From over 2,000 schools surveyed by The Princeton Review for Entrepreneur magazine, Belmont University was recognized as having one of the top entrepreneurship programs in the country. Belmont ranked 18th in the undergraduate category of the survey, the only Tennessee program to be included. 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.
Dr. Jeff Cornwall, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship, said, “I continue to be amazed by the entrepreneurial spirit of our students. It is their success being recognized by these awards. We need this generation of entrepreneurs to help us revitalize our economy and reignite the free market.”
Dr. Pat Raines, dean of the College of Business Administration and interim provost, added, “Once again, everyone at Belmont University is thrilled that our entrepreneurship program is listed among the Top 25 in the country by Entrepreneur magazine and the Princeton Review. The curriculum our experienced faculty deliver provides our students with the skills needed to start businesses in the virtual economy or the global economy. Opportunities for interacting in the community with local entrepreneurs, competing in business plan competitions and getting involved in our student-run businesses or Hatchery system foster the hands-on emphasis of our programs.”
Belmont’s entrepreneurship program 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.
Belmont’s Entrepreneurship Program Gains National Top 20 Ranking
Tarr Named A-Sun Player of the Week
Sophomore Brandon Tarr earned Atlantic Sun Player of the Week honors after leading the Belmont men’s soccer team to a 2-0 weekend and the Mafiaoza’s Invitational tournament title. Tarr, last season’s A-Sun Freshman of the Year, received his first conference honor of the year after scoring three goals and adding one assist in Belmont’s wins over Centenary and Gardner-Webb last weekend. The forward scored one goal and added one assist in the Bruins’ 5-2 victory over the Gents on Friday. He then came back with both BU goals, including the game-winner, in a 2-1 win over Gardner-Webb on Sunday. Click here for more on this story.
Alumni Honored at ASCAP Country Music Awards
Several Belmont alumni were honored this week at the 2010 ASCAP Country Music Awards celebration including Rob Blackledge, Canaan Smith, Hillary Lindsey, Chris Young, Ben Vaughn, Jeremy Stover, Frank Rogers, Dann Huff, Carla Wallace, Jess Cates, Ashley Gorley, Kelley Lovelace, Brad Paisley and Don Poythress. Click here for more on this story.
Tiner Quoted in Tennessean
Professor of Media Studies Rich Tiner was recently quoted in an article in The Tennessean titled “Nashville football fans need to adjust radio dials.” Click here to read the article.
Belmont Teaching Fellow Featured in City Paper
Greg O’Loughlin, a Nashville Teaching Fellow who is receiving his Master of Arts in Teaching from Belmont, was recently interviewed in a cover story for the City Paper titled “A look inside our changing public schools.” Click here to read the story.
Biology Students Conduct Research at Nashville Zoo
Students from Dr. John Niedzwiecki’s BIO 3330 Animal Behavior class visited the Nashville Zoo on Sept. 13 in preparation for month long research projects at the Nashville Zoo. Pairs of students will each be working with a zoo keeper to test hypotheses about a specific animal’s behavior. Both the students and the zoo will benefit from this collaborative effort.
Sport Science Students Help Instruct Homeschoolers
Dr. Tabby Bewley, associate professor of sport science, gave her Physical Education class the task of researching home schooled students in the area. The Physical Education students have gathered a group of 28 homeschooled students from the Nashville area that will be arriving for their introduction to their Physical Education class on September 28. They will meet each Tuesday and Thursday this semester in the Sport Science Center, and Belmont students will be instructing them in these sessions.
Kuryla Presenting Paper at Oxford
Peter Kuryla (History) is presenting a paper at Oxford University on September 25 at the “William James and the Transatlantic Conversation” conference. The conference is in memory of the centenary of the philosopher William James’ death. Kuryla’s paper is titled “A Prosthetic Aesthetic: Henry James, Sr. and the Cosmopolitan Education of William and Henry James.”
Women’s Basketball, Tennis Teams Participate in Gift of Life Walk
The Gift of Life Walk is a non-competitive walk which focuses on raising awareness about kidney disease and the need for organ donation while raising funds to support the programs and services of the Tennessee Kidney Foundation. The walk presents an opportunity for dialysis patients, transplant recipients, donors and donor families, the medical community and the general public to come together to celebrate life and create lasting support for the Tennessee Kidney Foundation. Belmont’s women’s basketball team and women’s tennis team came out to River Park on Saturday morning to support TKF. The basketball team hosted a skills camp for kids participating in the walk, and the tennis team encouraged walkers crossing the finish line. Overall, the walk was a fun day and a great success!
Belmont University Tops 5,900 Students
Enrollment growth, rankings continue to flourish for 10th straight year
Following the official period when students can drop/add classes or withdraw, Belmont University realized a record-breaking final census of 5,936 students on campus as the university’s growth continues at a phenomenal rate for the tenth straight year. This year’s enrollment marks an increase of nine percent from last year and a rise of 99 percent since 2000 when the school enrolled 2,976 students. The Belmont student body currently consists of 1,293 graduate students and 4,643 undergraduates, representing record figures in both categories.
Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher said, “Not only is this our largest enrollment to date, but our incoming class also represents our strongest student pool ever. This indicates to me that many of the country’s best students are discovering Belmont to be a truly unique place where their passions and talents can be developed to meet the world’s needs.”
This year’s incoming freshman class represents 44 states and four foreign countries. The University received a record number of more than 3,330 applications for freshman admission. The average ACT score for the 2009-10 freshman class is 26. Thirty-five percent of new freshmen at Belmont were in the top 10 percent of their graduating class, and 68 percent were in the top quarter. This year’s freshman class of 1,019 students held an average un-weighted cumulative high school GPA of 3.53, including 25 valedictorians and 10 salutatorians.
In the annual U.S. News & World Report ranking of America’s best colleges and universities, Belmont was cited for the third year in a row as a Top School to Watch and was ranked 5th in the Regional Universities South category, the highest ranking for the university to date. Once again, Belmont was also the highest ranked university in Tennessee in this category and was praised for its commitment to undergraduate teaching and the strength of its learning communities. The rankings are based on several quality indicators including peer assessment, student retention rates, graduation rates, student-faculty ratios and scores on college entrance exams.
Interim Provost and Massey Dean of the College of Business Administration Dr. Pat Raines added, “The improvement in our peer ratings proves Belmont University’s growing national reputation for the high quality of our academic programs and the commitment of our faculty to teaching. Engaging students in transformative learning is at the heart of all we do.”
Belmont’s record-breaking enrollment news comes on the heels of significant announcements in the University’s physical growth as several new buildings opened recently. On Aug. 21, Belmont celebrated the grand opening of the new 90,000 square foot McWhorter Hall, which houses the Schools of Pharmacy and Physical Therapy, as well as the Department of Psychological Science. The university also opened two residence halls, Patton Hall and Bear House, which collectively provide an additional 103,000 square feet of residence space for more than 400 Belmont freshmen. In addition, Belmont announced plans for the renovation of Belmont Heights Baptist Church’s main sanctuary to transform the space into a classical Concert Hall. A groundbreaking for Belmont’s College of Law is expected this fall as well.
