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’s Part-Time MBA Ranked No. 28 in the U.S. by Bloomberg Businessweek

April Hefner
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Belmont’s Part-Time MBA Ranked No. 28 in the U.S. by Bloomberg Businessweek

Massey School’s Professional MBA program garners national acclaim

Bloomberg Businessweek announced today its 2015 MBA rankings with Belmont University landing for the first time in the top 30 nationally among part-time MBA programs. At No. 28, the Massey Graduate School of Business’ part-time MBA program catapulted over its last ranking of 59 in 2013. The Massey part-time MBA landed just behind such notables as Ohio State (No. 19), TCU (No. 26) and the University of Maryland (No. 27). Other notable southeastern region U.S. schools included Emory (8), Rollins (16), Florida (29) and Georgia (39).

Nationally, Northwestern was ranked No. 1, while Carnegie Mellon, Rice, Georgetown and UCLA rounded out the top five. Bloomberg BusinessWeek began ranking part-time MBA programs in 2007 in an effort to recognize the best MBA programs designed specifically for working professionals. Belmont first made the prestigious list in 2009, and has since appeared in each ranking of part-time programs.

“The student and alumni satisfaction rankings indicate that our Massey professors and staff are doing an outstanding job in delivering a high-quality MBA program,” said Dr. J. Patrick Raines, dean of Belmont’s College of Business. “And to be ranked as a Top 30 MBA program in the company of this group of national peers is simply tremendous.”

Massey School Associate Dean Dr. Joe Alexander added, “Furthermore, given our alumni ranked us among the top 6 nationally, the results help demonstrate that our high-quality and applied curriculum prepares our graduates very well for succeeding in a very competitive marketplace. And we think our newest MBA concentrations in business intelligence and international business will soon pay similar dividends for our current students who will graduate with those programs.”

BusinessWeek uses a highly comprehensive methodology for its rankings calculations that includes measures of student satisfaction, academic quality and post-graduation outcomes. Part-Time MBA Rankings are composed of 50 percent Student Survey score (judging campus climate, effectiveness of career services and responsiveness of faculty) and 50 percent Alumni Survey score (MBA feedback, alumni compensation change over time and job satisfaction). Student Survey and Alumni Survey scores were standardized using mean and standard deviation and combined to create final rankings. BusinessWeek’s complete rankings of the “Best Part-Time MBA Programs” is available online and includes the full rankings methodology.

About The Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business
The Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business offers high-quality graduate business programs designed for working and aspiring professionals looking to advance or switch careers.  The curriculum is designed to provide challenging, yet practical content in a flexible format.  Programs are designed to stimulate critical thinking and creative problem solving while encouraging strong communication skills and a solid framework for ethical business decision-making. In addition to core coverage in business administration and accounting, the curriculum is uniquely structured around the themes of entrepreneurship and ethical decision-making across the global economy.  All students complete a brief international study-abroad experience as part of their studies.  For more information, go to:  www.belmont.edu/massey.

Ward-Belmont College Alumnae Celebrate Annual Reunion

April Hefner
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Ward-Belmont College Alumnae Celebrate Annual Reunion

The annual Ward-Belmont College Alumnae Reunion was held last weekend as dozens of graduates gathered Oct. 17 in the Belmont Mansion to relive their glory days at the well-respected school and to take part in Belmont’s 125th anniversary celebration.

In 1913, Ward Seminary (a school for girls  then located in downtown Nashville) and Belmont College (a school for girls that started in 1890 on the site of Belmont’s campus after the death of Adelicia Acklen) merged to form a new school called Ward-Belmont. It was primarily a boarding school for young women seeking a two-year college degree, but over the years also included a boarding and day school for high school girls, a grammar school and a music conservatory.

Often, the college girls went on to Vanderbilt or other major universities for their last two years of higher education. Ward-Belmont was the first junior college in the South to receive accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In the spring of 1951, after several years of financial problems, the board of trustees decided to sell Ward-Belmont to the Tennessee Baptist Convention, and in the fall of 1951, the new Belmont College had its first co-educational freshman class.

Many prominent women from the era attended Ward-Belmont, including Sarah ‘Ophie’ Cannon (better known as Minnie Pearl), actress and singer Mary Martin, Clare Booth Luce (founder of Vogue magazine) and Lila Acheson Wallace who, with her husband, founded Reader’s Digest.

Tough Recognized on Recording Excellence Outstanding Professors List

Staff Writer
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David Tough Bigger SizeAssociate Professor of Audio Engineering Technology David Tough was featured in Recording Excellence’s “15 Outstanding Professors Every Audio Enthusiast Should Know.”

The list says, “David Tough is a songwriter and producer/engineer based in Nashville, who also teaches at Belmont University. He produces and engineers demos and master recordings for hundreds of artists around the world through his website. His passion for teaching recording technology began in 2002 to ‘help students navigate through the DAW revolution that is still upon us.’ He lists his specialties as audio education, music production, songwriting and creative arts leadership.”

Fisher, Dickens Listed On NBJ’s Nashville’s Most Powerful List

Staff Writer
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In the Nashville Business Journal’s second listing of the 2015 Power 100 List, the “inaugural rundown of the most powerful people in Nashville business,” Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher and Chairman of the Board Marty Dickens were recognized. The names are presented in random order, in groups of 25, and the complete list will be published in the November 13 print edition.

Detailed descriptions of the mens’ success can be found on their slideshow profiles.

 

 

Seven Curb College Students Attend Five-Day Intensive Songwriting Boot Camp

April Hefner
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CEMBCommunionPatchSeven Belmont songwriting majors recently participated in a five-day songwriting boot camp in New York City as part of a partnership between the Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business and  Communion Music Publishing. Hosted by Communion in partnership with The Patch in Brooklyn  (a program created by Mondelēz International candy brand Sour Patch Kids), the students spent five days with this year’s mentor Ben Lovett, co-founder of Communion Music and Mumford & Sons with a history of writing and collaborating with a wide range of artists. Through the program students were given the opportunity to get hands-on experience with different aspects of songwriting in a variety of sessions ranging from writing for advertising briefs, group sessions and one-on-one coaching.

The seven juniors and seniors selected to attend the boot camp were Blake Mankin, Katie Dayton, Cici Ward, Jason Earley, Becca Naber, Julianna Zachariou and Will Stone. Emily Bines, a 2008 Belmont graduate, now works at Communion Music in publishing and licensing and helped organize the experience for the Belmont students. Songwriting instructor Drew Ramsey, who accompanied the students on the trip, said, “Emily and her crew at Communion Music arranged a first-class-all-the-way experience for our students.”

The Patch–an initiative that seeks to give musicians a place to live and be inspired while on tour–was a huge hit with the students who commented on how the creative space fed their writing inspiration. Moreover, the students were able to learn and receive demo feedback from industry experts like Lovett as well as singer/songwriter Toby Lightman, American Authors lead guitarist James Adam Shelley and producer Swagg, as well as representatives from SESAC and Kobalt Music.

Naber, a senior songwriting major from Lebanon, Ohio, said, “It’s hard to say which is the best part of the experience because everything was almost like a dream. The Patch was beautiful! Every room was decorated differently and the whole place had a very trendy, Urban Outfitters sort of vibe. This made it a great space to be creative. While the house and the perks were top notch, I have to say getting to spend time talking to the mentors was my ultimate favorite thing. I have gone to plenty of convo seminars to listen to people in the industry that work closely with prestigious artists, but to be sitting on a couch next to Ben Lovett throwing out ideas for a song, that’s going to stick with me.”

Earley, a junior from Sharps Chapel, Tennessee, added, “The best part of this trip was the opportunity to write and record alongside some of the music industry’s most successful and influential figures. They were very encouraging and insightful and offered new ideas. Their process of songwriting showed us what it takes to stand out as a professional in this industry. Ben Lovett shared a songwriting practice that Mumford and Sons uses where they play a game sometimes where you write 20 songs in one day, allowing 30 minutes of writing time per song. This is helpful because it is like a detox for your mind. It gets the brain working, flushing out bad ideas, and ushering in new ideas. I’m going to use this practice!”

 

Alumna Kelsey Dewald Launches Do615 App

Staff Writer
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Do615 has an appSeptember 23 marked a huge milestone for the Do615 brand, a platform for all things to “do” in Nashville, with their official App Launch. Alumna Kelsey Dewald is the entertainment platform’s full-time general manager, and through her position, Do615 redesigned their website and expanded the services they offer.

Looking back at some of the 80-hour work weeks and frequent all-nighters, Dewald said it’s all been worth it now that the app is on its feet. “My goal from the beginning has been to promote more than just live music events since now the Nashville culture is so much more than music!” said Dewald. “I can’t wait for the next few months of truly taking off, now that the product has been cleaned up and processes are in place to better handle the operational side. My inevitable goal, and what I know will eventually be the most rewarding part, is knowing we’re providing a clean and useful platform that gets people out enjoying all that this amazing city has to offer.”

The app’s launch party was held on the Acme Feed & Seed rooftop and featured performaces including Belmont alumni band Kopecky. The app’s official release details how Do615 differs from others as the user is not forced to sift through countless listings but can easily look at popular events, curated by select tastemakers in town. The free app offers a map view, discover tab and redesigned profile abilities. According to the release, calendar partners like The East Nashvillian and the new Lightning 100 site increase exposure to local events, and visitors see content curated by locals and powered by popularity. The RSVP feature and giveway platforms enhance event engagement, as well.

Do615 app launch partyDewald said that physical experiences are much more valuable than online interactions, and she believes Do615 has the power to get people out to make memories. This potential is how she finds fulfullment. “I think it’s important to truly believe in your product. If your heart isn’t in it and you don’t have the confidence to present it properly, you’ll find it challenging to get others excited about it, as well,” she said. “When I started a few months ago, I knew we had a lot of work to do, but with the steps we took, I’m more confident with what I’m presenting. That has shifted the dynamic of my pitches and fueled creative excitement to continue making it great for Nashville.”

Dewald credits much of her success to the power of relationships. “Trust the network that Belmont and the Nashville community offers you! Nashville is a special town with incredible opportunity if you’re willing to work it. What’s been a huge asset to me over the last few months of expanding the awareness and network of Do615 connections has been tapping into contacts gained through my years at Belmont and in LA,” she said. “The entertainment industry can be daunting, but if you maintain a professional and friendly demeanor in all of your endeavors, doors will continue to open to you and others will be happy to introduce you to even more great people and potential.”

To make use of this convenient platform, download the new app, fan Do615 on Facebook or visit the official website.

Alumna’s Nonprofit Makes Nashville Scene Best of 2015 List

April Hefner
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Poverty_Arts-099-682x1024Belmont graduate Nicole Brandt continues her work with Poverty & the Arts, which was recently lauded by the Nashville Scene as a 2015 Best Up-and-Coming-Nonprofit. Brandt founded the nonprofit organization while working a campus job in the Center for Service Learning to aid Nashville’s homeless through performing and fine arts.  The organization, which moved into its own studio and gallery space this summer, seeks to create “sustainable change for individuals experiencing or transitioning out of homelessness through creative outlets and community support.” To learn more about volunteering or supporting Poverty & the Arts, visit their website.

Belmont Law Student Recognized by National Association of Women Lawyers

Hope Buckner
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Belmont Law Student Recognized by National Association of Women Lawyers

Sara Page, a 2015 graduate of the Belmont University College of Law, has been selected by the National Association of Women Lawyers as a 2015 recipient of its Outstanding Law Student Award. The award is presented each year nationally to outstanding graduating law students who demonstrate academic achievement, exhibit motivation, tenacity and enthusiasm, contribute to the advancement of women in society, promote issues and concerns of women in the legal profession and earn the respect of the dean and law faculty.

Professor Jeffrey Usman, one of Page’s professors, said, “Sara Page was an incredibly well-rounded student and will make an excellent attorney. Not only is she extremely bright as reflected by strong academic performance and also skilled as demonstrated by her great success in Mock Trial, but she also lives her commitment to law as a profession of service through her tireless pro bono efforts on behalf of those who are most in need in our community.”

Page’s receipt of this award will be recognized in an upcoming issue of the Women Lawyers Journal.

Belmont Hosts Second Annual Meeting of the Curb Creative Connection

Staff Writer
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Belmont Hosts Second Annual Meeting of the Curb Creative Connection

The Mike Curb Foundation and Belmont University hosted the second annual Curb Creative Connection (CCC), led by Jim Ed Norman, October 1-4. With a goal “to connect all of the Curb educational colleges, institutes, programs and other charitable opportunities around the country,” the weekend retreat included four students from Belmont’s Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business along with representatives from Curb-related entities at Baylor University, California State, Claremont McKenna College, Daytona State College, Rhodes College, Fisk, Vanderbilt and University of Hawai’i Honolulu Community College.

Associate Provost and Committee Planner Dr. Beverly Schneller said the CCC committe worked endlessly over the summer to ensure a robust experience. “Our goals for this year were to emphasize the environment or cultural impact of a song in multiple genres, make the students aware of the challenges they will face in their careers by asking them to read industry publications before they arrive and imagine how they will function in this changing landscape,” she said. “Each of the conference events had learning goals, and the extended project, like a capstone, creates new opportunities for students to learn how the entertainment industry works.”

The annual meeting allows students to learn from industry leaders about trends in creative industries (film, video, gaming and music), listen to speakers address the importance of the First Amendment to all aspects of creative expression and to compete in small groups to solve an industry problem: monetizing an entertainment product. They interacted with both industry professionals and Belmont Curb College faculty, who served as consultants to help them shape their pitch, the culminating activity for the weekend.

Four Belmont students were chosen to attend this year, along with two others, Kamauliola Agunat and Lindsay Conlin, who attended the inaugural event and returned to help moderate panels. After this year’s experience, sophomore music business major Jessica Dorow said she is excited to grow and expand her ways of thinking about the possibilities ahead of her. “I really do hope and believe that the Curb Creative Connection alumni will be able to keep in contact with one another and hopefully change the way the music industry is run.  The greatest advice I have coming out of this meeting is to really educate myself on as many facets of the industry as possible,” she said. “I gained great experience in networking, not only with industry professionals, but with my peers and future colleagues as well.”

Sophomore music business and marketing major Victoria Draovitch said the community she felt through the workshops is what she enjoyed most. “Visiting the Entrepreneurship Center, which houses Project Music, hearing Mayor Megan Barry speak and hearing from Nashville policy makers who focus on helping Nashville’s ‘creative class’ was very inspiring and encouraging because I know if I stay in Nashville, I will have people to support me in my music industry journey. Meeting the other students really showed me that one cannot, and should not, do it themselves in this industry. Everyone who attended had their own unique skills and passions regarding the entertainment industry, but was far more interested in collaboration than competition.”
Junior music business major Michael Giangreco added that the weekend helped him consider new avenues for his career, as well as reminded him of how happy he feels to be at Belmont. “I will say that I have never taken the Belmont Curb College for granted; however, I was reminded this weekend just how fortunate we are with the amazing faculty we have. One of the activities was asking industry professionals their insight on necessary licenses and legal requirements to carry out a project we were working on. Almost all of the industry professionals were Belmont professors and Dean [Doug] Howard. The students from the other schools kept commenting at how passionate and exciting it was to learn from them. I think sometimes we forget how remarkable our program is and how elite the faculty is, working around the clock to keep us at the top.”

Belmont Hosts 2015 National Lilly Fellows Conference

April Hefner
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Belmont Hosts 2015 National Lilly Fellows Conference

The 25th Annual National Conference of the Lilly Fellows Program in Humanities and the Arts explored incorporating creativity in Christian higher education at Belmont University October 9 – 11. Centered on the theme “Created for Creativity: Music, Culture and Faith,” the conference invited attendees to discover how Belmont’s signature programs in music, songwriting, religion and the arts and music business embody the University’s commitment to embedding strong Christian character in every aspect of its work.

The Valparaiso University-based Lilly Fellows Program is the largest ecumenical organization working to advance the future of church-related higher education.

Lilly Fellows ConferenceBelmont Vice President for Spiritual Development Dr. Todd Lake said, “The 25th Lilly Network of Christian Universities National Conference allowed us to showcase some of our signature programs in music, faith and the arts for attendees from 85 sister institutions:  evangelical, mainline Protestant, historically Baptist, and Catholic.  They were uniformly impressed with Belmont’s beautiful campus grounds and grand architecture.  But they were most appreciative of how we make service to others the hallmark of our approach to being a Christ-centered institution.”

The conference included plenary sessions, a vesper’s service, Stations of the Cross art exhibit and discussion groups. Attendees spent breakout sessions discussing ways the Christian intellectual and artistic traditions inform signature programs at their own institutions. Belmont encouraged conversations where conferees learned from one another about ways to engage with discipline-specific Christian content in courses and programming.

Featured speakers included:

  • Steve Guthrie joined the Belmont College of Theology and Christian Ministry in August of 2005, after teaching for five years at the University of St. Andrews in St. Andrews, Scotland. During his time in Scotland, he was on the faculty of the Institute for Theology, Imagination and the Arts, and then came to Belmont to help launch a new program in Religion and the Arts. He earned an undergraduate degree in Music Theory from the University of Michigan, and worked for several years as a musician before entering the world of academic theology. In his spare time, you will find him regularly gigging with the band “SixtyFour.”
  • As president and chief executive officer of Word Entertainment, Warner Music Group’s Christian music division, Rod Riley oversees Word’s entire operation, including A&R, sales and marketing, music publishing, distribution, church resources, live events, films and artist services. Word Entertainment, a Warner/Curb company, is a unique, comprehensive entertainment company that is deeply connected to Belmont University through internships and employment of majors from our largest college, the Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business.
  • A decade and a half ago, Belmont alumna Ginny Owens made her name as a deeply spiritual singer-songwriter with alternative pop smarts. It was a combination that captivated Lilith Fair Tour, Sundance Film Festival, club and church audiences alike and landed her songs on Christian radio and primetime television dramas like “Felicity.” A three-time Dove Award winner, Ginny Owens gained national attention when she was named Gospel Music Association’s New Artist of the Year in 2000. Born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, Owens discovered melodies on the piano before she could complete a sentence. As her vision began to leave her eyes—a degenerative eye condition left Ginny completely blind by age three—songs began to emerge from her fingertips, providing a window into the world for Owens. When not on the road, Owens serves as an adjunct professor of songwriting for the Songwriting program at Belmont. Her first book, Transcending Mysteries: Who Is God, and What Does He Want from Us? was published this year.
  • William C. Powell, professor of music and director of choral activities, holds degrees from Alabama State University (B.M.E.), Westminster Choir College (M.M.E.), and Florida State University (Ph.D.). Prior to his arrival at Auburn University in 2001 as assistant director of choral activities, he was director of choral activities at Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas, 1993 to 2001. At Auburn, Powell conducts the Chamber, Concert, Gospel and Men’s Choirs, and teaches choral-related undergraduate, graduate and distance courses. Powell is in demand as a choral conductor. He has served as a conductor and workshop clinician for the Melbourne International Singers Festival in Melbourne, Australia, and led the Auburn University Choirs in the New York premiere of The Cry of Jeremiah by Rosephanye Powell (who served as composer in residence and narrator) with William Powell as guest conductor. Powell has also guest conducted at national landmarks such as Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney World, the Crystal Cathedral Kennedy Center, Washington National Cathedral and others.

For more information about the Lilly Fellows Program 25th Annual National Conference, click here.

About the Lilly Fellows Program

Founded in 1991, the Lilly Fellows Program in Humanities and the Arts seeks to strengthen the quality and shape the character of church-related institutions of learning for the 21st century.  The Program sustains three distinct yet integrated initiatives. The first is a collaborative National Network of Church-Related colleges and universities that sponsors a variety of activities and publications designed to explore the Christian character of the academic vocation and to strengthen the religious nature of church related institutions. The second is the Lilly Graduate Fellows Program, which supports, during their first three years of graduate school, young men and women of exceptional academic talent who are exploring vocations in church-related higher education. The third is a residential, two-year Postdoctoral Teaching Fellows Program at Valparaiso University for young scholars who wish to renew their sense of vocation within a Christian community of learning in order to prepare themselves for positions of teaching and leadership within church-related institutions. Together these programs bring focus, clarity, and energy to a critical aspect of a much larger project: the imaginative reformulation and implementation of an agenda for church-related higher learning in the twenty-first century.

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