Belmont represents U.S. in final round against Egypt, China, India
Belmont University’s Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team took third place this week in the SIFE World Cup, an international competition in which Belmont SIFE represented the United States and landed among the top four teams worldwide. (SIFE is an international non-profit organization that works with leaders in business and higher education to mobilize university students to make a difference in their communities while developing the skills to become socially responsible business leaders.) The 2010 SIFE World Cup was held Sun., Oct. 10-Tues., Oct. 12 at the Anaheim Convention Center, and Belmont was competing against the national champions from 39 other countries.
Belmont won its opening round Monday and was one of 16 semi-finalists to compete on Tuesday afternoon, with the United States national champion team being awarded third place Tuesday night. Other top four competitors included India (Loyola College), China (University of Nottingham Ningbo) and eventual World Cup champion Egypt (French University).
SIFE members contribute their talents and business skills to projects that improve the lives of people in their community and worldwide, demonstrating that individuals with a knowledge and passion for business can be a powerful force for change. Once a year, the National Champion SIFE teams from around world meet at the SIFE World Cup to present the results of their community outreach projects to a prestigious group of more than 400 international business leaders. Through a written annual report and live audio visual presentation, teams are evaluated based on how successful they were at creating economic opportunity for others.
Dr. Pat Raines, interim provost and dean of the College of Business Administration, said, “The Belmont SIFE team represented the United States in the World Cup competition with tremendous poise and passion. To be selected as the third best team in the world after launching a team only five years ago is unprecedented. These students committed themselves to engaging and transforming the world and were clearly inspirational in their efforts.”
In only its fifth year, the Belmont University SIFE team competed in May against 169 other regional champion student teams from around the country and won its first SIFE USA National Championship. Through SIFE, college students around the world are discovering that “doing well” and “doing good” can be accomplished simultaneously throughout college and career.
Dr. John Gonas, associate professor of finance and SIFE advisor at Belmont, said, “I’m so proud of these students… so many of the sponsor company leaders commented about their poise, passion, and selfless commitment to their projects. I am very humbled and honored to have this opportunity to walk with them.”
On Wed., Oct. 13, Belmont University will host a screening of the award-winning and powerfully revealing feature-length documentary Kimjongilia, an unblinking indictment of life in North Korea under the dictatorship of Kim Jong II. The screening, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 6 p.m. in the Massey Boardroom on the fourth floor of Belmont’s Jack C. Massey Business Center.
Members of Belmont’s cheerleading squad volunteered at the Matthew Walker Health Center to assist with their kickoff event for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The center is holding a “Screening for Life” program and hopes to provide 1,000 mammograms and clinical breast examinations over the next two months. The cheerleaders visited the Jefferson Street location to help stuff the complimentary bags the center will give to the patients who come for the Screening for Life exams.
Artist, writer and speaker Makoto Fujimura spoke in Belmont’s Curb Event Center last night as the keynote speaker for the 2010-11 First Year Seminar. A Presidential appointee to the National Council on the Arts (2003-2009), Fujimura has contributed internationally as an advocate for the arts, speaking with decision makers and advising governmental policies on the arts. Fujimura’s work is exhibited at galleries around the world, including Dillon Gallery (New York), Sen Gallery (Tokyo), The Contemporary Museum of Tokyo, Tokyo National University of Fine Arts Museum and Oxford House, Taiku Place (Hong Kong).
Marc Folk, executive director of the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo, spoke on campus Monday on the relationship between arts and community as part of the Living Sociology Speaker Series. The 2009 recipient of the Governor’s Award for the Arts in Ohio, Folk contributed to the 2010-11 Belmont University theme of innovation and creativity in his talk “LiveWorkCreate,” a focused conversation of the role of public art in building community.
Belmont University’s Scarlett Leadership Institute (SLI) recently hosted a CEO panel on courageous leadership. Held at Davis-Kidd Booksellers in Green Hills and moderated by SLI founder Joe Scarlett, the panelists included Kent Adams, president of Caterpillar Financial Services Corp.; Doug Cahill, CEO of Oreck Corp.; Bob Fisher, president of Belmont University; and Brett Rodewald, president of Comdata Corp. The panel discussion served as a precursor to the upcoming SLI Fall Leadership Breakfast on Nov. 18 featuring American historian Michael Beschloss, author of Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America.
Several Belmont alumni who are now employed at Sony Music Nashville and Provident Music Group returned to campus this week for dinner with the Office of Alumni Relations and to hear Curb College guest speaker Gary Overton as part of the “Insider’s View” Wednesday night. Overton is chairman and CEO of Sony Music Nashville, the label that represents artists such as Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Martina McBride, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood. Chad Cates, Charles Van Dyke, John Clore, Heather McBee, Betsy Bruington, Lori McCurry, Shane Pursifull, Cary Ryan and Bob Foglia were among the alumni in attendance.