Kung Fu Fighting
The Capital University of Physical Education and Sports of Beijing, China, demonstrated Chinese kung fu at Murphy Center in April. The event was presented by MTSU’s Confucius Institute. Among the performers was Fengmei Li, a stuntwoman who was the choreographer for Zhang Ziyi, who starred in the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Lady of Firsts
As part of MTSU’s observance of National Women’s History Month in April, Rep. Beth Harwell of Nashville, speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives and the first female House speaker in Tennessee and in the Southeast, was honored as the second Distinguished Friend of the University Honors College.
Woman of Note
Lilly Ledbetter, whose judicial battle with the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. led to the passage of federal legislation in a historic gender discrimination case, was the keynote speaker for MTSU’s biennial Women’s and Gender Studies Conference in April, a major part of the University’s National Women’s History Month celebration.
On the Pulse
Ken Paulson, a nationally recognized advocate for the First Amendment, is the new dean of the College of Mass Communication. Paulson, president and CEO of the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University and at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., replaces Roy Moore, who had been dean since 2008. Paulson was on the team of journalists that founded USA Today in 1982, and he was editor-in-chief from 2004 to 2009. He is now a columnist on USA Today’s board of contributors. Paulson is active in the Nashville music community, including as vice chair of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is also the author of Freedom Sings, a multimedia stage show celebrating the First Amendment that tours the nation’s campuses.
Off the Row
MTSU graduate Beverly Keel (’88), an award-winning music journalist and former recording industry executive, is now chair of the Department of Recording Industry. A longtime MTSU professor, Keel returned to the University after serving as senior vice president of media and artist relations for Universal Music Group Nashville, where she developed extensive media campaigns for a charttopping roster including Lionel Richie, Scotty McCreery, Sugarland, Jamey Johnson, Josh Turner, Kip Moore, and many more.
An Urban Development
David J. Urban is the new dean of the Jennings A. Jones College of Business. Formerly executive associate dean and marketing professor in the School of Business at Virginia Commonwealth University, he replaces Jim Burton, who was dean for 13 years. Urban will guide a business program that boasts more than 125 full-time faculty members, more than 3,000 undergraduate majors, and more than 500 graduate students.
July 2013 | 15 |