Emily Jensen, Sport Science adjunct instructor, is presenting her thesis, “Prevalence of Childhood Obesity: A Study on Bowling Green, KY Middle School Students,” at the Southeast American College of Sports Medicine conference in Greenville, SC. The conference includes universities and sports medicine professionals from the southeast United States.
Journalism Alumnus Co-hosts Nashville’s New Sports Talk Show
Henry Nichols (Journalism ‘07) is co-hosting a new sports radio talk show on Sports Radio AM 560 WNSR called “Sports XTRA” on weekdays at 6 p.m. Sports XTRA, like AM-560’s other established shows, has a listener-driven format. From the Titans and Predators to Vanderbilt, Belmont, Lipscomb and TSU, all topics are welcomed for discussion. In addition to currently covering the Titans and other NFL teams for CBSsports.com, Nichols has written for Rivals.com, The City Paper and The Tennessean. Nichols has also edited for Athlon Magazine and Global Radio News (London, UK).
Alumnus Troy Senik Guests on ‘Glenn Beck’
Troy Senik, a 2005 graduate of Belmont’s Political Science program, was a guest on the “Glenn Beck” program on Feb. 5. Senik, a contributing editor for the Center of Individual Freedom in California, spoke on California’s current fiscal crisis.
Senik told Beck, “The reality is, in California… the legislature has taken one of the 10 biggest economies in the world and managed to saddle up with some of the highest sales taxes, the highest income taxes, the highest car taxes that are around, and they’ve still driven it to the verge of bankruptcy… Our deficit, what we weren’t able to pay, is the same size of the economy of Croatia.”
When Beck asked if the rest of the country was bailing California out, Senik replied, “Well, it’s getting a certain amount of federal assistance. It hasn’t gotten as much as it would like and hopefully it won’t… I think that it would inspire a popular backlash, not only because we’ve been on display for the entire nation as an example of failed government, but also, California has that cultural thing about it that, you know, we have always given off this vibe that we’re just going to do whatever we want. And in this case, we’ve done it to complete excess. And I think the rest of the nation rightly thinks, ‘You guys need to sober up.’”
Senik has served as a speechwriter for former President George W. Bush, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Belmont University and his master’s degree from Pepperdine University.
Belmont Speech and Debate Team Cleans Up in Border Wars Tournament
The Belmont University speech and debate team won several awards at the “Border Wars” debate and events tournament held at Kansas Wesleyan University last week. Out of the 20 schools competing, the Belmont team was recognized as the overall first place individual events team and the second place individual events/debate team. Eric Schoen, Kate Tully and Nicole Bright were named the top overall individual events competitors. Click the more button below to view all of the awards received by Belmont students.
College of Law Opens Application Cycle for the Charter Class
On Mon., Feb. 15, the Belmont University College of Law will begin accepting applications from individuals who seek to join the Charter Class. The Charter Class will enroll in August of 2011. The College of Law wishes to enroll a highly qualified and diverse student body.
Applicants are required to take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and register with the Law School Admission Council’s Credential Assembly Service. Furthermore, applicants can choose an Early Decision option or Regular Decision option. Please review the College of Law Web page for more details about these options and further information about the admissions process.
Leukemia Didn’t Beat Belmont Senior
Belmont women’s basketball senior LaWanna Holiday (Henderson, Tenn.) was the subject of a feature story in the February 11 edition of The Tennessean.
Holiday sat down with reporter Mike Organ to detail her ongoing battle with leukemia and return to the basketball court after her diagnosis last summer.
Click here for the complete story.
‘Fast Food Nation’ Author Eric Schlosser to Speak at Belmont
Eric Schlosser, the author of Fast Food Nation and co-producer of the award-winning documentary Food, Inc., will speak at Belmont University on Mon., Feb. 15 about the health, security and sustainability of the nation’s food supply. The 7 p.m. event will be held at Belmont Heights Baptist Church (2100 Belmont Blvd.) and is free and open to the public.
As an investigative journalist, Schlosser tries to give a voice to people at the margins of society. His aim is to shed light on worlds that are too often hidden. Schlosser’s first book, Fast Food Nation (2001), helped start a revolution in how Americans think about what they eat. It has been translated into more than 20 languages and remained on the New York Times bestseller list for two years. Schlosser also served as an executive producer and co-wrote the feature film Fast Food Nation (2006), and he was a co-producer of the award-winning documentary, Food, Inc., a film about how complicated and compromised the once simple process of growing crops and raising livestock has become.
Schlosser’s visit is part of Belmont’s ongoing campus-wide academic theme for 2009-10, “A Paradise Lost.” Special events and lectures are being presented to help students, faculty and staff engage a myriad of questions surrounding issues of sustainability, broadly defined. Issues covered throughout the year include exploration in topics such as the environment, ecology and interactions between and among organisms and their surroundings.
Click here to read an interview Schlosser did last week with Chapter16.org, which previews his Belmont University visit.
Belmont Alum Nominated for Grammy Award
Belmont alumna and adjunct instructor Julie Cox (’95) was in a cast of artists nominated for a Grammy award for her performance with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra in L’Enfant et les Sortileges. The performance was a contender for the best classical album category. Cox holds a bachelor of music degree in vocal performance from Belmont and teaches theater and choir at Father Ryan High School. She has performed with the Tennessee Repertory Theater and Nashville Opera and will perform Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream with the Nashville Symphony and the Nashville Ballet this spring. The Tennessean did a story on Julie’s nomination which can be read here.
Business Students Place in TVA Investment Challenge
The Tennessee Valley Authority recently announced the annual results of the TVA Investment Challenge, naming Belmont College of Business Administration investment students the fifth-ranked performers out of 24 regional schools. As such, the College will receive more than $5,000 from profits earned for the year. Under the direction of Dr. John Gonas and graduate student Joseph Mosby, students outperformed the S&P 500 index by 11.84 percent in 2009. As of Dec. 31, 2009, the student-managed portfolio was valued at $297,161 (up from $214,866 at the end of 2008).
According to Gonas, “The students did all the work and have simply made great choices over the past year. I teach a top-down investment discipline and then allow them to add their own quantitative and qualitative analysis that fits within our investment policy…ultimately leading to them building a case for buying or selling a stock. Their understanding of the current economic environment, sector and industry trends, and fundamental analysis is enabling them to making good long-term investment decisions.”
The investment portfolio is managed primarily by students in an undergraduate laboratory course format. Each class of new students spends time learning practical investment strategies while making transactions in the portfolio. The class format is designed to allow finance students to hone their skills in a “real world” environment and allow other students across campus to build their own investment disciplines. Participation is open to all students.
College of Business to Receive TNCPE Interest Level Recognition
The College of Business Administration (COBA) at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., has earned Interest Level Recognition in the annual Excellence in Tennessee program administered by the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence (TNCPE). A certificate will be presented to Belmont COBA representatives at the 17th annual Excellence in Tennessee Awards Banquet on February 24 at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs in Franklin, Tenn.
Belmont University’s College of Business Administration is an AACSB International-accredited private business school that offers graduate and undergraduate degrees, as well as non-degree programming in areas such as accounting, economics, entrepreneurship, finance, general business, information systems, leadership, management and marketing.
Dr. Patrick Raines, dean of the Belmont College of Business Administration, said “ The process of applying for recognition by the TNCPE encourages organizations to pursue standards for excellence in their operations. It is indeed meaningful to us in our quest for excellence in the College of Business to receive Interest Level Recognition and to be among Tennessee’s leading organizations.”
Through an annual evaluation and assessment process, TNCPE recognizes organizations that have achieved the highest standards of excellence in their operations and results. The program uses the Criteria for Performance Excellence established by the Baldrige National Quality Program as the evaluation tool.
Awards are presented in four categories: Interest Recognition (the beginning level), Commitment, Achievement and the highest level – the Excellence Award.
“Organizations that pursue a TNCPE Award know that success is achieved through the combined efforts of every employee and a shared commitment to quality and leadership,” said Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen. “This recognition validates these companies’ commitment to success through sustainable efforts that produce measurable results. TNCPE recognition is a dedicated means to accomplishing this.”
