Belmont University

Riding the high of their sweeping win at the Tennessee Intercollegiate Forensics Association's statewide tournament in February, Belmont University's Speech and Debate team triumphed at the Pi Kappa Delta National Comprehensive Speech and Debate Tournament in Philadelphia, March 15-19.

The Belmont University Speech and Debate Team successfully defended its title at the Tennessee Intercollegiate Forensics Association's statewide tournament, February 18-19. Held on Belmont's campus, this was the University's first time hosting the event in almost a decade. The team has brought home the title since 2019. Winning six different individual state titles, the team beat the second-place competition by almost 70 points.

Nine students within Belmont University's Watkins College of Art-Bella Pace, Bella Stern, Celine Sanderson, Ally Zylstra, Grace Swing, Caleigh Furyk, Sophie Elizondo, Zack Ford and Ella Virostek- received awards at the 58th Annual Nashville American Advertising Awards on February 25th, 2023. The event is designed to showcase the work of and bridge the gap between student and professional designers.

Belmont University's moot court teams traveled to Brooklyn, New York for the National Appellate Advocacy Competition (NAAC) sponsored by the American Bar Association on Feb. 16-17. The two Belmont teams competed against 32 teams from a range of schools nationwide including Wayne State, Pepperdine, Texas A&M and Seton Hall, among others. Of the two teams one was named the regional semifinalist team and the other was named the regional champion team.

Seven students represented the Edward C. Kennedy Center for Business Ethics at the Templeton Business Ethics Case Competition at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, Feb. 16-17. The Belmont team, made up of students Tessa Chew, Anna Olivier, Katie Beth Raines, Morgan Brady, Colson Kelly, Kyleigh Jehlicka and Kennedy Brady, won first place in the national competition among several notable universities including the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Penn State and Georgetown University.

On Thursday, Feb. 16, senior sports administration major JaQobi Scantling received the Volunteer Friend Phoenix Award from the Nashville non-profit, Healing Arts Project, Inc. (HAPI), at its 13th Annual Phoenix Art Gala. HAPI provides opportunities for people in mental health and addiction recovery to promote healing, community awareness and inclusion. The organization provides free art classes taught by professional artists, art exhibitions, publication opportunities and outreach events in an effort to fill a gap in recovery and rehabilitation services. Scantling has volunteered with HAPI since 2019. What started as fulfilling his Bell Tower Scholar service requirement has transitioned into a rewarding experience that also allows him to exercise one of his passions- being an advocate for others.

Belmont University congratulations members of the Belmont Oratorio and orchestra who performed in Belmont School of Music Professor Jeffrey Ames's masterwork, Requiem for Colour. Over 450 students from Belmont's Oratorio and orchestra performed to an audience of more than 1,200 people in the Fisher Center for Performing Arts. Requiem for Colour was a dynamic storytelling event which paid musical homage to the sufferers and saviors, the casualties and champions of Black American peoples in a requiem or mass for the dead.

Belmont University congratulations members of the Belmont Oratorio and orchestra who performed in Belmont School of Music Professor Jeffrey Ames's masterwork, Requiem for Colour. Over 450 students from Belmont's Oratorio and orchestra performed to an audience of more than 1,200 people in the Fisher Center for Performing Arts. Requiem for Colour was a dynamic storytelling event which paid musical homage to the sufferers and saviors, the casualties and champions of Black American peoples in a requiem or mass for the dead.

The following students achieved the Dean's List at Belmont University for the Fall 2022 semester. Eligibility is based on a minimum course load of 12 hours (exclusive of audit and pass/fail courses this semester) and a quality grade point average of 3.5 with no grade below a C (inclusive of audit, pass/fail courses and zero-credit courses).

Belmont's 2022 Belmont Student Leadership Awards' (BSLA) theme was "Lights Up for Leadership," which celebrated the service, leadership and achievement of members of the campus community.

Belmont University recently celebrated scholastic achievement with its annual Scholarship and Awards Day, an event held each spring to recognize top student talent.

Belmont University Athletics recently celebrated the Bruin Choice Awards recognizing the top achievers in the areas of completion, academics and community service.

The following students achieved the Dean's List at Belmont University for the Spring 2022 semester. Eligibility is based on a minimum course load of 12 hours (exclusive of audit and pass/fail courses this semester) and a quality grade point average of 3.5 with no grade below a C (inclusive of audit, pass/fail courses and zero-credit courses).

Belmont students Katie Langan, an international business major, and DJ Needs, an economics and entrepreneurship double major, truly took the saying "From Here to Anywhere" to heart when their teams won gold medals at the University of Connecticut's Global Business Case Competition. Langan, who worked on a team of four called KJR Global Solutions, and Needs, who worked on a team of three called Mushbrains, put their business skills to the test when challenged to help solve real-world international business problems.

The Belmont Speech and Debate team won the state title in historic fashion at the Tennessee Intercollegiate Forensics Association (TIFA) state tournament held at Pellissippi State Community College on March 26-27. The team spent the weekend debating hot topic issues and using their voices to stand up for the disadvantaged. Some highlights include Kay Allen winning Top Speaker in the novice division and Luke Litz winning Second Place Speaker in the varsity division. Additionally, in individual events, senior Alex Jordan won Top Overall Speaker at the tournament with six other Belmont students placing in the Top Eight. In all twelve individual events offered at the tournament, Belmont University won seven "Top Novice" awards for first-year competitors and claimed the state championship in 10 of the 12 individual events. No other team in the history of the competition has won that many individual titles. In total, Belmont totaled 393 points throughout the course of the weekend, with the second highest ranking team only scoring 143 points overall.

Belmont students make up half of the cohort for the 2022 fellowship, a year-long program for 10 college students from across Tennessee that equips fellows to advocate for change by connecting their personal experiences to concrete data, policies and practices related to college access. Belmont students who were selected for the fellowship include sophomore biology and chemistry major Autumn Grimsley, sophomore data science major Miracle Awonuga, senior elementary education major Riquera Smith, junior biochemistry and molecular biology major Soziema Dauda and junior social work and photography major Vianney Muniz.

Nine Belmont students were recently recognized with a Student ADDY Award through one of the top local competitions for student advertising design in the nation. The awards are hosted by the American Advertising Federation Nashville (AAFN) and the Nashville Student Advertising Awards. The students who took home five gold and nine silver awards include Sebastian Lara, Mackenzie Smith, Caitlin Cooney, Margaret Owens, Carrie Neville, Abraham Mast, Kayla Monis, Caitlyn Swartwood and Ambrose Vargason.

Junior Songwriting major Maura Streppa was recently selected as one of six finalists in the 2022 Tennessee Songwriters Week Showcase. As one of the finalists, Streppa had the opportunity to play at the historic Bluebird Cafe on March 20. In order to be one of the finalists, Streppa competed against 100 other performers in front of local music industry professionals. Read more about Streppa's accomplishment here.

Omicron Delta Kappa, the National Leadership Honor Society, celebrates students who are serving as circle (chapter) presidents. Students who serve as circle presidents are leaders amongst leaders. Members of ODK must be sophomores, juniors, seniors, or graduate/professional students in the top 35% of their class and embrace the Society's ideals. They also must demonstrate leadership experience in at least one of the five pillars of campus life celebrated by ODK: academics and research, athletics, service to campus and community, communications, and creative and performing arts. Fewer than five percent of students on a campus are invited to join each year.

The following students achieved the Dean's List at Belmont University for the Fall 2021 semester. Eligibility is based on a minimum course load of 12 hours (exclusive of audit and pass/fail courses this semester) and a quality grade point average of 3.5 with no grade below a C (inclusive of audit, pass/fail courses and zero-credit courses).

Mark Wardlaw, an economics minor in the Jack C. Massey College of Business, recently attended and presented a paper titled "Wage Differentials Across Degree Fields and Levels of Education for Immigrants vs. Natives" at the Issues in Political Economy (IPE) 29th Annual Undergraduate Research Conference in Economics. The conference was held in New York February 25 - 26. The conference brings together undergraduates from across the country to present and share their research with peers. Students presenting at the IPE also serve as discussants. Using data from the American Community Survey over an 11-year period (2009-2019), the research rigorously examines the extent of any wage differentials between natives and immigrants living in the United States. After controlling for a wide range of relevant factors informed by theory, the findings indicate that, overall, natives earn more than immigrants, with the differences in wages decreasing with increasing education levels. An important finding is that immigrants with STEM degrees earn more than their native counterpart. The findings of this study offer some insights into the wide variation in wages between natives and immigrants across various spectrums. There are important policy implications which can guide policymakers and regulators in their approach to immigration reforms. Early contributions to the research came from fellow students Dawson Flint, Keita Suzuki, Sean Cleaver and Lauren Dansbury during a course in labor economics taught by Dr. Colin Cannonier, who served as research advisor and also in attendance at this conference.

The following people recently were initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines.

Lauryn Hedges, a Belmont songwriting student who uses the stage name "Lauryn Marie", recently won the American Songwriter 2nd Annual Song Contest for a song she submitted as part of Belmont's Commercial Songwriting II course. For her first place award, Lauryn will receive a $10,000 prize, career consultation with Atlantic Records' SVP of A&R, a feature in American Songwriter Magazine, a publishing deal opportunity, promotion and global distribution of her song and a lifetime American Songwriter membership. Lauryn's song, "Walk," which she wrote and performed, took First Place in this year's contest. Lauryn's song was first named as one of the contest's Top 50 last week-the winning entries were announced on Dec. 15.

Psychological Science Professor Dr. Timothy Schoenfeld published an article with neuroscience major Chance Swanson in Biomolecules. The article, entitled "A runner's high for new neurons? Potential role for endorphins in exercise effects on adult neurogenesis" extensively reviewed current literature to understand how endorphins, often credited for the infamous "runner's high," may instead be helpful in promoting the creation of new neurons in the brain. These new neurons are thought to contribute to learning, memory and positive mood states, all things that exercise enhances.

While many families will be sharing holiday meals together this Christmas, there are also many who will be celebrating alone. That's why on Tuesday, Belmont welcomed local senior citizens to join the campus community for a special holiday brunch in the Harrington Place Dining Hall. Arielle Markowicz, a junior music business student, helped spearhead the whole project and rallied the campus together to pull off the event for the community. The idea was born during a shift at Nashville's beloved Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, when Markowicz began helping an elderly woman with her order. The customer told Markowicz about an ice cream recipe she used to have, and when Markowicz suggested she make it for her family over the holidays, the woman responded, "It's just me." "As I returned back to behind the counter, I began to think about all the people who don't have any family or friends to spend the holidays with and what I could do to change that," said Markowicz.

Jace T. Wilder, a senior at Belmont, has been named to GLSEN's inaugural Freedom Fellowship Program cohort. GLSEN is the leading national organization working to guarantee LGBTQ+ students safe and affirming education. After a national search and competitive application process, Wilder was selected to join GLSEN's Freedom Fellowship, a one-year program for 18-25 year olds across the country to build their leadership skills while advising GLSEN national headquarters on decisions impacting the LGBTQ+ youth in their region. Wilder will serve the Southern region.

Savannah Stover, a junior public relations and corporate communications transfer student, was recently published in the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society's national literary journal, Nota Bene. Stover's essay "In My Death, I was Born" competed against 440 submissions to be one of 28 published stories. Stover's journey is unlike most others. After her husband of nearly twenty years tragically passed in 2018, Stover became a single mother to seven children. Shortly after her husband's passing, Stover returned to school. Starting at Volunteer State Community College then transferring to Belmont this semester, Stover discovered a new passion: writing. Through her poetry and short stories, Stover found a way to fully express herself and process her grief. To read more about Stover's recent accomplishment, visit the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society website.

Vertically-mounted television screens allowed passersby to stop and hear about Belmont University President Dr. Greg Jones's "Five Ways of Being" during the Presidential Inauguration celebration November 3 - 5, thanks to an interactive art display created by Watkins College of Art students. The digital kiosks showcased the overarching theme of "Hope" that Dr. Jones so highly values from the students' perspective. Watkins College of Art Dean James Pierce assigned the project to his Experiential Design Studio I students and let them run with the idea on their own so the end result would be a true interpretation from and reflection of the student voice. The student artists included Abby Connolly, Emily Johnson, Natalie Krause, Nathan Marken, Grace Massey, Silas Mosley, Mary Beth Parkinson, Cooper Scobey and Belle Weaver.

On Wednesday November 17, Belmont students had the opportunity to compete in the Thomas F. Cone Sr. Center for Entrepreneurship's Business Pitch Competition. The winners of this year's competition are Hannah Rodriguez and Emily Heneger in first and second place respectively, with Chandel Shanklin and Penny Kapadoukakis tying for third. The pitch competition helps bring students' business dreams to life by allowing them to give a one-minute, shark-tank style business pitch to a panel of four judges with the first place winner receiving $2,000, second place receiving $1,000 and third place receiving $500. Each of the winning students plans on using the prize money to help grow their business.

Robert Montano, a freshman at Belmont, played teenage Artie Bucco in the newly released film "Many Saints of Newark." The film is a prequel to "The Sopranos," an HBO hit television series that aired for six seasons from 1999-2007 and is one of the network's most successful shows.