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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Betty Wiseman Honored in Hometown

Paul Chenoweth
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Belmont alumna and Senior Women’s Administrator/Assistant Athletic Director Betty Wiseman of Portland Tenn., was honored recently when Portland Mayor Kenneth Wilber surprised her with the declaration that the walking trail at Richland Park would be known as the “Betty ‘Sam’ Wiseman Walking Trail.”

Wiseman is well-known at Belmont as she helped found the women’s basketball program, was named “Coach of the Year” four times, named Belmont’s “Alumni of the Year,” inducted into the Belmont Athletic Hall of Fame, inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame and most recently authored a book about sports evangelism work with annual mission trips around the world.

Wiseman was shocked and honored to receive such a designation. “The park sits on the place where our house was, where our family lived, and it looked out over where the baseball fields are,” Wiseman said.

“When my dad was alive, the last time I took him up there, we walked around and discovered a rock where our house was… I’m just thinking about my mom and dad tonight,” she said. “They would be so proud.”

Alumnus, Former Student Compete in NBC’s ‘The Sing Off’

Paul Chenoweth
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Former Belmont student Ruby Amanfu and Curb College alumnus Kaleb Jones are contestants on this season’s “The Sing Off,” scheduled to conclude just after Thanksgiving. Jones and Amanfu are members of The Collective, a group of nine independent singer-songwriters from Nashville, Tenn. competing against 15 other groups for the title of winner and a $100,000 prize.

“This rare group of singer-songwriters left their egos at the door to demonstrate that there is strength in numbers,” NBC describes The Collective.

With a group of nine solo artists, Jones said it wasn’t easy to combine into a group. Becoming what he called, “a really warm, Southern, soulful sound” required the members to “learn on the fly.”

A baseball player in high school, Jones wasn’t interested in music until he tore his rotator cuff during his junior year and discovered he was passionate about guitar. That passion led him to Belmont in 2004 where he pursued a degree from the Curb College.

“I have had a blast, and I’m proud of everything we’re doing. But you never know how they’re going to put in on TV,” Jones said. “I’m excited to share it with the world.”

Ruby Amanfu, a West Africa native, attended Belmont in 1998 and performed in the first alumni showcase in 2008. She co-wrote the song “Heaven’s My Home” with Katie Herzig that was performed by the Duhks and was  nominated for a 2007 Grammy award for Best Country Performance. The song, performed by duo Sam & Ruby, also appeared in the 2008 film “The Secret Life of Bees.”


Belmont Men’s Basketball Team Named as a ‘Sleeper’

Paul Chenoweth
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Both CBS Sports and ESPN recently highlighted Belmont’s men basketball team in stories. CBS’s “Belmont looks to continue success” includes an interview with head coach, Rick Byrd, and outlines the success Belmont has on its horizon. With a successful season of winning over 30 games under their belt, complacency could be a concern, but not with Belmont.

Coach Byrd discusses the trip’s recent trip to Italy and how pleased he was with what he saw on the court. “Our biggest concern is we can’t lose the edge that we had and held throughout last season,” Byrd said. “There was not a game that our guys weren’t ready to play and weren’t excited about playing… The things that made us a good a year ago were still there, in terms of attitude and unselfishness. We saw those same characteristics.”

ESPN highlighted the team as “sleeper” – or a team to watch in the upcoming season.

Due to Belmont and Coach Byrd’s “perfect recipe for a Cinderella success,” ESPN says the men’s basketball team is one to expect victory from.

To read CBS’s story, click here. For more information on ESPN’s story, click here.

Belmont Commits to Teaching Community Service Through Financial Giving

Paul Chenoweth
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KIVA, ‘Living a Better Story’ initiatives integrated into curriculum for freshmen, sophomores
In conjunction with the year-long campus theme of “Wealth and Poverty,” Belmont University is instituting two programs that aim to show students the powerful change that can occur through financial giving. A partnership with micro-lending organization KIVA is being targeted to freshmen while sophomores are being encouraged to participate in the “Living a Better Story” initiative, which invites them on a 21-day commitment to take money, multiply it and use it to make a difference in the lives of others. Both programs began last fall as test cases and are being fully implemented this academic year as part of the university’s curriculum.

Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher said, “I tell every incoming student that God made them for a purpose, and that the one thing we know is that their purpose isn’t about them. The University’s commitment to the KIVA and ‘Living a Better Story’ initiatives will effectively show students a concept that’s easy to miss in the classroom: that financial giving—in any amount—can make a huge difference in the lives of neighbors near and far.”

KIVA
The partnership between Belmont University’s freshman class and KIVA will provide thousands of dollars in loans to small business entrepreneurs in developing countries around the world. Though students have only been on campus a few weeks, several steps have already been taken to establish the partnership with KIVA, the world’s first personal micro-lending website, and the project will continue to play out over the course of the academic year:

  • Nearly 500 students have already joined the Freshmen KIVA initiative and loaned their funds, providing more than $12,000 in small business loans to entrepreneurs around the world.
  • Each student’s account has been seeded with $25. An anonymous donor will match up to an additional $25 in funds, giving each freshman the opportunity to invest a total of $75 in a KIVA.org entrepreneur’s venture.
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Angelou: ‘Rainbows in Clouds’ Liberate Voices

Paul Chenoweth
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Dr. Maya Angelou speaks at Belmont University Sept. 19, 2011.

Literary genius Maya Angelou urged the Belmont and Nashville communities to “be rainbows and not just in one” by letting their gratitude precede them and encouraging each other during her keynote address at the University’s 10th Annual Humanities Symposium on Monday evening.

“When it looked like the sun wouldn’t shine anymore, God put a rainbow in the clouds,” Angelou sang after acknowledging the sold out Curb Event Center’s welcoming applause with a bow. “I am so pleased to be at Belmont. I know that this University with its intent is a rainbow in the sky. I know that there are many young men and women who are students here who represent the first time anyone in their families have ever gone to an institution of higher education. That is a rainbow in the clouds. That means that there is a possibility of seeing light.”

Her keynote address began with her interpretation of God putting a rainbow in the sky in Genesis as a symbol of the possibility of seeing hope. Angelou shared the story of her grandmother raising her in rural Arkansas and how young Angelou was silenced at age seven because she thought her words killed her rapist. Her rainbows included Ms. Flowers, a teacher who told young Angelou she could not love poetry until she felt it on her tongue and let it roll over her teeth.

Her grandmother was also a motivating force. “’Mama don’t care about what these people say about you that you must be an idiot or a moron because you can’t talk. Mama know when you and the good Lord get ready, Sister, you gon’ be a teacher. You gon’ teach all over this world,’” she recalled her grandmother’s encouraging words.

“It is my blessing to teach in French and Spanish and English. If I had not started with that statement, ‘when it looked like the sun wouldn’t shine anymore, God put a rainbow in the clouds,’ you could think I was bragging. If I am bragging at all, I am bragging about the rainbow in my clouds. People who said, ‘Yes, I believe you could do it. It’s OK you don’t have to talk right now. I believe you can do it,’” Angelou said.

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Belmont University Ranks in Top 20 in Nation for Entrepreneurship

Paul Chenoweth
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From over 2,000 schools surveyed by The Princeton Review for Entrepreneur magazine, Belmont University was recognized as having one of the top 50 entrepreneurship programs in the country. Belmont ranked No. 19 in the undergraduate category of the survey.

The eighth annual ranking reveals the nation’s top 25 undergraduate and top 25 graduate programs for entrepreneurship. Belmont’s ranking can be seen at www.entrepreneur.com/topcolleges and www.princetonreview.com/entrepreneur.

Dr. Pat Raines, dean of Belmont’s College of Business Administration, said, “We are thrilled our entrepreneurship program continues to be recognized as one of the Top 25 programs in the country. Our faculty provide tremendous support and have a passion for innovation that cultivates an environment for success. Our students benefit from the many resources we offer to support their own endeavors, including opportunities to interact with local entrepreneurs, compete in business plan competitions and get involved in our student-run businesses or Hatchery system. We are very proud of the accomplishments of our students and alumni and the impact they are making.”

Dr. Jeff Cornwall, director of Belmont’s Center for Entrepreneurship, added, “The creativity, work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit of our students and alumni is what makes our program work. Our success is a direct result of their success.”

Belmont was evaluated based on key criteria in the areas of teaching entrepreneurship business fundamentals in the classroom, staffing departments with successful entrepreneurs, excellence in mentorship, providing experiential or entrepreneurial opportunities outside of the classroom, as well as non-traditional, distinguishable aspects of their programs.

In addition to this honor, Belmont’s program has also been recognized as a National Model Undergraduate Program for Entrepreneurship Education by the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) and was featured last year as one of five schools to consider when studying entrepreneurship by Fortune magazine.

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Cusic Wins ‘Cowboy Culture Literary Award’

Paul Chenoweth
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Don Cusic recently won the “Cowboy Culture Literary Award” for his writings. The award is presented by the Cowboy Culture Association at the Cowboy Symposium in Lubbock, Texas. Cusic’s most recent book (his 20th) is The Cowboy in Country Music, published by McFarland. Cusic was interviewed by Smithsonian Magazine about his new book; that interview is in www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture.

Education Faculty Present at Florida Reading Conference

Paul Chenoweth
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Education faculty Rachael Flynn-Hopper and Lauren Lunsford presented at the Florida Reading Association’s Annual Conference on Sept. 9 in Orlando, Fla. Their presentation entitled, “Comprehension Strategies for the Secondary Classroom: Before, During, and After Reading” addressed various research-based comprehension strategies for content area teachers of grades 7-12 as well as literacy coaches working in middle and high schools. The workshop involved modeling strategies, reflection and sharing of ideas from the participants, and making connections across schools, districts and content areas.

Professor, Alumna Receive Grant to Study Black Holes

Paul Chenoweth
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Assistant Professor of Physics Scott Hawley has been awarded a grant for his proposal “Spin Dependence in Binary Black Hole Initial Data,” to use  the super computers at Oak Ridge National Laboratories.  Hawley and Belmont alumna Lindsey Thompson, now a Fulbright scholar in England, will use the massive memory of super computer “Nautilus” to conduct high-resolution simulations of black holes.

Belmont’s Panhellenic Begins to ‘Think Theta’

Paul Chenoweth
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Belmont’s Panhellenic system has opened its doors to welcome a fourth sorority to campus as Kappa Alpha Theta recruits new members and prepares for the installation of the organization’s Eta Phi chapter. The organization, known as Theta, has three international aims – scholarship, social influence for good and a moral code of love.

“Belmont always looks to enrich the lives of our students through co-curricular experiences,” said Coordinator of Student Activities  Sara Rochford. “As our chapters have been growing larger we wanted to ensure that all female students would be able to have an opportunity for involvement in sorority life, if they so wished. So we needed to grow our community to ensure access. ”

The organization is excited to welcome a new round of 120 women, both upper and underclassmen, who will be the first to “think Theta” on campus and has plans to instantly become a viable member of Belmont’s Greek system. The recruitment process began this week with Theta’s PR Blitz, consisting of informational tables and five sessions held during both evenings and convocation hours.

The colonization kick-off event will be Sept. 22, an evening devoted to allowing interested women to meet members of the organization’s Grand Council, local alumnae and college women from assisting universities.

Bid Day, scheduled for Sept. 25, will kick off a  six-week period where colony members will be educated about the fraternity and will learn what it means to be a Theta. The colony will become a chapter on Nov. 6 at Theta’s Installation Celebration where members will sign and receive their charter.

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