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.
Belmont Kennedys Share Musical Legacy, Wisdom
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.
Alumni Sing Hits for ‘Belmont at the Bluebird’
Tuesday marked the second annual “Belmont at the Bluebird” Homecoming event. Sponsored by the Office of Alumni Relations and the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business, the evening featured Belmont alumni Gordon Kennedy, Don Poythress, Larry Stewart and Ben Cooper performing in the round to a packed house.
Audience members heard renditions of Kennedy’s “Change the World,” notably recorded by Eric Clapton; “Bluest Eyes in Texas,” performed by Stewart, lead singer of Restless Heart who made the song famous; Poythress’s “Things That Never Cross a Man’s Mind,” a recent Kellie Pickler hit; and a heartfelt love song “Toujours Moi” written by Cooper and Kennedy and performed by Cooper.
Mayor Announces Proposal to Create Joint Information Center at Belmont
Mayor Karl Dean and Belmont University President Bob Fisher today announced a partnership agreement between the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and Belmont University to help the city establish a Joint Information Center (JIC) in the event of a major disaster in Davidson County. The administration filed an ordinance on Friday requesting the Metro Council to approve the memorandum of understanding (MOU).
The MOU guarantees a site on the Belmont University campus for the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management to establish a Joint Information Center in the event that a major disaster strikes Davidson County, requiring a full activation of the Emergency Operations Center. The Joint Information Center becomes the primary location for local, state and federal government leaders to disseminate emergency information to the public through the news media.
“Nashville is not immune to natural disasters, and our ability to respond effectively is based upon a high level of preparedness,” Dean said. “Belmont University’s generosity will allow us to quickly establish a central location to disseminate critical information to the public in the days and weeks following a natural or manmade disaster.”
Belmont University has agreed to provide Metro an on-campus location to establish a JIC at no cost to the city, as well as the necessary equipment and work space to support the operations. Two alternative campus sites have been identified to be used by OEM should a pre-planned event have one location already occupied.
“It’s important to our students, faculty and staff that Belmont University makes significant contributions to our neighborhood, the broader city of Nashville and the region,” Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher said. “I can think of no better way for Belmont to practice good citizenship than to donate some of our resources to help keep our community safe and informed in the event of a crisis. We’re honored to partner with Mayor Dean and Metro on this project.”
Laura Hokenstad, director of the Office of Emergency Management said: “As witnessed during the devastating ice storm in Kentucky earlier this month, there is an immediate need for jurisdictions to provide residents and visitors with a steady stream of information following a disaster. Belmont University is a perfect location to set up a Joint Information Center in an expeditious manner due to its close proximity to our Emergency Operations Center.”
LeBleu Interviewed on WSMV
Lori LeBleu, director of career planning & placement in the College of Business Administration, was interviewed by WSMV’s Mark Stewart for a story that aired Monday evening on the current job market in Middle Tennessee. Click here to watch the interview.
