Belmont University is pleased to announce that it has reached a mutually agreeable settlement of all disputed claims with the Tennessee Baptist Convention. We believe that this resolution honors the many significant contributions that Tennessee Baptists have made to the University and upholds the teachings of Jesus Christ, whom we all seek to serve by ending litigation.
The settlement concludes a 56-year relationship between Belmont and the TBC and provides gifts by Belmont to Tennessee Baptists of $1,000,000 next year followed by annual payments of $250,000 for the next 40 years. These gifts are an expression of gratitude to Tennessee Baptists for the financial and spiritual support that they have provided to the University over the past five decades. The funds will be added to an endowment at the Tennessee Baptist Foundation to support Tennessee Baptist missions and ministries.
Approximately $4,900,000 in funds being held for Belmont by the Tennessee Baptist Foundation for the benefit of the University will be transferred to another trustee selected by Belmont. Of that amount, $1,500,000 represents funds which are subject to the terms of the settlement agreement between Belmont and the Tennessee Baptist Convention.
Belmont is grateful to the many Tennessee Baptists who have encouraged the University as it seeks to broaden its Christian mission by including on its Board of Trustees Christians who are members of churches affiliated with other denominations. The University will continue to be a student-focused, Christian community of learning and service with a rich Baptist heritage that we intend to foster and nurture through our ongoing relationships with local Baptist churches. That is our promise and our covenant.
Though Belmont is parting ways with the TBC, we trust that our shared history has provided important groundwork to achieve common goals of the Convention and the University, and that our futures will evidence this good work. Belmont is committed to its Christian mission and to cherishing its Baptist roots.
—Marty Dickens
Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Belmont University
Belmont Announces Settlement with Tennessee Baptist Convention
Alumnus Assists OTD Students with Gas Cards
Alumnus Todd Burr (’91), owner of the Shell Station at 21st Avenue South and Acklen, is providing $25 gas cards to nearly a dozen OTD students this month to help defray the costs of getting to and from occupational therapy fieldwork sites. Belmont University’s doctor of occupational therapy (OTD) students are traveling many miles to clinical sites across multiple counties in Tennessee, including Home Health in rural areas of Maury, long term care facilities in Williamson, and hospitals in Rutherford, Wilson, and Sumner counties, as well as to many local sites in Davidson. Ruth Ford, Associate Dean of the School of Occupational Therapy, said, “Some students are traveling as far as 2,000 miles per semester to meet the 800 hours of clinical work requirement. A strong advocate for Belmont University, Todd is fully aware of the needs of students and plans to continue the service by providing more cards each month. His ongoing support is very much appreciated, and I hope faculty and staff can return the favor by stopping by his service station.”
Vision Editor Receives CMA Merit Award
The Country Music Association recently selected Belmont University junior Courtney Drake, a journalism major and editor of the Belmont Vision, as the first recipient of the CMA Close Up Award of Merit. The award was created this year to honor the student who demonstrated the most creativity, dedication and promise in covering the 2007 CMA Music Festival on assignment from CMA. Drake is pictured at right (center with Bob Doerschuk and CMA Vice President of Communications Wendy Pearl; photo by Drew Maynard) after being presented the award Wed., Nov. 7 during the backstage press conference coverage of the 2007 CMA Awards at the Sommet Center in Nashville.
“CMA is proud to foster up-and-coming music reporters and critics by giving them the tools and opportunities to practice their craft,” said CMA Chief Operating Officer Tammy Genovese. “We wanted to honor Courtney’s exemplary work in an effort to recognize excellence in entertainment journalism and encourage the next generation of writers.”
Knighted Physicist/Priest to Offer Vaughn Science Lecture
Rev. Dr. John Polkinghorne, president emeritus of Queen’s College at Cambridge University in England and author of 15 books on the connections between physics and faith, will be offering two lectures on campus this week: Tues. Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. in Beaman Room A and on Wed., Nov. 14 at 10 a.m. in the Neely Dining Room.
Polkinghorne is a mathematical physicist and Anglican priest whose treatment of theology as a natural science invigorated the search for interface between science and religion and made him a leading figure in this emerging field. Dr. Polkinghorne resigned a prestigious position as Professor of Mathematical Physics at the University of Cambridge in 1979 to pursue theological studies, becoming a priest in 1982. His approach to the fundamentals of Christian orthodoxy creation, using the habits of a rigorous scientific mind, have brought him international recognition as a unique voice for understanding the Bible as well as evolving doctrine.
His best-known books include The Faith of a Physicist, based on Polkinghorne’s Gifford Lectures which defend the rationality of the Nicene Creed phrase by phrase; Belief in God in an Age of Science, which defends critical realism as the proper philosophical attitude in both science and theology; and his recent work Quantum Physics and Theology: An Unexpected Kinship. In 1997, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for distinguished service to science, religion, learning and medical ethics.
On Tuesday, Polkinghorne will present “Interpreting Quantum Theory” for the Vaughn Science Lecture, which is designed to highlight science research and its ramifications for the general public as well as science majors. For Wednesday morning’s convocation, his topic will be “The Friendship of Science and Religion.”
For more information, visit http://www.polkinghorne.net/.
Alumni to Perform at Country Music Hall of Fame
Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business alumni Meagan Taylor (’03) and Josh Coleman (’06) will perform Sat., Nov. 10, at 3 p.m. in the Ford Theater at Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The concert represents the closing program in the Hall of Fame’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of Historic RCA Studio B, a legendary studio on Music Row that is currently co-managed by Belmont and the Hall of Fame.
Coleman, pianist and grandson of Hall of Fame member Floyd Cramer, and Taylor, guitarist and great-niece of Hall of Famer Chet Atkins, will perform songs from their most recent album, Revival, which was recorded at RCA Studio B. The duo will also discuss their heritage and comment on the experience of recording in a renowned studio. Following the performance, they will sign autographs in the Museum Store. For more information, visit the Country Music Hall of Fame web site.
Webster Speaks at Trevecca on Pharmacy Careers
On Mon., Nov. 5, Dr. Andy Webster, chair and professor in the department of pharmaceutical sciences, gave an invited presentation on “Careers in the Pharmaceutical Sciences” at Trevecca Nazarene University. The event was attended by about 75 students interested in an education in pharmacy and the pharmaceutical sciences.
Williams Appointed to Center for Performance Excellence Judges Panel
Susan Williams, professor of management in the Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business, has been appointed to the 2007 Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence (TNCPE) Panel of Judges. Every year, the Panel of Judges plays an integral role in the TNCPE Awards Program, recognizing organizations that demonstrate excellence in business operations and results.
As a member of the Panel of Judges, Williams is responsible for validating the integrity of the TNCPE awards process and determining the award level for each applicant. The Panel is composed of experts selected from all sectors including business, industry, education and health care organizations, professional and trade associations and government. Judges are all well versed in the principles of continuous improvement and performance excellence principles. More than 1,000 organizations have participated in and benefited from the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence Awards program.
Professors Noted for Best Teaching Case Award
Belmont Professors Mark Schenkel and Jeff Cornwall along with Chris Gray from USASBE (United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship) were just notified that their instructional case, “The Bun Lady,” has been recognized by the International Small Business Journal for “Best Teaching Case Award.” The professors will be recognized at the upcoming 2008 USASBE international meeting in San Antonio.
School of Humanities to Host ‘Transforming Travel’ Symposium
Belmont’s School of Humanities will be hosting its Sixth Annual Fall Humanities Symposium next week, featuring guest lectures and special events all built around the topic, “Transforming Travel: Rewriting the World as We Know It.” Running Sun., Nov. 11 through Mon., Nov. 19, the symposium will focus on the ways in which travel literature and narratives transform our world.
A range of events and readings will be offered from experts in the field of travel writing. A few highlights include the following:
Vanderbilt University’s Dr. Molly Miller, a geologist, will be speaking on Mon., Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. on her research in Antarctica in her talk, “Life and (Cold) Hard Times in Antarctica: Mixing Science and Travel while Unraveling the Frozen Continent’s Climatic and Ecological History.”
Alexa Smith, formerly of the Presbyterian News Service, will offer her perspective on the challenges of reporting on religious communities isolated in areas of international conflict in her Tues., Nov. 13 lecture at 3:30 p.m. on “The Struggle for Authenticity in a Conflict Zone: Transforming Subject, Reader and Writer.”
Tony D’Souza, freelance journalist and award winning author of Whiteman, will speak on Wed., Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. on his experiences in Central America and his involvement in the Eric Volz trial, in his talk ““From Mariscos to Mariachis to a Murder Trial: How a Central American Freelance Jaunt Became a Literary and Legal Nightmare.”
Brice Minnigh—a Belmont alumnus, freelance travel journalist, extreme adventurer, Fulbright scholar and co-author of The Rough Guide to Taiwan—will speak on Thurs., Nov. 15 at 3:30 p.m. on “Passion and Profession: The Art of Making the Two Meet Through Adventure Travel Writing and Photography.”
Dr. Margaret Doody, renowned scholar and novelist from the University of Notre Dame, will speak on Thurs., Nov. 15 at 6 p.m. on the place of Venice in the Western imagination in her talk “The Traveler in Venice: Moving through Space, Time, and Change.”
The kick-off event takes Sunday evening, Nov. 11, with a reading of travel-related writing by members of the Belmont community. Other highlights include a reception Wednesday for the symposium speakers, a Humorous Travel Essay Competition and a Writing Workshop focused on freelance/travel-related writing.
For additional information and a complete listing of all events in this year’s symposium, visit the online program at www.belmont.edu/english/humanities_symposium.
DMHO Makes Top Ten on ‘Next Great American Band’
Denver and the Mile High Orchestra, a local band consisting of a number of Belmont alumni, made it into the Top 10 last week on new Fox television show “Next Great American Band.” The big band performed original song “All Night” and Elton John cover “I’m Still Standin’” on Friday evening’s show, and this week’s episode, which will air Fri., Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. Central, will feature the songs of Billy Joel. Viewer voting will occur for two hours, from 8-10 p.m. Central, immediately following the conclusion of the broadcast. For more information, visit the DMHO Web site at www.denvermho.com.
