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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WalletHub Features Loes as Expert in Car Insurance Article

Haley Charlton
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WalletHub Features Loes as Expert in Car Insurance Article

WalletHub recently featured Belmont Assistant Professor of Management Dr. Cate Loes in their article “Cheapest Car Insurance in Ohio.”

Loes shared her advice as to whether celebrity endorsements used in car insurance ads are meant to mislead potential customers. In the article, she described the appeal of celebrity endorsements to indecisive customers as well as restrictions against misleading advertising.

 “Celebrity endorsements of products have a long history of impact on consumer decision-making, car insurance is no different,” she explained. “Thankfully the FTC is charged to determine whether companies mislead customers or not.”

To read the full feature, visit WalletHub.

Curb College Alumna Caroline Watkins Signs with SMACKSongs

Charlotte Maracina
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Curb College Alumna Caroline Watkins Signs with SMACKSongs

Former Belmont music business student and Nashville native Caroline Watkins recently signed a worldwide publishing deal with SMACKSongs.

In an article on MusicRow.com, Cole said, “I’ve always been a fan of SMACK, but when I met Robin, Carly [Sater] and the rest of the team, they immediately made me feel so at home and like part of the family, and I could not imagine a better place to get to write songs every day. I am just so thankful to them for believing in me and my songs and am so excited for my future with them.”

During her time at Belmont, Watkins received the Miranda Lambert Women’s Scholarship. The scholarship is intended to help encourage women to pursue their careers in the music industry. Watkins did just that.

Read more about Watkins’ success here.

Get to Know Belmont’s New Dean of Students Dr. Tamika Williams

Charlotte Maracina
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Get to Know Belmont’s New Dean of Students Dr. Tamika Williams

This past June, Belmont University announced its new Dean of Students Dr. Tamika Williams! As the new school year starts, take some time to get to know Dr. Williams in a Q&A below.

What does a “Dean of Students” do exactly?

As Dean of Students, I oversee the Division of Student Life at Belmont University. I am supported by a team of professionals who aid in creating a meaningful out-of-classroom experience for college students. In total, there are 12 areas that comprise the Division of Student Life. These include Residence Life, Counseling, Health Services, Campus Fitness and Recreation, Accessibility Services, Belmont Office of Leadership Development (BOLD), Student Engagement, Community Accountability, Office of Care and Support, GPS, Bridges to Belmont and Multicultural Learning Center.  Through collaborative efforts, we help shape and form future leaders by instilling institutional values of Integrity, inquiry, collaboration, service and humility; provide opportunities for engagement through programs and services offered; address issues and concerns faced; and serve as a resource for students needing support navigating the college experience. It is hoped that through these measures students can gain tools that will prepare them for graduation as well as for life after Belmont. 

What are you looking forward to this school year?

The return of our students has brought a renewed energy. While COVID-19 is still present and steps have been taken to reduce the spread, I am grateful that we are in a position to return to in-person services and programs. 

Where are you coming from and why did you choose Belmont?

Prior to Belmont I worked at Rhode Island College, located in Providence, Rhode Island. While at RIC I served as the assistant vice president and Dean of Students. 

I chose Belmont because of its mission and values. Oftentimes there is a desire to ensure that college students are prepared to graduate. While this is perfectly fine, I like that Belmont takes this a step further by saying that we want students to be prepared for life. There is intentionality to focus on and support the ‘whole’ student. 

If you could tell students one thing you’d like them to know going into this school year, what would it be?

This past year has not been easy. You have gone through experiences you did not anticipate nor did you ask for them to happen. Yet, you are here (and I am happy that you made the choice to be here). As you continue through this chapter of your life, you may experience successes and there may be some setbacks. Remember to be patient with yourself; celebrate victories and learn from mistakes. There is purpose in your story.

What is a fun fact about you?

I absolutely LOVE plants. Prior to moving to Nashville, I owned roughly 60 plants and set a goal to have 100 plants. I created my very own plant bucket list. However, as part of my move, I had to give away many of my plants. Now, I am starting over. If you have a love for plants, share your favorite with me, and maybe we can do a plant swap!

What book are you currently reading?

I am currently reading “Woman Evolve” by Sarah Jakes Roberts. If you have a recommendation, let me know. 

What show are you currently binging?

I am currently binging “Family Reunion (Netflix Original).” Loretta DeVine is one of my favorite actresses. She has a maternal spirit and her laugh can fill a room. If you have a recommendation, let me know (and bonus points if you can share a show that has at least three seasons). 

How can someone reach you if they’d like to connect?

I can be reached via email at deanofstudents@belmont.edu. My office is located in the Beaman Student Life Center, Dean of Students Suite which is located on the 2nd Floor. 

New Belmont Accelerator for Social Innovation Collaboration (BASIC) Awards First Two Grants

April Hefner
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New Belmont Accelerator for Social Innovation Collaboration (BASIC) Awards First Two Grants

Announced to the Belmont campus in early June, the new Belmont Accelerator for Social Innovation Collaboration (BASIC) is designed to bring together University faculty, staff, students and community partners in faith-based social innovation to impact local communities, particularly children 0-8. The University recently announced the awarding of the first BASIC grants to support two initiatives, one focused on strategically engaging root causes of poverty in the Edgehill community, and another partnering with a nonprofit in Antioch to serve local immigrants and refugees with vital social services.

Belmont President Dr. Greg Jones said, “At Belmont, we aim to be a catalyst for hope for our students and the broader community. We want to be frontrunners in the quest for innovative solutions to what are commonly called ‘wicked problems,’ the pervasive and complex issues in our society that often seem beyond reach. The BASIC initiative gives our extremely capable and passionate faculty, staff and students the resources they need to work together with community partners to create effective and innovative approaches to such problems in Middle Tennessee. These first two grants represent what I hope to be the first of many collaborative and impactful efforts that will arise from BASIC.”

Through BASIC-inspired initiatives, Belmont aims to contribute to finding effective, efficient, sustainable and just approaches to complex problems in the world. Examples of such problems could include everything from intergenerational poverty and lack of educational opportunity to health care inequities and drug abuse, and beyond. A requirement of all BASIC proposals, the preliminary initiatives will involve three or more disciplines across Belmont colleges or administrative areas, as complex problems demand interdisciplinary thinking and diverse perspectives.

The first two funded proposals, which will each receive approximately $20,000 in University support, seek to impact children and families in the Edgehill neighborhood near Belmont’s campus and in the Antioch suburb:

EDGEHILL—Faculty and staff in Belmont’s social work, education and community relations areas will work with Carter Lawrence Elementary School’s Extended Learning Program, the United Way Edgehill Family Resource Center, Salama Urban Ministries and The Store, among others, to pilot an extended learning and family support initiative for 25 families in the Edgehill area. Activities will include a 2Gen approach that offers academic, creative arts and wellness enrichment to engage children and their families.

Team Leads:
Sabrina Sullenberger, Professor of Social Work
Joyce Searcy, Director of Community Relations
Mona Ivey Soto, Associate Professor of Education

ANTIOCH—Business, occupational therapy and honors faculty will work with ‘The Branch’ of Nashville, the Antioch United Methodist Church and other area community partners to provide English literacy, nutrition education, workforce development, citizenship access, healthcare options and more to Branch participants, many of whom are refugees or immigrants. Activities will include designing a community center, reimagining strategy for food distribution and building models and curriculum for services.

Team Leads:
John Gonas, Associate Professor of Finance
Kimberlee Entsminger, Professor of Chemistry
Debra Gibbs, Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy
Sara Camp, Instructor of Nursing

Dr. Amy Crook, Belmont’s vice president for transformative innovation, character and purpose, is overseeing the BASIC initiative and working with faculty, staff and students from across Belmont’s colleges and departments on additional grant proposals. “It’s no surprise to see the enthusiasm on Belmont’s campus for the BASIC initiative, as demonstrated by the number of attendees at our summer interest sessions and the number of proposals being generated. This campus is full of dedicated faculty and staff who care deeply about making a long-term impact inside and outside the classroom. I’m excited to see how these first funded BASIC grants connect Belmont more deeply to our region, energize our students’ co-curricular experiences and empower these communities with the resources to tackle complex problems that lead toward sustainable change.”

The second round of BASIC grant proposals are due Nov. 15 with awards for selected initiatives anticipated to be announced before the end of the year.

Curb College Student Caroline Cole to Compete at MPI-IMEX International Future Leaders Forum

Charlotte Maracina
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Curb College Student Caroline Cole to Compete at MPI-IMEX International Future Leaders Forum

Caroline Cole, senior marketing and creative and entertainment industries major at Belmont University, recently became one of six international finalists in the MPI-IMEX Future Leaders Forum. 

Every year Meeting Planners International (MPI), a global organization for all meeting planners, in collaboration with IMEX, another event production and networking company, holds six Future Leaders Forums. At those forums, selected students participate in a competition where they are given an event description from which they create an event brief. Students then present their briefs to industry professionals at the forums. 

Following those presentations, one winner from each of the six forums is chosen to compete in the larger University Challenge at the International Future Leader Forums, which is being held next spring in Frankfurt, Germany. 

In order to get selected to present at one of the six forums, students must go through a vigorous application process. 

“[For] the first step of that process we sent in an application form explaining any of our experience in the event industry, what we wanted to go into and why we thought we should qualify to be a part of the Future Leaders Forum,” Cole recalled.

Once approved and provided with an event description, students form event briefs where their hypothetical event would take place, logistics, travel costs and sponsors. 

The prompt given to Cole was to put on a global education program for teachers. 

“I had to consider international travel, programming and sustainability factors in my planning,” Cole explained. “Who would come and speak at the meetings? How do I plan for food and beverage? Things of that nature. Based on the prompt, I created a conference called ‘Teachers for Tech.’”

Cole’s “Teachers for Tech” event would be hosted in Denver, CO and would focus on helping teachers learn new technology for their classrooms. Throughout the conference there would be a variety of speakers for attendees to choose from as well as several networking opportunities.

As far as preparation goes, Cole attributes her success in the competition to her event management class taught by Jill Robinson, director of external relations and executive learning networks in the Massey College of Business.

“I was lucky enough to take event management with Professor Robinson, which I kind of took on a whim, and it opened so many doors for me. I could not be more grateful about what a fantastic class that was in the program and the education I received throughout it,” said Cole. “I actually know for a fact that I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this if I hadn’t taken that class.” 

In addition to Robinson, Cole also thanked MPI mentor Courtney McGee and Shannon Jones, president of MPI Nashville chapter, for helping her along the way. 

On top of the education received in class, Cole’s extracurricular experience at Belmont contributed greatly to her success. As president of the Belmont Service Corps, a club offering Curb College students the opportunity to volunteer at music industry events, Cole has seen the work that goes into planning high-profile events up close.

“I really got firsthand experience about being inside a high-profile event and the moving pieces of that. It’s easy to miss pieces when you’re not actually there physically doing it. I’ve learned so much in the classroom…but it’s a completely different viewpoint to actually be there and be in the chaos of everything,” Cole explained. 

Cole is set to compete at the Frankfurt Future Leaders Forum April 26-28, 2022.  

Belmont Songwriting Professor’s Song Sampled in ‘’Seeing Green’

Charlotte Maracina
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Belmont Songwriting Professor’s Song Sampled in ‘’Seeing Green’

Drew Ramsey, Belmont songwriting professor, recently had one of his songs sampled in Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne and Drake’s song “Seeing Green,” in which he is credited as a songwriter.

Ramsey’s 2006 R&B song “In My Mind,” co-written with Shannon Sanders and performed by Heather Headley, can be heard looping throughout “Seeing Green.”

Listen to “In My Mind” and “Seeing Green” on all streaming platforms.

Arthur Vining Davis Foundations Awards Belmont University $200,000 ‘Purpose’ Grant

April Hefner
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Arthur Vining Davis Foundations Awards Belmont University $200,000 ‘Purpose’ Grant

With the generous support of the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations (AVDF), Belmont University will initiate a new multi-pronged approach to further embed the concept and personal discovery of purpose into students’ curricular and co-curricular experiences. The $200,000 AVDF grant will support intentional programming, workshops, an alumni mentoring program and a University-wide Spring 2022 course, all designed to aid students in discovering purpose in their current studies and future vocations. Belmont Vice President for Transformative Innovation, Character, & Purpose Dr. Amy Crook wrote the grant proposal and will oversee the implementation of grant-funded initiatives on campus along with an interdisciplinary faculty task force.

Belmont President Dr. Greg Jones, his wife Rev. Susan Pendleton Jones and multiple faculty members will team teach the University-wide course next spring. “At Belmont we believe that all people were created by God for a purpose,” said Dr. Jones. “Further, we know that college experiences – both inside and outside the classroom – play an integral role in helping young people discover, understand and ultimately fulfill that purpose. This grant will help strengthen and deepen our focus on establishing purpose as an integral and signature aspect of a Belmont education.”

AVDF Director of Programs John Churchil said, “We at the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations are excited to be supporting this intentional and informed approach to purpose-oriented education, and we hope that it will benefit Belmont’s students during and after their time in college.”

In Spring 2022, Dr. and Rev. Jones will co-teach a university-wide course titled “Discovering Your Purpose in God,” which is inspired by the “Designing Your Life” program from Stanford University’s Life Design Lab. Each week the couple will offer a lecture or conversation with a distinguished invited guest in the campus’ Massey Concert Hall, which seats nearly 1,000 and offers abilities to live stream or record for additional audiences. Faculty members from five different colleges will then hold class discussion sections to explore how the purpose topics manifest in students’ major field of study, allowing these smaller groups to engage in ongoing analysis and application.

A second component supported by the grant will involve development of discipline-specific initiatives that nurture undergraduate students’ sense of purpose in their vocations. One means of achieving this is the piloting of a Purpose Mentorship Program that connects students with Belmont alumni who have excelled in their chosen fields and shown a commitment to higher purpose in their careers. These small and focused mentor circles will meet monthly throughout the year to discuss their purpose journeys and share vocational wisdom. Other endeavors of the grant will include pulling together students and faculty from complementary programs to collaborate as cross-functional teams in creating opportunities to better understand and articulate how a sense of purpose can be infused across a continuum of industries and professions.

Dr. Crook will lead a task force of faculty in stewarding the decision-making process for grant initiatives at the curricular and co-curricular level. The interdisciplinary task force includes Dr. Lora Harding, Massey College of Business; Dr. Sally Holt, College of Theology and Christian Ministry; Dr. Bruce Dudley, College of Music & Performing Arts; Dr. Sara Camp, Inman College of Health Sciences & Nursing; and Dr. Ken Spring, College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences.

Crook noted, “Students agonize over which major to pursue in order to reach a desired job or career, and universities often provide professional development oriented around this decision. Belmont aims to do more. Our purpose programming, from the University-wide course to discipline-specific programming and alumni mentoring, will prepare students for a different kind of development: We are helping students identify a passion purpose that stirs their heart to action and then analyze the unique opportunities and obstacles in their discipline that will unleash or inhibit their ability to pursue their purpose. With this investment from the AVDF, we can provide intentional opportunities for students to consider ways to entwine purpose in their personal, spiritual and professional pursuits.”

About The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations

The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations were organized in 1952 and are supported by two trusts established by Mr. Arthur Vining Davis. The Foundations are a legacy of Mr. Davis’ successful corporate leadership, and they aim to honor his ambitious philanthropic vision. Since their inception, the Foundations have given over 3,800 grants totaling more than $300 million to colleges and universities, hospitals, medical schools and divinity schools. Mr. Davis intended that his namesake foundations would fund organizations and projects across the nation that advance “religious, charitable, scientific, literary and educational purposes.” For more information, visit avdf.org.

Dual JD/MBA Degree Grad Shares How Program Provides Understanding of Both Business and Legal Languages

Leah Kuhn
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Dual JD/MBA Degree Grad Shares How Program Provides Understanding of Both Business and Legal Languages

In 2019, alumnus Knight Lancaster became the first student to graduate from Belmont’s joint JD/MBA program. The program enables students to complete requirements for both demanding yet high-potential degrees in just three years. Lancaster currently works for Bone McAllester Norton, a Nashville law firm that employs three Belmont Law grads. The firm recently announced it would be merging with Spencer Fane, a national law firm with more than 330 attorneys. Lancaster spends most of his time working on mergers, acquisitions, dispositions and security law matters.

Impressed by the bar passage and employment rates of Belmont Law students, Lancaster chose to attend Belmont’s law school. In his first year, Belmont announced the joint JD/MBA program, which had always been of interest to him. “Being a CPA, most attorneys I met with put me solely in a tax attorney ‘bucket,’ but I was
mainly interested in focusing my taxation and accounting knowledge in the mergers & acquisitions and securities law areas.”

“My hope was that Belmont’s MBA program would broaden the opportunity to put my accounting and tax knowledge to use in the mergers & acquisitions and securities law areas. Ultimately, my education helped me break-through in finding the career opportunity I wanted with Bone McAllester Norton.”

Belmont’s dual program provides a unique perspective for graduates to launch into their careers. The joint JD/MBA program enabled Lancaster to broaden his career horizons and land a job doing what he originally aspired to do, even as he navigates the natural tension between the two fields.

He explained, “Legal advice and business advice have opposite fundamental purposes. At its core, an attorney’s primary role is to protect a business from unnecessary risk or make the business aware of risk and mitigate the same. The role of businesses is to generate a return to its shareholders, which inherently involves risk. This is the fundamental friction between business and legal objectives. The benefit of understanding both business and legal ‘languages’ at a fundamental level is that you can understand where your client is coming from and what is driving his decisions.”

While he was a graduate student at Belmont, Lancaster found time to be a peer mentor within the law school and serve as the Treasurer of the Student Bar Association. He also found community in the business school thanks to the group-nature of his MBA classes. Lancaster shared that although the rigorous program isn’t right for everyone, he is immensely grateful for his time at Belmont and the opportunities that have come with it.

Currently, Lancaster is a member of the Tennessee Bar Association, Nashville Bar Association, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants, and sits on the board of the Young Leaders Council.

“My Belmont education was a difference-maker in my career,” he noted. “My ability to see through both the accounting and legal lenses at a high level allows me to give clients balanced guidance and provide creative solutions that correspond with their financial goals and, ultimately, enable them to help a wider range of people.”

“I want to thank Charles Trost, Jeffrey Kinsler and Dean Alberto Gonzales from the College of Law; Dr. Lee Warren, Dr. Mark Phillips and Dr. Joe Alexander from the Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business; and the Board of Trustees for seeing the value in and the development of Belmont’s JD/MBA program offering.”

Successful Songwriting Alumni Return to Welcome Students at Back-to-School Party

Haley Charlton
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Successful Songwriting Alumni Return to Welcome Students at Back-to-School Party

Songwriting faculty welcomed students back to school on September 1 at 34 Music Square East to kick off the Fall semester. Following a pizza party in the parking lot, the students moved into Columbia Studio A to hear from songwriting graduates Jake Wesley Rogers (Warner Brothers Records), Emily Landis (BMG Music Publishing) and Emily Falvey (Smack Songs).

Rogers performed a song from his upcoming EP, and Landis performed the no. 1 song “The Good Ones” by Gabby Barrett that she co-wrote. Falvey talked about her Belmont journey and how one of her internships led to her signing with Smack Songs.

Each of the graduates spoke about learning how to craft songs in the Songwriting Department and of the many the opportunities Belmont provided.

  • Emily Landis Performs
  • Jake Wesley Rogers Performs

Alumnus Alejandro Sierra Performs at International Student Luncheon

Haley Charlton
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Alumnus Alejandro Sierra Performs at International Student Luncheon

Alumnus Alejandro Sierra recently returned to Belmont to perform at the International Student Welcome Luncheon. Sierra, a former international student and songwriting major (’20) from Quito, Ecuador, performed his unreleased song “Dónde Estás” and breakthrough single “So You Don’t” at the luncheon, songs he wrote during his first summer in Nashville as a Belmont freshman.
 
Sierra is dedicated to helping others receive an education. “I want to start a foundation that helps fund the education of kids who don’t have many financial resources. I was blessed with the opportunity to come pursue the career of my dreams in a foreign country, and I would love to help other kids do the same,” he said. “Money shouldn’t be an issue if there is talent and dedication.”

In 2017 Sierra left his country and began attending Belmont University. Being in Music City inspired him to infuse his sound with powerful chants, Pop-Rock sounds and Afro-Caribbean rhythms. During his college years, Sierra was selected to be a part of both the ASCAP Writers Night and the POP/ROCK Showcase, making him the first Ecuadorian to ever perform at the Belmont Showcase Series.

In 2018 Sierra stepped into Ecuador’s music scene with “So You Don’t,” which was co-written with Grammy-nominated songwriter James Slater. The song earned a top five spot on the Ecuadorian Pop-Radio charts and was voted by industry critics as no. 2 in the Ecuadorian Charts “Best of 2018” list. Sierra’s latest single “Soledad” (Released Jan. 2021) also landed a no. 3 spot on JC Radio La Bruja, one of Ecuador’s biggest Top 40 radio stations.

Sierra, who is currently recording a full-length album for an artist project and writing songs for other artists, says his goal is to keep creating music that brings people together. “I incorporate Spanish and English into my songs with the hope of connecting both cultures,” said Sierra. I have a team of writers and artists who share a similar vision to mine and hopefully soon we can create a platform of World Music that branches out of Nashville and brings all kinds of genres together. I want to travel the world, share my music with other cultures and learn new ways of living.”

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