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

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Experts Provide Last Minute Career Advice to Upcoming Grads

Hope Buckner
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Experts Provide Last Minute Career Advice to Upcoming Grads

Attendees speak with industry experts at a recent event where professionals shared advice with soon-to-be-gradsBelmont’s Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business recently hosted an event where industry professionals visited campus to give last minute career advice to upcoming graduates. With more than 30 students in attendance, the “Last Minute Session” allowed students the opportunity to speak with field experts in a small group setting and obtain any last minute advice before crossing the stage.

Topics of conversation included the professionals’ own stories, tips on how to gain experience as a new grad, organizations to join, resume advice, action steps and pieces of encouragement, among other things. Students were also asked to bring their resumes so the professionals could review their work and make suggestions based on industry best practice.

Attendees included representatives from Creative Nation, Kobalt Music, Round Hill Music, ASCAP, CAA, Big Machine Label Group, Jeremy Camp, Ole, Broken Bow Music Group/BMG and Gold Sounds Entertainment.

Fyke & Webb Published in The SAGE Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods

Hope Buckner
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Fyke & Webb Published in The SAGE Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods

Drs. Jeremy Fyke and Nathan Webb, assistant professors of corporate communication and communication studies, were recently published in The SAGE Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods. Fyke contributed two chapters to the encyclopedia, “Power in Language” and “Gender-Specific Language.” Webb also contributed two chapters including “Survey: Leading Questions” and “Variables, Control.”

Dr. Jeremy Fyke Head Shot
Dr. Jeremy Fyke
Dr. Nathan Webb

Appellate Advocacy Team Earns National Ranking at Competition

Hope Buckner
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Appellate Advocacy Team Earns National Ranking at Competition

The advocacy competition team poses for a picture. The Belmont College of Law National Appellate Advocacy Competition Team recently competed in the national rounds in Chicago where they ranked No. 12 in the nation and made it to the octofinal rounds. Made up of students Jake Beggin, Emmie Futrell and Sarah Sims, the team ultimately ended up beating or outranking many schools including regional champions Chicago-Kent, Faulkner, Georgetown, Gonzaga, Mississippi College, Oklahoma City, Pacific McGeorge, Rutgers, Texas Tech, Vanderbilt and William & Mary.

Students Read to Children for 17th Annual Family Literacy Day

Staff Writer
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Students Read to Children for 17th Annual Family Literacy Day

Belmont University’s 17th annual Family Literacy Day on Saturday, April 8 brought 155 student volunteers to E.S. Rose Park to read with local children. Representing various student organizations including the English Club, STEA (Student Tennessee Education Association), CHAARG (Changing Health, Attitudes + Actions to Recreate Girls), Alpha Gamma Delta, Psychology Club and Belmont Volunteers for Literacy, students hosted reading circles, each with their own theme and book options.

The purpose of Family Literacy Day is to foster and celebrate a love for reading in children ranging from pre-kindergarten through the 6th grade. This year, there were 79 community members registered in total.

Students read to children on Family Literacy DayIn addition to the reading circles, which are the primary focus of the event, the day included face-painting, games, crafts and refreshments. The event also included a Book Walk organized by retired teachers from the Delta Kappa Gamma Sorority—Beta Chapter, Nashville Public Library’s Digital Literacy Program, the Book’em Literacy Program, the Nashville Adult Literacy Counsel and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

The winners of the 8th Annual Poetry Contest, which invites elementary school children from Metro Nashville Public Schools to write a poem based on an annual theme relating to their favorite books, were also announced at Family Literacy Day. This year’s theme was “Favorite Animal,” and students submitted poetry written about an animal in a book they’ve read. After being reviewed by the English Club, the poets of the top five poems were invited to come to Belmont and work with professional songwriters to set their poems to music. The songs were then made available online for a round of public voting to pick the winners.

Director of Service-Learning Tim Stewart, who was in charge of organizing Family Literacy Day, said, “One of the most rewarding things [about this event] is receiving encouraging feedback from participants, like this immigrant father who took time to send me an e-mail after they had participated.  He said ‘This is the first time we [have] participated in an activity of this kind. It has lively and meaningful activities. It is the enormous contribution from your team that makes it a success. It definitely will make a significant event and good memory to these kids in early ages.’  It’s feedback like this that makes it all worthwhile.”

Family Literacy Day is designed to serve as a celebration of the year’s service activities, giving the children and student participants of the ongoing programs a chance to have fun and reflect on their accomplishments. It also serves as a way of encouraging additional Belmont students, faculty and staff to get involved in the literacy effort in our community, and it provides a way for Belmont to give back in a small way to the community of which it is a part and from whom it receives so much.

Belmont Ranked No. 3 on U.S. News List of Business Schools with Most Women

Hope Buckner
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Belmont Ranked No. 3 on U.S. News List of Business Schools with Most Women

Belmont was ranked No. 3 on U.S. News and World Report’s recent ranking of the Business Schools with the most enrolled women. According to the article,women made up fewer than 40 percent of enrolled business students in 2016, and at 122 of the 130 ranked schools, women were the minority. But at the ten schools included on the recent list, of which Belmont was No. 3, women made up at least 48 percent of students. Additionally, six of these schools (including Belmont) enrolled more women than men.

To read the complete article, click here.

‘Elevator Pitch’ Gives Students Real World Professional Communication Practice

April Hefner
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‘Elevator Pitch’ Gives Students Real World Professional Communication Practice

The notion of an “elevator pitch” takes on new meaning in Dr. Jimmy Davis’ Business and Professional Communication class, as students are challenged to market themselves in a 30-second ride on an Ayers Academic Center elevator with peers and a professor observing the “pitch.”

Dr. Davis advises students on their elevator pitches.
Dr. Davis advises students on their elevator pitches.

The class puts practical experience at the forefront as it seeks to help students develop the crucial personal communication skills that are commonly needed in business and organizational settings, including creating a resume and cover letter, practicing a job interview and learning negotiation skills.

In teaching the course, Davis began to recognize that his students were struggling to craft effective cover letters that would help them in their future job searches. The elevator speech assignment was birthed as a way “to get them to focus their ideas. That elevator door opens a lot faster than they think it will so they have get to the point more precisely… and then that clarity helps them revise and sharpen their cover letters.”

Sophomore English and publishing double major Jackie Karneth, from Bedford, New Hampshire, said, “The elevator pitch was kind of intimidating because you’re being put on the hot-seat. You have to defend your value as a candidate for employment in less than a minute and that’s a heavy task. I went into the elevator and began marketing myself. I discussed my skills, my background, my passion for the work, etc. And then I learned that what I said was not as impactful as I had thought. The best way to market yourself is actually to talk about the company more than yourself. That’s the trick. What are the company’s values and goals? How do you plan to help them reach those goals? That’s how you market yourself.”

Junior Corporate Communications Major Griffin Heckert, who hails from Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, added, “Dr. Davis guided us through, making sure we were upfront in our explanations and clear with the intentions of the speech without dragging on for too long. It made me think on how first impressions can be very important and that you have to be honest and confident.”

Davis noted that students generally have a lot of “fear and trembling” about the assignment in the beginning as anyone can join the pitch in progress with every elevator stop. However, once the pitches are complete, attitudes often change. “After it’s over, and they see the connections between the elevator speeches and their cover letters and between their cover letters and their careers and between their careers and the arc of their lives… well, they like it a lot more then.”

Beyond the elevator pitch assignment, for Karneth, learning how to adapt was a big benefit for her from this course, She concluded, “Dr. Davis taught us to be confident in our work and to defend the choices we make. In college and in the workplace, you won’t always know exactly what is expected from you, so you have to do your best and explain why you made the choices that you did.”

Madden Wins 2017 Dean’s Cup

Hope Buckner
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Madden Wins 2017 Dean’s Cup

Dean's Cup winner poses with the esteemed judging panel.Belmont College of Law student Paul Madden recently won the 2017 Dean’s Cup, an annual oral advocacy tournament for first year students in the College. Run by the College’s Board of Advocates Program, led by Professor Amy Moore, this year’s distinguished final panel included Judge Neal McBrayer of the Tennessee Court of Appeals, College of Law Dean and former US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and College of Law Professor Harold See, former Alabama Supreme Court Justice.

 

 

Baldridge Finds Great Success

Hope Buckner
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Joe Baldridge Head ShotLecturer of Audio Engineering Joe Baldridge has spent a considerable amount of time in the studio recently as one of his song’s, “Blue Ain’t Your Color” by Keith Urban, hit No. 1 in March. Urban’s album Ripcord was also nominated for five CMA awards, three Grammy awards and seven ACM awards in the 2017 cycle.

Additionally, Baldridge  recorded 20 songs for the new Thomas Rhett album for producers Dan Huff, Jesse Frasure, Joe London and Julian Bunetta at Blackbird Studio D and Backstage Studio in Nashville. The first single, “Craving You,” produced by Huff, Bunetta and London, was released on March 31. Finally, Baldridge recorded eight songs for Dan Tyminski’s new Universal Music Group album in February with Frasure at Backstage Studio with Belmont student Josh Ditty assisting.

 

Belmont Recognizes Students and Faculty at Annual Awards Celebration

Hope Buckner
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Belmont Recognizes Students and Faculty at Annual Awards Celebration

Belmont’s highest achieving students and faculty were honored for their commitment to the University’s mission and dedication to scholarship, service and leadership at the institution’s Scholarship and Awards Day convocation in the Massey Performing Arts Center on Wednesday. Associate Professor of Economics Dr. Marieta Velikova, the 2015-16 Chaney Distinguished Professor, gave the ceremony’s Honors Address and discussed the power of education, likening it to a springtime harvest. Quoting a Chinese proverb, Velikova described the gifts of each of this year’s Chaney Award nominees, detailing their unique gifts and the ways they contribute to the Belmont community.

She commented on her responsibility, as a faculty member, to understand the honor that comes with each student who chooses to attend Belmont. As she closed, Velikova urged her colleagues and all students present to be inspired by the “buds of spring. May we be renewed by the sense of hope and optimism, and create a possibility of love, connection and peace on the planet.”

The ceremony includes the presentation of the highly anticipated John Williams Heart of Belmont Award, an honor given to one student who demonstrates a deep commitment to Belmont’s values including innovation, persistence, advocacy for change, community development and service. This year’s recipient, Suzanna Stapler, chose Red Cloud Indian School as her community partner, the organization that will receive a donation in Stapler’s honor as part of her award. The school, located in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, serves the student population of the second largest Native American reservation in America. Stapler traveled with 9 other Belmont students and staff last May to volunteer with the community. “Hearing their stories inspired me to value my identity as an athlete and truly appreciate where I am today,” Stapler said. “I will always remember the kids’ joyful yells and smiles, and I hope to continue finding ways to invest in their lives.”

Other students honored in Wednesday’s ceremony included:

The Williams-Murray First Year Writing Awards: Alexander Wharton (“Frankenstein: The Incorrect Origin of Man’s Fear of Androids”) and Alexis Wilkins (“Bottle it Up”)

The Alfred Leland Crabb Award: Hailey Hanks (“No One Would Choose to Die”) and Rachel Petty (“A Witness to Suffering: A Narratological Analysis of Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye”)

The Alfred Leland Crabb Award for Collaborative Work: Amber Baack, Katelyn Black, Katherine Patterson, Katherine Ward and Mallory Zimmerman (“Through My Eyes: A Refugee Experience”)

The Stacy Awalt Writing Award: Christopher Lutz (“Poetry, Sophistry, and Philosophy: Critiquing Poets in the Republic”)

The Annette Sisson First Year Writing Award: Megan Rafferty (“Addressing the Gender Gap in Higher Education”)

The Lumos Travel Award: Lauren Deklava (Thailand), Sean Grossnickle (Senegal), James Mixon (Kenya & Tanzania) and Karah Waters (Tanzania)

A student hugs a faculty member following awards dayThe First Year Award, Leadership and Service: Madison Manns

The Second Year Award, Leadership and Service: Mary Barber

The Third Year Award, Leadership and Service: Joseph LaMartina

The Fourth Year Award, Leadership: Kylee Smith

Dr. Fannie Hewlett Undergraduate Award: Marquis Jiles (commercial music major)

Dr. Fannie Hewlett Graduate Award: Evelyn Kisakye (pharmacy)

In addition to student award winners, a number of awards were given to faculty members. The Christian Scholarship Award honors faculty scholarship that engages the Christian intellectual tradition and advances the scholarly conversation between Christian faith and learning. This year’s recipient was Assistant Professor of English Dr. Jayme Yeo.

Dr. Adam receives her award from Provost Dr. Thomas BurnsThe Leadership in Christian Service Award honors faculty who provide leadership to a new initiative or an established Christian organization that serves those in need. This year’s recipient was Dr. Jamie Adam, associate professor of nursing.

The Faculty Award for Scholarship recognizes a faculty member for outstanding intellectual and creative contributions of discovery, integration, application or teaching. This year’s recipient was Professor of Physical Therapy Dr. Nancy Darr. 

Dr. Caresse John, English Department, was named the 2015-16 Chaney Distinguished Professor. The Chaney Distinguished Professor Award, determined on the basis of superior teaching, is presented each year to a faculty member who best represents the vision of the university to be a “premier teaching institution.”

Dr. Christopher Norton, School of Music, was awarded the 2015-16 Presidential Faculty Achievement Award. The Presidential Faculty Achievement Award is presented each year to a faculty member who has made outstanding contributions to student life outside the classroom. The award honors and recognizes excellence in faculty-student relationships, special abilities in meeting student needs – academic, personal and professional – and symbolizes Belmont University’s commitment to being a student-centered institution.

Spiritually-Focused ‘Writing for Your Life’ Conference Comes to Belmont July 18-19

April Hefner
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Spiritually-Focused ‘Writing for Your Life’ Conference Comes to Belmont July 18-19

Acclaimed authors Barbara Brown Taylor, Rachel Held Evans to headline

Belmont University’s College of Theology and Christian Ministry (CTCM) announced today that registration is now open for the “Writing for Your Life” conference on campus July 18-19. Partnering with the “Writing for Your Life” conference series, headline speakers for the Nashville event will be acclaimed authors Barbara Brown Taylor and Rachel Held Evans.

Brian Allain, director of the Frederick Buechner Center and producer of the Writing for Your Life series, said, “We are thrilled to partner with Belmont University to feature best-in-class writers and industry professionals from Nashville and around the country. Our goal is to make this the best writers’ conference possible for our attendees. I have worked with both Barbara Brown Taylor and Rachel Held Evans in previous writers’ conferences, and the audience just loved them. Packed houses and standing ovations. They are both incredibly inspiring and wonderful people.”

A member of the Association of Leaders in Lifelong Learning for Ministry, the Writing for Your Life conference at Belmont will offer 1.1. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for pastors in attendance. In addition, an Advanced Writer’s Retreat pre-conference on July will offer an additional .5 CEUs.

CTCM Dean Dr. Darrell Gwaltney said, “We want to create an opportunity for people to grow into the writers they feel called to be. We think this conference is a unique opportunity for great conversations and personal growth. We are delighted to host it!”

Barbara Brown Taylor Barbara Brown Taylor head shotis a New York Times best-selling author, professor and Episcopal priest. Her first memoir, Leaving Church, won the Author of the Year award from the Georgia Writers Association. Her last book, Learning to Walk in the Dark, was featured in TIME magazine. She has served on the faculty of Piedmont College since 1998 as the Butman Professor of Religion & Philosophy and has been a guest lecturer at Emory, Duke, Princeton and Yale.

Rachel Held Evans Rachel Held Evans head shotis a New York Times best-selling author whose books include Faith Unraveled, A Year of Biblical Womanhood and Searching for Sunday. Hailing from Dayton, Tennessee, she writes about faith, doubt and life in the Bible Belt, and her work has been featured in The Washington Post, The Guardian, Christianity Today, Slate, The Huffington Post, The CNN Belief Blog, and on NPR, The BBC, The Today Show, and The View.

In addition to the headliners, other speakers for the event include: Robert Benson (author), Jeff Chu (author and journalist), Greg Daniel (literary agent), Robbie Pinter (author and professor), Erin Healy (author), Tony Jones (Fortress Press and author), Susan Salley (Abingdon Press), Sophfronia Scott (author), Margot Starbuck (author and book consultant), and Webster Younce (Thomas Nelson).

Early-bird tuition for the main conference is $325, through June 1, and includes all General Sessions and Breakout Seminars, lunches, snacks and beverages during the breaks, one-on-one meetings, and an open-mic evening session. After June 1, tuition will increase to $349.

About Writing for Your Life

Writing for Your Life is committed to offering many useful resources and services to support spiritual writers. We offer in-person writing conferences and online webinars featuring leading spiritual writers and publishing industry experts. Authors discuss and teach about various aspects of spiritual writing. Industry experts offer advice on how to get published and how to market. In addition, we offer several types of marketing services, online video training presentations and other resources. Learn more at www.writingforyourlife.com.

 

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