Highlights of the week included Adult Student Art Show at Belmont@Cool Springs, Late Night Academic Advising, Walk-in tea and treats at several locations on campus prior to evening classes, Second Harvest of Middle Tennessee Food Drive and making thank you cards for those who support Belmont’s adult students. In addition, several convocation events were held including Making an Effective Career Transition as an Adult led by Gary Boling in the Office of Career Services and a Stress Management Workshop Session led by Director of Counseling Services Peg Leonard-Martin.

To cap off the week, University College recognized several adult students in the program based on nominations received from their instructors and University College staff. Individual awards were as follows:

Henri Burton, Liberal Studies program: Certificate of Academic Excellence
Janice Malone, RN-BSN program: Certificate of Academic Excellence
Karen Elizer, Liberal Studies program: Certificate of Remarkable Perseverance
Kim Lewis, Liberal Studies program: Certificate of Personal Achievement
Ronshea Clark, Liberal Studies program: Certificate of Excellence
Robert Blake, Liberal Studies program: Certificate of Dedicated Involvement

Belmont University announced today that Professor Jeffrey Kinsler will serve as the founding dean for the new College of Law. Currently a professor of law and senior scholar with Elon University School of Law in North Carolina, Kinsler previously served as dean of Appalachian School of Law, which he led to full American Bar Association (ABA) approval during his tenure. Kinsler already knows Belmont well, serving as a consultant in the plans for opening the new college. He will begin his tenure at Belmont in early 2010.

Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher said, “Jeff Kinsler is a perfect fit for Belmont. He is highly respected in the legal community and has previously provided leadership as dean in the creation of another law school. Most importantly, he understands our dreams and aspirations for creating a College of Law that is driven by the mission and core values of Belmont University."

Kinsler graduated first in his class from Valparaiso University School of Law (’89) and obtained a master of laws degree (LL.M., ‘96) from Yale Law School, where he served as senior editor of the Yale Journal of International Law. The winner of nine teaching awards, Kinsler has taught at several law schools in the United States and Australia. He also has served as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Queensland in Australia. Kinsler was a partner with Katten, Muchin & Zavis in Chicago, “of counsel” at Mayer, Brown & Platt in Chicago and, more recently, “of counsel” at the Kingsport, Tennessee law firm of Hunter, Smith & Davis. A member of the Tennessee, Virginia, Illinois and Wisconsin bars, he has co-authored ten books and has published numerous law review articles in journals at law schools such as the University of North Carolina, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University. In 2006, he was named a “Virginia Leader in the Law” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly. In September, Kinsler was elected to the American Law Institute (ALI), the leading independent organization in the United States producing scholarly work to clarify, modernize and otherwise improve the law. Election to the ALI is limited to one third of one percent of lawyers in the country and is considered by many to be the most prestigious legal organization in America.

Kinsler said, “I’m honored to have been chosen as the founding dean and look forward to helping Belmont University build an excellent law school. I joined Belmont because it is determined to create a new kind of law school, one that produces professional, practice-ready attorneys for today’s global legal market. I’m convinced that Belmont University College of Law will be able to attract first-rate faculty and students.”

Leary Davis, founding dean emeritus of Elon University School of Law, said, “Jeff Kinsler is an outstanding lawyer and legal educator. As dean at Appalachian and as a member of the founding faculty at Elon, he is fully aware of what needs to be done to establish an excellent law school while navigating the path to provisional and then full American Bar Association approval. He has played key roles in both processes at two different schools.”

Belmont’s College of Law provides a natural extension of the university’s mission and vision, which emphasize challenging academics, a service-minded approach, real-world experience and community leadership. Belmont law graduates will be practice-ready attorneys, empowered by their education and co-curricular experiences to provide legal counsel in a variety of settings, with commitment to high standards of expertise and ethics. The College of Law will be housed on campus in a new building that will include a state-of-the-art law library. For more information on the College of Law, visit www.belmont.edu/law.

Lasley said, "I am so honored to be selected Nashville Business Journal CFO of the Year. It is particularly humbling to be in the inaugural group. Belmont is such an exciting and dynamic organization. Not only do I direct the finances of a great institution, but I also get the privilege of working with outstanding people across the entire campus."

NBJ's CFO Awards honor financial professionals in Middle Tennessee for outstanding performance in their roles as corporate financial stewards. The nomination letter for Lasley noted, "[Steve's] financial management skills have supported the university’s core functions and resulted in significant achievements in the areas of revenue generation, cost savings, new construction, debt management and endowment growth. "

Lasley was chosen as one of 23 finalists in five categories who set the standard of excellence for Middle Tennessee CFOs. Judges then selected one winner from each group of finalists. Other nominees in the Nonprofit category included Robert K. Stillwell, Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority; Michael Kirby, Nashville Symphony; Mary Jo Wiggins, American Red Cross, Nashville Area Chapter; and Spence Maners, Fisk University.

The walk raised funds to support one of five causes, with one dollar donated by the ‘Take the Walk’ campaign for each walker. The band educated students on the issues surrounding the walk and also promoted existing efforts on the Belmont and Vanderbilt campuses and in the Nashville community such as United: For Change.

To see a gallery of images from this event, click here.

"IEBA is proud to support the next generation of music industry leaders while paying homage to those that have shaped live entertainment into the force that it is today,” said Tiffany Davis, executive director, IEBA. “We are so happy to partner with Belmont University through the Harry A. Peebles, Don Romeo, J.P. Williams and George Moffett Scholarships. Our goal is to nurture students to become thriving members of the entertainment community, and Belmont is a perfect partner."

In addition to generous financial contributions, IEBA executives Barry Jeffrey of William Morris Endeavor Entertainment and Gil Cunningham of Neste Event Marketing recently shared their expertise on talent buying with Curb College students at a recent “Insider’s View” seminar.

Dr. Wesley Bulla, dean of the College of Entertainment and Music Business, expressed Belmont’s gratitude for the support, “We appreciate IEBA investing in the lives of the aspiring entertainment professionals at Belmont University and are grateful for our ongoing partnership.”

“While the ‘Bruin Edge’ certainly adds extraordinary value, it’s only one of a number of reasons fans should consider purchasing a season ticket to Bruin basketball,” said Pamela Johnson, director of university marketing and special initiatives. “Most importantly, the proceeds the university receives from season tickets go toward athletic scholarships, making those tickets an easy, affordable way to support Belmont’s fine student-athletes. Plus, anyone who’s ever attended a Bruins game will tell you that it’s hard to find a better night of competitive sports and family-oriented fun.”

In addition to the “Bruin Edge” coupon book, the “Be a Fan” basketball campaign includes 10 billboards placed around Nashville, all featuring Belmont mascot Bruiser holding a mask of his own face. Similarly themed ads will soon begin running in Nashville’s City Paper and on the Belmont.edu Web site with numerous celebrities appearing with their own Bruiser masks as part of a season-long contest. Individuals will be asked to guess who is behind the mask in each monthly advertisement, Nov.-Feb. They can then turn in the official form with their guess at any Belmont home basketball game for a chance to win a getaway weekend for two to anywhere in the continental United States. The prize will be given away at the Bruins’ last home game on Feb. 27, 2010.

Finally, back by popular demand, men’s basketball will host its second annual “Meet the Bruins” night Thurs., Nov. 5 at 6 p.m. CT in the Curb Event Center. Sponsored by Pepsi, the event will serve as the first opportunity for the campus community and general public to see the 2009-10 Belmont Bruins in action. The event also allows season ticket holders an opportunity to choose their seats. The first 500 fans in attendance will receive a commemorative basketball roster card and T-shirt. To purchase season tickets, call 460-BALL or visit the season ticket table that will be located outside the Belmont cafeteria on Nov. 2-3. Click here for more on “Meet the Bruins” night.

Nearly one year after breaking ground, Belmont University today celebrated the “topping out” its new $30 million health sciences building, which will serve as the future home for the School of Pharmacy, a Belmont program which welcomed its second class this fall. The building, which has an anticipated completion date of June 2010, will also house the School of Physical Therapy and will include expansion space for the Schools of Nursing and Occupational Therapy as well as the Social Work and Psychology programs. (Click here to view a photo of gallery of today's event.)

Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher said, “In addition to providing a time to celebrate and thank all the workers behind this immense project, a topping out is also a time to look forward to when this structure is complete. This building will be a model, 21st century academic facility, providing a venue where our students and faculty resources can intersect in service to help meet the medical needs of our community and our world.”

Designed by Earl Swensson Associates with construction by R.C. Mathews, the 90,000-square-foot building will continue the innovation for which Belmont University has become known, containing top-notch laboratories. The facility will emphasize integrated, “hands on” experiential learning components including a licensed, state-of-the-art campus pharmacy which will provide services to students, faculty and staff while also serving as a training site for student pharmacists. Of special note are the simulation labs, where students and community clinicians can practice skills either on actors who simulate patients or on high tech manikins; this simulation suite is interdisciplinary, and programs will be encouraged to work in simulated scenarios that involve several health disciplines. In addition, faculty will have sophisticated research labs set aside for research studies, and students will be able to assist in these studies.

Dr. Jack Williams, dean of Belmont’s College of Health Sciences and Nursing, said, “Together with the Gordon E. Inman Center, this new structure will unite Belmont’s health science studies in one strategic location on campus. By completing and enhancing our health sciences complex, the university is providing inter-professional education opportunities for all of our health science students and preparing them to be both competent and compassionate practitioners.”

Belmont’s School of Pharmacy, which will graduate its first class in spring 2012, will help alleviate the significant shortfall of qualified pharmacists needed both in the state and country at large. The School of Pharmacy seeks to become a nationally-recognized practice and leadership center with a four-pillared approach that will afford students additional focus areas of management, informatics, pharmacotherapy or missions.

State-of-the-art facilities, challenging medical-model curriculum and varied clinical education sites all contribute to making Belmont’s Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) one of the premier programs in the country. The PT curriculum emphasizes both research and business, and students are given opportunities to practice at clinical sites locally and internationally. The School of Physical Therapy is currently located on the campus’ south side, near the corner of Delmar and 15th Avenues. Moving to the new building in 2010 will augment the School’s connection with Belmont’s other health programs.

The Gordon E. Inman Center, currently the main health sciences building on Belmont’s campus, officially opened at Belmont in June 2006 after 20 months of construction. The $22.5 million facility now houses Belmont’s nursing, social work and occupational therapy programs as well as several general education classes and community conference space. Together with the Inman Center, this new structure will provide a consolidation of all the university’s health science studies—pharmacy, nursing, social work, occupational therapy and physical therapy—on the campus’s northeast corner.

Gorley wrote or co-wrote Trace Adkins’ “You’re Gonna Miss This,” Brad Paisley and Keith Urban’s “Start a Band” and Darius Rucker’s “It Won’t Be Like This for Long.” “You’re Gonna Miss This” was also named one of ASCAP's five most-played songs in the past year and Country Song of the Year. For his wins, Gorley was presented with a special, limited edition Gibson Les Paul guitar. In referencing "You’re Gonna Miss This," Adkins told NewsChannel5, "[Ashley's] had a great year, not just with this song. He still has hits. He's got new hits on the radio right now. I mean he's on a roll."

ASCAP also recognized a distinguished group of songwriters with the Silver Circle honor in recognition of 25 years or more of ASCAP membership. Among those honored were Gregg "Hobie" Hubbard, a graduate of Belmont's Masters of English program and a Writing Center tutor, and Bob Regan, an adjunct in the College of Entertainment and Music Business who teaches "Fundamentals of Songwriting."

The event featured U2 and many others, including Laurie Anderson, Antony, Elizabeth Ashley, Adam Clayton, Andrea Corr, The Edge, Flo & Eddie, Joel Grey, Bill Frisell, Guggi, Scarlett Johansson, Courtney Love, Lydia Lunch, Patrick McCabe, Maria McKee, Shane MacGowan, Eric Mingus, Larry Mullen, JG Thirlwell, Martha Wainwright, Rufus Wainwright and Chloe Webb.

The event was part of the (RED) NIGHTS concert series sponsored by the (RED) organization, with portions of the proceeds from the concerts going to help buy and distribute AIDS medication to people living with HIV. (RED) was created by Bono and Bobby Shriver in 2002 with the mission to help eliminate AIDS in Africa.

The Turtle’s hit song, “Happy Together” was recorded in 1967 and helped launch Volman’s career as an American pop, psychedelic and folk/rock band member. Characterized by a good-natured sound, the Turtles claimed 10 top ten singles during the sixties, including “She’d Rather Be With Me,” “ You Showed Me”, “She’s My Girl,” “You Baby,” “It Ain’t Me Babe”, “Elenore,” and of course, “Happy Together,” which has been featured in movies, television shows, commercials, and been inducted in to the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Schweiger's presentation focused primarily on the impact currently being felt by the environment, noting that the one degree rise in temperature has already led to a 10 percent increase in lightning strikes, among numerous other statistics. He added that if temperatures increase another two-three degrees Fahrenheit then 20-30 percent of all animal and plant species will face the risk of extinction.

"The average person now spends six hours a day looking at a screen," Schweiger said, "which means we are disconnected from nature... Your generation is going to invent the future."

The healthcare forum opened with comments from Dr. Wilhelmina Leigh of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in Washington, D.C.; Curt Thorne, president and CEO of MedSolutions in Franklin, Tenn.; and Landon Gibbs, executive director and co-founder of SHOUTAmerica. Each of these healthcare industry leaders raised questions and concerns regarding healthcare reform and its impact on various constituencies. Gov. Bredesen and U.S. Representative Cooper then presented keynote addresses regarding current federal efforts to reform healthcare and participated in a follow-up dialogue regarding these efforts. The event was moderated by law firm Trauger and Tuke’s Byron Trauger, an attorney who specializes in health care, complex civil litigation, general business matters, government relations and regulatory agency work.

The theme of the speaker series, “Diagnosing Our Future,” reflects the call to collaboratively advance new ideas to improve healthcare and healthy living for future generations. The purpose of the series is to connect these ideas with the greater community of Nashville and Middle Tennessee and with students in Belmont’s health science programs who are preparing to serve society as physical therapists, pharmacists, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, occupational therapists, and social workers.

Belmont University announced today the opening of a College of Law, the first new law school in Middle Tennessee in nearly 100 years. Belmont’s College of Law represents the university’s seventh college and fourth doctoral program. The College will begin classes in fall 2011, and when at full capacity, it will enroll approximately 350 students.

Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher said, “Announcing the launch of Belmont’s College of Law today is a perfect way to celebrate the one-year anniversary of hosting the 2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate. This university is focused on offering students a transformative education that enables their own civic engagement. Given the public role of many legal professionals, we believe a vital element of the Belmont Law education will be preparing our students for roles as community leaders and change agents.”

Belmont’s College of Law provides a natural extension of the university’s mission and vision, which emphasize challenging academics, a service-minded approach, real-world experience and community leadership. Belmont law graduates will be practice-ready attorneys, empowered by their education and co-curricular experiences to provide legal counsel in a variety of settings, with commitment to high standards of expertise and ethics. The College of Law will be housed on campus in a new building that will include a state-of-the-art Law Library.

W. Scott Sims, the 2008 president of the Nashville Bar Association and a member of the law firm Walker, Tipps & Malone PLC, said, “The Belmont University College of Law will be a wonderful addition to Nashville and to the entire region. As the legal landscape continues to evolve and our society faces new opportunities, it’s important to have bright, young minds who can engage new dilemmas of justice and the law. It’s easy to see from the fine graduates Belmont has produced as well as the incredible job the university did last year in hosting the presidential debate, that Belmont can tackle any challenge and succeed. I welcome the fresh perspective the Belmont College of Law and its students will undoubtedly bring to the legal community.”

• The U.S. Department of Labor projects that the employment of lawyers will increase 11 percent between 2006 and 2016. This is almost certain to outpace the growth of law school graduates, which has increased by only 2.5 percent over the past five years.

• Without new law schools, the number of lawyers per capita in Tennessee will decrease over the next 20 years, as the population of the southern United States is projected to increase much faster than the national average.

• Nationally in 2008-09, there were 83,371 law school applicants and only 49,414 available first year seats. Thus, 41 percent of law school applicants were unable to secure seats.

• A review of the roster of persons sitting for the Tennessee bar exam shows that many of these individuals are leaving the state to attend law school. In 2008, there were 797 first-time takers of the Tennessee bar exam. Of those, only 386 attended law school in Tennessee.

• There are no other new law schools scheduled to open in the southeastern United States between now and 2011.

Perhaps the best reason for a Belmont University College of Law, however, is the unique approach Belmont can offer. Provost Marcia McDonald noted, “As proven by this university being named a U.S. News top ‘School to Watch’ two years in a row, Belmont University continually embraces innovation that strengthens the quality of our education. Like all of our programs, the College of Law will link academically-challenging coursework with real-world experience and will provide an innovative curriculum that will put us at the forefront of legal education. The College of Law will increase our opportunities for campus engagement with legal, civic and justice issues, a focus emphasized by our hosting of the debate last year.”

The College will be integrated into Belmont’s main campus and offer specialties in areas that complement the university’s nationally-known undergraduate program offerings, including healthcare and entertainment business. In initiating the new graduate program, Belmont will work closely with experts in the field, both locally and nationally, to prepare lawyers for the needs and types of legal practice for the future.

Dr. J. Patrick Raines, dean of Belmont’s College of Business Administration, said, “This accomplishment further demonstrates that we are in the company of the elite business programs in the U.S.”

According to Robert Franek, Princeton Review Senior VP-Publishing, "We are pleased to recommend The Massey School to readers of our book and users of our site, www.PrincetonReview.com, as one of the best institutions they could attend to earn an MBA. We chose the 301 business schools in this book based on our opinion of their academic programs and offerings, as well as our review of institutional data we collect from the schools. We also strongly consider the candid opinions of students attending the schools who rate and report on their campus experiences at their schools on our survey for the book."

The Best 301 Business Schools: 2010 Edition has two-page profiles of the schools with write-ups on their academics, student life and admissions, plus ratings for their academics, selectivity and career placement services. In the profile on The Massey School, the Princeton Review editors describe the school as offering "an academically rigorous program that is designed to meet the needs of nontraditional students.” Students surveyed were quoted as saying that all Massey professors “were top executives at one point in their careers” and as being “good, knowledgeable people who have a desire to teach.” Respondents also praised their student peers as “very supportive and diverse” and “tomorrow’s leaders.”

The Princeton Review does not rank the business schools in the book on a single hierarchical list from 1 to 301, or name one business school best overall. Instead, the book has 11 ranking lists of the top 10 business schools in various categories. Ten lists are based on The Princeton Review's surveys of 19,000 students attending the 301 business schools profiled in the book. (Only schools that permitted The Princeton Review to survey their students were eligible for consideration for these lists.) Conducted during the 2008-09, 2007-08, and 2006-07 academic years, the student surveys were primarily completed online. The lists are posted at www.PrincetonReview.com.

A native of Nashville, DuBois noted that he was pleased to be in his hometown and laughed about the "family reunion" he was having in MPAC as the audience was populated with siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents and DuBois' mother and stepfather, who serves as senior pastor of St. John's AME in Nashville.

The bulk of his conversation centered on his work with the Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships as he commented that the Obama administration seeks to partner with community-serving institutions. "We in the government must connect with the real change agents," he said, adding that churches, temples, mosques, nonprofits and schools are leading the way in impacting needs on the local level.

DuBois said that his office focuses on four "Ps": Partnerships, Perspective, Philadelphia (as in the Constitutional separation of church and state) and Profiles (Facebook and other social media sites' impact). "You can bring your knowledge, innovations and networks to bear for those who need it most... to find new solutions to old problems." He concluded his talk by reminding students of a quote from anthropologist Margaret Mead: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

One of President Barack Obama’s longest serving aides, DuBois previously served as the director of religious affairs for the Obama for America campaign, as well as the Presidential Inauguration Committee. Prior to his involvement with the campaign, DuBois was a legislative aide to then-Senator Obama. He also spent time working for Representatives Rush Holt (D-NJ) and Charles Rangel (D-NY) and served as an associate pastor at a small, Pentecostal church in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He received a Masters in Public Affairs from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School and a Bachelor’s degree from Boston University.