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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Smith Whitehouse Publishes ‘Afoot and Lighthearted’

April Hefner
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Smith Whitehouse Publishes ‘Afoot and Lighthearted’

Honors Program Director and Professor of English Dr. Bonnie Smith Whitehouse recently published a book, “Afoot and Lighthearted: A Journal for Mindful Walking,” which launched at a book release celebration held at Nashville’s Parnassus Books last month.

The book is an interactive journal that teaches readers how to harness the power of walking to cultivate and nourish attention, inspiration and determination, as well as combat distraction, anxiety and the dreaded creative block.

Smith Whitehouse, who has taught for 22 years, designed an English course seven years ago called “The Adventures of Writers Who Walk.” The course, a BELL Core Interdisciplinary Learning Community course paired with Dr. Holly Huddleston’s Health & Fitness Concepts, was the inspiration for writing the book, said Smith Whitehouse.

AFoot and Lighthearted Book Cover

“As I taught millennials over the years and studied the links between writing, walking and wellness, I saw a true need for a book like ‘Afoot and Lighthearted’—a book that showed millennials and others how and why using their bodies in nature could spark creativity,” said Smith Whitehouse.

“Additionally, I saw a need to curate and gather voices and wisdom about the connections between walking and creativity in one place. So, in many ways, I have been working on this book on and off, since I began teaching that course seven years ago. “

Published by New York City-based Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House, “Afoot and Lighthearted” is organized around thematic prompts designed to help makers take a break from digital life and tap into the transformational magic of creative journaling. The book also introduces innovative walkers throughout literature, art, philosophy, and history, and offers encouragement in the form of inspirational quotes.

More information can be found here:  www.bonniesmithwhitehouse.com

Volman Awarded Gold Record for Advocating for Copyright Law

April Hefner
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Volman Awarded Gold Record for Advocating for Copyright Law

On April 2, the faculty and staff of Belmont’s Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business were present for a ceremony honoring one of its own, Mark Volman, assistant professor of entertainment studies. Volman was awarded a gold record by the Recording Industry Association of America highlighting his landmark lawsuit on behalf of his band The Turtles and other legendary recording artists against digital music companies.

Volman’s lawsuit helped spawn the CLASSICS Act or Compensating Legacy Artists for their Songs, Service, and Important Contributions to Society Act, which was eventually incorporated into the Music Modernization Act.  Volman argued in his lawsuit that digital royalty payments should be paid for pre-1972 recordings.

The Music Modernization Act, with the CLASSICS Act encoded as Title II within it, was signed into law last October, finally providing federal copyright protection for sound recordings made prior to 1972.

Belmont Announces Sustainability Celebration Schedule of Events

Staff Writer
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Belmont Announces Sustainability Celebration Schedule of Events

Belmont University will celebrate Earth Day with its second annual Sustainability Celebration April 11-25. Hosted by the University’s Sustainability Committee, this year’s events will provide an opportunity for the Belmont community to engage with the Conservation Covenant, the University’s commitment to honor God’s creation.

Launched in 2015, the Conservation Covenant is a charge for the University to honor the environment by preserving it for generations to come. This year’s Sustainability Week will include many events intentionally created to engage the campus community in dialogue surrounding creation.

This year’s events include:

  • A engaging lecture by Dan Riskin, host of Animal Planet’s “Monsters Inside Me,” who will present “What the Maggot in my Scalp Taught Me about the Process of Science” on Thursday at 5 p.m. in the Janet Ayers Academic Center Room 2094. Riskin’s talk is the keynote for the annual Belmont Undergraduate Research Symposium (BURS).
  • An Arbor Day Tree Planting Celebration and Campus Tree/Bird Walk on Wednesday, April 12 at 10 a.m. featuring Belmont VP of Finance & Operations Steve Lasley who will give a brief description of the chosen tree of showcase, the Ginko Tree (Ginkgo biloba)
  • A Creek Clean-up on Saturday, April 13 hosted by Belmont’s student-run Eco Club
  • A Plastic Bag Drive on Monday, April 15 sponsored by the Office of Residence Life
  • The Belmont in Bloom presentation featuring Judy Fisher who will share Belmont’s dedication to Adelicia Acklen’s love for gardens, nature and conservancy on Monday, April 15 at 10 a.m. in the Massey Center Board Room 103
  • A Sustainability Fair & Clothing Drive sponsored by SGA & the Biology Department featuring a variety of vendors and booths to learn more about community sustainability initiatives on Tuesday, April 16 from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. on the South Lawn
  • “Engineering Modern Solutions for the Environment” — a convocation featuring the Belmont Architecture and Robotics Club (BEAR)’s unveiling of a motion-activated bird feeder to be placed on the Biology/Environmental Science green roof on Wednesday, April 17 at 10 a.m. in the Janet Ayers Academic Center Room 3081
  • “Earth Day Chapel” – a celebration Chapel featuring Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher on Monday, April 22 at 10 a.m.

Additional events occurring both on campus and in the Nashville community can be found on Belmont’s Sustainability website.

Family Literacy Day Draws 300 Guests to Rose Park

Staff Writer
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Family Literacy Day Draws 300 Guests to Rose Park

On March 30, Belmont’s 19th annual Family Literacy Day brought more than 300 guests and volunteers together for an afternoon of reading in the Rose Park community.

The event included interactive stories, reading related games and crafts and the distribution of 500 new books donated by Book’em to children.

The purpose of Family Literacy Day is to foster and celebrate a love for reading in children ranging from pre-K through the 6th-grade. This year, the primary focus of the event was Reading Circles, hosted by various campus groups including the Black Student Alliance, foreign language majors, the Student Athlete Council and numerous fraternities and sororities.

The event was organized by Tim Stewart, Director of Service-Learning, who said he is very grateful for the partnerships of so many community organizations who come together to host Family Literacy Day.

“It was really great to see children and parents who return year after year because they enjoy the event so much and to see so many new faces this year,” said Stewart. “Seeing children’s eyes light up when they see the book table and get to pick out some books to take home with them always reminds me that the many hours of work required to make it happen are worth it!”

Family Literacy Day is designed to serve as a celebration of the year’s activities, giving the children and student participants of the ongoing programs a chance to have fun and reflect on their accomplishments. It also serves as a way of encouraging additional Belmont students, faculty and staff to get involved in literacy efforts in the Nashville community, and it provides a way for Belmont to give back in a small fashion to the community of which it is a part of and from whom it receives so much.

Belmont’s Family Literacy Day is one of many components of the Belmont Volunteers for Literacy program, including ongoing tutoring programs at Carter-Lawrence School, Easley Community Center and English tutoring with adults through the Nashville Audit Literacy Council.

Sophomore Walker Burroughs Makes ‘American Idol’ Top 14

April Hefner
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Sophomore Walker Burroughs Makes ‘American Idol’ Top 14

Sophomore music education major Walker Burroughs catapulted himself into the “American Idol” Top 14 last night as part of the show’s Celebrity Duets round in which he was paired with one of his own musical heroes, Jason Mraz.

Burroughs noted that a Mraz song was the first he ever performed publicly, and he showed the American Idol guest artist a video of that performance when Burroughs was only 9 years old. “I’m dueting with Jason Mraz, and I’m super pumped about it because I have loved this guy since I was a kid! Now it’s this really awesome full circle that I’m literally singing with the person who wrote the song I first performed live. That’s super cool, and I’m really excited.”

Burroughs wasn’t the only one who was excited, as the audience in the venue and celebrity judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie all raved about the duo’s take on Mraz’s hit “Have It All.” Richie even went so far as to call it a “perfect performance.” Mraz himself noted, “[Walker] can croon, he can rap, and he can wale. He has it all.” 

Tune in Sunday, April 14 from 7-9 p.m. Central on ABC to see Burroughs compete among the Top 14.

Last week’s recap:

Fellow Belmont alumni Kason Lester and Emma Kleinberg, were eliminated from the contest in the Showcase round after performing in front of a live audience in Ko Olina, Hawaii. In that round Burroughs impressed the judges with his performance of 5 Seconds of Summer song “Youngblood.” The performance inspired celebrity judge Katy Perry to declare, “…if you dress like Harry Potter and you sing, YOU WILL WIN THIS SHOW.”

Burroughs, a Birmingham, Alabama native, was sent into the Top 20 round in Los Angeles for another solo performance in front of a live audience. There Burroughs offered his take on the Bee Gees’ hit “How Deep Is Your Love,” leading Bryan to exclaim, “Walker, man, you just blew me away, brother… You just look like a seasoned pro to me. Good job!”

Songwriting Chair Contributes Song to No. 1 Country Album

April Hefner
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Songwriting Chair Contributes Song to No. 1 Country Album

Songwriting Department Chair James I. Elliott shares a songwriting credit on the the new album by Steven Curtis Chapman titled “Deeper Roots: Where Bluegrass Grows,” that debuted at No. 1 1 on the iTunes country album chart following its March 22 release. Elliott has been a frequent collaborator with the five-time Grammy Award-winning artist, and their song “My Redeemer Is Faithful and True” is included on the new project. Also featured on the new album are vocal collaborations with Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Ricky Skaggs and Gary LeVox of Rascal Flatts.

Retired HCA Executive Leads Conversations on Business Ethics

April Hefner
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Retired HCA Executive Leads Conversations on Business Ethics

Alan Yuspeh led two campus events recently sponsored by the Edward C. Kennedy Center for Business Ethics. His topic, “In the Trenches, 30 Years of Ethics and Compliance Leadership,” was presented to more than 125 students during the convo and 70 Middle Tennessee business Leaders during the lunch session. Yuspeh is a national and globally recognized leader on corporate ethics and compliance who retired from HCA in December 2018.

Yuspeh led HCA Healthcare to 10 consecutive years of receiving the world’s Most Ethical Companies designation by Ethisphere. Only 29 companies worldwide have been honored 10 times. Ethisphere is the global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices. HCA Healthcare was among 128 companies recognized worldwide for 2018. Through the support of HCA Healthcare’s executive leadership, Yuspeh guided the company to premier status of becoming the healthcare industry leader in ethics by establishing training programs, accountability and becoming the cornerstone of HCA’s culture across the organization’s 185 hospitals and approximately 1,800 healthcare facilities spanning 21 states and the United Kingdom.

Yuspeh provided insights into his leadership at HCA as well as his leadership role in ethics and compliance for the defense industry prior to his responsibilities with HCA. The interview was conducted by Massey Business School Dean, Dr. Pat Raines. Yuspeh has served as the Advisory Board Chair for the Kennedy Center for Business Ethics for a number of years.

Cusic’s ‘Minnie Pearl’ Musical Returns to Chaffin’s Barn

April Hefner
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Cusic’s ‘Minnie Pearl’ Musical Returns to Chaffin’s Barn

“Minnie Pearl: All the News from Grinder’s Switch,” a musical written by Professor of Music Business Don Cusic, is playing at the Chaffin’s Barn Dinner Theater April 4-14. The musical is about the life of Sarah Ophelia Cannon, a graduate of Ward-Belmont, who became better known as “Minnie Pearl,” legendary Grand Ole Opry comedian.  The musical was also performed at Chaffin’s Barn last fall.

Nursing Students, Faculty Provide Free Mobile Clinic

April Hefner
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Nursing Students, Faculty Provide Free Mobile Clinic

On the weekend of March 16-17, six Belmont graduate nursing students and two faculty members participated in a free mobile clinic held in Cookeville, Tennessee. The clinic was hosted by Remote Area Medical (RAM), a major nonprofit provider of free mobile clinics.  Students and faculty provided triage, patient intake, primary care and even dental assisting. Overall, the clinic served 966 patients and provided $554,552 in services as calculated by RAM over the two days in Cookeville.

Associate Professor of Nursing Dr. Erin Shankel noted, “Working with RAM was a great place for our students to practice their clinical skills, but more than that, it opened their eyes to the healthcare needs in our own state. We were all humbled by the appreciation and warmth we felt from patients who had been waiting outside since 6 p.m. the night before just for the chance to be seen. You don’t have to go overseas to participate in medical missions!”

Alumnus Franklin Willis Empowers Students Through Music Education

Staff Writer
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Alumnus Franklin Willis Empowers Students Through Music Education

Alumnus Franklin Willis leads the Andrew Jackson Elementary Eagle Honor Choir. As founder and director, Willis specializes in providing music instruction that will empower and engage all children to achieve their best.

The Eagle Honor Choir is an after school music club for advanced 3rd and 4th grade music students. In just three short years since its creation, the choir has made a musical imprint on the Nashville music scene.

The choir has performed in some of the most historic venues in Nashville, including Nissan Stadium, Opry Mills Mall, Vanderbilt University, Andrew Jackson’s The Hermitage, various churches and retirement homes.

“It’s my mission to give my students opportunities to share their gifts and talents with our community,” said Willis.

In his classroom, students explore a wealth of music from a variety of cultures and historical periods by singing, moving and playing instruments.

“I believe the study of music is a unique creative experience that provides opportunities to reinforce skills and concepts of other disciplines, while developing lifelong learning skills,” said Willis. “I am also passionate that the cultivation of musicianship begins at a young age and that every child has musical potential.”

Last year, Eagle Honor Choir recorded its first music video, “This is Me,” which received over 20,000 views on Facebook and YouTube. The choir received hundreds of messages from viewers inspired and touched by the children’s special performance.

Willis also provides students with opportunities to explore, connect and learn about different musical cultures.

“I believe through music we can build positive experiences that will assist our children in becoming global leaders,” said Willis. “Teaching students at a young age about world music is imperative because it will build an appreciation for other cultures and their musical heritage.”

Willis has featured students’ progress in student-wide performances including Hispanic Heritage Concerts, Winter Concerts, Black History Celebrations, Spring Art Festivals and singing for the elderly at retirement homes.

Because of his passion for teaching music to young people, Willis is a three-time recipient of the prestigious Music Teacher of Excellence Award by the Country Music Association Foundation, the 2015-2016 Madison Middle School Teacher of the Year Award, 2017 Tennessee Music Educators Association General Music Division first ever Teach Spotlight and 2016 Metro Nashville Public Schools and the Nashville Public Education Foundation Blue Ribbon Teacher Award.

His mission statement and teaching philosophy is “changing the world, one song at a time.”

Willis graduated from Belmont in 2012 with a Master of Education in Nonprofit Leadership.

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