Lovvorn Receives Outstanding Research Award from Peabody College

Jason Lovvorn (English) received the Otto C. Bassler Award for Outstanding Research from Peabody College at Vanderbilt University. The award is presented annually for the outstanding dissertation by a doctoral student in the Department of Teaching and Learning.  In February, in a talk titled “What’s in a Name? The Writing Center, The Writing Studio, and Authorship of Place,” Lovvorn presented work from his dissertation at the National Council of Teachers of English Assembly for Research in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.  In April, he presented more of his dissertation work at the American Educational Research Association meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. His paper there was titled “Locating the Writing Center: Texts, Actor Networks, and Spatial Analysis.”

Pharmacy Fraternity Presents Check to St. Jude Children’s Hospital

Phi Delta Chi is a pharmacy fraternity that focuses on scholastic achievement, leadership and service. The organization is committed to raising funds and awareness for worthy causes, both locally and nationally. One of the most notable causes the fraternity is involved with is St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital located in Memphis, Tennessee. Belmont’s chapter, Gamma Xi, has raised funds for St. Jude through various projects. One such project was a letter writing campaign called the Prescription for Hope. Through this campaign student members were able to raise $1,520 within the past year, totaling $4, 204 within the past two years. The group presented the hospital with a check during a visit last week.

Gonas Selected for DAR Community Service Award

On Saturday, May 12, Associate Professor of Finance Dr. John Gonas was presented a Community Service Award by the General Francis Nash Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution. This award recognizes worthy residents, from a variety of walks of life, for voluntary achievements in cultural, educational, humanitarian, patriotic, historical and citizenship endeavors, or in environmental conservation.

Dr. Gonas was recognized in part due to his service to Belmont University’s SIFE team and its recent contributions to the creation and maintenance of nonprofit mattress recycling venture Spring Back Recycling.

Pictured is General Francis Nash DAR Chapter Regent Kathleen Pohlid presenting the DAR Community Service Award to Dr. Gonas.

Klefstad Publishes Chapter in Book

Dr. Terry Klefstad, associate professor in the School of Music, recently published a book chapter titled “A Soviet Opera in America” in the new publication Contemplating Shostakovich:  Life, Music and Film (Goldsmiths and Kirkman).

Dunlap Presents at Global Health Forum

Dr. Ruby Dunlap, associate professor of nursing, was a co-presenter at the 2012 Tennessee Global Health Forum sponsored by the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health (VIGH).  Dunlap was joined by Carol Etherington and Patsy Meier, both registered nurses, to provide an overview of how healthcare is delivered in various community settings by diverse caregivers with limited resources.  The 2012 forum was focused on measuring impact and maximizing success in global programs. It featured accomplished global health leaders who shared experiences and expertise on innovative approaches and practical tools to sustain such programs. VIGH supports numerous community health initiatives locally and throughout the world, including current efforts in Mozambique and Nigeria.

Dr. Dunlap has taught community health nursing at Belmont since 1996. Her involvement and interest in international healthcare has been lifelong. She spent 10 years of her childhood in Somalia. For 15 years she has guided nursing students in the assessment and health education of refugee families resettled to the Nashville area from all over the world. In the 2009-2010 academic year, she was a Fulbright visiting lecturer for the graduate nursing program at Uganda Christian University, Mukono, Uganda. She returned to teach a four-week module in the same program in September 2011. In addition to advising nine nursing masters theses for Ugandan graduate nurses, she guided a group of the same nursing students in a revision of the Uganda Nurse and Midwives Practice Act in October 2011.

Chemistry Students Present at American Chemical Society Meeting

Dr. Rachel Rigsby and Dr. Alison Moore from the Department of Chemistry and Physics, along with nine Belmont University students, attended the American Chemical Society’s national meeting in San Francisco recently. Four seniors–Grant Anderson, Katherine Whitfield, Jenny Westbrook and Ben Heacock–presented undergraduate research posters. The other Belmont students–Amy Henderson, Roxy Musharrafeia, Rebecca Newton, Logan Books and Johnny Truong–presented a poster on the Belmont SMACS (Student Members of the American Chemical Society) Chapter activities.  The Belmont University SMACS chapter also received a Commendable Chapter award based on their outreach and other activities throughout the 2010-2011 academic year.

Hatch Publishes Book Chapter, Elected Chair for Local ACS Chapter

Dr. Duane Hatch (Chemistry) recently published a book chapter titled “Molecular Recognition Elements for Toxin and Pathogen Detection” in the text Chemosensors: Principles, Strategies, and Applications (Wiley Series in Drug Discovery and Development). In addition, Hatch is also the new public relations chair for the local section of the American Chemical Society.  Hatch attended a three-day training session at the ACS national headquarters in Washington, D.C., on April 27-29.

Shores Presents at Safe Patient Handling Conference

Dr. Lynne Shores, professor of nursing, was recently one of four presenters at the Safe Patient Handling Conference in Oklahoma City. Designed for nurses, nurse educators and other clinical leaders who are responsible for implementing and sustaining safe clinical work environments, the conference included evidence-based practices in patient handling and movement. Dr. Shores has become nationally recognized for teaching nursing students how to move patients safely by following set protocols, including the use of appropriate equipment. She has played a key role in introducing safe patient handling in the School of Nursing at Belmont. She has worked with peers at the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to implement core curriculum for teaching students about on-the-job safety. Dr. Shores has served on the National Advisory Committee for the ANA Handle With Care recognition program.

Cornwall Quoted by USA Today

Dr. Jeff Cornwall, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship, was quoted this week in a USA Today article titled “Gen Y grads more likely to launch start-ups.” Click here to read the story.

Silverman, School of Music Faculty to Perform at Carnegie Hall

Electric violinist Tracy Silverman, an adjunct professor in Belmont’s School of Music, was recently the cover story subject for the Nashville Scene. Click here to read the full article.

Last week Silverman world premiered composer Terry Riley’s Palmian Chord Ryddle for Electric Violin and Orchestra with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra at Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Next week, the violinist and the NSO will take the concerto, which was written specifically for Silverman, to New York City, performing at Carnegie Hall on May 12.  Nashville Symphony will perform on the closing night of the Spring for Music Festival, a celebration of innovative American orchestras. Nashville is one of only six symphonies to be selected for this year’s festival.

Other Belmont School of Music faculty memebrs participating in the NSO’s Carnegie Hall performance include Dawn Hartley (bassoon), Keith Nicholas (cello), Dan Lochrie (clarinet), Chris Norton (one of five conductors on the Ives’  “Universe Symphony”), Radu Rusu (horn), Elena Bennett and Bob Marler (keyboards), Alan Fey and Todd London (percussion), Pat Kunkee (trumpet), and Alison Gooding (violin).

Ham Manuscript Accepted for Publication

Dr. Amy Ham, assistant professor of pharmacy, was recently informed that her manuscript, “Label-Free Quantitation of Protein Modifications by Pseudo-Selected Reaction Monitoring with Internal Reference Peptides,” was accepted for publication in the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Proteome Research. Dr. Ham and her team describe a method using an ion trap mass spectrometer for label-free quantitation of protein modifications using a targeted MS/MS approach with extraction of transition ions for pseudo-selective reaction monitoring (pSRM) and the use of non-modified peptides within the same protein of interest for normalization. The utility of the method was demonstrated by comparing this approach to the more traditional use of stable-isotope dilution (SID) using the well-studied phosphorylation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) as an example that could also be verified by commonly used western blot analysis using site-specific antibodies.

Bynum Article Published in Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethic

Pharmacy Assistant Professor Leigh Ann Bynum had her article titled “Organizational Citizenship Behaviors of Pharmacy Faculty: Modeling Influences of Equity Sensitivity, Psychological Contract Breach, and Professional Identity”  accepted for publication in the Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics. Using social exchange and social identity theories, Bynum and her team developed a model and proposed the potential relationships among model constructs to define the impact of psychological contract breach, identity salience and equity sensitivity on organizational citizenship behavior of pharmacy faculty.

Metro Parks Honors Belmont Students for Community Center Plan

Nashville’s Metro Board of Parks and Recreation recognized Belmont students Katherine Richardson, Kap Sum, Stephanie Downing, Reid Huffman and Robin Kirk at its board meeting May 1 for their work to benefit staff and users of the Easley Community Center.

The students developed three reports totaling 99 pages, which include an outreach manual for Metro Parks to use as a guide to identify programming needs, integrate service-learning and communicate with users of community centers as well as a case study on how they improved promotion of and volunteer opportunities within the Easley Community Center.

“Please accept our genuine gratitude and sincere appreciation for the excellent work performed by Belmont students,” wrote Parks Superintendent of Community Affairs Jackie Jones. “Our staff was impressed by the caliber of their work and touched by their level of commitment to this project. From our vantage point, these students went above and beyond a typical class assignment and made this service-learning project a meaningful and memorable outreach to the Edgehill community. They also provided valuable resources for the department to use in the future.”

Smith-Whitehouse Presents on Considering the Wildflowers

Dr. Bonnie Smith-Whitehouse from the Department of English recently co-presented at St. Mary’s Sewanee’s The Ayres Center for Spiritual Development.  Her presentation, “Consider the Wildflowers,” encouraged participants to consider the beauty of wildflowers around them through writing and hiking.

Belmont Hosts Tennessee Junior Academy of Science Annual Meeting

Belmont University hosted the Tennessee Junior Academy of Science Annual Meeting on April 20.  This event is sponsored by the Tennessee Academy of Science and Bi0logy Professor Steve Murphree, who serves as treasurer of the organization.  The high school students presented papers on a wide-range of topics including physics, zoology, astronomy, environmental science and chemistry. Approximately 120 high school teachers and students, along with family members, attended the event.

Bennett, Graduate Student Present on Social Media and Fundraising

Journalism Professor Sybril Bennett and Organizational Leadership & Communication graduate student Federico Padovan presented on Social Media and Fundraising at the National Catholic Educational Association’s annual meeting held this year in Boston, Ma.

Six Students Present Research at Alpha Chi National Convention

In March, six Belmont University students presented their research at the Alpha Chi National Honor Society Convention at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Baltimore. Two faculty advisors, Dr. Sarah Ann Fleming (Math/Computer Science) and Dr. Jonathan Thorndike (Honors Program)also attended the convention, which is organized around student presentations by juniors and seniors from their respective chapters. 

Membership in Alpha Chi is the highest academic honor awarded by Belmont University.  Its members are invited based on their academic standing in the top 10 percent of the junior and senior classes within any academic major.  Belmont has had an active chapter of Alpha Chi for more than 25 years.  Dr. Fleming (Mathematics) and Dr. Caresse John (English) are the Belmont chapter’s current Sponsors. Dr. Thorndike serves as secretary-treasurer for Region III, which includes the colleges and universities with chapters in Alabama, Washington, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North and South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. This year’s featured convention keynote speaker was New York Times best-selling author Sharyn McCrumb. 

Belmont student presentations at the convention included:

• In the Art section, Lizzie Davis presented her findings on “The Pre-Raphaelites and Literary Portraiture: The Unveiling of a Victorian Woman.”
• In the Music section, Kyle Johnson presented his research on “Listening to Modern Music.”
•  In Buisness, Shirah Foy presented findings on “Social Norms & Personal Financial Capital Interact in the Entrepreneurial Intentions Model: Evidence from a Russian Context.”
• In Mathematics, Kevin Crowl discussed “Picking a Winner: A Mathematical Look at Voting Methods.”
• In the Creative Writing section, Rachel Worsham presented “A Reading of an Excerpt from ‘potatochipbag’.”
• In Political Science, Stefanie Faull presented her research on “Revenge of the Nerds.”

It was also announced that Belmont student Jenny Westbrook is one of the 2012 winners of the prestigious Alpha Chi Sledge/Benedict Scholarship.  Additionally, Belmont student Stefanie Faull was elected as the Region III Student Representative to the National Council of Alpha Chi.  Stefanie will serve a two-year term on the National Council.

Pharmacy Faculty Abstract Accepted for AACP Conference

Pharmacy Assistant Professors Edgar Diaz-Cruz and Angela Hagen and College of Pharmacy Dean Phil Johnston have had their poster titled “Student Organizational Impact on Minority Pharmacy Students and Diversity Awareness Through Community Service” accepted for the 2012 AACP Annual Meeting in Kissimmee, Fla.

The authors discuss how to prepare future generations of pharmacists, representational of the diversity of the community, through the Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA). This outreach directly impacts current Belmont University College of Pharmacy students as it develops their awareness of the various needs in minority communities. Inter-professional faculty advisers in the areas of the pharmaceutical, social and administrative sciences are strategically developing the organization to meet these diverse needs.

Students Win Big at Collegiate DECA International Conference

Belmont students showed their business and leadership skills with their best ever performance at the 2012 Collegiate DECA International Career Development Conference, which was held April 21-24 in Salt Lake City. Twenty-nine Belmont students competed in nine events at the international competition, with 25 of the Belmont participants reaching the finals in their respective events, a phenomenal accomplishment given the more than 1,200 students overall who competed. Belmont students swept the Entrepreneurial Challenge category and placed first in two of the nine events.

Management Professor and Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship Dr. Jeff Cornwall, Management Professor Dr. Robert Lambert and Center for Entrepreneurship Program Coordinator Lisa Davis serve as the advisors for Belmont’s DECA team. “This is the hardest working team we have taken to compete and the results are the fruits of their efforts,” Cornwall said. ”Our students were working through most of the night on their business ideas and pitches.  We are so proud of every single member of this year’s team.”

Below is the complete list of Belmont DECA awards:

Entrepreneurial Challenge
1^st  — Julia Cecere, Ross Hill, Zach Hughes
2^nd – Jason Rardin, Shannon York, Tom Haarlander
3^rd – Nathan Tennant, Clark Buckner, Jennifer Stevens
Top 10   Shannon Leahy, Sarah Beairsto, A.J. Marino
Top 10   Katie Tierney, Mandy Strader, Jena Lavicha
Top 10   Eric Guroff, Matt Madden, Felicia Deas
Top 10   Josh Gilreath, Areej Rabie
Top 10   Michelle Keil, Chelsi Leverenz, Linda Wu 

Restaurant and Food Service Management
1^st Clark Buckner

Entrepreneurship Business Plan
2^nd Julie Cecere
Top 10, Josh Cypher
National Finalist – Michelle Keil

Travel and Tourism
3^rd A.J. Marino

Business Ethics
Top Ten – Mandy Strader, Lindsey Ricker

Corporate Finance
Top 10 – Areej Rabie
Top 10 – Tom Haarlander

Marketing Management
Top 10 – Jennifer Stevens

Advertising Campaign
Top 10 – Nathan Tennant

Human Resource Management
Top 10 – Felicia Deas

Collegiate DECA is the college division of DECA, Inc., whose mission DECA is to prepare emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management. More than 15,000 students from 200 college campuses participate in the organization. Collegiate DECA enhances the student’s college experience by providing recognition and leadership activities directly related to academic study.

Belmont University Professor, Student Earn Prestigious State-Wide Service Awards

Harold Love Award recognizes higher education ambassadors for community service

Belmont University Associate Professor of Sociology Ken Spring and first-year law student Katherine Blankenship were recently named recipients of the 2012 Harold Love Outstanding Community Service Award.

The State of Tennessee Higher Education Commission gives the award annually to five faculty or staff members and five students in Tennessee higher education institutions. Individuals selected to receive recognition represent the many dimensions of community service volunteer work, public and charitable service as well as leadership roles in community organizations. Each recipient receives $1,000 and serves as an ambassador for community service among the many diverse higher educational communities in Tennessee.

The award is named after late State Rep. Harold Love who was instrumental in passing legislation that created community service recognition programs for higher education students, faculty and staff at the campus level in 1991.

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Patton Wins Senior Division Grand Prize at Electric String Festival

Junior Commercial Music Major Travis Patton was the Senior Division Grand Prize Winner of the 2012 Eclectic String Festival. Travis also performed as the featured opener for Barrage, the internationally acclaimed performing string group.  The concert and competition were part of the National Conference of American String Teachers Association held in Atlanta, Georgia. Daniel Pentecost, Belmont Class of 2010, is a member of Barrage.

Bursch Receives Outstanding Service Award from TPTA

Gail Bursch, associate professor of physical therapy, recently received the Outstanding Service Award from the Tennessee Physical Therapy Association (TPTA). The award recognizes dedication and hard work as demonstrated through extraordinary service, a distinctive role in the field of teaching, research or publishing, and outstanding contributions to the profession and health-related community organizations.

Dr. Baron Johnson, a physical therapist from Maryville, Tennessee who nominated Bursch for the award, commented on “the countless hours she has dedicated serving the profession of physical therapy and the Tennessee association.” He added that “her leadership example and dedication to the profession has influenced and challenged me to serve for many years.”  

“This award recognizes the spirit of service we see each day in working with Gail,” said Dr. John Halle, associate dean in the Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences & Nursing and program chair of the Belmont University School of Physical Therapy. “We’re happy for her and celebrate with her in receiving this award.”

Professor Bursch is director of clinical education for the School of Physical Therapy. She has served at Belmont since the University initiated a graduate program in PT in 1997.  Prior to coming to Belmont, Bursch was administrative director of Rehab Services at Centennial Medical Center in Nashville and started her professional career as a physical therapist at University of Kentucky Medical Center. She earned a Bachelor of Health Science in Physical Therapy and a Master of Science in Education from University of Kentucky. She is a licensed physical therapist and certified wound specialist and has supplemented her education with nearly 200 continuing education opportunities. She has been published with her research on Interrater Reliability of Diastasis Recti Abdominis Measurement, as well as with articles authored or coauthored in Volunteer Voice and Rehab Management.  She has made dozens of professional presentations and is an active member of the PT profession.

BUSA Students Participate in Charity Event

The Tennessee Kidney Foundation (TNF) hosted its annual Kidney Kaper Gala on April 21 to celebrate kidney donors and recipients. This year’s gala included a silent auction, dancing and entertainment and honored the nine transplant centers across the state.

Belmont University’s Songwriting Association (BUSA) paired with transplant donors and recipients to hear their stories and write songs of inspiration, hope and courage. Headed up by students Chuck Callaghan and Bailey White, the nine-person team wrote and performed its songs at the gala.

BUSA student and leader of the group Bailey White enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about the individuals who have been impacted by organ donation and more importantly, to learn what she could do to help. “They taught me what an impact we can all have on someone’s life by doing something as simple as marking that organ donor box… they taught me perseverance and joy and to not take life for granted, to take in the small moments because they far outweigh the big ones,” she said.

The honorees of the gala felt the same way about the time the Belmont students spent taking their stories and writing songs that tell of the battles they’ve won and how important such a simple task is.

TNF’s Director of Development and Marketing and ’07 Belmont graduate Josie Hackworth said the relationship between the songwriters and honorees meant a lot to both groups. “The ability to share the story of giving life to another person is the most selfless act. The patients enjoyed talking to someone who was able to take all their feelings… and create a song that they will have forever. Anyone can give a plaque, but a song touches your heart,” she said.

Allison Gale Selected as First Paisley Scholar

Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher and Curb College Dean Wes Bulla presented Gale with the scholarship.

This year distinguished alumnus and country superstar Brad Paisley established an endowed scholarship at Belmont to provide financial assistance for a deserving student with demonstrated need who is studying in the Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business.

A 1995 graduate with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, Paisley majored in music business at what was then the Mike Curb School of Music Business. During his Belmont career, Paisley himself benefitted from a scholarship supported by Vince Gill and has long been committed to “paying it forward” to another deserving student.

The Curb College scholarship committee recently selected junior Entertainment Industry Studies major Allison Gale as the 2012-13 award recipient, based on her GPA, financial need and involvement at the college, university and community levels.

An avid entertainment blogger with career aspirations to work behind the scenes in theater tour production and later in music production, Gale said, “I am beyond humbled to receive this scholarship. To have the award come from Brad Paisley is even more amazing; he is part of the reason I came to Belmont in the first place. For my sixteenth birthday I went to my first major concert: Brad Paisley. Later that year my family took a road trip during which I discovered my love for Nashville. Inspired by knowing Brad went to college there, we visited Belmont University. I made up my mind I would go, I loved everything from the Christian roots of the school to the beauty of the campus. Years of waitressing nights and community college classes in the mornings later, I realized my dreams by transferring into Belmont. I have been so blessed to be able to finally attend, and now to receive this scholarship will open up my world from working two jobs to investing time in skills for the future.”

NPR Quotes Professor Mary Vaughn on Impact of Social Media

Mary Vaughn, professor of communication studies and associate dean for the College of Arts and Sciences, was quoted in an April 26 story by NPR, which is titled, “What We Have Here: A Failure to Communicate.” Vaughn, whose expertise includes interpersonal communication, researches and teaches how social media have altered interpersonal communication in an increasingly digital age. The full story is available at this link: http://www.npr.org/2012/04/26/151351550/what-we-have-here-a-failure-to-communicate?sc=emaf