On July 2, Dr. Steve Murphree, professor of biology and entomologist, gave an Insect/Arachnid program to 100 children and parents at the Spring Hill Public Library as part of their summer reading program.
Murphree Gives Insect Talk at Library
Recent Graduate Selected for Cambridge Fellowship, Peace Corps
Heart of Belmont award winner Rami Nofal lives out University mission to ‘engage and transform world’ with new appointments
Belmont University alumnus Rami Nofal (’13) was recently selected for two distinguished, international opportunities: a fellowship at prestigious Cambridge University and a stint in Ghana serving with the Peace Corps.
Nofal—who graduated in May earning degrees in international business (marketing and Arabic), finance and economics with a minor in political science—won one of Belmont University’s highest honors in April when he was selected to receive the John Williams Heart of Belmont award. The Heart of Belmont award recognizes a student who demonstrates commitment to service, initiative, innovation, persistence, advocacy, and maturity, among other qualities. He also was actively involved with the two-time National Champion and 2012 World Cup-winning Enactus team.
A 2009 graduate of Nashville’s Overton High School, Nofal will next participate Aug. 18-30 in the Ariane de Rothschild Fellowship at Cambridge University in England. This Fellowship is the premier gold standard of social entrepreneurship intersected with cross-cultural exchange for global minded change agents. Nofal’s acceptance letter noted, “Your selection as a Fellow reflects the careful judgment of prominent scholars that you meet the Fellowship’s rigorous criteria for admission, emphasizing both excellence in the quality of your civic engagement and your serious contribution to social enterprise.”
Catalog Cast Featured in Business Publication
The Nashville Business Journal recently featured an article on Belmont’s Catalog Cast program in partnership with BMI. The program allows students to earn college credits while getting hands-on experience in music business, pitching songs to producers and publisher as well as networking with industry leaders. Click here to read the full article.
Audio Engineering Students Earn Honorable Mention
Led by faculty adviser Jim Kaiser, a team of Belmont audio engineering technology students including Dan Almond, Sean Davidson, Brien Pafford, Tim Reitnouer and Ian Zorbaugh took honorable mention in this year’s Shure Fantastic scholastic recording competition. Click here to read more.
Cates Appointed to NashvilleNext Team
Sarah Cates has been asked to serve on the NashvilleNext Arts and Culture team. The initiative has eight resource teams will bring topical expertise to support the public process. The NashvilleNext process will update Metro Nashville’s General Plan, which was last updated in 1992. NashvilleNext is intended to ensure Nashville’s prosperity and well-being for the next 25 years. It will incorporate community values and respond to changing demographics and other trends that will impact Nashville in the future. With the assistance of the resource reams, the NashvilleNext plan will address: arts and culture, education, economic and workforce development, environment, housing, land use, transportation, infrastructure, livable and healthy communities and public safety.
Hallmark Presents at Simulation Conference
Dr. Beth Hallmark, assistant professor of nursing and director of simulation for the College of Health Sciences, recently presented two workshops at the annual meeting of the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning in Las Vegas, Nev. The associations promotes research and disseminates evidence based practice standards for clinical simulation methodologies and learning environments.
Hallmark was a co-presenter in a session about implementing cost saving and waste reduction measures in simulation laboratories. In addition, she was part of an expert panel of simulation coordinators for an advanced workshop providing an overview of operational management systems used in simulation, covering inventory, scheduling and development of policies and procedures.
Murray Speaks at UNC Jane Austen Summer Program
Dr. Douglas Murray, professor of English, was one of the invited faculty at the inaugural Jane Austen Summer Program at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, June 27-30. He led four discussions about Pride and Prejudice and on the final day of the conference delivered an address entitled “The Eyes Have It: Male and Female Gazes in Pride and Prejudice,” applying ideas from film theory to Austen’s novel.
‘Kings’ Summer Program Helps At-Risk Youth Gain Life Skills
Belmont University is continuing its investment in Nashville-area African-American youth through its partnership with 100 Kings. For the tenth consecutive summer, nonprofit organization 100 Black Men has held its summer camp 100 Kings on Belmont’s campus.
The annual six-week camp is the summer portion of an eight-year mentoring program through which 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee adopts African-American fifth, sixth and seventh graders and offers them academic enrichment , experiential learning opportunities and mentoring. About 70 percent of “Kings” qualify for reduced and free lunches. Upon completion of the program and graduation from high school, they are eligible to receive up to $20,000 in scholarships from 100 Black Men.
“The goal is to get them to graduate from high school and college,” said 100 Kings Director Donovan Robertson.
This summer’s experiential learning has included building a house at the Adventure Science Center with If I Had a Hammer and a car wash. Kings spent two weeks in Belmont classrooms learning about the tools and skills needed to build a house as well as accounting and marketing.
“Through the class we have taken them through every part of starting your own business, like net worth statements, how to talk to investors and pitch your idea, organizational planning. I really feel like they are walking away from this program with the skills they need to launch their own businesses and understand finances in the real world. So they would have the competencies to create jobs themselves and see that they could bring something of value to the community and be their own bosses,” said Clarissa Donaldson, director of the 100 Kings Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy Summer Program. “This whole experience has been an answered prayer and a blessing. I am only a junior undergraduate student, and I am really interested in economic development through education. So it has been awesome to be in a leadership role, create a curriculum and see the spirit of these kids every day.”
Alumnus Appointed as Georgia Tech Professor
Belmont alumnus Howard Connell (’96) will join Georgia Institute of Technology’s Scheller College of Business as professor of the practice of sustainable business effective July 15. Connell will serve as director of the Center on Business Strategies for Sustainability and teach sustainable business consulting project courses in the undergraduate and Master of Business Administration programs.
He recently served as global sustainability leader at Kimberly Clark where he led Kimberly-Clark’s B2B sustainability efforts globally for that $3 billion business unit. Connell studied music business at Belmont University.
Robinson Publishes Article on Baseball Batting Orders
Dr. Steve Robinson, associate professor of physics, recently had a paper published. “Optimizing Youth Baseball Batting Orders” was published in the Volume 12/2013/Edition 1 issue of International Journal of Computer Science in Sport.
The International Journal of Computer Science in Sport is a refereed electronic journal that is published biannually in association with the International Association of Computer Science in Sport. Research results with an emphasis on the application of Computer Science and Mathematics in supporting the development of theory and practice in sport are considered.
