Belmont University hosted Tennessee Titans quarterback Jake Locker on campus April 9 as he stood with students against human trafficking and spoke about issues surrounding its 29.8 million victims as well as how he became involved with the International Justice Mission. Belmont students began a 24-hour stand Tuesday evening and continued Wednesday with an awareness event near the Bell Tower with stations set up to make STAND for Freedom signs, sign a petition and educate their peers on issues regarding human trafficking.
Students STAND Against Human Trafficking
Actor Corbin Bernsen Speaks to Students about Faith & Film
Actor, director and producer Corbin Bernsen spoke to students, faculty and staff about his faith and film career during a convocation event in Neely Dining Hall on Wednesday.
“I rediscovered my faith through film,” Bernsen said. “Jesus is my way to God, and God is this incredible mystery that has guided my life to this very moment.”
Bernsen has starred in the TV shows “L.A. Law,” “JAG” and “Psych,” as well as in TV movies like “An American Affair” and serials such as “The Young and the Restless” and “General Hospital,” and in more than a dozen films, including “Major League.” He has both a B.F.A. in Theatre Arts and an M.F.A. in Playwriting from UCLA, and is president of Home Theater Films, which produces “smart family entertainment,” including full-length movies such as “Rust” that inspire families with new ways to approach life and strengthen community.
Bernsen explained that his search for truth has guided his entire career and inspired his films.
“I am sitting here for a purpose, but I don’t know which way I am supposed to go,” Bernsen said. “I ask God for help, and I hear, ‘Keep going. Know me. Know love. Know truth.’”
Newly Released AAUP Data Survey Reflects Belmont’s Strong Commitment to Faculty Salaries
This week the Chronicle of Higher Education released the results of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) 2013-14 Faculty Salary Survey, and Belmont again performed exceptionally well in comparison with its peer institutions in terms of category (Master’s level) and region of the country.
Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher, said, “Belmont has long been committed to attracting and retaining the highest quality faculty to serve our students, and that translates in part to offering competitive compensation. I’m pleased to see how far we’ve come and how our faculty salaries now rank in the 80th percentile or better among all of our peer institutions nationally.”
Provost Dr. Thomas Burns added, “As the AAUP salary survey data shows, Belmont’s faculty salaries have grown to among the best in Tennessee and in the southeast region.”
Of the 22 Tennessee institutions in the survey, Belmont ranked fourth in the average full professor salary ranking, behind three doctoral level institutions: Vanderbilt, University of Tennessee Knoxville and University of Memphis. In addition, Belmont offered the second highest average raise for continuing full professors. Associate professors at Belmont ranked third in the state for average salary, as did assistant professors. Belmont instructors are the highest paid in terms of average state salaries. In the East South Central region—which includes Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky and Mississippi institutions—Belmont also came out well above the average salary in each category.
Looking nationally at peer Master’s level institutions, Belmont remains incredibly competitive in salary ranges for faculty. In fact, Belmont full professors rank in the 80th percentile in salary in comparison with peer institutions across the country. Associate professors, assistant professors and instructors are doing even better, ranked in the 86th, 93rd and 89th percentiles respectively.
These results reflect Belmont’s ongoing commitment, as reflected in Vision 2015, to provide for its employees: “Belmont people are fully engaged in challenging and demanding work and will share in the financial success of the university as salaries meet and exceed peers. Compensation will increasingly be tied to performance excellence.”
Each spring, the AAUP publishes its report on faculty compensation and the economics of higher education. AAUP members receive a print copy of the report (with complete data listings) as part of their membership. Data from the survey are also available for purchase in several formats, including institutional peer comparison reports, complete datasets and pre-publication report tables. Salary data are collected annually by the American Association of University Professors. Participation in the AAUP survey is optional; 1,157 institutions submitted data for the 2013-14 academic year.
Buckner Appointed to Haslam’s State Board of Nursing
Belmont Associate Dean of Nursing Dr. Martha Buckner has been appointed to Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam’s State Board of Nursing.
Buckner serves as executive director of Partners in Nursing at Belmont University and has a wide range of clinical experience with adult post-operative and nutrition support patients. She also has teaching experience in nursing pharmacology, nutrition and adult health.
“We appreciate Gov. Haslam’s recognition of Dr. Buckner’s expertise and her steadfast commitment to the highest professional nursing standards. I know she will work tirelessly to promote and protect the health of Tennesseans,” said Belmont Dean of College of Health Sciences and Nursing Cathy Taylor.
Established in 1911 by the Tennessee Legislature, the Board of Nursing’s mission is to safeguard the health, safety and welfare of Tennesseans by requiring that all who practice nursing within this state are qualified and licensed to practice. The board consists of 11 members appointed by the governor for four-year terms, and responsibilities center around three broad functions: licensure, education and practice.
Belmont’s Alpha Chi Chapter Celebrates Newest Inductees
Belmont inducted new members last week into its chapter of Alpha Chi, which is the highest academic honor awarded by Belmont University. Its requirements are to be in the top 10 percent academically of all students, and to be of junior or senior class rank. Alpha Chi members are nominated by the faculty and must have “outstanding moral character” and display leadership, integrity and service. Belmont University is the Eta Chapter of Alpha Chi in Region III. Alpha Chi was founded in 1922 and has chapters at more than 300 colleges and universities in 45 states. Alpha Chi is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies. The name of Alpha Chi derives from the initial letters of the Greek words meaning “Truth” and “Character.”
Associate Professor of Math Dr. Sarah Ann Fleming, who co-sponsors the Belmont chapter with Assistant Professor of English Dr. Caresse John, said, “Each semester Belmont University inducts around 60students in the TN Eta Chapter of Alpha Chi. Our induction ceremony is a time to celebrate the accomplishments of these talented students. Each inductee chooses a faculty sponsor who has been particularly influential to them during their time at Belmont to ‘pin’ them during the ceremony. Professors, families and friends honor the students being inducted into our group. Our members are the top students in all majors across the university. It is truly an honor to be invited to join this honor society.”
Belmont’s Chapter of Alpha Chi sponsors campus events related to scholarship and service, provides leadership opportunities, attends the Alpha Chi conventions and encourages members to apply for the national scholarships awarded each year. More information is available at www.alphachihonor.org.
Spring 2014 Belmont Alpha Chi Inductees included:
Alessandra Alegre In Absentia
Shelby Blalock Sponsor – Nathan Adam
Jesse Bobick Sponsor – Deen Entsminger
Morgan Bryant Sponsor – Joyce Crowell
Kolton Bullard Sponsor – John Gonas
Mallory Bulkley Sponsor – Cheryl Slay
Sarah Burnette Sponsor –
Jared Conrad Sponsor – Larry Wacholtz
Justin Cutler Sponsor – Sehyun Yoo
Corbin Davidson In Absentia
Lauren Dekleva Sponsor – Deen Entsminger
Amy Draper In Absentia
Sofia El Maliki Sponsor – Kim Daus
Kristina Escue In Absentia
Stephen Fralick Sponsor – Denise Scott
Samuel Frawley Sponsor – Andrew Johnston
Kurtis Gibson In Absentia
Alison Gorrie Sponsor – Nancy Allen
Aaron Gosnell Sponsor – Alex Graham
Aubrie Grimes Sponsor – Jocelyn Fisher
William Griswold In Absentia
Kelsey Hawkins Sponsor – Sally Barton-Arwood
Jane Hefferan In Absentia
Summer Herzfeldt Sponsor – Henry Smiley
Seth Hewson Sponsor – Bonnie Smith Whitehouse
Abbey Hull Sponsor – Annette Sisson
Juliana Ireland In Absentia
Heidi Jallouk Sponsor – Beverley Alleyne
Adam James Sponsor – Rachel Rigsby
Peter Johnson Sponsor – Cheryl Slay
Jasmine Johnson Sponsor – Beverley Alleyne
James Kelley Sponsor – Steve Guthrie
Joseph Kenkel Sponsor – Pete Giordano
Tedi Knaak Sponsor – Jonathan Thorndike
Perry Lines Sponsor – Steve Guthrie
Sydney Mathieu Sponsor – Jonathan Thorndike
Madison McIntyre Sponsor – Madeline Bridges
Ian Miller Sponsor – Jeff Cornwall
Jared Mitchell Sponsor – Sandra Dudley
Casey Mueller Sponsor – Del DeVries
Cailey Norris Sponsor – Regine Schwarzmeier
Victoria Perry Sponsor – Jon Roebuck
Lisa Peterson Sponsor – Marieta Velikova
Mary Ritchea Sponsor – Deen Entsminger
Skyler Schmanski In Absentia
Natalie Seale In Absentia
Bethany Seifert Sponsor – Beverley Alleyne
Tessa Shupe Sponsor – Kim Daus
Samantha Sieks Sponsor – Beverley Alleyne
Mitchell Steele In Absentia
Sarah Terning Sponsor – Robert Gregg
Alexandria Threet Sponsor – Stephanie Adlington
Michelle Walker Sponsor – Suzanne Lindsey
Savannah Weeks Sponsor – Jocelyn Fisher
Miranda West Sponsor – Glenn Acree
Mallory White Sponsor – Daniel Biles
Ashley Wilson Sponsor – Mark Maxwell
Kelsey Wise Sponsor – Jonathan Thorndike
Nine Students Present Research at National Alpha Chi Convention
In March, nine students from Belmont University presented their research at the Alpha Chi National Honor Society Convention at the Union Station Hotel in St. Louis, Mo. Faculty advisor Dr. Sarah Ann Fleming (Mathematics) also attended the convention. The annual Alpha Chi convention is organized around student presentations by juniors and seniors from their respective chapters.
Membership in Alpha Chi is the highest academic honor awarded by Belmont University. Its members are invited based on their academic standing in the top 10 percent of the junior and senior classes within any academic major. Belmont has had an active chapter of Alpha Chi for over 25 years. Dr. Fleming and Dr. Caresse John are the current Belmont Alpha Chi faculty sponsors.
Belmont student presentations at the national convention:
- In the Art section, Sam Frawley presented his work on “North Dakota Parks and Recreation Rebranding.”
- In the Political Science section, John Thomas (J. T.) Faircloth presented “Race and Rhetoric: How Obama’s 2008 Race Speech Sought to Build a ‘More Perfect Union.’”
- In Music, Jesse Peck presented his composition “Tunnel Tonicization.”
- In World History, Christy Vitkus discussed “Lithuania: The Road to Freedom and Independence.”
- In the Sociology section, Emily Snyder presented “Things that I Learned from My Mother: The Impact of Family Narratives on Resilience.”
- Also in the Sociology section, Miranda West presented her work on “Exploiting the Homeless.”
- In the Psychology section, Savannah Ladage and Elizabeth Wilson presented their research on “The Effect of Positive Training on Attention to Negative Stimuli in Anxious Individuals.”
- In the Nutrition section, Sofia Elmaliki discussed “Oh, Sugar. Oh, Sweet, Sweet Drug.”
Murray Presents Papers at Conference
Dr. Douglas Murray, professor of English, presented two papers at the American Society for 18th-Century Studies in Williamsburg, Va. on March 22. The first paper was entitled “Truths Universally Acknowledged?: Jane Austen in the Gen Ed Curriculum,” and the second paper was entitled “‘Feast of Reason and Flow of Soul’: Hospitality in the Life and Work of Margaret Doody.”
English Graduate Students Present Papers
Three current Belmont English students and one recent graduate of the master’s program had papers accepted at the 109th Meeting of the Tennessee Philological Association on Feb. 20 through 22 at Lipscomb University. Dana Perry, a December Master of Arts alumna, delivered a paper called “Shattering the Myth: Lorraine Hansberry’s The Drinking Gourd.” Cathy Kelly presented “Nabokov, O’Neill, and the Pathos of Place.” Will Hodge presented “REMYTHX: Adaptation as Remix in Eugene O’Neill’s Desire under the Elms and Mourning Becomes Electra.” Misty Ayres-Miranda presented “Electra’s Release in Eugene O’Neill’s Mourning Becomes Electra.” Dr. David Curtis, professor of English and associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, moderated the session and presented another paper at the conference.
Faculty Present at Conference on College Teaching and Learning
Dr. Shelby Longard of Sociology, Lauren Lunsford of Education and Bonnie Smith Whitehouse of English presented papers at the International Conference on College Teaching and Learning. Their presentation was entitled “Exploring the Reading Motivation of Bridges Students During Their First-Year Experience.” The conference was held in Ponte Vedre, Fla. on March 26.
English Faculty Present at Conference on College Composition, Communication
On March 20, three Belmont Department of English faculty presented at the Conference on College Composition and Communication held in Indianapolis, Ind. Dr. Sarah Blomeley and Dr. Amy Hodges Hamilton presented together on a panel entitled “Open(ing) Wounds: Accessing Trauma in the Classroom and Community.” Blomeley’s talk was titled “In Loving Memory: Public Grief and the Future of Mourning in America,” and Hodges Hamilton’s talk was titled, “When Access to the Personal Becomes Pedagogical: Childhood Cancer and the Composition Classroom.” In addition, Dr. Jason Lovvorn gave a talk called, “Open Sourcing the College Composition Teacher: Using MOOCs for Professional Development and Pedagogical Improvement.”
