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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CLASS, Curb College Host Grammy Winners John Carter Cash, Sarah Peasall McGuffey

Julia Couch
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CLASS, Curb College Host Grammy Winners John Carter Cash, Sarah Peasall McGuffey

Through cross-discipline collaboration, Belmont’s College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences with the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business welcomed John Carter Cash, Ana Cristina Cash and Sarah Peasall McGuffey for a panel moderated by Lacey Lamberth, Belmont alumna and adjunct English professor, on Friday, Feb. 24. The three artists discussed authentic songwriting and their respective creative processes. Students were able to ask questions following an intimate acoustic performance.  

  • John Carter Cash—son of the late Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash—is a prolific songwriter, author, record and film producer, and recipient of five Grammy Awards.  
  • His wife, Ana Cristina Cash, is a Cuban American singer-songwriter who holds a master’s degree in creative writing from Harvard University. In 2005, she sang the “Star Spangled Banner” for the 2005 presidential inauguration, the first Hispanic in history to do so.  
  • Sarah Peasall McGuffey, longtime friend of John Carter Cash is an award-winning singer-songwriter who earned a Grammy for her music on the “O Brother Where Art Thou” soundtrack, which won album of the year in 2002. She owns McGuffey Music Publishing. 
Sarah Peasall McGuffey

Sarah recalls meeting John Carter when she was 12 years old, and the two began working together three years later at Cash Cabin Studios. He recalls Sarah as the background vocalist he has worked with most throughout his career and produced her first album “Home to You,” which he said was one of the first professional albums he produced.  

John Carter talked at length about his roots, specifically the Carter Family and the influence they had on country music. By 1939, the Carter Family was broadcasting over 500,000-watt radio stations—the most powerful in the world. While people at the time had records, radio brought country music to the world.  

The relative of country music greats, John Carter shared that while he knew his family’s music, he did not fully connect with it until later in life. He describes discovering the Carter Family’s music as life-changing, which led him to produce the tribute album “The Unbroken Circle” in 2006 with the likes of Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, George Jones, Emmylou Harris, John Prine, Rosanne Cash and more. “The Carter Family became something different to me. It wasn’t just my family’s music anymore; they became my favorite band.”  

The three panelists shared wisdom that propelled their careers beyond songwriting and creating music. John Carter has found inspiration from his father Johnny Cash and said fans connected with Johnny’s music because of his spirit of honesty and willingness to expose himself. Cash’s authenticity and vulnerability allowed more people to find themselves within the songs.  

Ana Cristina Cash

Sarah added that artists need to develop the skill of “cultivating your soul, learning who you are and learning how to listen to others. As we become authors, writers, creatives, etc., it’s important to cultivate who we are on a ground level and understand the value and worth of every other person. With that, you’ll be able to connect on a human-to-human level, regardless of similarities or differences, which in turn will make you a better writer.”  

Finally, Ana Cristiana urged students to be lifelong learners, even after their formal studies conclude. “Writing has made me very aware of the world around me, which has helped me become a better songwriter. The more knowledge you can soak in, the better it will be for your artistry.”  

The three ended their time with a short writers’ round-style performance. Sarah Peasall McGuffey performed “Traveled,” John Carter Cash performed “Dragon Song,” and Ana Cristiana Cash performed “Move Along Baby,” before ending with a group performance of the Carter Family’s “Keep on the Sunny Side.”   

Belmont Partners with Bangalore Baptist to Save Lives at Birth in India

Haley Charlton
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Belmont Partners with Bangalore Baptist to Save Lives at Birth in India

Hope abounds as Belmont University collaborates with global partners at Bangalore Baptist Hospital to save lives at birth in India. Funded by a $40,000 grant from the Laerdal Foundation, the program will engage nursing students enrolled in nursing schools throughout India.

This project aims to provide novel culturally responsive curricula incorporating best practices in labor and delivery, newborn assessment, essential newborn care and life saving measures.

The World Health Organization identified India as having the poorest inequity score for newborn health interventions among all countries in the Southeast Asia Region. While infant mortality has improved in India over the last two decades, it still leads the world in the number of newborn deaths each year. According to the United Nations Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, India also has the highest rate of stillbirths with 32.2 stillbirths per 1000 total births per year, 23 times higher than the country with the lowest stillbirth rate in the world. 

students using a simulation
Students in India using the simulation portion of the project with the “helping babies breathe” curriculum.

Project investigators from Belmont University and Bangalore Baptist Hospital’s Institute of Nursing will design, implement and research innovative teaching and learning strategies in simulation, mobile health, virtual reality simulation and e-learning to combat this health disparity. Belmont and Bangalore Baptist Hospital will also partner with INACSL’s first Regional Interest Group in India to analyze outcomes from the project

This project exemplifies Belmont’s Aspirational Aims to equip people to solve the world’s complex problems through teaching, research and service; and to be radical champions for helping people and communities flourish.

Edward C. Kennedy Center for Business Ethics’ Belmont Team wins first place at Templeton-Stetson University Ethics Case Competition

Jasmine Simmons
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Edward C. Kennedy Center for Business Ethics’ Belmont Team wins first place at Templeton-Stetson University Ethics Case Competition

Seven students represented the Edward C. Kennedy Center for Business Ethics at the Templeton Business Ethics Case Competition at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, Feb. 16-17.  

The Belmont team, made up of students Tessa Chew, Anna Olivier, Katie Beth Raines, Morgan Brady, Colson Kelly, Kyleigh Jehlicka and Kennedy Brady, won first place in the national competition among several notable universities including the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Penn State and Georgetown University.  

Chew is a Music Business major who will graduate in May. “It is an honor to be part of the winning team for this competition,” she said. “This case gave me an opportunity to apply all that I’ve learned in college in a real-life situation. It transformed the knowledge I have attained into something tangible.” 

Students representing the Belmont team stand on steps at Templeton Business Ethics Case Competition at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, Feb. 16-17, 2023.   

The competition invites undergraduate students from institutions across the nation to compete, giving them an opportunity to sharpen their analytical thinking, critical thinking and presentation skills as they develop an executive summary of their analysis of a specified case. 

“These students showcased impressive professionalism during practice sessions and their preparedness allowed them to not only compete — but win against notable competition,” Dean of the Massey College of Business Dr. Sarah Fisher Gardial said. “Winning at this level shows that Belmont students are honing valuable skills that will make them stand out among employee candidate pools and lead to success in the professional world.” 

This year’s case surrounded recent data detailing the increasing occurrences of workplace relationships. The Belmont team was required to research, develop, and present a Workplace Romance Policy to a hypothetical $3B corporation CEO. The development of the policy included analyzing the financial, legal, and ethical dimensions of the company while respecting employees’ confidentiality and privacy. 

In the weeks leading up to the competition, the Belmont team spent upwards of 85 hours preparing. Faculty from Massey College of Business, members of the Kennedy Center Advisory Board and team members from previous years supported the team by serving as practice judges. Belmont Business faculty Dr. Barry Padgett and Tony Saunders were co-advisors and Kennedy Center Director Boyd Smith served as the coach. 

“I could not be prouder of them as individuals and as a team,” Smith said. “They were fabulous ambassadors for Belmont on a high-profile stage.” 

This is the sixth year the Edward C. Kennedy Center for Business Ethics team has participated. Other notable universities in the competition included Emory University, University of Calgary, Florida State, University of Florida, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Florida Gulf Coast University, Elon University and Campbell University, among others. 

Alumnus Jake Wesley Rogers Shares Storytelling, Music Industry Insight with Students

Haley Charlton
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Alumnus Jake Wesley Rogers Shares Storytelling, Music Industry Insight with Students

Fresh off performing on tour as the opening act for Panic! at the Disco and preparing to headline his own tour this spring, Belmont alumnus Jake Wesley Rogers (’18) returned to campus on Feb. 22 to talk with current students about his take on storytelling through art and music and share other insights on navigating the music industry.  

Telling stories, both singular and universal, can be a tricky line to walk – even for the most esteemed of artists. The major takeaway from the fully attended Q&A event in the Johnson Large Theater was that Rogers advocates for authenticity “above all else.”  

For Rogers, whose bold music is queer storytelling refracted through a universal lens, it is easier for others to connect the more niche and specific the story is. “I feel hollow when I try to make something relatable to everyone,” he said. “Be authentic to your feelings, your experience, your story.”  

Rogers talks to a full room of students

Rogers told the students about his journey from student to signed recording artist, a move he credits to creating authentic art and finding a manager that believed in him. He advised the students who are artists and creators to find those people who believe in them and to play live as much as possible because they’ll never know who might be there.  

“We were a little clueless, but we fought for it and believed in it so hard. The best things that happened to me were because I allowed myself to be who I was, to be different. People respond to that,” he said.  

“There is a level of mystery to how it will all come together – it could happen when you’re opening for someone else at The Basement like it did for me. But every good thing that has happened was because of a live performance where I embraced my uniqueness.”  

Rogers said going to Belmont helped him navigate the industry by helping him connect with the right people – forming his band and finding a manager. He also enjoyed the chance to learn alongside learning the music industry, and to do so with others on a similar journey.  

“My last day of class at Belmont, we all went around and said what we had learned during our time here. One girl admitted that she had a hard time for the first couple years and was so scared and didn’t even pick up her guitar. Everyone else then admitted they also had a hard time while being intimidated at first,” Rogers said. “Please, don’t wait until the last day of Belmont to talk about how weird and hard it is to be an artist. Just be open and vulnerable with it, and we can support each other in that.” 

These days, Rogers just tries to focus on making good work. He talked about a Patti Smith quote that says if you do that—if you do good work—and keep your name clean, your name becomes its own currency. “And I believe that. Consistency matters. I stay zoomed in on doing good work and putting trust in letting it lead me to the next thing.” 

View details about Rogers’ tour on his website. View more photos from event in this gallery.

Belmont To Celebrate Women’s History Month 2023

Mairi Collins
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Belmont To Celebrate Women’s History Month 2023

Belmont will kick off Women’s History Month on March 1 celebrating events centered on “Celebrating the Women Who Tell Our Stories,” as part of the larger theme. The month-long celebration will feature events for students, faculty and staff to consider how women have inspired, shaped and directed storytelling in diverse forms throughout history.   

“It is always such a joy to bring together events from across campus to celebrate Women’s History month at Belmont,” said Heather Daugherty, University Minister and Women’s History Month co-chair. “This year’s international theme, ‘Celebrating the Women Who Tell Our Stories’ is perfect for Belmont as we focus on storytelling. I am incredibly excited about our ‘Celebrating Storytellers’ panel that will kick off the month on March 1. Moderated by Ileia Hook, our panel of storytellers (Victoria Banks, Sybril Brown, Bonnie Smith Whitehouse and Angela Yoon) from across the campus and in various disciplines will inspire our students to dream about how they can become those who share the stories of others for the flourishing of all people no matter their major or interest.  I hope that it reminds each of us that we have a story worth telling and can find purpose and meaning in sharing the stories of others.” 

In addition to Daugherty, Women’s History Month is co-chaired by Susan Finch, Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Associate Professor of English. View schedule highlights below, and check BruinLink for more.

  • “Celebrating the Women Who Tell Our Stories” | Wednesday, March 1 at 10 a.m. in the Gabhart Chapel
    • This year’s Women’s History Month theme is “Celebrating Women who Tell Our Stories.” Join us for a panel of Belmont’s own storytellers who will tell us about their journey to where they are today and their passion for telling the stories of others to make a difference in the world.
  • Watkins College of Art Alumni Talk: Claire Gurley | Wednesday, March 1 at 10 a.m. at Lou Center for the Visual Arts, Room 120 
    • Alumni Claire Gurley speaks about the project she completed with funding provided by the Walter and Sarah Knestrick Award. 
        
  • Making Memories: Exploring Belmont University’s Historic Scrapbook Collection | Monday, March 13 at 10 a.m. in Bunch Library Room 300  
    • Belmont University is home to dozens of scrapbooks ranging from the 1890s to the present day that document undergrad life on campus. Thumbing through a scrapbook is like traveling through time to experience a bit of what life was like for its maker.  The books are an important form of self-expression that allowed the maker, often women, to manifest the world around them through what they decided to document.  Belmont University’s Special Collections is beginning the process of digitizing this collection.  Please come and learn about the importance of scrapbooks and Belmont University’s collection as we undertake this new project.  There will also be an opportunity to help create a new scrapbook to document life on Belmont’s campus today.   
  • “Read In” Celebrating Women’s Storytellers, moderated by Dr. Caresse John and Mae McAninch | Friday, March 17 at 10 a.m. in Ayers 1034 
    • For centuries, women’s voices and stories have been excluded, lost or never heard at all, and yet still they persisted. Join us for a read-in for Women’s History Month, during which faculty and students will read from their favorite works created by women authors. Attendees are invited to share (reading time 2 minutes or less for the first round) or to simply listen to a sampling of the wonderful contribution women poets, novelists, essayists and memoirists have made to the human story. 
  • “Exploring Black Hair Through Abstraction” Lecture and Exhibit from Ashante Kindle | Monday, March 20 at 5 p.m. in Leu Center for the Visual Arts
    • During this lecture, guests will hear from artist Astanté Kindle who will share her personal hair story and how it has inspired her practice. She will also speak to her artistic career and her current solo exhibition of work in the Leu Art Gallery – “Convergence: A Personal Investigation of Color, Texture and Identity.” The session will be moderated by Watkins College of Art assistant professor of painting Mandy Rogers Horton. 
  • “The Reinvention of the Romantic Comedy”, lecture by Dr. Margaret Tully, Communications Studies | Friday, March 24 at 10 a.m. in Ayers 1034 
    • Despite their reputation as “chick flicks,” romantic comedies have a long history of centering around toxic relationships, shallow women and cliched storytelling. Countless critics have labeled the genre “dead” since the early 1990s. However, rom-coms have shifted dramatically in the era of Peak TV. This presentation examines how women are redefining the genre, largely through utilizing television to tell lengthier, messier and more realistic stories about love.  Ultimately, this talk will analyze the future of the genre and how we can create more fulfilling stories for women.  
  • Take Back the Night | Thursday, March 30 at 6:30 p.m. in Gabhart Chapel  
    • Take Back the Night is a powerful event that seeks to raise awareness about violence against students and to provide easily accessible resources for violence prevention and student safety. Together we can break the silence and give each other a voice. The event will begin on Thursday, March 30 at 6:30 p.m. with a special chapel service in Gabhart Chapel and will continue with a march around campus, ending at the Bell Tower for a candlelight vigil and a time of support and sharing. 

Belmont College of Music and Performing Arts Celebrates 50 Years of Jazz at Belmont Feb. 24-25

Haley Charlton
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Belmont College of Music and Performing Arts Celebrates 50 Years of Jazz at Belmont Feb. 24-25

Fifty years ago, Belmont’s Jazz Band I got its start. As Belmont’s reputation for excellence in music education has grown the past fifty years, the vibrant jazz community on campus has grown as well. Today, Belmont boasts multiple jazz ensembles, dedicated professional jazz faculty and a plethora of successful jazz musician alumni. 

In honor of the 50th Anniversary of Jazz Band I, Belmont University’s College of Music and Performing Arts hosts “50 Years of Jazz” Feb. 24 – 25, featuring incredible performances from jazz alumni, students, faculty and leading jazz artist and saxophone legend Chris Potter. The weekend will also feature a masterclass with Potter on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 10 a.m.

Members from every corner of the Belmont Jazz community will contribute to the weekend’s performances in the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts:

  • Returning jazz alumni perform Friday, Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m. 
  • Local high school jazz students perform jazz standards and receive feedback from School of Music faculty adjudicators Saturday afternoon, Feb. 25. 
  • The highlight of the weekend will be “A Night of Jazz with Chris Potter,” playing alongside current student ensembles Jazz Band I, Jazzmin and Jazz Small Group I Saturday, Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. 

Additionally, School of Music faculty will host an after-hours jazz experience at Rudy’s Jazz Room on Friday, Feb. 24, at 11 p.m. (This event is 21+).

All are invited to spend the weekend celebrating jazz on Belmont’s campus by enjoying music, reunions, campus tours and opportunities to connect with other jazz lovers. Tickets and ticket packages are available on the 50 Years of Jazz website.

About Chris Potter:

A world-class soloist, accomplished composer and formidable bandleader, Grammy Award nominated saxophonist Chris Potter has emerged as a leading light of his generation. Potter’s music showcases limitless creativity and a vibrant sense of swing, prompting critics, musicians and fans alike to cite him as the one of the finest saxophonists today. The New Yorker calls Potter, ‘A tenorist who can remind you of Joe Henderson at his craftiest, he employs his considerable technique in the service of music rather than spectacle.’ With his 2019 Edition Records release, Circuits, Potter makes a return to groove, echoing music from his Underground era. Joined by keyboardist James Francies and drummer Eric Harland, Potter’s new music thrives on the band’s chemistry, blending a vibrant soundscape of electronics, melodies with unforgettable hooks and surprising turns of phrase, all played with relentless energy. To learn more about Potter, visit his website, chrispottermusic.com.

About the College of Music and Performing Arts:

Located just steps from Music Row, Belmont University’s College of Music & Performing Arts is unmatched and is nationally recognized for distinctive programs that are committed to high standards of artistic scholarship and performance while championing innovation and stylistic diversity. Students in the School of Music and Department of Theatre and Dance develop their passions and create invaluable connections that lead to a lifelong profession. Our world-class instructors, wide variety of degrees, unique performance opportunities, strong sense of community, and resources place us among the best performing arts schools in the country. For more information, visit www.belmont.edu/cmpa.

Student Entrepreneurs Chase Their Dreams at Center for Entrepreneurship’s Business Pitch Competition

Mairi Collins
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Student Entrepreneurs Chase Their Dreams at Center for Entrepreneurship’s Business Pitch Competition

On Wednesday, Feb. 22, Belmont students competed in the Thomas F. Cone Sr. Center for Entrepreneurship’s Business Pitch Competition. The winners of this year’s competition are Javier Castellon Villanueva in first place, Jess Finney in second place and Charlotte Harrison in third place. The People’s Choice Award went to Alex Becker. The pitch competition promotes student business initiatives by allowing them to give a one-minute, shark tank-style business pitch to a panel of judges with the first place winner receiving $2,000, second place receiving $1,000, third place receiving $500 and People’s Choice Award receiving $250. Each of the winning students will use the prize money to grow their businesses.

Villanueva wants to use the first-place prize money to advance his business, Elementary.ai, which is an online AI driven program helping guide students through complex subjects like calculus by offering simple yet in-depth solutions to their questions. While the program was initially developed as a resource for homeschooled students, Villanueva dreams of one day expanding his business to the private school network.

Second place winner Finney is excited at the prospect of using the money to grow the business she runs with her sister. Recognizing that the coffee and tea market is a booming industry in Nashville, and also believing chai tea has become detached from its cultural roots, her business Chechi’s Chai hopes to reinvigorate zeal for authentic chai in Nashville. She dreams of one day opening a brick-and-mortar store which will employ and empower Indian women.

Harrison, third place winner, is looking to use her money to expand her small art design business, Peyton Jane Design. While her paper products are currently popular in the on-campus store House Of — which is a student-run, community-focused retail experience — Harrison hopes to expand her business to local paper goods shops soon.

Winner of the People’s Choice Award prize Becker wants to expand his brand, Neurodivergent, which is a personal training business for the creative mind. He focuses on creative physical and mental well-being and believes that artists should not operate under the mindset that they need to suffer to be successful. His work aims to prioritize mental well-being in the creative community.

Judges included three Belmont alums: Clark Buckner, co-founder of Relationary Marketing; Sarah Beth Perry, founder of With The Band; and Ryan Reisdorf, Entrepreneur-in-Residence with the Cone Center and founder of Placemat.

Along with the three judges, Belmont faculty and staff applauded student entrepreneurs who were brave enough to pitch their ideas before the crowd, calling attention to the diverse range of business ideas represented, from online shops to artist management and development, security consulting and creative freelancing work. “We were blown away by the amazing pitches at our competition today,” said Executive Director of the Cone Center for Entrepreneurship, Elizabeth Gortmaker. “Our student entrepreneurs were incredibly prepared and poised and shared inspiring business ideas. The Cone Center for Entrepreneurship was thrilled to open up a second pitch competition this year due to the growing number of student entrepreneurs applying to pitch. We can’t wait to see what these students do next!”

This competition was a precursor to the larger business pitch competition that will be held in March. The Thomas F Cone Sr. Center for Entrepreneurship aims to help all student entrepreneurs regardless of major to exceed in their business plans.  

Speech and Debate Team Sweeps at State Tournament

Emma Johansson
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Speech and Debate Team Sweeps at State Tournament

This past weekend, the Belmont Speech and Debate Team successfully defended its title at the Tennessee Intercollegiate Forensics Association’s statewide tournament. Held on Belmont’s campus, this was the University’s first time hosting the event in almost a decade. The team has brought home the title since 2019. Winning six different individual state titles, the team beat the second-place competition by almost 70 points.

​The competition started strong on Saturday with all of Belmont’s varsity debaters advancing to elimination rounds and senior Luke Litz making the final round of Varsity IPDA debate. At the end of the weekend, he was awarded Best IPDA Debate Speaker in the state. After the tournament, Litz said, “I’m so thankful for the opportunity to have competed with the wonderful people on this team for the last four years. Speech and debate means so much to each one of us, and I’m so proud of the way we all pulled together as a team in the face of really impressive competition. I’m just blessed to get to call these folks my teammates.”

​Litz wasn’t the only senior to bring home state championship trophies in their final year of competition. On Sunday, Kleinschmidt, Carvalho and Kempf all were named champions in speaking events. Carvalho noted, “Speech has been an experience that has simultaneously taught me how to be better, but also when to accept and take pride in my work.” Carvalho was also named the 4th Place Overall Speaker in the State of Tennessee.

The team is now looking forward to the national tournament season. This March, they will be competing at Pi Kappa Delta Nationals in West Chester, PA, and IPDA Debate Nationals in Boise, ID.

Trophies for the Tennessee Intercollegiate Forensics Association 2023 state tournament

Founded in 2000 by Communication Studies Chair Dr. Mary Vaughn, the team has established a national reputation, recognized for not only their skill but for their sportsmanship. “What I think is so special about this activity is how it self-perpetuates,” said Vaughn. “We have so many alumni who volunteer to coach and give back to the program. It is so powerful in the way it brings diverse people together in deep community with each other.”

Ryan Greenawalt—Director of Forensics, double Belmont alumnus and instructor of both communications and musical theater voice—said that this state title is the culmination of hours of weekly work from each of these students. “To say that I’m proud of them is an understatement. This team is extremely competitive, but they also understand that it’s not just about trophies. Each one of them is using their unique voice to make the world a better place. My job is to help them learn how to use that voice effectively and then get out of the way.”

Belmont’s Speech and Debate Team’s list of alumni include Broadway stars, lawyers, actors, writers, politicians, advocates and recording artists. Alumni of note include actor McKinley Belcher III, poet and professor Chastity Gunn, lawyer Rebecca McKelvey Castañeda, previous Director of Strategic Communications at the U.S. Department of Education Aketa Williams and Education Manager at Tennessee Equality Project Jace Wilder.

Reflecting on his time as a competitor, Wilder says that Belmont’s speech and debate community has been “a force for achievement and advocacy since its conception and continues to act as a breeding ground for immense empathy in the face of tackling really complex social and political topics.” Wilder joined the team as a coach after his graduation from Belmont’s political science and public health programs in 2022. “We’ve done a lot of incredible work, and I look forward to seeing where the team goes in the next two decades.”

Photos of past competitors who have received state and national championship titles live on the Wall of Champions, located in the Speech and Debate practice area in the basement of Heron Hall.

Individual Awards:

• Aaron Kleinschmidt: State Champion in Impromptu Speaking, 2nd Place in Rhetorical Criticism, 3rd Place in After Dinner Speaking, 3rd Place in Duo Interpretation (w/ Alisa Osborne), 4th Place Prose Interpretation, 2nd Place Overall Speaker in the State of Tennessee

• Sarah Carvalho: State Champion in After Dinner Speaking, 3rd Place in Prose Interpretation, 2nd Place in Poetry Interpretation, 4th Place in Impromptu Speaking, 5th Place in Persuasive Speaking, 4th Place Overall Speaker in the State of Tennessee

• Luke Litz: State Champion – Best IPDA Debate Speaker in the State, IPDA Varsity Debate Runner-Up, 2nd Place in Informative Speaking, 2nd Place in Extemporaneous Speaking, 3rd Place in Impromptu Speaking, 4th Place in Rhetorical Criticism

• Alisa Osborne: State Champion in Informative Speaking, 2nd Place in Radio Broadcasting, 3rd Place in Duo Interpretation (w/ Aaron Kleinschmidt), 5th Place in Duo Interpretation (w/ Jasmine Pettus), 5th Place Overall Speaker in the State of Tennessee

• Jasmine Pettus: 3rd Place in Radio Broadcasting, 3rd Place in Persuasive Speaking, 5th Place in Duo Interpretation (w/ Alisa Osborne), 6th Place in Program of Oral Interpretation, 6th Place in Poetry Interpretation, 7th Place Overall Speaker in the State of Tennessee

• Sara Ali: 2nd Place (and Top Novice) in After Dinner Speaking, 3rd Place (and Top Novice) in Poetry Interpretation, 5th Place (and Top Novice) in Radio Broadcasting, 5th Place (and Top Novice) in Impromptu Speaking, 5th Place in Program of Oral Interpretation

• Alivia Kempf: State Champion in Persuasive Speaking, 2nd Place in Impromptu Speaking, 3rd Place in Extemporaneous Speaking. Qualified for the Interstate Oratory Association Championship held this year at the University of Texas at Austin.

• Lauren Stanfill: IPDA Varsity Debate Quarterfinalist, 5th Place in Extemporaneous Speaking, 6th Place in Impromptu Speaking

• Max Caskie: State Champion in Extemporaneous Speaking, IPDA Debate Octofinalist

• Kay Allen: IPDA Varsity Debate Quarterfinalist, 4th Place in Extemporaneous Speaking

• Meritt McGahee: 5th Place in Prose Interpretation

Team Awards:

• State Champions in Individual Events

• Overall State Champions

  • Ali performing in After Dinner Speaking category (a 10-minute informative or persuasive speech with comedic elements)

Belmont Faculty and Alumnus Awarded at the Nashville Technology Council 2023 Awards

Jasmine Simmons
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Belmont Faculty and Alumnus Awarded at the Nashville Technology Council 2023 Awards

Two members of the Belmont community were recognized at the 2023 Greater Nashville Technology Council Awards. Executive Director of the Belmont Data Collaborative Dr. Charlie Apigian and 2012 alumnus Trevor Hinesley won awards in their respective categories on Thursday, Feb. 16. 

Hinesley took home the NTC Award for Chief Technology Operator of the Year category and Apigian was named the Community Leader of the Year. 

The Belmont Data Collaborative is a university-wide initiative that looks to infuse data skills into every facet of the culture and curriculum at Belmont—and help the social well-being of the community. Dr. Marquinta Harvey, Assistant Director of the Belmont Data Collaborative, was a finalist in the Diversity and Inclusion Advocate of the Year category. 

“Winning this year’s NTC Community Leader of the Year really shows that the work that our team is doing in the Belmont Data Collaborative is making an impact within the Nashville community,” Apigian said. “We use data to tackle hard problems and with our wonderful partners – we believe we can do great things.  I am so proud of the work we are doing, the support that we have at Belmont, and I love our Nashville community and firmly believe we are just getting started with making a difference.”  

Hinesley is the founder of the music library Soundstripe which received a NEXT Award from the Nashville Entrepreneur Center in the Music, Sports and Entertainment category in October 2022. Hinesley commented that starting Soundstripe in Nashville instead of New York or L.A. is a strategic advantage during an NTC interview. 

“I’m extremely proud of what we’ve been able to do thus far at Soundstripe,” he said. “I’m thrilled that I’m able to bring home this award to share with my team. Fulfilling a vision requires a stellar team working towards a shared goal, and I’m grateful every day for the amazing people on ours.” 

The Greater Nashville Technology Council’s annual awards is dedicated to connecting, uniting, developing and promoting Middle Tennessee’s rich community of developers and technology entrepreneurs, enthusiasts and institutions.  

Alumni, faculty and students are continuously recognized by NTC across various categories for the efforts made by members in Belmont’s community, united under the campus’s vision to radically champion the pursuit of life abundant for all people.  

Fisher Center Receives Regional and National Acclaim

Mairi Collins
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Fisher Center Receives Regional and National Acclaim

After receiving the Engineering News-Record Southeast regional award in the Higher Education/Research category in October 2022, The Fisher Center for the Performing Arts has received ENR’s national award for “Best of the Best Projects” in the same category. The Fisher Center is now eligible for the Project of the Year Award, which will be announced in the March 20 issue of ENR.

The Fisher Center was first submitted for the regional award by R.C. Mathews, who says, “We are incredibly proud of this project team, and we are honored that this project has been recognized for its innovative features, unique design elements, extraordinary attention-to-detail and much more.”

Located on Belmont’s campus, the Fisher Center was dedicated in September 2021. The multi-functional venue caters to diverse audiences with major concerts, plays, operas, dance productions, musical theatre and other performances and special events. The 150,000 sq. ft. center contains a 1,727-seat European-style performance hall, two multipurpose ballrooms, rehearsal space, dressing rooms and impressive technical facilities. Besides providing a world-class performance venue to Belmont’s campus, The Fisher Center also serves as an academic resource for students and as a presenting hub that provides innovative, impactful and diverse programming to the campus and to Nashville.

As the number one source for construction news, data, rankings, analysis and commentary, ENR’s recognition of The Fisher Center in the architectural world of higher education speaks to the impact the Center has had in Nashville and beyond.

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