Belmont University’s Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy Dr. Elena Espiritu, Assistant Professor of Media Studies Dr. Hyangsook Lee, Director of Community Relations Joyce Searcy and Director of Service-Learning Tim Stewart recently attended the Gulf-South Summit on Service-Learning and Civic Engagement in Little Rock, Arkansas, sponsored by the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and the University of Arkansas Clinton Center for Public Service.

Dr. Espiritu presented a poster on “Supporting Professional Healthcare Educational Program Curriculum Standards Through Service-Learning Leadership Experience” and Dr. Lee presented a poster on “Breaking Media Stereotypes: One tutoring session at a time” and co-presented with Stewart on “Connecting Campus to Community: Integrating a Web-based Software Platform to Support Service-Learning and Civic Engagement.”

Stewart also co-presented “Service-Learning Administration 101” at a pre-conference workshop with colleagues from the University of North Carolina Greensboro and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Stewart serves on the Executive Committee of the Gulf-South Summit as the evaluation chair and Professor and Chair of the Communication Studies Department Dr. Mary Vaughn served as a proposal reviewer for this year’s Gulf-South Summit.

Hidden under eight inches of soil in West Tennessee, Brood XXIII of the periodical cicadas will make their presence known in loud choruses in the spring of 2015 during their 13-year cycle of emergence. Entomologist and Professor of Biology at Belmont Dr. Steve Murphree recently published “Look For 13-Year Cicadas ‘Out West,” an article on the expected emergence of millions of cicadas in West Tennessee and states bordering the Mississippi and western Ohio Rivers.

The article was published in the Tennessee Conservationist Magazine (TCM), a magazine dedicated to telling the stories of Tennessee’s natural, cultural and historical distinctiveness for more than seven decades. TCM features authentic Tennessee places, people and experiences through photography and informative articles.

Professor of Physical Therapy Dr. Patrick Sells was recently honored by the Greater Nashville Affiliate of Susan G. Komen as part of the 2015 class of Pink Tie Guys.  Dr. Sells was among nine individuals from Middle Tennessee who were recognized this year.

The Pink Tie Program honors  influential leaders who help mobilize, energize and engage audiences in the breast cancer movement through their role within the community, their organizations and their personal involvement. Pink Tie Guys are leaders who bring a male voice to the urgency of finding the cure for breast cancer.

It was Sells’s interest in service that first led him to get involved with Komen and the Race for the Cure. His interest was heightened following the passing of his grandmother, who happened to be a 20 year survivor of breast cancer. After her death, Sells spent a great deal of time contemplating the courage, strength, determination and faith required of someone facing breast cancer and became increasingly interested in finding the cure.

Sells, along with 2014 Pink Tie Guy and fellow Belmont professor, Dr. Mike Voight, coordinates more than 100 student volunteers from Belmont’s School of Physical Therapy for the Race each year.  These students were recognized in 2013 by Komen International as the Outstanding Volunteer Group of the Year.

Sociology Professor Dr. Andi Stepnick was recently awarded the 2015 Robert E. Simmons Distinguished Lectureship, which led to her lecture on Monday, March 16 as a part of Belmont’s celebration of Women’s History Month. Dr. Stepnick’s talk, “It’s Not as Glamorous as it Looks: The Lived Experiences of Women Academics,” was based on research in her recently published book, “Disrupting the Culture of Silence: Confronting Gender Inequality and Making Change in Higher Education.” 

The lectureship was created by Dean Robert Simmons in 1988 to honor the research and scholarly work of faculty in the Humanities and Education. After his death, the lectureship was named in his honor, and with the formation of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, the award is now granted to a faculty member in CLASS. The recipients are selected based on their high level of teaching and scholarly accomplishments.

A review from Sociologist Dr. Gayle Sulik said, “‘Disrupting the Culture of Silence’ is an essential read. More than that, it is a resource that faculty members and administrators will want to re-read and reference and use to make change on their own campuses and in their professional and personal lives. Be sure to get a copy or two for your libraries and teaching centers.”