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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Barnard Presents at Regent University’s International Conference

Hope Buckner
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Associate Provost, Interdisciplinary Studies and Global Education Dr. Mimi Barnard and Dean of the College of Health Sciences Dr. Cathy Taylor attended Regent University’s International Partners Conference, “Bridging the Gap: Creativity in Business, Sciences & the Arts,” in London January 6-8.

Barnard presented “Maymester in London & Paris: Gardens, Food, Film & Math,” the 2015 interdisciplinary study abroad initiative taught by Belmont Art Department Chair Dr. Judy Bullington, Professor of Chemistry Dr. Kim Daus and Curb College Assistant Professor Will Akers, that will continue in 2016 as “London & Paris: Food, Film and Fitness,” taught by Daus, Akers and Assistant Professor of Sport Science Dr. Marnie Vanden Noven.

Belmont will have approximately 70 students and faculty at Regent’s for Maymester, with new initiatives led by Taylor and Chair of the Education Department Dr. Mark Hogan, “Belmont in England, Ireland & Northern Ireland:  Education and Public Health Perspectives” and Professor of Music Business Dr. Don Cusic, Instructor of Music Business Dan Keen and Associate Professor of Economics Dr. Marieta Velikova, “Belmont in London: Music Business in London.”

 

Brown Presents Digital Literacy Workshop for Teaching Center

April Hefner
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Brown Presents Digital Literacy Workshop for Teaching Center

Journalism Professor Dr. Sybril Brown presented on “Engaged Teaching: Using Digital Tools in Digital Times” for a Teaching Center Workshop Wednesday. She covered Canva, Powtoons, iMovie Trailers, Videolicious and more. The workshop was part of a series created by Brown along with Teaching Center Director Mike Pinter last summer designed as a collaborative effort to provide technological resources for faculty.

Closely connected to the series listed above are two sessions that were offered as part of The August 2015 Teaching Center Workshops initiated the series concept with two sessions, one by Brown titled “I See Opportunities: Tech Tools in the Classroom” and another co-presented by Aimee Cabrera (Instructional Technology) and Dr. Lorry Liotta-Kleinfeld (Occupational Therapy) on “Tools and Ideas to Support Online Teaching.”

The Digital Literacy series then kicked off in the fall with a September presentation on “Using Infographic Assignments Across Disciplines” by Dr. Joel Overall, assistant professor of English. Dr. Kevin Trowbridge, assistant professor of public relations, followed up in November with “Beyond the Little Blue Bird: Using Twitter to Extend the Classroom.”

Another session is still to come this semester. On Wed., March 30, Bunch Library’s Courtney Fuson and Claire Wiley will offer a session on “Altmetrics and Managing Your Online Identity as a Researcher.”

 

Two Story Road’s Brandon Fraley Honored with Curtain Call Award

April Hefner
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Two Story Road’s Brandon Fraley Honored with Curtain Call Award
The School of Music honored Commercial Music alumnus Brandon Fraley (2000) with the Curtain Call Award on Wednesday evening. Fraley and his wife and fellow alum Jamelle (’03), who first met in the atrium between Wilson and MPAC, make up the new country duo Two Story Road. The group’s highly anticipated debut EP, produced by Nashville hitmaker Mark Bright (Carrie Underwood/Luke Bryan/Rascal Flatts), debuted on iTunes at No. 13 on the country charts in December with rave reviews.The Curtain Call Award is presented annually to a School of Music alumnus in honor of achievement in the field of commercial and popular music. During an interview on stage Wednesday night with Bright, Brandon shared his experiences at Belmont and working in the music industry after graduation. He was joined on stage by many friends including Danny Gokey, Cindy Morgan, Jill Phillips, Andy Gullahorn, Chris Rodriguez, Steve Sinatra, Justin Eason, and Todd Wines. For the finale he performed with his wife, Jamelle, and country artist Hunter Hayes.

Fraley signed a producer/publishing deal with Sony LA quickly after graduating in 2000 from Belmont. He was soon working and writing with some of Nashville’s finest. Tommy Sims (Eric Clapton/Bruce Springsteen/Garth Brooks) quickly took him under his wing and put him to work on albums he was producing. Fraley’s cross-genre abilities as a writer, vocalist and instrumentalist led him to being on tour, playing stadiums with Gretchen Wilson and having a multi-platinum song in the Korean Pop market whose accompanying music video has crossed over 65 million views on YouTube.

While being band leader for American Idol finalist Danny Gokey, Fraley found himself on tours with artists such as Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum and Tim McGraw. He played and sang with Carrie Underwood at LP Field during CMA Fest in 2015 and was also invited to play for Meghan Trainor on her collaboration with Miranda Lambert during the 2014 CMA Awards.

Fraley’s story is one that shows that hard work pays off. He’s always felt that what makes Nashville great is everyone’s willingness to help one another, and his work ethic is influenced by of one of his favorite sayings: “Separate the word impossible and what do you get… I’m Possible.”

Law Alumnus Mark Burns Makes Forbes 30 Under 30

Staff Writer
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Mark BurnsCollege of Law charter class member Mark Burns was recently named to Forbes 30 under 30 in sports. The list says of Burns, “Combine a journalist’s instincts with remarkable sports business knowledge, add a generous serving of ambition,and you’ll get Mark Burns. That ambition is what propelled Burns through a diverse and unique set of experiences in the industry, making him one of the most promising young players in his field.”

After graduating from Belmont Law School in 2014, Burns completed an internship at SportsAgentBlog before joining Atlanta-based CSE as the organization’s talent marketing executive. Burns and his team represent more than 200 clients within the sports and sports media industries.

Always interested in working within the sports field, Burns said its his ability to work hard and smart that have landed him where he is in his career and a spot on the Forbes list. Though his journey has included “a bazillion nos,” Burns said his ability to move past them and build meaningful relationships within the industry have meant everything to his success.

Belmont Announces MLK Week Celebration

Hope Buckner
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Belmont Announces MLK Week Celebration

“We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there ‘is’ such a thing as being too late. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.” —Martin Luther King, Jr.

Belmont University will hold two weeks of special events in celebration of the Jan. 18 anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birth date. Using the above quote as a guiding light for the university’s 2016 week, the MLK Commemorative Committee, responsible for planning and executing the week, organized events centered on the urgency of now and the importance of reinvigorating positive action and awareness of race relations. The University’s commitment to celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. through classroom and special events began in 1997 and continues to grow today.

Co-Chairpersons of the committee, sociology professors Drs. Erin Pryor and Shelby Longard, said, “Each year we try to memorialize Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and his impact on the plight for racial equality. We also endeavor to encourage an on-going, honest campus-wide dialogue about current race issues. In that spirit and after deep reflection on Dr. King’s words, we sought to bring speakers and events to campus to engage an active contemplation within our community. We hope this programming will cultivate honest dialogue wherein students, faculty, staff and the broader community can not only learn about Dr. King and his legacy, but will bring his Dream to bear on the harsh realities of racial inequality that still plague our society. While it is important to celebrate the many gains and victories, we want to acknowledge that the journey is not finished, and this is not the time to be complacent. It is the time for action. And now, more than ever, we need his wisdom and grace.”

The week’s events will feature a special keynote address, “Colorblindness Was Note the Dream: MLK, Black Lives Matter and the Struggle for Racial Equity,” by Tim Wise examining the watering down of Martin Luther King’s message and the way this distortion impedes the struggle for equity and justice in the 21st century.

In addition to campus programs, the Corporation for National and Community Service awarded Belmont University a $2,500 grant through Hope Worldwide to complete four MLK Day of Service projects on Jan. 16 in conjunction with Trevecca Nazarene University, Lipscomb University and Vanderbilt University. Mayor Megan Berry, Representative Harold Love and Congressman Jim Cooper will speak to student volunteers from area colleges and universities at Second Harvest Food Bank. Participants will be split between a number of volunteer opportunities aimed at fighting hunger locally at Second Harvest, Feed the Children, The Nashville Food Project and Trevecca University’s Urban Farm and will complete a collaborative art project with veterans at Room in the Inn.

For more information or to sign up for the MLK Day of Service, click here.

The following events are free and open to both the Belmont community and the general public. For additional information, visit Belmont’s MLK website at www.belmont.edu/mlk.

  • Monday, Jan. 18 at 7p.m. – A Candlelight Vigil will be held in the Beaman Student Life Center lobby. Join Belmont students, staff and faculty, and walk in procession across campus to honor the life and legacy of Dr. King.
  • Tuesday, Jan. 19 at 5:30 p.m. – Tim Wise will deliver the MLK Week Keynote Address, “Colorblindness Was Not the Dream: MLK, Black Lives Matter and the Struggle for Racial Equity” in the McAfee Concert Hall.
  • Wednesday, Jan. 20 at 10 a.m. – A University Chapel event in the Wedgewood Academic Center Chapel, “Race Matters” will be presented by Dr. John Perkins, American civil rights activist and internationally-known speaker, author and teacher in issues of racial reconciliation and Christian community development.
  • Wednesday, Jan. 20 at 6 p.m. – The MLK Worship Service with the Black Student Association will be held in the Chapel. This event will include worship, music and song to commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. King.
  • Thursday, Jan. 21 at 4 p.m. – A campus dialogue on race and ethnicity will take place in the Massey Boardroom. Students, faculty and staff will assemble for an open and frank discussion of how different people at Belmont experience race and ethnicity.
  • Friday, Jan. 22 at 10 a.m. – An academic panel in the Chapel, “In the Beginning: A Discussion on the Early Years of Belmont Women’s Basketball,” will include Betty Wiseman, founder of the women’s basketball program, and members of the first women’s basketball team as they talk about the early years of the program, including the impact of the 1960s’ racial climate.
  • Monday, Jan. 25 at 6 p.m. – A screening of “Selma,” the 2014 American historical drama based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery march for voting rights, will be held in the Large Johnson Theater. After the film screening, Dr. Pete Kuryla of the History Department will lead a discussion on the film.
  • Tuesday, Jan. 26, Wednesday, Jan. 27 and Thursday, Jan. 28 at 5 p.m. – Real Talk: Getting Beneath the Surface of Diversity will be held in WAC 5008. Real Talk is a confidential frank and honest dialogue about diversity here at Belmont and abroad. Click here to sign-up.

Prince’s Song Tops the Charts

Hope Buckner
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Prince’s Song Tops the Charts

 

Billy Prince“If We Forget God,” a song by Belmont’s Robert E. Mulloy Studio Manager Billy Prince and his sister, was in the top 10 for 10 months of 2015 on the GTE charts.

Musical Theatre Wins American Prize for ‘Oklahoma’ Production

April Hefner
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Musical Theatre Wins American Prize for ‘Oklahoma’ Production

Belmont’s musical theatre program was recently named the 2015 winner of The American Prize in Musical Theatre Performance for the fall 2014 production of “Oklahoma!,” conducted by Jo Lynn Burks and led by program coordinator Nancy Allen. The ensemble was selected from applications reviewed last fall from all across the United States. The American Prize is a series of new, non-profit, competitions unique in scope and structure, designed to recognize and reward the best performing artists, ensembles and composers in the United States based on submitted recordings. The American Prize was founded in 2009 and is awarded annually in many areas of the performing arts.

As part of the entry, Belmont’s musical theatre program officials noted, “This Musical Theater program offers conservatory training in a liberal arts environment. Our students are trained to be triple and quadruple threats ready for New York City by the time they graduate. We have students on Broadway, in national tours, originating Off Broadway roles and are the proud program which workshopped the up and coming production of  ‘Chasing Rainbows.’ In the professional performing industry our students are known for their incredible voices, excellent musicianship and immutable work ethic.”

Winners of The American Prize receive cash prizes, professional adjudication and regional, national and international recognition based on recorded performances. In addition to monetary rewards and written evaluations from judges, winners are profiled on The American Prize website, where links will lead to video and audio excerpts of winning performances.

The American Prize grew from the belief that a great deal of excellent music being made in this country goes unrecognized and unheralded, not only in our major cities, but all across the country: in schools and churches, in colleges and universities, and by community and professional musicians. With the performing arts in America marginalized like never before, The American Prize seeks to fill the gap that leaves excellent artists and ensembles struggling for visibility and viability.

 

School of Music Faculty Perform at Band Festival

Hope Buckner
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School of Music Faculty Perform at Band Festival

Belmont School of Music faculty members Joel Treybig, Jeff Phillips and Chris Vivio recently performed a full concert with the Tri Star Brass Ensemble at the Middle Tennessee School Band and Orchestra Association’s Mid-State Band Festival.

The ensemble performed two concerts for the 700 participating middle school and high school students, chosen by audition as the top students on their instruments in the region. The concerts included brass works by Gabrieli, Rimsky Korsakov and Simmons, Treybig’s arrangements of works by Stravinsky and Wagner and the premiere of “Conquest” by Michael Kurek.

Brock and Lobel Interview Featured on AES Student Blog

Staff Writer
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brock and lobelAfter winning the silver award in modern studio recording at the Audio Engineering Society Convention in early December, Nick Lobel and Jesse Brock talked with the Society’s Student Blog about their passion for engineering, working in the shop, AES and more.

The two placed in the Student Recording Competition from last year’s conference for their track, “New Season,” a Christmas single for Brock’s band, Lines in the Sky.

Brock said that the duo recorded the track over five sessions between Belmont’s Colombia A Facility and his apartment. “Nick mixed the song over the course of a week or so. This was my first entry to the contest and also my first time coming to an AES convention. It was quite the experience,” he said. “The song itself deals with complex feelings on the Christmas season in general. We wanted to make it aware to people how silly and self-serving things have become and challenge the listener to explore new meanings for Christmas. You can check out the video for the track here.”

brock and lobel 2Along with technical talk about their favorite pieces of equipment, frequencies or productions, the two also mentioned their most inspiring and significant experiences as audio engineers. Lobel said since moving to Nashville, he has had so many experiences it would be hard to narrow them down. “Some of the highlights have been interning at Station West and Toy Box Studios, participating in the Bonnaroo Hay Bale Studio and learning from awesome mentors like Lij Shaw, Joe Baldridge and all of the audio professors at Belmont,” he said. “Lines in the Sky is one of my favorite bands, so getting to mix one of their songs was a huge honor and privilege! If I can help capture the artist’s intended vibe and create a strong reaction that’s super inspiring to me!”

Both students said they hope to be producing in the next ten years as they graduate and move into their respective careers.

Occupational Therapy Program Earns Reaccreditation

Hope Buckner
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Occupational Therapy Program Earns Reaccreditation

Belmont’s Entry Level Doctorate Program in Occupational Therapy was recently granted a 10-year reaccreditation term from the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE). ACOTE awards an accreditation period of 5, 7, or 10 years with 7 years as the “standard number of years for reaccreditation” and 10 years granted to programs with “demonstrated exceptional educational quality and no areas of noncompliance.”

ACOTE’s primary purposes are quality assurance and program improvement/enhancement. To fulfill these purposes, ACOTE requires programs to engage in a self-study and submit an evaluative report. Although program evaluation is ongoing, the formal self-study process was initiated more than a year ago under the direction of Lorry Liotta-Kleinfeld, EdD, OTR/L, program chair, Yvette Hachtel, JD, OTR/L, self-study chair, and Debra Gibbs, interim OTD program director in conjunction with the Curriculum Committee and occupational therapy faculty, administration, students, graduates, fieldwork educators, staff and stakeholders. The self-study required faculty to participate in intensive reviews to assure compliance with ACOTE standards.

Prior to the onsite visit, current OTD Program Director Dr. Sabrina Salvant led a series of preparatory discussions in collaboration with faculty, students and stakeholders to further examine adherence to ACOTE standards. The on-site evaluation occurred from Nov. 9-11 and included interviews with senior leadership, administration, faculty, students, employers, fieldwork educators and graduates.

Belmont’s 10 year reaccreditation was granted at the Accreditation Council’s Dec. 4 meeting. The Council cited numerous program strengths, four areas to consider for improvement and no areas of noncompliance.

Dean of Belmont’s College of Health Sciences Dr. Cathy Taylor said, “Such recognition reflects program excellence, exceptional faculty expertise and tireless commitment to student success. This is indeed a proud moment in the history of occupational therapy at Belmont.”

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