Belmont PRSSA received five national awards at the Public Relations Student Society of America International Conference, held Oct. 18-22 in San Diego, California.
The Chapter received the Dr. F. H. Teahan Community
Service Award for its promotion of the nonprofit With Purpose, which works to
improve treatments for childhood cancer. Belmont PRSSA also received a Star
Chapter Award, recognizing 10 criteria of excellent including ethics advocacy,
high school outreach and community service.
The Chapter’s professional adviser, Keith Miles of
MP&F Strategic Communications, received the Dr. F. H. Teahan Outstanding
Professional Adviser Award, for which the Chapter nominated him. Miles received
this national award once previously.
The 11,000-member pre-professional organization awarded
seven PRSSA National Gold Key Awards for outstanding leadership and
contributions. Recipients included Ally Langley and Chelsea Lomartire, officers
in Belmont PRSSA. Nine Belmont students and faculty adviser Dr. Bonnie Riechert
attended the conference, which attracted 700 students from more than 300
Chapters internationally.
The 2020 PRSSA International Conference will be held Oct.
23-27 in conjunction with the Public Relations Society of America International
Conference at Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville.
Belmont PRSSA members and the PRSA Nashville Chapter will be involved in
conference planning and hosting.
Cheryl Carr, associate professor of music business and associate dean of the Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business at Belmont, has been elected to the Nashville Opera Company’s Board of Directors.
“The Nashville Opera’s contributions are part of Nashville’s Music City identity. I look forward to supporting this sector of the music industry,” Carr shared.
In crime, timing is everything, and the timing of author alumna Ashley Sargeant Hagan’s novel couldn’t be more perfect with fall in the air and Halloween around the corner. Second in the Backstage Mystery Series, “Duel”released on October 8, 2019. Hagan graduated from Belmont in 1997 with a Bachelor of Arts in English.
The book is available at local stores such as Bound Booksellers and Home Panache, as well as online with Amazon and B&N.
Her latest book “Duel” features a story within a story and takes place at an English country estate where American actress Anna McKay is filming a period drama. When a series of practical jokes on set turns deadly, Anna isn’t sure who to trust or if she will make it off the “Cavendish Manor” set alive.
Nashville author Ashley Sargeant Hagan has been described as having the mind of Agatha Christie with the soul of Mark Twain. Her love of history, tea and nineteenth century novels informs her writing, as evidenced in her first novel, “Pedestal.” She is an active member of Historic Nashville and is a volunteer in educational programming for the Land Trust for Tennessee’s Glen Leven Farm.
Hagan will sign books on November 9 at 4 p.m. at Bound Booksellers, 158 Front Street, Suite 106, in Franklin, TN 37064. Additional local book signings and more information about Ashley and her writing can be found at ashleyshagan.com.
Belmont alumnus Matt Fiedler, class of 2011, launched Vinyl Me, Please as a passion project in January 2013. Little did he know, his passion project–which seeks to help people explore, experience, and enjoy music on a deeper level–would soon be a huge hit.
Later in 2013, Fiedler accepted a job with a tech company in Boulder, Colorado. So, Vinyl Me, Please moved to Colorado with Fiedler and gained significant momentum in 2014. It soon became too big to ignore, so Fiedler and his team decided to quit their jobs to pursue it full time.
Fiedler shared one thing he is most proud of is the team Vinyl Me, Please has built. The company has about 23 people employed full time, and Fiedler says he is honored to call them his peers. He shared, “They all have their own gifts and strengths they’ve brought to our company. It’s because of their hard work and dedication that we’ve been successful.”
Beyond that, Fiedler is really proud of being included on the INC 5,000 Most Inspiring Companies and FastCompany’s Most Innovative Companies lists. He carries a lot of pride in those because he remembers being a student at Belmont and researching companies on those lists. He was always hoping to be a part of something like that one day. Forbes even published a feature about how he grew his $10 million business in five years.
Fiedler was also recognized by the Thomas F. Cone Center for Entrepreneurship as on of the top 100 alumni entrepreneurs at an inaugural event.
“I don’t often put much weight in those kinds of things, but I know a younger version of myself would be very proud of those accomplishments,” stated Fiedler.
While attending Belmont, Fiedler studied music business and entrepreneurship. He said, “Belmont definitely carries recognition within the industry. People know it by name and have a lot of respect for the music business program. I studied both music business and entrepreneurship, so my education has helped me tremendously. At the end of the day though, you have to be willing to put in the work. Belmont gave me a great platform from which to jump, but it doesn’t mean anything was given to me or Vinyl Me, Please.”
Fiedler had internships during his time at Belmont working on a variety of projects in different areas of the music industry. While he learned a lot, he was not passionate about much of the work he was doing. Fiedler said, “I am at my best when I’m working on things I’m passionate about because that’s what fuels me to do great work. When it became clear I would have to find passion in other ways, I became less interested in making it in music and more interested in working with music in other ways.”
“A question I often get is how we started,” explained Fiedler. “People naturally assume starting a business is something you need to know how to do before and that it’s really ‘hard.’ The reality is, we knew very little before getting started, and it wasn’t that difficult to launch. We simply had an idea and found a way to make it happen. There’s no operating manual to being an entrepreneur. It’s a game of perseverance and sustainability.”
When asked about the future of his company, Fiedler replied, “The mission behind Vinyl Me, Please is about experiencing music more deeply. It’s about truly listening, understanding and appreciating music. It sounds simple but it’s actually quite counter-cultural in a world dominated by technology. Whereas so much of the music industry is focused on streaming, our aspiration is to be the champions of vinyl. To me, vinyl is about taking the time to invest in what you’re listening to, being willing to sit in stillness and letting the music do its work on you. That kind of experience is rare in today’s world, but it’s an experience that can define a life. That’s what we’re trying to create at Vinyl Me, Please.”
For students pursuing entrepreneurship, Fiedler shared, “The single best piece of advice I can give is to be endlessly curious and to embrace your own naivety. So much of my experience and success is a product of me being willing to ask the silly questions and do something only because we didn’t know any better.”
English Professor Dr. Eric Hobson recently published an article called “Two New Books” with the Pan Am Historical Foundation. The article reviews recently published aviation history books within the context of Pan American Airway activities, overt and clandestine, on the cusp of and during World War II.
Six books and more than 50 articles have been published on Hobson’s research on issues of student motivation to learn, reading and writing as essential communication, and academic skills. His research received the International Writing Centers Association’s Research Award (1999) and the Robert J. Menges Research Award (2001) from the Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education.
Hobson writes and leads workshops at colleges and universities around the country that focus on active and collaborative learning, student motivation, writing across the curriculum, abilities-based education, and outcomes-based assessment.
If dictionaries included images with the words they defined,
then Luke Putney would be the face of “Perseverance.”
A Presidential Scholar, Putney graduated summa cum laude from Belmont in May 2017 with a degree in music performance. Blind since he was a teenager, he never let his disability slow him down—he won the high school “Titan Cup” wrestling championship in Georgia, started his own nonprofit, Instrumental Horizons, while he was at Belmont and even won a regional Emmy for his original composition in a TV program. During his college years he also participated in Jazz Band, Jazzmin, Chamber Singers and Rock Ensemble.
Even
though he was juggling ensembles, classes and other interests, his
philanthropic work through Instrumental Horizons was making an impact from the
start. “I
formed Instrumental Horizons as an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the State of
Tennessee while I was attending Belmont because I knew my life’s mission was to
make the world a better place through music. My nonprofit shares the joy
of music by donating musical instruments and volunteering services to
socioeconomically and medically challenged communities in the United States and
around the world. My first official fundraiser for Instrumental Horizons was
part of a group project in a music business class during my senior
year. We did a benefit concert and were able to raise enough money to buy
a keyboard for the Music Therapy Department at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital.”
The
fundraiser also allowed him to purchase a few new instruments for a school
system in Santa Rosa del Sur in Colombia, South America. Combining those
purchased instruments with a grant and additional gifts of gently-used
instruments, Putney took his first international humanitarian trip with
Instrumental Horizons to that community in South America shortly after
graduation.
“That
school was located in a remote part of the country that did not have easy access
to quality instruments. They truly appreciated the instruments, and their
music instructor was able to train the kids in that school to become a
nationally-recognized and award-winning band.”
But that’s when everything took a devastating turn for
Putney. Returning to the U.S. in July 2017, a headache thought to be a migraine
was diagnosed as a brain tumor the size of a human fist. Though the surgery
went well and the tumor was benign, complications arose. A stroke and seizure
left Luke in Vanderbilt University Medical Center intensive care for 48 days
followed by 99 days at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta and months of outpatient
rehabilitation. Then more complications and more surgeries, nine in total.
Putney,
who is now continuing his recovery at his home in East Nashville, said, “During
that time, it was unknown whether I would talk normally or sit up or be able to
walk again. I also developed a condition called Central Nerve Pain
syndrome which causes severe pain on a daily basis. Thanks to God, my family
and medical doctors, I keep getting a little better every day.”
Still,
it has been a long and incredibly difficult two years. But Luke Putney doesn’t
quit. He’s working hard to recuperate and to reignite his nonprofit work. “This
recovery has been extremely difficult, but I sincerely believe that my easiest
days have been days when I have been able to help others, and not think about
the daily pain that I experience. Being ‘in the moment’ helps me to find
an equilibrium that is tolerable. The gratefulness and positivity that I
attempt to emanate is returned to me tenfold. You cannot imagine the
number of people and the quality of the people who have been a part of my recovery. God
has surrounded me with incredible individuals who have given of themselves in
amazingly generous and thoughtful ways.”
Helping others continues to be his driving motivation. For his
latest Instrumental Horizons project, he secured five-time Grammy winner Victor
Wooten to produce and a group of all-star musicians to record “Cape Town,” a
song he wrote before his medical crisis. He hopes to use that song, and a
month-long walkathon, to raise funds for another community in need of music
education.
“When
I was recovering at Shepherd Center, they asked me what my goal was for
recovery,” Putney recalls. “I told them I wanted to get back to my charity
work through Instrumental Horizons. I wanted to go to South Africa where I
had traveled as a kid and help children in marginalized communities there with
music education and musical instrument donations. So this fall, I decided to
use my recovery as a way to do fundraising for South Africa.”
Though confined to a wheelchair mere months ago, Putney is planning to walk a mile a day for 26 days and ask people to donate to his “marathon” to support the Instrumental Horizons South Africa project. Individuals who donate to the marathon will receive the “Cape Town” song as a thank you gift, and 100% of the money raised will go to support the project, which is partnering with MusicWorks in South Africa for implementation.
With the song now complete and the walkathon starting this
month, Putney is overwhelmed with gratitude. “I am not just grateful, I am blown away by all of
the people who have literally jumped in and volunteered to help on this
project, including Bakithi Kumalo (bass/vocals for Paul Simon), Bob
Franceschini (sax for George Benson, Chaka Khan, more), Jeff Coffin (sax for
Dave Matthews Band), Darren English (trumpet/keys and winner 2018 Global Peace
Song), Derico Watson (drums for Victor Wooten and Belmont faculty member), Brad
Covington (percussion for Luke Putney Trio, and Belmont graduate), Don Cobb of
Independent Mastering and five-time Grammy Award winner, Victor Wooten, who
produced the record.”
Putney walks with his mother, Nancy Hoddinott
He
also recognized Belmont University President Dr. Bob Fisher (his mentor as a
Presidential Scholar), music business faculty member Mark Maxwell and Ocean Way
Nashville Studios’ Pat McMakin and Tate Sablatura for their efforts in helping
him complete the “Cape Town” song. “Belmont is filled with incredible people
who not only teach, they inspire and lead by example. They truly understand
the meaning of servant leadership.”
Now,
as he prepares to tackle a marathon in the midst of his recovery, Putney keeps
his focus on what has gotten him this far: “Take life one day at a time and be
grateful for every moment.”
Belmont University College of Pharmacy Healthcare Informatics students are partnering with Nashville General Hospital at Meharry to develop a Clinical Decision Support (CDS) tool which supports the safe use of medications in the hospital environment.
Third-year pharmacy students Joshua Page, Julie Nguyen, Grant Harder, Raven McKinnie and Kenyatta Cleark created a database of maximum and minimum dose ranges for high-risk drugs most commonly used by hospital formularies. This information can be used in many ways in the Electronic Health Record (EHR) to help avoid potentially harmful medication errors.
The work was closely supervised by Associate Professor Dr. Anthony Blash, PharmD., CPHIMS, with each medication parameter undergoing multiple checks for safety and accuracy. “Any clinical decision support should be independently verified and approved by hospital pharmacist teams before including in the EHR, but the creation of this type of CDS is a big step towards increased patient safety,” Blash said.
“Implementation of standardized Dose Range Checking parameters within healthcare system’s EHR has the potential to drastically improve patient safety by reducing the rate of medical dosing errors,” said Harder.
Clinical
decision support tools are designed to transform the most current medical
research into recommendations that clinicians can use to ensure that their
patients receive the best quality care. Many large hospitals and clinics have
access to full-time healthcare informatics staff who develop and manage this
type of tool for their providers. Smaller and more rural facilities may not
have resources available to create, verify and implement this custom CDS in
their electronic health record.
Blash said the clinical decision support the team is able to provide at this scale and level of expertise is much sought after in the healthcare community. “We estimate that the project at Nashville General Hospital will provide between 250 – 1500 additional patient safety protections daily,” he said. “We were excited to be able to partner with Nashville General Hospital at Meharry and if there is an opportunity to help another hospital in the future, we would consider that as well.”
The Belmont University College of Pharmacy informatics program provides training that is specialized, and students choosing to pursue the informatics concentration receive both didactic and hands-on training on healthcare technology and its use in pharmacy practice.
Nguyen said this is a real project doing real work for healthcare-related institutions. “This informatics class hands us opportunities we wouldn’t be able to find in a regular classroom. It really empowers us to make a difference even before we graduate and prepares us for the projects we’ll be doing in practice,” she said.
All five students are in their third year and will be looking for continued training in pharmacy residencies or fellowships upon graduation in May 2021.
“We’re very proud of the accomplishments of the students,” Blash said. “This project aligns with one of Belmont’s guiding principles of cherishing the privilege of service to others and the importance of work.”
As Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher was announcing last Friday that the University was selected to host a 2020 Presidential Debate, a new website was launched to be a clearinghouse of related resources for the coming year. The campus is scheduled to hold the third and final presidential debate of the 2020 election cycle, and BelmontDebate2020.com will provide a centralized space for information needed by the campus, community and media, including details related to academic programming in advance of the debate.
The site also includes a countdown clock to the debate’s 9 p.m. Eastern/8 p.m. Central start time next October 22 as well as the event’s official hashtag: #BelmontDebate2020.
The Tennessee Health Care
Hall of Fame inducted its 2019 class, made up of seven health care legends from
across the state, at a luncheon and ceremony in Belmont’s Curb Event Center today.
Hosted by John Seigenthaler, Jr., a partner at DVL Seigenthaler, a Finn
Partners Company, the Hall of Fame seeks to recognize and honor the pioneers
and current leaders that have formed Tennessee’s health and health care
community and encourage future generations of health care professionals.
Created by Belmont University and Belmont’s McWhorter Society with the support of the Nashville Health Care Council, a Founding Partner, this year’s inductees include:
Dr. David Barton and Dr. John M. Flexner: Two
visionaries who contributed to changing the process of providing care for dying
patients and their families in the U.S. through their founding of Alive Hospice
Dr. Mary Bufwack: Former CEO of
Neighborhood Health, a daring and creative leader and mentor who was
instrumental in the development and support of systems of comprehensive primary
care services to the medically underserved populations in Middle Tennessee
Ms. Nancy-Ann DeParle: An impactful
leader in the health care industry serving in two White House administrations
leading to the development and successful passage of the Affordable Care Act
Dr. Lloyd C. Elam: A prominent
teacher and education leader at Meharry Medical College responsible for a long
career of promoting psychiatric health
Mr. Richard (Dick) L. Miller: Chairman and
CEO of the architectural firm Earl Swensson Associates who guided the small
local firm with 10 employees to one of the top-ranking health care designers in
the country
Dr. Jonathan B. Perlin: Chief Medical
Officer and President of Clinical Services at HCA Healthcare where he
transformed the clinical enterprise, developed a clinical leadership structure
and built a clinical data warehouse
But this
year’s event didn’t simply announce the induction of these impressive health
care pioneers. Seigenthaler announced that monies raised through the
Tennessee Health Care Hall of Fame have surpassed the $1.2 million mark since
the event’s inception. Coupled with other McWhorter Society fundraising
efforts, this brings the total amount raised for McWhorter Society Endowed
Scholarships to $3.6 million.
Belmont
President Dr. Bob Fisher said, “I am grateful for Belmont’s placement in
Tennessee—a state widely recognized as a central hub for health care in the U.S.
As an institution of higher learning offering programs in nursing, physical and
occupational therapy, pharmacy, social work, health care business
administration and law, Belmont is committed to equipping students to skillfully
and confidently meet the challenges they will face in the ever-changing health
care arena. We are deeply grateful for these leaders who have set such
inspiring examples for our students and other health care providers.”
For more information on the Tennessee Health Care Hall of Fame, click here. To view a gallery of photos from the induction ceremony and luncheon, click here.
Ranked a Top 25 Program for 2019 by the Princeton Review and Entrepreneur Magazine, the Thomas F. Cone Center for Entrepreneurship held an inaugural recognition event on October 10 for the Top 100 graduates who have helped the Center receive its highly-regarded reputation.
Out of the Top 100 graduates honored, 71 alumni were able to be present for the event, given that the majority of the honorees run their businesses out of Nashville. Including co-founders, 117 alumni were honored within the 100 businesses. Overall, Belmont entrepreneurs represent more than 500 businesses in 74 cities and five countries. The honorees studied 26 different majors while at Belmont, and, with a focus on business for a purpose, the majority are still in business 5-10 years later.
Gortmaker Welcomes Attendees to Awards Event
Director of the Center for
Entrepreneurship Elizabeth Gortmaker thanked the attendees for being a part of
the first awards event. “With the Belmont Entrepreneur Awards, we are thrilled
to recognize the hard work you’ve put into making your dream a reality.
Building a successful business is no small feat,” she said. “Your drive and
commitment have made you an innovative industry leader, created opportunities
for others and enhanced the world around you. Congratulations on your success.
I look forward to seeing what your future holds.”
Owners of EVAmore, class of 2016 alumnae Channing Moreland (songwriting) and Makenzie Stokel (music business and entrepreneurship), not only booked the entertainment for the event, but also shared their story of starting EVAmore from the ground up, thanks in part to the resources provided by the Center.
As Belmont freshmen, Stokel and
Moreland began putting on events for friends and wanted to grow it into
something more. They eventually decided to put their entertainment booking idea
into a technology-based platform. Friday nights were spent on the phone with
developers in India in the basement of their freshman dorm. A contract was eventually
signed in Belmont’s library.
Entrepreneurship Professor Dr. Jeff Cornwall speaks at event.
The duo tried to get involved in every opportunity that came their way, such as the Center’s business plan competition. They credit winning that competition and the valuable feedback they received through it with helping them launch EVAmore. By their senior year, they won the Young Entrepreneurs of the Year Award and were well on their way to success following graduation.
“Belmont prepared us for the
countless pivots we had to make,” said Moreland. “We get asked all the time
‘why did we do it?’ It’s because it’s what we love the most. We hope we can
inspire others to do what they love the most, as well.”
Belmont Entrepreneur Awards at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, October 10, 2019.
The shared understanding of the
ups-and-downs of small business ownership is what united everyone in attendance.
The goal for the event was not only to build Belmont pride and promote the
Center, but to connect the many passionate business founders who have so much
in common, specifically their Belmont roots.
Stokel closed the keynote saying,
“Neither one of us expected to start a business at Belmont, but we were so
inspired by the support here that we decided to take our idea and run with it. As
entrepreneurs here tonight, we all understand each other. We understand what it
takes. It’s one of the best communities to be a part of.”
Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher speaks at event.
That community and a gut
feeling is what drew the Center’s first director, Entrepreneurship Professor
Dr. Jeff Cornwall, to Nashville in 2003. “Logic should have taken me elsewhere.
If I had done any of the things we teach our students like being as analytical
and realistic as possible, I wouldn’t be here,” he laughed. “But I was so
excited in what I saw in Nashville, just budding with potential. Everyone here
was excited to help us make this program come to life, and they did. Elizabeth
has also come along and brought stability. She has created a program that will
be here for years to come.”
Belmont President Dr. Bob
Fisher acknowledged the leadership that has brought the program to great
heights and congratulated the entrepreneurs for all of their many successes. “There’s
enthusiasm in what you do. There has to be enthusiasm to go along with those
creative ideas, and I hope tonight you’ll get to be around the enthusiasm of
others and take it with you,” he said. “And when you’re down or feeling
discouraged, cheer each other on and know that here at Belmont we are cheering
for you, too.”
View the booklet of all the honorees here and watch the video produced by Pack Films here. A photo gallery of the event can be viewed here.
