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 Commits to Teaching Community Service Through Financial Giving

Paul Chenoweth
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KIVA, ‘Living a Better Story’ initiatives integrated into curriculum for freshmen, sophomores
In conjunction with the year-long campus theme of “Wealth and Poverty,” Belmont University is instituting two programs that aim to show students the powerful change that can occur through financial giving. A partnership with micro-lending organization KIVA is being targeted to freshmen while sophomores are being encouraged to participate in the “Living a Better Story” initiative, which invites them on a 21-day commitment to take money, multiply it and use it to make a difference in the lives of others. Both programs began last fall as test cases and are being fully implemented this academic year as part of the university’s curriculum.

Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher said, “I tell every incoming student that God made them for a purpose, and that the one thing we know is that their purpose isn’t about them. The University’s commitment to the KIVA and ‘Living a Better Story’ initiatives will effectively show students a concept that’s easy to miss in the classroom: that financial giving—in any amount—can make a huge difference in the lives of neighbors near and far.”

KIVA
The partnership between Belmont University’s freshman class and KIVA will provide thousands of dollars in loans to small business entrepreneurs in developing countries around the world. Though students have only been on campus a few weeks, several steps have already been taken to establish the partnership with KIVA, the world’s first personal micro-lending website, and the project will continue to play out over the course of the academic year:

  • Nearly 500 students have already joined the Freshmen KIVA initiative and loaned their funds, providing more than $12,000 in small business loans to entrepreneurs around the world.
  • Each student’s account has been seeded with $25. An anonymous donor will match up to an additional $25 in funds, giving each freshman the opportunity to invest a total of $75 in a KIVA.org entrepreneur’s venture.
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Angelou: ‘Rainbows in Clouds’ Liberate Voices

Paul Chenoweth
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Dr. Maya Angelou speaks at Belmont University Sept. 19, 2011.

Literary genius Maya Angelou urged the Belmont and Nashville communities to “be rainbows and not just in one” by letting their gratitude precede them and encouraging each other during her keynote address at the University’s 10th Annual Humanities Symposium on Monday evening.

“When it looked like the sun wouldn’t shine anymore, God put a rainbow in the clouds,” Angelou sang after acknowledging the sold out Curb Event Center’s welcoming applause with a bow. “I am so pleased to be at Belmont. I know that this University with its intent is a rainbow in the sky. I know that there are many young men and women who are students here who represent the first time anyone in their families have ever gone to an institution of higher education. That is a rainbow in the clouds. That means that there is a possibility of seeing light.”

Her keynote address began with her interpretation of God putting a rainbow in the sky in Genesis as a symbol of the possibility of seeing hope. Angelou shared the story of her grandmother raising her in rural Arkansas and how young Angelou was silenced at age seven because she thought her words killed her rapist. Her rainbows included Ms. Flowers, a teacher who told young Angelou she could not love poetry until she felt it on her tongue and let it roll over her teeth.

Her grandmother was also a motivating force. “’Mama don’t care about what these people say about you that you must be an idiot or a moron because you can’t talk. Mama know when you and the good Lord get ready, Sister, you gon’ be a teacher. You gon’ teach all over this world,’” she recalled her grandmother’s encouraging words.

“It is my blessing to teach in French and Spanish and English. If I had not started with that statement, ‘when it looked like the sun wouldn’t shine anymore, God put a rainbow in the clouds,’ you could think I was bragging. If I am bragging at all, I am bragging about the rainbow in my clouds. People who said, ‘Yes, I believe you could do it. It’s OK you don’t have to talk right now. I believe you can do it,’” Angelou said.

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Belmont University Ranks in Top 20 in Nation for Entrepreneurship

Paul Chenoweth
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From over 2,000 schools surveyed by The Princeton Review for Entrepreneur magazine, Belmont University was recognized as having one of the top 50 entrepreneurship programs in the country. Belmont ranked No. 19 in the undergraduate category of the survey.

The eighth annual ranking reveals the nation’s top 25 undergraduate and top 25 graduate programs for entrepreneurship. Belmont’s ranking can be seen at www.entrepreneur.com/topcolleges and www.princetonreview.com/entrepreneur.

Dr. Pat Raines, dean of Belmont’s College of Business Administration, said, “We are thrilled our entrepreneurship program continues to be recognized as one of the Top 25 programs in the country. Our faculty provide tremendous support and have a passion for innovation that cultivates an environment for success. Our students benefit from the many resources we offer to support their own endeavors, including opportunities to interact with local entrepreneurs, compete in business plan competitions and get involved in our student-run businesses or Hatchery system. We are very proud of the accomplishments of our students and alumni and the impact they are making.”

Dr. Jeff Cornwall, director of Belmont’s Center for Entrepreneurship, added, “The creativity, work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit of our students and alumni is what makes our program work. Our success is a direct result of their success.”

Belmont was evaluated based on key criteria in the areas of teaching entrepreneurship business fundamentals in the classroom, staffing departments with successful entrepreneurs, excellence in mentorship, providing experiential or entrepreneurial opportunities outside of the classroom, as well as non-traditional, distinguishable aspects of their programs.

In addition to this honor, Belmont’s program has also been recognized as a National Model Undergraduate Program for Entrepreneurship Education by the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) and was featured last year as one of five schools to consider when studying entrepreneurship by Fortune magazine.

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Cusic Wins ‘Cowboy Culture Literary Award’

Paul Chenoweth
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Don Cusic recently won the “Cowboy Culture Literary Award” for his writings. The award is presented by the Cowboy Culture Association at the Cowboy Symposium in Lubbock, Texas. Cusic’s most recent book (his 20th) is The Cowboy in Country Music, published by McFarland. Cusic was interviewed by Smithsonian Magazine about his new book; that interview is in www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture.

Education Faculty Present at Florida Reading Conference

Paul Chenoweth
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Education faculty Rachael Flynn-Hopper and Lauren Lunsford presented at the Florida Reading Association’s Annual Conference on Sept. 9 in Orlando, Fla. Their presentation entitled, “Comprehension Strategies for the Secondary Classroom: Before, During, and After Reading” addressed various research-based comprehension strategies for content area teachers of grades 7-12 as well as literacy coaches working in middle and high schools. The workshop involved modeling strategies, reflection and sharing of ideas from the participants, and making connections across schools, districts and content areas.

Professor, Alumna Receive Grant to Study Black Holes

Paul Chenoweth
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Assistant Professor of Physics Scott Hawley has been awarded a grant for his proposal “Spin Dependence in Binary Black Hole Initial Data,” to use  the super computers at Oak Ridge National Laboratories.  Hawley and Belmont alumna Lindsey Thompson, now a Fulbright scholar in England, will use the massive memory of super computer “Nautilus” to conduct high-resolution simulations of black holes.

Belmont’s Panhellenic Begins to ‘Think Theta’

Paul Chenoweth
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Belmont’s Panhellenic system has opened its doors to welcome a fourth sorority to campus as Kappa Alpha Theta recruits new members and prepares for the installation of the organization’s Eta Phi chapter. The organization, known as Theta, has three international aims – scholarship, social influence for good and a moral code of love.

“Belmont always looks to enrich the lives of our students through co-curricular experiences,” said Coordinator of Student Activities  Sara Rochford. “As our chapters have been growing larger we wanted to ensure that all female students would be able to have an opportunity for involvement in sorority life, if they so wished. So we needed to grow our community to ensure access. ”

The organization is excited to welcome a new round of 120 women, both upper and underclassmen, who will be the first to “think Theta” on campus and has plans to instantly become a viable member of Belmont’s Greek system. The recruitment process began this week with Theta’s PR Blitz, consisting of informational tables and five sessions held during both evenings and convocation hours.

The colonization kick-off event will be Sept. 22, an evening devoted to allowing interested women to meet members of the organization’s Grand Council, local alumnae and college women from assisting universities.

Bid Day, scheduled for Sept. 25, will kick off a  six-week period where colony members will be educated about the fraternity and will learn what it means to be a Theta. The colony will become a chapter on Nov. 6 at Theta’s Installation Celebration where members will sign and receive their charter.

La Campana Names Belmont Best Academic Institution

Paul Chenoweth
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Nashville’s Hispanic newspaper honored Belmont University on Sept. 15 with its 2011 Crystal Bell Award for Best Academic Institution during a 10th anniversary celebration for La Campana, Spanish for The Bell, at Hickory Hollow Mall.

“In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the newspaper we have chosen several organizations to give special recognition for their efforts throughout these years to reach out and be inclusive with the Hispanic community of Nashville and Middle Tennessee,” said Publisher Ramón L. Cisneros. “Belmont has been important to the Hispanic community for many years. At the beginning of the 2000s, Belmont was very important as a supporter of a program called Hispanic Achievers sponsored by the YMCA. Belmont also has been the main institution in promoting programs like Conexión Américas and Negocio Próspero, programs that help immigrants start businesses in the United States. Belmont also has hosted many Hispanic events through the years.  And Belmont has been very important to our community in terms of promoting arts and cultural events throughout the Fiesta Belmont event every May. During the presidential debate, Belmont was very considerate of including the Hispanic media and ethnic media in general.”

La Campana is a Spanish-language bimonthly newspaper. The newspaper’s board hand selected companies, organizations and individuals to receive Crystal Bell Awards.

University Director of Community Relations Joyce Searcy accepted the award on behalf of Belmont.

“Belmont University strives to be inclusive of all communities in the Nashville area and empower students and neighbors of diverse backgrounds,” Searcy said. “We are honored that La Campana recognizes Belmont’s employees and students for their efforts to engage and transform the world and especially the Hispanic community of Middle Tennessee.”

Belmont Ranks No. 7 in U.S. News List of America’s Best Colleges

Paul Chenoweth
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Belmont lauded as ‘Up and Comer’ and for ‘Strong Commitment to Teaching’

Belmont University landed at No. 7 on U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings of America’s Best Colleges. Announced today, Belmont placed in the Top 10 of the Regional Universities-South listing for the third consecutive year and was also lauded for the fourth year in a row as a top “Up-and-Comer,” indicating the university has made “promising and innovative changes in the areas of academics, faculty, student life, campus or facilities.” Moreover, Belmont was praised by its peers for its “unusually strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.”

Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher said, “I am both humbled and honored to be president of Belmont University. These rankings are meaningful to me because they recognize the immense dedication and talents of Belmont’s faculty, staff, students, administrators and trustees who commit themselves daily to making this institution one of the finest in the country.”

In the Best Regional Universities-South category, Belmont is again the highest-ranked university of the 15 ranked Tennessee institutions and in the top seven of the 127 schools included from the South. On some of the most important indicators used to determine the ranking, Belmont has improved over the previous year in its freshman retention and graduation rates. Other regional institutions in the Top 10 include Rollins College, Elon University, Stetson University, Samford University, The Citadel and James Madison University.

Provost Dr. Thomas Burns added, “Though I have only been part of the Belmont community since January, I have admired the high quality of Belmont’s academic programs and the faculty’s commitment to teaching for many years. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with colleagues who are passionate about engaging Belmont students in transformative learning every day.  Receiving recognition like this from our peers around the country is both a recognition of our commitment to excellence and a measure of the quality of our students, faculty and staff.”

At the start of the semester Belmont reached a record-breaking enrollment number for the eleventh straight year with approximately 6,400 students on campus, representing an eight percent increase since last year. Moreover, the incoming freshmen’s credentials continue to increase in strength with an average ACT score of 26.3 for the Class of 2015. In addition, 33 percent of new freshmen at Belmont were in the top 10 percent of their graduating class, and 61 percent were in the top quarter.

In addition to the Class of 2015, Belmont also welcomed its charter class to the College of Law last month. A total of 130 students are enrolled for the program’s inaugural year, beating projected goals by nearly 30 percent. Moreover, the strength of the initial class has exceeded expectations as well with incoming students holding a median LSAT score of 154.

Apple Expert Speaks to Belmont Students

Paul Chenoweth
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The future of Apple is in televisions with an application store for video games streamed straight to screens, Chartered Financial Analyst Tavis C. McCourt told Belmont University students.

McCourt, of Morgan Keegan, often is featured on CNBC as a top technology analyst and writes stock recommendations for large financial institutions that outsource to investment banks. He shared his thoughts and insights on the future of Apple and the personal and commercial PC/handheld markets during a lecture in the Neely Dining Room on Sept. 9.

“The easy answer to Apple’s success is it makes good products and that is obvious,” McCourt said. He cites the company’s vertical integration, in which it owns and makes its own software, and wealthy customers for Apple’s continued prosperity.

Apple also owns and controls its contacts with media companies and retail stores, avoiding third party companies, which maximizes profits. For instance, the iPhone should retail for $600 but Apple has wireless phone carrier companies subsidize the popular smart phone in exchange for exclusive contracts. Apple also does not profit from iTunes, but the iTunes marketing and retail strategy allows a platform that gives convenience as an incentive for companies and consumers to use Apple hardware, McCourt said.

“This integration of media and hardware allows Apple to by far make the highest profits in the industry,” he said.

Still, the technology company faces threats from Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Samsung. With the departure of former chief executive officer Steve Jobs, Apple will lose top engineers to its competitors.

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