Dr Yvette Hachtel, professor of occupational therapy, has been selected as a recipient of an AOTF/Patterson Foundation award for Community Volunteerism. This award, a joint project of the American Occupational Therapy Foundation and the Patterson Foundation of St. Paul, Minnesota, is being given for the first time this year and recognizes outstanding community volunteerism that meets the needs of disadvantaged individuals who would otherwise not be able to benefit from occupational therapy services. This award was given for the work on the Odyssey program of the Campus for Human Development in Nashville and was viewed by the selection committee as one of the applications best reflecting the overall purpose of the award. Her accomplishment will be recognized during the Award Ceremony at the Annual AOTA Conference and Exposition to be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 16, 2011. In addition to this award, Dr Hachtel will receive a check for $1,000.
Hachtel Selected for AOTF/Patterson Foundation Award
Belmont Unveils New MBA Healthcare Management Study Options
Healthcare management tracks added in Quality and Human Relations
Belmont University’s Massey Graduate School of Business has added two additional MBA healthcare management focus options for graduate business students, effective spring 2011. Each of the new options builds on The Massey School’s existing general healthcare management concentration by offering MBA students the options to further customize their degree programs in either healthcare quality and compliance or human relations.
According to Massey associate dean, Joe Alexander, “As we listen to area employers and their hiring needs, adding new healthcare management offerings was something we could do to help our graduate students better tailor their degrees to the marketplace. This new programming will add to our capacity to prepare MBA students for the emerging healthcare economy of tomorrow.”
Conard’s Research Receives International Attention
Some people are willing to wait in line overnight to be the first to buy a just released book or to be the first to see a newly released movie. Others wait in line in the middle of the night to have first access to deals on “black Friday” or to be first to buy an iPad. New research in the Journal for Consumer Research, co-authored by Belmont Assistant Professor of Marketing Jacqueline (Jax) Conard, suggests that the tendency to act quickly to acquire items such as those above is related to the first letter of one’s childhood surname. Conard’s work with Georgetown University marketing professor Kurt A. Carlson is receiving media attention around the world, with recent hits in the Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report and the New York Times as well as interviews with ABC News and media in Australia and Sweden.
The idea holds that children develop time-dependent responses based on the treatment that they receive. For example, many children with last names toward the end of the alphabet are often last in line and at the back of classrooms. In an effort to account for these inequities, children late in the alphabet will move more quickly when last name isn’t a factor; they will “buy early.” Likewise, those with last names early in the alphabet will be so accustomed to being first that individual opportunities to make a purchase won’t matter very much; they will “buy late.” This tendency to “buy early” or “buy late” will continue into adulthood and is known as the last name effect. Moreover, this predictable tendency will extend to many other buying situations.
This last name effect is especially important to retailers and sales people because customer names are easy for marketers to obtain and because there are many decisions in which the decision is not whether to buy, but when to buy. More examples include when to renew a favorite magazine subscription, when to buy a new cell phone and when to reorder printer supplies.
Andrew Marin Addresses ‘Sex & the Soul’
Andrew Marin, president and founder of The Marin Foundation, spoke on Belmont’s campus this week as part of the university’s annual “Sex & the Soul” week. The Marin Foundation works to educate, equip and provide both the religious and LGBT communities with tangible experiences and relevant teaching that brings each group to have a better and more clearly defined understanding of the other. Marin is the author of the award-winning book, Love is an Orientation: Elevating the Conversation with the Gay Community.
Marin, who created his foundation after his three best friends came out to him over the course of three months, works to build bridges between the religious and GLBT communities through scientific research and Biblical and social education. His first talk Monday morning focused on the intersections in culture between God, sex and an individual’s perception of the “ideal life” and how each informs the others.
“The Bible doesn’t say that the greatest gift we can give to someone we love is sex,” he noted. “Rather, the greatest gift is to encourage them as they conform to the image of Christ.”
Marin also spoke extensively on the topics in his book, Love Is an Orientation, which fellow author and frequent Belmont speaker Shane Claiborne endorsed, noting that the book is about “One of the most important conversations happening in the church. And one of the most divisive. Andrew Marin is a fresh, gracious, innovative voice in the dialogue. For Marin, this is not about a hot-button ‘issue’–it is about a face, a friend, a child of God. It is about Jesus, whose love many find hard to grasp because of what they have felt from his followers. Andrew reminds us that, whether conservative or liberal, we can have great ideas and still be mean and self-righteous. And ultimately they will know we are Christians, not by our proof-texting, but by our love.”
Belmont University’s “Sex & the Soul Week” began in 2009 when Donna Freitas, author of the book Sex & the Soul, spoke at Belmont and inspired an annual event of the same name. Other speakers for the week were professors and authors David McCarthy (who spoke on the topic “Sex and Love in the Home”) and Dr. Christine Colon (who addressed “Sexual Freedom: A Christian Feminist Perspective”).
Keen Re-Appointed to GMA Board
Dan Keen (Music Business) was recently re-appointed to the Board of Directors of the Gospel Music Association. He holds the Board seat reserved for the Chairman of the GMA Academy Council, which is responsible for the educational efforts of the GMA.
Acree Interviewed in Tennessean
Glenn Acree (Mathematics) was interviewed and quoted in an article in the January 23, 2011 issue of the The Tennessean. The article, “Tech Jobs in Demand in Nashville,” discusses the status of the technology sector in Middle Tennessee including the role of higher education.
Yandell, Bailey Publish Book Chapter
Lonnie Yandell and William Bailey (Psychological Science) have recently published a chapter in the book Best Practices for Technology-Enhanced Teaching and Learning, Connecting to Psychology and the Social Sciences, which is published by Oxford University Press. Their chapter is titled “Online Quizzes: Improving Reading Compliance and Student Learning.” Click here to see the book.
Pinter Included in New Book
Mike Pinter (Mathematics) has a brief selection included in a new book titled It Works for Me: Becoming a Publishing Scholar/Researcher: Shared Tips for the Classroom Professional (authors: Hal Blythe and Charlie Sweet; New Forums Press, 2010). Pinter’s contribution is titled “Publishing Ideas from Courses that Extend Beyond Your Primary Discipline.”
Miller, Pinter Present Papers at Math Conference
Andy Miller and Mike Pinter (Mathematics) presented papers as part of the Contributed Paper Session on Humanistic Mathematics at the Joint Mathematics Meetings in New Orleans, January 6-9. Nearly 6,000 mathematicians and mathematics educators were present for the annual conference. The presentation titles, respectively, were “ ‘Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty’: The aesthetics of mathematical arguments” and “Exploring mathematical characters, in fact and in fiction.”
Board of Trust Affirms Non-Discrimination Policy
Today Belmont University’s Board of Trustees voted to amend the University’s official non-discrimination policy, adding a preamble inspired by the school’s mission statement and employment handbooks that clearly identifies the university’s Christian mission. In addition, they added sexual orientation to the written anti-discrimination policy to reflect the school’s long-standing practice of non-discrimination as it relates to sexual orientation. These additions affirm Belmont’s long-held practices in employment and student life. This vote makes that ongoing practice part of the University’s new written policy, which can be seen below:
Belmont University Non-Discrimination Policy
Belmont University is a Christian community. The university faculty, administration, and staff uphold Jesus as the Christ and as the measure for all things. As a community seeking to uphold Christian standards of morality, ethics and conduct, Belmont University holds high expectations of each person who chooses to join the community. In compliance with federal law, including provisions of Title IX of the Education Amendments of1972, Sections 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Belmont University does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, military service, or sexual orientation in its administration of education policies, programs or activities; its admissions policies; or employment. Under federal law, the university may discriminate on the basis of religion in order to fulfill its purposes. The university has appointed the director of the Office of Human Resources to serve as coordinator of compliance with Title IX. Inquiries or complaints should be directed to the Office of the Provost or the Office of Human Resources.
Video of Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher’s Statement to Media
