The Student Tennessee Education Association (STEA) chapter at Belmont University participated in The Big Read on Oct. 1 at the Hendersonville Public Library. Faculty and students from the Department of Education hosted a craft table for children to create bookmarks, do apple stamping and select a free book of their choice. The department partnered with VSA arts of Tennessee and the Hendersonville Public Library for the program, which is designed to revitalize the role of literature in American culture. The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest.
Students Participate in ‘The Big Read’
Dr. Nunn Baruzzini Presents Active Learning Session at Conference
Dr. Deborah Nunn Baruzzini, director of organizational development and adjunct instructor of pharmacy, presented a session titled “Active Engagement in the Graduate Classroom” at the 2009 Lilly Conference in Traverse City in September. The session focused on demonstration of a variety of active learning strategies with strong participant engagement. The conference theme was “Evidence-Based Learning and Teaching,” which was chosen to reflect that approaches to teaching and learning should be based on scholarly activity. Baruzzini co-presented with Dr. Esther Swink, dean of education at Trevecca Nazarene University. They were “invited presenters” based upon evaluations and recommendations from the participants in their 2008 Lilly Conference session.
Belmont University Announces New College of Law
Belmont University announced today the opening of a College of Law, the first new law school in Middle Tennessee in nearly 100 years. Belmont’s College of Law represents the university’s seventh college and fourth doctoral program. The College will begin classes in fall 2011, and when at full capacity, it will enroll approximately 350 students.
Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher said, “Announcing the launch of Belmont’s College of Law today is a perfect way to celebrate the one-year anniversary of hosting the 2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate. This university is focused on offering students a transformative education that enables their own civic engagement. Given the public role of many legal professionals, we believe a vital element of the Belmont Law education will be preparing our students for roles as community leaders and change agents.”
Belmont’s College of Law provides a natural extension of the university’s mission and vision, which emphasize challenging academics, a service-minded approach, real-world experience and community leadership. Belmont law graduates will be practice-ready attorneys, empowered by their education and co-curricular experiences to provide legal counsel in a variety of settings, with commitment to high standards of expertise and ethics. The College of Law will be housed on campus in a new building that will include a state-of-the-art Law Library.
W. Scott Sims, the 2008 president of the Nashville Bar Association and a member of the law firm Walker, Tipps & Malone PLC, said, “The Belmont University College of Law will be a wonderful addition to Nashville and to the entire region. As the legal landscape continues to evolve and our society faces new opportunities, it’s important to have bright, young minds who can engage new dilemmas of justice and the law. It’s easy to see from the fine graduates Belmont has produced as well as the incredible job the university did last year in hosting the presidential debate, that Belmont can tackle any challenge and succeed. I welcome the fresh perspective the Belmont College of Law and its students will undoubtedly bring to the legal community.”
A recent feasibility study indicated increasing need over the next decade for attorneys in Tennessee as well as in the region. Tennessee currently has fewer lawyers per capita (8.2 per 10,000) than nearly all of the states in which new American Bar Association (ABA)-approved law schools have opened in the past 10 years. In addition, there are hundreds of individuals interested in attending an ABA-approved law school in Tennessee who are currently unable to do so—in 2008, nearly 6,800 individuals applied for entrance to Tennessee’s three ABA-approved law schools, but only 1,773 were issued offers of admission. Other factors leading to Belmont’s decision to open a College of Law include the following:
• The U.S. Department of Labor projects that the employment of lawyers will increase 11 percent between 2006 and 2016. This is almost certain to outpace the growth of law school graduates, which has increased by only 2.5 percent over the past five years.
• Without new law schools, the number of lawyers per capita in Tennessee will decrease over the next 20 years, as the population of the southern United States is projected to increase much faster than the national average.
• Nationally in 2008-09, there were 83,371 law school applicants and only 49,414 available first year seats. Thus, 41 percent of law school applicants were unable to secure seats.
• A review of the roster of persons sitting for the Tennessee bar exam shows that many of these individuals are leaving the state to attend law school. In 2008, there were 797 first-time takers of the Tennessee bar exam. Of those, only 386 attended law school in Tennessee.
• There are no other new law schools scheduled to open in the southeastern United States between now and 2011.
Perhaps the best reason for a Belmont University College of Law, however, is the unique approach Belmont can offer. Provost Marcia McDonald noted, “As proven by this university being named a U.S. News top ‘School to Watch’ two years in a row, Belmont University continually embraces innovation that strengthens the quality of our education. Like all of our programs, the College of Law will link academically-challenging coursework with real-world experience and will provide an innovative curriculum that will put us at the forefront of legal education. The College of Law will increase our opportunities for campus engagement with legal, civic and justice issues, a focus emphasized by our hosting of the debate last year.”
The College will be integrated into Belmont’s main campus and offer specialties in areas that complement the university’s nationally-known undergraduate program offerings, including healthcare and entertainment business. In initiating the new graduate program, Belmont will work closely with experts in the field, both locally and nationally, to prepare lawyers for the needs and types of legal practice for the future.
Massey Graduate School of Business Named a Princeton Review Best Business School
Belmont University’s Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business is an outstanding business school, according to The Princeton Review. The education services company features the school in the new 2010 edition of its book, The Best 301 Business Schools (Random House / Princeton Review, on sale date Oct. 6). This is the fifth consecutive year that The Massey School has been listed in the Princeton Review’s ranking of best business schools.
Dr. J. Patrick Raines, dean of Belmont’s College of Business Administration, said, “This accomplishment further demonstrates that we are in the company of the elite business programs in the U.S.”
According to Robert Franek, Princeton Review Senior VP-Publishing, “We are pleased to recommend The Massey School to readers of our book and users of our site, www.PrincetonReview.com, as one of the best institutions they could attend to earn an MBA. We chose the 301 business schools in this book based on our opinion of their academic programs and offerings, as well as our review of institutional data we collect from the schools. We also strongly consider the candid opinions of students attending the schools who rate and report on their campus experiences at their schools on our survey for the book.”
The Best 301 Business Schools: 2010 Edition has two-page profiles of the schools with write-ups on their academics, student life and admissions, plus ratings for their academics, selectivity and career placement services. In the profile on The Massey School, the Princeton Review editors describe the school as offering “an academically rigorous program that is designed to meet the needs of nontraditional students.” Students surveyed were quoted as saying that all Massey professors “were top executives at one point in their careers” and as being “good, knowledgeable people who have a desire to teach.” Respondents also praised their student peers as “very supportive and diverse” and “tomorrow’s leaders.”
Belmont’s Director of Institutional Research Recognized with Research Leadership Award
Dr. Roy Ikenberry, Director of Institutional Research, was awarded the Institutional Research Leadership Award in Student Retention on Oct. 1 at the National Symposium on Student Retention in Buffalo, N.Y.
Dr. Ikenberry’s paper was chosen from more than 50 presented as having best demonstrated the importance of institutional research to the field of student retention and success. His paper, titled “Entering Freshmen to Graduating Seniors: Partnering CIRP Entering Freshman Surveys, Graduating Senior Surveys, and Institutional Data,” has also been published in the Proceedings of the 5th Annual National Symposium on Student Retention.
“I was thrilled to hear this announcement. It is not too often that you have a paper become a best seller, so to speak,” said Dr. Ikenberry. “It is an honor to receive this award, especially from this particular group that I have been a part of since 1994.”
The Consortium for Student Retention Data Exchange at the University Oklahoma hosts the annual National Symposium on Student Retention in order to provide a forum for administrators, faculty and staff from institutions of higher learning to share the most currently available research on student retention.
Julseth Participates in Trade Mission, Plans for Argentina Study Abroad
Dr. David C. Julseth, professor of Spanish and chair of Belmont University’s Department of Foreign Languages, was selected earlier this year to participate in a trade mission along with nine other representatives from across the U.S. to go to Buenos Aires, Argentina. The trade mission was sponsored by Eduargentina, “an organization that works to promote and consolidate the language and cultural studies of Argentina and Latin America in the field of international education.”
During this time, Julseth participated in informational interviews with educational institutions as well as onsite visits to identify partners for future Belmont study abroad programs. The trade mission resulted in the creation of a new study abroad program for Belmont students for next summer. Students will be accompanied by Co-Directors Julseth and Dr. Natalia Pelaz, from May 29 – July 1, 2010 to take six credit hours of Spanish language and Argentine culture at any level at the Centro Universitario de Idiomas in Buenos Aires. The program includes a home stay immersion, weekend trips to Uruguay and the waterfalls of Iguazu on the border of Brasil, cultural activities and a tango show.
Julseth also presented in a panel workshop sponsored by the City Government of Buenos Aires on the “Achievements, Challenges and Perspectives of Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language in Argentina.”
Pharmacy Faculty Present at Annual Meeting
Pharmacy faculty members Drs. Mark Chirico and Eric Hobson were invited to join the Nonprescription Medication Academy via attendance at its annual meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dr. Hobson provided the meeting’s Keynote session, “Pharmacy students’ learning styles: course and curricular implications,” and Closing session, “Developing and using rubrics to enhance student learning … and faculty satisfaction.” Dr. Chirico presented his poster presentation, “Group learning method for teaching Rx to OTC switch to first-year students.”
Pharmacy Students Receive Immunization Certification
The School of Pharmacy’s Class of 2012 recently received Immunization Certification, following completion of the American Pharmacist Association Pharmacist Immunization Training Program. This achievement is not only good news for the students and the School of Pharmacy, it has important implications for Belmont University, the Nashville community and all of the communities from which these students come. These 68 students will now join six pharmacy faculty to provide 74 additional health care providers who are able to provide immunizations when needed.
Professor, Turtles Member Mark Volman to Perform in (RED) Event at Carnegie Hall
Assistant professor Mark Volman, member of The Turtles featuring Flo & Eddie and the coordinator of the Entertainment Industries program, will be performing in an “Evening with Gavin Friday and Friends” on Sun., Oct. 4 at Carnegie Hall in New York City. The event will feature U2 and many others, including Laurie Anderson, Antony, Elizabeth Ashley, Andrea Corr, Flo & Eddie, Joel Grey, Bill Frisell, Guggi, Scarlett Johansson, Courtney Love, Lydia Lunch, Patrick McCabe, Maria McKee, Shane MacGowan, Eric Mingus, JG Thirlwell, Martha Wainwright, Rufus Wainwright and Chloe Webb.
The event is part of the (RED) NIGHTS concert series sponsored by the (RED) organization, with portions of the proceeds from the concerts going to help buy and distribute AIDS medication to people living with HIV. (RED) was created by Bono and Bobby Shriver in 2002 with the mission to help eliminate AIDS in Africa. The Turtle’s hit song, “Happy Together,” was recorded in 1967 and helped launch Volman’s career as an American pop, psychedelic and folk/rock band member.
Murphy Named Store Person of the Year
Catherine Murphy, store manager of Belmont’s bookstore, was recently named the “Store Person of the Year” at the Tennessee Association of College Book Stores annual meeting in Knoxville.
