On Thurs., March 7,  Assistant Provost for Interdisciplinary and Global Studies Dr. Mimi Barnard and College of Pharmacy Dean Dr. Phil Johnston attended a meeting facilitated by the Nashville Health Care Council to meet and begin networking with Chinese health executives.  The executives are interested in learning about Nashville’s business and health care community.  Belmont expressed their interest in opportunities in research, education, training and future exchange of faculty and student representatives.

The executives represented the following organizations:

* China Association of Pharmaceutical Commerce (CAPC) is a national non-profit organization established in Beijing in 1989 and authorized by the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs. CAPC has over 600 core member companies including pharmaceutical, medical device makers, medical distribution companies and retailers along with over 3,000 affiliate members including hospitals, administrators and medical schools. CAPC plays an active role as the bridge between the government and the pharmaceutical/device industries in China. 

* Chongqing Medicines Group is a major pharmaceutical and medical device conglomerate located in Chongqing, China. The company was established in 1950 and has 33 subsidiaries including drug and device manufacturing, wholesale, distribution, retailing and testing.

* Huadong Medicine was established in 1952 with headquarters in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. The company is publicly traded in China with 22 subsidiaries covering pharmaceutical manufacturing, wholesaling, distribution and retailing.

Three faculty members from the Department of English, Jason Lovvorn, Linda Holt and Charmion Gustke, conducted an interactive workshop at the Tennessee Conference on Volunteerism and Service-Learning, held in Franklin, Tenn. on March 4 and 5.  The title of their workshop was “This Isn’t Your Mother’s English Class: Using Service-Learning Experiences to Improve Writing in the Composition Classroom.”  The Belmont faculty members drew on their experiences as both service-learning practitioners and composition instructors and helped workshop attendees explore the integral role of reflective writing in service-learning classrooms.  In addition, the workshop addressed how service learning classes improve student writing, concertize knowledge initiate empathy, and impel important questions about social issues.

Dr. Cheryl Brown, professor of French, organized a soirée francophone on Feb. 26 in the Belmont Mansion for Belmont French students. Professor Laure Bordas-Isner and Brown welcomed students and faculty to an evening celebration of the French-speaking world through poetry, song and food. The evening included performances of French and Québécois songs by students including traditional Québécois fiddle tunes, a song from the film Amélie played on the accordion, a song from “Massenet’s Manon,” Piaf’s La Vie en rose, et Jacques Brel’s Ne me quitte pas as well as a song by popular Québécois singer Coeur de pirate. Dr. Cynthia Cox, associate professor of English, read the moral to Perrault’s Le Petit Chaperon rouge (Little Red Riding Hood) in French, and Dr. Cynthia Bisson, instructor of history, read two of the more romantic letters that Napoléon I wrote to Joséphine.

Dr. Tracey B. Carter, associate dean for academic affairs, director of academic success and assistant professor of law at Belmont University College of Law, is a 2013 ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award nominee. The Nashville Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., which has 200 members, nominated Carter.

The award recognizes an emerging woman leader, between the ages of 25 and 40, who demonstrates excellence, creativity and initiative in her business or profession. In addition to excelling at her professional life, the nominee must also provide valuable service by contributing time and energy to improve the quality of life for others in the community, and serve as a role model for young women personally and professionally. Mayor Karl Dean will present the ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award during the CABLE luncheon on March 13 at the Hutton Hotel.

Carter is the former president of Women in Higher Education in Tennessee and serves as a member of that organization’s Advisory Council as well as serves as the faculty adviser to Belmont Law’s Black Law Students Association and on Belmont University’s Teaching Center Advisory Board.