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September 29, 2008
Belmont Entrepreneurship Program Gains National Top-25 Ranking
From over 2,300 schools surveyed by Entrepreneur magazine and The Princeton Review, Belmont University was distinguished as having one of the top 25 entrepreneurship programs. Belmont ranked 23rd in the undergraduate category of the survey.
The sixth annual ranking reveals the nation’s Top 25 undergraduate and Top 25 graduate programs for entrepreneurship. Belmont’s ranking can be seen at www.entrepreneur.com/topcolleges, along with information on overall trends found with social and environmental entrepreneurship, experiential learning, and entrepreneurship as a means of reaching out both internationally and locally.
"Belmont made the commitment to create a quality program in entrepreneurship and I am proud that we have been able to make so much progress in only five years," said Dr. Jeff Cornwall, director of Belmont's Center for Entrepreneurship and holder of the Jack C. Massey Chair in Entrepreneurship. "To be singled out from the hundreds of universities across the country is a testimony to the support we have gotten from the students, alumni, faculty, staff and administration of Belmont and the Nashville business community."
Belmont’s program also received the National Model Undergraduate Program of the Year by the United States Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship earlier this year. College of Business Dean Pat Raines noted that “The unprecedented recognition that the entrepreneurship program at Belmont University has received is a direct result of the high quality, student-centered programs that we have developed. We are delighted to be included in such a prestigious list of schools with outstanding entrepreneurship programs.”
Belmont was evaluated based on key criteria in the areas of academics and requirements, students and faculty, and outside-the-classroom experiences. Amy Cosper, VP/editor in chief at Entrepreneur, says “Each school that made the list demonstrates excellence in one or more areas—whether in regards to course offerings, the success of students post-graduation, sponsored mentorship programs, or other important factors. Schools that made the ranking are an excellent research starting point for prospective entrepreneurship students.”
The joint efforts of The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur bring together The Princeton Review's renowned expertise in research and education with Entrepreneur’s in-depth understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing entrepreneurs today.
The results of the survey, along with the analysis, appear in the October issue of Entrepreneur, which hits newsstands on September 23rd. Additional information on each school can be found at www.entrepreneur.com/topcolleges.
Massey Students Spend a Summer in Europe
This past summer, fourteen graduate students from Belmont’s Massey School of Business traveled to Brussels, Belgium to embark on the academic adventure of a lifetime. For twenty nine days, the students traveled to four different countries and five cities throughout Western Europe. Five European partner institutions organized this opportunity of a lifetime. The ‘Know Europe’ program is designed to introduce students to the diverse cultures of Europe and teach the differences and similarities in each country’s market place. The intensive program takes students through Brussels, Amsterdam, LeHavre, Paris, and Barcelona.
As the students arrived in Brussels, the European Union capital, they were assigned a strategic marketing project to be presented to a panel of judges at the conclusion of the trip. The project consisted of designing a marketing plan for introducing a beverage, proposed from a student’s local area, into a European market. Throughout the journey, students spent time in classroom lectures, as well as traveling to businesses learning about how to introduce their particular beverage.
The program was rigorous, but the students still found plenty of time to have fun. Students enjoyed things like the famous waffles, chocolates and beer in Belgium, and international soccer matches, Boom Chicago comedy show place and the salsa club in Amsterdam. They also enjoyed the music festival, the D-day beaches and Etretat cliffs in Le Havre, the Louvre, Notre Dame and Eiffel tower illuminating the night sky in Paris, and touring the Torres winery, touring the futbol club, and basking in the sun on the beautiful beaches in Barcelona. On their voyage through these cities, there was a blend of museums, monuments, memorials, churches, and many other sights that the students had opportunities to explore and learn. Every single student took advantage of this opportunity and made the most out of every bit of their free time.
Another characteristic that made the experience unique was the diversity of the students. There were a total of thirty-seven students from New York, Chicago, Tampa, New Mexico, Honduras, India, Bulgaria, Singapore, and Morocco. There were eighteen undergraduate and nineteen graduate students with ages ranging from nineteen to thirty-nine. Belmont was represented by eleven MACC students and three MBA students.
The experience of working together with students from multiple demographics and backgrounds brought about new challenges for all of the students. Much was learned about true potential and reaching goals. The Know Europe program was an amazing opportunity for students to grow and learn in a truly invaluable international environment.
September 28, 2008
Joe Johnson Benefit Concert
Joe Johnson will be performing to benefit the United Way of Metropolitan Nashville on October 17, 2008 at 7 p.m . The ticketed event ($25) will be at Martha Rivers Ingram Center for the Performing Arts at Vanderbilt University - Blair School of Music. Belmont faculty and students will receive a discounted ticket for $15.
Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.unitedwaynashville.org/jazz. All tickets purchased by Monday, October 13 will be mailed to the attendee prior to the concert; tickets purchased after that date will be available for pickup at the ticket window that evening. Tickets will be available after Wednesday, October 15, and at the door for a rate of $30/regular admission.
September 04, 2008
Welcome Back for Fall 2008
Well, it was a busy and productive summer here in The Massey School. Applications to the MBA program for this fall were up 25% over the previous year, and as a result, we welcomed a group of 50 talented professionals to our new student orientation for MBAs and MACCs on August 22nd and 23rd in the Massey Boardroom.
In addition, we also welcomed two new graduate faculty to our ranks, with Dr. Charles "Chuck" Wainright joining us as an associate professor of healthcare management (most recently from the University of Western Kentucky) and Dr. Seyhun "Sean" Yoo as an assistant professor of finance (previously at San Diego State University/Imperial Valley). Each of this individuals will gradually be rotated into our graduate teaching ranks and allow us even greater flexibility in course offerings for students in the coming years.
There continues to be a lot of excitement on campus as we all gear up for the upcoming presidential debates between McCain and Obama here on the Belmont Campus. The recent announcement of Tom Brokaw as the scheduled moderator is also a nice boost for the event and should help bring even greater national attention on our campus. And as the two campaigns continue to heat up, many of our faculty are finding some wonderful opportunities to discuss business concepts within the context of this highly-charged political environment.
In short, it's great to have all of our faculty and students back for the fall term. For administrators, summer is a wonderful opportunity to be "productive" with a somewhat lighter meeting load and a much smaller undergraduate population on campus. We certainly interviewed a large number of program applicants this summer in a one-on-one basis. But the transition to fall is definitely a welcomed one, and the energy that our faculty and students bring back to the classroom as a combined group is unmatched. We are certainly glad to have so many of our Massey community back on campus!
Power Lunch at Avenue Bank
The Fall Power Lunch series will start Monday, September 8th at The Avenue Bank (209 Tenth Ave South, Nashville, TN 37203) from 11:00 am - 1:00 p.m. We will be hearing from Ronald Samuels, the Chairman, President & CEO of Avenue Bank. For more information visit http://www.avenuenashville.com. To RSVP for this event, please email masseygrad@mail.belmont.edu by Friday, September 5 at 5:00 pm.
September 03, 2008
Massey Networking Through linkedin.com
Are you already a member of the LinkedIn on-line networking community through Linkedin.com? If not, it's definitely something you should consider as a tool for continuing to build your group of professional contacts. For those who are already members, however, there is now a specific on-line networking community for those who either attended or are attending The Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business.
Once you are logged into the LinkedIn site, simply do a quick search for "Belmont University Massey Graduate School of Business." We are managing this group site to assure that only those individuals who have attended Massey in the past, are currently attending, or have been a Massey faculty or staff member are being allowed to join. As a result, you will need to request permission to join (which usually takes 1-3 days to confirm). We hope to see you in the group in the very near future and are adding new group members daily.
Save the Date - Thursday, November 20th
On November 20th, we will hold the 2nd Annual Massey Distinguished Alumni Event where we honor an outstanding Massey graduate, while also enjoying a special time of networking and socializing. The Massey Alumni Board is busily working out the final logistics for this year's event, but we certainly hope that each and every one of you will make plans to join us that evening. More details to follow in the next e-Leader.
Massey Launches Lean Healthcare Certificate Program
The Massey School is partnering with Healthcare Performance Partners (HPP), and The Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative (PRHI) to deliver a Lean Healthcare Certificate Program. This Certificate Program is designed for leaders who desire to understand the tools and knowledge necessary to drive Lean Healthcare throughout their entire organization. The program will be taught in Belmont University's state-of-the-art Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences and Nursing.
This intense one-week Lean Healthcare Certificate Program will give participants a hands-on, learn-by-doing experience applying Lean Philosophies and Tools in a healthcare environment. The training, exercise and simulations build the foundation throughout the week for the participants to apply them in a Mini-Kaizen Event Lab Exercise and develop a roadmap for their organization. This life-like healthcare experience using real healthcare examples is taught and facilitated by Lean Practitioners, Leaders and Coaches each with multiple years of successfully applying Lean in healthcare organizations.
For more information on the lean healthcare program, go to: http://www.buleancourse.com/
2008 Course Dates:
November 10-14
2009 Course Dates:
February 23-27
May 4-8
September (dates TBA)
December (dates TBA)
Massey Alum Named President and COO of Corrections Corporation of America
Damon T. Hininger, Massey MBA (2000), was recently named the President and Chief Operations Officer of Corrections Corporation of America. He joined CCA in 1992 as a corrections officer at the Leavenworth Detention Center in Kansas. He quickly moved through the ranks becoming a Training Manager in 1994 and, after being named the 2004 company-wide Employee of the Year, was promoted to the corporate office in 1995 as the Manager of Facility Start Ups. Damon moved to Vice President of Federal and Local Customer Relations in 2002 and was promoted to Senior Vice President in 2007.
Corrections Corporation of America is headquartered in Nashville, TN and was founded more than 25 years ago. The company focuses on construction, expansion and management of all levels of prison facilities. CCA is the nations largest for-profit prison company, managing more than half of all prison beds under contract with similar providers in the United States. CCA has plans to add 10,000 prison beds in new or expanded prison facility in five states through the end of 2009.
Great job, Damon! We're proud of your successes. For more information on CCA please visit their website.
Father and Son Duo John Seigenthaler, Sr. and Jr. to Speak at Belmont
Please join us for a dialogue between John Seigenthaler, Sr. and John Siegenthaler, Jr., on the topic "Ethics and the Presidential Election: Is the Media Helping or Hurting?" Seigenthaler, Jr. is former NBC news anchor and now Partner and CEO, Seigenthaler Public Relations New York. His father, John Seigenthaler, Sr., is the founder of the First Amendment Center and a former president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors. He served for 43 years as an award-winning journalist.
The Seigenthalers will speak on September 26 in the Frist Lecture Hall of the Gordon E. Inman Center at 10:00 a.m.
RESERVATIONS
These programs are free, but seating is limited. Please contact Becky Gann to make a reservation at (615) 460-6601; gannb@mail.belmont.edu.
Reminder: David Callahan will speak on September 9 in the Maddox Grand Atrium of the Curb Center at 5:00 p.m. with a reception at 4:30 p.m. Parking will be available in the Curb Garage adjacent to the Curb Event Center.
John Seigenthaler, Jr., CEO of SPR New York, specializes in crisis and reputation management, media strategy and media training. One of the nation's most respected broadcast journalists, John was the anchor of the top-rated NBC Nightly News Weekend Edition from 1999 to 2007 and host of MSNBC Investigates, an hour-long documentary series. In addition, he served as a special correspondent for NBC News, anchor for MSNBC and The News on CNBC, and substitute anchor for NBC Nightly News, Dateline NBC, TODAY, and Meet the Press. He also anchored the Court TV program Under Investigation and a special on the Titanic for the Discovery Channel.
Called "the thinking man's broadcaster" by The New York Daily News, John began his television news career in 1980 as an anchor, reporter and producer for NBC affiliate WSMV-TV, Nashville, and over the course of a decade covered most of the city's major news stories. From 1990 to 1993, he was an anchor and reporter for KOMO-TV in Seattle, an ABC affiliate. He returned to Nashville in 1993 to co-anchor the nightly news for WKRN-TV, also an ABC affiliate. In 1996, NBC tapped him to be co-anchor of Morning Line, a weekday morning news broadcast on its new cable news channel, MSNBC, which launched his 11-year career with the network.
John has won numerous awards and distinctions for his work, including the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for a series of stories on the civil rights movement, National Headliner and Iris awards for coverage of a Tennessee prison riot, an American Bar Association award for a documentary on the death penalty, and two regional Emmys.
John Seigenthaler, Sr. founded the First Amendment Center in 1991 with the mission of creating national discussion, dialogue and debate about First Amendment rights and values.
A former president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, Seigenthaler served for 43 years as an award-winning journalist for The Tennessean, Nashville's morning newspaper. At his retirement he was editor, publisher and CEO. He retains the title chairman emeritus. In 1982, Seigenthaler became founding editorial director of USA TODAY and served in that position for a decade, retiring from both the Nashville and national newspapers in 1991.
Networking Opportunities
Massey Networking Luncheons are held on the third Thursday of the month (some exceptions apply during holiday months) and provide Massey students and alumni with an opportunity to stay in touch with one another, as well as to meet new potential business contacts.
The September Massey Networking Breakfast, hosted by Dean Raines, will be held next Wednesday, September 10th from 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. at the Nashville City Club. The Nashville City Club is located on the 20th floor of the SunTrust Building, 201 Fourth Avenue North, downtown Nashville. Parking at the SunTrust Building is $2 per half hour. Please RSVP for the breakfast by next Monday, September 8th.
RSVP for Massey Networking Luncheons and Breakfasts to Londa Morgan, londa@hardcastleconstruction.com or (615) 500-1443.
The Massey Networking Committee is currently planning networking events for 2009. Please take a moment to complete our 6 question survey so that we can plan events you are most interested in participating in. Your time is appreciated!
Massey Networking Survey:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=yzG2LzlXGJ31rKsRuwoU8A_3d_3d
Other Upcoming Events:
The Massey School would like to participate in Hands on Nashville on September 27th. We need to have a group of ten to participate. If you are interested in joining the Massey HON group, please contact April Khoury at april.khoury@gmail.com.
September 18 - Luncheon at DaVinci's Gourmet Pizza, Nashville, 11:30 a.m.
October 16 - Luncheon at J. Alexander's, Cool Springs, 11:30 a.m.
November 20 - Luncheon at Nero's Grill, Nashville, 11:30 a.m.
December 3 - Breakfast, Location TBD, 7:00-8:30 a.m.
December 18 - Luncheon at Bricktop's, Nashville, 11:30 a.m.