April 24, 2009

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

BELMONT NEWS

Student-Athletes Recognized Nationally for Academic Achievement
Four Belmont University athletic teams were honored by the NCAA Wednesday in its annual Division I Academic Progress Rate (APR) Public Recognition Award.
Belmont men’s basketball, men’s soccer, baseball and women’s golf each ranked in the top 10 percent within their respective sports nationwide among NCAA Division-I programs for their academic progress rate as determined by the NCAA. The APR provides a real-time look at a team’s academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete. The APR includes eligibility, retention and graduation in the calculation and provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport.
Click here for more on this story.
Curb College Presents Best of the Best 2009
April 25 event to honor longtime Music City executive Donna Hilley
On Sat., April 25, the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business will present its annual Best of the Best Showcase. The show will honor Donna Hilley, first recipient of the Robert E. Mulloy Award of Excellence, an annual award to be given to an individual who has achieved a level of excellence in the music business and entertainment industries with notable service to Belmont University and the Nashville community. As longtime CEO of Sony/ATV Nashville, Donna established herself as one of the top female executives in Music City, and during her service on Belmont’s Board of Trustees, she introduced Mike Curb to Belmont, sparking the expansion and growth of the music business program into a free standing college.
The Best of the Best Showcase, which begins at 6:30 p.m., will include tribute performances by legendary singer/songwriters Tom Douglas and Leslie Satcher and country music’s Lee Ann Womack as well as an announcement of the establishment of an endowed scholarship in Hilley’s honor. As always, Best of the Best will also highlight some of Belmont’s remarkable student talent with performances from the winners of the CEMB Showcase series—Future (Urban/Pop), Stephen Whitfield (Christian), Jenna Basso (Country) and The Hollywood Ten (Rock)—and from the ASCAP Writers’ Night series–Stephanie Lambring, Brooke Annibale, Matt Wright, Josh Johnson, Chase Foster and Lindley Wolfgram.
Best of the Best is free to the public and is sponsored by ATT The Real Yellow Pages, ASCAP, BMI, Bandit Lites, Clair Audio and Orange Thread Media. For more information on this event, visit www.belmontshowcaseseries.com.
Belmont to Discontinue Bottled Water Sales
Campus kicks off Earth Week by deepening commitment to sustainable practices
In an effort to deepen its commitment to the ongoing “Belmont Goes Green” campaign, Nashville’s Belmont University announced Monday that all bottled water sales would be discontinued on campus as of May 16. The announcement, made at the start of the university’s annual celebration of Earth Week, furthers Belmont’s commitment to sustainable practices. Bottled water will no longer be available in the university’s fast food outlets or vending areas, and purifying filters are being added to any water fountains on campus that did not already have them.
Dr. Judy Skeen, professor of religion and head of Belmont’s Environmental Initiative, said, “As we surveyed ways that Belmont could improve its practices, the impracticality of bottled water came up over and over. Bottled water is shockingly expensive to the consumer and the environment. And given what we know about the quality of water from the tap and in the bottle, it’s completely unnecessary. Recycling the bottles doesn’t solve the larger problem of excessive resources needed to produce and transport something that is solely a convenience. We are delighted to move toward more learning and better practices as we care for the planet.”
At the start of the fall 2009 semester, students, faculty and staff will have the opportunity to purchase inexpensive, BPA free, reusable containers for obtaining and carrying water on campus. In addition, other beverages—such as juices, sodas and vitamin waters—will still be available in the campus dining venues in their standard packaging. Click here for more on this story.
Belmont Faculty Offer BURS Keynote Address
The 2009 Belmont Undergraduate Research Symposium (BURS) will be held Thurs., April 30, with faculty members from across the university providing the keynote address in Troutt Theater, offering insights into their current research. In addition, student presentations will be held throughout the afternoon and evening at locations across campus. Click here to view the complete BURS schedule.
Assistant Provost Glenn Acree said, “Undergraduate research is at the center of Belmont’s mission to provide an academically challenging education for our students. As students collaborate with faculty members and peers to explore their areas of interest more deeply, they engage their minds as active learners, complementing their classroom experiences. I hope the university as a whole will join together as we celebrate the explorations and discoveries of our students and faculty through their research presentations.”
Dr. Joseph Byrne (Honors), Dr. Mark Schenkel (Entrepreneurship), Dr. Jennifer Thomas (Biology) and Dr. Andy Watts (Religion) will be the speakers at Thursday afternoon’s keynote address, which is held in honor of Dr. Donald Ramage, former dean of the School of Sciences. Their 5:30 p.m. presentation will follow poster presentations and a 4:30 p.m. reception in Troutt Theater.
From Belmont to Africa, Kabia Fosters Education and Hope
Samuel Kabia, who works as an exterior gardener in Belmont’s landscaping department, recently spoke to a Belmont Entrepreneurship class, sharing stories from his recent trip to Africa and the work of his Rufoindo Education Project in Sierra Leone.
Kabia and his family came to the United States in 2001 after being forced to flee from their village in Sierra Leone because of the bloody civil war occurring in the country. Kabia, a high school economics and geography teacher in Sierra Leone, and his family moved to Nashville, where the Catholic Charities of Tennessee helped him find his current job at Belmont. He started taking classes in business administration in 2002 and graduated in 2005. He is in graduate school at Belmont and will graduate in August with a Master’s of Education degree.
After graduation, Kabia started the non-profit organization Rufoindo Education Project for Orphan Children to help his war-torn village Rufoindo in Sierra Leone. The organization’s major project is the building of a school for the children in the village. “I felt so sorry for them, many of them had lost their parents and other things,” said Kabia. “I wanted to help put them on the right track and open the school for them.” Click here for more on this story.
Curb College Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary of Belmont West
Belmont University’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business celebrated the 10-year anniversary of its Belmont West program in Los Angeles Monday night with an event at 20th Century Fox studios. The celebration brought together Belmont representatives, alumni and industry partners to commemorate the program that provides students with opportunities to learn and work in the L.A. entertainment industry at record labels, television sets and movie studios.
Following the vision of Belmont benefactor and chairman of Curb Records, Mike Curb, Belmont University expanded its music business program from Nashville to Los Angeles with the launch of Belmont West in the spring of 1999. After several years of success in L.A., the Curb College branched out again in 2003, starting the Belmont East program in New York City.
“We all are very proud of the fact that Nashville has joined Hollywood and New York as one of the three major music centers in the United States,” Curb said. “The exciting part of the Curb College Belmont West and Belmont East programs has been opening doors to other music-related areas of the entertainment industry, such as film music, TV music and many other new music opportunities that exist on the East and West Coasts.”
Click here for more on this story.

ACHIEVERS

Math Department Hosts High School Contest
The Tennessee Mathematics Teachers Association Fifty-Third Annual State-Wide High School Mathematics Contest took place on April 21. The Mathematics Department of Belmont University hosted six schools and about 175 students from the local area. The main purposes of the contest are to stimulate interest in mathematics and to honor those students who are outstanding in their respective subjects. Students competed in six divisions: Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, Statistics, Pre-calculus and Calculus and Advance Topics. The top three students in each category were recognized at the end of the day with Certificates of Merit and Belmont shirts, and their scores were forwarded for recognition at the regional and state levels.
Parry Named Top Grad Student at Southern Mississippi
Pam Parry, associate professor of journalism, was named the Top Graduate Student in the School of Mass Communication & Journalism at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg at an April 23 ceremony. Parry is on study leave working on her doctor of philosophy degree in communication with an emphasis in public relations history.
Additionally, she won a second top graduate award. She was named the first Gene Wiggins Fellow, a newly established endowed award named after a longtime member of the faculty. The fellowship provides support for graduate research. Parry will use the money to complete research on the campaign waged to help Margaret Sanger publicize the first congressional hearing on birth control legislation. Parry is scheduled to return to Belmont this fall and resume her teaching.
Wicke Provides Photo Journal of Final Four Trip
Senior men’s basketball player Andy Wicke was named one of 10 finalists for the Lowe’s Senior Class Award in large part to his dedication to academic success and community service. As part of the award program’s activities, Wicke participated in numerous events at the 2009 Final Four in Detroit. Click here to view a photo diary of Wicke’s time at the Final Four.
Panhellenic’s ‘Up ‘Til Dawn’ Inaugural Event Raises $18,080
The women of Belmont’s Panhellenic Community recently teamed up with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to bring the “Up ‘Til Dawn” philanthropy effort to campus for the first time. Up ’til Dawn is a national collegiate fundraiser that was first held at the University of Memphis a decade ago. The Up ‘til Dawn program asks students, faculty and campus communities to raise awareness and support for St. Jude through a variety of activities including letter-writing campaigns, softball tournaments and carnivals, to name a few. Over the past 10 years, the fundraiser has culminated in an all-night Finale Event in which participants sacrificed a night of sleep in honor of the St. Jude patients who courageously battle cancer every day. At dawn, participants would find out how much their campus raised for St. Jude to find cures for children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases.
Now held on more than 250 college campuses, the event began at Belmont in February when more than 200 students participated in a letter-writing campaign to friends and family. At the Finale Event, Belmont’s Panhellenic Community was told they had raised $18,080, more than the University of Alabama and many other schools who have held the event for years. These proceeds will allow the hospital to provide groundbreaking medical treatment to children living with catastrophic diseases at no charge to their families.
Student Pharmacists Attend First National Conference and Competition
Four students from the Belmont University School of Pharmacy recently traveled to San Antonio for the annual American Pharmacists Association and Academy of Student Pharmacy conference. This meeting was attended by more than 7,000 pharmacists and pharmacy students nationwide. Belmont student pharmacist chapter President Zac Renfro received the chapter’s inaugural charter. The conference was also the site for the National Patient Counseling Competition, where students compete in demonstrations on counseling patients on the safe use of medications. Bethany Bedford, the winner of BUSOP’s own competition, competed against 109 other student pharmacists from across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Fellow attendees included Diane Akin, Zac Renfro, David Jones and chapter advisor Dr. Salvatore Giorgianni. The participants also attended leadership, educational and networking conferences and activities. Giorgianni said, “Having our student pharmacists attend and participate in professional meetings such as this is an essential component of their growth as professionals and leaders.”
Cornwall Quoted in Wall Street Journal
Dr. Jeff Cornwall, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and professor of management, was quoted in an article in the Wall Street Journal titled “Smart Ways to Cut Prices: Consumers want value these days. Here’s how some companies give it to them — without gutting their brands.” Click here to read the story.
McDonald Published in Volume on English Studies
Dr. Marcia McDonald has contributed a chapter to a volume titled Transforming English Studies: New Voices in an Emerging Genre. Her essay, “The Purpose of the University and the Definition of English Studies: A Necessary Dialogue,” is one of 14 in the collection edited by Lori Ostergaard, Jeff Ludwig and Jim Nugent, and recently published by Parlor Press. McDonald’s essay grew out of a panel presentation made with Drs. Cynthia Cox and Andrea Stover on Belmont’s innovative English major at the College Composition and Communication Conference in 2004. McDonald, associate provost and professor of English, has recently been named Interim Provost.
Faculty Librarians Present at Statewide Annual Conference
Faculty librarians Jenny Rushing, Rachel Scott and Judy Williams presented during the 2009 Conference of the Tennessee Library Association, held April 8-10 in Nashville. Rushing participated in a session titled “Connections and Collaborations: Partnerships in K-16 Bibliographic Instruction” with librarians from Lambuth University and the Tennessee State Library and Archives. Her focus was Bunch Library’s contribution to the Conversations@Belmont series, a successful collaboration between local school and academic librarians in order to prepare high school students for the transition to college. The series can serve as a model for other academic libraries to adopt. Rushing, Scott and Williams presented “From 0 to 200! Building an Information Literacy Program from the Ground UP.” The session described the development of Belmont University’s information literacy program, its integration into the General Education curriculum, goals for program growth and recent library upgrades designed to better serve the university community.
NIRSA Recognizes Three Beaman Staff Members with Awards
At the 60th Annual National Intramural Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) Conference & Recreational Sports Exposition, held recently in Charlotte, N.C., Belmont University was well-represented with three award winners: Angie Bryant, director of the Beaman Student Life Center; Caroline Cox, graduate assistant for Fitness Programming; and Daniel Lawrence, graduate assistant for Facilities.
Bryant was honored with the Horace Moody Award, which recognizes professional members who have made significant contributions to student development. Only six individuals across the country are awarded this recognition each year. In addition to serving as the current director for the state of Tennessee, Bryant will now serve as the committee chair responsible for selecting the Region II Student Excellence Grant that will be offered spring 2010.
Cox received the William N. Wasson Student Leadership & Academic Award, which recognizes top students who are employed by the Department of Recreational Sports. This award gives NIRSA an opportunity to honor outstanding student leaders. Nominees must be full-time graduate students, maintain a 3.0 GPA, and demonstrate scholarship and professional development through research, honors, self-improvement, certifications, presentations and involvement in professional organizations. In addition, the recipient must have demonstrated campus and community involvement.
Lawrence received a NIRSA Foundation Scholarship. This award is given to honor students who show commitment to educational and scholarly projects that enhance leadership development within campus programs. This scholarship is provided to allow recipients to attend various NIRSA educational programs.
Robinson Selected as a 2009 NBJ ‘Forty Under 40’ Honoree
Jill Robinson, director of Executive Learning Networks for Belmont’s Scarlett Leadership Institute, was recently chosen by the Nashville Business Journal as a 2009 “Forty Under 40” honoree. This is the first year that the Nashville Business Journal has used this program to recognize outstanding professionals in the local community.
Robinson will be honored with a profile in the June 12 issue and a special luncheon recognizing the honorees. Other members of the inaugural class include representatives from Capital Financial Group, the Tennessee Titans, Sherrard & Roe, Allstate Insurance, Ticketmaster and more.
“I am honored to be chosen as one of the inaugural recipients for Nashville Business Journal’s ‘Forty Under 40’ award for 2009. To me, the award is a celebration for all of the organizations I have been honored to be a part of, and the leadership that has given me the opportunity to grow professionally,” said Robinson.
Curb, Turner Inducted into Music City Walk of Fame
Music business executive and long-time Belmont University supporter Mike Curb and alumnus Josh Turner were both inducted into Nashville’s Music City Walk of Fame on Sunday. Click here for more on this story.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Belmont Baseball – Homeruns and Hotdogs
Come out and enjoy the last baseball game of the season at Greer Stadium on Wed., April 29 at 6 p.m. as the Bruins take on Murray State. There will be free food for the first 200 fans, baseball bingo played throughout the game and great giveaways. See you there!
School of Pharmacy Hosts Silent Auction
The Belmont University School of Pharmacy is raising money for its mission and community outreach through a Silent Auction. Students, faculty, staff and friends are encouraged to check out auction items and bid from Mon., April 27-Mon., May 4. The funds will go towards BUSOP services to the Nashville community and beyond – including medical mission trips, serving as Metro Public Health Department’s First Responders and providing educational outreach during National Pharmacist Month. Click here for more information.

COMING UP

Friday, April 17, 7:30 p.m.
Mixed Bill V: Dancing the Dream Belmont University’s Fifth Annual Dance Concert
Additional performance on Sat., April 18.
Troutt Theater
Friday, April 24, 8 p.m.
Measure for Measure
Measure for Measure does not fit into the mold of other Shakespearean works. The play explores the serious issues of the abuses of power, authority and morality. Not suitable for children under 10. Additional performances Sat., April 25 and Sun., April 26 at 2:30 p.m.
Black Box Theater
Saturday, April 25, 3 p.m.
Baseball vs. Kennesaw State
Shelby Park
Saturday, April 25, 7 p.m.
Best of the Best Showcase
Curb Event Center Arena
Monday, April 27, 10 a.m.
Scholarship-Awards Day Convocation
Year-end campus wide celebration of academic achievement. Deans’ List students are recognized, and university wide student awards are presented.
Massey Concert Hall (MPAC)
Tuesday, April 28, 7:30 p.m.
School of Music Presents An Evening at the Opera
Massey Concert Hall (MPAC)
Wednesday, April 29, 10 a.m.
Baroque Violinist Monica Huggert
The School of Music will host British conductor and leading Baroque violinist Monica Huggert for a Baroque Performance class. Huggert has an international reputation as one of the foremost baroque violinists. Currently a member of the early music faculty at Juilliard, she previously co-founded and served as a leader of the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and has been made a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music.
Belmont Heights Baptist Church Sanctuary
Wednesday, April 29, 6 p.m.
Baseball vs. Murray State
Greer Stadium
Thursday, April 30, 2-4 p.m.
Retirement Reception for Dr. Betsy Hay
The School of Nursing cordially invites you to attend a Retirement Reception honoring Dr. Betsy Hay. Presentation begins at 3 p.m.
Frist Lecture Hall
Thursday, April 30, 5:30 p.m.
Belmont Undergraduate Research Symposium – Keynote Address
This keynote talk is a part of the overall BURS program for the day. It will be preceded by a reception in the same location at 4:30 p.m. Click here for a complete schedule of BURS events.
Troutt Theater
Friday, May 1, 3-4 p.m.
Retirement Reception for Dr. Paul Godwin
Please join the School of Music for a reception honoring Dr. Paul Godwin, professor of music, who is retiring after 36 years as a member of the Belmont faculty.
Atrium Between MPAC and Wilson (rain location: Leu Art Gallery)
Saturday, May 2, 8 p.m.
20th Annual President’s Dinner and Concert
Honoring Applause Award recipient The Beaman Family Foundation and featuring the School of Music’s student ensembles and groups.
Massey Concert Hall (MPAC)
Sunday, May 3, 5 p.m.
Chadasha Home Concert
Belmont Heights Baptist Church Sanctuary
Monday, May 4, 10 a.m.
Scholar-Athlete Recognition Reception
Maddox Grand Atrium
ONGOING
Edie Maney: Not by Chance
Edie Maney creates bold and exciting works with acrylics and mixed media. By using plastic, scrappers and squeegees in addition to brushes and palate knives, she begins in a chaotic style before developing a focal point. Show runs now – June 25.
Leu Art Gallery (Library)

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:
Eunice Todd Myall, mother of String Crossings Director and Adjunct Instructor of Music Celeste Myall and mother-in-law of Provost Dan McAlexander, passed away April 15. Memorial contributions can be made to either Save the Children or Bread for the World, two of Eunice’s dearest charities. Please keep the family in your thoughts and prayers.
Mildred Louise Harper, mother of retired Belmont staff member Donna Campbell and mother-in-law of retired Belmont faculty member Stephen Campbell (Mathematics and Computer Science), passed away Tuesday morning. Please keep the Campbell and Harper families in your thoughts and prayers.

BIRTHDAYS

If you notice an incorrect or missing birthday, please e-mail the update to communication@mail.belmont.edu.
April 24
Michelle Campanis, Landscaping
Laura Prentice, Safety Programs
April 25
Colette Keyser, Athletics
April 26
Dan Landes, Music
Deborah Nunn Baruzzini, Human Resources
Debra Wollaber, Nursing
April 29
Devon Boan, Honors
April 30
Rick Byrd, Athletics
Matt Reno, Bookstore
Michael Simpson, Campus Security
May 1
Jennie Carter Thomas, Business
May 2
Noel Boyle, Philosophy
May 3
Jane Shelby, Nursing

SPECIAL PROMOTIONS

Viva Victoria! Belmont Mansion Begins Victorian Garden Talks
Belmont Mansion is pleased to announce its inaugural Victorian garden talks to be held Thurs., May 7 from 6:30-9 p.m. in historic Belmont Mansion. Featured speakers will be the national award-winning landscape architect Ben Page, one of the foremost designers of residential and public spaces, and Troy Marden, nationally known lecturer, author, garden designer and television host (Volunteer Gardener). They will speak on Victorian garden design, plant selection and care, and garden design tips. Proceeds from the event will support the continued restoration of Belmont Mansion, one of the premier house museums in the United States. In addition to hearing noted guest speakers Ben Page and Troy Marden, each attendee reserving tickets in advance will receive a gift bag. A light Victorian-themed tea and self-guided tours of the Mansion will also be available. All-inclusive tickets are $20 per person. For more information, or to reserve your tickets, call 460-5459 or email wilsonkn@mail.belmont.edu.
Discounted Tickets to Always… Patsy Cline
The Ryman Auditorium is offering $20 tickets for Always… Patsy Cline during Belmont’s Commencement Week. Performances are Wed., May 13 (7:30 p.m.), Fri., May 15 (7:30 p.m.) and Sat., May 16 (2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.) at the Ryman Auditorium. The discount is good for anyone who has an affiliation with Belmont—students, parents, faculty or staff. The code for this offer is: APCBEL. To redeem the promotional code for tickets, please visit Ryman.com or call (615) 871-OPRY.
Special TPAC Discounts for the Belmont Community
The Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) is offering special discounts to Belmont students, faculty and staff for upcoming performances of “Happy Days: A New Musical” and “Bob the Builder Live: Spud’s Big Mess.”
Goodbye gray skies, hello blue! Happy days are here again with Richie, Potsie, Ralph Malph and the unforgettable “king of cool” Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli. Based on the hit television series, “Happy Days – A New Musical” reintroduces one of America’s best loved families, the Cunninghams, and the days of 1959 Milwaukee complete with varsity sweaters, hula hoops, and jukebox sock-hoppin’. Your special discounted performances of are Wed., May 6 at 7:30 p.m., Thurs., May 7 at 7:30 p.m. and Sun., May 10 at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Also, come see Bob the Builder and his team embark in a brand new adventure! “Spud’s Big Mess” features all of your favorite characters in a fun-packed show set in the heart of Sunflower Valley. Join Bob, Wendy, Scoop, Lofty, Dizzy, Scrambler and the rest of the gang in fantastic songs and an exciting adventure as they have to deal with Spud’s mischievous antics, as well as some monster surprises along the way! Your special discounted performances are Sat., May 16 at 5 p.m. and Sun., May 17 at 2 p.m.
How-To: To purchase discounted tickets for these productions, simply log on to www.tpac.org/corporatesaver and click on UNIVERSITY. Your password is belmont.