Belmont University | FYI


April 9, 2009

ACHIEVERS


Wicke Named to NACDA Scholar-Athlete Team
Belmont University men’s basketball senior Andy Wicke (Hendersonville, Tenn.) has been named to the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Scholar-Athlete Team. This marks the latest in a long list of national honors for Wicke this year. Earlier this season, the 6-2 guard was named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District and All-America teams. Most recently, Wicke was named to the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award All-Senior All-America Team at the Final Four.

Team captain for the 2008-09 Bruins, Wicke is scheduled to graduate next month with honors in his chosen major of environmental studies and minor of business administration. He will attend dental school at the University of Louisville, beginning this summer. Click here for more on this story.

Sociology Students Present Paper at Regional Meeting
sss12.jpgDrs. Shelby Longard and Ken Spring along with nine Belmont Sociology Students attended the Southern Sociological Society Meetings in New Orleans recently. Six students (Heather Cairl, Cash Forshee, Ryan Hurd, Sean Landis, Heather Snodgrass and Cayla Wilson) presented their paper "Realizing Emancipation through Community Based Research." The Paper is the result of two years of research developed from a Summer Scholar Community and is part of an on-going collaborative project between the Belmont University Sociology Department and the Margaret Maddox Family YMCA in East Nashville. In addition, Dr. Ken Spring presented his paper "Engaging the Learner" on the pedagogy of integrating community based research and service learning into the classroom. Both sessions garnered positive feedback, and Dr. Spring and the students intend on publishing their research in the near future.

Students Compete at Computer Science Conference
cscprogrammingcontest.jpgA computer programming team from Belmont University competed in a contest in conjunction with the Seventh Annual Consortium for Computer Sciences in Colleges Mid-South Conference held at the University of Tennessee at Martin on April 3-4. The team solved just one fewer problem than the team which earned the fourth place prize. There were 22 teams entered into the contest. Team members are Ross Buffington, Heather Ellis and Will Proffitt. Will won a Dell Bluetooth keyboard and mouse in a drawing. Dr. Bill Hooper is the faculty sponsor for the team. Dr. Joyce Crowell attended the conference as well.

Tech Council Speaker Series Educates Students on Future of Technology
TechLunch9.jpgStudents in Computer Science, Information Systems Management and Entrepreneurship were invited to attend a luncheon Wednesday with distinguished speakers from different areas of technology. The event was part of the Nashville Technology Council’s Turning the Tide of Technology Initiative T3 Guest Speaker Series. The program featured Janice Malaszenko, general manager/director of Global Enterprise Architecture for Nissan; Jay Clarke, president/CEO of Magazines.com; and Tod Fetherling, president of the Nashville Technology Council. These guest speakers discussed the present and future landscape of technology in Middle Tennessee and beyond.

Radio Disney Contest Finalist Featured in Chicago Tribune
CodyFry.jpgFreshman Cody Fry was featured this week on the front page of the Arts & Entertainment section of the Chicago Tribune related to his participation in the Radio Disney "Next Big Thing" contest. Fry is one of 11 artists named as finalists in the contest. Online voting continues through April 23 with the winner being announced on April 27.

The article includes a quote from Radio Disney Music Director Kelly Edwards who recalls her first impression of Fry when he came in for an interview. "We were literally blown away by him just sitting on the couch with his guitar," Edwards says. "Everyone in the room was literally silent when he was done. We just weren't prepared for how talented he was."

Click here to read the Chicago Tribune feature on Fry. Click here to listen to Fry's music and vote for him in the Radio Disney contest.

Stansell Selected for Taylor Swift Tour
Student Brandon Stansell, dance captain for Company, was recently selected as lead dancer for the upcoming Taylor Swift tour. The tour includes many cities in Eastern Asia and Europe as well as throughout the United States.

Alpha Chi Members Present Research at National Convention
alphachi-1.JPGSix Belmont students recently presented their research at the Alpha Chi Honor Society National Convention in Indianapolis. Two faculty advisors, Dr. Jonathan Thorndike (Honors) and Dr. Sarah Ann Stewart (Math/Computer Science), also attended the convention. The annual Alpha Chi convention is organized around student presentations by junior and seniors from their respective chapters. Membership in Alpha Chi is the highest academic honor awarded by Belmont University.

In the Business session, Janelle Hawkes discussed her essay “The Distribution of Music and the Adaptation of Digital Downloading to the Industry’s Business Structure” and was awarded the “Gayle Webb White Prize in Business Management” for this presentation. Also during the Business session, Lauren Cooper discussed her essay “Accounting in the Music Industry.” In the Computer Science and Engineering conference session, Henry “Hank” Carter presented his research on “Developing a Model Certificate Authority for Collegiate Institutions,” and Joel Boyter discussed his essay “Gramophone to MP3: The Rise and Fall of Audio Recording Quality.” In the Mathematics Session, Amy Valentine presented her research on “The Transcendence of Pi.” In the Ecology and Biology section, Elizabeth Schriner discussed her research about “Size Structure and Intraspecific Interference in Streamside Salamander Larvae.”

The faculty members accompanying the students were also active in the convention. Stewart, who serves as the Belmont chapter's advisor, moderated the panel on Political Science and Economics. Thorndike, who is the Alpha Chi Region III Secretary-Treasurer, moderated the panel on Literature, Language and Philosophy and also presented the Distinguished Service Awards.

Bruin Den Day Volunteers Reach Out to Local Community
DenDay2.jpgOn April 4, the Student Government Association hosted its annual Bruin Den Day Community Service event. More than 150 registered students dispersed throughout a three-mile radius of campus. Students served such organizations as Eakin Elementary, Carter Lawrence Elementary, Ronald McDonald House, Hospitality House and Wedgewood Community Garden. Each year Bruin Den Day provides a unique opportunity to give back to the surrounding Belmont area. Students perform outreach in a variety of ways and thus are involved in engaging and transforming their local Nashville community.

Wilson Visits Argentina on Sister Cities' Delegation
Katy Wilson, director of Belmont Health Services, was recently part of Nashville's Sister City delegation to Mendoza, Argentina. Sister Cities is a volunteer organization under the mayor’s office which exists for the purpose of cultural and educational exchange. Nashville has several Sister Cities: Edmonton, Alberta; Belfast, Northern Ireland; Caen, France; Magdeburg, Germany; and Tiyuan, China. Wilson serves as a Sister Cities' board member and has been to Argentina several times in this capacity. For more information visit the Sister Cities Nashville Web site at www.scnashville.org/.

Renfroe Adds Three Postseason Honors
renfroe2.jpgBelmont University men’s basketball senior Alex Renfroe (Hermitage, Tenn.) added to his impressive list of postseason accolades with honors from the Associated Press and CollegeInsider.com. Renfroe was named to the 2009 Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America Team prior to the Final Four. The lone Atlantic Sun Conference representative and one of just 62 players in the country to be so recognized, Renfroe becomes just the sixth Belmont student-athlete ever to earn NCAA All-America honors. He joins Lynette Rives (women’s track and field, 2008), Colleen Nilson (volleyball, 2006), Blake Owen (baseball, 2005), Adam Sonn (men’s basketball, 2003), and Keely Weaver (women’s track and field, 2000).

“Alex becomes just the second Belmont player to achieve the recognition of honorable mention All-American. He is included among the nation’s great players and rightfully so, after having one of the greatest individual seasons in Belmont Basketball history,” Belmont head coach Rick Byrd said. “Out basketball staff and his teammates are very proud of such an honor.” Click here for more on this story.


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