IMPORTANT NOTE: These are the archived stories for Belmont News & Achievements prior to June 26, 2023. To see current stories, click here.

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MSA Program Volunteers at Hands on Nashville Day

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The Belmont Master of Sport Administration (MSA) Program participated in Hands on Nashville day on Sept. 22. Forty-two students and faculty helped with landscaping, painting and renovating the playground area for students at Buena Vista Enhanced Option Elementary School.

“Participating in Hands on Nashville was an enjoyable and rewarding experience, especially knowing that the hard work I was doing would benefit the local community,” said MSA student Julianna Pratt.

Liz Prince added, “Being involved with Hands on Nashville Day is a true privilege. Our volunteer effort at Buena Vista Enhanced Option Elementary School is so much more than just revamping the school in aesthetics; it’s about showing the dedicated school teachers and administrators we appreciate their tireless, everyday commitment to the children of our future.  It allows us to give one day of thanks to the educators who play such a vital role in shaping the future of our community.”

Belmont PR Faculty in Regional Conference

Faculty from the Department of Public Relations were involved in the 2012 Southeast District Public Relations Society of America Southeast District Conference, held Sept. 19-21 in Chattanooga, Tenn. and hosted by the Lookout Chapter of PRSA. Kevin Trowbridge, a former president of the Lookout Chapter, served as program chair for the conference. He also gave a presentation on “#PRDefined and Redefined by Social Media.”

Bonnie Riechert, who is the webmaster and newsletter editor for the PRSA Southeast District, moderated a panel on “Advocating and Advancing Ethics in the Age of Me.” Panelists were Richard Friedensen, president of Forge Communications of Raleigh, N.C., Jessica Gisclair of Elon University and Brandon Wilson, chief executive officer of Wilbron Institute, Birmingham, Ala.

Conference participants included PRSA members from Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Theme for the conference was “Creating Authentic Relationships in the Age of Me.” Keynote speakers included Lee Rainie of the Pew Institute, Nicole Goldman of Jim Henson Co. and Sally Falkow of Social Ally.

 

Barnes Speaks at UT Knoxville

Susan Barnes, faculty member in the Department of Public Relations, moderated a panel of women public relations professionals about personal branding and business success at the University of Tennessee Knoxville on Sept. 22. Panelists were Cynthia Moxley of Moxley Carmichael Public Relations and Jennifer Holder of Pirate Girl PR, both in Knoxville, and Robin Derryberry of Derryberry Public Relations in Chattanooga. The event was part of the Patricia Pinkley Johnson Leadership Seminar sponsored by the UT Alumni Association Women’s Council. Barnes serves as current UTAA Women’s Council chair.

PharmD Students Reach National Clinical Pharmacy Challenge Elite 8 Again

For the second consecutive year, the Belmont University College of Pharmacy has risen to reach the “Elight 8” in a national pharmacy and clinical skills competition. Pharmacy students Kim Bentley, Courtney Curtis, Kris Losanovski, Jesse Howell and Dana Spenser will represent Belmont University in the  quarterfinal round of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) Challenge in Hollywood, Fla. during ACCP’s annual meeting on Oct. 20-22.

Belmont College of Pharmacy is the only Tennessee team remaining in the competition as well as the only team in the country to make a repeat trip to the national quarterfinal. The other seven teams advancing this year are from pharmacy schools at Drake University, Northeastern University, Purdue University, Samford University, Thomas Jefferson University, University of California San Diego and University of Colorado. Last fall Belmont’s team reached the No. 5 spot in the national competition.

Assistant Professor and Director of Drug Information Services Cathy Ficzere worked to facilitate participation among students in the College of Pharmacy last spring along with Assistant Professor Rachel Franks, who worked to prepare the selected team over the summer for this challenging competition.

Slay to Present at Jazz Education Network Conference

Assistant Professor of Music Business Cheryl L. Slay has had her paper “Where’s the Jazz in Music City?” accepted for presentation at the Jazz Education Network annual conference in Atlanta, Ga. in January.  Slay’s paper examines live performance business models in the jazz context with both a broad look at jazz audiences and geographical distinctions, as well as a particular focus on Nashville.

Colleges of Pharmacy Builds Legacy with Preston Taylor Ministries

Students and faculty within the Belmont College of Pharmacy have worked with Preston Taylor Ministries (PTM) for over three years and recently spent a Saturday cleaning the facility and grounds, grading papers and decorating to provide a welcoming environment for the children in West Nashville.

Preston Taylor Ministries was founded in 1998 to confront many of the problems present in the Preston Taylor public housing area in West Nashville. Challenges to children in that community included exposure to drug use, gang involvement, teenage pregnancy, illiteracy, poor school performance and crime. In order to provide hope for children living in this environment, PTM sponsors programs for building life-changing relationships. Staff and volunteers introduce new experiences to children in art, music, dance, language, bible study, nutrition and other areas.

SIFE Team Prepares for World Cup Competition in Washington, D.C.

Students will represent U.S. at event co-sponsored by State Department; Team announces new licensee for flagship project Spring Back Recycling

Students in Belmont University’s Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team are preparing to depart this Friday for Washington, D.C., where they will represent the United States in the 2012 SIFE World Cup, an international competition that focuses on three key areas: people, profit and planet. With the tagline “A head for business, a heart for the world,” SIFE is an international non-profit organization that mobilizes students to make a difference in their communities while developing the skills to become socially responsible business leaders.

This is the second time in three years that Belmont SIFE has won the national championship, placing the group as the No. 1 team out of nearly 600 teams nationwide. The team will represent the United States at the SIFE World Cup Sept. 30-Oct. 2 in Washington, D.C.—the U.S. Department of State is co-hosting the event with SIFE, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected to speak to the competing teams.

The 2012 SIFE World Cup will provide a showcase of the impact that SIFE teams are achieving around the world and will bring together an international network of more than 3,000 student, academic and business leaders from more than 39 countries. The student teams will be judged on how successful they have been at using business solutions to create sustainable economic opportunity for others. Click here to view Belmont SIFE’s winning presentation from the national championship competition in May.

Belmont President Bob Fisher said, “I am so proud of the SIFE team and their faculty advisors. They demonstrate so clearly what a Belmont education is all about – equipping students to develop their talents and use their abilities to meet the world’s needs. Winning the National championship and qualifying to compete for the World title is a well-deserved recognition of their hard work and commitment to serving others.”

During the 2011-12 academic year, Belmont SIFE focused on 14 projects to benefit the local and global communities. They addressed issues including job skills training, small business development and environmental sustainability. Belmont SIFE students spent 2,442 volunteer hours developing and completing their projects. In addition, the 42 SIFE team members are involved in many other organizations and represent a variety of majors across campus.

Belmont University Ranks in Top 20 in Nation for Entrepreneurship

Center for Entrepreneurship recognized for fifth consecutive year

Belmont University’s Center for Entrepreneurship is one of the best in the nation according to The Princeton Review. The education services company today named the University No. 19 on its list of “Top Undergraduate Schools for Entrepreneurship Programs.”

Based on surveys of business school administrators at nearly 2,000 schools about their institution’s entrepreneurship offerings, the annual lists salute 50 programs in all – 25 undergraduate and 25 graduate – for their excellence in entrepreneurship education.

“It is an extraordinary accomplishment for our entrepreneurship program to have been ranked five times in the Top 25 by Entrepreneur magazine. Our faculty’s passion for innovation cultivates an environment in which students can achieve entrepreneurial success,” said College of Business Administration Dean Patrick Raines. “Our students benefit from engagement with local entrepreneurs, enter business plan competitions, and get involved in our student-run businesses or utilize our Hatchery to develop their start-up enterprises. We are very proud of the accomplishments of our students and the impact our alumni are making in the business world.”
More than 70 percent of entrepreneurship faculty have started or run a successful business, and 44 percent of the last graduating class have launched a business. The center also has 10 mentorship programs and five student organizations to support students as they begin their entrepreneurial endeavors.

“For a small program like ours to be consistently ranked among top programs is a testimony to the quality of our students and the tireless efforts of our Center for Entrepreneurship staff and faculty,” said Center for Entrepreneurship Director Jeff Cornwall.

National Register of Copyright Speaks at Ocean Way

National Register of Copyright Maria Pallante spoke to an audience of students, professors and industry professionals at Belmont’s Ocean Way Recording studio on Wednesday.

Pallante spoke about the unique blend of business, music and legal resources in the city that allow Nashvillians to contribute in a powerful way to ongoing copyright efforts. She acknowledged that the current tools provided to help combat copyright infringement are insufficient.

“We need a 21st century solution to a 21st century problem,” she said about issue of rampant online piracy. The laws and technology used to combat copyright infringement have not been significantly updated for decades, nor have the punishments. However, copyright infringement has been evolving.

“Years ago, there wasn’t a need to heavily penalize streaming, because it wasn’t a threat. Who was going to watch the game or a movie online, over a slow connection?” she said. “Now, that’s a viable option, and we need to find a way to combat that.”

Alumna Selected to Serve as ‘AmbassadOREO’

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Belmont alumna Michele Keil has been selected as an AmbassadOREO winner. In celebration of Oreo’s 100th anniversary, the AmbassadOREO campaign asked Oreo-eaters to submit videos that showcased their love for the sandwich cookie and selected munchers who “[did] the best at celebrating the kid inside” as the winners.

It was not until the night before the submission deadline that Keil said she decided to enter because of her brother’s insistence. After a brainstorming with her brother, his wife and his wife’s sister, Keil ultimately came up with an idea.

“Being a Nashville resident and Belmont alum have always loved music and writing songs so I thought I’d do a bit of a spin off Taylor Swift’s song “Love Story” and just wrote my own Oreo version,” she said. She admitted that she was surprised that she won, and is still “a little shocked.”

AmbassadOREOs from all over the world will be flown to New York City for the  100th anniversary celebration.

For more information on the AmbassadOREO campaign and to see Michele’s video, click here.