Former Belmont Provost Dr. Dan McAlexander was officially installed last Friday, April 23, as the 25th president at LaGrange College outside of Atlanta. Delegates from colleges and universities around the country, including close friends from Belmont, joined representatives from the United Methodist Church, the city of LaGrange, faculty, staff and students to welcome the new president. Click here for more on Dr. McAlexander’s inauguration.
McAlexander assumed his new position last July after eight years of service to Belmont University. A graduate of the University of Kansas, McAlexander received his Master’s in Music from The Julliard School and his Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music. McAlexander came to Belmont University in 2001, and during his tenure, Belmont experienced an overall enrollment increase of 68 percent. The university has also saw spikes in average ACT scores, from 24 to 26, and in the six-year graduation rate, from 50 percent to 67 percent.
A four-year liberal arts and sciences college affiliated with the United Methodist Church, LaGrange College is ranked in the top 10 and as a “best value” among 95 Southern baccalaureate colleges by U.S. News & World Report. The college is the oldest private institution of higher learning in Georgia and has an enrollment of about 1,000 students.
Former Belmont Provost Installed as 25th LaGrange College President
Giorgianni’s White Paper Used in National Education Campaign
School of Pharmacy Director of Experiential Education & Development Dr. Salvatore Giorgianni, in his role as Scientific Advisor to Men’s Health Network, has written a white paper on unapproved drugs as part of a new public education initiative to raise awareness about the risks associated with prescribing and taking unapproved drugs that have not been subjected to the rigorous Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) review process. Dr. Giorgianni’s comments about the “Know the Facts” campaign are included in a news story that is being picked up by media outlets nationwide. Click here to see the full story.
Scholarship, Awards Day Honors Students, Faculty
Belmont University recognized students and faculty at Monday’s annual Scholarship and Awards Day ceremony in the Massey Performing Arts Center. Click here for a photo gallery of the event. Students honored in the ceremony included:
Caitlin Motes, Kate Tully – The Williams-Murray First Year Writing Awards
Amaryah Armstrong, Carly Escue – The Alfred Leland Crabb Awards
Matthew Lefavor, Brian York, Bethany Somma, Ian Chapman – The Stacy Awalt Writing Awards
Jessica Duble – The Annette Sisson First Year Writing Award
Abigail Selden – The Lumos Travel Award
Margaret Shehan – The John Williams Heart of Belmont Award
JoAnna B. Adkisson – The First Year Award, Leadership
Moniqe Janee Parris – The Second Year Award, Leadership
Daniel (D.J.) R. King, Jr. – The Third Year Award, Leadership
Henry (Hank) L. Carter – The Fourth Year Award, Leadership
Retiring faculty member Dr. Harry Hollis, the James M. Medlin Chair of Business Ethics and past Director of Belmont’s Center for Business Ethics, was also recognized for multiple years of service to Belmont. In addition, nominees were recognized for the Chaney Distinguished Professor Award: Lucyellen Dahlgren, School of Nursing; Steven Guthrie, School of Religion; and Sarah Ann Stewart, Dept. of Mathematics and Computer Science. Finalists for the Presidential Faculty Achievement Award were also recognized: Jeff Cornwall, College of Business Administration; Myron Oglesby-Pitts, School of Education; Jason Stahl, School of Social Sciences; and Dorren Robinson, School of Social Sciences.
DEX Team Returns from Conference with 17 National Awards
Belmont University’s 2009-2010 Delta Epsilon Chi (DEX) team returned from the International Career Development Conference in Louisville, Kent. on April 20 with 17 national awards in tow. Twenty-nine students traveled to the competition and competed in varied categories such as business ethics, marketing management, design presentation, financial statement analysis, entrepreneurship, restaurant management and sales management.
2nd Place National – Financial Services Management – Justin Wood (Senior, Finance)
2nd Place National – Restaurant Management – Clark Buckner (Freshman, Entrepreneurship)
2nd Place National – Entrepreneurship Challenge – Kirstin Long (Senior, Entrepreneurship) and Sarah Beairsto (Sophomore, Entrepreneurship)
Top 8 National – Entrepreneurship Challenge – Eric Carroll (Senior, Entrepreneurship & Marketing), Justin Wood (Senior, Finance), and Corey Griggs (Senior, Entrepreneurship)
Top 8 National – Entrepreneurship Challenge – Aubree Phillips (Junior, Entrepreneurship), Kallie Robertson-Smith (Senior, Entrepreneurship), and Lexi Nash (Senior, Entrepreneurship and Music Business)
Top 8 National – Entrepreneurship Challenge – Catharine Hooks (Junior, Entrepreneurship), Mandy Thompson (Junior, Marketing), and Emilie Lico (Freshman, Entrepreneurship)
Top 10 National – Sales Management – Jerell Harris (Sophomore, Entrepreneurship)
Top 10 National – Entrepreneurship Business Plan – Susan Harbison (Senior, Entrepreneurship)
Top 10 National – Entrepreneurship Business Plan – Corey Griggs (Senior, Entrepreneurship)
Top 10 National – Design Presentation – Kallie Robertson-Smith (Senior, Entrepreneurship)
DEX is the international, collegiate organization for students from across all educational disciplines. Chapters of Delta Epsilon Chi are located on over 300 college campuses and have close to 1,500 members. Through DEX programs, students preparing for a variety of career fields maintain a strong focus on business-related areas such as marketing, management and entrepreneurship. The activities of Delta Epsilon Chi integrate with and enhance student college curriculum.
History Department, Belmont Mansion Co-Sponsor Symposium
On Sat., April 10, the Belmont University History Department and the Belmont Mansion co-sponsored “Belle Monte and the Civil War: A Teaching Symposium.” Organized by History Department Chair Brenda Jackson-Abernathy, the symposium brought to campus history teachers from three Middle Tennessee school districts to discuss effective methods, techniques and approaches to teaching Civil War history across the curriculum. Presentations by a panel of educators and the lively discussion that ensued elicited very favorable responses from those teachers in attendance.
Bennett Named Chair of BEA News Division
Dr. Sybril Bennett (Media Studies) has been named Chair of the News Division, 2010-11, for the Broadcast Education Association (BEA). BEA is the professional association for professors, industry professionals and graduate students who are interested in teaching and research related to electronic media and multimedia enterprises.
Wells Serves as Shakespeare Expert on Panel
Dr. James Wells (English) was the Shakespeare textual expert on an April 15 panel as part of the “Inside Out of the Lunch Box” series featuring the Nashville Ballet’s interpretation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, sponsored by Vanderbilt University and the Tennessee Performing Arts Center.
Athletics Hosts Business Etiquette Dinner for Graduating Seniors
On April 15, Belmont University’s Department of Athletics hosted a Business Etiquette Dinner for its senior student-athletes and students from the University student body as a career development opportunity conducted by the department’s CHAMPS/Life Skills program.
Approximately 40 students participated in the event conducted by Angela Chapman, career counselor at Vanderbilt University Law School. Chapman instructed the students in proper business and dinner etiquette and expected protocol when entering today’s job market. She also discussed appropriate interviewing techniques that would assist them after graduation in their job search. In addition, a number of local business professionals participated in the event, relaying their real-life experiences to the students.
“I am pleased with the success of our first Business Etiquette Dinner,” said Sarah Cowart, Belmont’s CHAMPS/Life Skills Coordinator. “I believe every person in attendance, both the students and our professionals, learned something during the event that they can take forward into the business world.”
“This dinner was very helpful for me as I enter the job market after graduation next month,” said Sara Bentley, a senior on Belmont’s softball team. “You never know what the deciding factor will be for an employer in a hiring situation, and the advice Ms. Chapman gave us will hopefully give us an advantage over other job applicants.”
The dinner was the result of a NCAA Educational Affairs Pilot Grant directed for student-athlete development that the department received in March. Belmont is one of 30 NCAA institutions and the only Atlantic Sun Conference member that received this grant. The CHAMPS/Life Skills program supports the student-athlete development initiatives of NCAA member institutions and enhances the quality of the student-athlete experience within the context of higher education.
Pharmacy Students Serve Ronald McDonald House
Belmont University School of Pharmacy Class of 2013 recently made two visits to the Ronald McDonald House in Nashville. Approximately 20 student volunteers went on two occasions to prepare lunch for the Ronald McDonald House. RMH provides living arrangements and adequate food to families that have children receiving medical treatments far from home and strives to provide a home-away-from-home comfort for these families. The student pharmacists at BUSOP were delighted to learn more about RMH and the residing families through conversations over spaghetti and meatballs or by playing with the children in the playroom, all while helping to serve the families and make their stay in Nashville more enjoyable. BUSOP Class of 2013 hopes to make these volunteer lunches for RMH a monthly project that continues to grow as a way of service and outreach to the Nashville community.
Wind Ensemble Members Perform at Conference
Several members of the Belmont University Wind Ensemble were selected to perform as members of the Tennessee Music Educator’s Association Conference All-Collegiate Band on April 15 as part of the annual TNMEA conference. The students rehearsed throughout the day on Wed., April 14 and performed a feature concert during the opening general session at the Nashville Convention Center. Students worked with guest conductor, Andrew Boysen, Director of Bands at the University of New Hampshire. Membership was comprised of students from colleges and universities throughout Tennessee. Participating students were Eric Taylor-saxophone; Matt Rhea-saxophone; Jonathan Murrah-trumpet; Scott Hearn-trombone; Wes Crenshaw-trombone; Cassie Swiney-percussion; Tim Reitnouer-tuba; Callie Compton-bassoon; Mary Harl-clarinet; Allison Berwald-flute and Tara Kloostra-horn.
