Peg Leonard-Martin, director of counseling services, wrote an editorial in today’s Tennessean on dealing with mental health issues. Click here to read her article.
Fish Named Finalist for Emerging Leader Award
Kelly Fish, associate director of alumni relations, was recently announced as a finalist for a 2009 Nashville Emerging Leader Award in the Education category. The awards are given by The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and YP Nashville, a collection of young professional organizations. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on July 30. Click here for more information.
BelmontVISION.com and Student Video Journalists Win Awards
BelmontVISION.com and two of its student video journalists are the winners of multiple awards honoring outstanding work during the 2008-2009 school year.
BelmontVISION.com video journalists Abby Selden and Jessica Walker are each the winner of a Communicator Awards Award of Distinction and a Videographer Awards Award of Distinction for their individual reporting efforts during the 2008-2009 school year. Their separate entries included work done during the Town Hall Presidential Debate, but also included a variety of other stories having interest to the Belmont community. All can currently be viewed on the BelmontVISION.com Web site.
“As a team and as individuals, these students have excelled in every way possible,” says New Century Journalism instructor Stephan Foust. “They have been judged by award-winning independent professionals who know good work when they see it.”
Both the Videographer and Communicator competitions draw thousands of entries from television stations, production houses, and universities around the world.
Since February, the BelmontVISION.com video team has won a total of eight regional, national, and international awards for reporting.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Awards Belmont $100,000 Nursing Scholarship Grant
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program recently awarded Belmont University’s School of Nursing a $100,000 grant in an effort to help alleviate the nursing shortage and increase the diversity of nursing professionals. The scholarships will be awarded to new students who already have a non-nursing college degree and plan to enroll in Belmont’s School of Nursing accelerated program. The intent of the grant is to attract more men, minorities and those who are economically disadvantaged into the field of nursing. All scholarship recipients will participate in an individualized mentoring and leadership program. Since financial aid is limited for students enrolled in accelerated baccalaureate programs, these scholarships will enable students to complete the program who would otherwise be unable to do so.
Associate Professor Dr. Carrie Harvey said, “Prior experience and knowledge enable our accelerated students to successfully complete the rigorous program in four semesters. This track allows students to obtain a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 16 months, enabling graduates to enter the nursing workforce quicker. In addition to alleviating the nursing shortage, our graduates possess the skills that allow them to be successful and productive leaders in the field of nursing.”
According to Dr. Chris Algren, associate dean of nursing at Belmont, “Nurse employers value the maturity and experience that graduates of accelerated programs bring to the workplace. The typical accelerated nursing student is motivated, mature and an excellent learner. We are committed to the academic success of students at Belmont and are appreciative to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for assisting us to meet the needs of these students.”
Minimum requirements for scholarship applicants include a prior bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, a minimum G.P.A. of 3.0 in core math and science courses, completion of all prerequisites, a commitment to the intensive program, as well as completed applications for Belmont and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Student participants will receive one scholarship during the first year of enrollment in the Accelerated Second Degree Nursing Option.
Student-Athletes Earn Seventh Atlantic Sun All-Academic Trophy
For the seventh time in its eight year history as an Atlantic Sun Conference member institution, Belmont University earned the conference’s All-Academic Trophy, the league office announced Monday. Among Belmont’s 221 student-athletes, 147 achieved All-Academic honors, giving the university the greatest percentage of All-Academic honorees at 66.5 percent, further solidifying its national reputation for athletic and academic success.
Belmont has enjoyed a departmental GPA of 3.0 or higher for a remarkable 23 consecutive semesters. In fact, in 2007-08, Belmont established a new conference standard for percentage of its student-athletes reaching All-Academic status at 70.31 percent. In 2008-09, nine different Belmont student-athletes received ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District honors – a new program record. All told, Belmont has garnered Academic All-District recognition a staggering 45 times since joining the Atlantic Sun Conference in 2001-02.
Men’s Tennis carried the department’s highest overall team GPA, with an impressive 3.588. Nearly half of Belmont’s athletic teams sported team GPA’s of over 3.3 for the past academic year. Women’s Golf and Women’s Cross Country had 100 percent of team members earn All-Academic status during their semester of competition.
Men’s and Women’s Cross Country were again recognized by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) in its annual All-Academic Team release; each program perennially ranked among the nation’s Top 10 in team GPA.
In addition, Men’s Basketball saw senior Andy Wicke earn postgraduate scholarships from the NCAA and Atlantic Sun Conference after being named Academic All-American and a Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award Finalist. In fact, Belmont and reigning National Champion North Carolina are the only two institutions in Division-I men’s basketball to win 20 or more games, earn postseason play and make the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate (APR) Public Recognition List each of the last four years. Men’s Soccer, Baseball and Women’s Golf also made the 2008-09 APR List.
“We continue to marvel at the vast achievement of our student-athletes,” Belmont University Director of Athletics Mike Strickland said. “Embodying lofty standards in the classroom while also competing for and winning championships on the field of play is something that merits high praise.”
Mercer University finished second with 64.08 percent.
To be named an A-Sun All-Academic, a student-athlete must achieve a 3.0 or higher in the classroom during their semester of competition. The student-athlete must participate in a conference sponsored sport and be on the team’s final squad list. The sports sponsored by conference members are cross-country, soccer, volleyball, basketball, tennis, golf, softball, baseball, indoor and outdoor track & field.
Wicke Named A-Sun Student-Athlete of the Year, Receives Scholarship
Belmont University senior Andy Wicke (Hendersonville, Tenn.) was named Atlantic Sun Conference Male Student-Athlete of the Year, the league office announced Tuesday.
This marks the sixth time in the last eight years that the Atlantic Sun Conference Male-Student Athlete of the Year has been a Belmont Men’s Basketball player. Wicke joins Wes Burtner (2002), Justin Hare (2007, 2008) and Adam Mark (2003, 2004) in this exclusive fraternity.
“It is a tremendous honor for our university and the Belmont Basketball program for Andy to receive this award,” Belmont head coach Rick Byrd said. “Andy, like many of our student-athletes before him, took great pride in being a leader on the court, in the classroom and in the community. We thank the Atlantic Sun Conference and its Faculty Athletic Representatives for recognizing Andy in this way.” Click here for more on this story.
In addition, Wicke (Hendersonville, Tenn.) was awarded the Atlantic Sun Conference Postgraduate Scholarship. This marks the latest in a long line of honors for Wicke, who concluded his decorated college basketball career with 1,236 points – good for sixth all-time on Belmont’s NCAA-era scoring list.
On April 29, Wicke earned a coveted educational grant through the NCAA postgraduate scholarship program. A one-time, nonrenewable grant of $7,500 went to only two NCAA Division-I men’s basketball players – Wicke and North Dakota State’s Brett Winkelman. Most recently, the 6-2 shooting guard received the 2009 Belmont University Presidential Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award from Dr. Robert C. Fisher at the annual Scholar-Athlete Recognition Reception. Click here for more on this story.
Vol State-Belmont Nursing Program Graduates First Students
Holly Andrews, pictured at right, walked across the stage at Belmont University not just as a happy graduate, but also the first of her kind. She is in the first group of students to complete the nursing program in a partnership between Belmont University and Volunteer State Community College. The mother of four made the career choice because of the important role nurses played while she was delivering her children in the hospital.
“I thought: I could do that for the rest of my life. It was just getting up the nerve to do it,” Andrews said.
Andrews is joined by Jordan Banks and Jessica Brazil as the first Vol State group to graduate from the program. They took a set of classes at Vol State that matched up to Belmont nursing requirements. After graduation from Vol State and acceptance into the Belmont program, all of their courses transferred to the bachelor’s of science in nursing degree. Vol State administrators say the program is continuing to grow in popularity.
“Belmont, of course, is a premier institution,” said Dean Nancy Morris. “The students in all of their medical programs get high scores. They have state of the art facilities and a low student to professor ratio.”
BelmontVision.com Wins Professional Video Award
BelmontVision.com is the winner of the 2009 Videographer Awards’ Award of Excellence for its semester-long continuous team video coverage of Debate ’08 and the presidential election. This competition is international in scope and has entrants from all arenas of professional, educational and public video production. The winning BelmontVision.com team included journalism and audio visual production students Melody Drushal, Amber Garner, Carly Griffin, Alana Kreegel, Oliver Mauldin, Derek Moore, Abby Selden, Erik Unger and Jessica Walker.
“This team of dedicated students made the most of every opportunity,” said New Century Journalism instructor Stephan Foust. “They worked tirelessly, often under tight deadlines with little or no sleep, to keep their viewers up-to-date on Belmont’s unique role during the 2008 presidential campaign. They earned this award by never losing sight of their goals and always putting forth their best effort.”
The Videographer Awards are judged by award-winning professionals on the basis of resourcefulness, creativity and quality. The organization states that its mission is “to identify professionals who are raising the standards of the industry.”
Belmont Faculty Publish Editorials in Tennessean
Two Belmont faculty members recently published editorial columns in The Tennessean. Dr. Beth Woodard, associate professor of management in the Massey Graduate School of Business, contributed an article on reform plans for Medicare on May 19. Click here to read her editorial. Also, Dr. Stephanie Buchanan Crowder, an assistant professor of religion, co-wrote an editorial with Vanderbilt’s Dr. Herbert Robinson Marbury on the need for more diverse representation among religion faculty. Click here to read the article.
Lynette Rives Earns NCAA Title Berth
On the second day of the NCAA Mideast Regional, senior sprinter Lynette Rives (Clarksville, Tenn.) became the first Belmont women’s track and field athlete to earn back-to-back berths to the NCAA Outdoor Championships after her stellar performance in the 200m on Saturday afternoon.
Rives opened the day vying for a chance to move on to Nationals in the 100m. However, the Clarksville, Tenn., native fell short and took eighth in the finals of the event with a time of 11.66. An hour later, she would have an opportunity to redeem herself with another shot at a trip to Nationals within her reach. Rives, the lone senior in the 200m finals, bolted to a third place finish with a time of 23.28 (1.2) to qualify for Nationals.
Rives was excited about the chance to compete at Nationals again. “Coming into the 200m, I was confident in my placement. We got out of the blocks and it was tough coming around the curve but I pushed it out. My race was all guts,” she said. “I am excited for another chance at Nationals.”
“She was really motivated by what happened earlier in the 100m,” said Assistant Women’s Track and Field coach Cameron Harvey. “She was able to refocus for the 200m and put in a good effort. We are all looking forward to going to Nationals next month.”
“Lynette’s effort today was an example of her tough-as-nails attitude and strong work ethic,” said Women’s Cross Country and Track and Field head coach Seth Sheridan.
Rives will travel to Fayetteville, Ark., to compete at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, which will be held June 10-13. (photo by Dave Milner)
