Belmont University has named Deborah (Debbie) Strain Coppinger as Director of Alumni Relations.
A graduate of Auburn University, Coppinger has worked over 14 years in higher education. Coppinger comes to Belmont from Middle Tennessee State University, where she served as Alumni Relations Director and Executive Director of the Middle Tennessee State University National Alumni Association since 1997.
Belmont University Announces New Director of Alumni Relations
Center for Professional Development Leaders Receive Recognition
Susan Gordon and Angela Carlson have received the designation of Certified Program Planner, or CPP, by the Learning Resources Network (LERN), an international association in lifelong learning. Gordon is the Director of Belmont University’s Center for Professional Development and Carlson is the Program Administrator. The Center for Professional Development was created by Belmont University to offer training in the principles and practices of continuous improvement.
Lloyd Elder to retire from Belmont’s Moench Center
Lloyd Elder will retire as director of the Moench Center for Church Leadership in Belmont University’s School of Religion, effective June 1. The Moench Center, established in 1996, provides resources, conferences and training events to ministers in 26 states.
“Lloyd has helped us maintain a healthy balance between church and academic life at Belmont. He is the classic example of a pastor-theologian,” said Steve Simpler, dean of the School of Religion. “He has distinguished himself as a respected religious leader, yet he doesn’t take himself too seriously. I’ve been with him at Moench Center workshops in rural churches where we had half a dozen people. I’ve been with him when he led worship at large urban churches. He’s the same guy in both places. He’s a genuinely good person who reflects God’s grace.”
Elder joined the School of Religion faculty in August 1991, filling the Paschall Chair for Biblical Studies and Preaching, Elder. He along with Joyce Byrd as associate director established the Moench Center in 1996, to provide leadership skills to ministers. The center was made possible by gifts from the late Ernest J. Moench Sr. and his wife, Anna.
The Hill Is Alive With The Sound of Music
Pat Embry, writing in today’s Tennessean entertainment section, reports on Belmont University being on a hill alive with the sound of music:
From the casual observer driving down Wedgewood Avenue, Belmont University sits atop a well-manicured hill, an ornate mansion fronting a Baptist-affiliated institute of higher education. Among the many things you don’t see: a thriving, eclectic, energetic music and arts community, fed in part by a nationally renowned music business college. Country headliners Trisha Yearwood and Brad Paisley and contemporary Christian stalwart Michael W. Smith are just three entertainment notables spawned from the campus.
Two free concerts this weekend will spotlight to the public both Belmont’s homegrown talent as well as its impressive concert venues.
Innovative Education Course Gets Media Spotlight
Today’s Tennessean (Williamson A.M. zoned section) highlights the Belmont University Education Department and its effort to get student teachers into the classroom sooner, to enhance their learning with real-world experience.
Sen. Alexander Among Speakers at Free Seminar
Belmont to Offer Class on Country Lyrics as Literature This Fall
Six months after Tennessee’s U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander stood on the floor of the U.S. Senate and, in memorializing the late, great, Johnny Cash, asked why so few universities study country music lyrics as literature even though the likes of Johnny Cash “are certainly among the most famous poets in the world,” Belmont University is preparing to launch a course on the Poetics of Country Music.
Sen. Alexander will be among the guest speakers at a special “Belmont After Hours” free seminar on the Poetics of Country Music, hosted by Charlotte Pence, Adjunct Instructor of English. Sen. Alexander is chairman of the Congressional Songwriters
Entrepreneurship program in the News
The Detroit Free Press has published a story about university programs designed to teach and foster entrepreneurship. Belmont University’s extensive entrepreneurship program is prominently featured.
Interviewed: Dr. Amy Sturgis
Dr. Amy Sturgis, Belmont University’s expert on author J.R.R. Tolkein and an adjunct faculty member in University College, has been interviewed by Pop Thought, a respected pop culture website.
Towering Achievement: Belmont University hosts major exhibit of works by master sculptor Frederick Hart – Nashville Scene
The Nashville Scene provides a wonderful in-depth look at the exhibition of sculpture by Frederick Hart currently at Belmont University’s Leu Art Gallery.
“I was convinced I was destined to do this,” master sculptor Frederick Hart (1943-1999) once said of his “Creation Sculptures,” commonly held to be the most important commissioned religious sculptures in 20th century America. This body of work represents an extraordinary artistic achievement by any standard and forms the stunning centerpiece of a new exhibit at Belmont University’s Leu Art Gallery. This is the largest showing of Hart’s sculptures ever staged. The 50 bronze, marble, resin and acrylic pieces span the artist’s career, offering insights into his creative and technical processes as well as the ideals that informed his work: beauty, meaning, substance, scholarship and craftsmanship.
“I was convinced I was destined to do this,” master sculptor Frederick Hart (1943-1999) once said of his “Creation Sculptures,” commonly held to be the most important commissioned religious sculptures in 20th century America. This body of work represents an extraordinary artistic achievement by any standard and forms the stunning centerpiece of a new exhibit at Belmont University’s Leu Art Gallery. This is the largest showing of Hart’s sculptures ever staged. The 50 bronze, marble, resin and acrylic pieces span the artist’s career, offering insights into his creative and technical processes as well as the ideals that informed his work: beauty, meaning, substance, scholarship and craftsmanship.Don’t miss the exhibition.
Here is the press release.
National Media Spotlights Belmont’s Entrepeneurship Program
The Associated Press featured Belmont University’s comprehensive business program in entrepreneurship in a story that’s being published by news outlets from Florida to Canada this week.
