“Following a path made at other universities, Northwest Nazarene University School of Business Dean Steve Mountjoy is teaching a class on social ventures, where students create business plans with a financial and social bottom line.

“’Business really should be meeting the needs of the communities it works in to make those communities thrive,’ said Mountjoy . . ..  ‘Too often, those things are distanced from the real needs of the communities that they serve. Especially in American, where we are bombarded by marketing, we are told what we want rather than having businesses serve our needs.’

Dr. Steve Mountjoy

“The 50 students in the social ventures classes, half of whom are seniors completing a final seminar, will work in small teams making their social venture plan. In late March, they’ll present their plans and compete for a cash prize and the chance to travel to Seattle Pacific University in April for a larger contest featuring teams from across the northwest.

“Potential social ventures include secular or church non-profits, engineering projects, and businesses that address a social need. Though the NNU class is new, Mountjoy sent a team to the SPU competition last year with an idea for a database system that matched volunteers with organizations needing help, based on the volunteers’ expertise and abilities. The winner of last year’s SPU contest was Pterofin, a prototype small wind or water turbine that can generate energy at low speeds. Previous winners include a landscaping company that would train ex-offenders and a soap company that would create manufacturing jobs and a larger supply of soap in the Philippines.

“Mountjoy said the new class is designed to appeal to non-business majors, and that he has students majoring in English, political science and social work taking the class. He also said the class fits NNU’s religious mission.

“’Christians should be doing this kind of thing,’ he said. NNU’s School of Business, which has 300 students split among undergraduate, adult degree and MBA programs, strives to include religious and ethical education. ‘What we want to develop is ethical leaders in business.’”

“A month prior to my high school graduation, I received the opportunity to take part in a medical mission trip to Antigua, Guatemala. My mother is an RN, and I was invited to travel with Team 258 to document a life-changing trip through photography and a daily blog, as well as assist in translating for the local patients and staff. I have grown up going on mission trips, so this was far from my first. However, my heart was the most humbled in this trip as I was able to share the story of the patients through my eyes.

“In Guatemala, many of the impoverished find themselves situated in the jungle on the sides of the volcanoes. The hospital at which we worked and performed surgeries was also an orphanage for children who’s families could not provide the care that they needed, or by special needs children and adults that would not have been able to live in the mud huts and poverty of their families. Walking through the rooms of the orphanage was one of the most eye-opening experiences I have ever had. There were two rooms in particular that just broke my heart. The first was a room for malnourished infants, as well as many babies impacted with cleft lips and palettes. These children were looked down on by the culture, and at times were left at the orphanage because their family simply did not want them, or thought they inhibited a bad omen. In the next room, there were rows and rows of baby cribs, about 40 in all. Walking up and down the aisles, it became obvious that these were not babies. There were people ranging in five years of age to twenty years of age, each nestled inside their own baby crib. So malnourished and unhealthy that even at the age of twenty, they were still able to fit in a crib. They were still children in means of their mind, but each of them were so happy to see us. It was uplifting to see the smiles spread across their faces as we walked down the aisles and interacted with them.

“This is something that has stuck with me, even nearly two years later. I hope to someday return to Guatemala and continue the work that is continually being done there. Faith in Practice was the group that I traveled with, and the hearts of the people involved and dedicating their life to these children and patients are the most compassionate hearts that I have ever met.

“The cultural differences between our group and the locals were immense and I was touched to see the gratefulness and respect with which the patients treated us. I learned a lot about different cultures and simply about the abundant gratefulness of others when you take the time out of your schedule to help. Trips like these can bear great impact on our lives, especially those who travel to help others.”

Article and pictures by Taylor Rauch

All of us in the School of Business wish you and your loved ones a very special and sacred Merry Christmas.   In the words of Tiny Tim in Charles Dickens’  A Christmas Carol, “God bless us, everyone!”

When asked about the impact this new center will have on the Boise Valley, Ron Galloway, Boise Center director, said, “The new Boise Center, located across the street from both Boise State and the University of Idaho in the Washington Group Plaza, gives NNU greater visibility in the Boise Metro area. As academic offerings and student numbers increase in Boise, the importance of this new location will become evident.”

The new facility includes four classrooms with ample room for 125 students. A student computer lab with 20 laptops as well as three desktop computers are available for student use. The new Boise Center has breakout rooms both inside and outside of the suite as well as a conference room and an on-site cafeteria.

See Nazarene Communication Network for more on this story.

Dean Walker

• “Trust is not gained overnight.”
• “People want to do business with people they can trust.”
• “There is no substitute for a good work ethic.”
• “If you are going to do [business] successfully, you need to separate family and business as much as you can.”
  “It can’t be all about you; I believe very much in servant leadership.”

Scott Englund

• “I love business but I have a passion to serve as well.”
• “Everything in business is people.”
• “Behind every crisis is a huge opportunity.”
• “There’s no reason that you have to give in to unethical decisions.”
• “Always take the high road.”
• “It’s not an accident that you have talents and passions.”
• “Don’t limit yourself to the world’s perspective of the business world.”

Contributors Ryan Rebischke, Jessica Jackson, and Janette Bumgarner

Majors were informed that last year’s graduating seniors had cumulatively scored in the 95^th percentile on the nationally normed ETS exam, and that in the entire history of the Department, seniors had consistently scored in the 85^th to the 95^th percentile on the ETS.

Department Business Clubs were given the opportunity to introduce leadership, a summary of their programs, and meeting times.

• Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE), CIO Janette Bumgarner, meets Thursdays, 11:30, Harter room 203.
• Accounting Club, President Zach Perry, meets Tuesdays, 11:00 AM, Helstron room 201
• Student Managed Fund, President Josh Siverson, meets Thursdays at 11 AM in the NNU Trading Room (Helstrom room 207)
• American Marketing Association, President Lauren Hartford, meets Tuesdays, 11:30 AM, Harter room 203.

As faculty advisor, Dr. Konya Weber attended the 2011 International American Marketing Association (AMA) Collegiate Conference.  The AMA chapter was represented by Josh Siverson (President) and Justin Kellerer (Vice President).  The students successfully competed and won the following awards:

• 1)  Exemplary Collegiate Chapter Performance
• 2) AMASavesLives Organ Donation Awareness Campaign Best Event Award
• 3) 3rd place for AMASavesLives Donor Registrations Jan. 1-March 18

Story from the Campus Communicator April 1, 2011

This exclusive honor is conferred by more than 1,900 schools from 50 states and the District of Columbia and has become one of the most highly regarded and long-standing honors programs in the nation.  Faculty and students made their selection based on leadership potential, participation and leadership within school organizations and extracurricular activities, community involvement, Christian witness and G.P.A.

The six business students selected to receive this top scholastic achievement are: Bryan Beaty (Salem, Ore.), Business Administration/Management; Danielle Bickford (Battle Ground, Wash.), Business Administration/Global Business; Larissa Glover (Star, Idaho), Business Administration;  Preston O’Malley (Monroe, Wash.), Accounting;  David Reimer (Whitefish, Mont.), Business Administration/Management;  and Ryan VanBeek (Yakima, Wash.), Business Administration/Management.

See the NNU Campus Communicator  March 22, 2011

Students in Dr. Chaplin’s STEP Microeconomic Analysis class got a treat the evening of February 28th, as Idaho boxing legend, Cleveland “The Christian Warrior” Corder (from nearby Kuna), came to give his Christian Testimony and discuss the discipline and sacrifices necessary to become the 1997 National Golden Gloves Champion (beating 2000 Olympic Bronze Medalist and future Middleweight Champion of the World, Jermain Taylor, in the final to win the title). Cleveland remains the only boxer from Idaho to win a National Golden Gloves Title in the 88-year history of the franchise.  He wrapped-up the evening with a question-and-answer session about his work as Antonio Banderas’ body double in the film Play it to the Bone (2000), the business side of professional boxing (as both boxer and promoter) and his recent philanthropic efforts with the Duck Valley Reservation.

Story and picture by David Chaplin

Statue of Poseidon in Liberec, Czech Republic

Dr. David Chaplin, Associate Professor of Economics in the School of Business, presented “Effort and Efficiency in Elite Amateur Boxing Tournaments” at the “International Scientific Conference: Europe – Youth – Olympism” in Liberec, Czech Republic February 10-12. The Conference was organized by the Technical University of Liberec and sponsored by the European Union, Czech Olympic Committee, Czech Public Benefit Corporation and the European Youth Olympic Winter Festival (EYOWF 2011) committee.

Dr. Chaplin’s paper was co-authored by internationally-acclaimed amateur boxing coach, author and advocate for women’s boxing, Christy Halbert (Nashville, TN) and NNU’s own Andrew Knapp (2010 graduate in Philosophy and Political Science).

We congratulate Dr. Chaplin for his continued scholarship and international recognition, and applaud his efforts to encourage and include student collaboration is his research.