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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Theatre Student, Alumni and Adjunct Professor Praised in BroadwayWorld Reviews

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Online theatre news resource BroadwayWorld.com recently published two articles giving praise to a current student, two alumni and an adjunct professor in Belmont’s Theatre and Dance Department for their work in two separate shows.

One of the articles reviewed The Nashville Repertory Theatre’s current production of “Noises Off” at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC), giving mention to the cast and crew that enabled the production to be a success. Among the names mentioned were those of theatre alumni Morgan Conder Davis and Kyle Odum as well as Belmont adjunct theatre professor Eric Pasto-Crosby. Davis was noted for her acting as the show’s character Brooke Ashton.

The article took Davis’s praise even further by calling her “Nashville theatre’s current ‘it’ girl.” Pasto-Crosby was recognized for his acting as the fictional play director within the show’s storyline, Lloyd Dallas. Odum, the production’s sound designer, was praised for his “impressive” work “[making] certain every line is heard.” The show will continue to run in downtown Nashville through November 5.

Headshot of theatre student Kyle Caress
Theatre student Kyle Caress

The second article profiled current theatre student Kyle Caress and includes an interview with him about his experiences at Belmont and as a collegiate actor. The article discusses Caress’s role in Belmont’s upcoming production of “Parade” by Alfred Uhry and Jason Robert Brown as well as his participation in Studio Tenn’s recent production of “Evita” at TPAC, where he was an ensemble member.

To view Caress’s profile on BroadwayWorld, click here. The write-up on “Noises Off” can be found here.

Belmont Students Take the ‘Plunge,’ Spend Fall Break Serving

Hope Buckner
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Belmont Students Take the ‘Plunge,’ Spend Fall Break Serving

Instead of traveling the country or spending their fall breaks visiting family, 70 members of the Belmont community spent time serving in five locations across the U.S. as part of the University’s “Plunge” Fall Break program. Having the opportunity to serve vulnerable populations through serving meals in homeless shelters, tutoring local children, participating in construction projects and engaging in important dialogue surrounding relevant issues, the five groups were led by student volunteers and Belmont staff members.

In Cincinnati, one group worked with the city’s Urban Promise (CUP), an inner-city ministry that works with underserved populations. Getting a first-hand look at rising home prices and their impending economic impact, participants assisted CUP as it moved into a new facility better positioned to serve their clients. CityLights, an urban ministry in St. Louis, hosted a group who completed construction and renovation projects while spending time with local families who recently settled in the area.

The remaining groups traveled to Memphis, Birmingham and Atlanta where they worked with local Another group of students pose for a picture during their Plunge experience.ministries that host college groups for alternative break trips. In Memphis, student participants hosted a community fair and experienced the city’s history as they visited the Civil Rights Museum. At Birmingham’s Rush Center, a fourth group worked in an urban garden, painted homes for low-income families and worked at an after-school program. The final group spent time in Atlanta where they volunteered for a tutoring program and spent time at a homeless outreach center, among other things.

Student leader Sean Grossnickle traveled to Memphis for the first time and worked alongside Serve901, an organization committed to impacting communities all around the city. Centered around racial and educational injustice, Grossnickle said the trip ignited an interest in him to use the gifts and passions he’s been given to change lives. “This trip was a great way to open eyes and minds to how to be the hands and feet of Jesus to a city’s people,” Grossnickle said. “By the end of the trip, I felt like I knew Memphis and a part of the city will always stay with me.”

Pharmacy Students Certify with HIMSS in Healthcare Informatics

Staff Writer
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Belmont University College of Pharmacy students Josh Burton, Katie Hubbard and Sarah Ratzloff recently became certified by examination in the area of health care informatics. The Certified Associate in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CAHIMS) is the health IT certification distributed by the Health Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and is designed to be a career pathway to further credentials for emerging professionals within the industry.

pharm-student-josh pharm-student-katie pharm-student-sarah

Belmont Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Informatics and Analytics Anthony Blash is the sponsor of the CAHIMS certification initiative at Belmont and has created a four-course sequence of classes to prepare pharmacy students for healthcare informatics. The department saw its first student certify at the CAHIMS level in 2015 and expects 20-30 students to certify each year moving forward.

“Nashville is considered by many to be home to the U.S. healthcare industry, with nearly 300 companies providing healthcare synergies found in few other places,” said Blash. “If your interests lie in pharmacy and informatics, our program stands apart. With experiential rotation sites at the headquarters of the largest healthcare organizations in the world, faculty with experiences in the corporate boardrooms of many American healthcare companies and a Pharmacy / Healthcare Informatics experience facilitated by the current national chairman of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists’ Educational Steering Committee on Informatics and Technology, our faculty represents the pinnacle of teaching experience. As an HIMSS Approved Education Partner, Belmont University’s College of Pharmacy becomes the only pharmacy school in the world with a healthcare informatics concentration leading to an internationally recognized certification in healthcare informatics which may be obtained before experiential rotations, residency inquiries and job searches begin.”

Burton, Hubbard and Ratzloff will each receive a 2016 HIMSS Conference backpack donated by Vice President of Professional Development for HIMSS North America JoAnn W. Klinedinst. The donated bags are awarded to the top grade-earners in healthcare information courses and to students like Burton, Hubbard and Ratzloff who obtain their CAHIMS certification before graduating from the Doctor of Pharmacy Program.

“We would like to congratulate our students for earning this HIT certification and thank Vice President Klinedinst for her generous donation,” said Blash. “The students now enter their fourth-year experiential classes with the CAHIMS certification under their belts.”

Department of Education Hosts Kids Art Camp

Hope Buckner
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Department of Education Hosts Kids Art Camp

Belmont University’s Department of Education hosted an arts camp for kids on Saturday, October 15, in cooperation with VSA Tennessee and The Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee.  The car-themed visual art and music activities were designed to help children with Down syndrome learn their shapes. The camp kicked off  VSA TN’s Statewide STEM based arts initiative which includes 12 state-wide residencies, supported through the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

This art camp was part of a service learning project for both education faculty members Dr. Sally Barton-Arwood and Dr. Cynthia Watkins’s “Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners” and Barton-Arwood’s First Year Seminar on Disability Awareness.

Belmont Announces Second Annual Diversity Week

Hope Buckner
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Belmont Announces Second Annual Diversity Week

Launched last year to celebrate the University’s diversity and inclusion initiatives, Belmont’s second annual Diversity Week is scheduled for Monday, October 24 through Friday, October 28. This year’s celebration will include opportunities for members of the Belmont community to engage in important dialogue, participate in an ongoing service experience and hear from Nashville’s Mayor Megan Barry, among other things.

This year’s events include:

  • Belmont Diversity Forum on Monday, October 24 at 10 a.m. in the Bunch Multimedia Hall: A panel of representatives from Belmont’s diversity initiatives and organizations (including the Welcome Home Team, BSA, the Office of Multicultural Learning and Experience, the Hope Council and Belmont’s Vision 2020 Diversity Committee) will offer an opportunity for participants to engage in dialogue surrounding diversity and the university’s initiatives.
  • Let’s Talk About Diversity: “Hue” is My Neighbor? on Tuesday, October 25 at 1 p.m. in the Janet Ayers Academic Center, Room 1034: It isn’t always easy, knowing what to say (or not to say) about race and ethnicity. Do we even need to talk about “diversity” at all? Pertinent short films and group discussion will explore these questions, offer food for thought and invite a collegial dialogue. Moderated by WHT member & Associate Dean of the Curb College Dr. Cheryl Slay Carr and Assistant Professor in the College of Pharmacy Dr. Edgar Diaz-Cruz. **Event for faculty and staff.**
  • An Opportunity for “REAL Talk”on Wednesday, October 26 from 2-3:30 in McWhorter, Room 110 (for students) and Thursday, October 27 from 12-1:30 in Janet Ayers Academic Center, Room 1037 (for faculty and staff): “REAL Talks” provide participants with the opportunity to engage in a ‘real talk’ regarding diversity and inclusion efforts on Belmont’s campus. Facilitated by Telecommunciations Services Manager Gary Hunter, “REAL Talks” offers the chance to discuss important issues honestly and authentically.
  • An Interactive Diversity Art Project on Thursday, October 27 at 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. in the Bell Tower Patio: Belmont’s Hope Council and Student Activities Programming Board will present an opportunity for members of the Belmont community to create an interactive art project highlighting their unique backgrounds and heritages.
  • A Diversity Keynote Address with Metro Mayor Megan Barry on Friday, October 28 at 10 a.m. in the Baskin Center, Appellate Courtroom: Metro Mayor Megan Barry will present Diversity Week’s Keynote Address. Her address will cover Nashville’s diversity initiatives, her vision for Nashville’s future as it relates to diversity and inclusion and what Belmont can do to further that vision.
  • Side by Side Service Opportunity, an ongoing, week-long opportunity: The University is partnering with our neighbors to learn more about each other as we serve side-by-side & make our community a better place. With an equal number of Belmont and community members represented at three community service projects throughout the week, we are eager to learn more about each other as we serve. To sign up, click here.

An initiative of Belmont’s Welcome Home Team, Diversity Week was created to provide an opportunity for faculty, staff and students to celebrate the diversity represented on Belmont’s campus and facilitate important conversations surrounding existing and upcoming initiatives. For more information, click here.

Kautz, a Belmont Alumnus, Speaks to Music Business Students

Hope Buckner
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Kautz, a Belmont Alumnus, Speaks to Music Business Students

On Friday, October 14, Belmont hosted a Morris Family Mentor/Lecture Series in the Johnson Theater featuring Andrew Kautz, COO of Big Machine Label Group. Kautz shared his experience starting the independent label with BMLG CEO Scott Borchetta, the importance of curiosity in the industry and the value of music. Kautz is a 1991 music business alumnus.

Kautz shared that his career in the music business began while studying at Belmont with an internship at Emerald Studio. Started with mowing grass and making coffee, Kautz is now running a label.

He went on to say that when he and Borchetta started Big Machine, they were always curious and striving to learn more. By asking questions and cutting through red tape, the duo could get the job done. Kautz also said he and Borchetta did everything with a small business mentality. As a record label, their job is to help artists create their brand and encourage them to grow and learn, rather than change who they are.

Kautz also emphasized the value of music. He stated that as an industry, we’ve completely changed the mindset of the consumer. He advised students not to lose how much music means to them because of today’s  ease of access.

Kautz concluded his time on campus advising students to stay curious and always be searching for more. He said that by doing something you love, you won’t work a day in your life. Kautz was introduced by Harry Chapman, Belmont’s director of special projects and major gifts.

 

Teaching Center Panel Presents ‘Diverse Perspectives for the Classroom’

Hope Buckner
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Belmont’s Teaching Center recently presented a panel discussion titled “Diverse Perspectives for the Classroom.” Panelists included Dr. Cheryl Slay Carr, associate dean for Belmont’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business, Dr. Mona Ivey-Soto, assistant professor of education, Dr. Linda Jones, chair and associate professor of psychology and Dr. Edgar Diaz-Cruz, assistant professor of pharmacy.

Carr shared pedagogical insights on methods for engaging racial, ethnic, gender or other diversity themes in coursework through course creation, course design and potential challenges along with best practices.

Murray and Holko Awarded Scholarships from Copyright Society of the South

Staff Writer
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Murray and Holko with other scholarship winners and members of the Copyright Society of the South scholarship committee
Photo taken by Anthony Manker

Current Belmont students Katie Ray Murray and Brianna Holko were recently chosen as two of three recipients of the Award of Excellence Scholarships given by The Copyright Society of the South. The scholarships were awarded on September 23 as part of a society meeting. The third scholarship was awarded to a student at Middle Tennessee State University.

To qualify for these scholarships, applicants had to be full-time students pursuing a career in the recording industry and have a minimum GPA of 2.5. Applicants must also have distinguished themselves from their peers by being a “standout student.”

The Copyright Society of the South is a group of business professionals and academians who either work or are interested in the fields of music publishing and copyright law. The group holds lectures and events in Nashville that provide a space for dialogue among members to discuss pressing matters in the music and entertainment industries.

Art Department Awarded by Tennessee Art Education Association

Staff Writer
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Belmont’s Art Department recently received several awards from The Tennessee Art Education Association (TAEA) to recognize the success of faculty and students in the field of art education. TAEA is a state-level branch within the larger National Art Education Association (NAEA) that supports education in and through the visual arts.

Among the awards received, the department was awarded the “Friend of TAEA” honor, which aimed to recognize Belmont’s Gallery Director Katie Boatman for her support of the Middle Tennessee Regional Student Art Exhibition. The exhibition displays art from 6th through 12th grade students and has been organized and hosted by Belmont for the last three years with Boatman as the main exhibition organizer.

TAEA’s “Pre-Service Art Educator of the Year” award recognized current student Lindsey McCartin for her accomplishments in and commitment to teaching art. This recognition marks the second consecutive year in which a Belmont student has received the honor, given to art education student Shannon Carey in 2015. McCartin has an active leadership role in Belmont’s student chapter of NAEA and was also named as the 2015-2016 “Larkin Art Educator of the Year.”

Assistant Professor of Art Dr. Justin Makemson was also recognized by receiving the “Middle Region Art Educator of the Year” award. The award recognizes Makemson as an outstanding educator in the Middle Tennessee. This honor, and two additional regional awards and one overall Tennessee educator award, are given  from the organization.

Makemson discussed the amount of honor surrounding the annual TAEA awards and his pride in the Art Department’s accomplishments. “All award winners were nominated by TAEA members and their accomplishments considered and juried by the state leadership board’s awards committee.  In terms of prestige, these are the highest honors available to art teachers and future art teachers at the state level.  Winners are put into similar categories for consideration of national-level NAEA awards,” Makemson said. “I am very proud of the achievements of my colleague Katie and of course of my student winners.”

Honors Professors Give Presentation at Theology Conference in Alabama

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Thorndike and Pethel of Belmont's Honors ProgramProfessors in the Honors Program Drs. Jonathan Thorndike and Mary Ellen Pethel recently presented at the “Teaching the Christian Intellectual Tradition” conference at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. The conference centered around pedagogical approaches to theology and changes in culture during the era of the Reformations in European history.

Pethel and Thorndike’s presentation focused on the way the Honors Program teaches a course on the Reformations by use of the book “The Faithful Executioner,” written by Joel Harrington. The book follows the thoughts of the official executioner for the city of Nuremburg, Germany in the late 1500s based on a journal he kept that detailed the people he executed and interrogated. Harrington, Chair of the Department of History at Vanderbilt University, stumbled upon the journal while he was on sabbatical in Germany and used the text to create an analysis of the concepts of honor and shame surrounding executioners. Thorndike and Pethel use the text to illustrate political and religious power, individual sovereignty, responses to ostracism, confession, forgiveness and redemption through God’s grace by assigning reading and writing exercises with these themes in mind.

The featured plenary speakers for the conference included Theologian at Saint Anselm College Dr. R. Ward Holder and Associate Dean of Academic Programs and Professor at Duke Divinity School Dr. Sujin Pak. The conference was hosted by Samford University’s Core Texts and University Fellows Honors Program. It was designed to bring together scholars from a wide array of disciplines to encourage idea sharing in regards to teaching the rich intellectual heritage of Christianity to today’s undergraduates.

Harrington will be coming to Belmont next month to talk with students about the research he conducted before writing “The Faithful Executioner.”

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