Belmont University
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Belmont University is a private, coeducational, comprehensive university affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist Convention. It is the second largest Christian university in Tennessee.
The school has very close ties with the music industry, and is best known for its music business program (though it boasts a wide variety of additional majors). Among its colleges, Belmont boasts the Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business (CEMB), the only college of entertainment/music business in the world. The university also houses other innovative programs, such as its New Century Journalism program and commercial music program.
Belmont's nationally-renowned music business program is the only one of its kind, though comparable programs can be found elsewhere. The music business faculty consists of current/former authors, performers, expert witnesses (for industry lawsuits), artist managers, lawyers, record label executives, songwriters, and others. The dean of the CEMB is a former music industry record executive who oversaw an $85 million corporation. One of the hallmarks of the program is its vast internship program, which sends hundreds of students annually out into the Nashville music industry to intern for record labels, management companies, publishing companies, booking agencies, publicists, recording studios, law firms, and other businesses. Besides having three professional quality recording studios on campus, Belmont owns Ocean Way Nashville, part of which is operated for-profit (for the likes of Dave Matthews, Sheryl Crow, and Bob Seger), and part of which is used by students. Belmont also operates historic RCA Studio B (Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton) in conjunction with the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Curb Family Foundation. In addition, the music business program operates Belmont West and Belmont East, which enable students to spend a semester learning about and interning in the entertainment industries in Los Angeles and New York City, respectively.
Belmont also houses the Curb Event Center, a 5000-seat multi-purpose arena, which is used for basketball games, concerts, and other events. The Curb Event Center is connected to the Beaman Student Life Center and Maddox Grand Atrium—collectively, a $52 million development.
Some of Belmont's best-known alumni are Minnie Pearl (of "Hee Haw" fame), Trisha Yearwood (country music artist), and Brad Paisley (country music artist). Its best-known supporters include Mike Curb (substantial donor/namesake of CEMB and Curb Event Center/founder and head of Curb Records), Jack C. Massey (substantial donor/namesake of BU's business building/former head of Kentucky Fried Chicken), and Vince Gill (country music legend whose annual charity event has raised thousands in scholarship money).
Sports Information
Belmont's mascot is nicknamed the Bruins. The school is a member of the NCAA Division I and is a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference. The school has an ongoing basketball rivalry with Lipscomb University and plays them a handful of times per year in games nicknamed the Battle of the Boulevard.
External link
- Official Site (http://www.belmont.edu)
- Online Edition of the Student Newspaper (http://www.belmontvision.com/)
- The Bruin M.O.B. (http://www.bruinmob.com/) - Sports Site of Belmont University
- Belmont University News Website (http://forum.belmont.edu/umac)
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