Marsha Hancock, a graduating senior from North Carolina, was selected Tuesday night as the winner in the latest round of country artist John Rich’s “Get Rich Talent Search,” which featured nine acts performing in front of eight industry judges including leading publishing, A&R, management and media personnel. Acts selected to perform are chosen from more than 800 monthly e-mail submissions. Rich is a multiple Grammy Award nominee, three-time ASCAP artist/songwriter of the year and producer extraordinaire as well as one-half of multi-platinum duo Big & Rich. Click here to read more on this story from Music Row magazine. For more information on Hancock and to hear her music, visit her MySpace site at www.myspace.com/hancockmarsha.
Hancock Wins ‘Get Rich Talent Search’
Alumna/Adjunct to Appear on Grand Ole Opry
Tammy Rogers-King, a 1987 alumna and adjunct instructor in the School of Music, plays fiddle in The SteelDrivers, a an up-and-coming bluegrass group. The SteelDrivers will be featured Saturday night at the Grand Ole Opry, which can be viewed live on the Great American Country (GAC) network (Comcast channel Channel 31) during the 7-8 p.m. hour. The group is expected to perform around 7:45 p.m.
Belmont Honors Scholar-Athletes at Reception
Aptly dubbed by Belmont University Faculty Athletics Representative Rich Tiner “one of the most enjoyable gatherings of the academic year,” the Bruin Athletic Department recently acknowledged its most distinguished student-athletes in its annual Scholar-Athlete Reception.
Organized by Academic Compliance Officer Colette Keyser, Academic Coordinator Renee Rice, and emceed by Tiner, the reception honored BU student-athletes for outstanding academic achievement and recognized members of the campus community for their support and positive example.
Among the highlights of the morning was faculty member Dr. John Gonas and Curb Event Center General Manager Ron Jackson each receiving the SAAC Academic Inspiration Award.
Men’s basketball’s Justin Hare, men’s cross country and track’s Ben McGlothlin and Will Peters, women’s cross country and track’s Elizabeth Smothers and women’s tennis’ Kenny Pence were multiple award winners.
Hare (pictured with Dr. Fisher above right) and women’s cross country and track standout Lauren Weaver (above left) also received the President’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award from Dr. Robert C. Fisher. Click here for a complete list of honorees.
Biology Department to Offer ‘Beetles, Bugs and Butterflies’ 2008 Summer Camp
This summer Dr. Steve Murphree, professor of biology at Belmont University, will again offer school-age children the opportunity to explore the insect world by attending one of the 2008 “Beetles, Bugs and Butterflies” summer camp sessions on Belmont’s campus.
An introduction to the biology of insects and other arthropods, camp courses will explore how they live, where they can be found and the potential benefit or harm they represent. Short field trips on the Belmont campus will be taken daily. Children are encouraged to bring in insects for discussion, and materials such as field guides and collecting equipment will be provided. The cost for students will be $75 per child for grades 1-3 and $100 for grades 4-6 (Children and grandchildren of Belmont faculty, staff and students can attend for $25 per student).
CAMP DATES:
June 9-13 & June 16-20: Children entering grades 1-3 in Fall 2008
Monday thru Friday from 1:30-3:30 p.m.
July 14-18 & July 21-25: Children entering grades 4-6 in Fall 2008
Monday thru Friday from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Class sizes will range from 10-20 students. All classes will meet on the Belmont University campus in the Hitch Science Building, room 309, and refreshments will be provided. Parents may register their child/children by obtaining a registration form from the web site at: www.belmont.edu/biology/bbb/ or by requesting one from the Biology department, 615/460-6431. Places in classes will be reserved in the order in which the forms are received.
Steinway & Sons Receive Applause Award at President’s Concert
On Sat., April 26, Belmont University President Bob Fisher presented the 2008 Applause Award to Steinway & Sons, an occasion which also served as the official announcement of Belmont’s intent to become an “All-Steinway School” with the purchase of approximately 70 additional pianos from Steinway. The new pianos will be used in Belmont performance venues, practice rooms and faculty studios. The funds to replace older instruments and to purchase the new Steinway additions represent a gift of more than $2 million from the Merrydale Woods estate, a bequest which will also provide new endowed scholarships for future piano students.
Belmont is one of only 88 colleges, universities, conservatories or schools world-wide to have the distinction of being an All-Steinway School. Other All-Steinway representatives include Julliard and the Yale School of Music. All-Steinway Schools must demonstrate a commitment to excellence by providing their students and faculties with the best equipment possible for the study of music. With the purchase of new pianos, Belmont’s highly acclaimed School of Music will boast only Steinway-designed pianos throughout campus.
Dr. Cynthia Curtis, Dean of Belmont’s School of Music, said, “The School of Music is proud to join the distinguished list of institutions that are All-Steinway. With this decision we provide our students with the finest pianos for both practice and performance. The generous and greatly appreciated gift of Merrydale Woods will live on in the education of Belmont music students.”
Click here to read more on this story. Click here for additional information on the Steinway site as well as a photo of the Applause Award presentation.
Nashville Educators Invited to East Asia Seminar
Belmont University, in cooperation with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, will host a statewide East Asia history and culture seminar for librarians, administrators, elementary, high school and middle school teachers of World History, World Geography, World Literature or Art to be held June 9-20. The purpose of the seminar is to increase educators’ knowledge of the histories and cultures of these countries. Stipends for qualified educators are available, as well as hundreds of dollars worth of free curriculum materials.
Dr. Ronnie Littlejohn, Chair of the Philosophy Department and Director of Asian Studies at Belmont University, will be the seminar leader. Littlejohn has published several books and articles on comparative and Chinese philosophy and won numerous teaching awards and professional honors. Lucien Ellington, Co-Director of the Asia Program at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), will serve as guest lecturer.
Nashville has been selected as one of two Tennessee sites for this seminar on China, Japan and Korea. A concurrent seminar is being held in Chattanooga on alternate days. This is the 10th consecutive year that funding for these seminars has been provided by the Freeman Foundation, the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA) and the East Asian Curriculum Project of Columbia University.
Alumnus Accepts Internship with U.S. Olympic Committee
Erin Mullen, a 2007 Belmont graduate in public relations, was recently accepted for an internship with the United States Olympic Committee in U.S. Paralympics. She will be working on various sports administrative procedures from June 2-Sept. 10 in Colorado Springs. Mullen is currently finishing her master’s at Mississippi State University in Sports Administration with a minor in Communication.
Webster Presents Seminar, Joins Task Force
The School of Pharmacy’s Dr. Andy Webster participated in the Austin Peay University visiting scientist seminar. Invited by the department of chemistry, Webster presented a seminar to faculty and senior chemistry majors titled “After Market Manipulations of Pharmaceutical Products.” The talk gave the students insight into the FDA drug approval process and the utilization of pharmaceutical chemistry to manipulate and enhance after market pharmaceutical products. In addition, Webster recently began serving on the Tennessee Task Force for Drug Diversion. The Task Force, which is comprised of law enforcement (TBI and DEA), state board of pharmacy representatives, practitioners and educators, is charged with eradicating the growing menace of illegally obtaining prescription medication, primarily controlled substances.
Chumney Published in Pharmacy Education Journal
The School of Pharmacy’s Dr. Elinor Chumney is the lead author on a manuscript titled “Impact of a Dual PharmD/MBA Degree on Graduates’ Academic Performance, Career Opportunities and Earning Potential,” which was published in the recent edition of American Journal of Pharmacy Education. The article examines how earning a dual degree impacts student outcomes and earning potential.
Student-Athletes Recognized Nationally for Academic Achievement
Three Belmont University athletic teams were honored by the NCAA Thursday in its annual Division I Academic Progress Rate (APR) Public Recognition Awards.
Belmont men’s basketball, men’s soccer and men’s tennis each ranked in the top 10 percent within their respective sports nationwide among NCAA Division-I programs for their academic progress rate as determined by the NCAA. The APR provides a real-time look at a team’s academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete. The APR includes eligibility, retention and graduation in the calculation and provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport.
Testament to its commitment to success on the court and in the classroom, Belmont is one of only four institutions in Division-I men’s basketball to make the APR top 10 percent list and earn a berth to the NCAA Championship Tournament each of the last three years: Belmont, Davidson, North Carolina and Villanova. For the 2007-08 season, 33 institutions boasted APRs in the top 10 percent, of which just 10 made NCAA tournament appearances. There are 341 institutions playing NCAA Division-I men’s basketball.
Moreover, each of Belmont’s top three career scorers for its NCAA-era – Wes Burtner, Justin Hare and Adam Mark – have been named to multiple ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America teams.
“Belmont student-athletes are continuing with their remarkable levels of achievement,” Belmont University President Bob Fisher said. “We are pleased that the extraordinary efforts put forth by our student-athletes, coaches, and athletics’ staff to excel both in the classroom and on the playing field have been recognized by the NCAA.”
