The 2013 Gabhart Award for Staff Excellence and Service was presented to Senior Director of Curb College Initiatives Sarah Cates during the annual Staff Christmas Breakfast.

Cates is a former Bruin student-athlete, an alumna, a strong advocate for student centeredness and a promoter of the University’s sense of community. As written in her nomination, “She always seeks to do that which is right and uses her faith as a measure for action.”

She is known for fostering community and collaboration among faculty and staff. She has persuaded Curb College staff members to get to know employees in other departments by giving them each $20 of her own money to break bread with colleagues across campus.

It is her responsibility to develop external programs and industry relationships for Belmont students, and she does not stop at 4:30 p.m. She lives out the University mission in her daily life. To help “empower men and women of diverse backgrounds,” she opened her home to provide dinner to Bridges to Belmont students adjusting to life in college. To “engage and transform the world,” she counsels and supports recording artists and their families through Porter’s Call and serves on the NashvilleNext Arts and Culture team using her topical expertise to develop the city’s 25-year plan.

The Gabhart Award for Staff Excellence and Service is the highest honor Belmont University presents to a staff member. It recognizes exemplary commitment and service to the University as well as honors staff members who have demonstrated achievements and contributions of a significant nature.

Computer Technician Chris Wilcoxson gave a presentation at WordCamp Nashville 2013 back in April on building your first WordPress widget. Click here to watch the video of his presentation posted on WordPress’s video training site.

Twenty years after entertainment industry studies adjunct Steve Taylor’s last studio album, he’s taking a sabbatical from film making to record all new music with a new band. The album Kickstarter campaign was fully funded in 36 hours. Click here to watch the video. 

Audio Engineering Assistant Professor Eric Tarr had a manuscript accepted for publication to The International Journal of Audiology.  The title of the article is “Low-frequency signals support perceptual organization of implant-simulated speech for adults and children.” The article discusses how the combination of hearing aids and cochlear implants can be used to improve speech perception for listeners with hearing loss.

Songwriting adjunct Shaun Shankel co-wrote a song that will be used in the show “Nashville” episode No. 214.  The song is called “Who I Am.” In the ABC television show, character Gunnar writes and sings it for Will.

Professor of Music Business Don Cusic received the “President’s Award” from the Western Music Association recently. Cusic was editor of their quarterly publication, The Western Way, for 13 years. Cusic also inducted Louise Massey and the Westerners into the Western Music Hall of Fame while actor and singer Johnny Western inducted Johnny Cash.

Music business adjunct Rob Cheplicki is serving as producer of this year’s ICiT films. ICiT is a local non-profit organization that works with under-served youth at the YMCA, and takes them through a month long screenwriting camp, where they learn how to write and finish a script.  A script is chosen from each group and given to a professional producer and director and turned into a world-class film. Production for both films will be completed by the end of January, and ICiT has partnered with the Nashville Film Festival so that both films will be premiered at the festival in the spring and also have set up TV distribution with NECAT that will broadcast both films on Comcast and Uverse in the spring. This is a life changing opportunity for these youth, who are literally able to have their voice heard for the first time,  and also an incredible opportunity for the Nashville film community to bring original narrative film to life with such powerful backing, and remarkable distribution already in place.

Career Development Specialist Lori Bumgarner is among “49 Female Music Entrepreneurs (Sharing) Their Best Advice” on Hypebot.com.

“Never try to do things exactly the way others tell you to do it or exactly the same way they did it. Promotion of your brand has to be done in a way that is true to you. Not every species of flower blooms at the same rate or under the same conditions,” she told the online publication.

Belmont School of Music faculty member Sandra Dudley has released a brand new CD on Cognito Records called “All Of My Life” with friend and jazz pianist, Lori Mechem.   Mechem is a former piano instructor at Belmont and the director of the Nashville Jazz Workshop with husband and bassist, Roger Spencer.  Dudley has been teaching voice in the commercial music department since 1995.  The duo project is a tribute to the legendary lyricists, Alan and Marilyn Bergman.  The Bergmans have written lyrics for songs put to music by composers such as Michel Legrand and Marvin Hamlisch, and performed by countless artists including Barbra Steisand-a lifelong friend.  Dudley and Mechem recorded the  project in early August and celebrated the release on Nov. 17 at the Nashville Jazz Workshop to a standing room only crowd.  The Bergmans have been involved with the project from the beginning adding a quote and picture to the project.  The album also includes two previously unrecorded Bergman songs.

On Nov. 23, Dr. Amanda Miller, assistant professor of religion, presented a paper called “The Nazareth Proclamation:  Nuancing Luke’s Resistance” at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature in Baltimore, Md.