Belmont University hosted a forum with the 2007 Nashville mayoral candidates Friday, April 13, in the Massey Concert Hall on the Belmont campus. The forum focused on issues impacting the higher education community in Nashville. Each candidate for mayor has named education his top priority in his campaign.
Nashville mayoral candidates David Briley, Bob Clement, Karl Dean, Buck Dozier, Kenneth Eaton and Howard Gentry answered questions concerning the impact of higher education in the city of Nashville. Harry Chapman, Director of Development for Major Gifts at Belmont, moderated the forum. Belmont students Henry Nichols, editor of Belmont’s student newspaper The Belmont Vision, and Lauren Williams, secretary of the Belmont James Madison Society, asked the candidates their questions.
Belmont University Hosts Mayoral Forum
Belmont Celebrates Academic Achievement With Belmont Connections
Belmont University is hosting Belmont Connections April 16-25, 2007. Belmont Connections is an annual 10-day event at the end of the spring semester to recognize significant academic achievements through the presentation and celebration of outstanding student research, scholarship, guest speakers and creative productions from all areas of academic study. Click here for a complete schedule of events.
Dr. John Mueller, professor of political science at The Ohio State University, will deliver the keynote address during Opening Convocation on Monday, April 16, 2007. Mueller is the author of Overblown: How Politicians and the Terrorism Industry Inflate National Security Threats, and Why We Believe Them. Dr. Gary Wells, professor of psychology at Iowa State University, will conclude the Belmont Connections activities on Wednesday, April 25, 2007, with his keynote address, “Eyewitness Memory: An Application of Psychological Science in Justice.”
Belmont Connections intersects every field of study at the university. For many disciplines and student organizations their contribution to Belmont Connections is the culminating event of their year. The events scheduled recognize and celebrate the best of the best in academic achievement, student research and creative production. Students will participate in a host of events ranging from art exhibits and dramatic productions to poster presentations and research symposiums.
A key part of Belmont Connections is the Belmont Undergraduate Research Symposium (BURS). This one-day event on Wednesday, April 25, from 2 – 9 p.m., includes over 100 student presentations representing a body of independent research made to a community of peers.
Belmont University Hires Associate Dean of Massey School
Belmont University has named Dr. Joe Alexander the associate dean and senior professor of performance excellence of the Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business, effective July 1, 2007. Alexander comes to Belmont from the University of Northern Colorado where he has served as dean of the Monfort College of Business since 2002.
Under Alexander, UNC’s business school won the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 2004, the only business school to earn that honor. The Baldrige Award is given annually to businesses and educational and health care organizations judged to be outstanding in seven key areas, including leadership and strategic planning.
Alexander will provide leadership for the Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Accountancy (MACC) programs at the Massey School. He will develop and implement an aggressive enrollment growth strategy and manage the marketing and recruitment to support new program development. Alexander will hold the tenured rank of full professor and teach graduate-level courses in performance excellence.
“Dr. Joe Alexander is a national leader in the field of performance excellence and academic management,” Pat Raines, dean of the College of Business Administration at Belmont, said. “His passion for improving organizational efficiency will enhance the graduate programs that we offer at Belmont and add value to the service we provide to the Nashville business community. The prospect of Joe joining our community has everyone associated with The Massey Graduate School excited about the future.”
Belmont University Announces Recipient of First AT&T Real Yellow Pages in Public Relations
Ashley Bearden, a junior public relations major at Belmont University, has been selected as the first recipient of the AT&T Real Yellow Pages Scholarship in Public Relations. AT&T Advertising and Publishing is supporting Belmont University’s public relations program with a five-year scholarship commitment, which will be awarded each year to a deserving student who has demonstrated leadership, communications skills and scholarship in public relations. This scholarship is the first the company has awarded at Belmont University.
“I am thrilled to have received this scholarship,” Bearden said. “It’s such an honor for my work in and outside of the classroom to be recognized by my professors and AT&T. My family and I are very grateful to AT&T Advertising & Publishing for providing this scholarship to help fund my education at Belmont.”
A $2,500 prize will be presented annually in the spring, to the public relations major who demonstrates academic excellence, campus service, professionalism and is able to communicate effectively a response in essay form to the question, “What role should public relations play in corporate social responsibility?”
“Each year, the scholarship will recognize and reward a student who has demonstrated extraordinary communications skills in the area of public relations,” Chris Andrews, AT&T Real Yellow Pages division manager, said. “AT&T Advertising and Publishing is committed to supporting initiatives that provide students with the skills and knowledge they need in order to succeed in an ever-expanding global economy.”
The public relations program is in its third year at Belmont University and has more than 60 students. This will be the second scholarship awarded to students in that major.
“We now have two important corporations, Bridgestone Americas and AT&T, rewarding and encouraging the best communicators on Belmont University’s campus with scholarships,” Larry Hall, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said. “They are a great endorsement of Belmont’s program and a tremendous support for these students as they prepare for careers that will allow them to make important contributions to the communities in which they will live.”
Belmont Professor, Student Win State-Wide Service Award
Dr. John Gonas, assistant professor of business at Belmont University, and Joe Drake, a business major at Belmont, are recipients of the 2007 Harold Love Outstanding Community Service Award. This annual award is given to five faculty/staff recipients and five student recipients in Tennessee higher education institutions. The individuals selected to receive recognition represent the many dimensions of community service volunteer work, public service, charitable service and leadership roles in community organizations. They serve as ambassadors for community service among the many diverse higher educational communities in Tennessee. The award is named after the late Tennessee state representative Harold Love who was instrumental in passing legislation that created community service recognition programs for higher education students and faculty/staff at the campus level.
Gonas and Drake were nominated for their instrumental work with the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) program at Belmont that began during the 2005-06 academic year. Under the leadership of Gonas, adviser to Belmont’s SIFE team, students have worked to help social agencies and minority entrepreneurs develop sustainable business plans and products. The Belmont SIFE team has worked with Thistle Farms of the Magdalene Project, Mama Turney’s Pies and Conexion Americas. Belmont students have also taught financial literacy to young men participating in the 100 Kings program (a partnership between Belmont and 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee) and to students from immigrant families through a program with Catholic Charities at a local high school. Students also participate in Voluntary Tax Income Assistance (VITA) to assist low-income and elderly taxpayers and the Mocha Club to promote awareness fo the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa.
Belmont University Announces School of Pharmacy
Belmont University announced today it will open a School of Pharmacy and will begin enrolling students in the program for the 2008-09 academic year. The pharmacy program will join Belmont’s nursing, social work, physical therapy and occupational therapy programs available in the Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences & Nursing.
“Belmont has made a commitment to the allied health sciences in this community,” Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher said. “With our existing physical therapy, occupational therapy, nursing and social work programs, we are filling great needs in Nashville – the health care capital – for educating the next generation of highly qualified health care professionals in a variety of disciplines. We are excited to add pharmacy to our growing list of offerings.”
The School of Pharmacy at Belmont will be a four-year, graduate program with a foundation in clinical and practical learning. By opening a School of Pharmacy, Belmont will help alleviate a growing problem state and nationwide – a shortage of pharmacy positions projected to call for 1,060 new pharmacy positions needed in Tennessee and over 157,000 nationwide.
“Belmont’s program will build on a long and rich tradition of cross-disciplinary collaboration and nurturing community and industry relationships to create a program that will prepare its students with the diversity of skills that will enable them to meet these varied challenges,” Belmont Provost Dr. Dan McAlexander said. ‘More than 30 years ago, when Belmont established its nationally preeminent program in music business, enterprising faculty members and university leaders saw a music industry in deep need of business professionals to help lead it. That kind of entrepreneurial thinking and action, that kind of cross-community partnership building, has become the hallmark of a Belmont education. These elements have inspired our efforts in the development of all of our health care programs. We look forward to working with the community and the industry in this new endeavor.”
Belmont’s School of Pharmacy will follow a cutting-edge model of educating pharmacists for the 21st century. Belmont will collaborate extensively with area hospitals and retail pharmacies to allow students opportunities to gain knowledge in every aspect of the pharmaceutical industry from the scientific and medical to the marketing of the ever-expanding industry. Belmont has received letters of support for its School of Pharmacy from area hospitals and medical centers, including Summit, Skyline, Southern Hills, Centennial, St. Thomas, Baptist, Vanderbilt and Williamson County. The regional managers of pharmacy at Walgreen’s, CVS, Eckerd, Kroger, Publix, Walmart and K-mart have also lent their support to the School of Pharmacy at Belmont.
“Belmont is well suited and situated to add a school of pharmacy to its academic offerings,” Clayton McWhorter, a Belmont trustee, former pharmacist and chairman of Clayton Associates, said. “Middle Tennessee is the ideal place for the best clinical training any student could dream of having. Belmont, because of its academic and faith-based offerings and structure, has the opportunity to start a pharmacy program that will create pharmacists of the future. As we deal more and more with new drug therapies, the importance of the role of the pharmacist to ensure the appropriate use of these powerful medications will escalate.”
In addition to serving traditional roles of pharmacists, the professionals of the future will need to be prepared:
* To assume co-equal partnership roles with doctors and other health care professionals in the assignment, management and evaluation of medication and drug regimens for patients
* To analyze trends in patterns of medication use and in pharmacoeconomics for managed care corporations and insurance providers
* To lead new developments in pharmacy informatics in an increasingly technology driven environment
* To manage businesses and to lead people.
This model mirrors Belmont’s initiatives to educate students with collaborative, entrepreneurial programs and to strengthen community relationships and partnerships that benefit both Belmont students and greater Nashville simultaneously.
“With over 80 million baby boomers not only in growing need of health care but retiring from the health care industry, there are huge demands for health care professionals that we have to meet somehow,” Jack Bovender, CEO of Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), said. “Belmont has a history of stepping in to fill needs and we look forward to continuing our partnership in this new endeavor.”
Click here to watch a video of today’s event.
Justin Hare Receives National Academic Honor
Belmont University junior Justin Hare added to his impressive scholastic resume over the weekend as he was named to the fifth annual Division I-AAA Athletic Directors Association Scholar-Athlete Team.
The Cleveland, Tenn., native, who was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Second Team last month, is one of just 11 student-athletes in NCAA Division-I men’s basketball to be recognized. Moreover, Hare is one of just three honorees to have played in this year’s NCAA Tournament, joining Anthony Tolliver of Creighton University and Sean Mallon of Gonzaga University.
Hare sports a 3.85 GPA in his major of exercise science and health promotion.
Third on the Bruins’ career scoring list (NCAA era) with 1,275 points, Hare will return for his senior season as First Team All-Atlantic Sun and a two-time Atlantic Sun Tournament MVP.
Each of the nominees was required to have a minimum grade point average of 3.20 (on a 4.00 scale) in undergraduate study and have been an integral part of their respective team’s success. A special Review Committee of Division I-AAA athletics directors was responsible for selecting the winners.
A complete list of award winners can be viewed at www.nacda.com.
Belmont University Competes for 2008 Presidental Debates
Nashville, Tenn., April 2, 2007 – Belmont University has submitted an invitation to the 2008 Commission on Presidential Debates to hold one of the series of scheduled debates featuring the Democratic and Republican Party candidates at the university in Nashville, Tennessee. Belmont is among 19 possible locations nationwide for the 2008 Presidential Debates.
The multi-faceted Curb Event Center would be the venue for the debates, with supporting roles played by the Beaman Student Life Center and the new Gordon E. Inman Center. Belmont’s leadership, faculty, students and staff will participate in supporting this unique and internationally significant event.
Civic organizations, state and local government officials have supported Belmont’s bid for the debates. Tennessee governor Phil Bredesen stated, “The Presidential Debates would find a compatible home at Belmont University where students with inquisitive minds take their roles as future citizens of our community, nation and world very seriously.”
Belmont President Robert Fisher has led the charge to attract the Presidential Debates to Nashville and Belmont. His interest in exposing students to real life experiences and challenging them to think beyond the classroom has positioned Belmont as a university with a unique service mandate that prepares graduates to be contributing members of society after graduation. Hosting the Presidential Debates would allow Belmont students to witness firsthand the United States’ political process and a staple of the presidential election cycle. Debates are often the first time many voters are given a chance to hear and see presidential candidates speak on a host of different issues.
“It will provide extraordinary educational opportunities for all observing the production process and impact of one of America’s most important moments in our democratic system,” Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher said. “This will be a once in a lifetime to experience first-hand the democratic process in our country at work.”
The Commission on Presidential Debates will travel to all applicants for site visits in late April and early June. Final decisions will be made in late summer, with an announcement on selected sites taking place in September 2007. The final universities selected for the 2004 debates were the University of Miami (FL), Case Western Reserve University, Washington University in Saint Louis and Arizona State University.
Securing the Presidential Debates would reinforce Belmont University’s mission “to engage and transform the world” and signal its growing presence on the national scene. Following six years of academic growth, the past year has seen Belmont rise in the U.S. News & World Report’s standings to No. 10; voted Nashville’s best MBA program by Nashville Scene readers while the Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business was cited by Rolling Stone and Time magazines as one of the best in the country; watched the men and women’s basketball teams compete in the NCAA Tournaments; celebrated one of its own recent alumni as Miss USA (Rachel Smith, ’06); and, watches each week as another of its alumni comes closer to capturing the American Idol prize (Melinda Doolittle, ’99).
Below is the list of all 2008 debate host applicants:
–Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
— Belmont University, Nashville, TN
— Centre College, Danville, KY
— Economic Development Corporation of Wayne County, Indiana
— Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY
— Indiana University and the City of Bloomington’s Convention and Visitor’s Bureau
— MERC, Portland, OR
— Ohio State University, National Public Radio, and Public Broadcasting Station, Columbus, OH
— State of Illinois (Lakeside Center/McCormick Place, Chicago)
— University of Central Arkansas, Conway, AR
— University of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, OH
— University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL
— University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS
— VisitPittsburgh, PA
— Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC
— Washington State University, Spokane, WA
— Washington University in St. Louis, MO
— Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT
— Women of the Storm, New Orleans, LA
Belmont University
Belmont University’s fast-growing community of nearly 4,500 students comes from every state and more than 25 countries. Belmont is committed to premier teaching with a focus on success in the real world. Our purpose is to help students explore their passions and develop their talents to meet the world’s needs. With more than 70 areas of study, eight master’s degrees and two doctoral degrees, there is no limit to the ways Belmont University can expand an individual’s horizon.
Raines to Appear on Nashville Business This Week
Dr. Pat Raines, Dean of the College of Business, will appear on Nashville Business This Week, a weekly television show with the Nashville Business Journal and WTVF News Channel 5. He will discuss the impact of the inverted yield guide on community banks. Tune in to News Channel 5+ at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 30, 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 31 and 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 1.
West Nominated for Distinguished Athena Award
Dr. Susan West, Vice President for Presidential Affairs at Belmont University, was nominated for the distinguished Athena Award, an honor given to one Nashville woman each year for their extraordinary accomplishments. The Athena Award honors those women who have attained and personify the highest level of excellence within family, vocation and community service. West was nominated by Women in Higher Education in Tennessee (WHET).
The 17th Annual Athena Awards was held Thursday, March 29, 2007, at the Parthanon in Nashville, and is held in March each year in honor of women’s history month.
Pictured here, Dr. West with husband, John, daughter, Shandra, sisterfriends, Gina Brown and Kyshia Carey, and Belmont staff members Angie Bryant and LaKiesha Armstrong.
