Belmont alumnus Brett McLaughlin was recently featured in the Sun Herald (Gulfport, Mississippi) for his rise to songwriting fame. McLaughlin was a Commercial Music major at Belmont (’09) and has used his education to springboard into the Los Angeles music scene.
The songwriter is now famous for his work with Demi Lovato, DNCE, Daya, Troye Sivan and Andy Grammar, among others. His recent song “Fetish,” performed by Selena Gomez, sat at No. 27 on the Billboard 100 this week.
Belmont alumnus Andy Harding (’97) was recently featured in the Murray State News for his new art exhibition, “Cloud Witness.”
Influenced by his background in science (he was a chemistry major at Belmont), Harding creates his artwork from different perspectives. His new exhibit is an approach at science from an artist’s viewpoint and an attempt to examine new scientific discoveries. “Cloud Witness” will be on display in the Clara M. Eagle Gallery until Sept. 24.
Belmont alumna Sally Robertson was recently featured in The Wilson Post for her green lifestyle and love of biking.
Robertson is currently a librarian at Tennessee State Community College, and she bikes to and from her home in Mt. Juliet everyday. She has pedaled an average of 6,000 miles every year for thirty years. She says she does it to be sustainable. “I want my carbon footprint to be light,” she said. “We have to be responsible for our environment.” Robertson graduation from Belmont in 1978, where she studied history and library science.
When students entered the Massey Performing Arts Center on Friday, September 15 for another senior recital, they were greeted with an artist who is no stranger to the stage. Tony Award-Winning singer, songwriter and actor Levi Kreis performed his senior recital before a full house last week, signaling the end of a degree he has spent years working towards. In December, Kreis will receive his bachelor’s of music in commercial music with a music business emphasis.
After leaving Belmont years ago to begin his career before graduating, Kreis won the 2010 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical when his experience as a recording artist, actor and pianist combined to originate the role of Jerry Lee Lewis in Broadway’s Million Dollar Quartet. Soon after, to further his success, Kreis became more and more interested in completing his degree. Since then, Belmont’s School of Music has worked around his show, tours and travel schedule to ensure he was able to complete his outstanding degree requirements. Understanding the importance of finishing what he started, Kreis set his sights on graduation.
“There’s a pride in being a Belmont alumni,” he said. “I didn’t want to leave any unfinished business. It’s important to me to be associated with Belmont, especially in this industry. The university attracts the cream of the crop and has proven, time and time again, that it can groom that talent to have a remarkable impact on the entertainment industry and beyond. I’m proud to be a Belmont alum.”
Kreis said it’s always been important that he finish the degree, it was just a matter of timing. Reflecting back on his “fantastic experience,” Kreis has a message for current students. “There are so many ways to be successful,” he said. “Had I not been given the tools through my Belmont experience to create a unique vision for myself, I’m not sure where’d I’d be. We all have the opportunity to use the tools we’ve been given and decide what success looks like for our own careers. At any time in life, you can always turn to your education.”
Before taking the stage last week to complete his senior recital (the final requirement for his degree), Kreis said he heard a final word of encouragement from Dr. Jeff Kirk, associate director of the School of Music and the faculty member who shepherded the completion of his degree. “I know this has been a long journey,” he said, “but we are so very proud of you.”
In addition to his recognition for Million Dollar Quartet, Kreis’s career has included other notable acting credits like Broadway’s Tony nominated revival Violet, the national tour of Rent, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Pump Boys & Dinettes and the films Frailty, Don’t Let Go, Slip Tumble and Slide, A Very Sordid Wedding and The Divide.
Belmont sophomore, economics major and local entrepreneur Nathan Fink was recently featured in U.S. News and World Report’s article, “Discover Creative Ways to Afford College,” for his franchise of Maui Wowi Hawaiian Coffees and Smoothies. As a franchisee, Fink opens his food cart at basketball games held in Belmont’s Curb Event Center Arena. The profits from his entrepreneurial venture assist in his expenses.
“There’s the potential to make $1,000 in a weekend,” Fink said in the article. His dad bought into the franchise in 2013, operating a few carts in Fink’s hometown of Mayville, Wisconsin. “I was watching him do it, and I was helping out at events and making smoothies. I made use of that experience to get started on my own,” he went on to say.
After finding a retired owner in Nashville, Fink took over the franchise to sell on Belmont’s campus, as well as local high school sporting events and tournaments. Fink went on to mention the addition benefits of operating the cart, including the flexibility of hours and the ability to keep up with his school work. To read the article in its entirety, click here.
Belmont University was recently selected as one of the 375 most environmentally responsible colleges according to The Princeton Review. Published on September 19, the ranking can be accessed here..The Princeton Review chose schools for this seventh annual edition of its green guide based on data from its 2016-17 survey of hundreds of 4-years colleges concerning the schools’ commitments to the environment and sustainability.
“We strongly recommend Belmont University and the other fine colleges in this guide to the many environmentally-minded students who seek to study and live at green colleges,” said The Princeton Review’s Robert Franek, senior vice president-publisher.
Franek noted the growing interest the company has seen among college-bound students in green colleges. “Among more than 10,000 teens and parents who participated in our 2017 College Hopes & Worries Survey, 64% told us that having information about a school’s commitment to the environment would influence their decision to apply to or attend the college.” A complete report on that survey is available here.
The profiles in The Princeton Review’s Guide to 375 Green Colleges provide information about each school’s admission requirements, cost and financial aid and student body stats. They also include “Green Facts” about the schools with details on the availability of transportation alternatives at the schools and the percentage of the school food budgets spent on local/organic food.
Selected colleges were chosen based on “Green Rating” scores (from 60 to 99) that the company tallied in summer 2017 for 629 colleges using data from its 2016-17 survey of school administrators. The survey asked them to report on their school’s sustainability-related policies, practices and programs. More than 25 data points were weighted in the assessment. Schools with Green Rating scores of 80 or higher made it into this guide.
Students from the Belmont University School of Physical Therapy recently volunteered at the inaugural Music City Skate Jam. Multi-platinum singer/songwriter Kip Moore combined his love for music and skateboarding when he teamed up with international skateboarding champion Tony Hawk in downtown Nashville for the charity event.
The day began early in the morning as the students, along with faculty members Drs. Pat Sells and Mike Voight from the School of Physical Therapy, turned Nashville’s Hall of Fame Park into a music venue with an enormous half pipe for the celebrity skate board performers. The free concert and skating exposition, held at Music City Walk of Fame Park, served as a fundraiser to aid hurricane relief. It also brought awareness to both both Moore’s and Hawk’s foundations, which aim to build skate parks for kids in inner cities. Fans who donated were treated to a day of fun-filled events including performances by Jordan Davis, Dee Jay Silver and Moore himself, along with a thrilling skate demo by Tony Hawk.
Belmont University School of Physical Therapy Faculty Members Drs. Pat Sells, Danny Smith and Mike Voight recently volunteered for the 2017 Music Row Ladies Golf Tournament. The event was presented by Keith Urban and sponsored by ASCAP, City National Bank and Tim McGraw.
This long-running charity event has raised more than two million dollars for United Cerebral Palsy of Middle Tennessee in its three-decade history. Voight said, “It is fun to participate in an event that we can see fruits of the fund raising efforts. The funds raised help to build wheel chair ramps that physical therapy students go out and volunteer to build.” The 30th annual tournament took place on Monday, August 21 at Old Natchez Country Club in Franklin, Tennessee.
Honors College students from Belmont, Fisk, Lipscomb and Tennessee State Universities recently met at TSU for the first meeting of the Nashville Honors College Consortium and leadership workshop. Dr. Jonathan Thorndike, director of Belmont’s Honors Program, organized the meeting in collaboration with Dean of the TSU Honors College Dr. Coreen Jackson and Belmont Faculty Member Dr. Beverly Schneller.
The Honors College directors discussed the advantages of programs for students and their philosophy of leadership. The students met to discuss ideas for future projects including social events, service events, cultural events, case studies workshops and panel discussions. Students discussed ideas for a future service events to help with the Walk for Cervical Cancer, volunteer for disaster assistance work groups and communicate on future Nashville-wide collaborative programs.
Director of the Fisk Honors College Dr. Patrick Fleming said, “As the first in a series of collaborations between Honors Programs at TSU, Belmont, Lipscomb and Fisk, we couldn’t have asked for a better event than the leadership symposium hosted by Dr. Jackson and Dr. Miller at TSU on September 16. Students from all four programs came together to develop their leadership skills, and benefited immensely from the experience…Everyone involved was impressed and looks forward to future endeavors.”
Pictured above are Sarah Everett, junior journalism major (front row, left); Miriam Turner, junior music therapy junior (front row, second from left); Steven Metrejean, sophomore music business major (second row, 3rd from left) and Dylan Arndt, junior music business major (back row, left). All are members of Belmont’s Honors Program and the Honors Student Council leadership team. Also pictured above are Dr. Jackson, Director of the Lipscomb Honors College Dr. Paul Prill, Associate Director of the TSU Honors College Dr. Tyrone Miller and Director of the Fisk Honors College Dr. Patrick Fleming.
Belmont’s Massey Graduate School of Business alums honored for excellence in professional achievement, community involvement
Belmont University’s Massey Graduate School of Business Alumni Board will recognize two outstanding alumni—healthcare innovator/entrepreneur Michael Burcham and Parallon CIO Brady Plummer—who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of professional achievement, community involvement, and commitment to the Massey School. Both alumni will be honored at the Alumni Board’s Distinguished Graduate Awards event on October 3.
A. Marshall Family Foods’ Marketing Director Rachel Layton, a 2015 Massey graduate and chair of the Distinguished Graduate Awards, said, “We’re thrilled to honor such incredible alumni making a giant impact on the Nashville community. These recipients continue to set the standard for achievement and community involvement for Massey alumni.”
A Massey MBA graduate, Michael Burcham is a healthcare CEO, strategist, entrepreneur and innovator. He began his healthcare career after graduating from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in 1983. In addition to his graduate degree from Belmont University, he also holds a Doctorate in Health Administration from the Medical University of South Carolina. Burcham is the CEO of Narus Health, a healthcare organization whose care management services and technologies support individuals with serious medical conditions, their families and the medical community engaged in their treatment. He was the founding president and CEO of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center which has been recognized nationally as one of the country’s leading startup organizations. In addition to his work in the healthcare industry, Burcham teaches Healthcare Innovation and Launching New Ventures at the Owen Graduate School of Management (Vanderbilt University), and he recently served as the Co-Chair of the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship for the U.S. Secretary of Commerce (2014-2016). Residing in Nashville, he is a frequent national speaker on executive leadership, entrepreneurial thinking and healthcare innovation.
Brady Plummer, a Massey Masters of Accounting graduate, is the CIO of Parallon Business Performance Group, where he is responsible for setting strategy and providing leadership for the technology supporting Parallon BPG’s business processes. Plummer provides leadership to more than 500 technology professional and manages a complex budget. He was previously an assistant vice president of internal audit for HCA, where he focused on information technology risk and compliance. He has more than 18 years of experience designing operating procedures and assessing efficiency and effectiveness through process improvement and information technology projects, operational and compliance audits, and project management. Plummer is a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), and he serves on the board of Rest Stop Ministries, Belmont Accounting and MIS Advisory Board, and Trevecca Association of Business Professionals.
The Massey Distinguished Graduate Award Ceremony will be held Tues., Oct. 3 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at The Reserve at Fat Bottom (800 44th Avenue North, Nashville). Click here to purchase tickets to the event.
