Belmont senior Matt Lefavor and alumnus Nick Williams took top awards in their categories at the Nashville Technology Council 2010 Awards Ceremony. The ceremony, held in the Renaissance Hotel ballroom Oct. 28, drew 400 of the city’s leading technology professionals.
Lefavor, the Information Technology Student of the Year, is a double major in Computer Science and Philosophy in the Belmont Honors Program and has presented undergraduate research in both fields. His most recent summer job was data mining at the Goddard Space Flight Center, preparing the next Mars Rover to find life on the Red Planet. Williams, the Software Programmer/Engineer of the year, earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Belmont in 2009. He was a double major in Computer Science and Audio Engineering Technology. He is currently a software developer at PureSafety, provider of risk management software to 35 percent of the Fortune 500 companies.
Lefavor’s award marks the second year in a row that Belmont has claimed the IT Student of the Year. The 2009 award winner was Hank Carter, a Computer Science major who finished his B.S. in May 2010 and is now a graduate student at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Like each of the 12 award winners, Lefavor and Williams took home beautiful new Epiphone guitars. The guitars are a symbol of the NTC “Feel the Beat” Technology Awards, and each year they are decorated with a unique design. Lefavor also took home a fully-loaded laptop, courtesy of NTC sponsor Hewlett-Packard, and a $500 scholarship also provided by Hewlett-Packard.
Belmont Wins Big at Nashville Technology Council 2010 Awards
Belmont’s McWhorter Hall Wins National Award for ESa’s Design
Belmont University’s McWhorter Hall—which houses the Schools of Pharmacy and Physical Therapy as well as the Department of Psychological Science—has received a Citation of Excellence Award in the national Learning By Design competition. The annual competition is sponsored by the National School Boards Association and Stratton Publishing and Marketing, Inc.
McWhorter Hall is one of 11 Citations of Excellence Award winners that were deemed the best in the nation by a recognized panel of architects and educational facility specialists. This facility and the other 10 winners will be published in the 20th Anniversary Spring 2011 edition of Learning By Design. Winners were chosen on the basis of innovative design and design excellence.
The academic building, designed by Earl Swensson Associates, Inc. (ESa), maintains the historical architectural style prevalent on the Belmont campus, while containing innovation for which the university has become known. Experiential learning spaces include a sophisticated, licensed campus pharmacy and a clinic that provide services to students, faculty and staff. Interdisciplinary simulation labs add futuristic dimensions to the programs taught within the facility.
Biology Students Attend 2010 Southeast Population Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics Meeting
John Niedzwiecki (Biology) and a group of students from the biology department recently attended the 2010 Southeast Population Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics (SEPEEG) Meeting in Madison, Florida. The students attending the conference were Atinuke Osinusi, Caleb Binkley and Mark McFarland. Niedzwiecki gave an oral presentation titled “Introgression of Habitat-Specific Traits in an Ambystomatid Hybrid Zone.” Atinuke Osinusi’s poster presentation was titled “Indirect Effects of Predation Risk on Dragonfly Nymphs.” Caleb Binkley’s poster presentation was titled “The Persistence of Chemical Cues in an Aquatic Predator/Prey System.” Mark McFarland’s poster presentation was titled “Sublethal Effects of pH on the Activity of Physid Snails.” Many schools, mostly large research universities from the Southeast, were represented, including UGA, Emory, Clemson, Univ. of Tenn., Univ. of Florida, Florida State, East Carolina, SE Lousiana State and others.
Riechert Participates in PRSA Southeast Leadership Rally
Bonnie Riechert participated in the Oct. 29 Public Relations Society of America Southeast Leadership Rally in Atlanta. She is a board member of the Nashville Chapter of PRSA and the incoming secretary for the southeast district. Also attending the rally were representatives of the Alabama, Georgia, Charlotte and Lookout PRSA chapters. Topics included chapter programming, fundraising, leadership development and accreditation in public relations.
Cusic Inducts Eddy Arnold Into Walk of Fame
On Nov. 7, Don Cusic, professor of music business, inducted Eddy Arnold into the Music City Walk of Fame. Cusic presented Belmont alumnus Shannon Pollard, grandson of Eddy Arnold, with the award. Country music artists Little Jimmy Dickens, Mel Tillis and Kris Kristofferson were in attendance.
In addition, Cusic was nominated for the Country Music Association’s Jo Walker Meador International Award. The award recognizes outstanding achievement by an individual or company in advocating and supporting country music’s marketing development in territories outside the United States. The award is generally presented at CMA’s annual membership meeting. Cusic is nominated because he has written for several international music publications and taken students to London since 1988.
Students Compete in ‘Battle of the Brains’
Belmont students will compete in the 35th annual IBM-sponsored Association for Computing Machinery International Collegiate Programming Contest, also known as the “Battle of the Brains,” regional competition Nov. 6 at Tennessee Technological University. Tens of thousands of students in more than 90 countries will participate in the global competition, and the top 100 regional champions will go on to compete Feb. 27- March 4 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
Six Belmont students will be participating in this year’s competition. Team one, also known as “Brute Force,” includes Kevin Crowl, Cameron Behar and Brandon Sharp. Team two, also known as “Bandits,” consists of Cory Hughes, Trevor Hinesley and Will Proffitt.
Students will be challenged to use their programming skills and rely on their mental endurance to solve complex, real world problems under a five-hour deadline. Teammates collaborate to rank the difficulty of the problems, deduce the requirements, design test beds and build software systems that solve the problems under the scrutiny of expert judges. The team that solves the most problems correctly in the least amount of time will win a coveted spot on the world finals roster. The best and brightest information technology students from around the globe will compete for awards, scholarships, prizes and bragging rights to the “world’s smartest trophy.” Battle of the Brains is the oldest, largest and most prestigious programming contest in the world.
Parry Publishes Book Review
Pam Parry, associate professor of communication studies, had a book review published in the Summer edition of American Journalism, a peer-reviewed journal of media history. Parry reviewed Seymour Topping’s memoir of the Cold War titled On the Front Lines of the Cold War: An American Correspondent’s Journal from the Chinese Civil War to the Cuban Missile Crisis and Vietnam. Parry is a doctoral candidate at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg whose dual specializations are in public relations and media history.
Belmont University Dedicates McWhorter Hall
Governor Bredesen, others participate in ceremony honoring healthcare leader Clayton McWhorter and the late Fred McWhorter
Belmont University honored Clayton and Fred McWhorter Friday morning during the official dedication ceremony for the newly opened McWhorter Hall. The 90,000 square foot, state-of-the-art academic building houses the University’s Schools of Pharmacy and Physical Therapy, as well as the Department of Psychological Science. McWhorter Hall was named in honor of Belmont Trustee Emeritus and Chairman of Clayton Associates, Clayton McWhorter, and his brother, the late pharmacist Fred McWhorter. Both men dedicated their careers to the healthcare field, making a difference in the lives of countless individuals and championing healthcare reform.
In addition to Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher and Board of Trustees Chairman Marty Dickens, others offering remarks included Tennessee Governor and longtime McWhorter family friend Phil Bredesen, SHOUTAmerica Executive Director Landon Gibbs and Clayton Associates President Stuart McWhorter, Clayton’s son.
While all the speakers remarked on Clayton McWhorter’s countless contributions to healthcare and the education of future generations, the event centered around Clayton’s brother Fred, who was a practicing pharmacist for more than 50 years. Clayton McWhorter said, “My brother Fred practiced pharmacy like it should be practiced and stayed true to his profession, loving every minute of it. I believe he would be honored to have this building bear the McWhorter name, but I’m even more hopeful that the student pharmacists and other health care specialists learning within these walls will look to my brother as a premier model of their profession.”
A portrait of the brothers, painted by noted artist Shane Neal, was unveiled at the ceremony along with a plaque of dedication: “I will consider the welfare of humanity and relief of suffering my primary concerns (Oath of a Pharmacist). This building is dedicated in honor of beloved healthcare leader Clayton McWhorter and his brother, longtime practicing pharmacist Fred McWhorter. May their example of professional knowledge, personal integrity, innovative leadership and tireless giving to their community and their patients inspire the many students who will walk these halls.”
Click here to see additional photos from today’s event. Click here to read more details about the building from the grand opening ceremony in August.
‘The Insider’s View’ Presents Exclusive Roundtable on Michael Jackson’s Epic Years
On Wednesday evening, Belmont University, in partnership with BMI, hosted a special edition of The Insider’s View, an exclusive roundtable discussion exploring the solo career of Michael Jackson. The four featured speakers—Frank Dileo, Steve Popovich, Larry Stessel and Dan Beck—all served in strategic positions at Epic Records during Jackson’s unprecedented career from 1975 until his untimely death in 2009. Mr. Dileo, who personally managed Michael throughout much of the 1980s, reunited with the singer just weeks before he passed away.
Beck, who product managed Michael Jackson at Epic through the “Dangerous” and “HIStory” albums, said, “The opportunity to share our unique experiences of working with Michael Jackson with the students at Belmont University was very special for each of us. As long-time friends and colleagues, we have an extraordinary respect and appreciation for each other’s work, so we were eager to learn from this event as well. The students, faculty and administration at Belmont created the perfect environment for us to capture for the first time, some historic perspective on Michael’s phenomenal career.”
In addition to serving twice as Jackson’s manager, Dileo was head of Epic’s national promotion department, which yielded seven Top 10 singles from “Thriller.” Jackson first played the album for Dileo in his car on a Walkman, and then asked his radio promoter what he thought could be done to market the project. “To get out of the car,” Dileo recalled, “I just said, ‘I’m going to release two singles at one time.” Though unprecedented at the time, the strategy worked, and Dileo landed both “Billie Jean” and “Beat It” in the top five on the radio charts at the same time.
“Thriller” remains the largest selling album in the history of recorded music. Jackson’s music videos dominated the airwaves and changed popular music. His dance moves enthralled the world, and the controversies surrounding his life garnered global headlines. From a childhood star to the ultimate rock, pop and soul superstar, Michael Jackson will be a topic of cultural historians and enduring fans for decades to come.
“Before MTV started in the early ’80s, you really became a star based on your music, on the songs and on touring,” said Stessel, who served as the product manager and point person for the marketing strategies in launching “Thriller.” “There’s a good possibility that we’ll never again see the type of mania that surrounded the Beatles, Michael Jackson or Elvis.”
Searcy Offers Keynote Address
Joyce Searcy, Director of Community Relations, was the keynote speaker at the 2010 Women and Political Activism Conference hosted by the Nashville Women’s Political Caucus.
The caucus was held on Oct. 13 and taught female students how their involvement in politics can influence the government and its programs. Nearly 25 students from Belmont were in attendance.
Founded in 1973, the Nashville Women’s Political Caucus works to strengthen the position of women in all aspects of political life. The NWPC strives for the full and equal participation of women in government and the political process.
