Belmont’s College of Business Administration recently announced that many of its graduating seniors scored at or above the top 10 percent level on the Major Field Test in Business, an exam produced by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) of Princeton, N.J. The ETS exam has been administered to almost 85,000 students at 564 undergraduate business programs 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 Fall 2008 cohort who scored in the Top 10 percent or higher nationally include: Matthew Durdel (Suttons Bay, MI), Matthew Hilton (Mooresville, NC), Nathaniel Hudson (Nashville, TN), Alan Kruer (Floyds Knobs, IN), Ryan O’Hern (Kansas City, MO), Kelsey Rictor (Zionsville, IN), Jennifer Russell (Portland, TN), Patrick Schuyler (Baltimore, MD), Brock Short (Nashville, TN), Blake Tidwell (Kingston Springs, TN), Brian Watts (Franklin, TN) and Laura Wright (McEwen, TN).
Senior Business Students Achieve Top Ranking on National Exam
York Selected to Ronald McDonald House Charities Board
Dr. Stan York, assistant professor of management in the College of Business Administration, was recently selected as a Director and Treasurer on the Corporate Board of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Nashville. Ronald McDonald House Charities of Nashville’s mission is to “keep families close” and provide essential resources and a “home away from home” for families of critically ill children receiving inpatient or outpatient medical care at Nashville area hospitals.
General Education Program Awarded Teagle Foundation Grant
Belmont University’s Department of General Education was recently awarded a $288,000 grant from the Teagle Foundation to assess the impact of experiential learning in the core curriculum. Over the course of the three-year project, titled “Learning by Doing: Assessing the Relationship Between Liberal Learning and Experiential Education,” Belmont will collaborate with Wagner College in New York to seek ways to better assess how experiential learning improves student engagement and enhances important skills such as critical thinking. The project builds from a one-year, $25,000 planning grant obtained in 2007.
The BELL Core, Belmont’s innovative and nationally-recognized general education program, features courses that encourage students to engage in “active learning”—service learning, community-based research and field studies, problem-based learning and other experiences in which students are challenged to move beyond the classroom and develop knowledge and skills that are rooted in real-world experiences.
Dr. Jeff Coker, associate professor of history and director of Belmont’s General Education program, served as project leader for the planning grant and will serve in that capacity again for the three-year study. He noted, “The Teagle Foundation grant will allow us to learn a great deal more about what faculty at Belmont already sense—that active, ‘hands-on’ learning leads to a high level of engagement and promotes an array of skills that better prepare our students to succeed. This long-term project will spell out the benefits of experiential education, and even more importantly, it will provide us with strategies for improvement. The study also will place Belmont on the cutting-edge of innovative assessment strategies and will be of great interest for colleges and universities nationwide.”
Belmont Provost Dr. Dan McAlexander added, “Belmont University is nationally recognized for its innovative, interdisciplinary general education program which emphasizes learning both in and out of the classroom. The awarding of this highly competitive grant gives us the opportunity to assess the impact of this kind of learning and to share our findings with the nation’s higher education community.”
Flynn-Hopper Participates in ‘Principal for a Day’ Event
In association with the Pencil Foundation, Dr. Rachael Flynn-Hopper, assistant professor in Education and Belmont’s Pencil Partner liaison, participated in the annual “Principal for a Day” event. She shadowed Dr. Schuler Pelham, principal at Belmont’s partner school, Overton High School, in November. Dr. Flynn-Hopper visited classrooms, toured the school, discussed programs and learned about the day-to-day administration of a high school. Pelham and Flynn-Hopper also attended a luncheon hosted by the Pencil Foundation at the new Martin Professional Development Center.
This is one of the many ways in which Belmont University’s Department of Education has partnered with the Pencil Foundation. Other activities Dr. Flynn-Hopper has coordinated include working with Millicent Jolly and Glenn Acree to donate computers to Overton High School that have been rotated out of circulation at Belmont, collection and donation of school supplies for the LP Pencil Box, collection and donation of motivational materials for Overton High School students and the planning of an Overton Night at the Women’s and Men’s basketball games on Sat., Jan. 24, 2009.
Athletics Announces Hall of Fame Inductees
Belmont University Athletics announced Thursday the names of its 2008 Belmont Athletic Hall of Fame induction class.
Temp Sparkman (’55) was one of the founding fathers of Belmont Basketball. A starter and key contributor on Belmont’s first team in 1952-53, Sparkman was named all conference on the 1955 Volunteer State Athletic Conference (VSAC) Championship team that advanced to the program’s first NAIA District Tournament. Nearly a career double figure scorer from the guard position, Sparkman was a team captain and regular set-up man for All-American post player, Robert Barnes. But Sparkman’s accomplishments and contributions extend far beyond the hardwood, and in large order serve as a microcosm of the spirit of the university itself. After graduating from Belmont with honors, Sparkman became minister and professor of theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. From there, he served as graduate professor within the University of Kansas’s School of Education. Author of numerous renowned publications on faith and discipleship, Sparkman is currently penning a book on Belmont’s inaugural basketball team.
Sherry Tegarden Flecksteiner (’99) stands among the greatest softball players in Belmont history. Both a distinguished hitter and pitcher, Tegarden Flecksteiner virtually rewrote the Bruin record book. She ranks first in career runs scored (128) and NCAA Division-I era pitching victories (11), and she ranks second in career hits (166), triples (15) and stolen bases (49). Also the standard bearer for a myriad of single-season records, Tegarden Flecksteiner ranks in the Top 4 all-time at Belmont in a staggering 13 categories. But perhaps most noteworthy, this versatile performer was the steadying force in transitioning the Bruin program from NAIA to NCAA Division-I play.
The two honorees will be formally inducted as part of a banquet on Fri., Feb. 27 at 6:30 p.m. in the Maddox Grand Atrium of the Curb Event Center.
Tickets are $25 per person. For reservations, contact Debbie Chenoweth at (615) 460-6854.
The Belmont University Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 1980 by Belmont University Athletics. The Athletic Hall of Fame recognizes and honors those individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the achievements and prestige of Belmont University and its intercollegiate athletic program. To be nominated, an individual must have completed his or her athletic eligibility at least seven years prior.
‘Dead Day’ Gives Life to Children Overseas
On Wed., Dec. 10, Belmont University students, faculty and staff teamed with EMI Christian Music Group, Provident Music Group, Word Entertainment and non-profit hunger-relief organization Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) to package meals for needy children in Thailand. The “Dead Day” event took place in the Curb Event Center Arena with volunteers participating in two-hour shifts. In just one day, more than 1,500 volunteers packed 426,816 meals, enough to feed 1,169 children for one year, breaking all previous one-day totals for FMSC. Click here for more on this story.
Snellen Wins First-Place in Boulevard Bolt
Ryan Snellen, a 2007 Belmont graduate, finished first among 7,900 participants at this year’s Boulevard Bolt, the annual five-mile Thanksgiving Day race down Belle Meade Boulevard. The Entrepreneurship major, who was a member of Belmont’s Cross Country and Track teams, completed the 15th annual race in 24 minutes 41 seconds. Twenty-four local, non-profit organizations who serve Nashville’s homeless will benefit from the proceeds of this year’s event.
Alumna Speaks at Curb College/ASCAP Event
On Wed., Dec. 3, ASCAP & the Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business hosted Beka Callaway Tischker, Belmont alumna and vice president of A&R/music publishing at Razor and Tie, for an evening with more than 30 Belmont alumni and 40 students. Belmont’s Office of Alumni Relations and ASCAP recognized Tischker for her contributions to the music industry. In addition to working full time, she gives back to Belmont by teaching and mentoring students in the Curb College’s Belmont East program in New York City. During the evening ASCAP also recognized Clare Dunn and Stephen Duncan as the recipients of 2008-2009 ASCAP Foundation Scholarships. Each received $2,500 from the Foundation to offset tuition expenses. The ASCAP Foundation Scholarship was created to reward selected full-time Belmont Songwriting majors.
Scarlett Event Leads to Charity Donation
The Scarlett Leadership Institute recently presented the American Heart Association with a $12,000 donation thanks to 13 local senior executives and the generosity of internationally-renowned executive coach Marshall Goldsmith. Goldsmith, who is the author of the best-selling business book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, works primarily with high profile organizations and individuals. On Oct. 16, Belmont welcomed Goldsmith to campus for a special presentation on the topic of leadership and coaching. Goldsmith donated his time to work with the executives and CEOs, who each paid $1,000 to attend. All of the proceeds were donated to local charities – $12,000 to the American Heart Association and more than $1,000 to Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee.
Making the check presentation to the American Heart Association on Dec. 4 were Jimmy Batten, CEO of Batten & Shaw and the attendee who recommended the money be donated to the American Heart Association; Joe Scarlett, founder of the Scarlett Leadership Institute; and Jerry Brase, executive director of the Scarlett Leadership Institute. Michelle Moschel, vice president of the Greater Nashville American Heart Association, accepted the donation on behalf of the Nashville chapter.
Fisher Nominated for Tennessean of the Year
Belmont University President Dr. Bob Fisher was nominated this week for 2008 Tennessean of the Year by The Tennessean.
The newspaper pointed to the 2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate and how the event brought a national spotlight to Nashville as part of the reasoning behind his nomination. In addition, the article noted, “Fisher has raised Belmont’s profile since his arrival in 2000, increasing enrollment from 3,000 to 5,000 students, launching nursing and pharmacy programs, and working with recording-industry mogul Mike Curb to build the state-of-the-art Curb Event Center, site of the debate.”
Other nominees include the Fisk Jubilee Singers, which was awarded a National Medal of Arts this year; Dr. James Hildreth, a Meharry faculty member who announced a potential breakthrough in the battle against AIDS; Jennifer A. Pietenpol, the director of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center who was recently appointed to a six-year term on the National Cancer Advisory Board; and Pat Summit, head coach of the University of Tennessee women’s basketball team who led the Lady Vols to a second consecutive national championship in the 2007-08 season.
Click here to read the article. To support a nominee, readers are encouraged to email their selection and reasons why to letters@tennessean.com. The winner will be announced in the paper’s Issues section on Dec. 28.
