Students, Caveat Emptor
In following the federal hearings for the for-profit college sector, I have been extremely disappointed in the lack of accountability and credibility for what Mr. Steven Eisman, a witness in the hearing, calls “marketing machines masquerading as universities.” According to today’s story in the New York Times, it appears much of the budgets of for-profit colleges are spent on marketing their programs not on instructional areas, and there is little data on what happens to students, either after they enroll or, by some chance, graduate.
This is why accreditation measures are so significant, as schools must prove the quality of their programs to achieve such recognitions. Having earned AACSB International accreditation, Belmont students can be confident in the quality of the business education they receive, and employers can be assured our graduates are equipped to add value to their organizations.
With so many educational institutions and learning formats available, it is extremely important that students investigate the quality of programs under consideration to increase the likelihood their investment in time and money will be worthwhile.
First Annual Entrepreneurship Challenge a Success
The Center for Entrepreneurship, within the College of Business Administration at Belmont University, hosted its first annual Entrepreneurship Challenge on June 5. Nineteen high-school students from around middle Tennessee came to Belmont to learn more about what it takes to be an entrepreneur.
Dr. Robert Lambert, professor of marketing and faculty advisor for marketing and entrepreneurship, gave the opening lecture which focused on opportunity assessment, researching markets and discovering yourself as an entrepreneur. Students were put into groups and prompted with the Entrepreneurship Challenge – to create a company that takes advantage of social media. Teams were given one hour to research, after which they presented their ideas in front of the entire group.
A panel of judges rated students’ presentations on the following criteria: description of the business concept, innovation and creativity, fiscal responsibility, presentation ability, and quality of research. First place went to an online shopping center, offering a feature that enables users to view friends’ closets, called Youtopia.
Belmont’s entrepreneurship program is nationally recognized as one of the top programs in the country. It has been named as a national Top 25 Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Program by Entrepreneur magazine and the Princeton Review, and as a National Model Undergraduate Program by the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE). Just recently, the program was featured by Fortune magazine as one of five programs to study entrepreneurship.
Belmont SIFE to Represent US at SIFE World Cup
Congratulations to our Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team for their first place finish at the SIFE USA National Exposition! Belmont University will now represent the United States at the SIFE World Cup competition, which will be held Oct. 10-12 in Los Angeles.
SIFE is an international non-profit organization that mobilizes students around the world to make a difference in their communities while developing the skills to become socially responsible business leaders. During the 2009-10 academic year, the Belmont University SIFE team organized 11 projects on campus and in the community, addressing such issues as refugee resettlement, financial literacy, business ethics, job skills training, small business development and environmental sustainability. For the full news story, click here.
Accelerated MBA Students Arrive in South Africa
[Authored by Professor Jeff Overby] -Shown in above photo: AMBA students John Conley, J. T. Wash, Brett Moffatt, and Jeff Grimes
Greetings from South Africa! We’ve been off to such a fast start that I have not had much chance to write. Following a long series of flights, we arrived in Cape Town on last Saturday evening. We were welcomed by one of our gracious hosts, Ms. Charmaine Kapp, Senior International Affairs Officer. We checked into the lodge on the campus at the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB) and everyone was happy to know they each had a private room and bath. Many students walked nearby to explore the local nightlife and discovered a lively street they would come to know well.
Sunday was spent at leisure on the V&A Waterfront. Unfortunately, the weather was too rainy to allow for a visit to the top of Table Mountain. However, that allowed for more time to enjoy the beautiful waterfront, walk by the new World Cup stadium, and enjoy some local food and shopping. One highlight of the day was the opportunity to see the actual World Cup trophy which was touring the country prior to beginning of the World Cup. In fact, one of our students, Bennett Piispanen, was selected to compete for a vuvuzela horn, the horn South Africans traditionally blow during soccer matches. The three contestants had to dance to a South African song and Bennett was chosen by the crowd as the best (or most creative). Not only did Bennett receive the vuvuzela but he also had his photo taken (along with Dr. Overby, John Conley, and Bryan Bouaphachanh) and posted on the Coca Cola flickr site -
What Can You Do To Prepare Your Family and Yourself?
National Healthcare Decisions Day April 16, 2010
Many Americans are unaware of a National Day to promote the early development of plans for you and your loved ones during specific medical necessities and adverse situations. April 16, 2008 was the first day the US designed to promote awareness and the need for Americans to discuss and (hopefully) execute medical decision-making plans for their families. What is an advance directive?
Massey Students Return from Seoul
[Authored by Professor Jeff Overby] Much like the recent trip to Amsterdam, the Massey School sponsored its first study abroad trip to Seoul, Korea, in March 2010. The trip included 10 Massey students and was led by Dr. Sean Yoo. Dr. Jeff Overby also accompanied the group primarily for the purpose developing possible study abroad partnerships with Korean universities. With 23 million people in the metropolitan area, Seoul is Korea's capital and largest city and one of the most populous cities in the world. As the group was soon to learn, Seoul is also one of the world’s most modern cities, full of skyscrapers and multinationals, yet still very traditional, with old palaces, shrines, gardens, all mingled amongst four inner mountains and four outer mountains.
After an almost 24 hour trip, the group arrived in Seoul on Sunday night, March 7. With a little bit of sleep behind them, the group began its first full day in Seoul on Monday with a visit to the U.S. Embassy to hear an economic overview of Korea presented by the U.S. Commercial Service. Following this introduction to the country, the group participated in a guided tour of the city, including Seoul City Square, Cheong-gye-cheon Stream Park, and some shopping along the famed Insadong Antique & Art Street. The walk also gave everyone a chance to sample some of Korea’s street food, including a variety of rice cakes, hoddeok (sweet pancakes), kkultarae (honey treats), and even beondegi (silk worm larvae). The evening ended with an incredible Korean dinner accompanied by traditional music and dance. The meal included an almost endless variety of dishes, each one beautifully presented.
Dank u wel Amsterdam
Dank u wel, the Dutch equivalent to "thank you very much" in English is an appropriate expression of gratitude for all of the individuals who made our most recent Massey study-abroad experience such an overwhelming success. Since The Massey School began our study-abroad trips in 1999, this was actually our first such trip to Amsterdam, capital city of the Netherlands (16th largest economy in the world and ranked #10 in GDP per capita).
We departed Nashville on Saturday, April 6, and after a brief layover in Atlanta, we were on our way to Amsterdam, where we arrived around 8:45 on Sunday a.m. We spent our first day touring the city, with several of us taking in the Van Gogh (pronounced "Von Hock" in Dutch) Museum where there was also a Paul Gaugin exhibit currently on display. Our hosts also took us on an extended walking tour of the city, plus a canal boat ride through the heart of the city. Part of their unspoken agenda was also to keep us all moving about to where we wouldn't have time to go to sleep, thereby helping us recover from the jet lag as fast as possible. After a welcome dinner that evening at a local restaurant, we then returned to our NH Hotel near downtown.
Belmont Featured as one of “Five Schools for Entrepreneurs” in FORTUNE Magazine
Congratulations to our entrepreneurship program for being included in FORTUNE Magazine’s 5 Schools for Entrepreneurs! Belmont is mentioned as a “stand out” program, along with Babson College, Indiana University, University of Texas and St. Louis University, in the March 22 issue. Experiential learning opportunities, such as our student-run retail and service businesses, help set our program apart.
Past national recognitions include rankings among the Top 25 Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Programs in the country by Entrepreneur magazine and the Princeton Review and being named the National Model Undergraduate Program for excellence in entrepreneurship education by the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE).
Click here to learn more about Belmont's Center for Entrepreneurship.
Let’s Go Dutch!
With the debates and maneuvering constantly occurring in Congress, our healthcare system is still limping along with a very costly price tag. As of yet, we still do not have a consensus of what the US should do to improve (and dare I say, cure) our system. So why not go Dutch? (see picture above of Amsterdam Academic Medical Center, Netherlands)
Belmont’s Beta Alpha Psi Presents at Regional Conference
Belmont University’s chapter of Beta Alpha Psi (BAP), an international honorary organization for all undergraduate and graduate accounting, finance and information systems majors, participated in the Southeast Regional Beta Alpha Psi conference in Orlando last weekend.
Belmont BAP President and Masters of Accountancy student Alexa Karpinski and Rachel McNabb, sophomore accounting major, presented their Chapter Sustainability project in the Best Practices Competition at the conference. Highlighting the growth at both Belmont University and the Beta Alpha Psi chapter, their project suggested ways to improve the efficiency and longevity of the chapter through the development and implementation of various tools/procedures. In addition to the presentation, Karpinski, McNabb and BAP Faculty Advisor Dr. Del DeVries attended professional workshops and a lecture on Ethics and Integrity.