutherford we continue to improve our campus accessibility,” north of the fencing now allows pedestrian access Boulevard and ride the Raider Xpress shuttle bus Malone said. from the parking lots to campus buildings located into campus. Faculty and staff will find white-decal For more information, contact the Office of within the fenced area. parking available in the lot south of the Honors Events and Transportation at 615-898-5002. Aerospace unveils ATC simulator lab RI professor, alumni bring Fourteen other cabinet colleagues Ten high-definition digital pro- by Randy Weiler joined Massaro Feb. 14 as some of jectors “create the most realistic home Grammys [email protected] the first administrators to tour the tower simulator available today,” facility, which is located in Room said Gail Zlotky, an associate profes- TSU made a splash at the ecause of the darkened room S113 of the Business and Aerospace sor of aerospace and coordinator of Feb. 13 Grammy Awards conditions, Director of Building. MTSU’s Air Traffic Collegiate in Los Angeles. Athletics Chris Massaro In both classes and laboratory Training Initiative. M B Recording-industry professor thought President Sidney A. McPhee training, students are gaining practi- “This tower simulator will con- John Hill won a “Best Engineered had moved the weekly President’s cal experience in the three-phase air tain seven operational positions: two Album, Classical” Grammy for his Cabinet meeting to a location near local, two ground, flight-data, audio-engineering Orlando, Fla., instead of across cam- clearance-delivery and cab-coordina- work on the CD pus. tor.” “Daugherty: “It was one of the most impres- Computer Science Corporation, Metropolis sive things I have seen on a college which won the contract to provide Symphony; campus,” Massaro said of the the tower and radar simulators to Deus Ex Department of Aerospace’s unique MTSU last summer, has delivered a Machina,” while Air Traffic Control Training and simulated-tower environment for the alumnus Clarke Research Facility. “It was easy to see Memphis and Nashville air traffic Schleicher (B.S. ’80) the practical applications of the lab traffic control simulators that resem- systems, Zlotky said. received his “Record of the Year” and the value it brings to a student ble ATC facilities in a variety of The third tour stop is the 10-suite Grammy as engineer/mixer on interested in this field. major airports, including Nashville, radar lab, which “can simulate both Lady Antebellum’s “Need You “When we first walked into the Memphis, Oklahoma City and en- route and radar-approach control Now” single. lab, I felt like I was entering some- Atlanta. environments,” she said. Each posi- The same single nabbed MTSU thing at Disney World, but that feel- Upon entering the room, visitors tion contains a touch-screen commu- history grad Josh Kear (‘96) two ing soon ended when the students first view the pseudopilot positions. nication panel, digital radar display, more Grammys to add to his collec- began their demonstration. It was They next go into the tower lab, a flight-progress strip bay and more. tion: “Song of the Year” and “Best very involved and very technical. We seamless 360-degree fiberglass screen Josh Curtis, a senior aerospace have some incredible students on our that rises to nine feet with a diameter campus.” of 29 feet. See ‘Aerospace’ page 5 See ‘Grammys’ page 5 Conference Room in the Sam IN BRIEF Ingram Building. No appoint- PERMIT NO. 169 NO. PERMIT ments are necessary. AFLAC pro- MURFREESBORO TN MURFREESBORO AFLAC ON CAMPUS MARCH 1 vides both cancer and intensive- U.S. POSTAGE PAID POSTAGE U.S. An AFLAC representative will care benefits. For more informa- ORGANIZATION be on campus on Tuesday, March tion, contact AFLAC representa- NONPROFIT NONPROFIT 1, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the tive Jane Tucker at 931-703-5134 or Human Resource Services [email protected]. www.mtsunews.com Alumnus’ gift will help make history for MTSU by Tom Tozer on that experience.”) He also worked in a men’s clothing store in the College [email protected] Heights area called The Caboose “because it was in an actual caboose.” Gaines also was instrumental in co-founding MTSU’s Beta Chapter of Sigma Alpha iving back has always been part of Jim Gaines’ DNA. The 1969 MTSU Epsilon. graduate with a bachelor’s degree in history recently reaffirmed not “The men and women who were students with me at MTSU have all G only his generosity but his unwavering devotion to his alma mater by turned out to be really good people,” he notes. “If you were to ask me what I establishing the Jim Gaines Endowed Chair in American History through his remember most about MTSU, it was the transformation from Middle estate. Tennessee State College to Middle Tennessee State University. It was beginning The gift ultimately will enable MTSU to recruit a renowned historian to the to grow. It was transforming from a teachers’ college to students majoring in faculty. business and mass communication. ” “One thing that I would say to every MTSU graduate and to those who Gaines was and is an avid reader. After graduating from MTSU, he imme- will be graduating is to look back at your experience—you probably had one diately went into the insurance business in management training with a large or more people who helped you,” Gaines says. “If you love (MTSU) like I do, company—a business he has been in ever since. He read about successful men think about giving back. I want MTSU to be even greater after I’m gone. and women, and he learned early on that successful people stood on the shoul- Whether you want to give regularly during your lifetime or give something in ders of those who came before them. your will, there is something each of us can do to give back.” In 1993, he established a scholarship at Dobyns-Bennett High School for a A former six-year board member of the MTSU Foundation, Gaines under- graduating senior who planned to attend MTSU. The criteria for winning the stands the importance of private giving. scholarship was not only achieving academic success but also being involved “The alumni from MTSU are going to have to reach into their pockets and in school and community activities. start donating more money,” he says. “I have “There have been 17 or 18 scholarships been told that the amount of state support so far, and it’s really rewarding because the has decreased over the years. With greater ‘If you love (MTSU) like I do, recipients will send me letters,” he says. “It financial support, we’ll be able to hire the doesn’t matter what their economic status is. best professors and build new facilities.” consider giving back. I want … I am convinced that in our world without “Jim exemplifies what we wish all our MTSU to be even greater a college education you’re going to have a alumni would aspire to … someone who difficult time. My mission is to get as many stays involved, engaged and committed to after I’m gone.’ kids in high school into college.” the institution and really only wants what’s Gaines also serves as a tutor in a pro- best for us,” adds Joe Bales, MTSU vice presi- Jim Gaines, alumnus and scholarship donor gram called Reality Changers in his church. dent for development and university rela- Originally established for Hispanic youth, it tions. is open to anyone willing to sign an atten- “Even though he literally lives about as far away from campus as any dance contract and maintain a 3.0 GPA. alumnus, being out in California, he does stay connected and in touch. Jim’s “We tutor the kids for the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test), and we have goal is to see MTSU better tomorrow than it is today, and he’s willing to invest some kids who come close to acing it,” he points out. “Our best success story in that goal. We are grateful for his tremendous generosity.” is a kid from a gang in San Diego with a GPA of something like 0.0006.