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.
Alumni Sing Hits for ‘Belmont at the Bluebird’
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.
Raines Participates in NewsChannel 5’s ‘Open Line’ Show
Dr. Pat Raines, dean of the College of Business Administration, joined NewsChannel 5’s Nick Beres for a conversation on the recently passed economic stimulus package. Click here to watch the interview. On the Open Line video line, click on the “More” tab and then “Morning Line.” Then choose “Morning Line: Economic Stimulus Plan.”
Smith Editorial Published in Tennessean
Dr. Bonnie Smith, associate professor of English, recently published an editorial in The Tennessean titled, “Cuts could have devastating effect on adult learners.” Click here to read the article.
Parry Named Liaison to Journalism Commission
Pam Parry, associate professor of journalism, has been named a national officer of the Small Programs Interest Group of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. In 2009-2010, she will be the liaison to the AEJMC Commission on the Status of Minorities. This is the second year she has served as an officer of the group. Last year, she was the SPIG research co-chair.
Belmont Celebrates National Fitness Day
On Wed., Feb. 25, the Beaman Student Life Center at Belmont University will celebrate National Recreational Sports and Fitness Day with a full slate of events throughout the day to promote health and wellness. This is the fourth consecutive year Belmont has participated in this national celebration of fitness. Most of the day’s activities are primarily intended for students, faculty, staff and alumni, and this year Fitness Day falls during Belmont’s celebration of Homecoming 2009. A few of the day’s highlights include:
6 a.m. Polar Bear 5K – Sponsored by Fleet Feet, participants will run or walk a 3.1 mile course that tours Belmont’s main campus. The event will occur rain or shine. (Race starts at fountain on Belmont Blvd.)
7 a.m. Yoga Group Fitness Class – (Beaman Fitness Center Dance Room)
10 a.m. Fitness Convocation – D1 Sports Training coach Carter Hays and special guest Shawn Hammonds talk about staying fit on tour. (Curb Event Center)
11 a.m. Healthy Snack Break and Free Massages – The Mind and Body Institute will be giving free massages, and participants can get their blood pressure checked while they wait. (Beaman Center Lobby)
12 p.m. Zumba Group Fitness – Check out one of the newest cardio classes, a fun twist on Latin street dancing. (Beaman Recreation Gym)
5 p.m. D1 Fitness Challenge – D1 fitness trainer Carter Hays will take participants through a real boot camp experience. (Beaman Recreation Gym)
8:30 p.m. Climbing Wall Twister – It’s a game of Twister that goes vertical. (Beaman Climbing Wall)
Speech and Debate Team Wins State Tournament
This past weekend Belmont University’s Speech and Debate team competed at the 2009 Tennessee Intercollegiate Forensics Association (TIFA) state tournament. The team was recognized as the first place overall debate team in the state and also landed third place in Individual Events and second place in the combined IE/Debate team category. Student winners included:
Novice Debate: First place team, Tyler Kimbro & Eric Schoen; first place overall debate speaker, Tyler Kimbro
Varsity Debate: Second place team, George Shifflett & Caroline Tenenbaum; second place overall debate speaker, George Shifflett
Extemporaneous Speaking: Second place and Top Novice, Sara Page; Third place, Melanie Bengtson; Fifth place, Tyler Kimbro; Sixth place, Wesley Rainer
After Dinner Speaking: Third place, Meredith Day; Seventh place, Scott Curry
Impromptu Speaking: Second place, Melanie Bengtson; Third place, Tyler Kimbro
Informative Speaking: Fourth place, Sara Page
Communication Analysis: Sixth place, Chris Taylor
Poetry Interpretation: Sixth place, Scott Curry
Prose Interpretation: First place and Top Novice, Eric Schoen
Dramatic Interpretation: Second place, Meredith Day
Programmed Oral Interpretation: Fifth place, Sara Page
Duo Interpretation: First place, Eric Schoen & Meredith Day; Sixth place, Scott Curry & Meredith Day
Pentathalon (Top Overall IE Competitor): Fourth place, Meredith Day
Voight Awarded Excellence in Education Award
Dr. Mike Voight, professor of physical therapy, was recently awarded the 2009 Excellence in Education Award from the Sports Physical Therapy Section (SPTS) of the American Physical Therapy Association. Voight was noted for his “lively, fun, and memorable” teaching style as well as his commitment to be “on the cutting edge of instructional technology and evidence.” Voight (left) is pictured with Dr. Tab Blackburn, past president of SPTS.
Student Journalists Win Onsite Championship at SEJC
The 23rd Southeast Journalism Conference (SEJC) was held on Belmont’s campus Feb. 12-14, with 285 student journalists participating from seven states. The conference includes a competition in a number of categories for the Best in the South reporting from 2008 as well as an onsite journalism competition. The Belmont Onsite Team won the overall onsite championship with the highest number of points of all participating schools.
Belmont Associate Professor Linda Quigley, who served as co-president of SEJC 2008-09 with Thom Storey, said, “College journalists from around the Southeast demonstrated that the future of reporting, editing, photography, videography and Web design is in good hands. In both the work that students produced and the workshops they attended at SEJC at Belmont, students showed that they’re keeping pace with rapid changes in the field.”
Belmont’s winners in the onsite competition included:
Video Reporting: First place, Abby Selden and Jessica Walker
Multimedia Package: Third place, Lance Conzett, Erin Carson and Melody Drushal
First Amendment Writing: First place, Melanie Bengtson
Editorial Cartoon: Second place, Emily Buckner
In addition, several Belmont students and publications won awards in the 2008 competition:
Best College Newspaper: Honorable mention, Belmont Vision
Best College Magazine: Honorable mention, Connect
Best College Web Site: Second place, BelmontVision.com
Best News Reporter: Second place, Liz Hunton
Best Feature Writer: Second place, Adaeze Elechi
Best A&E Writer: Third place, Jason Hardy
Best Opinion Writer: Third place, Adaeze Elechi
Best Election Writer: Second place, Melanie Bengtson
Best Magazine Writer: Second place, Ryan Kraemer
Best Television Journalist: Third place, Abby Selden
Best Public Service Journalism: Honorable mention, Drew Dean and Liz Hunton
