Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., is hosting a Vesper Service at Christ Church Cathedral on Sun., Oct. 5 at 4 p.m., two days prior to the Town Hall Presidential Debate in the Curb Event Center on the Belmont campus. President Robert Fisher of Belmont will be presiding. Reverend David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World, will deliver the homily on Poverty & Debate08. Bread for the World is a citizens’ anti-hunger movement that focuses on education about hunger and influencing public policies on hunger and poverty.
Also officiating at the service are:
• Reverend Vashti Murphy McKenzie, the first female bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church
• Very Reverend David R. Perkin, Vicar General of the Catholic Diocese of Nashville
• Reverend Dr. Todd Lake, Vice President for Spiritual Development at Belmont University
Reverend Anne Stevenson of Christ Church Cathedral is serving as host. Music will be provided by Belmont’s College of Visual and Performing Arts under the direction of Dr. Jane Warren.
Belmont Hosts Vesper Service in Preparation for 2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate
Belmont to Feature Noted Commentators in Interview
Matalin, Carville on www.belmontdebate08.com
Well-known political commentators Mary Matalin and James Carville are set to be Belmont University’s final guests in its “Behind the Scenes at the Presidential Debates” interview series on the official 2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate Web site, www.belmontdebate08.com.
The interviews are part of Belmont University’s series of educational programs and events in conjunction with the debate on Oct. 7, 2008, in the Curb Event Center on the Belmont University campus.
Matalin and Carville, who are husband and wife, are best known for their work as political analysts and consultants for some of the most powerful political figures of the last 25 years. In the interviews to be featured exclusively on Belmont University’s Debate08 Web site, Carville and Matalin reveal little-known details and gaffes that happen during preparations for and during debates.
Matalin and Carville worked on opposing political sides during the 1992 campaign in which Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton defeated incumbent President George H.W. Bush and Independent candidate H. Ross Perot. Carville was Clinton’s campaign manager while Matalin served as deputy campaign manager for political operations on Bush’s staff. Matalin has recently served as an assistant to President George W. Bush and as counsel to Vice President Dick Cheney. She was the first White House official to serve in the roles simultaneously. Matalin is a contributing writer for media outlets like Newsweek and the Los Angeles Times. Carville currently works as a consultant on foreign political campaigns. Both Matalin and Carville currently serve as political commentators for various media outlets.
Seigenthalers Share Thoughts on Media Ethics in Election08
The Center for Business Ethics and the New Century Journalism Program hosted a full house today in the Frist Lecture Hall as a dialogue between respected journalists John L. Seigenthaler and his son John M. Seigenthaler attracted a standing room only crowd of students, faculty, staff and community members. Pictured (l-r) at right is New Century Journalism Director Dr. Sybril Bennett, John M. Seigenthaler, Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher and John L. Seigenthaler.
Dr. Fisher welcomed attendees and guests, noting that the younger Seigenthaler had long been his favorite broadcaster during his stints as an anchor for NBC and MSNBC. Fisher added, “Nashville’s a great community of people, but there’s nobody I respect more than John [L.] Seigenthaler. There are going to be more than 3,000 distinguished journalists on this campus soon but none are more distinguished than the two sitting here right now.”
Seigenthaler Sr., pictured at left with Director of the Center for Business Ethics Dr. Harry Hollis, opened the discussion with an analysis of the current election coverage. “Through primary debates and media coverage of those debates, we’ve come to know more about the two presidential candidates than ever before. The media has helped us know these candidates and what they’re about. On the other hand, there’s been an aggressiveness in this campaign [among the networks] that I think has not been helpful.”
Regarding the intense competition between FOX News, MSNBC and CNN, John M. Seigenthaler added, “For cable channels, opinion is king and not the news. There’s become a merging now of news content and commentary.”
Dr. Bennett has posted clips of the Seigenthalers’ conversation on her blog, which can be accessed by clicking here.
Chemistry Society Chapter Receives Award
The American Chemical Society (ACS) Student Affiliates chapter at Belmont University has been selected to receive a Commendable Award for its activities conducted during the 2007-08 academic year. For the 2007-08 academic year, more than 330 reports were submitted and The Society Committee on Education presented 40 Outstanding, 71 Commendable and 96 Honorable Mention awards. Lists of award winning chapters will be published in Chemical & Engineering News and in Chemistry, the Student Affiliates magazine. The award-winning chapters will also be honored at the 237th ACS National Meeting in Salt Lake City on March 22, 2009. Assistant Professors of Chemistry Alison Moore and Rachel Rigsby deserve special commendation as they serve as faculty advisors for the chapter.
Tabar Recognized as a Leading Collegiate Entrepreneur
Senior entrepreneurship student Andy Tabar has been named one of the Top 20 collegiate entrepreneurs in the country in this year’s StartupNation Dorm-Based 20 Rankings for his business, Bizooki.com. Entrants were judged on a variety of criteria, including innovativeness of business concept, potential for growth, cutting-edge business practices, demonstration of business fundamentals, degree of talent exhibited by the founder, potential for overall impact and financial performance. Tabar, winner of the “Huge Upside Potential” group for Bizooki.com, said, “I realized the importance of talent not only locally but globally and how the economy is shifting that way.” His business-networking site aims to connect people around the world on projects. Click here to read the full StartupNation article.
Belmont Debaters Land Significant Tournament Titles
This past weekend the Belmont Speech and Debate team traveled across town to TSU for an annual speech/debate tournament. With only three debaters competing , Belmont still secured the title of second place university in the overall debate division. Sophomores Tim Smith and Tyler Kimbro (their first tournament) qualified for quarterfinals. George Shifflett, who partnered with a debater from Carson-Newman College, was the second place team at the tournament (and was undefeated until the final round, leaving them an 8-1 record). Also, George was declared the first place individual debater out of the 52 competing. Thus, out of the 26 teams in attendance both Belmont teams ranked in the top eight.
Celebration Held for Scholar Communities Summer Research Program
On Sept. 6, a Celebration Dinner was held in the Massey Boardroom for the Scholar Communities Summer Undergraduate Research Program. Presentations were given by 24 students from seven research teams, the largest program to date, representing the disciplines of Biology, Chemistry and Sociology. This is Scholar Communities’ sixth year during which students and faculty in the areas of Chemistry, Mathematics, Computer Science, Biology, Psychology, Sociology, History, Journalism and English have participated throughout the summer in collaborative research experiences. In addition to their research projects, the participants enter into an ongoing dialogue about what it means to do research in the various disciplines represented.
Voight Presents at Two Major Conferences
Dr. Mike Voight, professor of physical therapy, offered the keynot lecture this summer for the International Federation for Sports Physiotherapy Symposium (IFSP) in Zurich, Switzerland. He presented on analyzing biomechanical performance in golf and developing a fitness program around the findings. He also presented on the anatomy and clinical examination of the hip as a part of a symposium on hip pathology at the National Athletic Training Association Annual Conference held in St. Louis. This is the largest meeting of the year for athletic trainers with more than 8,000 attending the conference. Once all invited programs were submitted, the conference committee selects the best program and gives it the designation of being the Johnson and Johnson Distinguished Keynote Lecture Symposium and does not schedule any other programming opposite this presentation. Voight’s Hip Symposium was selected this year for that honor and more than 4,500 people were attendance at the lecture. Finally, he was also recently published in the North American Journal of Sports Physical Therapy for an article he co-wrote titled “The Chop and Lift Reconsidered: Integrating Neuromuscular Principles into Orthopedic and Sports Rehabilitation.”
Debate08 Emphasizes Green Efforts in Support of Broader Belmont Environmental Initiatives
New recycling bins, alumni office projects add to campus-wide efforts
Celebrations surrounding Belmont University’s hosting of the 2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate this fall won’t merely be colored in red, white and blue as the university dedicates its efforts to make the event a healthy shade of green as well. Staff members involved in welcoming more than 3,000 campaign workers and media to campus in October are working on a number of ideas to ensure Debate08 promotes environmental sustainability as a vital aspect of good citizenship and an important part of any event planning.
Pamela Johnson, Belmont’s Director of Strategic Marketing and Special Initiatives, said, “Protecting the environment and resource conservation aren’t just huge topics for the candidates to tackle this election season. At Belmont University, these are important issues we’re addressing daily in classrooms and across campus. My hope is that the 2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate serves as another step forward in our ongoing ‘Belmont Goes Green’ campaign while also inspiring our campus and community with creative examples of how we can all do our part to protect and conserve the environment.”
Several debate-related programs are planned for students and the community to provide insight into the politics of the environment, including Dr. Kelly Tiller’s address on “Economics and the Environment: The Biofuel Controversy” and Peter Kareiva’s talk on “Conservation Strategies that Work.” In addition, to curb paper output, the university is creating an Electronic Press Kit (EPK) for visiting media to use, placing materials like press releases, contact lists and background information on a one gigabyte flash drive rather than using printed pieces.
The EPK will be inserted into a polypropylene bag that is made of recycled materials and is fully recyclable. Plus, the bag itself can be re-used, eliminating the need for plastic bags at grocery stores and other outlets. Identifying tags placed on the bags will use hand-made seed paper, which can literally be planted like normal seeds when removed from the bag. Some paper is being used for Debate08 letterhead, but it is being manufactured by Domtar Cougar, which is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as well as being made chlorine free, lignin free and acid-free. In addition, all of the generators being used to power the Media Filing Center will be using an environmentally friendly biodiesel blend.
School of Music Visits Steinway & Sons Factory
In early September, a group from the School of Music went to Steinway & Sons in New York City to tour the factory and select a Concert Grand (Model D) for Massey Concert Hall and two Music Room Grands (Model B) for Harton Recital Hall. Piano faculty members Dan Landes, Kris Elsberry, Anthony Belfiglio and Bruce Dudley selected the pianos.
In the selection room, the faculty gave an impromptu performance for the other members of the Belmont group; Dean Cynthia Curtis, Sarah Davis, Friends of the Arts at Belmont Secretary/Treasurer Anne Knestrick and Steinway Piano Gallery of Nashville’s Bill Metcalfe and Brandon Herrenbruck.
The purchase of the pianos is part of the process for the School of Music to become an All-Steinway School.
