Annual Business Plan Competition Showcases Belmont’s Entrepreneurial Spirit

Ross Hill gives the business presentation for PictureBooth before earning the Outstanding Student Entrepreneur of the Year award and $5,000.

Belmont students know finding industry gaps and solutions to meet the market’s needs are the key to entrepreneurial success.

For Lexington, Ky. senior Ross Hill, that path meant finding an alternative for traditional picture booths, which he found were too cumbersome and at times took up to an hour to set up. His solution, PictureBooth earned his startup $5,000 and him the title of “Outstanding Student Entrepreneur of the Year” during the Belmont Student Business Plan Competition sponsored by Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC on March 15.

“PictureBooth was created out of necessity. It is a portable, shippable photo booth that creates social media for brands. It can be set up in five to 10 minutes and decreases cost by using social media to share pictures instead of printing,” said Hill, who already has gained Red Bull and Krispy Kreme as clients.

Although the competition prize winnings will enable Hill to manufacture 10 additional PictureBooths, Hill said it was Belmont’s entrepreneurship program that enabled his business to flourish.

“This competition has been a culmination of my last three and a half years at Belmont learning from all the entrepreneurship professors,” Hill said.  “I had to prepare a pitch to get investment for this business, and that helped narrow the focus and figure out the target market. Preparing for a business plan competition shows you the starting and finish line so that you know where you are going and not wandering around aimlessly.” (more…)

100 Black Women, Belmont Partner to Launch Leadership Program

Program will serve as a national model for organization

The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. (NCBW), Metropolitan Nashville Chapter has announced the establishment of a leadership development certification program in collaboration with Belmont University designed to train and prepare African-American women for leadership service on nonprofit, government and corporate boards.

The new initiative, which will operate through Belmont University’s College of Business Administration, strives to develop and market competent, qualified and committed professional business women of color to help them gain access and share their skill sets to help organizations reach their full potential. In addition to the 100 Black Women and Belmont, several other supporting organizations have signed on to the effort, including the Nashville Coalition of 100 Black Women Foundation, Inc., Meharry Medical College, HCA and members of the national leadership arm of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Incorporated.

“This effort has been several years in the making and we are very excited about the development of a program like this which has so much value in shaping the diversity and perspective of board leadership,” said Veronica Marable-Johnson, president of NCBW Nashville. “We seek to create a resource for organizations seeking well-trained and knowledgeable black women who are ready to contribute to the overall management, growth and success of organizations.”

The certification program will have three tiers focusing on nonprofit leadership, government and corporate leadership and provide an introduction to the basics of board service, governance, strategic planning and overall responsibilities. The first module of the program will be launched in fall 2013. (more…)

Dr. Jeff Cornwall Named 2013 Entrepreneurship Educator of the Year

Dr. Jeff Cornwall, Belmont University’s Jack C. Massey Chair in Entrepreneurship, was named Friday as the Entrepreneurship Educator of the Year by the United States Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE). Cornwall was selected from a group of distinguished nominees and chosen for his countless and enduring contributions to entrepreneurship education.

“To be named the most outstanding educator in one’s field in higher education is the highest compliment a professor can receive,” said Belmont’s College of Business Administration Dean Dr. Pat Raines. “Jeff’s professional accomplishments and the prestige that he has brought to Belmont’s entrepreneurship program make him an extraordinarily worthwhile recipient of this award.”

Dr. Cornwall said, “I am humbled to be recognized this way for the work that I do as an entrepreneurship educator.”

Past winners of the award include faculty members from Oklahoma State University, University of Texas (Austin), Stanford University, Purdue University and Baylor University, among others.

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Belmont Trains Financial Counselors for United Way through Bloomberg Philanthropies Grant

Belmont University will play a foundational role in new Financial Empowerment Centers to help low-income Nashvillians reduce debt and build assets through free, individual counseling. The Office of Mayor Karl Dean and United Way of Metropolitan Nashville have received a $2 million grant funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies and Living Cities’ Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund. The University will train six United Way financial counselors to staff the centers.

Belmont Associate Professor and Nashville Poverty Council Chair Kristine LaLonde is coordinating the educational partnership and has worked with College of Business Administration Dean J. Patrick Raines, Finance Professor Greg Faulk and Adjunct Instructor Paul McCullough to implement the program.

“Belmont University was honored to be invited by the mayor’s office and United Way to be the educational partner in this important initiative serving some of Nashville’s most vulnerable families,” said Gene Mage, executive director of the Center for Executive Education at Belmont University.  “In our contribution to the grant application, we were able to draw on our College of Business Administration’s personal finance curriculum, our long history equipping certified financial planners and the University’s deep commitment to serve the local community.”

The Center for Executive Education wrote the educational piece of the grant application and identified the instructor and now is working to create the curriculum design, oversee participant registration and course logistics. The center also will evaluate results and provide quality control for the course as it runs to encourage continuous improvement of the program.

The three-year grant will serve an estimated 5,000 Nashvillians at Financial Empowerment Centers run by United Way of Metropolitan Nashville. Financial counselors will teach clients how to open safe and affordable checking accounts, establish a credit score, maintain a positive balance, decrease debt and maintain savings. The centers also have a strong focus on integrating with other services driving toward self-sufficiency, including benefits enrollment, family stabilization services, workforce training and job placement and housing.

“These Financial Empowerment Centers will play a vital role in helping Nashville families move from poverty to financial stability,” said Nashville Mayor Karl Dean. “Making sure individuals and families get personalized financial literacy services will help us build stronger families and a stronger community.” (more…)

Harry Jacobson Appointed as Massey 2013 Executive-in-Residence

Former VUMC leader to lend expertise to Belmont’s new healthcare MBA program

Belmont University’s Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Harry Jacobson as its Distinguished Healthcare Executive-in-Residence for 2013. The former Vanderbilt University Medical Center CEO and vice chancellor for health affairs will be lending his expertise and instructional talents to students enrolled in Belmont’s new Healthcare MBA (HCMBA) program for working professionals. The HCMBA program was officially launched earlier this fall and has already enrolled its first cohort of students.

According to Dr. Pat Raines, dean of Belmont’s College of Business Administration, “As we worked closely with Nashville area healthcare leaders in designing our healthcare MBA, the one executive’s name that repeatedly came up in meetings was that of Harry Jacobson. We are delighted to have someone of his stature and professional experience available for working with our students and continuing to help us advance this innovative new program for healthcare professionals.”

Jacobson’s appointment becomes effective January 1, 2013. Dr. Jacobson served as VUMC’s chief executive for more than a decade, during which time he was responsible for the addition of the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital, as well as the development of the 100 Oaks complex. Since his departure from Vanderbilt in 2009, he has founded or co-founded a number of early-stage healthcare organizations, including Epiphany Health Ventures, LLC, and TriStar Technology Ventures, among others. Of particular interest to Belmont is his expertise in medical informatics, including his experience in having co-founded Informatics Corporation of America.

“I am pleased and honored to be engaged with the Massey School of Business as it launches its new Healthcare MBA,” said Jacobson. “While I never had the opportunity to interact with Jack Massey, I was mentored by Sam Brooks, one of Jack Massey’s many protégés. The appointment offers me a chance to give something back in return.”

Dr. Richard Treadway, co-founder and former chairman of Psychiatric Solutions, Inc. had this to say about his long-time friend and business partner and the significance of this appointment: “As a Massey MBA alum, I recognize the value to Belmont of having someone like Harry as an advocate. But as someone who has observed first-hand the wisdom and insights with which he has been equipped over the years, he is the perfect executive in residence for a program that values experience in both the classroom and boardroom. Dr. Jacobson lends support to Belmont’s goal of becoming a national leader in healthcare technology and management.”

About the Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business
The Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business offers high-quality graduate business programs designed for working and aspiring professionals looking to advance their careers. The curriculum is designed to provide challenging, yet practical content in a flexible format. Programs are designed to stimulate critical thinking and creative problem solving while encouraging strong communication skills and a solid framework for ethical business decision-making. In addition to core coverage in business administration and accounting, the curriculum is uniquely structured around the themes of entrepreneurship and ethical decision-making across the global economy. All students complete a brief international study-abroad experience as part of their studies. The Massey School’s part-time MBA program has been ranked in the Top 50 in the U.S. by Bloomberg BusinessWeek since 2009. For more information, visit www.belmont.edu/business/graduatebusiness.