Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship Mark Schenkel recently received the United States Association
for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) President’s Award for Outstanding Service. The plaque is in recognition for his outstanding leadership and service serving as senior vice president of operations and planning on the USASBE Board of Directors. The award was presented on Jan. 15 during the 26th annual USASBE conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. USASBE is the largest independent academic organization in the world dedicated to advancing the discipline of entrepreneurship.
Schenkel Honored with Entrepreneurship Award
Walton Presents Paper at Philosophy Meeting
Dr. Melanie Walton, assistant professor in the philosophy department presented a paper entitled “Possibilities: A Response to C. Smith’s ‘Sliding Doors'” to the Philosophy of Time Society from Nottingham at the 108th Annual Meeting of the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association in Washington, D.C. in December.
May Duo Creating Delightful Treats Through Bakery
The Sweet Stash, a bakery owned by Dr. Vaughn May (Political Science) and his wife, Whitney May (Belmont Music Business alumna, ’06) was recently featured in The Tennessean. The May’s recently remodeled their home kitchen into a commercial kitchen and have been baking savory confections such as breads, cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and whoopie pies in a variety of creative flavors including maple butternut squash, chocolate chip orange, and caramel toffee crunch.
Whitney does most of the baking while Vaughn handles much of the day-to-day business. The Sweet Stash sells its bakery treats at the Nashville Farmer’s Market and also accepts custom orders for special occasions such as weddings and parties.
Belmont University ‘Tops Out’ Baskin Center
$32 million building will house College of Law upon completion this summer
Belmont University’s College of Law today celebrated the official “topping out” ceremony for the Randall and Sadie Baskin Center, a 71,000 square foot facility that will serve as the College’s permanent home upon the building’s completion this summer. In August 2011, Belmont’s College of Law welcomed its charter class of 132 students who hail from 14 different states.
College of Law founding Dean Jeff Kinsler said, “From breaking ground on this building to hiring our first faculty members to welcoming our charter class, Belmont’s College of Law has already achieved some incredible milestones. Today we celebrate another as we ‘top out’ this building which will soon house Middle Tennessee’s next generation of great legal minds and community leaders.”
The Baskin Center, which will cost approximately $32 million when completely outfitted, will be located on the southwest corner of the intersection of Acklen and 15th Avenues and will include a five-level underground parking garage accommodating 520 cars. Slated to open in July 2012, the Baskin Center is being designed and built by locally-owned companies Earl Swensson Associates and R.C. Mathews. The Baskin Center will house a high-end furnished Trial Courtroom outfitted with state-of-the-art AV equipment for mock trials.
The building will also include a large two-story Law Library and will provide three large, auditorium-style classrooms with tiered seating. In addition, the Baskin Center will contain more than a dozen classrooms, an appellate courtroom, more than 20 faculty offices and a Grand Lobby Rotunda area. Designed with the needs of law students in mind, the building will feature numerous amenities including a student commons, wireless Internet access, offices for student organizations, a locker room and food service.
The Baskin Center will also seek to attain silver LEED certification. LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts. The new building will feature a Geothermal Heating and Cooling system and energy efficient light fixtures as well as utilize energy conservation methods within the building’s utilities (electricity, plumbing and HVAC).
Former Belmont Athletic Director Larry Striplin Passes Away
Former Belmont University Athletic Director Larry Striplin, Jr., 82, died yesterday in a Birmingham, Ala. hospital. Striplin established Belmont’s first men’s basketball team in 1952 and served in that capacity for four years, along with coaching baseball and serving as Belmont’s first Athletic Director.
Betty Wiseman, Belmont’s current assistant athletic director and senior women’s administrator, said, “We are all deeply saddened to hear of Larry’s passing. Belmont University has lost a dear friend. Our history in Belmont Athletics will always be traced back to the hiring of Larry as our first athletic director and basketball coach in 1952. We will forever be grateful for his life and legacy in our history and heritage. Larry Striplin will always be remembered as the ‘patriarch’ of Belmont Athletics. I have been deeply moved through the years by his players who continued to show deep love, respect and gratitude for their Coach and the impact he had on their lives. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Rhonda, and the family.”
Visitation will be held on Fri., Jan. 27, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame (2150 Richard Arrington, Jr. Boulevard, Birmingham, AL). Funeral services will be held on Sat., Jan. 28, at 11 a.m. at First United Methodist Church (518 19th Street North, Birmingham, AL). Burial will be at 4 p.m. that day at Live Oak Cemetery, 300 Dallas Avenue, in Selma, AL, following a brief graveside service. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in Mr. Striplin’s name to Birmingham-Southern College through the Office of Institutional Advancement, 900 Arkadelphia Road, Birmingham, AL 35254; to the Bryant-Jordan Student-Athlete Program, P.O. Box 10163, Birmingham, AL 35202; or to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, 2150 Richard Arrington, Jr. Boulevard, Birmingham, AL.
As Belmont’s head basketball coach, Striplin posted a 58-42 record and recorded three winning seasons in his four-year tenure. He produced Belmont Athletics’ first All-American in any sport, Robert Barnes, who continues to be regarded as one of Belmont’s all-time great student-athletes. Larry would later honor this unique athlete by establishing the Robert E. Barnes Graduate Scholarship Award, presented annually to a student-athlete who is entering graduate school upon graduation from Belmont.
Coach Striplin remained a friend and benefactor to the university throughout his life. Belmont’s Striplin Gymnasium was named in his honor, along with the Striplin-Wiseman Athletic Office Complex in the Curb Event Center. In 1980, he was one of the first three charter members of the Belmont Athletic Hall of Fame.
Born November 11, 1929 in Selma, Ala., Larry Striplin, Jr. was a businessman and philanthropist. He attended Spring Hill College in Mobile for two years and graduated from Birmingham-Southern College with a B.S. Degree in Education. He continued his education at George Peabody College (now Vanderbilt) in Nashville, Tenn., where he earned his M.A. Degree in Education. He was the CEO of Nelson-Brantley Glass Company and Circle “S” Industries and was instrumental in establishing the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, serving for 13 years as Chairman and a total of 23 years on the hall’s board. Striplin also founded the Bryant-Jordan Student-Athlete scholarship program in 1986. Almost $10 million has been distributed to more than 2,200 senior student-athletes since the program’s inception.
Parry Donates Oral History Interview to Eisenhower Library
Pam Parry, chair of the Communication Studies Department, signed Jan. 18 a deed of gift to the Dwight Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene, Kansas, donating an oral history interview. The interview with Richard C. Snyder, the son of President Eisenhower’s personal physician, will be added to the holdings of the library for use by future researchers. The president’s doctor — Dr. Howard Snyder — was a key figure in the administration because Eisenhower had three illnesses while in office, including a heart attack, stroke and ileitis (Crohn’s disease). Parry interviewed Richard Snyder for her dissertation, titled “The PR President: How Ike Transformed Political Communication.” The Eisenhower Library is one of 13 presidential libraries in the nation.
Belmont’s Chinese Program Expands with Study Abroad Trip, Book Donation Award
Belmont University’s Chinese program is growing this year with a Chinese Language Summer Institute and a book donation award to immerse students in Chinese language and culture.
“More Chinese language speakers will be required to facilitate and support future commercial and political relationships, both in China and in the U.S. The professional opportunities for Americans who speak Chinese are on a skyrocketing scale,” said Qingjun Li, assistant professor of Asian Studies and Chinese Language.
Twenty students have registered for the Chinese Language Summer Institute, a six-week program to begin in May, Li said. Students will take elementary Chinese for two weeks at Belmont, followed by a month-long study abroad trip to mainland China and Hong Kong. The institute offers students up to 12 credit hours, with two Chinese courses and a choice from four electives: Third Tear Writing, Asian Humanities, Junior Cornerstone and International Business. The classes will be taught by Belmont and Zhengzhou University professors.
Li said Mandarin, the first language of more than 20 percent of the world’s population, is becoming an increasingly important language because of China’s growing economy. The country has the world’s second largest economy and is predicted to take the No. 1 spot from the United States in the next two decades. Business Week has said that learning Chinese is a “resume-builder,” calling it “the most advantageous foreign language for business persons to acquire.”
“Over 35 million people worldwide are learning Chinese, and over 2,500 universities in 100 countries are teaching Chinese. Just about everyone knows that China is one of the largest trading partners of the United States, but few people may realize that over 16,000 U.S. companies do business in China and have long-term investments there. It might be a surprise to learn that China is also the second largest export destination for Tennessee merchandise,” Li said.
U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper Joins Belmont, TSU, Lipscomb Students for Joint Service Project
More than 200 university students carried on the legacies of Martin Luther King Jr. and other Civil Rights Movement workers when they spent five hours volunteering at Red Cross and Feed the Children, U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper told the group.
“(King) visited Nashville not to give inspiration but to gain inspiration. That is the single greatest compliment that any community ever could be paid,” U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper said before they began their service projects. His brief speech highlighted the works of King, U.S. Rep. John Lewis and other Nashville students who marched throughout town and held sit-ins during the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement. “Thank you for carrying on Dr. King’s dream, even though we have not reached it today.”
The students from Belmont, Tennessee State and Lipscomb Universities gathered Jan. 14 at the American Red Cross of Middle Tennessee to celebrate and honor King through a day of community service. The MLK Day of Service is a nationally recognized event intended to empower individuals, strengthen communities, bridge barriers, create solutions to social problems and move individuals closer to Dr. King’s vision of a beloved community.
“Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spent most of his time serving others. Belmont, TSU and Lipscomb University are collaborating together once again to bring together people in the community as well as students who might not ordinarily meet or work together to honor his legacy,” said Summer Elliott, community partnership resource coordinator for Belmont’s Center for Social Entrepreneurship and Service-Learning.
Alumnus Tad Wilson Honored with Curtain Call Award
School of Music alumnus Tad Wilson (’92) received the Curtain Call Award Tuesday night at a concert in his honor. The award is presented annually to a School of Music alumnus in honor of achievement in the field of commercial and popular music.
Sandra Dudley, assistant professor of commercial voice and coordinator of the Curtain Call Award Concert, said, “Tad Wilson is most deserving of this award. His accomplishments since graduation are plentiful and exceptional. He represents the kind of excellence in singing and musicianship that we are promoting here at Belmont.”
A native of Augusta, Ga., Wilson’s Broadway credits include Bonnie and Clyde, Rock of Ages and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. He graduated from Belmont’s School of Music with a degree in Commercial Music Vocal Performance and secured his first professional job as a performer at Opryland USA. Since his professional debut, Wilson has appeared on stages around the country. He has been featured on ABC, TNN, and has performed twice for U.S. Presidents. As an original cast member of the Broadway and Off-Broadway productions of Rock of Ages, he was a part of the 2009 Tony Awards, and has appeared on “The View” and “The Today Show” concert series. He has worked with personalities such as Frank Wildhorn, and Richard Maltby, Jr., sharing the stage with Constantine Maroulis, Trisha Yearwood, Clay Aiken, Larry Gatlin, Hal Holbrook and Maya Angelou, among others.
Previous Curtain Call Award winners include Tim Lauer, Josh Turner, Ginny Owens, Chester Thompson, Jill Phillips, Will Denton, Fleming McWilliams, Melodie Crittenden, Jozef Nuyens, Gordon Mote, Tammy Rogers King, Bernie Herms and Chris Rodriguez.
Acuff Details ‘5 Lies’ Entrepreneurs Should Ignore for Success
Jon Acuff, best-selling author of Stuff Christians Like, spoke Wednesday in the Massey Board Room about the five lies every entrepreneur must ignore in order to succeed. An experienced speaker and the creator of StuffChristiansLike.net, a blog read by more than two million people in 97 percent of the countries in the world, Acuff has worked with companies like Home Depot, Chick-fil-A, Bose and Staples on their brand positioning and marketing.
In a talk sponsored by Belmont’s Center for Entrepreneurship, Acuff spoke on “5 Lies Every Entrepreneur Must Ignore to Succeed,” captivating a completely packed room of hopeful Belmont students and faculty by delivering his powerful message with a lighthearted and slightly comical spin.
He began by emphasizing the fact that technology and social media have completely redefined our generation’s standards and opportunities among the business realm. Acuff claimed that “consumer behavior has changed” because “our generation is the most over-marketed” generation in comparison to ever before.
The exorbitant amount of information that technology offers allows consumers to research and become aware of nearly anything, and they desire truth in marketing. Acuff brought up an example of change in comparing Nike’s marketing slogan years ago versus now to illustrate this point of truth in marketing. At one point, Nike’s marketing campaign was “Be Like Mike” which inferred to the consumer that by wearing Air Jordan shoes one could be like Michael Jordan. Now Nike’s marketing campaign is “Our shoes work if you do.” This pointed example prefaced Acuff’s message of entrepreneurs being mindful of the lies that can often detour one’s success.
Acuff defined the first lie that many in the entrepreneurial world face to be stressing over “finding the next big thing.” He claimed that many look for the “Eureka moments” when often times the most successful ideas can develop from the “hinge moments,” the small changes or ideas that can have a meaningful impact on business ventures. He went on to show the “hinge moment” of Chick-Fil-A as being the addition of the spicy chicken sandwich. This was not a brand new or innovative idea, but this decision profoundly impacted the profits of the Chick-Fil-A franchise.
