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December 03, 2008
Merry Christmas and a Blessed 2009
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from everyone here in The Massey School! We are just wrapping up another busy but very productive semester here in our MBA and MACC programs. Twenty-three of our graduating MBA students just sat for their nationally standardized exit exams this past Saturday, and they plan to be joined by 14 of their MACC colleagues on Thursday, December 18th for a hooding ceremony that will symbolize their graduation from the School. This should bring the total number of lifetime Massey grads to 1,386, with more than 1,000 of those continuing as residents right here in the Nashville area. We had a very strong entering class for 2008, with applications up significantly over the previous year. However, we are always looking for talented graduate prospects, so please let us know if would like us to follow up with any of your friends or colleagues who are considering a graduate business or accounting program.
Over the past year, we have completed international study abroad trips to Brazil, China, Spain, and the Czech Republic (see related story below), and we continue as one of only a handful of MBA programs in the U.S. to require this type of experience for our students. In fact, we are the only MACC program anywhere that maintains this international experience requirement. We continue to believe it's a critical facet of delivering a world-class business/accounting curriculum.
I'd like to take one more opportunity to remind those of you who have not already done so to join 186 of your colleagues who have already opted in to the Massey Group on LinkedIn (titled "Belmont University Massey Graduate School of Business). This is a great networking tool for staying connected to those with whom you attended the program, as well as an opportunity to identify new contacts for adding to your professional network. Our goal is to grow this group to over 500 in number during 2009.
From all of the faculty and staff here in Massey, we wish you and your families a very merry Christmas and God's richest blessings as you begin 2009! Please come back and visit us as you have opportunity, and let us know how we can assist as you advance through your careers.
Massey Alum to Head Human Resources at Duke
Massey Alumn Kyle Cavanaugh, MBA, has been named the Vice President of Human Resources at Duke University. Cavanaugh will lead an HR staff of about 130 people and work with the HR team for the Duke University Health System. Prior to heading to Duke, Kyle worked for numerous universities, including Florida, Texas, Rice and Vanderbilt. He also holds Master's degrees from Vanderbilt and the University of Illinois.
Congratulations Kyle!
Massey Golf Network
In March 2009, the Massey Golf Network will have its first golf outing. Current Massey students and alumni at all skill levels are invited to participate in these monthly events to facilitate networking and build relationships. A schedule will be released in January with dates for these Saturday golf outings. Email Teresa Drozak-Wade at tdrozak-wade@comcast.net if you would like to be included on the list to receive more information about this new opportunity for Massey students and alumni in 2009.
Q & A On Mediation Course
We spoke briefly with Leigh Ann Roberts, the instructor for the new Mediation course. Get to know a little bit about her and the benefits of the Mediation Course in the following short interview.
Tell us a little about yourself and your work experience related to Mediation.
I am Leigh Ann Roberts, and my husband and I live in the Crieve Hall neighborhood. I am a founding member of an innovative law firm in Brentwood, Tennessee titled Forward Focus, PLLC. We provide many of the legal services of the traditional law firm but have a heavy emphasis on mediation and other Alternative Dispute Resolution Services. At Forward Focus, I personally provide mediation services on a variety of disputes including employment/workplace, contract disputes, construction disputes, business partnership dissolutions and family owned business disputes. My passion is providing what I call “Business Relationship Preservation”- I help business people protect and support long-term goals by helping them navigate difficult conversations with other professionals. These challenging conversations occur throughout the life cycle of an organization, including the critical stages at the beginning and end of the business relationship. My background in collaborative mediation, consensus building, and executive conflict management training, as well as my experience as an attorney, business owner and nonprofit organization consultant, have uniquely prepared me to provide these services for area business leaders. Forward Focus also provides an array of other legal and mediation services, including services for resolution of family and domestic disputes.
After taking a class on Alternative Dispute Resolution in law school at the University of Mississippi, I knew that I wanted to be a mediator. In 1998, Tennessee had court-mandated mediation and Mississippi did not. Knowing I had to go where the proverbial “mediation action” was, I went to Memphis and found the first Tennessee Rule 31 mediation training course I could find. I was trained by Robert Benjamin and mentored by some of the founding mothers and fathers of mediation in Memphis.
In the early years of my career, I volunteered as a mediator for the Nashville Conflict Resolution Center. While volunteering I mediated many landlord tenant disputes, neighbor conflicts, contract disputes and even a couple of personal injury cases.
As an attorney working in both the public and private sector I have also had the opportunity to practice and develop my negotiation skills. Having negotiated many high level, high dollar cases at the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office, I was able to negotiate with many of the nation’s best, top-rated attorneys and advocates. Every opportunity to negotiate gave me a better perspective of what parties in mediation face and, I believe, this experience has also made me a better mediator.
How does Mediation differ from other Negotiations?
Mediation is different from traditional negotiations in that in addition to the parties in dispute, you have a designated person who helps facilitates the negotiations. This designated person is sometimes an individual unknown to either party. In other instances, it is an individual known and respected by both parties. In all such instances, the facilitator is viewed by the parties in the dispute as having the ability to be neutral, fair or possessing some type of helpful perspective on the situation. The mediation process is an excellent alternative for parties who attempt negotiations but encounter impasse or who are simply unable to communicate in a productive manner. As in negotiations, parties in mediation retain decision-making authority. The mediation process is very well suited for disputes where the parties would prefer to avoid the high costs of litigation, including loss of time, resources and potential good will, and where maintaining the relationship between the parties is important.
What skills from Negotiations will be further developed in the Mediation class?
The role of mediators is to help parties communicate and negotiate better- thereby staying in the negotiation process past the point of impasse. All of the skills that participants learned in the Negotiations course will be further used and developed. The Mediation course will also help parties further their skills around un-earthing hidden interests as well as their listening and communication skills.
What is the benefit of having the Mediation certification?
It is my opinion that there are very few professions, very few positions in any industry, that wouldn’t benefit from mediation training. I believe many employers will find mediation training and certification as a huge plus in any hiring decision. Having a mediation certificate will also enable new mediators to take mandated mediation courses from Tennessee courts and to volunteer at many of the area volunteer mediation nonprofit organizations that require this training.
December 02, 2008
A Week in the Czech Republic
Early last month, 19 Massey MBA and MACC students visited the Czech Republic for 8 days as part of the MGT 6350 - International Study Abroad trip experience. Led by Professor Joe Alexander, the group left Nashville on a Saturday afternoon, and after stops in Memphis and Amsterdam, arrived in Prague late Sunday afternoon, returning to Nashville the following Saturday. This was the fourth Massey trip over the years to Prague, which has proven to be one of the most popular course locations for students and faculty.
[Students, faculty and management team members from F.X. Meiller Kippers, Slany] The class itself began in early October, with two separate Saturday class meetings--one devoted to trip logistics and planning and the other set aside for student presentations on their selected research topics. In preparation for the trip, each student prepared as a country expert in their selected area of expertise (e.g., technology, transportation and logistics, pollitical environment, tourism, etc.). In addition to preparing a reflective journal during the actual trip experience, students also then worked in teams upon their return to develop a market entry strategy for a product/service of their choosing. Selected topics ranged from a joint venture project with the Ceskoslovenska Obchodni Banka to a consulting service for Czech companies seeking to increase retention of women employees in the workforce.
A basic itinerary for the visit to Prague is shown below:
Saturday, Nov. 1st - Depart from Nashville
Sunday, Nov. 2nd - Arrive in Prague; Tour of City and History, Group Welcome Dinner
Monday, Nov. 3rd - Univ. of Economics Prague Presentation; Doing Business in the Czech Republic Presentation
Tuesday, Nov. 4th - Group Trip to City of Plzen (Wikov Gear and Bohemia Sekt Presentations)
Wednesday, Nov. 5th - Group Trip to City of Slany (F.X. Meiller Presentation); Visit to WW II Terezin Concentration Camp
Thursday, Nov. 6th - ING Banking Presentation and Human Resources Consulting Presentation
Friday, Nov. 7th - Mark BBDO Advertising Presentation
Saturday, Nov. 8th - Group Cultural Trip to city of Kutna Hora, a UNESCO site
Sunday, Nov. 8th - Return to Nashville
Signage near the entrance to Terezin Concentration Camp where over 150,000 Jews were housed during the combined years of World War II.