Several members of Belmont’s B the Word spoken word group represented Belmont at YouthSpeak Nashville’s Mid South Grand Slam Finals in April. Freshman Keayana Robinson, an entrepreneurship major, won first place in the 18-22 division, while sophomore Levi Gordon, an audio engineering technology major, placed second, and Amy Ashida, a sophomore double major in entrepreneurship and music business, placed third. The contest featured Mid South poets, emcees and spoken word artists competing to represent the region at the national competition in Chicago. Other B the Word participants included: Hayden Coleman, Taylor Preston and Nina Nwofina. Belmont placed second overall in the college team finals.
Belmont, Edgehill, Metro Parks Celebrate Grand Opening of Rose Park
$10 million renovated facility opens with ribbon cutting, community dinner, baseball doubleheader
Belmont University, the Edgehill community and the Metro Board of Parks and Recreation joined together today to celebrate the Grand Opening of the newly renovated E.S. Rose Park and Sports Complex. Following a rainy morning, the skies cleared, and park festivities began at 4 p.m. with the first of a doubleheader Belmont baseball match up vs. Murray State along with kids’ activities, music and a complimentary dinner. Click here to see photos from the event.
Nashville Mayor Karl Dean participated in the official ribbon cutting ceremony along with Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher, Mike Strickland (Belmont Athletics), Deborah Washington (E.S. Rose family representative), 13-year-old Mekia Morrow (Rose Park Magnet School, Lighting the Path), 11-year-old baseball player JJ Mercer (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities), Marty Dickens (Belmont Board of Trustees), Tommy Lynch (Metro Parks), Vincent Campbell (Pastor, Kayne Avenue Baptist Church), Erica Gilmore (District 19 Council member) and Rev. Michael Broadnax (Pastor of Greater Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church).
An innovative, shared facilities concept between Belmont University and Metro Parks, E.S. Rose Park and Sports Complex features several state-of-the-art athletic venues, which will ultimately include: a 750-seat synthetic turf baseball field; a 250-seat natural grass softball field; a new 300-seat track; soccer facilities with synthetic turf for safety and speed; a walking track; relocated basketball courts; and a single-story 5,150-square-foot center providing team locker space and concession stand.
Mayor Dean said, “This is a great example of a public private partnership that benefits everyone involved. Through this partnership we were able to do more with this park than we would have been able to do alone, and Belmont gets a facility close to the school to play their games. As we work to make Nashville a healthier city, places like this help make it easier for people to live more active lives and that is truly what makes projects like this one so important.”
Dr. Fisher added, “Today represents a significant moment in the history of Belmont University and our ongoing relationships with both the city of Nashville and our campus neighbors. All of our students, faculty and staff recognize the incredible opportunities that come with the long-awaited grand opening of E.S. Rose Park. This facility not only provides our student-athletes and fans a beautiful new home field, but this Metro Park offers immense potential for Belmont University to more deeply connect with and serve our community partners, local schools and neighborhood children.”
Belmont University is investing more than $10 million in the park and will make annual lease payments of $50,000 to provide support to the surrounding schools as well as support the programming for youth and seniors at the Easley Center. Metro Nashville Parks and Recreation will own and control the scheduling of E.S. Rose Park and Sports Complex and its improvements. In addition to its athletic offerings, a Thor Guard Lightning Prediction System has been installed in the park, which will be activated from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Thor Guard predicts the probability of lightning hazards in an area up to 25 square miles and provides a specific reading of the risk in the immediate area, allowing park users ample time to take cover in the event of dangerous weather conditions.
The renovated E.S. Rose Park facility also promotes new and improved collaborations between the Easley Center, the Metro Nashville Parks and Recreation facility located in the park; Carter Lawrence Elementary School; Rose Park Middle School; local neighborhood organizations; and nearby Belmont University.
Following the ribbon cutting and before the start of the second baseball game, Belmont alumnus Larry Stewart (’83) sang the national anthem. Stewart, the lead vocalist and acoustic guitarist for Restless Heart, attended Belmont on a baseball scholarship. Former Metro Councilman Ludye Wallace, who was instrumental in the community-university collaboration in Rose Park and was also a college baseball player, threw out the ceremonial “first pitch” of the game to 11-year-old Leland Wilhoite from Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities. In front of a crowd of 1,207 fans for the grand opening, the Belmont baseball team (26-21) split the non-conference doubleheader against Murray State.
Community groups and sports leagues interested in booking the Rose Park fields, should call Metro Parks’ Sports Department at (615) 862-8400 between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and noon, Tuesday through Friday. Only the completed fields will be available for scheduled use until all construction is finished and the fencing is removed, which is anticipated to occur mid-May.
About Metro Parks
Metro Parks offers a variety of parks and recreational facilities and programs throughout Davidson County. Currently, there are 115 parks on over nearly 11,000 acres of land. The department manages 7 municipal golf courses, a marina, 23 community centers, 8 swimming pools, 2 spray parks, a wave-action pool, a premiere skate park, four nature centers, four historical properties and more. It is the department’s mission to provide every citizen of Nashville and Davidson County with an equal opportunity for safe recreational and cultural activities within a network of parks and greenways that preserves and protects the region’s natural resources.
Clark Buckner Joins the Ring of Phire
Clark Buckner, a member of Alpha Tau Omega at Belmont, was selected to join the Ring of Phire, an undergraduate team of “recruitment experts.” While serving on his chapter’s recruitment committee last fall, Clark helped to bring in the biggest new member class in the history of Belmont. Now in his current role as chapter Vice President, Clark brings leadership experience to the Ring of Phire. Clark has contributed guest blogs to Phired Up in the past and is a welcome addition to the team.
The Ring of Phire started in 2010 and has spawned active Twitter and Facebook accounts that work to deliver the messages of Phired Up through the eyes of undergraduate fraternity men and sorority women. The Ring of Phire makes itself available to students across the country who may be struggling with their recruitment efforts and would like to look to peers for advice and guidance.
Pharmacy Student Selected for Internship With Johns Hopkins
Chenette Burks, a first year student at Belmont’s School of Pharmacy, was selected for a position in the Johns Hopkins Pharmacy internship program in Baltimore. Students from all over the country applied for this well-respected internship, and 15 students were chosen. Burks will be working as a pharmacy intern in the Central Pharmacy at Johns Hopkins from June until August of this year. This internship provides additional opportunities to shadow pharmacists and pharmacy residents working in various specialties, participate in Journal Clubs and develop projects that will be presented to the Department of Pharmacy.
PR Students Recognized at Nashville PRSA Parthenon Awards
Five Belmont students and graduates received Awards of Merit last week at the Parthenon Awards, the yearly awards ceremony of the Nashville chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. The student group, including Joseph Norris (Dec. ’10), Bethany Nelson (May ’10), and seniors Allison Hurst, Jason Weidman and Sarah Norton, were recognized for their PR campaign, “Belmont Census Week: It’s In Our Hands,” a project designed to raise awareness in the Belmont community about the 2010 U.S. Census.
“This award recognizes an excellent public relations campaign by the Belmont student team,” said Bonnie Riechert, director of the public relations program. “The campaign was well researched, strategically planned and skillfully executed, demonstrating effective communication on behalf of the U.S. Census Bureau.” The campaign was implemented in February 2010 and included several campus convo events.
Two other Belmont students, senior Kate Burns and sophomore Katie Siklosi, were also recognized at the Parthenon Awards and received the two 2011 Nashville PRSA Young Professionals Scholarships, recognizing them for their academic achievement, commitment to public relations and their internship experience. The scholarship is open to members of the Public Relations Student Society of America, which has area chapters at Belmont University, Lipscomb University, Middle Tennessee State University, Austin Peay University and Western Kentucky University.
Belmont Students Compose, Record Film Scores
On April 17, Pat McMakin, director of studio operations at Belmont’s Ocean Way Studios, opened the facility’s doors to a wide variety of musicians, engineers, composers and film directors, all with the task of recording the scores of four independent short films produced and crafted from local film departments at Watkins and Vanderbilt University. The event, the Student Scoring Initiative, brought together students, engineers, directors, musicians and composers at Ocean Way.
Scott Hallgren, a local multiple award-winning composer and producer as well as a professor at Tennessee State University and the Nashville Film Institute, was the organizer of the initiative. With the support of the Nashville Composer Association, Hallgren assembled a predominantly Belmont student orchestra to play the scores that Belmont students composed.
The Nashville Composers Association sent a newsletter to all student and amateur composer members inviting them to apply for the opportunity to compose scores for the four short films. Of the 29 applicants, four were chosen, including Belmont students Melanie Parobek and Christopher Gentle.
Hallgren recruited Grammy-nominated composer Carl Marsh to conduct the student orchestra and gathered four professional musicians to serve as mentors to the students and assist them with the techniques required in a professional recording process.
Belmont student violinist Danika Lukasiewicz said, “This opportunity has taught us invaluable recording techniques in a professional environment and has given us the chance to network with professional musicians.”
In the engineering room, McMakin led four Belmont student engineers through the tediously difficult process of recording a full orchestra. Hallgren said the most difficult part was syncing up the orchestra’s tempo with the actual content and movement of the film. In the studio, the film directors sat in the control room and viewed their films while listening to the orchestra play, making sure every note and measure aligned with their envisioned result. The entire process was truly reliant on collaboration.
Not only did Hallgren intend for students and professionals to collaborate in the studio, he aims to advance the practice of film scoring in Nashville. By providing a location and network where musicians, directors and composers can join forces, film scoring is brought out of the home studios into a multifaceted, collaborative environment. In conjunction with Belmont’s blossoming film minor, the Student Scoring Initiative could provide yet additional opportunities for students to participate in the entertainment industry.
Event Planning Class Brings Awareness to Organ Donation
Susan Barnes’s event planning class hosted Operation ORGAN-ize on April 26 to bring awareness to the campus about the importance of organ donation. More than 150 students attended the event that featured games, prizes and food. The event was planned as a class project in cooperation with Tennessee Donor Services. April is Donate Life month.
Journalism Student Honored at PRNDI Conference
Savannah Packard has been chosen to receive one of the 2011 PRNDI (Public Radio News Directors Incorporated) Scholarships. This scholarship includes a $500 award, as well as airfare, ground transportation, hotel and registration to the 2011 PRNDI Conference (June 23-25 in Arlington, Va.).
Savannah has been interning with Nashville Public Radio where she wrote, researched and produced a feature story called, “The Future of Texting 911 in Tennessee.” This story aired across the state of Tennessee and also was picked up by the Associated Press. This story is also one of the student award winners in this year’s PRNDI student contests.
Awalt and Osborn Honored as Faculty Emeriti
On April 27, the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Humanities and the Department of Philosophy hosted a reception in honor of two retiring faculty members: Dr. Mike Awalt and Dr. Ginger Osborn. Both professors are becoming faculty emeriti of Philosophy after many years of distinguished service to Belmont University.
Mike Awalt joined the Belmont faculty in 1970 and received the Chaney Distinguished Professor Award in 1985; the Ernest Boyer International Award for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Technology, in 1997; and the Case Tennessee Professor of the Year in 2000.
Ginger Osborn joined the Belmont faculty as an Adjunct Professor in 1986 and became a full-time faculty member in 1990. She was the 1996 recipient of the Chaney Distinguished Professor Award. Her work in classical philosophy on friendship has been widely recognized, as has her translation of Plato’s dialogue, Lysis.
These two esteemed faculty members have more than 65 years of service to Belmont.
Belmont Students Help in Japan Relief Events
On March 26 several Belmont students braved the cold and rain to participate in this year’s Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival as volunteers. Sponsored by the Japan America Society of Tennessee, Nissan and the Consulate General of Japan in Nashville, the Cherry Blossom Festival, renamed the Japan Relief Event, raised money for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami. Faculty from Belmont also participated in the event. Dr. Cynthia Bisson (History) served on the Cherry Blossom Committee as chair of the Ginza Marketplace area. In addition, Belmont’s Asian Studies program and its Director, Dr. Ronnie Littlejohn, contributed to the Tennessee Tomodachi Fund sponsored by JAST to help with the relief efforts in Japan.
In addition, a Bake Sale for Japan Relief was held today in the Beaman Student Life Center. International student Nozomi Takasu organized students in the Art Department for this event and obtained sponsorships from International Education, Honors, History, Art and Asian Studies. The students made origami cranes to give away at the sale. All donations will go to Japan Relief.
