Racer Report: August 21-25

MURRAY, Ky. – The latest Murray State University Racer Report includes student, faculty, staff and alumni accomplishments, announcements, upcoming campus events and more for the week of August 21-25. 

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As part of the Governor’s Scholars Program (GSP) at Murray State University this past summer, Emery Ginger's Architectural Design class took on an engaging service project for the city of Benton, Kentucky. They were approached by Mayor Rita Dotson to redesign and renovate the existing Benton Memorial Park located on the town square. The goal was to take the existing site and revitalize it in a way that honored first responders, was more interactive for the community, and promoted a maintainable, attractive design. Each scholar was given a model of the existing site and was allowed the creative freedom to change or keep aspects that best showcased the city’s intentions for the site.

To fully accomplish this, the scholars completed research on first responders, discussed what it means to honor a group of people in design, learned about urban spaces and what attracts visitors, and learned about sustainability because they, as designers, are responsible for creating structures that generate minimal harmful effects to the ecosystem and the communities. They learned industry standard software for architecture and were able to execute their ideas.

The class produced thorough designs that were presented to the mayor and other representatives for the city of Benton during the last week of class. They learned how to manage a client relationship, complete design research and analysis, and execute an aesthetic design that promotes the reform of a community.

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Murray State University’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program was recently recognized by PhDs.me. The annual rankings showcase the top partially and fully online PhD programs for students who aspire to reach the pinnacle of education through an affordable, convenient and high-quality program. Specializations in Murray State’s DNP program include nurse anesthetist and family nurse practitioner. To learn more about the DNP program, visit https://bit.ly/3OY5o6l or contact Dr. Kristin Reid, DNP program director and assistant professor, at 270-809-6670 or kreid3@murraystate.edu. 

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Murray State University has been designated a Military Friendly® School for the 2023-2024 Military Friendly® cycle. 

Murray State offers resources for military connected students such as personalized advising, career planning and placement, flexible online and weekend schedules for those who serve on active duty, disability services, free counseling services, free limited student health services and a psychological center.

The University also offers military tuition discounts for military service members using Federal Tuition Assistance. These benefits can include tuition assistance and Veterans Affairs education benefits, college credit for military training, waived fees for courses, online classes, free graduation cords for veterans, textbook and fee discounts, free admission applications as well as waived tuition costs not covered by the Department of Defense Tuition Assistance Program.

For more information about Murray State University’s student veteran and military success programs, visit murraystate.edu/veterans.

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Murray State University psychology professor Dr. Dan Wann was recently noted in the 2023 edition of the ranking of top scientists in the field of psychology by research.com. 

The report contains the list of leading scholars and is intended to offer the academic community more visibility and exposure to the influential research contributions made by those at the forefront of psychology.

An individual’s position in the rankings is based on a scholar’s publication record as well as the number of times the individual’s work has been cited.  

Wann is ranked 3,447th in the world and 1,987th in the United States. The rankings include all persons from the history of psychology, including those who are no longer active or deceased; thus, it is a ranking for the history of the discipline, including individuals such as Sigmund Freud, Abraham Maslow and B.F. Skinner, among many others. 

The ranking makes Murray State University one of the top colleges for research in psychology. 

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Dr. Carol Terracina-Hartman, assistant professor in Murray State University’s Department of Journalism and Mass Communications, will receive the Louis E. Ingelhart First Amendment Award from the College Media Association (CMA) and be recognized at the association’s fall national conference, to take place on Oct. 31 in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2018, Terracina-Hartman was recognized with the Distinguished Adviser Award at the fall national conference in Louisville, Kentucky. Ingelhart was a retired Ball State University journalism professor who dedicated much of his life to studying, writing and teaching the applications of the First Amendment. Recipients of this award are professional journalists, institutions or advisers who have made an extraordinary, long term contribution in support of the First Amendment.

CMA annually recognizes the achievements of individuals through various award programs, including the Emerging Adviser Awards for professionals who have advised for five or fewer years, Distinguished Adviser Awards for professionals who have advised for greater than five years, and a variety of special honors recognizing service and outstanding achievements. 

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Murray State University student Kennedy Trypus of Carmel, Indiana, was selected by the Delta Zeta Sorority as a 2023 Florence Hood Miner award recipient.

The award is given to members of Delta Zeta who made the greatest contribution to their college, chapter and Delta Zeta through outstanding leadership on the campus while maintaining a good academic record in their junior year.