James Bolin, a 1978 history alumnus recently published his book “Adolph Rupp and the Rise of Kentucky Basketball.”
His book features a full-length biography of Rupp and more than 100 interviews with University of Kentucky athletics officials. The book can be purchased on Amazon here.
Bolin currently serves as a professor of history at Murray State University and has written several publications with topics ranging from sports to women’s education to Kentucky history.
Faces of Belmont : Alumni Impacting the World
This series represents a collaboration between the Office of Communications and the Department of Public Relations, providing students practical experience in writing bios and creating profiles of Belmont alumni.
By Aliah Tayyun
“Fearlessness opens up opportunity for growth.” This is what graduate Amanda Shoffner had to say when asked about her experiences as a student at Belmont. Shoffner has taken this motto and incorporated it into her everyday life. The Los Angeles resident now looks back on her time at Belmont as she starts her new job at ASCAP.
Shoffner started at Belmont in the fall of 2006, as part of the first group of students to go through the Entertainment Industry Studies program. As a freshman, she was in awe of what Nashville and Belmont had to offer.
“I don’t think there is a better learning ground than Nashville. Nashville is the true melting pot of creativity,” said Shoffner. She was impressed at how she could run into a professor or recording artist at a local coffee shop and stop to chat with them. This, to her, was one of the most impressive aspects of Belmont’s relationship with Nashville’s music scene. As an EIS major, she was able to connect with an array of people on and off campus. “There is something special about walking onto campus and throwing a rock and finding someone like you. There is just something special about music people.”
A curious student, she attended almost every event that related to her major, and even some that did not. Her main goal was to experience as many things as possible, and she was able to do this through the study abroad program. Before she started at Belmont, one of her major deciding factors was the study abroad program. While here, she was able to study in London for a summer and attended the Belmont West program in LA. Both programs had a profound impact on her, but the Belmont West program was what truly pushed here to move to California as it reassured her that she was prepared for the industry and made her feel comfortable being in a new city. The Belmont West program is the sole reason she moved to Los Angeles where she currently resides and works.
After her move, Shoffner had a few jobs but recently landed what she calls her ‘dream job.’ She now works on the film and television team at ASCAP and loves every moment of it. The primary goal at her current job is to increase membership and spread the word about ASCAP. “I get to be a problem solver for clients and really help them,” she said. Without Belmont, she would not be where she is now.
As she looks back, she shares how Belmont played a pivotal role in her life and encourages students to do two things. “Belmont really encourages you to invest in yourself professionally, but also invest in yourself personally,” she said.
With this, Shoffner was able to make a name for herself and become confident in her professional and personal life. She hopes current students have this same outlook and seize every opportunity that comes their way. “You don’t know the impact someone can have on you,” she said, “so let them have an impact.”
The Belmont Doctoral Physical Therapy Class of 2020 was given an opportunity to learn first-hand about legislation and its effect on health care. On Friday, March 8, Dr. Natalie Michaels, professor in the College of Health Sciences, brought her Health Care Systems Class to meet Dr. Joe Black, the legislative committee co-chair for the Tennessee Physical Therapy Association (TPTA).
He introduced the class to Lobbyists Lou Alsobrooks and Estie Harris who spoke about their work with Congress and the Senate to support the physical therapy profession. Black also spoke to the students at length about physical therapy, the importance of staying involved and his role with the TPTA. He then led the group on a tour of the grounds.
“The students were engaged and extremely professional. I’m humbled and proud to be able to be part of the prestigious faculty-team who teach these amazing men and women,” Michaels said.
Faces of Belmont : Alumni Impacting the World
This series represents a collaboration between the Office of Communications and the Department of Public Relations, providing students practical experience in writing bios and creating profiles of Belmont alumni.
By Chelsea Lomartire
“Embrace the season that you’re in as an emerging professional. Blend your personality and work ethic, and you are set up for success.”
Johnathan Pushkar is a May 2018 graduate of Belmont University. Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pushkar made the journey to Nashville to study music business. Following his sophomore year, he switched to public relations, which led him to jump start his own public relations consulting business.
When asked how the business started, Pushkar explained the impact of his internship with Dennis Scott Productions and the WannaBeatles.
While there, Pushkar was focused on booking, cold calling, social media strategy and production. He immediately connected with the office and one semester internship turned into being hired and working with them for the past two years.
This is where his consulting business started. He was hired as a freelance consultant by WannaBeatles member Bryan Cumming and from there, he created connections that ultimately turned into clients.
Today Pushkar has worked with over 20 clients across the country from New York, to Los Angeles, to Nashville. Some of the clients he works with currently include Bill Cinque (Neil Diamond’s bassist), Rob Shanahan (renowned music photographer), the WannaBeatles and the Pool Kings from the hit DIY Network series. He is also working as an associate producer on a Mister Rogers tribute album and is the mastermind behind MiniSuperHeroesToday, an Instagram account he started four years ago.
The social media page focuses on posting an original LEGO photo each day, with figures in different poses and interactions. In four years the concept has grown from just Instagram to Facebook and a YouTube channel. His Instagram page currently has over 54,000 followers and his YouTube channel has over 10,000 subscribers. Through this concept, Pushkar has had the opportunity to interact with Marvel movie celebrities and directors, Disney accounts and Gary Vaynerchuk and has been invited to create marketing videos for the LEGO company.
“MiniSuperHeroesToday has allowed me to cut my teeth with social media,” he said. “It has taught me the importance of social media strategy, analytics, hashtagging and working with influencers. The secret to all of it is figuring out how a brand can bring value and consistency to an audience through authenticity.”
Pushkar also spoke about his time at Belmont and how it prepared him for life after graduation. “There is a certain weight and value that the Belmont name carries in the Nashville community. The university gave me a great education and amazing networking opportunities. The professors in the Department of Public Relations have become lifelong mentors and friends.”
Some of the biggest pieces of advice that Pushkar has learned throughout his time at Belmont include:
“Put yourself out there. You are only as strong as your network. It is not necessarily about what you know or who you know, it’s about who knows you.”
“Find a mentor or model yourself after an emerging professional. Follow in their footsteps but be authentic to your own character.”
“Don’t be afraid to work for free as a college student. Always be aware of when your being taking advantage of and know your value. But know the value of the experiences you have and the connections you make.”
Pushkar is excited for the opportunity to see what creative opportunities life will present to him. His ultimate goal is to continue to live in happiness and contentment doing what he loves. Pushkar frequently returns to Belmont’s campus to give back to future professionals.
To speak with Pushkar further, email him at jpushkarmedia@gmail.com or visit JPushkarMedia.com.
The Belmont University College of Pharmacy student A.I. team’s Artificial Intelligence Software for Amazon Alexa was the subject of an article in the February 2019 issue of Academic Pharmacy Now, the news magazine of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.
Founded in 1900, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) is the national organization representing pharmacy education in the United States. The mission of AACP is to lead and partner with members in advancing pharmacy education, research, scholarship, practice and service to improve societal health. The association is comprised of all accredited colleges and schools with pharmacy degree programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education.
The article featured College of Pharmacy students and their work with Amazon Alexa, an artificial intelligence platform capable of interacting with various types of information from thermostats to medical devices. As of January 2019, Amazon says more than 100 million Alexa-powered devices have been sold. Belmont students have added to the body of knowledge that Alexa possesses each year for the past 3 years.
In June 2018, 12 students from the College of Pharmacy were recognized by Amazon Alexa’s certification team for acceptance of their artificial intelligence submissions. Since the inception of this initiative in fall 2017, Belmont’s team of student pharmacists has grown from eight initial members to a group of 35 registered Amazon Alexa developers. To date, the student pharmacists have developed more than 25 skills that have been peer-reviewed and certified by the Amazon Alexa team and subsequently made available in the Amazon store.
AACP’s article on the Belmont College of Pharmacy students may be found on page 16 at: https://issuu.com/aacp/docs/apn-2019issue1
Belmont 2007 alumna Chastity Gunn has been named as the first poet laureate of Elgin, Illinois. In a recent article in the Daily Herald, Gunn discusses the honor of this designation.
Originally from Alabama, Gunn worked for a few years as a reporter in Tennessee after graduating from Belmont and went on to earn her masters degree in creative writing. Eventually she moved to Elgin where she now spends her time working for Youth Empowerment Program and as an adjunct instructor at Judson University.
While her poetry is what earned her this title, it has not always been her main focus. According to the Daily Herald article, Gunn did not identify herself as a poet until pursuing her masters degree. In the poet laureate position, Gunn will help bring poetry to her community.
She also recently released a book about how nursery rhymes can be used to teach children how to write, titled How to Create a World.
Faces of Belmont : Alumni Impacting the World
This series represents a collaboration between the Office of Communications and the Department of Public Relations, providing students practical experience in writing bios and creating profiles of Belmont alumni.
By Morgan James
A Middle Tennessee native, Dr. Jimmy Berthaud, came to Belmont as an undeclared major and graduated in 2006 with a degree in biology. He went on to receive public health and medical degrees from Columbia University and Meharry Medical College. Berthaud thought about music business as many Belmont students do, before deciding the business side of things wasn’t for him. He finally landed on biology as a major after taking a class that peaked his interest.
After Belmont, Berthaud headed on to medical school. He chose to go into neurology specifically because he wanted to do something more focused and logical. While neurology specifically targets conditions of the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves and muscles, Berthaud believes it allows for many career options and directions within the field. He also was attracted to the flexibility of the job and mentioned that he has the ability to create his own work schedule.
During the college search process, he looked into Fisk University as well as TSU but landed at Belmont due to their impressive pre-med and health track. In his time at Belmont he was involved in Towering Traditions, SGA and Phi Mu Alpha (the music fraternity on campus). He also served as a research assistant at Vanderbilt while attending Belmont.
Asked who were some impactful people in his professional life, Berthaud explained that his father is a physician, so he had grown up seeing his father do medical work. Some other people who received honorable mention in his development were current biology faculty members Dr. Nick Ragsdale and Dr. Jennifer Thomas.
After graduating from Belmont, Berthaud trained to be a doctor for six years before he acquired his current job. He currently resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and works as an assistant professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of Michigan. While Berthaud’s time is primarily spent on his academic duties, his day-to-day work varies and entails seeing patients in clinics, teaching, taking calls and much more.
Berthaud offered up some advice for current students and also medical students. “If you want to go into medical profession, make sure it is exactly what you want to do. It is a lot of work so you have to be really dedicated to your studies and know what the profession entails.”
He recommended to be “committed and ready for a professional career because this is something you will do for years.” Some of his future and career goals are getting promoted to the rank of professor. Berthaud would like to continue to build on his educational career and hopes to receive a leadership role in the future.
Berthaud has truly invested in his education and has worked hard to obtain the career success he has today. He continues to work hard to achieve his goals and further his career and for that, Berthaud’s education from Belmont and beyond is truly taking him “from here to anywhere.”
Belmont University’s College of Law Mock Trial Teams participated in the American Association of Justice Student Trial Advocacy Competition regionals this past weekend February 28 – March 3 in Louisville, Kentucky.
The team of Jessica Butler, Whitney Culbreath, John Ross Glover and Katie Redpath were named the regional champions and are advancing to participate in the national competition in Philadelphia this April.
Belmont University announced today that its current College of Visual and Performing Arts will be separated into two distinct colleges with defined areas of focus: the College of Music and Performing Arts will include all music, theatre and dance programs while the O’More College of Architecture, Art and Design will house architecture, art, fashion, interior design and design communications.
The structural change, which will be effective August 1, comes on the heels of the O’More College of Design’s merger with Belmont in 2018 and last month’s announcement that Belmont is launching Middle Tennessee’s first Bachelor of Architecture degree.
Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher said, “The time is right for Belmont to grow its stable of colleges from nine to 10, allowing us to increase our attention on serving students’ educational needs in these creative fields. By moving our new architecture program—along with our established design majors—into their own college, we can more clearly define goals and develop a world-renowned brand for these exciting new areas on our campus. Furthermore, this move enables the newly named College of Music and Performing Arts to cement its reputation as one of the nation’s leading educational homes for students passionate about music, music education, theatre, dance, music therapy, music performance and so much more.”
In February, Belmont announced plans to launch the first Bachelor of Architecture program in Middle Tennessee and only the second in the state. The five-year degree, which will begin classes in Fall 2020, will provide graduates a direct path to pursue licensure in their field while also filling a significant gap for architectural education in Nashville and the surrounding area. Moreover, following Belmont’s 2018 acquisition of the O’More College of Design, the University has the foundation in place to form a world-class program.
Belmont Provost Dr. Thomas Burns noted, “Belmont’s acquisition of O’More is allowing us to become more fully engaged in Nashville’s design community, and we have received an overwhelmingly positive response to our plans to start the area’s only architecture program. Building on the foundation we already have in design and the visual arts, the addition of architecture opens the door for opportunities to emphasize these programs in a new way within our already creative community. Having two distinct colleges, deans, faculty and staff will allow all of the associated programs to flourish like never before.”
Dr. Stephen Eaves, who has served as dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts since 2016, will transition to become the Dean of the College of Music and Performing Arts. Belmont will immediately begin a national search for the inaugural Dean of the O’More College of Architecture, Art and Design with the intention of having the new dean in place before the start of the Fall 2019 semester.
For the 15th year in a row, all graduates pass certification exam on first attempt
All 30 December graduates of Belmont’s Masters of Science in Nursing (MSN) program for Family Nurse Practitioners (FNPs) passed the national certification exam on their first attempt. The most recent class of 30 graduates, which is the College’s largest-to-date, passed the exam this spring, making this the 15th consecutive year of 100 percent first-attempt success and earning a spot well above the national average passing rate of 80 percent.
The School of Nursing began offering its MSN degree more than 20 years ago and with the addition of the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in 2012, Belmont’s health sciences graduate programs continue to grow. Prepared to practice in a variety of settings, FNPs provide primary health care to families and individuals across the lifespan. Belmont graduate nursing alumni practice in a wide range of settings including primary care, pediatrics, genetics, urology and public health.
Certification for FNPs is achieved through either the American Nurses Credentialing Center or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board. Both certifying agencies offer rigorous examinations that validate nurse practitioner skills, knowledge and abilities.
“I am certainly proud of our graduates’ accomplishment,” said Graduate Nursing Director Linda Wofford. “However, I am even prouder when I compare Belmont graduates with national test-takers and against the national first-time pass rate. The Belmont program is strong and our students work hard.”
