IMPORTANT NOTE: These are the archived stories for Belmont News & Achievements prior to June 26, 2023. To see current stories, click here.

Home Blog Page 264

AET, Computer Science Alumnus Featured on Company Website

Phil Knock standing, holding a FaberPort16Alumnus Phil Knock (’16), currently working at PreSonus, was recently featured on his employer’s website. Knock has worked at PreSonus for almost a year as a software engineer, where he puts his computer science and audio engineering degrees to work. He said that PreSonus, an audio electronics manufacturing company, “offers a perfect balance of these two pursuits.”

Knock has been immersed in music since he was young, as a cellist in the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony, and he began working in studios in high school.  He said that his favorite thing about working for PreSonus is his ability to “work on intellectually stimulating computer science problems, while at the same time being able to talk shop with the incredibly talented musicians and audio engineers around the office.”

Global Leadership Studies Class Visits Thistle Farms

Recently, students in Dr. Mary Ellen Pethel’s Introduction to Global Leadership Studies class visited Thistle Farms, an organization designed to heal, empower and employ women survivors of trafficking, prostitution and addiction. Students listened to the stories of leaders at Thistle Farms and toured the new facilities. They learned about the complex worlds of NGOs, social enterprise, spiritual development, legal realities, financial sustainability, marketing, education and service.

Global Leadership Studies is a new interdisciplinary course and major at Belmont. According to Pethel, it draws upon liberal arts and professional courses in leadership, communication, business, political science, history, religion and language from across the campus to prepare “future global leaders for the challenges of today’s world.”

Peppe Publishes in ‘Entertainment Law & Finance’

vincent peppe headshotDr. Vincent Peppe, lecturer in music business, recently published an article titled  “Children’s Book Versions of Classic Novels Not Fair Use” in “Entertainment Law & Finance.” The article discusses the dispute between owners of copyrighted novels and the authors of “KinderGuides,” children’s books that summarize these great novels in terms suitable for younger readers.

Peppe is an entertainment and intellectual property attorney with extensive experience in the music industry. His law practice is focused on transactions and disputes involving business, media and technology. He is the recipient of the ASCAP Nathan Burkan Award for excellence in copyright law.

PR, Publishing Double-Major Releases Third Novel

Caroline George, seated, leaning on elbow with hand in hair, smilingCaroline George always knew she loved to tell stories. Now, as a senior public relations and publishing double major, she is the published author of three young adult novels. Her most recent, “The Vestige,” released in July. George said that “stories have been my passion since I was a toddler. Before I could hold a pencil, I told my mom stories, she’d write them down and let me illustrate the pages. In middle school, I made it a goal to be published by my sixteenth birthday.” And publish she did.

Her novels, “The Prime Way Program: Be the Victor,” “The Prime Way Program: Just Strength” and “The Vestige,” are her messages to the world. Her stories are her “lifelong passion,” and writing is her way of sharing them.

George plans to continue writing after she graduates. She has pursued a career as an author over the last five years and has no plans of quitting. “A successful career in the book world requires time, tenacity and consistency,” she added. Her double major is setting her up for success. She said, “When I first considered my options for a major, I decided to specialize in the business aspect of publishing because if I know how to sell, I can sell any kind of book. On the flip side, if I learn how to craft a brilliant novel, but do not know how to sell it, I won’t be a successful author.”"The Vestige" book cover, by Caroline George

However, being a full-time student, intern, author, blogger and small-group leader has not always been easy for George. She describes her calendar as an “artistic display of deadlines.” She gets through her busy times by remembering this: “There are seasons for everything. Certain semesters allow me the flexibility to pump out novels, while others draw my attention to different tasks. I’ve learned to set realistic goals for myself, work hard and give myself grace when I don’t meet my own expectations.”

And she advises other aspiring authors to do the same. “Sit down and write,” she said. “There will never be a perfect moment to start your blog, novel or whatever project is on your heart. The best time to start writing is the time you start writing.” And, “Write with your message in mind. You have the attention of each person who reads your work. They give you their time, so say something worthwhile. ”

George has been nominated for Georgia Author of the Year Award twice. Her blog, “Girl Meets Publishing World,” is a writing-focused blog for millennial creatives that focuses on different aspects of writing and publishing.

Honors Classical Composition Major Studies Abroad, Describes Ceilidh

Belmont Honors student and classical guitar major Cameron Welke recently published a post about his semester abroad at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. In the post, Welke reflects on the meanings of traditions and community through his first experience at a Scottish ceilidh (kay-lee), a social event featuring Scottish or Irish folk music and singing, traditional dancing and storytelling.

He described it as “particularly striking…to see an entire culture rally around and find joy in a part of their heritage that they can share with one another, to watch the rhythms of the past flow into a present as the people of Scotland celebrated who they were and who they are and who they are becoming.”

To read the post in its entirety, click here.

Psychology Club Hosts Bert’s Big Thank You Service Event

The Belmont Psychology Club and Psi Chi (known together at PC2) hosted a community service convocation event, Bert’s Big Thank You, that allowed students to write thank you cards for soldiers serving overseas who are unable to come home for the holidays. Together, the club was able to create more than 150 cards to share.

The Bert Show, a national morning radio show, has helped to express a big ‘thank you’ by sending more than one million hand written letters of thanks to every service man and woman deployed outside the United States. Over the past several years, every single soldier deployed outside the United States has received a letter of gratitude on Thanksgiving Day.

Belmont’s Beta Chi Club Volunteers at Light the Night 5K

Students participate in a charity event, Light the Night 5K supporting lukemia and lymphoma.Student members of the Belmont University Beta Chi Club volunteered and participated in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Light The Night 5k on Friday, October 20 at Nissan Stadium. Participants carried a “Belmont Beta Chi” sign while they walked in the event.

The Beta Chi student organization exists to promote research in the area of biochemistry and molecular biology through seminars and laboratory opportunities, while providing a social setting for networking and volunteering.

Hong Receives Vaco Accounting Student Scholarship Award

Yihao Hong, a senior accounting major, was recently named the recipient of the Vaco Accounting Student Scholarship Award. Vaco provided a $1,000 scholarship to a deserving undergraduate student in the region, and Hong was recognized on stage at the Nashville Business Journal’s Chief Financial Officer Awards on Oct. 18. He will also be included in the Oct. 27 issue of NBJ.

Hong has already been accepted into the Belmont University’s Master of Accountancy program where he plans to pursue CPA eligibility.

 

Carr Supports Creatives Day Initiative

Carr and CooperNashville Mayor Megan Barry signed a 2016 proclamation declaring Creatives’ Day in Nashville, launching an initiative to support and celebrate artists by uniting them with community leaders. The Creatives Day Committee is led by Brian Sexton and supported by the Arts and Business Council of Greater Nashville, which is located on Belmont’s campus.  Dr. Cheryl Carr, associate dean of the Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business, serves as an advisor to the committee and represented Belmont at this year’s event, which was held on Sat., Oct. 21. Congressman Jim Cooper kicked off the celebration with remarks at the Nashville Public Library.

 

CEMB, CSM Students Participate in Audio Engineering Society Conference

CEMB, CSM StudentsBelmont students and faculty from the Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business and the College of Sciences and Mathematics attended the 143rd meeting of the Audio Engineering Society in New York from Oct 18-21.  They spoke regarding their research on auditory perception, sound-mapping and education practices, as well as staffing a recruitment table for the Education & Career Fair portion of the conference. Alumnus Kerrick Crace (back row, center) won second place in the mixing competition in the Sound for Picture category.