Belmont alumni Warren Ray and Jessica Spradlin (’12) served as foreign language instructors at Nashville Community Education, a city department dedicated to adult education in the community, this year. Ray taught Spanish, and Spradlin taught Italian. Their work was the result of a new partnership with the Belmont University Department of Foreign Languages. Nashville Community Education worked with Belmont Foreign Language Department Chair David Julseth to link it with Ray and Spradlin. Click here to read more.
Student Earns Critical Language Scholarship
Belmont University student Deya Maldas has been awarded a U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) to study the language of Bangla in Bangladesh this summer.
Maldas is one of approximately 610 U.S. undergraduate and graduate students who received a scholarship from the U.S. Department of State’s CLS Program in 2013. CLS participants will spend seven to ten weeks in intensive language institutes this summer in one of 13 countries to study Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bangla, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Indonesian, Japanese, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Turkish, or Urdu.
The CLS Program is part of a U.S. government effort to expand dramatically the number of Americans studying and mastering critical foreign languages. It provides fully-funded, group-based intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences. CLS Program participants are expected to continue their language study beyond the scholarship and apply their critical language skills in their future professional careers.
Consistent with the U.S. Department of State’s goals to increase diversity among international educational exchange program participants, the CLS Program actively recruits in states and regions of the United States that have been historically under-represented in international exchange and encourages students from diverse backgrounds and academic majors to apply. The CLS Program also promotes diversity in the independent review process, and includes readers and panelists from 44 states and 160 institutions, including land-grant public universities, liberal arts colleges, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, Ivy League institutions, and community colleges. In 2013, 255 professionals, including critical language faculty, area studies specialists, international education professionals, and fellowship advisors, participated in the selection process for the CLS Program.
McAfee Concert Hall, Baskin Center Earn National Recognition
The architect behind the renovation of Belmont’s McAfee Concert Hall, Earl Swensson Associates, Inc. (ESa), recently received a Citation of Excellence Award for outstanding educational facility design in the Spring 2013 edition of Learning By Design, the premier biannual guide that showcases innovative school and university design projects. Recognized for the renovation and adaptive reuse of McAfee Concert Hall, ESa is one of only seven firms in the country to receive a Citation of Excellence Award in the Spring 2013 design competition.
ESa repurposed the aging church sanctuary into a contemporary music hall that serves both the campus and the surrounding community. Unique details were preserved, while nearly doubling the volume by utilizing previously unused attic and floor space. “I imagine this is a great place to see a concert,” commented a Learning By Design judge.
In addition, Belmont’s Randall and Sadie Baskin Center, which was also designed by ESa, received an Honorable Mention Award. ESa is one of only three firms in the country to receive this award.
Learning By Design is published twice annually by Stratton Publishing & Marketing Inc., with support from the American Institute of Architects (AIA), APPA—Leadership in Educational Facilities, Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI), National School Boards Association (NCBA), and others.
ESa is a 52-year-old architectural firm based in Nashville providing services in architecture, interior architecture, master planning and space planning to clients across the country and globally.
Pharmacy Fraternity Inducts New Members
Thirty-two students in the College of Pharmacy were inducted into the Delta Mu chapter of Rho Chi on April 25.
Rho Chi encourages and recognizes excellence in intellectual achievement and advocates critical inquiry in all aspects of pharmacy. The Society further encourages high standards of conduct and character and fosters fellowship among its members. The Society seeks universal recognition of its members as lifelong intellectual leaders in pharmacy, and as a community of scholars, to instill the desire to pursue intellectual excellence and critical inquiry to advance the profession.
Leadership Health Care Visits Inman College
Inman College Dean Cathy Taylor and Provost Thomas Burns welcomed members of Leadership Health Care to Belmont University on April 26. The group was given a tour of the state-of-the-art training facilities used by students studying physical therapy, occupational therapy, nursing and social work.
“Belmont’s nursing program has been in existence for 40 years, and we continue to be a national leader in preparing our students to be critical thinkers and to deliver health care with compassion,” Taylor said. “We focus on the most up-to-date needs of our health care community so that our graduates can serve most effectively in the workforce.”
Read more on the Nashville Health Care Council blog.
Belmont Students Win Big at Collegiate DECA International Conference
Belmont University students had a highly successful year at the 2013 Collegiate DECA International Career Development Conference, which was held April 17-20 in Anaheim, Calif. Twenty-five Belmont students competed in the international competition, with 23 of Belmont participants reaching the finals in their respective events, a phenomenal accomplishment given the participation of nearly 1,300 students from the United States and Canada.
College of Business Administration Dean Pat Raines said, “The performance of our College of Business Administration students at the International DECA competition was, once again, outstanding. Their problem solving skills, ability to collaborate and entrepreneurial talents prepared them for a championship performance.”
Belmont swept Entrepreneurship Growing a Business Event category for students who have started their businesses while still in school. Also, for the second year in a row, Belmont students had eight of the top 10 teams in the Entrepreneurial Challenge event and took two of the top three awards.
“Sweeping the top three places in the ‘Growing a Business Event’ speaks volumes about our program. We focus on helping students start businesses. This event is designated for students who have actually started their business while still in college,” said Management Professor and Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship Jeff Cornwall. Cornwall, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship Mark Schenkel and Center for Entrepreneurship Program Coordinator Lisa Davis serve as advisors for Belmont’s DECA team.
Thistle Farms Founder Speaks to Students
The Rev. Becca Stevens spoke to students about the fear of failure during the Belmont and Beyond finale event, The Journey to Success, on April 15 in Neely Dining Hall.
Stevens is the Chaplain at St. Augustine at Vanderbilt University and founder of Magdalene/Thistle Farms. She shared her fears and hopes for a sanctuary to help women recovering from trafficking, prostitution, addiction and life on the streets. Thistle Farms employs over 40 residents who manufacture, market and sell all natural bath and beauty products.
“If you’re on a journey led by your heart, the fears will come again to sit vigil with you at night. But, remember, you are not alone,” she said. “You have to keep going and lay the fears aside.”
Stevens asked students about their vision and encouraged them to walk with their hearts and continue the journey.
She said, “you have a really clear sense of what has happened, assess the present and be wide open when love is coming around the bend.”
She ended her inspirational talk by introducing her son Levi Hummon, Belmont student, who performed a song he wrote, “Leaving the Best Things.
Jason Rogers Honored in NBJ’s 2013 Best of the Bar Awards
Vice President for Administration and University Counsel Dr. Jason Rogers was honored by the Nashville Business Journal in its 2013 Best of the Bar awards. For this year’s awards, the publication solicited nominees in three size categories, plus a corporate counsel category. Nominees then voted on each other, determining the full list of honorees.
Rogers is nominated in the Corporate Counsel category, along with attorneys from HCA, Vanderbilt, CCA, YMCA, Bridgestone Americas, AT&T Tennessee and Nissan, among others. Honorees will be recognized during a reception June 6 at the Nashville City Club where the three top vote getters will be revealed for each category.
Kristine LaLonde to Co-lead New Mayor’s Office of Innovation
Belmont University Associate Professor of Honors and Coordinator of Leadership Studies Dr. Kristine LaLonde was appointed April 26 to co-lead the new Office of Innovation for Metro Nashville, according to a press release issued by the Office of Mayor Karl Dean. The office will capture the entrepreneurial and creative energy of Nashville to make Metro Government more transparent, efficient and responsive. La
LaLonde, who will be taking an approved, two-year public service leave from Belmont to launch this new office, said, “During the last six years, I have had the opportunity to learn from entrepreneurial and innovative students every day. The position with the Mayor’s team will allow me to use that experience in the city to help support new ways to have a real impact.”
Nashville joins local, state and federal government agencies across the country, as well as private sector organizations, that have created offices of innovation in recent years to take advantage of new technology and business practices to improve constituent services and streamline operations. The office will also work in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Community Development on business recruitment and job creation efforts. It will also work with the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhoods to create opportunities for more efficient interdepartmental response to constituent needs.
Beltones Mentioned on NPR Following International Competition
The Belmont Beltones, a student a capella group, was mentioned this week on NPR in the national outlet’s coverage of the International Competition of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA).
The Beltones won the Wildcard Division in the International Collegiate Competition of A Capella semi-finals, which allowed them to participate in the final round competition at the Town Hall in New York City on April 20. This was the second year the group participated in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella since they were formed in 2009. It is the group’s first finals appearance.
Though the group placed second in the semifinal round, narrowly losing to Florida State University, they were able to submit their performance video to the national wildcard round. All second and third place semifinalists are eligible for the wildcard round. “It has been an emotional roller coaster to say the least—the turnaround between finding out and actually going to New York is so quick that once our initial excitement wore off, we started to freak out over the logistics of it all,” said Robert O’Brien, senior religion and the arts major and president of the Beltones.
The group’s semi-final winning performance consisted of “Bottom of the River” by Delta Rae, “Barton Hollow” by The Civil Wars, traditional American hymn “Down to the River to Pray” and “Cry Me a River” as performed by Joe Cocker. Sophomore Greg Breal was recognized during the semifinals as the outstanding soloist for “Cry Me a River.”
“As a group, I think we’re most excited for the chance to perform on such a prestigious stage with the top a cappella groups from around the [world],” said O’Brien. “It’s such an incredible opportunity, and we’re all really excited to be blessed by it.”
