Larry Schweiger, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, spoke in Neely Dining Hall Wednesday as part of Belmont’s “Paradise Lost?” speakers series which is focusing on issues of sustainability and environmental stewardship. Schweiger newly released book is titled Last Chance: Preserving Life on Earth. His appearance was co-sponsored by the College of Arts & Sciences and the Office of Spiritual Development.
Schweiger’s presentation focused primarily on the impact currently being felt by the environment, noting that the one degree rise in temperature has already led to a 10 percent increase in lightning strikes, among numerous other statistics. He added that if temperatures increase another two-three degrees Fahrenheit then 20-30 percent of all animal and plant species will face the risk of extinction.
“The average person now spends six hours a day looking at a screen,” Schweiger said, “which means we are disconnected from nature… Your generation is going to invent the future.”
National Wildlife Federation President Speaks on Sustainability
Gov. Bredesen, U.S. Rep. Cooper Lead Keynote Healthcare Conversation at Belmont
Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen and U.S. Representative Jim Cooper provided the keynote addresses today for “Diagnosing Our Future,” the inaugural presentation in Belmont University’s Gordon E. Inman College of Health Science & Nursing Speaker Series. The event was held this morning in the Frist Lecture Hall in the Inman Center on Belmont University’s campus.
The healthcare forum opened with comments from Dr. Wilhelmina Leigh of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in Washington, D.C.; Curt Thorne, president and CEO of MedSolutions in Franklin, Tenn.; and Landon Gibbs, executive director and co-founder of SHOUTAmerica. Each of these healthcare industry leaders raised questions and concerns regarding healthcare reform and its impact on various constituencies. Gov. Bredesen and U.S. Representative Cooper then presented keynote addresses regarding current federal efforts to reform healthcare and participated in a follow-up dialogue regarding these efforts. The event was moderated by law firm Trauger and Tuke’s Byron Trauger, an attorney who specializes in health care, complex civil litigation, general business matters, government relations and regulatory agency work.
The theme of the speaker series, “Diagnosing Our Future,” reflects the call to collaboratively advance new ideas to improve healthcare and healthy living for future generations. The purpose of the series is to connect these ideas with the greater community of Nashville and Middle Tennessee and with students in Belmont’s health science programs who are preparing to serve society as physical therapists, pharmacists, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, occupational therapists, and social workers.
Sophomore Performs in Alzheimer’s Fundraiser in California
![RC Chapman[1].jpg](http://forum.belmont.edu/achievers/archives/RC%20Chapman%5B1%5D.jpg)
Sophomore Rebecca Chapman helped raise nearly $100,000 for Solvang Friendship House on Oct. 3 in its 9th annual fundraiser. Chapman performed a set of her original songs alongside award-winning Nashville songwriters Marv Green, Rivers Rutherford, Tim Nichols, Kent Blazy and James Slater.
Solvang Friendship House is an assisted living community specializing in Alzheimer’s care located near Santa Barbara, Calif.
Parry Receives Two Awards
Pam Parry, associate professor of journalism, won two awards Oct. 10 from the American Journalism Historians Association meeting in Birmingham. She took home two Honorable Mention Awards for her paper titled “Second Fiddle, Not Second Rate: Associate Role Obscures Anne Williams Wheaton’s Contributions to Public Relations.” She received Honorable Mention for the Maurine Beasley Award for the Outstanding Paper on Women’s History and for the Robert Lance Memorial Award for the Outstanding Student Paper. Parry is pursuing a doctor of philosophy degree in mass communication with an emphasis in public relations history. Thirty-five graduate students from across the country submitted conference papers, and 14 were selected to present at the conference, representing a 40 percent acceptance rate.
Massey Students and Faculty Build Habitat House
Belmont students and faculty from the Jack C. Massey School of Business teamed up with employees from Cat Finance on Sept. 19 to build a house for Habitat for Humanity. The group helped build a house for a single mom and her 5-year-old daughter in north Nashville.
The service project was the third in a series of service events organized by the Massey Graduate Council to provide students an opportunity to give back to the community and network with other students and alumni.
PKT Hosts Rave: The Paint Party
Zeta Alpha Chapter of Phi Kappa Tau put on one of the largest social events sponsored solely by a Greek organization on Belmont’s campus recently. The event, “RAVE: The Paint Party,” the event attracted more than 400 students on a Saturday night for a dance party involving techno music, fog, lights and body paint. Headed up by senior Mark Noel, the chapter built an outdoor room so as to leave no visible footprint.
“This event has proven to be successful because of its unique nature, and truly brings the entire chapter together to provide a fun night for everyone,” said social chair Mike Chapman. “Not only does it showcase our brotherhood, but also our strong supportive presence on campus, not just the Greek community.”
Perry Crowned Miss Tennessee 2010
Tucker Perry, a junior commercial music major, was crowned Miss Tennessee USA 2010 last weekend. Perry will compete in the Miss USA pageant on April 18, 2010, and the show will be broadcast live from Las Vegas.
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.”
Nursing Professor Recognized Locally as ‘Health Care Hero’
![Jane Shelby[1].jpg](http://forum.belmont.edu/achievers/archives/Jane%20Shelby%5B1%5D.jpg)
The Nashville Business Journal honored Dr. Jane Shelby, professor of nursing and the former director of the university’s undergraduate nursing program, as a “Health Care Hero” on Sept. 25.
“I am very honored and humbled by this award,” said Shelby. “It really is not an award for me personally but for all the faculty and staff in the School of Nursing who work so hard to prepare our students for their profession.”
Shelby was recognized in the “Behind the Scenes” category along with other local leaders, including Aileen Katcher of Katcher, Vaughn and Bailey Public Relations, Julie Warner from the Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center and Jonathan Uttz from Psychiatric Solutions. This was the third annual luncheon to “help celebrate the accomplishments of the leaders, innovators, strategists and caretakers, whose work is helping to grow the region’s health care industry and reinforcing Nashville as the health care capital of the nation.”
Pharmacy School Holds First Annual Practice-Site Poster Forum
Second year Student Pharmacists who have completed their first practice experience rotations presented posters summarizing their experience in the Frist Lecture Hall on Oct. 6. Fifty-six posters in all were displayed showing unique characteristics of the practice sites and the learnings achieved at these sites. First year pharmacy students, who will begin their practice rotations in January, attended to get tips on site selection, and pharmacy faculty attended to learn about student involvement at the sites.
According to Dr. Mark Chirico, assistant professor of pharmacy practice, who is course coordinator for the P-2 practice experiences, “This forum presented a unique learning opportunity for all participants. It exemplified the practical nature of our program and the hard work our student pharmacists are putting into their education.” The School of Pharmacy has more than 100 sites for training student pharmacists in dispensing and patient care across greater Nashville, and the number of sites is growing every semester to accommodate the growing student body.
Shaffer to Lead BarCamp Session
Brent Shaffer, a recent Belmont honors graduate, is leading one of the sessions at the 3rd annual BarCamp on Oct. 17. His session is titled “Test Your Might: Symfony vs. Rails – Framework Combat.” Shaffer works at Centresource Interactive Agency as a Web Developer and Architect. BarCamp is Nashville’s free “un”-conference for the digital and technical community. BarCamp has become the premier technology conference in Nashville, bringing together the best minds and representation of the hottest companies in the internet, entrepreneurial, new media and software industries, among others.
