Two Belmont nursing students participating in Vanderbilt’s ROTC program recently received two of the highest cadet rankings in the nation. The rankings are based on their total experience as cadets, including academics, physical fitness, performance at strategic camp experiences, leadership and more.
Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Shannon Ellrich (above right) is the fifth-ranked nurse in the nation and is the cadet battalion commander. She is the senior ranking cadet in the program. Cadet Major Hannah Bienhoff (below left) is the first-ranked nurse in the nation and holds the position of senior TAC officer. She is charged with the evaluation of all junior cadets.
Out of 4,417 cadets nationally, Ellrich is ranked 249 and Bienhoff is ranked 53 in the national order of merit rank.
Dr. Martha Buckner, associate professor of nursing, said, “These two Belmont nursing students, who came here as freshmen and have progressed in our traditional program, have achieved the highest ranking as ROTC cadets from any major in recent memory at Vanderbilt. This impresses me because they are being compared with students from all majors from across the nation.”
Nursing Students Receive High Honors in ROTC
Buckingham to Speak on Campus Monday
Cambridge-educated former Gallup researcher Marcus Buckingham will be speaking to campus and the local community on Monday on the topic of his latest career resource kit, The Truth About You,” which is aimed at young professionals (17-25 years old) but valuable for anyone who wants to take control of their career and performance.
Author of New York Times’ bestsellers First, Break All the Rules and Go Put Your Strengths to Work, among other titles, Buckingham is considered by many to be the world’s leading expert on career success. His organization, the Marcus Buckingham Company, seeks to help individuals express the best of themselves and make their greatest contribution possible at work, at home and in life.
Buckingham’s address will begin at 5:30 p.m. Monday in the Curb Event Center. This is a ticketed event, but most ticket options include both the book and lecture. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com and the Curb Event Center box office.
Williams-Skinner Addresses ‘How Would Jesus Vote?’
Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner, former executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus and current president of the Skinner Leadership Institute, addressed the topic: “How Would Jesus Vote?” Wednesday in a convocation for students.
Williams-Skinner discussed the importance of Christians not simply voting for a candidate because of gender, skin color, party affiliation or based on one or two issues. Instead, she advocated that Christians must examine all of the issues and vote according to what they believe the Bible says. Christians must ask themselves, ‘Which candidate best reflects God’s Kingdom principles to me?’
Dr. Williams-Skinner challenged the audience to decide on a candidate by first looking at what Jesus did in the Bible and realizing that God is concerned with the whole planet and everything in it. She said that voters should approach the voting booth with their whole mind, heart and God’s word with them.
PT Students Hold Kids’ Sports Festival
Belmont Physical Therapy students developed and implemented a Sports Festival for children with disabilities recently. Students worked with Michelle Hill of Empower Me Day Camp to put on an afternoon of fun games and sporting activities for school-age children. Empower Me Day Camp provides summer day camps for children with disabilities, as well as, social and recreational activities throughout the school year. The Physical Therapy students planned several fun activities that each had a specific therapeutic purpose. Activities included obstacle courses, parachute games, face painting and crafts, sensory-based activities and other childhood games adapted for children with disabilities.
School of Pharmacy Hosts University Exploration Team
Belmont’s School of Pharmacy hosted a program exploration team from Fairleigh Dickenson University in New Jersey. Over two days, the pharmacy faculty and other members of the Belmont community consulted with these guests on the full range of issues that must be addressed in order to decide whether or not to launch a school of pharmacy. Dr. Geoff Weinman, dean of Arts and Sciences at Fairleigh Dickenson University, said that they chose Belmont’s program as a starting point for their investigation based on the positive word on the street about Belmont’s innovative Doctor of Pharmacy program.
Pharmacy Faculty Attend ACCP Annual Meeting
Drs. Cathy Turner and Julie Rafferty, assistant professors of Pharmacy, attended the annual meeting of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) in Louisville. They both were inducted into the ACCP Academy’s Teaching and Learning Certificate Program, a structured, two-year curriculum that helps clinical pharmacy faculty extend their teaching strategies to reflect evidence-based best practices in higher education. Drs. Rafferty and Turner completed the eight-hour “Basic Training for New Clinical Faculty and Preceptors” as well as two hours of elective courses. Also, Dr. Eric Hobson, professor of Pharmacy, was a featured speaker at ACCP this year. A founding faculty member of the ACCP Academy’s Teaching and Learning Certificate Program, Hobson presented two workshops: “Implementing Teaching and Learning Strategies” and “Making Student Peer Assessment Work.” In addition, Hobson’s article, “CATs for Classroom and Clinical Teaching,” was published in the ACCP Academy Teaching and Learning Newsletter, Vol.1.3.
Wicke Chosen to Contribute to NCAA.com Blog
Men’s basketball senior Andy Wicke (Hendersonville, Tenn.) has been selected to contribute to the NCAA.com student-athlete blog program. A member of three consecutive Atlantic Sun Conference championship teams and one of several returning standouts from the Bruins’ 2008 NCAA Tournament squad that nearly defeated three-time National Champion Duke, Wicke will provide fans with first-hand accounts of his daily life–both on and off the court. Though the complete list of men’s basketball contributors is yet to be finalized, Wicke will be one of a select few across all three NCAA division levels nationwide to participate. Click here for more on this story.
Audio Engineering Students Assist on Elvis Christmas Duets CD
Belmont audio engineering students recently had the opportunity to assist, observe and interact with top recording engineer and producer Chuck Ainlay, who chose to track RCA’s newly released Elvis Christmas Duets in RCA Studio B. The album features modern artists singing along with Elvis on his Christmas songs, including many originally recorded in 1956 at RCA-B. The process included re-recording the instruments for the songs that were originally recorded in mono, then blending the two recordings together. Belmont students were exposed to top recording talent including legends such as Pig Robbins and The Jordanaires as well as current country artists Wynonna Judd, Martina McBride and Carrie Underwood. Several Belmont students also had the opportunity to assist on a track for Bobby Bare Jr.’s upcoming Shel Silverstein tribute, which was recorded at RCA Studio B with the group My Morning Jacket and producer Gary Pazcosa. Proceeds from both of these projects will be donated to the Bob Mulloy scholarship fund in appreciation of using RCA-B.
Song Selected, Pitched by Students Climbs the Charts
Alumni of the 2007-08 edition of the Belmont/BMI Catalog Cast program are enjoying concrete evidence of their hard work, as compilation CD song “You Can Let Go” currently climbs radio airplay charts. Recorded by RCA artist Crystal Shawanda and co-written by Cory Batten and Kent Blazy, “You Can Let Go” snagged the attention of veteran producer Scott Hendricks, who added the track to Shawanda’s debut album.
Mentored by BMI staffers, Belmont students in Catalog Cast cull through hundreds of compositions penned by Music Row writers and dive into Nashville’s contemporary creative process by selecting a limited number of pitch-worthy, potential hit songs for a compilation CD. Participants then act as a liaison for the songwriters and publishers, distributing the compilation CDs to Music Row decision-makers including producers, managers and A&R executives. The Catalog Cast program was originally conceived by former Shelby Kennedy, now senior vice president and COO of Cherry Heart Music and adjunct instructor in Belmont’s Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business.
“Through the Catalog Cast, Belmont students grasp the true foundation of our industry,” says BMI Vice President of Writer/Publisher Relations Jody Williams. “The process of listening to, identifying and pitching songs is the lifeblood of Music Row.” Catalog Cast will continue its run when the program begins again in January.
CNN Visits Campus to Interview ‘Green Bag Lady’
CNN came to campus last week to interview Associate Professor of Art Teresa Van Hatten-Granath about her work as the Green Bag Lady. Earlier this year Van Hatten-Granath began sewing fabric bags from donated and recycled material and then giving the bags away for free to anyone who committed to using them instead of paper or plastic bags. To date, nearly 2,500 free bags have been handed out thanks to the “Green Bag Lady.” CNN Science and Technology reporter Azadeh Ansari interviewed Van Hatten-Granath last Wednesday in the Leu Center for the Visual Arts, along with a number of students, faculty and staff who have used her bags. Click here to view the story which ran on Wednesday.
