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 Partners with Community Organizations to Host Movie Series

Imagine Me _Poster -emvImagine Me summer film series to education, entertain Nashville youth

The Belmont University Troutt Theater will host the International Black Film Festival of Nashville (IBFFN)’s six-week Imagine Me summer film series for children at 10 a.m. on Saturdays between June 28 and July 26 for families to view feature films at discounted rates.

The film series is held in collaboration with Organized Neighbors of Edgehill (ONE), Metro Parks, Easley Historical Recreation Center and the Edgehill Family Resource Center (EFRC) to put quality film programming in the heart of their communities. Imagine Me aims to engage children in the art of film by developing skill and knowledge in media and technology literacy, broadening insights into other cultures, enhancing aptitude for foreign languages, developing critical thinking skills and inspiring a lifelong appreciation for cinema.

“The film series is a must do for IBFFN.  It is a part of our mission to make accessible the many aspects of visual media and effectively  empower this generation  to embrace and participate in the art of storytelling,” said IBFFN Founder and Executive Director Hazel Joyner-Smith.

The series includes a host of short, documentary and feature films that provide positive, educational and family-friendly entertainment. The film line-up includes “Spider Man 2,” “Rio 2,” “The Nut Job,” “Frozen,” French film “Ernest et Célestine” and South African film “Khumba.” The children also will learn about the critical aspects of film in many different areas including directing, producing and during talk back discussions following the showings.

“We’re glad to provide an opportunity to develop the critical thinking and creative skills for the children in our neighborhood and keep them positively occupied for the summer,” said Joyce Searcy, director of community relations at Belmont University.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for our kids to learn the various aspects of film,” said Marlo Lavendar, director of the Easley Historical Recreation Center. “More importantly, it will help in their ability to analyze and critique films and other forms of media.”

Tickets are $1 for children under age 6, $4 for general admission and can be purchased by calling (615) 565-9256. Click here for more information.

Belmont Hosts Workshop for Science, English Teachers

conversations_1Twenty middle and high school teachers attended a May 29 workshop on Food & Gardening intended to grow partnerships between science and English teachers to support instruction of the sixth through 12th grade Reading (Literature and Informational Text) CC Standards.  Leading the discussions were Belmont professors Lauren Lunsford, Darlene Panvini, Sally Barton-Arwood and Bonnie Smith-Whitehouse.  Dinner, books and teaching items were provided by the Middle Tennessee STEM Innovation Hub and the event was coordinated by Glenn Acree.

A follow-up workshop will be held at Belmont on June 16 through 20 and will focus on using cooking and gardening to develop partnerships between Science and English teachers to support instruction of the sixth through 12th grade Reading:  Literature and Informational Text CC standards.  Twenty-four teachers from five school districts will participate.

This workshop is funded by a Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) $75,000 grant received by Lunsford and Panvini earlier this year. Lunsford and Panvini worked with Acree and the Middle Tennessee STEM Innovation Hub’s Director Vicki Metzgar on the grant, with the purpose to unite English and Science teachers to help their students explore text in interactive and fun ways. Their project will provide teachers with the professional development and time to explore and plan lessons that utilize hands-on activities like community gardens and classroom kitchens to support the teaching of informational texts. Teachers from Bedford County, Davidson County, Dickerson County, Montgomery County and Franklin City Schools will have the opportunity to participate in workshops this summer and receive continued support in the fall.

Biology Professors Lead Home School Science Discoveries

Dr. John Niedzwiecki and Dr. Steve Murphree, of biology, led 16 home schooled students, grades seven through 10, in their Vertebrate Anatomy Home School Science Discoveries session on May 28. The students performed dissections to learn about muscles, organs and organ systems and how they function.

Pethel Article Published in Tennessee Historical Quarterly

mary ellen pethelMary Ellen Pethel, of the Honors Department, had the article “The Coming Woman: Ward Seminary, 1865-1913” published in the April issue of Tennessee Historical Quarterly. The subject of her article was also featured on the back cover in the form of a historic postcard.

 

Overall Presents at Conference

joel overallAssistant Professor of English Joel Overall recently presented at the International Rhetoric Society of America Conference in San Antonio, Texas. His paper was entitled “Kenneth Burke and Nazi Musical Propaganda”. The presentation examined noted rhetorician Kenneth Burke’s review of Paul Hindemith’s “Mathis der Maler” symphony to understand how Nazi propagandists persuaded the German public to join the National Socialists in 1934. In addition, his multimedia presentation breaks new ground in rhetorical studies by investigating how Burke’s extensive rhetorical theory might apply to nonlinguistic rhetorics.

Riechert Featured in Public Relations Magazine

bonnie reichertDr. Bonnie Parnell Riechert was interviewed in the June 2014 issue of PRSA Tactics. In the article Writing and Leading for the Future,” she says the best advice she ever received was, “Be honest. Be grateful. Be kind. Develop your character and the right actions will follow.” Riechert is chairman of the Department of Public Relations and serves as faculty adviser for Belmont’s chapter of Public Relations Student Society of America.

 

Slay Carr Presents Workshop at Education Conference

imagesCheryl Slay Carr, associate professor of music business in Curb College, had her proposal selected to present  a workshop titled “Teaching the Business of Jazz: A Pedagogical Approach to Teaching the Commerce of Diversity in the Performing Arts” at the 27th Annual National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in American Higher Education, which took place May 21-31 in Indianapolis, Ind.

International Country Music Conference Held at Belmont

Authors and journalists at the conference, left to right, are James Akenson, Si Kahn, Sue Massek and co-host Don Cusic.
Authors and journalists at the conference, left to right, are James Akenson, Si Kahn, Sue Massek and co-host Don Cusic.

The 31st Annual International Country Music Conference was held at Belmont University on May 22 through 24. Hosted by Belmont Professor of Music Business Don Cusic and Tennessee Technological University Professor  James Akenson, the conference featured a special panel on the late CMT Editorial Directort Chet Flippo.

The conference also included a special one woman show by Sue Masset, “Precious Memories,” about labor activist Sarah Ogan Gunning. The show was written by singer-songwriter and social justice activist Si Kahn. Kahn also presented the keynote speech during the conference. There also were sessions from country music scholars covering topics including the Bluebird Café, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Gram Parsons, Barbara Mandrell, Marty Robbins and the Beatles and Country Music. Scholars from Norway, Japan and Canada as well as those from California, Illinois, Florida, Massachusetts, Missouri, Georgia, Ohio, Arkansas, Indiana, West Virginia, North Carolina, New York, South Dakota, Louisiana, Texas and Tennessee attended.

Belmont Named Among Top Colleges for Outdoor Enthusiasts

Badge - Great Value CollegesGreatValuesColleges.net has named Belmont University among the 50 most affordable colleges ideal for students who have a passion for outdoor living. The list was complied based on tuition, location and academic and recreation programs for outdoor sports and adventures, including a major in outdoor recreation and a tournament-winning rock climbing team.

Belmont is sited as a “school to watch” for its community relationships built through the renovation and use of E.S. Rose Park, home fields to the University’s baseball, softball, soccer and track team. The publication also mentions Bruin Skydive, Ultimate Frisbee, the Rock Outing Club, equestrian, swim, soccer and tennis clubs.

Pharmacy Students Trained as Hepatitis C Educators

HCV-Training-PhotoOn May 21, fourth-year pharmacy students William Herbert and Myduy Nguyen, along with pharmacy faculty member Dr. Ashton Beggs, attended a Hepatitis C Training Workshop. This intensive one-day training provided attendees with knowledge and tools to go into their communities and educate others about Hepatitis C. Topics covered in this workshop include the liver, Hepatitis C transmission, prevention, diagnosis, symptoms, disease progression and management as well as medical treatment.

In 2001, the Hepatitis C Support Project (HCSP) conducted a broad needs assessment for hepatitis C awareness and education. The HCSP determined the most needed resource was a quality hepatitis C educational process that could be widely distributed and utilized throughout underserved communities affected by hepatitis C. To accomplish this objective, HCSP designed a program that covers awareness and education in a training workshop environment. The goal of this program is to provide unbiased and quality education to individuals who can then educate their respective communities on the virus.

Beggs provides clinical pharmacy services at United Neighborhood Health Services Downtown and Mission Clinics. These two clinics primarily serve the homeless population in Nashville. Each month her students work with other health care providers at these clinics to provide patient care in an interdisciplinary manner.

“This was a great opportunity to expand our knowledge about Hepatitis C, given that it affects many of our patients at UNHS. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 3 million Americans have chronic hepatitis C and at least 15,000 Americans die each year of Hepatitis C-related complications. Gaining more insight into this disease and how to best care for those affected will undoubtedly improve our patient care at UNHS,” said Beggs.

Herbert said, “The workshop was very eye opening. It challenged me to look at Hepatitis C more personally rather than objectively- and encouraged me to advocate for more resources for patients affected by this disease.”

Nguyen said, “Prior to the training, I knew very little about the condition. Now, I am able to counsel patients on the condition, prevention, treatments and common side effects of medications. Overall, the training was engaging, helpful and fun.”

Given the successful completion of this workshop, Herbert, Nguyen and Beggs are now certified as Basic Hepatitis C Educators by the HCSP.