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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Alumna Shares Stories from India Mission

Paul Chenoweth
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Belmont alumna Megan Stephens (’09) returned to campus on Jan. 20 as part of the “Alumni on Mission” series in an event sponsored by the Belmont Ambassadors and the Office of Alumni Relations. Alumni on Mission is an ongoing speaker series featuring Belmont alumni who incorporate mission and ministry in their everyday lives.

Shortly after graduating from college, Stephens said she felt God called her to two things: missions and teaching.

“I felt like God wanted me to do missions, but I didn’t know when, where or how,” said Stephens, who studied middle school teaching.

Overcoming safety concerns from her family and the daunting task of raising $12,000, she moved to Siliguri, India in 2009 to home school the 17-year-old daughter of missionaries while looking for opportunities to do mission work herself. She has since become a Young Life representative, working with high school students in the small town, and an English teacher at a local seminary. Stephens continues homeschooling other children in exchange for her rent.

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Belmont University Adds Spring 2012 Session of the Executive Leadership Experience

Paul Chenoweth
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Belmont University’s Center for Executive Education announces the addition of a spring class for the Executive Leadership Experience program, beginning March 25, 2012. This will be the second cohort of the 10-month senior executive development program, open to both business and not-for-profit senior leaders.

Executive Director Gene Mage said, “The feedback on our first program was very strong, so we decided to add a spring cohort to accommodate client requests. We are keeping the class sizes small to maintain an active, experiential learning environment.”

Participants from the fall program offered high praise for the new experiential program. Rick Martin, senior director at Asurion Corporation, noted, “The Belmont Executive Leadership Experience has given me advanced and exclusive insight into the leadership behaviors of successful leaders and their companies. More importantly, it has provided me the opportunity to develop and enhance those same behaviors through mentorship, executive guidance, projects and access to some of the leading company executives and behavioral researchers throughout the country.”

The speaker line-up for the spring program features national experts including Jason Jennings, best-selling author of It’s Not the Big That Eat the Small… It’s the Fast That Eat the Slow; Cam Marston, one of the country’s leading authorities on leadership across the generations and author of Generational Insights; Scott Schwertley, CEO of Ethos3 and author of How to Be a Presentation God; and fitness and nutrition guru Cynthia Heroux.

Participants receive individual assessment and feedback on their leadership behaviors and styles, and 1:1 executive coaching throughout the program. They receive in-depth training in topics such as executive presence and presentation skills, strategic thinking, inclusive leadership, dealing with conflict, negotiation skills and performance excellence, and apply the learning to real projects in the Nashville community.

There are a limited number of openings available for the spring program by application only. For more information on the Executive Leadership Experience, contact Gene Mage at 615-460-6614 or visit: http://www.belmontleadership.com/c-suite.

Athletics, SGA Initiate ‘Guest Coach’ Honor

Paul Chenoweth
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Belmont Athletics, along with corporate sponsor Cowan Benefit Services, has initiated a “guest coach” program at men’s home basketball games to honor a Belmont faculty or staff member.

Dr. David Julseth receives his Guest Coach honor from SGA Cabinet member Marleen Abdelnour.

The honorees are selected through a nomination process done by SGA where Congress members are invited to suggest a nominee and discuss what impact the individual has on the Belmont community and why he or she should be chosen. Congress then decides on that week’s Guest Coach recipient.

SGA President Rachel McNabb said, “It is such a rewarding moment to be able to reflect and share stories as to how so many professors have impacted the lives of Belmont students. I know that myself, Cabinet and Congress feel blessed to have the opportunity to give back to our professors in such a small but significant way. “

Director of Athletic Marketing Jimmy Frush said that the main objective of this program is to do something that publicly recognizes what faculty and staff do on a daily basis for their students. The recipient is joined on the court by an SGA member to be recognized before the starting line up and receives a block of tickets to the game, a T-shirt and a basketball signed by both coaches Rick Byrd and Brittney Ezell.

Dr. David Julseth, chair of Belmont’s department of foreign langugage, was honored at the 2011 game against Trevecca, and Dr. Julseth said being presented was one of his favorite parts of the 2011 semester, especially because the nomination came from students.

When asked about his advice for Coach Byrd, Dr. Julseth said, “I attribute our overwhelming win against Trevecca (86-61) to the fact that, as guest coach, I cheered from a safe distance and let Coach Byrd do his job.”

Upcoming honorees include Amy Hodges Hamilton (Jan. 28), Mary Rau-Foster (Jan. 30) and Thom Storey (Feb. 6).

Past honorees for both the 2011-2012 and 2010-2011 seasons have included David Julseth, Bob Byrd, Sue Trout, Jeff Cornwall, Don Purdy, Nathan Griffith, Robert Lambert, Sarah Ann Fleming, Regine Schwarzmeier, Beth Woodard, John Gonas, Vaughn May, Harold Fogelberg, Colonel James Cook, Mike Pinter, Joseph Byrne and Shelly North.

Schenkel Honored with Entrepreneurship Award

Paul Chenoweth
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Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship Mark Schenkel recently received the United States Association
for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) President’s Award for Outstanding Service. The plaque is in recognition for his outstanding leadership and service serving as senior vice president of operations and planning on the USASBE Board of Directors.  The award was presented on Jan. 15 during the 26th annual USASBE conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. USASBE is the largest independent academic organization in the world dedicated to advancing the discipline of entrepreneurship.

Walton Presents Paper at Philosophy Meeting

Paul Chenoweth
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Dr. Melanie Walton, assistant professor in the philosophy department presented a paper entitled “Possibilities: A Response to C. Smith’s ‘Sliding Doors'” to the Philosophy of Time Society from Nottingham at the 108th Annual Meeting of the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association in Washington, D.C. in December.

May Duo Creating Delightful Treats Through Bakery

Paul Chenoweth
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The Sweet Stash, a bakery owned by Dr. Vaughn May (Political Science) and his wife, Whitney May (Belmont Music Business alumna, ’06) was recently featured in The Tennessean. The May’s recently remodeled their home kitchen into a commercial kitchen and have been baking savory confections such as breads, cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and whoopie pies in a variety of creative flavors including maple butternut squash, chocolate chip orange, and caramel toffee crunch.

Whitney does most of the baking while Vaughn handles much of the day-to-day business. The Sweet Stash sells its bakery treats at the Nashville Farmer’s Market and also accepts custom orders for special occasions such as weddings and parties.

Belmont University ‘Tops Out’ Baskin Center

Paul Chenoweth
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$32 million building will house College of Law upon completion this summer

Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher speaks at the Baskin Center 'Topping Out' celebration.

Belmont University’s College of Law today celebrated the official “topping out” ceremony for the Randall and Sadie Baskin Center, a 71,000 square foot facility that will serve as the College’s permanent home upon the building’s completion this summer. In August 2011, Belmont’s College of Law welcomed its charter class of 132 students who hail from 14 different states.

College of Law founding Dean Jeff Kinsler said, “From breaking ground on this building to hiring our first faculty members to welcoming our charter class, Belmont’s College of Law has already achieved some incredible milestones. Today we celebrate another as we ‘top out’ this building which will soon house Middle Tennessee’s next generation of great legal minds and community leaders.”

The Baskin Center, which will cost approximately $32 million when completely outfitted, will be located on the southwest corner of the intersection of Acklen and 15th Avenues and will include a five-level underground parking garage accommodating 520 cars. Slated to open in July 2012, the Baskin Center is being designed and built by locally-owned companies Earl Swensson Associates and R.C. Mathews. The Baskin Center will house a high-end furnished Trial Courtroom outfitted with state-of-the-art AV equipment for mock trials.

The building will also include a large two-story Law Library and will provide three large, auditorium-style classrooms with tiered seating. In addition, the Baskin Center will contain more than a dozen classrooms, an appellate courtroom, more than 20 faculty offices and a Grand Lobby Rotunda area. Designed with the needs of law students in mind, the building will feature numerous amenities including a student commons, wireless Internet access, offices for student organizations, a locker room and food service.

The Baskin Center will also seek to attain silver LEED certification. LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts. The new building will feature a Geothermal Heating and Cooling system and energy efficient light fixtures as well as utilize energy conservation methods within the building’s utilities (electricity, plumbing and HVAC).

Former Belmont Athletic Director Larry Striplin Passes Away

Paul Chenoweth
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Former Belmont University Athletic Director Larry Striplin, Jr., 82, died yesterday in a Birmingham, Ala. hospital. Striplin established Belmont’s first men’s basketball team in 1952 and served in that capacity for four years, along with coaching baseball and serving as Belmont’s first Athletic Director.

Betty Wiseman, Belmont’s current assistant athletic director and senior women’s administrator, said, “We are all deeply saddened to hear of Larry’s passing. Belmont University has lost a dear friend. Our history in Belmont Athletics will always be traced back to the hiring of Larry as our first athletic director and basketball coach in 1952. We will forever be grateful for his life and legacy in our history and heritage. Larry Striplin will always be remembered as the ‘patriarch’ of Belmont Athletics. I have been deeply moved through the years by his players who continued to show deep love, respect and gratitude for their Coach and the impact he had on their lives. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Rhonda, and the family.”

Visitation will be held on Fri., Jan. 27, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame (2150 Richard Arrington, Jr. Boulevard, Birmingham, AL).  Funeral services will be held on Sat., Jan. 28, at 11 a.m. at First United Methodist Church (518 19th Street North, Birmingham, AL).  Burial will be at 4 p.m. that day at Live Oak Cemetery, 300 Dallas Avenue, in Selma, AL, following a brief graveside service. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in Mr. Striplin’s name to Birmingham-Southern College through the Office of Institutional Advancement, 900 Arkadelphia Road, Birmingham, AL 35254; to the Bryant-Jordan Student-Athlete Program, P.O. Box 10163, Birmingham, AL 35202; or to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, 2150 Richard Arrington, Jr. Boulevard, Birmingham, AL.

As Belmont’s head basketball coach, Striplin posted a 58-42 record and recorded three winning seasons in his four-year tenure. He produced Belmont Athletics’ first All-American in any sport, Robert Barnes, who continues to be regarded as one of Belmont’s all-time great student-athletes. Larry would later honor this unique athlete by establishing the Robert E. Barnes Graduate Scholarship Award, presented annually to a student-athlete who is entering graduate school upon graduation from Belmont.

Coach Striplin remained a friend and benefactor to the university throughout his life. Belmont’s Striplin Gymnasium was named in his honor, along with the Striplin-Wiseman Athletic Office Complex in the Curb Event Center. In 1980, he was one of the first three charter members of the Belmont Athletic Hall of Fame.

Born November 11, 1929 in Selma, Ala., Larry Striplin, Jr. was a businessman and philanthropist. He attended Spring Hill College in Mobile for two years and graduated from Birmingham-Southern College with a B.S. Degree in Education. He continued his education at George Peabody College (now Vanderbilt) in Nashville, Tenn., where he earned his M.A. Degree in Education. He was the CEO of Nelson-Brantley Glass Company and Circle “S” Industries and was instrumental in establishing the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, serving for 13 years as Chairman and a total of 23 years on the hall’s board. Striplin also founded the Bryant-Jordan Student-Athlete scholarship program in 1986. Almost $10 million has been distributed to more than 2,200 senior student-athletes since the program’s inception.

Parry Donates Oral History Interview to Eisenhower Library

Paul Chenoweth
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Pam Parry, chair of the Communication Studies Department, signed Jan. 18 a deed of gift to the Dwight Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene, Kansas, donating an oral history interview. The interview with Richard C. Snyder, the son of President Eisenhower’s personal physician, will be added to the holdings of the library for use by future researchers. The president’s doctor — Dr. Howard Snyder — was a key figure in the administration because Eisenhower had three illnesses while in office, including a heart attack, stroke and ileitis (Crohn’s disease). Parry interviewed Richard Snyder for her dissertation, titled “The PR President: How Ike Transformed Political Communication.” The Eisenhower Library is one of 13 presidential libraries in the nation.

Belmont’s Chinese Program Expands with Study Abroad Trip, Book Donation Award

Paul Chenoweth
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Belmont University’s Chinese program is growing this year with a Chinese Language Summer Institute and a book donation award to immerse students in Chinese language and culture.

“More Chinese language speakers will be required to facilitate and support future commercial and political relationships, both in China and in the U.S.  The professional opportunities for Americans who speak Chinese are on a skyrocketing scale,” said Qingjun Li, assistant professor of Asian Studies and Chinese Language.

Twenty students have registered for the Chinese Language Summer Institute, a six-week program to begin in May, Li said. Students will take elementary Chinese for two weeks at Belmont, followed by a month-long study abroad trip to mainland China and Hong Kong. The institute offers students up to 12 credit hours, with two Chinese courses and a choice from four electives: Third Tear Writing, Asian Humanities, Junior Cornerstone and International Business. The classes will be taught by Belmont and Zhengzhou University professors.

Li said Mandarin, the first language of more than 20 percent of the world’s population, is becoming an increasingly important language because of China’s growing economy. The country has the world’s second largest economy and is predicted to take the No. 1 spot from the United States in the next two decades. Business Week has said that learning Chinese is a “resume-builder,” calling it “the most advantageous foreign language for business persons to acquire.”

“Over 35 million people worldwide are learning Chinese, and over 2,500 universities in 100 countries are teaching Chinese.  Just about everyone knows that China is one of the largest trading partners of the United States, but few people may realize that over 16,000 U.S. companies do business in China and have long-term investments there. It might be a surprise to learn that China is also the second largest export destination for Tennessee merchandise,” Li said.

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