Associate Provost for Academic Affairs Beverly Schneller presented ” Bridges to Belmont: Using assessment to make multilevel program changes” at the Live Text conference in Chicago on July 21. LiveText is a provider of campus-wide solutions for strategic planning, assessment and institutional effectiveness, and The 2014 Assessment & Collaboration Conference focused on the use of technology to enhance institutional effectiveness and assessment.
Schneller Presents on Bridges to Belmont
Mary Clark Leads Bridges to Belmont
Students begin college with Summer Academy, community service projects and leadership development
Belmont University has appointed Mary Clark as director of Bridges to Belmont. In her new position, Clark oversees the program designed to enroll students from Metro Nashville Public Schools who previously may have not considered Belmont as an option.
“We are delighted to welcome Mary Clark to the Belmont community and look forward to her leadership as the program continues to evolve, building on our strengths in delivering a high quality and robust education to all students enrolled at Belmont. Her personality, past experience in similar programs and commitment to student success will propel us to the next levels of excellence as we move forward,” said Associate Provost for Academic Affairs Beverly Schneller.
Bridges to Belmont reflects a deliberate stride on the part of Belmont’s administration to enhance the cultural and ethnic diversity within the campus community while also continuing efforts to provide higher education to students in Davidson County. Bridges to Belmont students, many of whom are first-generation college students, each are given a four-year scholarship to cover tuition, room, board, required fees and books from state and federal grants as well as Belmont scholarship funds. Throughout their higher education experience, they also are given academic support and mentors. There are 52 students in the program from Maplewood, Stratford, Whites Creek and Pearl Cohn high schools.
Belmont Students Meet with British Scholar in Oxford
Belmont students in Jonathan Thorndike’s “C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and the Inklings” summer class at King’s College in London had the opportunity of a lifetime to visit with Colin Duriez, well-known British scholar and author of Tolkien and C. S. Lewis: The Gift of Friendship, J. R. R. Tolkien: The Making of a Legend, The A-Z of C. S. Lewis, Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings: A Guide to Middle Earth, and many other books. The class met with Duriez and had lunch with him at the Lamb and Flag, one of the Oxford establishments frequented by the Inklings.
Oxford, England was the home of C. S. Lewis from 1918 until his death in 1963. J. R. R. Tolkien lived and taught there from 1925 until he died in 1973. It was in Oxford that the Christian fantasy writers’ group known as the Inklings met at the Eagle and Child public house or at C. S. Lewis’ rooms at Magdalen College. The Inklings produced some of the most influential books of the 20th century including Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
The students were thrilled with Duriez’s narration during the walking tour of Oxford. They had many good questions about his book The Gift of Friendship, which he said is being optioned for a movie script based on the life of J. R. R Tolkien. Duriez has a new book on the Inklings scheduled to be released in spring 2015, and he discussed his new book with the Belmont students. The walking tour ended at Blackwell’s Bookshop, where students were able to get books signed by the author himself.
Colin Duriez is based in Keswick, Cumbria in northwest England and writes books, edits and lectures on Lewis, Tolkien and the Inklings. He appeared as a commentator on the extended version film DVDs of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings, the DVD set of Walden/Disney’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and the Sony DVD about Tolkien fandom and the impact of Tolkien on popular culture. He has also participated in documentaries on PBS and the BBC. He is a part-time tutor at Lancaster University and is currently a consultant on a new film about the life of J. R. R. Tolkien.
Belmont Strives for Environmental Sustainability with Upgrades to Lawn
Although much grass has been removed from The Lawn this summer, work on the area will yield a greener campus this fall.
Crews with R.C. Mathews Contractor spent nearly two months drilling 106 bores on the south end of the grassy area to install a geothermal heating and cooling system for the forthcoming Academic and Dining Services Complex. Now they are installing an underground drainage system to improve the grass. The Lawn is scheduled to be restored and open to students by mid-October with a water fountain on the north side on the edge of McWhorter Plaza that will be functional by Nov. 1.
“This project is another addition to the University’s many green initiatives and shows Belmont’s continued commitment to environmental sustainability and energy efficiency as our campus grows. While The Lawn is temporarily unavailable this summer, its renovation supports ongoing sustainable efforts and preserves green space. When it reopens late this fall, The Lawn will return as a beautiful park in the center of campus for students, faculty and staff to enjoy,” said Vice President of Finance and Operations Steve Lasley.
Bridges to Belmont Students Spend Fridays Volunteering
As part of their summer transition into Belmont’s culture of service-learning and spirit of volunteerism, 30 Bridges to Belmont students are volunteering across Nashville each Friday. This is the first time a group service project has been added to their summer orientation program. On July 18, the students split their time building a fence for Music City Hounds Unbound, playing games with homeless and helping with a garden at Room in the Inn and sorting donated medical supplies for shipment to developing countries around the world at Project C.U.R.E. The Bridges to Belmont program provides Metro Nashville Public Schools students, many of whom are first generation college students, each with a four-year scholarship to cover tuition, room, board, required fees and books. The students will volunteer again on July 25 and Aug. 1.
Belmont Alumna Featured on Magazine Cover
Belmont alumna Emily Reid (’13) is featured on the cover of School Ties, the alumni magazine of St. Michaels University School (SMUS) in Saanich, Canada. The photo shows Reid singing “West Coast Waters” in a farewell concert to her band teacher last year. Click here to view the video. In the article, she talks about her musical education at SMUS and Belmont, and why it is so important to her career. Click here to read the article, which begins on page 12.
Murphree Talks Spiders, Insects at Community Events
Dr. Steve Murphree, professor of biology, participated in Charlotte’s Web Day at the Adventure Science Center on July 12. The day was a celebration of the birthday of children’s author E.B. White and his classic book. Families could experience farm fun and learn more about the amazing animals depicted in the story. Murphree, an entomologist, had a floor exhibit on spiders where people could learn about spiders and the amazing webs they build. He also gave a talk on spiders as they relate to Charlotte’s Web. Murphree’s pet tarantula, Rosie, got a lot of attention.
He also spoke at the The Warner Park Nature Center’s 21st annual Insects of the Night program on July 18 during an event to celebrate moths, katydids and other nocturnal six-legged critters through games, demonstrations, crafts and puppet shows. Murphree, had live scorpions, termites and other arthropods on display. He has participated in all 21 Insects of the Night programs.
Chen Appointed to State Performance Excellence Board Of Examiners
Dr. Dennis C. Chen, assistant professor of management, has been appointed by the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence (TNCPE) to the 2014 Board of Examiners. Each year, the TNCPE award program recognizes local, regional and statewide organizations that demonstrate excellence in business operations and results.
As an examiner, Chen is responsible for reviewing and evaluating organizations that apply for the TNCPE Award. The Board of Examiners comprises experts from all sectors of the regional economy, including health care, service, nonprofit, manufacturing, education and government. All members of the Board of Examiners must complete extensive training in the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence. Examiners take the skills and expertise developed during training and the assessment process back to their own jobs, benefiting and improving their own organizations in the process.
Each year, the TNCPE Board of Examiners contributes more than 10,000 hours of volunteer service to organizations across Tennessee.
Curb College Professor, Student Record Colombian Ensemble
Dr. David Tough, associate professor, and Curb College students Andrew Christenberry and Jake Minnes recently recorded the 17-piece musical ensemble El Guamo from the country of Columbia at Belmont’s Quonset Hut studio. The group traveled to Nashville, Tennessee on a state department grant and were hosted in collaboration with the Music Without Borders program at Tennessee State University.
Viral Video Launches Alumni Benji, Jenna Cowart into National Spotlight
Belmont alumni Benji (’96) and Jenna (’95) Cowart made headlines and national TV this week with their music video response to the popular “Rude” single by Canadian reggae band Magic! The creative cover is in response to “Rude,” a song in which the singer asks a father’s permission to marry his daughter and then questions the father’s refusal, noting “Why you gotta be so rude?… I’m gonna marry her anyway.”
Cowart, a father of three, wanted to provide the father’s perspective and offered a humorous, acoustic response that has scored national attention. In addition to a story in The Tennessean, the Cowarts have been featured in USA Today, ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Huffington Post and MTV.com. The video is approaching six million views on YouTube, and the couple has now added a higher quality version for download on iTunes.
