Freshman commercial voice major Jordan Kyle won Sunday night’s 2007 Christian Showcase, “Resonate.” The show, which was produced by music business majors Luke McElroy and Brittany Parks, featured four talented acts in an evening of praise and worship.
Kyle, a St. Louis native, began playing violin in the third grade and was concertmaster of the symphonic orchestra in high school. After fracturing his wrist while playing football in high school, Kyle began teaching himself to play guitar. His set for the showcase included “Solid Rock,” “Just Till Noon” and “Astounded.” Other Belmont talent featured at Resonate included artist/performers Katie Redding, Joshua Eric Wright and Hana Wishy.
The Christian Showcase was the first in a series of six concerts presented during the academic year by students within the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business. Produced and managed by university students, the series has become a living laboratory for concert production and promotion, artist management and sound reinforcement skill development.
The Urban/Pop Showcase, the next production in the series, will take place on Sat., Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. in the Curb Event Center.
Curb College Announces 2007 Christian Showcase Winner
Smith Designated Certified Mail Manager
Veronica Smith, Belmont’s mail services supervisor, was recently awarded the highest honor of professional achievement available for in-house mail managers from the In-Plant Printing and Mailing Association, according to IPMA Administrative Director Carma Goin. Smith has been designated as a Certified Mail Manager (CMM) for completing a minimum of five years mail management experience (at least one year of which was in-house), being of high moral character and professional attitude, and successfully completing a five-and-a-half hour written exam.
Elmore Kicks Off Belmont and Beyond Series
Dr. Tim Elmore, founder and president of growingleaders.com, was the guest speaker for the Belmont and Beyond Kickoff Event on Wed., Sept.12, in the Neely Dining Room. Elmore is passionate about helping students uncover their mission in life and has taught leadership seminars in 36 countries. He has also authored 21 books, including the best selling Habitudes, Images that form Leadership, Habits and Attitudes and Mentoring: How to Invest Your Life In Others.
Dr. Elmore also presented “Habits and Attitudes of Today’s Students” at the Teaching Center Luncheon. The Career Services team sponsored the program and partnered with the Office of Spiritual Development, the Teaching Center and Student Activities.
Fall 2007 Belmont and Beyond Schedule
Oct. 3: Mastering the Graduate School Process, 10 – 10:50 a.m., Multimedia Hall
Oct. 5: Graduate School Prep Tests, 2 – 5 p.m., MBC 100
Oct. 8: Graduation Forum 10 – 10:50 a.m., Massey Concert Hall
Oct. 17: Going Global, 10 – 10:50 a.m., Multimedia Hall
Oct. 24: Social Smarts: How to Impress Others, 10 – 10:50 a.m., Multimedia Hall
Oct. 31: Resume Tips to Get the Job, 10 – 10:50 a.m., Multimedia Hall
Nov. 7: Power Interviewing, 10 – 10:50 a.m., Multimedia Hall
Nov. 14: The Ultimate Money Skills, 10 – 10:50 a.m., Multimedia Hall
Nov. 28: Investing In Your Future, 10 – 10:50 a.m., Multimedia Hall
Alumna Certified as Nuclear Medicine Technologist
Within a month of achieving her B.S. from Belmont in August, alumna Beth Baggett (’07) also received a certification as a nuclear medicine technologist from Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Upon graduation from the year-long program, she was presented with the M.D. Ingram Award for Technical Excellence for outstanding performance during clinicals at Vanderbilt Medical Center, Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital and the Veterans Administration Medical Center. Baggett graduated from Belmont with a B.S. in medical imaging and is currently employed by the Hendersonville Medical Center.
Former Bruin Selected in CBA Draft
Former men’s basketball player Andrew Preston (Winchester, Ky.) was selected by the expansion East Kentucky Miners of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) in its college draft Tuesday night. Preston, a three-year starter and integral cog on Bruin NCAA Tournament teams in 2006 and 2007, developed into one of the most dependable post players of Belmont’s NCAA era. Named to the 2007 Atlantic Sun All-Tournament team behind his 18 point-10 rebound performance in the championship game victory at ETSU, Preston is the program’s NCAA era career leader in blocked shots (123) and ranks fourth in career field goal percentage (.534). Preston earned Academic All-Conference honors in 2006 and graduated this past May with a degree in accounting. “All of us are excited for Andrew’s opportunity in the CBA draft,” Belmont head coach Rick Byrd said. “Andrew’s dedication, work ethic and unselfish nature should make him a favorite of his coaching staff and teammates. I would expect Andrew to have an impact this rookie season and his Belmont family will be pulling for him.”
Billionaire Dennis Bakke Speaks on ‘Joy at Work’
Billionaire Dennis Bakke, co-founder and former president/CEO of the AES Corporation, spoke at Belmont this week, detailing the ideas behind his New York Times best-selling book, Joy at Work: A Revolutionary Approach to Fun on the Job. Bakke founded AES in 1981, helping to build the international energy corporation into a multi-billion dollar company with 40,000 employees in 31 countries. Co-sponsored by the Belmont Center for Business Ethics and the Office of Spiritual Development, Bakke led a networking reception and lecture Tuesday night for local business leaders and spoke again at a convocation in Neely on Wednesday.
“Making money is absolutely essential to running a business,” Bakke said. “But it’s not the purpose for the business. It’s not the reason the business exists. Our purpose should be to do something useful for society, to serve.”
Bakke concluded his talk on Wednesday by discussing the qualities necessary to be a great leader: humility and love. “Be the best in the world as a manager but don’t confuse it with leadership. Management is about control while leadership is about freedom, freeing people to make decisions.”
Dr. Harry N. Hollis, the James M. Medlin Chair of Business Ethics, is co-founder and current director of the Center for Business Ethics at Belmont, where he has taught since 1991. Dr. Hollis said, “Dennis Bakke is a business leader who understands that ‘Joy at Work’ depends on people who are ethical in all their relationships. His company was founded on the values of integrity, fairness, fun and social responsibility—which is certainly a winning combination for workplace success.”
In 2003, Bakke and his wife Eileen founded Imagine Schools, an organization that operates independent and nonprofit public charter schools. Imagine Schools now serve more than 20,000 students on 51 campuses in 11 states and the District of Columbia.
Henry Named Interim Head Coach for Men’s Golf
Billy Henry has been appointed interim head coach for men’s golf, announced Belmont Director of Athletics Mike Strickland. “Billy’s credentials speak for themselves, and we are honored to have him join our athletic department staff,” Strickland said. “His experience, integrity and good nature will enhance our golf program.”
Henry has more than four decades of distinguished service in intercollegiate athletics, both as a coach and administrator, including his recent 20-year post as assistant athletic director at the University of Tennessee before retiring in 2005. Belmont men’s golf returns to action Oct. 15-16 when it hosts the Belmont Fall Shootout at Nashville Golf & Athletic Club. For more on this story, click here.
Faculty/Staff Quoted in Tennessee Newspapers
This past weekend found several Belmont staff and faculty featured in regional news outlets:
• Dr. Pat Raines, dean of the Massey Graduate School of Business, was quoted in the Memphis Business Journal in an article on the rise of delinquent home loans.
• Provost Dr. Dan McAlexander was quoted in a Tennessean article on Hispanic student recruitment.
West Graduates Leadership Middle Tennessee Program
Dr. Susah H. West, vice president for presidential affairs, recently graduated from the year-long Leadership Middle Tennessee program along with 27 other community and business leaders from the region, according to Jack Turner, chair of the group’s board of directors. Leadership Middle Tennessee is a regional leadership institute encompassing the 10-county area in Middle Tennessee which includes Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Maury, Montgomery, Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson and Wilson counties.
New Theater Opens with Gala Celebration
Belmont University opened its new theater complex this past weekend with an invitation-only, black-tie Gala Celebration. The inaugural production in the 350-seat Troutt Theater featured William Shakespeare’s comedy Much Ado About Nothing, a collaboration between the Belmont Theater Department and the Nashville-based Actors Bridge Ensemble. Actors Bridge has a long history with Belmont as the ensemble was founded in 1995 as a training program in the university’s Little Theatre.
Belmont Provost Dr. Dan McAlexander said, “We are proud to open this extraordinary new theater complex with this collaborative production. It serves as a perfect example of both Belmont’s distinctive brand of education—which connects rigorous learning on campus with real world experience in the professional communities of Nashville—and our commitment to serve this city. Of course, these new venues are tremendous assets for Belmont students. But, because they will be shared with a wide variety of local professional theater and dance companies, they are also outstanding new additions to the cultural life of Nashville.”
Much Ado About Nothing Director Bill Feehely, a former Belmont theater professor, founded Actors Bridge and now serves as the group’s artistic director. “It was a great honor to be given the opportunity to direct the very first production at the Bill and Carole Troutt Theater,” Feehely said. “I have the chance to do the thing I love with two organizations dear to my heart, Belmont University and Actors Bridge. I am also thrilled to be able to add to my career highlights premiering a wonderful cast and crew in this beautiful facility.”
