Gospel singer CeCe Winans was interviewed by Belmont’s Harry Chapman Wednesday for the first “Insider’s View” of the fall semester in an appearance sponsored by the Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business and the Office of Spiritual Development. Winans–a former Belmont trustee who has won numerous Grammy, Dove and Soul Train awards, among others–discussed her successful career as a Gospel artist and offered words of wisdom to a room packed with students.
Coming from a very large family consisting of seven older brothers and two younger sisters, singing was a part of life in the Winans household. CeCe started her career singing with older brother Bebe, and the two had enormous success in the gospel music industry.
Winans accredits her success to her strong faith and says she felt the call of God early on in her life. “The foundation of my life and career has been staying faithful to the Word of God and faithful to God and his plan for my life. You know everything is going to be all right if you stay focused on him,” she said.
Winans sought to inspire the younger generation in the audience, noting that it is often easy in life to get so busy doing “good stuff” that people often leave the “great stuff” out. She discussed the importance of surrounding yourself with good people who will keep you grounded and always remembering to be true to who you are. “If it comes from the heart, it is going to touch the heart,” said Winans. “Celebrate the great things about yourself and believe in yourself.”
The idea for Winans Always Sisters Forever Brothers conference, which was held in the Curb Event Center in July, emerged from the idea of wanting to pour into the lives of the younger generation and encourage young people to include God in everyday life. She is also reuniting with her brother Bebe for the first time in 15 years for a new album that will be available Oct. 6.
–Story reported by Aileen Wark
Gospel Music Singer CeCe Winans Inspires Students
Men’s Golf Earns National Academic Honors
The Belmont men’s golf team finished the 2008-2009 school year with one of the top team grade point averages (GPA) in the nation as the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) announced its team academic awards on Tuesday. The Bruins were named a GCAA All-Academic Team after posting a team GPA of 3.517 for the 2008-2009 school year. This is the first time that Belmont has received this honor. In addition, BU earned the President’s Special Recognition Award from the GCAA, which indicated that they were among only seven NCAA Division I programs (Belmont, Detroit Mercy, East Carolina, ETSU, Georgia Tech, Rice, and Seton Hall) that had team GPAs of over 3.50. Click here to read the full story.
Bullington Appears on ‘History Detectives’
Dr. Judy Bullington, chair of the art department, appeared on the PBS show “History Detectives” last week, offering her insights on artist Thelma Johnson Streat. Bullington published the only scholarly article to date that focuses solely on the work of this African-American artist, who worked with the well known Mexican muralist, Diego Rivera, on the Pan American Unity mural in San Francisco. Bullington is teaching a course this semester on African-American Art History. Click here to view the episode of “History Detectives.”
Dr. Marcia McDonald Appointed Provost at Belmont
Dr. Marcia McDonald has been named the new provost of Belmont University, effective immediately. McDonald, a Belmont faculty member for 29 years, has also held positions as associate provost for seven years and as interim provost this summer.
In the role of provost, McDonald will act as the university’s chief academic officer, providing visionary direction and serving the academic mission of the University. Reporting to the President and serving in his absence as the chief executive officer, the Provost has broad responsibilities for the planning, development and administration of Belmont’s academic programs and student services.
Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher said, “Dr. McDonald has served Belmont in a variety of positions over the course of many years and has demonstrated her deep respect for the faculty, students and staff of Belmont. Her record of campus leadership and her long-term commitment to Belmont’s mission and vision give her a unique understanding of what makes this university so special.”
McDonald said, “It is a distinct honor to be named Provost at this university that I have loved and had the privilege to serve for almost three decades. I am excited about the opportunity to work with President Fisher, the faculty, staff, students and senior leadership as we continue to build a university known for the quality of its academic programs, the vitality of its campus community and the productive lives of its graduates.”
Curb College Initiates Inaugural Professional-in-Residence Program
The Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business recently unveiled its inaugural Professional-in-Residence program. Designed to enrich the University learning environment by exposing students to industry professionals who will help ensure that the Belmont learning experience remains dynamic, the Professional-in-Residence program will provide a small group of senior level students the opportunity to engage with an industry professional in an intimate conversation setting. This year’s Professional-in-Residence topic will be “Journey of the Creative Business Mind.” Wynonna, her long-time producer and friend Don Potter, and her manager Kerry Hansen will explore topics related to the singer’s personal journey in the entertainment industry as both an artist and a business woman.
Williams Interns for National Coalition on Black Civic Participation
Political science major Chloe Williams spent the summer interning at the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation. Williams worked in a number of significant policy areas and studied issues connected to economic security, education and civic engagement. Additionally, she participated in the NCBCP’s Black Women’s Roundtable meeting with Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor and assistant to President Barack Obama. Williams noted, “I am so blessed to have had the chance to be a part of this confident and devoted group of women.” Williams is a rising senior who is interested in studying public policy at the graduate level.
Ikenberry Elected to SAIR Offices for Next Two Years
Dr. Roy “Ike” Ikenberry, director of institutional research, has been elected to the office of vice-president and program chair (2010) and president (2011) for the Southern Association for Institutional Research (SAIR). His immediate activities will be directed toward developing the program for the 2010 convention to be held in New Orleans, La. in October 2010.
SAIR is dedicated to the advancement of research leading to improved understanding, planning and operation of institutions of post-secondary education. SAIR provides a forum for the dissemination of information and interchange of ideas on problems of common interest in the field of institutional research. In addition, SAIR promotes the continued professional development of individuals engaging in institutional research and fosters the unity and cooperation among persons having interests and activities related to research. Members of SAIR come from 15 southern states encompassed by an area from West Virginia to Florida and from North Carolina to Texas.
Ikenberry has been a member of SAIR since 1981, helped found the Tennessee Association for Institutional Research and has been a member of the national forum of the Association for Institutional Research since 1982. He has presented papers, served on panels and served on various committees of all three organizations.
Belmont Initiates ‘Mentoring for Mission’ Program
All 2008-09 first-year full-time faculty members at Belmont were invited to apply to the 2009-10 Mentoring for Mission (MfM) program. As a result, nine second-year faculty members are paired with mentors selected from current experienced faculty on campus. The Mentoring for Mission program was launched thanks to a grant proposal last summer prepared by Dr. Kim Daus, professor of chemistry and physics and director of the teaching center at that time. This inaugural year for the MfM program will be supported by a Mentoring Program grant from the Lilly Foundation.
Dr. Mike Pinter, professor of math and computer science, is serving as the director of the MfM program at Belmont, with additional support provided by Merrie King and Nanci Alsup from the Teaching Center. More information about the Lilly grant program is available at http://www.lillyfellows.org/mentor_programs.htm .
The MfM program at Belmont is being developed with the belief that an extended mentoring program can help both newer and experienced faculty achieve an integral sense of identity and mission through one-to-one mentoring of second-year faculty by experienced faculty, and through gatherings, readings and discussions for all participants. Group meetings in the fall semester will focus on understanding and living the Belmont mission and in the spring semester will center on teaching and learning. Common readings on the topics will frame the sessions.
Shen-Miller Publishes Article, Presents Paper
Dr. Seraphine Shen-Miller, assistant professor of psychology, has published an article in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science, a top tier journal in the field. The title of the article, coauthored with her major professor and others, is “Patterns of Thinking in Militant Extremism.” The article describes a cross-cultural project in which they examined multiple violent extremist groups from a diverse range of continents, cultures and political and religious orientations. Based on content analyses of statements by and about these groups, they identified 16 themes common to the militant-extremist mindset. Among these themes were perceptions of a crisis involving violations of sacred values, along with justifications for violence to remediate such problems.
Shen-Miller also recently presented a paper at the American Psychological Association’s annual convention held in Toronto, Canada , August 6-9. The paper’s title is “Materialism and Maladaptive Psychosocial Tendencies: What Accounts for the Relation?” She presented a project in which facets of materialism demonstrated distinct patterns of associations with aspects of maladaptive psychosocial tendencies, and that it would be useful to treat each facet of materialism as a separate construct. She also talked about findings which suggested that materialism was not the only source of associations with maladaptive psychosocial tendencies.
Alumnus Makes First Round of U.S. Amateur Championship
Belmont alum Brenton Flynn (’06) fell in the first round of match play at the 109th U.S. Amateur Championship held Wednesday at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Flynn, who advanced to match play Wednesday morning after surviving a 28-man playoff, fell to former Florida golfer Will Strickler of Gainesville, Florida 2&1 in a first round match Wednesday afternoon. Click here for more on this story.
