Paying It Forward—Giving Hope in Hard Times

Support for student scholarships needed now more than ever

1,412. That’s how many students would have crossed the stage in the Curb Event Center on May 2 to receive their diplomas if not for the postponement of the Spring 2020 commencement due to COVID-19. These new graduates were still celebrated, albeit virtually, for what they’ve accomplished. They were honored for taking the next step in a mission to use the challenging education they received to go forward “to engage with and transform the world.”

Naimisha Champaneria, a 2020 nursing graduate and Clayton McWhorter Society Scholarship Recipient, said, “I hope to become a NICU nurse and eventually to get my NP license. My one wish as a nurse is to make someone’s stay at the hospital a little bit easier. Sometimes knowing someone is there through it all, is all you need. My ultimate goal is to know that I have made a difference in someone’s life while pursuing the passion I have for nursing.”

That is the epitome of a Belmont graduate: thinking first of how to help others. But these students often need help themselves to complete their education and achieve their dreams. Approximately 78 percent of undergraduates receive financial aid of some kind. While Belmont is consistently rated among universities that provide the best value according to Kiplingers, paying for a college education remains a challenge for many families. The economic hardships caused by this year’s pandemic makes those situations even more difficult.

That’s why Belmont is engaged in its most extensive fundraising campaign in the University’s 130-year history, and it’s why the We Believe campaign is prioritizing scholarship endowments as a key area of focus. In fact, Belmont will match endowment gifts between $25,000 and $1.5 million with unrestricted income to double the donor’s impact. The world needs more individuals like Naimisha Champaneria. A Belmont education can help many more cross that stage and go make a difference for a world in need.

20,203

Total donors to the We Believe campaign

$3,457,360

Raised to support missions

$24,071,545

In gifts eligible for University match*

Your Gift Makes A Difference

“Belmont has transformed my life and shaped the direction of my future. I have one simple goal for when I graduate, and that is to be the best nurse that I can be while showing others the love of Christ, whether taking care of my patients or serving my coworkers. By making a financial investment in my education, Belmont donors are investing in the future of the healthcare field! Thank you!”

Abigail Combs
Senior
Nursing major

Performing arts center begins taking shape

Belmont’s programs in the performing arts are shaping the future of music in Music City and around the world as alumni educated on this campus are touring sold-out arenas, forming the backbone of countless symphonies, stealing the stage on Broadway and inspiring audiences everywhere they go. These students and alumni who are so boldly embodying Belmont’s “From Here to Anywhere” mantra deserve a world-class venue in which to perfect their craft.

The new Belmont University Performing Arts Center, which broke ground in 2019, will make this vision a reality when it opens next fall. Construction on the 1,700 seat multi-purpose space is ongoing, but the building is beginning to take shape and will define the campus’ southeast corner, creating a true arts district with neighboring Troutt Theater and McAfee Concert Hall.

Upon completion, the venue will provide Belmont with its largest classroom, offering students the opportunity to learn, create and perform in a venue intended to be the finest of any to be found on a college campus. As Belmont Board of Trustees Chairman Marty Dickens said, “Our students are just the best, and they deserve the very best.”