Introducing the new Massey website
Article by Dr. Joe Alexander, Associate Dean of the Massey School
Well, it's finally here, and we are anxious to know what you think. Our new Massey School website was a long time in coming, but we finally have things up and running. We hope this is the beginning of a site that will be of much greater value to you as we seek to serve your informational needs and remain connected through tools such as our social media platforms.
A big thanks goes out to Chris Bradshaw of Nashville Interactive, who worked with us on developing the new look and functionality of this site. Also, a round of applause please for our Belmont I.T. and marketing folks (Byron Marsh, Paul Chenoweth, and Jon Blankenship). And finally, a big thank you to Annie Mitchell, Belmont's director of marketing and special initiatives. She gave us the flexibility to truly begin designing a web portal that better meets the needs of a top tier graduate business program.
Our next priorities are finishing up some of the site features that offer more value to our alumni in staying connected to one another and to developing a total redesign on the eLeader publication. More to come.
Again, we hope you like the new site, please do let me know whether or not you think we're on the right track! We want to hear from you.
Our 2013 rearview mirror and windshield
Article written by Dr. Joe Alexander, Associate Dean of the Massey School
Well, 2013 is already well underway, and I thought I would take this opportunity to update you on some of the latest events and announcements for The Massey School for this current spring term. Some of these you may well be aware of already, but in my discussions with both students and alumni, it is clear that there is generally a LOT more going on here in the school than what most are aware of.
Looking Back on 2012
- Voted the #1 MBA program in Nashville in the Nashville Scene Magazine's reader's poll. Vanderbilt's Owen School finished #2. Thanks so much to our alumni who felt strongly enough to put us in this top spot!
- Recognized as a "Best Business School for 2013" by U.S.News & World Report.
- Recognized for the eighth straight year as a "Best Business School" by the Princeton Review.
- Graduated a record number of MBA and MACC students for the year (138), far exceeding the previous record of 120 in 2011.
- Hired three new graduate business faculty from doctoral programs at Rice University, the University of Mississippi, and the University of Tennessee, respectively.
- Launched our brand new Massey Graduate School of Business website.
- Completed study-abroad learning programs in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Cape Town, Dubai, Paris, Prague, Santiago, and Singapore.
Looking Ahead for 2013
- Continuing the launch of our brand new MBA for Healthcare Professionals, which includes the appointment of Dr. Harry Jacobson (former CEO, Vanderbilt University Medical Center) as our 2013 Executive-in-Residence; also hired Dr. David Wyant as a new faculty member for teaching healthcare finance and informatics in this innovative program.
- Offering our first new Six Sigma Black Belt certification program for existing MBA and MACC students (in partnership with our Belmont Center for Executive Education).
- Offering a brand new MBA elective in Global Supply Chain Management (taught by Dr. Dennis Chen).
- Announcing our international study abroad rotation for 2014, which includes Beijing, Cape Town, Milan, and Rio de Janeiro, in addition to our Normandy Business School partnership destinations in Europe. Stay tuned for a more detailed announcement of these upcoming destinations in the next eLeader.
- And finally, last week we launched our new Supply Chain University program in partnership with MedAssets. Sixteen healthcare professionals from across the U.S. joined us here on campus for this first cohort event.
As you can see, we haven't been content to sit on our laurels from last year's successes. And there are a number of additional items I will be sharing over the next 3-4 months as well that I think will continue to make you proud of your alma mater. To that end, please go ahead and reserve the evening of October 4th on your calendars for 2013. That is the evening of our next Massey Distinguished Graduate Award event for 2013. Additional details to follow on that program in the coming months.
Welcome new HCMBA faculty member, Dr. David Wyant
As most are now aware, we launched a Healthcare MBA for working professionals earlier this fall, and our first cohort of students is now enrolled and already wrapping up their first round of assignments. As part of this new program launch, we are also pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. David Wyant as an assistant professor of management, healthcare administration.
Professor Wyant joins us from Weber State University where most recently he taught in the College of Health Professions. During his distinguished career prior to WSU, he has also served as a faculty member at Xavier University and the University of Iowa, among other institutions. Prior to earning his doctorate in health services research policy and administration from the University of Minnesota (including a Ph.D. minor sequence in finance), Dave earned his M.B.A. from The Ohio State University, also with a concentration in finance, in addition to an M.A. in economics with a field examination in international trade. His two undergraduate degrees were from the University of Oregon--one in Russian and the second in history, with honors.
Prior to academia, he spent several years working in the areas of finance and management with organizations such as First Wisconsin National Bank, the Twin Cities Metropolitan Council, and the Bureau of Medicaid Policy (Ohio Department of Public Welfare). He has also served as a staff economist for the Ohio Legislature's Committee on Health Care Costs and the Ohio Nursing Home Commission.
Professor Wyant will be teaching financial management and healthcare informatics in the healthcare MBA program here at Belmont and will have a joint appointment teaching in the Inman College of Health Sciences & Nursing. Please join me in welcoming Dr. David Wyant to our Belmont University faculty. We are excited to have him on board, effective January 2013.
Rowing Full Speed Ahead
I don't know, but unless you're an Alabama fan, this football season has been a tough one already for me and a good number of my colleagues. If you grew up a Razorback like I did...well, you already know what kind of season I've endured. Add to that the 2012 version of the Titans, Vols, and even my Peyton-led Broncos, and well, you get the picture. At least not being as focused on football has freed up more of my weekend time to catch up on some Massey matters and extra-curricular events. As you'll see in the paragraphs that follow, weekends are some of our best times to get together for networking, as well as serving.
This past Saturday, we had a large group of "Type A" Massey alumni and students engaged (if not immersed) in the Nashville Dragon Boat competition down on the Cumberland River. I'm proud to say that we were represented very well indeed, and while we did not win the grand prize this year, we did make it all the way to the "A Division" finals, where we finished with the 3rd fastest time in that Best of the Best heat. And we 
definitely had the most spirit of the 50 teams entered. Very proud of our efforts and a big thanks to our team of 22, including team captain Don Wolfe!
And speaking of Massey pride, another group of students spent Saturday evening preparing dinner for and serving families over at the Ronald McDonald House by Vanderbilt. This an event that is becoming somewhat of a tradition for our students and is sponsored by our Massey Graduate Council and its officers. It's a great opportunity to help out toward a wonderful cause, as well as a chance to get to know some fellow students a bit better.
We look forward to seeing many of you at the Massey Distinguished Graduate Award reception and ceremony this Friday at the Park Cafe where we 
will honor Helen Lane (MBA, '94), Partner and healthcare practice leader at C3 Consulting, LLC. We have more than 100 RSVPs, and there is still time to get your reservation in if you hurry. Just click HERE by Wednesday noon.
Later this month, we will host our 4th Annual AMBA Cajun Boil for our full-time MBA students--most of whom came to Belmont from all over the U.S. just to attend this year's 12-month program. We figure it is only right to expose a good number of them to a true taste of life in the deep south, complete with shrimp, andouille sausage, new taters, corn and all the trimmin's--all served on authentic old newsprint on a fold-up card table. For most of them, this will be a true "first" of an experience.
And finally, our next MGT 6350 International Study Abroad group experience launches later this month as well. This next group of students is headed to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, Malaysia, departing on Saturday, October 27th. Dr. Beth Woodard is the professor for this class, and in true Massey fashion, the students will participate in a range of both corporate visits with c-level executives, as well a variety of cultural events. Even though we visited Vietnam a couple of years ago, this is our first trip to Malaysia, and the students are really looking forward to it.
And all of this just in October. If you're reading this and have any great ideas for additional networking or educational experiences we are overlooking, drop me a line. Some of our best ideas (like the ones above) began with a simple idea from a current student or graduate. Have a great month!
Massey Welcomes Outstanding New Faculty for 2012
We are off to another productive start for the academic year with the enrollment of 23 AMBA students, 117 PMBA students, and 84 MACC students for the fall term--not to mention the new students currently enrolling in our Healthcare MBA program that officially launches November 5. Drs. DeVries and Wainright recently led a group of students on a study abroad experience to Santiago, Chile, and Dr. Beth Woodard is currently preparing for a study abroad trip to Singapore. And Drs. Bryon Balint, Stan York, and I are busy gearing up for the first Six Sigma Green Belt Certification program that becomes operational this fall. We will also be announcing soon some exciting opportunities for our alumni to participate in this new professional development program. Busy times!
And joining us for the first time semester are three new Massey faculty, who join our ranks of talented professionals as they begin working with our graduate programs. I've included a brief bio on each below:
Dr. Amy E. Crook is an assistant professor of management who recently graduated from Rice University with a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology where she was also an instructor during her graduate studies. Her previous academic work also includes a Master of Arts in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, and an undergraduate degree in psychology from Duke University, where she graduated with distinction. Her professional experience has been as manager and consultant to several organizations, including services in the area of training development, organizational needs assessment, selection system design, and program evaluation. Dr. Crook was Rice University's Lodieska Stockbridge Vaughn Fellowship recipient for 2011-12, and she also earned the Kenneth Laughery Award in 2008. She has already developed an outstanding record of scholarship, including scholarly products in publications such as the Journal of Experimental Psychology, Human Performance, Intelligence, and the Journal of Business and Psychology, among others. Amy is already engaged in working with Massey MBA students, as she is currently teaching the Management and Organizational Behavior (MGT 6650) this fall.
Dr. Kara Mitchell is now an assistant professor of economics in our program and recently graduated from the University of Tennessee with Ph.D. in area. She also earned her M.A. in economics from the same institution, after graduating with a B.B.A. in Economics and Spanish form Carson-Newman College. While at the University of Tennessee, Dr. Mitchell taught a variety of classes and worked as a research assistant in the Center for business and Economics Research. Prior to her graduate academic work, she served as an budget analyst in the State of Tennessee's Department of Finance and Administration, assisting with preparation of the State's annual budget. Collectively, her experiences have led to her focusing her research on public finance economics, with a particular interest in the economics of state lotteries, state and local taxes, and publicly-funded programs for the poor. Dr. Mitchell was honored for having given the Outstanding Graduate Student Presentation by the University of Tennessee in 2009 and was a finalist for the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award at UT in 2011. Kara will be working with our graduate program as continue developing the new Healthcare MBA program, including instruction in our healthcare economics course.
Dr. Lakisha Simmons is an assistant professor of information systems management who most joins us most recently from Indiana State University, where she was voted by first year students as the Outstanding Faculty Member for 2011-12. Dr. Simmons earned her Ph.D. from The University of Mississippi in the Department of Management Information Systems, and she is also a graduate of Nashville's own Tennessee State University. Her professional background includes serving as an IT Business Analyst with Caterpillar Financial and work as a Six Sigma Black Belt for that same organization. She has conducted and published research in the areas of virtual and electronic commerce issues, technological innovation in education, international and cross-cultural IT issues, and future directives of the Web. Her research has been presented at conferences such as The Academy of Management and Decision Sciences Institute and in journals such as MIS Quarterly Executive, the Journal of Computer Information Systems, and the International Journal of Business and Systems Research, among others. We look forward to Lakisha working with our graduate students over the next several years as we continue to develop program in our information systems area and our emerging Six Sigma certification program.
We are excited to have once again convinced three such outstanding professionals joining our ranks, and we hope that many of you will take the opportunity to get to know them in the coming months. To send a brief email welcome to any of these professors, simply send to firstname.lastname@belmont.edu.
Massey Distinguished Graduate 2012 – Helen Lane
Article written by Dr. Joe Alexander, Associate Dean of the Massey School
On behalf of the Massey Alumni Association and the Massey School Board of Advisors, I am delighted to announce the selection of Helen Lane as our Distinguished Graduate for 2012. This year's selection committee was faced with a very difficult decision, as the quality of nominees and finalists was exceptionally high.
A 1994 graduate of the Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business and Partner at C3 Consulting, LLC, Lane will be honored in a signature event reception this fall. The Massey Distinguished Graduate Award is an annual honor created by Massey Alumni for Massey Alumni that recognizes one of our graduates who has demonstrated excellence in the areas of professional achievement, community involvement, and commitment to the Massey School.
C3 consulting is a management consulting firm that provides project leadership and guidance for companies experiencing organizational growth and change. Helen, who was also named a winner in the "2012 Health Care Heroes Awards" presented by the Nashville Business Journal, is the Health Care Practice Leader for C3. As one of C3's partners, she specializes in helping health care companies through the strategic planning, design, and execution of critical business processes and leveraging technologies to improve clinical and business results. Helen also oversees projects focused on strategic initiatives, including Electronic Health Records and Health Information Exchange implementations.
Please join the Massey faculty, your fellow Massey Alumni, and current Massey students as we present this esteemed award to Helen on Friday, October 5, 2012, 5:30 pm, at Park Café, 4403 Murphy Road, Nashville, TN 37209. We look forward to seeing you there!
Six Sigma Comes to Massey
Article written by Dr. Joe Alexander, Associate Dean of the Massey School
In March 2010, roughly a dozen students and I were sitting near a restaurant in Amsterdam during one of our MGT 6350-International Study Abroad course trips. As one topic led to another during our discussions, I posed a question to the group. I asked, "If we had a course option available as part of the MBA program where a student could earn a 'belt' designation in Six Sigma, how many of you would be interested in that option?" I was floored when 6 of the 10 there immediately responded with an emphatic 'yes.' As only one of several of our current faculty who believe strongly in the power of performance improvement methodologies for driving organizational excellence, this was exciting.
So, upon returning to the U.S., Dr. Stan York and I began working to identify the best approach whereby we could expose as many Massey students as possible to the concepts of Six Sigma. And I'm now delighted to share with you that the introduction of this program begins this fall for those students enrolled in our MGT 6400 (Management of Business Processes & Operations) course, taught by Professor Bryon Balint. Starting with the upcoming 10-week session, those students who complete the core MGT 6400 course as part of their base MBA requirements will automatically have completed the content and assignment material required for seeking Six Sigma Green Belt certification. Those students who earn an "A grade" in the course," will then be given the option to sit for a Green Belt exam, and those who pass that requirement will be awarded their Green Belts by Massey.
Next in the planning is an option that will allow students a Black Belt certification opportunity, beginning in the Spring 2013 term. More to come in a future update on that opportunity. For a basic overview of Six Sigma as a business strategy and tool for improvement, click HERE. We're very excited about these changes and yet another "value-add" we will be able to offer our business students.
New healthcare MBA program preparation in high gear
Article by Dr. Joe Alexander, Associate Dean of the Massey School
After spending a few days in early May with our Accelerated MBA students in Cape Town, South Africa, I returned to Nashville to continue working with our team that is preparing for launch of the new Healthcare MBA program. As most of you are aware, we now boast some impressive credentials for each of our existing three degree programs: (1) our PMBA program is ranked #9 in the South by Bloomberg BusinessWeek, (2) our MACC program continues as the largest such graduate accounting program in the State of Tennessee, and (3) our Accelerated MBA program is now entering its 4th year of existence and appears to once again be set to open at full capacity. That program will be entered in the BusinessWeek full-time MBA rankings for the next cycle, so keep your fingers crossed!
Right now, though, all attention is focused on our new MBA for Healthcare Professionals (HCMBA). Our meetings with the Nashville professional healthcare community continue, including several planning discussions with so many of the individuals who have helped build Nashville's reputation as the center of healthcare in the U.S. Their counsel has been invaluable as we attempt to truly build an innovative curriculum that will indeed offer an outstanding opportunity for today's healthcare professionals to make a difference as we help build tomorrow's improved healthcare systems. We held our first information session for this program this past Thursday, and I'm very encouraged by the initial reception we received from prospects. It's exciting to once again be building a new program, and especially when it's one so critical to our collective future.
Look for an exciting announcement this next month regarding a major kick-off event we are planning for August that we will certainly be inviting our alums to attend.
Message from the Associate Dean: Busy Times – A Month in the Life…
If there is one thing I hear increasingly when talking to students and alums, it's how busy everyone is. And at some point we have to question whether or not email is actually making our lives easier or more difficult. I wrote a blog piece in 2010 on a piece where someone had predicted that by 2015, at the current rate of acceleration, managers would be spending "over 100%" of their time just doing email. Any way we slice it, we are busy folks performing demanding tasks in demanding positions and for organizations that seem to expect more from their employees each and every year.
The Massey School and Belmont are no different. With student enrollment growth that has increased from roughly 3,000 just over a decade ago to 6,400 this past fall, we are already a much different organization than most of you as alums remember us being. There is a lot going on here at Belmont as we continue to grow, and The Massey School is continuing to expand as well. Stay tuned next month for the announcement of yet another new business program that we are very excited about launching -- more about that in the May 1 eLeader!
For now, though, I thought it might be interesting to give you a sample of what a month is like here in Massey as of 2012. If, for example, you graduated back in 1997, maybe it's food for thought in terms of what is the same vs. what is new and different. So, here is a snapshot of what's on our calendar of "unique" events for this month:
April
2 - Massey Graduate Council Meeting
4 - Nashville Women's MBA Meeting (Massey Chapter) and Celebration
5 - Last Chance - ETS Major Field Test (Exit Exam) for Professional MBA Students
6 - CLOSED for Good Friday
9 - Faculty/Staff Retirement Reception - Dr. Jennie Carter Thomas
9 - Professional Photography Sitting-Headshots Opportunity for Massey Students (Images by Teal)
11 - Massey Industry Spotlight Session - "Technology" - President & CEO Nashville Technology Council
12 - Massey Information Session for Prospective Students
12 - Massey Student Power Luncheon - Caterpillar Finance Executive VP & CFO Jim Duensing
13 - Fall Registration for Classes Opens (Alums to begin Massey Passport Requests)
14 - Massey Students to Assist with National Multiple Sclerosis Society (Mid-South Chapter) Walk Event
14 - Professional Photography Sitting-Headshots Opportunity for Massey Students (Images by Teal)
16 - Massey Graduate Council Meeting
16 - Massey Alumni Board Meeting
19 - Massey Alumni Networking Event - Drake's at Cool Springs (6-9 p.m.)
21 - Last pre-Trip Meeting - Massey PMBA/MACC Study Abroad (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
23 - Last pre-Trip Meeting - Massey Accelerated MBA Study Abroad (Cape Town, South Africa)
23 - (through 27) Massey Lean Healthcare Certificate Course Launch (23-27) with Healthcare Performance Partners
29 - Habitat for Humanity Build (partnering with Habitat's Young Professionals group)
30 - Massey Graduate Council Meeting
Takeaways? Yes, like you, we are a busier place than we used to be with many people and events vying for our attention and time. Looking on the bright side, though, think of all the wonderful new opportunities for learning and networking that are now available for Massey students and alumni! Let us know how you'd like to become more involved in our program and if you see even more opportunities where we can be of service to you as alums. Back to email...
2013 Study Abroad Destinations – Shalom!
Tel Aviv, Israel
Each February, we complete our deliberations on study abroad destinations for the following year in order to give students at least one year of lead time in selecting their own destination of choice for the MGT 6350 course. This year, we added a new wrinkle by allowing student voting to help select one of the destinations. That led us to Tel Aviv, Israel for October 2013!
Our selection process begins by assuring that we have at least one destination option for the continents of Europe, South America, and Asia. We also then add another option by choosing what we affectionately refer to as the "way coolest place to study business" in that given year. We then try to assure that we don't repeat a given destination option within a 3-year cycle so as to maximize options for current students while enrolled. And finally, we are searching for destinations that are rich enough in study and visit content so as to make for an outstanding learning experience, as well as ones that are logistically sound. We work with our primary commercial trip organizer (International Study Programs) during that phase of the selection process.
So, for 2013, we have identified the following destinations for Massey study abroad trips:
WARSAW, POLAND (MARCH) - PMBA AND MACC
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (MAY) - PMBA AND MACC
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA (MAY) - AMBA
KNOW EUROPE, BELGIUM, NETHERLANDS, FRANCE, AND SPAIN (JUNE) - PMBA AND MACC
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA (AUGUST) - PMBA AND MACC
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL (OCTOBER) - PMBA AND MACC
(Munich, Germany is a back-up destination if we encounter problems with an above destination)
Visit us online for a full set of descriptions for above locations.