Belmont journalism students found great success at the annual Southeast Journalism Conference in Atlanta last weekend, Feb. 27-28.

In the onsite competition where students compete in live events by reporting, writing, shooting pictures and taking tests, Belmont placed second overall and six students placed individually:

The Belmont Vision competed with more than 40 universities from a seven-state region in the Best of the South competition, in which the students submitted articles and videos published in 2014. The online newspaper won Best College Website and the University had its best-ever showing, bringing home eight awards:

All six Belmont public relations students who took the new, nationally-administered public relations exam earned their Certificate of Principles in Public Relations. These six students participated in the 1-credit preparation course piloted at Belmont in the fall. The Public Relations Department has since incorporated the preparation material into a remodeled 3-credit senior capstone course that began this semester.

The six students to receive their Certificate are:

• Mary Anna Davis, public relations major, expected graduation May 2015
• Kacy Gieg, public relations major, expected graduation May 2015
• Kristin Hinkley Moore, public relations major, graduated December 2014
• Lane Sasser, public relations major, expected graduation May 2015
• Nicole Smart, public relations management major, expected graduation May 2015
• Kate Wilke, public relations major, expected graduation May 2015

“This is a tremendous achievement for the students, and their success is a testament to the high-quality education they have gained from the courses and instruction in our department,” said Public Relations Professor Dr. Kevin Trowbridge. “This inaugural success has set the bar high while also providing some valuable data to help us further develop our undergraduate program to meet the demands of the strategic communication landscape.”

To learn more about this certificate, click here.

Six students from Belmont University’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business performed for the Sony/ATV Music Publishing Creative Team in historic Columbia Studio A on Feb. 23.

The students were chosen through a partnership developed by the Curb College and Sony/ATV Music Publishing called “All Access”, designed to give students a pathway to share their talent and work. For more information about “All Access”, click here.

Participating students agreed that the experience was an invaluable one, giving them the opportunity to be in front of music industry leaders that could significantly impact their future goals. With a focus on allowing students to step outside of the classroom and get experience in professional settings, the Curb College continually provides opportunities to supplement educational experiences with hands-on opportunities.

Belmont senior and music business/production major Ben Whisler said, “I am hugely appreciative of both the Curb College and Sony/ATV for putting on All Access and giving young writers like myself the opportunity to showcase our talent and music that we work so hard on. I think it speaks volumes about Sony/ATV as a company with a vision for success not only today, but also in the future. They hold some of the most premier catalogs in existence, but still come fully-staffed to meet with six young, unknown writers. Again, I am also thankful to the Curb College staff for helping organize an event like this, and doing everything they can to go beyond the classroom to help their students.  I am very happy and fortunate to have been a part of it.”

Chair of Songwriting in the Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business James Elliott said, “This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to have their music heard. We look forward to the process and have high hopes that Sony ATV Music Publishing will discover some future hit makers at Belmont.”