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 Honored with Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award

Hope Buckner
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Belmont Honored with Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award

Belmont University was recently named as a winner of the 2016 Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award, a designation given by Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Tennessee’s Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Martineau. The award recognizes exceptional voluntary actions that improve or protect the environment and natural resources with projects or initiatives not required by law or regulation. Belmont was recognized in the state’s Building Green category for the university’s LEED Platinum certified Janet Ayers Academic Center.

“The quality of our air, land and water is essential for public health and the marketability of our state,” Haslam said. “I thank all of the winners for their individual contributions to keeping Tennessee a beautiful state to live, work and visit.”

Martineau described the award’s significance and said, ““It is important that we pause to recognize the people and organizations that work so hard to protect our environment while teaching others about sustainability. These winning efforts will help pave the way for future ideas on how we can further protect our natural resources.”

The only higher education institution to be recognized among the state’s 11 recipients, the list of honorees includes:

  • Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalition
  • green|spaces – Hamilton County, Tennessee
  • Emmett Elementary School – Sullivan County, Tennessee
  • EPB – Hamilton County, Tennessee
  • The Jackson Walk – Madison County, Tennessee
  • Sevier Solid Waste, Inc. – Sevier County, Tennessee
  • Tennessee Environmental Council – Natural Heritage
  • Sharp Transport, Inc. – Lawrence County, Tennessee
  • Music City Center – Davidson County, Tennessee
  • Lipscomb Academy Elementary – Davidson County, Tennessee

A panel of 24 agricultural, conservation, forestry, environmental and academic professionals judged more than 85 nominations and selected this year’s award recipients based on criteria including on-the-ground achievement, innovation and public education. The winners will be recognized for their achievements and positive impact on the state’s natural resources in an awards ceremony held in Nashville on June 15.

Belmont’s Vice President for Finance and Operations Steve Lasley said, “The University is honored to receive this designation in recognition of our commitment to conservation and sustainability. With educational and sustainable green roofs, a geothermal heating and cooling system and two LEED certified buildings, among other sustainable features on our campus, we are delighted to join in Tennessee’s efforts to respect the resources we’ve been given. We could not be more pleased to accept this award from Governor Haslam and Commissioner Martineau.”

Syb Brown Delivers Keynote Address at College Debate 2016

Hope Buckner
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Syb Brown Delivers Keynote Address at College Debate 2016

Dr. Syb Brown, professor of journalism at Belmont, was a keynote speaker for the first College Debate 2016 held at Dominican University of California in early June. The event included representatives from higher education institutions across the U.S. Brown’s topic was digital citizenship and civility.

Belmont Vision Editor Riley Wallace also served as a delegate at the debate.

College Debate 2016 is a national, non-partisan initiative to empower young voters to identify issues and engage peers in the presidential election.

Belmont Physical Therapy Earns Reaccreditation

Hope Buckner
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Belmont University’s School of Physical Therapy was recently granted a 10-year reaccreditation term by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). This is the maximum length of time granted by the Commission and is reserved for programs that have demonstrated compliance with established criteria and excellent program outcomes.

Focused on the continued improvement of physical therapy education across the country, CAPTE requires programs to engage in a self-study to demonstrate compliance and submit it for review. Additionally, a team of CAPTE reviewers conducts an onsite assessment of the program. The findings of the self-study and the on-site review team are then reviewed by the Commission for determination of accreditation status. This year-long process (undertaken by Department Chair Renee Brown, PhD, PT and the entire physical therapy faculty and staff) included students, graduates, employers, clinical instructors and the Program Advisory committee.

The School of Physical Therapy’s 10-year reaccreditation was awarded on May 4 with no areas of non-compliance or areas for improvement cited. Additionally, the Commission commended the program for the quality of the self-study. The awarding of 10-year reaccreditation indicates that CAPTE recognized the high quality of the program, the caliber of the faculty and staff and the accomplishments of students and graduates.

Dean of the College of Health Sciences and Nursing Dr. Cathy Taylor said, “This is a remarkable accomplishment and well-deserved recognition for Dr. Brown and our exceptional PT faculty, staff, students and graduates.”

Mathematics, Finance Alumnus Receives Scholarship for Ph.D. Program at Oxford

Hope Buckner
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Mathematics, Finance Alumnus Receives Scholarship for Ph.D. Program at Oxford

andrew_trask (2)Andrew Trask, a 2014 Belmont graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Discrete Mathematics and Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance, was recently accepted to the doctoral program in computer science at University of Oxford in England, beginning in October 2016. Trask has received full funding, along with a stipend, from Oxford and will be studying deep learning with Dr. Phil Blunsom, an expert in deep learning and computational linguistics who holds joint appointments at Oxford and Google.

Trask, along with 2014 computer science graduate David Gilmore, presented research at the 32nd International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML) in France last year. Their paper titled, “Modeling Order in Neural Word Embeddings at Scale,” describes the deep neural network built at Digital Reasoning, their employer. Neural networks are computer systems that are modeled after the human brain.

Like the brain, these networks can gather new data, process and react to it. The design for the network is based on ideas Trask developed while an undergraduate at Belmont. The parallel neural network is 14 times larger than the previous world record (built at Google) and performs 40 percent better in a key language-recognition benchmark than any other program.

Biology Professors Lead Maymester Trip to Costa Rica

Hope Buckner
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Biology Professors Lead Maymester Trip to Costa Rica

Associate Professor of Biology Dr. John Niedzwiecki and Professor of Biology Dr. Darlene Panvini recently returned from an 18-day study abroad trip to Costa Rica with 15 Belmont students. While traveling, Niedzwiecki taught tropical biodiversity, while Panvini covered conservation and sustainability.

The group’s trip began at La Selva Biological station in a lowland tropical rainforest where they saw sloths, an anteater, toucanets and impressive trees. From there, they ventured to Arenal National Park to see a volcano and lake and learn about geothermal and hydroelectric energy production.  During their 10-day stay at the University of Georgia-Costa Rica campus in San Luis, the group learned about plants and animals of a highland rainforest, went on a night hike, explored Monteverde cloud forest, had a cooking lesson with a local family, learned how to dance the merengue and visited a chocolate factory.

Other highlights of their time abroad include visits to a sustainable coffee farm, a Biodigester and local art co-op. From there, the group traveled to the beach where they learned about a dry tropical forest at Santa Rosa National Park, observed white-faced capuchin and howler monkeys and went snorkeling.

Belmont’s Large Theater Wins Audio Experience Innovation Award

Hope Buckner
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Belmont’s Large Theater Wins Audio Experience Innovation Award

Dr. Wesley Bulla, audio engineering technology professor and and Ron Romano, Curb College technology specialist and Dave Warburton, recording and film studio manager, recently traveled to Las Vegas to receive a Harman Innovation Award for Belmont’s Large Theater as part of the UBTech Conference.

The awards celebrate innovative higher education institutions and their use of AV and IT technology.  With submissions from college and universities across the globe, this year’s awards included the most entries in the history of the program. Belmont was nominated for two awards and the Large Theater won for “Audio Experience.”

As an award winner, Bulla participated in a panel discussion with other winners as the conference’s opening keynote. As the audio experience winner, Belmont will be featured in University Business Magazine and will receive $25,000 worth of products from Harman and its subsidiary brands.

To watch the opening ceremony, including Bulla’s panel participation, click here.

College of Law Achieves Full American Bar Association (ABA) Accreditation

April Hefner
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College of Law Achieves Full American Bar Association (ABA) Accreditation

Program’s string of successes include strong bar passage, career placement rates

Belmont Law was granted full approval by the American Bar Association (ABA) on Saturday, June 4. The College of Law, which enrolled its first cohort in Fall 2011, achieved full accreditation in the earliest possible timeframe and represents the first fully accredited law school in Tennessee in more than 50 years. Achieving full accreditation comes after the College of Law produced the highest bar passage rate in Tennessee in 2015, and the school continues to garner strong employment rates for its graduates.

Moreover, the law school has attracted locally and nationally recognized faculty who are experts in their field. Belmont Law is led by Dean Alberto Gonzales, the former U.S. attorney general and a frequent national media expert on constitutional law and politics. He said, “Receiving word from the ABA that we have now achieved full accreditation signifies reaching another important benchmark in this program’s brief but impressive history. I am proud of our faculty, staff and students. We have built a first-class law school with a focus on practical skills and the ethics and professionalism expected of all lawyers. I am honored to have a role in the development of the next generation of leaders.”

With more than 500 applications for admission this coming year, Belmont Law will welcome another excellent and diverse class of first-year students in Fall 2016.

Travis Brown, a 2015 Belmont Law graduate currently working at the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office, said, “Belmont Law not only equipped me to sit for the bar exam, but instilled in me the values that the public is looking for in attorneys.”

A few other highlights for Belmont Law include:

 

 

Belmont University Receives Trane Energy Efficiency Leader Award

Hope Buckner
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Belmont University Receives Trane Energy Efficiency Leader Award

Trane honors Belmont for energy efficient approach that reflects the university’s commitment to environmental stewardship

Trane, a leading global provider of indoor solutions and services and a brand of Ingersoll Rand, presented its Energy Efficiency Leader Award to Belmont University at an awards ceremony held in the R. Milton and Denice Johnson Center on campus today. Dave Regnery, president of Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Commercial for North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa at Ingersoll Rand, presented the award to Steve Lasley, vice president for finance and operations.

EELA_Award_Ceremony_2016_113Each year, Trane recognizes organizations demonstrating an outstanding commitment to implementing best practices in energy efficiency and sustainability. Belmont was selected as the first of just two recipients to be recognized in 2016.

Trane is recognizing Belmont for best practices in energy efficiency and sustainability across campus. With enrollment more than doubling in 15 years, Belmont has grown from a 1.5-million-square-foot campus to a 50-building, 4-million-square-foot campus. Leaders undertook energy efficient and sustainable design and improvements that held energy cost increases to just 10 percent despite such a large increase in square footage. These upgrades represent a larger, long-term commitment to sustainability that reflects the university’s commitment to environmental stewardship.

Energy Management System Drives Improved Operations Outcomes
Recent improvements at Belmont include implementing an integrated campus-wide controls system to track energy use, proactively manage costs and drive better operational decisions. The upgrades enable the university’s facilities team to use the web-based tool to manage operational performance, EELA_Award_Ceremony_2016_129in individual buildings or campus-wide, from most personal computers, tablets and smart phones.

The following organizations collaborated with the university on the recent campus expansion: Chaseco, LLC, served as the owner representative; Nashville-based ESa served as the architectural firm; I.C. Thomasson served as the consulting engineering firm; R.C. Mathews Contractor provided general contracting; Lee Company provided mechanical contracting and Enterprise Solutions provided electrical contracting.

Long-Term Commitment to Sustainability

These recent operational improvements reflect a larger university-wide commitment to sustainability that align with the university’s Christian values. In addition to a commitment to prevent pollution, recycle and use renewable resources whenever feasible, the focus on sustainability features a variety of efforts including:

• Designation as a Nashville Tree Foundation Arboretum and USA Tree Campus ─ serves as an arboretum to preserve more than 100 species of trees and shrubs
• The McAfee Concert Hall uses an ice thermal storage system to produce ice at night, when it is more efficient and energy rates are less expensive, generating 30 percent energy savings for the hall.
• A geothermal heating and cooling system under the R. Milton and Denice Johnson Center uses the earth’s natural temperature to regulate interior climate.
• The university boasts two LEED buildings: Janet Ayers Academic Center is certified LEED Platinum, the first university in Tennessee and the first LEED for New Construction project in Nashville to achieve that level, and the Randall and Sadie Baskin Center is certified LEED Gold.
• An innovative and interactive irrigation system collects run-off rainwater in underground tanks and utilizes current weather data to dictate the need for water.
• Educational and sustainable green roofs provide learning labs for students, while serving the environment through better building insulation.

Dr. Stephen Eaves Appointed Dean of College of Visual and Performing Arts

April Hefner
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Dr. Stephen Eaves Appointed Dean of College of Visual and Performing Arts

Friends University (KS) professor to lead Belmont’s arts programs

Stephen Eaves Dr. Stephen Eaves, chair of the Division of Fine Arts and professor of music at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas, is being appointed to the position of dean for Belmont University’s renowned College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA), effective August 1. Eaves fills a position held for 25 years by Dr. Cynthia Curtis, who is retiring this summer.

Belmont Provost Dr. Thomas Burns said, “Under Dean Curtis’ excellent leadership and guided by a mission to encourage imagination, nurture creativity and promote intellectual and professional growth, the College of Visual and Performing Arts has achieved astounding success. I believe that Dr. Stephen Eaves, as the new dean of the college, is fully equipped to build on that legacy. Throughout his career, Dr. Eaves has made significant accomplishments across the arts spectrum and supported a diverse community of artists, academics and students in his roles as faculty member and administrator. We are excited to welcome Dr. Eaves—a well-respected, proven leader within the arts community—to our campus.”

Eaves brings to his new position more than 25 years of teaching, performing and administrative experiences. He has been recognized for outstanding teaching at three universities and influenced the path of many successful students. As a conductor and performer, his choral ensembles have been invited to perform in prestigious national and international venues including Speyer Cathedral (Germany), St. Stephen’s Cathedral (Austria), Coventry Cathedral, Southwark Cathedral, the Clare College Chapel (Great Britain) and Carnegie Hall (NY). Eaves has prepared choirs and conducted collaborative performances with professional orchestras in Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, New York and Arkansas. Administrative experiences include planning, renovating and building arts facilities; cultivating partnerships in the community; securing financial support outside of the university; and developing relevant, entrepreneurial career paths for student artists and performers.

Eaves said, “The rich tradition of excellence in the arts along with the student-centered Christian mission drew me to the position at Belmont. When visiting the campus, I was immediately impressed with the quality of the leadership, faculty, staff and the talented, passionate students. After being recognized by U.S. News & World Report as No. 5 in the Regional Universities South category and named as a ‘Most Innovative’ university, Belmont is soaring to reach their vision of being a leader among teaching universities. It will be my goal for the College of Visual and Performing Arts to be part of the collaboration and creativity that will drive the university to new heights. I want to build on the excellence of the college and inspire innovative, bold artists and performers who will lead in the community, throughout the region and the nation.”

Dr. Eaves earned degrees in music education and conducting from Union University, the University of Mississippi and the University of South Carolina. He is an active member of several professional organizations including the American Choral Directors Association, National Association of Music Education, Kansas Music Educators Association, International Council of Fine Arts Deans, National Association of Schools of Music and the College Music Society. Prior to his service at Friends, he was the director of choral activities at Henderson State University (AR). He has also served as department administrator and director of choral activities at McMurry University (TX) and Roane State College (TN).

In his new position, he will serve more than 160 faculty and staff and 900 students in CVPA’s music, art, theatre and dance programs, including those in the College’s newest major, music therapy. Campus facilities supporting the college include the Wilson Music Building, Massey Performing Arts Center, McAfee Concert Hall and the Troutt Theater Complex.

Mills’s Article Included on American Library Association Top 20 List

Hope Buckner
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Mills’s Article Included on American Library Association Top 20 List

Jenny MillsJenny Mills, coordinator of research services in Bunch Library and associate professor, co-authored an article, “Project RAILS: Lessons Learned about Rubric Assessment of Information Literacy Skills,” with librarians from the University of Washington, Bothell, Dominican University, Towson University and Syracuse University, which has been selected by the American Library Association’s Library Instruction Round Table as a Top Twenty article of 2015.

The result of a research project that began in 2010, the authors developed recommendations for rubric assessment of information literacy skills based on experiences at their institutions and focused on four areas including building successful collaborative relationships, developing assignments, creating and using rubrics and using assessment results to improve instruction and assessment practices.

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