Belmont’s Beta Alpha Psi Lamda Nu chapter has been internationally recognized as a distinguished chapter. Led by Dr. Del DeVries, associate professor of accounting and information systems, the chapter has “far exceeded the minimum requirements of Beta Alpha Psi, and has excelled in the areas of academics, professionalism and leadership,” according to the Beta Alpha Psi board of directors. Membership is open to graduate students in the Massey School of Business as well as to undergraduate accounting, finance and information systems majors who academically qualify.
Belmont Tops 5,000 with Record Fall Enrollment
Belmont University enrollment stands at 5,023 students at the end of the registration period, marking an increase of five percent since last year and a rise of 69 percent since 2000 when the school enrolled 2,976 students. As part of its Vision 2010 plan, the university established a goal to surpass the 5,000 mark in enrollment and has now met that goal two years ahead of schedule. The Belmont student body currently comprises 817 graduate students and 4,206 undergraduates, representing record enrollment in both categories.
Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher said, “What is unusual about our growth is not just the growing enrollment numbers, but also that the students entering Belmont are better prepared academically and are being successful here and graduating at a significantly higher level. This points to the strength of our programs and the dedication and talents of this university’s faculty and staff.”
Since 2000, Belmont’s full-time undergraduate enrollment has increased by more than 2,000 students, and this year’s incoming class represents 41 states and five foreign countries. The university received a record number of applications—more than 3,000—of which a competitive 63 percent were accepted, down from 79 percent in 2000. The average ACT score for the 2007-08 freshman class is 26. One-third of new freshmen at Belmont were in the top 10 percent of their graduating class and 70 percent were in the top quarter. This year’s freshman class of 932 students held an average cumulative high school GPA of 3.52, with five percent graduating as either valedictorians (31) or salutatorians (17).
In the annual U.S. News & World Report ranking of America’s best colleges and universities, Belmont was cited most as a Top School to Watch and is ranked 11th in the South in the “Best Universities – Masters” category, making Belmont the highest ranked university in Tennessee in this category. The rankings are based on several quality indicators including student retention rates, graduation rates, student-faculty ratios and scores on college entrance exams.
Campolo Delivers Message of ‘Red Letter’ Alternatives to Political Issues
Dr. Tony Campolo, a world-renowned sociologist, author and speaker, visited Belmont on Wednesday to address “Citizenship and Faith,” the first topic in a Speaker Series covering subjects pertinent to Belmont’s hosting of the 2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate. Campolo admitted that as a Christian he has difficulty falling completely in line with either major political party; rather than claiming a Republican or Democratic party platform, he instead chooses to base his beliefs on the “red letter” words of Jesus as found in the New Testament, the topic of his most recent book, Red Letter Christians: A Citizen’s Guide to Faith and Politics.
Campolo said, “There is this tendency to recast God in the political ideologies to which we’re committed. We’ve got to transcend that. To do that is idolatry. It’s idolatry to turn the God that is into a God that is a projection of our own values.”
In his hour-long lecture, Campolo addressed four hot button issues in the current election season: the war in Iraq, abortion, gay marriage and immigration. While recognizing the positions of the major political parties on each issue, Campolo offered alternative ideas that he believes best represent the heart of the Christian message. At the end of his talk, Campolo then opened the floor to questions from the packed room in MPAC.
Campolo, a professor emeritus of sociology at Pennsylvania’s Eastern University, is the founder of the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education (EAPE) and the author of 35 books. A media commentator on religious, social and political matters, Campolo has appeared on CNN and MSNBC as well as television programs like “Politically Incorrect,” “The Colbert Report,” “Nightline,” “Crossfire” and “Larry King Live.”
Senior Granted Seat on Sodexo’s Student Board of Directors
Sodexo Campus Services recently announced the annual seats on its Student Board of Directors. Belmont senior Adam Winstead was chosen to participate as an active member of the Student Board. A transfer student and Business Administration major, Winstead has worked for Sodexo since 2006 and is now starting his third year at the company.
Winstead’s role with Sodexo at Belmont has been to develop the student promotions, create various marketing initiatives and begin the Belmont Dining Goes Green program. Most recently, Winstead worked to bring exciting renovations to the Curb Café and Corner Court. This new role as SBOD member will involve developing promotions for Sodexo’s national Campus Services division, as well as enhancing effective dining programs and initiatives to make Sodexo more accessible to campus communities across the nation. Now in its fourth year, the SBOD has grown to a 25-member board that is represented by students from each region of the U.S. Every year, more than 1,000 students apply for a position on the Student Board.
Chumney’s Paper Receives National Recognition
Assistant Professor of Business Law Wade M. Chumney recently received the 2008 “Distinguished Paper Award” from the Academy of Legal Studies in Business (ALSB). The paper, “Patents Gone Wild: An Empirical Examination and Policy Analysis of Tax-Related and Tax Strategy Patents,” was co-authored with David Baumer, who heads the Department of Business Management at North Carolina State University, and Roby Sawyers, professor of accounting at North Carolina State University. The Academy of Legal Studies is an international association of nearly 1,000 teachers and scholars from fields outside professional law schools, primarily in schools of business.
Chumney’s paper was also selected for the “Holmes-Cardozo Best Paper Award” by the American Business Law Journal (ABLJ), the academy’s premier journal. The Award was established to recognize significant original legal research within the profession. The primary criterion considered by ABLJ is “excellence in legal scholarship.” The Holmes-Cardozo is the highest award that a business law professor can receive for his/her research in a given year.
Belmont Teams with CMT One Country for Concert Event
As the conclusion to “Welcome Week 2008,” Belmont University and CMT One Country teamed up Wednesday night to host the “Your Voice Your Choice” concert event at the Curb Event Center. The community-wide event, which encouraged voter registration in advance of the 2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate at Belmont University, featured free food, an opportunity for voter registration and a student Battle of the Bands as well as performances by Eli Young Band and Randy Rogers Band.
Several hundred people attended the concert hosted by CMT’s Allison DeMarcus, a former Miss Tennessee and wife of Rascal Flatt’s band member Jay DeMarcus. HeadCount has registered more than 300 people to vote since students returned to campus.
All proceeds from the event will benefit the local nonprofit partners of CMT One Country, the pro-social initiative of cable network CMT, which include Hands On Nashville, Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity, Boys & Girls Club of Middle Tennessee and Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee.
HeadCount, a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization dedicated to voter registration and inspiring participation in democracy through the power of music, was on site at the event with the means of registering voters from all across the country. The last day to register to vote in Tennessee for the presidential election is Oct. 6, the day before the 2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate at Belmont University. College students are allowed to register and to vote based on either their home address or their school address.
Belmont, Zipcar Partner to Bring Car Sharing to Campus
Belmont University and Zipcar, the world’s largest provider of cars on demand by the hour or day, announced a joint partnership to provide Zipcars on campus to Belmont faculty, staff and students as an environmentally friendly alternative to the costs and hassles of keeping a car on campus. The partnership continues Belmont’s commitment to invest in sustainable solutions on campus and marks Zipcar’s entry into Nashville.
Beginning today, two self-service Zipcars (a Toyota Matrix and a Mazda 6) will be available for use 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The cars will be located in reserved spaces between Wright Hall and the Whitten Soccer Field, and they will be available to all staff and students aged 18+, with gas, maintenance, insurance and reserved parking included in low hourly and daily rates. Zipcar was selected as Belmont’s car sharing partner based on its superior technology and operations, membership experience and track record of providing peer universities with a proven, cost effective and environmentally-friendly transportation solution.
“Our partnership with Zipcar strengthens our commitment to provide the Belmont University community with flexible, environmentally-friendly transportation options,” said Greg Pillon, director of the Office of Communications at Belmont University. “We look forward to working with Zipcar to develop the university’s car sharing initiative and provide our students, staff and faculty with a solution that best matches their needs.”
Since 2005, Belmont has offered free transportation to campus for students, faculty and staff thanks to a partnership with Nashville’s Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA). Any student or employee with a Belmont-issued ID card can ride to and from the campus without charge simply by swiping a Belmont ID when boarding. Belmont also offers free train transportation on the Music City Star rail system, operating from Lebanon to downtown Nashville’s Riverfront Park. The partnership with Zipcar represents a perfect addition to Belmont’s transportation services, all of which are intended to improve the environment and relieve traffic congestion on campus and in the local community.
For university students who cannot or do not want to bring a privately-owned car to school, Zipcar provides the freedom to travel off campus to attend interviews, run errands or take a weekend trip. Zipcar also eliminates hundreds of dollars in monthly transportation costs, saving members an average of $436/month or $5,232/year when compared with car ownership – money that can be put toward other more relevant expenses such as tuition and housing.
Belmont Debate08 Hits National Convention Floors
Tennessee delegates to display Belmont Debate08 pins, stickers during Roll Call
In anticipation of hosting the 2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate on Oct. 7, Belmont University is taking to the floors of the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. The night before the respective candidates at both conventions accept their nominations, delegates from Tennessee will don Belmont University Debate08 stickers and lapel pins. Representatives from Tennessee will introduce the state as the host site of the 2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate at Belmont University before Tennessee’s roll call at both the Democratic and Republican conventions. The Democratic National Convention is taking place in Denver this week, and the DNC Roll Call is scheduled for today between 4-6 p.m. Central (3-5 p.m. Mountain). The Republican National Convention follows next week in Minneapolis, Sept. 1-4.
“The national conventions have long been viewed as the kickoff into the final stretch of the election season,” Belmont President Bob Fisher said. “It is an appropriate venue for Belmont to make its first push on the national stage as the eyes of the world turn from the conventions to the series of presidential debates. As host to the first presidential debate to ever be held in Tennessee, it is something we are glad our citizens and delegates are celebrating with us.”
Signs of the debate have been popping up around Nashville for several months. When travelers arrive at Nashville International Airport they are greeted by Debate08 Welcome signs in baggage claim. Billboards, banners throughout downtown Nashville and the Belmont campus and a 45’x12” banner adorning the university’s bell tower tout Belmont’s role in the 2008 election.
“Our goal is to be sure that the whole world knows that a town hall debate will be held at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn.,” Fisher said. “We are proud to have received this honor and hope to instill that same sense of pride in our students, alumni and friends throughout Nashville and the rest of the country.”
Tony Campolo to Speak at Belmont on ‘Citizenship and Faith’
Nationally celebrated speaker and author Dr. Tony Campolo will visit Belmont University on Wed., Sept. 3 to address “Citizenship and Faith,” the first topic in a Speaker Series covering subjects pertinent to Belmont’s hosting of the 2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate. The event will occur at 10 a.m. in Belmont’s Massey Performing Arts Center.
Campolo, a professor emeritus of sociology at Pennsylvania’s Eastern University, is the founder of the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education (EAPE) and the author of 35 books, including his latest Red Letter Christians: A Citizen’s Guide to Faith and Politics. A media commentator on religious, social and political matters, Campolo has appeared on CNN and MSNBC as well as television programs like “Politically Incorrect,” “The Colbert Report,” “Nightline,” “Crossfire” and “Larry King Live.”
This program will be open to the public. For more information, visit www.belmontdebate08.com.
Alumni Featured on Billy Graham Movie Soundtrack
According to Beverly Keel’s column in Tuesday’s Tennessean, three Belmont alumni will be featured on a soundtrack inspired by the upcoming film Billy: The Early Years, an Oct. 10 movie release that chronicles the life of Rev. Billy Graham. The soundtrack, which releases Oct. 7, includes the song “Almost Persuaded” by Josh Turner as well as a track by Brad Paisley. Alumna and “American Idol” finalist Melinda Doolittle also offers a duet with Michael W. Smith on the Craig Wiseman tune “Amazing Love.”
