BELMONT NEWS

School of Music Visits Steinway & Sons Factory
In early September, a group from the School of Music went to Steinway & Sons in New York City to tour the factory and select a Concert Grand (Model D) for Massey Concert Hall and two Music Room Grands (Model B) for Harton Recital Hall. Piano faculty members Dan Landes, Kris Elsberry, Anthony Belfiglio and Bruce Dudley selected the pianos.
In the selection room, the faculty gave an impromptu performance for the other members of the Belmont group; Dean Cynthia Curtis, Sarah Davis, Friends of the Arts at Belmont Secretary/Treasurer Anne Knestrick and Steinway Piano Gallery of Nashville’s Bill Metcalfe and Brandon Herrenbruck.
The purchase of the pianos is part of the process for the School of Music to become an All-Steinway School.
SGA President to Address Collegiate Healthcare Conference
Klay Kelley, Belmont University’s student body president, will address approximately 100 student government leaders, representing more than one million students from 50 universities nationwide, when they meet in Nashville Oct. 5-7 to discuss healthcare issues.
The student leaders are meeting under the banner of SHOUTAmerica, a new non-profit group created to engage young Americans in the debate over healthcare. The group will convene at the Scarritt-Bennett Center, just blocks from the Oct. 7 presidential debate in Belmont’s Curb Event Center.
“This year it will cost $2.4 trillion to fund our healthcare system, which is the world’s most expensive, yet this same system ranks 37th in terms of quality,” said Landon Gibbs, 26, executive director and co-founder of SHOUTAmerica. “It’s clear we need changes that address the rising cost of healthcare – and we believe young people have to lead that discussion, because it is our future that is at risk.”
Conference participants come from 50 different universities, including Harvard, NYU, Columbia, Vanderbilt, Texas and Missouri. At the event, they will meet with U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., and Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, chair of Clinical Bioethics at the Clinical Center of the National Institutes of Health, former member of President Clinton’s Health Care Task Force and author of Healthcare, Guaranteed: A Simple, Secure Solution for America. Click here for more on this story.
Former Tennis Standout Recovering From Brain Injury
Matt Harvie, a 1988 Belmont business graduate and former tennis standout, suffered a traumatic brain injury in early June when he fell backwards off a golf cart. Following several surgeries and a month in a coma, Matt was moved to a rehabilitation center in Atlanta to re-learn many basic skills that were impacted by his injuries (talking, walking, eating, etc.). Pictured at right with his parents, Matt was recently released to go home from the rehab facility but still faces another surgery and significant daily outpatient therapy.
A native of Ohio, Matt has lived in Atlanta for several years with his wife Kelly and their five children. Kelly Harvie is using a Web site, www.caringbridge.org/visit/mattharvie, to update family and friends on Matt’s progress. Her entry on Sept. 11, Matt’s first day at home with his family since the June 6 accident, noted, “My devotional verse today was Hebrews 6:15, ‘And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.’ I know we aren’t finished in this journey, but this is such a wonderful stop along the way! And I feel like the Lord has given us a precious gift!”
Matt is employed in regional sales for Gates Mectrol, a leading manufacturer of synchronous timing belts, timing pulleys and other polymer-based automation components. With the continued expense and logistics of outpatient therapy, a fund has been established to assist the family. Contributions can be sent to Grace Fellowship Church, 1400 Dogwood Road, Snellville, GA 30078 (770.979.7000). On the check memo, please write The Matt Harvie Fund.
Dickens Provides Seniors Advice for Success
Marty Dickens, chairman of Belmont’s Board of Trust and retired President of AT&T, kicked off the “Belmont and Beyond” program series on Monday morning in the Massey Boardroom. Focusing on the topic “Journey to Success,” Dickens shared a few guiding life principles with a group of senior students. He opened the convocation by examining the many changes in the world today, especially in the digital realm, noting that the AT&T network last year was processing 10 petabytes of traffic daily or the equivalent of 400 times the digitized contents of the Library of Congress.
Still, despite such technological advances, Dickens emphasized the importance of giving precedence to character over competence. Using both biblical examples and themes from The Wizard of Oz, he said, “To be truly successful, I believe you must balance your smarts with your heart.”
Belmont to Host Seigenthalers for Debate Dialogue
Journalism Veterans to Discuss ‘Ethical Responsibility in an Election Year’
The Center for Business Ethics and the new Century Journalism Program will host a lively dialogue between John L. Seigenthaler, award-winning journalist and founder of the First Amendment Center, and his son John M. Seigenthaler, partner and CEO of Seigenthaler Public Relations New York and former NBC news anchor. The dialogue, titled “Ethical Responsibility in an Election Year: Is the Media Helping or Hurting?,” is scheduled for Fri., Sept. 26 at 10 a.m. in the Frist Lecture Hall located on the fourth floor of Belmont’s Gordon E. Inman Center.
The Seigenthalers will share an ethical perspective on the media’s coverage of the presidential election and will engage in a dialogue on positive and negative examples of ethics and media coverage. They will also answer questions from the audience consisting of Belmont University students and the larger Middle Tennessee community. This event is free, but seating is limited. Registration is available by clicking here. For more on this story click here .