The “Christmas at Belmont 2007” broadcast, Nashville Public Television’s (NPT) capturing of Belmont University’s annual Christmas concert, won a Midsouth Regional Emmy award for editing in the Special Event category. The 23rd Annual Midsouth Regional Emmy Awards ceremony and banquet was held Sat., Jan. 24 at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center.
Three Students Featured in Shakespeare Production at Troutt
Three Belmont students are featured in the Nashville Shakespeare Festival’s current production of “Richard the Third” at Troutt Theater. Christy White, Liz Young and Nathan Lee are all part of the cast of the Denice Hicks-directed production, and Paul Gatrell, assistant professor and chair of Belmont’s Theatre and Dance Department, designed the set.
“Richard the Third” has recently received rave reviews from The Tennessean, the City Paper and the Nashville Scene. In addition, White is blogging about her experiences with the Nashville Shakes here. The show runs Thursdays-Sundays through Feb. 1. Click here to purchase tickets.
The mission of the Nashville Shakespeare Festival is to educate and entertain the Mid-South community through professional Shakespearean experiences. This is the second consecutive year that the Shakes Winter performance has been held in Troutt Theater.
School of Pharmacy Hosts Inaugural White Coat Ceremony
The Maddux Grand Atrium was abuzz Sunday evening, Jan. 18, as the Belmont University School of Pharmacy hosted approximately 400 family and friends at its inaugural White Coat Ceremony. The 73 members of the Doctor of Pharmacy Class of 2012 participated in this rite of passage ceremony at which they received their white coat symbolizing their entry into professional practice. The students also took the “Oath of the Pharmacist” as a public commitment to patient-centered care.
Dr. J. Richard Brown, professor at the University of Tennessee Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy, delivered the keynote address. Belmont School of Pharmacy Dean Dr. Phil Johnston recognized Clayton McWhorter and Chris Coates as inaugural recipients of the Friend of the School Award. Dr. Cathy Turner recognized Rodney Deal (Nashville) and Bob Phillips (Lewisburg), pharmacists from middle Tennessee, as the inaugural recipients of the Professional Stewardship Award.
The program was supported by a gift from Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Student white coats were sponsored by 21 members of the Belmont and Nashville communities.
Leatherwood Named A-Sun Player of the Week
Women’s tennis player Abby Leatherwood, a sophomore math major and a 2008 Atlantic Sun Conference All-Freshman Team selection, opened the spring season with a singles victory against Chattanooga Saturday evening. Her performance earned her the first Player of the Week award of her career, the conference office announced on Wednesday. Leatherwood becomes the first Bruin to earn the weekly honor since Elizabeth Conyer in the 2007 season.
Faculty, Student Published in Physics Journal
Dr. Robert Magruder, professor, and Dr. Steve Robinson, assistant professor, in the Chemistry & Physics Department, and Caitlin Smith, Belmont Physics student, recently had a paper accepted for publication. The paper is titled “Dichroism in Ag nanoparticle composites with bimodal size distribution” and was published in the Jan. 21 issue of the Journal of Applied Physics. Click here to download the article.
Music Alumnae Participate in Inaugural Celebrations
Sarah Wiley Tietsort, who earned a 2008 master’s degree in vocal performance from Belmont, performed with the United States Navy Band’s Sea Chanters chorus at the Jan. 20 Inauguration of President Barack Obama. The 21-member Sea Chanters group performed the National Anthem just after the presidential inaugural address.
In addition, 2006 School of Music alumna Tiffany Wharton is featured on the Johns Hopkins University Web site as a performer for a Web feature on the Presidential Inauguration. Hopkins’ Peabody Conservatory, where Wharton is a first-year Master of Music candidate in Voice, marked the inauguration of Barack Obama by offering videotaped performances of two quintessentially American songs. Click here to watch Wharton’s performance of “At the River.”
Curb College to Honor Donna Hilley with First Mulloy Award
Continuing a tradition of recognizing music industry greats who are also dedicated to the educational process, Belmont’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business will name Donna Hilley as the first recipient of the Robert E. Mulloy Award of Excellence at the 2009 Best of the Best Showcase at the Curb Event Center on April 25 at 7 p.m. Last spring, the Curb College established the Award of Excellence in memory of program founder Bob Mulloy to annually recognize an individual who has achieved a level of excellence in the music business and entertainment industries with notable service to Belmont University and the Nashville community.
Born in Birmingham, Ala., Donna Hilley came to Nashville with little knowledge of the music or publishing industries. Under the leadership of Jack Stapp and Buddy Killen of Tree International, Hilley learned the business and through persistence and tenacity established herself as one of the top female executives in Music City. After transitions in leadership and the sale of Tree International to CBS, Sony purchased the company in 1994. Shortly after, Hilley was named president and CEO of Sony/ATV Nashville.
Alumni’s Company Featured in Tennessean
John Price and Sam Dryden, alumni of Belmont, were featured in the Jan. 16 issue of The Tennessean for the work they do as Lifetime Reel, a video production company that focuses on documenting important stories, memories and more for families and individuals. Click here to read the full story.
Watts Publishes Editorial in The Tennessean
Dr. Andy Watts, assistant professor in the School of Religion, had an editorial titled “Tower of Babel shows God’s love for language diversity” in the Jan. 16 issue of The Tennessean. Click here to read the article.
Faculty Present Research at Japan Studies Association Conference
Earlier this month, faculty members Dr. John Paine (English and Foreign Lannguages), Dr. Andrea Stover (English) and Dr. Jonathan Thorndike (Honors Program) attended the Japan Studies Association Conference in New Orleans and presented research.
Dr. Paine spoke on “‘Some Things Remain Broken Forever’: Christopher Banks’s Missed Connections in Kazuo Ishiguro’s When We Were Orphans.” Paine’s presentation concerned the quest of a London detective to solve the mystery of his own past and find his parents, who disappeared from the Japanese settlement in Shanghai in the 1930s, when Japan was about to invade China. Dr. Paine was given special recognition for accepting the role as editor of the JSA journal and bringing the newest issue of the journal to completion.
Dr. Stover talked on “Infusing Japanese Texts into an Upper-Level Composition Course on Life Writing.” Her essay explained the course she designed that combines Japanese and western authors, looking at how radically different authors construct a narrative self in the autobiographical mode.
Dr. Thorndike presented on “Tendai Buddhism and the Marathon Monks of Mount Hiei.” His essay discussed the founder of esoteric Buddhism in Japan (Saichō) and the extreme physical accomplishments of the Buddhist monks on Mt. Hiei, who run rough mountain trails in darkness, covering distances up to 84 kilometers each day for 100 days.
Paine and Thorndike led last summer’s Japan Study Abroad trip, and the 2009 Belmont in Japan Program will be led by Paine, Stover, Dr. Cynthia Bisson (History) and Dr. Marieta Velikova (Economics). Scheduled for May 13 to June 3, the program will offer two different academic options: “From the Tokugawa to Toyota: Japan, 1603 to the present” and “Japanese Life Writing in Kyoto.”
