Belmont University has been chosen as a finalist for the National Model Undergraduate Program by the United States Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE). USASBE is the main academic association for entrepreneurship education, with more than 800 members around the US.
Past winners of the undergraduate award include such nationally recognized programs as Babson College, Syracuse University, University of Iowa, the University of Arizona, Miami University (Ohio), University of St. Thomas, University of Nebraska, Baylor University, Ball State University and University of Illinois–Chicago.
Generally, there are two finalists chosen each year with the programs competing head to head at the USASBE annual meeting, which will be held in San Antonio in January. The Center for Entrepreneurship will be putting together its final nomination package during the next two weeks. For more on this story, click here.

Dr. Myron Oglesby-Pitts, assistant professor from Belmont’s Department of Education, was honored at the Patterson Memorial United Methodist Church ‘An Evening with the Stars.’ She was vetted for her outstanding contributions in education. Dr. Oglesby-Pitts joined the faculty at Belmont in 2005 and teaches classes in Diverse Learners, Educational Psychology and Foundations of Education. Prior to joining Belmont, Dr. Oglesby-Pitts served as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt University in the Department of Leadership, Organization and Policy, and for more than 25 years, Dr. Oglesby-Pitts served as an educator with the Metropolitan Nashville Davidson County Public Schools System.

Dr. Joe Alexander, associate dean of The Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business, was a featured speaker at the TriStar Health Systems Summit for Chief Executive Officers and Chief Nursing Officers, held Oct. 24-26 in Adairsville, Georgia. Alexander’s presentation was focused on lessons learned by an organization that has successfully pursued the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Other featured speakers at the Summit were Massey MBA Alumnus Charles Hagood, president and CEO of Healthcare Performance Partners, LLC (Nashville); Dr. David Munch, Chief Clinical and Quality Officer for Exempla Healthcare (Denver); and Bradford S. Koles, Jr., Executive Director for the Advisory Board Company (Washington, D.C.).

Dr. Susan Williams, professor of management in The Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business, was a featured speaker at the Tennessee Economic Summit for Women, held Oct. 22-23 in Nashville. She addressed the group on gender issues and negotiation around salary, presenting research on the effects of poor negotiation on women’s economic futures. The conference was attended by more than 500 Tennessee women from government, education and business sectors. Pat Schroeder, former US Senator, and Marie Wilson, Director of the White House Project, were keynote speakers.

At the 2007 Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) International conference held this past weekend in Philadelphia, Dr. Bonnie Riechert, assistant professor in the Communications Studies Department, was one of only nine individuals inducted into the prestigious College of Fellows, a lifetime achievement award given to only two percent of PRSA members.
“The award of the designation as a Fellow by PRSA is one of our profession’s most distinguished honors,” said PRSA Chair & CEO Rhoda Weiss. “As a mentor and a role model, Fellows contribute immensely to the growth of our profession and the respect accorded to it.”
Riechert said, “It was humbling and gratifying to be recognized by my colleagues in public relations for contributions to the profession and to public relations education. Induction to the PRSA College of Fellows represents a commitment to continue to advocate for the practice of strategic and ethical public relations, serving the public interest and building on the contributions of the pioneers, leaders and mentors to whom we owe so much.”