Senior social work major Kelsey Lalman was recently elected to serve one year as the BSW Student Representative on the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), Tennessee Chapter Board of Directors. This position was elected by the membership of NASW. Kelsey also currently serves as president of Belmont’s Social Work Club.
Lalman Elected as as BSW Student Representative
New Leadership Program Gets Executives Out of the Classroom, Into the Community
Executive Leadership Experience program offers service-learning model focused on real-world experiences
Moving beyond conventional wisdom about developing leaders, Belmont University’s Center for Executive Education (CEE) announced today a completely new executive leadership development program based on the service-learning model, in partnership with key community organizations. Designed in consultation with CEE’s core faculty, CEO speakers and national thought-leaders, “The Executive Leadership Experience” boasts an innovative approach that features experiential-learning scenarios working on live projects in Nashville businesses and community organizations.
Participants will work together in cohorts of six senior leaders each, representing a diverse cross-section of the Nashville community. These teams will tackle real business challenges from the for-profit, not-for-profit, international and entrepreneurial sectors. Highlights of the 2011-12 Executive Leadership Experience program include a three-day Jump-Start in October and eight one-day high impact learning modules led by experts and area CEOS covering topics such as leadership in dynamic and complex environments, leading across generations, creating teamwork for innovation and leading in a digital age.
CEE Executive Director Gene Mage said, “This next-generation program engages future c-suite executives in ways that that go far beyond traditional classroom training. While the participants will absolutely enhance their executive presence and strategic leadership capabilities, their experiences working on live challenges around the community will build both practical application and a more complete picture of their calling as leaders.”
Ingram Content Group President and CEO Skip Prichard added, “Ingram Content Group competes in a fast-paced, global, digital marketplace. To win in this environment, we need leaders who know how to engage a new generation of diverse, tech-savvy employees. I applaud Belmont’s new approach for equipping tomorrow’s leaders to be ready for this new reality.”
A limited number of participants will be accepted for each 10-month cycle in the Executive Leadership Experience. The first cycle begins in October 2011, with a half-day orientation in August. The application deadline is August 15. For more information, contact Amy Irwin at amy.irwin@belmont.edu or 615-460-5554.
Local Farmers Bring Produce to Belmont Community
Local farmers John Cahill and David Daily have put their organic greens, carrots and beets within reach of Belmont students, staff and neighbors with a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) pick up every Tuesday in the Beaman Student Life Center.
“We want to give people the opportunity to eat food from the neighborhood around them, instead of eating food that’s trucked in from across the country,” said Real Food Farms owner John Cahill. He and business partner David Daily plant, harvest and distribute all the produce to 10 locations across Nashville, including the University.
Real Food Farms chose Belmont as a distribution location when Megan Gibson, a Belmont graduate student, contacted the organization on behalf of Slow Foods, a student organization devoted to creating a space of mutual learning through a community garden and other initiatives. Cahill said he thought the partnership would be a good fit for the farm and the Belmont community.
Neighborhood Church, Belmont Faculty Host Academic Summer Camp
A group of students began their summer breaks making sidewalk chalk from plaster and toothpaste from baking soda – all in the name of science.
Belmont University and Kayne Avenue Missionary Baptist Church partnered for a one-month academic enrichment summer camp sponsored by the University’s Office of Community Relations and Department of Education to benefit children ages six to 12 living in the Edgehill neighborhood.
“Our motto this summer was ‘resilient children work well, play well, love well and expect well,’” said camp director Kathy Turner, an instructor in the Department of Education. “We are trying to build resiliency into the Edgehill neighborhood and teach children how to deal with life’s problems.”
Belmont’s Department of Education designed the curriculum for the camp, making it academic in nature while emphasizing literacy and self-confidence. The camp was planned in weekly themes: health and safety, science and nature, music and arts, history and culture.
“We really tried to focus on literacy activities… kids reading and using skills to learn in a fun environment. We made it hands on so we’re learning and not just doing worksheets,” Turner said. “This enrichment summer camp is a great program that everyone would love to see continue and grow.”
Education Alumna Writes Book Series
Elaine Mitchell Palmore (Masters of Arts in Teaching ‘03) is publishing a series of books, in the tradition of Aesop, under the title Fresh Fables that brings child like whimsy and adult wisdom to the struggles of the human condition. These beautifully illustrated stories teach an important lesson, foster discussion, and give children a better understanding of their world. Fresh Fables present grown-up issues in a relatable way to help anyone adapt and thrive.
The first book in the series to be released is The Dragon Who Lives At Our House. In families were substance abuse is prevalent, family life can be chaotic and unpredictable. Children are often left feeling confused and abandoned. The Dragon Who Lives At Our House addresses the issue of substance abuse within the home.
“My inspiration for the book was teaching in public schools and having far too few resources to help children whose parents were in crisis. Having a picture book with explanations would have been of immeasurable help in explaining why, a dad had to go away to prison, or why mom had to go to treatment, or why a family lost everything to an addiction. The most prevalent question being, ‘Why couldn’t they just stop?’ My book answers those types of questions with words and pictures,” said author Elaine Palmore.
Palmore has 30 years of experience as an educator and administrator. She holds a B.S. degree from the University of Tennessee, a Masters of Arts in Teaching degree from Belmont University, and an American Montessori Society credential in Early Childhood and Elementary Education.
Palmore had two stints as a student at Belmont as she first attended Belmont College as an undergraduate student in 1968. She recalls, “There are some wonderful memories from all of my years at Belmont. I like to tell people that Dr. Gabhart was a young man when I started at Belmont, and he was, I was young too. In those days you couldn’t hold hands and walk around campus, dorms were single sex only, and no smoking or drinking ever. I learned to follow the rules. My tenure at Belmont for graduate school was a completely different atmosphere. Graduate school required so much written and verbal communication that my skills as a writer and public speaker were honed to a new level. I so admired my teachers, especially Dr. James Stamper who guided me through student teaching and Dr. Merrie King who was my instructor and mentor for Human Development.”
Elaine has authored articles for several local and national publications, and facilitated workshops on Montessori philosophy, parent education, and teacher preparation. She is currently Director of the Child Development Center at Middle Tennessee State University.
The Dragon That Lives At our House is published by Rising Star Studios and can be purchased locally many bookstores and Amazon.com.
University Website Finalist for Photography Award
The Belmont University website homepage is one of three finalists for EduStyle.net’s “Best Use of Photography” award.
Anyone can vote by online by signing up for a free membership to the website. Voting ends July 15. The winner will receive a trophy when announced Aug. 2 at the eduWeb Conference, an annual event for people who work in online strategy, marketing and technology at colleges and universities across the globe.
“When our in-house team began the redesign, we really wanted to make belmont.edu match the unique, innovative spirit that exists in our students, faculty & staff. We hope that spirit & sense of place is front and center when people visit belmont.edu,” said Creative Services Supervisor April Maglothin.
“We knew we were taking a chance with this design because it steers away from the typical grid for higher education homepages. However, the photography was a priority for us because it isn’t just a design element, it has the ability to tell a unique story. We challenged ourselves to create a streamlined yet functional, narrative site. We’re proud of the end result and hope the Belmont community is as well.”
EduStyle.net allows its members to post comments on and rate other higher education websites.
Quonset Hut Celebration Draws Music Legends
Nearly three decades after the last notes were played in the historical Quonset Hut recording studio, The Curb Foundation, Belmont University and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame arranged a special celebration Monday night to honor the legacy of the studio as well as the songwriters, musicians, singers, producers and artists that graced its hallowed walls.
The Quonset Hut, which is a large prefabricated metal building, was purchased in the mid-‘50s by legendary producer Owen Bradley and his “A-Team” guitarist brother Harold to add on to the house on 16th Avenue the two had turned into a music studio. Originally intended as a space for video production, the Quonset Hut quickly became a hot spot for music recordings, playing host to sessions by Buddy Holly, Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Marty Robbins, Bob Dylan, Dusty Springfield and Brenda Lee, among hundreds of others.
In a 2005 interview with Tennessean reporter Peter Cooper, Merle Haggard said, “It was impossible for me not to be aware of the history of the place when I was recording there in the 1970s. When I walked in there, I always realized, ‘Hey, this is where they cut ‘I Fall to Pieces.’ If you’re at all interested in country music, you know about the Quonset Hut.”
After 25 years of churning out hit songs in the country, pop and rock genres, the Quonset Hut doors were shut in 1982, and eventually the building was used for office and storage space. Recognizing its significant historical status, Mike Curb acquired the building in 2005 and had the studio restored back into a recording facility. Belmont University now operates the Quonset Hut for teaching, sessions and events, so music is once again ringing inside its walls.
On Mon., June 27, many of the people who helped create history in this great studio gathered once again in the room where so many hits were made, trading songs and stories as part of the re-opening celebration. Harold Bradley, Whispering Bill Anderson, Little Jimmy Dickens, Ray Stevens, Charlie McCoy, Jim Glaser, David Frizzell, Beckie Foster, Norbert Putnam, Steve Gibson, Ray Edenton and Glenn Snoddy were among those who participated in the evening. Click here to see additional photos from the Quonset Hut celebration.
Belmont University Breaks Ground on New Residence Hall, Parking Garage
Phase one to add 298 beds, 562 parking spaces to campus; construction extends University’s economic impact in Middle Tennessee
Belmont University held the official groundbreaking ceremony today for a 298-bed residence hall and 562-car underground parking garage being constructed in the Bruin Hills Apartment area on the southeastern corner of campus. The nearly 110,000 square foot structure is being built on property near the intersection of 15th and Bernard avenues. In addition to the five stories above ground, the facility will also include a three-level underground parking garage.
In addition to expanding campus residence and parking capacity on Belmont’s campus, the construction represents significant economic impact for the city of Nashville. Anticipated to cost $30 million, this project is expected to generate 240 new jobs, adding up to more than 1,600 construction-related employment opportunities the university has generated in the other nine major building/renovation projects on campus since 2002. Dollars invested by the University in construction have grown exponentially in the past decade as well, from $20 million in 2000-2001 to a cumulative total of more than $236 million in 2011.
Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher said, “This new construction represents our ongoing effort to provide an exemplary residential experience for students who seek a complete living/learning community environment. Moreover, this campus growth also reflects our University-wide vision to engage with and serve the Nashville community as a contributing partner in the creation of jobs and development of service-minded citizens.”
The campus’ physical growth comes as a result of significant enrollment expansion from 2,976 students in 2000 to more than 5,900 in 2010-11. These students are making their own contributions to Nashville, offering more than 26,600 hours of service to the community over the course of the last year as part of Belmont-sponsored programs and classes.
Belmont Alumnus Signs With Kansas City Royals
Belmont Baseball graduate Derek Hamblen (Plano, Texas) has signed a contract to play with the Kansas City Royals organization. Playing both outfield and infield, he holds more BU career records than any player to come before him and is now the second Bruin senior to sign a professional contract in 2011. Nate Woods (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) signed with the Florida Marlins earlier this month.
“We are very excited Derek is getting this well deserved opportunity,” Head Coach Dave Jarvis said. “We’re just so proud of him for getting this chance to go on and play at the next level and he has sure earned it after four tremendous years at Belmont.”
During the Bruins’ championship run in 2011, Hamblen set two new single-season Belmont records as well as being the leader in four categories in the Bruins record book. Hamblen helped lead Belmont to its first ever Atlantic Sun Championship and was named Tournament MVP for his performance.
Hamblen graduated from Belmont May 2011 with a degree in Business Administration.
For more information click here.
Professor Published in American Journalism
Pam Parry, chair of the Communication Studies Department, had a book review published in the Spring 2011 issue of American Journalism, a quarterly journal published by the American Journalism Historians Association. Parry reviewed Robert Shogan’s No Sense of Decency: The Army-McCarthy Hearings: A Demagogue Falls and Television Takes Charge of American Politics.
