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August 27, 2009
Numbers Through Networking...
For those of you who also keep up with Belmont University news, you may have already heard that we are enjoying record enrollment numbers, with an official university-wide figure of 5,397 students enrolled for the Fall 2009 term. Massey is certainly pulling its share, as we are currently enjoying our largest graduate business enrollments since pre-Y2K., with a current student headcount of 227.
As we continue to observe in our review of which marketing tools are most effective in student recruiting, while advertising helps in building general reputation and program awareness, ultimately it's our students and alumni who make the real difference when it comes to "selling Massey" to prospects. It's one more reason you see us doing so much these days in the area of utilizing social networking tools such as LInkedIn and Wetpaint to strengthen the Massey networking footprint. These contemporary technology tools end up helping us recruit future generations of Massey students while simultaneously helping our alumni enhance their own professional careers.
Below is a partial list of current networking tools and events either already deployed or in the development process as of this month:
*End of Semester Social Events for Students
*Massey Golf Network for Students, Alumni, Faculty, and Board Members
*Information Sessions for Prospective Students (networking with panel of students and alumni)
*LinkedIn Massey Community (current membership of +450)
*Massey Milers Running Group for Students and Alumni
*Massey Student Wetpaint Community (current membership of +150)
*Massey Alumni Wetpaint Community (developmental stage; to be launched this fall)
*Massey Mixers for Alumni, Students and Recruiters/Employers
*Massey Power Luncheons with C-Level Executives for Students
*Massey Networking Luncheons for Alumni & Students
*Networking Breakfasts for Alumni & Students (e.g., City Club events)
*Strictly Business Blog (Faculty, Students and Alumni)
*Volunteer Networking Events (e.g., Habitat for Humanity, Ronald McDonald House, etc.)
So, if you're looking for any opportunity to expand or strengthen your own professional network, we certainly are doing our best to provide a wide variety of opportunities to assist you. And from experience, we know that when we improve your individual networks, we also end up improving our own network as a School. Please let us know if you have additional ideas on how we can improve your networking effectiveness!
Congrats to our August Grads!
Fifteen individuals graduated from Massey this past month with either an MBA or MACC degree and are now ready to take the next steps in their careers. Graduates were recognized by Massey faculty and staff, along with family and friends at a special hooding ceremony in Neely Dining Hall on Thursday, August 13th.
Amy Thran Wolanski was recognized as the Outstanding Graduating MBA Student by her peers, while Rebecca Tatum received distinction as the Outstanding Graduating MACC Student.
MBA student Jay Crosson was selected by graduates to deliver the Reflections from the Graduating Class remarks at the hooding ceremony, and Jay was also recognized for achieving the highest-ever scores by a graduating MBA student on the nationally-standardized ETS Major Field Test in business.
Massey Alum Caputo named CEO of Hospital
Louis Caputo, Massey MBA '02, was recently named the new chief executive officer of Summerville Medical Center, outside of Charleston, SC.
Prior to his new position, Mr. Caputo served as chief operating officer at South Bay Hospital in the Tampa, FL area. In Nashville, he worked for HCA Inc.
Congratulations to Louis Caputo!
Massey Alum Hininger named CEO
Damon Hininger, Massey MBA '00, will soon become chief executive officer of Corrections Corporation of America, following the retirement of the current CEO.
Mr. Hininger currently serves as President and Chief Operating Officer of CCA and has spent 17 years with the company. He has also served as Senior Vice President, Federal Customer Relations.
Congratulations to Damon Hininger!
Learn more about Delta Sigma Pi Professional Business Fraternity
Delta Simga Pi Professional Business Fraternity will be holding an interest meeting on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 in Room 203A at 5:30 pm. The interest meeting is targeted to current students but alumni who have previous experience with Delta Sigma Pi are also encouraged to attend.
Delta Sigma Pi Fraternity is open to male and female students pursuing degrees and careers in business and economics and to the faculty. Equal opportunity is extended to full and part time students. All business students are invited to come learn more about how they can help bring this exciting organization to campus. Those who make the decision to join will have an opportunity to become founding members of a Belmont chapter.
Delta Sigma Pi was founded at New York University in 1907, and now has over 220,000 members, representing over 200 colleges and universities nationwide. As a national business fraternity, members have found their association to be invaluable in providing an instant national professional network.
Come learn more about the benefits of membership from alumni of the organization! There is no cost or obligation to attend a meeting. Come and bring a friend! We look forward to meeting you.
If you have any questions, please visit the website at www.dspnet.org, or contact Kimberly May, MBA '09, at DeltaSigmaPi_Nashville@hotmail.com.
Massey Team victorious in Dragon Boat Race
[submitted by MBA Candidate Jessica Betts] In August, TEAM MASSEY set out to “take care of business” at the 2009 Dragon Boat Race and we did!! On August 22nd, The Massey Graduate School participated in Nashville’s annual Dragon Boat Racing event for the first time. The event was an effort to raise awareness around green initiatives benefitting the Cumberland River Compact and the Tennessee Scenic Rivers Association. Hundreds of people - teams, rowers, sponsors, supporters, and onlookers - came from as far away as Canada to participate in the excitement of the day. It also proved to serve as an excellent team building effort between fellow Massey students, faculty, alumni and friends of the Massey School.
You may be wondering....what is a Dragon Boat Race?? A Dragon Boat race consists of twenty rowers, sitting in a long canoe-like vessel, who must paddle in absolute harmony to a chosen finish point, or victory is unattainable. A drummer sitting at the head of the boat sets the pace.
This year TEAM MASSEY consisted of MBA and MACC students, alumni, faculty (our own Dr. Jane Finley kept the beat at the helm!), friends and affiliates.
After an invigorating Tuesday night practice, Team Massey was armed and ready for victory adorned in our Massey T-Shirts at Saturday’s races. The morning was filled with incredible performances by dancers and actors veiled in Chinese Dragon costumes. The air was thick with competition, uncertainty, and an unspoken camaraderie between teams vying for victory. After three grueling heats of counting, rowing, and sailing to the finish, TEAM MASSEY finished first overall in our division and second to the overall victors, a veteran Canadian rowing team, by a mere 4 seconds! Throughout the day our strategic planning skills, teamwork, passion, excitement, and desire to grow were clear. As a result we continued to improve with each paddle stroke, racing at the end with the fastest time of the day!
If you weren’t able to participate this year, we highly encourage you to join TEAM MASSEY at next year’s event, where we do plan to claim victory! To close with our team chant... “We are the MASSEY, the MASSEY, the MASSEY MACHINE!! We’re GONNA ROW TO THE FINISH LIKE YOU AIN’T NEVER SEEN!!”...and we did!!
Students travel to Dublin and London for international experience
For one week in August, 25 Massey MBA and MACC students traveled to Dublin and London to learn about the economic and business environments and the local cultures. Led by Dr. Susan Taylor, the group had a fast-paced trip and took in as much of both capitals as could be crammed into each day.
The trip began early Sunday, August 16th with a guided tour of Dublin, taking in the rows of Georgian houses, the River Liffey, and St. Patrick's Cathedral, among other sights. That evening, the Massey group was treated to a traditional Irish dinner, featuring the local favorite Beef and Guinness pie, followed by a show. We were impressed with the performances by both the traditional Irish folk group and the traditional dancers. The southern charm of a few Massey students must have made an impression on the Irish band members as they dedicated a closing song to a few students in the Belmont delegation.
Over the next three days, we visited various businesses from the biotech (Alltech, pictured above), manufacturing, accounting, and distillery industries, as well as took a group trip to the Guinness brewery. One highlight was a visit to Forfas, an economic advisory agency, where we heard a fascinating presentation on how Ireland plans to position themselves to survive the current economic downturn and move forward with sustainable growth. 
Another was the visit to the Jameson and Sons Distillery. Despite the realization that our group was from the region of a major competitor, we still got a fantastic and detailed presentation about the marketing strategy in the U.S. and abroad for Jameson's products.
On Thursday, August 20th, the group jumped the Irish Sea and traveled to London. The scale of London, and the pace, contrasted with that of Dublin, and the group took in as much of the architecture and history as possible in a whirlwind tour that included the crypt of St. Paul's and the Tower of London's collection of the crown jewels. With a free evening, the Massey group dove into exploring the city, with students branching out to see Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, Covent Garden and Piccadilly Circus.
Our last day brought us to Kesslers International and the U.S. Embassy. Kesslers showed us how they maintain a flexible manufacturing process in order to adjust as quickly as possible to meet client needs. They spoke of how they have defied conventional wisdom that suggested they cut costs by outsourcing manufacturing, instead investing heavily in people and machinery to keep their customers as happy as possible. Lastly, at the U.S. Embassy, the Massey group braved the stringent security and met with two embassy representatives that spoke of the cultural and economic closeness of the U.K. and U.S., as well as gave us a look into the life of a foreign services employee.
Boarding the plane Saturday morning, it was truly remarkable what all we had seen, thanks to Dr. Taylor and our guides from International Study Programs (ISP). Despite the relative cultural closeness of Ireland and England to the U.S., our group continually swapped stories of significant differences in the business cultures, the approaches to economic sustainability, and the social elements between the three countries. It was a valuable experience, and left many wondering when they could venture back, either for pleasure, or for a job opportunity.
Sign up for the September Power Lunch
Who: David Freeman, Chairman and Co-Owner of the Nashville Predators and CEO of 36 Venture Capital.
When: September 21, 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Where: Nashville Predators offices at 501 Broadway, Nashville TN 37203. Enter at the Corner of 6th and Broadway in the Sommet Center.
For details and RSVP info, click below.
Lunch will be provided by David Freeman and the Nashville Predators.
Guests are suggested to park in the street lot on the corner of 6th and Demonbreum behind the church or in any nearby lots.
Please note: There are only 20 spots open for this luncheon so first come first serve. RSVP NO LATER than September 18th to Isaac Lewis at isaac_lewis@bellsouth.net. We want to be good stewards of Mr. Freeman’s resources so PLEASE attend if you RSVP or call 48 hours in advance to notify us of your cancellation.
David S. Freeman is the founder and CEO of 36 Venture Capital, which maintains investments in professional hockey, baseball, and soccer clubs. The company also is active in commercial and residential real estate ventures. Mr. Freeman is also the Chairman of the Nashville Predators (NHL) and the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx (AA Southern League).
Mr. Freeman was the founder and CEO of Commodore Medical Services, which he grew to become the second largest company in the medical waste industry at the time of its sale to Stericycle (NYSE) in 2007. He is a mergers and acquisitions attorney.
Mr. Freeman received his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics for the University of Tennessee and a Juris Doctorate degree from Vanderbilt University School of Law, where he served as Executive Editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review.
Fall Networking Calendar
Summer is coming to a close and networking activities will resume! A new season brings new opportunities for you to expand your social and professional networks by attending our networking events.
All events are open to current Massey students, as well as alumni.
For the calendar, click below...
Upcoming Fall 2009 Massey Networking Events:
September 2nd - Breakfast, 7 a.m., Nashville City Club, 201 4th Ave N., Nashville TN 37219
September 17th - Luncheon, 11:30 a.m., Stoney River Restaurant, 3015 West End Avenue, Nashville TN 37203
October 1st - Distinguished Alumni Award Presentation & Reception, The Acorn, 1146 28th Avenue North (Reception, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Award Presentation, 6:30 p.m.)
October 15th - Luncheon, 11:30 a.m., Mere Bulls, 5201 Maryland Way, Brentwood TN 37027
November – Evening Social, Predators Game, Game Date & Time TBA (Families Welcome)
November 19th - Luncheon, 11:30 a.m., Brick Top's 3000 West End Avenue, Nashville TN 37203
December 17th - Luncheon, 11:30 a.m., Sunset Grille, 2001 Belcourt Avenue, Nashville, TN 37212
Email all RSVPs and other networking inquiries to Courtney_Hensley@ars.aon.com.
Run with the Massey Milers!
Massey Milers is up and running again this year! The group was formed in the spring semester to provide students and alumni an opportunity to socialize and network outside of a classroom setting. Several members in the group are currently training for different local races including the IRunForTheParty Halloween 5K and 10K as well as their half marathon, the turkey trot in Belle Meade, and many more. The group is pictured after running in the Country Music Marathon in April.
There will be a group runs every Friday at 5:45 am starting outside the Massey Business Center on campus led by Mindy Craven AND Saturday mornings at various locations led by Isaac Lewis. Runs begin the Friday after Labor Day.
Additional benefits of the group include:
-Free of charge and no obligation
-Participate even if you do not plan on running in a race
-Runners at every level are encouraged to participate
-Access to sample training plans
-Information about additional running groups in the Nashville area provided
-Great way to meet other students and alumni (and get in shape!)
For further information, please contact Mindy Craven by email at mindy.craven@vanderbilt.edu or join the Google Group at http://groups.google.com/group/massey_running_group .
Belmont Awarded Grant to Enhance International Business Education
From the university press release
The College of Business Administration was recently awarded more than $188,000 in federal grant monies to enhance international business education at Belmont and to sponsor international business and trade activities in Nashville.
The grant and proposed initiatives are spearheaded by Dr. Jeffrey Overby, director of international business programs and associate professor of marketing at Belmont. “This is certainly a great honor for Belmont University,” Overby said. “However, it is even more significant that it will allow us to foster a stronger international outlook among students, faculty and the greater Nashville community. Thinking internationally is no longer an option in today’s business environment; it is a necessity.”
The Title VI Grant was made through the Business and International Education (BIE) Program of the U.S Department of Education.
Belmont University’s College of Business Administration (COBA) has strengthened its international focus since Dean J. Patrick Raines arrived on campus in 2003. Dean Raines said, “The BIE grant will give COBA students and faculty an opportunity to gain a wider view of the world. Understanding global business is essential to be competitive in a ‘flat’ world and graduates frequently report that studying abroad was their single-most life-changing experience.”
The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, the State of Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development and the Nashville Export Assistance Center of the U.S. Department of Commerce supported the grant efforts. Belmont will use the grant to partner with these organizations to present seminars and workshops on various international topics to the greater Nashville business community along with support for international business research and analysis.
The funds will finance five key initiatives:
1) Internationalize Belmont’s current curriculum across the board by investing in faculty expertise development and course enhancement
2) Develop study abroad opportunities and co-curricular activities in order to foster a global mindset among students and faculty
3) Develop international career and internship opportunities for Belmont’s COBA students
4) Serve and educate the greater Nashville business community to increase global awareness and build trade expertise
5) Enable the development of a higher profile for International Business at Belmont to facilitate connections with the Nashville and international business community
In addition to Overby and Raines, the grant proposal and related initiatives are supported by team of key faculty members that includes Dr. Howard Cochran, Dr. Marieta Velikova and Jose Gonzalez.
For more information, or to read the press release in its entirety, click here.
Massey Golf Network - September Outing
Only two more golf outings this year - Details below:
When: Sunday, September 13th - Sign up by September 6th.
Networking and warm up at 1:00pm, tee times start at 2:00pm
Where: President’s Reserve at Hermitage, www.hermitagegolf.com
Cost: Special Massey green fees of $35.50 for 18 holes, includes cart and range balls
For more information...
• Golfers at all skill levels are invited to join these monthly golf events to facilitate networking and build relationships. Come out for the pre-round networking, then hit balls at the driving range, play a full round or only nine holes.
• Seven day advanced reservation and a credit card number is required to secure your tee time. This means September 6th is the deadline to sign up. Call the Hermitage pro shop at 615.847.4001 for your reservation. Be sure to tell them you are with the Massey/Belmont group, 2 pm tee times on September 13th.
• Sign up for Hermitage’s FREE-quent player program – Buy four rounds of 18 holes and get one free!
• Please email teresawade@comcast.net with your skill level or handicap AFTER you make your reservation. These outings are not formal tournaments.
• Be sure to arrive in time to mingle and get warmed up at the range.
• Call Hermitage and reserve your spot before September 6th.
The last golf outing for 2009 will be Sunday, October 11th, same time and place listed above.
Massey Distinguished Alumni Award Ceremony & Reception
Please join Dean Raines, the Massey faculty, and the Massey Alumni Advisory Board to celebrate the third annual Massey Distinguished Alumni Award on Thursday, October 1st at The Acorn in downtown Nashville.
The reception will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by the award ceremony at 6:30 p.m.
For more information...
The Massey Distinguished Alumni Award is bestowed upon a Massey Alumni who has displayed strengths in the areas of professional achievement, community involvement, and contribution to the Massey School. This year’s award winner will be announced after August 15th, and invitations will be mailed shortly thereafter.
Food and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided. Students and alumni may bring a guest.
Contact Londa Morgan for more information, londa@hardcastleconstruction.com or (615) 500-1443.
LEAN Six Sigma Black Belt: Cross Functional Analysis Courses offered
The Scarlett Leadership Institute has partnered with Quadrant One Group to present a unique Six Sigma program featuring compressed classroom time and maximum one-on-one coaching time.
Black Belt Course I begins on October 6.
The two Cross-Functional Analysis courses build upon Continuous Improvement Analysis. The courses focus on advanced topics including creating survey instruments to measure customer satisfaction, advanced statistical process control, measurement system evaluation, regression, and normal theory.
Black Belt Course I: Cross-Functional Analysis 1 (Green Belt Certification) Course begins October 6, 2009.
Black Belt Course II: Cross-Functional Analysis 2 (Black Belt Certification) Course begins January 19, 2010.
For more information, call (615) 460-5554, email scarlettadmissions@belmont.edu or visit our website at http://scarlett.belmont.edu.
Volunteer with Habitat on September 19
Massey students and alumni will have the opportunity to volunteer on September 19th with Habitat for Humanity. Habitat builds affordable homes and provides interest free mortgages for low income families.
Massey and volunteers from CAT Financial, led by Massey Alum Aaron Murdock, are teaming up once again. We will be working on day 3 of the typical 8-day build process and will install siding, soffits, and other fixtures in and outside our assigned house. This is a fun day to trade in your desk job for a hammer and tool-belt.
If you would like to participate, please contact Isaac Lewis at isaac_lewis@bellsouth.net.
Business Analyst Certification Program
The Scarlett Leadership Institute has partnered with Developmentor to present a Business Analyst Certification Program, teaching Business Analyst principles and advanced techniques specific to software projects. The program will focus on making Business Analysts tech-savvy and strong communicators who can elicit and translate requirements between business stakeholders and software developers. Additionally, the Business Analyst Certification Program will prepare program participants for the IIBA certification examination.
The Business Analyst program will begin in January of 2010.
The program consists of five course modules; each course module is taught over three consecutive days, which occur every six to eight weeks. The program duration is eight months.
For more information, call (615) 460-5554, email scarlettadmissions@belmont.edu or visit the website at http://scarlett.belmont.edu.