The first installment in a new line of officially licensed Belmont Bruins athletic gear is now available in local stores. The official Belmont sideline hat–‘The Z Hat’ from leading headwear manufacturer Zephyr–is in stock at Lids within Opry Mills shopping center. Opry Mills is located at 391 Opry Mills Drive in Nashville.
“This product launch is an exciting beginning to our new line of officially licensed Belmont Bruins’ merchandise,” Belmont Director of Athletics Mike Strickland said. “On the heels of two consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in men’s basketball, and continued success across the board for Belmont Athletics, this venture is another step forward to meet growing interest and demand in our program.”
Future product lines are expected in coming weeks at Lids and Champs Sports stores, among others, in middle Tennessee. Belmont is client of Strategic Marketing Affiliates (SMA), an Indianapolis, Ind. based company which represents dozens of NCAA member institutions in licensing initiatives.
For more information, visit www.belmont.edu/athletics.
Officially Licensed Belmont Gear Now Available
Governor Appoints Voight to Serve on Licensing Board
Governor Phil Bredesen appointed Dr. Michael Voight, Professor in the School of Physical Therapy, to a three-year term on the Tennessee Board of Physical Therapy, the physical therapy licensing board for the state of Tennessee. Voight was also a guest lecturer at the 2nd Annual University of Colorado Sports Medicine Conference held in Boulder, Colo., on Sept. 14. More than 300 doctors, physical therapists and athletic trainers attended the event. Voight was the only physical therapist on the faculty and spoke on various rehabilitation topics following surgical presentations.
Melinda Doolittle to Host 2007 ‘Christmas at Belmont’
In a media gathering Thursday morning on the fourth floor of Belmont’s Inman Center, College of Visual and Performing Arts Dean Cynthia Curtis and alumna Melinda Doolittle (’99) jointly announced that Melinda will host the 2007 “Christmas at Belmont” concert, which will be taped live next month. The special will air nationally on PBS Mon., Dec. 24, at 10 p.m. EST after its local premiere on Nashville Public Television (NPT) Thurs., Dec. 20, at 8 p.m. CST. Doolittle was a top finalist on the sixth season of “American Idol,” where she won the hearts and votes of millions of Americans and gathered legions of devoted fans.
Reflecting on her time as a Belmont student, Doolittle said, “I have a lot of wonderful memories from performing at Belmont. I was a part of Belmont Pops, University Chorus, Jazzmin, and Chadasha so I’ve been performing here for the longest time, even at the Commercial Music showcase. I’m really, really excited to be coming back for ‘Christmas at Belmont,’ to be given another chance to perform and also to host.”
Belmont President Bob Fisher said, “We have a world-class School of Music, and we are delighted that we can bring our students and faculty to national prominence. We are thrilled to welcome Melinda Doolittle back home to Belmont and are grateful to her for hosting ‘Christmas at Belmont’ and providing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our School of Music students to perform with such a talented singer and inspiration. We’re pleased to be partnering again with NPT to produce this signature holiday event for a national and local audience.”
“Christmas at Belmont,” a production of NPT with funding from the Beaman Family Foundation and the Jack C. Massey Foundation, will be broadcast this year for the first time from the illustrious Schermerhorn Symphony Center, adding to the grandeur of the signature holiday event in Music City. The concert features a collage of familiar carols, classical masterworks, world music and light-hearted seasonal favorites. More than 400 student voices join with School of Music faculty and the Nashville Children’s Choir to present the annual holiday production.
Dean Curtis noted, “We are just incredibly pleased and excited to have Melinda hosting our ‘Christmas at Belmont’ this year. For those of us around Belmont who’ve known Melinda since she was a freshman, she has always been a complete pleasure to work with. What we saw as she participated in the ‘American Idol’ process is really who she is: she’s very humble and yet very talented as a musician and performer.”
Princeton Review Honors Massey in Best Business Schools Book
The Princeton Review—known for its college rankings based on how students rate their schools—recently released its 2008 edition of the annual business school guidebook, with Belmont University’s Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business being listed as one of the “Best 290 Business Schools” among AACSB-accredited MBA programs world-wide.
Dr. Pat Raines, Dean and Professor of Economics in the Massey Graduate School of Business, said, “It is an honor for the Massey School to be selected for the third consecutive year to the Best Business Schools edition of the Princeton Review. The Princeton Review is a leading reference for students considering graduate business programs. Comments in the student surveys indicate that we are true to our mission of delivering an evening graduate business program that is rigorous and practical and is meeting the needs of working students. I am particularly proud of the students comments about the Massey faculty whom students say are accessible, challenging and bring their real world experience to the classroom.”
Belmont students also noted that all of the business professors “were top executives at one point in their careers” and are “good, knowledgeable people who have a desire to teach.”
The Princeton Review compiled the lists based on its surveys of 19,000 students attending the 290 business schools and on school-reported data. Said Robert Franek, VP / Publisher, Princeton Review, “We compile our ranking lists in multiple categories based on what students report to us about their schools to help applicants decide which of these academically outstanding schools is best for them.”
To view the Princeton Review profile of the Massey school, click here.
Athletics Inducts 2007 Hall of Fame Class
On Thurs., Oct. 4, Belmont Athletics inducted its 2007 Hall of Fame class in an event held in the Maddox Grand Atrium of the Curb Event Center. New Hall of Fame members Al Allen (’96), Jaymie Moore Rankhorn (’98) and Daree Pilkinton Merritt (’91) along with Chaney Award honoree Patrick Russo were all on hand for the ceremony.
Assistant Athletic Director Betty Wiseman said, “This was one of the most memorable Hall of Fame Banquets that I can remember because of the special people we honored and their genuine and heartfelt gratitude expressed for the honor bestowed upon them. We were all reminded of our rich history and heritage in Belmont Athletics.”
Allen was one of the most imposing and productive interior players in Belmont men’s basketball history. Despite playing just three seasons, Allen is one of only eight players in program history to score over 2,000 career points (2,030). Belmont went an astounding 95-20 during Allen’s career, including 37-2 in 1994-95. That season, Allen was named Second Team NAIA All-American and TCAC Co-Player of the Year as Belmont earned its first-ever No. 1 national ranking and a trip to the NAIA Final Four. His career field goal percentage of .669 is the highest in Bruin history, a mark that will likely stand the test of time.
Rankhorn will go down as one of the greatest volleyball players in Belmont history. An explosive yet versatile performer, Moore Rankhorn ranks first all-time in kills (1,622), hitting percentage (.325), aces (229) and digs (1,222). Her single season marks–562 kills in 1995 and .421 hitting percentage in 1994–have not been threatened since. Behind Moore Rankhorn’s play, Belmont won the TCAC regular season and tournament titles in 1995 before transitioning into NCAA Division-I play.
Daree Pilkinton Merritt (’91) was a four-time All-TCAC selection in women’s basketball. A multi-faceted player, Pilkinton Merritt’s name floods the Belmont record book. She ranks first in career steals (404), second in career assists (574) and third in career three-point field goals (222). Pilkinton Merritt also set the single season standard for steals with 135 in 1990. Moreover, she is one of just five Bruins ever to score over 1,500 career points, ranking fifth all-time (1,645). Belmont went 105-26 over her four-year career.
Bruin supporter Patrick Russo was awarded the Carl Chaney Memorial Award, which was established in 1977 to honor those athletic boosters who give untiringly to the success of a particular athletic program and/or to the athletic program as a whole.
The Belmont University Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 1980 to recognize and honor 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.
Moser Comments on China Connections
Belmont assistant professor of music business David Moser, who is teaching in Hong Kong this semester, was quoted in a recent Tennessean story about the increasing connections between colleges and China. Belmont senior Mana Shahgoli, who went on the summer study abroad program last year, was also interviewed.
New Pharmacy Faculty to be Published
New School of Pharmacy faculty member Dr. Eric Hobson recently received word that an article he co-wrote has been accepted for publication. “Utilizing Focus Groups to Inform Pharmacy Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy,” which was written with Sally A. Huston, will appear in Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, likely in Spring 2008. The piece was commissioned (and peer reviewed) to provide an entry point into the topic of focus group research methods for pharmacy researchers who are not often familiar with the finer points of qualitative research methods. Hobson, who started at Belmont Oct. 1, is the School of Pharmacy’s Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
ASCAP Writers’ Night Series Features Guest Writer Kyle Jacobs
The Curb College welcomed songwriter Kyle Jacobs as the guest writer for the Oct. 2 ASCAP Writer’s Night held in the Curb Café. Performing alongside Jacobs were senior Andrew Mallanik, sophomore Hailey Steele and senior Bobby Hamrick.
Jacobs, an accomplished writer and vocalist with Curb Music Publishing, is a co-writer on Garth Brooks’ new No. 1 single, “More Than a Memory,” the highest debuting country single in history. He also shared rights on Kimberley Locke’s Top 10 hit, “8th World Wonder.” Jacobs songs have been recorded by artists Jo Dee Messina, Craig Morgan and Trace Adkins.
Mundy Named A-Sun Player of the Week
Belmont Volleyball junior Cat Mundy (Dallas, Texas) has been named Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Week, the league announced Monday. The dynamic outside hitter recorded 33 kills, 15 digs, and two blocks as the Bruins defeated USC Upstate and ETSU this past weekend to remain atop the conference standings. Mundy hit. 378 and had 19 kills Friday night against the newcomer Spartans – one kill shy of her own Curb Event Center record for kills in a three-game match. This was Mundy’s first Atlantic Sun Player of the Week honor.
Turner Invited to Join Grand Ole Opry
According to a press release from his label, MCA Nashville recording artist and Belmont alumnus Josh Turner was invited to become the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry this past weekend. Turner, a 2001 graduate of the School of Music, will be formally inducted into the Opry family by Vince Gill on Sat., Oct. 27.
In an interview with The Tennessean, Opry chief Pete Fisher said, “He has just blended in so well with the cast and really represents what the Opry stands for, and that is a respect for tradition but certainly relevancy for today. Josh has built his music and his career on tradition, but he comes out and does it in a real new fresh way and with a fresh attitude.”
Turner’s Dec. 21, 2001 Opry debut is one of the most memorable in recent history. Though he hadn’t yet had a song released to country radio at the time, the singer earned a standing ovation for the song that would become his breakthrough hit, “Long Black Train,” during the performance of the song and a second standing ovation following an encore.
