IMPORTANT NOTE: These are the archived stories for Belmont News & Achievements prior to June 26, 2023. To see current stories, click here.

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Student Film Wins Best Drama in Monochrome Film Festival

Katie McAdams
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Student Film Wins Best Drama in Monochrome Film Festival

Motion pictures major Kelsey Ferrell recently won Best Drama in the Monochrome Film Festival. As a junior, Ferrell worked on this film in her Production I class alongside classmates Carter Bowden in motion pictures and James Krauland in audio engineering.

Her film, “Like You’re Dying,” features her sister Ainsley Ferrell as the star and shares the story of a young woman who navigates her life with cancer.

Ferrell’s film was originally accepted and featured in the Knoxville Film Festival in September of 2020 and was then nominated for and won Best Drama in the Monochrome Film Festival in November of 2020. The award-winning film “Like You’re Dying” can be viewed here.

Belmont’s O’More College of Architecture and Design to Host ‘Design and Equity’ Spring Lecture Series

Haley Charlton
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Belmont’s O’More College of Architecture and Design to Host ‘Design and Equity’ Spring Lecture Series

To shed light on work being done right now in the realms of architecture, interior design and fashion on the manifold needs for increased social justice, the O’More College of Architecture & Design at Belmont University will host a three-part series of lectures this spring on the subject of design and equity, led by professionals who represent the college’s three disciplines.

Beginning on January 18, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, New York-based Footwear and Accessories Designer Wevly Wilson will present “How Race, Gender and Nationality Impact Equality in Fashion Design.” Follow up events are planned for February 10 with Chicago-based Architect Juan Moreno and March 9 with Los Angeles-based Interior Designer Ryan Saghian.

Belmont recognizes the concerns for diversity, equity and inclusion to be consistent with “its mission to engage and transform the world with disciplined intelligence, courage and faith.” The opportunities for and potential of design disciplines to address matters of injustice has become only more pronounced in the recent months. 

Dean of the O’More College of Architecture and Design Dr. Jhennifer Amundson said, “The differences that distinguish each of us make us stronger, smarter and more creative; in addition to valuing these differences, we must actively counter the forces and conventions evident in access, representation, curriculum, pedagogy, research, criteria for evaluation and practices that stifle the impact of underrepresented people and points of view. Through more equitable and liberated practices we will bring our programs, people and design community closer to a state of justice for all.”

In recognizing a personal responsibility to respond to concerns and the disciplines’ special capacity to ameliorate them, the faculty, staff and students of the O’More College of Architecture and Design are studing and seeking ways to examine and amend structures and systems, as well as policies and practices shaped by systemic and personal bias, so that all members of the community, and all people they will serve in through their work in the design disciplines, will flourish in a proactively anti-discriminatory environment, benefit from empowered representation.

For event details and access, please contact CADinfo@Belmont.edu.

Broussard Named to PRSA Universal Accreditation Board

Haley Charlton
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Broussard Named to PRSA Universal Accreditation Board

Dr. Sharee LeBlanc Broussard, APR, a faculty member in Belmont University’s Department of Public Relations, was named to the national Universal Accreditation Board  (UAB) for a two-year term beginning January 2021. She is one of eight Public Relations Society of America representatives to this 23-member board and serves on the UAB Workgroup for Research.

The UAB oversees Accreditation in Public Relations (APR), APR+M for military personnel or contractors, and the Certificate in Public Relations Principles on behalf of a consortium of nine public relations organizations: Asociación de Relacionistas Profesionales de Puerto Rico, California Association of Public Information Officials, Florida Public Relations Association, Maine Public Relations Council, National Association of Government Communicators, National School Public Relations Association, Public Relations Society of America, Religion Communicators Council and Southern Public Relations Federation. It is administered by the Public Relations Society of America.

Broussard’s previous UAB-overseen activities include accreditation candidate mentoring, Readiness Review panelist, study course presenter, examination question drafter, technical review panelist, Public Relations Council of Alabama- Mobile Chapter accreditation chair, and faculty coordinator for Spring Hill College students’ efforts toward the Certificate in Public Relations Principles.

She is a member of Public Relations Society of America-Nashville Chapter and Educators Academy, Public Relations Council of Alabama-Mobile Chapter (past-president), Southern Public Relations Federation, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication and Southern States Communication Association. She serves as PRSA-Nashville’s 2021 Parthenon Awards Co-chair for judging. She’s engaged civically as well, serving on both the programs committee and Red Door Bash committee for Gilda’s Club Middle Tennessee. She’s also a Sustainer member of Junior Leagues of Nashville and Mobile, Alabama.

Hawley’s Article Most Popular of 2020 on Acoustics Today

Haley Charlton
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Hawley’s Article Most Popular of 2020 on Acoustics Today

The Acoustical Society of America shared the most popular Acoustics Today articles of 2020, and at number one is “Synthesis of Musical Instrument Sounds: Physics-Based Modeling or Machine Learning?” by Belmont Physics Professor Dr. Scott Hawley, Vasileios Chatziioannou and Andrew Morrison.

Read the article here.

Belmont Shines at Tennessee Academy of Science Annual Meeting for 2020

Haley Charlton
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Belmont Shines at Tennessee Academy of Science Annual Meeting for 2020

Biology faculty and students presented their research at the virtual 130th Annual Meeting of the Tennessee Academy of Science in November 2020.  Four student presentations earned awards, and Belmont biology faculty were recognized for their contributions to the Academy. Biology and chemistry alumna Valini Ramcharan received the 2020 Distinguished Teaching Award. 

A 2014 alumna, Ramcharan was appointed the Instructional Coach for Science at the LEAD School at Neely’s Bend in Madison this past summer, in the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic. Prior to that, she was a 6th grade science teacher and content lead for science at the LEAD School at Cameron in Nashville. 

Ramcharan’s transition from LEAD Cameron to LEAD Neely’s Bend coincided with a move from a place where she had taught students in a classroom, to one where she had to learn to nourish minds in a virtual world.  She uses common platforms that many of us are now familiar with, such as Zoom, Clever and Google Classroom. Her science students have also been experimenting with pHet simulations that provide a wide variety of web-based lab opportunities. She has young students performing density labs in their kitchens and building generators online. Additionally, her students use their technology skills for education of others and for building their school community.  Her students are regular contestants at the annual Middle Tennessee Science and Engineering Fair (MTSEF) – with more than 20 students submitting entries this past year.  The Chair of the Scientific Review Committee noted that her students submit proposals that are thoroughly complete, scientifically rigorous and creative. 

Biology Professor and Department Chair Dr. Jennifer Thomas delivered her presentation, “Where they are and where you want to lead them: guiding biology students in their first semester of college.”

Biology Professor Dr. Darlene Panvini completed her year as president of The Tennessee Academy of Science and was recognized as a TAS Fellow. Biology Professor Dr. Steve Murphree serves as the treasurer of the Academy. 

Student and faculty poster sessions and awards included:

  • Marinia Bishay and Dr. Nikki Glenn were awarded Second Place in the Cell and Molecular Biology/Botany poster session for “The effects of twist1 and twist2 on sclerotome differentiation into tendon progenitors in zebrafish.”
  • Grace Hurley and Dr. Nikki Glenn were awarded Third Place in the Cell and Molecular Biology/Botany poster session for “Twist1b knockout in zebrafish.” 
  • Aleya Prasad and Dr. Nikki Glenn received Honorable Mention in the Cell and Molecular Biology/Botany poster session for “Effect of activating the endocannabinoid system on zebrafish embryo development.” 
  • Taylor Ruscitti, Bethany Wood, Gerald Archer, Dr. Chris Barton and Dr. Darlene Panvini were awarded Second Place in Ecology and Environmental Science poster session for  “Corticolous lichen species richness and abundance in relation to proximity of traffic in Nashville, Tennessee.”
  • Joaquin Pasco, William Messick and Dr. Darlene Panvini also presented “Occurrence of birds in relation to tree canopy cover in an urban environment.”

Tennessee Tribune Publishes Article by Dr. Bonimy on Black-Owned Business Strategies During COVID-19

Haley Charlton
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Tennessee Tribune Publishes Article by Dr. Bonimy on Black-Owned Business Strategies During COVID-19

Dr. Madlyn Marie Bonimy, Belmont University fellow in Hospitality and Tourism Management, was recently published in the Tennessee Tribune with her article, “Food service and COVID-19: What Strategies Are Being Used by Black-Owned Restaurants in Nashville?”

In the article, Bonimy discusses options these businesses are utilizing to boost sales including takeout and delivery options through food delivery third party companies like DoorDash, GrubHub, Uber Eats or Postmates. She also touches on the changes restaurants have implemented to keep patrons safe by converting to digital menus and contactless payment options. Ready the article here.

Belmont launched the new Hospitality and Tourism Management major in the summer of 2019 to support a growing demand for professionals in this area. Read more on Belmont News.

Belmont University Releases Schedule for 2021 MLK Celebration

Haley Charlton
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Belmont University Releases Schedule for 2021 MLK Celebration

Belmont University’s annual MLK Week programming will begin Friday, January 15 and will continue through the next week in honor of the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. The majority of this year’s events will take place virtually and a full lineup is available on Belmont’s MLK website.

With this year’s theme being “A Legacy of Uplift,” Dr. Mary Clark, assistant dean of students and director of Bridges to Belmont, explained the intention of the week is to focus on the importance of uplift and the fact that while Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was an activist, preacher and civil leader, he also brought a great deal of hope and uplift to the world. “As we move into 2021, I believe it is essential that we shift our mindsets to being beacons of mindfulness and uplift,” she said. “2020 presented us with multiple challenges, realities and at times heartbreak. The goal of this week is to provide our campus community a time to reset and refresh and to reclaim our health, peace and joy.”

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Program was established in January of 1997 at Belmont University as a celebration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Each of the commemorative events are open to the Belmont community and to the public and all are welcome and invited to attend.

The week’s kickoff “Uplift Luncheon” event on Friday, January 15 will feature various MLK sermons, speeches and quotes shared by members of the Belmont community. The campus community can RSVP and reserve a lunch pick up here.

The campus community will fill out postcards with “In 2021 My Legacy of Uplift Will Be,” to be distributed to faculty, staff and students January 11 – 15. The postcard reflections will be returned to various bulletin boards around campus for a visual art display the week of January 18 – 22.

Members of the campus community can donate books for K-12 school children, which will be donated to the Pencil Foundation and other local charities. There will be a collection box in the Gabhart lobby and pick-up services if needed by Bridges to Belmont students.

Monday, January 18 will include all day events, including a special dedication event.

The annual candlelight vigil, sponsored by the Black Student Association, will take place virtually at 7 p.m. Prior to the event, participants will have the opportunity to pick-up a vigil celebration packet in the Gabhart Student Center that will include a candle, a pecan tartlet in recognition of MLK’s love of pecan pie and details about the vigil. More information can be found on Blackboard.

On January 19, Jemar Tisby will offer a presentation for faculty and staff at noon and a chapel through Blackboard for students at 6:30 p.m.

Campus reading groups will also kick off that day for those interested in learning more about racial justice and how to part in making the world a better place. Register for a reading group here.

Telecommunications Services Manager Gary Hunter will hold the popular campus “Real Talks” both for students on January 20 at 5 p.m. and for faculty and staff on January 22 at 11 a.m.

The Teaching Center will host a Lunch and Learn on January 20 at noon titled “Antiracism Concepts for Enhancing Teaching and Student Learning.”

On January 21, there will be two WellCore events that can be accessed through Blackboard for students. “The Clash of Race & Sports with Andrew Maraniss” will take place from noon – 1:30 p.m. and “King: Go Beyond the Dream to Discover the Man” will be from 6 – 8 p.m.

MLK Celebration sponsors include the MLK Celebration Committee, Athletics, Bridges to Belmont, Office of Multicultural Learning & Experience, Center for Social Entrepreneurship, Spiritual Development, Office of the University Counsel, University Ministries, Teaching Center, Student Life, Welcome Home Diversity Council, Division of Student Affairs, Office of Service Learning, the Black Student Association and College of Music and Performing Arts.

Alumna Ashton Judy Opens Cheese, Charcuterie Restaurant ‘Culture + Co’ in Nashville

Haley Charlton
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Alumna Ashton Judy Opens Cheese, Charcuterie Restaurant ‘Culture + Co’ in Nashville

Belmont alumna Ashton Judy, who graduated in 2016 with a major in psychology and minor in business administration, is currently an entrepreneur bringing a unique dining experience to L & L Market in West Nashville through her new restaurant Culture + Co. Teamed up with her mother Jacqueline Palladino, the mother-daughter duo is hoping to bring people together by providing a new type of dining experience as Culture + Co features the first cheese and charcuterie conveyor belt in the country.

Culture + Co. is a cheese, charcuterie and wine-focused dining experience with a menu emphasizing seasonal and artisan cheese and charcuterie along with a curated food pairing. The open kitchen and rotating conveyor belt in the center of the market offers an interactive and communal dining space.

Judy explained the idea came from a trip to London when she visited a similar concept with her mom and sister, and L+L Market was the perfect fit for the idea, especially as a lot of the neighboring businesses are women- or family-owned. 

Ashton Judy and Jacqueline Palladino
Belmont alumna Ashton Judy, left, and her mom Jacqueline Palladino, right

“My mom and I have always dreamed of having a restaurant together. We stumbled upon something similar in London and loved the concept so much! We wanted to put our own spin on it so our menu focuses on more American-made cheeses,” Judy explained. “We had a lot of fun dreaming up the pairings that go along with them. We both love to learn about cheese and wine, and we’re hoping the concept allows for everyone to be adventurous and find new cheeses they love, as well.”

The menu features cheeses from smaller farms around the US, with a couple favorites from around the world, a natural wine list and vegan options. There are quite a few cheeses that the restaurant gets directly from the farms, so Judy feels confident that there will be some cheeses on the menu that are new to Nashville. Some of her favorite menu items include their signature bruleed brie (a creme brulee style brie cheese with apple cider culture butter) and her personal favorite, a fresh goat cheese from Firefly Farms with a housemade lemon marshmallow with arugula pesto. Culture + Co will have new menu offerings for take away starting soon, including at-home party packs, and will also soon have sandwiches and salads to go along with the cheese pairings.

Up close to cheese pairing
Photo by Kathy Thomas Photo: Up close with Culture + Co’s “Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam, Caramelized Onion Jam and Tomato Crisp”

With a background as a pastry chef, Palladino is coordinating the selections, pairings and recipes while Judy aims to handle the business side of things. While a student at Belmont, Judy lived in the University Ministries Service House and served as a spiritual life assistant. As a psychology major, she said she learned how to adequately prepare and foresee potential roadblocks through research projects and also assess results that go against her predictions. This served her well in planning for the restaurant’s opening as the duo had to make sure they were asking difficult questions and learning as much as they could because “this past year was definitely not what we expected.”

Opening the restaurant during a pandemic posed a number of challenges, but Judy said it encouraged her to get even more creative and dream up other ways to serve the concept. She said, “We are operating Culture + Co. safely and staying mindful of the hurdles of the COVID pandemic. While we cannot wait to serve a full bar, we want to keep the community safe above all else. The response so far has been encouraging!”

Culture + Co recently had a soft opening and is currently offering take away and limited dine in options. Visit them at the L&L Market and follow them on Instagram for the latest updates and current menu selections.

Three cheese pairings sit on conveyer belt
Photo by Kathy Thomas Photo: Three Cheese Pairings from Culture + Co, ready to be selected from the conveyor belt

“I’m extremely lucky to have been in a place to take this on,” Judy said. “Nashville is welcoming and supportive of creativity and has a growing food (and cheese) scene. We definitely want to add to that– Culture + Co. has already partnered with some other businesses we love and support, but we look forward to collaborating with more in the future!”

Belmont Named a Best Business School for 2021 by The Princeton Review

Haley Charlton
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Belmont Named a Best Business School for 2021 by The Princeton Review

Belmont University’s Jack C. Massey College of Business is one of the nation’s most outstanding business schools, according to The Princeton Review®. The education services company chose the school for its list, “Best Business Schools for 2021,” released in December 2020.

The Princeton Review website includes profiles with sections reporting on each school’s academics, student life, admissions information and graduates’ employment data. In its Belmont profile, The Princeton Review editors describe the school as a great value for Nashville-area professionals looking to jump-start their career. It says, “The professional MBA for working adults—Belmont’s flagship program—offers a ‘great classroom-based education that is flexible enough for a working student.’”

“The Jack C. Massey College of Business is very proud of this recognition by The Princeton Review because their ranking methodology includes the things that matter most to us, such as academic rigor, career/placement outcomes and student survey responses regarding the quality of the classroom experience, faculty teaching abilities and accessibility, and efforts by the career service office,” said Dr. Sarah Gardial, dean of the Massey College of Business. “We believe the significant industry experience of our faculty members shines through, as well as our dedication to a student-focused environment.”

Comments from surveyed Belmont students in the profile include: “The classes are focused on real world topics” and “the learning style is hands-on.” In the classroom, “the program is largely case-based, encouraging students to use critical thinking skills and sharpen interpersonal skills,” and across disciplines, “the professors encourage classroom discussion.”

Students also said faculty members “give great practical advice” and are “truly interested in helping students learn and grow.” At Belmont, classes are uniformly small, with about twenty students in the average classroom. Students love the mix of big-name resources and intimate atmosphere, saying “Belmont has the feel of a small school with the professors and reputation of a top university.”

As Dr. Gardial explained, the profiles have five ratings that The Princeton Review tallies based on data from its administrator and/or student survey. The ratings are scores on a scale of 60 to 99 in the categories of Academic Experience, Admissions Selectivity, Career, Professors Interesting and Professors Accessible. Among the ratings in the Belmont profile are scores of 96 for both Professors Interesting and Professors Accessible, as well as a score of 87 for Academic Experience.

“We recommend Belmont’s Jack C. Massey School of Business as an excellent choice for an aspiring MBA,” said Rob Franek, The Princeton Review’s editor-in-chief. He noted that the company chose the schools for its 2021 list based on data from the company’s surveys of administrators at business schools during the 2019-20 academic year. The administrator survey, which numbered more than 200 questions, covered topics from academic offerings and admission requirements to data about currently enrolled students as well as graduates’ employment. 

Franek added, “What makes our Best Business Schools list unique is that we factor in data from our surveys of students attending the schools about their campus and classroom experiences. For our 2021 list we tallied surveys of more than 17,800 students at 244 business schools.” The Princeton Review’s 80-question student survey asked students about their school’s academics, student body and campus life, as well as about themselves and their career plans. The student surveys were conducted during the 2019-20, 2018–19 and 2017–18 academic years.

Belmont’s Massey College of Business was also included as No. 20 on The Princeton Review’s Top Undergraduate and Graduate Schools for Entrepreneurship Studies for 2021, released in November. Learn more about this special ranking on Belmont News.

Alumna Marcy Bursac Offers Unique Insight into Foster Care Adoption through New Book

Haley Charlton
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Alumna Marcy Bursac Offers Unique Insight into Foster Care Adoption through New Book

Belmont alumna Marcy Bursac, class of 2005, recently published her new book “The Forgotten Adoption Option: A Self-Reflection and How-To Guide for Pursuing Foster Care Adoption” to provide clarity into the often muddled and confusing journey of adoption and to find more forever homes for 120,000 U.S. children who are waiting to be adopted.

Bursac and her husband are the adoptive parents of a sibling pair, currently residing in St. Louis, Missouri. Her heart for adoption comes from participating in service projects with orphans and her grandfather-in-law being orphaned in St. Louis at age seven but never being adopted.

The idea to write the process down had long been on Bursac’s heart, and after taking a parenting class at her church and battling COVID earlier this year, she decided now was the time. Because this is a government program, this is a topic that lacks a marketing budget and is often overlooked.  

“Countless times, friends and friends of friends have reached out asking about foster care adoption and how we adopted our children through foster care,” Bursac explained. “I once heard it said that for every ONE family that adopts through foster care, SEVEN of their friends will do the same. I have seen that to be true in my life by retelling my story. And it made me wonder how many kids will find forever families if I wrote down our story and shared it.”

Marcy Bursac wearing shirt that says Adopt

To some, it may have appeared the Bursacs became a family of four overnight. But to Bursac and her husband, the process of adopting their two children hardly felt instantaneous. Around National Adoption Day, Bursac shared her story with The Family App and a local news station.

While at Belmont, Bursac participated in the Honors program, designing her own minor in education, worked as a resident assistant and a student worker for the nursing program, studied abroad and volunteered with University Ministries on a Spring Break service project.

Her book is already making a difference. President & CEO, Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Rita Soronen said, “We are excited about this book that shines a light on the incredible opportunity to adopt children who are waiting and wishing for their forever family! Marcy helps to simplify what can be a complex process and helps readers overcome their fears and doubts on behalf of the children who need us most.”  

Another prospective adoptive parent, Paula Pérez-Diaz said, “This book will help adults who are considering adoption to have one source with enough information to at least get started! It seems like a huge, impossible process when you don’t even know where to start which probably steers people away from pursuing adopting. If you have an idea of cost, who to talk to and where and things to expect, it doesn’t seem so scary! And it actually seems possible.”

To order “The Forgotten Adoption Option,” meet waiting children and learn more about the foster care adoption process, visit forgottenadoptionoption.com. The book is also available on Amazon.

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