Belmont University | FYI


April 4, 2008

BELMONT NEWS


SIFE Team Wins Regional Competition Third Year in a Row
SIFEphoto2.JPGBelmont University announced today that its Students in Free Enterprise Team (SIFE) recently won first place in the southeast regional SIFE competition in Atlanta. This marks the chapter’s third consecutive win. SIFE is an international organization that mobilizes university students to make a difference in their communities while developing the skills to become socially responsible business leaders. The Belmont team won its league, which comes with an invitation to nationals in May in Chicago and a $1,500 prize. In addition, Belmont was the only school in the Top 20 project competition to win for three projects and will receive $1,000 per project win.

Dr. John Gonas, assistant professor of finance and the Sam Walton Fellow responsible for coordinating the projects and preparing the students for the regional and national competition, said, “We are very grateful to have developed and maintained such deep-rooted community partnerships over the past three years. The corporate sponsors of SIFE have continuously awarded us – embracing and validating the meaningful and sustainable changes we strive to make in teaching entrepreneurship, financial literacy and life skills within the greater Nashville community. I am amazed at the transforming effect of a successful SIFE project – especially in how it can engage the community partner to gain a sense of ownership of its newly acquired knowledge while simultaneously blessing the Belmont students with opportunities to unconditionally give of their time and talent.”

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Cal Turner, Howard Olds Speak on Different Kind of Leadership
TurnerOlds.jpgA long-time supporter of Belmont University, Cal Turner Jr. and his pastor, Rev. J. Howard Olds of Brentwood Methodist, shared their insights on leadership and decision-making in a convocation session this morning in the Massey Boardroom. Turner is the chairman of the Cal Turner Family Foundation and the retired CEO/Chairman/President of Dollar General Corporation. He and Olds co-wrote the recently released book Led to Follow: Leadership Lessons from an Improbable Pastor and a Reluctant CEO.

Turner began the convo by talking about his belief in Belmont University, its mission and its students, noting that Led to Follow may be an appropriate choice for those facing graduation or worrying about their future. "This book speaks in a special way as to what may be going on in your life. We hope it will help liberate you from trying to figure out what you're supposed to do... Life is about figuring out who you're supposed to be."

In a question and answer session, Olds followed up on the same theme in response to a student's inquiry about attempting to make the "right" career decisions. "You make the best decisions you can in the moment, but as a friend once told me, you also have to remember that's not the only time the train is going to come by the station. There will be a lot of opportunities in your life to consider."

LedtoFollow.jpgThe convocation concluded with the performance of an original composition by sophomore Josh Wright, a Turner Scholar.

Led to Follow examines how true leadership grows out of the spiritual journey of following a higher calling. With an open, honest and conversational style, a minister who also manages and a manager who also ministers share insights they've gained through failures, successes and struggles in their personal and professional journeys. From crises in the family business to existential struggles in the face of recurring cancer, the authors show that the heart and soul of leadership is found in following: following your call, following others' input, following your failures, following change and even following the unknown.

Wicks, Bryan Offer Students Insiders' View on Music Business
HarryandArtists.jpgThe Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business recently welcomed artists Chuck Wicks and Luke Bryan to campus as guests for The Insider’s View. Both are currently nominated for CMT Music Awards, and the two shared their experiences in the music industry with the audience.

RCA Nashville recording artist Chuck Wicks has garnered his first 2008 CMT Music Awards nomination for USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year for his Top 5 hit “Stealing Cinderella,” from his debut release Starting Now. After a hugely successful run as the opening act on the final leg of Belmont alumnus Brad Paisley’s Bonfires & Amplifiers Tour earlier this year, Paisley announced that Wicks will be back on the road touring with him this summer on the Hershey’s Presents: The Paisley Party.

Luke Bryan, a new recording artist on Capitol Records, hails from Leesburg, Georgia. Bryan starts 2008 with nominations for the CMT Music Awards' USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year and for the Academy of Country Music's Best New Male Artist. Since January, Bryan has been opening for Trace Adkins’ “American Man” tour and Dierks Bentley’s “Throttle Wide Open” tour and will be part of some of Kenny Chesney’s “Poets & Pirates” stadium dates this summer.

Homeless, Working Poor to Offer Photo Exhibit at Belmont
MLFwork.jpgThanks to an idea developed by Belmont University students, the new Mobile Loaves and Fishes Photography Exhibit will be unveiled on the Belmont campus next week. The exhibit will display photographs taken by many of the homeless and working poor people from the streets of Nashville. Public viewings are scheduled for Wed., April 9 from 6-9 p.m. and Fri., April 11 from 10-11 a.m. in the University Ministries Student Lounge in the Gabhart Student Center at Belmont.

Mobile Loaves and Fishes (MLF) is a growing social outreach ministry to the homeless and indigent working poor that seeks to provide food, clothing and dignity to those in need. MLF started its Nashville relief efforts in Summer 2007, and before long, Belmont’s Sociology Department had signed on with a commitment to lead the way in providing volunteers. Numerous Belmont University students, faculty and staff have since joined in efforts to assist the organization. The goals of this exhibit include raising awareness about local issues of hunger and homelessness, introducing students to the work of Mobile Loaves and Fishes and showing the artistry that can be found in unexpected places.

Cash Forshee, a Belmont student who has volunteered with MLF and who first had the idea for a photo exhibit, said, "This project has been a year-long effort that began in the sanctuary of Trinity Presbyterian Church. My best friend, Micah, has been my partner in creating the project. Together, we wanted to create a project that would bring reality to the Belmont community, acknowledging the enormous differences and surprising similarities, as privileged students, that we share with the homeless. We had to de-generalize the homeless and remove the stereotypes that surround the homeless and their personal stories."


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