Alumna Shelby Blalock (’17) is a finalist for the American Prize in Composition in two categories including Orchestral Music (student division) for her piece “Out of Ashes” and in Instrumental Chamber Music (student division) for her piece “Precarious.” Both pieces were composed by Blalock while an undergraduate at Belmont.

“Out of Ashes” was performed by the Nashville Philharmonic in May 2016, the Belmont Symphony Orchestra in April 2017 and again at the Classical Performers performance in May. “Precarious” was premiered by the renowned ensemble Bent Frequency in June 2016 and performed by the Belmont New Music Ensemble in December 2016.

Blalock graduated with dual degrees in music composition and audio engineering technology.

Dr. Mary Ellen Pethel, Belmont Honors faculty member and distinguished author, recently published her third book, Athens of the New South: College Life and the Making of Modern Nashville, chronicling the history of higher education in Nashville from the end of the Civil War to the 1930’s. She joined a panel of Nashville educators on Monday to discuss the book and the significance of Nashville’s higher education system. The panel included three area higher education professionals including Vice President for Administration and University Counsel at Belmont University Jason Rogers, Dean of the School of Humanities and Behavioral Social Sciences at Fisk University Reavis Mitchell and Associate Director of Community, Neighborhood and Government Relations at Vanderbilt University and Chair of the MTA Board of Directors Gail Carr Williams.

With approximately 20 institutions of higher education and over 120,000 students, Pethel called Nashville “the most highly-credentialed community of intellectuals and educators.” She argued that Nashville’s emphasis on higher education was intentional, and, as former Nashville mayor Karl Dean once remarked, the higher education institutions are what kept Nashville afloat during its recent recession. The very presence of the Parthenon invites people to “come to Nashville to live, work and learn,” Pethel said.

Her book also explores the education of women and minorities in Nashville. Pethel added that Nashville was a “magnet and a Mecca for black liberal arts and professional education.” Mitchell went on to speak about the history of African American education in Nashville noting that the city’s history as an educational hub began with the Civil War’s end. “How do you incorporate 3,000 freed slaves into society?” he asked. “The answer: you educate them.” Accordingly, what is now known as Fisk University opened in Nashville as the Fisk Free Colored School.

Today, higher education institutions continue to shape Nashville’s communities. As Carr Williams, noted, “You should engage with the community you’re in in a myriad of ways, particularly when you have the resources that colleges and universities have.” These resources include research, interested students and leaders in various academic fields. In her position, she said, “We’re taking this intellectual capital and sharing it to enhance the greater Nashville area.”

Rogers commented on the power higher education has played throughout the city saying, “Institutions of higher education in Nashville have embodied the best of Nashville and reflected it back to Nashville.” This is especially true considering the fact that, according to Pethel, 60 percent of Nashville college and university students remain in Nashville after they graduate. She said that Nashville has created a “talent pipeline, continually investing in the city.” Mitchell closed the panel discussion by reminding the audience that Nashville is known as the Athens of the South for a reason. “Why do you come to Athens? You come to Athens to be educated!”

Since leaving the days of syllabi, grade tracking and homework, one group of Belmont alumni have managed to put their entrepreneurial talents to use, develop a useful new app for students and get back to… syllabi, grade tracking and homework.

Economics graduates Carson Ward, CEO, Logan Mathews, COO, and Jonathan Rankin, Creative Director, have developed Skoller, a classroom crowdsourcing app that provides students with a way to manage all of their class grade and assignments in one place – their smart phone. How does it work? With the hard work of the Skoller team, including Vanderbilt junior Bruce Brookshire, CTO, and a team of programmers, syllabi extractors, campus ambassadors and interns. Students simply upload their syllabi, and the team pulls out important dates and assignments to populate the user’s task list. Students can also input their grades and track their progress, and there is now an option to chat with other users in the class.

The ‘crowdsourcing’ element of the app stems from the collaboration of students in the same class. Not only can users chat with each other, but a change to the syllabus made by one student can be seen by all the other students in that class.

“It’s really on the students and the power of the technology to crowdsource changes,” Ward said. “If a test due date changes and you go into the app and change that, we’ve grouped you with your classmates, so they get a notification with the option to copy or dismiss that change. So we crowdsource changes, and it will get easier and more reliable as more people join in.”

So far, the app is available at 14 universities, including Belmont, and is continuing to grow. Since a recent re-launch following an app redesign and code reconfiguration, Skoller has seen current users spend triple and quadruple the amount of time on the app. They’ve received positive feedback from both users and funders, and their goal now is to expand their user base.

The app is available for download in the Apple App Store, or you can sign up here.

For the 14th year, graduates pass certification exam on first attempt

All December graduates of Belmont’s Masters of Science in Nursing (MSN) program for Family Nurse Practitioners (FNPs) passed the national certification exam on their first attempt. The College’s 100 percent first-time passage rate for all graduates – both MSN and DNP – has continued since 2004 and is well above the national average passing rate of 84 percent.

The School of Nursing began offering its MSN degree more than 20 years ago and with the addition of the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in 2012, Belmont’s health sciences graduate programs continue to grow. Prepared to practice in a variety of settings, FNPs provide primary health care to families and individuals across the lifespan. Belmont graduate nursing alumni practice in a wide range of settings including primary care, pediatrics, genetics, urology, and public health.

Certification for FNPs is achieved through either the American Nurses Credentialing Center or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board. Both certifying agencies offer rigorous examinations that validate nurse practitioner skills, knowledge and abilities. All but three states and virtually all employers and third-party insurers require board certification as a prerequisite to nurse practitioner practice.

“We are so proud of our recent graduates,” said Graduate Nursing Interim Director Linda Wofford. “Their success is a testament not only to their excellent clinical skills and strong foundational knowledge, but also to the continued work and investment of the graduate nursing faculty team to build on Belmont’s compelling legacy of success.”

Richard Li, an economics major in Belmont’s Jack C. Massey College of Business, recently attended and presented a paper titled “Effects of Tuition-Free Community College on Enrollment” at the Issues in Political Economy (IPE) 25th Undergraduate Research Conference in Economics. The 2018 conference was held at the Eastern Economic Association Annual Meetings in Boston from March 1 to 4. The conference brings together economists and undergraduates from across the country to present and share research with peers. Students also serve as session chairs and discussants.

With the establishment of the Tennessee Promise scholarship program in fall 2015, Tennessee became the first state to offer tuition-free education to all high school graduates attending in-state community colleges full-time. Past studies of the relationship between college enrollment and financial aid have focused on the effects of either need-based grants or merit-based scholarships on college enrollment. The Tennessee Promise scholarship program intends to increase the proportion of its population with postsecondary degrees, especially among at-risk groups. In his paper, Li exploits the exogenous change in the cost of two-year university tuition in a difference-in-differences model to quantify the causal impact of the program on college enrollment. Findings indicate that the program has led to increases in full-time college enrollment rate of 18- and 1- year-olds by 2.1 to 3.7 percent. These results are heterogeneous across racial and income groups.

Early contributions to the paper came from fellow students Claire Gillman, Ashton Bellenfant and Angela Clark. Richard was accompanied at the conference by his research advisor and Belmont faculty member Dr. Colin Cannonier.

Students from Belmont’s College of Health Sciences and Nursing attended the Leadership Health Care Delegation in Washington, D.C. this past week with Dr. Natalie Michaels from the Departments of PT and OT. Speakers presented information regarding issues related to health care currently being debated in congress at the federal level. The students were able to mingle with congressman and people in health care financing from Central Tennessee, all in our nation’s capital.

Participating students included Eric Bengtson, doctoral candidate in physical therapy, Andrew Wagner, doctoral candidate in occupational therapy and Morgan Clouse, doctoral candidate in nursing. After meeting the group, Congressman Jim Cooper stated that he was greatly impressed with their professionalism.

The newly established Belmont chapter of Global Medical Brigades spent spring break in rural Honduras working alongside the local community to help implement a sustainable healthcare system. The group participated in a 3-day temporary clinic in the remote community of Manzaragua where they worked intake/triage for almost 700 patients, shadowed and assisted healthcare providers, conducted “charla” (chats) with the local children teaching them proper dental care while administering fluoride treatments and collected electronic patient records to help monitor overall community health trends.

In addition to the clinic, they participated in public health projects where they worked on a pipeline for a clean water project in a community with no running water and built eco-stoves that help provide clean-air living conditions in the home. Students in BGMB represent a diverse group of majors from across campus including pre-health, biology, social work, chemistry and exercise science, among others. The chapter worked closely with the Public Health Program to prepare for their trip and Dr. Williams, director of the public health program, serves as their advisor.

English professor Douglas Murray improvised a symphony on Lenten and Easter Themes at the West End United Methodist Church last week. The event took place as part of the church’s Lenten Concert Series. In the program notes for the event, Murray pointed out that until printed music became readily available in the mid-19th century, most keyboard music in cathedrals and large parish churches was improvised; all pianists improvised in concerts. Murray, a prize-winner in improvisation competitions in 2012, 2014 and 2017, is engaged in a project to maintain and extend the art of improvisation.  The concert can be viewed here. 

Associate Professor of Motion Pictures William Aker’s publication, “Your Screenplay Sucks,” has been named no. 5 on Ezvid Wiki’s List of 2018’s Best Screenwriting Books.  Akers serves as motion pictures chair, a program he helped to found in 2013. Akers created the curriculum for the program which, since its inception, has grown from 12 students to 210. In this position, Akers mentors students and assists the department’s faculty.

Ezvid Wiki was the world’s first video wiki, and is now among the top 3,000 websites in the United States.

Belmont’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is working to #breakthestigma through their creation and implementation of this week’s Mental Health Awareness Week, a week of events aimed at bringing the Belmont community together in the push to de-stigmatize mental health.

Over the past few years, mental health has become a major topic in the NCAA given an increase in tragedies related to mental health struggles. SAAC’s “Break the Stigma” campaign seeks to change the cultural understanding of mental health by changing the conversation. 

Ellie Ivancich, representative for the OVC on the National Division I SAAC and president of Belmont’s SAAC, said, “As competitors, our instincts tell us that we must fight through the pain as if fighting to win a match, no matter the consequences. This is a very dangerous mindset to have. Therefore the hope is that we can help cultivate a different mindset surrounding mental help that will encourage people to understand that it’s okay not to be okay, they are not alone, and they are worth it – so speak up!”

The week’s events include:

Wednesday, March 21, 7 p.m.: Mental Health Conversation with former TN Titan Dave Ball in the Vince Gill Room

Thursday, March 22, 7 p.m.: Join SAAC for yoga!

Friday, March 23, 4 p.m.: Men’s Baseball vs. UT Martin will be the Mental Health Awareness Game! Wear green all day to show your support!

This week’s events are not limited to student-athletes. “We see the need for all people,” Ivanchich emphasized. “Mental health struggles are not cookie-cutter. Each struggle is unique… and each of those struggles is valid and deserves attention.”

Through Mental Health Awareness Week, SAAC wants Belmont to know that there is power in numbers. “Together, we have the power to Break the Stigma,” Ivanchich said.

Recently, Dr. Danielle Garrett, assistant professor of chemistry education, and two Belmont undergraduate students were invited to judge the Donelson Christian Academy (DCA) 6^th – 8^th grade science fair. Isria Jarrett, third-year biology major and chemistry minor and Jessica Bernaba, first-year biology major and chemistry-Spanish double minor, were selected to help judge the event. More than 80 projects were on display covering a wide range of topics in both the physical and biological sciences.

“It was exciting and encouraging to see some of the unique ideas that students developed for the science fair,” Garrett said. “Additionally, I think this was a wonderful opportunity for our students at Belmont, allowing them to experience some of the challenging aspects encountered when trying to analytically assess student work and knowledge in a fair and impartial way.”

After the judging was complete, the group spoke with DCA middle and high school science teachers about suggestions for continuing to strengthen the fair and student understanding of the scientific method for the following year.

“The DCA Science Fair was a great experience!” Jarrett said. “It took me back to the days when I began to show my interests in the sciences. It also made me wish that my middle school took the time to have annual science fairs. It was truly inspiring to see children show their interests in science through their science presentations. Being a judge made me feel like I was giving back to the STEM community. It is important to encourage children to pursue STEM subjects, and the science fair was a wonderful way for students, especially those at young ages, to put their science interests and ideas in action.”

Bernaba shared the same view and said, “The few hours I spent at Donelson Christian Academy illuminated a different perspective to my academic experience as a student. I learned that knowledge is only solidified and applicable if one can reproduce it, that is, to teach it. Looking over someone’s work, even if it was the work of a middle schooler, allowed me to practice the skills that I have acquired as a science major. I was glad to see the potential of the next generation and how they question and observe the world, because that’s what science is all about!”

Eason Taylor, a psychology major, was recently awarded a Spring Undergraduate Research Grant of $1,500 from Psi Chi, the International Honors Society in Psychology, with faculty sponsor Dr. Timothy Schoenfeld, assistant professor of psychology. They will conduct research this summer as part of the Summer Scholars Communities program.

The project, entitled “Examining the Effects of Exercise on Frustration-induced Anxiety-like Behavior in Rats,” seeks to investigate whether voluntary exercise prevents increased anxious behavior in rats following induced frustration from learning tasks. Eason plans to look at how stress hormones and neuron growth in the prefrontal cortex mediate these effects. This research can help shed light on how natural behaviors, like exercise, can help prevent experience-driven negative mood states.

Belmont was recently named No. 4 nationally in the top 15 Best Bachelor’s Degrees in Entertainment Management according to Best College Reviews. Ranked on range of academic offerings, scholar-level faculty, graduate success and internship opportunities, Belmont was chosen for its “overall vision, which combines traditional values with progressive, innovative programming,” Julia McCaulley of Best College Reviews wrote.

This ranking was compiled using data on tuition and program information, including degree customization options and an overall “wow” factor. According to McCaulley, “The option for students to pursue either a BA or a BS [at Belmont] allows them to hone their focus as they pursue their desired career.” Similarly, Belmont’s “rigorous curriculum” was another important factor in its ranking.

According to David Schreiber, chair of the Entertainment Industries Studies (EIS) department, “The Entertainment Studies Major is a great option for students who want to pursue a career in just about any aspect of Entertainment from fairs and festivals to theme parks, events or music business. We are continuously evaluating the curriculum and activities so  students are competitive in the workplace and being prepared to enter the work force with a professional maturity that competes with any program. We now have some great opportunities for students to do short-term study abroad and take courses in ‘Activity and Adventure Tourism’ or ‘Global Perspectives in Entertainment’. For EIS majors who prefer a semester long experience, they have options to intern in Australia or London while taking courses.”

Belmont’s EIS program is designed to prepare the future leaders of the creative and entertainment industries through a liberal arts study of business practices. Building upon the principles that drive the production, marketing and consumption of creative product, students are challenged to think critically about these foundations while learning to provide innovative solutions.  Included in the EIS major are specialized courses in entertainment marketing, promotion and distribution, law and licensing, economics, leadership and management of entertainment organizations.

The Center for Entrepreneurship hosted its annual Business Plan Competition last week, allowing nine student businesses to compete for cash prizes in front of a panel of judges.

Ryan Reisdorf took home first place with his business PlaceMat, a wholesome, farm-to-table catering service. The second and third place prizes went to Suzanna Stapler’s Squillustrate and Sarah Beth Perry’s With the Band. Additionally, Karyme Meixueiro Cravioto and Emily Knapp won the People’s Choice Award with their business, Alate.

The competing businesses included:

• Suzanna Stapler: Squillustrate
• Jordon Washington: College in Color
• Emily Knapp and Karyme Meixueiro Cravioto: Alate
• Ryan Reisdorf: PlaceMat
• Bailey Jackson: Felicity and Bliss
• Ernest Walter: Turning Leaves
• Austin Sellinger and Andrew Cranny: Style 12
• Tally Bevis: Octo Music Group
• Sarah Beth Perry: With the Band

Competition judges included Kevin Roddey, senior vice president of Pinnacle Financial, Scott Rouse, entrepreneur and body language expert, Victoria Kopyar, CEO and founder of VK Sport and Belmont Entrepreneur in Residence, Shawn Glinter, CEO and founder of Pendant Biosciences, Inc. and Belmont entrepreneur in residence, Grant Ellis, CEO of Nut Butter Nation and Mark Brooks, Senior Vice President of First Advantage Bank.

Elizabeth Gortmaker, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship, said, “The 2018 Business Plan Competition showed the creativity, drive, and passion of our student entrepreneurs. Pitching to a panel of expert judges is no easy task, but these students came prepared to present the businesses they’ve worked so hard to build. The top three prizes (awarded to a dining experience, a branding company, and an app) show the wide variety of ventures our entrepreneurs create during their time at Belmont.”

Belmont’s College of Law sent two teams to the regional competition of the American Bar Association’s National Appellate Advocacy Competition (NAAC) earlier this month. Law students Jake Beggin, Emmie Futrell, Sarah Sims, Ben Riggs, Paul Madden and Richard Swor represented the College of Law.

Belmont prevailed as Regional Champion and will attend the national competition in Washington, D.C.  April 5-7. Additionally, Futrell and Madden were named nos. 4 and 5 for Best Advocate in the Region.

English Professor Dr. Eric Hobson has accepted an invitation from Princeton University’s Department of Art and Archaeology’s Library to identify and document rolls of film recently discovered in their storage facility that date from 1930-31. The film canisters document Captain Vladimir Perfilieff’s scientific expeditions (1923-31).

Due to their highly flammable characteristics, these nitrate films require expert restoration processing. After restoring the film and linking each canister to its specific expedition, he and Princeton staff will write accounts of Perfilieff’s adventures and the resulting film records.

Don Cusic, professor of music industry history, recently published a new book titled, Winston Churchill’s Love of Music. Cusic will also be speaking about the book and Churchill at the upcoming Churchill Conference.

This two-day conference, hosted by the Churchill Society of Tennessee, will feature Randolph Churchill as keynote speaker. Randolph is the great-great-grandson of Sir Winston Churchill.

Bunch Library’s Jenny Mills and the Office of Assessment and Institutional Research are facilitating Belmont’s participation in a national study of how students interact with and consume news and gather information. Project Information Literacy (PIL), a nonprofit research institute, will survey students at 15 universities and high schools across the country, focusing on two of the most pressing issues of what has been called our “post-truth” era: currency and authority. Recently, an email was sent to all full time Belmont undergraduates, and the survey was completed by 900 students.

The report will look to break new ground as an empirical and quantitative study of many issues, such as “fake news” and misinformation, to help better ground public discourse and potential policy solutions. It will also formulate a set of recommendations for professionals directly implicated in addressing relevant problems, offering insights to three groups in particular working with young adults on the front lines: librarians, journalists and educators.

“This study investigates how students find news, and, more importantly, how the news finds them through social media and other channels they might use,” said Dr. Alison J. Head, the director of the new study and an information scientist and a senior researcher at the metaLAB (at) Harvard. “Our research is unique in that it tackles some of the deeper questions about the cognitive habits of young people in this digital-first environment.”

Belmont will receive a research packet of students responses to the survey this summer and results will be shared with campus.

In Fall 2017, an inter-professional team consisting of faculty from Pharmacy, Occupational Therapy, Nursing, Social work, Physical Therapy, Public Health and a staff member from University Ministries designed and delivered an event addressing how personal spirituality can influence interactions with patients. Student feedback from the event was positive overall, with suggestions to provide additional events addressing spirituality, add perspectives from other health professions and lengthen the event to allow for more questions and discussion. Faculty added that including an alumni panel might be of additional interest to students and placing students at tables rather than rows of seats might further facilitate group discussions.

In response to student feedback, a second inter-professional faith event was designed and delivered in February 2018. The event, “Faith and Healthcare: A Panel Discussion and Conversation on Moral Dilemmas,” was offered in the evening and allowed time for group discussion. The panel consisted of a registered nurse, physical therapist and pharmacist–all Belmont University alumni. Panel discussions included conversations surrounding religious ethics, diversity and inclusion and faith expression in professional environments.

More than 40 students attended the event representing a variety of majors including pharmacy, OT, PT, nursing, social work, music business, film and psychology. Participant feedback indicated that the event enhanced professional knowledge/skill and allowed them to feel more comfortable expressing their faith while at work.

Twenty-five Belmont students recently presented their psychological research at the Eastern Psychological Association’s National Conference held in in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Drs. Jones, Yandell and Schoenfeld from the Psychological Science department also attended the conference. In addition to attending the conference activities, several students journeyed to the Mütter Museum to see slices of Albert Einstein’s brain and with a short walk past China Town, students toured both the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. There were plenty of cheesesteak adventures to the famous Jim’s. The conference was directly across the street from the historic Reading Terminal Market, boasting a large assortment of foods ranging from Amish danishes to German chocolate.

The student poster presentations covered many disciplines within psychology and was the culmination of these students’ researcy. The students who attended this conference and presented their research posters were Anna Wingo, Aubry Lovell, Bailee Ficzere, Benya Paueksakon, Callie Burns, Daisha Cane, Dallas Mattern, Deja Shaikhutdinov, Eason Taylor, Hannah Johnson, Hope Fenton, John Longnecker, Jordan Hoffman, Kara Garrett, Keli Alden, Libby Day, Lily Tashie, Maddy Clarke Williams, Puti Wen, Rachel Holloway, Ragan Wilson, Reed Priest, Ryan Jensen, Seema Patel and Sielo Coleman.  Presented posters included:

“A validation study of the Belmont altruism measure,” Ryan Jensen, Daisha Cane & John Longnecker

“Dyadic meta-accuracy and perceived motivational accuracy in academic work groups,” Reed Priest

“The impact of trait and state anxiety on emotional interpretation,” Ragan Wilson

“Olfactory cues and spatial navigation in rats,” Aubry Lovell, Kelli Alden & Krista Tice

“Stress response in rats when presented with conflicting versus novel sensory stimuli,” Kara Garrett, Sielo Coleman, Scott Dietz, Benya Paueksakon & Lily Tashie

“Effects of social isolation on behavioral confidence in rats,” Savannah Meech, Hope Fenton, Kaitlin Bayus, Gabby Gonzalez, Marilyn Lauterbach & Cille Taylor

“Effects of environmental enrichment on frustrative-nonreward and subsequent anxiety-like behavior,” Eason Taylor, Bailee Ficzere, Puti Wen, Alejandra Coto, Seema Patel & Jasmine Niazi

“Validation of a new measure of social media fear of missing out,” Madison Williams, Kelli Alden, Libby Day & Callie Burns

“Effect of relaxation techniques on public speaking anxiety,” Jordan Hoffman

“Measuring college student stress response in relation to group dynamics and personality,” Kelli Alden & Madison Williams

“Assessment of physical fitness and physical self-esteem,” Seema Patel, Jasmine Niazi, Hunter Foltz & Austin Townsend

“Walking with tunes: Synchronization of pace to music tempo,” Deja Shaikhutdinov, Cassandra Canaday, Denisha Morris & Janai Todd

“Impression management in assortative mating,” Ryan Jensen

“Personality judgement accuracy on Instagram and Twitter,” Rachel Holloway, Daisha Cane, Ragan Wilson, & Rose Prophete

“Obedience to authority scale: A new self-report measure of obedience,” Hannah Johnson, Daniel Mata, Puti Wen, Dallas Mattern & David Tronsrue

“Criticism instructions and social desirability on grammatical edits,” Anna Wingo, Reed Priest, & Aubry Lovell