Dr. Gary Garrison, assistant professor of Information Systems Management, has been notified that his research note, “A Model of Conflict, Leadership and Performance in Virtual Teams,” has been published in Information Systems Research, a top tier information systems journal. Co-authors are Robin L. Wakefield, associate professor of information systems, and Dorothy E. Leidner, professor of information systems, both at Baylor University. Click here to read the abstract to the article, which is now available in Volume 19, Issue 4, December 2008, pages 434-455.
Garrison Published in Information Systems Journal
PT Students, Faculty, Alumni Present and Receive Recognition at National Conference
Recently several of the Belmont University School of Physical Therapy faculty, alumni and students attended the annual American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Combined Sections Meeting (CSM) in Las Vegas.
Physical therapy graduate student Tara McDonough Domkowski (‘11) and undergraduate alumna (’08) presented a poster they co-authored with Dr. Nancy Darr, Dr. Steven Murphree and Barbara Ward in the Neurobiology – Balance and Falls section titled, “The effects of cellular phone conversations on the gait characteristics in young adults.”
Dr. Nancy Darr, associate professor of physical therapy, presented a platform presentation of research titled, “Pediatric Balance Scale Performance in Children who are Developing Typically and in Children with Mild Developmental Delay.” This was a multi-site study involving faculty members from Belmont, Daemen College and The State University of New York Upstate Medical Center.
Also presenting at CSM was Dr. John Halle, associate dean and professor of physical therapy, along with Dr. David Greathouse, a former associate dean of the School of Physical Therapy who presented “Peripheral Mononeuropathies in the Lower Extremities: An Anatomical, Clinical and Electrophysiological Review.”
Dr. Cathy Hinton is also an associate professor of physical therapy and currently serves as a member of the APTA Ethics and Judicial Committee. She presented “Dialogues on Doing the Right Thing: What Ethical Codes are all about – an Update on Proposed Revision to APTA Core Ethics Documents.”
Belmont PT alumnus John DeWitt (’01) received the 2009 Sports Physical Therapy Section New Horizon Award, which goes to an individual who has shown great potential to be a future leader in the field in their first seven years of practice. Alumnae Amy Grigg Gross (’02) and Dawn Straub (‘04) received their Orthopedic Certification Specialties (OCS).
Basso Wins Country Music Showcase
On Sat., Feb. 21 the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business celebrated the annual Country Showcase with special guest host, Great American Country personality Nan Kelley. This year’s showcase featured student talents The Westbound Rangers, W.C. Marion, Cassidy Lynn, Steven Darden and Jenna Basso. Credits for this years’ performers include the hit television show “American Idol,” GAC, CMT’s “Can You Duet” and the Grand Ole Opry stage. “I sing in hopes of achieving a lifelong dream: taking a place in the spotlight among the leading ladies of country music,” said Jenna Basso, this year’s Country showcase winner.
Basso joins the lineup for the annual Best of the Best Showcase on April 25 at 7 p.m. in the Curb Event Center. She will perform alongside Stephen Whitfield, Future and The Strangers—winners of the Christian, Urban/Pop and Rock Showcases respectively, as well as the six winners of the ASCAP Writers’ Night Series. Continuing a tradition of recognizing music industry greats who are also dedicated to the educational process, the Curb College will name Donna Hilley as the first recipient of the Robert E. Mulloy Award of Excellence at the 2009 Best of the Best Showcase.
Belmont Kennedys Share Musical Legacy, Wisdom
On Wed., Feb. 25, the Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business welcomed to the “Insider’s View” stage the talented Kennedy family. Led by father Jerry, an inaugural inductee in the Musician’s Hall of Fame, the Kennedy men have all significantly impacted the music industry, and all three sons attended Belmont.
Jerry Kennedy spent more than three decades successfully playing guitar, producing records and working in A&R. He eventually became vice president of Mercury Records’ Nashville division in 1968 before starting his own company. His career credits include working on projects with such diverse and luminary names as Bob Dylan, Elvis, Joan Baez, The Statler Brothers, Kris Kristofferson, Reba McEntire, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison. “Some of the most creative, talented people I worked with later in my career were people who graduated from here,” he said. “Stay here until you get it done, and believe in what you’re doing.”
Eldest brother Gordon is an accomplished guitarist and songwriter with album cuts that include Eric Clapton’s “Change the World,” which won the Song of the Year Grammy in 1996. Gordon recounted how the song was first written in 1991 as a demo for a group he was in, but the deal fell through. Wynonna then had the song on hold, but her recording schedule was postponed. It was five years after it was written that the song finally struck Grammy gold with Clapton’s performance. “You step back and say, ‘God what do you have in mind here?'” Gordon noted. “Because God’s plan is so much better than anything I could have dreamed up.”
The younger Kennedy brothers also made their own marks on the music business. Bryan began his industry career plugging songs for his father, before writing several hits for Garth Brooks’ records, including three No. 1 radio songs: “Good Ride Cowboy,” “Beaches of Cheyenne” and “American Honky Tonk Bar Association.” Youngest brother Shelby served as a key A&R man for Lyric Street records, directing the likes of Aaron Tippin, Rascal Flatts and SheDaisy, and later represented Writer Relations at BMI. In addition to serving as an adjunct in the Curb College, Shelby now serves as Sr. VP/COO of Cherry Heart Music.
Homecoming, Fitness Day Receive Local Media Attention
In addition to an overview of Homecoming 2009 events in Sunday’s Tennessean, several campus events this week caught the attention of local media. The “Quote” project by Belmont alumni, along with Monday’s convocation event to support that project (pictured right), was the subject of a lengthy interview on WPLN, Nashville’s local public radio. Click here to listen to the story, which is featured on the station’s home page. Fitness Day also received coverage as FOX-17 sent a crew out to cover the Polar Bear 5K live on the station’s morning show. Click here to view the story. Finally, Belmont’s own Paul Chenoweth conducted an interview with alumna Margaret Elliott, whose artwork is a part of the “Art from Anywhere” Alumni Art Exhibit that is currently in the LCVA gallery. Click here to watch the interview.
Wicke Named to Academic All-America Team
Men’s basketball senior Andy Wicke (Hendersonville, Tenn.) added to his lengthy and distinguished list of accolades Wednesday, as he was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America University Division Men’s Basketball Third Team. “Andy has been a tremendous representative of our basketball program and Belmont University,” Belmont head coach Rick Byrd said. “This is an honor well deserved and celebrates Andy’s sacrifice and dedication to perform at a high level on the court and in the classroom.”
One of only seven players in all of college basketball this season with the opportunity to earn a fourth consecutive automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, Wicke has been a leader on and off the court for the Bruin program. The 6-2 guard received Academic All-District honors earlier this month and is one of 10 finalists for the prestigious Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. Wicke is also a four-time member of the Atlantic Sun All-Academic Team. Click here for more on this story.
Biology Students Present Research at National Neuroscience Meeting
Students and faculty from the Department of Biology attended the 38th annual National Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in Washington D.C. Over 31,000 attendees from around the world gathered to present and share ideas. The students, who all presented the results of their undergraduate research conducted at Belmont, were Sachin Amin, Jeanna Bardin, Jackie Hunter, Christina Inman, Roshni Patel and Taylor Walter. The student projects investigated various aspects of behavior of zebrafish and C. elegans, both model systems for the study of neurobiology. Dr. Lori McGrew and Dr. Robert Grammer accompanied the students on the trip and also directed their research.
Belmont Marks Start of Lent with Ash Wednesday Service
On Wednesday, Belmont marked the beginning of the 40-day season of Lent, a time of preparation for Holy Week and Easter, with an Ash Wednesday service in Neely Hall. Co-officiating at the service was the Most Reverend David R. Choby,
Bishop of Nashville. Bishop Choby was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as the first native Nashvillian to head the diocese. He attended Father Ryan High School and Aquinas College before doing graduate studies at The Catholic University of America and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. Belmont’s Spiritual Emphasis Week/Emerge speaker, Dr. Sherry Mortenson, also participated in the service. Mortenson is pastor of Spiritual Formation at Whittier Area Community Church, a 4,000 member Baptist congregation in California.
Also leading the service was Rev. Dr. Todd Lake, vice president for spiritual development at Belmont. He noted, “As a Christian university, we are strengthened by marking the seasons of the Christian calendar. In just the past few years we have initiated a campus-wide Advent Devotional, national PBS broadcast of ‘Christmas at Belmont’ and an Ash Wednesday service. It is thanks to our sisters and brothers in the liturgical churches that we add these practices to our rich Baptist heritage at Belmont.”
Several hundred Belmont students participated in the Ash Wednesday service, which was covered as a major feature in The Tennessean titled “Evangelicals rediscover Ash Wednesday rituals.” Click here to read the story and view a video of the event.
Pharmacy Faculty, Students Start 2009 with Conferences
Five Belmont University pharmacy students took part in the inaugural meeting of the Tennessee Society of Student Pharmacists (TSSP) on Sat., Feb. 21. Azieb Abebe, Lindsay Archer, Cassidy Domagalla, David Jones, and Zac Renfro represented Belmont as members of the Belmont TSSP chapter. In addition to participating in this year’s program, this team was able to help shape the development of this statewide organization and its future programming efforts, as well as introducing Belmont’s pharmacy program to pharmacy students enrolled in the other four Tennessee pharmacy programs.
Meanwhile, numerous faculty from the School of Pharmacy began the year attending and speaking at various conferences. Dean Phil Johnston attended the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Interim Meeting and Dean’s Retreat in Washington, D.C. Associate Dean Eric Hobson attended the Tennessee Pharmacist Association Interim Meeting and presented the association with an update of Belmont’s pharmacy program development and successes. Hobson was also a featured speaker at the Tennessee Society of Student Pharmacy meeting where he presented a session “Portfolios for Professional Success.”
Dr. Salvatore Giorgianni was the expert guest on the Mix 92.9 morning show with Anna Marie Ritter discussing “Complimentary Medicine Use for the Management of Cold and Flu.”
Finally, Dr. Andrew Webster was the keynote speaker to a joint meeting of the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Pre-pharmacy Scholars Association and the Student Chapter of the American Chemical Society, speaking about “Careers in Pharmacy.” Webster was also recently appointed to the Metro Nashville Public Health Department Emergency Preparedness Team. The appointment involves regional oversight of the Strategic National Stockpile services, with emphasis on receiving, shipping and storage of pharmaceuticals intended for first responder utilization during a catastrophic event.
Psychology Students Present Research at Southeastern Psychological Association
Eleven psychology majors attended and presented research at the annual meeting of the Southeastern Psychological Association (SEPA) in New Orleans on Feb. 18-21. The students were Meredith Graves, Drue Williamson, Anna Claire Bowen, Jamie Vickstrom, Luke Lancaster, Jessica Heacock, Irieon Walker, Chloe Williams, Hannah Benneyworth, Sammie Brown and Rachael Haney. Psychology faculty who attended were Drs. William Bailey, Lynn Jones, Pete Giordano and Lonnie Yandell. All faculty sponsored at least one student research project, including Dr. Michael Sullivan who was unable to attend the conference.
