On March 3, occupational therapy students Rebecca Anderson, Reagan Bergstresser-Simpson and Kristi Jarrett presented their thesis poster at the 27th International Seating Symposium held at the Opryland Hotel. The title of the presentation was “Examining the Quality of Life of Children with Physical Disabilities Who Participate in a Community-Based Recreation Program: A Mixed Method Design.”
The study examined the relationship between participation in organized, community-based recreation and perceived quality of life for children with physical disabilities. A mixed-method, cross-sectional design was used with thirteen participants recruited from ABLE Youth in Tennessee. All participants used a wheelchair as their primary mode of mobility. Quantitative data was collected using the Pediatric Quality of Life Instrument (PedsQL™), which measures perceived quality of life, and the qualitative data used a phenomenological approach with individual interviews. The results of the PedsQL™ suggested that the majority of the participants had a moderately high quality of life. The investigators identified six major themes in the qualitative information that described the children’s perspectives on what contributed to their quality of life and how their participation in recreational activities contributed to this life satisfaction. These themes included: health benefits of physical activity, opportunity for socialization, having a choice, identity as a wheelchair user, having a positive attitude and empowerment by abilities & future goals. The researchers believe participation in ABLE Youth contributed to a positive perception of quality of life for the participants.
Occupational Therapy Students Present at National Seating Symposium
ACPE Visits School of Pharmacy
On March 9-10, the Belmont University School of Pharmacy underwent a successful Monitoring Visit by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. The visit is another step in the multi-year review process that the school is undergoing as it moves toward eligibility for full accreditation in 2012. During the visit, the review team toured McWhorter Hall and other campus facilities, met with faculty and students, as well as with area health care providers.
Dean Phil Johnston said, “It’s gratifying when your professional peers are so complimentary about the thing into which our faculty have invested such effort over the past four years.”
Belmont Ranked Top Undergraduate Business School in Tennessee by BusinessWeek
For the third year, Belmont University’s undergraduate School of Business achieved a Top 100 national ranking in Bloomberg BusinessWeek’s annual report on “The Best Undergrad B-Schools” in the U.S. Belmont is now the highest ranked business school in the state of Tennessee. Ranked at No. 99, Belmont placed ahead of the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, the University of Arkansas, Louisiana State University and the University of Kentucky.
Belmont’s College of Business Administration (COBA) Dean J. Patrick Raines said, “Once again, we are thrilled that Belmont University’s College of Business Administration is ranked among the elite business programs in the country by Bloomberg Businessweek. We are proud of the academic quality of our faculty and the innovative programs that we offer. We are honored to be selected as the top undergraduate business program in the State of Tennessee.”
BusinessWeek uses a comprehensive methodology for its rankings calculations that includes nine distinct measures. Overall, the magazine surveys around 85,000 business majors, who describe the quality of teaching, and 600 corporate recruiters, who report which business schools produce the best graduates. The magazine also researches the median starting salaries for recent graduates and the number of graduates from each program who go on to attend national top tier MBA programs. BusinessWeek then calculates an academic quality score for the undergraduate schools by combining average SAT scores, faculty-student ratios, average class size, the percentage of students with internships and the number of hours students devote to class work each week.
BusinessWeek’s complete rankings of the “Best Undergraduate B-Schools” including the full rankings methodology, interactive tables, in-depth profiles and a discussion forum are available at www.businessweek.com/bschools/undergraduate.
Bruins Headed to the Big Dance and March Madness
Selection Sunday Party Set for March 13
The Belmont men’s basketball team won the 2011 Atlantic Sun Conference Championship Saturday night with a convincing 87-46 win over North Florida and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins (30-4) are the first team in the nation to 30 victories in NCAA Division-I basketball and will appear in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in six years.
This weekend Belmont University Athletics will host a ‘Selection Sunday’ watch party as the men’s basketball team awaits its opponent and site of play for the 2011 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship. Join the Bruins and the Belmont Community as we celebrate the program’s fourth NCAA Tournament automatic berth and 30-4 campaign.
Belmont head coach Rick Byrd and the entire Bruin team will be on hand. Voice of the Bruins Kevin Ingram will again serve as emcee for the event.
Schedule of Events
Sunday, March 13: Beaman Student Life Center (adjacent to Curb Event Center)
4 p.m. – FREE food & refreshments served
4:30 p.m. – team introduction
5 p.m. – Selection Show airs live on CBS
There is no charge for admission, and parking is available in the Curb Event Center garage.
Belmont Men’s Basketball Highlights
• Four NCAA Tournament Appearances (2006, 2007, 2008, 2011)
• Eight Atlantic Sun Conference Championships (four regular season, four tournament) since 2006
• First NCAA program to reach 30-win plateau this season
• NCAA-leading 18 road/neutral court victories this season
• Undefeated 12-0 record at Curb Event Center this season
• 25 of 30 victories this season by double figures
• No. 1 in the nation in scoring margin this season
• Most productive bench in NCAA Division-I men’s basketball this season
• Six postseason appearances in the last eight years
• Received Associated Press and/or ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ national poll votes eight consecutive weeks
• No. 2 in national Mid-Major Top 25 Poll on CollegeInsider.com
• NCAA-best Nine Academic All-America selections since 2001
• One of only 12 programs in nation with NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) Honor Distinction every year of existence
• Six of last nine Atlantic Sun Conference Male Student-Athletes of the Year recipients from Belmont men’s basketball
Head Coach Rick Byrd Highlights
• 610 career victories – one of only 12 active head coaches with 600+ career victories
• 518 career victories at Belmont – one of only five active head coaches with 500+victories at current school
For more information on Belmont Men’s Basketball, visit www.BelmontBruins.com.
Bennett Lectures at Marquette Media Seminar
Sybril Bennett (Media Studies) spoke on Feb. 24 at her alma mater, Marquette University, as part of the Centennial Seminars program which featured media scholars. The title of Bennett’s lecture was “Is Entertainment Eclipsing News?”
Thomas Lectures at Biology Seminar Series
Jennifer Thomas (Biology) recently spoke at Lipscomb University as part of their Department of Biology seminar series. Thomas presented a talk titled “From Warts to Cancer: Understanding the Biology of Human Papillomaviruses.”
Psychological Science Faculty Present at Conference
Psychological Science faculty Linda Jones, Seraphine Shen-Miller, Lonnie Yandell and Pete Giordano recently attended and presented at the 23rd Annual Southeastern Teaching of Psychology Conference in Atlanta, Ga. This conference is the longest continuous running regional teaching of psychology conference in the country. The conference offers concurrent sessions and invited addresses on teaching techniques and issues associated with undergraduate education. Time is also available for participants to get to know each other and establish contacts with fellow teachers throughout the Southeast.
Along with faculty from Mississippi State and Delta State University, Jones presented a session titled “Teaching Human Sexuality: Challenges and Solutions.” Along with a faculty member from the University of San Diego, Giordano and Shen-Miller presented a session titled “Incorporating Cross-Cultural Themes in the Psychology Curriculum.” Along with faculty from Emory University and Mount Olive College, Giordano presented a session on “Teaching Undergraduate Courses in Clinical and Counseling: Challenges and Solutions.”
Riechert Judges Competition, Appointed to Research Board
Bonnie Riechert (Public Relations) recently coordinated judging the annual competition for the Religion Communicators Council, an interfaith association of more than 500 religion communicators working in print and electronic communication, advertising and public relations. More than 260 entries in the council’s annual DeRose-Hinkhouse Memorial Awards were judged, with classes including periodicals, public relations materials, writing for publication, specialized writing, internet communication, social media, public relations/advertising campaign, graphic design/art/photography, and audio and video/broadcast/nonbroadcast/cable. The awards will be presented March 31 at the council’s annual conference in Little Rock, Ark.
In addition, Riechert has been appointed to a national ad hoc working group to conduct research and provide recommendations to the Universal Accreditation Board (UAB). The board administers the program for Accreditation in Public Relations (APR), a voluntary certification program for public relations professionals. Board members on the UAB include representatives of the Public Relations Society of America, the Agricultural Relations Council, the Florida Public Relations Association, the Maine Public Relations Council, the National School Public Relations Association, the Religion Communicators Council, the Southern Public Relations Federation, the Texas Public Relations Association and the Asociación de Relacionistas Professionales de Puerto Rico.
Vaughn Publishes Article
Mary Vaughn (Communication Studies) published an article in Communication Teacher (vol. 24, issue 1) titled “‘What Are You Doing Friday Night?’: Introducing Students to Face Management & Perception.”
Ecke Presents Research
Jeremy Ecke (English) recently presented his current research at the Marco Manuscript Workshop on digital humanities at the University of Tennessee on Feb. 4-5. This presentation, “Alliterative Lineage: Manuscripts & Modern E-ditions,” forms part of his research for a book of critical essays and an anthology of alliterative verse that will trace the formal and cultural tradition of alliterative composition from runic inscriptions to modern translations and adaptations in various dialects and time periods of English. Ecke will present two further working chapters of his book project in the coming months at the Sewanee Medieval Colloquium and the International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University. The titles and dates for the presentations follow below:
“Voice and Performance in Anglo-Saxon Poetry.” Sewanee Medieval
Colloquium, Voice, Gesture, Memory, and Performance in Medieval Texts, Culture, and Art. Sewanee University. April 9, 2011.
“The Development of Form & Genre in 15th & 16th Century Alliterative Verse.” The International Congress on Medieval Studies. Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo. May 14, 2011.
