“O’er the Land of the Free and the Home of Country Music” by Professor of Music Business Don Cusic is published in the recent issue of the Phi Kappa Phi Forum. The Forum’s issue is dedicated to “American Pride,” and Cusic’s article uses the differences between liberals and conservatives to show how and why country music has had continuing themes of patriotism in its songs throughout its history.
Maslyn Named Outstanding Reviewer
Dr. John Maslyn, associate professor of management, recently won a 2009 Outstanding Reviewer Award from the Organizational Behavior Division of the Academy of Management. Of the 1,334 people who volunteered to review for this division this year, only 89 were selected to receive this honor. The Academy of Management is the top management association in the world.
Belmont’s Beta Alpha Psi Chapter Receives Recognition
Belmont University’s chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, an international honorary organization for all undergraduate and graduate accounting, finance and information systems majors, was recognized as a “Distinguished Chapter” at the 2009 Annual Conference for Beta Alpha Psi in Brooklyn, N.Y. last week. According to the Board of Directors of Beta Alpha Psi, the chapter has “far exceeded the minimum requirements of Beta Alpha Psi and has excelled in the areas of academics, professionalism and leadership.”
To achieve this recognition, student membership increased from nine to 39 members, and the chapter accumulated more than 900 hours of professional and service activities. President Alexa Karpinski (pictured above, a May 2009 graduate who is currently a student in the Masters of Accountancy program) and faculty advisor Dr. Del DeVries represented Belmont’s chapter at the conference. The event included professional workshops and best practices presentations, but the highlight, according to Dr. DeVries, was participating in an entire afternoon dedicated to a community service project. Almost 1,000 students and faculty advisors picked up paint brushes, rakes and shovels to clean-up Red Hook Park in Brooklyn.
English Student Graduates, Starts Book Tour
Senior Jordan Christy, who graduates this evening with a B.A. in English from Belmont, will board a plane soon after for a New York media tour celebrating the release of her new book, How to be a Hepburn in a Hilton World, published by Hatchette Press. According to the press release about the book, “Christy helps women channel their inner Kate or Audrey, dusting off old-fashioned virtues and giving them a whole new spin in today’s sexed-up culture.” While in New York, Christy will tour television, radio and magazine venues, including a Monday morning appearance on “The Today Show” with co-hosts Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb. On Aug. 27, Christy will do a book signing in Nashville at Davis Kidd, and on Sept. 11, she’ll be back on Belmont’s campus for a convocation event in Beaman A&B.
Men’s and Women’s Basketball Release 2009-10 Schedules
Belmont University’s acclaimed men’s and women’s basketball programs recently announced their schedules for the 2009-10 season. 2008 National Champion Kansas and defending Pac-10 Champion Washington highlight the men’s basketball schedule, head coach Rick Byrd released Thursday. The Bruins – fresh off their fifth 20-plus win campaign and fifth postseason appearance in the last six years – have earned a reputation for playing among the nation’s toughest non-conference schedules. This year is no exception. Click here for more on this story and a complete schedule.
In addition, the Belmont women’s basketball team enters its 2009-10 campaign with the mission of returning to the Big Dance for only the second time in program history. Head Coach Tony Cross has lined up a rigorous slate with non-conference opponents from seven different leagues which will prepare the Bruins in their quest to return to the NCAA Tournament. Click here for more on this story and a complete schedule.
Belmont’s Growth Featured on NewsChannel5 Story
Local CBS affiliate NewsChannel5 did a story this week on Belmont University’s growth and how that growth has been affected this year by the 2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate. Click here to view the video.
Nursing Graduates Attain 100 Percent Pass Rate on National Licensure Exam
One-hundred percent of May 2009 graduates from the Belmont University School of Nursing have passed the national licensure examination for Registered Nurses, once again demonstrating the high quality of nursing education provided at Belmont.
Thirty-seven Belmont students were among the 66,531 U.S.-educated candidates who have taken the National Council Licensure Exam for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) for the first time to date in 2009. The NCLEX-RN examination assesses the competencies of RNs upon entry into practice. The 100 percent pass rate for Belmont graduates compares to this year’s national pass rate of 89.5 percent for this group.
Over the years, School of Nursing graduates from Belmont have been able to consistently achieve a higher pass rate than the national rate for this examination. During the past four years, 96.3 percent of Belmont graduates have passed the exam on their first attempt compared to the average national rate of 87.5 percent during that time.
Dr. Martha Buckner, director of undergraduate nursing studies at Belmont, sees the 100 percent pass rate as a positive reflection of the student learning experience in the School of Nursing. She said, “Our clinical faculty members get excellent reviews in student interviews conducted by a national benchmarking service, and our students believe the quality and effectiveness of their Belmont nursing experiences to be superior. Our graduates are highly sought by employers, and many of our alumni pursue graduate education.”
Alumnus Publishes Book on Church Giving
Ben Stroup, a 2002 graduate in Religion, recently released a new book, Church Giving Matters, which has sold more than 6,000 copies within the first 10 weeks of its release. Fueled with information such as how to lead a church through tough and prosperous economic times, bridging the gap between how pastors are trained and what churches expect of them, as well as practical tools and effective leadership principles, Church Giving Matters is an effective and invaluable resource to help churches fund their God-inspired vision.
Stroup works with LifeWay Christian Resources to assist churches with stewardship and giving, helping them achieve fully funded budgets and long-term sustainable ministries. His work includes partnering with Southern Baptist denominational leadership at both the state and national levels. For additional information or to purchase his book, visit www.crossbooks.com.
Senior Business Students Achieve Top Ranking on National Exam
Belmont’s College of Business Administration announced that several of its graduating students scored at or above the top 10 percent level on the Major Field Test in Business, a set of exams produced by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) of Princeton, N.J. The ETS exams have been administered to almost 85,000 students at 564 undergraduate business programs and almost 16,000 MBA students at 199 graduate business schools across the U.S.
“Many of our students are now demonstrating that they can score very well when compared to their peers at other U.S. business schools” said Susan Taylor, associate dean of the College of Business Administration. “Their performance is a direct reflection of our focus on delivering a high-quality program and the individual attention our students receive from our highly-qualified faculty.”
Undergraduate students from the Summer 2009 cohort who scored in the Top 10 percent or higher nationally include: Gregory Celentano (Bristol, TN), Shannon Hall (Lula, GA), Nancy Pham (Nashville, TN) and David Vigil (Nashville, TN). For graduate students, Jay Crosson (Nashville, TN) performed in the top scoring band and achieved the highest-ever score by a Belmont MBA student.
Belmont Faculty, Students Work All Star Guitar Night
Belmont University was chosen to record Muriel Anderson’s All Star Guitar Night at the Historic Ryman Auditorium on July 14. The show, which included performances by a veritable who’s who of guitar players, was recorded by Tony Cottrill, Belmont’s live sound coordinator, with assistance from student engineers Nick Kaumeyer, Matt Hamilton and Elliot Wiley. In addition, Bil Vorndick, renowned audio engineer and longtime adjunct instructor of Audio Engineering Technology at Belmont, served as stage manager for the show. All proceeds were auctioned to benefit the Music for Life Alliance, a charity established by Anderson to help raise money to provide children with instruments and music education.
The student engineers assisting with the event serve on the staff of Belmont’s student-run live sound company, Clear as a Bell (CAAB). The brain-child of Cottrill, CAAB is based on a working model of a real-world sound reinforcement company. “The company books events, gives quotes on productions, maintains gear, supplies engineers for shows, preps the sound system and maintains the books,” Cottrill said. “It’s completely student-run and student-staffed.”
All CAAB employees have either completed or are currently enrolled in Belmont’s Audio Engineering Technology Advanced Sound Reinforcement course. The event’s live tracking was created on Belmont’s Live Sound Department’s new DigiDesign D-Show Profile + Mix Rack direct to Pro Tools 8 LE. Click on the more button below to see a list of the artists involved in the evening.
