The School of Pharmacy’s Dr. Sal Giorgianni was recently interviewed by the Tampa Bay Tribune in an article marking the tenth anniversary of Viagra’s global launch by Pfizer, “The Little Blue Pill Is Growing Up – Viagra Turns 10.” Giorgianni served in Pfizer’s Global Development Team when Viagra was in market development and was the director of external relations after the product launched. Click here to read the article.
Second Annual Travel-Study Program to Japan Returns Home
A group of 10 students and faculty led by Dr. John Paine (English and Foreign Languages) and Dr. Jonathan Thorndike (Honors Program) recently spent three weeks in Japan as part of the university’s second annual study abroad trip there. The Belmont group, which also included Dr. Cindy Bisson (History) and Dr. Marieta Velikova (Business Administration), was based in the central Kansai Region near Kyoto, the home of traditional Japanese culture.
The theme for the academic portion taught by Dr. Paine was “Kyoto: Heart of Japanese Culture,” while Dr. Thorndike was responsible for field trip visits to various shrines, temples, museums and historical sites. The Belmont travel-study program to Japan was occasioned by the 1,000-year anniversary of the composition of The Tale of Genji, generally considered the greatest work of Japanese literature. The Belmont group received a special invitation to see original manuscripts of Genji regarded as “national cultural treasures” at the Tenri University library.
One unique feature of the travel-study program was the combination of regular class time with visits to a variety of sites representing ancient and modern Japan. The Belmont group toured famous Buddhist temples in Kyoto and Nara as well as famous Shinto shrines and Torii gates in Kyoto and Otsu. The group spent time in reflection at the International Peace Park and Museum in Hiroshima and also visited the extensive collections in National Museums in Kyoto and Nara.
This fall, Belmont will be offering two levels of Japanese language as a regular academic course of study. Belmont students will also offer a convocation about their experiences in Japan in September. A third study abroad trip to Japan is being planned for May 13-June 2, 2009.
Belmont Employees to be ‘Locked-Up’ for Good Cause
A number of Belmont University faculty and staff members are headed to the ‘slammer’ June 25 and 26 for the sake of a good cause. Along with almost 200 other local citizens, 36 Belmont participants will be “arrested” next week in the largest mock sting in Nashville history to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). Faculty and staff range from all departments, including university finance, athletics and social sciences.
The participants will be jailed at Fleming’s Steakhouse, and a celebrity judge along with the local MDA Goodwill Ambassador will sentence each person to raise a $1,500 bail. Participants are encouraged to pre-raise their bail by asking for contributions from friends, family and associates. If they do not raise enough money in time, the participants will be asked to put on black and white-striped prison garb and take mug shots before being escorted to cells to serve their one-hour sentences.
Media Studies, Admissions Representatives Help ‘Make-A-Wish’ for Sick Teenager
Thom Storey, chair of the media studies department, was recently interviewed by The Tennessean regarding a teenager who visited Belmont as part of the Make-A-Wish program. Las Vegas high school student Taylor Hassman, 17, was diagnosed with cancer two years ago. Make-a-Wish, a nonprofit organization that grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions, provided Taylor with a trip to Nashville to attend CMA Music Festival events. During her stay she also met with journalism and admissions representatives at Belmont, where she hopes to attend classes beginning in 2009. To read the full story, click here.
Cusic Published in New Book
Professor of Music Business Don Cusic has a chapter, “Cowboys in Chicago,” in a new book, The Hayloft Gang, just released from the University of Illinois Press. The book is about WLS and The National Barn Dance in Chicago, which was the top radio show for country music before the emergence of the Grand Ole Opry after World War II.
Rives Named Women’s Outdoor Track and Field All-American
Rising junior Lynette Rives capped an extraordinary outdoor season after reaching the semifinals in the 200m at the NCAA Outdoor Championships last week. For her efforts, she was recently named an Outdoor All-American by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Rives becomes the second outdoor female runner at Belmont to receive the All-America distinction and the first since 2000 to receive the honor.
Rives is currently ranked 34th in the 200m by USA Track & Field, the organization that governs the U.S. Olympic Trials. Riley is awaiting notification from USATF to see if she will be allowed to compete at the Trials, which are scheduled for June 27-July 6 in Eugene, Oregon. If she advances, she will be the first women’s track athlete to do so in school history. For more on this story, click here.
Associated New American Colleges to Meet at Belmont for Summer Institute
Administrators and faculty from the 21 member institutions of the Associated New American Colleges will come together for the annual Summer Institute this week. The three-day event focusing on optimum environments in which to learn, teach and grow will be held at Belmont from June 18-20.
Committed to integrating liberal arts education, professional studies and civic engagement, New American Colleges are often pioneering new ways of teaching and learning. The Summer Institute affords members from across the country an opportunity to share their work among like-minded institutions. Keynote speaker Susan Painter, PhD, a design psychologist and urban and university campus planner, will share her ideas on how campus design affects cognitive development and what that means for schools dedicated to integrative learning. Barbara Walvoord, PhD, Professor Emerita at the University of Notre Dame, Ind., will address student assessment and grading.
Throughout the Institute, affinity groups such as presidents, provosts, career services and enrollment services, will meet to discuss topics endemic to institutions of integrative learning. Stuart Dorsey, PhD, president of the University of Redlands, will also lead a roundtable discussion of emerging issues for the institutions before the Institute closes.
Student’s iReport Shown on CNN International
Rising senior and music business major Chris Dorsey was recently interviewed on CNN International. After taking part last summer in Belmont’s first Study Abroad trip to South Africa, Dorsey returned to the nation this summer as a volunteer and was present when the rioting began in Cape Town several weeks ago. He submitted to CNN several photos from his work with a refugee camp in the area, and the network contacted him for an iReport interview, which aired last week. To view Dorsey’s iReport, click here and forward to 5:08 in the video segment.
Giorgianni Interviewed for MSN Health and Fitness
Dr. Sal Giorgianni in the School of Pharmacy recently did an interview on the MSN Health and Fitness Web site for the Men’s Health Network in anticipation of Father’s Day. The full article “Fighting Frailty,” which can be read here, focuses on practical tips older fathers can use to manage the basics of physical health as well as to engage in mentally stimulating and socially rewarding activities.
Weaver Finishes in Top 25 at NCAA Championship Event
Belmont women’s track and cross country runner Lauren Weaver, a Spring 2008 graduate, finished 25th in the preliminary race for the 5000 meter at the NCAA Championships. The Nashville native, who was the only runner representing a school in the state of Tennessee to compete in the event, finished with a time of 17:48.77. Weaver became only the third Belmont outdoor women’s track athlete in program history to participate in the NCAA Championship and was the first since 2004. She qualified for the NCAA Championship after finishing second in the event at the NCAA Mideast Regional, just two seconds behind eventual winner Angela Bizzarri of the University of Illinois. For more on this story, click here.
