March 28, 2008

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

OH SO CLOSE!
Bruins Compete in NCAA First Round with Near Upset Against Duke
On the heels of its historic third consecutive A-Sun Conference Tournament Championship, Belmont Basketball faced tradition-rich Duke in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament in Washington, D.C. with a near upset against the Blue Devils with a final score of 71-70.
Click here to read the rest of the story from Athletics.
Click here to view student coverage of the event.

BELMONT NEWS

Art Historian to Discuss Post 9/11 Memorial Mania
Dr. Erika Doss, chair of the Department of American Studies at the University of Notre Dame, will present two lectures on modern memorials and the effect on national identity in April. Both lectures are free and open to the public.
On Thurs., April 3 at 5 p.m. in the Vince Gill Room in the Curb Event Center, Doss will present “Memorial Mania: Fear, Anxiety and Contemporary American Monuments.” This lecture will focus on the frenzy surrounding memorialization in contemporary America. “Memorials are the physical and visual embodiment of public feelings and emotions,” said Doss. “The spectacular profusion of memorials reveals a contemporary investment in experiencing history, especially histories of trauma and tragedy.” Concentrating on recent 9/11 memorials, this talk considers how memorial mania has altered the style and substance of American public life and the assumptions of contemporary national identity.
“The Gates: Memory and Civic Identity in Post 9/11 New York” will be presented on Fri., April 4 in room 117 of the Leu Center for the Visual Arts. In February 2005, artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude unveiled The Gates in New York’s Central Park. A temporary art project featuring some 7,500 bright orange fabric sculptures spread out along 23 miles of pedestrian pathways in the park, The Gates was an incredibly popular project, visited by some four million tourists during its brief two-week installation. Although dismissed by some critics as light-weight sensationalism, this talk considers the dimensions and dynamics of popular public art in contemporary America, especially after 9/11.
PT/OT Students, Faculty Serve Rehab Hospitals in Guatemala
An 11-member team of Belmont University students and faculty are serving rehabilitation hospitals in Guatemala over Spring Break. The group is working to provide physical and occupational therapy to the needs of the local hospital as well as train the hospital staff in up-to-date knowledge and treatment techniques. The students will also have the opportunity to visit a local school and inspire students to pursue health professional goals. To read a blog of the students’ activities this week, click here.
Bruins Earn Significant Respect in NCAA Tournament
Media, Duke Team Praise Belmont Performance
Though the Belmont Bruins men’s basketball team endured a heart-breaking loss to Duke in the first round of the NCAA tournament last Thursday evening, the team earned new fans around the country with its impressive performance and competitive spirit. In addition to the responses shown below, Belmont University represented eight of the top 100 most frequent searches on Google last Thursday, including holding three of the top 10 spots.
Belmont-Duke Postgame Quotes:
“We played against a team that played an amazing game. They’re a very good team. We were ready to play. You won’t hear any of our players say that we overlooked them. There’s no way. Watching them on tape, they looked really good. Watching them in person, they’re even better. They played with a great verve, and they’re just real difficult to defend. And I thought they played really good defense against us. I’ve coached in 89 of these games now, I told the guys as far as game pressure goes, this had to rank in the top three or four, and hopefully, the people at Belmont take that as a real compliment because they should be complimented.”
Mike Krzyzewski
Duke University Basketball Head Coach
Basketball Hall of Famer
“When you’ve got shooters like that one through five, it spreads the floor, it opens it up, and they’ve got some guys who can put the ball on the floor. They did a great job of keep playing, keep fighting. We tried to extend the lead a couple of times, but they deserve a lot of credit for either making a play either with a three or getting to the foul line. They’re a great team.”
Greg Paulus
Duke Point Guard
“Belmont’s a heck of a team. They run their offense really well. They’re real precise and sharp with their stuff, and they play hard. They took us to the last seconds; I commend them for the game they played.”
Gerald Henderson
Duke Small Forward
“I think Belmont would have given most anybody in the country trouble the way they played tonight. Moving without the basketball and playing together; Belmont played the game of basketball very, very well tonight.”
Bob Knight
Winningest College Basketball Coach in NCAA History
ESPN College Basketball Analyst
Basketball Hall of Famer
“For those in the know, those in the coaching community, this is no surprise. Rick Byrd is an outstanding coach; just go look at the track record. They’ve beaten some name programs in the past, and he puts his players in positions to succeed. Ask anybody in college basketball about Rick Byrd, and they’ll tell you, he’s a known commodity.”
Steve Lavin
Former UCLA Head Coach
ESPN College Basketball Analyst
“Mr. Hare and company should be commended, and Mr. Renfroe for attacking the basket; they were sensational.”
Dick Vitale
ESPN College Basketball Analyst
For more on this story, click here.

ACHIEVERS

Webster Judges Science Fair
School of Pharmacy Professor and Chair of Pharmaceutical Sciences Dr. Andrew Webster recently served as a judge for the Middle Tennessee Science and Engineering Fair which was held at Austin Peay State University.
Inc.com Praises Entrepreneurship Program
Belmont’s Entrepreneurship program received a nice mention March 27 on Inc.com, the daily resource for entrepreneurs. Click here to read the story.
Hare Named to Mid-Major All-America Team
Belmont Basketball senior Justin Hare has been named Honorable Mention Mid-Major All-American by CollegeHoops.net, the site released Thursday.
The Cleveland, Tenn. native led the Bruins to a third consecutive Atlantic Sun Conference Championship and third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. On schedule to graduate in May with honors before pursuing medical school, Hare will depart as the most decorated student-athlete in Belmont history. This latest national honor further validates his already impressive collegiate career.
Among his numerous accolades, the 6-2 guard is a two-time First Team All-Atlantic Sun honoree and a two-time Atlantic Sun Tournament MVP. All told, Hare ranks second in the Bruins’ NCAA era and eighth in Atlantic Sun Conference history in career points with 1,761 points. But beyond the hardwood, Hare personified the academic success of the Bruin program. Twice Academic All-American and three-times Academic All-District, Hare also received the signature award of his league being named the 2007 Atlantic Sun Conference Male-Student Athlete of the Year.
Hare becomes the first Belmont player ever to receive this national distinction.
Giorgianni Editorial Published in New York Times
Dr. Sal Giorgianni, assistant professor and director of experiential education and development in the School of Pharmacy, recently had his editorial titled “Before They Prescribe” published in the New York Times. Click here to read the Times’ piece.
Belmont Students Present Research
Belmont students Stephen Valenta and Lindsey Huskey presented their research at the Alpha Chi National Honor Society Region III meeting in Asheville, N.C. March 13-15. Faculty advisors Dr. Sarah Ann Stewart and Dr. Jonathon Thorndike also attended the convention. The annual Alpha Chi convention is organized around student presentations by junior and seniors from their respective chapters.
Stephen Valenta, business major and president of Belmont’s Eta Chapter of Alpha Chi, presented his research on “Working Overseas While Young.” Valenta discussed the costs and benefits for recent college graduates who pursue employment, internships or work with the Peace Corps or Christian ministries in Europe, Asia or Africa. He presented methods of finding employment through private companies, government agencies and service organizations, and he fielded questions about opportunities from students in the audience.
Lindsey Huskey, music major, made an interdisciplinary presentation on music theory, structural analysis and performance of J. S. Bach’s “Partita No. 2 in C Minor: Sinfonia” on the piano. Drawing on the work of Douglas R. Hofstadter, Huskey presented information about Bach’s background and the traditional design of the fugue, comparing it with other patterns found in the art of M. C. Escher, mathematics and computer code languages such as C++ and Java.
In addition to the students’ research presentations, Dr. Thorndike was re-elected to his 2nd four-year term as Secretary-Treasurer of Region III at the meeting.
Membership in Alpha Chi is the highest academic honor awarded by Belmont University. Its members are invited based on their academic standing in the top 10 percent of the junior and senior classes within any academic major. Belmont has had an active chapter of Alpha Chi for over 25 years. Dr. Sarah Ann Stewart (Mathematics) is the current Sponsor, and Dr. Rachel Rigsby (Chemistry) is the Assistant Sponsor. Dr. Jonathan Thorndike is Region III Secretary-Treasurer. Alpha Chi Region III includes the colleges and universities with chapters in Alabama, Washington, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North and South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Parking Information for Next Week
Click here to view special event parking information for next week.
ATO Launches Golf and Walk Fundraising Event
The Alpha Tau Omega fraternity at Belmont University is setting out to make university history this year by raising $20,000 in the 1st Annual ATO Golf & Walk Classic, a benefit for Blood:Water Mission. The brothers, along with other members of the campus and local community, will be gathering personal and corporate sponsorships as they either golf or walk at Nashville’s Harpeth Hills Golf Course on April 30 to support this mission.
The brothers invite anyone interested in learning more about Blood:Water Mission and even participating in this event as a golfer or walker to attend the special campaign “kick off” event/dessert night that will be held in the Beaman Student Life Center on Wed., April 2 at 8 p.m. “Bring your putter too!” says ATO Chapter President Ryan McDonald. “We are having a putting contest on the carpet, and the winner will receive a free 3 day/2 night vacation!”
For more information on the Blood:Water Mission, visit www.bloodwatermission.com. For more information on the Golf/Walk event, contact David Swan, Champion Events Group, at 615-833-1068 or david.swan@champevents.com.
Alpha Sigma Tau Presents ‘Parents Night Out’
AST is hosting a ‘Parents Night Out’ event Thurs., April 3 from 5-9 p.m. to enable Belmont faculty and staff to enjoy a night of total relaxation while the sisters babysit your children. The event is free, though donations will be accepted to benefit Pine Mountain Settlement School, the sorority’s national philanthropy. AST will provide fun activities for the kids, such as arts and crafts, books, movies and games as well as snacks and water. The event will be held on campus in Neely Dining Hall. R.S.V.P. to: Brittany Meeks at (713) 899-1731 by Tues., April 1 with the age(s) and number of children you are bringing.

COMING UP

Monday, March 31, 10 a.m.
Moench Entrepreneurship Lecture Series Presents: Monroe Carell, Jr.
Monroe Carrell, Jr. is the founder and Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Central Parking Corporation. Since 1968, he has directed the growth and administration of the company, establishing it as the premier parking management firm in the world. Mr. Carrell is also a member of the Board of Directors of Vanderbilt University Medical Center and is a life member of the Urban Land Institute.
Massey Boardroom
Monday, March 31, 10 a.m.
Immigrants and Economic Justice
Rev. Jessica Vazquez Torres is the National Religious Outreach Coordinator for Interfaith Worker Justice. IWJ is a network of people of faith that calls upon our religious values in order to educate and mobilize the religious community in the United States on issues that will improve wages, benefits and conditions for workers.
Beaman Meeting Room A
Monday, March 31, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Service Corps Blood Drive
With all the catastrophes going on recently, blood is in limited supply. Stop by Neely, and join Service Corps in helping out the American Red Cross by donating blood.
Neely Dining Room
Monday, March 31, 7:30 p.m.
2007-2008 Belmont Camerata Series featuring School of Music Faculty Members
An evening of music for woodwinds, brass, strings, harp and piano featuring works by Corbett, Hartley, Takemitsu and Vaughan Williams.
Belmont Mansion
Tuesday, April 1, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Red Cross Blood Drive sponsored by Alpha Sigma Tau
Alpha Sigma Tau is helping the Nashville Red Cross achieve their goal for blood collected this year and would love for you to do your part in achieving this goal as well.
Neely
Tuesday, April 1. 6:30 p.m.
Rock Ensemble and Phoenix
Massey Concert Hall
Wednesday, April 2, 10 a.m.
Incarnating Hope for Immigrants
Incarnating Hope for Immigrants with Padre Fernando Garcia (Catholic Church), Rev. Chuy Avila (Tennessee Baptist Convention), Rev. Ricardo Santiago (Church of Christ) and Rev. German Castro (Christian Church). This panel of community leaders is united in living out the biblical command: “you shall love the alien as you love yourself.” They will share stories of the legal and personal difficulties immigrants face, as well as reasons for hope.
Beaman Meeting Room A
Wednesday, April 2, 6:30 p.m.
The Insider’s View
The Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business welcomes Chuck Wicks and Luke Bryan, nominees for 2008 CMT Music Awards USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year. Wicks and Bryan will be discussing their experiences in the music industry and will be taking questions from the audience.
MPAC
Wednesday, April 2, 8 p.m.
ATO Golf and Walk Fundraising KickOff Event
See announcement above.
Beaman Student Life Center
Thursday, April 3, 2 p.m.
Retirement Reception for Sue Curl
After 39 years of service in the Department of Finance and Operations, we are celebrating the retirement of Sue Curl.
Massey Boardroom
Thursday, April 2, 5 p.m.
Memorial Mania: Fear, Anxiety and Contemporary American Monuments
Dr. Erika Doss, Chair of the Department of American Studies at the University of Notre Dame, will focus on the frenzy surrounding memorialization in contemporary America.Concentrating on recent 9/11 memorials, this talk considers how memorial mania has altered the style and substance of American public life and the assumptions of contemporary national identity.
Vince Gill Room in the Curb Event Center
Thursday, April 3, 5-9 p.m.
Alpha Sigma Tau Presents ‘Parents Night Out’
See announcement above.
Neely
Friday, April 4, 10 a.m.
Spirituality, Medicine and Health
Dr. John Peteet, associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, will be speaking on Spirituality, Medicine and Health. His books include Doing the Right Thing: An Approach to Moral Issues in Mental Health Treatment and the Handbook of Spirituality and World View in Clinical Practice. He chairs the American Psychiatric Association’s Committee on Religion, Spirituality and Psychiatry.
Neely
Friday, April 4, 10 a.m.
The Gates: Memory and Civic Identity in Post 9/11 New York
Dr. Erika Doss, chair of the Department of American Studies at Notre Dame University, will speak on the topic of public art in Post 9/11 New York created by renowned contemporary artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude.
LCVA Auditorium
Friday, April 4, 10 a.m.
Led to Follow
Mr. Cal Turner Jr. is Chairman of the Cal Turner Family Foundation, the retired CEO/Chairman/President of Dollar General Corporation and a tremendous supporter of Belmont University. Turner’s newly-released book Led to Follow shares insights gained through failures, successes and struggles in personal and professional journeys. This talk will demonstrate 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.
Massey Boardroom
Saturday, April 5, 7 p.m.
Best of the Best Showcase
This year’s event will celebrate the life and legacy of Robert E. Mulloy, a Belmont alumnus, professor, Alumni Association President, Director of the Mike Curb Music Business Program, Associate Dean for the School of Music Business and much more.
Curb Event Center
Saturday, April 5, 7:30 p.m.
Musical Theatre Presents: Thoroughly Modern Millie
Admission is $5 for Belmont Faculty and Staff. Additional shows will be held April 10-12 at 7:30 p.m. and on April 6 and 13 at 2:30 p.m.
Troutt Theater
Monday, April 7, 7:30 p.m.
Faculty Concert Series
The season’s final Belmont University Faculty Concert Series will feature bassist Roy Vogt, Some of my Best Friends are Basses.
Belmont Mansion
Tuesday, April 8-June
J. William Myers: Skyscapes and Other Images
J. William Myers is an artist and illustrator of numerous posters, books, murals and album covers. For the film Nashville, he created the artwork used in the opening credits, the soundtrack cover and poster. For this exhibit, Myers is creating a series of oil paintings on canvas titled Skyscapes, which are views of the United States along the flight routes of the major airlines servicing Metro Nashville airport.
Leu Art Gallery at the Lila D. Bunch Library
Tuesday, April 8, 4:30 p.m.
Business and the Poor with David Beckmann
President of Bread for the World, David Beckmann earned degrees from Yale University, the London School of Economics and Christ Seminary, and has received honorary doctorates from Villanova and Yale. His books include Grace at the Table: Ending Hunger in God’s World, Transforming the Politics of Hunger and Friday Morning Reflections at the World Bank. A reception will be held at 4:30 p.m. with the lecture to begin at 5 p.m. Beckmann will speak again on campus at 10 a.m. Wednesday in Neely.
Frist Lecture Hall
Tuesday, April 8, 6:30 p.m.
Session and Pops
Massey Concert Hall
Wednesday, April 9, 7-9 p.m.
Mobile Loaves and Fishes Photography Exhibit
This exhibit will display photographs taken by the many homeless and working poor from the streets of Nashville. The idea for the exhibit is the brainchild of Cash Forshee and Micah Oelze, who were deeply impacted by their volunteer work with Mobile Loaves and Fishes.
University Ministries Student Lounge
Thursday, April 10, 7 p.m.
Third Annual Environmental Studies Lecture
The Environmental Studies program is sponsoring the 3rd Annual Environmental Studies Lecture with Dr. Dan Flores speaking on “What We’ve Learned About Nature from the Nation Park Idea.” Dr. Flores is the A.B. Hammond Professor of Western History at the University of Montana at Missoula and publishes primarily on the environmental history of the American West, the art history of the West and native American history. Dr. Flores will also be signing copies of his book, The Natural West.
Bunch Multimedia Room

BIRTHDAYS

If you notice an incorrect or missing birthday, please e-mail the update to communication@mail.belmont.edu.
Happy Belated Birthday to Jim Poole in Admissions, whose birthday was March 23, and to Matt Whitman in the Office of Communications, whose birthday was March 25.
March 28
Ben Fisher, Athletics
Robbie Pinter, English
March 29
Becky Gann, Center for Entrepreneurship
Lindsey McCullough, Development
Christy Ridings, University Ministries
March 30
Mary Thompson, Business
April 2
Dan Johnson, Art
James Stamper, Education
Susan West, President’s Office
April 3
Larry Wacholtz, Music Business
April 4
Deen Entsminger, Music
April 5
Chris Algren, Nursing
April 7
Rick Bengtson, Media Studies
Sue Hopfensperger, Business
Clyde Rolston, Music Business

March 20, 2008

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Celebration Sunday Unveils First Round Match Up
On the heels of its historic third consecutive Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament Championship, Belmont Basketball found out at Sunday’s NCAA Celebration in the Beaman that the team will face tradition-rich Duke in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. The Bruins and Blue Devils are scheduled to play tonight, Thurs., March 20 in the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. as part of the West Regional bracket. Tip-off time is 6:10 p.m. Central. The game will be broadcast live on CBS. For more on this story, click here.

BELMONT NEWS

Belmont University Profiled in New York Times, Other Media
In an inventive article in Thursday’s New York Times, reporter George Vecsey offers a lengthy profile of Belmont University that features the men’s basketball team’s third visit to the NCAA Tournament while also highlighting legendary alumna Sarah Cannon (Minnie Pearl).
Vecsey tells a story about Ms. Cannon that he first learned earlier this week in an interview with Belmont Music Business Professor Don Cusic, who is quoted in the article. Vecsey also writes, “I’m rooting for Belmont against the Dookies because I used hang out in Nashville, and I got to meet Belmont’s most popular alum — the Grand Ole Opry character with the moniker Minnie Pearl. The school might prefer to be known for its consistent grade-point average of over 3.0 for athletes — including the basketball team, which only a handful of teams in the final 64 could claim.”
Click here to read the New York Times article.
Belmont has appeared in a number of other major media outlets this week as well in response to the NCAA tournament. Click the links below to see additional coverage.
MSNBC
Baltimore Sun
ESPN.com
WSMV
The Tennessean: ‘Bruins Stare at History’
The Tennessean: ‘Belmont coach shows off press conference comedy’
The Tennessean: ‘Belmont Star Picks Hospitals Over Hoops’
Sporting News
InsideHigherEd.com Puts Belmont in Top 2 of Its NCAA Bracket
Teams standings determined by athletes’ academic performance
InsideHigherEd.com—an online source for news, opinion and jobs for all of higher education—recently released its own picks for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Bracket and selected Belmont University to make it all the way to the Championship Game. InsideHigherEd.com based its selections in each round by awarding wins to the team with the strongest academic performance using the athletes’ academic standing, enrollment continuity and graduation rates as key factors. Belmont finished this tournament bracket second, behind only Davidson, outscoring such academic power players as Duke, Xavier and Cornell along the way.
Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher said, “This is what I really love about Belmont’s athletic program: No matter what the scoreboard shows at the end of a competitive contest, we know that we’ve ‘won’ by playing with class, giving our very best, exhibiting good sportsmanship and doing all of this with scholar-athletes who will leave Belmont and make significant contributions to meeting the needs of the world.”
To read the rest of this story, click here.