Professor of Religion Dr. Judy Skeen helped plan the “Heart of Higher Education: Living Between What Is and What Could Be” conference this summer. Held at Goshen College (Indiana) in late June, the conference brought together more than 75 faculty and administrators from across the country and drew on the work of teacher, author and activist Parker J. Palmer, who participated in a keynote conversation.
In addition to helping to organize the event, Skeen also spoke at a plenary session. Click here to read more about the conference.
While some may be relaxing by the pool or working at a
summer job, nearly 800 Belmont students started their summer off by participating
in one of 45 faculty-led Maymester and Summer Study Abroad programs.
With programs based in Australia, Belgium, China, Czech Republic, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, England, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Israel, N. Ireland, Morocco, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Tanzania and more, students have the opportunity to learn in a non-traditional classroom by visiting historical sites and experiencing new cultures first-hand.
These short-term programs, lasting anywhere from a week to a
month, are led and designed by Belmont faculty to explore one or two certain
areas of study, while giving students the opportunity to travel to and discover
a new place.
Belmont students enjoy a study abroad trip to the Mediterranean
Director of Study Abroad Thandi Dinani said Belmont’s culturally enriching study abroad programs enhance a student’s academic experience. “Classrooms come to life as faculty take students to visit places where history took place,” she said. “Whether visiting Nelson Mandela’s prison cell in South Africa, walking streets where Jesus walked in Israel or studying chemistry while taking a cooking class in Italy, students see how countries, concepts and cultures have shaped history and impact their world.”
Belmont Students learn audio engineering on a trip to Germany and France
Belmont’s catalog of study abroad opportunities grows every
year, thanks to the Office of Study Abroad and the dedication of more than 100
faculty who lead the programs and work to keep up with the increasing demand
for unique learning experiences.
This summer, new programs include studying cruise industry
entertainment operations by sailing to the Bahamas, learning about island
entertainment, food, music and sports in Jamaica, experiencing one of the
happiest countries on Earth by examining folk culture, music and nature in
Norway, and even touring iconic civil rights locations right here in the U.S.
Other new-to-2019 programs will take students to Ghana, Czech Republic, France
and Germany, among others.
Senior Anna Pearson said her trip to Norway has been the hightlight of her Belmont experience so far. “Studying abroad gave me a perspective of the country that I never would have gotten from a simple vacation. I loved studying about Norway’s history and culture and seeing it unfold right in front of me,” she said. “What I loved most about the Maymester to Norway was that our leaders fit in as much as possible, jam-packing our schedule with a variety of awesome events. From visiting Edvard Grieg’s house to learning about Viking ships to marching in the Constitution Day parade to hiking in the Aurland mountains, there was always something exciting to see, do and learn.”
Belmont students marching in the Norweigan Constitution Day Parade
Belmont senior Tommy Gotsch took three courses on his trip to the Bahamas: third year writing, cruise ship operations and artist management. “My favorite part of the trip was visiting Puerto Rico, going out to dinner at the restaurant, and seeing all of the performances,” he said. “The trip really made me think how unique Belmont is in its learning and teaching, mostly in the real world experience I got in cruise ship entertainment.”
Popular programs among students returning for the 2019 year
include the Hawaii Maymester month-long program, Belmont in South Africa and
Tanzania, as well as the return of the Belmont
at Bonnaroo program.
“We’re able to offer programs that accommodate a wide variety of students from different majors with different program preferences,” said Dinani, who credits strong faculty support for the growing interest in and diversity of study abroad experiences.
Belmont in Italy
Although the Maymester programs have wrapped up, many students are still participating in summer study abroad programs. Follow along with #BelmontAbroad as students and faculty document their summer 2019 travels on social media.
Alec Shirer, senior composition major (percussion principal), will intern with Luray Carillon Park in Luray, Virginia. He will play a series of carillon concerts at the park late in July.
Shirer studies carillon at Belmont with Dr. Richard Shadinger.
Recognizing that many prospective college students and their parents think about a university’s academic rigor, prestige and price when choosing where to attend, another factor to consider is the beauty of the campus itself. The website noted, “Belmont is located on the former Belle Monte estate, which includes an antebellum mansion. Built in 1853, it is on the National Register of Historic Places. The 105-foot bell tower, gardens and gazebos are also scenic aspects of the school.”
Active Times scoured media coverage, online reviews and other accolades to compile a list of schools from coast to coast with campuses that stand above the rest.
Amanda Ellis, who graduated from Belmont in 2013, serves as the marketing and communications manager for the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce.
Ellis majored in corporate communications and double minored in psychology and dance. A Chattanooga native, she returned to her hometown after graduation to join the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce, named international Chamber of the Year in 2017 by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives.
In her role, Ellis is the managing editor of Business Trend magazine, the area’s longest running business publication telling local business, entrepreneurship and economic development stories. She also works with her team to promote the greater Chattanooga region as a premier economic development destination and manages the Chattanooga Chamber’s communications intern program, mentoring local students.
The Chattanooga
Lookout chapter of the Public Relations Society of America named Ellis its 2017
Up and Coming Leader.
The article examines how tax revenues generated from outdoor recreation impact the 13 states in the Appalachian Mountain Club Region.
AMC Outdoors, the magazine of the Appalachian Mountain Club, inspires readers to get outside and get engaged by providing high-quality, compelling coverage of outdoor recreation, education and conservation throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.
Dr. Jeffery Ames, professor of music and director of choral activities, recently led members of the Coro Novo Spiritu in a 25th Anniversary concert held in the courtyard of the Von Trapp castle in Caldonazzo, Italy.
The week-long festival consisted of rehearsals and cultural exchanges in the Trentino region of Northern Italy. This was Ames’ fifth appearance as guest conductor/clinician in the festival’s nine year history.
NBC’s new series “Songland” features undiscovered songwriters pitching original songs to superstar recording artists and a panel of chart-topping music producers in hopes of creating the artists’ next megahits. A graduate of Belmont’s songwriting program, Kathryn Kempthorn, better known by her artist name Rynn, was one of the four lucky songwriters to pitch a song to former Disney stars Kevin, Joe and Nick Jonas (aka the Jonas Brothers) on the show’s fourth episode.
Rynn performed her song “Crowded Places,” and the Jonas Brothers selected her song to move on to the next round, pairing her with producer Shane McAnally (Kacey Musgraves “Merry Go Round,” The Band Perry “Better Dig Two” and Keith Urban “Female”).
“Songland” celebrity artists each choose their favorite three songwriters to take to the next level. Pairing each selected songwriter with one of the show’s three producers, the contestants then tailor and evolve their songs to fit the artists, who will ultimately choose one winning song to record and release worldwide.
“Songland could not have been a more positive experience! It was so incredible to be a part of the first season of such an amazing show that champions songwriters and pulls back the curtain on an essential aspect of the music industry that the general public doesn’t normally get to see,” said Rynn.
Rynn working with Producer Shane McAnally on “Crowded Places”
Rynn graduated from Belmont in 2016 with her BBA in music business and B.S. in songwriting. She talked about Belmont’s story-driven approach to songwriting in a recent interview with Early Bird Music and said the songwriting program played a huge role in shaping her as a writer.
“It pushed me out of my comfort zone in the best ways and gave me the confidence and preparation to step out in the real world as a songwriter,” said Rynn.
Post “Songland,” Rynn is residing in Los Angeles and continuing to write every day, pitching songs to other artists, pitching songs for film and TV placements, as well as releasing music under her own artist project.
The 11-episode series “Songland” will feature artists: Jonas Brothers, John Legend, Meghan Trainor, Charlie Puth, OneRepublic, Old Dominion, will.i.am, Kelsea Ballerini, Leona Lewis, Aloe Blacc and Macklemore. Along with McAnally, producers include Ryan Tedder (Leona Lewis “Bleeding Love,” Beyonce “Halo,” and his own hits with OneRepublic) and Ester Dean (Nicki Minaj “Super Bass,” Katy Perry “Firework,” Kelly Clarkson “Mr. Know it All”).
Belmont University hosted the second and final live,
televised 2019 mayoral debate last night with Nashville’s leading mayoral
candidates participating.
In partnership with WKRN, the debate provided voters an up-close perspective on the positions of current Mayor David Briley, State Representative John Ray Clemmons, Metro Councilman John Cooper and retired Vanderbilt professor Carol Swain. News 2 Anchor Bob Mueller moderated and questioned the candidates on a variety of issues affecting Nashville, including teacher pay, police body cameras, property taxes, traffic and transit, and even scooters.
“Belmont always seeks to be an engaged member of this
community, bringing people together to talk about issues, whether it’s a
mayoral, gubernatorial or even a presidential debate,” Belmont President Dr.
Bob Fisher said. “This city’s course directly impacts our alumni and campus
community, and we want to do our part to help educate voters in a race that
determines Nashville’s future while also modeling active citizenship for our
students.”
WKRN broadcast the debate live from Belmont’s McAfee Concert Hall and streamed the event live on www.wkrn.com. Open to the public, attendees reserved tickets prior to last night’s free event. Belmont political science students Matthew Nicholson and Jace Wilder, along with University staff, served as volunteer hosts for the candidates.
This is Belmont’s second successful mayoral debate this summer after collaborating with News Channel 5 and The Tennessean to host the first live, televised debate on June 25. Early voting in the mayoral race begins July 12 with Election Day on Aug. 1.
With a record 343,000 people taking to the streets of Downtown Nashville for the Fourth of July celebrations, it is evident the city’s growth and development in the hospitality and tourism industries are not slowing down. Belmont is working to fill an all-time high demand for professionals in this area by incorporating a new Hospitality and Tourism Management major into the Jack C. Massey College of Business.
In recent years, Nashville has seen unprecedented growth in
the field of travel and tourism. Data from the Nashville Convention & Visitors
Corporation shows direct visitor spending at more than $6.5 billion a year in
2017, and there was a record 15.2 million visitors in 2018. This historic
growth has fostered the opening and development of 15 new hotels since 2016,
with many more on the horizon. With approximately 70,000 jobs in the Nashville
tourism sector, Belmont has a prime opportunity to utilize the vibrant
surrounding city to train students to be leaders in the industry.
Belmont Provost Dr. Thomas Burns said the new major is good
for both students and the community. “We are excited to offer our students new
opportunities for innovative learning experiences through the Hospitality and
Tourism Management major. We are essentially creating a pipeline of
high-quality employees that will benefit the local business community, as
well,” he said. “The Nashville tourism industry is booming. We want to make
sure our students are prepared to take advantage of all of the opportunities right
here in our backyard.”
The new major will integrate business, liberal arts and
public relations courses to create a unique program and professional degree,
giving students an in-depth curriculum that also tackles the legal, financial
and marketing tools needed to be successful in the field.
For the required 30 credit hours, students can choose a
Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) or a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) route.
Unlike other collegiate hospitality programs that focus solely on hands-on
skills, Belmont strategically placed the major in the college of business to
provide a foundational understanding of all facets of business while still
offering access to experiential educational opportunities and front-line
internships.
Developed jointly between faculty in the College of Business
and the University’s Sports Administration program, this major will be unique
in its course offerings. For students pursuing the B.B.A., courses will cover higher-level
management, accounting, public relations, marketing and finance, and the
program will provide a wealth of internship opportunities. Students pursuing
the B.S. option will have a built-in minor, which could be another area of
business or a program outside of the business school. The B.S. option allows
for more flexibility in choosing supplemental courses, such as an emphasis in
entrepreneurship or a foreign language.
Associate Dean of the College of Business Stan York said the
degree would help students no matter which route they decide to follow, whether
they long to become a CEO or head up the food and beverage services for a major
hotel.
“It is part of what we do here at Belmont. It’s a lot like
music business. This major gives you the tools you need to do the
behind-the-scenes work,” he said. “This major dovetails nicely with Belmont’s
academic offerings in sports administration, music business and entertainment
because all of those fields usually come with some type of hospitality.”
Reflecting the diversity of the profession, graduates will
be qualified and prepared for corporate management positions in a variety of
areas, such as convention and visitors’ bureaus, destination management
organizations, conference centers, resorts, hotels, entertainment venues and
restaurants. With the available course options, students may also build the
skill sets of business planning and raising capital to undertake an
entrepreneurial venture.
“Where do they want to be? Students could minor in a foreign
language and take advantage of our robust study abroad programs at Belmont,
then maybe end up in Brussels or Paris,” said York. “The robust relationships
we can call upon for internships at local organizations also set us apart. By
the time the students leave, they have a good understanding of this industry,
and it is more than a look at it—it is applied.”
Capitalizing on the success of undergraduate and graduate
programs in Sports Administration and the reputation of the Jack C. Massey
College of Business, faculty will encourage students to think about long-term
career advancement. Their hope is that courses such as lodging management would
help students start with some leadership responsibilities, and then move up
more quickly into management positions. Whether in marketing, finance or event
management, there are huge opportunities.
