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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Sophomore Year Experience Gains National Attention

An AAC&U News article puts Belmont’s Quality Enhancement Plan project on the Sophomore Year Experience on a national platform by sharing the good work and thoughtful programming created for returning students.  Housed in the library, the Sophomore Transitions Center addresses the needs of second-year students by providing coaching sessions for students questioning their educational choices and partnering with academic, residence life and career services initiatives.

The article quotes many faculty and staff, including the program’s architects associate provost Jimmy Davis and the program’s director David Sneed. Click here to read the article.

 

School of Physical Therapy Joins Vanderbilt University Medical Center to Offer Residency Program

The School of Physical Therapy at Belmont University has joined with the Pi Beta Phi Rehabilitation Institute (PBPRI) in the Vanderbilt Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences to initiate a Neurological Physical Therapy Clinical Residency.

PBPRI is the outpatient interdisciplinary neurological rehabilitation program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center where physical therapists work in teams with colleagues in occupational therapy, speech-language pathology and social work to promote community re-entry and vocational and/or academic transitioning. The one-year residency is offered through the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and is the first of its kindin Tennessee. The program is designed to prepare the resident to treat patients with neurological conditions using contemporary, evidenced-based treatment approaches and provide the skills and experience needed to sit for the Neurological Clinical Specialist (NCS) certification exam with APTA.

“We are very excited about this new partnership,” said Mike de Riesthal, director of PBPRI. “Education of new clinicians is one of our primary missions. Partnering with Belmont’s excellent program allows us to expand that mission into the field of physical therapy.”

Christina Durrough has been selected as the inaugural resident in the joint venture and will begin her work this August. The residency requires direct clinical care each week at PBPRI where Durrough will receive mentoring and instruction to evaluate and treat patients with acquired brain injury and other neurological conditions including stroke, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, brain tumors and balance disorders. The Clinical Residency Director for the program is Lisa Haack, who is a clinical staff member in physical therapy at PBPRI and is a neurologic specialist. Renee Brown, professor of physical therapy at Belmont University, will serve as the academic residency director.

Professor David Ribar Bikes 100 Miles for Cancer Research

Ribar stands at the finish line with his brother, Don, who biked the full 100 miles with him.

On the weekend of Aug. 12, art history Professor David Ribartrekked over 100 miles on his road bike in the 2012 Pelotonia.

Participants raised money for The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute by pledging to bike a certain distance and raise a corresponding dollar amount. Over 6,200 people registered to participate in the 2012 Pelotonia.

Ribar biked with nine family members for “Team Jean,” named in honor of his mother who lost her battle with Leukemia in December  2011. Together, he and his family rose over $41,000 for the cause. This was Ribar’s first year participating in the Pelotonia, and he said he looks forward to participating in the future.

For more information on the event, visit  pelotonia.org.

 

Student, Faculty Researchers Collaborate in Summer Scholars Program

Summer Scholar Communities is a program in the College of Arts & Sciences in which a faculty member and four to five students work over the summer on scholarly activities. The program blends the structure of a summer session class with the format of a research team focused on a faculty-designed research project. It differs from traditional undergraduate research in that students and faculty from various disciplines across the College of Arts & Sciences meet regularly over the course of the summer to share results, to learn from each other, to present their research findings and discuss challenges and commonalities. The students will present their findings at Belmont’s Science Undergraduate Research Symposium (SURS) this fall.

Biology Associate Professor Nick Ragsdale worked with five students this summer. Liberty Foye, Anderson Webb, Brad Gill and Scott Kim all continued the investigation of innate immunity utilizing the animal model of Caenorhabditis elegans. Rachel Garland continued work on the role of oxidants in the formation of Parkinson’s like disease.

Chair of the Department of Biology and Associate Professor Darlene Panvini worked with six students. Jessica Braden, Emma Ghulam Jan, and Anna Witherspoon compared rates of photosynthesis and stomatal density in leaves of exotic vines (Lonicera japonica and Euonymus fortunei) to native vines (Parthenocissus quinoquefolia and Smilax rotundifoli). They collected leaves and made impressions in the lab to determine stomatal densities. Sylvia Alsup, Lida Ghulam Jan and Lauren Land compared macroinvertebrate diversity in riffles and pools in areas of the Little Harpeth River covered by tree canopy and areas not covered by tree canopy.

Biology Assistant Professor John Niedzwiecki’s group of six students worked with behavioral and population biology questions in a variety of aquatic organisms. Bellamy Hawkins and Breanna Poore worked on chemical detection of predation cues in an aquatic snail. Building on recent work in animal behavior, Parth Majmudar looked for signs of “intelligence” in Orconectes crayfish – a predator of snails. Rachel Chandler followed up on work from past years and studied the specificity and nature of the chemical cue that streamside salamander’s use to detect fish predators. She was able to present that work as a poster at the International Evolutionary Biology conference in Ottawa, Canada this past summer with Niedzwiecki. Janet Steen and Amy Nesius, working in molecular and population genetics, successfully developed microsatellites for use in spotted salamanders.

Mathematics Professor Danny Biles worked with three students and they studied singular differential equations from three different points of view. Ben Shaw studied examples and looked for patterns, McLean Smith considered applications and Alyssa Scheele studied numerical approximations.

 

 

PharmD Students Host Patient Care Event

The Belmont University College of Pharmacy American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists (BUCOP APhA-ASP) held its first patient care event of the 2012-2013 school year in conjunction with Barren Plains Hispanic Ministry on Aug. 26.

The Mmnistry is a mission of the First Baptist Church of Joelton, Tenn. that provides regular meals and church services to migrant workers that come to Middle Tennessee for the fall harvest season.

Thirteen student pharmacists and two faculty members traveled to Springfield, Tenn. to offer free blood glucose and blood pressure screenings as well as provide patient education regarding diabetes and hypertension to promote healthy living practices to 33 participants. Individuals were given basic first aid kits donated by BUCOP’s faculty, students and staff. BUCOP APhA-ASP will return to Barren Plains Hispanic Ministry to continue its outreach with the group next month to offer flu vaccinations.

Business Is Booming at Belmont Graduate’s ‘Free Store’

While in his junior year in Belmont’s Social Entrepreneurship program, Austin Sauerbrei discovered a “Free Store” in Columbus, Ohio, and a dream was born.

After graduating in December 2010, Sauerbrei set out to make his project a reality. The process began with a trip to Columbus, Ohio to visit  his initial inspiration. The trip was followed by almost nine months of planning before the store finally opened its doors in December 2011, a year after Austin graduated from Belmont.

Austin (top left) poses with volunteers outside of the Free Store.

Almost immediately after opening, the store was a success. “The first weekend there were only about 20 to 25 people, then we had 30 the next week and then 50 the week after that.”

Recently, on Saturday Aug 18—a little over six months since its opening—the store set a new record; over 90 people came through, and there are now over 400 registered members.

Every Saturday, from 9 a.m. to noon the store is open to anyone and everyone. Because the space is so small, only four people are able to enter the store itself at one time. In a waiting area members of the community help themselves to coffee, snacks and conversation.

A large part of the store’s success comes from the high level of engagement of its shoppers. Of the over 400 registered members, Sauerbrei approximates that 70 to 80 percent have donated products and almost 20 percent have volunteered at the store.

Singer Amy Grant Leads Opening Chapel

Grammy Award-winning Christian and pop music artist Amy Grant began her Wednesday morning intent on being a blessing to someone else.

“I pray, ‘Lord, lead me today to those I need and to the ones who need me. And let something I do have eternal significance,’” she said while brushing her teeth. She then reached for four bills and stuffed them into her pocket.

A few hours later before an audience of more than 1,100 Belmont students, staff, faculty and administrators, she shared $200 with two students, one whose birthday is Aug. 29 and another whose mother shares the birthdate.

At the University’s first chapel convocation of the new academic year, the lesson Grant sought to share was one of selflessness.

“Sinful behavior keeps us from talking to God. The root of who we are is self-serving, and you learn in the course of life that life is more exciting if you beat that thing down to a nub in the corner,” Grant said.

During her 30 minutes on stage in the Massey Performing Arts Center, Grant recited original poetry, told stories from her childhood, admitted how Dr. Phil made her feel “pompous and arrogant” for not being punctual and crooned acoustic renditions of Psalm 46:10 and John 6. She told students she puts Scripture to music to memorize Bible verses.

“When I think about all of the talents and lives represented in the room and how we are all different, if we all believe in Jesus, that will be enough to let our lives shine,” she said, giving words of encouragement for Belmont’s aspiring artists. “I hope my music selections [today] have helped someone here in music understand that someone who makes average music can make a decent living.”

Preceeding convocation, Grant signed autographs and took pictures with Belmont students, including members of her sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta.

Grant has sold more than 30 million albums, won six Grammy Awards and 25 Dove Awards and had 17 Top-40 songs as well as a string of Contemporary Christian hits. She has been awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and received Belmont’s Applause Award. Grant and her husband Vince Gill are long-time friends of Belmont University. The University recognized Gill with an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree in 2011.

Belmont University Tops 6,600 Students

New students get settled in their residence hall.

With classes beginning this week for the Fall 2012 semester, Belmont University reached another record-breaking enrollment number, this time with a total of 6,647 students. This is the twelfth consecutive year the University has topped its previous enrollment.

Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher said, “In the year 2000, the University enrolled 2,970 students. To see this level of growth in a dozen years—while we have attracted more qualified students and improved our retention and graduation rates—is very rewarding. I’m honored that so many accomplished young adults are embracing this university’s mission to empower students to use their talents and passions to transform the world.”

The new students heard that message loud and clear this week as one of their first activities as a member of the Belmont campus was to engage in community service. Together, 1,800 new Belmont students—consisting of freshmen, transfers and some graduate students—spent Monday morning volunteering their time to more than 30 community partners during an annual event called SERVE.

Upperclassmen assisted freshmen and their parents with Move In last weekend.

The impact from that event continues to grow as more and more students are attracted to attend Belmont and stay in the Nashville community after graduation, often continuing to serve the programs and organizations they’re introduced to while in college. This year’s enrollment marks an increase of four percent from last year and a doubling of the size of the student body in the past decade. The Belmont student body currently consists of 5,298 undergraduates and 1,349 graduate and professional students, representing a record for total enrollment.

This year’s incoming freshman class represents 48 states and 14 foreign countries, with 73 percent of the class originating from outside of Tennessee. The University received more than 7,700 applications for graduate and undergraduate programs. The average ACT score for the 2012-13 freshman class is 26.43. In addition, 35 percent of new freshmen at Belmont were in the top 10 percent of their graduating class, and 62 percent were in the top quarter. This year’s record freshman class of 1,273 students—up 100 students from 2011—held an average un-weighted cumulative high school GPA of 3.54 including 33 valedictorians and 19 salutatorians from schools reporting rankings.

Class of 2016 Continues Annual SERVE Tradition

Tina Brown stands at the glass doors of the Adventure Science Center early Monday and peers into the empty parking lot. The center’s director of operations, Brown is anxious for the promised 25 pairs of hands to paint the loading dock, clean chairs and refurbish the picnic area.

“This is our slow time of year, so it is a great time to clean up, and we don’t have many on staff to get the many jobs done,” Brown said. “And this is a time to introduce Belmont students to the Center’s volunteer program and get them to come back and help with science-related areas in the future.”

Some 1,800 Belmont University students volunteered in their new hometown at 32 local non-profit organizations, including Adventure Science Center, 14 Metro Nashville Public Schools, Y-CAP YMCA and Feed the Children, as part of SERVE on Monday.

“Service is an expression of our mission and a call to share with others our God-given talents,” said Associate Dean of Students Becky Spurlock. “Here it is not just the act of service, but the ‘why’ we do it. Belmont University empowers men and women to engage and transform the world. The University prepares students to use their intellectual skills, creativity and faith to meet the challenges and opportunities that face the human community.”

Mayor Sends Students to Service Projects
Incoming freshmen and transfer students began their fourth day of Welcome Week with Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher at 8:30 a.m. in the Curb Event Center Arena.

“The people of Nashville are thrilled that you are here. Thank you for the energy and excitement you bring to our city,” Dean said, commending students for embarking on service projects at public schools and in the environment.

An annual Welcome Week tradition for more than a decade, SERVE provides a perfect tie into Belmont’s ongoing commitment to engage students in their community and encourage the values of service on both a local and global level.

“Today is one of the days I am most proud of at Belmont. The message we like to share with our incoming students is that you were created with talents, gifts and abilities so that you can serve someone else,” Fisher said. “This is a day where before you do anything else at Belmont, you go out and serve.”

Soon hundreds of new students wearing white T-shirts that read “Explore. Embrace. Engage.” file out of the arena, pass the University’s iconic bell tower and line sidewalks of Belmont Boulevard and the Acklen Avenue circle to board dozens of motor coaches heading to various parts of Davidson County.

Tradition Makes Nashville a Classroom
Before the first day of fall semester classes, new students are initiated into Belmont’s culture with a two-hour service project that makes the city of Nashville their classroom for the day. At East Literature Magnet School on Gallatin Avenue, freshman Benjamin Johnson gets off a motor coach and eagerly grabs a trash bag and latex gloves for his first lesson.

“Belmont is about more than self. It is about looking for ways to help the community where we are learning and to give back,” said Johnson, of Meridian, Miss., who collected trash and removed debris behind the public school stadium. He said he was drawn to the University to study commercial music and now will look for opportunities to volunteer playing cello and teaching music education to children during his four years in Nashville.

“We appreciate Belmont University bringing these hard-working students to our schools to help us make our campuses look their best. We look forward to outstanding Belmont education majors returning to our schools as teachers in four years,” said MNPS Director of Schools Jesse Register.

Service Fosters Friendships
At the nearby YCAP YMCA, the first lesson of college was in friendship for incoming freshmen Bridgett Davies and Jessie Wynn. In a small closet of the gymnasium and recreation center that serves at-risk youth, they sanitized toys and organized games and sports supplies. An hour later between giggles, they realized they grew up an hour apart from each other in Illinois.

“(SERVE) is a good way to get to know the (Nashville) community better and your classmates when you have been here for only a few days,” said Davies, from Elgin, Ill.

Students’ Work Impacts Thousands
Students also packed food, toiletries and cleaning supplies for needy families, cleaned nonprofit facilities, removed graffiti, painted walls and fences and worked on a South Nashville farm, among other community service projects.

At Feed the Children, Brittany Biggers smiles as she watches students fold cardboard boxes and stuff them with essentials, including lotion, shampoo, laundry detergent, hand sanitizer and canned goods. It is the third consecutive August that some 100 Belmont students have come to the warehouse.

 “Belmont has always been a good partner with us, and with this group we are able to run two assembly lines with an estimated 800 to 1,000 boxes an hour. So in two hours, these students are able to pack nearly 2,000 boxes for families in need,” said Biggers, volunteer coordinator for Feed the Children. “This group is very responsive and interactive. That is important for a coordinator to see and know that the volunteers are inspired.”

At the end of an assembly line stands Abby Sevick armed with a tape dispenser to seal the boxes.

“Everyone who goes to Belmont is good-natured, helpful and friendly, so it seems natural that they are engaged in community service,” said Sevick, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. “It goes back to our Christian values. Instead of just talking about being Christians, we are acting on those values.”

 

Marketing Student Builds Website for Belmont Study Abroad Partner

Belmont senior Jennifer Stevens put her marketing education into practice by creating a web presence for Belmont tour guide partner Amistar Tours. Stevens was one of 21 students who participated in the annual Maymester Eastern Europe trip.

Trip director and Professor of Marketing Robert Lambert gave students the option to develop a market entry plan for a new product in a country of interest in Eastern Europe or to develop a website for a small business in Nashville to help better market itself.

Stevens was eager to build a website for the small operation that showcases their services and benefits of use. The new website should help improve awareness and credibility of the operation, likely resulting in a substantial increase in business.

During the Maymester trip, students could receive up to six hours of course credit for business courses, including international marketing, international business, junior cornerstone and third year writing. The trip included visits to Salzburg Austria, Trieste Italy, Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia-Hertzgovenia and the Czech Republic.