Sabian Ltd., a manufacturer of cymbals and percussion instruments, recently honored Belmont School of Music adjunct instructor Chester Thompson with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 32nd Annual Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC). In a ceremony held in Columbus, Ohio, Thompson, along with fellow recipients Gary Cook and Ian Wright, was presented with his award and commemorated with a speech from Sabian personnel. One of the world’s most successful drummers, Thompson made his initial mark with counterculture icon Frank Zappa and fusion pioneers Weather Report before enjoying his lengthy tenure with Phil Collins and Genesis. In addition to teaching at Belmont, Thompson is also a busy session player for many major recording artists. For more information, visit www.sabian.com.
Thompson Honored by Sabian
Magruder Published in Science Journal
Dr. Robert Magruder, chair of the Chemistry and Physics department, recently had two papers published in the Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids. They were titled “Review of some experiments in the 50 year saga of the E’ center and suggestions for future research” and “The effect of Ti and O on the optical properties and microstructure of Ag nanocrystals formed in silica by sequential ion implantation.”
Vorndick, Students Engineer Session for BBC Documentary
Last spring Music Business Adjunct Instructor and Belmont alumnus Bil Vorndick served as the recording engineer for a session at RCA Studio B for Phil Cunningham, a Scottish singer/songwriter. The session was filmed for inclusion in a BBC documentary that featured Cunningham as he toured the U.S. recording songs in several cities. Four Belmont students assisted on the session: Brenton Stanley, Jacob Murry, Nicholas Spezia and Wes Langlois.
Freshman Lands Spot in Top 10 of National Contest
Belmont University freshman finance major Landon Austin began playing music at a young age in his hometown of Dallas, Texas, and it appears that his years of practice are starting to pay off. Austin was recently chosen as one of 10 semifinalists from 352 video entries for the MySpace/Doritos “Crash the Super Bowl” Music Video contest.
Austin’s performance video for original song “Waitin’” was viewed more than 1,370 times and received numerous favorable comments. Judges—including Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.I.Am, producer Jack Joseph Puig and Geffen Records’ executive Ryan O’Donnell—chose the 10 semifinalists based on creative inspiration, musical ability and stage presence.
The next round of finalists will be determined by fans who are allowed to vote once per day at www.myspace.com/doritoscrashthesuperbowl until Dec. 31. Fans must be a MySpace member to vote, but registration takes less than a minute. For more information, visit http://landonaustin.com.
Alumna Smith Joins USO Holiday Tour
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen of the U.S. Navy, will soon embark on an eight-day, seven-country USO holiday tour with a prominent Belmont alumna in tow. Joining Admiral Mullen as his special guests are Academy Award-winning actor Robin Williams, Grammy Award-winning comedian Lewis Black, multi-platinum recording artist Kid Rock, seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, Irish Tenor Ronan Tynan and 2006 Belmont graduate and Miss USA 2007 Rachel Smith.
“This trip represents a great way for us to honor and thank the brave men and women serving our nation in harm’s way over the holidays,” said Admiral Mullen. “It’s just another example of not only how much the USO and these fine entertainers care, but also a testament to how much America cares about the troops. I’m honored to be associated with it.”
Alexander Serves as Keynote for Academic Excellence Symposium
Dr. Joe Alexander, Associate Dean of The Massey Graduate School, served as keynote speaker for the University of the West Academic Excellence Symposium in Rosemead, California on Dec. 6. Alexander’s presentation was titled, “Academic Excellence in the 21st Century: Lessons Learned within a Baldrige-Based Business College.”
York Appointed to Local Charity Board
Dr. Grady “Stan” York, Assistant Professor of Management, has been appointed to the House Board of Directors for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Nashville. Dr. York joined the Belmont College of Business Administration and Massey Graduate School full-time earlier this fall and specializes in the areas of strategic management and operations management. His initial board appointment with the Ronald McDonald House is for a three-year term, beginning in January 2008.
December Graduation Marks Record for Nursing
Belmont University held its Winter 2007 Commencement ceremony on Fri., Dec. 14 in the Curb Event Center, and 360 undergraduate and master’s degrees were conferred, including 57 Bachelors of Science in Nursing, the largest class the program has graduated to date. In addition, the Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business celebrated the second largest graduating class in its history with 38 total degrees conferred.
President Bob Fisher presided over the event and presented the graduates with their degrees as well as provided commencement remarks that included quotes from more than 30 popular songs. 
Bachelor of Music candidate Alvin Lemar Love, son of Belmont Trustee CeCe Winans, offered the Student Reflection for the ceremony, encouraging his fellow graduates to have the courage to “Be yourself.” President and Mrs. Fisher hosted a reception for graduates and their guests at the conclusion of commencement in Belmont’s Beaman Student Life Center.
SunTrust Honors Late Brian Williams with Belmont Donation
The SunTrust Brian Williams Music Row Financial Center honored the late Brian Williams and Belmont University in its annual Christmas card by making a donation in his name to the Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business Songwriting Program. The money will be used to set up the Brian Williams Scholarship Fund. Williams, 45, died in a 2006 accident on Center Hill Lake. An innovative thinker, he bridged a traditional business with the unconventional ways of the music industry to create quite a niche for Nashville’s banking industry. The card was sent to some 1,100 clients of the bank’s Brian Williams Music Row Financial Center. Pictured in the photo are (l-r) Karen Clark, SunTrust Bank; Dr. Wes Bulla, Dean, Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business; Diane Pearson, SunTrust Bank; Harry Chapman, Director of Development & Major Gifts, Belmont; and Lori Stone Badgett, SunTrust Bank.
Athletics Announces Holiday Ticket Promotion
Belmont Athletics recently announced plans for a ‘Home for the Holidays’ ticket promotion for its Wed., Dec. 19 home men’s basketball game versus Austin Peay. All tickets for attendees age seven and up will be priced at just $1. Children age six and younger will be admitted free in keeping with the Bruins’ standard policy. “We want to encourage families who are together for the holiday season to join us on Dec. 19 for what promises to be an exciting game against Austin Peay,” Belmont Director of Athletics Mike Strickland said.
Tip-off for the game is set for 7 p.m. CT at the Curb Event Center. Belmont (6-4) has recorded non-conference road wins at Cincinnati and Alabama thus far in 2007-08. For more information, log onto www.belmont.edu/athletics.
