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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McAnally Hired to Teach English at Zhengzhou University

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Eric McAnallyBelmont 2015 alumnus Eric McAnally recently moved to China to teach advanced writing, oral communication and movie appreciation to third-year English majors and postgraduate non-English majors at Zhengzhou University. McAnally earned his Bachelors in Psychology and Chinese, and Asian Studies professors Dr. Qingjun (Joan) Li and Dr. Ronnie Littlejohn helped him secure a one-year teaching contract at Belmont’s host institution.

McAnally says teaching is a challenge he is aggressively tackling. “I had been planning on coming here to China for a while, but I wasn’t sure how. Teaching English seemed to be the ideal choice to make that happen. It was a long shot, but it has happened,” he said. “I encourage everybody to follow their dreams because they can definitely come true. It was a challenge transitioning from being a student for my entire life and then becoming a teacher (though, I am still a student and learner as I am teaching). It’s a beautiful and mind-expanding phenomenon to be a part of. I’m fortunate to be able to engage with the various dynamics of learning and education.”

While at Belmont, McAnally traveled to China with a study abroad program, visiting many places including Beijing, Xi’an, Zhengzhou and Dunhuang. Each place produced memories that McAnally says he will never forget and will forever appreciate. “These memories helped fuel the drive to come back,” he said.

McAnally said his three years studying Chinese in America with professors like Littlejohn, Dr. Li and Dr. Pete Giordano (psychology) prepared him well for his current position. He said the Zhengzhou faculty and students have shown him great kindness and are very helpful and well organized. The program began with introduction classes, so McAnally has spent time getting to know the students and observing their writing and communication skills. For some of them, it is their first time having a foreign teacher or even speaking to a foreigner, in general.

McAnally said he owes much of his success to the opportunities Belmont afforded him. “Belmont has given me many experiences and connections. I was able to leave the country and travel the world for the first time because of Belmont. I have found myself in part because of Belmont. Most importantly, I’ve been enabled to further my education because of Belmont,” he said.

Once his teaching contract is over, McAnally hopes to advance his career in psychology, earning a PhD in industrial organizational psychology within the next five to 10 years. And because he has recently developed a passion for traveling, he hopes to work in the field on an international stage.

Moving to China to teach right after graduation has provided McAnally with a global perspective he would encourage all students to develop. “Do not fear the unknown. Embrace it. One will be able to understand the self and others in a far more metaphysical and humanitarian manner. We are not alone in this world. Take risks. Make mistakes. Learn from them,” he said. “This is why I think my story should be told. I come from an impoverished and broken home. If I can follow my dreams and make rational decisions to get there, I know everybody else can, too. Find a way to be granted the opportunity. You are in control of your life.”

Alumna Co-Authors Book ‘Joined at the Heart’

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Erin HuttingerJoined at the Heart: A Story Of Love, Guitars, Resilience and Marigolds chronicles the lives of 1984 alumna Erin Morris Huttlinger and her husband Pete, through the successes, hardships and victories experienced from careers in the music industry. The book will be released October 10.

Pete Huttlinger is an award-winning guitarist whose resume includes touring with John Denver, opening for Hall and Oates and LeAnn Rimes, and playing Carnegie Hall and Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival three times each. However, Pete has also faced a long battle with a congenitally damaged heart. A release about the upcoming book launch said, “That Pete still plays like a champion—and still tours—is principally attributable to three factors: his unflagging spirit, dramatic advances in heart-assistance technology and the Olympian support of his wife, Erin, who simply will not let him doubt his own resilience, succumb to despair or stop working.”

Erin Morris Huttlinger is a veteran publicist and artist-development specialist. At RCA Records, she enhanced and spotlighted the careers of Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Charley Pride, Alabama, Waylon Jennings, The Judds, Roy Rogers and Keith Whitley, among others. As an independent publicist, she has helmed publicity campaigns for such stars as Vince Gill, LeAnn Rimes, Ralph Stanley, Martina McBride, Merle Haggard, Ricky Skaggs, Steve Wariner and The Time Jumpers.

Joined at the Heart is structured around two catastrophic medical events in Pete’s life. The story is told by Pete and Erin from alternating perspectives, with an introduction written by John Oates of Hall & Oates. Purchase of the book includes a free MP3 download of one of Pete’s original tunes, “Things Are Looking Up.” Pete and Erin also make speaking appearances titled “Things are Looking Up” that chronicle their triumphs over Pete’s medical problems to enable him to continue performing.

The couple’s daughter, Sean Della Croce, will graduate from Belmont this December.

Dr. David Rudd Shares Expertise on Serving Student Veterans

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Dr. David Rudd Shares Expertise on Serving Student Veterans

President of the University of Memphis and Co-Founder and Scientific Director of the National Center for Veteran Studies Dr. David Rudd shared his expertise with faculty and staff on September 21 to build understanding and capacity for serving student veterans (the complete talk can be viewed on the YouTube video below).

In his presentation, “Soldier to Student,” Rudd shared the seven core Army values that do not simply vanish when soldiers become veterans. These values are what shape soldiers’ identities and roles in the world, narrowing the margins of identifying personal success and failure. This “warrior mentality” carries forward into their lives, and with it, veterans often sustain a feeling of invincibility and a belonging to a cause bigger than themselves.

Although this mentality remains, transitioning veterans will ask of a new situation, “Do I belong here?” The job of collegiate faculty and staff is helping answer that question. Rudd shared startling statistics revealing disconnectedness is far larger than many may realize. Faulty messaging to the veterans has not helped.

Rudd said the answer in reaching this audience is simply asking them which messaging works. He recommended focus groups to collect these opinions. Studies have found that human interaction is the number one thing that helps people reconnect. When students feel like they belong, they will stay.

Belmont Releases 125th Anniversary History Book

Hope Buckner
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Belmont Releases 125th Anniversary History Book

In honor of Belmont’s 125th anniversary celebration this year, author and Belmont Adjunct Joy Jordan-Lake has released From Here to Anywhere: Belmont University 1890-2015, a history book chronicling Belmont’s story from the initial founding of Belmont College for Young Women in 1890. The book is available for order now on the Belmont 125 website.

An internal team, made up of a number of University employees, was charged with detailing Belmont’s rich history through the creation of a book. Looking for an author to build upon research that had already been collected, Jordan-Lake said she was approached to continue “looking for the threads of the overarching story.”

To begin, Jordan-Lake met with the committee, Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher and many Belmont community members including professors, alumni, deans, donors, supporters and coaches. “Each person came with his or her own stories – sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking,” she said. “All were perspectives on what made Belmont special.”

BookCoverThough the stories were diverse and representative of Belmont through the ages, Jordan-Lake said she quickly came to notice one common idea – interviewees were quick to give credit to others. As stories unfolded and successes were described, other folks were highlighted as those who deserved the attention. “It became something I came to think of as a Belmont distinctive – generosity of spirit,” Jordan-Lake said.

When reminiscing about the best parts of the experience, Jordan-Lake turns to her memories as a Belmont community member. Describing the process as a privilege, Jordan-Lake said her time learning more about the Belmont story has built an all-new appreciation for the institution. “Now, what used to be just names etched up high on buildings have become faces and remarkable stories of hard work and creativity and perseverance in the face of almost certain failure.”

Stories of moral courage, empty coffers and efforts to rebuild make up Belmont’s larger story. For Jordan-Lake, this is a story of courage, belief and vision – a story that should be told. “It made me appreciate that the sleek, gorgeous Belmont University we see today is the product of thousands—hundreds of thousands—of individual acts of tremendous sacrifice, courage, perseverance and vision.”

With a book signing scheduled for October 1 in Belmont’s Foutch Alumni House, Jordan-Lake said she looks forward to the event serving as a celebration of the University’s history and the people who have made it.

“The Belmont history is quite a story—not because of the way it’s written or arranged on the page, but because of the people who’ve lived it,” Jordan-Lake said. “I’m just grateful to have been a part of the team of people who helped preserve the story.”

Alumna Alysa Vanderheym Signs with Major Bob Music

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Alumna Alysa Vanderheym Signs with Major Bob Music

Songwriting alumna Alysa Vanderheym recently signed an exclusive, worldwide songwriting deal with Major Bob Music.

Of her new position, Vanderheym said, “I am incredibly blessed to be apart of the Major Bob family. Jesse Frasure is one of the most well-respected and innovative producers in this town, and I am honored to learn from and build my brand alongside him. I signed at the beginning of this month and already have already gotten to write with some incredible songwriters.”

Alysa Vanderheym 2Vanderheym’s first Major Bob write was with Cary Barlowe and Josh Thompson, and that song is already on hold. Frasure asked her to remix his hit, “Crash & Burn,” for Thomas Rhett’s album release party just last week.

With a few accomplishments already under her belt, Vanderheym is excited for her future with Major Bob. “My publisher, Tina Crawford, is incredible and has such a good ear and great taste in music. My focus for the next couple years will be on developing my sound as a producer, and simply writing those outstanding songs that come from a genuine place,” she said.

Vanderheym says she owes a lot of her opportunities to her time in Belmont’s songwriting program. “Belmont has been so crucial for my launch. I graduated in December of 2014 and immediately bought pro tools and learned how to make tracks for six months, knowing I needed something to set myself apart and make myself valuable as a writer,” she said.

“Drew Ramsey in the songwriting department, in particular, has been great about giving advice like that. My internships, going to shows and developing and deepening relationships with publishers and other industry folks has really been the foundation of the opportunities I have now.”

Read more on the story on Music Row.

Slow Food Belmont Volunteers at Nashville Food Project

Hope Buckner
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(L to R Bariangela Segovia, Gabi Gumucio, Mohamed Darwish, Savannah Weeks and Morgan Bailey)
(L to R Bariangela Segovia, Gabi Gumucio, Mohamed Darwish, Savannah Weeks and Morgan Bailey)

Students from Slow Food Belmont and their faculty advisor Dr. Kimberlee Daus volunteered at the Nashville Food Project on Saturday, September 19.

Working with the smaller of the organization’s two gardens, students pulled weeds to save raspberry bushes and transferred compost to new beds. The Project uses food from the gardens to prepare more than 2300 meals per month for distribution.

For more information on Slow Food Belmont, click here.

 

Curb College Students Interview Cast, Crew of ABC’s ‘Nashville’ Before Premiere

April Hefner
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Curb College Students Interview Cast, Crew of ABC’s ‘Nashville’ Before Premiere

The new, large theater in the Johnson Center played host to its biggest event yet Wednesday night as cast and crew members from ABC’s “Nashville” came to campus to conduct a Q&A session with Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business students before enjoying the show’s Season Four Premiere.

Hanna Seymour, coordinator of student enrichment for the Curb College, said, the event came together after Instructor of Music Business Dan Keen threw out the idea of Belmont hosting the premiere viewing party to the show’s music supervisor, Frankie Pine. “Once the ABC team saw our new 250-seat theater and learned more about our motion pictures program,” Seymour continued, “they were excited to host a viewing party that included our students and faculty. ABC Nashville’s Bridgett McGuire suggested we host a panel prior to the showing as the cast and crew were eager to get face time with, and hear from, our students. The event was a great night for the Curb College, bringing industry professionals into our new space, intermingling with our students, and hopefully the beginning of many more collaborations with ABC Nashville and our local TV/film community.”

Nashville PremierePrior to the 9 p.m. season premiere viewing party, Belmont students participated in a Q&A session with Pine and the show’s creator/director/writer Callie Khouri, actor and Belmont parent Charles Esten (“Deacon”), screenwriter Taylor Hamra and music producer Buddy Miller.

Esten gave insight into how the show’s shooting schedule works, operating on an eight-day schedule to produce two episodes every three weeks. Khouri responded to a student’s question about the frustration fans feel as characters appear to experience positive developments, only to slide back into negative traits: “That’s part of what drama is… getting your hopes up and then having your expectations dashed.”

Pine, meanwhile, shared her experiences finding songs for all kinds of projects, from films like Magic Mike to TV productions like “Secrets and Lies” and “Army Wives.” However, with music playing such a central role in “Nashville,” finding the right song takes on even more significance. “‘Nashville’ is such a different animal and such a different level. I have to envision what those songs are going to do for our characters, which is emotional. The big joke on set is I’m the one crying all the time.”

Annual Humanities Symposium Focuses on Cuisine in Culture, Community

April Hefner
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Annual Humanities Symposium Focuses on Cuisine in Culture, Community

Following months of preparation, Belmont’s School of Humanities is prepared to host the 14th annual Humanities Symposium Sept. 28-Oct. 5, centering the week-long event around the theme “Many Tables Fayre: Cuisine in Culture and Community.” The symposium will involve a variety of offerings, including more than 30 presentations, a cooking demonstration and class, service events, a writing workshop and readings from the symposium’s writing contest winners.

Assistant Professor of English Dr. Jason Lovvorn, who is chairing this year’s symposium planning committee, noted, “Our title, ‘Many Tables Fayre,’ comes from one of English literature’s most celebrated epics, Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene, wherein two valiant knights tour Alma, the soul of mankind represented allegorically as both castle and as human body. The intrepid knights visit, among other places, the ‘many tables fayre’ of Diet and Appetite, also represented as allegorical figures. Like Spenser’s poem, this year’s symposium takes up themes of diet, appetite and consumption by examining cuisine and its related food practices. Drawing on multiple perspectives— some local, others much more global—the symposium explores cuisine as a common denominator for the humanities. Food unites us at the same time that its intricacies provide useful distinctions between cultures and communities. We eat to live, but we also live to eat and to cook, oftentimes in markedly different fashion. As the focus of artistic representation, cultural commentary, and even scientific inquiry, food practices unquestionably shape what it means to be human.”

The symposium will begin with this year’s Monteverde Plenary Address, given by Associate Professor of Italian Dr. Francesca Muccini and titled “Italian Cuisine and Cultural Identity.” Featured speakers include local health coaches Elizabeth Moore and Rachael Moore discussing “The End of Dieting: Healthy, Sustainable Living On A Budget”; acclaimed Nashville chef, Jeremy Barlow talking about how “Chefs Can Save the World” through fixing the food system; artist and food author Michael Krondl speaking on “Sugar and Show: Conspicuous Consumption in the Age of Medici”; and two noted professors connected to food studies, Dr. Alice Julier and Dr. Marcie Cohen Ferris, discussing “The Moral Entrepreneurship of Cooks” and “The Edible South: The Power of Food and the Making of an American Region,” respectively.

In conjunction with the Symposium, students can take advantage of two volunteer opportunities, both offering community-service convocation credit.  One opportunity is with the Nashville United Way (4928 Edmondson Pike, Suite 204, Nashville)  and will involve kitchen prep and academic enrichment work.  The other opportunity is with Hands On Nashville’s urban garden (361 Wimpole Drive, Nashville) and will involve working in and learning about the garden.  Advance sign-up is required.  To sign up for either opportunity, please contact Misty Wellman (615-460-6069).

For more information, visit the Humanities Symposium page, download the program or check the Campus Calendar.

Mulraine Presents at National Symposium

Hope Buckner
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Loren MulraineLoren Mulraine, associate professor in the College of Law, recently presented a panel entitled, “Assessing and Protecting Intellectual Property Rights Globally” at The New Global Paradigm Entertainment, Arts and Sports Symposium.

Held September 18 and 19 in Washington D.C., the event addressed cutting-edge facets of the entertainment and sports fields by engaging with the country’s leading experts in a way that leads to new and innovative ways to improve these fields and addresses the challenges that confront those in the fields.

Mulraine said, “The title of this symposium, ‘The New Global Paradigm for Entertainment, Arts and Sports,’ indicates that practitioners must adjust their strategies to handle the challenges, advantages and inherent disadvantages of the new models for delivering content. At the same time, there is no debate that income is still being generated – so the question is how do you make sure your clients are best positioned to exploit their works and reap the accompanying benefits?”

Tennessee Health Care Hall of Fame Announces Inaugural Induction Ceremony

Hope Buckner
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Tennessee Health Care Hall of Fame Announces Inaugural Induction Ceremony

The Tennessee Health Care Hall of Fame has announced its inaugural induction ceremony and luncheon, scheduled for Monday, October 12 at 11:30 a.m. in Belmont University’s Curb Event Center.

(L to R: Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher, McWhorter Society Chairman, Inductee Clayton McWhorter and William Carpenter, Former Nashville Health Care Council Chairman)
(L to R: Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher, McWhorter Society Chairman Dr. Harry Jacobson, Hall of Fame Inductee Clayton McWhorter and Former Nashville Health Care Council Chairman William Carpenter)

With a mission to honor men and women who have made significant and lasting contributions to the health and health care industry, the Hall of Fame seeks to recognize and honor the pioneers and current leaders that have formed Tennessee’s health and health care community and encourage future generations of health care professionals.

Created by Belmont University and Belmont’s McWhorter Society with the support of the Nashville Health Care Council, a Founding Partner, the Hall of Fame announced its eight inaugural inductees at an event in May. These individuals include:

 

  • Dr. Thomas F. Frist, Jr.: Physician and Flight Surgeon in U.S. Air Force, Co-Founder, Past Chairman and CEO of Hospital Corporation of America, Co-Founder of China Healthcare, Corporation, Member of National Healthcare Hall of Fame
  • Dr. Thomas Frist, Sr.: Cardiologist and Internist, Founder of Park View Hospital, Co-Founder of Hospital Corporation of America
  • Dr. Ernest William Goodpasture: Pathologist and Physician, Past Dean of Vanderbilt School of Medicine, Past Director of Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
  • Jack C. Massey: Co-Founder of Hospital Corporation of America, Founder and Past Board Member of Baptist Hospital
  • Clayton McWhorter: Pharmacist and Co-Founder of HealthTrust and Clayton Associates, Past President and CEO of Hospital Corporation of America, Lifetime Achievement Award from Federation of American Health Systems Recipient
  • Dr. David Satcher: 16th U.S. Surgeon General, Past Director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Past President of Meharry Medical College and Morehouse School of Medicine
  • Dr. Mildred T. Stahlman: Pediatrician and Pathologist, Founder of the country’s first modern neonatology intensive care unit, Pioneered the use of respiratory therapy on infants with damaged lungs, Past President of the American Pediatric Society, Distinguished Alumna of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
  • Danny Thomas: Founder of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and ALSAC

“We are honored to celebrate the upcoming induction of the leaders who have contributed to the success and growth of Tennessee’s booming health care industry. As an educational institution with ever-growing programs in the health care sector, we are exceedingly grateful for the work done by the inaugural inductees,” Belmont University President Dr. Bob Fisher said. “As we commemorate the University’s 125th year and continue to celebrate our ‘belief in something greater’,’ it is only fitting that we look back on those who have paved the way by establishing innovations in health care across our city and state. We are honored to join in acknowledging the practitioners, researchers, educators, innovators and pioneers who have contributed to Tennessee’s status as our nation’s health care capital.”

The induction ceremony will feature acceptance speeches from a number of inductees, both in person or by video. For more information on the Hall of Fame, click here.

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