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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Belmont University Receives Trane Energy Efficiency Leader Award

Hope Buckner
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Belmont University Receives Trane Energy Efficiency Leader Award

Trane honors Belmont for energy efficient approach that reflects the university’s commitment to environmental stewardship

Trane, a leading global provider of indoor solutions and services and a brand of Ingersoll Rand, presented its Energy Efficiency Leader Award to Belmont University at an awards ceremony held in the R. Milton and Denice Johnson Center on campus today. Dave Regnery, president of Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Commercial for North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa at Ingersoll Rand, presented the award to Steve Lasley, vice president for finance and operations.

EELA_Award_Ceremony_2016_113Each year, Trane recognizes organizations demonstrating an outstanding commitment to implementing best practices in energy efficiency and sustainability. Belmont was selected as the first of just two recipients to be recognized in 2016.

Trane is recognizing Belmont for best practices in energy efficiency and sustainability across campus. With enrollment more than doubling in 15 years, Belmont has grown from a 1.5-million-square-foot campus to a 50-building, 4-million-square-foot campus. Leaders undertook energy efficient and sustainable design and improvements that held energy cost increases to just 10 percent despite such a large increase in square footage. These upgrades represent a larger, long-term commitment to sustainability that reflects the university’s commitment to environmental stewardship.

Energy Management System Drives Improved Operations Outcomes
Recent improvements at Belmont include implementing an integrated campus-wide controls system to track energy use, proactively manage costs and drive better operational decisions. The upgrades enable the university’s facilities team to use the web-based tool to manage operational performance, EELA_Award_Ceremony_2016_129in individual buildings or campus-wide, from most personal computers, tablets and smart phones.

The following organizations collaborated with the university on the recent campus expansion: Chaseco, LLC, served as the owner representative; Nashville-based ESa served as the architectural firm; I.C. Thomasson served as the consulting engineering firm; R.C. Mathews Contractor provided general contracting; Lee Company provided mechanical contracting and Enterprise Solutions provided electrical contracting.

Long-Term Commitment to Sustainability

These recent operational improvements reflect a larger university-wide commitment to sustainability that align with the university’s Christian values. In addition to a commitment to prevent pollution, recycle and use renewable resources whenever feasible, the focus on sustainability features a variety of efforts including:

• Designation as a Nashville Tree Foundation Arboretum and USA Tree Campus ─ serves as an arboretum to preserve more than 100 species of trees and shrubs
• The McAfee Concert Hall uses an ice thermal storage system to produce ice at night, when it is more efficient and energy rates are less expensive, generating 30 percent energy savings for the hall.
• A geothermal heating and cooling system under the R. Milton and Denice Johnson Center uses the earth’s natural temperature to regulate interior climate.
• The university boasts two LEED buildings: Janet Ayers Academic Center is certified LEED Platinum, the first university in Tennessee and the first LEED for New Construction project in Nashville to achieve that level, and the Randall and Sadie Baskin Center is certified LEED Gold.
• An innovative and interactive irrigation system collects run-off rainwater in underground tanks and utilizes current weather data to dictate the need for water.
• Educational and sustainable green roofs provide learning labs for students, while serving the environment through better building insulation.

Dr. Stephen Eaves Appointed Dean of College of Visual and Performing Arts

April Hefner
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Dr. Stephen Eaves Appointed Dean of College of Visual and Performing Arts

Friends University (KS) professor to lead Belmont’s arts programs

Stephen Eaves Dr. Stephen Eaves, chair of the Division of Fine Arts and professor of music at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas, is being appointed to the position of dean for Belmont University’s renowned College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA), effective August 1. Eaves fills a position held for 25 years by Dr. Cynthia Curtis, who is retiring this summer.

Belmont Provost Dr. Thomas Burns said, “Under Dean Curtis’ excellent leadership and guided by a mission to encourage imagination, nurture creativity and promote intellectual and professional growth, the College of Visual and Performing Arts has achieved astounding success. I believe that Dr. Stephen Eaves, as the new dean of the college, is fully equipped to build on that legacy. Throughout his career, Dr. Eaves has made significant accomplishments across the arts spectrum and supported a diverse community of artists, academics and students in his roles as faculty member and administrator. We are excited to welcome Dr. Eaves—a well-respected, proven leader within the arts community—to our campus.”

Eaves brings to his new position more than 25 years of teaching, performing and administrative experiences. He has been recognized for outstanding teaching at three universities and influenced the path of many successful students. As a conductor and performer, his choral ensembles have been invited to perform in prestigious national and international venues including Speyer Cathedral (Germany), St. Stephen’s Cathedral (Austria), Coventry Cathedral, Southwark Cathedral, the Clare College Chapel (Great Britain) and Carnegie Hall (NY). Eaves has prepared choirs and conducted collaborative performances with professional orchestras in Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, New York and Arkansas. Administrative experiences include planning, renovating and building arts facilities; cultivating partnerships in the community; securing financial support outside of the university; and developing relevant, entrepreneurial career paths for student artists and performers.

Eaves said, “The rich tradition of excellence in the arts along with the student-centered Christian mission drew me to the position at Belmont. When visiting the campus, I was immediately impressed with the quality of the leadership, faculty, staff and the talented, passionate students. After being recognized by U.S. News & World Report as No. 5 in the Regional Universities South category and named as a ‘Most Innovative’ university, Belmont is soaring to reach their vision of being a leader among teaching universities. It will be my goal for the College of Visual and Performing Arts to be part of the collaboration and creativity that will drive the university to new heights. I want to build on the excellence of the college and inspire innovative, bold artists and performers who will lead in the community, throughout the region and the nation.”

Dr. Eaves earned degrees in music education and conducting from Union University, the University of Mississippi and the University of South Carolina. He is an active member of several professional organizations including the American Choral Directors Association, National Association of Music Education, Kansas Music Educators Association, International Council of Fine Arts Deans, National Association of Schools of Music and the College Music Society. Prior to his service at Friends, he was the director of choral activities at Henderson State University (AR). He has also served as department administrator and director of choral activities at McMurry University (TX) and Roane State College (TN).

In his new position, he will serve more than 160 faculty and staff and 900 students in CVPA’s music, art, theatre and dance programs, including those in the College’s newest major, music therapy. Campus facilities supporting the college include the Wilson Music Building, Massey Performing Arts Center, McAfee Concert Hall and the Troutt Theater Complex.

Mills’s Article Included on American Library Association Top 20 List

Hope Buckner
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Mills’s Article Included on American Library Association Top 20 List

Jenny MillsJenny Mills, coordinator of research services in Bunch Library and associate professor, co-authored an article, “Project RAILS: Lessons Learned about Rubric Assessment of Information Literacy Skills,” with librarians from the University of Washington, Bothell, Dominican University, Towson University and Syracuse University, which has been selected by the American Library Association’s Library Instruction Round Table as a Top Twenty article of 2015.

The result of a research project that began in 2010, the authors developed recommendations for rubric assessment of information literacy skills based on experiences at their institutions and focused on four areas including building successful collaborative relationships, developing assignments, creating and using rubrics and using assessment results to improve instruction and assessment practices.

Stewart to Participate in Leadership Music 2017

Hope Buckner
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Stewart to Participate in Leadership Music 2017

sarita-stewartAssistant Professor of Entertainment Industry Studies Dr. Sarita Stewart was recently accepted into Leadership Music’s Class of 2017. Comprised of 47 leaders throughout the industry, Stewart will be joined by professionals across the nation.

Leadership Music’s 2017 class will attend an orientation and reception in September, an opening retreat in October, six day-long sessions each month subsequently and a graduation closing retreat in May.

According to a story published on Music Row, Senior Vice President of City National Bank and Leadership Music Selection Committee Co-Chair Diane Pearson said, “The Leadership Music Class of 2017 is an impressive group of industry professionals with a wealth of experience and expertise from a diverse field of those that work within the music business.”

Pearson went on to say, “We had a record number of applications this year, and choosing 47 applicants from among those who applied is one of the most challenging tasks for the selection committee. The selection committee, composed of 28 alumni from every facet of the industry, deliberates over a four-week period, and makes every effort to choose the most balanced and diverse class possible. We all consider it a privilege to serve on this committee.”

Leadership Music, founded in 1989 by music industry Leadership Nashville alumni, invites established music industry leaders to collaborate and explore issues in the field. With more than 1,100 graduates, the program allows participants to build lasting relationships within their industry.

Alumni Win #MarryMeInNashville Contest

Hope Buckner
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Alumni Win #MarryMeInNashville Contest

Belmont alumni Marcus and L.A. were recently named Union Station’s #MarryMeInNashville contest winners. As the grand prize recipients, the couple will receive credit toward their reception at the venue, a night’s stay at the hotel and a limo ride to the airport, among other things.

A music business major at Belmont in 2004, L.A met Marcus, a commerical music major, during their time on campus, but the two were never close. It wasn’t until she returned to Nashville, after working in California, to pursue a degree in counseling that the couple reconnected at their church, Nashville Life Christian Church.

In an interview recently published on Style Home Page, the couple credited their relationship and the growth they’ve experienced individually and together to their relationship with God. “We both feel that as our foundation in God became central to our lives, independent of each other, our eyes were opened as we began to see life much differently than before,” Marcus said.

L.A. described her love for Marcus in Style’s interview saying, “I have no doubts that he is the perfect man for me. He loves and follows God with his whole heart, he knows who he is, knows how to lead, he is smart, kind, patient, loving, humble, funny and really just extremely good looking. I love him so much and can’t wait to be his wife!”

After getting engaged Cheekwood, almost a year to the day of their first date, L.A. found Union Station’s contest via social media. Knowing their dream wedding wouldn’t be possible without a “dream wedding sweepstakes,” L.A. was quick to enter. The two were selected as the winning couple and are currently planning their big day for October 1, complete with a dream honeymoon to San Jose del Cabo

Featured image provided by Reed Public Relations.

 

Belmont Signs Cooperative Partnership Agreement with Studio Tenn

April Hefner
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Belmont Signs Cooperative Partnership Agreement with Studio Tenn

Studio Tenn signingBelmont’s musical theatre program recently signed a cooperative partnership agreement with Franklin-based Studio Tenn Theatre Company. Through this partnership, the two entities will join together to provide mutual opportunities for the University’s musical theatre majors. Such opportunities will encompass obtaining experience working with a professional equity theatre company, strengthening professionalism and community visibility of both parties, while providing valuable networking opportunities.

“Belmont is delighted to announce this official collaboration with Studio Tenn,” said Dr. Cynthia Curtis, dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts. “Belmont musical theatre students will benefit greatly from the high-quality, professional experience Studio Tenn will offer them, and we believe Studio Tenn will benefit from the exceptional talents of Belmont students. This collaboration bodes well for all involved, especially the growing theatre community in middle Tennessee and future audiences who attend performances at Studio Tenn.”

Jake Speck, Studio Tenn’s managing director, agrees. “We are thrilled to solidify this partnership with one of the leading collegiate musical theatre programs in the southeast. Education and strategic alliances have been key to Studio Tenn’s mission and vision from the beginning. This collaboration allows us to make great strides in both of these areas.”

Studio Tenn is currently preparing to wrap their 2015/2016 season with the upcoming production of “West Side Story.” Choreographing the show is Belmont musical theatre faculty member Emily Tello Speck. Additionally, five of the cast members are current Belmont musical theatre students and four are alumni of the department.

This Broadway blockbuster will be live on stage for three shows at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center Friday, June 3 (7 p.m.) and Saturday, June 4 (2 p.m., 7 p.m.). Tickets are available now at nashvillesymphony.org or by calling the Schermerhorn Box Office at (615) 687-6400.

Three Generations of Accountants Call Belmont Home

April Hefner
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Three Generations of Accountants Call Belmont Home

Meet Byron Lawrence Glover, an accounting and finance double major who graduated magna cum laude earlier this month from Belmont.

But what makes Byron’s story special isn’t his avid pursuit of numbers at a University more commonly known as a haven for musicians. Rather, it’s that Byron is the third-generation from his family to pursue an accounting career and to do so at Belmont.

“Belmont just made sense for me honestly,” Byron said. “My strong family history here at Belmont, the great location in Nashville and the academics/network of Belmont all made it very attractive to me.”

Born and raised in Brentwood, Byron is the grandson of Lawrence Glover, who taught accounting at Belmont for 35 years and has endowed scholarships in both business and accounting in his name to support undergraduate students in those areas. Byron Glover, Sr., a partner in Glover and Glover CPAs, also taught accounting on campus and received his MBA from the Jack C. Massey College of Business. Glover and Glover is a family-owned accounting firm that is based in Brentwood.

“As my father and grandfather have owned their accounting firm in Brentwood for the past 26 years,” said Byron, “I have grown up exposed to that business environment, and it has fostered my love for business. From a young age I was interested in business and networking. Accounting, with my second major of finance seemed like the best choice for me to advance in the business world.”

Committed to helping others achieve their goals, Byron was also an active volunteer during his years at Belmont serving in DECA and on the Community Councils of several residence halls. He was also a member of the Beta Alpha Psi accounting club and the Alpha Chi honor society. Byron’s parents and both sets of grandparents were on campus to celebrate his May 7 commencement, and Byron will return to Belmont once again this fall, this time to pursue his MBA.

“I chose to come back for my MBA at Belmont after having such a great undergraduate experience and building such strong and helpful relationships here. As I told Dr. Fisher the other day, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

 

 

Students Travel to Germany, Study Electroacoustics and Marketing

Hope Buckner
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Students Travel to Germany, Study Electroacoustics and Marketing

A group of Belmont physics and music business students recently returned from a 10-day tour of Germany and Austria where they received unprecedented access to world-class facilities and personnel in electroacoustic research and product manufacturing. The trip consisted of two courses, a physics based course on electroacoustics taught by Belmont Associate Professor of Physics Dr. Scott Hawley and a music business course on international marketing, with a product design emphasis, taught by Belmont Assistant Professor of Entertainment Industry Studies Dr. Sarita Stewart.

Before leaving for Germany, the group met Belmont alumnus Jon King of Nashville’s MikTek Audio for a lecture on the physics of microphones and a tour of the organization’s facilities. King also gave a demonstration on the fabrication process.

Student Allie Monday experiences virtual reality research in the Psychoacoustics and Experimental Audiology Lab in Vienna
Student Allie Monday experiences virtual reality research in the Psychoacoustics and Experimental Audiology Lab in Vienna

While traveling, the group enjoyed personal sessions with top industry professionals including President of Gibson Dave Berryman, President of Neumann Wolfgang Fraissinet and Head of the Audio Communication Group at TU-Berlin Stefan Weinzierl, among others. Additionally, the trip included visits to many of Germany’s industry facilities and a few notable tourist destinations.

Because of the trip’s exposure and coursework, Hawley said his students returned stateside with countless new skills and competencies including the ability to describe basic physical principles underlying electroacoustic transductors. Beyond their newly acquired skills, Hawley said the trip ignited a sense of excitement surrounding audio research among group members, as well the inspiration to consider business opportunities in product development and marketing.

While traveling, the students maintained a blog highlighting key activities and lessons.

Gonzalez Inducted into Nashville Entrepreneur Center’s Hall of Fame

Hope Buckner
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Gonzalez Inducted into Nashville Entrepreneur Center’s Hall of Fame

Belmont Professor of Entrepreneurship Jose Gonzalez was recently inducted into the Nashville Entrepreneur Center’s (EC) Hall of Fame. Created to recognize entrepreneurs in the Nashville area that support the community in unique ways, Gonzalez was honored, along with his business partner Renata Soto, for his work with Conexion Americas, a local nonprofit he co-founded.

Created in 2002 to address the challenges and opportunities for Latino families in Middle Tennessee, Conexion Americas assists individuals and families with navigating life in Nashville including buying homes, creating businesses, improving language skills, working within the education system and bettering their lives, among others. In 2012, the organization founded Casa Azafran, ‘a home for all’ where collective nonprofits service Nashville’s refugee and immigrant populations.

Because Gonzalez has a full-time position at Belmont, his day to day interactions with Conexion are more limited than when the organization was created. In addition to working closely with Soto, Conexion’s executive director, Gonzalez said his efforts are mainly devoted to strategic planning and financial oversight. As an entrepreneur and professor of entrepreneurship, Gonzalez also teaches throughout the year to aspiring Latino entrepreneurs at Conexion.

Though Gonzalez said he is honored to accept the EC’s induction, the real credit lies beyond his work with Conexion. “It certainly is a humbling honor for Conexion Americas to be recognized as an example in entrepreneurial success,” he said. “This recognition should be shared with the hundreds of volunteers, board members and supporters that believed in us at the beginning and continue to support us through today.”

Though passionate about entrepreneurship, Gonzalez said his heart is equally devoted to his passion for international education as he leads students each year on multiple trips, which include a dose of entrepreneurship, across the globe. Fittingly, he was unable to attend the EC’s induction ceremony on Thursday, April 19 because of a study abroad trip to Argentina where cross-cultural teams are developing business concepts to pitch in a competition.

For the classroom, Gonzalez said his time and experience with Conexion has immensely contributed to his teaching. “The fact that entrepreneurship is part of our mindset at Conexion allows me to bring examples and current stories to my class,” Gonzalez said. “I’ve been taking my classes there for a few years and students really enjoy seeing the model and often end up interning, volunteering or connecting with entrepreneurs that operate out of CA.”

When thinking back about where his love for entrepreneurship was fueled, Gonzalez points to his time as a Belmont student. “My entrepreneurial journey was ignited while I was a student at Belmont. The concepts, ideas and experiences I was exposed to triggered something in me that desired the development of an entrepreneurial mindset,” Gonzalez said. “Conexion Americas would not have happened without my Belmont education. I’m honored and glad I get to bring those experiences back to Belmont today in my role as professor.”

Belmont Graduates Awarded Prestigious Fulbright Grants for Overseas Teaching

April Hefner
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Belmont Graduates Awarded Prestigious Fulbright Grants for Overseas Teaching

Recent graduates to serve in Taiwan, Slovak Republic

May 2016 Belmont University graduates Salwa Saba and Grant Gill were recently awarded Fulbright program grants for overseas teaching in Taiwan and Slovak Republic, respectively. The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.

Saba, an international politics major with minors in economics and Chinese, is from Brentwood, Tennessee and will serve as an English Teaching Assistant (ETA) for elementary or middle school students in Taichung, Taiwan for 11 months. Saba hopes for an eventual career in diplomacy and foreign policy work, and last year received a Critical Language Scholarship from the U.S. Department of State to participate in a language and cultural immersion summer 2015 program in China. In addition to serving as an after school academic mentor at the Nashville International Center for Empowerment and being a member of three campus honor societies, Saba also held leadership positions in several student organizations during her time at Belmont, including the H.O.P.E. Council and the South Asian & Middle Eastern student association.

“I believe that pursuing an ETA in Taiwan will not only help me create bridges with other people through the English language,” Saba said, “but would also allow me to strengthen my Mandarin Chinese language skills to enhance my professional goals. In my past travels to China, I realized that the majority of people I interacted with had a particular picture of what a typical American looked like, making me an anomaly. A Fulbright allows you to be a cultural and citizen ambassador, and I hope that my interactions in Taiwan reflect the demographic changes in America and broadens their view of what it means to be an American.”

Gill, who graduated in May with honors, majored in design communications with an emphasis in studio art (sculpture). Originally from Decatur, Alabama, Gill will be teaching English for 11 months in a technical school in Trnava, Slovak Republic, beginning in September. Gill’s exhibit, I Do Not Mean Ecclesiastical Art, was recently featured in Belmont’s Leu Gallery, where he was a Best of Show winner for his three-dimensional work. Gill said, “I wanted teaching experience to prepare me for grad school and eventually a professorship. I hope to study for my Masters of Fine Art and eventually teach sculpture at the university level… One [Belmont] professor, John Watson, taught me to dig in and pursue any opportunity or idea that caught my interest and to always strive to grow. The Fulbright is all of those things. I cannot thank John Watson enough for how he has shaped my life and future.”

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