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 Hosts First Televised 2019 Nashville Mayoral Debate

April Hefner
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Belmont Hosts First Televised 2019 Nashville Mayoral Debate

Belmont University hosted the first live, televised 2019 mayoral debate last night with Nashville’s leading mayoral candidates participating.

Co-sponsored by The Tennessean and NewsChannel 5, the debate provided voters an up close perspective on the positions of current Mayor David Briley, State Representative John Ray Clemmons, Metro Councilman John Cooper and retired Vanderbilt professor Carol Swain. Moderators David Plazas (opinion and engagement editor of The Tennessean) and Rhori Johnston (NewsChannel 5 anchor) questioned the candidates on a variety of issues impacting Nashville, including infrastructure, transit, education, affordable housing and even scooters.

“Belmont always seeks to be an engaged member of this community, bringing people together to talk about issues, whether it’s a mayoral, gubernatorial or even a presidential debate,” Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher said. “This city’s course directly impacts our alumni and campus community, and we want to do our part to help educate voters in a race that determines Nashville’s future while also modeling active citizenship for our students.”

Belmont and the two news organizations have a long track record of hosting successful debates, forums and public policy discussions. Early voting in the mayoral race begins July 12 with election day on Aug. 1.

The debate was broadcast live from Belmont’s McAfee Concert Hall on NewsChannel 5 and streamed on NewsChannel5.com and Tennessean.com. All tickets for the free event, which was open to the public to attend, were reserved prior to last night’s debate. Belmont political science students Matthew Nicholson, Mark Wardlaw and Jace Wilder, along with University staff, served as volunteer hosts for the candidates.

Belmont will be hosting a second mayoral debated in McAfee Concert Hall with news partner WKRN on Tuesday, July 9. A limited number of tickets remain available for this debate and can be reserved for free here.

Incoming Freshman Guest Conducts Nashville Symphony Orchestra

Haley Charlton
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Incoming Freshman Guest Conducts Nashville Symphony Orchestra

Grace Usleman, incoming music student from Austin, Texas, had a slightly different experience surrounding her freshman orientation than most. After coming to Nashville for Towering Traditions and class registration, Usleman had the opportunity to guest conduct the Nashville Symphony Orchestra.

Brent Havens, composer and conductor of “The Music of Queen,” went to high school and played music in Cincinnati, Ohio with Grace’s father, Kevin Usleman. Havens heard about Grace committing to Belmont’s School of Music and offered to have her shadow him for the “Music of Queen” concert at Ascend Amphitheater on June 22. The family scheduled her freshman orientation session for the corresponding week of the show.

Brent Havens and Grace Usleman at the "Music of Queen" Concert

Usleman had the opportunity to meet the leaders and performers of the Nashville Symphony, understand the logistics of executing an impressive event, explore the details of sound checks and more. She was also asked to be the guest conductor with the Symphony Orchestra on the song “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and then joined Havens and the band to get the audience of over 5,000 people energized while singing along with “We Will Rock You.”

Sandra Usleman, Grace’s mother, said, “This experience was an incredible way to wrap up her Belmont University orientation experience and an impressive way to be welcomed to her new ‘home’ in Nashville. Grace was very involved with the music department at her high school, St. Michael’s Catholic Academy, as student president of the music department. This experience took that to a VERY different level!”

Former Bruins Get Their Shot in Professional Sports

April Hefner
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Former Bruins Get Their Shot in Professional Sports
Dylan Windler press conference shot

What a week for Belmont Athletics! Dylan Windler, a May 2018 accounting alumnus, was selected No. 26 in Thursday night’s NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, marking the first NBA draft pick from Belmont since 1972. The Cavaliers held a press conference Friday to introduce Windler and the team’s other first round pick, Darius Garland.

As a senior, Windler averaged 21.3 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. He became just the fourth Ohio Valley Conference player since 1971 to post at least 1,600 career points and 1,000 career rebounds

Kevin McClain in Temple game

A mere two days later, another former Bruins men’s basketball player signed a contract with an NBA team. This time it was senior Kevin McClain who agreed to terms with the Golden State Warriors. McClain, who emerged as one of the top two-way players in college basketball this past season, will join the six-time World Champions for NBA Summer League play, which opens July 1.

McClain hopes to follow in the footsteps of Belmont alumnus Ian Clark , who signed an NBA contract after performing well in the 2013 Summer League. Clark ultimately won an NBA Championship during his tenure with the Golden State Warriors and recently completed his second season with the New Orleans Pelicans.

But basketball isn’t the only sport being impacted by Belmont this summer. In May former Belmont baseball player Matt Beaty was promoted by the Los Angeles Dodgers to their major league roster, marking only the third player in Belmont history to play in baseball’s highest level. Beaty was part of a recent historic run for the Dodgers when he was the first of three rookies to hit walk-off home runs in back-to-back-to-back games this past weekend versus the Colorado Rockies.

Sisson Publishes Poetry Book

Haley Charlton
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Sisson Publishes Poetry Book

English Professor Dr. Annette Sisson’s poetry chapbook, “A Casting Off,” was published by Finishing Line Press in June 2019. It is available through the publisher, Amazon, Parnassus Books and Black Dog Books across from Lipscomb University.

Sisson was also accepted for a one-week writers residency at Rockvale Writers Colony in July.

Lamothe Presents at Italian Conference

Haley Charlton
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Lamothe Presents at Italian Conference

Virginia Lamothe, assistant professor in the School of Music, presented at a conference in Rome, Italy called “Rethinking the Soundscape: Musical Events and the Soundscape of Italian Cities of from the 16th to the 19th century.”

The conference, held June 6-8 at the Sapienza – Università di Roma, was hosted by the Sapienza and the Deutches Historishes Institut in Rome.

Lamothe presented “Soundscapes of Power: Roman Entrate for the Habsburgs in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries.” The presentation discussed Roman festivals for the Habsburg rulers in the 16th and 17th centuries according to new ideas in musicology about Soundscape studies that reveal political, religious and cultural meanings behind both music and sounds of an urban environment.

Lina Sheahan Published in “The Norwegian American”

Haley Charlton
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Lina Sheahan Published in “The Norwegian American”

Lina Sheahan, Belmont library faculty, and Dr. Dan Schafer, history professor, co-led Belmont’s Maymester in Norway program this year. Sheahan’s write up of the group’s Syttende Mai experience in Bergen was recently published in The Norwegian American.

In the recap, Sheahan writes, “Before we even left the States, I tried to explain that Syttende Mai was ‘like the 4th of July, but on steroids,’ but I knew that nothing could prepare anyone for the festivities.”

“We gathered in the lobby and I handed out sløyfer (the traditional Syttende Mai ribbons) and Norwegian flags. Everyone was dressed to impress, with the men in suits and ties and the women in dresses or nice pants, which was important because the biggest surprise before we left the States was that I registered us for the hovedprosesjon (main parade), and we would march along with other school and civic groups in Bergen.”

Read more about the group’s experience here.

Perry Moulds Selected for Leadership Nashville

Haley Charlton
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Perry Moulds Selected for Leadership Nashville

Dr. Perry Moulds, vice president of Development and External Relations, was selected as a member of Leadership Nashville’s Class of 2019-20. The 44 members of the coming year’s class were selected from more than 280 applicants.

The program, which will begin in September, focuses on issues including education, labor, diversity, criminal justice and more.

According to a news release, this is the first class that will be overseen by new Leadership Nashville Executive Director Evette White, who replaces longtime leader Jerry Williams. Williams is now executive director emerita.

The Leadership Nashville Foundation was founded in 1976 as an independent, executive leadership program to give community leaders a three-dimensional view of the city. The goals of Leadership Nashville are to build channels of communication between established leaders, connect leaders to community issues and equip participants with insights.

Each person elected to participate in Leadership Nashville makes an extensive time commitment. Attendance is mandatory for the nine-month program. The Opening Retreat is in early October and the Closing Retreat is in late May. Between these retreats are seven monthly meetings that average 13 hours each on the first Thursdays of the month. Participants also work in study groups and present a report at the closing retreat.

In addition to considering Nashville’s strengths that have put it on national lists of outstanding places to live and work, the program also looks at issues that face this city, indeed all municipalities: problems such as crime, affordable housing, school finances, racial tensions, transportation and arts funding. Throughout the year the class will hear approximately 125 speakers and makes on-site visits to all parts of the city.

Alumnus Ralph Bland Releases Tenth Novel “Exeunt”

Haley Charlton
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Alumnus Ralph Bland Releases Tenth Novel “Exeunt”

Alumnus Ralph Bland (1973, Bachelor of Arts in English) recently released his tenth and newest novel, Exeunt, available from DP Publishing and Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle reader.

According to the book’s description, “Exeunt” is a story about the bonds and limits of friendship among five middle aged friends in the waning days of 1988. Set in the fictional town of Abington, Tennessee, the novel concerns the final week of business for Overton’s Market, an old grocery store where all five of the men once worked together during high school and college and where two still remain as mainstay employees.

During post-Christmas week, when all the men are present in Abington for the holidays, the last week of business for the old store looms as a newer building across the lot prepares to open – a larger, more modern, and totally antiseptic structure that belies the romance and antique charm of Overton’s. The five men embark on a joint quest to close the old store in style, spending time together recollecting their past lives as a group, and learning how to deal with approaching their forties and leaving behind the world of their youth.

The road is rocky and the lessons to be learned are not always pretty, but something in the town’s air and their delicate balance between the past and the future forces each man in this group of Peter Pan dreamers to try and move forward in their lives, if only with a sigh and a parting glance back at what was once exclusively theirs.

Ralph Bland is the author of Stars Rain Sun Moon, Once In Love With Amy, seven other novels and two story collections.

Belmont Alumnus Serves as Superintendent of Hamilton County Schools

Haley Charlton
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Belmont Alumnus Serves as Superintendent of Hamilton County Schools

Dr. Bryan Johnson, superintendent of Hamilton County Schools, is a master’s alumnus of Belmont University. He graduated in 2006 with a Master of Arts in Teaching.

He recently shared his perspective on leadership and how community members can support students and the future workforce in a spotlight in the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce’s Business Trend publication.

According to the spotlight, Johnson has served as a teacher, school administrator, director of secondary schools, chief academic officer and now as the superintendent.

It goes on to say, “He has made tremendous strides to improve Hamilton County Schools. In less than two years, he started the Opportunity Zone to address rapid school improvement in 12 of the district’s low performing schools.”

He launched Future Ready Institutes in Hamilton County high schools to make learning more meaningful for today’s teens and provide future-ready graduates who are prepared for success after graduation. The program was so successful in the first year that it was awarded the Urban League of Chattanooga’s Community Impact Award.

Read more on his spotlight on the Trend website.

Young Leaders Council Announces Graduates of Third Massey Alumni Class

April Hefner
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Young Leaders Council Announces Graduates of Third Massey Alumni Class

Young Leaders Council, a Nashville-based nonprofit organization that has trained more than 2,600 men and women to effectively participate on the boards of nonprofit agencies since 1985, announces the graduates of its third annual nonprofit board training program partnership with the Massey Graduate School of Business at Belmont University.

The YLC/Massey Graduate School Alumni Class of 2019 graduates who have completed 28 hours of leadership training and will now serve one-year internships on local nonprofit boards are:  Ted Demont (Cherry Bekaert, LLP); Dan Groover (Compass); Alexa Hartley (Nissan); Caleb Hartwell (Target); Walt Hovious (Pilot.com); Douglas Hungate (Cheatham County School District); Shatia Kelly (Cummins Sales and Services); Kyle Kilgore (Formos Consulting); Jeff Krebs (TransCore); Laura McWhorter (HCA – Physician Services Group); Justin Moore (Bridgestone); Matt Morris (Deloitte Services LP); Matt Pramstaller (Sarah Cannon Research Institute); Haley Smith (Balfour Beatty); Phillip Smith (HCA Healthcare); and Michael Vertin (TriStar Centennial Medical Center – HCA Healthcare).

Young Leaders Council has been the premier organization for training nonprofit board members in the Nashville area and was created by the Council of Community Services, the HCA Foundation and the United Way in 1985 to address the need to broaden and strengthen Nashville’s volunteer leadership base.

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