University celebrates outstanding achievement across music, business and philanthropy
Belmont University awarded four distinguished individuals with honorary Doctor of the University degrees during its spring 2025 commencement ceremonies held May 2-3 at the Curb Event Center.
President Dr. Greg Jones presided over the events and presented the honorary degrees at the ceremonies, which recognized the graduation of more than 1,700 students, including bachelor's, master's and doctoral candidates.
Since 1962, American colleges and universities have honored exceptional individuals with honorary degrees, acknowledging scholarly, creative and professional achievements in a range of fields.
"These four extraordinary individuals exemplify what Belmont seeks to instill in its graduates," said President Jones during the ceremonies. "We bestow this prestigious award with great discernment, recognizing it as the highest accolade the University offers. On behalf of our entire Belmont community, it is with great honor that we recognize these leaders who continue to make a tremendous impact through their commitment to faith, service and excellence in their respective fields."
Trisha Yearwood, a Belmont alumna who graduated in 1986 with a degree in music business, has built an accomplished career spanning more than three decades as a singer, actress, author, chef and entrepreneur. Her 1991 debut album made her the first female country artist to have a debut single reach No. 1 with "She's in Love with the Boy." With 15 studio albums and over 15 million records sold, she has received multiple Grammy, CMA and ACM Awards, and has been inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame and has stars on both the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Nashville Music City Walk of Fame. In addition to her musical success, Yearwood is a New York Times bestselling cookbook author, Emmy Award-winning host of "Trisha's Southern Kitchen" on Food Network and dedicated philanthropist supporting Habitat for Humanity, breast cancer research and animal welfare through her charity, Dottie's Yard.
Upon receiving her honorary doctorate, Yearwood shared, "When I think about all of the things that allowed me to have that first song go to number one, and to get a record deal, and to get to tour the world and do all the things that I've been able to do in the 34 years of my career, I can't thank Belmont enough for all of the things along the way."
Hillary Lindsey, a Belmont alumna and one of Nashville's most respected songwriters, has had songs recorded by superstar artists spanning both country and pop genres. Her impressive career includes 28 No. 1 Country Singles, three Grammy Awards and CMA Song of the Year honors. Lindsey is well known for co-writing Carrie Underwood's hit "Jesus, Take the Wheel" and has been inducted into both the Nashville and National Songwriters Hall of Fame, one of only 400 songwriters in the National Hall of Fame and one of just a few from the country music genre.
Dr. Kim Tan, a trained chemist, has achieved success as a businessman, entrepreneur and innovative leader focused on social impact through creative business strategies. As co-founder of the Transformational Business Network, Tan has built platforms that mobilize entrepreneurs and investors to catalyze enterprise solutions to poverty worldwide. A notable example is Kazuko Lodge in South Africa, an ecotourism venture that restores degraded land, protects endangered wildlife and provides employment opportunities to formerly marginalized communities. Dr. Tan recently established a groundbreaking partnership with Belmont University –– the TBN Global Alliance –– supported by a grant from the Templeton Religion Trust to strengthen a global network of entrepreneurs and changemakers building businesses that combine profit with purpose.
Michael Bontrager is the founder of Chatham Financial, the largest independent global financial derivatives advisory services and technology firm. Bontrager's approach to business emphasizes trust and integrity, bridging the gap between society and finance while ensuring decisions create value for clients, employees and the broader community. He also founded Square Roots Collective in his hometown of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, uniting nonprofit and community-driven ventures focused on promoting health, supporting housing and mobilizing local nonprofits to meet other key needs. His work with and support of TCG, a key partner of Belmont, has inspired Belmont to engage Nashville and other communities on strategies for flourishing communities at the neighborhood, community and regional levels.
Belmont’s honorary degree recipients join a distinguished group of individuals whose achievements and service have made a lasting mark on their professions and communities. As part of the University’s tradition of recognizing exceptional leadership, these four honorees will continue to inspire current and future generations of students to pursue excellence and create positive change in the world.