Dr. Dennis C. Chen, associate professor of management and international business in the Massey College of Business, recently published an article in the Distribution Business Management Journal, which is “written and edited for executives and managers responsible for defining, creating, implementing and integrating supply chain strategies.”
Thanks to the work of Poverty and the Arts (POVA), a nonprofit started at Belmont University by 2014 religion and the arts graduate Nicole Brandt Minyard, several Nashville homeless artists will have the opportunity for an international exhibit of their work.
Poverty and the Arts provides artists impacted by homelessness the studio space, supplies and marketplace to create and sell their artwork. This fall, POVA artists will have the opportunity to exhibit and sell works in the United Kingdom including galleries in London, England and Glasgow, Scotland at The One Festival of Homeless Arts.
The One Festival of Homeless Arts brings together works of art in many forms, from theatre and film, sculpture and photography, as well as traditional visual art, all of which have been created by artists who are or have been homeless.
The opening in London will be held on World Homeless Day on Thurs., Oct. 10, 2019. POVA artists and staff will be celebrating the opening reception at their Studio and Gallery in Nashville, Tenn. ( 1207 Dickerson Pike), on Oct. 10 from 12-2 p.m. CST where they’ll have a video stream set up to join the London reception from the United States. The public is encouraged to attend.
Many Belmont students are fascinated with the latest documentary from legendary filmmaker Ken Burns. After all, the subject matter of “Country Music” hits close to home both on this campus and in Music City at large, not to mention the University is a sponsor of the film. But few students are as excited about the series as senior motion pictures major Dan Updegraff, who actually interned with Burns’s Florentine Films production company and worked directly on the “Country Music” project.
“I knew about the Ken Burns internship from the moment it was announced that Belmont would be sponsoring ‘Country Music,'” said the Montgomery, Alabama native. “I even attended the announcement ceremony in front of the Belmont Mansion where Dr. Fisher spoke alongside Ken Burns, Mayor Megan Barry and Ricky Skaggs.”
Two years ago, Updegraff applied through Belmont for an internship position with Florentine Films and was invited for a video interview.
“I told them about my time and experience with Belmont’s motion pictures program, and they seemed particularly interested in the Belfast Spring Break study abroad I did the previous semester. I had traveled with other MOT students to Northern Ireland to film a documentary about the Belfast Nashville Songwriters festival. I got accepted for the internship a week later.”
Updegraff’s responsibilities involved working primarily on image preservation and cataloging. “Florentine Films has a massive catalog of physical photo copies from all their previous films, and I was given the duty of digitally retouching any wear or aging on the photos and putting those photos into a digital catalog for use in future projects. I also got to do script checking, where they would give me the script to an episode and the current cut to make sure the script and narration were identical.”
“Another memorable experience was when I assisted with hosting a producer’s screening of the documentary, where all of the advisors and producers for the documentary came to New Hampshire to watch the latest cut of the full documentary over the course of four days and give advice. I helped with preparing and cleaning the venue, serving food, accommodating guests, but I also got to interact with so many interesting people during that week, including Kathy Mattea, who’s featured in the film.”
Beyond the professional experience acquired from the internship, Updegraff noted how beneficial it was to view firsthand how a documentary production is structured and organized. “A great deal of deliberation, planning and care goes into massive, historical retellings like Country Music. The team at Florentine was small, but very well connected, dedicated and friendly. I was never discouraged from asking questions or for help, and it was great to be a part of a team where the Director and Screenwriter were an arm’s reach away from where you’re sitting.”
Now that “Country Music” is being seen by millions on PBS and online, Updegraff is looking ahead to what his own future will hold.
“I’m hoping to go into picture editing upon graduation into some video medium, whether it be film, television, web content, etc. Being able to say I worked on a Ken Burns project is a real ace on my resume, and I can use my knowledge of the great teamwork and coordination they had there to influence my own work.”
Diversity Week 2019 kicked off Monday morning with a Chapel presentation on “Diversity in Christ” from Dr. Christina Edmondson, dean for intercultural student development at Calvin College, and a student panel representing various identities within the LGBTQIA+ community. The convocations provided powerful opening sessions for a week designed “to celebrate and engage in important dialogue surrounding Belmont’s diversity and inclusion initiatives.”
Dr. Edmondson (above) opened chapel Monday morning challenging the problematic Western belief in “inevitible progress,” or that things will get better as time moves on. She argued, however, that time does not heal sin, and the problematic ideas many Christians have about race and injustice will not simply go away with time. “I pray that we be experts not of the law, but of love. May God save us from the foolishness of using our theology and the law to avoid compassion,” she said. “I pray for the ability of grace to see grace and to see sin as sin, even if the sin has been going on a long time.”
Respecting Diverse Identities – A Bridge Builders Panel at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, September 23, 2019.
The student panel (above) focused on notions of intersectionality, how all of a person’s varied identities inform their experience of the world rather than simply defining an individual by their career, gender, sexual orientation, presentation or other attribute. As one panelist noted, “A big part of bias is just assuming your experience is universal.” All of the panelists emphasized the importance of listening well to narratives other than one’s own, leading with kindness and standing up for minority communities and voices as keys to making progress in a frequently fragmented world.
AMENA BROWN speaks in Chapel at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, September 25, 2019.
Spoken word poet Amena Brown–who has released five albums, two books and been featured at the National Poetry Slam and the Creativity World Forum–spoke on campus Wednesday, sharing faith-inspired perspectives on topics ranging from understanding one’s roots to celebrating women of color to imagining Jesus’ thoughts on social media.
The Ability Exhibit at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, September 25, 2019.
Also, as part of Diversity Week, the Gabhart Student Center hosted the Ability Exhibit, a traveling exhibit designed to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities through respect for others, comfort during interactions, and awareness of disability issues. Using a multimedia approach, the exhibit offered suggestions for becoming disability allies and educators.
The Academy of Preachers (AoP), an initiative launched in 2009 that seeks to identify, network, inspire and support young men and women in their call to gospel preaching, will now be a part of Belmont University and the College of Theology and Christian Ministry, as Belmont provides new leadership and programming for the organization.
Dr. Darrell Gwaltney, dean of Belmont’s College of Theology and Christian Ministry, has participated in the work of the AoP since its beginning. Gwaltney has served as a mentor for many Belmont students who have preached at AoP festivals and assisted in its regional and national events.
At the conclusion of its grant funding provided by the Lilly Endowment of Indianapolis, the AoP began to look for new approaches and partners to continue its work. When Gwaltney learned the organization was seeking a new home, he contacted the Board of Directors and AoP Founder Dr. Dwight Moody to explore bringing the Academy of Preachers to Belmont. After interviews with several schools, the board selected Belmont to transition the AoP into its new chapter.
“The Academy of Preachers provides an ecumenical setting for
young men and women to explore their call to gospel preaching. I am delighted
with the opportunity we now have to support and encourage the next generation
of preachers,” said Gwaltney.
Former Academy of Preachers Board Chair Conway Stone and Darrell Gwaltney, dean of Belmont’s College of Theology and Christian Ministry, sign the Transition Agreement, making the Academy of Preachers an official part of Belmont
Since its foundation in 2009, the AoP has held regional and national events to encourage young preachers to explore their individual calling to proclaim the Gospel. By offering opportunities such as the Young Preachers Leadership Team, summer preaching camps, the Gospel Catalyst Network, Campus and Regional Festivals of Young Preachers and the National Festival of Young Preachers, the Academy has influenced the lives of more than 1,000 young Christian preachers from across the country. Under Belmont’s leadership, much of this same programming will continue to encourage young preachers for years to come.
Dr. Moody is thrilled with the strong step forward for AoP. “Belmont has been at the center of AoP from the beginning,” he said. “Their new leadership role is most promising for the rising generation of young preachers. Praise the Lord!”
The organization’s young preachers are generally high school, college, university and seminary students, between the ages of 14 and 35, or young preachers who are between schools or who have completed their education. Ecumenical in focus, broadly conceived in mission, the AoP believes gospel preaching holds social significance and makes a difference in the world. The AoP supports the promise of the gospel by offering guidance, direction and accountability for young preachers as they grow into their full potential.
The National Institutes of Health and The National Endowment for the Arts awarded funding to a Belmont professor team to pursue a research study, bringing together music therapy and neuroscience.
Along with Vanderbilt Otolaryngology Professor Dr. Miriam Lense, Coordinator of Belmont’s Music Therapy Program Dr. Alejandra Ferrer and Music Therapy Professor Adam Summers will embark on the study titled “Musical Rhythm Sensitivity to Scaffold Social Engagement in Autism Spectrum Disorder.”
Their research will study musical rhythm synchronization as a mechanism of healthy social development and how that is disrupted in children with autism spectrum disorder, with the goal of developing music interventions for social communication.
“We are excited about the opportunity to collaborate with Dr. Lense, and we look forward to supporting the autism community through this research study,” said Ferrer and Summers.
The study is one of six to receive part of the $20 million the NIH/NEA awarded over five years. This study will also serve Belmont students as a practicum training opportunity and will begin in January.
Broadly, the NIH/NEA funding will support the first research projects of the Sound Health initiative to explore the potential of music for treating a wide range of conditions resulting from neurological and other disorders. The National Endowment for the Arts contributed funds toward these awards.
While music therapy has been in practice for many years, Sound Health research aims to advance understanding of music’s mechanism of action in the brain and how it may be applied more broadly to treat symptoms of disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, stroke, chronic pain and many more. As with the Belmont professor team, the research will also seek to understand the effect of music on the developing brain of children.
Daniel Warner, a 2013 religion and the arts graduate, was recently awarded a $24,000 scholarship from the James Madison Foundation.
With only one award given per state each year, James Madison Fellowships support the graduate study of American history by aspiring and experienced secondary school teachers of American history, American government and civics. The award is intended to recognize promising and distinguished teachers, to strengthen their knowledge of the origins and development of American constitutional government, and thus to expose the nation’s secondary school students to accurate knowledge of the nation’s constitutional heritage.
Warner, who was accepted into the Memphis Teacher Residency and earned his M.Ed. after graduating from Belmont, has been teaching history at East High School in Memphis for the last six years. As a result of his award, Warner was recently interviewed by Facing Today, a blog focused on history education, and the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
Warner plans to use the fellowship award to attend the University of Memphis to pursue a master’s in political science so that he can further improve classroom discussions.
In the Facing Today interview, Warner recalled how Belmont classes like Christian Ethics and Poverty & Justice challenged him to examine issues like racism and poverty through a structural lens as well as through the lens of texts like the Sermon on the Mount.
“Being in settings where I was practicing my responsibility as a Christian to self, others and world, I realized there is a need for people to invest in overlooked and under resourced communities. I was really influenced by community development advocate John Perkins and started to see the role of being a teacher as potentially one of the most powerful community development roles. I also began to see it as a way to be proximate to some of the most vulnerable people in our country, as well as some of the most creative and resilient people in our country. The vision of teaching that has most sustained me is this idea of a mutual exchange between student and teacher, community and school, neighbor and neighbor.”
Will Ingram, Belmont’s chief information officer and associate vice president, was recently selected for the fourth cohort of the Executive Leadership Institute offered by the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association (TICUA). The Institute includes 14 senior officials from private and independent colleges across the state.
“The Executive Leadership Institute is unlike any other leadership development program in the state and nation, and we are excited to begin the fourth cohort,” said Claude Pressnell, president of TICUA. “Over the next nine months, these senior campus officials will have the opportunity to learn from each other and leaders in higher education about what it takes to build and sustain a healthy campus that helps students succeed.”
The ELI participants, known as Pressnell Fellows, have been selected by their institution’s president to participate. During the course of the program, they will gain knowledge and insight on key issues related to leading higher-education institutions, including institutional governance, educational policy and politics, strategic planning, friend- and fundraising, public relations, internal and external communications, enrollment management, academics and faculty relations, and financial management.
Belmont University’s 18th annual Humanities Symposium kicked off this week after its film series prelude. James R. Hansen, author of New York Times Bestseller “First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong,” former astronaut Rhea Seddon and Margaret Lazarus Dean, associate professor and director of creative writing at University of Tennessee Knoxville, are just a few of the speakers who presented to students and led important discussions related to the symposium’s theme, “Mankind & the Moon.”
James R. Hansen, author of the two-time New York Times Bestseller First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong
Hansen presented to students on Monday about the life of the first man to walk on the moon. Spending decades studying and lecturing about Neil Armstrong, Hansen shared details about the icon’s life that were widely unknown to the public. Hansen shed truth on a number of myths about Armstrong’s life, one of them being about a seemingly integral relationship reported by the media between a 16-year-old Armstrong and a man named Jacob Zint.
Zint invited Armstrong’s Boy Scout troop to his home observatory and allowed each boy to gaze through the telescope, claiming the experience resulted in a close friendship with Armstrong. Later on, Armstrong revealed to Hansen that he had never seen Zint again after the night his troop visited his observatory.
“This is so important because if you want to have the true identity of an individual, a story like this can be really misleading,” Hansen shared. In reality, Armstrong’s first love was flying, and he grew up with a passion for building model airplanes. Ultimately, after years as a pilot, Armstrong became an astronaut in September 1962.
On Tuesday, former space shuttle astronaut Rhea Seddon spoke to students about women in space and her experience as an astronaut. To begin her presentation, she first shared the birth of her aspiration to travel to outer space. As a child, her father took her out to the backyard during the “Space Age” to show her Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite launched by Russia. Amazed, she asked her father if she might be able to go to space one day, to which he answered yes.
In January 1978, she became one of the first six women astronauts. Seddon explained, “During that time, I came to find out that inspiration and aspiration require perspiration.” In her astronaut training, she overcame challenging physical obstacles and succeeded in her pursuit of going to space along with the rest of her five fellow women classmates.
“We set the groundwork by proving that women are not the weaker sex,” said Seddon. She went on to share her experiences in space leading three space shuttle flights and launching a number of satellites. “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are,” Seddon encouraged students.
Following the 15th annual kick off ceremony on September 15, the Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (NAHCC) marked the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month at a leaders breakfast roundtable hosted by Belmont University on September 17.
Hispanic Heritage Month is a celebration lasting from
September 15 – October 15, focused on recognizing the business, professional,
civic, cultural and artistic contributions of more than 59.9 million Hispanics
in the country and local Nashville community.
The “Líderes” Breakfast Roundtable gathered the NAHCC
Board of Directors, chamber members, corporate sponsors and community partners
to focus on “Speaking Freely about Changing Demographics Impact on
Nashville.” The series aims to facilitate open dialogue on timely topics
impacting Nashville and Middle Tennessee, from changing demographics to the
growth and economic impact of Latinos.
“We at the NAHCC are very appreciative of the partnership we
have with Belmont University,” said President and CEO Yuri Cunza. “Our
relationship is strong, and through the years, it is always a great success
teaming up to engage members of our Hispanic community through many events
ranging from education, sports, music, arts and culture.”
The Kickoff to Hispanic Heritage Month breakfast at Belmont University
The guest moderator was Belmont Associate Professor of
Spanish Dr. Natalia Pelaz. A native from Spain, Pelaz’s dissertation focuses on
elucidating how the condition of exile affects the literary production, and how
concepts such as Nation, personal and national identities, memory and language
are continually revisited under the condition of exile. To date, Pelaz
continues to be very interested in Exile and her attention is focused now in
rescuing other Spanish exiled writers that remain in the oblivion. She holds a
Master’s Degree in Spanish Literature and in 2005 earned her Doctoral Degree in
Romance Languages and Literatures.
NAHCC Chairman Mario Ramos; Register of Deeds, Karen Johnson, Mayor Elect John Cooper Transition Co-Chair Brenda Haywood; Terry Quillen; and El Crucero Spanish newspaper owner Eliud Trevino.
Panelists included Belmont Director of Community Relations Dr. Joyce Searcy, long time pastor and community activist Reverend Enoch Fuzz, Former Metro Council Member Walter Hunt and Executive Director at Nashville Minority Business Center Marilyn Robinson.
Pelaz presented various statistics on immigration to
Nashville and public opinion. The panelists discussed the questions posed by
Pelaz, such as “How can we protect residents and create a new vision of
belonging in our communities?” and “How do we envision Nashville as a ‘welcoming
city’?”
NAHCC’s month-long calendar includes events and programs covering the most recent numbers on Hispanic population growth, purchasing power and economic impact, networking and an intimate CEO Conversation on Diversity round-table session on Sept 25.
Dr. Pelaz moderate panel of “lideres.”
To close the month-long festivities, on October 15, the
NAHCC will host its 15th Excellence in Business and Community Awards, an annual
recognition of the Hispanic entrepreneurship spirit and how it impacts the
local and state economy. The ceremony also recognizes corporate and community
partners who make the work of the chamber and it mission possible. The event
featuring guest speakers, awards, live music and culinary samplings, will be
hosted at the Nashville City Center.
