Funeral Arrangements: Dr. Richard Hannah

http://www.moorecortner.com 

Moore Cortner Funeral Home, Winchester, TN

Richard Lloyd Hannah

(August 1, 1951 - April 20, 2011)

Richard Lloyd Hannah, age 59 of Murfreesboro, passed away Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at his residence. He was born in Maryland, the son of the late Andrew "Buddy" Hannah, Jr. and Myrtle Elizabeth Caldwell Hannah. Mr. Hannah was an economics professor at MTSU and had served in the US Marine Corps. Survivors include his wife, Emma Burassa Hannah of Murfreesboro; sister, Patty (Ray) Stevens of Cowan; brothers, Brian (Betty Jo) Hannah of Cowan and Gary (Gay) Hannah of Estill Springs; and several cousins.

Visitation will be 5:30 - 6 PM Tuesday, April 26, 201 at Moore-Cortner Funeral Home with memorial services to follow at 6 PM.

Moore-Cortner Funeral Home
300 1st Ave NW
Winchester, TN 37398
(931) 967-2222

Updated Obituary: Dr. Richard Hannah

Dr. Richard Hannah

Middle Tennessee State University mourns the death this week of Dr. Richard Hannah, a professor in the Department of Economics and Finance who served as an international goodwill ambassador for our students.

Hannah, 59, whose work as part of the University Honors College included development of the first Buchanan Fellows macroeconomics course, joined MTSU in 1992. The Buchanan Fellowship, named for Nobel Prize laureate and MTSU alumnus James Buchanan, is the highest award given to students entering the Honors College.

“Richard was a distinguished professor, beloved by his students and colleagues and greatly valued for his service to our University,” said MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee. “His scholarship and leadership helped make MTSU stronger and we are deeply saddened by his passing.

“Our sympathies go out to Richard’s wife, Emma, and the entire family,” the President said.

Hannah traveled extensively overseas as a goodwill ambassador for the University. His most recent trip was to Bangladesh in December 2010 to meet with executives of Grameen Bank, founded by Nobel laureate and former MTSU professor Muhammad Yunus, to arrange for more MTSU student internships.

“Dr. Hannah believed he could inspire MTSU students by giving them examples of individuals like Dr. Buchanan and Dr. Yunus, and I believe he succeeded in this endeavor,” said John Vile, dean of the Honors College. “We are devastated by the loss. “

Hannah was the Honors College’s resident faculty member from the Jennings A. Jones College of Business and taught at the graduate and undergraduate levels at the University. For a decade, he was the host of “Inside Academia,” a television program produced at MTSU on higher education.

He also created the first online graduate-level Managerial Economics course at MTSU.

Hannah received his Bachelor of Arts degree in history from UT-Chattanooga and another Bachelor of Arts degree in German at MTSU, where he also earned his Master of Arts degree in economics. He received his Ph.D. degree in economics from the University of Utah.

Prior to becoming a full-time professor, Hannah served as director of MTSU’s Center for Economic Education and worked for the Tennessee Valley Authority.

[earlier note from Dean James Burton]

Obituary: Dr. Richard Hannah

Dr. Richard Hannah

It is with deep sorrow that we inform you of the passing of Professor Richard Hannah.

Dr. Hannah, Professor of Economics, was found dead of apparent natural causes in his Murfreesboro home on Wednesday by Murfreesboro Police.  Department Chair, Dr. Charlie Baum, had become concerned after Dr. Hannah missed classes on Monday and Wednesday and had initiated efforts to locate Dr. Hannah. 

Dr. Hannah was a valued member of the faculty and will be greatly missed by his colleagues and students.

We will provide additional information as it becomes available. 

—Dean Jim Burton


[update from President Sidney McPhee]

Opry Mills to Benefit Jobless Rate

http://tinyurl.com/3e5v3l5
From the Tennessean: "The dramatic impact here of Opry Mills' reopening would be sparked because the 3,000 new jobs would end up putting an additional 1,500 people to work through indirect jobs, meaning a total of 4,500 jobs pumped into the labor market, said Arik, associate director of the Business and Economic Research Center at MTSU."

Tennessee County Economic Dashboard

New on the site of the Business and Economic Research Center:

Indicators for each of the state's 95 counties:
http://www.mtsu.edu/~berc

CIS Paper Award

At the MBAA International Conference last week, Associate Professor Charles Apigian (Computer Information Systems) and student Johnathan Gilliam presented their paper "An Analysis of the Factors that Contribute to Intellectual Property Theft." The paper received the McGraw-Hill/Irwin Distinguished Paper Award from the Society for the Advancement of Information Systems, which is the best paper award for the IS track.

Gilliam is an undergraduate majoring in history and minoring in CIS and will begin working on a master's degree in CIS in the fall. Apigian was his mentor in the McNair Program, and this paper is the result of that research.

Johnathan Gilliam & Charles Apigian with McGraw-Hill/Irwin Distinguished Paper Award at MBAA  

Job Heat Charts Updated

http://www.mtsu.edu/~berc/tacir/tacir.html

Through Feb. 2011: Employment growth by industry for Tennessee and 10 MSAs

Tennessee 2010 Census Population Totals

http://www.mtsu.edu/~berc/census.html

These data from the U.S. Census Bureau provide the first look at population counts for small areas and race, Hispanic origin, voting age and housing unit data released from the 2010 Census. The census data are used by state officials to realign congressional and state legislative districts in their states, taking into account population shifts since the 2000 Census.

Tennessee 2010 Census Results

Tennessee Census Map

http://tinyurl.com/4v6nlpu 

Interactive map of population change by county and chart of state population by race

Tennessee Jobless Rate Rises

Japan's Disasters May Have Impact

From the Tennessean March 18:

"In the short-term, I don't expect to see any layoffs related to the Japanese disaster," said economist Murat Arik, associate director of the Business & Economic Research Center at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.

Still, the situation is fluid, and to the extent that local auto-sector firms need parts or production from Japan, they could be forced to close temporarily until that supply returns, cautions Steven Livingston, editor of a global trade newsletter and a political science professor at MTSU.

[article]

BERC in the News

David Penn, director of the Business and Economic Research Center, is quoted in the following recent articles on the area economy:

• Local jobless rate up, but good sign ahead
• Green jobs take root in Tennessee
• Home sales dip in Feb.

Rise in Nashville-Area Jobless Rate Seen Only as a Blip

From the Tennessean: But most economists attribute the spike to seasonal changes such as the layoff of temporary workers or the loss of extra retail employees after Christmas — not a renewed economic swoon. "I don't attribute the increases to the economy getting worse," said economist David Penn, director of the Business and Economic Research Center at Middle Tennessee State University. [article]

Global Commerce 4th Quarter 2010

http://www.mtsu.edu/~berc/globalcommerce.html

"Tennessee—Significant Links to the Middle East?"
How significant are the countries of the Arabian world to Tennessee and its economy? What might be the economic fallout of the dramatic events we are witnessing? [more]

Tennessee Housing Price Index

http://frank.mtsu.edu/~berc/tacir/hpisummary.html

New from the Business and Economic Research Center (BERC): Housing Price Index with graphs for Tennessee and 10 MSAs

Hannah Travels to Bangladesh to Aid University Partners

Muhammad Yunus

Dr. Richard Hannah [Department of Economics and Finance] spent two weeks in December visiting Chittagong University in Bangladesh, one of MTSU's international partners, and making contact with Dr. Muhammad Yunus, former MTSU professor and founder of the Grameen Bank in the capital city of Dhaka. A second shipment of books is on its way to CU students through the efforts of MTSU's Yunus Program.

In addition, Hannah met with the executive staff at Grameen to discuss expanding internships at the bank. The first MTSU student to intern with Grameen, Steve Sibley, is in his second year of a doctoral program at Purdue University. [See Sibley's letters from Grameen describing his internship experience.]

[Read complete article in the Record.]

Dr. Richard Hannah, second from right, meets staff members at a medical facility in rural Bangladesh that has been set up as a social business.

Take a Stand: Stop Bullying

March 17, 6-8 p.m., BAS State Farm Room

National expert on workplace bullying Dr. Gary Namie will speak on March 17, 2011, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the State Farm Room in the Business and Aerospace Building on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University. Dr. Namie taught the nation's first university course on workplace bullying. He was the expert witness in the nation's first bullying trial in Indiana with the verdict upheld by the state Supreme Court.

Dr. Namie and his wife, Dr. Ruth Namie, are the most recognized individuals associated with bullying in the U.S., due in large part to the eight public websites devoted to education about bullying for individuals, lawmakers, unions, and employers. Their work has been featured on the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, NPR, and in print.

Dr. Namie directs a national network of state coordinators [the Healthy Workplace Campaign], acting as citizen lobbyists, who work to pass into law the anti-bullying Healthy Workplace Bill.

This event, free and open to the public, sponsored by the Distinguished Speaker Series and the Jennings A. Jones College of Business. For more information, contact Jackie Gilbert, 615-898-5418. More information regarding bullying, civil discourse, and respectful interaction can be found at OrganizedforEfficiency.com.

[Download promotional flyer pdf.]

Insurance Career Fair

Martin Chair of Insurance / Gamma Iota Sigma Career Fair today in Keathley University Center rooms 322 and 316 [more]

Tennessee Housing Market 3rd Quarter

The Business and Economic Research Center has posted its Tennessee Housing Market Report with 4th Quarter 2010 data - 
http://frank.mtsu.edu/~berc/housingbrief.html

Tennessee Business News

Latest business headlines for Tennessee and its 10 metropolitan statistical areas: 

http://frank.mtsu.edu/~berc/tacir/tacir.html#news

Tennessee Initial Unemployment Claims

New graph from the Business and Economic Research Center:
http://www.mtsu.edu/~berc/tacir/taciruiclaims.html