Dr. Andrew Davis, assistant professor in the philosophy department, has an article titled “Schema and Bild: the Act bridging Potentiality and Actuality” published in the forthcoming issue of Idealistic Studies (Vol. 42, Issue 1). In it he compares Kant’s Schema and Fichte’s Bild and explores the importance of acts of imaging within German Idealist ontologies.
Davis Publishes Article
Dr. Baker Gabhart Recalls Memories of MLK
Dr. Norma Baker Gabhart, retired professor of psychology and the wife of late Chancellor Dr. Herbert Gabhart, was recently interviewed by EthicsDaily.com regarding her memories of hearing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speak at at Baptist seminary in the 1960s. Click here to read the full story and watch the video interview.
New Residence Hall Named in Honor of Horrell Family
In appreciation of their impact through the years, today Belmont University celebrated the naming of its newest residence hall in honor of the Horrell family. Designed by EOA Architects with construction by R.C. Mathews, the suite-style residence hall offers 190 residential spaces for Belmont students and sits adjacent to Dickens Hall, another new residence structure that opened in August. The need for additional residence space comes as a result of Belmont’s significant enrollment expansion from 2,976 students in 2000 to more than 6,600 last fall.
The relationship between the Horrell family and Belmont began in 1963 when then President Herbert Gabhart requested advice and assistance from Henry Horrell, founder of Nashville’s Horrell Company, which recently celebrated 57 years in commercial real estate.
Henry Horrell served on the Belmont Board of Trustees for 13 years and chaired the Board from 1970-77. In addition, Belmont’s signature Rose Garden was inspired and funded by Henry’s wife, Kathleen. Two of Henry and Kathleen’s sons graduated from Belmont with Steve now serving on the Board of Trustees.
Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher said, “The Horrells have demonstrated their commitment to Belmont in countless ways through a friendship that has lasted more than 50 years. In naming this new residence hall in their honor, we will remind future generations of their incredible kindness and generous spirit as well as the sustaining contributions they have made to Belmont University.”
Dr. Jeff Cornwall Named 2013 Entrepreneurship Educator of the Year
Dr. Jeff Cornwall, Belmont University’s Jack C. Massey Chair in Entrepreneurship, was named Friday as the Entrepreneurship Educator of the Year by the United States Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE). Cornwall was selected from a group of distinguished nominees and chosen for his countless and enduring contributions to entrepreneurship education.
“To be named the most outstanding educator in one’s field in higher education is the highest compliment a professor can receive,” said Belmont’s College of Business Administration Dean Dr. Pat Raines. “Jeff’s professional accomplishments and the prestige that he has brought to Belmont’s entrepreneurship program make him an extraordinarily worthwhile recipient of this award.”
Dr. Cornwall said, “I am humbled to be recognized this way for the work that I do as an entrepreneurship educator.”
Past winners of the award include faculty members from Oklahoma State University, University of Texas (Austin), Stanford University, Purdue University and Baylor University, among others.
Jay Milbrandt Discusses ‘What God Does When We Show Up’
On Jan. 9, Belmont’s first chapel of the year featured Jay Milbrandt, author of Go + Do: Daring to Change the World One Story at a Time. Following worship, Milbrandt shared his experiences as a law student, lawyer and advocate. He explained that, while at law school, he was desperate to find his calling. “Like many people here at Belmont, I wanted to change the world,” Milbrandt said. “You can get overwhelmed by that thought.”
One summer during law school, Milbrandt went on a trip to Thailand with a group of his peers to work with prostitutes. When first asked to go into the red light district for one-on-one work with the women, Milbrandt was reluctant. However, when he showed up, he discovered an unsettling phenomenon.
Most of the children Milbrandt encountered in the district were “stateless” and did not have any nationality. The majority of them emigrated from Burma, which refuses to recognize them as citizens, and Thailand will not grant them citizenship. Without citizenship, the children are unable to enter into the Thai schools and fall into the cycle of prostitution.
Milbrandt gathered a team of his peers to advocate on behalf of the children and help them obtain citizenship. It was not nearly as difficult as he assumed it might be. “This is what God does when we show up, when we take risks,” he explained. His first client as a lawyer was an 8-year-old girl who he helped obtain citizenship.
Following his experience in Thailand, he had a similar experience as a law student in East Africa. A number of children were being held in a small “prison” without a trial. Milbrandt described the prison as a “shack that looked like it was made to hold cows.” He and his peers set out building cases for the children and helped see the cases to court. One of the boys they helped free had been sitting in the jail for nearly a year because he had stolen a pack of gum. Another boy they helped had spent two years in the shack due to a baseless murder accusation.
“When we allow him, God works through us to do justice and stand in the gaps,” Milbrandt said. “Our need for purpose exists for someone else’s need for justice.” He also warned not to get lost in the vastness of changing the world. He instead challenged the audience to “just show up” and offered himself as a resource to anyone willing to take up the challenge.
Alumna Earns Teaching Excellence Award
Alumna Meg Tully (’11) won the Ball State Excellence in Teaching Award (Master’s Level). This university-wide award is highly competitive and is based on faculty nominations, student evaluations and the completion of a teaching portfolio. She was also nominated for the Central States Communication Association Cooper Award for Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant, the results of which will be announced in April. Meg is a 2011 graduate of the Communication Studies Department and daughter of Sue Trout, an assistant professor of English at Belmont. Meg is a Master’s student in Ball State University’s Communication Studies program, where she teaches the introductory public speaking course and mentors new teaching assistants. In addition to being recognized for her excellence in graduate teaching, Meg was also recently commended for her scholarship. She received two top paper awards at the National Communication Association’s annual meeting this past fall. Meg will graduate in May and plans to continue graduate study and pursue a Ph.D. in Communication Studies.
Belmont Trains Financial Counselors for United Way through Bloomberg Philanthropies Grant
Belmont University will play a foundational role in new Financial Empowerment Centers to help low-income Nashvillians reduce debt and build assets through free, individual counseling. The Office of Mayor Karl Dean and United Way of Metropolitan Nashville have received a $2 million grant funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies and Living Cities’ Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund. The University will train six United Way financial counselors to staff the centers.
Belmont Associate Professor and Nashville Poverty Council Chair Kristine LaLonde is coordinating the educational partnership and has worked with College of Business Administration Dean J. Patrick Raines, Finance Professor Greg Faulk and Adjunct Instructor Paul McCullough to implement the program.
“Belmont University was honored to be invited by the mayor’s office and United Way to be the educational partner in this important initiative serving some of Nashville’s most vulnerable families,” said Gene Mage, executive director of the Center for Executive Education at Belmont University. “In our contribution to the grant application, we were able to draw on our College of Business Administration’s personal finance curriculum, our long history equipping certified financial planners and the University’s deep commitment to serve the local community.”
The Center for Executive Education wrote the educational piece of the grant application and identified the instructor and now is working to create the curriculum design, oversee participant registration and course logistics. The center also will evaluate results and provide quality control for the course as it runs to encourage continuous improvement of the program.
The three-year grant will serve an estimated 5,000 Nashvillians at Financial Empowerment Centers run by United Way of Metropolitan Nashville. Financial counselors will teach clients how to open safe and affordable checking accounts, establish a credit score, maintain a positive balance, decrease debt and maintain savings. The centers also have a strong focus on integrating with other services driving toward self-sufficiency, including benefits enrollment, family stabilization services, workforce training and job placement and housing.
“These Financial Empowerment Centers will play a vital role in helping Nashville families move from poverty to financial stability,” said Nashville Mayor Karl Dean. “Making sure individuals and families get personalized financial literacy services will help us build stronger families and a stronger community.”
Miller Elected Chair of Mathematical Association
Mathematics Professor Andrew Miller recently was elected chair of the Mathematical Association of America’s Special Interest Group on Quantitative Literacy (SIGMAA-QL). The SIGMAAs program establishes and supports communities of colleagues who share a common interest that advances the association’s mission. Within these communities, members gain access to opportunities for networking, professional development, and discussion of issues relevant to the represented interest. In addition to enhancing interactions among their members, SIGMAAs facilitate interaction between their members and the greater mathematics community by providing resources and expert knowledge relevant to their special interest. The Quantitative Literacy Special Interest Group aims to provide a structure within the mathematics community to identify the prerequisite mathematical skills for quantitative literacy and find innovative ways of developing and implementing quantitative literacy curricula. It also assists colleagues in other disciplines to infuse appropriate quantitative literacy experiences into their courses and hopes to stimulate the general national dialogue concerning quantitative literacy.
Miller has the lead article in the December issue of the SIGMAA-QL Newsletter. The article is titled “I Should Have Known Better” and discusses his unofficial research for a hybrid electric water heater.
Miller Contributes To MMA Focus
Mathematics Professor Andrew Miller contributed to an article in the December 2012/January 2013 issue of MAA Focus: Newsmagazine of the Mathematical Association of America. The article is entitled “What Does it Take to Teach Nonmajors Effectively?” Click here to read it.
Robinson’s Works Published in Solid State Communications
Physics professor Steve Robinson recently had a paper accepted for publication. The paper is titled “Electrical control of optical properties of monolayer MoS2” and will be published in the February 2013 issue of Solid State Communications. Solid State Communications is an international medium for the publication of short communications on significant developments in condensed matter science, giving scientists immediate access to important, recently completed work. The journal publishes original experimental and theoretical research on the physical and chemical properties of solids and other condensed systems and also on their preparation. Click here to read Robinson’s work.
