Belmont journalism and public relations students recently attended the Southeast Journalism Conference (SEJC) in Oxford, Miss., where they finished second overall in on-site competition and landed four first place awards. The SEJC includes more than 40 member institutions from Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, Arkansas and Alabama.
Linda Quigley, associate professor and faculty adviser for the Belmont Vision, and Thom Storey, associate dean for the School of Social Sciences, accompanied the Belmont contingent. Quigley and Storey are co-presidents-elect of SEJC, and Belmont will host the 2009 conference Feb. 12-14. Storey said, “I was so proud to accompany the Belmont Media Studies students and faculty member Linda Quigley to this year’s Southeast Journalism Conference. Competing against dozens of schools double or triple our size, and coming away as the second place program overall in the championship competition is a tribute to not only our students, but to the faculty who train them to be top notch practitioners who will have an impact on journalism in the years ahead.”
Belmont won the following awards at this year’s conference in the on-site and “Best of the South” competitions, which awards entries previously submitted from colleges and universities:
On-Site Competition:
– Feature Writing, Adaeze Elechi, First Place
– First Amendment Writing, Melanie Bengtson, First Place
– News Writing, Abby Selden, First Place
– Page Design-Magazine, Sarah Mitchell, First Place
– Entertainment Writing, Lance Conzett, Second Place
– Photography, Chris Speed, Third place
– Public Relations, Anne Roberts and Cheryl Bak, Third Place
“Best of the South” Competition:
– Best Journalism Research Paper, Henry Nichols (’07), Second Place
– Best Magazine Writer, Cody Badaracca, Fifth Place
– Best News Paper Page Design, Nathan Baker, Fifth Place
– Best Special Events Reporter, Abby Selden, Third Place
– Best Opinion/Editorial Writer, Adaeze Elechi, Third Place
– Best Sports Writer, Jordan Drake, Eighth Place
Students Win Multiple Awards at Southeast Journalism Conference
Alumna Receives the Champions In Health Volunteer Award
The Community Health Charities of Tennessee recently awarded Music Business alumna Laura McLeod (’96) the Volunteer of the Year award during a dinner and awards ceremony at The Factory in Franklin. McLeod represents the American Liver Foundation Middle TN chapter with her countless contributions including serving as Secretary to the organization and raising close to $20,000 for Flavors, ALF’s annual fundraising event. McLeod (left) is pictured with Channel 4’s Nancy Van Kamp, the evening’s host.
Undergraduate Business Program Nationally Ranked by Businessweek
Belmont University announced today that its undergraduate School of Business has achieved a Top 100 national ranking in BusinessWeek’s third annual report on “The Best Undergrad B-Schools” in the U.S. Belmont ranked No. 89 in the U.S., placed between the University of Arkansas (No. 88) and Louisiana State University (No. 90). Belmont and the University of Tennessee-Knoxville (No. 93) were the only two Tennessee programs to make the list, and Belmont was one of only six private schools in the South to be included. For the second straight year, the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School was recognized as best in the U.S.
Belmont’s College of Business Administration (COBA) Dean J. Patrick Raines said, “This national recognition offers continuing evidence that our COBA faculty and staff are doing a phenomenal job in delivering a high-quality undergraduate business education to our students. And given our continuing partnership with Belmont’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business, it also demonstrates what is possible when two academic programs share the same passion for excellence.”
Susan Taylor, COBA associate dean of undergraduate business, added, “Our students and their families will be very pleased with this recognition. It’s also rewarding to know that what we have been telling students when we recruit them is now being validated on such a highly visible national platform.”
Jordan-Lake to Release First Novel in March
Dr. Joy Jordan-Lake, a part-time professor at Belmont and wife of Vice President of Spiritual Development Todd Lake, is releasing her first novel next week. Inspired by a true story, Blue Hole Back Home is a beautiful and poetic story that exposes that just how deep ignorance—and hatred—can burn. Author and lecturer Phyllis Tickle noted, “Reminiscent of To Kill a Mockingbird, Blue Hole Back Home is a haunting story, lyrically told, about the death of innocence under a southern sun.”
Jordan-Lake earned a masters degree from a theological seminary before completing a masters and Ph.D. at Tufts University, where she specialized in race, gender and theology as seen in 19th-century American novels. This summer, she will be teaching a course at Belmont based on one of her previous books, Working Families: Navigating the Demands and Delights of Marriage, Parenting and Career. She is also the author of Grit & Grace: Portraits of a Woman’s Life, Whitewashing Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Why Jesus Makes Me Nervous: Ten Alarming Words of Faith.
Dickens Appointed Chair of Harpeth Companies
Marty Dickens, the chair of Belmont University’s Board of Trustees and the former AT&T Tennessee president, has been appointed chairman of the board of Harpeth Companies, LLC, as the firm seeks to build upon the record success it achieved in 2007. Harpeth Companies is the parent company of Harpeth Capital and Harpeth Consulting. Dickens was previously a member of Harpeth’s Advisory Board.
Bridgestone Americas Awards Scholarship to PR Major
Emily Telford, a junior public relations major, was recently awarded the $2,500 Bridgestone Americas Public Affairs Scholarship, an annual award given by the Nashville-based company to a public affairs student who demonstrates academic excellence, campus service and professionalism. Telford, who also is earning a double minor in journalism and philosophy, has maintained a high grade point average while being an active campus leader. She is the former president of Belmont’s PRSSA Chapter and the former secretary and current volunteer for Bruin Recruiters, the student recruitment team at Belmont University. In addition to her campus service, she has had internships at Schmidt Relations, PassAlong Networks and National Renal Alliance. Telford is the third Belmont student to receive this scholarship, which was established in 2005.
“We are so grateful to Bridgestone Americas for its ongoing support of Belmont and our students,” said Pam Parry, public relations program director at Belmont University. “Bridgestone Americas has been a consistent, strong friend to the public relations program at Belmont, and Emily is a wonderful student who is very deserving of this honor. From day one, she’s been an active leader on campus and an engaged student in the classroom.”
Governor Recognizes Financial Aid Awareness Month
Patricia Smedley, Belmont’s Director of Financial Aid and Associate Director of Student Financial Services, recently attended an event in which Governor Phil Bredesen signed a proclamation declaring February as Financial Aid Awareness Month in the State of Tennessee. The Tennessee Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (TASFAA), a professional association consisting of approximately 600 members from across the state, provides financial aid information and services to students attending colleges and universities in our state. Pictured above are Clyde Walker of Vanderbilt University, TASFAA President; Governor Bredesen; Patricia Smedley of Belmont University, Chair of the TASFAA Financial Aid Awareness Committee; and Ron Gambill of EdSouth, Chair of the TASFAA Governmental Relations Committee.
Alumna Wins Big on ‘Deal or No Deal’
Sarah Harrison, a May 2007 Belmont graduate, and her husband Nate recently won $209,000 on the NBC television game show “Deal or No Deal.” The show aired locally on Mon., Feb. 25.
Voight Gives Keynote, Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
On Feb. 1, Physical Therapy Professor Dr. Michael Voight gave the keynote address to the Danish Association of Sportsmedicine held in Copenhagen Denmark on the topic of “Hip Injuries in Athletes.” This meeting was attended by over 400 MDs and PTs practicing in the field of sports medicine from Denmark, Norway and Sweden. A week later, Voight received the Ronald Peyton Lifetime Achievement award at the Sports Physical Therapy Section’s Annual awards ceremony. This award, named after the first founder and first President of the SPTS, is the highest award given by the SPTS and represents a lifetime of contribution to the field of Sports Physical Therapy.
Student-Athletes Earn National Academic Honors
Hare, Magut, Williams-Weaver Named to Academic Teams;
Belmont Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Teams Named to the 2007 NCAA Division I USTFCCCA All-Academic Team
Belmont University recently received word that three student-athletes and both cross country teams have been honored for outstanding academic achievements. Senior Justin Hare added to his lengthy and distinguished list of accolades Tuesday, as he was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America University Division Men’s Basketball First Team. In addition, after recording two of the most distinguished individual running seasons in program history, cross country student-athletes Kipkosgei Magut and Lauren Williams-Weaver were named to their respective 2007 NCAA Division I U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic teams Monday.
Also, the Belmont men’s and women’s cross country teams were each named to the 2007 NCAA Division I U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Teams. The men’s team had the highest overall team grade point average in the nation with a 3.57. This is the fifth time in school history that a Belmont team has earned the top GPA in the nation for their respective sport. The Belmont women’s team had a GPA of 3.61 and marked its eighth consecutive year of being named an All-Academic Team. Both cross country teams won Atlantic Sun Championships in the fall of 2007.
Hare, a Cleveland, Tenn. native who sports a 3.87 GPA in his major of exercise science and health promotion, received Academic All-District honors for a third consecutive year earlier this month. He plans to attend medical school upon graduation. Hare earned Second Team Academic All-America honors last year and is one of three men’s basketball players in school history to be so honored, joining Wes Burtner (2001, 2002) and Adam Mark (2002, 2003, 2004).
“Justin joins a very elite group of student-athletes in being named First Team Academic All-American,” Belmont head coach Rick Byrd said. “The honor is a result of hard work on the basketball floor and many hours of study in the limited hours away from class, practice and competition. He has continued the Belmont tradition begun by Wes Burtner and Adam Mark and is an exemplary role model for future players to emulate. All of us in the Belmont Basketball family are proud of him and happy for him.”
Magut, a junior from Kitale, Kenya, became just the sixth runner in Atlantic Sun Conference history to successfully defend his individual title at the conference championships. He led Belmont to a sixth consecutive Atlantic Sun Conference team title. Moreover, Magut was named to the All-South Region Team for a second straight year following a 13th place showing at the NCAA South Regional Championships. He also has been named Most Outstanding Male Track Athlete at the 2006 and 2007 Atlantic Sun Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Likewise, Williams-Weaver has been nothing short of remarkable in her Bruin career. Already a multiple All-Atlantic Sun performer, the senior from Nashville, Tenn. saved her best for last by lapping the field at this year’s Atlantic Sun Cross Country Championships, earning Runner of the Year and individual title honors in leading the Bruins to their sixth conference crown in seven years. Then after posting a fifth place finish at the NCAA South Regional Championships, Williams-Weaver placed an exemplary 45th out of the 253 best runners in the nation at the NCAA Championship meet.
Magut is a marketing major, Williams-Weaver an exercise science major. Both are repeat Academic All-Conference honorees.
