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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Dining Services Adds New Options, Services for Fall Semester

McAlister's Deli Construction
Construction is nearly complete on the new location of McAlister’s Deli on campus.

With a goal to enhance the student experience, Belmont Dining Services, provided by Sodexo, will launch several new initiatives this fall as well as open two new popular chain restaurant locations on campus.

An express version of McAlister’s Deli, serving the popular chain’s top 25 best-selling items, opens Aug. 12 in the former spot of Buzzy’s candy store on Belmont Blvd. While the chain has expanded into Middle Tennessee in recent years with shops in Brentwood, Cool Springs and Murfreesboro, this will be the first McAlister’s in Nashville.

Meanwhile, a Papa John’s branch will be added to the former Quizno’s spot in Curb Cafe. The pizza shop will offer both eight-inch individual size pizzas as well as 16-inch pies. The site will open for business on Monday, Aug. 19.

Director of Dining Services Kyle Grover said, “This past year Dining Services hosted four student focus groups, and we asked students what food options they wanted on campus. Adding McAlister’s and Papa John’s will meet the students’ needs.”

The cafeteria, located in the Gabhart Student Center, adds a Simple Servings station that offers allergy sufferers (gluten, lactose, shellfish, etc.) meal options free of instigating allergens. In addition, Sodexo has partnered with MyFitnessPal.com to include more than 1,200 recipes on the site so diners can scan an item in line and immediately have access to nutritional information on the website. Sodexo is also instituting Qbot, a rewards program that offers free products when users reach certain pre-set milestones in purchases.

To give students even more options for dining, Bruin Bucks can be used at several off-campus vendors, allowing students to enjoy meals at locations beyond the cafeteria, Curb Cafe, Bruin Grounds, What’s Bruin and Corner Court. In addition to using Bruin Bucks in Belmont’s on campus eateries and pharmacy, students can use the system at Subway, Chago’s, Kalamata’s, Noshville and Papa John’s as well as at the new campus locations of Papa John’s and McAlister’s. An announcement will be made soon regarding new additions to the Bruin Bucks program.

All of the new options are a precursor to Fall 2015 when the new Academic and Dining Services complex is scheduled to open. Fred Puffenberger, senior director of auxiliary enterprises, said, “We are excited about the opportunity to offer the additional on-campus food options to our student body.  These additions along with expanding our partnerships with several new off campus vendor Bruin Bucks partners is another step in the continuation of enhancing the student experience here at Belmont.”

Class of 2013 Graduate Receives Mylan Excellence in Pharmacy Award

john barwellDr. John Barnwell (’13) was awarded the Mylan Excellence in Pharmacy Award in May and has recently been recognized in the official publication of the American Pharmacist’s Association, Student Pharmacist.  While a student in the College of Pharmacy, Barnwell was an active leader in various pharmacy organizations including American Pharmacist’s Association, American Society of Health Systems Pharmacists, Phi Delta Chi, Phi Lambda Sigma and Rho Chi. He resides in Nashville, Tenn. and is employed by Kroger.

PharmD Students Attend State Pharmacists Meeting

Belmont pharmacy students recently attended the 126th annual Tennessee Pharmacists Association meeting in Chattanooga, Tenn.  Kelly Maguigan (’14), Kyle Robinson (’14), Mandy Newman (’14) and Alexander Tu (’16) represented Belmont’s College of Pharmacy as the Self Care Team.

Dr. Traci Poole, adviser of Tennessee Society of Student Pharmacists,  said, “It was wonderful to see our student pharmacists engaged with their state association in a variety of ways, including the discussion of policy in our House of Delegates and the Self-Care Competition.”

Anderson’s Translations of Plato Published

Mark Anderson-LMark Anderson’s, associate professor of philosophy, translations of several of Plato’s “myths” have just appeared in a book entitled, Gods, Heroes, and Monsters: A Sourcebook of Greek, Roman, and Near Eastern Myths in Translation, edited by Carolina Lopez-Ruiz and published by Oxford University Press.

Murphree, Students Volunteer at Insects of the Night Program

insects of the night (2)The 20th annual Insects of the Night program was held July 26, at Warner Park Nature Center. It is always a big draw for families who want to learn more about nocturnal creatures. Thanks in part to an article in The Tennessean by Ms. Cheap, over 300 children attended the event. Steve Murphree, professor of biology, began the evening with a short presentation followed by family-friendly activities celebrating insects such as a puppet show, the insect parade and demonstrations.

Erin Pitts, a recent environmental science Belmont graduate who had been a seasonal naturalist at the nature center, led a night hike and was responsible for the “Moth Parts” tent.  Melissa Murphree, a senior Belmont sociology major, helped at the “Insect Navigation” tent.

Alumna LeAnn Phelan Honored with Music City Milestone Award

LeAnn Phelan accepts Music City Milestone award
Pictured (l-r) are Michael Martin, LeAnn Phelan, Sarah Cates and Dan Keen.

On July 18, Belmont’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business and industry partner ASCAP honored alumnus LeAnn Phelan (’89) as the 2013 recipient of the Music City Milestone Award (MCMA), which celebrates Belmont’s connection to Music Row. The award recognizes a Belmont graduate who has achieved success in the entertainment & music industry. The inaugural award was presented last year to Rusty Gaston, partner and general manager of This Music.

Phelan, who now co-heads the ASCAP creative team with Michael Martin, has a B.B.A. from Belmont University with an emphasis in music business. She serves on the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) board as well as the board of Possibilities! Inc., a not-for-profit whose mission is to provide funding for a variety of services to aid in the strengthening and rebuilding of individuals struggling with addiction, co-dependency, childhood abuse and more.

Phelan’s career in the music business has run the gamut. She has toured as a vocalist with Steve Winwood and held significant executive positions at Sony Records, 19 Entertainment, Windswept Pacific and Combustion Music. Over the years, her responsibilities have included songwriter management, production coordination, A&R, music supervision, song plugging and writer development. She has worked with a long list of artists and writers including Kings of Leon, Drew Ramsey, Ashley Gorley, Blair Daly, Gordie Sampson, Catt Gravitt, Steve McEwan and Miranda Lambert. She also worked as a preliminary judge on the “American Idol” audition tour for four seasons.

Belmont Instructor of Music Business and creative force behind the MCMA award, Dan Keen said, “With her insight, talent and passion, LeAnn has established a reputation as one of the most effective advocates for writers and artists in the business today and does so with the great integrity. Integrity, talent, passion, insight and effectiveness are all qualities that Belmont emphasizes as we shape the music business leaders of tomorrow. We are proud to hold her up as a role model for our current and future students.”

“LeAnn has been a driving force in the Nashville music community for many years, and I know I speak for all of us at ASCAP when I say we are truly honored to have her as a colleague and a mentor,” said ASCAP Nashville Membership co-head Michael Martin. “She is greatly loved by her ASCAP family, and we couldn’t be more proud of her.”

“All too often, success is recognized at the end of a career. We really want to take time to celebrate together the successes along the journey,” added Senior Director of Curb College Initiatives Sarah Cates. “LeAnn’s career path is an inspiring journey.  Not only has she accomplished great things within her field of work, as a person, LeAnn is the real deal.”

Stodghill Abstracts Accepted for Pharmaceutical Sciences Annual Meeting

Dr. Steven Stodghill of the Department of Pharmaceutical, Social & Administrative Sciences and his team have had three abstracts accepted for the American Association of Pharmaceutical Sciences annual meeting in November.

  • Development of a Sustained-Release Donepezil Hydrochloride Formulation by Hot Melt Extrusion This study demonstrates the sustained release of highly water-soluble drugs such as donepezil hydrochloride can be formulated by continuous processing using twin-screw extrusion employing Compritol® 888 ATO as a hydrophobic matrix.
  • Effect of polymer molecular weight on Hot Melt Extrusion processing and dissolution of Clotrimazole The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) molecular weights on the extrudability and dissolution of clotrimazole by hot melt extrusion techniques. PVPs polymers are water-soluble and used routinely as a carrier to enhance the solubility for an API. Two different drug loads were used to investigate their effects.
  • Application of Solid Crystal Suspensions using Hot Melt Extrusion for Enhancement of Solubility and Stability of Efavirenz The formulation of crystal suspensions by Hot Melt Extrusion significantly increased the solubility and stability of Efavirenz. This technique/process provided an alternative approach for enhancing solubility of poorly water-soluble compounds using xylitol as a primary matrix carrier.

Smith Article Accepted for Publication

Amy SmithAdjunct professor Amy Smith recently had her article entitled “Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co.:  Radical Revision or Original Intent of the Alien Tort Statute” accepted for publication in the Southern Law Journal.  The Southern Law Journal is listed in Cabell’s Directory, with an 18% acceptance rating. Smith teaches business law in the College of Business Administration and has taught at Belmont in various colleges since 2001.

 

 

Faculty Attend Colleges of Pharmacy Conference

Several Belmont pharmacy faculty participated in the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy annual meeting from July 13 through 17 in Chicago, Ill.  The meeting is the primary source of innovations in teaching in colleges and schools of pharmacy, offers a large selection of faculty development opportunities and provides a merging of academia and accreditation issues.

Belmont faculty learned new techniques in the areas of student recruitment, student remediation, the scholarship of teaching and practice innovations as well as learned new standards of accreditation, new CAPE competencies and software products.

Marilyn E. Thompson Odom presented at a round table session on Assessment of Student Learning and Level of Empathy Through Use of Creative Expression. Elisa Greene, Ashton Beggs, Mark Chirico, Alisa Spinelli, Condit Steil, Kristina Wood and Phil Johnston–presented Integration, Innovation and Collaboration at Belmont University College of Pharmacy at the poster session. Leigh Ann Bynum, Hope Campbell and Lindsay Hahn presented Making Cross-Linkages Work Between Clinical and Management Classes in the College of Pharmacy at the refereed poster session. Andrew Webster and Angela Hagan served as administrative representative and faculty representative, respectively, in the House of Delegates.  Phil  Johnston served on the Council of Deans.

 

Bennett Publishes ‘Innovate’ on Internet, Underground Railroad

Media Studies Associate Professor Sybril Bennett has published Innovate: Sybril_BennettLessons from the Underground Railroad, a book written to demonstrate how the Underground Railroad is among the most effective, disruptive and innovative networks in the history of America. She compares the Underground Railroad and the Internet to illustrate how the past and the present virtually collide creating the future in real time. Click here to listen to the book on ETPcast, “What Entrepreneurship, the Internet and the Underground Railroad All Have in Common.”

 

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