Alex Mindel, an education intern, was accepted into the Tennessee Teaching Scholars Program scholarship for this year. She will receive a monetary award and in return for her pledge to teach in a TN public (preK-12) school for a year after she graduates.
Giordano Publishes Book Chapter
Dr. Pete Giordano, Professor and Chair, Department of Psychological Science, has recently published a book chapter called “Culture and Theories of Personality: Western, Confucian, and Buddhist Perspectives” in a book called Cross-Cultural Psychology: Contemporary Themes and Perspectives, edited by
Dr. Ruth Ford, Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy, was recently certified as a master trainer for “A Matter of Balance,” a fall prevention program offered through Maine’s Health Partnership for Healthy Aging and the Tennessee Department of Public Health. As a master trainer, Dr. Ford can provide the two-day coach’s training, as well as an eight-week participant workshop for older adults. “A Matter of Balance” offers fall prevention strategies, exercise programs, assertiveness training, identification of personal habits that may lead to falls and home and community environmental assessments. This program is designed to empower older adults to be proactive in preventing falls. Dr. Ford intends to incorporate Occupational Therapy student learning activities, community outreach research and residency placements to expose the students to community-based programs that support healthy aging.
Ford Certified as Master Trainer
Commerce Secretary Gary Locke Visits Belmont to Discuss Piracy
Gov. Bredesen, U.S. Rep. Cooper, Nashville Mayor Karl Dean Join Conversation on Intellectual Property Protection
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke met with music industry representatives yesterday in Belmont’s Maddox Grand Atrium to discuss the Obama Administration’s commitment to global enforcement of laws against intellectual property piracy. Before the town hall event at Belmont, Locke was joined by Congressman Jim Cooper and Nashville Mayor Karl Dean for a tour of “Music Row.”
In addition to the nearly 100 Belmont students in attendance, Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher welcomed more than 300 music industry leaders and special guests to the forum, noting, “The topic today is critical to our students’ future as 2,000 of our students are connected to music.”
Secretary Locke said, “Belmont’s School of Music and Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business offer Americans some of the best education in the music industry so it’s appropriate we are having this discussion here… Copyright laws need to adjust to meet the challenges of the 21st century.”
As “America’s Music City,” Nashville is an important hub in the U.S. music industry and has been deeply hurt by the recent rise in online intellectual property piracy. According to recent statistics, only one in 20 songs downloaded from the internet is done so legally.
Songwriter Rob Crosby said, “I don’t know why they call it file sharing when it’s stealing pure and simple.”
With the advent of the Internet, consumers are spending less on recorded music in all formats, and total revenues for recorded music in the U.S. have dropped in recent years. The loss of revenue has injured the local economy, which supports thousands of jobs and a $4 billion industry annually. The Department of Commerce, supported by the expertise of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), serves as the chief advisor to President Obama on intellectual property issues. Led by Director David Kappos, the USPTO also has an ongoing enforcement effort that provides training for government and private sector officials all over the world.
Belmont Student Represents U.S. at World Youth Conference
Junior Joshua Conner represented the United States at the World Youth Conference in Monterrey, Mexico from Aug. 25 – 27. Conner is one of seven people in the U.S. delegation at the conference, which is co-sponsored by the United Nations.
According to a UN spokesperson, “The main objective of the WYC 2010 will be to create a declaration expressing the world’s youth voices on the conference’s eleven themes: poverty and exclusion, employment, education, technology and innovation, health, gender equality, security, social justice and human rights, sustainable development, international migration, citizen’s participation and global cooperation.”
In addition to his role at the conference, Conner currently serves as a member of the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth. Governor Phil Bredesen appointed him to the commission which reviews and makes recommendations on legislation before the Tennessee House and Senate and also approves the distribution of federal grant funds related to juvenile justice and child welfare in Tennessee. The Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth is an independent agency created by the Tennessee General Assembly. Its primary mission is to advocate for improvements in the quality of life for Tennessee children and families.
Conner was also a peer advocate at the Oasis Center for Youth and co-chair of the Tennessee Youth Advisory Council, a youth board that advocates for improved policies affecting juvenile justice, foster care and adoption.
Other Members of the U.S. Delegation to the World Youth Conference 2010 are:
• Alejandra Ceja, Chief of Staff for Martha J. Kanter, Undersecretary of Education, US Department of Education
• Frank Fuentes, Assistant Secretary for Children and Families, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
• Paul Kruchoski, Student, University of Cincinnati
• Erin Mazursky, Youth Advisor, U.S. Agency for International Development
• Bryan Samuels, Commissioner, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
• Paula Uribe, Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.S. Department of State
• Scott Warren, Executive Director, Generation Citizen
DeVries Nominated to Accounting Study Team
Associate Professor of Accounting and Information Systems Del DeVries has been nominated to serve on the Pathways Commission study team to examine the future of higher education in accounting. The commission is a joint effort between the American Accounting Association and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. The commission studies issues such as the shortage of qualified teachers with accounting doctorates, the need to revise the accounting curricula regularly in light of fast-paced business changes, university budget constraints and the need for training in specialized areas to meet professional demands. The Commission will hold its first meeting October 15 – 17 in Washington, D.C.
Beta Alpha Psi Chapter Receives Recognition, Students Present at Annual Conference in California
Belmont’s chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, an international honorary organization for all undergraduate and graduate accounting, finance and information systems majors, was recognized as a “Distinguished Chapter” at the 2010 Annual Conference for Beta Alpha Psi in San Jose, Calif. on Aug. 6. According to the Board of Directors of Beta Alpha Psi, the chapter has “far exceeded the minimum requirements of Beta Alpha Psi and has excelled in the areas of academics, professionalism and leadership.”
BAP president Ruchi Kapadia and vice president Rachel McNabb presented their Innovative Career Networking project in the Best Practices Competition at the conference. Their presentation highlighted activities at Belmont University that help students connect with future employers and learn about professional work opportunities. In addition to presenting, Kapadia, McNabb and Faculty Advisor Dr. Del DeVries attended professional workshops and lectures on international accounting issues. The theme of the conference was “Ethics, Integrity and Independence of Mind.”
Rolston Published in MEIEA Journal
Dr. Clyde Rolston, associate professor and chair of the music business programs, was recently notified that he has had an article accepted in the MEIEA Journal (www.meiea.org). The name of the article is “Can the Madness Be Monetized? Music Piracy and an Exploratory Survey of Consumers” and it was co-written with Storm Gloor of the University of Colorado at Denver. This is Rolston’s third article for this publication.
Belmont’s Phi Kappa Tau Chapter Receives Awards
Phi Kappa Tau’s Zeta Alpha chapter at Belmont recently received numerous awards at the Fraternity’s 59th National Convention in Denver, Colo.
• Academic Excellence
• Administrative Excellence
• Community Service Award (more than 20 hours per man)
• Roland Maxwell Scroll (one of the top four chapters in the Fraternity)
• Philanthropy Award
As one of the top four chapters in the Fraternity, Zeta Alpha chapter is included in Phi Kappa Tau’s Founders Four for the 2009-10 academic year. Top chapters meet Maxwell expectations within the Borradaile Challenge, the Fraternity’s standards program.
Founded in 1906 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, Phi Kappa Tau is a collegiate fraternity that fosters three core ideals within its membership: learning, leading and serving. Currently, the Fraternity has 85 active groups – 77 chapters and 8 colonies, or student organizations in the final stages of being installed as a chartered chapter.
Belmont Alum Unveils First Electric Vehicle Charging Structure in the Southeast
Jim Greene, Belmont alumnus and president of Richland, LLC manufacturing company, recently unveiled a new green parking structure, the first of its kind in the Southeast. The structure, which is basically a carport with a roof made of solar panels, serves as a charging station for electric vehicles and will generate electricity for the area.
The carport, located in the parking lot of Richland LLC in Pulaski, has enough space for 12 cars and the 20 KW solar cell system will produce more than $500 worth of electricity per month— enough to power up to four homes.
