Zachary Renfro, a second year student in the School of Pharmacy, was one of 20 students selected nationwide from more than 9,000 entries as a recipient of the 2009 RXportfolio National Achievement Award. The award criteria consisted of content, quality of writing and overall achievements professionally displayed within their RXportfolio.
Coach Byrd Honored in Preseason Publication
Longtime Belmont Head Coach Listed Among Nation’s Best
Belmont men’s basketball head coach Rick Byrd has been named one of the Top 10 ‘Under the Radar Coaches’ in America by Athlon Sports in their 2009-10 College Basketball Preview Edition.
Byrd, who ranks 11th among all active NCAA Division-I head coaches in career victories with 561, is set to embark upon his 24th season roaming the Belmont sidelines. The Knoxville, Tenn. native was named 2008 Atlantic Sun Conference Coach of the Year and a finalist for the Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award after directing the Bruins to an unprecedented third consecutive conference title and NCAA Tournament appearance.
Byrd has also garnered national acclaim for leading a program characterized by high academic achievement and sportsmanship. Since 2001, Belmont’s eight ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Americans represent the most for any program in the country. Further, six of the last eight Atlantic Sun Conference Male Student-Athlete of the Year Award recipients have been Belmont Basketball players. Click here for more on this story.
Public Relations Program to Hold Ethics Week
Public relations ethics will be the focus of several special events on campus as part of Public Relations Ethics Week, Sept. 21-25. The incoming national president of the 34,000-member Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), Gary McCormick, will speak on campus Tues., Sept. 22, at 11:30 a.m. in the Massey Board Room. McCormick is director of partnership development for HGTV, Scripps Networks. He will discuss “Are You Ready for Your Closeup? The Changing Face and Challenges of Public Relations.” Attendance is free, and lunch is available ($30 for members and students, $35 for nonmembers) with advance reservation at www.prsanashville.com.
“Gary will discuss changes facing businesses and organizations as we move into an era of trust, confidence, transparency, consumer engagement and social media,” said Bonnie Riechert, director of Belmont’s public relations program.
Immediately following his luncheon presentation on Tuesday, McCormick will meet with students for informal discussion in Massey 100. A convo (personal and professional growth) will focus on “Ethics in the Workplace” on Fri., Sept. 25, at 10 a.m. in Massey 103. A panel of young professionals will discuss ethical dilemmas they’ve encountered or observed, followed by Q&A. Panelists will include recent Belmont graduate Jena Locke, consultant at Hall Strategies, and Heather Schablik of KVBPR.
Panvini Speaks at Live Green Event
Dr. Darlene Panvini, chair of the biology department and coordinator of the environmental studies program, spoke at Live Green in Franklin recently. The event was sponsored by Franklin Tomorrow, and the title of Dr. Panvini’s talk was “Belmont Goes Green: An Overview of Sustainability Efforts at Belmont University.”
Poet Mary Oliver Reads to a Packed House for Humanities Symposium Keynote
Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mary Oliver delighted a packed house at Belmont Heights Baptist Church Thursday night, sharing more than 15 of her poems and essays, including several about her beloved dog Percy. Oliver’s appearance represented the keynote for the Eighth Annual Humanities Symposium, which this year centered on the theme “Nature and the Human Spirit.” Introduced by English Professor Dr. Annette Sisson and Provost Dr. Marcia McDonald, Oliver shared works from a number of her books over the course of the hour before participating in question-and-answer and book signing sessions.
Opening the night, Oliver remarked, “I’m astonished you people are spending an entire week on my favorite subject: trees!”
Oliver is the celebrated author of more than a dozen books of poetry and prose. With her lyrical connection to the natural world, Oliver’s poetry has firmly established her in the highest realm of American poets. In addition to her 1984 Pulitzer, she has been honored with the National Book Award for Poetry and a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, among others. She is renowned for her evocative and precise imagery, which brings nature into clear focus, transforming the everyday world into a place of magic and discovery. Click the more link below to read one of her most popular poems, “Wild Geese,” which she shared with the audience Thursday evening.
Carter Thomas Recognized in Nashville Lifestyles Magazine
Dr. Jennie Carter Thomas, Professor of Management in the College of Business Administration, was featured in Nashville Lifestyles magazine this month as one of Nashville’s “Best Dressed.” Carter Thomas was among seven local personalities to be recognized as Nashville’s most chic citizens, including singer/songwriter Keith Anderson and international businessman Brian Shore. Thomas cites her mother as her greatest stylistic influence.
To read the article, click here.
Gregg Selected to Conduct 2010 Missouri All-State Orchestra
Dr. Robert Gregg, director of graduate studies/ochestra director in the School of Music, has been selected as the conductor of the 2010 Missouri All-State Orchestra on Jan. 27-30. The orchestra is comprised of the best instrumentalists in the state chosen through an audition.
Williams Speaks at National Conference
Dr. Susan Williams, professor of management, was recently a featured speaker at the Nashville 2009 Healthtrust University Conference. Other keynoters at this year’s national conference included Professor Uwe E. Reinhardt from Princeton University, Dale Smith Thomas of Winners by Choice, Inc., and Vicki Smith-Daniels from Arizona State University’s Carey School of Business. Event entertainers included Belmont’s own Josh Turner, as well as Little Big Town. Professor Williams’ topic was “Let’s Make a Deal: How to Hone Your Negotiation Skills.”
Alumna Guest Performs on ‘America’s Got Talent’
Alumna Melissa Schott (’98) appeared on the Sept. 16 airing of “America’s Got Talent” as part of the cast of Cirque du Soleil’s newest show, Banana Shpeel. Schott is a singer/dancer in the 20-member cast which includes Broadway veterans Annaleigh Ashford (Wicked, Legally Blonde: The Musical) and Michael Longoria (Jersey Boys). In late 2008, Schott performed as a member of the national company of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas. Schott was selected as a part of the ensemble and the understudy for the role of Judy Haynes for that production. Banana Shpeel opens in Chicago in November and then heads to New York’s Beacon Theatre in early 2010.
Thorndike Presents on Tolkien at Retreat
Dr. Jonathan Thorndike (Honors Program) presented “J. R. R. Tolkien: Heeding the Inner Vision Regardless of Cultural Change” at the Christian Editors and Publishers Annual Retreat last week. He discussed the development of the major works including The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, which were written while Tolkien was a professor of Anglo-Saxon at Merton College of Oxford University in England. Tolkien was hopelessly out of step with modernity and pursued his creative vision with no awareness of market considerations. The fact that his books became bestsellers and enduring classics has enormous implications for editors and publishers who pay too much attention to current literary and cultural fashions. Thorndike teaches a course on C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien and the Inklings every other year at King’s College in London through the Cooperative Center for Study Abroad.
