Two years ago, after what she describes as a “careful and conscious” search to find a good writing conference, writer and teacher Dr. Sandra Smith Hutchins finally decided to apply to the Taos Summer Writer’s Conference in New Mexico. She felt that Taos would provide not only a diverse environmental and literary terrain, but also a “stimulating, welcoming, and encouraging” environment in which to work on her latest novel. This year, not only will Sandra be attending the conference, but as the recipient of the 2010 Leo Love Merit Scholarship, she will receive the merit award at a featured reading. She will also be awarded full tuition for her weeklong workshop, “Telling Truth Through Fiction,” taught by author and journalist, Jane Ciabattari, President of the National Book Critics Circle.
Her novel-in-progress, Already Kindled, is told from the perspective of a young girl raised in Mississippi, and it is the authenticity of the narrative voice that the judges most admired in this work. The setting is rich in cultural and sensory detail, and the characters, both major and minor, are convincing enough to walk off the page. Sentence by sentence, the prose continuously builds a relationship between reader and character in a way that feels both effortless and highly crafted. The Leo Love award is granted to one poet and one prose writer each year.
Hutchins Awarded 2010 Leo Love Merit Scholarship for Prose
Norton Publishes Article in PRSSA’s Forum Newsletter
An article by Belmont senior Sarah Norton is published on page one of the Fall 2010 issue of Forum, a national newsletter published by the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). A public relations major and a leader in the Belmont Chapter of PRSSA, Sarah discusses her professional development experiences in PRSSA national conferences. PRSSA has more than 9,000 members in 284 chapters across the country. Last year the Belmont Chapter was one of six chapters to receive designation as a PRSSA Star Chapter. Click here to read Sarah’s article.
Edmunds Receives Doctorate of Education
Director of Undergraduate Admissions Anne Edmunds recently completed her doctor of education degree in higher education administration from The University of Alabama.
First Master’s in Nonprofit Leadership Class Graduates
The first members of the Belmont University Master’s in Nonprofit Leadership program graduated at summer commencement on Aug. 13. The Master’s in Nonprofit Leadership program was established as a cooperative relationship between the Belmont University Department of Education, under the leadership of Dr. Trevor Hutchins, associate dean of the Department of Education, and The Center for Nonprofit Management. The program educates nonprofit executives in Middle Tennessee who are committed to building strong nonprofits and stronger communities. The partnership guarantees students will have access to Middle Tennessee’s best experts and nonprofit professionals to direct courses and share their experiences.
Recent graduate, Sharon Hurt, who serves as the executive director of the Jefferson Street United Merchants Partnership, said of her student experience, “I am extremely honored and excited that Belmont administrators and faculty recognized in me a natural desire to serve and equipped me through this program with principles and knowledge that makes me a bonafide ‘servant’ leader. My professors taught me that it was as important to be resilient, as much as it was to gain the knowledge. I am an ordinary person who accomplished an extraordinary thing. I believe and know that dreams do come true.”
Oglesby-Pitts Writes Book to Share the Teaching Wisdom of Mary Craighead
Dr. Oglesby-Pitts (Education) recently published To Teach Like Mary: Getting it Right at First with Dorrance Book Publishing. The book is the first in a series of four small conversations. Oglesby-Pitts wrote the book based on interviews she conducted with Mary Craighead, a highly respected school teacher and administrator from the Nashville area. Oglesby-Pitts was first impacted by the teachings of Craighead as she was her first grade teacher at Head Elementary School. Mary Craighead, along with Sister Sandra Smithson, founded Smithson Craighead Academy, Metro Nashville’s first charter school, in 2003. Craighead died in the summer of 2008, but Oglesby-Pitts feels fortunate to have been able to glean wisdom from Craighead to share with others through these books.
Biles Gives Presentation at Conference
Dr. Daniel Biles, associate professor in the math and computer science department, recently gave a presentation at the Fourth International Conference on Neural, Parallel and Scientific Computations, at Morehouse College in Atlanta. General topics of the conference were analytical and computational methods on all aspects of Neural, Parallel and Scientific Computing. Dr. Biles’ presentation was titled “Analytic Solutions for a Class of Functional Differential Equations.”
Rogers King Appears in Duvall Film Get Low
Tammy Rogers King, an alumna and adjunct commercial violin instructor, appears with her band The SteelDrivers in the upcoming Robert Duvall motion picture Get Low. The film, which also stars Sissy Spacek and Bill Murray, also features four SteelDrivers’ songs on the soundtrack. Get Low opens in Nashville Aug. 27.
Men’s Golf Earns National Academic Award
The Belmont men’s golf team was named a Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) All-Academic Team as the GCAA announced its team academic awards on Monday. The Bruins were named a GCAA All-Academic Team for a second straight year after posting a team GPA of 3.149 for the 2009-2010 school year. Belmont was among four men’s golf programs in the Atlantic Sun Conference to earn academic team honors from the GCAA (Belmont, ETSU, Kennesaw State, and Mercer).
To be eligible for GCAA All-Academic Team honors, a college or university must submit the grade points earned and hours attempted for each player on its official squad list for the aca¬demic year. The men’s golf program opens up its 2010-11 season on September 13-14 at the Morehead State Fall Kickoff in Pineville, Kentucky.
Renfroe Signs Pro Deal in Croatia
Former Belmont men’s basketball star Alex Renfroe has signed a professional contract with KK Zagreb of Croatia and the Adriatic League. Renfroe, who as a Bruin senior in 2008-09 was named Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America and Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year, is fresh off a stellar 2009-10 professional campaign in Latvia.
The Nashville, Tenn. native was named MasterCard Baltic Basketball League (BBL) Most Valuable Player playing for VEF Riga. Renfroe finished the regular season ranked in the top-eight in five different league statistical categories. He was seventh in scoring (15.2 average), fifth in rebounding (7.4 average), second in steals (2.1 average), first in assists (7.1 average), and eighth in field goal percentage (56.2 percent). He also posted a league-best seven double-doubles and had a league-high two triple-doubles.
Belmont Announces New Concert Hall
Trustee provides lead gift for renovation of Belmont Heights sanctuary to create classical concert venue
Belmont University announced today that a lead gift has been secured for the renovation of university-owned Belmont Heights Baptist Church’s main sanctuary to provide the campus a new, large concert venue suitable for classical performances. The congregation of Belmont Heights Baptist Church will continue to be able to worship in the renovated sanctuary and will enjoy the benefits of the much-improved acoustics. The McAfee family, which has supported Belmont University for years, is providing this “lead gift challenge” for the renovation project.
Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher said, “We are very grateful to the McAfee family for this generous gift. Their commitment to the university and support of this project means that we will have a Concert Hall to match the high quality of our music programs, and one that will appropriately showcase the amazing talent of our performing arts students.”
Carolyn McAfee has served on Belmont’s Board of Trustees since 2006, and her late husband Jim, president and CEO of Hallmark Systems, Inc., served on the Board from 2002 until his untimely death in 2004. In addition to their time on the Board, the McAfees also support Belmont through an endowed scholarship in their name for School of Music students with a major in organ or classical music. The McAfees’ son and daughter-in-law, Tom and Julie McAfee, joined Carolyn McAfee at today’s ceremony announcing the project.
“My late husband Jim, my son Tom daughter-in-law, Julie, and I have always been enthusiastic about supporting Belmont as a leader in Christian education,” said Carolyn McAfee. “Belmont’s School of Music has earned national recognition for the quality of its programs and the breadth of its vision. Our family is proud to kick off the fundraising efforts for this new Concert Hall, which will match those high standards with a performance space suitable to the talent these programs attract.”
Dr. Cynthia Curtis, dean of Belmont’s College of Visual and Performing Arts, added, “The new Concert Hall, which houses a 55-rank Aeolian Skinner organ, provides an outstanding venue for performances of the University’s classical choral and instrumental ensembles, including the symphony orchestra, wind ensemble, Chorale and 200-voice Oratorio Chorus. The College of Visual and Performing Arts is tremendously grateful to the McAfee family for their generous gift which helps sustain the rich artistic history of the Belmont campus and active cultural life of Nashville.”
The design concept for the new Concert Hall was developed in consultation with the architects and acousticians involved with the construction of the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Acousticians have conducted extensive, carefully documented scientific studies and developed a plan for the building that eliminates ambient noise, expands the volume of space to optimal acoustic proportions for a large orchestra and chorus and creates optimal sound diffusion.
Fundraising for the new Concert Hall will continue as the total renovation is anticipated to be $7 million.
