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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Alumni Sistad, Currier Promoted at ASCAP

April Hefner
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Alumni Sistad, Currier Promoted at ASCAP

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) has announced that longtime ASCAP executive and songwriter advocate Mike Sistad has been promoted to vice president and will lead its Nashville Membership team. Sistad has been an integral member of ASCAP’s Membership group for more than 18 years and has nurtured and signed some of the organization’s top talent, including Chris Stapleton, Kelsea Ballerini, Old Dominion, Brothers Osborne, Carly Pearce and more.

Concurrently, ASCAP’s Kele Currier has been upped to the position of assistant vice president, strategic services, membership, reporting to Sistad.

Executive Vice President of Membership John Titta stated, “Mike has been an essential member of our Membership team for many years, and his understanding of the needs of our valuable songwriter and publisher community in Nashville is unparalleled. His reputation as a fierce advocate for songwriters and his close bonds with our Nashville members make him the perfect choice to lead our talented team in Music City.” He continued, “Kele’s dedication to the livelihoods of our songwriter and publisher members is immense. She has consistently proven her excellence as a strategic resource while delivering exceptional service to our members.”

Originally from Minnesota, Sistad has worked on both the creative and business sides of the music industry. As a musician, he has performed across most of North America, including stops at the Houston Rodeo and Calgary Stampede, as well as radio and television performances including A Prairie Home Companion and the Grand Ole Opry. A Belmont University graduate, Sistad has held many roles, including a stint with legendary Muscle Shoals producer/musician Barry Beckett, an A&R executive position with Arista Records Nashville, and band member for two-time ASCAP Country Songwriter/Artist of the Year Phil Vassar. In 2001, he joined ASCAP’s Nashville Membership team as creative director. Sistad has previously served as both a Board Governor and Chapter Advisor for the Nashville Chapter of the Recording Academy, in addition to being a CMA and ACM member, and Leadership Music alumni.

Currier’s more than 20 years in the music business began with administration and licensing positions with publishers, which led to the title of audit manager at publishing administration company Integrated Copyright Group (ICG). While at ICG, Currier met ASCAP hit songwriter Craig Wiseman, who recruited her to assist in opening his Big Loud Bucks administration arm.

As executive vice president, she co-managed Wiseman’s catalogs along with the catalogs of Big Tractor Publishing, Extreme Writers Group, and the hit catalogs of Rodney Clawson, Chris Tompkins and various independent publishers. In 2010, Currier joined ole Music Publishing as director of administration, where she led the U.S administration presence for their Toronto-based offices and negotiated all synchronization deals for the company and their clients. In 2013, Currier came to ASCAP in the role of director of strategic services, membership, where she handled key distribution projects for the country and Christian music markets and assisted in resolving high-level membership issues.

Weintraub Signed to Big Machine Music and Brandy Clark’s All BC Music

April Hefner
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Weintraub Signed to Big Machine Music and Brandy Clark’s All BC Music

Rising junior songwriting major Lauren Weintraub was announced this week as the first songwriter signed to a joint venture between Brandy Clark’s All BC Music and Big Machine Music, which according to Billboard was formed to allow the pair to discover, mentor, sign and develop songwriters. Clark is a Belmont alumna.

Weintraub, who played in the April 2019 Best of the Best showcase as an ASCAP Writers’ Night winner, has been garnering incredible acclaim in the past year, including her win in the 2018 Recording Academy/Grammy U contest with her song “Careful Now.” Earlier this year, her performance of her song “If You Were Gonna Leave Anyway” was featured as part of NPR’s Tiny Desk contest series and given their “Top Shelf” designation representing the best songs heard this year by NPR’s panel of judges, which included Grammy® winner, Jason Isbell.

Nashville Songwriters Association International also named Lauren “One To Watch” and she separately received honorable mention in their Song Contest co-sponsored by CMT. 

For more on this story, read this week’s Billboard article on her signing.

Belmont Makes a Splash at the Tennessee Disability MegaConference

April Hefner
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Belmont Makes a Splash at the Tennessee Disability MegaConference

Dr. Natalie Michaels, PT, EdD, along with Dr. Josh Maloney, DPT, and Malorie Sweat, SPT, led an Aquifit session for the participants at the 2019 Tennessee Disability MegaConference this past May at the Nashville Airport Marriott. Maloney is a physical therapist at Adoration Home Health in Carthage, Tennessee who has worked with Michaels on the Aquifit program, and Sweat is a student in the DPT program at Belmont. This is her second time volunteering with Aquifit.

Michaels, a professor in both the Occupational Therapy (OT) and Physical Therapy (PT) Departments at Belmont, started the Aquifit program about 10 years ago to provide aquatic exercises for wellness, socialization and enjoyment to members of the community. Exercises are performed pool-side, to music, while community members exercise in the water. Participants at the MegaConferences stated that they enjoyed the session, and commented on the professionalism of the Belmont student.

The MegaConference is the largest disability-specific conference in Tennessee for people with disabilities, along with their families and health care professionals. People come to the conference to share ideas pertaining to health care, recreation, mental health, etc. The conference is run yearly by the Arc of Tennessee, which was founded in 1952 as a non-profit, grassroots advocacy organization for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities and their families.

Hudson Appears on CNN International Program

Haley Charlton
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Hudson Appears on CNN International Program

Associate Professor of Legal Practice and First Amendment Scholar David Hudson appeared on CNN on Saturday, June 8 to give his expert opinion on Michael Smercornish’s CNN International program “Smerconish.”

Hudson discussed hate speech in Facebook posts by public employees, specifically police officers. View this segment here.

Class of 2018 Achieves 94 Percent Career Outcomes Rate

April Hefner
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Class of 2018 Achieves 94 Percent Career Outcomes Rate

Belmont University recently announced the Career Outcomes Rate for its Class of 2018, a strong 94%, exceeding the national average by 13 points.

Those numbers, often referenced as an institution’s “First Destination Rate,” measure the percentage of graduates who secure employment, enroll in graduate school or enlist in military service within six months of graduation

For Belmont, which draws that information from student and alumni surveys, the most recent rate is 94%, tying the University’s rate for the Class of 2017. Of those, 84% were employed, while 9% were pursuing continuing education and 1% enlisted in volunteer or military service. Even in a time of low unemployment across the country, Belmont’s 94% rate far exceeds the 81% national average .

Mary Claire Dismukes, director of the Office of Career & Professional Development, said, “Belmont graduates are prepared. Nearly 75% of graduates complete at least one internship during their educational experience and the majority of students complete more than one.  We believe this practical experience along with the excellent teaching students receive in the classroom provides skills for success .”

The data supports Dismukes’ theory. More than one-third of survey respondents indicated that an internship helped them find or obtain their current job. Plus, Belmont students are coming to full-time positions with global awareness as 35% of graduates noted they had participated in short-term Study Abroad during their time at Belmont.

Dismukes added that experience and skillset aren’t the only factors that make Belmont students such a draw to companies. “Employers always share that Belmont students are amazing–they stand out for their strong work ethic, curiosity, collaborative spirit and positive attitude.”

Kate Dean, a public relations major with a minor in Christian leadership, secured a position as a pharmaceutics sales representative with Eli Lilly. She promotes Lilly’s neurosciences portfolio in primary care offices around her Memphis territory, which of late means promoting the company’s new migraine medication.

“I had moved to Memphis immediately after graduation so that my husband could start medical school,” Dean said, “and I found myself in a new city at square one of the job search. To be honest, it was both intimidating and terrifying. It was amazing, however, that even after graduation during those awkward job searching months, I was able to stay in touch with professors and mentors from Belmont (shout out to Dr. Bonnie from the PR Department and Rachel from Career Development👋🏼) to help guide me through making connections in a brand new city. Only at a school as special as Belmont would one have that support even after graduation. I’m so deeply grateful unto the Lord for these sweet gifts!”

Belmont’s Career Development Team consists of experienced professionals who offer individualized assistance to current Belmont students and graduates. They partner with a number of local and national employers to connect individuals to job opportunities. From organizing large-scale career fairs to meeting one-on-one with current students and graduates seeking professional career coaching, the Career Development staff plays a critical role in Belmont’s efforts to promote the best possible outcomes for students’ education.

For Belmont’s Class of 2018, the work of Career Development staff translated to helping students find positions in a variety of different companies including HCA, Warner Music Group, Live Nation Entertainment, ASCAP, Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital, St. Thomas Health, Nashville Predators, Dollar General, Aegis Sciences Corporation, International Justice Mission, Young Life and Ryman Hospitality, among many others.

The Office of Career & Professional Development is dedicated to focused engagement with students and graduates. Staff specialize in majors and industries based on career clusters, working directly with specific colleges across campus, an effort that allows them to tailor their services to students and graduates as well as connect with employer partners in related fields. And the office’s functions span a wide range of activities as they encourage career exploration, develop educational and professional partnerships and provide intentional career development programming.

For more information on the Class of 2018, visit the Student Outcomes page.

Want to know more about the programs and application process for Belmont University? Visit the Admissions website. 

Belmont, WKRN to Host Mayoral Debate July 9

April Hefner
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Belmont, WKRN to Host Mayoral Debate July 9

All eyes will soon be focused on a very important election in Nashville.  

On Aug. 1, voters will head to the polls to cast their vote for mayor of Nashville.  

To help with that decision, Belmont University and WKRN are teaming up to host a 2019 Nashville Mayoral Debate.

The debate will be held July 9 at 7 p.m. at McAfee Concert Hall on Belmont’s campus. Mayor David Briley, State Rep John Ray Clemmons, Carol Swain and Councilman John Cooper are all committed to participating.

The event is free and is open to the public, but tickets are required.Click here for ticket information.  

Belmont is also hosting a June 25 mayoral debate in partnership with The Tennessean and NewsChannel5. All available tickets for that event have been reserved.

Bonnaroo U.? Belmont Students Prep for Second Year of Unconventional Study Away Program

April Hefner
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Bonnaroo U.? Belmont Students Prep for Second Year of Unconventional Study Away Program

Following a successful pilot program last summer of a new Belmont Abroad experience, Belmont students will depart this week for nearby Manchester, Tennessee to attend one of the world’s best music festivals… and earn college credit. The “Belmont at Bonnaroo” program delivers a unique and innovative academic immersion into festival culture while providing students hands-on experience in timely and relevant music research.

Led by faculty members Dr. Sarita Stewart (music business) and Dr. Ken Spring (sociology), this program consists of two co-curricular classes “Research Methods and Festival Culture” and “Sociology of Music.” Enrolled students spend time in the classroom studying the role of music in society and the various attributes surrounding its meaning. They also learn about various quantitative and qualitative methodologies used in research study designs.

Spring has studied music festivals since the first Bonnaroo in 2002. “While I have taken students to see music scenes and subcultures in the UK, I think that Bonnaroo offers a unique opportunity for our students because it is in our backyard. By combining two established Belmont courses, it offers our students a collaborative learning community focusing on music festivals from a holistic approach. They dig deep into understanding the production and consumption models that are necessary when delivering a festival of this magnitude.”

Belmont at Bonnaroo 2019 Class Photo

This week the students will apply what they’ve been learning by attending and conducting a research study at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival from June 13-16 in partnership with Bonnaroo leadership.

Stewart said, “The students will be conducting research with patrons throughout the duration of the festival. The Bonnaroo team has sent us two main questions to explore around the festival experience. Since the overall class content is dovetailed together, Dr. Spring and I are working with the students to determine questions related to issues of Symbolic Identity, Production of Culture, Authenticity and Consumption of Culture at the festival. This research builds upon the themes of Community, Design, Branding, and Consumption that our first group of participants studied last year.”

Beyond the research, students will also attend guest lectures each day of the festival from various “visiting professors.” Last year’s guest lectures included visits with Bonnaroo founder Ashley Capps, Khalid manager Courtney Stewart and C3 promoter Amy Corbin, among others as part of the “Artist/Executives in Residence” series.   

Participants in the 2018 pilot of “Belmont at Bonnaroo” found the experience and the courses to be pivotal to their understanding of the magnitude and impact of the festival.

Sociology major Alex Logan, who had attended Bonnaroo three times before taking the “Belmont at Bonnaroo” courses last summer, said, “As a General Admission patron it’s easy to take everything, both inside Centeroo and in the campgrounds, for granted. But our behind-the-scenes access and privilege to speak with executives and artists allowed me to focus on the details of the festival. The amount of people involved in the production of a festival is mind boggling. Having access to the staff, press and backstage area showed me that Bonnaroo is the true city that never sleeps.”

Music business major Amanda Thilo added, “My biggest takeaway from Bonnaroo was reassurance in my belief that music can truly bring everyone together. It didn’t matter what differences attendees may have had from each other. In those moments of listening to artists perform or participating in any of the various experiences offered, complete strangers became like family.”

Waldon Inks Record Deal With John Prine’s Oh Boy Records

April Hefner
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Waldon Inks Record Deal With John Prine’s Oh Boy Records

Songwriting alumna Kelsey Waldon recently inked a record deal with John Prine’s Oh Boy Records. The independent label’s first new artist signing in 15 years, Waldon recently shared the stage with Prine at the Grand Ole Opry earlier this week upon announcing the news.

“It’s hard for me to put into words what it truly means to me to be signed to Oh Boy Records,” Waldon said. “To have someone like John, who I have looked up to my whole life, who I have set my songwriting standards after and my general music making standards after, to have someone like him endorse my music and care enough about it to make sure it reaches a wider audience… that means everything.”

In addition to signing with the label, Waldon will serve as opener on Prine’s tour beginning in July. Prine describes the singer as one of the “more authentic country voices” he’s heard.

“I am bursting with pride to have Kelsey Waldon recording for Oh Boy Records. Her music continues an important arc of traditional folk and country music,” Prine said. “I love Kelsey’s singing. Her voice is one of the more authentic country voices I’ve heard in a long time. I’m looking forward to all the shows we’ll be performing together this year.”

Brown-Gaines and Miller Attend NCWIT Summit on Women and IT

Haley Charlton
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Brown-Gaines and Miller Attend NCWIT Summit on Women and IT
Tisha Brown-Gaines Headshot
Dr. Tisha Brown-Gaines

Dr.s Tisha Brown-Gaines and Andrew Miller, faculty members in the math and computer science department, participated in the annual National Center for Women and Information Technology Summit that took place on May 14-16 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville.

The NCWIT Summit is the world’s largest annual convening of change leaders focused on significantly improving diversity and inclusion in computing. Educators, entrepreneurs, corporate executives and social scientists from across industries and disciplines participate in this one-of-a-kind opportunity.

NCWIT is the trusted source for research-based strategies that facilitate reform in computing classes and technical organizations; the Summit sets the stage for NCWIT member representatives, notable field experts and renowned guests to present and learn about leading-edge practices, to network and form partnerships, and to provide encouragement and inspiration for one another.

Andy Miller Headshot
Dr. Andrew Miller

NCWIT is a non-profit community that convenes, equips and unites change leader organizations to increase the meaningful participation of all women — at the intersections of race, ethnicity, class, age, sexual orientation and disability status — in the influential field of computing, particularly in terms of innovation and development. Next year’s conference will be held in Detroit, Michigan.

Gatlin Awarded Fourth Annual Nashville Songwriting Scholarship

April Hefner
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Gatlin Awarded Fourth Annual Nashville Songwriting Scholarship

Clay Bradley, BMI Foundation trustee and director of the Nashville Songwriting Scholarship competition, has announced Gatlin Thornton—who goes by Gatlin—as the winner of the fourth annual Nashville Songwriting Scholarship. Gatlin, a Nashville-based singer and songwriter, is currently pursuing a degree in songwriting at Belmont University. The $5,000 scholarship was presented during a private reception on Wednesday, June 5 at Broadcast Music, Inc.’s (BMI) Nashville offices. Judges for this year’s competition included GRAMMY-winning artist Kacey Musgraves, songwriter and producer Ian Fitchuk, and CEO of Sony/ATV Music Publishing Troy Tomlinson.

“I am so excited and blessed beyond words to receive this scholarship. Thank you to the BMI foundation, Belmont University and Drew Ramsey, my songwriting professor, who encouraged me to apply.” said Gatlin.

The Nashville Songwriting Scholarship is an annual, nationwide competition open to aspiring country music songwriters. The award was established in 2015 by BMI to celebrate the company’s 75th Anniversary year and pays homage to musical epicenter and “Songwriting Capital of the World,” Nashville, Tennessee. The scholarship is awarded for the best original song entry in any of the following genres: Americana, blues, bluegrass, contemporary Christian, country, folk, and roots.

Gatlin’s great-grandmother, Elaine Gatlin, was a spitfire. She flew planes and rode bikes; blazing through conventions she knew were only constraints. She passed down to Gatlin not only her name but her bold and adventurous spirit. Gatlin’s music, much like her great-grandmother, surges and roars across the landscape that she lives through. Her songs rumble from the past grounded in the folk forms and lyricism she’s inherited. But they take flight in the present, empowered and electrified by a voice and heart very much her own. Gatlin’s EP, “Elaine” – named after her great-grandmother – will be released in the Summer of 2019.

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