Students in Computer Science, Information Systems Management and Entrepreneurship were invited to attend a luncheon Wednesday with distinguished speakers from different areas of technology. The event was part of the Nashville Technology Council’s Turning the Tide of Technology Initiative T3 Guest Speaker Series. The program featured Janice Malaszenko, general manager/director of Global Enterprise Architecture for Nissan; Jay Clarke, president/CEO of Magazines.com; and Tod Fetherling, president of the Nashville Technology Council. These guest speakers discussed the present and future landscape of technology in Middle Tennessee and beyond.
Tech Council Speaker Series Educates Students on Future of Technology
Radio Disney Contest Finalist Featured in Chicago Tribune
Freshman Cody Fry was featured this week on the front page of the Arts & Entertainment section of the Chicago Tribune related to his participation in the Radio Disney “Next Big Thing” contest. Fry is one of 11 artists named as finalists in the contest. Online voting continues through April 23 with the winner being announced on April 27.
The article includes a quote from Radio Disney Music Director Kelly Edwards who recalls her first impression of Fry when he came in for an interview. “We were literally blown away by him just sitting on the couch with his guitar,” Edwards says. “Everyone in the room was literally silent when he was done. We just weren’t prepared for how talented he was.”
Click here to read the Chicago Tribune feature on Fry. Click here to listen to Fry’s music and vote for him in the Radio Disney contest.
Stansell Selected for Taylor Swift Tour
Student Brandon Stansell, dance captain for Company, was recently selected as lead dancer for the upcoming Taylor Swift tour. The tour includes many cities in Eastern Asia and Europe as well as throughout the United States.
Alpha Chi Members Present Research at National Convention
Six Belmont students recently presented their research at the Alpha Chi Honor Society National Convention in Indianapolis. Two faculty advisors, Dr. Jonathan Thorndike (Honors) and Dr. Sarah Ann Stewart (Math/Computer Science), also attended the convention. The annual Alpha Chi convention is organized around student presentations by junior and seniors from their respective chapters. Membership in Alpha Chi is the highest academic honor awarded by Belmont University.
In the Business session, Janelle Hawkes discussed her essay “The Distribution of Music and the Adaptation of Digital Downloading to the Industry’s Business Structure” and was awarded the “Gayle Webb White Prize in Business Management” for this presentation. Also during the Business session, Lauren Cooper discussed her essay “Accounting in the Music Industry.” In the Computer Science and Engineering conference session, Henry “Hank” Carter presented his research on “Developing a Model Certificate Authority for Collegiate Institutions,” and Joel Boyter discussed his essay “Gramophone to MP3: The Rise and Fall of Audio Recording Quality.” In the Mathematics Session, Amy Valentine presented her research on “The Transcendence of Pi.” In the Ecology and Biology section, Elizabeth Schriner discussed her research about “Size Structure and Intraspecific Interference in Streamside Salamander Larvae.”
The faculty members accompanying the students were also active in the convention. Stewart, who serves as the Belmont chapter’s advisor, moderated the panel on Political Science and Economics. Thorndike, who is the Alpha Chi Region III Secretary-Treasurer, moderated the panel on Literature, Language and Philosophy and also presented the Distinguished Service Awards.
Bruin Den Day Volunteers Reach Out to Local Community
On April 4, the Student Government Association hosted its annual Bruin Den Day Community Service event. More than 150 registered students dispersed throughout a three-mile radius of campus. Students served such organizations as Eakin Elementary, Carter Lawrence Elementary, Ronald McDonald House, Hospitality House and Wedgewood Community Garden. Each year Bruin Den Day provides a unique opportunity to give back to the surrounding Belmont area. Students perform outreach in a variety of ways and thus are involved in engaging and transforming their local Nashville community.
Nursing Professor Selected as Fulbright Scholar to Uganda
Dr. Ruby Dunlap, associate professor in the School of Nursing, was recently selected as a 2009-10 U.S. Fulbright Scholar for Sub-Saharan Africa, specifically Uganda. Dunlap will be a guest lecturer in nursing at Uganda Christian University which is located 23 kilometers outside of Kampala, Uganda. She will also be conducting research on how standards of nursing are adapted to austere conditions.
“It is deeply humbling to be given this kind of trust,” Dunlap said. “I’m looking forward to collaborating in discovery and service with colleagues in Uganda and hope to represent Belmont and the Nashville community well in this assignment.”
Dr. Dunlap currently teaches Community Health Nursing and Gerontological Nursing at Belmont. She has been a full time nursing educator at Belmont since 1996. Over the past 12 years, she has supervised hundreds of Belmont students as they cared for refugees from Sudan and Somalia in the Nashville area.
She will be serving in a two-semester appointment, August 2009 through May 2010, at Uganda Christian University as a visiting professor in nursing and community health. Dr. Dunlap will also be conducting research on the application of standards of care when shortages of human and material resources exist. She will be attending an orientation program in Washington, D.C. in June. Dr. Dunlap will be accompanied by her husband, Robert Dunlap, and her father, Carl Wesselhoeft, a former missionary in Somalia.
Dr. Dunlap chose Uganda Christian University because of its nursing program and because it is a faith-based institution similar to Belmont. She spent 10 years of her childhood (1955-1966) in Somalia. Her childhood in East Africa combined with working with African refugees in Nashville has produced a passion for the African people. In 2007, she supervised 52 nursing students in community health as they designed a curriculum for a proposed new school of nursing in Mozambique.
‘Bun Lady’ Encourages Students to Pursue ‘American Dream’
Cordia Harrington, founder and CEO of the Bun Companies, shared stories from her career journey on Monday in a talk in Neely on “Living Your Dream Life,” the finale convocation in this year’s Belmont and Beyond series from Career Services.
The 2009 Nashville Business Journal Woman of Influence opened her talk by encouraging graduating seniors to be vigilant in the pursuit of their dreams, recognizing that the present economic situation is just one of many career hurdles that will be faced in their lifetimes. “Nobody’s life is perfect. Nobody’s dream becomes a reality without some upsets along the way.”
Harrington went on to relate tales from her own professional life, dating back to when she bartered for office space and leased furniture to open a real estate company in Arkansas in 1980. A construction company and three McDonald’s franchises later, Harrington determined to start her own business after realizing at a McDonald’s committee meeting that bakery suppliers couldn’t keep up with demand. Soon thereafter, in 1996, she borrowed $15 million and opened the Tennessee Bun Company, which now is one of the most highly automated bakeries in the world, producing 1,000 buns per minute.
“The American dream is a journey. You have to be flexible, and you have to be resourceful.”
In addition to Tennessee Bun Company, the Bun Companies now include the Nashville Bun Company, Bun Lady Transport (BLT), Cold Storage of Nashville and Cornerstone Baking Company. Harrington and the Bun Companies have been nationally recognized in many media outlets, including the “CBS Early Show,” ABC’s “Money Matters” and “NBC Nightly News.” In 2007, Nashville Bun Company was honored by a visit from President George W. Bush, who later noted about his visit, “I found a strong spirit of enterprise. Risk-takers like Cordia create jobs and opportunities for their fellow citizens and show the world the power of the American Dream.”
Wilson Visits Argentina on Sister Cities’ Delegation
Katy Wilson, director of Belmont Health Services, was recently part of Nashville’s Sister City delegation to Mendoza, Argentina. Sister Cities is a volunteer organization under the mayor’s office which exists for the purpose of cultural and educational exchange. Nashville has several Sister Cities: Edmonton, Alberta; Belfast, Northern Ireland; Caen, France; Magdeburg, Germany; and Tiyuan, China. Wilson serves as a Sister Cities’ board member and has been to Argentina several times in this capacity. For more information visit the Sister Cities Nashville Web site at www.scnashville.org/.
Renfroe Adds Three Postseason Honors
Belmont University men’s basketball senior Alex Renfroe (Hermitage, Tenn.) added to his impressive list of postseason accolades with honors from the Associated Press and CollegeInsider.com. Renfroe was named to the 2009 Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America Team prior to the Final Four. The lone Atlantic Sun Conference representative and one of just 62 players in the country to be so recognized, Renfroe becomes just the sixth Belmont student-athlete ever to earn NCAA All-America honors. He joins Lynette Rives (women’s track and field, 2008), Colleen Nilson (volleyball, 2006), Blake Owen (baseball, 2005), Adam Sonn (men’s basketball, 2003), and Keely Weaver (women’s track and field, 2000).
“Alex becomes just the second Belmont player to achieve the recognition of honorable mention All-American. He is included among the nation’s great players and rightfully so, after having one of the greatest individual seasons in Belmont Basketball history,” Belmont head coach Rick Byrd said. “Out basketball staff and his teammates are very proud of such an honor.” Click here for more on this story.
Student-Athletes Conduct ‘Camp Bruin’ at Local Elementary School
In celebration of NCAA National Student-Athlete Day, the Belmont University Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) organized Camp Bruin at nearby Carter-Lawrence Elementary School Monday. Camp Bruin was organized and conducted by Belmont student-athletes and all 17 teams were represented at the event. During the three-and-a-half-hour session, student-athletes worked with second, third and fourth graders from Carter Lawrence by directing games and activities that involved their sport inside the school gymnasium.
Marcela Sanchez, a sophomore on the women’s soccer team, helped direct the Carter Lawrence students in a game of crab soccer. In crab soccer, the students had to keep to their hands and feet on the ground at all times and either kick or head into the goal. Sanchez said that participating in Camp Bruin was both fun and rewarding. “We had a blast today,” said Sanchez. “It was great to see the students’ enthusiasm as they played the games. Through our involvement today, we as Belmont student-athletes hope to be great ambassadors for the University and the entire Athletic Department and act as role models for the students of Carter Lawrence.”
Betty Wiseman, assistant athletic director and department advisor for the Belmont SAAC, has overseen the decade-long tradition of turning National Student-Athlete Day into a Belmont community service outreach project. She echoes Sanchez’s sentiments on the day’s meaning. “The SAAC did a wonderful job coordinating the event,” Wiseman said. “Obviously the Carter Lawrence students had a great time, and it was a real joy to see our student-athletes connect with them.”
National STUDENT-Athlete Day is a program of the National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS) and is co-presented with The NCAA, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and Northeastern University’s Center for the Study of Sport in Society.
