Voters have the opportunity to meet the candidates running for the Metro Council District 18 seat and hear their ideas on wide-ranging community issues during a Feb. 22 forum.
The meeting, which is free and open to the public, will take place from 3-5 p.m. at Belmont United Methodist Church (2007 Acklen Ave). Megan Barry, an at-large councilwoman who is representing the district until the March 26 special election, and Keith Durbin, former representative for the 18th District, will moderate the discussion.
At this point four candidates have filed to run: John Ray Clemmons, an attorney; Stephenie Dodson, the after-school programs coordinator and summer camp director at Percy Priest Elementary School; David Glasgow, communications director for the Tennessee State Office of the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development; and Kristine LaLonde, a Belmont University professor. They have all confirmed their participation in the forum.
During the forum, candidates can make a two-minute opening statement and three-minute closing statement. In addition, an issues committee, consisting of a cross section of community and business leaders, including representatives of Belmont and Vanderbilt universities, will craft questions for the candidates. The audience is invited to e-mail suggested questions to 18thdistrictforum@vanderbilt.edu.
The forum is sponsored by Belmont Hillsboro Neighbors, Hillsboro West End Neighbors, Hillsboro Village Merchants Association, West End businesses, and Belmont and Vanderbilt Universities. For more information, call 322-8337. The special election will take place on March 26. If a candidate does not receive more than 50 percent of the votes, a run-off election [date to be determined] will be held between the top two vote-getters.
District 18 Council Candidates to Meet in Feb. 22 Forum
Songwriting Faculty Land New Cuts
Songwriting adjunct (and Grammy Award winner) Drew Ramsey has two songs on the new album from India.Arie on Universal Republic Records titled Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics. The songs Ramsey co-wrote and co-produced, “Ghetto” and “Yellow,” can be heard here. Ramsey also had four cuts on India.Arie’s last album. James I. Elliott, assistant professor and songwriting program coordinator, co-wrote the current single by Gold City (New Haven/Provident/Sony) titled “What Children Believe.”
In addition, songwriting adjunct Thom Schuyler is currently doing national promotion for his new album, Prayer of a Desperate Man, and recently appeared on the nationally syndicated radio program “The Bob & Tom Show.” Also, adjunct Tom Douglas recently celebrated the hit single “Let It Go” by Tim McGraw and co-wrote the current singles “I Run to You” by Lady Antebellum and “Prayer of a Common Man” by Phil Vassar.
The Strangers Win Rock Showcase
On Sat., Jan. 31, Belmont University welcomed to the Curb Event Center stage a talented group of students. This year’s Rock Showcase—produced by students in the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business—featured performances by Sons of People We Know, Kristen Jaudon, The Strangers and The Delta Saints. Of the four participating groups/artists, The Strangers were declared winners by a panel of industry pros.
Showcase Producer David Venus said, “Overall, I feel that this show had a really strong band line-up. This was obvious by watching the reaction of the audience throughout the entire show. While the decision was difficult, there was no doubt that The Strangers lyrical content and intense vocal arrangements pushed them over the top.”
As winners of the Rock Showcase, The Strangers have been invited to perform at Belmont’s Best of the Best Showcase on April 25 in the Curb Event Center. Click here to learn more about The Strangers.
Wynonna Launches New CD with Mentoring Event at Belmont
Music Business students responsible for oversight of event activities
On Mon., Feb. 9, country music superstar Wynonna held a concert and CD release party at Belmont University around her seventh studio album Sing. This event was the first of its kind for the university. The festivities began with a taping of the “Insider’s View,” Belmont’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business signature interview series, and concluded with a performance of Wynonna’s new album material.
Harry Chapman, Belmont’s director of Development & Major Gifts, hosts each of the sessions of “Insider’s View” held throughout the academic year. “The thing that really stood out in the ‘Insider’s View’ Interview in my mind was how Wynonna really reached out to the students. Sometimes humorous, sometimes serious, she was very open about her life and career, not afraid to share her insecurities and how she has been able to overcome those insecurities to become a superstar in the music world… comfortable with her own voice.”
Wynonna tore through many of the songs on her new CD in the hour-long performance with a full band that followed the interview. Recorded in Nashville and released Feb. 3 (Curb Records), Sing captures a multitude of sounds: country, soul, blues and rock. Throughout the concert, Wynonna showed off her vocal prowess and entertained the crowd with a captivating combination of humor, sass and hard-earned wisdom.
Admonishing students to “pick one thing and do it well,” she went on to explain her thoughts behind her latest CD release. “When you reach my age, you get to a place where you’re not worried as much anymore about proving yourself as you are about enjoying yourself. When I was in my 20s, I wasted a lot of time worrying about what everyone thought. In my 30s, I tried really hard to beat out all the expectations and win all the awards… [Now] this album is me saying, ‘Good morning, God. I know I’m loved, and I know I am somebody so I’m just going to decide to enjoy myself today and not try so dang hard to make everybody happy.’”
Curb College Professor Sarita Stewart worked closely with Wynonna’s manager Kerry Hansen to provide her Record Company Operations class with an opportunity to oversee, promote and execute the concert and CD release party.
Williams Named 2009 Ned R. McWherter Leadership Award Winner
Dr. Susan G. Williams, professor of management in Belmont University’s Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business, was named today the 2009 Ned R. McWherter Leadership Award Winner by the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence (TNCPE).
The Ned R. McWherter Leadership Award annually recognizes an individual who exemplifies outstanding leadership in the pursuit of performance excellence. Winners are dedicated to the principles of the Criteria for Performance Excellence, have furthered performance improvement beyond the boundaries of their organizations and are committed to the core values of the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence program.
Dr. Williams was instrumental in the creation of the Center for Quality at Belmont University, which extended the adoption of the Criteria for Performance Excellence into the Nashville community through classes and consulting.
She has brought her expertise to the TNCPE as a volunteer examiner, judge, conference presenter and program advocate for many years. She has also served as an examiner and judge for the Baldrige National Quality Program, and encourages participation in Baldrige-related programs at every opportunity.
“Susan has been an incredible resource to TNCPE, but even more significant is the impact she has had on Belmont University and companies throughout the state of Tennessee,” said TNCPE President Katie Rawls. “Through her efforts, countless organizations have learned to apply principles that improve processes and results. She is a talented educator who can deliver high-level information in a user-friendly manner, and her passion for continuous improvement is contagious.”
Belmont Recognized on President’s Higher Ed Community Service Honor Roll
The Corporation for National and Community Service honored Belmont University today with a place on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for exemplary service efforts and service to America’s communities. The honor was announced at the 91st Annual Meeting of the American Council on Education in Washington, D.C.
Tim Stewart, director of Service-Learning for the Center for Social Entrepreneurship and Service-Learning, said, “I am very proud of the Belmont students, faculty and staff who have contributed to making this recognition possible. We are grateful, too, to our community partners who provide these wonderful learning opportunities for our students. Most of all, I am glad that by working with the community, we are helping to make Nashville a better place for all of us as we help Belmont students ‘engage and transform’ the world, both now and in the future.”
Belmont students and faculty are serving the community in many different capacities. Recent examples include students chronicling the stories of senior citizens at Morningside retirement home and helping children at Carter Lawrence Elementary School with their reading and writing.
“In this time of economic distress, we need volunteers more than ever. College students represent an enormous pool of idealism and energy to help tackle some of our toughest challenges,” said Stephen Goldsmith, vice chair of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service, which oversees the Honor Roll. “We salute Belmont University for making community service a campus priority, and thank the millions of college students who are helping to renew America through service to others.”
The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll was created in 2006, and recognizes colleges and universities nationwide that support innovative and effective community service and service-learning programs.
Bennett Secures Interview, Book Signings for Children’s Book
Dr. Sybril Bennett, executive director of Belmont’s New Century Journalism program, will be participating in a number of local media appearances over the next few weeks as part of the publicity push for her new children’s book, The Color-Full Alphabet Book. On Wed., Feb. 11, Bennett will have a book signing at 11 a.m. at the Conference on African American History and Culture at Tennessee State University. On Sun., Feb. 15, she will be interviewed between 7-9 a.m. on Fisk Radio 88.1 FM. On Sun., Feb. 22 and Sat., Feb. 28, she will participate in book signings at the Hendersonville Barnes and Noble (2:30-4:30 p.m.) and the Alkebu-Lan Bookstore on 28th and Jefferson Streets (11 a.m.-1 p.m.) respectively.
Wright Edelman Speaks on Children and Poverty
Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children’s Defense Fund, spoke in MPAC Wednesday, explaining the impact of poverty on America’s children and asking the crowd to become advocates for change in transforming the lives of a generation. Wright Edelman, pictured with Belmont Vice President for Spiritual Development Dr. Todd Lake (l) and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Dr. Bryce Sullivan, represents the first in an ongoing series of lectures on Christian Faith and the Liberal Arts and Sciences that will be co-sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences and the Office of Spiritual Development.
Speaking from the text of an editorial column she wrote called “America’s Sixth Child,” Wright Edelman said, “Imagine this rich family giving five of its children nourishing meals three times a day, snacks to fuel boundless energy, but sending the sixth child from the table to school hungry, with only one or two meals and never the dessert the other children enjoy… This is our American family today, where one in six of our children live in poverty in the richest nation on earth, more than 40 percent in extreme poverty.”
Referring to what she calls the “cradle to prison pipeline,” Wright Edelman argued, “The most dangerous place for a child to grow up today is that intersection of race and poverty.” She went on to note that U.S. states currently spend on average three times as much money per prisoner as per public school child.
Alumna Joins ‘Survivor’ Cast
Tamara “Taj” Johnson-George, a 2004 alumna of Belmont’s College of Business Administration and a new Alumni Board member, will be a contestant on “Survivor: Tocantins the Brazilian Highlands.” The 18th season of the popular CBS reality show premieres Thurs., Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. CT. If she wins the $1 million “Survivor” grand prize, Johnson-George says the money would benefit her foundation, Visions of Infinite Possibilities, which supports female victims of domestic violence and their children.
In addition to her new role, Johnson-George is a Grammy-nominated singer with her group SWV (Sisters With Voices), which has sold more than six million records. She is also a successful author, wife of former Heisman winner and Tennessee Titan star Eddie George and mother of two boys.
Wicke Named as Finalist for Lowe’s Senior Class Award
Belmont University men’s basketball senior Andy Wicke (Hendersonville, Tenn.) has been selected as one of 10 finalists for the 2008-09 Lowe’s Senior Class Award for men’s basketball.
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 is on pace to finish his career as the fourth leading scorer in the Bruins’ NCAA era. Moreover, with 269 career three-point field goals, Wicke is threatening to become the Atlantic Sun Conference’s career leader in makes from behind the arc.
Wicke’s passion, intensity and consistency on both ends of the floor is a major reason why Belmont continues to be a force at the mid major level.
“At Belmont, we have been fortunate to have some quality student athletes over the past several years, and Andy Wicke is as good a representative of our basketball program as any in my coaching tenure,” Belmont head coach Rick Byrd said. “Andy excels on the floor, in the classroom and in the community, and being a top 10 finalist for the Lowe’s Senior Class award is a fitting tribute to his career.” Click here for more on this story.
Less than 24 hours after earning this honor, Wicke (Hendersonville, Tenn.) garnered more recognition, being named to the ESPN The Magazine College Sports Information Director of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District Team. Click here for more on this story.
