Belmont University has experienced minor flooding from this weekend’s severe weather, which has affected electrical, phone and internet service on campus. Due to these issues, all classes and co-curricular activities scheduled for Monday, May 3 are cancelled. Monday classes will be re-scheduled for Wednesday, May 5.
Belmont University offices will be open on Monday, but faculty and staff are encouraged to use their best judgment regarding travel to and from campus.
Classes, Activities Cancelled Monday; Classes Re-scheduled for Wednesday
Giorgianni Elected Vice-Chair, Chair ELect of APHA Caucus
Dr. Sal Giorgianni, director of Experiential Education & Development for the School of Pharmacy, was recently elected Vice-Chair and Chair elect of the American Public Health Association’s newly formed Caucus On Men’s Health. In addition, Giorgianni will be teaching an elective on men’s health for the Fall 2010 semester, one of only a few such classes currently offered in the U.S.
George Marsden Headlines 20th Annual Research Symposium
Dr. George Marsden, acclaimed author and professor, served this week as the keynote speaker for the 20th Anniversary of the annual Belmont Undergraduate Research Symposium (BURS). Each year BURS provides undergraduates an opportunity to conduct independent research and present it to a community of peers. More than 100 student presenters from fields across campus offered glimpses of their research in sessions held yesterday. Click here for a listing of all the presentations.
Marsden, a leading scholar in the area of the history of religion in America, spoke at a keynote address Thursday evening in Troutt Theater as well as at a Friday morning convocation in Neely on the topic “The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship.” At the convo Marsden opened by asking what difference it makes that Belmont is a Christian university. “There are opportunities in a Christian university to find coherence between the spiritual center of your life and the intellectual subjects you are studying. But this doesn’t happen automatically. It’s something you have to look for, something you have to do.”
Marsden then analyzed three different approaches to a Christian university with the first two representing the extremes of separatist indoctrination versus an attitude that Christianity and the surrounding culture can comfortably co-exist without interference. However, he argued on behalf of the third type in which faith and learning are integrated. “The most basic question to ask in trying to have a more integrated view is, ‘Is God in the picture when I think about things?'”
Marsden not only wrote the widely acclaimed 2003 biography Jonathan Edwards: A Life, he also authored another 15 major books, over 35 book chapters, over 30 scholarly articles and numerous book reviews. Dr. Marsden graduated from Haverford College with a bachelor of arts degree and honors in History, he received his bachelors of divinity at Westminster Theological Seminary, and both a masters and PhD in American Studies from Yale University. He taught at Yale, Calvin College, Duke Divinity School, and the University of Notre Dame. He held a visiting professorship at Harvard Divinity School after retiring from Notre Dame and is currently teaching at Calvin College.
Perry to Compete May 16 for Miss USA
Tucker Perry, a junior commercial music major, was crowned Miss Tennessee USA 2010 in October and will compete in the Miss USA pageant on Sunday, May 16. The show will be broadcast live from Las Vegas on NBC.
Perry said, “Belmont has been so dear to my heart since the moment I stepped foot on this campus almost three and a half years ago. I feel so honored to be able to represent not only the state of Tennessee, but also Belmont University, and most importantly, the School of Music. I am so excited about this opportunity.”
CCSA Unveils New Scholarship Fund
The Cooperative Center for Study Abroad (CCSA) held an open house on Belmont’s Scholarship and Awards Day to officially unveil the newly renamed “CCSA Scholarship Fund” in honor of the previous executive director Dr. Michael Klembara and also a new scholarship in his and his wife Linda’s name. Having moved to Belmont six-months ago, the central office is officially opened and staffed. CCSA held its first semi-annual board meeting in its new host city of Nashville.
CCSA is a higher education consortium of 24 colleges and universities, headquartered at Belmont University. CCSA currently works with member schools from Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Tennessee and offers study abroad programs in Australia, Belize, Canada, England, Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Scotland and South Africa. Classes are taught by faculty from consortium-member schools, and CCSA attracts more than 500 students per year to its wide range of programs.
Alumna Watters Volunteers in Haiti
Jennifer Watters, an ’06 Belmont Physical Therapy alumna, was featured in an article in the April 12, 2010 People Magazine. Jennifer is currently volunteering in Haiti with Handicap-International, U.S. for three months. She began her work in early March. Click here to read the content of the People article and to follow Jenn’s blog throughout her stay.
Reich, Swartz Receive ETS Awards
Stephanie Reich and Caleb Swartz both received the Educational Testing System (ETS) Recognition of Excellence award for scoring in the top 15 percent for the Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching (the standardized test teachers must pass in order to be licensed). Stephanie also received the award for English Language and Literature Content Knowledge test. She scored 196 out of 200.
Mongolian Fellow Studies Belmont’s Teaching Center
Dr. Dolgormaa (Dolly) Jamiyan, chair of the English Department at the University of the Humanities, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, is about to conclude her semester-long affiliation with Belmont University. A Humphrey Fellow from Vanderbilt University, Jamiyan came to America to study higher education and faculty professional development. She chose Belmont’s Teaching Center for her professional affiliation.
Dolly chose Belmont because of its likeness to the University of the Humanities. According to Dolly, the University of the Humanities has around 3,000 students and a similar focus as Belmont. Dolly said, “In Mongolia we don’t have teaching centers, so I thought that in Mongolia, in higher education, it would be a good idea to start teaching centers.”
As part of her training at Belmont, Dolly has attended Teaching Center meetings, symposiums, retreats and reading groups. She particularly enjoyed a spring faculty retreat where various faculty members that may not interact otherwise got together to discuss teaching and learning. She has also toured major American cities (including Buffalo, N.Y., Washington, Boston and San Francisco) and has interviewed faculty, students and former Teaching Center directors to get a full picture of American higher education.
Dolly arrived in Nashville in August, and this is her first experience in America. Her fellowship concludes at the end of May, at which time she will return to Mongolia. Dolly’s favorite thing about America is “the friendliness of American people—especially in Nashville.”
The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program is a non-degree mid-career professional development program for professionals from designated countries throughout the world. Fellows are selected based on their potential for leadership and their commitment to public service.
Former Belmont Provost Installed as 25th LaGrange College President
Former Belmont Provost Dr. Dan McAlexander was officially installed last Friday, April 23, as the 25th president at LaGrange College outside of Atlanta. Delegates from colleges and universities around the country, including close friends from Belmont, joined representatives from the United Methodist Church, the city of LaGrange, faculty, staff and students to welcome the new president. Click here for more on Dr. McAlexander’s inauguration.
McAlexander assumed his new position last July after eight years of service to Belmont University. A graduate of the University of Kansas, McAlexander received his Master’s in Music from The Julliard School and his Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music. McAlexander came to Belmont University in 2001, and during his tenure, Belmont experienced an overall enrollment increase of 68 percent. The university has also saw spikes in average ACT scores, from 24 to 26, and in the six-year graduation rate, from 50 percent to 67 percent.
A four-year liberal arts and sciences college affiliated with the United Methodist Church, LaGrange College is ranked in the top 10 and as a “best value” among 95 Southern baccalaureate colleges by U.S. News & World Report. The college is the oldest private institution of higher learning in Georgia and has an enrollment of about 1,000 students.
Giorgianni’s White Paper Used in National Education Campaign
School of Pharmacy Director of Experiential Education & Development Dr. Salvatore Giorgianni, in his role as Scientific Advisor to Men’s Health Network, has written a white paper on unapproved drugs as part of a new public education initiative to raise awareness about the risks associated with prescribing and taking unapproved drugs that have not been subjected to the rigorous Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) review process. Dr. Giorgianni’s comments about the “Know the Facts” campaign are included in a news story that is being picked up by media outlets nationwide. Click here to see the full story.
