Belmont University | FYI


June 20, 2008

BELMONT NEWS


Second Annual Travel-Study Program to Japan Returns Home
Japan240.jpgA group of 10 students and faculty led by Dr. John Paine (English and Foreign Languages) and Dr. Jonathan Thorndike (Honors Program) recently spent three weeks in Japan as part of the university’s second annual study abroad trip there. The Belmont group, which also included Dr. Cindy Bisson (History) and Dr. Marieta Velikova (Business Administration), was based in the central Kansai Region near Kyoto, the home of traditional Japanese culture.

The theme for the academic portion taught by Dr. Paine was “Kyoto: Heart of Japanese Culture,” while Dr. Thorndike was responsible for field trip visits to various shrines, temples, museums and historical sites. The Belmont travel-study program to Japan was occasioned by the 1,000-year anniversary of the composition of The Tale of Genji, generally considered the greatest work of Japanese literature. The Belmont group received a special invitation to see original manuscripts of Genji regarded as “national cultural treasures” at the Tenri University library.

Japan241.jpgOne unique feature of the travel-study program was the combination of regular class time with visits to a variety of sites representing ancient and modern Japan. The Belmont group toured famous Buddhist temples in Kyoto and Nara as well as famous Shinto shrines and Torii gates in Kyoto and Otsu. The group spent time in reflection at the International Peace Park and Museum in Hiroshima and also visited the extensive collections in National Museums in Kyoto and Nara.

This fall, Belmont will be offering two levels of Japanese language as a regular academic course of study. Belmont students will also offer a convocation about their experiences in Japan in September. A third study abroad trip to Japan is being planned for May 13-June 2, 2009.

Belmont Employees to be 'Locked-Up' for Good Cause
mda_logo.gifA number of Belmont University faculty and staff members are headed to the ‘slammer’ June 25 and 26 for the sake of a good cause. Along with almost 200 other local citizens, 36 Belmont participants will be “arrested” next week in the largest mock sting in Nashville history to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). Faculty and staff range from all departments, including university finance, athletics and social sciences.

The participants will be jailed at Fleming’s Steakhouse, and a celebrity judge along with the local MDA Goodwill Ambassador will sentence each person to raise a $1,500 bail. Participants are encouraged to pre-raise their bail by asking for contributions from friends, family and associates. If they do not raise enough money in time, the participants will be asked to put on black and white-striped prison garb and take mug shots before being escorted to cells to serve their one-hour sentences. For more on this story and to see a list of Belmont participants, click here.

Associated New American Colleges Meet at Belmont for Summer Institute
Administrators and faculty from the 21 member institutions of the Associated New American Colleges came together for the annual Summer Institute this week at Belmont. The three-day event focused on optimum environments in which to learn, teach and grow.

anac.jpgCommitted to integrating liberal arts education, professional studies and civic engagement, New American Colleges are often pioneering new ways of teaching and learning. The Summer Institute affords members from across the country an opportunity to share their work among like-minded institutions. Keynote speaker Susan Painter, PhD, a design psychologist and urban and university campus planner, shared her ideas on how campus design affects cognitive development and what that means for schools dedicated to integrative learning. Barbara Walvoord, PhD, Professor Emerita at the University of Notre Dame, Ind., addressed student assessment and grading.

Throughout the Institute, affinity groups such as presidents, provosts, career services and enrollment services, met to discuss topics endemic to institutions of integrative learning. Stuart Dorsey, PhD, president of the University of Redlands, led a roundtable discussion of emerging issues for the institutions before the Institute closed. For more on this story, click here.


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