Dr. Ronnie Littlejohn, chairman of the philosophy department and director of Belmont’s Asian Studies program, has been awarded a Freeman Foundation/East-West Center grant of $4,000 for a faculty development workshop in East Asia and the Ecologies of Development to be held in September. The program will be held in concert with next year’s Humanities Symposium.
Paine Named Editor of Japan Studies Association Journal
Dr. John Paine (English, Foreign Languages, Asian Studies) recently became the editor of the Japan Studies Association Journal. He is also the editor of the Journal of the Short Story in English with Dr. Corinne Dale (English). One of his colleagues recently remarked that under Paine’s editorship Japan Studies Association Journal shows the “marks of the thorough scholarship and careful precision” for which he is known.
Spring Presents Paper on First Year Experience
Dr. Ken Spring, associate professor of sociology, recently presented a paper at the Annual First Year Experience Conference in Orlando, Florida. The paper was titled “A Civic Approach: Community, Education, and Responsibility”
and highlighted the work of Belmont faculty, staff and administration on creating a more seamless approach to education and civic engagement.
Spring specifically addressed the ways in which FYS has been used as a way of framing the Belmont experience and welcoming students into the culture of our campus. On a 5.0 scale, Spring’s session received a 4.9 for the overall quality of the presentation from the attendees.
Giorgianni Accepted as Grant Reviewer
The Federal Health Research Services Administration recently contact Dr. Sal Giorgianni, assistant professor and director of experiential education and development in the School of Pharmacy, to inform him that he was accepted as a grant reviewer for the 2009-2010 cycle. HRSA is responsible for reviewing, administering and disseminating information on research across the US on important health services issues and policies.
In addition, Howard (Rex) Smith, Giorgianni’s son-in-law, won a Grammy at this year’s awards. The award was for his role as music director and drummer on the Best Reggae Album 2008, Burning Spear’s Jah is Real, released by Burning Music Production. Smith is currently on tour and recording as the drummer for Wyclef Jean.
Bernie Herms to Receive Curtain Call Award
Belmont University’s School of Music will present its annual Curtain Call Award to producer, composer, songwriter and Grammy nominee Bernie Herms. The award is presented annually to a School of Music alumnus in honor of achievement in the field of commercial and popular music.
Herms will receive the award on Feb. 24 during a concert in his honor that will feature recording artists Casting Crowns, Natalie Grant and RED. Herms has worked with all three artists through the course of his career. The concert and award presentation will be at 7:30 p.m. in Massey Concert Hall. The event is free and open to the public.
In addition to the concert performers, Herms’ credits include projects with well-known artists such as Brad Paisley, CeCe Winans, Lonestar, Selah, Lorrie Morgan, Mark Shultz, Sammy Kershaw and Steven Curtis Chapman. His production credits have also extended to popular soundtracks such as Charlotte’s Web, The Nativity and Amazing Grace. Most recently, his work gained five nominations at the 2008 GMA Dove Awards, including Producer of the Year for In Better Hands for his wife Natalie Grant and a win for Song of the Year, “Praise You in this Storm.”
Previous Applause Award winners include Melinda Doolittle, Josh Turner, Ginny Owens and Tammy Rogers King.
Braddy Named to ‘American Idol’ Top 36
Ricky Braddy, a 2007 Commercial Music graduate from Belmont, was named Wednesday night to the Top 36 of “American Idol.” During his time at Belmont, the North Carolina native was selected to participate in the 2006 Commercial Music Showcase where he performed “Dying to Live” and the Ray Charles’ classic “Song for You.”
The 36 “American Idol” hopefuls will be split into three groups of 12, and for three consecutive weeks, one group will perform live each Tuesday. At the end of each performance show, viewers will be able to vote for their favorite contestants for at least two hours in their region. Braddy was selected to compete in Group 1, and his live performance will air this Tues., Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. on FOX.
On Wednesdays, the live results show will announce the three semi-finalists (the top male, the top female and the next top vote-recipient) that America has chosen to move on in the competition. On Thurs., March 5, a special “Wild Card” episode will feature the judges’ favorite remaining contestants battling it out live for a coveted spot in the next phase of the competition.
For more on Ricky Braddy, visit his fan club Web site at www.thebraddybunch.com.
Hogan Wins First Player of the Week Honor
Belmont freshman Abbey Hogan notched the clinching point in each of the Bruins’ two wins last week, upping her singles record to 6-2 for the season. On Wednesday, the conference office awarded Hogan her first career Player of the Week honor. Click here for more on this story.
Coach Byrd Quoted in USA Today
Men’s basketball coach Rick Byrd was quoted this week in USA Today regarding Belmont’s dramatic comeback win against Campbell. The Bruins rallied from a 75-57 deficit with 3:27 to play and beat Campbell 87-84 on Feb. 6. Click here to read the story.
Human Resources to Introduce New Safety Training to Campus
DVD viewing to be accompanied by Q&A, discussion
Following a pilot program that was initiated last semester, the Office of Human Resources is rolling out a training program to prepare faculty and staff to respond in the instance of violence on campus, particularly an active shooter situation. A similar program will be launched in the fall for students.
Shots Fired: When Lightning Strikes is an instructional DVD and training program created by the Center for Personal Protection and Safety. The video and discussion is designed for faculty, staff and students to learn to take direct responsibility for their personal safety and security. Although there has been a dramatic increase in preventive measures, prevention systems can never be perfect. Research shows that the instinctive responses to gunfire are shock and fear. Through training, individuals can overcome these emotions and learn attitudes that can aid survival. Training workshops will be arranged by departments and/or buildings and will last one hour.
Workshops will be facilitated by Dr. Deborah Nunn Baruzzini, director of organizational development in the Office of Human Resources, and Dr. Jason Rogers, vice president for administration and university counsel. In addition, Belmont’s Campus Security and Office of Communications personnel will be on hand to answer questions and participate in discussion. Rogers said, “Communication and teamwork are vital in any crisis. This workshop allows coworkers to focus on the challenges posed by an active shooter situation and to discuss how they might respond to such a crisis to aid survival.”
Patsy Peach, administrative assistant in Social Work, participated in last fall’s pilot program. “The Shots Fired training video was very eye opening for me,” Peach said. “It made me aware of how important it is to be prepared and ready to react in case shots happen on our campus. I learned several things to do that I had never thought of before. I also learned that my gut reactions to that type of situation would be exactly what I should not do, and this was just as important to learn.”
To schedule a training workshop, contact Deborah Nunn Baruzzini at baruzzinid@mail.belmont.edu or x6172.
About the Center for Personal Protection and Safety:
The Center for Personal Protection and Safety is composed of former U.S. Department of Defense and FBI officials, responsible for much of the US Government’s current teaching and training on crisis negotiations, workplace violence, abduction prevention, and hostage survival situations. It is the parent organization of the Safe Travel Institute (http://www.safe-travels.com/) and National Hostage Survival Training Center. Program developers, Randy Spivey, Jim Sporleder, Eugene Rugala and Steve Romano, are recognized leaders in personal safety issues, are in demand as speakers, and appear regularly in media outlets including CNN, MSNBC, Fox News Live, New York Times, USA Today and Forbes Magazine.
Belmont Hosts Southeast Journalism Conference
Student journalists will descend on Belmont’s campus Feb. 12-14 as the school hosts the 23rd annual Southeast Journalism Conference (SEJC). The conference includes two days of workshops that will address important topics in today’s media landscape, including social media, advocacy journalism, photojournalism and copyright concerns for the newsroom.
There will also be on-site competitions for participants and a mock press conference. The conference will end on Saturday with a luncheon featuring keynote speaker Amy Webb, who is a strategic, digital product and business consultant for online media companies. Click here for more information on SEJC 2009.
