Belmont O’More School of Design student Heidi Bartle recently won the Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove Kitchen Design Contest for the student entry category. Bartle was selected as the winner from the regional area made up of six states (TN, OH, IN, PA, KY, WV).
Students who entered the competition had to be enrolled at an accredited university and design an indoor kitchen that showcased Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances. The Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove Kitchen Design Contest has been running for more than 25 years and highlights kitchen designs from around the world.
Belmont alumnus and adjunct professor Eric Burgett is set to release a new song on June 3. The song, titled “Swing Low, Sweet Old Cadillac,” will be debuting with Bow to Stern Records.
The song is produced by Matt McClure and described as a “small town anthem about a fun summer night out on the town.” Burgett is also slated to release an EP in August.
Burgett moved to Nashville in 2012 and graduated from Belmont in 2014 with a masters degree in Piano Pedagogy. He has served as an adjunct professor in the School of Music since graduating.
Belmont University will host a televised debate on June 25 where the leading candidates for Nashville mayor are set to participate.
The Tennessean and NewsChannel 5 are also co-hosting the debate ahead of the Aug. 1 election. Belmont and the two news organizations have a long track record of hosting successful debates, forums and public policy discussions.
With the future of Nashville at stake, the debate is part of a commitment to provide voters with robust news and information and a discussion of the important issues facing the city.
“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.”
The debate will take place at 6 p.m. at Belmont’s McAfee Concert Hall. It will air live in its entirety on NewsChannel 5 and streamed on NewsChannel5.com and Tennessean.com.
“We believe voters deserve to know as much as they can about our city’s candidates for mayor,” said Michael A. Anastasi, editor of The Tennessean and vice president of news for the USA TODAY Network – Tennessee. “Nashville is facing unprecedented growth, questions on how to fund quality education and the best ways to provide more affordable housing. Before they head to the polls, voters deserve to know how the next mayor plans to address these and other issues.”
NewsChannel 5 News Director Sandy Boonstra said the news organization is “excited to once again be partnering with the Tennessean and Belmont University.”
“It is vital for voters to have as many opportunities as possible to make an informed decision before going to the polls,” Boonstra said. “This debate will serve an invaluable role in supplying that information.”
The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are required, and are available through Belmont University at belmont.edu/mayoraldebate.
May 31, 2019 Update–SOLD OUT: All available tickets for the June 25 mayoral debate at Belmont University have been reserved.
This is the first time Belmont has been featured on Variety’s review of film schools from around the world. The publication looked at schools that feature cutting-edge instruction in a variety of disciplines, spoke to educators and examined educational tools used to develop knowledge of multi-ethnic music, art, writing and film.
Variety gave a nod to Belmont’s faculty that includes several industry professionals, student’s access to being the only school in the world where they can learn on Dolby Atmos sound mixing equipment and the diversity of class offerings, such as directing, screenplay and cinematography, among others. The article also noted the Department of Motion Pictures “full-bodied approach to filmmaking and storytelling.”
Launched in 2012, the motion pictures program is part of the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business and offers students the opportunity to start creating films as soon as their first semester. Motion pictures students have access to resources such as a 250 seat theater and sound mixing stage, top of the line cameras, lighting and grip gear, a color correction suite and a sound stage. As of spring 2019, there were 89 motion pictures graduates and almost 200 current students in the program.
Belmont College of Law alumna Rachel Roberson recently joined Taylor, Pigue, Marchetti and Blair PLLC (tpmbLAW) as an associate attorney. Roberson earned her Doctorate of Jurisprudence from Belmont where she served as the editor for the Health Law Journal, was a member of the Health Law Transactional Moot Court Competition Team and served as President of the American Constitution Society.
Also during law school, Roberson worked with assistant professor of law Lynn Zehrt as a research assistant, externed at the Tennessee Justice Center and also completed field placements with the 21st Judicial District of Tennessee and the Honorable Senior Judge Nixon with the Middle District Court of Tennessee.
“Rachel achieved at a high level in law school and was involved in so many ways that she provides our clients with exceptional experience and insights,” said Gino Marchetti, attorney and managing member at tpmbLAW. “Adding her to our firm increases the already high caliber and professionalism of our members, enhancing the scope of services and the counsel that we can provide all of our clients. We are pleased to have her as a part of tpmbLAW.”
Amy Smith, assistant professor in the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business, was involved in many aspects of the programming of the recent MBAA International annual conference. Hosted this year in Chicago, Illinois under the theme “Cultural Consciousness in Business,” the MBAA International gathering is a multidisciplinary business conference which includes 12 different organizations coming together to create synergies in business and business education.
For the Midwest Academy of Legal Studies in Business, Smith presented “Matal v. Tam: Trademark Law Meets Free Speech”where she discussed the recent U.S. Supreme Court case which found the disparagement clause of the Lanham Act (trademark statute) unconstitutional. This decision unlocks many new issues in trademark law which she expounded on in her presentation.
Smith also presented at the Interactive Teaching Poster Exhibit hosted by MBAA International where she shared “Adding Flavor with Kahoot! It’s Flexible, Free and Fun for All,”which described how to utilize Kahoot!, a game-based learning platform, to enhance student engagement.
In addition to presenting a critical incident, entitled “Contracts No. 1: Judge for Yourself: An Exercise in Applying the Law to the Facts,”for the Society for Case Research, Smith also served as a discussant/editor for the presentation of two other critical incidents.
This past semester, students in associate professor of art and design James Pierce’s Narrative and Advocacy class found a new way to incorporate Belmont’s commitment to sustainability in the classroom, through raising awareness about E-Waste. A class project asked students to create a design for an electronic display of 55 broken tablets that created an E-Waste wall, while simultaneously highlighting Belmont’s Experiential Design major.
Inspiration for the student project came from Pierce’s desire to have projects in his Narrative and Advocacy class relate to a relevant and current issue such as sustainability. “I had been exploring the idea of E-Waste for a few years when a joke about reusing old devices to make one large screen made we wonder if it could actually be done,” said Pierce.
After proving his idea would be possible, Pierce integrated the project into his course, involving students throughout. “The students were involved in most aspects of the project in some way, with the goal of giving them a sense of ownership of the project,” Pierce added. “I believe outcomes are better and more beneficial to the student when they are more involved throughout all aspects of the project.”
Pierce and the E-Waste wall.
Pierce noted that E-Waste makes up two percent of waste in landfills in the U.S. but equals 70 percent of overall toxic waste. His goal for the project was to “create awareness of the E-Waste problem, while providing students a unique experience working on a project that you will not find elsewhere.”
“As designers, we should be conscious of what we produce and where it ends up once we are done with it,” said Pierce. “While a marketing email obviously produces less physical waste than a physical mailer such as a postcard, we often do not think about the waste created from our electronic devices.”
The E-Waste wall will continue to be available for viewing in the Leu Center for Visual Arts into the fall semester. Students in the first of the Experiential Design classes in the fall, Experiential Design Studio I, will continue to create designs for the screen and add more interactive components.
Established in the fall of 2018, Experiential Design is one of Belmont’s newest majors. The program was created to build on top of the existing Design Communications major and will be offering new courses beginning fall 2019. The new courses will primarily focus on digital and emerging technologies, such as web design, user interface and experiential design, augmented reality and more.
Experiential Design students will learn to be creative problem solvers and develop their skills to be capable of creating graphic designs for both print and digital mediums. While earning their Bachelor in Fine Arts degree, students will focus on human-centered design while working with class content focusing on social responsibility, designing for public spaces and recognizing and exploring commercial applications for experiential design.
“The goal for this major is to prepare students to create and design for future technology – some of which may not even exist today,” said Pierce. “Students graduating from our program will have experience integrating design and technology to work in a variety of fields, including advertising, app development, entertainment and much more.”
Approximately one-third of Belmont’s student body qualified for the University’s Spring 2019 Dean’s List, which was recently released.
Belmont Provost Dr. Thomas Burns said, “This achievement for the fall semester indicates that these students have placed a high priority on their work at Belmont and have invested time and energy in their studies. It is our strong belief that consistent application in this manner will reap great benefits, which will equip them for a lifetime of learning and growing.”
An online media tool, Merit is used by Belmont to publicize undergraduate students’ achievements both in and out of the classroom, over social media, in hometown newspapers and online. As examples, students can receive recognition when they are named to an academic honor society, study abroad, volunteer on a mission trip, perform in a major showcase or make the Dean’s List. Merit, which is a free service to students, also automatically creates a personal, verified online profile for each student, which can be used for internship or employment referrals.
Merit allows the University to organize major achievements online at Belmont.MeritPages.com where students can view and claim personalized stories, adding their own accomplishments to their page to in essence create an online resume. Students can even share these positive stories about their accomplishments with family and friends through social media networks.
Belmont alumna Jessi Vaughn was recently promoted to Manager of A&R/Digital at Warner/Chappell Music Nashville. Vaughn has been with Warner/Chappell Music since 2016 serving as Administrative Assistant, A&R Strategy Assistant and most recently as A&R Strategy Coordinator.
In her new role, Vaughn will be continuing to develop songwriters through marketing and branding and work closely with Warner/Chappell’s global digital team to create more opportunities for Nashville writers. Vaughn graduated from Belmont in 2016 with a degree in music business.
“It’s been wonderful to watch Jessi grow and connect with songwriters in a meaningful way,” said Ben Vaughn (’00), President & Chief Executive Officer at Warner/Chappell Nashville. “She has tremendous creative instincts, and is passionate about our songwriters’ long-term development. We look forward to seeing her continue to progress in her career.”
“I am extremely grateful to Ben and the entire Warner/Chappell Nashville team for helping me explore my passion over the past three years,” said Jessi Vaughn. “They’ve shown great confidence in me as I’ve learned how to navigate the ever-changing creative and digital space. I’m excited to continue to build new relationships, learn new strategies, and create opportunities that champion our incredible songwriters.”
Assistant Professor of Computer Science Dr. Tisha Brown-Gaines has been selected by YP Nashville as a finalist for the 2019 Nashville Emerging Leader Award in Education.
YP
Nashville is a partnership between the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and
more than 40 young professional organizations working to engage,
connect and empower young professionals to actively shape the future
of the Nashville region. The NELAs are YP Nashville’s signature event,
hosted annually to recognize outstanding young professionals in the Middle
Tennessee region for significant accomplishments in their careers and
substantial contributions to our community. NELA finalists are selected
by a panel of expert judges across 15 industries. NELA winners will be
announced during the 13th annual NELA Ceremony on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019.
