Building Excellence: Ten Years of Growth in Belmont's College of Sciences and Mathematics

A dean's reflection on growth, innovation, student success

When I arrived at Belmont in summer 2014 as the inaugural dean of the newly formed College of Sciences and Mathematics (CSM), the Janet Ayers Academic Center’s top floors still lacked drywall.  Yet this unfinished space represented a clear institutional commitment to expanding the sciences through research space and instrumentation — unusual for an exclusively undergraduate science college.  

Belmont’s culture of embracing innovative teaching was immediately apparent.  The American Association of Colleges and Universities had recently published a landmark study on 11 high-impact educational practices — including capstone courses, undergraduate research, global learning and learning communities. During my interview, I learned Belmont had already woven all 11 practices into its curriculum, demonstrating a university commitment to evidence-based teaching innovation.  

The integration of high-impact practices, combined with a deep commitment to faculty-student relationships formed the foundation that would connect CSM’s past, present and future. These pillars — innovating, experiential teaching and meaningful mentorship — continue to define our approach to science education. 

Vision and Foundation 

An executive at Ford Motor Company once observed that while you can do all the strategic planning you want, if the plan doesn’t match an institution’s culture, it won’t work: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Culture is not about a single vision or small set of principles but rather is an accumulation of small, everyday decisions that give an institution its identity.

Belmont’s culture is clearly and consistently communicated across the Institution. We care for students; helping them learn and grow and enabling them to understand how their vocation can solve complex societal problems. Everything in the institution serves relational, innovative and experiential learning — CSM’s culture puts students first. 

CSM had its first faculty and staff meeting in August 2014 which brought together 40 tenure-track faculty, six full-time lecturers and seven staff across four departments supporting exclusively undergraduate degree programs.  With 416 initial students, we began by asking “Belmont’s investment in an independent College of Sciences and Mathematics will have been worth the investment, if...” The resulting commitments would shape our College’s identity:  

• Preserving intimate learning through small class sizes 

• Building STEM reputation through excellence 

• Preparing graduates for impactful careers 

• Growing strategically (targeting 610 majors by 2020) 

• Advancing undergraduate research 

• Sustaining investment in faculty and infrastructure

Culture of Innovation and Relationships  

Building on this foundation of experiential learning, every choice at CSM serves relational, innovative and experiential learning with students at the center. As Ford Motor Company’s observation goes, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Our culture isn’t simply vision statements, it’s daily decisions that shape our identity.  

We maintain this through intentional structures and continuous investment in our students and faculty: 

• Introductory classes capped at 32-36 students 

• Advanced lab sections limited to 24 students 

• Integrated lecture-lab spaces 

• Faculty-led research spanning fluid dynamics to stem cell tissue growth 

• Coupled lecture and lab sections taught in the same space when appropriate 

Our faculty excellence shows through achievements like Dr. Timothy Schoenfeld’s Chaney Distinguished Professor Award and Dr. Carole Scherling’s Presidential Faculty Achievement Award. More importantly, it shows through our students’ success in research, publications and graduate school placements across prestigious institutions.  

Doubling Student Growth Since 2014

The results speak clearly: Graduate school placement rose from 33% in 2014 to over 55% in recent years with graduates studying at prestigious institutions like Harvard, Yale, M.I.T., Johns Hopkins, Tufts and Northwestern.

I believe this is due to our focus on authentic research experiences. Applications have grown from 787 to more than 2,000 annually, enabling growth from 416 CSM majors to 856 — surpassing our 2020 goal of 610 students two years early. Despite pandemic challenges, we've added 22 tenure-track faculty since 2019, increasing the size of all four CSM departments.

Looking to the Future 

As we approach 2025, CSM stands as a premier destination for future practitioners, researchers, educators, administrators and more. Belmont is no longer viewed primarily as a music school –– we’ve established ourselves as a comprehensive institution known for excellence across disciplines. The launch of Belmont's Thomas F. Frist Jr., College of Medicine, welcoming its first class of 50 students in the summer of 2024, further spotlights the excellence of our undergraduate training and opens new opportunities for collaboration and growth.  

Our founding commitment to innovative teaching and meaningful mentorship has driven a decade of success. As we enter our next chapter, these principles will continue guiding our growth. We remain committed to maintaining small classes, expanding research opportunities and fostering the faculty-student relationships that have defined our first decade. Through these continued commitments, CSM is positioned to thrive in an increasingly competitive educational landscape while preparing the next generation of math and science leaders.