There wasn’t an open seat in the Massey Performing Arts Center (MPAC) this morning as students packed into the venue to hear from alumnus Josh Turner, speaking on his faith and career for today’s Chapel. The event opened with videos of Turner performing and speaking about his most recent release, 2018’s “I Serve a Savior.”
In an interview with Vice President for Spiritual Development Dr. Todd Lake, Turner then reflected on his Belmont experience and lessons he learned while in college. As a senior in high school, he suffered a vocal injury that led to a year of vocal rest. He was not allowed to sing except for in his classical voice lessons, a struggle for someone who grew up loving country music and who dreamed of making it his full-time career.
“I was having to overcome a physical injury. I would go to my apartment and just be exhausted vocally. My future hinged on the health of my voice, and I thought my future was out the window. The ironic thing is that God had a plan for it all.”
One day while sitting in the MPAC basement, Turner tried to sing a Randy Travis song, testing how his recovery was progressing. “That vocal injury was a blessing in disguise. My voice was healing, and the hard work was paying off. My voice sounded better than before the injury.”
Turner also recounted the story of writing his signature song, “Long Black Train,” a song born at Belmont and inspired during a walk across campus after listening to a Hank Williams box set in Bunch Library. After playing the song for a few friends and at both his junior and senior recital, “Long Black Train” became his entry into the music business. In fact, he recalled one particular class with Dr. Clyde Rolston in which the girl sitting in front of him shared his demo with a publisher, ultimately leading to his first record deal, while the girl sitting behind him took on even greater meaning in his life.
“I always tell people the greatest thing about Belmont for me is that I got a record deal and a wife out of the same class.”
Lake then prodded him to share advice for the 900+ students in the audience, and Turner mentioned a lesson he learned recently from watching the “Spider-Man: Homecoming” movie.
“At one point Tony Stark said to Peter Parker, ‘If you’re nothing without the suit, then you don’t deserve the suit.’ That got me thinking that this Marvel stuff is pretty deep. I knew who I was before I got a record deal. I didn’t necessarily need the ‘suit.’ I feel like God’s given me that suit for a reason.”
“There are people out there looking for hope, for peace, for something to pull them out of the pit… If I let them see Jesus in me, they are going to see the way, the truth and the life. What I’m doing has a meaning and a purpose.”
Belmont Basketball fans were invited to come out last night for the 2019 Belmont Basketball Schedule Release party in the Vince Gill Room of the Curb Event Center.
Last season, the women’s team joined UConn as the only other team in the nation to win its last four conference championships. The Bruins will continue to challenge themselves this season with a challenging non-conference slate that features eight institutions who competed in postseason tournaments last season.
The Bruins non-conference schedule highlights matchups with six teams ranked 75th or better in RPI to end last season, as they finish out the year with their traditional 18-game OVC schedule. Read more and view the women’s schedule.
Having won 17 conference championships since 2006 – third-most nationally over that span behind only Gonzaga and Kansas – Belmont’s men’s team stands among the most accomplished and tradition-rich programs in America.
Annually playing one of the nation’s most demanding schedules, the Bruins’ slate for this season features 12 contests against teams who received postseason invitations a year ago, including five against programs with a Top 60 final NET ranking. Read more and view the men’s schedule.
When the popular Broadway musical “Hamilton” began gaining popularity, alumnus Chris Lee was a contrarian who did not want to take part in the hype. That is until one fall break road trip when his friend played the soundtrack on repeat during the long drive, and Lee said it “changed his life.” Little did he know, “Hamilton” literally would change his life just a few short months later when he accepted the role as Marquis de Lafayette & Thomas Jefferson in the first national tour cast in Chicago.
Lee, a musical theater major who started at Belmont in 2013, stopped by Belmont on August 24 to talk with current students from the College of Music and Performing Arts in the Troutt Theater. He discussed his time at Belmont, the road to “Hamilton” and his career since the show, which includes roles in “S.W.A.T.”, “Empire” and “Legacies.”
Nancy Allen and Chris Lee sit down to talk about Lee’s career since Belmont
Musical Theatre Coordinator Nancy Allen sat down for the interview and introduced Lee to the full audience as “someone special and very humble who has high standards, incredible work ethic and a grateful attitude.” Allen said, “He is a man of faith and lives out his faith, which is one of the most admirable things to see these days. Chris, it’s an honor to have you representing Belmont out in the world.”
Lee answered many questions from Allen and students in the audience. He also gave advice to the aspiring entertainers and recounted the road to “Hamilton,” including the hilarious story of the day he received the offer for his role.
The room filled with laughter as Lee reenacted the phone call he received as he was buying cocoa butter at his hometown Walmart. He acted out putting the woman on hold and proceeded to gleefully dance around the stage, scream and shout and eventually fall onto the floor in disbelief.
Lee meets with students after his talk with Allen
“Other than ‘YES’ and ‘THANK YOU,’ I had nothing to say that
would capture how I was truly feeling,” he explained. “I had a dream, and it
was coming true. It happens. It really can happen. That was the greatest day of
my life.”
Lee’s main advice to the students was that success happens
when preparation meets opportunity, so they should always be preparing
themselves. Every day, Lee had practiced the “Hamilton” soundtrack beginning-to-end
and imagined exactly what he would do if he ever had the chance to audition in
person. One lucky Tuesday in New York City, Lee’s extensive preparation met the
perfect opportunity.
When he arrived for his “Hamilton” audition, he was not dressed in the show’s colonial garb like everyone else – he was dressed like Chris Lee. But, he was comfortable, and the casting crew (which included Lin Manuel Miranda) was able to see who he was as an artist. They asked him to read for several roles, but when he read for Jefferson, things just clicked.
Lee meets with students after his talk with Allen
“I learned at Belmont that auditioning is 60-75 percent of
the job. Getting a job is not contingent on how good you are; you just might
not be right for that part,” he said. “Don’t be afraid to be fearless in being
you. Show who you are.”
The directors gave him a ticket to see the show with the original cast that night. He received a couple of callbacks and was offered the role in May 2016.
On his time at Belmont, Lee said he tried his best to be
open to everything by learning, listening and trying things out of his comfort
zone. When he became frustrated at singing an opera piece, he used the
opportunity to learn more about opera and give it his best, instead of writing
it off as a genre he did not do.
Chris Lee performs in Belmont’s “All Shook Up” in spring of 2015
He had the whole audience say together: “know what you don’t
know.”
“That way you don’t limit yourself to only what you know,”
he said. “College is a great opportunity to abandon inhibition – you can be
whoever you want to be. Be willing to look crazy and fall down. Be willing to
discover. You’re here to try, so try everything.”
Lee said his Belmont professors gave him room to try those
new things, and he talked about how receiving a liberal arts education was
beneficial for his career. A performer cannot play many different roles,
different people or different scenarios without real life experiences to pull
from. Lee said his Belmont sociology class, which had nothing to do with his
major, helped him become a better-rounded person.
Chris Lee and current Belmont students Perform at TPAC Gala. Photo courtesy of TPAC.
“People are hiring people; especially people they can relate
to,” he explained. “Living life outside of the arts is so important, and going
to Belmont allowed me to live real life instead of just being a proficient
singer and performer.”
He was one of the first students to join community theater
plays outside of Belmont. He spent all of his time dancing, acting and singing
in whatever capacity he could find.
“What I said I wanted to do at Belmont had to take focus,”
said Lee. “You’re an artist. The most important thing is your art. Are you
doing what you say you want to do every single day? If not, I don’t believe you
want to do that thing for the rest of your life.”
Chris Lee and current Belmont students Perform at TPAC Gala. Photo courtesy of TPAC.
Lee and the audience also discussed messing up on stage, choreographed breath, favorite rappers, staying healthy and grounded and even which songs to include in their audition books.
While in town, Lee performed with a group of current musical theater students at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center’s Gala ahead of their upcoming season, which will bring “Hamilton” to Nashville for the first time. The gala raised more than $380,000 for TPAC’s six education programs.
Belmont University hosted a live, televised mayoral debate last night between current Mayor David Briley and and At-large Council member John Cooper.
Co-sponsored by The Tennessean and NewsChannel 5, the debate is part of a shared commitment to provide voters with robust news and information and a space to discuss the important issues facing the city. Belmont and the two news organizations have a long track record of hosting successful debates, forums and public policy discussions.
Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher said Nashville’s extraordinary success has contributed greatly to the progress made at Belmont. “We view it as a great privilege to host this debate which will help clarify the leadership capacity of the candidates to create the Nashville of the future that is reflective of the hopes and dreams of our citizens,” he said. “This is democracy at its very best.”
The debate took place in Belmont’s Troutt Theater and aired live in its entirety on NewsChannel 5, NewsChannel5.com and Tennessean.com.
Early voting for the runoff election is underway and runs through Sept. 7. Election day is Sept. 12
On August 6, Lucian E. Dervan, associate professor of law and director of criminal justice studies in Belmont’s College of Law, testified before the Federal Senate of Brazil regarding proposed legislation that would have created a sweeping formal plea bargaining system in the country.
Dervan offered thoughts regarding both the benefits and risks associated with plea bargaining, along with recommendations for ways to minimize the risks posed by introducing a broad bargaining procedure into Brazil’s criminal justice system.
“Our studies and the many others that are emanating from them demonstrate that there are deep psychological forces at work when defendants are faced with a plea offer and that these decision-making processes can lead innocent individuals to falsely plead guilty,” Dervan explained. “As this chamber considers how to proceed with the current legislation, I hope you will carefully weigh these risks because current research indicates this is not exclusively an American phenomenon.”
Dervan focuses primarily on domestic and international criminal law and is the recipient of numerous awards for his teaching and scholarship. He is the chair of the ABA Global White Collar Crime Institute and a member of the International Criminal Justice Standards Task Force. Dervan is also on the Advisory Committee of the NACDL White Collar Criminal Defense College at Stetson and serves as a faculty member at the program.
Dervan is the author of two books and dozens of book chapters and articles. He is also the founder and author of The Plea Bargaining Blog, where additional information and video footage of his testimony have been posted.
Professor Nancy Allen, coordinator of Belmont’s Musical Theatre Program, travelled to Wilmington, North Carolina this summer to perform as Mrs. Wilkinson in “Billy Elliot” at Thalian Hall.
All three weekends of the performance were sold out and received excellent reviews. More than 7,000 people are estimated to have attended, and the performers received a standing ovation following every show.
Allen was interviewed on the local television talk show, local NPR station and was featured in several local newspapers. She said, “It was wonderful to be in the area long enough to get to know many of the local citizens and to hear how happy they were to welcome a performer from Nashville and Belmont University. I learned so much and experienced a great deal of what my students go through, which will help me continue to be an engaged professor.”
Star News Online wrote, “Nancy Allen, a Nashville actress with a strong voice (her big number, ‘Shine,’ is excellent), is nearly perfect as Billy’s chain-smoking, tough-loving dance instructor Mrs. Wilkinson, the first to see greatness in him. (Her ‘class’ of young dancers are pretty great, as well.)”
Last year Belmont University announced the creation of a Public Health Nurse Residency Program in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Health. This is the the first program of its kind for new graduates in the state and one of only a few in the country. For the inaugural year of the program, recent Belmont alumnae Acqueline Caine and Kaitlin Malick were selected for the residency program.
Dr. Cathy Taylor, dean of Belmont’s College of Health Science and Nursing, said, “This has been a dream of mine for more than 10 years, and we are so proud of Acqueline and Kaitlin. PHN practice requires confidence, extensive preparation and a broad skill set, so only experienced nurses have been eligible for these positions in the past. But with enhanced coaching and orientation, we believe those eligibility restrictions can be lifted for our graduates, and more patients can receive the care they need.”
Caine and Malick speak with nursing students and faculty about the residency program.
Malick added, “The Public Health Nurse Residency program has primarily helped me think beyond the clinic walls and think about what my community, region, and state needs and how to participate in those efforts. We have visited the TN state legislature, sat in on a meeting that determines the protocols that dictate Public Health nursing practice, and met with people who run a variety of statewide health programs. There are many opportunities in public health to be a change agent with a broad impact and this residency has helped me build those skills. “
The mission of Public Health Nurse Residency Program is to provide a supportive environment that facilitates the transition from a new graduate to a public health nurse with the knowledge and skills to contribute to the protection, promotion and improvement of the health of people in Tennessee. The residency program begins with an eight week standardized Public Health Nursing Orientation. Once this stage is complete, the nurse residents will obtain clinical experience in their assigned health department, Maury or Montgomery County. Throughout the program each resident receives support from a trained nurse mentor and is provided with additional educational experiences that reflective the 8 domains of Community / Public Health Nursing competencies.
Pictured in the above photo are ( left to right ) Amanda Waterman, Belmont College of Health Science & Nursing’s Clinical Placement Coordinator; Tatum Johnson, Tennessee Department of Health Assistant State Director of Nursing; Acqueline Caine, RN, PHN Resident; Dr. Martha Buckner, Belmont College of Health Science & Nursing’s Associate Dean for Nursing; Kaitlin Malick, RN, PHN Resident; Jenny Dudzinski, Tennessee Department of Health State Director of Nursing; and Dr. Cathy Taylor, Dean of Belmont’s College of Health Science & Nursing.
The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) recently announced the top performers worldwide in higher education sustainability initiatives and Belmont University received the second highest classification possible, a Gold rating. Belmont is one of only 120 institutions around the globe to receive the Gold designation with only 5 institutions awarded the highest, or Platinum, ranking.
The 2019 Sustainable Campus Index (SCI) highlights the most sustainable colleges and universities in 17 impact areas and overall by institution type, as measured by the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS), a voluntary framework used by hundreds of colleges and universities to measure, report and strengthen their contributions to global sustainability.
AASHE Executive Director Meghan Fay Zahniser wrote, “The institutions and initiatives featured in this year’s SCI showcase the great work that higher education institutions are doing to lead the global sustainability transformation.”
Cheryl Slay Carr, associate dean or the Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business, presented “Keep Your Day Job, Build Your Music Career, or Do Both?” for the CDBaby DIY conference. The annual conference offers an array of workshops and performance opportunities to emerging and established independent artists. The talk incorporated principles and research from Carr’s recently published book Music Business Careers: Career Duality in the Creative Industries.
Dr. David Dark, assistant professor in the College of Theology and Christian Ministry, recently published a new article in America: The Jesuit Review, a leading Catholic journal of opinion in the United States. The article, which can be read here, questions reaction versus response to current political news.
