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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Belmont Announces Graduate Engineering Partnership with the University of Arkansas

Cara Baker Davis
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Belmont Announces Graduate Engineering Partnership with the University of Arkansas

Belmont is entering a new program with the University of Arkansas in which Belmont engineering physics graduates are guaranteed placement and funding for a postgraduate degree. The University of Arkansas’ partnership with Belmont’s College of Science and Mathematics guarantees admission to graduate school, tuition funding and stipend for Belmont engineering students who meet the requirements. 

“Belmont doesn’t offer undergraduate or graduate engineering degrees, but many of our prospective or current students want to pursue engineering in graduate school or as a career,” Dr. Thom Spence, Dean, College of Sciences & Mathematics at Belmont, said.

Belmont students who want to pursue engineering at the graduate level or as a career can now consider Arkansas, which offers biomedical, chemical, electrical and mechanical engineering degrees at the graduate level (MS/PhD). Students earning a GPA of 3.5 within the program, and scoring sufficiently high on the GRE, will receive automatic admission with funding for some programs. Other students would also be considered for admission and funding on a case-by-case basis.

Arkansas is partnering with Belmont for skilled people to enter their programs, especially women who are underrepresented in these fields. In addition to being geographically close by, benefits for Belmont students include guaranteed admission and funding into their programs with preferences for undergraduate research opportunities. 

“This is an amazing opportunity for any Belmont engineering physics major because it means that our students have more options after graduation,” Spence said. “Our Engineering Physics Major program is built to provide students with technical skills desirable for success in applied physics and engineering fields. It’s an interdisciplinary program designed to give our students a solid foundation for them to pursue their goals.”

If you are interested in learning more about this program or applying, visit Belmont’s College of Science and Mathematics.

Belmont Celebrates 2022 Winter Commencement

Emma Johansson
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Belmont Celebrates 2022 Winter Commencement

Belmont University hosted its 2022 Winter Commencement ceremony for undergraduate and graduate students at 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 16 in the Curb Event Center. The University awarded 397 bachelor’s degrees and 65 graduate degrees.

English graduate Lauren Tweedell read scripture from the Gospel of Matthew and shared a reflection on her time at Belmont, followed by a student musical performance by Christopher Wiper. This is the fourth Belmont commencement ceremony to feature the original song “Let Hope Abound”—inspired by University President Dr. Greg Jones’s inaugural theme—performed by alumna Piper Jones. The piece was written by alumni Chad Cates and Melinda Doolittle with Tony Wood.

View photos from the event or the recorded ceremony livestream.

Belmont Law Professor Lucian Dervan Launches Plea Bargain Institute  

Jasmine Simmons
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Belmont Law Professor Lucian Dervan Launches Plea Bargain Institute  

Belmont College of Law Professor Lucian Dervan in partnership with Fair Trials, launched the Plea Bargaining Institute (PBI) this week. The institute will create an environment for sharing knowledge and research and for collaboration related to reforming global plea-bargaining practices. 

“We now know more about how plea bargaining operates, how defendants make decisions and how coercive incentives can lead even the innocent to plead guilty,” Dervan said.  “At the same time, we’ve seen more reform efforts, more litigation and more advocacy in the plea-bargaining space. What was needed, however, was an entity to help bring the academic, practitioner and advocate worlds together. PBI will fill this need and create a global intellectual home for this important work. As a result, advocates will have better access to important research findings related to their work and academics will have access to those in the field to help identify where future research should be focused.”  

Research indicates that plea bargain incentives often persuade innocent defendants to plead guilty. Defendants often agree for lesser sentences to avoid lengthy court trials and the imposition of much higher sentences for those who exercise their right to proceed to trial. 

This semester, research assistants in Belmont’s College of Law Katie Ray Murray, Andrew Daffron and Alex Redmond worked on creating search methodologies and began the process of gathering and analyzing research and case law for annual reports the Institue will publish yearly, with the first reports scheduled for released in late 2023.  

“Working on this project has contributed to my education at the College of Law by allowing me to refine my legal research skills,” Redmond said. “This research has also provided me with a more meaningful understanding of the topics we cover in class, which drives me to work even harder so that the Institute may reach as many people as possible.” 

The Institute’s first report will include the following information and statistics:

  • In the US, 95% or more of criminal cases are resolved through a plea of guilty.  
  • Globally, the phenomenon of plea bargaining is growing more prevalent. 
  • 21% of the cases entered in the National Registry of Exonerations in 2021 involved false pleas of guilty. 

Another of PBI’s initiatives will be hosting an annual symposium at Belmont.  

“The first symposium will occur in 2023 and bring together leaders in the academic, practitioner, and advocacy fields,” Dervan said. “At the symposium, we plan to both share important research and case law developments from the year and create opportunities for dialogue as we look forward to future research projects and collaborations.” 

Read more details regarding PBI from the official press release published by Fair Trials.  

Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy Hosts ABLE Youth for Independence Camp

Julia Couch
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Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy Hosts ABLE Youth for Independence Camp

This semester, Belmont Occupational Therapy (OT) and Physical Therapy (PT) welcomed Able Youth for its annual Independence Camp, held on Belmont’s Campus this fall.  

ABLE Youth is the only organization of its kind in Nashville and works to provide opportunities for youth who use wheelchairs to learn independence, skills and sports. Teaching kids the importance of complete independence in all activities of daily living leads to higher self-esteem, motivation and desire to excel.  

Able Youth participants started their day in Belmont’s Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Lab with setting goals and choosing a specific task to practice and improve on including laundry, making a bed, sweeping the floor, cooking and cleaning dishes.   

Belmont’s ADL lab has multiple kitchen and bathroom layouts with varying modifications, allowing students to practice and discover which features they prefer. In addition, students ate lunch in the dining hall where they learned how to navigate getting and carrying food in their wheelchairs. Youth also practiced wheelchair navigation skills—including wheelies—at the climbing wall, taking advantage of softer floors.  

“Having Independence Camp at Belmont this year provided a much different experience for ABLE Youth participants than in years past,” said OT assistant professor Missy Bryan. “This experience touched multiple pathways from whole-person formation to integrative health and well-being for all. Kids who have a mobility impairment who are seeking skills for independence were able to see potential future paths, whether that is college or something else. They could see what it was like to be on a college campus and learn about future mobility skills that would be required of them.”  

Twelve OT and PT students volunteered including an undergraduate student enrolled in the 3+3 exercise science/occupational therapy program. All OT students are required to volunteer four hours per semester.  

“Service is an integral aspect of both University life at Belmont and being an occupational therapist. We have students target their volunteer time towards populations they’re interested in, or in populations they do not have experience with,” said Bryan. “This provides well-rounded preparation for interacting with a variety of people.” 

Occupational and physical therapists work collaboratively, but each have distinct functions on a patient’s care team. OT is primarily focused on participation in occupations, or things people want and need to do in life. Occupational therapists take into consideration a patient’s environment and context and can make modifications to an activity to help a patient find success. PT is also focused on participation but through a muscular and skeletal lens. Physical therapists work to optimize the body to enable greater participation.  

Interested in studying to become an occupational or physical therapist? Learn more about Belmont’s graduate health sciences programs.

Alumnus Troy Senik: Immortalizes President Grover Cleveland in Biography

Jasmine Simmons
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Alumnus Troy Senik: Immortalizes President Grover Cleveland in Biography

This fall, Belmont political science alumnus Troy Senik (‘05) released his first book, “A Man of Iron: The Turbulent Life and Improbable Presidency of Grover Cleveland.” Senik’s extensive resume chronicles a career that has toggled back and forth between journalism, government, non-profit and the educational world. 

Coming to Belmont, he was lured by the rigor and intellectual stimulation of political science after taking the course as his general education requirement. He specifically remembers the bonds created with faculty like political science professor Vaughn May and the department’s previous dean, Dr. Larry Hall, who advised Senik as a student.  

“In the political science department, we had such great faculty,” he reminisced. “They both had an incredible gift for leading classroom discussions where you would come out of class feeling like you had run an intellectual marathon. You felt like you were operating at your highest intellectual potential in those classes.”   

At the early age of twenty-four, the California native stumbled upon a mountain top opportunity to be a speechwriter through the George W. Bush administration. 

“The biggest thing I came away with is that people put a little too much stock in politics and government,” he said. “If you notice, pretty much everything I’ve done since then has been some variation on education.”  

Since the White House, Senik has led the Los Angeles World Affairs Council in a vice-presidential capacity, served as Vice President for the Manhattan Institute and today lives in New York City working as the co-founder of Kite & Key Media, a nonprofit that creates engaging, educational content about public policy. In September, “A Man of Iron” was released, earning Senik the new title of author.   

Among its many historical and insightful lessons, Senik believes that the biography serves as a constructive rebuke to pervasive modern political cynicism. It fosters hope by reminding readers that the American system has the potential to yield up integrous individuals who are uniquely responsive to the issues of the day. 

“One of the reasons I wanted to write the book is I thought that he was a fascinating figure and an odd figure for Americans to have forgotten,” Senik said. “The defining characteristic of his presidency and indeed his life was character. He is thought of as a guy who will take on corruption in his own democratic party and in the republican party. This reputation for integrity is a constant throughout his life.” 

“A Man of Iron” is available in hardback, e-book and audio book with an author-narrated introduction.  

Belmont Faculty and Alumnus Among Finalists for the Nashville Technology Council Awards  

Jasmine Simmons
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Belmont Faculty and Alumnus Among Finalists for the Nashville Technology Council Awards  

Three members of the Belmont community were announced as finalists for the 2023 Greater Nashville Technology Council (NTC) annual awards.  

Executive Director of the Belmont Data Collaborative Dr. Charlie Apigian was named a finalist in the Community Leader of the Year category. Dr. Marquinta Harvey, Assistant Director of the Belmont Data Collaborative, was named a finalist in the Diversity and Inclusion Advocate of the Year category.  

“The tech industry has traditionally been considered a non-inclusive place with a lack of representation from people of color and women,” Harvey said. “The tech industry should desire a more diverse workforce to not only support equity but to elevate business creativity, productivity and profitability. Belmont has recognized the importance of the tech and data field and is actively promoting an understanding of data throughout every academic discipline through the work of the Belmont Data Collaborative.” 

Trevor Hinesley (‘12) graduated from Belmont with a degree in Computer Science and Audio Engineering Technology. Hinesley is the founder of the music library Soundstripe and was named a finalist in the Chief Technology Operator category. 

The winners will be announced at the NTC’s 14th annual celebration on Feb. 16, where Middle Tennessee’s community of developers and technology entrepreneurs, enthusiasts and institutions will gather in-person at the Wildhorse Saloon in downtown. 

To read descriptions of the award categories visit the NTC Awards webpage.  

Belmont Entrepreneur Program Hosts Fourth Annual Awards 

Jasmine Simmons
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Belmont Entrepreneur Program Hosts Fourth Annual Awards 

One hundred alumni entrepreneurs and their families along with Massey College of Business faculty and staff gathered on Monday, Dec. 12 for the 2022 Belmont Entrepreneur Awards. This is the fourth year the Thomas F. Cone Center for Entrepreneurship hosted the Awards to celebrate 100 alumni who were nominated by colleagues, friends and Belmont alumni, faculty and staff to be included on the Belmont Entrepreneur Top 100 List.  

Rev. Susan Pendleton Jones led an opening prayer and gave a short address at the start of the program. “Isn’t this the work of the entrepreneur,” she said. “To see the need, the struggle, the thorns, the lack and to work toward the solution offering hope, opportunity and creative thinking? You are the bell ringers and the hope bringers. Like those angels who are the featured characters in almost every Christmas carol, you are the messengers of good news.”   

There were 35 new faces on the Top 100 List for 2022. The list included alumni from 37 different majors who have founded businesses in 36 cities. Belmont alumni traveled across the city and from as far as New Mexico, Texas and Florida to be recognized. 

Impact Awards in the categories community, peers and industry were presented to founders who embody the impact that entrepreneurship brings.  

Founder of Studio Bank and double alumnus Harry Allen, Management ‘04, MBA ‘10 received the Peers Impact Award. Studio Bank is a boutique bank located in Nashville that provides organizations, families and individuals with sophisticated financial services.  

Music business graduate Logan Crowell ‘16 received the Industry Impact Award for HOME- Helping Our Music Evolve. HOME is a nonprofit artist development and music production community based in Nashville.  

“HOME is everything you need under one roof to grow your music career,” Crowell said. “It’s a way musicians can find community, connect and get a measurable amount of education about the business side of music. There’s so many people coming to this town all the time to do the same thing and they’re all incredibly talented. We strive to be that centralized hub for them.” 

Evan and Jenny Owens ‘05 received the Community Impact Award for REBOOT Recovery, a faith-based trauma healing program founded in 2011. REBOOT Recovery helps people in all walks of life overcome trauma by providing courses and developing support communities. The programs currently serve in 40 states and 10 countries.  

“I think about how far God has brought us,” Evan said. “This work we do is hard: nonprofit work and for-profit work. Being an entrepreneur is super hard and probably nobody tells you that you guys are awesome. We feel so blessed by this award and Belmont has been a huge part of our story.” 

Collectively, the businesses on the Top 100 List employ over 5,000 people around the world. Five video spotlights gave attendees an inside look at Kristin Sweeting founder of Dangerous Creatives, Texas natives and sibling alumni Uriah and Zylah Solis who founded the restaurant Tempo, Ashley Crawford who is the founder of the Nashville African American Wind Symphony, Trevor Hinsley who founded the music library Soundstripe and restaurant founder of Biscuit Love Sarah Worley.  

The Cone Center also celebrated the expansion of new initiatives.  

Four Entrepreneurs-in-Residence were announced at the beginning of the 22-23 academic year and have provided invaluable insight and mentorship to entrepreneurial-minded students.    

The Jeffrey Buntin, Sr. Program for Creative Ventures has provided the opportunity for cross-departmental exchange and collaboration as The Cone Center, Watkins College of Art, O’More College of Architecture & Design, the Jack C. Massey College of Business and the Mike Curb College Entertainment & Music Business offer a tailored approach to support students at the intersection of creative arts and entrepreneurship. 

The Jeffery Cornwall Legacy Launch fund offers support seed funding to graduating seniors. 

Director of the Cone Center for Entrepreneurship Elizabeth Gortmaker gave final remarks to culminate the night.  

“Entrepreneurship is bringing an idea to life and making it tangible,” Gortmaker said. “It is solving problems and creating solutions. It is economic development and job creation. It takes courage. It takes humility. And it takes a team. Tonight’s celebration is a small token to say that we see you and we are so proud that you are a part of the Belmont family.” 

Alumni businesses sponsored and supported the event by providing services.  

Tastify sponsored food for the evening with two charcuterie tables. Baked on 8th provided pies for dessert and LMA Designs arranged floral centerpieces. Attendees took home pictures captured at the photo booth from the Nashville Smile Bar. Drinks were provided by BarBees Bartending. OrangeThread Live Events constructed the stage and draping. Pack Films recorded and produced the alumni spotlight films and provided videography for the evening. 

Belmont’s College of Theology and Christian Ministry Awarded Lilly Endowment Grant 

Jasmine Simmons
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Belmont’s College of Theology and Christian Ministry Awarded Lilly Endowment Grant 

Lilly Endowment Inc. awarded Belmont’s College of Theology and Christian Ministry (CTCM) a planning grant of $49,683 through its Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative. Funds from the grant will go toward sponsoring six months of planning for the CTCM to develop programs and activities aimed at nurturing children through contemporary worship and intergenerational formation. 

“Belmont is uniquely situated,” CTCM professor Steve Guthrie said. “We are a Christian university in a heavily churched city that is also home to a number of Christian publishers and Christian music labels. We would like to have educators sit down around a table with church leaders and publishers and music industry people and creatives and talk about the ways we can work across these constituencies to nurture children in worship and to develop worship that is intergenerational.” 

Four consultants have been contracted to aid in the planning process and roughly 40 individuals from five key constituencies outlined in the grant proposal met to determine the felt needs of the community around the issue on Wednesday, Dec. 7. Lay leaders and clergy; songwriters, creatives and liturgists; leaders from the Christian publishing and recording industries; scholars and educators; and parents and caregivers are the determined constituencies the CTCM plans to employ for this project.  

The CTCM will have the opportunity to receive a five-year implementation grant in the amount of $1.25 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. in June, contingent on the planning grant’s progress and acceptance. If awarded, funds from the implementation grant will be used to support initiatives developed during the planning season. 

“The College of Theology and Christian Ministry more broadly wants to serve the church and the mission of the church in the world,” Guthrie said. “This is a great opportunity for us to be in dialogue with churches who are our neighbors. Not just to be doing theological education in a bubble removed from the actual business of ministry.” 

Belmont College of Law 1L Class Registers High Credentials on LSAT

Staff Writer
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Belmont College of Law 1L Class Registers High Credentials on LSAT

The Belmont College of Law Class of 2025 achieved the highest credentials for the LSAT. The first-year class matriculated this semester with a median LSAT of 160 and median undergraduate GPA of 3.7.  

“This entering class continues our practice of attracting bright, dedicated and curious individuals to study law and serve others in the best tradition of the legal profession,” said Alberto Gonzales, Belmont College of Law Dean.  “It is my hope that each will be successful in achieving their dreams, and that all will assume their place as responsible members of society.”   

Nearly 19% of the entering class are from underrepresented populations and 61% identify as female. The 1L class is comprised of students from 71 different universities and colleges, with 52% of students coming from out-of-state.  

“We’re so proud of our student body. They bring a wonderful array of experiences to us, and we know they will graduate and do great things within the legal community,” Andrea Harris, Director of Belmont College of Law Recruiting and Admissions said. 

The highly selective program accepts 39% of all applicants. Early Decision applications closed Dec. 1 but regular decision applications are open until May 1. Learn more about the application process on the College of Law website.  

Don Cusic Inducted into Western Music Hall of Fame

Julia Couch
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Don Cusic Inducted into Western Music Hall of Fame
Don Cusic

Don Cusic, professor in Belmont University’s Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business was recently inducted into the Western Music Hall of Fame by the Western Music Association (WMA) in the “historian” category. The WMA Hall of Fame was established in 1989 to honor groups and individuals who have made significant contributions to western music composition, performance and history. 

Notable WMA Hall of Fame inductees include classics such as Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, the Sons of Pioneers to more recent inductees. 

“I grew up watching Roy Rogers on TV—he was a hero of mine—and now, to be in the same Hall of Fame with Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Gene Autry and others is beyond words,” said Cusic. “I carried a Roy Rogers lunch box to school during my early days and my favorite entertainment was watching cowboy shows on TV. It’s hard for me to believe that the Western Music Association chose to honor me with their ultimate award.” 

Cusic is an author of 28 books and more than 500 articles, and has taught music business courses since 1982. He is currently the co-host of the International Country Music Conference and editor of the International Country Music Journal. 

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