February 27, 2009

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

Homecoming 2009: Feb. 23-28
Homecoming 2009 kicked off earlier this week with a number of exciting events, including the opening reception for the “Art from Anywhere” alumni exhibit and the Bruin Club Luncheon (above) as well as the Curtain Call award presentation to alumnus Bernie Herms and the Homecoming Celebration Lunch (below). Homecoming activities continue tomorrow and highlights include the 10 a.m. Alumni Author Book Signing in the Belmont Mansion, the noon Fireside Chat in the Curb Cafe, the 1 p.m. Indoor Tailgate festivities in the Maddox Grand Atrium and the Doubleheader Basketball session starting at 2 p.m. in the Curb Event Center. The evening concludes with the Belmont Orchestra’s 25th Anniversary Concert at 7:30 p.m. in MPAC. Click here for a complete listing of all Homecoming 2009 events.

BELMONT NEWS

Belmont Kennedys Share Musical Legacy, Wisdom
On Wed., Feb. 25, the Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business welcomed to the “Insider’s View” stage the talented Kennedy family. Led by father Jerry, an inaugural inductee in the Musician’s Hall of Fame, the Kennedy men have all significantly impacted the music industry, and all three sons attended Belmont.
Jerry Kennedy spent more than three decades successfully playing guitar, producing records and working in A&R. He eventually became vice president of Mercury Records’ Nashville division in 1968 before starting his own company. His career credits include working on projects with such diverse and luminary names as Bob Dylan, Elvis, Joan Baez, The Statler Brothers, Kris Kristofferson, Reba McEntire, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison. “Some of the most creative, talented people I worked with later in my career were people who graduated from here,” he said. “Stay here until you get it done, and believe in what you’re doing.”
Eldest brother Gordon is an accomplished guitarist and songwriter with album cuts that include Eric Clapton’s “Change the World,” which won the Song of the Year Grammy in 1996. Gordon recounted how the song was first written in 1991 as a demo for a group he was in, but the deal fell through. Wynonna then had the song on hold, but her recording schedule was postponed. Five years after it was written the song finally struck Grammy gold with Clapton’s performance. “You step back and say, ‘God what do you have in mind here?'” Gordon noted. “Because God’s plan is so much better than anything I could have dreamed up.”
The younger Kennedy brothers also made their own marks on the music business. Bryan began his industry career plugging songs for his father, before writing several hits for Garth Brooks’ records, including three No. 1 radio songs: “Good Ride Cowboy,” “Beaches of Cheyenne” and “American Honky Tonk Bar Association.” Youngest brother Shelby served as a key A&R man for Lyric Street Records, directing the likes of Aaron Tippin, Rascal Flatts and SheDaisy, and later represented Writer Relations at BMI. In addition to serving as an adjunct in the Curb College, Shelby now serves as Sr. VP/COO of Cherry Heart Music.
Belmont Marks Start of Lent with Ash Wednesday Service
On Wednesday, Belmont marked the beginning of the 40-day season of Lent, a time of preparation for Holy Week and Easter, with an Ash Wednesday service in Neely Hall. Co-officiating at the service was the Most Reverend David R. Choby,
Bishop of Nashville. Bishop Choby was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as the first native Nashvillian to head the diocese. He attended Father Ryan High School and Aquinas College before doing graduate studies at The Catholic University of America and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. Belmont’s Spiritual Emphasis Week/Emerge speaker, Dr. Sherry Mortenson, also participated in the service. Mortenson is pastor of Spiritual Formation at Whittier Area Community Church, a 4,000 member Baptist congregation in California.
Also leading the service was Rev. Dr. Todd Lake, vice president for spiritual development at Belmont. He noted, “As a Christian university, we are strengthened by marking the seasons of the Christian calendar. In just the past few years we have initiated a campus-wide Advent Devotional, national PBS broadcast of ‘Christmas at Belmont’ and an Ash Wednesday service. It is thanks to our sisters and brothers in the liturgical churches that we add these practices to our rich Baptist heritage at Belmont.”
Several hundred Belmont students participated in the Ash Wednesday service, which was covered as a major feature in The Tennessean titled “Evangelicals rediscover Ash Wednesday rituals.” Click here to read the story and view a video of the event.
Alumni Sing Hits for ‘Belmont at the Bluebird’
Tuesday marked the second annual “Belmont at the Bluebird” Homecoming event. Sponsored by the Office of Alumni Relations and the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business, the evening featured Belmont alumni Gordon Kennedy, Don Poythress, Larry Stewart and Ben Cooper performing in the round to a packed house.
Audience members heard renditions of Kennedy’s “Change the World,” notably recorded by Eric Clapton; “Bluest Eyes in Texas,” performed by Stewart, lead singer of Restless Heart who made the song famous; Poythress’s “Things That Never Cross a Man’s Mind,” a recent Kellie Pickler hit; and a heartfelt love song “Toujours Moi” written by Cooper and Kennedy and performed by Cooper.
Mayor Announces Proposal to Create Joint Information Center at Belmont
Mayor Karl Dean and Belmont University President Bob Fisher announced this week a partnership agreement between the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and Belmont University to help the city establish a Joint Information Center (JIC) in the event of a major disaster in Davidson County. The administration filed an ordinance on Friday requesting the Metro Council to approve the memorandum of understanding (MOU).
The MOU guarantees a site on the Belmont University campus for the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management to establish a Joint Information Center in the event that a major disaster strikes Davidson County, requiring a full activation of the Emergency Operations Center. The Joint Information Center becomes the primary location for local, state and federal government leaders to disseminate emergency information to the public through the news media. Click here for more on this story.

ACHIEVERS

PT Students, Faculty, Alumni Present and Receive Recognition at National Conference
Recently several of the Belmont University School of Physical Therapy faculty, alumni and students attended the annual American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Combined Sections Meeting (CSM) in Las Vegas. Physical therapy graduate student Tara McDonough Domkowski (‘11) and undergraduate alumna (’08) presented a poster they co-authored with Dr. Nancy Darr, Dr. Steven Murphree and Barbara Ward in the Neurobiology – Balance and Falls section titled, “The effects of cellular phone conversations on the gait characteristics in young adults.”
Dr. Nancy Darr, associate professor of physical therapy, presented a platform presentation of research titled, “Pediatric Balance Scale Performance in Children who are Developing Typically and in Children with Mild Developmental Delay.” This was a multi-site study involving faculty members from Belmont, Daemen College and The State University of New York Upstate Medical Center.
Also presenting at CSM was Dr. John Halle, associate dean and professor of physical therapy, along with Dr. David Greathouse, a former associate dean of the School of Physical Therapy who presented “Peripheral Mononeuropathies in the Lower Extremities: An Anatomical, Clinical and Electrophysiological Review.”
Dr. Cathy Hinton is also an associate professor of physical therapy and currently serves as a member of the APTA Ethics and Judicial Committee. She presented “Dialogues on Doing the Right Thing: What Ethical Codes are all about – an Update on Proposed Revision to APTA Core Ethics Documents.”
Belmont PT alumnus John DeWitt (’01) received the 2009 Sports Physical Therapy Section New Horizon Award, which goes to an individual who has shown great potential to be a future leader in the field in their first seven years of practice. Alumnae Amy Grigg Gross (’02) and Dawn Straub (‘04) received their Orthopedic Certification Specialties (OCS).
Homecoming, Fitness Day Receive Local Media Attention
In addition to an overview of Homecoming 2009 events in Sunday’s Tennessean, several campus events this week caught the attention of local media. The “Quote” project by Belmont alumni, along with Monday’s convocation event to support that project (pictured right), was the subject of a lengthy interview on WPLN, Nashville’s local public radio. Click here to listen to the story, which is featured on the station’s home page. Fitness Day also received coverage as FOX-17 sent a crew out to cover the Polar Bear 5K live on the station’s morning show. Click here to view the story. Finally, Belmont’s own Paul Chenoweth conducted an interview with alumna Margaret Elliott, whose artwork is a part of the “Art from Anywhere” Alumni Art Exhibit that is currently in the LCVA gallery. Click here to watch the interview.
Wicke Named to Academic All-America Team
Men’s basketball senior Andy Wicke (Hendersonville, Tenn.) added to his lengthy and distinguished list of accolades Wednesday, as he was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America University Division Men’s Basketball Third Team. “Andy has been a tremendous representative of our basketball program and Belmont University,” Belmont head coach Rick Byrd said. “This is an honor well deserved and celebrates Andy’s sacrifice and dedication to perform at a high level on the court and in the classroom.”
One of only seven players in all of college basketball this season with the opportunity to earn a fourth consecutive automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, Wicke has been a leader on and off the court for the Bruin program. The 6-2 guard received Academic All-District honors earlier this month and is one of 10 finalists for the prestigious Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. Wicke is also a four-time member of the Atlantic Sun All-Academic Team. Click here for more on this story.
Biology Students Present Research at National Neuroscience Meeting
Students and faculty from the Department of Biology attended the 38th annual National Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in Washington D.C. Over 31,000 attendees from around the world gathered to present and share ideas. The students, who all presented the results of their undergraduate research conducted at Belmont, were Sachin Amin, Jeanna Bardin, Jackie Hunter, Christina Inman, Roshni Patel and Taylor Walter. The student projects investigated various aspects of behavior of zebrafish and C. elegans, both model systems for the study of neurobiology. Dr. Lori McGrew and Dr. Robert Grammer accompanied the students on the trip and also directed their research.
Pharmacy Faculty, Students Start 2009 with Conferences
Five Belmont University pharmacy students took part in the inaugural meeting of the Tennessee Society of Student Pharmacists (TSSP) on Sat., Feb. 21. Azieb Abebe, Lindsay Archer, Cassidy Domagalla, David Jones, and Zac Renfro represented Belmont as members of the Belmont TSSP chapter. In addition to participating in this year’s program, this team was able to help shape the development of this statewide organization and its future programming efforts, as well as introducing Belmont’s pharmacy program to pharmacy students enrolled in the other four Tennessee pharmacy programs.
Meanwhile, numerous faculty from the School of Pharmacy began the year attending and speaking at various conferences. Dean Phil Johnston attended the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Interim Meeting and Dean’s Retreat in Washington, D.C. Associate Dean Eric Hobson attended the Tennessee Pharmacist Association Interim Meeting and presented the association with an update of Belmont’s pharmacy program development and successes. Hobson was also a featured speaker at the Tennessee Society of Student Pharmacy meeting where he presented a session “Portfolios for Professional Success.”
Dr. Salvatore Giorgianni was the expert guest on the Mix 92.9 morning show with Anna Marie Ritter discussing “Complimentary Medicine Use for the Management of Cold and Flu.”
Finally, Dr. Andrew Webster was the keynote speaker to a joint meeting of the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Pre-pharmacy Scholars Association and the Student Chapter of the American Chemical Society, speaking about “Careers in Pharmacy.” Webster was also recently appointed to the Metro Nashville Public Health Department Emergency Preparedness Team. The appointment involves regional oversight of the Strategic National Stockpile services, with emphasis on receiving, shipping and storage of pharmaceuticals intended for first responder utilization during a catastrophic event.
Psychology Students Present Research at Southeastern Psychological Association
Eleven psychology majors attended and presented research at the annual meeting of the Southeastern Psychological Association (SEPA) in New Orleans on Feb. 18-21. The students were Meredith Graves, Drue Williamson, Anna Claire Bowen, Jamie Vickstrom, Luke Lancaster, Jessica Heacock, Irieon Walker, Chloe Williams, Hannah Benneyworth, Sammie Brown and Rachael Haney. Psychology faculty who attended were Drs. William Bailey, Lynn Jones, Pete Giordano and Lonnie Yandell. All faculty sponsored at least one student research project, including Dr. Michael Sullivan who was unable to attend the conference.
LeBleu Interviewed on WSMV
Lori LeBleu, director of career planning & placement in the College of Business Administration, was interviewed by WSMV’s Mark Stewart for a story that aired Monday evening on the current job market in Middle Tennessee. Click here to watch the interview.
Basso Wins Country Music Showcase
On Sat., Feb. 21 the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business celebrated the annual Country Showcase with special guest host, Great American Country personality Nan Kelley. This year’s showcase featured student talents The Westbound Rangers, W.C. Marion, Cassidy Lynn, Steven Darden and Jenna Basso. Credits for this years’ performers include the hit television show “American Idol,” GAC, CMT’s “Can You Duet” and the Grand Ole Opry stage. “I sing in hopes of achieving a lifelong dream: taking a place in the spotlight among the leading ladies of country music,” said Jenna Basso, this year’s Country showcase winner.
Basso joins the lineup for the annual Best of the Best Showcase on April 25 at 7 p.m. in the Curb Event Center. She will perform alongside Stephen Whitfield, Future and The Strangers—winners of the Christian, Urban/Pop and Rock Showcases respectively, as well as the six winners of the ASCAP Writers’ Night Series. Continuing a tradition of recognizing music industry greats who are also dedicated to the educational process, the Curb College will name Donna Hilley as the first recipient of the Robert E. Mulloy Award of Excellence at the 2009 Best of the Best Showcase.
Raines Participates in NewsChannel 5’s ‘Open Line’ Show
Dr. Pat Raines, dean of the College of Business Administration, joined NewsChannel 5’s Nick Beres for a conversation on the recently passed economic stimulus package. Click here to watch the interview. On the Open Line video line, click on the “More” tab and then “Morning Line.” Then choose “Morning Line: Economic Stimulus Plan.”
Smith Editorial Published in Tennessean
Dr. Bonnie Smith, associate professor of English, recently published an editorial in The Tennessean titled, “Cuts could have devastating effect on adult learners.” Click here to read the article.
Parry Named Liaison to Journalism Commission
Pam Parry, associate professor of journalism, has been named a national officer of the Small Programs Interest Group of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. In 2009-2010, she will be the liaison to the AEJMC Commission on the Status of Minorities. This is the second year she has served as an officer of the group. Last year, she was the SPIG research co-chair.

IT’S ALL BELMONT TO ME – Belmont FYI Feature Profile of the Month

For the first time in the history of “It’s All Belmont to Me,” this month’s nominee is being praised for fulfilling all five qualities of the university-wide initiative: Show We Care, Take Responsibility and Follow Through, Do It Right, Make It Seamless and Walk the Talk. Who is this month’s nominee? You!
Dr. Bo Thomas, vice president of university advancement, recently submitted a letter regarding his reflections on the 2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate. Time and distance from that event have brought an even greater appreciation of what the Belmont faculty and staff accomplished together, as seen in the following nomination:

Debate08: An ‘It’s All Belmont to Me’ Team Effort
Prior to coming to Belmont, I spent a lot of professional time and energy with team concepts and what kind of teamwork has to happen to create great results. Most people are able to think of their most positive team experience and identify what qualities made that experience so memorable. After Oct. 7, 2008, I can say that the most positive and successful large-scale organizational team effort I have ever seen and been a part of was the team effort that resulted in the Belmont Town Hall Presidential Debate. The qualities that impressed me most and made our effort so successful reflect the best of “It’s All Belmont to Me.”
The Debate experience confirmed what we most hoped and dared believe to be true of Belmont. Given what seemed to be (and was) a huge, complex and difficult task we had never done before, we did it. We not only did it, in the eyes of many on the Debate Commission and others, we did it better than it had ever been done! Why? How? A few observations:
• When we have a clear, challenging and compelling mission, we can do most anything.
• The Debate challenge, like our daily challenge of service and transformation, was too big for any one person or one group of people.
• We have very gifted people at Belmont with a variety of skill sets across our staff and faculty, and it took all of the talent working together to pull this off.
• Each person who volunteered and contributed to the Debate brought unique talents to the table and had a unique role to play that only he or she could make.
• People began to see early on that success depended on “taking responsibility and following through,” that “doing it right the first time” was critical, that if we couldn’t do it or didn’t know the answer, it was important to “make it seamless” and find someone who could.
• With big opportunities and support from others, we even exceed our own expectations!
• We saw talents and skill sets in others we had never noticed before. People are generally even better than we thought, given the right opportunity.
• There was maximum focus on the shared mission, team goals and solutions to shared problems and almost no focus on blame or fault finding.
• As a result of the above, there were numerous examples of extra communication, cooperation, collaboration and support for others.
• At the end of the Debate, there was a shared sense of “we did it” and a sense of ownership that most would never forget. It was “our” Debate.
Therefore, although there are numerous examples of great individual effort, the real salute and nomination goes to the total Belmont Debate08 team effort. I think the effort represents a distinguishing feature of Belmont University, a reflection of hundreds of people already applying the guiding principles of “It’s All Belmont to Me” every day. It is, in part, why the special feature in U.S. News & World Report found that Belmont was one of two schools in the country that was mentioned most by higher education leaders as “a school to watch.”

Do you know a Belmont employee who embodies one of the five Guiding Principles? Nominate them for a Belmont FYI Feature Profile of the Month! Click here for more information on this program and to download the nomination form.
To read more about Belmont’s service initiative, click here to view the “It’s All Belmont to Me” Web site. This Web site will explain the history, training and other elements of this program.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Storm Shelter Signs Placed Across Campus
Storm Shelter signs are beginning to be placed across campus to identify locations that meet one or more of the safety location requirements in the event of a tornado warning. If the sign is located on a door, the safe location is on the other side of the door. If the sign is located on the wall, the safety location is in the area around the sign. After all signs have been installed, a list of their locations will be posted online at www.belmont.edu/safety.
A Tornado Safety Location is one that:
• Has no windows
• Is on the lowest possible floor of a building
• Has no exterior walls
(When all three of these criteria cannot be met in a building, the safety location is the place that best meets them.)
Upon notification of a tornado warning, all persons should proceed to a tornado safety location inside their buildings, assisting those that need assistance and ensuring that those under their jurisdiction also go to the safety location. Whenever possible, employees will maintain an approximate head count of the persons from their areas. All building occupants are to remain in the safety location until the Tornado Warning has expired or until notified that the danger has passed.
All students, faculty and staff are encouraged to sign up for Belmont’s text alert system at bic.belmont.edu or by texting the word Belmont to 27538.
Battle of the Boulevard Book Drive
Help us repeat our victory over Lipscomb and provide books for children in our community. Buy any children’s book, donate used books or scrounge around your house for old books! Two collection bins will be available in the Beaman and the Massey Business Lobby from Feb. 23-March 23. Donated children’s books will be given to Book’Em, a local literacy organization that provides volunteer readers to local preschools, Head Start centers and elementary schools and that collects and distributes new books to children in lower-income families who might not otherwise have books of their own.

COMING UP

Friday, February 27, 7:30 p.m.
Uncle Vanya
Anton Chekhov’s masterpiece of frustrated longing and wasted lives is a poignant tale of thwarted desire, themes that were explored in Russia in 1898 and are still relevant today. Tickets are $8 for adults, $4 for faculty, staff, alumni and non-Belmont students. Additional performances are scheduled for Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m. and March 1 at 2:30 p.m.
Troutt Theater
Saturday, February 28, 10 a.m.
Homecoming 2009 – Belmont Mansion Open House & Alumni Author Book Signing
Belmont Mansion
Saturday, February 28, noon
Homecoming 2009 – Fireside Chat
Join Belmont’s senior leaders for an update on Belmont’s past, present & future.
Curb Cafe
Saturday, February 28, 1 p.m.
Homecoming 2009 Indoor Tailgate
Homecoming 2009 pre-game festivities & fun including Face Decals, Build-a-Bruin, Corn Hole, Silent Auction, Face Painting and more.
Maddox Grand Atrium
Saturday, February 28, 2-6:15 p.m.
Basketball Doubleheader
Belmont men’s and women’s teams take on Jacksonville in the final home games of the regular season.
Curb Event Center Arena
Saturday, February 28, 7:30 p.m.
Orchestra’s 25th Anniversary Reunion Concert
Student and alumni musicians will perform Respighi’s “The Pines of Rome.”
MPAC
Monday, March 2, 7 p.m.
Panel Discussion Scheduled to Discuss Online Social Networks, Privacy and Copyrights
In light of the recent controversy regarding Facebook’s ownership of user content, a special forum titled “From Facebook to Twitter: Rules, Rights and Realities of Social Networks” is being held on campus. A panel of experts, including Freedom Forum’s Gene Policinski and Nashville attorney Doug Pierce, will analyze the ongoing dilemmas that come with online social networks, privacy issues and copyright laws. Click here for more information.
Maddox Grand Atrium
Tuesday, March 3
Wind Ensemble Concert
Massey Concert Hall
Wednesday, March 4-Saturday, March 7
A-Sun Basketball Championships
Allen Arena, Lipscomb University
Wednesday, March 4, 10 a.m.
Psychology & Faith
Co-sponsored by the Department of Psychology and the Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences, award-winning researcher Dr. David Myers, author of psychology’s most widely used text book, will speak. The most recent of his 17 books is A Friendly Letter to Skeptics and Atheists: Musings on Why God is Good and Faith Isn’t Evil.
Neely
Thursday, March 5, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Red Cross Blood Drive
The Red Cross will be on-campus to collect donations of all blood types from Belmont students, faculty and staff and to provide the Belmont community with an opportunity to help those in need. Donors may walk-in that day or reserve an appointment by contacting Cheryl LuQuire at cheryl733@gmail.com.
Beaman Meeting Rooms A&B
Monday, March 9-Friday, March 13
Spring Break

IN OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS

Belmont is a Christian community of learning and service that strives to support its members through prayer. The following concerns have come to our attention recently. Thank you for including them in your prayers:
Former Belmont Baseball Head Coach Dave Whitten will be having heart surgery Tues., March 3 at St. Thomas hospital. Please keep him and his family in your prayers.

BIRTHDAYS

If you notice an incorrect or missing birthday, please e-mail the update to communication@mail.belmont.edu.
March 1
Fred Kendall, President’s Office
March 2
Judy Fisher, President’s Office
Todd Lake, Spiritual Development
March 3
David Moser, Music Business
March 5
Donald Watson, Admissions
March 6
Meredith Kendall Valdez, Curb College
Jan Mahone, Plant Ops
March 7
Kathy Chiavola, Music
Lee Fessler, Plant Ops
Christine Wruble, CAS