Savannah Halliday, junior mathematics major, recently passed the Actuarial Exam P/1, the first of a series of nine exams which are required for full status as an actuary. P/1 has a pass rate of less than 50 percent.
Advised by Dr. Daniel Biles, The Belmont Actuarial Students Society is an organization for students interested in pursuing the Actuarial profession.
Members from Belmont’s Psychology Club and Psi Chi volunteered at Cottage Cove on Friday, October 23. Participating students included Kathryn Graeff, Bianca Flury, Katy Coffer, Candace Hearn, Diana Neculcea, Krystal Smith, Kayla Evans, Emily Boyd and Iris Chiang.
Cottage Cove provides an after-school program with an expanded program during the summer and school breaks. This program is offered fat no charge, by full scholarship, to more than 85 Nashville students each day. Their goal is to see children learn to rise above their circumstances, thrive and contribute to society. Cottage Cove’s programs exist to provide children with the keys necessary to unlock their future.
Associate Professor of Biology Dr. John Niedzwiecki recently attended the 2015 South East Population Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics Conference (SEPEEG), hosted by the University of Georgia, at the Rock Eagle 4H Center in Eatonton, Georgia.
Attended by approximately 100 faculty, post-doctorates and graduate students from around the southeast, SEPEEG included research talks, posters and a keynote address. Niedzwiecki presented a talk entitled “Using Dystopian Fiction to Enhance Learning and Alleviate Fears of Evolution and Genetics” based on his work in Belmont’s Learning Communities with Dr. Wyeth Burgess of the English Department.
Associate Professor of Music Business Dr. Cheryl Slay Carr, Assistant Processof of Sport Science Dr. Marnie Vanden Noven and Professor of Mathematics and Director of the Teaching Center Dr. Mike Pinter recently presented a session entitled “The Difficulty of Talking About Diversity: Cultural Leadership Cohort Faculty” at the 2015 North American Chapter of the World Council for Curriculum and Instruction (NAC-WCCI) meeting. NAC-WCCI’s 2015 theme was Creating Educational Environment that Embrace Diversity.
The group’s presentation included information about the formation, development and ongoing plans for two Cultural Leadership Faculty Cohort groups at Belmont which include faculty members from six Belmont colleges.
Belmont students from the College of Business recently participated in the 2015 CIBER Case Competition among six other universities including Florida State, San Diego State, Purdue, University of Vermont, University of Maryland and University of Connecticut. The team, made up of Parker Higgins, Evan Metcalf, Maggie Fincher and Jackie Tomlinson, worked on business cases with three students from universities around the world and had one day to complete and present the case.
Higgins (having only three teammates) successfully presented his case and wowed the judges, his fellow students and those in the audience. For the first time in CIBER’s history, Higgins swept three of four individual awards including Best Presenter, Best Q&A in the Preliminary Round and Best Presenter in the Final Round and led his team to win the overall case competition.
After his presentation, Higgins was offered a job by a judge who works for PricewaterhouseCoopers an any preferred location. Higgens said, “The CIBER case competition was an essential event in my development as a student and a young professional. The competition embodied all of the practical requirements to be a successful business professional: travel, team-building, working with people from all over the world, globally-minded business strategy formulation, and making new connections/friendships. Diligence and hard work, despite unfortunate odds, paid off in this case and this has cemented the idea that there is nothing one can’t accomplish if he puts his head down and works hard.”
For more information on CIBER Case Competition, click here.
Dr. Fannie Hewlett inspires students, faculty, staff, alumni in her return to campus
“When I’m stuck and I’ve done all I can do, I always turn to the Master,” Dr. Fannie Hewlett, Belmont College’s first African American graduate, said at a convocation held in her honor during the University’s 2015 Diversity Week. To celebrate Belmont’s diversity efforts and further the campus’ 125th Anniversary, the University’s Welcome Home Team invited Dr. Hewlett to campus to share her story with faculty, staff, students and alumni.
Growing up in Bay Minette, Alabama, Hewlett lived on a red dirt road where mail was delivered a mile away from her house to Rural Route Box 3. While in high school, Alabama Governor George Wallace started the William Lowndes Yancey State Junior College in her hometown and Hewlett, with a group of her friends, enrolled. It was there that Hewlett said she developed a love for psychology, largely due to the commitment and dedication of her inspirational teachers.
After graduating from junior college, Hewlett said her next step was unclear. So she turned to the Master and waited. Belmont College, some 420 miles away, sent a brochure that landed in her Rural Route Box 3 mailbox, making her decision more clear. “God told me it was time,” Hewlett said. “This is where I was supposed to be at that time. He knew that, and the rest is history. This is my story.”
Though she had no money and no car, Hewlett worked with the College to secure funds for her education and found a family friend who was traveling through Alabama to provide her transportation. There was only one thing left – “I just had to figure out where Nashville was.”
After arriving on campus, Hewlett said there were two things that immediately stuck out – beautiful gazebos and a welcoming spirit. “I never felt that I was unwelcome,” Hewlett said. “I never felt that they were just bringing me here because they needed that face to say to the world ‘Hey, look at us!’ I always felt that Belmont was welcoming me into the family.” After graduating from the College in 1970, Hewlett went on to obtain her Master’s Degree from Fisk University, her Doctorate from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and pursued a rich career in higher education that ultimately led to her most recent position as interim president at Chattanooga State Community College.
Despite a career full of success and accolades, Hewlett still looks to Belmont as one of the most formative and valuable opportunities of her life. “Being [here] has been one of the heights of my experiences. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to be,” Hewlett said. “The people I have met here are the people who have helped me to become what I have become today. For that, I am eternally grateful.”
Taking an opportunity to give advice to audience members, Hewlett emphasized the importance of 
passion, resilience and a deeply rooted faith in God. “Surround yourself with your faith. Surround yourself with God. As God is leading you, get yourself out of the way. Carry him with you always so when you fall down, you know he is going to pick you up,” she said.
Following her presentation, Hewlett was presented with a signed copy of Belmont’s recently published history book, From Here to Anywhere: Belmont University from 1890 – 2015, and the declaration of the establishment of the Dr. Fannie Hewlett Leadership Award. Scheduled to be presented to both an undergraduate and graduate student in the spring, the award is intended to celebrate diversity by recognizing courage, leadership and contribution to the creation of inclusion at Belmont.
Hewlett concluded her time on campus by encouraging members of the Belmont community to remain involved in the Belmont story. “I could not have asked for anything better at this stage in my life and career,” Hewlett said. “The history of Belmont is so rich, and it is continuing to evolve. You all are becoming part of that history. So, kudos to you. It is wonderful that you are going to become part of such a rich history that keeps growing.”
Belmont’s 2015 Diversity Week continues with Celebrate Diversity, an event featuring spoken word, live music and dance on Thurs., Oct. 29 at 6 p.m. in the Beaman Student Life Center. The week’s final convocation will be presented by local artist James Threalkill who will celebrate Belmont’s 125 anniversary by taking tiles created by members of the Belmont community and forming a collaborative mosaic art installation piece.
To view a video of Dr. Hewlett’s presentation, click here.
Belmont hosted the newest members of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame for an event on Oct. 20. Presented by the Wayland Holyfield Speaker Series, this was the third year the Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business has hosted the Hall of Fame’s most recent inductees on campus. Chairman of the Nashville Songwriters Foundation Pat Alger, who is also a member of the Hall of Fame, moderated the evening.
Two of the 2015 Inductees, inducted Oct. 11, Mark James and Even Stevens, were present with fellow Hall of Fame member Dickey Lee, and the group talked about their careers, played songs and answered questions from the audience, which primarily consisted of Belmont songwriting majors.
More information on the inductees can be found on Music Row.
Dr. Joy Jordan-Lake presented on her book, Blue Hole, Back Home: A Novel, which is the 2015 Honors Common Book on October 23 to the entering Honors program class.
Blue Hole won the 2009 national Christy Award for a first novel and was selected as the Common Book for Baylor University, Amarillo College, Regis College, Eastern Mennonite University and many others. Inspired by actual events from Jordan-Lake’s teenage years, the book explores the tensions and violence that erupt in a small southern town when a Muslim Sri Lankan family moves in.
Dr. Jordan-Lake holds a Ph.D. in American literature from Tufts University in Boston. She is the author of five other books, plus the Belmont University 125th Anniversary History Book, and is an adjunct faculty member in the Honors Program.
On Sunday, October 25, Belmont’s Bridges to Belmont Scholars dressed in costume and volunteered at the Nashville Zoo’s Boo at the Zoo event. Partnering with the Zoo, the participating scholars served the families and friends who attended the annual event by handing out candy, facilitating carnival games and serving hot chocolate to attendees.
Collectively, the Bridges Scholars and staff completed a total of 64 community service hours during the weekend.
‘125 Hours of Service’ allows Belmont to give back to Nashville and beyond through volunteering
As part of Belmont’s quasquicentennial celebration, the University is planning to complete 125 consecutive hours of service Nov. 8-13 at a wide range of local nonprofit organizations including Room in the Inn, Second Harvest Food Bank, the Martha O’Bryan Center, Thriftsmart and Nashville Rescue Mission, among others.
“A primary goal of the 125th Anniversary Planning Committee was to find opportunities to spotlight and celebrate those qualities that have been core values of Belmont since 1890,” said John Carney, committee chair and senior director of University Marketing and Public Relations. “And to do so in unique and interesting ways. So for service, it doesn’t get bigger than serving for 125 consecutive hours.”
“A primary goal of the 125th Anniversary Planning Committee was to find opportunities to spotlight and celebrate those qualities that have been core values of Belmont since 1890, and to do so in unique and interesting ways.”
A number of opportunities are now posted on Belmont’s “Get Connected” site, which is accessible from MyBelmont. Via MyBelmont students, staff and faculty will automatically be logged into the system; alumni can visit the Get Connected site and create an account so that they too can participate in the special week-long event. Once logged in to Get Connected, select the red banded “125 Hours of Continuous Service” logo, and users will be taken to a list of all of the community service opportunities that have been posted so far.
Director of Service Learning Tim Stewart noted, “We have a wide variety of service projects and times to fit most anyone’s interest and schedule. If you’re an early riser, you can serve breakfast at the Nashville Rescue Mission, or if you’re a night owl, you can serve as an overnight host for Room in the Inn. Throughout the day during the 125 Hours of Service, there are opportunities to help organizations such as Tennessee Voices for Children who are preparing for a Songwriter’s Night event, Thriftsmart where you can assist in sorting donations and organizing merchandise in their store, and the Jean Crowe Advocacy Center which provides safety and support to victims of domestic violence who are navigating thru the court system, who need some help cleaning and organizing their space.”
In addition to celebrating a significant Belmont milestone, all of the volunteer hours are also eligible for community service convocation credit for students.
The “125 Hours of Service” event is scheduled to conclude on Fri., Nov. 13 with a drop off party for Operation Christmas Child, a longstanding Belmont tradition. Participants can bring their filled boxes to the Maddox Grand Atrium between 11:30 a.m. and noon where a photo booth and writing station will be present so that community members can include a picture and note in their completed box before it ships.
A closing ceremony will follow promptly at noon for all of the volunteers from throughout the week and then everyone involved in making 125 Hours of Service happen will be invited to attend a celebratory lunch in the Beaman Student Life Center.
