Dr. Ted Peetz, assistant professor in sport administration, recently received the 2017 Journal of Global Sport Management Best Paper Award for his work on the article, “Sport fan evaluations of a Major League Baseball season: Key predictors and influence on future evaluations and consumption behaviors.” Focusing on theory, empirical research and methodology, the Journal of Global Sport Management intends to serve as an interdisciplinary and global communications vehicle for the study of sport management around the world.
Peetz Receives Best Paper Award from Sport Management Journal
Cheekwood Recognizes Belmont Student Volunteers with Century Award
Belmont recently was recognized with the Century Award from Cheekwood Estate and Gardens for more than 100 hours of volunteer service by students. Dr. David C. Julseth, chair of the Department of Foreign Languages and professor of Spanish, attended the Volunteer Appreciation Day on Sat., Oct 21. to receive the award on behalf of the many students and faculty from Belmont’s College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) who have worked to support the annual celebration of the Hispanic holiday “El Día de los Muertos” (the Day of the Dead).
Julseth served on the original “El Día” advisory board at Cheekwood 17 years ago, and he continues in that role this year. On Fri., Oct. 20, Julseth and 20 Belmont Spanish students spent the afternoon making over 1,400 sugar skulls in preparation for the actual celebration of “El Día de los Muertos” that will be held this Sat., Oct 28 from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. at Cheekwood. Last year the event was attended by more than 5,700 guests who enjoyed the vendors, food trucks, Mariachi band, Aztec dancers and “ofrenda” displays to remember deceased loved ones in positive ways. Guests will also be able to enjoy a wide variety of arts and crafts including the opportunity to decorate the sugar skulls made by the Belmont students.
Massey College Hosts Brazilian Study Group on Campus
On Oct. 6, Belmont hosted the Brazilian Study Group for talks about university education of financial planners and how to develop ethics in a profession. These talks were led by Brad Childs, associate professor of accounting, and Barry Padgett, professor of business ethics. Fred Kendall, who serves in the Development Office, helped participate in these discussions as well.
The group was escorted around Nashville during the week by Michael Wallin, task force chair for the Annual Conference of the Financial Planning Association. Wallin is a graduate of the financial planning program provided by the Center for Executive Education in Belmont’s Massey College of Business. The Brazilian Study Group’s purpose is to develop a financial planning profession that is on par with the profession that is practiced in the United States. Tobias Maag is the founder and leader of the Brazilian Study Group, and he was one of the task force members for this year’s annual conference that was held in Nashville. Tobias is an international wealth expert, and he has organized other Study Groups for family business owners and heirs in both the United States and Europe.
Maag said, “A very big thank you from all of us to you all and the Belmont team, for the time and resources allocated, the experience and insights shared, and your hospitality, making this experience even more unique to us! It was very interesting for the group to have the perspective of professionals who also know the academic reality.”
Alumna Opens ‘No Baked Cookie Dough’ Retail Site
Nashville cookie dough sensation No Baked Cookie Dough, founded by alumna Megan Beaven (music business, 2015), opened its first brick and mortar location this week at 117 28 Ave. South, adjacent to Centennial Park.
No Baked began setting up at pop-ups around the Nashville area in April of this year. Customers were able to keep up with No Baked’s locations through Instagram and Facebook, and cookie dough lovers around the city lined up for the trendy dessert while online orders came in from around the Southeast. After seeing success all year, the company made the decision to expand to a physical location that would embrace both residents and tourists alike.
Of the store’s grand opening, No Baked Owner Megan Beaven said, “Opening this first No Baked storefront really is my dream come true. I’ve been envisioning the shop since the very start of the company and to see it come to life is the best thing I have ever experienced. I can’t wait for everyone else to experience it, too!”
No Baked’s eggless cookie dough is made with heat treated flour and is safe to eat as served. Its staple flavors include Classic Chocolate Chip, Confetti Sugar, and Double Chocolate Chip. The new storefront–which offers additional flavors, toppings, coffee and other cookie dough desserts–was featured Monday on NewsChannel5.
Belmont to Host 2018 Gubernatorial Debates
Well-established as a community leader for hosting important civic conversations, Belmont University will once again step to the forefront in 2018 as the site for a Tennessee gubernatorial forum and several debates. The campus previously hosted the 2015 and 2011 Nashville mayoral debates, the 2010 gubernatorial debates and, most memorably, the 2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate between then Senators Barack Obama and John McCain. Belmont also served as the alternate site for last year’s presidential debate series from the Commission on Presidential Debates. All of the 2018 gubernatorial events at Belmont will be co-sponsored with The Tennessean.
The series at Belmont will begin in January with a candidate forum focused on education in partnership with the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE). Primary debates will be held on Belmont’s campus next June as the Republican and Democratic party candidates gather separately to discuss topics relevant to the state. Once final candidates have been selected in next August’s primaries, Belmont will host one of three general election debates in the fall. While Belmont will host the Nashville/middle Tennessee debate, University of Tennessee-Knoxville will host an east Tennessee debate while University of Memphis will host one for the western portion of the state.
Belmont University President Dr. Bob Fisher said, “As an institution of higher education, promoting civic involvement and community responsibility are central tenets of Belmont’s mission to ‘empower students to engage and transform the world.’ This University has shown that commitment through the hosting of numerous political debates and forums on a local, state and national level, including a 2008 Presidential debate, and we are honored to once again be a gathering space for critical conversations that impact the future of every Tennessean. I am excited to welcome the gubernatorial candidates to our campus, and I look forward to joining with our colleagues at University of Tennessee–Knoxville and the University of Memphis to host insightful discussions on the issues affecting our state.”
In announcing the debates, Tennessean Editor/VP of News for the USA Today Network-Tennessee Michael Anastasi wrote, “The coming 12 months will be among the most important in this state’s long and storied political history… Through all of these [events], we will be encouraging rigorous discussion and debate while insisting on civil discourse, which we believe to be the truest test of leadership.”
The election to select Tennessee’s next governor will occur on November 6, 2018.
Alumna Katie Pruitt Signs Publishing Deal
Belmont songwriting alumna Katie Pruitt (2016) recently signed a co-publishing deal with creative music company Round Hill Music, which has offices in Nashville, New York and Los Angeles. The singer-songwriter won the BMI Foundation’s inaugural Nashville Songwriting Scholarship last year, and she was also recognized by the Songwriters Hall of Fame earlier this year with the Holly Prize, which honors “a new ‘all-in-one songwriter’— an exceptionally talented and inspired young musician/singer/songwriter whose work exhibits the qualities of [Buddy] Holly’s music: true, great and original.”
According to her website, Pruitt’s music is “best described by the interaction of human relationships with a musical focus on simple but evocative melodies and sung in a voice that reflects the mysteries of life. Influenced by Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt and Amy Winehouse, her music is a combination of all the elements that make music great.”
PRSSA Sweeps Awards at National Conference
Belmont’s chapter of Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) recently received the national PRSSA Teahan Award for Outstanding PRSA/PRSSA Relationship, as well as a Star Chapter Award, recognizing 10 criteria of excellence. Belmont PRSSA is one of only two chapters to receive this award every year since it was established in 2009. The students also received six national awards for their individual contributions to the chapter and the public relations profession.
These students received the awards at the PRSSA National Conference in Boston this month. The conference is the largest gathering of public relations students in the country and offered these students the opportunity to network and learn while exploring different sections of the public relations industry.
Alumnus Featured in ‘People’ and ‘Taste of Country’
Alumnus Russell Dickerson (’11) is attracting media attention as his rise to fame continues. He was recently featured on People.com/country and ‘Taste of Country,’ discussing his marriage and his musical success. He told People, “Once I stopped caring what people thought, it was like people were attracted to that. It took me a while to learn that.”
Dickerson has opened for acts like Thomas Rhett and fellow alumni Florida Georgia Line, and his recently-released debut album, “Yours,” hit No. 16 on iTunes this week. The project is a reflection of his relationship, focusing on happy songs like “Billions,” and the album’s namesake, “Yours.” He and his wife Kailey both graduated from Belmont in 2011 with degrees in Commercial Music.
Alumnae Entrepreneurs Featured in ‘Lashville’
Alumnae Channing Moreland (’16) and Makenzie Stokel (’16), founders of EVAmore, sat down with blogger Carly Peterson of Lashville this week to discuss their success in the entrepreneurial industry. The women started EVAmore through the Entrepreneur Center’s Project Music in 2015 and have since been featured in Forbes, highlighting their platform, strategy and model.
“We made it so that the website can do it all for you,” said Stokel. “But we also wanted it to be a customized experience.”
Evamore is an online booking platform that matches artists and performers with event planners and venues. It is designed to take the stress out of the booking process by streamlining the negotiation and contract process. The dream of EVAmore was born when Moreland and Stokel met at New Student Orientation at the beginning of their first year at Belmont. Moreland studied songwriting and entrepreneurship, while Stokel majored in music business and entrepreneurship.
Belmont Tops Out New ‘Tall Hall’ Residence
Building to house more than 600 students when completed
Ten months after breaking ground, today Belmont University contractors lifted the north gable in place on a new residence, “Tall Hall,” that sits between 12 South and 15th Avenue. The topped-out structure’s top floor, based on overall elevation, represents one of the highest points in Nashville, offering tremendous birds-eye views of downtown.
Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher said, “As part of our commitment to student-centeredness, we want to offer on campus living spaces for more of our students in order to enhance their learning opportunities in and out of the classroom. This new hall will further the robust Residence Life experience Belmont can offer while also helping more members of our community stay in a safe and affordable location near the center of our dynamic and rapidly expanding city.”
At more than 243,000 square feet, Tall Hall will be the institution’s largest residential building to date and is scheduled to open in phases with about half of the facility welcoming students in August 2018, with the remaining space finished by January 2019. The $80 million complex will house 611 upperclassmen in total and will include a fitness studio on the ground level to provide workout opportunities close to students’ homes. In addition, a large park-like green space is being added beside Tall Hall between Dickens, Horrell, Russell and Thrailkill Halls. The area will feature a flowing stream, a small pond, seating spots and a green recreational space.
Approximately 55 percent of Belmont’s undergraduate population currently lives on campus, and the new hall will increase residential spaces from approximately 3,500 currently to more than 4,100 spots. The new facility will feature both suite and apartment-style room options and will be located in the southeast quadrant of campus. Nashville-based R.C. Mathews is the contractor and ESa the architect for the project.
Belmont continues its commitment to sustainable buildings with this project, as this is expected to be the fourth campus building to achieve LEED certification. Occupancy sensors, nearby material sourcing, variable refrigerant flow (VRF) HVAC system and low VOC paints all contribute to ensuring less impact on the environment from this new construction.
Belmont’s continued campus growth—with investments exceeding $600 million in construction, renovation and property acquisitions since 2000—is matched by an enrollment surge that finds the University topping 8,000 students for the first time this fall.
