Sarah Harrison, a May 2007 Belmont graduate, and her husband Nate recently won $209,000 on the NBC television game show “Deal or No Deal.” The show aired locally on Mon., Feb. 25.
Voight Gives Keynote, Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
On Feb. 1, Physical Therapy Professor Dr. Michael Voight gave the keynote address to the Danish Association of Sportsmedicine held in Copenhagen Denmark on the topic of “Hip Injuries in Athletes.” This meeting was attended by over 400 MDs and PTs practicing in the field of sports medicine from Denmark, Norway and Sweden. A week later, Voight received the Ronald Peyton Lifetime Achievement award at the Sports Physical Therapy Section’s Annual awards ceremony. This award, named after the first founder and first President of the SPTS, is the highest award given by the SPTS and represents a lifetime of contribution to the field of Sports Physical Therapy.
Student-Athletes Earn National Academic Honors
Hare, Magut, Williams-Weaver Named to Academic Teams;
Belmont Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Teams Named to the 2007 NCAA Division I USTFCCCA All-Academic Team
Belmont University recently received word that three student-athletes and both cross country teams have been honored for outstanding academic achievements. Senior Justin Hare added to his lengthy and distinguished list of accolades Tuesday, as he was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America University Division Men’s Basketball First Team. In addition, after recording two of the most distinguished individual running seasons in program history, cross country student-athletes Kipkosgei Magut and Lauren Williams-Weaver were named to their respective 2007 NCAA Division I U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic teams Monday.
Also, the Belmont men’s and women’s cross country teams were each named to the 2007 NCAA Division I U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Teams. The men’s team had the highest overall team grade point average in the nation with a 3.57. This is the fifth time in school history that a Belmont team has earned the top GPA in the nation for their respective sport. The Belmont women’s team had a GPA of 3.61 and marked its eighth consecutive year of being named an All-Academic Team. Both cross country teams won Atlantic Sun Championships in the fall of 2007.
Hare, a Cleveland, Tenn. native who sports a 3.87 GPA in his major of exercise science and health promotion, received Academic All-District honors for a third consecutive year earlier this month. He plans to attend medical school upon graduation. Hare earned Second Team Academic All-America honors last year and is one of three men’s basketball players in school history to be so honored, joining Wes Burtner (2001, 2002) and Adam Mark (2002, 2003, 2004).
“Justin joins a very elite group of student-athletes in being named First Team Academic All-American,” Belmont head coach Rick Byrd said. “The honor is a result of hard work on the basketball floor and many hours of study in the limited hours away from class, practice and competition. He has continued the Belmont tradition begun by Wes Burtner and Adam Mark and is an exemplary role model for future players to emulate. All of us in the Belmont Basketball family are proud of him and happy for him.”
Magut, a junior from Kitale, Kenya, became just the sixth runner in Atlantic Sun Conference history to successfully defend his individual title at the conference championships. He led Belmont to a sixth consecutive Atlantic Sun Conference team title. Moreover, Magut was named to the All-South Region Team for a second straight year following a 13th place showing at the NCAA South Regional Championships. He also has been named Most Outstanding Male Track Athlete at the 2006 and 2007 Atlantic Sun Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Likewise, Williams-Weaver has been nothing short of remarkable in her Bruin career. Already a multiple All-Atlantic Sun performer, the senior from Nashville, Tenn. saved her best for last by lapping the field at this year’s Atlantic Sun Cross Country Championships, earning Runner of the Year and individual title honors in leading the Bruins to their sixth conference crown in seven years. Then after posting a fifth place finish at the NCAA South Regional Championships, Williams-Weaver placed an exemplary 45th out of the 253 best runners in the nation at the NCAA Championship meet.
Magut is a marketing major, Williams-Weaver an exercise science major. Both are repeat Academic All-Conference honorees.
Belmont Wins Battle of the Boulevard 74-65
In front of the third largest crowd in Curb Event Center history, Belmont Basketball showcased its deep bench and intestinal fortitude in grinding out a hard earned 74-65 victory over Lipscomb Friday night.
The 122nd installment of the ‘Battle of the Boulevard’ series was expected to be an uptempo affair with vast perimeter talent on both sides and on the heels of a double overtime classic waged on Jan. 12 which saw Belmont claim a 99-91 victory.
However, early on, the Bruins’ shooting touch was nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, Lipscomb made its first three shots from the floor. When Eddie Ard sank a short jumper in front of the Bruin bench to give the Bisons a 7-0 lead two minutes in, Belmont head coach Rick Byrd called a quick timeout.
Though senior Justin Hare (Cleveland, Tenn.) supplied a three-pointer out of the timeout to get Belmont on the board, the frigid long range shooting continued. In fact, two driving layups from junior Alex Renfroe (Hermitage, Tenn.) would represent Belmont’s lone field goals over a 10 minute span.
A Brandon Brown layin put Lipscomb ahead 19-9 midway through the first half, bringing cheers from the Bisons’ contingent. Trailing 21-11 with 6:14 in the half, the Bruins mustered a late charge. Spurred by lively team defense and huge bench contributions, Belmont turned the tide.
For more on this story, click here.
Tompkins Offers Insights on Value of Journalism in a YouTube World
Al Tompkins, a member of the New Century Journalism program’s Advisory Board, kicked off the Spring 2008 NCJ Speakers’ Series Monday morning with a talk titled “If Everybody has YouTube, Why Do We Need Journalism?”A veteran journalist himself and the former news director for local station WSMV-TV Ch. 4, Tompkins now serves as the Group Leader for Broadcasting/Online at The Poynter Institute, an internationally recognized school for journalists, future journalists and teachers of journalists. He is also the author of Aim for the Heart: A Guide for TV Producers and Reporters, which is being used by more than 70 universities as their main broadcast writing textbook.
Tompkins began with an interactive conversation of the value of journalism over blogging and social networking sites, illustrating his points with a number of examples of how investigative journalism has changed the way individuals view world events. Highlighting news photos from Somalia, Vietnam and 9/11, Tompkins focused on how journalists can go where others won’t in order to give voice to the voiceless and hold the powerful accountable. “The primary purpose of journalism I believe is to provide citizens with information so they can be self-governing.”
In addition to news with international impact, Tompkins showed how journalists act as watchdogs on a local level with stories on everything from mechanics charging for work that was never done to a mattress salesman selling used merchandise as new products. Concluding with a recitation of the First Amendment, Tompkins noted, “Journalism is so important that it’s the only constitutionally protected profession. I don’t much care how we deliver it… the act of journalism is at the core of democracy.”
Tompkins has trained more than 9,000 local television news producers, reporters, photojournalists and managers in his One-Day Storytelling Workshops in 37 states. During his two and a half decades as a journalist, he has won The National Emmy, The Peabody Award (group award), the Japan Prize, The American Bar Association’s Silver Gavel for Court Reporting, seven National Headliner Awards, two Iris Awards and the Robert F. Kennedy Award for international reporting.
Three Students in February Final of Ideablob.com Contest
Three of the eight finalists in this month’s ideablob.com competition for the best new business idea are Belmont students offering up social ventures: Noah Curran, Janice Dotti and Megan Lopez. Ideablob.com is where entrepreneurs and small business owners can share and grow their business ideas–and have a chance to win $10,000 towards fulfilling them.
Noah Curran’s Turning Actions into Good is a web-based non-profit charity which revolves around the kindness of strangers. The concept allows anyone to participate in a charity, regardless of financial status.
Janice Dotti wants to create a completely fair trade, completely organic coffeehouse that sponsors social justice causes while taking care of the environment. She will also only use fair trade sugar, tea and cocoa as well as educate consumers on how their buying habits affect the working poor in developing countries.
Megan Lopez presents an idea to create an informational website about how to raise a child naturally. Organic Baby will be a tool for parents to use as a community blog, as well as a resource to buy organic clothing and bedding merchandise and to research the benefits of healthy organic foods, etc.
For more information and to vote, click here.
McCrickard Presents Article, Wins Award
Matthew McCrickard, Associate Registrar, was recipient of the Margaret Ruthven Perry Distinguished Journalism Award during the recent Southern Association of College Registrars and Admissions Officers (SACRAO) conference. McCrickard presented his award-winning article, “Adapting Solution-Focused Advising: Effective Communication Strategies for Registrars” to the 2008 SACRAO conference attendees. He discussed successful strategies used at Belmont which further enhance students’ academic progression and completion of degree.
Titans Linebacker Speaks to Belmont Student-Athletes
Titans linebacker David Thornton was the guest speaker at an annual alcohol and drug awareness seminar held by Belmont University’s Athletic Department for student-athletes on Feb. 20. Thornton addressed more than 200 student-athletes on the importance of good decision making and the impact of decisions on both their athletic and personal lives.
Thornton shared his personal journey, describing his upbringing and his long and arduous road from a non-recruited walk-on for the University of North Carolina football team to NFL stardom. Thornton said that having to earn his way onto the team and earn the respect from his teammates and coaches through hard work taught him the value of perseverance.
For more on this story, click here.
Burchett, Spring Present at Conference in San Diego
Matt Burchett, Director of New Student & Parent Programs, and Dr. Ken Spring, Assistant Professor of Sociology, recently presented at the National Conference for the First Experience and Students in Transition in San Francisco, California. Their presentation, titled “Seemingly Unrelated Experiences: Integrating the First Year and Institutional Leaders,” highlighted the partnership between New Student Programs in the Dean of Students Office and the First Year Seminar in creating seamless learning experiences for new students at Belmont University. The conference is hosted annually by the National Institute for the First Year Experience and Students in Transition.
Lee and Ageleke Zapis Sponsor First Endowed Songwriting Scholarship
Belmont University announced today that Lee Zapis, president of Zapis Capital Group, and his wife Ageleke will offer the first fully funded endowed scholarship in the new Songwriting Major being offered through the Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business. The couple’s $25,000 gift will be used to establish an endowed fund to be known as the “Leon and Ageleke Zapis Songwriters Scholarship.” Scholarship recipients will be determined annually based on a review process by the Curb College in consultation with Belmont Student Financial Services.
Lee Zapis said, “I’ve always admired the power of a great song and the songwriters who write them. My hope is that this scholarship will help a young person fulfill their dreams of becoming a professional songwriter. I’d also like to acknowledge Roger Murrah and the Board of Directors of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation who inspired me to give this scholarship.”
Dr. Bo Thomas, Belmont’s Vice President of University Advancement, said, “This first fully endowed scholarship for Belmont’s new songwriting major adds more energy to our premier Entertainment and Music Business program. Scholarships like the Zapis scholarship will help make aspiring songwriters’ dreams come true here at Belmont in the songwriting capital of the world. We are so grateful to Lee and Ageleke.”
