SEGMENT ONE
GUEST: Kayla Jenkins, graduate student in MTSU’s Public History Master’s Program
TOPIC: Jenkins was recently named to the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge’s 2023 Student Voting Honor Roll
ALL IN is a nonprofit that works with higher education institutions and students across the country to empower them to achieve excellence in nonpartisan student democratic engagement, according to its website.
The organization believes that a strong, vibrant and more representative American democracy will result from the greater inclusion of informed college student voters.
The organization believes that a strong, vibrant and more representative American democracy will result from the greater inclusion of informed college student voters. “I feel that student participation in the civic process is crucially important for a healthy democracy,” said Jenkins, a Kingsport, Tennessee, native, who’s also a member of the campus American Democracy Project chapter.
“We want voters to be educated about the issues that matter to them, and from my own experiences talking to students on MTSU’s campus, I know they are passionate and interested in what’s going on in their communities.”
Along with Jenkins, 174 other students nationwide made ALL IN’s honor roll for going “above and beyond to advance nonpartisan student voter registration, education, and turnout efforts in their communities,” according to the group’s press release.
Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett also recognized MTSU’s efforts, earning the university a second win in the four-year public university category of Hargett’s statewide College Voter Registration Competition.
Jenkins, an integral part of the effort, spent almost every morning from last August through October setting up a voter registration tent on campus to get her fellow Blue Raiders registered and ready with a voting plan.
Learn more at https://mtsunews.com/kayla-jenkins-voter-work-recognized/
SEGMENT TWO
GUEST: Dr. Robin Lee, director of the Center for Counseling
and Psychological Services and coordinator of the Professional Counseling Program
TOPIC: Inaugural First-Aid for Mental Health Youth Wellness Expo held June 24 and training and services offered by MTSU’s Center for Counseling and Psychological Services
MTSU partnered with R.I.S.E. Coalition to host the inaugural First-Aid for Mental Health Youth Wellness Expo from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 24, at MTSU’s Miller Education Center.
The event is a collaboration between MTSU’s Center for Counseling and Psychological Services, MTSU Center for Fairness, Justice and Equity, United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties, and R.I.S.E. Coalition. The event was free and open to the public.
“We felt like this is an opportunity for us to be involved with helping R.I.S.E. facilitate a mental health awareness,” said Dr. Robin Lee, director of the Center for Counseling and Psychological Services. “This expo is going to help the youth who attend know what resources are available to them. It’s also a great way to bring the community and providers together so they can have a conversation about mental health.”
Learn more at https://mtsunews.com/mtsu-rise-coalition-youth-mental-health/.
MTSU’s Professional Counseling Program operates within the Womack Department of Educational Leadership, which is a part of the College of Education.
The MTSU Center for Counseling and Psychological Services, located in the Miller Education Center on Bell Street, offers supervised training experiences to professional counseling graduate students who want to become mental health and/or school professionals.
Their sessions with members of the campus and local community, who come to them for help, are recorded for training purposes. As is the case with any mental health professional, confidentiality is assured.
SEGMENT THREE
GUEST: Dr. Murat Arik, director of the Business and Economic Research Center
and Jennings and Rebecca Jones Chair of Excellence in Urban and Regional Planning
TOPIC: A new Scholars Program launched by the Jennings and Rebecca Jones Chair of Excellence in Urban and Regional Planning Advisory Committee
MTSU’s Jennings and Rebecca Jones Chair of Excellence in Urban and Regional Planning Advisory Committee is launching a new Scholars Program to assist students in their academic and professional development.
The COE-URP Scholars Program is a nine-month research and engagement program for undergraduate students at Middle Tennessee State University designed to bring students, professors and community members together to address pressing urban and regional concerns through academic research.
In addition to gaining relevant experience and learning key skills, students will receive a stipend of $3,900, a completion certificate and the opportunity for a scholarly designation on their graduation diploma.
Advisory Committee Chair Paul Martin Jr. outlined the program’s potential impact on the region and its consistency with the founders’ goal from over 25 years ago.
“I think it’s a unique realization of Jennings Jones’ vision to create a better future through urban and regional planning, and it’s an expansion of MTSU’s engagement, not only with its student body but also with the community at large,” Martin said.
The pilot program will launch Aug. 25 just as MTSU begins its fall semester and will be available to sophomore and junior students of all programs of study. Students who intend to apply must have a minimum GPA of 3.5 and submit a two-page statement of interest in the program.
Dr. Murat Arik, holder of the COE-URP, said he is dedicated to helping ambitious students achieve their career goals and is “looking to select 10 passionate students for participation in the program. These students will be partnered with a faculty mentor to aid in their development and will have valuable networking opportunities with community leaders and professionals.”
Learn more at https://mtsunews.com/urban-regional-planning-scholars-program/.
