Belmont University was again selected for the Colleges of Distinction, a Web site and college guide profiling more than 240 of America’s best bets in higher education. Belmont has been included on the list since 2007. Based on the opinions of guidance counselors, educators and admissions professionals, Colleges of Distinction honors colleges that excel in four areas of undergraduate education: student engagement in the educational process, great teaching, vibrant learning communities and successful outcomes.
Belmont will be profiled on the Colleges of Distinction Web site and in the official Colleges of Distinction guidebook. The selected Colleges of Distinction schools are found all across the United States. The schools’ average faculty-student ratio is 13:1, and most have an average class size of 20. The schools vary in size from universities of 7,000 students to small liberal arts colleges of 1,000 or fewer.
Belmont University Named a ‘College of Distinction’
Thune Awarded NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship
She becomes first female student-athlete from Belmont to receive the grant
Belmont University women’s cross country and track runner Brittany Thune (Sioux Falls, S.D.) was recently named a recipient of a coveted NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. She was one of only 29 female student-athletes who competed during the spring sports season across all NCAA Divisions (I, II or III) selected to receive the 2009-10 Spring Scholarship.
She becomes the fifth Belmont student-athlete and the first female student-athlete to receive the non-renewable grant of $7,500 from the NCAA, joining former men’s basketball players Andy Wicke, Justin Hare and Adam Mark, and former men’s tennis and soccer player Marcos Cabrera.
Thune became another first earlier this month when she was honored as a 2009-10 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Women’s Track and Field and Cross Country Third Team selection, becoming the first cross country/track and field athlete, male or female, and only the ninth Belmont student-athlete on any athletic team to garner the recognition. Thune was also the recipient of three of the Atlantic Sun Conference’s most prestigious awards – Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the Postgraduate Scholarship and the league’s nomination for the NCAA Woman of the Year award. Click here for more on this story.
COBA Names Massey Dean, Medlin Chair
Dr. J. Patrick Raines has been named the Jack C. Massey Dean of the College of Business Administration. Raines has served as dean of Belmont’s College of Business Administration since 2003. This new title is named after the legendary Nashville businessman who took three companies public on the New York Stock Exchange. The purpose of the position is to foster excellence in the administration of all business programs at Belmont University: the undergraduate School of Business Administration, The Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business and the Scarlett Leadership Institute.
Dr. Barry Padgett has been named the James A. Medlin Chair of Business Ethics and Professor of Management in the College of Business Administration. He comes to Belmont after 10 years of teaching at Bellarmine University, where he also directed the Ethics and Social Justice Program since 2002. In addition to teaching, he has written two books, including his most recent, Professional Morality and Guilty Bystanding: Merton’s Conjectures and the Value of Work.
Thune Named CoSIDA ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Third Team
Belmont women’s cross country and track runner Brittany Thune was named to the 2009-10 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Women’s Track and Field and Cross Country Third Team, as announced Thursday by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Thune becomes the first cross country/track and field athlete, male or female, and only the ninth Belmont student-athlete on any athletic team to garner the recognition. She also becomes only the second female student-athlete in school history to receive the award. Click here for more on this story.
Computer Science Major Interns for United Methodist Communications
Belmont senior Chris Driggers is on the team bringing the Methodist Church to iPhones. Driggers, a computer science major, is a full-time intern this summer for United Methodist Communications (UMCOM), which handles the communication, public relations and marketing needs of he United Methodist Church. According to Chris, “The great thing about being an intern as part of the Technology Team at UMCom is getting exposed to a wide variety of web technologies.”
Danny Mai, director of technology at UMCOM, is a double Belmont alumnus, earning his B.S. in Computer Science with a minor in Religion in 1995, and his M.B.A. in 2004. Since joining UMCOM, Danny has welcomed many Belmont students for internships, including Stuart Childs (2008) and Zane Colgin (2009).
Hooper Presents Paper
Dr. William Hooper, associate professor of computer science, recently presented a paper to the Intellectbase International Consortium Academic Conference in Nashville. Intellectbase International Consortium (IIC) is a professional academic organization dedicated to advancing and encouraging quantitative and qualitative (including hybrid and triangulation) research practices. Dr. Hooper’s paper titled “A Process for the Study and Teaching of Machine Languages” appears in the proceedings of the conference and has been submitted for publication.
Belmont Student Nominated for VH1 Do Something Award
Massey graduate student Alecia Venkataraman was recently nominated for a VH1 Do Something Award for her work with the nonprofit organization Make It Beautiful, Inc. The Do Something Award recognizes people 25 and younger who are committed to social change.
Alecia founded Make It Beautiful, Inc. after marrying an abusive husband and escaping with only $50 to her name. Make It Beautiful leads empowerment campaigns across the country and helps people overcome adversity. ,
In addition to working with Make It Beautiful, Alecia also serves as owner and C.E.O. of the digital production studio 1STOPdigital and volunteers for the Global Advocacy Initiative.
To view Alecia’s nomination profile, click here
Volleyball Reaches New Heights for Academic Excellence
On the heels of its most distinguished academic year in program history, Belmont Volleyball will receive the 2009-10 Team Academic Award from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). The Bruins posted a team grade-point average (GPA) of 3.54 – which included a spring semester team GPA of 3.65. Both represent new program standards since Belmont joined the Atlantic Sun Conference in 2001.
“To attain this level of success at a school as academically challenging as Belmont is an outstanding achievement,” head coach Deane Webb said. “I believe it is a rare and valuable combination to succeed off the court while excelling on the court at the level we have the last four years.” Click here for more on this story.
Nashville Teaching Fellows Holds Opening Ceremony
The Nashville Teaching Fellows (NTF) program hosted an Opening Ceremony for their 2010 Summer Institute. NTF is a program in which highly qualified teachers are placed in high need Nashville schools with the goal of increasing student test scores and making a difference in the lives of children. Belmont is the university partner for the fellows, and representatives of the School of Education were on hand to support the opening celebration. Dr. Trevor Hutchins, Dr. Sammy Swor, Dr. Annette Little, Andrea McClain and Misty Wellman all were present to meet the new cohort of close to 100 fellows.
The celebration began with a film highlighting the experience of a few fellows from the first cohort, how fellows affect their students and Belmont’s role in the program. The film was created by Rebecca Banaszak, a fellow from the first cohort, at the request of Dr. Swor. Dr. Jesse Register, superintendent of Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS), was the keynote speaker and the program was closed by two talented MNPS students. Sebastian Jones, a student at Hunters Lane High School and Darius Teasley, a recent graduate of Stratford High School, recited SLAM Poetry (a combination of writing and performing poetry) describing what it’s like to grow up in their neighborhoods and what a teacher did to make a difference in their lives. Both young men received standing ovations.
Pyschology Alumnus Authors Textbook
Daniel Corts, Belmont psychology alumnus, is the author of a forthcoming textbook (Prentice Hall) called An Introduction to Psychological Science. His co-author is Mark Krause of Southern Oregon University. After graduating from Belmont in 1992, Dan obtained his Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and is now an associate professor of psychology at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. He was also recently elected the Midwestern Regional Vice President for Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology.
