Dr. Bonnie Parnell Riechert was interviewed in the June 2014 issue of PRSA Tactics. In the article “Writing and Leading for the Future,” she says the best advice she ever received was, “Be honest. Be grateful. Be kind. Develop your character and the right actions will follow.” Riechert is chairman of the Department of Public Relations and serves as faculty adviser for Belmont’s chapter of Public Relations Student Society of America.
Cheryl Slay Carr, associate professor of music business in Curb College, had her proposal selected to present a workshop titled “Teaching the Business of Jazz: A Pedagogical Approach to Teaching the Commerce of Diversity in the Performing Arts” at the 27th Annual National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in American Higher Education, which took place May 21-31 in Indianapolis, Ind.
The 31st Annual International Country Music Conference was held at Belmont University on May 22 through 24. Hosted by Belmont Professor of Music Business Don Cusic and Tennessee Technological University Professor James Akenson, the conference featured a special panel on the late CMT Editorial Directort Chet Flippo.
The conference also included a special one woman show by Sue Masset, “Precious Memories,” about labor activist Sarah Ogan Gunning. The show was written by singer-songwriter and social justice activist Si Kahn. Kahn also presented the keynote speech during the conference. There also were sessions from country music scholars covering topics including the Bluebird Café, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Gram Parsons, Barbara Mandrell, Marty Robbins and the Beatles and Country Music. Scholars from Norway, Japan and Canada as well as those from California, Illinois, Florida, Massachusetts, Missouri, Georgia, Ohio, Arkansas, Indiana, West Virginia, North Carolina, New York, South Dakota, Louisiana, Texas and Tennessee attended.
GreatValuesColleges.net has named Belmont University among the 50 most affordable colleges ideal for students who have a passion for outdoor living. The list was complied based on tuition, location and academic and recreation programs for outdoor sports and adventures, including a major in outdoor recreation and a tournament-winning rock climbing team.
Belmont is sited as a “school to watch” for its community relationships built through the renovation and use of E.S. Rose Park, home fields to the University’s baseball, softball, soccer and track team. The publication also mentions Bruin Skydive, Ultimate Frisbee, the Rock Outing Club, equestrian, swim, soccer and tennis clubs.
On May 21, fourth-year pharmacy students William Herbert and Myduy Nguyen, along with pharmacy faculty member Dr. Ashton Beggs, attended a Hepatitis C Training Workshop. This intensive one-day training provided attendees with knowledge and tools to go into their communities and educate others about Hepatitis C. Topics covered in this workshop include the liver, Hepatitis C transmission, prevention, diagnosis, symptoms, disease progression and management as well as medical treatment.
In 2001, the Hepatitis C Support Project (HCSP) conducted a broad needs assessment for hepatitis C awareness and education. The HCSP determined the most needed resource was a quality hepatitis C educational process that could be widely distributed and utilized throughout underserved communities affected by hepatitis C. To accomplish this objective, HCSP designed a program that covers awareness and education in a training workshop environment. The goal of this program is to provide unbiased and quality education to individuals who can then educate their respective communities on the virus.
Beggs provides clinical pharmacy services at United Neighborhood Health Services Downtown and Mission Clinics. These two clinics primarily serve the homeless population in Nashville. Each month her students work with other health care providers at these clinics to provide patient care in an interdisciplinary manner.
“This was a great opportunity to expand our knowledge about Hepatitis C, given that it affects many of our patients at UNHS. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 3 million Americans have chronic hepatitis C and at least 15,000 Americans die each year of Hepatitis C-related complications. Gaining more insight into this disease and how to best care for those affected will undoubtedly improve our patient care at UNHS,” said Beggs.
Herbert said, “The workshop was very eye opening. It challenged me to look at Hepatitis C more personally rather than objectively- and encouraged me to advocate for more resources for patients affected by this disease.”
Nguyen said, “Prior to the training, I knew very little about the condition. Now, I am able to counsel patients on the condition, prevention, treatments and common side effects of medications. Overall, the training was engaging, helpful and fun.”
Given the successful completion of this workshop, Herbert, Nguyen and Beggs are now certified as Basic Hepatitis C Educators by the HCSP.
The Nashville Business Journal has named Dr. Phil Johnston, dean of Belmont’s College of Pharmacy, as a “Health Care Hero.” Winners were selected for their contributions to Music City’s health community by a panel of industry judges. Johnston was recognized in the “Health Care Professional Services” category along with other local leaders, including Anne Sumpter Arney of Bone McAllister Norton PLLC, Vicki Estrin of C3/Consulting, Berry Holt of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, Rosemary Plorin of Lovell Communications, Jerry Taylor of Stites & Harbison PLLC and Tommy Yeager of M.J. Harris Construction Services. The honorees will be recognized at an awards luncheon on June 6 at Loews Vanderbilt Hotel and in a special publication in the June 6 print edition of the Nashville Business Journal. The luncheon celebrates “the accomplishments of the leaders, innovators, strategists and caretakers, whose work is helping to grow the region’s health care industry and reinforcing Nashville as the health care capital of the nation.”
Harold Fogelberg, director for the Edward C. Kennedy Center for Business Ethics, was among 22 people from across the country invited by the RAND Corp. to participate in a symposium entitled Transforming Ethics and Compliance: Emerging Trends for Boards, Management and Government on May 28. The Washington, D.C. think tank is known for policy development on many issues. The deliberations by representatives from government agencies, academia, Fortune 200 company executives and general counsel will be published later this summer.
Dr. Cathy Hinton, professor of physical therapy, recently received the 2014 Carol Likens Award presented by the Tennessee Physical Therapy Association (TPTA). The award is given annually to an association member who has provided exceptional service to the profession of physical therapy. Hinton served two terms as president of TPTA and currently serves the state chapter as the state license board liaison. The Likens award is named for its first recipient who served the chapter as president from 1985 to 1995 and whose vision, leadership and commitment to the profession brought the association through one of its greatest periods of growth and service to members.
Nashville Opera and Ocean Way Nashville have recorded Michael Nyman’s “The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat” at Belmont University’s state-of-the-art Music Row studio facility. The project will be the first recording of a Nashville Opera production for commercial distribution, which will be available this fall.
Since its purchase by Belmont University in 2001, Ocean Way Nashville has become a leader in the music production industry, both locally and globally. The recording studio regularly hosts sessions for artists including Bob Seger, Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton and Steve Martin, among others. Additionally, Ocean Way has recorded scores for films and major video games. Operated as a commercial facility, an academic resource and a community partner, Belmont has offered Ocean Way to many organizations within the Nashville community over the years.
“This partnership reflects Belmont’s ongoing effort to be Nashville’s University and to share its resources with the nonprofit community. As Ocean Way Nashville continues to offer recording opportunities to artists on Music Row and educational development opportunities to Belmont students, we are thrilled to carry on a tradition of community partnerships by offering complimentary use of the studio for Nashville Opera’s first opera recording of its recent piece, ‘The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat,’” said Ocean Way Director Pat McMakin, who served as associate producer for the recording.
The three-day project included the original cast members from Nashville Opera’s critically-acclaimed 2013 production with soprano Rebecca Sjöwall as Mrs. P, bass Matthew Treviño as Dr. P and tenor Ryan MacPherson as Dr. S. The opera’s General and Artistic Director John Hoomes and Chief Operating Officer Noah Spiegel worked as co-producers. Maestro Dean Williamson led the seven-piece orchestra as he did during the original production.
Nashville Opera, Tennessee’s largest professional opera company, is dedicated to creating legendary productions and programs. Among the most successful regional companies in the United States of America, Nashville Opera has presented three different world premiere operas since its inception in 1981. Main stage performances are presented at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center and the Noah Liff Opera Center, playing to over 13,000 people annually. Nashville Opera’s extensive education and outreach touring program reaches over 23,000 students throughout Middle Tennessee. These projects are supported by grants from the Metro Nashville Arts Commission, the Tennessee Arts Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Judy and Noah Liff Foundation, the Nashville Opera Guild and many other corporate and individual supporters.
Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness Paula Gill was recently interviewed by HigherEdJobs.com about her position and the overall nature of institutional effectiveness, particularly for higher education. Gill noted, “Higher education institutions are becoming increasingly intentional about institutional effectiveness efforts to help their organizations meet the needs of the students, the needs of future employers, and the needs of their city, their state, and the world. Institutional effectiveness is about building quality in all that we do.” Click here to read the complete interview.
