Students from the Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Pharmacy programs at Belmont University joined forces for the Geriatric Interprofessional Team Training at MeHarry Medical College on February 16. This training session, held yearly, offers an opportunity for participants to collaborate with students from other universities and different disciplines in the health care arena to offer the best treatment plan for a patient in a case study. It allows students to learn about other disciplines and how their work helps the overall patient care team. More than 450 students from universities across the State of Tennessee participated.

In total there were 67 Belmont pharmacy students, and 5 Belmont therapy students in attendance. This was the first time that this interprofessional group included the occupational therapy profession, providing students with a unique experience they hadn’t had before.

Belmont faculty leading the charge were Natalie Michaels from PT and OT, and Angela Clauson, Cathy Ficzere, Ashton Beggs and the Dean David Gregory from Pharmacy.

Students receive 20 of the prestigious advertising awards, the most of any participating school, in O’More’s final academic year before the college merges with Belmont University

O’More College of Design today announced that nine of its students received a total of 20 awards at the 2018 Nashville Student Advertising American Awards (ADDY’s) – the most recognitions out of 246 entries from eight participating colleges and universities. Earlier this month, O’More announced that it has joined forces with Belmont University to create the O’More School of Design at Belmont, and will offer its degree programs to new and existing graphic, fashion and interior design students, as well as fashion merchandising students, on Belmont’s Nashville campus beginning in the fall of 2018.

“We are delighted with the success of our students at this year’s ADDY’s, especially as it comes on the cusp of our exciting merger with Belmont,” said Shari Fox, president of O’More College of Design. “As our students begin the transition to Belmont, their exceptional showing at this year’s ADDY’s should fill them with confidence and pride in the talent they are bringing to their new educational home.”

Jami-Lyn Fehr Fashion Pink Series PHOTOGRAPHY CAMPAIGN GOLD

O’More senior graphic design major Nic Malone took home four awards for his brand and product development entries while freshman Abraham Mast earned three out of the four awards given in the Animation/Special Effects category.

In addition to Malone and Mast, O’More 2018 ADDY recipients and the categories in which they won are:

• Jami-Lyn Fehr – two gold awards for “Fashion: Pink Series” and “Fashion” in Photography
• Dominick Granda – three silver awards for “Go Love Yourself” in Poster; “Elanor” in Illustration, Single; and “Wray & Nephew” in Integrated Brand Identity Campaign
• Marissa McHaney – gold for “El Bandito” in Packaging and silver for “Botanica logo” in Logo Design
• Hannah Mills – two silver awards for “Rocket Books” in Integrated Brand Identity Campaign and “Rocket Books logo” in Logo Design
• Cody Parnel – silver for “Plaza” in Integrated Brand Identity Campaign
• Hunter Ractliffe – silver for “Hersheys” in Magazine Advertising, Single
• Kacie Williams – silver awards for “Rocket Fuel” in Packaging and “BHOJA’S logo” in Logo Design

The Nashville Student ADDY’s, an offshoot of the Nashville chapter of the renowned national ADDY Awards, recognize and reward creative excellence in the art of advertising among Middle Tennessee students. Conducted annually, it is the first stage in a three-tiered competition. Nashville gold and silver winners will compete at the District level against winners from Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. These winners will advance to compete at the National Student ADDY’s.

About O’More College of Design and Belmont University Merger

In a timely move that enhances Belmont University’s academic and professional offerings in design while extending the strong legacy and reach of O’More College of Design, the two institutions announced in February 2018 that they are combining efforts to serve the next generation of designers. The governing boards for both Belmont and O’More have agreed that Belmont will acquire O’More College of Design and all of its assets and then move O’More’s programs in fashion, interior and graphic design as well as fashion merchandising to Belmont’s campus. The new O’More School of Design at Belmont University will open its doors fall of 2018 in Nashville. O’More College of Design was founded by Eloise Pitts O’More in 1970, in Franklin, TN. To learn more, visit www.omorecollege.edu.

Belmont University’s undergraduate American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) team recently participated in the 2018 AMTA Regional Competition in Cincinnati, Ohio. The competition, hosted by Xavier University, included 25 other collegiate teams. In its second year of competition, Belmont’s team garnered its region’s Spirit of AMTA award, given “to the team that best exemplifies the ideals of honesty, civility and fair play.”

President of Belmont’s undergraduate AMTA team Matt Nino said, “This year Belmont Undergraduate’s Mock Trial Team competed in Cincinnati, Ohio against some of the best schools in the nation. I am so incredibly proud of our members’ motivation and sportsmanship throughout the entire competition. Taking home the Spirit of AMTA Award meant a lot to us. We are so excited about the potential of this team going forward as we expect the organization to grow and improve even further.”

The undergraduate Mock Trial team is coached by Belmont second year law student Margaret Conner and is a student-led, interdisciplinary team whose members hail from three colleges. Representatives include Jack C. Massey College of Business students Chloe Bidne (social entrepreneurship) and Andrew Doubek (entrepreneurship); Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business students Matt Nino (music business), Karl Kleppe (music business), Sarah Lancaster (motion pictures) and College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences students Kevin Botros (philosophy and political science double major), Meghan Hickok (political science) and Hunter Lindsey (politics and public law).

AMTA serves as the governing body for intercollegiate mock trial competition. Through engaging in trial simulations in competition with teams from other institutions, students develop critical thinking and public speaking skills, as well as a knowledge of legal practices and procedures. AMTA sponsors regional and national-level competitions, as well as providing interesting and complex case materials for academic use.

Belmont’s team is partially sponsored by Interdisciplinary Studies and Global Education.

Belmont University’s Veteran Success Team recently hosted two Veteran Empowerment Training sessions for faculty and staff across campus. Since the Post-9/11 GI Bill, which provides additional opportunities for veterans to earn a college degree, campuses across the country have seen a dramatic influx of veterans seeking educational opportunities. Belmont’s student population has been no different.

Because the process of transitioning from military to civilian life can pose challengers for all service members, veterans and their families, the University’s Veteran Success Team, part of Interdisciplinary Studies and Global Education, continues to provide support to this campus group. As Belmont’s veteran population has grown to more than 155 undergraduate and graduate student veterans, the Team understands the importance of ensuring faculty and staff are fully equipped to serve student veterans.

This week’s training sessions provided information on how to welcome student veterans to campus, build trust, ease the transition and properly advise/mentor students. They were led by Tennessee Department of Veteran Services Veteran Education Coordinator for Middle Tennessee Chris Fears. He feels strongly about the importance of equipping faculty and staff to empower student veterans and said, “It’s a great time to be a student, and it’s a great time to be a veteran. Neither of those are more true than right here in Tennessee. Military veterans are proven to be the best students in our classrooms with a few strategic pieces of transitional support. Supporting veterans in higher education is the best thing we can do to set them up for success in the next chapter of their lives.”

Robbie Tyrney, president of Belmont’s Student Veterans of America chapter known as Bruin Vets, supports faculty and staff training and other programming provided by the Team. “Our Veteran Success Team continues to go above and beyond to ensure our veterans have the resources and support they need while pursuing academic success at Belmont University,” Tyrney said. “By hosting the Veteran Empowerment Training, our Veteran Success Team shows their commitment to excellence in supporting Belmont’s growing veteran population. The Bruin Vets would like to thank our Veteran Success Team for their continued support and Chris Fears for providing this valuable training opportunity.”

The Veteran Success Team works to ensure student veterans are welcomed and equipped for success at Belmont. They provide help with academic resources, transitioning to campus life and career readiness. Their efforts were recently recognized, as Belmont was ranked No. 3 in the South for Best Colleges for Veterans on U.S. News & World Report’s 2018 edition of America’s Best Colleges.

Dr. Michelle Craddock Guinn, assistant professor of mathematics, is the featured mathematician on the Black History Month 2018 Honorees Mathematically Gifted and Black page posted on The Network of Minorities in Mathematical Sciences website.

Guinn joined the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Belmont University in the fall of 2013. The entire article can be read here.

Members of the Belmont National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) participated in the Adventure Science Center’s Engineering Day on Saturday, February 24 and led demonstration for the guests around the theme “Chemical Engineering & Going Green.” The group described how sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) found in some shampoos, detergents and cleaning substances can be toxic at high concentrations and how less toxic alternatives can be found.

To do this, group leaders showed the “foamy” properties of SLS compared to the lemon water that they made, and then asked the children to make a hypothesis about which one would work better. They then let the participants choose which mess they wanted to clean up (options like syrup, honey, chocolate syrup, makeup and jelly) and allowed them to conduct their own experiment with lemon water while they cleaned with the SLS. Then they asked them if their results supported or disproved the hypothesis of which cleaned better.

The NSTA members wanted to show that the lemon water cleaned just as well as the SLS and is healthier for users and the environment. The NSTA members that helped with the demonstrations were Aaron Rice, Avery Daniels, Chris Burdette, Shannon Kelly, Rachel Hongo, Tori Hongo and Mary Barber.

This year’s Tri-Beta plant sale, a fundraising put on by Belmont’s Beta Beta Beta (Tri-Beta) Biological Society, raised about $500 to support students programming including field trips and projects.

Tri-Beta is a society for students dedicated to improving the understanding and appreciation of biology. The Mu Theta Chapter of Tri-Beta at Belmont University was established April 9, 1988.  Since then, membership has promoted the study of biology through various activities such as presentations, fun field trips, trips to scientific meetings and social events for students.

Tri-Beta provides leadership opportunities for students, informs them about current developments in biology and helps them prepare for employment. Dr. Steve Murphree serves as the faculty advisor for this organization.

Dr. Matthew Heard, assistant professor of biology, recently had a research article accepted for publication in the Frontiers of Biogeography Journal, the scientific journal of the International Biogeography Society. The article is entitled “Disease biogeography: spatial and temporal analyses of infectious disease burden at the country-level scale provides new insights and challenges.”

Frontiers of Biogeography is an international scientific journal that publishes novel articles about topics at the interface of biology and geography.

Belmont’s College of Sciences and Mathematics Environmental Science Program recently hosted Dr. Karen Seto from Yale University for the 13th Annual Environmental Science Lecture. Her talk was entitled “Urbanization Trends in China and India: Environmental Opportunities and Challenges.” Seto is the Frederick C. Hixon Professor of Geography and Urbanization Science, Senior Associate Dean for Research and Director of Doctoral Studies at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

An urban and land change scientist, the overarching objective of her research is to understand how urbanization will affect the planet. Her research uses a combination of satellite remote sensing, socioeconomic and biophysical data, field research and modeling methods to characterize urban land-use, understand the drivers of urban land-use change, forecast urban expansion and assess the large-scale environmental consequences of urban expansion. She has pioneered methods to reconstruct land-use dynamics with satellite data and forecast the expansion of urban areas.

Seto was one of two coordinating lead authors for the urban chapter of the “IPCC Working Group III Fifth Assessment Report,” and has served on many U.S. National Research Council Committees including the recent NRC Committee on Pathways to Urban Sustainability. From 2000 to 2008, she was on the faculty at Stanford University where she held joint appointments in the Woods Institute for the Environment and the School of Earth Sciences. She is an Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow, an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. She has a PhD in Geography from Boston University.

The Black Student Association (BSA) recently hosted Belmont’s Black History Month culminating event featuring successful entrepreneurs from all over Nashville. The event was developed and led by BSA, specifically under the leadership of Kayla Young, president, and Aminah VanArsdale, social events chair.

Page Turner (Egap Real Estate and Flip or Flop Nashville host), Harold Lercius (Lercius Fitness Studio), Mignon Francois (The Cupcake Collection), Emmanuel Reed (’12 and co-owner of Slim & Husky’s ) and Dr. Lakisha Simmons (Homework Suite – Student Planner App) engaged with the students about entrepreneurship.  The panelists also shared advice for Belmont’s budding entrepreneurs, encouraging them to get a mentor, start journaling and create repeatable processes.

A student in the audience asked the panelists how they balance their business and home life. “You only have one body, and you must take care of it on a daily basis so exercise is essential to a  balanced life” Lercius responded. Turner added, “Journaling and making sure I laugh each night helps me to relax and regroup.”

A future financial planner asked how to get clients for her new business. “Know your target audience and build trust with your tribe by offering them free advice and helpful resources, then through word of mouth, clients will come to you because you’ll have the reputation as the expert,” said Simmons. Francois added, “creating a positive customer experience will have them coming back again and again; our goal is to sprinkle each customers day with a bit of joy.” Reed explained that, at his company, “we want each customer to experience pizza, art and music. It’s a complete experience that customers keep coming back for.”

Belmont recently competed in the Templeton Business Ethics Case Competition at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida. Sixteen universities were invited to present their financial, legal and ethical analysis about a national pharmaceutical company who sold the patent rights of a very profitable prescription drug to the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe in order to delay the introduction of generic drug competition.

Belmont’s team of Eric Rall, Amanda Portillo and Jon Casel won their initial Bracket Competition over Clemson University, Georgetown University and last year’s winner, the University of North Dakota. After competing in the second round, Belmont advanced to the Final Round where they were awarded fourth place overall.  The team was coached by Massey College of Business faculty Boyd Smith, Jennifer Fowler, Barry Padgett and Harold Fogelberg.

Belmont University has been named the 2018 Best Music School for Veterans in Tennessee by College Factual.

Belmont’s music program is ranked No. 1 out of 15 colleges and Universities reviewed by College Factual for veteran friendliness in Tennessee. The is the second year in a row that Belmont has achieved this honor.  Belmont has also been ranked in the top 15 percent of all schools reviewed by College Factual nationally for providing a quality music education to veterans.

According to Mimi Barnard, Associate Provost for Interdisciplinary Studies and Global Education, “Belmont University takes seriously its commitment to those who’ve served their country through military service, and we’re especially pleased to know that our student veterans have chosen to rank our School of Music so highly. Belmont’s School of Music, with world-class instructors and state-of-the-art studio resources, offers its students a winning combination of large university resources and personal, small college service.”

Assistant Professor of Photography and artist Christine Rogers was recently awarded a Fulbright Scholarship for her upcoming work in India. As a flex grant, Rogers will be funded for two trips over the next year including a trip during winter break this year and the summer of 2019. During her time abroad, Rogers will be in residence at the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences in Calcutta, an interdisciplinary think tank focused on East Indian research. Rogers’s project will focus on history, international trade, climate change, collective memory and, of course, photography.

Passionate about interdisciplinary research, Rogers’s trip will allow her to study and take photographs to create a body of artwork on her topic–centered around memory and contemporary life in the anthropocene, examining the global ice trade of the 1800s and the phenomenon of modern day snow theme parks. “In looking at this almost evaporated history, I hope to find connections between photography and memory in a rapidly warming and image-saturated world,” she said.

This trip isn’t Rogers first experience in India or as a Fulbright Scholar. In 2012-2013, she traveled to India as a scholar, looking at the middle class domestic tourist industry and projections of landscape. She visited every landscape advertised as “The Switzerland of India” and began thinking about snow, ice and, as she calls it, “the beauty of the cold.” Since then, she was hooked.

“I haven’t stopped thinking about it since,” Rogers said. “I have wanted to do this project for a couple of years, and after the encouragement of my friends and colleagues, I decided to pursue grant funding to turn this dream into a reality.”

Dr. Tracey Carter, associate professor of law and Belmont University College of Law’s director of academic success, will serve on the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation’s Regional Review Panel in Nashville on Tuesday, March 13. Carter (1993 Truman Scholar) and other panelists will be interviewing the 2018 Truman Scholarship Finalists from Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee, and the 2018 Class of Truman Scholars will be announced in April 2018.

The Truman Scholarship is a very competitive national scholarship and is considered “the premier graduate fellowship in the United States for those pursuing careers as public service leaders.” The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation “awards merit-based scholarships to college students who plan to pursue careers in government or elsewhere in public service. Truman Scholars receive up to $30,000 for graduate or professional school, participate in leadership development activities, and have special opportunities for internships and employment with the federal government.”

Professor and Coordinator of Instrumental Studies in the School of Music Joel Treybig was recently published in the March 2018 International Trumpet Guild Journal. His peer-reviewed article, “Auxiliary Trumpets: Selecting the Best Tool for the Job,” is based on his sabbatical research, explores the origins and history of auxiliary trumpets and the diverse designs of the instruments and examines musical literature to note how these instruments can best be used in modern performance to benefit the composition, audience and performer.

The International Trumpet Guild Journal is distributed to a membership of over 4000 members from 50 countries.

Hit songwriters Chuck Harmony and Claude Kelly recently participated in “Deep Fried Veggies,” a three-part seminar series launched by Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business Associate Dean & Professor Dr. Cheryl Slay Carr and CEMB Assistant Professor Eric Holt. Carr served as the event’s moderator.

The series examines working on both the artistic and business sides of the industry and crafting a life deepened through and beyond music. Parts two and three of the series will take place on March 12 and April 16.

Belmont University’s Corporate Challenge Team placed 1^st at the Tom King Classic 5K and Half Marathon on Saturday, March 3. Belmont runners included Chair and Professor of Mathematics Dr. Andy Miller, Associate Professor of Business Law Dr. Haskell Murray, Director of the Honors Program Dr. Jonathan Thorndike and Assistant Professor of Audio Engineering Technology Dr. Eric Tarr. Miller ran the half marathon while the others competed against corporate challenge teams from Nashville in the 5K.

The finishing times were as follows:

• Miller: 1:29 (6^th in 40-44 age group)
• Murray: 17:34 (1^st in 35-39 age group)
• Thorndike: 21:03 (1^st in 55-59 age group)
• Tarr: 19:30 (1^st in 30-34 age group)

The 24th annual race is named for Tom King, one of the founding members of the Nashville Striders Running Club. In 1970, a group of local runners organized and adopted that name for its members, and King was named President. He continued to serve as Club President until passing the baton in 1977. He served on the Board and as an active volunteer as the Striders continued to grow and play a significant role in the running community. The Nashville Striders Board decided to honor King for his role in establishing the Club.

The Inaugural Tom King Classic was held in 1995 and staged in Percy Warner Park as a Half -Marathon.  In 2001, the event was moved to LP Field and added a 5K. Ken Gupton, owner of Gupton Auto Dodge, Chrysler & Jeep, became the presenting sponsor of the event in 2005.

The O’More College of Design’s annual Show House was mentioned in the New York Times this week. The story was written by Hayley Krischer, a regular contributor to the Times and many other top-tier publications. Krischer wrote about her obsession with black houses and mentions the most recent O’More Show House as one of the trendsetters in her article New on the Block: The Little Black House.

The O’More Designer Show House demonstrates the strength of design and showcases the talents of more than 17 O’More alumni. New this year, these O’More alumni partnered with and mentored current student interns in order to share hands-on knowledge as they transformed a 4,015-square-foot house in Brentwood.

Associate Professor of Music and Coordinator of Composition Dr. Mark Volker recently released a new album titled “Young Prometheus – the Music of Mark Volker.” It features several of his most recent and successful works including “Quotations,” a suite performed by The Luna Nova Ensemble, “Dust to Dust” for string quartet and “Echoes of Yesterday” for clarinet. The title suite, “Young Prometheus,” is drawn from the music for the Nashville Ballet’s production “Frank.” The performers include Belmont’s own Kristian Klefstad, associate professor of piano, Carolyn Treybig, lecturer of flute and Alison Gooding Hoffman, School of Music instructor.

The performances for the album were recorded at Belmont’s Columbia Studio A and Ocean Way Studio and engineered by Kelly Ford, Belmont faculty member. The album is available on iTunes, Amazon, Navona Records and Barnes & Noble.

After about a year of work, Dr. Kelly Garner, assistant professor of commercial voice, released a new choral book and recording of urban gospel arrangements, “Yes and Amen!” The book was distributed worldwide. Garner arranged nine of the 12 arrangements, along with highly acclaimed choral arranger Cliff Duren.

In 1992, Garner graduated with a Bachelor of Music from Belmont in Commercial Voice with a Performance emphasis. In May 2014, Kelly completed a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Jazz Voice Performance with a cognate in Music Technology from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami.