August 17, 2012

ANNOUNCEMENT

Editor’s Note: In an effort to increase campus communication and a sense of community as Belmont grows, the Office of Communication will begin publishing “In the Den” on Monday, Aug. 20. This e-newsletter will consist of a weekly devotional, calendar of campus events for the week, announcements, messages from Human Resources, new hires, promotions, birthdays, congratulations and prayer requests. The Friday edition of “Belmont FYI” will continue to include news and photos from the week in an email and will no longer be housed here. We appreciate your patience as we strive to keep faculty and staff informed of University news.

August 10, 2012

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

Students have a view of the Nashville skyline from fourth and fifth floor suites in Dickens Hall. The ribbon cutting ceremony for the new residence hall is 10:30 a.m. Friday, Aug. 17.

College of Law faculty and staff began moving into the Randall and Sadie Baskin Center this week. The Baskin Center's 10 a.m. ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, Aug. 21 will be followed by a reception, building tours and a moot court.

BELMONT NEWS

BLINK Charging Stations Welcome Electric Vehicles to Belmont
The Curb and Baskin parking garages may soon become a destination for the more than 300 Nissan Leafs in the Nashville area with seven free electric vehicle charging stations being installed on campus this mont

As part of The EV Project, a public-private partnership between ECOtality Inc. and the U.S. Department of Energy through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, BLINK Level 2 Wall Mount charging stations are provided without charge to Belmont University. The San Francisco, Calif.-based clean electric transportation company and the federal department are each covering half of BLINK’s costs, which usually retail for $3,000 each plus $400 in shipping and handling fees, said ECOtality Area Manager Stephanie Cox.

“We see this as being the future of fuel conservation,” said Alison McCommons in Belmont’s Office of University Counsel. “If there aren’t a lot of people that drive electric cars, then hopefully having the chargers on campus will encourage them to consider it as an option.”

Eliminating the need for drivers to stop and fuel up at gas stations, BLINK allows electric cars to charge while their drivers are at their destinations. Students and professors can charge their electric vehicles while in class and visitors while they are touring campus. Electric vehicle owners driving through the area also will see the stations appear on navigation units on their dashboard. The charging stations, three on the sixth floor of the Curb Garage and four on level one of the Baskin Garage, are free and open to the public. Read more.

Dr. Bob Fisher greets CRA Manager Luis Parodi and Financial Center Manager Rosa Berger of Fifth Third Bank.

Fifth Third Bank Gives Belmont Community-Building Funds
Fifth Third Bank presented a $15,000 check to the Belmont University Office of Community Relations and and Center for Service Learning on Aug. 9. The money will benefit the neighborhoods surrounding Belmont through student outreach and service projects.

Among the projects was the Next Generation Now Summer Enrichment Program, which hosted some 30 youth, many of them Edgehill residents, in a camp to improve academic achievement, community safety and nutritional health. Belmont senior Gabrielle Hampton was camp director.

Family Literacy Day and the Edgehill’s BEST newsletter, a collaboration between Belmont journalism students and Rose Park Middle School, also will benefit from the donation.

Summer 2012 Commencement Ceremony Tonight
Belmont University will hold its summer 2012 commencement ceremony for graduate and undergraduate students at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 10 in the Curb Event Center.

Belmont will celebrate the graduation of a total of 211 students. During the graduation ceremony, 78 undergraduate, 98 master’s and 35 doctoral degrees will be conferred.

Dr. Robert C. Fisher, president of the University, will preside over the event. Dr. Vaughn May, associate professor of political science, will present the commencement address.

Watch the graduation live at www.Belmont.edu

ACHIEVERS

Click here for stories on the recent accomplishments of Belmont’s students, faculty, staff and alumni. This week’s highlights are John Niedzwiecki, Rachel Rigsby, Kim Daus and Ronnie Littlejohn.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Construction Advisory
As Belmont University’s contractors near completion of blasting for the Wedgewood Academic Center, a block of 15th Avenue South will be closed this Saturday morning as well as the weekend of Aug. 24.

Fifteenth Avenue South will be closed between Wedgewood and Acklen Avenues from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 11 so that a base for the tower crane can be lowered to the construction site. The same block will close again the morning of Friday, Aug. 24 and reopen the morning of Sunday, Aug. 26 to off load and assemble the tower crane. In the event of inclement weather or an unforeseen event, campus will be notified of the change.

Drivers should use 14th Avenue South or 12th Avenue South as the detour route.

We are working hard to complete all blasting for the Wedgewood Academic Center by the end of this week. As construction continues, all safety precautions regarding traffic, neighbors and students are still being taken. Belmont University’s construction webpage http://www.belmont.edu/community/construction/index.html continues to have the most up-to-date information on this project.

Parking Reminder
As the new school year gets underway, we want to encourage Belmont students, faculty and staff to refrain from parking on nearby streets.  As a reminder, you are not permitted  to park in “no parking zones” or any private business lots.  This includes spaces near the Athletes House on Belmont Boulevard, Circle K, Morningside or the south side of Acklen Avenue beside the library. Metro Police will ticket and tow your vehicle if you leave your car at a business, in a no parking zone, in a residential permit-only area or anywhere that would block alleys or driveways.

The new Dickens Hall and Baskin Center garages that open this month are adding some 1,080 parking spaces to Belmont’s campus. Our Campus Security team is distributing parking rules and regulations to students and employees along with their campus parking permits, which are required for the Belmont community. As a reminder, Belmont provides students, faculty and staff free alternative transportation to and from campus—including bicycle rentals, the Music City Star rail system and Metropolitan Transit Authority buses.

COMING UP

Friday, Aug. 10, 7:30 p.m.
Summer Commencement
Curb Event Center Arena

Wednesday, Aug. 15, 6 p.m.
Men’s Soccer vs. Christian Brothers University
E.S. Rose Park

Friday, Aug. 17, 10:30 a.m.
Dickens Hall Ribbon Cutting

Friday, Aug. 17-Sunday, Aug. 19
Residence Hall Move-In Days

Tuesday, Aug. 21, 10 a.m.
Baskin Center Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Men’s and women’s soccer begin exhibition games this month at Rose Park. Schedules can be found at the Belmont Athletics website.  Check the University calendar for other upcoming events.

 


BIRTHDAYS

Editor’s Note: The Office of Communications is transitioning to a new system in which Human Resources will provide all staff and faculty birthdays for this newsletter. To opt out of your birthday being included on this list, please send your name and birth month to communication@belmont.edu.

Aug. 10
Courtney Fuson, Library
Susan Barnes, Public Relations
Mia Hughes, University Marketing and Special Initiatives

Aug. 11
Bill Penn, Custodial Services
Brook McGinnis, Library Services
Kristi Whitten, School of Music
Andy Matthews, College of Law

Aug. 12
David Julseth, Foreign Language
Kristy Booziotis, College of Pharmacy
Amy Ham, College of Pharmacy

Aug. 13
Nancy Pinkerton, Custodial Services
Steve Guthrie, School of Religion
Jeff Langdon, Men’s Cross Country and Track
Christian Panneck, Admissions
Sal Greco, Ocean Way
Michelle Head, Safety and Security
Sarita Stewart, Curb College

Aug. 14
Mary Byars, Admissions
Jane Warren, School of Music
Bill Bailey, Psychological Sciences
Michael Janas, Curb College

Aug. 15
Sean Sawyer, University Marketing and Special Initiatives

Aug. 16
Harry Chapman, Development Office
Jay Lessert, Registrar’s Office

Aug. 17
Annette Sisson, English
Mike Pruitt, Campus Security
Ben Craine, School of Music

SPECIAL PROMOTIONS

Special Discount Performances at TPAC
The Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) is offering discounts of up to 70 percent to Belmont students, faculty and staff for upcoming performances of The Nutty Professor and a Anything Goes. Click here to purchase discounted tickets for these productions. Choose the “Promo code? Click here” link and enter the password “belmont.” Hit “Apply” and select which of the discounted performance dates you’d like to attend. Make sure to select a performance that says “eligible for promotion” to receive the corporate saver discount. Belmont alumna Meghan Glogower(’12) is among The Nutty Professor cast.

Hyatt Hotels Discount
Belmont University now has a partnership in place with Hyatt Hotels for when Belmont travels, which provides access to 10 percent off the Hyatt Daily Rate at Park Hyatt, Andaz, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt Place and Hyatt Summerfield Suites properties worldwide. When booking groups of six rooms or more per night, contact Erin Kloke at (402) 763-8093 or erin.kloke@hyatt.com. For reservations of five rooms or less: visit www.hyatt.com and enter 204263 in the “Corporate/Group Number” box. This is the unique code number assigned to Belmont, and the discounted rates will be displayed as you search properties; or click here to create a company travel member account, which allows the traveler to earn rewards points for stays using the Belmont rate.