Last week Belmont Honors Program students Tom Dearduff (Christian Leadership) and Danielle Isbell (English and Religion and the Arts) presented their essays at the 33rd annual Thomas H. Olbricht Christian Scholars Conference at Lipscomb University. The mission of the conference is “to create and nurture an intellectual and Christian community that joins individuals and institutions to stimulate networks of scholarly dialogue.” More than 325 participants from 98 different universities engaged in paper, panel or performance sessions framed by plenary speakers Charles Mathewes, David Miller and John Dean. Dearduff and Isbell were in a session with first-year Honors students from Messiah College, Abilene Christian and Lipscomb Universities who addressed the issue, “What We Expect from Christian Higher Education.” They were sponsored by Jonathan Thorndike (Honors Program) and Todd Lake (Vice President for Spiritual Development).
Dearduff, Isbell Present at Christian Scholars Conference
Stafford Awarded UMC Scholarship
Morgan Stafford, Belmont senior and Project Transformation staffer, was awarded the first-ever Wesley Leader Scholarship from the Tennessee United Methodist Church Sunday night.
Wilcoxson Develops Plugin for Celebrity’s Website
One of Computer Technician Chris Wilcoxson’s plugins is being used on Kevin James’s (Hitch, “King of Queens”) website. Wilcoxson is also helping James’s web developer customize it.
Tough Finds Songwriting Success
Assistant Professor of Audio Engineering Technology Dave Tough’s song “Pretty Mama (So Many Girls)” is featured in the series Hemlock Grove on Netflix (Episode 2). Tough was also a finalist in the 2013 Indie International contest for his songs “Made of Stars” (Pop), “I Hate Birds” (Rock), “It Turns” (Rock) and “Let It Go” (Rock) . “I Hate Birds” took 2nd place Rock and “Made of Stars” 2nd place Pop. Tough also engineered the single “It’s Goin’ Down Tonight” for the Lost Trailers with Will and Dakota. The song is now charting on country radio.
Maddox, Maxwell Make Industry Presentations
On May14, Assistant Professor of Music Business David Maddox made a presentation on copyright law to vendors and attendees of the Nashville Recording Workshop titled “Copyright vs. Technology.” And last week, at GMA Immerse 2013, a conference for independent artists and songwriters, Curb College adjunct instructor Mark Maxwell served as moderator for a session on music business and legal topics called “Make (or Break) Your Business.”
Janas Hosts Nashville AES Lifetime Achievement Awards
On June 2, Curb College Director of Recording Studio Operations Michael Janas hosted the second annual Lifetime Achievement Awards for the Nashville Section of the Audio Engineering Society. The ceremony was held in the Ford Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Janas, along with Chase Geiser, Belmont Student Government Association president, researched and developed the two-hour program.
Easley Publishes Articles
Curb College Coordinator of Student Enrichment Hanna Easley just had an article published in Parenting Teens (June edition) titled “Do Not Ignore My Plea.” She also recently had three articles published in LifeWay’s Collegiate Magazine: “Readers + Leaders,” “Cleaning Out the Closet” and “The Local Church: Do I Need It?”
AET Students Win Honorable Mention in Shure Competition
A group of Curb College audio engineering students won honorable mention recently at the national Shure Recording Competition. Faculty Advisor Jim Kaiser lead student team members Dan Almond, Brien Pafford, Sean Davidson, Ian Zorbaugh and Tim Reitnouer. The team recorded instruments and vocals for the Judah and the Lion song “Hesitate” using Shure microphones in Ocean Way Studio A. This marks the ninth consecutive year Shure has worked with audio education departments at universities across the country to find tomorrow’s recording stars.
Curb College Class Hits the Road with The Turtles Featuring Flo & Eddie
10 students to gain experiential education on ‘Happy Together Tour’
This June, for the second year in a row, 10 Belmont University students will join professor and legendary musician Mark Volman (a founding member of the band The Turtles) on the road for an East Coast run of the “Happy Together Tour.” The tour’s “classroom” and schedule looks something like this: one tour bus, a precious few hotel rooms, long hours and many stages—for two and a half weeks and a grade.
Under the guidance of faculty advisor Mark Volman and staff advisor Lucas Boto, students will work with touring artists and crew professionals in the areas of tour management, stage management, audio engineering, tour accounting and merchandise sales. These duties will be in addition to their continued learning each day during the process of load-in, setup, tear-down and load-out. These hands-on educational avenues outside of the classroom provide networking opportunities with all of the supporting organizations while gaining an understanding of the revenue flow from music consumer to touring performer. Click here to view a recap of student tour experience from Summer 2012.
“Only at Belmont do students get such a unique opportunity to experience the world of tour management, live production and what life on the road looks like before embarking on their career paths. I’m excited to teach them what I know outside a normal classroom space and to see what I’ll learn from them. Inevitably, their energy will add to the tour experience for the performers as well,” says Turtles founding member and Curb College Assistant Professor of Entertainment Industry Studies Mark Volman.
Amanda Mae Renkel, a senior from Phillipsburg, New Jersey who is majoring in music business, said, “I knew this [tour] was an opportunity I had to seize. I’m excited to get the chance to learn what life is like on the road—beyond the classroom, the campus and the textbooks. I am so looking forward to getting the hands-on experience while building lasting friendships.”
College of Law Receives Provisional Accreditation from ABA
Program receives provisional accreditation in earliest possible timeframe
For the first time in nearly 50 years, a Tennessee law program has received accreditation from the American Bar Association (ABA). The ABA’s Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar informed Belmont University College of Law it had been granted provisional accreditation at a meeting this past weekend. The milestone was achieved in the earliest possible timeline allowed by accreditation guidelines.
Belmont University Provost Dr. Thomas Burns said, “We are extremely pleased by this recognition of the legal education program that Dean Jeff Kinsler and the faculty of the Belmont College of Law have developed. The granting of provisional accreditation by the ABA validates the outstanding work being done by our administration, faculty and staff to develop a law program of the highest quality focused on preparing practice-ready attorneys.”
Under ABA rules, provisionally accredited law schools are entitled to all rights of fully accredited law schools. In particular, graduates of provisionally accredited law schools are entitled to the same recognition accorded to graduates of fully accredited law schools. A law school must be provisionally accredited for at least two years before applying for full accreditation. To grant provisional accreditation, the ABA reviews numerous factors including curriculum, facilities, library, admissions and faculty.
