Dr. Matt Heard, associate professor of biology and Rob Fisher Endowed Chair of Environmental Science, participated as a trip leader and member of the advisory board for the 72nd Annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which occurred April 26 – 30.
This event, which annually attracts hundreds of participants from across the United States and Canada, includes more than 150 guided hikes, tours, workshops and art courses in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
This event has been hosted since 1951 and provides participants with a chance to explore the region’s rich cultural and natural resources. Topics covered on hikes and in workshops included fungi, ferns, wildflowers, trees and shrubs, medicinal plants, insects (terrestrial and aquatic), salamanders and snakes, birds, mammals (bats to bears), journaling, art, photography and park history.
Belmont alumni couple Ni/Co, made up of commercial music alumni Colton Jones and Dani Brillhart, finished in the Top 10 of NBC’s new show “American Song Contest,” hosted by Kelly Clarkson and Snoop Dog. The couple met as students at Belmont and both graduated with the class of 2016.
The show, described as America’s version of “Eurovision,” began with 56 artists from around the country performing original songs. Each week of voting narrowed the finalists down, all representing different American states.
Ni/Co represented Alabama. “This journey has been, as corny as it sounds, a dream come true for us, to represent the state of Alabama, to do it together and to have an original song shown to millions of people,” Brillhart said in a release. “It’s been a ‘pinch me’ moment.”
On their original song written two years ago, Jones said it still gives them goosebumps. “We’re just as excited and the fact that we made it as finalists, with an original song, with our own lyrics,” he said in a release. “It’s a big feat for us, we’re so excited people connected with what we’re saying.”
Ni/Co was joined in the Top 10 by other successful artists such as Allen Stone, Riker Lynch and Jordan Smith.
Belmont Professor of Physics Dr. Scott H. Hawley is one of the two recipients of the 2022 Faculty Award for Christian Scholarship.
Hawley spent two summers interacting with Christian scholars in a variety of fields on topics that integrated science and the Humanities as well as science and faith at the Scholarship & Christianity in Oxford (UK) center.
His technical research and development work applying Machine Learning (ML) to topics likely to impact his Audio Engineering Technology (AET) students’ future careers led him to concerns about the wider ethical impacts of ML on society, and possible Christian responses to these challenges.
Hawley is an enthusiastic participant in interdisciplinary, campus-wide conversations about data, machine learning, AI, etc., their impacts on each discipline and society as a whole and how Christians can best contribute to human flourishing in these areas. In the 2022-2023 year, he we will serve as one of the Belmont Data Collaborative’s first Faculty Fellows, focused on research, training faculty and serving as a facilitator of conversations campus-wide and beyond.
As an example of such conversations, Hawley gave two invited talks during Spring Break at the Christian Study Center in Gainesville, Florida. The first, “Taming Chaos: Generative Modeling As a Foil to Human Creativity” was given to theologians and artists, building on some work of Belmont’s Dr. Steve Guthrie in the College of Theology and Christian Ministry. The second talk, “Curves and Categories: Machine Learning, AI and the Nature of Classification” serves as a preview of an interdisciplinary one-hour course he will offer in Spring 2023, using materials from a popular-level book he is preparing on the subject.
President Dr. Greg Jones Delivers First Commencement Addresses, Awards Honorary Doctorate to Jim Ayers
Dr. Greg Jones delivered his first commencement addresses as President of Belmont at each of the University’s three weekend ceremonies on May 6 and 7. The University recognized the graduation of 1,328 students, with 1,011 bachelors, 117 masters and 247 doctoral degrees conferred.
During Saturday’s afternoon ceremony, Dr. Jones also awarded a special honorary Doctor of University degree to an individual who has greatly impacted both Belmont and the Nashville community: Jim Ayers.
Honorary degrees have been presented by American colleges and universities since 1962 in recognition of scholarly and creative attainments, as well as for meritorious humanitarian service.Belmont is selective in bestowing this award as the highest honor conferred by the University.
Dr. Jones said, “Throughout my inaugural year, we have emphasized our aspirations for members of the Belmont community to be future shapers and bridge builders, committed to the pursuit of life abundant for all people. Jim’s ongoing devotion to championing our students and their development exemplifies what it means to be a radical agent of hope, and it is Belmont’s privilege to recognize him.”
Jim Ayers is the founder of the Ayers Foundation and of FirstBank, Tennessee’s largest independently owned and operated bank. Jim and his wife Janet Ayers are longtime friends of the University, passionate about improving the lives of young people in Tennessee by giving them access to life-changing learning opportunities. In 2016, the Ayers Foundation gave $15 million toward endowed scholarships, the largest single donation in Belmont 130-year history at that time.
Ayers also consulted with Belmont in naming its largest campus building in honor of his wife, Janet. The Janet Ayers Academic Center stands as a beacon for the Belmont campus in its highly visible site, marking the structure as a cornerstone for the University and a beautiful landmark for the city of Nashville.
Jim and Janet Ayers are the shared recipients of the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ 2007 Philanthropists of the Year Award. The Ayers Foundation has supported numerous projects including The Ayers Foundation Scholarship Program, which has made higher education accessible for more than 3,000 students from West Tennessee.
Incoming Belmont freshman Alejandra Mercado plans to major in business administration and social work this fall, because “I want to give back to the community,” she said and help people know about the resources available to them.
Mercado is one of 50 new Bell Tower scholars who received a full scholarship through the Bridges to Belmont program. The scholars come from 10 Metro Nashville Public Schools with priority for scholarships given to low-income or first-generation college students with the aim of transforming lives through education. The new scholars and their family members gathered recently for lunch and a program to hear more about what to expect as Belmont students later this year.
“It’s a really surreal experience,” Mercado’s father Fernando said in Spanish with his daughter translating. “College for him wasn’t an option or wasn’t presented to him,” she said. “It’s an unexplainable feeling for him.” Mercado’s siblings – Monica, 16, and Fernando, 13 – wanted to weigh in too. “I feel very happy for my sister,” said the younger Fernando. “Because she gets an opportunity not everyone has.”
Mercado currently attends Stratford High School, the alma mater of Milton Johnson who with his wife Denice created a $10 million endowment to support the Bridges to Belmont initiative in 2015. Johnson grew up with a single mother and attended Nashville State Community College before transferring to Belmont on a scholarship. He later served as CEO/Chairman of HCA Healthcare and currently serves as Chair of the Belmont Board of Trustees.
Rev. Susan Pendleton Jones, who addressed the Bell Tower scholars on Sunday, noted that she was a first-generation college graduate as well. “We are over the moon excited to have all of you here today. You’re our first class,” she said.
“One of the first things we did after arriving here at Belmont is to work with Dr. Gage and others to expand the number of Bell Tower scholars from 34 to 50,” Dr. Greg Jones added. “We’ve got a whole community of people who will be here to help support you,” he said and help students navigate their experience “with a sense of confidence, purpose and joy.”
Indeed, as incoming freshman Diana Hernandez waited for the program to begin, current freshman architecture major, Terrance Carey, stopped by to introduce himself to her.
“It’s nice to have someone who already walked that road,” he said. Hernandez said she first experienced Belmont on a field trip during her 8th grade year. She plans to study fashion design. “It’s always something I’ve been passionate about since I was a kid, and I never really expressed it.” She says she appreciated how Belmont felt like a welcoming place. “I like how they expressed themselves about the unity here.”
Carshonda Martin, assistant provost of Student Success and Flourishing, said she is excited to start the journey with all the new scholars. “This will be our first class of 50 students,” she said, “and meeting them with their families was very uplifting.”
To be considered as a Bell Tower scholar, the committee reviews the academic performance, leadership opportunities, and financial need of each candidate. While at Belmont, scholars are expected to maintain full-time enrollment, a 2.5 GPA and 48 hours of community service each semester. Throughout their higher education experience, students have access to academic support, peer mentors, leadership and study abroad opportunities..
The first iteration of Belmont’s Honors Scholars’ Collaborative—a new curriculum within the Honors Program—concluded this spring with students presenting their final projects. Assistant Professor of Global Leadership Studies and Honors Dr. Mary Ellen Pethel led the year-long “History, Memory and Meaning” session where students completed projects centered on a theme chosen by the class.
A strong tie to Nashville was paramount as students discussed their topic and ultimately decided to pursue projects on Fort Negley. “The Fort has a rich history that hasn’t been celebrated in the way that it should,” said Dr. Pethel. Coincidentally, junior and class participant Nathan Achilles lives in the Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood, and while he walks at the Fort multiple times each week, never really understood the story.
“We wanted to connect with the community and collaborate as scholars,” described Dr. Pethel. “Even though we worked collaboratively, each project is individually theirs where students had ownership and creative intellectual space to work within.”
Fort Negley was built from October to December of 1862 by more than 2,700 enslaved and free African Americans. The largest inland fort built during the Civil War, it’s been mostly ignored until recently as it’s currently undergoing a master plan expected to be complete next fall.
Native Nashvillian Gary Burke was an essential resource for the students in their efforts to understand Fort Negley’s history. Burke serves as a Civil War reenactor and recently learned of his direct tie to the Fort. His great-great-grandfather, Private Peter Bailey of the USCT 17th Regiment, fought for the Union at Fort Negley in the Battle of Nashville, December 15-16, 1864.
The student presentations were a culmination of a year’s worth of research and work, each benefiting Fort Negley and the neighborhood in a significant way. Students were intentional about creating projects in line with the University’s strategic pathways including championing better health and wellbeing for all and amplifying storytelling through messages of truth, beauty and goodness.
Student projects included brand design and marketing for the Fort, a traveling field trip exhibit for local students, a historical fiction play about the Fort’s history, Sites of Memory website for UNESCO, Exhibit room design for Fort Negley’s Welcome Center, mobile Edgehill walking tour for NashvilleSites.org, and a comparison of statues and their complex histories in the United States and Spain.
Local community members, including Burke, attended the presentations. “I am inspired by all of you and your creativity, your time and your passions to make this reality come true,” he said.
“It was just a few group of us men, sitting on a hill at one point. Then eventually they built the visitor center, and more attention came to Fort Negley, but we always wondered where it would go after we’re gone. I know now it’s in great hands.”
Pethel’s students plan to launch their projects further through community integration in Metro Nashville Public Schools, the Fort Negley Visitors Center, NashvilleSites.org and others.
Dr. Parisa Fatheddin (’07) recently published a chapter in the textbook Mathematics in Cyber Research on differential equations. The book is written for undergraduate students, regardless of their background in cyber security.
After graduating from Belmont, Fatheddin earned her Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and went on to complete her postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Alabama, Airforce Institute of Technology and the University of Pittsburgh. Today she serves as a senior lecturer at Ohio State University, Marion where she teaches undergraduate mathematics courses.
School of Nursing’s Director of Simulation and Associate Professor Beth Hallmark was elected to the Board of Directors for the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL) for the 2022-2024 term.
The Association was formally incorporated in 2003 and is a leader in health care simulation through excellence in nursing education, practice and research. Research priorities for the organization include interprofessional simulation, patient safety, transition to practice, virtual reality in nursing among others. Learn more about INACSL here.
Watkins College of Art at Belmont University presented senior Claire Gurley with the inaugural Walter and Sarah Knestrick Award for her project, “Coming In.”
The $5,000 award is designed for a senior student to pursue creative endeavors after graduation including studio art, research, art/designed-based businesses, arts-related community engagement projects, among others.
“This scholarship is a huge benefit to our students, and we are so grateful for the generous gift from Walter and Sarah Knestrick that will benefit students for years to come,” said Watkins College of Art Dean James Pierce. “We know that everyone’s artistic journey is different and in the College of Art, we strive to help prepare students for this lifelong and exciting career path. This award will help jumpstart a student’s post-graduation creative endeavor. I’m excited to see what Claire creates over the next year and look forward to inviting her back to Belmont to discuss and showcase her project with current students.”
Gurley’s project, “Coming In,” will explore six topics within sexuality where she will create artwork and an accompanying podcast. Her project seeks to open a dialogue with teens and young adults about topics that might be uncomfortable to talk about elsewhere.
“I believe Ms. Gurley’s project will yield positive results for her artistic ecosystem and beyond by creating a safe space and platform for difficult conversations that generation after generation of young adults and parents struggle with,” said project juror Mike Mitchell, Art Director for Maury County Public Schools. “Pairing an exhibition of paintings and a podcast that simultaneously tackles positive strategies for appropriately discussing sexuality and challenging historically negative practices across a broad group of ages is an inventive approach to an investigation that is critical to this generation of young adults.”
“I am so honored and humbled to be able to do something I’m so passionate about right after graduating,” reflected Gurley. “Throughout my time at Belmont, I’ve been building up the tools to be a better artist, communicator and contributor to my community. This project is an amazing opportunity for me to put those tools to work.”
Professor of Pharmacy Practice Hope Campbell, PharmD, BCPS, spends her mornings adjusting, creating and monitoring drug regimens in the hospital before heading to the classroom in the afternoons. However, it was her activities in the garden that caught the attention of the producers of the “Volunteer Gardener” series on Nashville Public Television (NPT).
Dr. Campbell’s feature on container gardening is her second appearance in the series. The first broadcast was Thursday, April 28, and the episode will repeat on Sunday, May 1 at 9:30 a.m. First up on episode 17 of season 30, her segment is also available on YouTube and on volunteergardener.org.
Dr. Campbell grew up in the tropics with lush vegetation and flowers but credits her dad for getting her hooked-on gardening. She describes getting inspiration while gardening and sometimes captures her thoughts in a devotional she calls #LessonsFromMyGarden, even writing one as she reflected on her interaction with NPT producers in her garden. See that devotional below.
Lessons from my garden_38 A Different Perspective For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways. Isaiah 55:8-9 ESV
My cellphone rang, and an unknown number displayed. Tired of scam calls and sales pitches, I hesitated to answer but did. A local TV station wanted to film my garden, but if I agreed, it would happen in just six days. With just six days before filming, I had a lot to do. In the midst of the garden, I have a fountain with cranes shooting water out of their beaks. One slight problem – the fountain was not working optimally. What a pity, it would have made a great backdrop, so I hurried to get it fixed.
On the day of the filming, I was nervous as the interviewer and photographer arrived. Mother Nature was not fully cooperating, but the roses and hydrangeas were at peak performance, and their fragrance filled the air. Soon the producer arrived, and she was in the garden for about three minutes before she said, “Would it hurt anything if you turned off the fountain and the pool pump?”
My mouth said, “No problem at all, I can take care of that,” but my mind fought back. “Oh no, she did not! Does she know what I had to do to get the fountain functioning?”
Ignoring my thoughts, the producer continued, “The extraneous sounds will compromise the recording because the microphones are very sensitive.” We saw the cascading water of the fountain differently. Where I saw ambiance, she saw distortion. We certainly had a different perspective.
We are upset when we are rushing to a function and get what seems like every stoplight. Those same stoplights are a welcome break, however, when we need to finish applying our makeup. The wind ruffling our hair makes us roll up the car window, but patients who suffered hair loss due to chemotherapy pray for the day when they will have enough hair that can get ruffled in the wind.
Likewise, God sees us and our circumstances differently. Where we see despair, God sees hope. Where we see obstacles, God sees opportunities. We may not always understand His ways, but we need to trust the process. We need to yield our will over to God and let Him be the producer of our lives. #lessonsfrommygarden #differentperspectives #Trusttheproducer #letHimProduceYourLife
