Ben Stroup, a 2002 graduate in Religion, recently released a new book, Church Giving Matters, which has sold more than 6,000 copies within the first 10 weeks of its release. Fueled with information such as how to lead a church through tough and prosperous economic times, bridging the gap between how pastors are trained and what churches expect of them, as well as practical tools and effective leadership principles, Church Giving Matters is an effective and invaluable resource to help churches fund their God-inspired vision.
Stroup works with LifeWay Christian Resources to assist churches with stewardship and giving, helping them achieve fully funded budgets and long-term sustainable ministries. His work includes partnering with Southern Baptist denominational leadership at both the state and national levels. For additional information or to purchase his book, visit www.crossbooks.com.
Alumnus Publishes Book on Church Giving
Senior Business Students Achieve Top Ranking on National Exam
Belmont’s College of Business Administration announced that several of its graduating students scored at or above the top 10 percent level on the Major Field Test in Business, a set of exams produced by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) of Princeton, N.J. The ETS exams have been administered to almost 85,000 students at 564 undergraduate business programs and almost 16,000 MBA students at 199 graduate business schools across the U.S.
“Many of our students are now demonstrating that they can score very well when compared to their peers at other U.S. business schools” said Susan Taylor, associate dean of the College of Business Administration. “Their performance is a direct reflection of our focus on delivering a high-quality program and the individual attention our students receive from our highly-qualified faculty.”
Undergraduate students from the Summer 2009 cohort who scored in the Top 10 percent or higher nationally include: Gregory Celentano (Bristol, TN), Shannon Hall (Lula, GA), Nancy Pham (Nashville, TN) and David Vigil (Nashville, TN). For graduate students, Jay Crosson (Nashville, TN) performed in the top scoring band and achieved the highest-ever score by a Belmont MBA student.
Belmont Faculty, Students Work All Star Guitar Night
Belmont University was chosen to record Muriel Anderson’s All Star Guitar Night at the Historic Ryman Auditorium on July 14. The show, which included performances by a veritable who’s who of guitar players, was recorded by Tony Cottrill, Belmont’s live sound coordinator, with assistance from student engineers Nick Kaumeyer, Matt Hamilton and Elliot Wiley. In addition, Bil Vorndick, renowned audio engineer and longtime adjunct instructor of Audio Engineering Technology at Belmont, served as stage manager for the show. All proceeds were auctioned to benefit the Music for Life Alliance, a charity established by Anderson to help raise money to provide children with instruments and music education.
The student engineers assisting with the event serve on the staff of Belmont’s student-run live sound company, Clear as a Bell (CAAB). The brain-child of Cottrill, CAAB is based on a working model of a real-world sound reinforcement company. “The company books events, gives quotes on productions, maintains gear, supplies engineers for shows, preps the sound system and maintains the books,” Cottrill said. “It’s completely student-run and student-staffed.”
All CAAB employees have either completed or are currently enrolled in Belmont’s Audio Engineering Technology Advanced Sound Reinforcement course. The event’s live tracking was created on Belmont’s Live Sound Department’s new DigiDesign D-Show Profile + Mix Rack direct to Pro Tools 8 LE. Click on the more button below to see a list of the artists involved in the evening.
Douglas Hits Top of Country Chart
Songwriting adjunct professor Tom Douglas recently reached the top of the Billboard Country Singles chart with the song “I Run to You,” which was co-written and recorded by Lady Antebellum.
Alumna Selected as Fulbright Teaching Assistant to Vienna
Roxanna Hajjafar, a May 2009 Belmont University graduate with a double major in German and political science, recently received the honor of a Fulbright scholarship to Vienna, Austria where she will serve as an English Teaching Assistant. A native Nashvillian, Hajjafar was raised in a Persian-American household which kindled her interest in foreign cultures.
While attending Belmont, Hajjafar studied abroad in Dresden, Germany and was involved in the Belmont Democrats, the German Club (president from 2006-08), the Max-Kade German House and the James Madison Society. She hopes to one day secure a position as a Foreign Service Officer.
“I am looking forward to being again immersed in the European way of life,” Hajjafar said, “where people enjoy and appreciate the small things and make time ‘to stop and smell the roses,’ as cliché as it might sound. I have a passion for and a deep interest in other cultures and enjoy traveling to foreign places. This experience will prepare me for a future position where I can serve my country by fostering an understanding between the U.S. and other countries.”
In addition to further developing her language skills, Hajjafar hopes to expand her knowledge of the various cultures of the German-speaking peoples. After attending a week-long training session in September, she will teach from Oct. 1, 2009 through May 31, 2010 at two different schools, one a secondary school specializing in business and the other a secondary school specializing in fashion and art.
Governor Bredesen Appointments Belmont Student to Commission
Current Belmont sophomore Joshua Conner was recently appointed by Governor Bredesen to serve a full term on the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth (TCCY). The TCCY is an independent state agency with a primary mission of advocacy for improving the quality of life for Tennessee children and families. Its 26 members represent Tennessee’s nine development districts. They review all federal grants to state agencies relating to juvenile justice in Tennessee and also advise the legislature on every introduced bill related to children and youth. For more information on the TCCY, click here.
Pharmacy Faculty Present at Annual Meeting
Several pharmacy faculty recently participated in the 2009 Annual Meeting of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) which met last week in Boston. AACP is the national organization representing pharmacy education in the United States. School of Pharmacy Professor and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Dr. Eric Hobson was a featured speaker for the Curriculum Special Interest Group’s program, “Novel or New: Curricular Design Decisions in New Pharmacy Programs.” In addition, Belmont Pharmacy faculty presented 10 posters at the event. Click the more button to see all 10 poster titles.
Student-Athletes Featured in NCAA Champion Magazine
Belmont University student-athletes are the subject of a feature story in the Summer 2009 edition of NCAA Champion magazine. On April 6, dozens of Belmont student-athletes from all 17 sports of competition took part in service project – Camp Bruin – at nearby Carter-Lawrence Elementary in Nashville. The student-athletes played games and interacted with the school children, providing inspirational stories and serving as role models. Click here to view the article.
Jacobs Offers ‘Good Idea’ to Campus Career Counselor
Director of Career Services Patricia Jacobs was recently quoted in the “Good Ideas” section of Campus Career Counselor, the only national publication geared specifically and exclusively to college and university career services professionals. The June 2009 issue of the publication highlighted Belmont’s Senior Capstone and the Belmont and Beyond program. Click here to read the article, which appears on the fourth page of the issue.
London Students Attend Presentation on Global Trends in Music Business
Belmont students are currently in London studying the “European Music Business” with Music Business Professor Don Cusic. The students are shown here at the office of the IFPI, the international trade organization for recording labels, where Director of Market Research Gabriella Lopes (fourth from left) delivered a presentation on global sales and trends in the music business.
