February 27, 2009
Massey Team Competes in Social Venture Competition
Massey Graduate School has a team entered in the Dell Social Innovation Competition. Massey MBA students Eric Jolly, Andres Tapia, and Amy Thran Wolanski have created a social venture that implements and manages bike sharing programs for cities, businesses and universities (for more on bike sharing go to <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_bicycle_program).
Semifinalists are selected by combining the top ideas voted most popular by the public and ideas chosen by the competition judges. The 100 semifinalists move on to round two of the competition. Ultimately, the winning team is awarded $50,000 to launch their business concept. We need your help, so please support the Massey team by doing the following:
1. Go to http://www.dellsocialinnovationcompetition.com/
2. To register, then go to: http://www.dellsocialinnovationcompetition.com/ideaSiteRegister
3. Create a username and password
4. Search Ideas by typing "decreasing carbon footprint" into the blank box on the upper-right portion of screen
5. Please VOTE for for by clicking on the button that says "Promote" next to our idea. You will immediately see our point total increase following your vote!!
January 28, 2009
Fast Pitch
On Friday, February 6th, Belmont will team with FastPitch Nashville to host PitchCamp, the first in three events designed to help entrepreneurs get their business idea to the market.
PitchCamp is a half-day intensive and interactive workshop with seminars led by Jeff Stamp, world renowned think-tank innovator, and Scott Schwertly, owner of award-winning presentation design company Ethos3 Communications. Dr. Stamp will lead the group through a seminar on idea generation during the first half of the afternoon, with Mr. Schwertly then showing how best to present your business idea during the latter part of the day.
FastPitch will host two more events for entrepreneurs. The first is OpenPitch, where participants will each present a 60-second pitch of a business idea. From this event, finalists will be selected to compete in FastPitch. At this event, a panel of judges from the academic, investor and entrepreneurial community will judge the 60-second pitches. Winners will be chosen by the public and the judges’ panel to receive cash prizes or a chance to present to the Angel Capital Group for funding.
PitchCamp is free for all Massey students and will be held Friday, February 6 from 1 – 5 p.m. at Belmont University. OpenPitch will take place on Friday, February 27 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., as well as Saturday, March 7, from 1 – 4 p.m, and has a $35 entry fee. The final FastPitch event will be held the evening of Tuesday, March 31. For more information, visit www.fastpitchnashville.com.
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.
September 03, 2007
"The Call of the Entrepreneur" Premiere
Belmont University's Center for Entrepreneurship will host the Nashville premiere of the documentary film, "The Call of the Entrepreneur" on Monday, September 10 at 5:00 pm in the Massey Board Room. The event is part of the Fall Moench Entrepreneurship Lecture Series.
For more information on this event visit Dr. Cornwall's blog or email etp@mail.belmont.edu
For information on upcoming events in the Moench Entrepreneurship Lecture Series visit the Center for Entrepreneurship website.
February 06, 2007
Creator of the 'Laffer Curve' to speak at Belmont
The Belmont University Center for Entrepreneurship's Moench Entrepreneurship Lecture Series is proud to announce that Arthur Laffer famed economist and creator of the 'Laffer Curve' will speak at the Belmont Grand Atrium on Tuesday, Feb. 13th from 5:30 to 6:00 PM followed by questions from the audience. The event is free and open to the public but seating is limited.
Arthur B. Laffer is the founder and chairman of Laffer Associates, an economic research and consulting firm that provides investment-research services to institutional asset managers. Since its inception in 1979, the firm's research has focused on the interconnecting macroeconomic, political and demographic changes affecting global financial markets. Dr. Laffer's economic acumen and influence in triggering a world-wide tax-cutting movement in the 1980s have earned him the distinction in many publications as "The Father of Supply-Side Economics." One of his earliest successes in shaping public policy was his involvement in Proposition 13, the groundbreaking California initiative that drastically cut property taxes in the state in 1978.
Years of experience and success in advising on a governmental level have distinguished Dr. Laffer in the business community as well. He currently sits on the board of directors of several public companies which include Vivendi Environmental (V), PacifiCare Health Systems (PI-ISY), MasTec Inc. (MTZ), Neff Corp. (NFF), Nicholas-Applegate Growth Equity Fund (NAPGX), and Oxigene Inc. (OXGN). He also sits on the board of directors or board of advisors of a number of private companies including: ProFlowers, Plyent.com, Synectics Technology, Proponent Sofiware, Interelate, Enverity, Restaurants International Group, MSC.com, ValuBond, Sonic Telecom, VirtualCom, U.S. Script and Castle Creek Capital.
Dr. Laffer is a founding member of the Congressional Policy Advisory Board, a select group of advisors who assist in shaping legislative policies for the 105th, 106th, and 107th United States Congress.
Dr. Laffer was a member of President Reagan's Economic Policy Advisory Board for both of his two terms (1981-1989). He was a member of the Executive Committee of the Reagan/Bush Finance Committee in 1984 and was a founding member of the Reagan Executive Advisory Committee for the presidential race of 1980.
He was formerly the Distinguished University Professor at Pepperdine University and a member of the Pepperdine Board of Directors. He also held the status as the Charles B. Thornton Professor of Business Economics at the University of Southern California from 1976 to 1984. He was an Associate Professor of Business Economics at the University of Chicago from 1970 to 1976 and a member of the Chicago faculty from 1967 through 1976.
During the years 1972 to 1977, Dr. Laffer was a consultant to Secretary of the Treasury William Simon, Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld, and Secretary of the Treasury George Shultz. He was the first to hold the title of Chief Economist at the Office of Management and Budget (0MB) under Mr. Shultz from October 1970 to July 1972.
Dr. Laffer has been widely acknowledged for his economic achievements. He was noted in Time Magazine's March 29, 1999. cover story "The Century's Greatest Minds" for inventing the Laffer Curve, which it deemed one of "a few of the advances that powered this extraordinary century". He was listed in "A Dozen Who Shaped the '80s," in the Los Angeles Times on Jan. 1, 1990, and in "A Gallery of the Greatest People Who Influenced Our Daily Business." in the Wall Street Journal on June 23, 1989. His creation of the Laffer Curve was deemed a "memorable event" in financial history by the Institutional Investor in its July 1992 Silver Anniversary issue, "The Heroes, Villains, Triumphs, Failures and Other Memorable Events."
The awards that Dr. Laffer has received for his economic work include: two Graham and Dodd Awards from the Financial Analyst Federation for outstanding feature articles published in the Financial Analysts Journal; the Distinguished Service Award by the National Association of Investment Clubs; the Adam Smith Award for his insights and contributions to the Wealth of Nations; and the Daniel Webster Award for public speaking by the International Platform Association. Dr. Laffer also earned the Father of the Year award from the West Coast Father's Day Committee in 1983.
Dr. Laffer received a B.A. in economics from Yale University in 1963. He received an MBA and a Ph.D. in economics from Stanford University in 1965 and 1971 respectively.
August 20, 2006
Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour Coming To The Belmont Curb Event Center
Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour to be held in the Curb Event Center on September 20th, 2006.
The Extreme Entrepreneur Tour brings together America’s top young entrepreneurs to share the entrepreneurial mindset with their peers at colleges nationwide. Young entrepreneurs, who have made, earned and sold their company for millions making a huge impact before the age of 25, have been recruited as speakers.
Belmont University is one of the stops and this is a great opportunity for students, entrepreneurs, small business owners and the Middle Tennessee business community. Below are the details:
Date: Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Start Time: 3PM
End Time: 8PM
Location: Belmont University Curb Event Center
Website: www.extremetour.org
July 13, 2006
Venture Capital and Private Equity Symposium Held at Belmont University
On April 27, 2006, Dr. Mark Schenkel and Dr. John Gonas hosted a symposium for the College of Business Administration focusing on current trends in venture capital and private equity markets of Middle Tennessee. Over 100 attendees from Belmont University and the surrounding Nashville community gathered to hear about the alternatives available to business owners and financers of small businesses.
The panel of discussants included three prominent representatives from local investment firms:
Linda Costello
Managing Director of Investment Banking
of Avondale Partners
Stuart McWhorter
Managing Partner of Clayton Associates
Gary Peat
Partner of Council Ventures
The event focused on current trends in venture capital and private equity markets of Middle Tennessee. Specific topics included entrepreneurial, mezzanine and growth capital demand in addition to deal flow differences between industries such as investment banking, technology and healthcare.
“This discussion represented an outstanding opportunity for students and alumni to learn about the breadth and growth of private equity funding availability in Middle Tennessee from an interactive discussion with three knowledgeable and well-respected members of local investment companies,” said Dr. Mark Schenkel, assistant professor of Entrepreneurship. It also represented an excellent opportunity for students to solidify the knowledge Belmont wants students to gain while earning their degrees. In the words of undergraduate student Brittany McCullough, “I just finished my last business class [Finance] before I graduate. During our final, we covered topics focusing on Venture Capital and IPO. I wouldn't have been able to understand or respond so easily if I hadn't attended the panel discussion or written the paper about it.”
The Center for Entrepreneurship at Belmont University (www.belmont.edu/ce) is recognized nationally as a leader in entrepreneurial education. Belmont’s School of Business grants Bachelors of Business Administration (BBA) degrees through its innovative undergraduate program (http://www.belmont.edu/business/).
December 12, 2005
Moench Entrepreneurship Lecture Series Speakers
The Center for Entrepreneurship has several exciting speakers lined up for 2006 as part of the Moench Entrepreneurship Lecture Series. We look forward to continuing our efforts to bring successful Entrepreneurs and Business leaders to Belmont.
The first speaker in 2006 will be Joseph Keeley. Keely is the winner of the 2003 Global Student Entrepreneur of the Year award for his business concept, an organization that provides nannies and tutors and specializes in child development. He is the President and founder of College Nannies and Tutors Development, Inc. and was named to Business Week Online's Leading Entrepreneurs Under 25 for 2005. Keely will speak to Belmont students on the 23rd and 24th of January.
Dr. Eric Flamholtz is a professor of management at UCLA’s Anderson Graduate School of management. He is also president of Management Systems Consulting Corporation and is the author of several management books, including Growing Pains; Transitioning from an Entrepreneurship to a Professionally Managed Firm. We will be welcoming him on the 28th and 29th of March.
Please contact Chris Gray in the Center for Entrepreneurship at grayc@pop.belmont.edu for speaker times and locations.