College of Health Sciences and Nursing Dean and Professor Dr. Cathy Taylor recently served on the Chronic Disease Prevention Task Force for the State of Tennessee, spearheaded by Senator Rosalind Kurita. Taylor, along with two other experts, received an invitation from the Governor’s Office, in conjunction with the commissioner of health, to act as a subject matter expert to make recommendations for improving the health of Tennesseans.
Taylor and her team, which included Belmont public health students Genevieve Delano and Deviyani Bajpai, conducted online research and interviews to make recommendations to the task force. Despite the interruption of COVID-19 on the team’s research, Taylor and her team contributed to the final recommendation to allow local authorization to limit tobacco smoking and vaping in public spaces. The recommendation was passed into legislation by the 112th General Assembly.
“Restricting exposure to tobacco or vaping products and smoke is clearly linked to better health outcomes, especially for children (e.g., fewer asthma attacks, colds and ear infections – even better school attendance and fewer SIDS deaths (Suddent Infant Death Syndrome),” said Taylor. “This legislation opens a door to a much larger issue called preemption. Preemption limits the ability to pass more comprehensive smoke free laws in Tennessee’s cities and counties.”
Tennessee’s 2007 Non-Smoker Protection Act, which prohibited smoking in all enclosed public places, was the last significant tobacco legislation enacted prior to the passing of this newest legislation. Although the passing of new tobacco regulations is a step in the right direction, the fight against tobacco use is far from over.
“Tobacco use, particularly cigarette smoke, is the single greatest contributor to preventable disease and death. It literally harms every organ in the body, yet Tennessee currently ranks 43rd in the nation for tobacco use and 44th for overall health,” said Taylor. “I’m very proud of this small step, but it’s time to do more, and that likely means taking on the hard work of addressing current laws that limit our ability to create safer, smoke-free environments for all.”
Alix Rogers, Belmont Law Class of 2018, recently won the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services Access to Justice New Advocate of the Year Award. Each year, TALS recognizes individuals who contributed to furthering Tennessee’s equal justice community. This year, Rogers became one of several recipients to be honored with this award.
Since graduating from Belmont, Rogers passionately defends and protects domestic violence survivors, ensuring that all her clients return to a safe environment. She organized a phone-based legal clinic when in-person clinics were unavailable due to the pandemic. Rogers endlessly works to build, maintain and strengthen her firm’s ties within the community.
The award ceremony was hosted virtually on September 21-23. To read more about the recipients and the award ceremony, visit the TALS website here.
Belmont University once again appears numerous times in the 2022 rankings of America’s Best Colleges according to a recent analysis from U.S. News & World Report. Praised for the 14th year in a row in the “Most Innovative” category, Belmont continues to move up the ladder with this year’s ranking at no. 34 in the country. With Vanderbilt coming in at no. 40, Belmont is one of only two schools in the state to make this category.
In the publication released September 13, Belmont was also placed in the top 30 universities showing a “strong commitment to undergraduate teaching” and ranked thirteenth nationally for Learning Communities, among other accolades.
Belmont President Dr. Greg Jones said, “At Belmont, we aim to develop leaders of character and purpose who possess a transformational mindset and are equipped to make the world a better place. It’s gratifying that our peer institutions recognize the innovative approaches we have implemented to accomplish that mission. We will continue our focus to cultivate an educational approach that empowers students to become hope inspiring, future shaping, bridge building, community engaging and character forming people.”
With its focus on student success, enriched curriculum offerings and strong outcomes, Belmont earned acclaim in the following categories as well:
Service Learning: Ranked 20th nationally.
Undergraduate Nursing: Ranked 148th nationally for the first time in this category.
First Year Experience: Ranked 21st nationally for building into the curriculum programming that helps freshmen connect to their institutions.
Learning Communities: Ranked 13th of only 23 institutions recognized in the nation. In these communities, students typically take two or more linked courses as a group and get to know one another and their professors well.
Best Colleges for Veterans: Belmont was one of only three schools in the state to be recognized on the national list.
Best Value: Belmont remains the second highest ranked school in the state it its category for the quality of education versus the cost of attendance.
Each fall semester, the Belmont Office of Leadership Development (BOLD) hosts Bruin Lead: A 10-hour leadership development experience based on Barry Posner and James Kouzes’ Student Leadership Challenge. During Bruin Lead, students collaborate with their peers to learn and practice exemplary leadership through the completion of hands-on interactive activities and experiences facilitated by Belmont Student Life staff members.
This week, BOLD hosted a record-breaking 195 aspiring undergraduate student leaders. With a choice between an all-day experience or a two-day experience, Belmont freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors from 11 academic colleges participated in Bruin Lead.
One student stated, “My biggest takeaway was just that fact that there were so many people willing to participate and help grow themselves through this process. It was fun to get together with like-minded people to encourage leadership development.”
Leadership at Belmont is defined as a values-driven process of individuals from diverse backgrounds working together to boldly and ethically engage and transform the world. Students were able to put this philosophy into practice as they learned the importance of understanding and establishing their personal values and aligning group values to serve others and ultimately create more leaders. The outcome, growth and application of that philosophy put into practice during Bruin Lead was remarkable.
By Modeling the Way, Inspiring a Shared Vision, Challenging the Process, Enabling Others to Act and Encouraging the Heart, concepts from the book, students were trained to lead well in life, at Belmont and beyond. Bruin Lead is the kind of character-forming, hope-inspiring, future-shaping, bridge-building development Belmont students will need to engage and transform their communities and the world.
It is the goal of BOLD to meet students where they are in their leadership ability, equip each individual to reach their full potential and prepare them for leadership opportunities. Another student stated, “My biggest takeaway was that anyone can be a leader. I previously believed this was somewhat true, but today, I saw that anyone truly can be a leader with our different backgrounds and experiences.” Another student stated, “I think the biggest takeaway was being able to see my capabilities as a leader.”
Graduate students participating in GOLD (Graduate Opportunities in Leadership Development), were also challenged this week as they facilitated sessions during Bruin Lead. They were able to pour into undergraduate students and guide them in their leadership journey and they were challenged to invest in their own development by stepping outside of their comfort zone to facilitate and display leadership for others.
Bruin Lead takes place each fall semester. Leadership Lately is the next BOLD event, scheduled for Thursday, October 12 and Monday, October 25, at 10 a.m. during the WELL-Core hour. Leadership Lately will showcase the transformational leadership stories of individuals actively leading in their organizations and industries. Details can be found on Bruin Link.
Students may email bold@belmont.edu with questions and they may join BOLD and GOLD in Bruin Link.
Dr. Cheryl Carr, associate dean and associate professor with the Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business, served as a panelist for “Careers Beyond the Stage,” a workshop offered as part of the HBCU National Soloist Competition Master Class.
The workshop, held at Tennessee State University, was hosted by Partners Achieving Success and 105 Voices of History, an HBCU national concert choir. Carr discussed career strategies, resources and career empowerment themes from her book “Music Business Careers: Career Duality in the Creative Industries.”
The Belmont University team of Associate Business Professor Dr. Haskell Murray, Religion Lecturer Dr. Beth Ritter-Conn, Director of Service Learning Tim Stewart and Honors English Professor Dr. Jonathan Thorndike won the Corporate Challenge at the Purity Dairy Dash 5K, 10K and 15K. This is the 8th straight Corporate Challenge victory for Belmont’s team.
Belmont alumna Emily Proud was the master of ceremonies for the event, and several current Belmont University students were seen volunteering as part of the race management.
The race results can be found here. There were more than 900 runners between the three events.
Faculty and staff who are interested in running or walking the next event on December 4 can contact Thorndike or Murray for details.
Belmont University alumnus and multi-platinum recording artist Josh Turner released his first Christmas record, King Size Manger, today as his alma mater announces he will host and be the featured guest artist for the 2021 “Christmas at Belmont” performance, which will be filmed for national broadcast. Produced by Nashville Public Television (NPT), “Christmas at Belmont” will be taped live for the first time in the newly opened Fisher Center for the Performing Arts on the University’s campus. The invitation-only concert performance features nearly 650 student musicians and School of Music faculty and will be broadcast nationally for the 19th consecutive year on PBS. “Christmas at Belmont” is underwritten in part by presenting sponsor Tyson Foods.
“Christmas at Belmont” premieres Monday, Dec. 20, at 8 p.m. on NPT and PBS stations across the country, with encore broadcasts on NPT Christmas night (Saturday, Dec. 25) at 9:30 p.m. Check local listings for additional broadcast times. This year’s performance of “Christmas at Belmont” promises an array of traditional carols, classical masterworks and seasonal favorites in addition to selections from Turner’s new Christmas album.
Belmont President Dr. Greg Jones said, “We are delighted to welcome Josh Turner and his wife Jennifer, both Belmont alumni, back to our campus for this extraordinary concert event. The hope of Christmas is perfectly reflected in so many songs of the season, and I look forward with great anticipation to showcasing the talents of Josh and our students in front of a national television audience. We are honored to continue our nearly two decade partnership with Nashville Public Television to produce this timeless holiday broadcast.”
Turner, who previously hosted “Christmas at Belmont” more than 15 years ago in 2005, added, “We have a couple of Belmont grads in our household. I met my wife and wrote ‘Long Black Train’ while attending Belmont. We are looking forward to being back on campus and performing for the first time in the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts. This is my second time hosting ‘Christmas at Belmont,’ and I was honored when they asked me back. I’m excited to share a few songs from my new Christmas album and see all the talented students playing this year.”
With his deep bass voice, Turner has sold more than six million records, reached 3.2 billion global streams, and has become a favorite and unforgettable hitmaker on country radio. With timeless songs like “Long Black Train” and “Why Don’t We Just Dance,” Turner’s five No. 1 singles include “Your Man,” of which the official music video recently surpassed 100 million views. This comes on the heels of the release of Your Man (Deluxe Edition), celebrating 15 years of Turner’s iconic double Platinum-selling album, as well as the release of the mini documentary “Josh Turner Your Man 15th Anniversary” (Mini Doc). The Double-Platinum-selling “Would You Go With Me,” featured on Your Man Deluxe Edition, recently experienced a viral surge across TikTok leading to a jump in streaming which landed the classic country tune on Spotify’s US Viral 50 along with Spotify Viral charts in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland. Posting more than 3.7M weekly streams, “Would You Go With Me” moved inside the Top 35 on the Country streaming chart and ranked HOT on Amazon Music’s Voice Index. A native of South Carolina, Turner has received six Inspirational Country Music Awards, and has been nominated for two GRAMMY Awards, five CMA Awards, two ACM Awards, one CMT Award, and seven ACA Awards. To support music and arts education, he created The Josh Turner Scholarship Fund to help students pursue their studies in these fields. Turner and his wife Jennifer, whom he met as a student at Nashville’s Belmont University, have four sons. For more information, please visit www.joshturner.com.
King Size Manger, his debut Christmas record, releases today through MCA Nashville. In support of the album, Turner will embark on his first-ever Christmas tour, “Holiday & The Hits,” an 18-city run that will wrap in Knoxville, Tennessee on December 21. The record, produced by Kenny Greenberg, includes Christmas classics as well as four originals, three of which were written by Turner, who also arranged five of the 11 tracks on the project.
NPT President/CEO Becky Magura said, “NPT is thrilled to once again be collaborating with Belmont University to bring ‘Christmas at Belmont’ to a national audience on PBS. The show is one of Nashville’s most treasured holiday traditions, and we’re so pleased that viewers across the entire nation will be able to see this wonderful performance. We’re especially excited this year since the show will take place in Belmont’s magnificent new Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, which is a truly spectacular new addition to the campus and our city, that rivals any performance venue anywhere.”
“Christmas at Belmont” will be performed and filmed for the first time in Belmont University’s new Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, marking the first large-scale concert in the facility, which was dedicated in September. Fashioned after traditional performance venues with classical design, the Fisher Center is a state-of-the-art facility adding another diamond to Music City’s ring of world-class venues. The advanced technology, production and acoustic capabilities within the complex supports diverse audiences with major concerts, plays, operas, dance, musical theatre and other performances while also supplying Belmont’s nationally renowned arts students with a unique learning and performing environment.
“Producing this year’s edition of ‘Christmas at Belmont’ in the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts launches the opening season of this new venue with great anticipation and excitement. The Fisher Center provides a beautiful and unique creative performance space to augment this long-standing Christmas tradition,” said Dr. Stephen Eaves, dean of Belmont’s College of Music & Performing Arts. “Our excellent School of Music faculty and students along with alumnus and artist, Josh Turner, will inspire audiences to pause and celebrate the true meaning of this Christmas season.”
Intent on transforming lives through education, Belmont University’s innovative Bridges to Belmont program is about to significantly increase in size with the goal of having a multiplying effect on the impact the program has on Middle Tennessee. Started more than eight years ago with a charter class of 27 students, the Bridges to Belmont initiative was designed to provide high-need, high-achieving students from four Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) full-ride access into a Belmont University education. Since its launch in 2013, the initiative has grown to 34 students annually, and now will take a significant step forward to expand to 50 students per year. Those students may now originate from one of 10 different local public high schools. In future phases, the vision is for Bridges to Belmont to expand to invite applicants from all public and charter schools in the greater Nashville area.
Belmont President Dr. Greg Jones said, “As part of our inaugural year theme to ‘Let Hope Abound,’ I’ve asked our campus community to consider ways we can help our hometown and surrounding suburban and rural areas thrive. We believe we can do so in part by educating and forming more local students to become problem solvers and leaders of character who can address the challenges of today and tomorrow. Every young person in Middle Tennessee deserves to flourish, and by expanding our Bridges to Belmont initiative, we can contribute to giving more students from under-resourced backgrounds access to an education that can transform their lives and their families’ lives for generations to come.”
Retired HCA Healthcare CEO/Chairman, Belmont alumnus and Belmont Board of Trustees Chair Milton Johnson, who with his wife Denice created a $10 million endowment to support the Bridges to Belmont initiative in 2015, added, “Bridges to Belmont provides a vital pathway to higher education for students in the Nashville region who might not otherwise be able to consider a four-year college degree. My Belmont scholarship was a life-changing experience for me, and we want more Nashville high school graduates to have that same opportunity. This expansion of the Bridges program will demonstrate to local students that Belmont believes in them—we believe in them—and there are no limits to what they can achieve in life.”
Currently participating in the Bridges to Belmont initiative are Stratford STEM Magnet, Maplewood, Whites Creek and Pearl-Cohn high schools. For the upcoming recruitment cycle for Fall 2022 enrollment at Belmont, applicants will now be accepted from an additional six local high schools: Glencliff, Hillsboro, Hillwood, Hunters Lane, McGavock and Overton. The program requires a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and a 20 ACT score, though Belmont is also continuing to operate as test optional for admissions. Priority will be given to first generation, Pell Eligible applicants. Local students are encouraged to contact their high school guidance counselors for information on how to be considered for the Bridges to Belmont program.
Nashville Mayor John Cooper said,“Bridges to Belmont has provided full scholarships to more than 280 of Nashville’s students from Pearl Cohn, Stratford, Maplewood, and Whites Creek high schools. It’s a life-changing program, providing Metro students with the opportunity to realize and fulfill their academic potential. I’m grateful to Belmont for expanding the initiative to serve even more of our MNPS students and their families.”
“Bridges to Belmont is a fantastic program that has the power to transform the lives of our students and set them up for a lifetime of achievement,” added Dr. Adrienne Battle, Director of Metro Schools. “We’ve already seen it happen many times. Belmont is a great community partner in the success of MNPS, and I’m grateful for the continued and expanded commitment by Dr. Jones in this successful program and in future programs and partnerships to strengthen the ties between our two organizations.”
Dr. Adrienne Battle, Dr. Greg Jones and Milton Johnson pose with Metro High School Principals after Belmont announced a significant expansion to its Bridges to Belmont program.
When it began, Bridges to Belmont reflected a deliberate step on the part of Belmont’s administration to enhance the University’s cultural and ethnic diversity while also continuing efforts to provide higher education to students in Davidson County. Bridges to Belmont Scholars, many of whom are first-generation college students, each are awarded a full four-year scholarship that covers tuition, room, board, required fees and books (from state and federal grants as well as Belmont scholarship funds.) Throughout their higher education experience, they also are given academic support and peer mentors.
Shirley Kyere, a member of the inaugural Bridges cohort, graduated in May 2017 as a biology major and now works as an associate at a Maryland research firm. She noted, “Being a recipient of the Bridges to Belmont scholarship is probably one of the most exciting and honorable experiences I have ever had. I can confidently say on behalf of my fellow scholars, this opportunity was a life-changing one for us. I do hope any individual who receives this scholarship cherishes it to the fullest. I am glad I was able to spend four years of my life at such a prestigious university without having to worry about financial stress. I will like to use this opportunity to thank Mr. and Mrs. Johnson and Dr. and Mrs. Fisher for their generosity and kindness. I also want to thank Dr. Jones for continuing this scholarship program and providing other students with an opportunity to benefit from this program like many of us have.”
As part of the planned program expansion, Belmont is also implementing new organizational reporting structures to increase focus on specific areas that might otherwise have had the potential to impede students’ persistence and growth. A new “Student Success and Flourishing” initiative will be launched to provide academic and co-curricular support and will incorporate the University’s Learning Centers and GPS office, among others, to guide students’ transition into and throughout their college careers. The new initiative will also centralize efforts for onboarding and supporting students transferring to Belmont from community colleges or other four-year institutions.
“This expansion to include more local students and schools, and to introduce an initiative focused on student success and flourishing as a dedicated support mechanism, is just the beginning,” remarked Jones. “Belmont is adding two new positions – an Assistant Provost for Student Success and Flourishing, supported by an Assistant Director of Admissions for Access, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion – that will be charged with finding opportunities with Tennessee’s rural communities, community colleges, community-based organizations and underserved student populations to create even more bridges and pathways to a transformative educational experience.”
Currently, there are 123 Bridges Scholars enrolled at Belmont who collectively hold an average 3.41 GPA. Many of these Scholars are active student leaders holding executive board or chair leadership positions in a number of organizations, including the Black Student Association, Greek Life, HOPE Council, Student Government Association, Hispanic Student Association, Belmont Engineering & Robotics, Bruin Recruiters and more. To date, Belmont’s investment in MNPS students through the Bridges to Belmont pathway exceeds $34 million.
To learn about ways to support this important initiative, please contact Belmont’s Office of Development at development@belmont.edu or 615-460-5517.
After a year of heightened anxiety, less socialization and increased Netflix binging, a group of 12 Belmont University students launched a plan to help their peers begin feeling less isolated and get back on track to a life of wellness. This plan came in the form of opening the campus’s newest student-run business: Where the Well Things Are.
“In the past two years, a lot of people have realized that they were mostly just going through the motions and didn’t have a personalized vision of what wellness meant to them,” said Erin Eversole, store manager and senior marketing major. “I think the pandemic, quarantine and being less social made people realize that they needed to start being more intentional about their wellness. When we realized that it was time for a new student-run business on campus, we started taking suggestions on what students wanted to see in the space. We realized that they all had some connection to wellness, so we put them together.”
The team of 12 were responsible for the conception of the business, the selection of products and now the daily management of the store, with oversight from the Thomas F. Cone Sr. Center for Entrepreneurship. Together, the students combined their various skills and interests to create a store solely focused on college students’ wellness journeys.
“Some team members who are more right-brained worked to design the store, the displays and our logos, while our left-brained team members worked to create financial documents, track shipments and analyze customer data,” said Eversole.
Although wellness should be everyone’s priority, junior corporate communications major and store associate/graphic designer Daphne Johnson said the team found that many college students struggle with focusing on their personal wellness while at school. “Wellness is especially important for college students, who often find themselves sacrificing wellness for convenience,” she said. “Here, we’re hoping to make wellness convenient.”
And that is exactly what the team did. From yoga mats to books about the art of living well, Where the Well Things Are products fill the spectrum of wellness, from physical to spiritual to mental well-being.
Not only can customers get the most up-to-date wellness products right on campus, they can rest assured knowing all products are cruelty-free. “We tried to make sure we were supporting reputable companies that made quality products. Think vegan, cruelty-free and environmentally friendly,” said Eversole.
In addition to selling products made by larger companies, Where the Well Things Are made sure to support the local Belmont community.
“We wanted to support Belmont alumni, so you will find several alumni products in our store, like Walker Brothers kombucha, Hoop House plants, Bizi honey sticks and more,” said Johnson.
After a successful opening on August 27, the students have started thinking about what the future holds for Where the Well Things Are.
“We’re excited to start having more events and doing more outreach, and the support since we’ve opened has been really encouraging,” said Eversole. “Hopefully a year from now we will have expanded our selection of products to include more current students, alumni and local businesses. We would love to partner with the broader Nashville community on wellness programming.”
The students wasted no time trying to get involved with the Nashville community. Through all of October, which happens to be Campus Sustainability Month, Where the Well Things Are will be selling limited edition tote bags. 25 percent of proceeds from the sale of the bag will go towards Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law organization that provides legal support for environmental activists.
To stay up-to-date on all things Where the Well Things Are, follow them on Instagram @wellthingsnashville. You can also visit the store located on Belmont Blvd., open Monday-Saturday from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
On September 15, Belmont School of Music Associate Professor Dr. Mark Volker, along with Adjunct Professor Rebekah Alexander, appeared on WSMV’s “Today in Nashville” to discuss his recently-premiered work entitled Body and Soul, After the Plague.
With the help of Alexander and Assistant Photography Professor Christine Rogers, Volker brought Body and Soul, After the Plague to life. Based on the medieval text “The Body, Soul, and the Debate,” the piece combines literature, film and music to craft a powerful message focused on human empathy and diversity.
The show originally premiered July 29, 2021, at the Parthenon in Nashville but the entire performance can be streamed on Chatterbird’s Facebook page. Volker’s full interview with WSMV can be found here.
