The speech/debate team traveled to Berea College last weekend for one of its largest tournament this year with 24 colleges and universities in attendance in areas spreading from Pennsylvania to Florida. Despite the size and difficulty of the tournament, Belmont’s debate team represented well with several great awards, including:
Debate
Sara Page & Tyler Kimbro” Debate Champions, novice division
Sara Page: first place novice division speaker
Tyler Kimbro: fourth place novice division speaker
Melanie Bengtson & Wesley Rainer: semi-finalists, open division
Melanie Bengtson: third place open division speaker
Individual Events
Impromptu Speaking: Eric Schoen, semi-finalist
Extemporaneous Speaking: Melanie Bengtson, sixth place
After Dinner Speaking: Meredith Day, fifth place
Team Awards
Debate: Second place small school division and third place overall team
Individual Events: Third place small school division
Speech/Debate Team Brings Home More Awards
Cornwall Selected as USASBE 2009 President-Elect
The United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE), the leading non-profit national organization dedicated to training the next generation of entrepreneurs and supporting the vital entrepreneur sector of our nation’s economy, announced that Dr. Jeffrey Cornwall from Belmont University has been elected as USASBE’s President-Elect for 2009.
Dr. Cornwall is the first recipient of the Jack C. Massey Chair in Entrepreneurship at Belmont where he also serves as Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship. He holds a DBA and MBA from the University of Kentucky. He has published six books and numerous articles in leading business journals. His professional blog, “The Entrepreneurial Mind,” is part of the Forbes blog network and has been named by the magazine as a “Best of the Web.”
“It is a great privilege to work with USASBE,” said Cornwall. “Working with our members, public policy makers and the entrepreneurship community, we can continue to advance and shape the future of entrepreneurship in America.” Dr. Cornwall has been active in USASBE for many years. Previously, he served as an executive officer, a member of the Board of Directors and was Chair of the International Council of Small Business 2005 International Conference. In 2006, Dr. Cornwall was inducted as a Fellow of USASBE in recognition of his outstanding achievements in the field of entrepreneurship.
Professors Give Perspective on Faith-Informed Political Science
The Belmont political science department discussed the idea of faith-informed political science Wednesday in a convocation for students. Dr. Vaughn May (chair), Dr. Susan Jellissen and Dr. Nathan Griffith said that while their faith does impact their teaching and research, it is important to translate empirical evidence into a way others can understand. The professors agreed that they encourage the discussion of a wide range of perspectives in the classroom and the importance of students themselves searching for their own meaningful truths.
WorldCom Whistleblower Cooper Addresses Ethics
Cynthia Cooper, author of 2007 book Extraordinary Circumstances: The Journey of a Corporate Whistleblower, spoke on campus this week, offering her personal insights on ethics in business. In 2001, Cooper discovered and reported that her company, WorldCom, had used phony bookkeeping to hide billions of dollars in losses, what was then the largest fraud in corporate history. The following year she and two other whistleblowers were named Time magazine’s 2002 Persons of the Year for their courageous actions.
In her talks Tuesday night and Wednesday morning at Belmont, Cooper addressed “WorldCom: What Went Wrong and What Lessons Can We Learn?,” noting that misguided loyalty, pressure from supervisors and fear of losing a job are a few of the many factors that can lead regular citizens to participate in fraud. In fact, several of the people involved in the cover-up at WorldCom were individuals Cooper knew well and respected, people who later said that once the first false accounting entry was made, it was difficult to stop.
“We need to know what we stand for–there is a true north,” Cooper said. “[WorldCom] is really a story about people and choices… Every one of us has a tremendous opportunity, a tremendous obligation, to instill values.”
Cooper serves now as the chairperson of the Louisiana State University Center for Internal Auditing Advisory Board and speaks frequently across the country to students and professionals on ethical and moral leadership.
Debate08 Shines International Spotlight on Belmont
Town Hall Debate scores highest viewership, more than 5,200 media hits
While the physical signs that Belmont University hosted the 2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate disappeared last week, the impact of the international spotlight continues to be overwhelmingly positive. According to Nielsen Media Ratings, more than 63.2 million homes nationwide tuned in to view the Town Hall debate on Tues., Oct. 7, the largest television audience of the three presidential debates held this fall. In addition, the university received more than 5,200 media hits Oct. 3-10, the days leading up to and following the debate. Television broadcast coverage alone brought in an estimated $21 million of publicity value for Belmont University, according to media tracker NewsPowerOnline.com.
Belmont University President Dr. Bob Fisher said, “I am thrilled that Debate viewers were able to see— and visitors to our campus were able to experience—the capability, dedication and spirit that Belmont students, faculty, staff and alumni possess. The public perception and reputation of Belmont has risen to a new level, and now the world knows the kinds of things to expect from Belmont University. We were honored to have this opportunity to participate so directly in such a vital element of our nation’s governing process, and we know that the benefits to the university of hosting the 2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate will be both immediate and long-lasting.”
The smallest university to host a presidential or vice presidential debate this year, Belmont is currently celebrating a record enrollment of 5,023 students this fall as compared to the more than 11,000 at Ole Miss, Washington University in St. Louis or Hofstra University, the other debate sites. USA Today political writer Chuck Raasch noted, “Belmont University in Nashville proved that small places with big ambitions could be world-class stages.”
Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen, who served as an honorary chair for the debate’s host committee, said, “Belmont served as a perfect venue for the 2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate, and the university’s army of volunteers gave the candidates, campaign guests and visiting media a glimpse into the best of what Tennessee has to offer.”
Also serving as an honorary chair for the debate’s host committee, Nashville Mayor Karl Dean said, “The debate was a great success for Belmont and our city. It gave us an opportunity to send a letter to the rest of the world about how Nashville is a vibrant, diverse city. I think I can speak for all of Nashville in expressing gratitude to Belmont University for doing such an excellent job in hosting this event and bringing so much positive attention to Nashville. Credit is also due to the Metro employees who worked on the day of the debate and the months leading up to it to ensure the debate and all the surrounding events went smoothly.”
Warren Captures Second Title of Season
Senior Lorie Warren captured her second individual title of the season and her sixth overall as a collegian as the Belmont women’s golf team finished tied for fourth at the F&M Bank Austin Peay Intercollegiate held Monday and Tuesday in Clarksville, Tennessee.
Warren, the reigning Atlantic Sun Golfer of the Month, shot a two-over par 74 in Tuesday’s final round to clinch medalist honors by one stroke over Joyce Trus of Murray State. The Hendersonville, Tennessee native becomes the second Belmont golfer to win the Austin Peay Intercollegiate, joining Audra Williams, who captured the individual title in 2005.
Goldsmith Presentation for Scarlett Leads to Charity Donations
Last Thursday, the Scarlett Leadership Institute hosted internationally-renowned executive coach Marshall Goldsmith on campus for a special presentation to 13 local senior executives on the topic of leadership and coaching. Goldsmith, who is the author of best-selling business book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, works primarily with high profile organizations and individuals.
Through his relationship with Scarlett, Goldsmith donated his time to work with the executives and CEOs, who each paid $1,000 to attend. All of the proceeds from the event are being donated to charity along with some additional dollars which were raised in the course of the presentation. Of the money raised, $12,000 was sent to the American Heart Association and more than $1,000 went to Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee. Click here for additional information on Marshall Goldsmith and free access to his articles, videos and podcasts.
Vaughn’s Film Wins Best Documentary Award
Dr. Cliff Vaughn, adjunct instructor in media studies, won the award for Best Documentary Film at the International Black Film Festival of Nashville last week for his film Beneath the Skin: Baptists and Racism. Click here for more on this story.
Coker Publishes Article on FDR
Dr. Jeff Coker, director of general education, recently wrote an article for the
Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star on Franklin Delano Roosevelt titled “FDR: Ideally Suited to His Tumultuous Times.” The article was published as part of a series the paper is currently doing on influential presidents. Click here to read Coker’s piece.
PR Majors Receive Awards for Promoting Ethics
Three Belmont public relations majors were honored recently for leadership in promoting ethics in public relations. Paula Lovell, president of Lovell Communications Inc., presented 2008 Ethics Honor Roll certificates to Lona Gray, Allison Hurst and Kati McCarver at the October meeting of the Belmont Chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). Lovell also presented a $100 prize to McCarver. The students wrote essays on “Ethics in Public Relations” as part of the recent Ethics Week activities sponsored by the Belmont public relations program, Lovell Communications Inc. and PRSSA.
