Greg Jones, President, Belmont University

In an interview with Invest:, Greg Jones, president of Belmont University, said that the institution is reimagining higher education through innovative programs and partnerships. “We’re focused on what’s going to be the case in 2030 and 2040 and 2050,” Jones stated. “The least likely scenario for education and higher education is the status quo.” 

What have been some of the main highlights and key achievements for Belmont University in the past year?

Probably the biggest highlight is the opening of our Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine. We admitted and welcomed our first class of 50 students. They’re now completing their first year of medical school. Given both the healthcare needs in the country and Nashville’s role as a healthcare city, we are now developing healthcare professionals in medicine to complement our work in nursing and pharmacy, and health sciences, which is tremendously exciting.

The second thing we’re excited about is that in January, we announced Dolly U at Belmont, a partnership with Dolly Parton. We’ll also be hosting the world premiere of her musical, “Dolly, An Original Musical,” at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts for a run this summer. This spring, we have about 100 students involved in four courses as part of Dolly U. Students are working on the actual real-world musical as part of their studies. 

Belmont was ranked 21st for Best Undergraduate Teaching by U.S. News & World Report. To what do you credit this distinction?

We’ve long had a strong focus on teaching and our faculty. We recruit faculty who value the priority of teaching students and accompanying them in their journey. It’s an inspiration to see their commitment to being with students. I often hear from alumni about their appreciation for particular faculty members. I recently came from a luncheon celebrating 25 years of musical theater, with alumni who’ve gone on to Broadway and traveling shows. To hear them talk about their faculty and how they inspired them is incredible.

That focus on teaching matters particularly now, when many are wondering about higher education’s value. It’s the commitment to accompanying students and treating them as whole people that truly speaks to higher education value. Higher education isn’t just about treating people as brains on sticks, especially in an age of significant technological advancement. Students need educators who will care for them as a whole person and help them grow in wisdom. That’s a relational dynamic, not just conveying information.

How is the university adapting its curriculum to stay up to date with the demands of a fast-changing job market?

It’s something that Dolly U at Belmont is actually showing. It’s helping us become the way we want to be. We’ve long been oriented toward practice, since Belmont’s earliest days, and that’s one of the key things our faculty is focused on. I like to say our songwriting faculty don’t all have Ph.D.s, but they do have Grammys. That practitioner focus can be seen, for example, in the Dean of our Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business. She came to us from being the CEO of Spotify in the region. She’s aware of how fast the industry is changing.

Part of what we built with our new College of Medicine building is a 60,000-square-foot simulation center that is both high tech and high touch. We’re right out there working with advances in AI and technology in healthcare. We’re also focusing on that high-touch interaction. One of our nursing students had a great line about our AI-driven mannequin that can deliver a baby: “That’s the realest, coolest, fakest thing I’ve ever seen,” he said. That’s the high-tech side, but you also want a healthcare professional who knows you as a whole person, and our approach to technology and education allows that to happen. We’re looking to adapt and focus on practice in all that we are and do.

What does student enrollment look like at Belmont?

While our enrollment over the last couple of years has held steady, we’re seeing an increase in applications and deposits this year. The biggest growth is in applications to our College of Medicine, with around 3,000 applications for 55 spots. It’s a competitive environment. We’re seeing growth in our funnel, our applicant pool, and in students who are depositing to attend Belmont. That’s because we’re focused on the future. Too much of higher education is preparing for 1995 in case it comes back again.

We’re focused on what’s going to be the case in 2030, 2040, 2050, and beyond. That resonates with prospective students and families. We want to be focused on the future and future trends. 

What is next on the agenda for Belmont? 

If you look at healthcare fields like nursing or medicine, both are dealing with high rates of turnover and people exiting the profession. That’s particularly a concern in nursing. At Belmont, we’re focused on character formation and whole person formation, which is driving us to work to equip nurses in their vocation so they’ll be able to flourish when they leave Belmont. This is essential because it’s important that if students are going to invest in becoming a nurse, we want nursing to become a vocation they can be excited about. We’re working with partners in that environment. That’s part of the future focus I talk about. It’s also connected to the character focus.

I’m also really excited about some projects that are focused on our Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business. We’re renovating a space on Music Row that will include a songwriting space. It will open this summer and house new songwriting rooms for one of our signature programs. We’re also developing a Bluebird Cafe-style performing venue at the center of our campus. It will be a place for students to hang out, get snacks, and listen to each other perform. On the upper floors, we’ll have a co-working space that brings people together across disciplines and fields, because a lot of the most creative work in entrepreneurship, and especially in the creative spaces, is happening at the intersections of fields. We’re also looking at ways to develop work in animation and some short-form video work that is common on YouTube. Growing that whole field of film, theater, video, and animation is one of the growth edges for us going forward, as well as the Dolly U project.

What are the main challenges facing arts education, and how is Belmont University working to address them?

The biggest challenge is that the number of 18-year-olds is declining in the United States. There’s a demographic dynamic we’re dealing with. We’re also in a time of significant cultural and economic turbulence. Lots of organizations are having to rethink their funding streams and revenue models. That’s an issue affecting arts organizations, healthcare, and technology businesses. 

Looking at all those dynamics, we’re in a time of considerable flux, which is also an opportunity for entrepreneurship and finding creative solutions to complex problems. The key, from my perspective, is not to be reactive, waiting to respond to developments. The key is to lean in, anticipate the future, and get ahead of the curve in deeper ways.

What is your broader outlook for the education industry? What will be Belmont University’s primary goals over the next two to three years?

The least likely scenario for education and higher education is the status quo. There will be many changes over the next decade, especially in the next five years. The status quo won’t be an option. 

The key for me over the next two to three years is to continue leaning in, anticipating the future so we can grow and be part of reimagining higher education’s future, rather than reacting and struggling to survive.