Andrew Trask, a Belmont senior pursuing a B.B.A. in Finance and a B.S. in Applied Discrete Mathematics, will be presenting an oral presentation at NCUR 2013 at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in April 2013. Chosen from more than 3,500 submissions, his abstract demonstrates a unique contribution to his field of study. The title of his presentation is “Predicting Stock Change Using Twitter and Artificial Neural Networks.” The National Conferences on Undergraduate Research (NCUR), established in 1987, is dedicated to promoting undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity in all fields of study by sponsoring an annual conference for students. Attendance is anticipated to range from 3,000 to 3,500 individuals representing over 300 research universities, comprehensive universities, and private liberal arts colleges, from 35 to 45 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Canada and other countries.
Li Elected to Foreign Language Teaching Board
Qingjun Li, assistant professor of Asian Studies and Chinese Language, was elected to the Board of Directors of Tennessee Foreign Language Teaching Association (TFLTA) at its 2012 Annual Conference. Her term on the board is from 2013 to 2015. Li is committed to serving and promoting the learning of foreign languages in Tennessee, especially Chinese.
Robinson Leads Science Lab for Home-Schooled Students
Steve Robinson, associate professor or physics, led the first Home School Science Discoveries session of the semester. It was held on Jan. 24 and was titled “Gravity.” Home-schooled students in first through sixth grades investigated the properties of gravity with hands-on experiments. The class reached maximum capacity with 18 students in attendance and more on the waiting list. Additional Home School Science Discoveries sessions will be held throughout the semester.
Bright Shares Best Practices with International Enactus Teams
Two weeks ago, senior marketing major and Belmont Enactus (formerly SIFE) president Kelsey Bright attended the Gaidar Forum in Moscow, Russia. Representing Enactus USA, Kelsey went to the forum to participate in best practices sharing sessions with students from national-winning Enactus teams from about 15 other countries.
In addition to the time spent with the other Enactus students, Kelsey was able to listen to panels of Russian and international experts on topics such as economic development, social reform, monetary policy and entrepreneurship. An opportunity that came about after Belmont Enactus won the Enactus World Cup last October, Kelsey was able to share the best practices her team has developed over the past eight years in an international arena.
Pharmacy Students Donate Clothes, Food to Pantry
Pharmacy students in the Class of 2015 recently collected clothing and food items for donation to The Little Pantry That Could (TLPTC). On Jan. 26, students and their faculty adviser, Angela Hagan, volunteered at TLPTC by helping individuals shop for warm clothing and food items for the week. TLPTC is located in the basement of the West Nashville United Methodist Church on Charlotte Avenue. On Saturday mornings, the organization provides clothing, staples and fresh produce to approximately 80 families. These individuals are often without housing, retirees, as well as single moms with children. The goal of TLPTC is “to make a personal connection with every shopper and let them know that they are cared for.”
Alumnus Russell Terrell Honored with Curtain Call Award
The School of Music honored alumnus Russell Terrell (’87) with the Curtain Call Award on Monday evening. During the ceremony, Terrell performed a few selections and students viewed a Belmont-created documentary on his career.
The Curtain Call Award is presented annually to a School of Music alumnus in honor of achievement in the field of commercial and popular music.
“We chose Terrell because he records an average of 1,200 songs a year, is first call session singer, has sung on countless albums. Has sung demos since graduation for a variety of song writers and has sung background vocals in countless concerts with some of these artists,” said Commercial Voice Assistant Professor Sandra Dudley, coordinator of the Curtain Call Award Concert.
A Texas native, Terrell began his music career as a studio session and demo singer and background vocalist in Nashville, Tenn. He has sung on albums with Keith Urban, Reba McIntire, Josh Turner, Tim McGraw, Toby Keith, Ricky Van Shelton and Lionel Richie, among other artists. He also has been recorded on movie soundtracks for “Act Of Valor”, Disney’s “Home On The Range,” “Flicka”, “Joshua” and “Broken Bridges” and as well as jingles for commercials for The Gap, Whirlpool/Habitat for Humanity, Prilosec and theme songs for NASCAR and CMT’s “Trick My Truck” and “Build It Forward” (Canada). Forty-six singles on which Terrell has performed have become No. 1’s.
Previous Curtain Call Award winners include Tad Wilson, Tim Lauer, Josh Turner, Ginny Owens, Chester Thompson, Jill Phillips, Will Denton, Fleming McWilliams, Melodie Crittenden, Jozef Nuyens, Gordon Mote, Tammy Rogers King, Bernie Herms and Chris Rodriguez.
Historic Building to Link Alumni
One of the oldest structures on campus is being renovated to become home base for Belmont’s 26,000 alumni. Construction began in December to turn the former Plant Operations facility into Belmont’s Alumni House, which should open by August.
“The significance of this building is as symbolic as it is physical as it has something that every generation of alumni can remember and can identify with,” said Vice President of University Advancement Bo Thomas. “We hope this first-ever space specifically created for alumni conveys a message to all alumni how important they are and how much we want to stay engaged and connected with them.”
Throughout the years, the building served as a faculty meeting space, theater and employee housing, according to University archives and first-hand accounts. It was the original home of the Communications Arts department in 1985, and the main foyer served as the first video studio with faculty offices upstairs.
It began as Ward-Belmont’s Clubhouse No. 10 during the early 20th century when 10 clubhouses lined campus in the former Club Village, which is now home to the Curb Event Center, Beaman Student Life Center and Gabhart Student Center. Each club house hosted Ward-Belmont social clubs for resident students and was used for meetings, meals for special occasions, teas and dances and housing visiting alumni. Membership of all Ward-Belmont students was required in the clubs, which competed in intramural athletic competitions, academically and for citizenship awards.
MLK Week Culminates with Keynote Address on Differences Between Obama, King
Brown University Professor Glenn Loury condemned comparisons between two-term U.S. President Barack Obama and slain civil rights leader the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on Friday in the Massey Performing Arts Center during the pinnacle of Belmont’s MLK Week 2013.
During his keynote address, “Obama is No King: On the Fracturing of the Black Prophetic Tradition,” Loury emphasized Obama’s presidential election is not the fulfillment of King’s dream, despite its historical significance, because of the men’s contradicting agendas, actions and beliefs.
Loury juxtaposed the president’s 2009 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech with King’s 1967 speech against the Vietnam War. In his speech, Obama acknowledged force must be used, and such an acknowledgment is “not a call to cynicism.” On the other hand, King continuously advocated for nonviolence.
Politics prevent Obama from acting as a champion of issues directly affecting African-Americans and fully acting to provide solutions for the numerous race-related issues that continue to plague the United States, he said, highlighting critic’s responses to Obama’s comments on the arrest of Harvard Professor Henry Gates in his home and the killing of unarmed Florida teenager Travon Martin. Instead, Obama focuses on rights for gays, women and illegal immigrants because advocating for African-Americans would make him appear as perusing his personal agenda, Loury said. Meanwhile, African-Americans continue to have higher incarceration rates, lower incomes and lower levels of education compared to their American counterparts.
Belmont Announces Schedule for Homecoming 2013 Jan. 28-Feb. 2
Belmont University invites alumni, friends and family to make their “Destination Belmont” Jan. 28 through Feb. 2 for a week’s worth of special Homecoming 2013 events. The week-long celebration will feature a faculty art exhibit, a basketball doubleheader, a residence hall banner competition for students and a campus-wide pep rally and bonfire. For a complete list of all Belmont Homecoming 2013 events and an opportunity to register, visit http://alumni.belmont.edu/.
A special feature this year will be the addition of a Homecoming Concert to be held on campus and include performances from accomplished alumni and special guests. Alumnus and songwriter/musician Gordon Kennedy, who has hosted past events at the Bluebird, helped pull the evening together and will host this year’s in-the-round performance. He said, “I’m fortunate to have come up through the ranks surrounded by peers who have been part of Belmont’s education and influence. With both distant and recent past represented, along with some special guests… this particular night will be special!”
Julie Thomas, director of constituency programs in the Office of Alumni Relations, said, “Belmont alumni are such an important part of this institution. Homecoming is the perfect time for us to honor and celebrate our alums and welcome them back to campus.”
Sisson Leads Women and Rhetoric Panel
English Professor Annette Sisson acted as organizer and chairman for the 2012 “Women and Rhetoric” panel. The topic was “Emigration, Immigration, Empire, Exile: Women’s Voices and Their Rhetorical Forms.” The event was held Nov. 9 at South Atlantic Modern Language Association (SAMLA) in Research Triangle Park in Durham, N.C.
