Last fall’s Writing in the Community class led by Dr. Amy Hodges Hamilton, assistant professor of English, recently presented from their work with various community partners. The event was held Dec. 15 in the Leu Art Gallery in Bunch Library.
Alumna Nurse Deploys on U.S.N.S Comfort to Aid Haiti Victims
Lieutenant Junior Grade Lauren Hudson, a 2007 Belmont School of Nursing graduate, left for Haiti this week as part of the deployment of state-of-the-art hospital ship U.S.N.S. Comfort. The group will be providing care to quake victims.The 1,000-bed ship carries more than 500 staff membersClick here to view the story as reported by Pensacola, Fla. ABC affiliate WEAR-TV.
Gray Challenges Audience to Continue Fight for ‘Equal Justice’
Legendary Civil Rights attorney Fred Gray appeared on campus this week, sharing with wisdom and candor stories about his never-ending efforts to “destroy everything segregated I could find.” In a special morning-long forum and lecture, Gray—the former attorney for Rosa Parks, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Tuskegee Syphilis Study victims—spoke to an audience in the Massey Performing Arts Center consisting of Belmont students, faculty and staff along with members of the community and students from Meharry Medical College, Tennessee State University and 85 eighth graders from nearby Rose Park Middle School.
The opening panel discussion featured Gray along with special guests Dr. Henry Foster, Jr., professor emeritus and former dean of the Meharry College School of Medicine and nominee for U.S. Surgeon General under President Bill Clinton; Dwight Lewis, columnist and member of the editorial board for The Tennessean ; and John Seigenthaler, founding editorial director of USA Today, founder of the First Amendment Center and award-winning journalist who briefly left his career in the 1960s to work in the civil rights field. The panel was moderated by Harry Chapman, Belmont’s director of development and major gifts.
The session opened with a timely conversation on healthcare, a subject close to Gray’s heart given his work representing the victims in the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. Gray said, “When you use human beings as subject of research, they have certain rights, and those rights should be of paramount concern.”
The bulk of the day’s conversation, however, revolved around the Civil Rights movement and Gray’s determination to make a difference, even from a young age. Throughout the morning he shared details of the Montgomery bus boycott and the role he played along with other early Civil Rights pioneers. In fact, at a dinner event Tuesday night, Gray was given the first Belmont College of Law “Champions of Justice” award. Seigenthaler said, “I admire Belmont University so much for having [Fred Gray] here… We must never forget what he did to try to end segregation.”
“There were many unsung heroes who gave the moral courage that made it possible to have a Civil Rights movement and elect the 44th president of the United States,” Gray noted. “I want to challenge you all that the Civil Rights movement is not over. The struggle for equal justice has not been achieved.”
Presented by Belmont’s Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences and Nursing “Diagnosing Our Future” speaker series, Gray’s appearance was also co-sponsored by Belmont’s College of Law, the Office of Spiritual Development and the Center for Community Health and Health Equity.
PBS ‘History Detectives’ Host Elyse Luray to Visit Belmont
Visit Comes as Part of ‘American Experience’ Exhibit
Elyse Luray, a host on the PBS show “History Detectives,” will give a presentation on collecting art and antiques on Wed., Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m. in Belmont University’s Massey Concert Hall. Luray’s visit comes in conjunction with the opening reception for The American Experience: Art and Decorative Arts from the Collections of Belmont University Alumni, a collection that will be displayed in Belmont’s Leu Art Gallery from January 26 through May 14. The reception and presentation are free and open to the public.
The exhibit reception will take place in the gallery on Wed., Feb. 3 from 5-7 p.m. with Guest Curator Mark Brown, Belmont Mansion executive director, who has pulled together an exhibit that explores a wide range of American fine and decorative art objects from the collections of Belmont University alumni. Luray’s talk will follow the reception.
The items on display—including furniture, silver, glass, textiles, paintings and prints—reflect American culture from the Colonial period to the end of the nineteenth century. Selected items include coin silver by the son-in-law of Paul Revere, Tiffany silver tongs, Tennessee made furniture and a quilt made by a slave. Pieces were selected to illustrate some interesting topics from the American decorating past such as the crossover between American literature and the decorative arts or how home items deified George Washington. Other items illustrate how the 1876 American Centennial influenced items displayed in the home. The exhibit will also explore the roles of women and African Americans in the decorative arts.
Adams, Baker to Present at AAHPERD
Drs. Sarah Adams and Amy Baker (Sport Science) will be presenting at the 2010 American Association for Physical Education Recreation And Dance (AAHPERD) Convention, March 16-20, in Indianapolis. The title of the presentation is “Applying Problem-Based Learning to Sport Management Curriculums: In’s & Out’s.”
Sport Administration Charters Alumni Chapter
The Sport Administration graduate program is being presented as an alumni charter during Belmont’s Homecoming 2010 celebration on Sat., Feb. 27. Sport Administration is only the third alumni chapter to be chartered.
Holt, Coker to Present at Conference
Linda E. Holt, associate professor of English, and Jeff Coker, professor of history and assistant provost, will conduct a presentation titled “General Education in the Third Year: Assessing the ‘Intangibles’ of Problem-Based Learning” at the conference of American Association of Colleges and Universities: General Education and Assessment, being held Feb. 17-20 in Seattle, Washington.
Wells to Offer Presentation at ‘Taming of the Shrew’
Dr. James Wells will present “The Taming of the Shrew and the Expense of Laughter” as part of the Prelude to Pull-Tight Players’ production of that play on Sun., Jan. 24 at 2 p.m. The Pull-Tight Theatre is located at 112 2nd Avenue South in Franklin, Tennessee. The Prelude consists of scenes from Shakespeare’s play, the presentation by Dr. Wells and refreshments.
Journalism Students Place in Competition
Journalism students Jessica Walker, Kristen Clements, Erin Carson and Pierce Greenberg placed in the Southeast Journalism Best of the South Competition for their work on Connect Magazine. They will receive their awards during a luncheon at the conference in Hammond, La., Feb. 12-13.
Paine Edits Newest Volume of Japan Studies Association Journal
Dr. John Paine, professor of Literature in the Departments of English and Foreign Languages, has just completed editing the next volume of the Japan Studies Association Journal. This journal publishes peer-reviewed articles from across the disciplines related to Japanese culture. Included in this most recent volume (December 2009) is Dr. Paine’s essay on novelist Kazuo Ishiguro. It is one of a number of essays in this volume deriving from the 2008 faculty seminar held in Fukuoka, Japan and devoted to the interrelations of Japan, Korea, China and the West.
