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 Welcomes Notable Speakers for Annual Humanities Symposium Sept. 18-29

Paul Chenoweth
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banner‘Worlds Enough and Time’ theme unites three colleges

Belmont University hosts its 13th annual Humanities Symposium this week, featuring authors, poets, researchers, philosophers and professors from across the country.

Centered on the theme “Worlds Enough and Time,” the Belmont 2014 Humanities Symposium will occur Sept. 18 through 29 and references English author Andrew Marvell’s famous carpe diem poem, which begins with the phrase, “Had we but world enough and time,” transformed to allude as well to the University theme of “Living in a Global Community.” The symposium seeks to stimulate intellectual conversation through its 45 events, which together will engage in a 10-day conversation designed to increase interactions with different cultures, religions, political views as well as scientific and historical understandings of time to dislodge the default view and open students to broader understanding of the subject.

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‘Anderson Cooper 360’ Producer Speaks to Media Ethics Class

Paul Chenoweth
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cnn producer jen duckLast Friday, Emmy award-winning producer Jennifer Duck spoke to students in Thom Storey’s Media Ethics class about her career journey and ethical reporting. Duck is currently the producer of CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360.”

She recently returned from 10 straight days on the ground with Cooper in Ferguson, Missouri, directing all the show’s live news coverage of the demonstrations and riots following the shooting death of teenager Michael Brown. Duck discussed the challenges of photo ethics and how they handled Brown’s death while respecting  requests of his family. In addition, she touched on her approach to getting information from the public.

“We went around the area and talked directly to witnesses. People respond better to face-to-face interaction than an email or phone call,” Duck said. “The best reporting comes from going on the ground and talking to people.”

cnn producer jen duck speaks to media ethics classIn reference to the death reports on Robin Williams and Joan Rivers, Duck discussed the ethics of getting the story right versus getting it first.

“If CNN can’t confirm on our own, we won’t attribute it or run it. You never know how credible those sources are,” she said.

She also showed clips of her work at CNN and talked about how she arrived at the TV channel. She discussed her previous work as producer for Katie Couric’s syndicated show in New York and the talent and development director for the launch of the OWN network. In addition, she was a backpack journalist covering the McCain and Obama presidential campaigns for ABC News in 2008.

“[Networking], that’s the biggest thing you should take from this. Connections are crucial,” Duck said. “When you meet someone, take their business card and keep it forever.”

TOP 5! Belmont Achieves Its Goal in Annual U.S. News College Rankings

Paul Chenoweth
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University praised by its peers for commitments to innovation, undergraduate teaching, internships

Photo of Top 5 Banner on Freeman HallBelmont University catapulted today into the Top 5 in U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings of America’s Best Colleges in the South region. After three years at No. 7, Belmont’s ranking at No. 5 for the publication’s 2015 edition marks another check on the University’s Vision 2015 goal-setting list, an accomplishment achieved a full year ahead of schedule as was Belmont’s enrollment target (set for 7,000, the University hit 7,301 this fall at the start of classes).

Belmont was also lauded for the seventh year in a row as a top “Up-and-Comer,” indicating the university has made “the most promising and innovative changes in the areas of academics, faculty, student life, campus or facilities.” Moreover, Belmont was ranked second in the South for its “unusually strong commitment to undergraduate teaching” and was lauded by its peers for the internships the University emphasizes as part of its overall educational experience, an academic enrichment closely paired with student success.

Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher said, “This is great news. I’m so privileged to be associated with faculty and staff who give their best every day to create extraordinary learning experiences for our students. While it’s gratifying and humbling to achieve this part of our Vision, we’re far from done. Planning has already begun on Vision 2020, and I fully expect our campus to raise the bar even higher as we imagine our future together.”

In the Best Regional Universities-South, Belmont is again the highest-ranked university of the 15 ranked Tennessee institutions in its category, a feat the University has claimed for more than a decade.The No. 5 ranking places Belmont in a premier position among the 126 public and private institutions included in the South region, an area that covers Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi and Louisiana.Other southern regional institutions in the Top 5 included Elon University (NC), Rollins College (FL), Samford University (AL) and The Citadel (SC).

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Two Belmont Students Compete Sept. 14 in Miss America Pageant

Paul Chenoweth
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Belmont contestants
Swanson (left) and Lewis (right)

Next Sunday night, Belmont University will be the only college in the nation to have two students competing in the Miss America pageant, broadcast live on ABC from Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Sept. 14 program will feature Belmont senior Hayley Lewis, who was crowned Miss Tennessee June 21, as well as junior Megan Swanson, who was named Miss Nebraska earlier this summer.

Lewis earned the highest score in the talent category on the night of the Tennessee pageant for her performance of “I (Who Have Nothing).” She will defer from the University for one year to travel the state as Gov. Bill Haslam’s spokesperson for Character Education as well as the goodwill ambassador for Children’s Miracle Network before returning to campus in August 2015 to complete her studies in music business and classical vocal performance. Previously at Belmont, Lewis provided game day support for the basketball and baseball teams and was an active participant in the Beltones.

Swanson, who performed ”You Raise Me Up” during the Nebraska scholarship pageant, is studying music and plans to become a motivational speaker and singer/songwriter.

Both Belmont undergraduates are taking this year off from school to attend to their state-wide duties.

International Organization Cites Cannonier’s Work

Paul Chenoweth
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Colin CannonierThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization recently released a report that cites “Empowering Women Through Education: Evidence from Sierra Leone,” the work of Belmont Assistant Professor of Economics Colin Cannonier and colleague Naci Mocan. The report is titled “Teaching and Learning: Achieving Quality for All,” and their work was highlighted in the report’s third chapter, Schooling Can Save the Planet: Higher levels of education lead to more concern for the environment.

Cannonier and Mocan issued their working paper through the National Bureau of Economic Research in April 2012. NBER working papers are circulated for discussion and comment purposes. They have not been peer-reviewed or been subject to the review by the NBER Board of Directors that accompanies official NBER publications. In their paper, Mocan and Cannonier used data from Sierra Leone “where a substantial education program provided increased access to education for primary-school age children but did not benefit children who were older.” They found that the program has increased educational attainment and that an increase in education has changed women’s preferences and had an impact on their attitudes toward matters that impact women’s health and violence against women.

Yeo Presents at Humanities Summer Institute

Paul Chenoweth
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Dr. Jayme Yeo, assistant professor of English, participated in the 2014 National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute, Problems in the Study of Religion, hosted by the University of Virginia in Charlottesville from July 7-25. Designed to “introduce scholars . . . to the enormously productive re-thinking of the idea of ‘religion’ that has happened in recent years,” the institute hosted three visiting scholars and featured daily discussions on research and pedagogy. While there, Yeo presented in a round-table discussion on insider/outsider perspectives in the study of religion.

Mathematics Major Passes First Actuarial Exam

Paul Chenoweth
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Mallory WhiteMallory White, a class of 2016 mathematics major, passed Actuarial Exam P/1 on her first try on May 24.  This is the first of a series of nine exams which are required for full status as an actuary.  Exam P/1 only has a 30 to 40 percent pass rate.  The actuarial profession is usually ranked in the top five of career choices.  Actuaries work in the insurance and financial sectors and specialize in analyzing the financial impact of risk and uncertainty. Belmont University’s Belmont Actuarial Students Society is an organization for students interested in pursuing the Actuarial profession.  Dr. Daniel Biles is the faculty adviser for this student organization.

Physicist Helps Students Explore Science, Faith Intersection

Paul Chenoweth
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deborah Haarsma-117-LMassachusetts Institute of Technology-trained physicist Dr. Deborah Haarsma spoke to students, faculty and staff about the intersection of science and faith during a convocation lecture in the Belmont University Chapel on Wednesday.

“Science displays God’s glory, extravagance and power,” Haarsma said. “I believe that looking out in the universe can show you a lot about God’s beauty and grace.”

Haarsma is president of the Biologos Foundation, which invites the church and the world to see the harmony between science and biblical faith. She is also co-author of “Origins: Christian Perspectives on Creation, Evolution, and Intelligent Design” and is part of the Cambridge University Faraday Institute’s Test of Faith multimedia curriculum.

“When I look at the development of the universe through the eyes of faith, I remember He is our creator and incarnate savior,” Haarsma said. “God’s world always has more layers of mystery for his image-bearers to discover. He designs natural processes and sustains them faithfully over billions of years to produce structure and complexity.”

The Christian-faith development convocation was co-sponsored by the College of Sciences and Mathematics and the American Scientific Affiliation.

Smith Presents Paper Accepted for Publication

Paul Chenoweth
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Clancy Smith, of the Department of Philosophy, presented a paper entitled “The Gospel of Greed: Ruminations on a Possible Peircean Critical Theory” at the 2014 Charles S. Peirce International Centennial Congress hosted by the University of Massachusetts on July 18.  The paper has subsequently been accepted for publication in an upcoming edition of the International Journal for Transformative Research.

Belmont Alumni Named to Best Lawyers in America 2015 List

Paul Chenoweth
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Belmont alumni Tiffany Dunn and David Crow were among 20 Nashville attorneys named to the Best Lawyers in America 2015 list in the Entertainment Law—Music category. According to BestLawyers.com, there are only 117 lawyers in the nation to hold this distinction.

Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which more than 36,000 leading attorneys cast almost 4.4 million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas. Adding to the list’s reliability, lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed in the rankings. Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become a definitive guide to legal excellence.

Dunn, of Loeb & Loeb, and Crow, of Milom Horsnell Crow Rose Kelley PLC, both graduated from the music business program at Belmont University in 1996. 

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