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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Best Buddies Belmont Named Tennessee College Chapter of the Year

Paul Chenoweth
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best-buddies-2As student members of the Belmont chapter of Best Buddies were participating in a Friendship Walk at Bi-Centennial Mall to raise money for Best Buddies Tennessee on April 13, they learned they won Tennessee College Chapter of the Year.

“Winning best college chapter for the state of Tennessee was a surprise, but I believe a true reflection of the genuine hearts of the Belmont students that are members of Best Buddies,” said chapter President Kristin Hinkley, a senior studying public relations. “The students in our chapter really go above and beyond to include their buddies in their everyday life, integrating them with their friends and their weekend plans. Our members don’t do it to build their resumes or get community service hours, they do this because they truly believe in Best Buddies and how important it is to give a voice and a community to those who wouldn’t get either otherwise.”

Best Buddies is a non-profit organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Best Buddies International opened a state office in Tennessee only a few years ago and has already established over 70 middle, high school and college chapters in the state. The Belmont chapter is four years old.

Taylore Griffin, program manager for Best Buddies Tennessee, said she nominated Belmont for the award because many of its buddies are live far from campus yet Belmont students always are willing to pick them up for events and continuously show dedication to service.

“This is a tremendous award and recognition of our student members of Best Buddies at Belmont. These students are truly engaging and transforming the world. Through the seemingly simple act of friendship, Best Buddy Belmont members are breaking down barriers for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” said chapter adviser Sally Barton-Arwood, associate professor of education. “I am humbled and inspired by their unwavering commitments to advocate for and create inclusive communities that recognize similarities and strengths instead of deficits and differences.”

The day the students won the award, members of Best Buddies Belmont and four buddies with intellectual disabilities attended a Judah and the Lion Four concert and were honored backstage and on stage.

Education Students Run Camp for Children with Down Syndrome

Paul Chenoweth
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unique-experienceBelmont education students and Associate Professor of Education Sally Barton-Arwood concluded their Saturday morning Music Camp with the Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee this month. Music, art, early childhood, elementary and middle school licensure students gathered with children with Down syndrome for a hands-on learning experience of building vocabulary. The Belmont students planned and ran the camp twice a semester in the Sport Science building.

“The children who return for each camp have something wonderful to look forward to. Families tell me how their children can’t stop smiling and clapping on the way to our camp. Families also get a few hours to do something on their own,” said Barton-Arwood. “I had a mother cry because she had not been able to spend time with her typically–developing daughter in five years since her son with autism and Down syndrome was born. In addition to totally changing their world view on individuals with disabilities, our students also gain experiences in communicating with parents and working through challenging behaviors of young children.”

The program was started to meet two needs: to give music education and early childhood students meaningful practicum experience; and also  to provide weekend social time for children with Down syndrome.

 

Belmont and Beyond Hosts Terri Thompson

Paul Chenoweth
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Motivational speaker Terri Thompson spoke at the Belmont and Beyond finale event on April 14 on the topic of “Life Leadership Lessons.”  Thompson is a nationally renowned speaker, author and successful entrepreneur specializing in helping individuals succeed. Among the lessons she shared with students were: to write down goals, passions and dreams; to view mistakes as road signs and not roadblocks; to take an opportunity outside of the box; to focus; to tell the truth all the time; and to be a generous person.

‘Integrity in Sports’ Panel Discusses Hot Topics in Collegiate Athletics

Paul Chenoweth
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Integrity & Sports-125-XLThe Edward C. Kennedy Center for Business Ethics and Belmont University Athletics  welcomed NCAA Division I administrators to campus for a candid dialogue on student athlete compensation and the commercialization of college sports on Tuesday in the Maddox Grand Atrium.

Moderated by Belmont Athletics Director Michael Strickland, participants Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart, Ohio Valley Conference Commissioner Beth DeBauche and former Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe said they agreed that the NCAA business model needed a “radical change” to resolve its ethical issues and allow college and university athletics departments to be financially viable. However, Beebe argued that paying some student athletes would mean levying more student fees on their peers to provide funding.

Although some Division I colleges have multimillion dollar television deals and rising coaches’ salaries, many smaller universities do not operate profitable athletic departments on their own, DeBauche noted. In the OVC, much of the conferences’ profits return to its member institutions to pay their bills, and many of the 32 conferences are similar to the OVC, she said, adding that all conferences need to continue to meet Title IX requirements.

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Belmont Continues ‘Read with Me’ Tradition with Family Literacy Day

Paul Chenoweth
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FamilyLiteracyDay-034-LSome 145 Belmont students read to Nashville children during the 14th Annual Family Literacy Day on April 12 at Rose Park. The event was designed to allow the Belmont community to partner with Nashvillians to encourage reading and literacy among elementary-age children and their families.

“It is a great privilege for Belmont to celebrate the great work that goes on all year long by joining with Metro Nashville Public Schools, the Nashville Public Library, Metro Parks, Book’em, PENCIL Foundation and Homework Hotline to provide Family Literacy Day to the community,” said Belmont Director of Service-Learning Tim Stewart. “We are grateful for the opportunities the community provides our students and view Family Literacy Day as a small but hopefully significant way to say ‘thank you.’”

During the free celebration on reading, children enjoyed interactive story times, crafts, face painting, games and refreshments. In reading circles, hosted by Belmont student organizations such as the foreign language majors, the children listened to students read aloud and earned stickers to trade in for prizes and books donated by Book’em.

In the weeks prior to the event, first through fourth-grade studenFamilyLiteracyDay-017-Lts were invited to submit 12 to 16-line poems about their favorite literature. From 118 entries, the Belmont English Club selected five finalists, and the top five poets worked with local professional songwriters Seth Alley, Sherrié Austin, Maddie Larkin, Bill McDermott and Will Rambeaux to set their poems to music. More than 5,000 votes were cast online in the poetry contest, and the winner was “The Girl Who Thinks She Can” by Arieanna Rushing, a fourth-grade student at Sylvan Park Elementary. Click here to listen to the winning song and the other finalists.

Belmont Alumni Release New Christian Album

Paul Chenoweth
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Mikes ChairBelmont alumni and acclaimed pop band MIKESCHAIR recently released its third studio project, All or Nothing (Curb Records), on April 1. The album is available at Family Christian Stores, as well as iTunes, Amazon and other digital retailers.

Produced by Matt Bronlewee (Plumb, Jars of Clay), All or Nothing cautious against lukewarm faith. The anthemic title track was the first song lead singer Mike Grayson wrote for the album, and it immediately became a creative foundation for the record.

“Throughout the span of the whole project, the goal is to inspire people to be sold out, to be on fire for God, to choose the ‘all’ side of the phrase ‘all or nothing,’” Grayson said. “It’s the first time where I actually wrote a song and then followed a theme throughout the whole process of writing the record… I feel like this is a season of challenging our fans to really take that step with us and say, ‘Hey! This is it! I’ve made a choice, and I want to see it through.’”

MIKESCHAIR made its major-label debut in 2009 and has garnered five Top 5 and three Top 10 radio singles and 12 GMA Dove Award nominations. All of its founding members met at Belmont University, and the band scored a coveted performance slot for Belmont’s Christian Music Showcase, which led to a record deal with Curb Records. The five-piece has toured with MercyMe, Newsboys, Lecrae, Matthew West, Brandon Heath and Big Daddy Weave, among others, and is now partnering with Aaron Shust for “The Morning Rises Tour.” MIKESCHAIR continues to maintain a heart for missions working alongside organizations and international relief agencies who provide for those in need.

Greek Week Promotes Unity and Service

Paul Chenoweth
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Belmont’s annual Greek Week concluded Monday night with the Greek Awards Ceremony. With a mission to “engage all of Greek Life at Belmont University,” Greek Week seeks to challenge individuals to re-think what it means to be a part of fraternity and sorority life at Belmont and promote unity among the Greek community.

jenga-222-LFraternity and sorority members across campus focused on three objectives during the week-long event: generating pride and excitement about being Greek, educating the community about the impact of Greek life and joining together to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

“I am very proud to be the Fraternity and Sorority Advisor at Belmont. Greek Week is a great example of why Greek Life is such an impactful facet of campus life. Greek Week involved raising $10,000 for St. Jude, sending students all over Nashville to total almost 1,000 hours of community service and providing fun, community-building activities for this wonderful group of students that have grown to encompass almost a quarter of the undergraduate student population,” Coordinator of Student Engagement and Leadership Development Kevin Reynolds said.

The week included a variety of competitions and activities, including a life-size Jenga tournament, trivia, Greek Olympics, a worship night and the always popular Greek Sing. Alpha Sigma Tau took the crown in Greek Sing, while Alpha Gamma Delta was the overall winner of the week. In addition, fraternity and sorority members participated in the Greek Day of Service, lending a helping hand and serving at various locations in the Nashville community.

Students, Faculty Honored at Annual ‘Scholarship and Awards Day’ Celebration

Paul Chenoweth
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Navy, Army, National Guard veteran wins Heart of Belmont Award

scholarship awards 2014-105In a ceremony marked by numerous standing ovations, students and faculty were honored Wednesday during the annual Scholarship and Awards Day convocation in the the Massey Performing Arts Center. All of the awards given reflected Belmont’s mission and commitment to scholarship, service and leadership, with two new faculty awards, the Christian Scholarship Award and Leadership in Christian Service Award, being introduced for the first time this year. Dr. Ronnie Littlejohn, the 2013-14 Chaney Distinguished Professor, provided the morning’s Honors Address on “Knowing Whether,” encouraging attendees to pursue moral wisdom.

In one of the most moving presentations, graduating senior Matthew Thompson was awarded the John Williams Heart of Belmont Award, which is given to a student committed to Belmont’s values including innovation, persistence, advocacy for change, community development and service. Before coming to Belmont, Thompson served in the Navy on the USS George Washington for five years.  In 2005, he enlisted in the Army where he served an additional four years and afterwards completed one year of service in the Tennessee National Guard. After 10 years of service and three deployments, he was honorably discharged and began pursuing a degree in social work at Belmont.

An intern at Operation Stand Down, Thompson has been integral in the development of veterans services on campus and developed an intercollegiate student veteran coalition that spans six universities across Middle Tennessee. Thompson’s mission is to continue on to a career path that assists veterans who are transitioning from military service into civilian life. In his own words, his “biggest motivation has never been to be recognized but to instead encourage and inspire others to step forward and contribute.”

Other students honored in Wednesday’s ceremony included:

The Williams-Murray First Year Writing Awards: Kelsey Rose (“Frankenstein and Modern Science”) and Andrew Strader (“The Humanity of Empathy”)

The Alfred Leland Crabb Awards: First place to Clifford O’Sullivan (“The Pathophysiology and Pharmacologic Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes and Human Immunodeficiency Virus”) and second place to Veronica Maria Plukis (“Romanticism and Rousseau”)

The Stacy Awalt Writing Awards: Sean Della Croce (“The Utility of Faith in Love” 1st in Original category) and Abigail Marchese (“On Mirror Neurons and Their Possible Applicability to Philosophy of Mind” 1st in Research category)

The Annette Sisson First Year Writing Award: Austin Nelson (“The Evolution of the Music Industry”)

The Lumos Travel Award: Rachel Butler (Argentina), Brittany Robinson (Germany), Mary Elizabeth Vance (Iceland) and RiTara Williams (South Africa)

The First Year Award, Leadership: Kathleen Roth (music business major)

The Second Year Award, Leadership: Zoe Dollman (double major in Spanish and international business with a marketing concentration)

The Third Year Award, Leadership: Elena Harmon (social work major)

The Fourth Year Award, Leadership: Emily Snyder (self-designed justice, faith, and culture interdisciplinary major through the Honors Program’s LEAD track)

In addition to student award winners, two new awards were given to faculty members. The Christian Scholarship Award honors faculty scholarship that engages the Christian intellectual tradition and advances the scholarly conversation between Christian faith and learning. This year’s recipients were Assistant Professor of History Dr. Pete Kuryla and Professor of Religion Dr. Mark McEntire.

Leadership in Christian Service, the other new faculty award, honors faculty who provide leadership to a new initiative or to an established Christian organization that serves those in need. This year’s recipients were Professor of Religion Dr. Judy Skeen and Assistant Professor of English Sue Trout.

Dr. Kim Daus accepts the Chaney Distinguished Professor award.
Dr. Kim Daus accepts the Chaney Distinguished Professor award.

Dr. Kim Daus, professor of chemistry, was named the 2014-15 Chaney Distinguished Professor. The Chaney Distinguished Professor Award, determined on the basis of superior teaching, is presented each year to a faculty member who best represents the vision of the university to be a “premier teaching institution.”

Daus said, “For me, receiving the Chaney Teaching award is truly a reflection of the best of Belmont – the amazing students who work so diligently to learn (and who are open to trialing my crazy ideas and projects), the wonderful mentors and colleagues who encourage and inspire me in my teaching, and the strong administration who support and value classroom teaching.  I am very honored and humbled to be this year’s recipient of the Chaney Teaching Award.”

Dr. Jonathan Thorndike, chair of the Honors program, was awarded the 2014-15 Presidential Faculty Achievement Award. The Presidential Faculty Achievement Award is presented each year to a faculty member who has made outstanding contributions to student life outside the classroom. The award honors and recognizes excellence in faculty-student relationships, special abilities in meeting student needs – academic, personal and professional – and symbolizes Belmont University’s commitment to being a student-centered institution.

Dr. Jonathan Thorndike accepts the Presidential Faculty Achievement award.
Dr. Jonathan Thorndike accepts the Presidential Faculty Achievement award.

Thorndike said, “I am deeply honored to receive the Presidential Faculty Achievement Award. It represents the highest ideals of Belmont University’s mission to empower students of diverse backgrounds to engage and transform the world with intelligence, compassion, courage and faith. To be a member of a faculty community that upholds this mission is my greatest honor, and I feel humbled and blessed to be recognized with this award. I love working with Belmont students in class and outside of academia in so many settings on campus, in Nashville and overseas.”

Click here for additional photos from the event.

Law Students Support Tennessee Justice Center

Paul Chenoweth
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Pictured left to right are Franklin Graves, Callie Hinson, Nate Drake, Michele Johnson, Doug Russo and Molly Shehan. (Photo credit: Chris Steer Photography)
Pictured left to right are Franklin Graves, Callie Hinson, Nate Drake, Michele Johnson, Doug Russo and Molly Shehan. (Photo credit: Chris Steer Photography)

The College of Law’s Student Bar Association presented $5,000 to the Tennessee Justice Center during its Second Annual Barristers’ Ball on April 12. Student Bar Association President Nate Drake presented the check to center’s Executive Director Michele Johnson. The donation will support the center’s pro bono events and legal internships for law students.

 

Treybig Presents at Music Education Association Conference

Paul Chenoweth
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DSCN1364
Carolyn Treybig (left) with senior music education major Melissa Meyers at the conference.

On April 11, Dr. Carolyn Treybig, of the Belmont University School of Music, presented a clinic session at the Tennessee Music Education Association conference held from April 9 to 12 in Memphis, Tenn. In her clinic session, entitled “Adapting Flute Tone techniques to Other Woodwinds,” Treybig explored and explained the methods and techniques of French flute pedagogue Marcel Moyse and adapted his exercises from De La Sonorite into studies to help develop tone, intonation, phrasing and vibrato on other woodwind instruments, including oboe, clarinet, saxophone and bassoon.

 

 

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