Belmont alumna Whitney Joy, Master of Science in Occupational Therapy class of 2018, co-presented at the Tennessee Occupational Therapy Association (TNOTA) Virtual Conference on Wednesday, August 26.
Joy’s workshop was titled Strategies for OT Practitioners to Elevate Cultural Humility & Cultural Responsiveness.
The Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business virtually presented an event in celebration of the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage titled “DEBATE 2020: Hardship to Hard Work: The Role of Women and the State of Tennessee in Passing the 19th Amendment.” The event was led by Laura Franklin, a Tennessee State Parks ranger who works with interpretive programs and the Education Team. Franklin played a role in the historic reenactment of the house vote in Tennessee for the 19th Amendment at the Tennessee State Capitol on August 18.
“Words matter, and they matter especially in situations like this,” said Franklin, recounting women’s role in the ratification of the 19th Amendment. She emphasized that women were not given the right to vote, rather they fought hard for it during the suffrage movement for more than 70 years. Numerous suffrage leaders paved the way for women and men to participate in the movement. The passing of the 19th Amendment was a hard-fought battle. As states across the West began to ratify, followed by votes from states in the Northeast, the battle heightened and came down to the southern states to make the decisive vote, specifically the state of Tennessee. Known as “The Perfect 36,” Tennessee was the final state needed to ratify the bill.
During CEMB’s virtual event, Franklin shared vivid stories of suffrage leaders and pivotal voters who ultimately led to the success of the ratification’s passing. She described the “War of Roses” where suffrage supporters wore yellow roses, anti-suffrage supporters wore red roses and women from both groups lobbied in efforts to get legislators who wore these roses to switch from yellow to red or red to yellow. Many voters went back and forth on their vote, but the final vote came down to one young legislator, Harry T. Burn, who voted to pass the bill at the urging of a letter from his mother.
“One single vote: it changes the absolute history of our country and enfranchises women all across the U.S.,” said Franklin. But that is not the end of the battle. Inspired by the historic women who went against the flow and stood up for their rights, Franklin also shared modern day stories of women and men who continue to fight for equal rights for all.
“Become an informed citizen, be active and have a voice in your community,” said Franklin. “Each and every person’s voice is very important.” She encouraged students to recognize the power of what privilege they have and to utilize that power in a way that lifts people up and encourages others. She challenged everyone to continue to work farther and farther towards equal rights and social justice and equality for all people.
This event was part of the “Ideas of America” programming surrounding the third and final Presidential Debate to be held on Belmont’s campus on October 22. Find a complete list of Debate programming on the Events Page at belmontdebate2020.com.
Jennifer Duck, Emmy-award winning producer and instructor of Journalism/Cinema, Television & Media at Belmont, has been nominated for her third Emmy in the 41st Annual News & Documentary Emmy® Awards in the Outstanding Live Interview category. Duck considers producing the piece, “AC360 CNN Anderson Cooper Interviews Facebook’s Monika Bickert,” one of her most memorable productions because of her passion for combatting online misinformation, understanding media ethics and enforcing accountability on social media. Now as full-time faculty at Belmont, Duck shares this passion by teaching students about the prevalence of misinformation online and the importance of critically evaluating what they read online.
“What makes this Emmy nomination so newsworthy is the timing and the impact,” said Duck. “It highlights a controversy that affects every one of us. We are in a communication crisis due in large part to social media. Doctored videos, memes, tweets and Facebook posts full of misinformation are flooding our social media feeds. We have to understand fact versus fiction before clicking ‘share,’ ‘repost’ or ‘retweet.’”
During the 2016 presidential election, Duck was producing for CNN and teaching as an adjunct instructor at Belmont. During this time, she began understanding social media misinformation more deeply through an assignment for her class just before the 2016 election. She created an exercise that required students to find and debunk misinformation on both sides of the political aisle. It was when she was scrolling through screenshots of misinformation gathered from 30+ students from every political viewpoint that she realized how widespread the issue had truly become. “It literally impacted every single student, regardless of their views and beliefs.”
Duck noted that the interview with Facebook was a hard-hitting interview, and it led to a lot of changes and big conversations about the topic of misinformation online. That interview aired more than a year ago, and since then, social media companies have been paying more attention to misinformation online. However, it is still an uphill battle she is determined to continue to fight through her own study and through teaching students to be aware and to be critical of the information they read and share.
“As citizens, we have to be aware of what we are reading. Just as we learn literacy at a young age, we need to start teaching digital literacy for all ages,” Duck explained. “Digital literacy and education are vital to solving this misinformation pandemic. As I tell my students, if something sounds off, double source it as journalists do. Pause before posting. Read deeper and engage that healthy skepticism. Don’t spread false information from sources that aren’t reputable. Be part of the solution and not part of the problem.”
The 41st Annual News & Documentary Emmy® Awards will be presented virtually on Sept. 21 and 22.
Associate Professor of Management and President of the Faculty Senate Dr. Amy Crook recently published a teaching article to the front page of Inside Higher Education.
The article, written in collaboration with Travis W. Crook, “6 Tips for Teaching Online and In-Person Simultaneously,” outlines strategies to promote meaningful engagement for online students while at the same time providing a rich face-to-face learning environment. Crook discusses unique tools such as end-of-class discussions, polling and live searches to engage students virtually. She thoroughly walks through multiple approaches to help better engage students in the midst of an unexpected learning environment.
Crook has multiple published works, some of which have won various awards.
Each year, the Tennessee Society of CPA’s chooses the top senior accounting student in each state to award a scholarship. This year, Belmont student Lucia Clendenin was the recipient of this prestigious scholarship for the state of Tennessee. A senior accounting major with a music business minor, Clendenin plans to graduate this December.
Clendenin thanked her two professors, Associate Professor of Finance Dr. John Gonas and Associate Professor of Accounting Dr. Delwyn DeVries, for writing her letters of recommendation as she applied for this scholarship. Clendenin said that receiving this scholarship gives her the opportunity to focus more on her academics rather than the cost of school. “It also feels great for my work in and out of the classroom to be recognized by such a great organization,” she added.
With the help of this scholarship, Clendenin plans to continue learning and receive her master’s in accounting post-graduation this December. Currently, she has accepted an audit internship with Crowe, a public accounting firm in New York City, New York.
In light of Nashville and Belmont University hosting the Oct. 22, 2020 presidential debate, TEDxNashville is partnering with the University to present an evening of talks to explore the privilege of the vote, the process of democracy, and what it really means to be “We the People.” Scheduled to stream live from 7-9 p.m. Central on Thursday, September 17, the event will feature six speakers representing diverse perspectives and topics. The event is presented by Belmont University’s Executive Learning Network, a group of more than 325 business executives who seek to learn from one another and industry experts.
Belmont’s Director of External Relations and Executive Learning Networks Jill Robinson said the group is proud to sponsor the TEDxNashville “We The People” event in September. “TEDxNashville’s ‘ideas worth spreading’ tagline aligns with the mission of our executive leadership group – learning alongside each other to spur on new ideas that move our organizations forward,” she said. “These dedicated executives set aside time each month to learn from each other and national level speakers for personal growth and growth of their companies. We’re excited about participating in ‘We The People’ and helping bring this program to the greater Belmont and Nashville community.”
Executive Director at TEDxNashville Kaleigh Imbriale said, “Just as Belmont’s Executive Learning Network brings together Nashville’s thought leaders, movers and shakers, and innovators, TEDxNashville’s audience also has that same fire and passion for learning and expanding their minds. For us, it’s a natural fit that we should come together and partner with our area universities, and we are thrilled that the Presidential Debate has given us the opportunity to join forces with Belmont University for a special TEDxNashville event, centered around the theme of democracy.”
Broadcast live from Belmont’s Massey Performing Arts Center, TEDxNashville’s “We the People” is one of a number of programs being offered as part of Belmont’s “Ideas of America” debate programming. Belmont students, faculty and staff will be provided free streaming access to the event, and community members may purchase a $10 ticket via EventBrite to virtually attend with all proceeds supporting TEDxNashville (a 501(c)3 organization).
The “We the People” event promises to dig into topics including civil engagement in a time of divisiveness, using our differences as our strengths, the impact of a new era of media and more. Featured speakers and topics to include the following, among others:
For a full list of speakers and more information about the event, visit tedxnashville.com.
Due to the impact of COVID-19 on public gatherings, Belmont pivoted its planned Debate 2020 campus-wide programming to create virtual events, many of which can be enjoyed by both students and the community at large. Details on all events can be found on the Events page of BelmontDebate2020.com.
About TEDxNashville
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDxNashville is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDxNashville event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDxNashville program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.
With fall classes underway and the 2020 election coming up in just over two months, Belmont University announced today a robust slate of events and programming in support of its role as the host site of the third and final presidential debate, to be held on Oct. 22 in the campus’ Curb Event Center. Under the overarching theme “The Ideas of America,” Belmont will provide a variety of opportunities for students, faculty, staff—and the community at large—to engage in informed dialogue on issues surrounding the election and to enjoy artistic interpretations of themes related to the presidential debate.
Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher said, “U2’s lead singer Bono, a native of Ireland, once said that ‘America is an idea… one of the greatest ideas in human history.’ We agree, and we want to lean into that notion by exploring many of the ideas at the heart of the American story: our history, democracy, the vote, the rights and responsibilities of citizens and more. Ultimately, our goal is to create events and programs that celebrate the American spirit and recognize what makes this great nation so unique.”
Due to the impact of COVID-19 on public gatherings, Belmont has created virtual events, many of which can be enjoyed by both students and the community at large. Events kicked off Aug. 18 as more than 1,400 students, faculty and staff participated virtually and on campus (in socially-distanced locations) in the city-wide “Ring the Bell” campaign, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment and the grand opening of the Nashville Public Library’s “Votes for Women” room. The University’s Bell Tower carillon rang 100 times at noon followed by a short concert from Belmont Master Carillonneur Dr. Richard Shadinger.
The emphasis on voting will be a common theme among the wide array of Debate-related events that are being scheduled. Below is a brief overview of a few upcoming highlights in the Debate 2020 Programming Series—additional details on these and other programs, including how to access them remotely, can be found on the Events page of BelmontDebate2020.com:
Now Thru Dec. 11: The Unity Flag Project
In the summer of 2020, creatives from all over the U.S. were invited by faculty in Belmont’s Watkins College of Art to create a Unity Flag in order to promote empathy for bipartisanship in a time of political unrest. Though on display in the University’s Leu Center for the Visual Arts, COVID-19 guidelines currently result in limited in-person access to this poignant exhibit. However, all of the flags, along with each artist’s statement, will soon be available for viewing online, and a virtual panel discussion with project founder, Belmont Assistant Professor of Art Dr. Meaghan Brady Nelson, and several participating artists is being planned for October.
Sept. 17: TEDxNashville “We the People” Presented by Belmont’s Executive Learning Network
TEDxNashville will host a collection of talks on Belmont’s campus that will be streamed—$10 tickets are available on Eventbrite. Join us virtually as we dig into topics including civil engagement in a time of divisiveness, using our differences as our strengths, the impact of a new era of media and more in this historic TEDx event.
Sept. 22: Rock the Vote at Belmont University: Nashville’s Colleges Celebrate Democracy
In collaboration with Rock the Vote, Belmont’s Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business is hosting a virtual event featuring performances from Belmont and other area universities, along with voter registration information and promotion.
Sept. 23: Culture Care with Renowned Painter Makoto Fujimura
Culture Care is an alternative to the “culture wars” that have characterized politics in recent decades. It is a philosophy born of Makoto Fujimura’s art and Christian faith that offers the creation and conservation of beauty as an antidote to cultural and political brokenness. Fujimura was a presidential appointee to the National Council on the Arts from 2003-2009, and two of his books, Refractions and Culture Care, were written during that time. He is one of the premier living abstract painters, and his works have been exhibited on four continents.
Sept. 24: White House Style—A Four-Part Series
Sponsored by Belmont’s O’More College of Architecture and Design and led by Nashville-based creative consultant Libby Callaway, a four-week program on White House Style will launch next month. The series not only explores the wardrobes of modern inhabitants of the White House, but examines how a broader sense of personal style has elevated the images of the 53 couples who have lived there over the last 289 years. In addition to the opening session with the White House Historical Association’s Lina Mann, additional programs will cover White House interior design, the White House kitchen and First Couple fashion.
Sept. 24: “The Role of Social Media in a (Mis)informed Electorate” with John M. Seigenthaler
Sponsored by Belmont’s College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, John M. Seigenthaler, former weekend anchor and correspondent for NBC and MSNBC and current partner of Nashville-based PR firm DVL Seigenthaler, will provide insight into how social media impacts political views.
Sept. 28-Oct. 2: Humanities Symposium “A More Perfect Union: Dialogue and Democracy”
Conversation is essential to community and citizenship, and dialogue is essential to democracy. How can we return to conversation and dialogue as the crucial foundation for the responsible actions of citizenship? Belmont’s 19th annual Humanities Symposium, sponsored by the School of Humanities in the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, will consider how conversation impacts voting enfranchisement, racial reconciliation and healing political divisions through engaging these topics from a multidisciplinary perspective.
Sept. 30: Lee C. Camp on “Politics and Christianity”
Lee C. Camp’s Scandalous Witness: A Little Political Manifesto for Christians makes the case that a renewed Christian politics is more essential than ever, one that is “neither left nor right nor religious,” but a prophetic way of life modeled after Jesus of Nazareth. Christian identity is in moral and political crisis, scandalized by the many ways in which it has been co-opted and misrepresented.
Oct. 21: Habitat for Humanity: A Home for Everyone
Jonathan Reckford has served as the CEO of Habitat for Humanity International since 2005, leading global nonprofit’s growth from serving 125,000 individuals a year to helping more than 7 million people last year alone. Reckford, who was deeply influenced by his parents who were active in the Civil Rights movement and by his grandmother U.S. Congresswoman Millicent Fenwick, seeks to follow in their footsteps by leading Habitat’s efforts to help create a world where everyone has a decent place to live.
Oct. 27: Integrity in Journalism During an Election Year
Belmont’s Kennedy Center for Business Ethics welcomes NPR National President and CEO John Lansing for a conversation about integrity in journalism.
Beyond individual programs, the presidential debate will also be embedded as a topic of conversation in many Belmont classrooms this fall. In fact, three new courses were specifically designed by faculty as a result of the University’s position as a site host:
Public Relations in Action: Students will consider the debate through PR’s four-step process of research, planning, implementation and evaluation including some study of media messages mentioning Belmont University in connection with the final presidential debate of the 2020 election cycle.
Media, Democracy and the Public Sphere: Through the lenses of history and media, students will understand the intersectional roles of the press, U.S. democracy, civic life and the public sphere.
The Watergate Scandal and All the President’s Men: Journalism and entertainment media as a vehicle for justice will be studied in the context of the Woodward and Bernstein articles for The Washington Post, their Pulitzer Prize-winning book All the President’s Men, and the film by the same name.
For more information on Belmont’s hosting of the Oct. 22, 2020 Presidential Debate, visit BelmontDebate2020.com.
Senior public health major Akia Thompson is a recipient of BlueCross BlueShield’s 2020 Power of We Scholarship. The scholarship is funded by BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Foundation and grants $10,000 to its recipients each year.
The organization awards minority students pursuing degrees in health care in order to “reduce health care disparities by improving workforce diversity.” This year, the organization decided to double the number of recipients from 3 to 6, Thompson being one of them.
Thompson first developed her goals for post-graduation through an internship at Meharry Medical College in Nashville. “Shadowing health professionals in multiple roles was so educational, and now I’m pursuing a career as a family nurse practitioner,” she said. “I like that I’ll get to spend time with patients, get to know them and deliver hands-on, holistic care.”
As she continues to pursue her career, Thompson also is actively involved around Belmont’s campus. She holds a leadership position in her sorority to promote women’s health and wellness where she is in the midst of launching a fundraiser for women, children and health care workers. Thompson additionally leads dance and Zumba classes in order to promote a healthy lifestyle.
The BlueCross Power of We Scholarship is Thompson’s first step towards her dream of opening her own clinic in an underserved area. “I want to be an agent of change,” she said, adding that she knows the Belmont public health program will challenge her to become a better nurse to reach this goal.
Due to CDC guidelines, the annual event to celebrate the scholarship recipients was canceled, but in addition to her scholarship, Thompson received a gift package for the school year including a MacBook, Airpods and a Fitbit. Read the full article on BlueCross BlueShield’s website.
Belmont Adjunct English Professor Christine Doeg recently produced a new documentary about the American voter that just launched nationwide on various platforms. The documentary, “One Vote,” “bears hopeful witness to the humanity and rich diversity of American voters, and to the unsung stories that comprise our exercise of democracy.”
Filmed entirely on Election Day of 2016, the documentary was filmed in five locations with the intention of sharing the importance of voting in November’s presidential election. The Chicago Tribune’s Michael Phillips reviewed the documentary as one that “gives every imminent 2020 voter a lot to absorb and to admire and does so with tact and concision.”
The cast includes “a charismatic owner of the last tavern polling place in the US, an Alaskan family that travels miles of snow-covered roads by dogsled to reach their polling place, an iconic American investor who devotes his Election Day to transporting voters in Omaha needing a ride to vote, a gospel-singing physician who heals and empowers disenfranchised citizens in rural South Carolina and a former felon, casting an emotional vote in Kentucky for the first time since his right to vote was restored.”
The release of “One Vote” champions Americans to take action and vote this year as well as addresses the need for safe access to voting in minority communities. One character, Warren Buffett, gives a new and diverse perspective on voting in America that causes the viewer to rethink their experience in voting.
Doeg’s film, “One Vote,” launched on August 8 of this year and is available for streaming on iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, and Google Play. More information about the documentary can be found here.
Panelists from Nashville’s music industry shared their career journeys during the second webinar in a series of conversations about Black experiences and participation in the music industry, moderated by Associate Dean and Associate Professor in Belmont’s Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business Dr. Cheryl Carr.
The event focused on Black Women Voices of Influence in Nashville’s Music Industry, exploring working in the music industry as a Black woman, recognizing that each woman’s story is different and unique to her. Panelists shared their career journeys, from seizing opportunities to overcoming challenges that have led them to influence and impact the music industry in powerfully distinctive ways. The series is a partnership between the National Museum of African American Music and the Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville.
Panelists included Monica Coates, co-executive director, vice president and A&R/Creative at Motown Gospel, Ritz McCain, director of global streaming at Universal Music, Capitol CMG, and entrepreneurs Thalia “Muziqueen” Ewing and Jamila McCarley, partners and founders of Nashville is Not Just Country Music.
