IMPORTANT NOTE: These are the archived stories for Belmont News & Achievements prior to June 26, 2023. To see current stories, click here.

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College of Business Administration Hosts Tenth Annual TSCPA Accounting Academy

2011 Accounting Academy.jpgForty-one high school students and rising college freshmen from across the state of Tennessee recently gathered at Belmont for the tenth annual Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants (TSCPA) Accounting Academy. Co-directed by Dr. Del DeVries, associate professor of accounting and information systems, and Dr. Beverly Alleyne, assistant professor of accounting, this free, four-day camp helps students explore careers in accounting and learn more about the dynamic world of business. This is the fifth consecutive year the program has been hosted at Belmont University.

During the program, students participated in multiple interactive team projects and visited several area businesses, including Deloitte & Touche, Ernst & Young, Lattimore Black Morgan & Cain, and the Tennessee Titans Practice Facility. Regarding the experience, one camper said, “Visiting the firms was so informative. I learned so many different things about accounting and also their personal stories. I am so very thankful that I was given that opportunity.” Another commented, “I am most excited about getting my degree in accounting. Also, I look forward to the many career opportunities I will have after college.”

Lovvorn Has Book Chapter Published

Adjunct English Instructor Jason Lovvorn recently published a book chapter titled “Theorizing Digital Storytelling: From Narrative Practice to Racial Counterstory.” The book published by Hampton Press, is called Narrative Acts: Rhetoric, Race and Identity, Knowledge.

Fire-Breathing Rabbit Highlights Entrepreneurial Spirit

What do a fire-breathing rabbit, 3-D advertising and a downtown, modern office have in common? Belmont bred entrepreneurs Jake Jorgovan (’11) and Kevin Fulda (former Belmont student) would argue it’s a recipe for success. Rabbit Hole Creative, their brain child, backs up that theory.
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Born in Jorgovan’s basement recording studio at the age of 15, Rabbit Hole, a name derived from Jorgovan’s interpretation of diving into the unknown, has undergone many changes in the few years it has been operating. From a pre-teen’s recording dream to a young adult’s multimedia design company, Rabbit Hole is making a name for itself.

A company unique to the music industry, Rabbit Hole takes creative multimedia design to a new level. It is not only an industry video company, but Rabbit Hole also specializes in tour design, logo development and specialized advertising.

Jorgovan recorded for Massey Performing Arts Center his sophomore year of college when he met Fulda, a lighting expert. The two were familiar with the Belmont environment and realized that if they would work together to record students’ senior recitals in high quality, then they could sell them for a decent amount of money. They decided to go for it, and the current version of Rabbit Hole was born.

Journalism Student Covers Presidental Twitter-Based Event

Belmont senior journalism major Kevin Heim covered the July 6 Twitter Town Hall as a reporter through his internship with the Scripps Howard Foundation Wire. Heim’s organization was offered a spot at the event for interns to gain experience. Moderated by Twitter co-founder and executive chairman Jack Dorsey, the Twitter Town Hall event was held at the White House and allowed President Barack Obama to answer questions posted on Twitter by people across the country.

Heim said, “I jumped at the opportunity to cover a groundbreaking event, and ended up right in the middle of the press area surrounded by reporters from CNN, ABC, FOX News and the Associated Press.

While at the debate Heim took more than 700 photos for the newswire as well as a recording for the story he was writing.
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Heim says Belmont played a major role in his ability to land an internship like this one. Belmont professors have given him both the knowledge and support to be prepared for such an internship, he said. “They have taught me so much in my three years and have given me the skills and confidence to go out and compete for internships with students from much larger journalism programs.”

He also went on to say that the most beneficial aspect of the experience was the confidence he acquired from covering a White House event, an attribute he believes will be quite attractive to editors looking for new hires.

“It’s not too often that someone comes out of college with experience covering Congress or the White House. It was a really amazing opportunity to get to attend the Twitter Town Hall. It’s really rare for an intern to get to cover something the President does… I’m pretty sure my grandparents died from excitement when they saw the photos,” Heim said.

Click here to read Heim’s coverage of the event. Photo courtsey of SHFWire Photos by Kevin Heim

Health Sciences Group Takes Mission Trip to Ghana

PT in Ghana.jpgA group of Belmont faculty, students and alumni from the College of Health Sciences & Nursing are in Ghana this summer for a pilot medical service trip they hope will blossom into an annual mission for the University.

“This is really more of a relationship-building and fact-finding trip,” said Physical Therapy Professor Renee Brown. “Our goal is for it to become an interdisciplinary and an annual trip.”

Physical Therapy Associate Professor Kathy Galloway, Assistant Provost for International Education and Study Away Maggie Monteverde and third-year physical therapy students Sarahann Callaway, Mollie Carver and Hannah Peck also are on the 10-day trip.

Alumni Help Soldiers Recover Spirituality

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Belmont University alumni Evan and Jenny Owens have created a nonprofit organization to help soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan renew their relationships with God.
Reboot Recovery began in the couple’s living room as a supplement to counseling and medical treatment that veterans. In February it relocated to Fort Campbell military base.
“They fight in a war oversees and come home and expect things to continue as normal, but then they are fighting a war in other battles. If you come from a spiritual perspective, then we are talking about Satan,” said Jenny, an occupational therapist in the military base’s traumatic brain injury clinic. “They feel like God is judging them, and they can’t fit into a traditional church congregation because of their experiences. It is amazing how God works and how Reboot Recovery has grown beyond what we envisioned for it.”
The class has blossomed into a 12-week group program for soldiers, their spouses and children to talk about symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and how to view them through a spiritual lens. Each session begins with a home-cooked meal and anecdotal story that leads to Evan’s lecture. They use the Bible and “The Combat Trauma Healing Manual: Christ-centered Solutions for Combat Trauma” by Chris Adsit as a workbook.

Pharmacy Student Begins Community Walking Club

Belmont athletes teach physical fitness, nutrition to neighbors

Since beginning her morning walking routine, Edgehill Apartments resident Sandra Chandler has felt less arthritis aches in her knees.

Thanks to a Belmont University pharmacy student’s mission project, she also has learned to drink a gallon of water daily, eat six small meals a day, cook with whole wheat flour and fill half of her plate with fruits and vegetables.
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Fourth-year pharmacy student Adam Culbertson laid the trail for the Edgehill Rose Park Walking Club, a group of neighbors, civic leaders and Belmont University athletes who walk from 7 to 9 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. He began the walking club in July to fulfill the mission portion of required rotations for Belmont pharmacy students and is relying on University athletes and civic leaders to continue the program.

“My goal was to go into an underserved community and give them something that they could do themselves and is sustainable,” he said. “I talked with community leaders about their wants and needs, and (Family Resource Center Director) Brenda Morrow said, ‘Why not get them outside and create goals for the adults and get sports players from the school to teach kids basic skills?’”

Belmont Students, Alumnus Earn Spots in Super Group

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From right to center: KellyeAnn Rodgers, Ben Vredevelt and Jeston Cade are half of the super group.

Two Belmont commercial music students and an alumnus have won a reality contest to form part of a multi-genre singing group that has significant music business powerhouse support. Jeston Cade (’10) and juniors KellyeAnn Rodgers and Ben Vredevelt are half of a super group under the direction of music mogul Johnny Wright, who has managed the Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, Janet Jackson and Britney Spears, among dozens of other groups and solo artists.

Wright chose Cade, Rodger and Vredevelt to form his next super group through a web-reality show series sponsored by AT&T and AOL’s music platform, Cambio. Participants uploaded video auditions during the interactive talent search. Wright narrowed the pool to 20 contestants, who responded to weekly challenges by posting videos to illustrate their artistic prowess, business savvy and passion.

“I wouldn’t be where I am if it were not for coming to Belmont,” said Cade, who graduated in 2010 with a degree in commercial voice. He had been playing around Nashville while working at a restaurant and clothing retailer until earning a spot in Wright’s super group. “It got me in the right state of mind for my musicianship. I learned so much about myself just by being here at Belmont.”

The contestants were given flip phones to record their challenges, such as creating choreography. The collective submissions were edited into episodes broadcast on http://onthespot.cambio.com/. They also used Skype to interact with judges.

Alumna Named President of Altos Solutions

Belmont alumna Carla Wood was recently appointed to president of Altos Solutions, a web-based software company specializing in community-based oncology practices.
“Carla Wood brings to our company an impressive experience in both the oncology industry in general and in Altos Solutions specifically, “ said co-founder and CEO of Altos Solutions, John Willey II. “Her thorough knowledge of customer needs and the oncology industry are a perfect fit for leading Altos to greater product development and market share.”
Wood has had her share of contributions during her time at Altos. She assisted in establishing both the customer support and training departments, while working closely with the product development team. She pioneered the use of electronic medical record (EMR)-based alerts to provide on-label clinical information directly to the physician, as well as defined and managed the first certification of an oncology EMR.
“Throughout my tenure at Altos, I’ve seen the leading edge thinking and product development to which the company is committed,” Woods said. “I am looking forward to leading Altos Solutions in the ongoing enhancement of cancer care in the U.S.”
Wood received her first degree at Belmont in 1985, then continued on to the University of Memphis for her B.S. and M.S. in psychology. Although Wood stayed in Memphis and worked in oncology for 13 years she says she still considers Belmont her college home.

Pharmacy Faculty, Student Participate in AACP Annual Meeting

Eight of the Belmont University School of Pharmacy faculty and one student pharmacist recently traveled to San Antonio to participate in the 2011 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Annual Meeting, themed Bridges to Our Bright Future. At the event Shanna N. Harris was recognized as a Walmart pharmacy scholar, sponsored by Dr. Marilyn E. Thompson Odom. Belmont presented four posters, titled “Meeting Market Needs: Curricular Concentration Requirement to Broaden Student Career Prospects,” “Support Groups and Identity: Influence on Setting and Achieving Goals in Persons with Type 2 Diabetes,” “An On-Campus Community Pharmacy to Support Medication Safety Skills: Use of a Unique Educational Resource” and “Development and Implementation of a Collaborative Interprofessional Learning Program.” In addition, three Belmont faculty served as delegates, or alternate delegate, in the AACP House of Delegates, and Dr. Andrew Webster, chair of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Belmont, served as academic section officer and chair-elect of the section on chemistry. Faculty who were meeting participants, presenters, delegates, or alternate delegate included Drs. Cathy Ficzere, Angela Hagan, Condit Steil, Hope Campbell, Ken Reed and Phil Johnston.