Social Work senior Jimmy Smith interned last fall at The Contributor, Nashville’s “street newspaper” that focuses on the issues surrounding homelessness and poverty and is sold by homeless and formerly homeless individuals on the street as an alternative to panhandling. During Jimmy’s internship, he helped nominate The Contributor’s volunteer Executive Director Tasha French for the 2009 Titans Community QB Award. French recently won the award which resulted in a $10,000 grant from Tennessee Titans owner K.S. “Bud” Adams Jr and the Tennessee Titans Foundation to the organization. Signing up The Contributor for this award was one of Jimmy’s final duties at his internship last fall. Click here for video of the event.
Registrar’s Staff Present Sessions at SACRAO Conference
Staff from Belmont’s Office of the Registrar presented two sessions at the annual conference of the Southern Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (SACRAO) recently held in Chattanooga. Ginger Kuechle, assistant registrar, and Steven Reed, university registrar, presented “Planning and Implementing a ‘Paperless’ Registrar’s Office.” Associate Registrars Matthew McCrickard and La Kiesha Armstrong presented “Assessing Staff and Departmental Strengths through Appreciative Inquiry.”
Parry Agrees to Serve in Bridging the Gap Mentor Program
Pam Parry, associate professor of journalism, has agreed to serve as a mentor in the Bridging the Gap Mentor Program of the Nashville Junior Chamber. The program matches young professionals in Nashville with community leaders who help to provide leadership development for people in their 20s or early 30s. “Within the Middle Tennesse area, there is no other community-based program similar to this,” according to the chamber.
Belmont Announces Homecoming 2010 Schedule of Events
Playing off the university motto “From Here to Anywhere,” Belmont’s 2010 Homecoming week invites alumni, friends and family to come “From Anywhere to Here” Feb. 21-27 for a week’s worth of special events. Highlights include an alumni art exhibit, two basketball doubleheaders, “Belmont at the Bluebird” and numerous program reunions. Click the more button below to view events that are open to the public. For a complete list of all Belmont Homecoming 2010 events and an opportunity to register, visit http://alumni.belmont.edu/.
Students Receive Multiple Awards at Southeast Journalism Conference
Belmont students won five awards in the 2009 Best of South competition of the Southeast Journalism Conference, including first place in Best Magazine for Connect, an annual publication that targets an audience of new freshmen and transfer students.
“I found this to be the exact kind of guide students need when they enter campus for the first time,” the judge for Best Magazine wrote. “This is a top-notch job all the way.”
Students Jessica Walker and Abby Sheldon were winners in the onsite competition, where students participate in deadline-driven news, feature and multimedia categories, at the conference Feb. 11-13 at Southeastern Louisiana University.
These winners were chosen from 330 entries from 32 SEJC member schools, which include Auburn, Emory, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and other large universities.
The SEJC contests and the annual conference function as journalism teaching tools. Not only are all entries given a rating, but the judges, chosen from outside the conference region, are encouraged to provide comments and professional advice.
Awards received were as follows:
Best of South Competition:
Best Magazine: Connect, First Place
Journalism Research Paper: Jessica Walker, Third Place
Magazine Page Designer: Kristin Clements, Third Place
Newswriting: Erin Carson, Fifth Place
Sportswriting: Pierce Greenberg, Seventh Place
Onsite Competition:
Health Reporting: Jessica Walker, Second Place
Media Ethics: Abby Sheldon, Second Place
Alumnus Bob Schatz Publishes New Book
Belmont alumnus Bob Schatz (’77), a commercial photographer, recently released his fifth book, Nashville by Design: Architectural Treasures. The book is the first released under his new publishing company, and it is already getting rave reviews. Among the interesting architecture that is featured is one of Schatz’s favorite places, the Belmont Mansion.
Click here to read a review from The Tennessean, and click here to read a profile of Schatz from NCompass magazine.
Hoogestraat Presents at AAHPERD Conference
Fran Hoogestraat, assistant professor of sport science, presented “Can Sport Teams Solve Social Problems?” at the Southern District of the American Alliance of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) conference, which was held in Myrtle Beach this week.
Jensen Presents Thesis at Sports Medicine Conference
Emily Jensen, Sport Science adjunct instructor, is presenting her thesis, “Prevalence of Childhood Obesity: A Study on Bowling Green, KY Middle School Students,” at the Southeast American College of Sports Medicine conference in Greenville, SC. The conference includes universities and sports medicine professionals from the southeast United States.
Journalism Alumnus Co-hosts Nashville’s New Sports Talk Show
Henry Nichols (Journalism ‘07) is co-hosting a new sports radio talk show on Sports Radio AM 560 WNSR called “Sports XTRA” on weekdays at 6 p.m. Sports XTRA, like AM-560’s other established shows, has a listener-driven format. From the Titans and Predators to Vanderbilt, Belmont, Lipscomb and TSU, all topics are welcomed for discussion. In addition to currently covering the Titans and other NFL teams for CBSsports.com, Nichols has written for Rivals.com, The City Paper and The Tennessean. Nichols has also edited for Athlon Magazine and Global Radio News (London, UK).
Alumnus Troy Senik Guests on ‘Glenn Beck’
Troy Senik, a 2005 graduate of Belmont’s Political Science program, was a guest on the “Glenn Beck” program on Feb. 5. Senik, a contributing editor for the Center of Individual Freedom in California, spoke on California’s current fiscal crisis.
Senik told Beck, “The reality is, in California… the legislature has taken one of the 10 biggest economies in the world and managed to saddle up with some of the highest sales taxes, the highest income taxes, the highest car taxes that are around, and they’ve still driven it to the verge of bankruptcy… Our deficit, what we weren’t able to pay, is the same size of the economy of Croatia.”
When Beck asked if the rest of the country was bailing California out, Senik replied, “Well, it’s getting a certain amount of federal assistance. It hasn’t gotten as much as it would like and hopefully it won’t… I think that it would inspire a popular backlash, not only because we’ve been on display for the entire nation as an example of failed government, but also, California has that cultural thing about it that, you know, we have always given off this vibe that we’re just going to do whatever we want. And in this case, we’ve done it to complete excess. And I think the rest of the nation rightly thinks, ‘You guys need to sober up.’”
Senik has served as a speechwriter for former President George W. Bush, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Belmont University and his master’s degree from Pepperdine University.
