Dr. Jamie Adam, assistant professor of nursing, presented her work on innovative teaching to the Healthcare Educators Networking Conference in Cambridge, United Kingdom, Sept. 2. Her presentation was titled “The flipped classroom approach: Evaluating student and faculty experiences.” The conference provided a unique experience for attendees from various healthcare disciplines to participate in sessions related to educational innovation, clinical practice, interprofessional learning and simulation. Attendees included educators from nursing, OT, PT, allied health, psychology and others representing both inpatient and outpatient settings. Participants remained within their chosen theme for the day to enjoy continuity of discussion and debate among faculty from all over the world. Dr. Martha Buckner, associate dean of nursing, said, “Dr. Adam’s work with the flipped classroom allows her to engage students more actively, encouraging them to clarify and apply knowledge. I am so pleased she is receiving both national and international attention to her work.”
Adam Gives International Presentation on Flipped Classroom
Nashville’s Hispanic Heritage Celebration Begins at Belmont
Belmont University hosted the Hispanic Heritage Month kick-off event for the Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce on Monday in the Vince Gill Room. Click here to view photos from the event.
Hispanic Heritage Month is a nation-wide celebration that coincides with the anniversary of independence for several Latin American countries. Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico and Chile all achieved independence between Sept. 15 and 18.
To learn more about Hispanic Heritage Month, which stakes place Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, visit hispanicheritagemonth.gov. For more information about Hispanic Heritage Month events in Nashville, visit www.nashvillehispanicchamber.com.
Executive Learning Networks Announce Fall Leadership Breakfast Speaker
Steven Kotler, New York Times best-selling author, innovation leader, Peak Performance Expert and co-founder and director of research for the Flow Genome Project, is set to speak at the Center for Executive Education’s annual Fall Leadership Breakfast Dec. 4 in Belmont’s Curb Event Center. Following a time of networking and breakfast, Kotler’s program will begin at 7:30 a.m. and be followed at 9 a.m. by a book signing. The $45 admission includes breakfast, the program and Kotler’s most recent book, The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance.
An award-winning journalist, Kotler also was co-author of Abundance, which was released by Simon and Schuster in 2012. Abundance received international praise and was named by CNBC as one of the Top 12 Business Books of 2012 and by Fortune as Top 5 Must-Read Business Books of 2012. Kotler is also the author of the Pulitzer Prize-nominated A Small Furry Prayer, the Pen-West finalist West of Jesus and the best-selling novel and winner of the 2000 William L. Crawford IAFA Fantasy Award, The Angle Quickest for Flight.
His articles have appeared internationally in more than 70 publications, and he writes “Far Frontiers,” a blog about innovation and entrepreneurship for Forbes.com, and “The Playing Field,” a blog about the science of sport and culture, for Psychologytoday.com.
Kotler is also the co-founder of Rancho de Chihuahua dog sanctuary, which has been nationally recognized for pioneering new methodologies in both hospice care for elderly animals and long term rehabilitation for special needs animals. Prior to this work, and alongside the LA Lakers and 826 LA, Steven was co-founder of the nonprofit, The Reporter’s Gym, a sports-writing camp for inner city high school students.
The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and EO Nashville are Belmont’s community partners for this event. For more information and to register, visit here.
Belmont Women Compete on ‘Family Feud’
Two Belmont alumnae and one current Belmont student were recently contestants on the game show “Family Feud.” Sarah Morgan is a School of Nursing alumna, and Bethany Thomas graduated from Belmont’s physical therapy program. Lindsey Thomas is currently enrolled in the pharmacy program at Belmont. All three women are also related to Professor of Media Studies Dr. Rich Tiner.
The family auditioned in June at the Hotel Preston in Nashville. The Thomas family episode was taped this summer and aired this past Tuesday.
Alexander Appointed to TNCPE Panel of Judges
Associate Dean and Senior Professor of Performance Excellence of the Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business Dr. Joe Alexander has been appointed to the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence (TNCPE) Panel of Judges.
Each year, the Panel of Judges plays an integral role in the TNCPE Award Program which recognizes local, regional and statewide organizations that demonstrate excellence in business operations and results. TNCPE recognizes high-performing organizations committed to organizational excellence and continuous improvement.
As a judge, Alexander is responsible for validating the integrity of the TNCPE award process and determining recognition levels for each award applicant. The Panel of Judges comprises experts selected from all industry sectors, including business, manufacturing, education, health care, government and nonprofit. All judges have been Baldrige National Quality Award examiners or have served on the TNCPE Board of Examiners.
Webb Published in Teaching and Learning Inquiry
Assistant Professor of Communication Studies Dr. Nathan Webb has been published in the latest edition of Teaching and Learning Inquiry. His article, “Instructor-Student Rapport in Taiwan ESL Classrooms,” examines how English teachers from the West navigate cultural differences to build effective relationships with “English as a second language” students in Taiwan. To complete his research, Webb conducted interviews and classroom observations in Taipei, Taiwan. Teaching and Learning Inquiry is the academic journal of the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
Smith Publishes Chapter in ‘Ages of the X-men’
Department of Philosophy professor Clancy Smith recently published a chapter titled “Days of Future Past: Segregation, Oppression, and Technology in X-men and America” in the edited volume Ages of the X-men: Essays on the Children of the Atom in Changing Times from McFarland Publishing.
Smith’s chapter investigates the narrative of the X-men comics through the lens of the Civil Rights Movement as a metaphor for the tension between the nonviolent civil disobedience of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the more radical position of Malcolm X. The original X-men comics were first published in 1963, the same year Dr. King wrote his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” Smith is currently teaching a course on popular culture and philosophy this semester in conjunction with a convocation film series throughout the fall.
Alumnus Named to Billboard’s ‘Top 40 Under 40’ List
Belmont alumnus, Ben Vaughn, has been named to Billboard’s “Top 40 Under 40” list.
Vaughn serves as executive vice president at Warner/Chappell Nashville. Under Vaughn, the publishing company earned ASCAP’s award for Top Country Publisher in 2013. He also signed a co-publishing deal with mega producer Jay Joyce who has worked with artists such as Eric Church, Little Big Town and The Wallflowers. He joins young executives on the list from Disney, UMG, CAA, Interscope Records, Spotify, SoundCloud, Dick Clark Productions and more. Vaughn graduated from the music business program at Belmont in 1999.
‘Belmont and Beyond’ Program Kicks Off with Raise the Roof Founder
The Belmont and Beyond Kickoff event Monday offered an inspirational program and speaker, David Ssebulime, a native of Uganda and the ninth of 14 children. Ssebulime’s childhood was deeply shaped by Sunday school and playing drums in his father’s church. When his father passed away, he was taken to a village orphanage, and at the age of 9, he joined the African Children’s Choir and toured Europe and North America. Feeling called to service and Christian ministry, Ssebulime dedicated his life to the many African orphaned and at-risk children. He is the founder and development director of Raise the Roof, Inc., a non-profit organization whose goal is to establish, outfit and resource permanent village schools that will educate and nurture leaders to shape Africa and the world.
During Monday’s event, Ssebulime encouraged students to ask themselves three questions: Which path do I take and where is my heart?; Is this something I really care about, and I’m passionate about?; and Is it big enough that I can invite others to help me? A graduate of Vanderbilt University Divinity School, he currently serves as director of missions and outreach at Brentwood United Methodist Church. Monday’s program was sponsored by the Office of Career and Professional Development and the Belmont and Beyond Advisory Board in conjunction with the campus theme, “Living in a Global Community.”
‘Massey Machine’ Finishes Second in Dragon Boat Festival
“The Massey Machine,” a team comprised of Belmont Massey Graduate School of Business alumni and current students, raced on the Cumberland River this past Saturday as one of 44 boats in the Eighth Annual Cumberland River Dragon Boat Festival. The event is sponsored by The Cumberland River Pact, which exists to help restore and clean-up the river.
Saturday’s event was a fundraiser with both corporate and nonprofit teams participating from as far south as Chattanooga and north up to Bowling Green. The Massey team made it to the Championship A bracket and finished 2nd overall. This marks the sixth year that Massey has fielded a team in the race.
