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‘Tall Hall’ Awarded Gold-Level LEED Certification

April Hefner
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‘Tall Hall’ Awarded Gold-Level LEED Certification

The U.S. Green Building Council recently awarded Belmont’s Tall Hall with LEED certification at the Gold level, the University announced today during its Earth Day celebration. Visible from countless spots around the city, Belmont’s newest residence hall officially opened its doors last August to welcome 610 residents. The 243,000 square foot facility includes a basement and 10 floors and sits atop a hilly area between 12 South and 15thAvenue. Based on overall elevation, the structure’s top floor represents one of the highest points in Nashville. Tall Hall joins the Baskin Center and Johnson Center as LEED Gold-certified buildings on campus while the Ayers Academic Center was certified LEED Platinum, the highest in the LEED ratings system.

The LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™ is a feature-oriented rating system that awards buildings points for satisfying specified green building criteria. The six major environmental categories of review are Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality and Innovation and Design.

“I’m incredibly proud of this latest residential addition to Belmont’s campus,” said University President Dr. Bob Fisher. “Both inside and out, our design and construction teams did a fantastic job creating a beautiful home for hundreds of students while retaining an inviting park-like setting in the midst of an urban area. Better still, while extensive in size and scope, Tall Hall represents our mission to create environmentally-conscious structures that conserve energy and water, protect open space and use locally sourced materials.”

Earth Day at 50 in Chapel as Dr. Bob Fisher speaks at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, April 22, 2019.

Tall Hall’s LEED Gold certification was announced today during an Earth Day-themed Chapel service, led by President Fisher, as part of Belmont’s Sustainability Celebration. Designed and built by locally-owned companies Earl Swensson Associates (ESa) and R.C. Mathews, Tall Hall implements a number of sustainable practices to help reduce the building’s environmental impact:

Site Highlights

  • Located in a diverse neighborhood with access to quality transit & community services
  • Secure bicycle parking is provided for sustainably moving about the campus.
  • Over 55% of the site is protected as open space

Water Usage

  • 47% reduction in water usage in flush & flow fixtures (saving approximately 4.3 million gallons of water annually)

Energy Conservation (Mechanical & Electrical System Design)

  • Energy usage was reduced by 30% over a baseline building due to several factors:
    • Space conditioning provided by high efficiency variable refrigerant flow (VRF) HVAC system
    • Dedicated Outdoor Air System (DOAS) with energy recovery
    • Condensing boilers for domestic hot water
    • Premium efficiency motors for fans
    • Efficient lighting design with LED fixtures and integrated lighting controls
  • The Energy use reduction results in approximately $107,950 in annual energy savings for the University. 

Materials and Resources

  • 55% of construction waste was diverted from landfills (3,200 cubic yards total)
  • 24% of all materials (by cost) installed for the project contained recycled content
  • 29% of all materials installed for the project (by cost) were manufactured and extracted/harvested/recovered within 500 miles of the project site.

Indoor Environmental Quality

  • Low/no VOC adhesives, sealants, flooring systems, paints and coatings, composite wood, and agrifiber were used on the project site whenever possible.

Innovation in Design

  • Exemplary performance was achieved for maximizing open space and by using a high level of locally sourced materials.
  • An Innovation in Design credit was awarded for Green Building Education, which includes a case study, formatted as a handout that will be made available in the building lobby, and an outreach program, formatted as a separate page within the extensive sustainability section of Belmont’s website.

Tall Hall is the focal point of a picturesque scene on the campus’ southeast quadrant, as the building is bordered by large green space and a babbling “Bear Creek” that features a bronzed bear sculpture, “Chum Run,” crafted by acclaimed Wyoming visual artist Sandy Scott.

Faculty Team Wins Seventh Straight Corporate Challenge Race

April Hefner
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Faculty Team Wins Seventh Straight Corporate Challenge Race

The Belmont University faculty team won its seventh straight Corporate Challenge race at the Purity Dairy Dash 5K on April 13. Representing Belmont in this race were Dr. Haskell Murray (Business), Dr. Beth Ritter-Conn (Theology/Honors), and Dr. Kendall Shultes (Pharmacy). Results from the race can be found here.

Tennessee, Kentucky Governors Share Thoughts on Criminal Justice Reform

April Hefner
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Tennessee, Kentucky Governors Share Thoughts on Criminal Justice Reform

Right on Crime and Men of Valor organized a conversation Wednesday evening in the Baskin Center on criminal justice reform with Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin. The two governors shared their visions for criminal justice reform in Tennessee and Kentucky. The event was moderated by Belmont Law Dean Alberto Gonzales, with special guest Matthew Charles; Mr. Charles was the first to benefit from the passage of the FIRST STEP Act.

Shaw Participates at Tennessee Law Review Conference

April Hefner
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Shaw Participates at Tennessee Law Review Conference

Dr. Dana Shaw, assistant professor of sport administration, participated in a conference hosted by the Tennessee Law Review titled, “Looking Back and Looking Forward: The Nineteenth Amendment 100 Years Later.” Shaw was part of a panel discussion which focused on obstacles to women’s equality in the professional sphere including the path to leadership in law firms, how gender impacts investments and the disparate funding of women’s collegiate athletic programs. Shaw pulled from her expertise from working with coaches, administrators and athletes advising on contract negotiations and investigations, as well as Title IX policy review, compliance and training initiatives.

Students Advance at National Debate Tournament

April Hefner
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Students Advance at National Debate Tournament

On April 13-16, Belmont University sent two students to the International Public Debate Association (IPDA) national debate tournament in Shreveport, Louisiana. Both students advanced to the elimination brackets in their divisions.

Nazif Manaj, a senior political science major who is currently planning to attend Belmont Law in the fall of 2019, joined the debate team in January of this year. At the IPDA national tournament he competed against approximately 120 other debaters in the novice division and advanced to partial triple-octa-finals (top 45 in the country).

Tyler Redmon, a sophomore political science major from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, is finishing his second year on the Belmont speech and debate team. At the IPDA national debate tournament he advanced to octa-finals (top 16 in the country) in the junior-varsity division. He was also awarded as the seventh place overall JV debate speaker at the tournament.

This year’s tournament consisted of 40 colleges and universities competing on the campus of LSU-Shreveport. IPDA debate bridges the goals of promoting advocacy, communication and argumentation for students in a competitive environment.

Belmont Undergraduate Research Symposium Features Animal Planet’s Dan Driskin

April Hefner
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Belmont Undergraduate Research Symposium Features Animal Planet’s Dan Driskin

The Belmont University Research Symposium was held Thursday, April 11, with a keynote address from Dr. Dan Driskin, host of Animal Planet’s “Monsters Inside Me” and the author of the book “Mother Nature Is Trying to Kill You.”  His talk, “What the maggot in my scalp taught me about the process of science,” was delivered to an enthusiastic audience. 

Driskin received his Ph.D. from Cornell University and is a world-renowned expert on bat biology, evolution and biomechanics. He’s appeared on The Tonight Show, the Late Show with Craig Ferguson and a number of specials on Discovery Channel. 

In addition to the Keynote Address, poster sessions for Psychology and Biology could be viewed in the Ayers 3rd and 4th floor atriums. At least 23 academic departments from multiple colleges presented  student oral presentation sessions throughout the day. These presentations provided an opportunity to show the diversity of research practices across Belmont’s campus.

Finally, Dr. Nancy Darr, professor of physical therapy and the 2017-2018 recipient of the Faculty Scholarship Award, delivered an address April 12 titled, “Research with Children:  The Most Fun Research Ever!”

Schenkel, Maslyn Published in Journal of Small Business Strategy

April Hefner
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Schenkel, Maslyn Published in Journal of Small Business Strategy

Massey College of Business faculty Dr. Mark Schenkel, professor of entrepreneurship, and Dr. John Maslyn, professor of management, recently published a research study titled “Process improvement in SMEs: The impact of harmonious passion for entrepreneurship, employee creative self-efficacy, and time spent innovating” in the Journal of Small Business Strategy.  Dr. Steven Farmer, a colleague from Wichita State University, co-authored the research.

The field study examines the interplay and influence of harmonious passion, creative self-efficacy and time spent innovating on process improvement in a small-to-medium enterprise (SME). Findings reveal that time spent innovating predicts the number of process improvement suggestions but also that time spent innovating is, itself, influenced by the employee’s level of harmonious passion for entrepreneurship. The influence of harmonious passion is moderated by creative self-efficacy yet, counter to expectations, the moderation is negative. That is, the positive relationship between harmonious passion and time spent innovating becomes weaker as creative self-efficacy becomes stronger. Collectively, the findings provide new insight into the complex relationships between passion, competency and entrepreneurial behavior in the processes employees follow to engage in workplace innovation. The study appears in the April 2019 issue.

Belmont Celebrates Arbor Day with Ginkgo Tree Planting

Staff Writer
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Belmont Celebrates Arbor Day with Ginkgo Tree Planting

On April 12, Belmont leadership, faculty, staff and students celebrated Arbor Day by honoring one of Belmont’s a ginkgo tree that was recently planted near Horrell Hall.

The Arbor Day celebration was one of Belmont’s Sustainability Celebration events which provide an opportunity for the campus community to engage with the Conservation Covenant, the University’s commitment to honor God’s creation.

During the ceremony Vice President for Finance and Operations Steve Lasley shared the history of the ginkgo tree (Ginkgo Biloba), known for its beauty and longevity. He said the ginkgo tree serves as a “living fossil.” While the tree has remained unchanged over the centuries, it also has a great ability to adapt and even thrive.

Belmont is already home to a 150-year-old ginkgo tree beside the Leu Art building and has held official Arboretum status since 2012.

The planting of this new ginkgo tree symbolizes Belmont’s dedication to sustainability and preserving nature for generations to come.

Belmont also celebrates again earning the Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree Campus USA recognition, a program honoring colleges and universities and their leaders for promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit of conservation.

To meet this distinction, Belmont met the five core standards including establishment of a tree advisory committee, evidence of a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance and the sponsorship of student-led projects.

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After the ceremony, Belmont Grounds & Landscaping Manager Melissa Finan and local birder Dr. Frank Fekel led attendees on an urban tree and bird walk through campus.

Student Work Featured by Online Typography Journal

Staff Writer
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Student Work Featured by Online Typography Journal

O’More School of Design student Abraham Mast recently had his work featured by Fonts In Use, an online typography journal. Mast is a junior design communications major and completed the work featured by the journal in his Creative Visualization class.

He describes the work as a “two-and-a-half minute type animation about the daily routine of my life.” Mast was careful in his selection of fonts for his animation being sure to choose one that had “humanistic features.”

Mast’s type animation, “My Type of Day,” can be viewed here.

Dark Publishes ‘The Possibility of America’

Staff Writer
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Dark Publishes ‘The Possibility of America’

Assistant Professor of Religion and the Arts Dr. David Dark recently published a new book, “The Possibility of America: How the Gospel Can Mend Our God-Blessed, God-Forsaken Land.”

The book expands on ideas presented in Dark’s other book “The Gospel According to America” and looks at his view of the broken and redeemable American Christianity. The book combines a mix of cultural, theological and political discussions relating to certain issues in the Trump era.

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