The Sudekum Planetarium at Adventure Science Center will open a new show March 1 titled Natural Selection – Darwin’s Mystery of Mysteries. There will be a special Saturday evening lecture on Natural Selection – Evolution of Our Understanding on March 10. Dr. John Niedzwiecki, Biology professor, will presenting a talk titled Demystifying Darwin’s Two Biggest Ideas!
Announcing the Philologoi Journal of Philosophy
The Department of Philosophy is pleased to announce the creation of Philologoi: Belmont University’s Undergraduate Journal of Philosophy, a student-run scholarly journal deeply rooted in the history of philosophy. The journal will provide an engaging and reflective forum for showcasing exceptional undergraduate work, particularly that which explores philosophy as a way of life. The first volume will be released this fall. Joseph Storey, Daniel Rock, and Nathan Stabenfeldt will serve as editors; Mackenzie Foster and Bronson Raines as assistant editors; Jonathan Soderholm, Kent Toalson, Wells Marvel, Nick Gregg, Anna Tikhomirova, Nick Kaper, Asher Morey and Jesse Jacobsen will compose the Editorial Board. Dr. Mélanie Walton is the managing editor and faculty advisor.
Alumnus Gives Homecoming Chapel Lecture
Belmont 2002 graduate Eric McLaughlin returned to campus for Belmont’s Homecoming Chapel Feb. 15 to discuss the work he, his family and others doctors are doing in Africa.
Committed to missions, McLaughlin and his family, along with several friends who are also physicians, moved to Kenya in 2009 to provide health care for residents and to teach young Kenyan doctors. The group is spending a year in the United States visiting friends and family before its members leave to spend 10 months in France. There they will learn French to prepare for a mission trip in Burundi, a country in Eastern Africa.
McLaughlin said his years in Kenya taught him he has limitations and God’s goodness is stronger than he realized. When his human limitations come into play, God’s goodness has the power to overcome.
“Limitations are very real, but the goodness of God in the world is that much more real,” he said.
McLaughlin concluded his lecture by encouraging the students to reflect on their limits and remind themselves God is goodness and limitless.
He said, “Do not fear the darkness, but rather celebrate the light. And know that, by his goodness, God’s strength is made person in our weakness.”
Alumni Art Exhibit Examines ‘Wealth and Poverty’
A highlight of Belmont’s Homecoming 2012 week is the Fourth Annual Alumni Art Exhibit, which opened Jan. 23 and runs through next Friday, Feb. 24. The exhibit showcases the artwork of several esteemed alumni and is being held in the Leu Center for the Visual Arts in Gallery 121.
The exhibit features multiple mediums to depict this year’s University theme of “Wealth and Poverty.” The alumni whose works are represented–L.A. Bachman (’06), Matt Chenoweth (’07), Paul Chenoweth (’08), Bethany Taylor (’07), Leah Tumerman (’05), Laura Amstutz Weibezahn (’08), and Ron York (’75)–responded to an open call to all Belmont graduates.
While most of the programs scheduled around Belmont’s “Wealth and Poverty” theme have focused on a literal, economic interpretation of financial condition, artists in this year’s Alumni Art Exhibit were asked to explore a broader interpretation. The exhibit challenges the visitor to look at the subject matter not only as a polarizing condition but also as a process, a continuum that includes nothing, and everything.
Paul Chenoweth, an alumnus who works in Belmont’s Information Technology Services, curated the exhibit and is displaying some of his own ceramic art as well. He said, “You might imagine that a literal, visual translation of the polar opposites of wealth and poverty would not be terribly difficult… we live in a society where we can see wealthy people as well as poor people in our cities and towns. Expanding the interpretation to include more than financial differences to include mental, spiritual, psychological, environmental and even political wealth and poverty opens up opportunities for artists to challenge preconceptions and encourage personal reflection.”
Kuryla Delivers ‘Simmons Distinguished Lecture’
On Wednesday Feb. 15, Dr. Peter Kuryla, professor of history, gave an academic lecture titled “A Prosthetic Aesthetic: William and Henry James, The Father Problem and the Case of the Cork Leg.” Part of Belmont’s Homecoming 2012 celebration, the lecture was held in the Massey Board Room.
Dr. Kuryla was selected as the College of Arts and Sciences 2012 Robert E. Simmons Distinguished Lecturer. This lectureship was created by Dean Robert Simmons in 1988 to honor the research and scholarly work of the faculty in the humanities, education, arts, sciences and social sciences and has continued to award esteemed faculty of Belmont University for years.
Kuryla prefaced his lecture by giving insight into the title and content of his topic. He explained that he had attended a series of academic conferences in which he and some of his colleagues presented papers on philosopher William James and his brother, novelist Henry James. Kuryla noted that he was intrigued as to how the family background played roles in William and Henry’s writings, and upon some research he discovered that “William and Henry’s childhood experiences with their father affected their mature writing.”
Henry James, Sr. was a philosopher who published several volumes of theology during the middle 19th century. However, unlike his two sons, none of his works were recognized or experienced much success, though Kuryla theorized that he did influence themes in his sons’ works. A boyhood accident from a game of “fireball” resulted in bad burns which eventually led to the amputation of the elder Henry James’ leg. Dr. Kuryla expressed his belief that their father’s prosthetic limb may have indirectly affected William and Henry James’ writings. Henry Sr. was responsible for the boys having a transatlantic childhood, as he moved them frequently from cities in the United States and then to Europe and back again, which surely presented obstacles for him given his disability.
During his lecture, Dr. Kuryla suggested that the sons recapitulated the father’s trauma over the loss of his leg in their own ways, through experiences of spiritual crisis or in their use of language. Henry James, Sr. and the suffering that accompanied his “leg must have figured prominently in the experiences of the two eldest boys, such that one might read it later in a peculiar type of filial aesthetic language concerned with death, morbidity and suffering, meant to signal the difficulty and potential falsehood of efforts to represent the world or experience.” Upon completing his lecture, Dr. Kuryla took questions from the audience.
Center for Executive Education Hosts ‘Historical’ Session on Strategic Thinking
The Center for Executive Education provided an unusual lesson in both history and leadership recently to participants of the Executive Leadership Experience program. Program participants, area executives, met on Wednesday, Feb. 8 at the Belmont Mansion with a couple of historical figures who provided insights on the topic of business intelligence and strategic thinking.
The evening program was presented by “Ulysses S. Grant,” lieutenant general and commander of all Union armies, and “Robert E. Lee,” commander of the Army of Northern Virginia. The Belmont Mansion was chosen based on its role as a military headquarters during the Civil War. Drawing upon their experiences in the Battle of the Wilderness in May 1864, Grant and Lee shared insights about the role of intelligence gathering and strategic decision making in their actions on the battlefield.
They also shared how lessons learned from this campaign could be applied to modern business leadership decisions for the Executive Leadership Experience participants. Following a spirited discussion of the battle, the two shook hands and entertained questions from the audience. General Grant was portrayed by Dr. Curt Fields, and General Lee by William Lee Stofel.
The Center for Executive Education at Belmont University hosts a 10-month executive leadership development program called the Executive Leadership Experience. The program begins with a four-day retreat and is followed by a series of eight monthly learning modules. The Executive Leadership Experience equips high-potential executives to be ready-to-lead at the highest levels in complex, dynamic business environments.
Belmont Hosts Future Entrepreneur Leadership Program
Dr. Howard Cochran and Belmont’s School of Business, Junior Achievement and Li Weaver of the Tennessee China Development Center welcomed a group of 22 high school students from eight high schools in Beijing, China to Belmont on Feb. 3.
Students had a campus tour with Dr. Qingjun Li (Chinese) and Dr. Kathy Skinner (International Student Services), were given a stock market lesson in the trading room by Dr. John Gonas, made presentations and had dinner in the Belmont Mansion. The program was a pilot for potential annual program at Belmont to bring Chinese students to campus. Accompanying the group was a producer of CCTV in China who filmed the visit to Belmont for a reality show viewed by 700 million Chinese.
Speech and Debate Team Compete at Murray State, Receive AFA Honors
The Belmont Speech and Debate team traveled to Murray State University Feb. 4 for a tournament. The team competed against top-ranked schools such as Western Kentucky University, Illinois State and Bradley University. Awards received include
Day 1:
Eric Schoen: 1st Prose Interpretation; 3rd Dramatic Interpretation; 5th Pentathlon (overall competitor)
Nicole Bright: 4th Impromptu Speaking; 1st Poetry Interpretation; 7th Pentathlon (overall competitor)
Matthew Roberts: 1st Imp; 1st Radio Broadcasting; 3rd Extemp; 3rd Pentathlon (overall competitor)
Megan Jack: 4th Novice Dramatic Interpretation; 1st Novice Poetry Interpretation; 1st Novice Persuasive Speaking; 6th Novice Impromptu Speaking; 2nd Pentathlon (overall competitor)
Jenni Gustafson:1st Novice Impromptu Speaking; 1st Novice Communication Analysis; 3rd Novice Persuasion; 5th Novice Extemporaneous Speaking; 5th Novice Radio Broadcasting; 1st Pentathlon (overall competitor)
Team: 3rd Place Overall Team
Day 2:
Eric: 3rd Prose Interpretation; 3rd Dramatic Interpretation; 5th Impromptu Speaking; 3rd Pentathlon (overall competitor)
Nicole: 3rd After Dinner Speaking; 2nd Programmed Oral Interpretation; 4th Pentathlon (overall competitor)
Matthew: 3rd Impromptu Speaking; 1st Extemporaneous Speaking; 1st Radio Broadcasting; 1st Pentathlon (overall competitor)
Megan: 3rd Novice Dramatic Interpretation ; 1st Novice Poetry Interpretation; 3rd Novice Persuasive Speaking; 3rd Radio Broadcasting; 2nd Novice Impromptu; 5th Pentathlon (overall competitor)
Jenni: 1st Novice Persuasive Speaking; 1st Novice Impromptu Speaking; 11th Pentathlon (overall competitor)
Team: 1st in “Small Entry” Division (by over 80 points); 3rd over-all
In other recent Speech and Debate news, team member, Eric Schoen was named as the District 6 (southeast area of the United States) American Forensics Association (AFA) All-American representative. This is a huge honor for Eric and a first of this kind of recognition for Belmont. The award is for seniors composed of three areas: forensic competition, academic achievement, and community service. Eric will be recognized at the AFA national tournament in April. Teammate, Nicole Bright was named as the District 6 AFA student representative and will serve as a liaison between students and coaches in the organization. These positions recognize the high caliber of students from the Speech and Debate team and also exemplifies that Belmont is truly making a name for itself amongst other national speech and debate programs.
Home School Science Discoveries
School of Science faculty have been offering laboratory experiences titled “Home School Science Discoveries” to home schooled children for the past few semesters. These experiences can be one to three hours in length. The first of five sessions of Home School Science Discoveries took place Feb.1. Dr. Daniel Biles (Mathematics) led the session called “Metric Estimations” and was assisted by Belmont mathematics majors, McLean Smith and Dana Pare. Fifteen home schooled students in fifth through eighth gradesattended the session. Other sessions scheduled for this year include “Structures and Functions of Your Brain” led by Dr. Nick Ragsdale, “Fun with Chemistry” led by Dr. Rachel Rigsby, and “What’s Alive in a Sample of Water?” led by Dr. Steve Murphree.
2012 Schedule
Monday, March 12, 12 -1 p.m.
Hitch 309
Dr. Nick Ragsdale
“Structures and Functions of Your Brain”
Students will work with models and, if available, pre-dissected sheep brains to understand how the brain looks and functions in them. Maximum of 15 students.
Grades 5-8
Friday, March 16, 10-11 a.m.
Hitch 404
Dr. Rachel Rigsby
“Fun with Chemistry”
We will do some fun chemistry activities and learn fundamental chemical principles.
Grades 1-4
Friday, March 23, 10 a.m. – noon
Hitch 309
Dr. Steve Murphree
“What’s Alive in a Sample of Water?”
Students will use dissecting microscopes as a tool in biology to examine and identify organisms from fresh pond or tree hole water samples they have brought with them in containers (a turkey baster makes a good sampling tool).
Grades 1-8
Friday, May 11, 10-11 a.m.
Hitch 404
Dr. Rachel Rigsby
“Fun with Chemistry”
We will do some fun chemistry activities and learn fundamental chemical principles.
Grades 6-8
Author Encourages Students’ Entrepreneurial ‘Secret Sauce’
Many of the secret ingredients required to be a successful entrepreneur, college students already have, author and journalist Donna Fenn said Feb. 6 during her lecture on “The Secret Sauce of Entrepreneurs.”
“Entrepreneurs are really the people who are holding our economic future in the palm of their hands,” she said. “You are the first generation to grow up with true entrepreneur role models. Starting a business is cheaper, easier and faster than it has ever been before.”
Generation Y, also known as the Millennial Generation, is more social and values collaboration in a way that previous generations have not, which allows its members to better network with each other to create new businesses. Generation Y also a understands how to connect old economy businesses with new economy people, Fenn said, such as a student who started a dry cleaning business geared to restoring garments damaged by smoke, water and mold. He realized insurance companies covered the cost for such restoration, and he only needed to bring that to the attention of consumers.
