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 Win #MarryMeInNashville Contest

Hope Buckner
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Alumni Win #MarryMeInNashville Contest

Belmont alumni Marcus and L.A. were recently named Union Station’s #MarryMeInNashville contest winners. As the grand prize recipients, the couple will receive credit toward their reception at the venue, a night’s stay at the hotel and a limo ride to the airport, among other things.

A music business major at Belmont in 2004, L.A met Marcus, a commerical music major, during their time on campus, but the two were never close. It wasn’t until she returned to Nashville, after working in California, to pursue a degree in counseling that the couple reconnected at their church, Nashville Life Christian Church.

In an interview recently published on Style Home Page, the couple credited their relationship and the growth they’ve experienced individually and together to their relationship with God. “We both feel that as our foundation in God became central to our lives, independent of each other, our eyes were opened as we began to see life much differently than before,” Marcus said.

L.A. described her love for Marcus in Style’s interview saying, “I have no doubts that he is the perfect man for me. He loves and follows God with his whole heart, he knows who he is, knows how to lead, he is smart, kind, patient, loving, humble, funny and really just extremely good looking. I love him so much and can’t wait to be his wife!”

After getting engaged Cheekwood, almost a year to the day of their first date, L.A. found Union Station’s contest via social media. Knowing their dream wedding wouldn’t be possible without a “dream wedding sweepstakes,” L.A. was quick to enter. The two were selected as the winning couple and are currently planning their big day for October 1, complete with a dream honeymoon to San Jose del Cabo

Featured image provided by Reed Public Relations.

 

Belmont Signs Cooperative Partnership Agreement with Studio Tenn

April Hefner
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Belmont Signs Cooperative Partnership Agreement with Studio Tenn

Studio Tenn signingBelmont’s musical theatre program recently signed a cooperative partnership agreement with Franklin-based Studio Tenn Theatre Company. Through this partnership, the two entities will join together to provide mutual opportunities for the University’s musical theatre majors. Such opportunities will encompass obtaining experience working with a professional equity theatre company, strengthening professionalism and community visibility of both parties, while providing valuable networking opportunities.

“Belmont is delighted to announce this official collaboration with Studio Tenn,” said Dr. Cynthia Curtis, dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts. “Belmont musical theatre students will benefit greatly from the high-quality, professional experience Studio Tenn will offer them, and we believe Studio Tenn will benefit from the exceptional talents of Belmont students. This collaboration bodes well for all involved, especially the growing theatre community in middle Tennessee and future audiences who attend performances at Studio Tenn.”

Jake Speck, Studio Tenn’s managing director, agrees. “We are thrilled to solidify this partnership with one of the leading collegiate musical theatre programs in the southeast. Education and strategic alliances have been key to Studio Tenn’s mission and vision from the beginning. This collaboration allows us to make great strides in both of these areas.”

Studio Tenn is currently preparing to wrap their 2015/2016 season with the upcoming production of “West Side Story.” Choreographing the show is Belmont musical theatre faculty member Emily Tello Speck. Additionally, five of the cast members are current Belmont musical theatre students and four are alumni of the department.

This Broadway blockbuster will be live on stage for three shows at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center Friday, June 3 (7 p.m.) and Saturday, June 4 (2 p.m., 7 p.m.). Tickets are available now at nashvillesymphony.org or by calling the Schermerhorn Box Office at (615) 687-6400.

Three Generations of Accountants Call Belmont Home

April Hefner
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Three Generations of Accountants Call Belmont Home

Meet Byron Lawrence Glover, an accounting and finance double major who graduated magna cum laude earlier this month from Belmont.

But what makes Byron’s story special isn’t his avid pursuit of numbers at a University more commonly known as a haven for musicians. Rather, it’s that Byron is the third-generation from his family to pursue an accounting career and to do so at Belmont.

“Belmont just made sense for me honestly,” Byron said. “My strong family history here at Belmont, the great location in Nashville and the academics/network of Belmont all made it very attractive to me.”

Born and raised in Brentwood, Byron is the grandson of Lawrence Glover, who taught accounting at Belmont for 35 years and has endowed scholarships in both business and accounting in his name to support undergraduate students in those areas. Byron Glover, Sr., a partner in Glover and Glover CPAs, also taught accounting on campus and received his MBA from the Jack C. Massey College of Business. Glover and Glover is a family-owned accounting firm that is based in Brentwood.

“As my father and grandfather have owned their accounting firm in Brentwood for the past 26 years,” said Byron, “I have grown up exposed to that business environment, and it has fostered my love for business. From a young age I was interested in business and networking. Accounting, with my second major of finance seemed like the best choice for me to advance in the business world.”

Committed to helping others achieve their goals, Byron was also an active volunteer during his years at Belmont serving in DECA and on the Community Councils of several residence halls. He was also a member of the Beta Alpha Psi accounting club and the Alpha Chi honor society. Byron’s parents and both sets of grandparents were on campus to celebrate his May 7 commencement, and Byron will return to Belmont once again this fall, this time to pursue his MBA.

“I chose to come back for my MBA at Belmont after having such a great undergraduate experience and building such strong and helpful relationships here. As I told Dr. Fisher the other day, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

 

 

Students Travel to Germany, Study Electroacoustics and Marketing

Hope Buckner
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Students Travel to Germany, Study Electroacoustics and Marketing

A group of Belmont physics and music business students recently returned from a 10-day tour of Germany and Austria where they received unprecedented access to world-class facilities and personnel in electroacoustic research and product manufacturing. The trip consisted of two courses, a physics based course on electroacoustics taught by Belmont Associate Professor of Physics Dr. Scott Hawley and a music business course on international marketing, with a product design emphasis, taught by Belmont Assistant Professor of Entertainment Industry Studies Dr. Sarita Stewart.

Before leaving for Germany, the group met Belmont alumnus Jon King of Nashville’s MikTek Audio for a lecture on the physics of microphones and a tour of the organization’s facilities. King also gave a demonstration on the fabrication process.

Student Allie Monday experiences virtual reality research in the Psychoacoustics and Experimental Audiology Lab in Vienna
Student Allie Monday experiences virtual reality research in the Psychoacoustics and Experimental Audiology Lab in Vienna

While traveling, the group enjoyed personal sessions with top industry professionals including President of Gibson Dave Berryman, President of Neumann Wolfgang Fraissinet and Head of the Audio Communication Group at TU-Berlin Stefan Weinzierl, among others. Additionally, the trip included visits to many of Germany’s industry facilities and a few notable tourist destinations.

Because of the trip’s exposure and coursework, Hawley said his students returned stateside with countless new skills and competencies including the ability to describe basic physical principles underlying electroacoustic transductors. Beyond their newly acquired skills, Hawley said the trip ignited a sense of excitement surrounding audio research among group members, as well the inspiration to consider business opportunities in product development and marketing.

While traveling, the students maintained a blog highlighting key activities and lessons.

Gonzalez Inducted into Nashville Entrepreneur Center’s Hall of Fame

Hope Buckner
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Gonzalez Inducted into Nashville Entrepreneur Center’s Hall of Fame

Belmont Professor of Entrepreneurship Jose Gonzalez was recently inducted into the Nashville Entrepreneur Center’s (EC) Hall of Fame. Created to recognize entrepreneurs in the Nashville area that support the community in unique ways, Gonzalez was honored, along with his business partner Renata Soto, for his work with Conexion Americas, a local nonprofit he co-founded.

Created in 2002 to address the challenges and opportunities for Latino families in Middle Tennessee, Conexion Americas assists individuals and families with navigating life in Nashville including buying homes, creating businesses, improving language skills, working within the education system and bettering their lives, among others. In 2012, the organization founded Casa Azafran, ‘a home for all’ where collective nonprofits service Nashville’s refugee and immigrant populations.

Because Gonzalez has a full-time position at Belmont, his day to day interactions with Conexion are more limited than when the organization was created. In addition to working closely with Soto, Conexion’s executive director, Gonzalez said his efforts are mainly devoted to strategic planning and financial oversight. As an entrepreneur and professor of entrepreneurship, Gonzalez also teaches throughout the year to aspiring Latino entrepreneurs at Conexion.

Though Gonzalez said he is honored to accept the EC’s induction, the real credit lies beyond his work with Conexion. “It certainly is a humbling honor for Conexion Americas to be recognized as an example in entrepreneurial success,” he said. “This recognition should be shared with the hundreds of volunteers, board members and supporters that believed in us at the beginning and continue to support us through today.”

Though passionate about entrepreneurship, Gonzalez said his heart is equally devoted to his passion for international education as he leads students each year on multiple trips, which include a dose of entrepreneurship, across the globe. Fittingly, he was unable to attend the EC’s induction ceremony on Thursday, April 19 because of a study abroad trip to Argentina where cross-cultural teams are developing business concepts to pitch in a competition.

For the classroom, Gonzalez said his time and experience with Conexion has immensely contributed to his teaching. “The fact that entrepreneurship is part of our mindset at Conexion allows me to bring examples and current stories to my class,” Gonzalez said. “I’ve been taking my classes there for a few years and students really enjoy seeing the model and often end up interning, volunteering or connecting with entrepreneurs that operate out of CA.”

When thinking back about where his love for entrepreneurship was fueled, Gonzalez points to his time as a Belmont student. “My entrepreneurial journey was ignited while I was a student at Belmont. The concepts, ideas and experiences I was exposed to triggered something in me that desired the development of an entrepreneurial mindset,” Gonzalez said. “Conexion Americas would not have happened without my Belmont education. I’m honored and glad I get to bring those experiences back to Belmont today in my role as professor.”

Belmont Graduates Awarded Prestigious Fulbright Grants for Overseas Teaching

April Hefner
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Belmont Graduates Awarded Prestigious Fulbright Grants for Overseas Teaching

Recent graduates to serve in Taiwan, Slovak Republic

May 2016 Belmont University graduates Salwa Saba and Grant Gill were recently awarded Fulbright program grants for overseas teaching in Taiwan and Slovak Republic, respectively. The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.

Saba, an international politics major with minors in economics and Chinese, is from Brentwood, Tennessee and will serve as an English Teaching Assistant (ETA) for elementary or middle school students in Taichung, Taiwan for 11 months. Saba hopes for an eventual career in diplomacy and foreign policy work, and last year received a Critical Language Scholarship from the U.S. Department of State to participate in a language and cultural immersion summer 2015 program in China. In addition to serving as an after school academic mentor at the Nashville International Center for Empowerment and being a member of three campus honor societies, Saba also held leadership positions in several student organizations during her time at Belmont, including the H.O.P.E. Council and the South Asian & Middle Eastern student association.

“I believe that pursuing an ETA in Taiwan will not only help me create bridges with other people through the English language,” Saba said, “but would also allow me to strengthen my Mandarin Chinese language skills to enhance my professional goals. In my past travels to China, I realized that the majority of people I interacted with had a particular picture of what a typical American looked like, making me an anomaly. A Fulbright allows you to be a cultural and citizen ambassador, and I hope that my interactions in Taiwan reflect the demographic changes in America and broadens their view of what it means to be an American.”

Gill, who graduated in May with honors, majored in design communications with an emphasis in studio art (sculpture). Originally from Decatur, Alabama, Gill will be teaching English for 11 months in a technical school in Trnava, Slovak Republic, beginning in September. Gill’s exhibit, I Do Not Mean Ecclesiastical Art, was recently featured in Belmont’s Leu Gallery, where he was a Best of Show winner for his three-dimensional work. Gill said, “I wanted teaching experience to prepare me for grad school and eventually a professorship. I hope to study for my Masters of Fine Art and eventually teach sculpture at the university level… One [Belmont] professor, John Watson, taught me to dig in and pursue any opportunity or idea that caught my interest and to always strive to grow. The Fulbright is all of those things. I cannot thank John Watson enough for how he has shaped my life and future.”

Kovach Spreads ‘Disney Magic,’ Heads to College Program

Hope Buckner
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Kovach Spreads ‘Disney Magic,’ Heads to College Program

Recent Belmont exercise science graduate Beau Kovach will trade his cap and gown for a new costume this summer as he transforms into an entertainment performer in the Disney College Program. Beginning later this summer, Kovach will join other college students and new graduates who share a similar passion, making people smile.

Growing up as a self-proclaimed “Disney child,” Kovach’s mother worked at a Disney store and gained traits and attributes that Kovach always admired. “The Walt Disney Company has the ability to elicit an unprovoked, natural happiness, and that is something that I would love to contribute to on a daily basis,” he said. “I cannot wait to be a reason why families, including my own, will have memories of a lifetime just from a small interaction.”

College ProgramKovach visited Disney World during his audition process and found a fraternity brother with similar dreams. The two, among many other applicants, have stayed in touch throughout their Disney journey and look forward to experiencing the program together. As a committed member of his brotherhood, Kovach said he is very grateful to continue to make connections with brothers from across the country while at Disney.

Though his time as a performer at the world renowned park will fulfill a lifelong dream, Kovach looks to other things for his ultimate career aspirations. He’d like to become a physical therapist, specializing in pediatric athletes, so the experience of working with families will provide opportunities to engage with children in a special way—the “Disney way,” Kovach said. “This happy place is a tangible location where people can come and forget about pettiness and let go of debilitating insignificant problems with work or silly arguments or all these tiny things that make our society so high strung and stressed out. Not everyone may believe in ‘Disney magic’ or ‘pixie dust,’ but you know the feeling when it hits you.”

For Kovach, spreading the “magic” is enough to move to Orlando, Florida and spend his first few months as a college graduate entertaining the world with the sights and sounds of Disney.

Barton-Arwood Receives Community Service Award

Hope Buckner
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sally-barton-arwoodDr. Sally Barton-Arwood, professor of education, is the recipient of a 2016 Harold Love Outstanding Community Service Award. The awards, only ten of which are given to students, faculty and staff statewide each year, were presented by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission this spring to recognize demonstrated effectiveness in public service. Erin Todd, a student from Belmont’s College of Pharmacy, also received an award for her community service. The Harold Love Award was created by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1991 and requires demonstrated public service beyond the scope of a nominee’s regular job and evidence of the success of his or her service.

Barton-Arwood was nominated for her work in the community focused on creating equitable, supportive and inclusive learning and community environments for individuals with disabilities. Barton-Arwood has forged collaborations with two community partners to co-create service-learning opportunities for Belmont students to understand issues of educational inequities and exclusion and to build relationships with students with disabilities. For the past five years, she has worked with Murrell School, a public school serving students with disabilities and for the past three years, she worked with the Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee, a nonprofit organization serving individuals with Down Syndrome and their families.

As part of their service-learning requirements, Belmont students majoring and minoring in education assist in classrooms at Murrell while Barton-Arwood’s class is held on its campus. Additionally, these students host weekend music camps for young children with Down Syndrome, making important conceptual shifts about how students learn and the importance of respectful and inclusive student teacher relationships.

Barton-Arwood’s community work is part of the Department of Education’s mission to champion equity, opportunity and dignity for all. “I am deeply appreciative of my community partners, the Belmont community as a whole and my colleagues in the Department of Education,” Barton-Arwood said. “There are so many exciting community engagement projects being spearheaded by Department of Education faculty and staff. This award is a recognition of all of our work.”

Belmont University School of Nursing Named on Top 50 List

Hope Buckner
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Belmont University School of Nursing Named on Top 50 List

Belmont’s School of Nursing was recently included on NursingSchoolsAlmanac.com’s top nursing schools list for 2016. With data collected from 3,200 institutions across the nation, 10 percent of schools are included on the organization’s list.

Belmont was ranked No. 28 in the “Top 50 School in the Southeast” (top 3 percent of schools considered) and No. 62 among private nursing schools on the “Top 100 Nursing Schools” list (in the top 5 percent of all schools considered) .

Belmont Hosts Middle Tennessee Science and Engineering Fair

Hope Buckner
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The Middle Tennessee Science and Engineering Fair (MTSEF), directed by Professor of Biology Dr. Steve Murphree, was recently held on Belmont’s campus.  The event’s 2016 grand prize winners, students from Camden High School, Martin Luther King, Jr. Magnet School and Vanderbilt University’s School for Science and Mathematics, went on to present their research at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) in Phoenix, Arizona.

Intel ISEF, a Society for Science & the Public program, is the largest international science competition in the world for high school students. According to the organization’s website, approximately 1,700 high school students from more than 75 countries, regions and territories present research and compete for prizes totaling $4 million.

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