Belmont is continually impressed and delighted with the interest and support we receive from our neighbors. As a way of expressing our appreciation, Belmont has established an annual Bruin Den Day in which our students come together to do our nearby neighbors’ yard work, cleaning, and other odd jobs. Bruin Den Day is now in its fourth year and Belmont students are looking at ways to grow the event to include neighborhood churches and charitable organizations.

This year’s Bruin Den Day falls on Saturday, March 31st. Belmont’s Student Government Association is now inviting neighbors who live close to Belmont’s campus to submit jobs for the students to complete. If you did not receive an invitation but live within walking distance of Belmont’s campus and have work for the students, please call or drop us a note before March 19 and we will be happy to connect you with the students. Otherwise, be on the lookout for Belmont students raking, shoveling, painting and more on the 31st!

Thank you,
Dr. Jason Rogers
Vice President for Administration
(615) 460-6441
belmontcommunityrelations@mail.belmont.edu

Metro Parks has conducted numerous community meetings. On February 6th, the Parks Board gave approval to the negotiation of an agreement between Belmont and Metro detailing the redevelopment and shared use of Rose Park. The Metro Parks Board must approve the agreement before redevelopment activities can begin.

Belmont Mansion Receives Major Restoration
Belmont University and the Belmont Mansion Association completed a major restoration of the historic Belmont Mansion this fall. Listed on the national register of historic landmarks, the 152-year-old antebellum home is the architectural centerpiece of the university campus. The $1.58 million project included the most comprehensive exterior restoration of the building since Adelicia Acklen remodeled the house in 1859.
The Belmont Mansion has long been a fixture in Nashville history, initially built in 1853 by Joseph and Adelicia Acklen. Today, the Belmont Mansion is Tennessee’s largest house museum and is one of the few nineteenth century homes where the story revolves around a woman. The house museum is located on the campus of Belmont University and is open for tours seven days a week. Visit http://www.belmontmansion.com or call 460-5459 for more information.

Belmont University Hosts FCC Public Hearing
Belmont University hosted The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) public hearing regarding media ownership on Dec. 11. The purpose of the hearing was to fully involve the public in the process of the 2006 Quadrennial Broadcast Media Ownership Review that the Commission is currently conducting. There were two panels, each followed by a period for public comment. Panelists included a host of music industry professionals, including Naomi Judd, George Jones, Cowboy Troy, Big and Rich and Porter Wagoner. The meeting, which went well into the evening, allowed hundreds of Nashville citizens the opportunity to voice their concerns about proposed regulations by the FCC. To read more, click here.

Belmont Celebrates the Life of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Belmont University honored the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., through a week-long series of events in January entitled “Divided/United by Faith.” Among the many highlights of the celebration included a worship service with John Perkins, award winning author, teacher, international speaker and civil rights leader.

Going Dancing Again! Men’s and Women’s Teams Earn NCAA Berth
The Belmont men’s basketball team earned their second consecutive NCAA Tournament berth as they captured the Atlantic Sun Championship on March 3 with a 94-67 victory over No.1 seed and host ETSU. The Belmont women’s basketball team earned their first ever conference title and will also advance to the NCAA Tournament. For complete coverage of Belmont’s trip to the NCAA Tournament, click here.

Upcoming musical showcases include the Other Showcase on March 24 and the Best of the Best Showcase on April 28. Performances begin at 7 p.m. in the Curb Event Center.

Bruin Den Day is March 31 from 8 a.m. – noon. Den Day is an annual service event which takes students into the community to help neighbors with household chores.

Belmont’s 7th Annual Family Literacy Day, “Read with Me,” is March 31 from 1 – 4 p.m. outside of Wright and Maddox Halls. Designed for pre-K through grade 6.

The Musical Theatre Department will present Guys and Dolls on April 13 and April 14 at 7:30 p.m. and April 15 at 2 p.m. in the Massey Concert Hall. More information at (615) 460- 6408.

The 17th Annual President’s Concert is April 21 at 8 p.m. in the Massey Concert Hall. The concert highlights the diversity of Belmont’s School of Music ensembles and is a fundraiser for music scholarships. More information at (615) 460-6408.

The 2007 Belmont Undergraduate Research Symposium will feature Dr. Gary Wells. His presentation, “Eyewitness Memory: An Application of Psychological Science in Justice,” is April 25 at 5:30 p.m. in the Massey Board Room.

Sister Helen Prejean will speak at Belmont on April 30 at 10 a.m. She is the author of the book, “Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States,” which was number one on the New York Times Best Sellers List for 31 weeks. Location, TBA.

Fiesta Belmont: Nashville’s Latin Music Street Fair, returns to Belmont on May 5. The fair features Latin music, food vendors, kid’s activities and dance groups.

Belmont University’s Spring Commencement Ceremony is Saturday, May 12.

On the following dates, Belmont’s Curb Event Center will be the host site for several area high schools’ graduation ceremonies: May 13, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24 and 26. The university has developed a parking plan that will direct graduation ceremony guests to on-campus parking.

Dear Neighbor:

Throughout the past several years parking and traffic congestion have been primary areas of concern for the university and the neighborhood. Belmont’s growth, the desirability of living in the neighborhoods surrounding Belmont and the expansion of retail establishments along Belmont Boulevard and on 12th Avenue South have each contributed to an increase in traffic in the community and parking hassles. Belmont has been working hard to address the demand for additional campus parking and alternate modes of transportation. In the 2005-06 academic year, Belmont’s enrollment grew by 8.7% over the previous academic year, yet students applied for 111 fewer parking permits. In this issue of the neighborhood newsletter you read about Belmont’s efforts to continue to address these concerns. Among them: the opening of two new parking garages on campus that will provide a total of almost 800 new parking spaces; recognition of Belmont by Nashville Metro Transit Authority as one of Nashville’s Most Commuter Friendly workplaces because of the partnership with Nashville MTA which provides rides on MTA buses to Belmont students, faculty and staff at Belmont’s expense; and expansion of this benefit to include travel by students, faculty and staff on the Music City Star, light rail service from Wilson County.

Belmont is grateful for your care and concern for the well being of this community as well as for your interest in and support for the university. Please do not hesitate to contact my office should you have any questions, comments or ideas.

Thank you,
Dr. Jason Rogers
Vice President for Administration
460-6441
belmontcommunityrelations@mail.belmont.edu

- Partnerships with Magdalene House and Room at the Inn (I don't know a ton about this but could talk to Todd and take a stab at writing. Just let me know.)

- Update on Rose Park?

- Update on properties recently acquired?

On June 9, Belmont opened the doors to The Gordon E. Inman Center, the new home of the Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences & Nursing. After 20 months of construction, the $22.5 million facility will house Belmont’s nursing, social work, occupational therapy and physical therapy programs. Students will receive their education in state-of-the-art labs and classrooms. Gordon E. Inman, one of Middle Tennessee’s most successful bankers, real estate developers, entrepreneurs, and business leaders, donated $10.5 million, the largest gift in the university’s history, toward the construction of the facility. HCA’s TriStar Health System donated $7.5 million toward the Partners in Nursing Consortium. Support from Inman and HCA’s TriStar Health System division will help Belmont make a sizeable dent in the acute shortage of nurses and other health care professionals in Tennessee, the Southeast and the nation. Included beneath the facility is a parking garage that will provide an additional 400 parking spaces to the campus.

Thrailkill Hall is the university’s newest residence hall and is located inside the Bruin Hills complex between 12th and 15th Avenues. Students will move into the facility on August 19, which will provide living space for 322 students and on-campus parking for 400.

This May, the university began renovating the chapel (the original sanctuary) at Belmont Heights Baptist Church to create a 350-seat theater and accompanying academic space for our Department of Theater and Dance. The renovations will also include the addition of a 150 seat theater that will face Compton Avenue behind the traditional theater. This theater will feature an interior "black box" format which will permit flexible staging and audience seating. Expected to open in April 2007, these facilities will be a spectacular venue for arts and cultural programs available to the entire community.

Belmont University will offer an additional commuter benefit beginning this school year with the addition of the Music City Star, Nashville’s commuter rail system. Any student or employee with a Belmont-issued ID card is eligible to ride either the MTA buses or the Music City Star to and from the campus at Belmont's expense.

Belmont partnered with the Metropolitan Transit Authority last year to offer students and staff free transportation to campus and became the only university in Nashville to offer free transportation to students. The partnership was successful during the last school year, with the total boarding number totaling nearly 12,000.

Belmont University’s commuter benefits program gives Belmont students, faculty and staff an opportunity to save on gasoline, help reduce traffic congestion and improve the environment, while also providing relief for campus parking.

Belmont One of “Nashville’s Best Commuter-Friendly Workplaces”

Belmont University has been named one of “Nashville’s Best Commuter-Friendly Workplaces” by the Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA). Belmont was recognized along with 22 area companies at a luncheon June 26 at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel. This event showcased how some of the city’s best-known employers are finding mass transit to be a tax savings for employers and employees as well as an affordable alternative to record-high gas prices and commuting.

Belmont University Creates New Community Scholarship

Belmont University created a generous new scholarship program for high school graduates who live in the area surrounding the university. The Community Outreach Scholarship pays 50 percent of a neighborhood student's tuition for up to eight consecutive semesters.

This year’s recipient of the Community Outreach Scholarship is Leslie Bodie. Leslie is a recent graduate of Hillsboro High where she was active in the sports program as team captain of the volleyball team, as well as the recipient of MVP awards for her participation in both the volleyball and tennis teams. She also belonged to Hillsboro High’s Knitting Club, International Club and Hillsboro Helps. Outside of school, Leslie has been involved with the YMCA Teen Leaders program and Woodmont Christian Church and has worked at Harris Teeter since her sophomore year. We are very happy to welcome Leslie to Belmont University and look forward to being a part of her future accomplishments.

One scholarship will be awarded every other year beginning with the fall 2006 semester. Students can apply September 1 through December 1. The scholarship equals $8,180 for the 2005-2006 academic year and is one of Belmont's 10 largest scholarships in terms of monetary value.

The scholarship will go to a student with academic qualifications that are at or above the university average - The average student at Belmont last fall had an ACT of 25, GPA of 3.5 and SAT score of 1160 - and who has demonstrated financial need.

Students from the geographic area covered by the Community Outreach Scholarship who apply for admission to Belmont will automatically be considered as applicants for the scholarship. Preference will be given to persons graduating from public high schools, including magnet schools. Applications are available online at www.belmont.edu or by calling the Belmont Admissions Office at 460-6785.

Belmont University Awarded Atlantic Sun All-Academic Trophy Fifth Year in a Row

Breaking its own precedent, Belmont University won the Atlantic Sun Conference’s All-Academic Trophy for the fifth year in a row in the school’s fifth year as a member of the A-Sun, becoming the only school in league history to win the award five times. The award is given annually to the conference school with the greatest percentage of student-athletes who earned a GPA of 3.0 or higher at the end of the academic year. Of Belmont’s 270 student-athletes, 65.1 percent received Academic All-Conference honors for the 2005-06 school year. To read more, click here.

"The Da Vinci Code Decoded," a program led by Belmont's Vice President of Spiritual Development and the Chair of Belmont's Art Department, Friday, September 8 at 10 a.m. in the Multimedia Hall, Bunch Library.

The Pop/Rock Showcase, a student-produced performance, Saturday, September 23 at 7 p.m. in the Curb Event Center.

A Midsummer Night's Dream, presented by the Belmont Department of Theatre and Dance, September 28 - October 8. For specific showtimes and ticket information, please call 460-6408.

The Christian Music Showcase, a student-produced performance, Saturday, October 7 at 7 p.m. in the Curb Event Center.

The Belmont Symphony Orchestra, Tuesday, October 10 at 7:30 p.m. in the Massey Concert Hall.

The Belmont Opera Theatre presents Mozart's The Magic Flute November 10-12 in the Massey Concert Hall. For specific showtimes and ticket information, please call 460-6408.

The Belmont Bruins Men's Basketball home opener versus Fisk University, Monday, November 20 at 7 p.m. in the Curb Event Center. For tickets, visit the Curb Event Center Box Office or call 460-8500.

On the following dates, Belmont University will host events that are expected to draw a large number of people to the area:

August 19: Opening Day for students returning to campus housing
August 23: First day of fall semester classes
December 15: Winter Commencement