The Idaho Department of Labor reported this week that state unemployment reached 9 percent for the first time since June 1983. Both those working and those unemployed know it’s hard to give in times of financial distress.

The financial woes have largely been blamed on people living beyond their means by taking on too much debt. Many organizations that receive the gifts of this season, charities and other nonprofits, also have taken on too much debt.

Using data from the Internal Revenue Service, the New York Times reported in September that bond issuance from nonprofits nearly tripled over the past decade. As the economy falters and gifts continue declining, these organizations are having as much trouble making payments as homeowners today.

Charities and other nonprofit organizations also lost a key source for funding their operations – the stock market. According to a report in the Chronicle of Philanthropy earlier this year the financial market problems of 2007 and 2008 led to a median decline of   .  .  .

Read Dr. Crabb’s full article at http://www.idahostatesman.com/newsupdates/story/979991.html

“We arrived to find the other five members of our crew awake and ready to go.  With rakes in hand and bags in tow we set to work on what appeared to be a deceivingly small amount of leaves.  At least some of us set to work; Kim Johnson (senior) admitted that she had never raked leaves in her entire life!  Luckily she is a fast learner.  Meanwhile, Kate Saunders (Junior) went to meet the homeowner.  Her name was Patricia and we were all thrilled to learn that in her younger days she had been an accountant.  She shared with Kate, ‘If I wouldn’t have gotten married I would have made it fine as an accountant.’  Of course she would have been fine since accounting was, and is, and always will be, a great career.

“We made quick work of her yard and cleaned up the leaves in a neighbor’s yard for good measure.  With two yards under our belts and the satisfaction of serving well, students headed off to other commitments; some to the Boise State football game, others to decorate for Christmas and make apple goodies, and others to psych up for the Powder Puff championship game.”  

Rake up Nampa drew 1200 volunteers this year who raked approximately 100 yards.  Community activities such as this support student efforts toward social responsibility and Christlikeness.

Story contributed by Professor and Accounting Club Sponsor Anne Thompson-Crabb

Family has gathered, friends are celebrating, and everyone is grateful to God for a safe delivery.  Melinda will be out of the office several weeks for maternity leave, and plans to return when she and Jackson are ready.  Congratulations John and Melinda!

Portugal, known for its history as “The Nation of Discovers” will be the focus of the MBA 2010 spring trip with faculty and fellow students.  They will have the opportunity to visit various types of businesses and experience the Portuguese culture from Lisbon north to Porto.  Shoppers will look for  azulejos (Portuguese tile), savor the delectable crème pastries, walk on the cobblestone streets in pastel neighborhoods, experience history at a Monastery, Palace or Monument of Discovery in Lisbon. Students will enjoy the sandy beaches, azure seas and skies, and experience a fishing village where authentic Portuguese dress is worn.  The time in Portugal will conclude in Porto, a city of contrast – more than 3000 years old yet home to some of Europe’s most stunning modern architecture.  The trip will culminate with two days in the beautiful city of Madrid, Spain, where students will have the opportunity to independently tour the city.

At this time there is no available space for the Portugal/Spain trip, but those who wish to be placed on a waiting list may contact mmatlock@nnu.edu .

Contributed by Maureen Matlock

Toll has served in this capacity for the last seven years and is responsible for all Campbell’s product lines at Walmart.  Walmart is Campbell’s largest global customer and represents $1.8 billion in sales.  Toll currently serves on the Board of Directors of Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) and the Advisory Board for University of Arkansas.  A native of Cleveland, Ohio, he attended Old Dominion University and received his bachelor degree in marketing.  After graduation, Toll played professional baseball for the Chicago Cubs.

The Let’s Can Hunger competition asked participants to create a business plan detailing how they would create hunger awareness and relief in the upcoming academic year in their community. NNU’s team competed against teams from across the U.S. and plans were judged on sustainability and overall impact.  Toll will address the student body and discuss the mission and culture at Campbell, his own personal career path, lessons learned along the way and Campbell’s partnership with SIFE in the Let’s Can Hunger challenge.  A question and answer session will follow the presentation.

This event is free and open to the public in the Helstrom Business Building’s Harter Lecture Hall located at 804 E. Dewey in Nampa.  NNU SIFE will provide bins to collect canned food donations.  For more information, please contact SIFE advisor Dr. Mark Emerson at memerson@nnu.edu.

SIFE is an international non-profit organization active on more than 1,400 university campuses in 48 countries. SIFE teams create economic opportunities in their communities by organizing outreach projects that focus on market economics, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, personal success skills and business ethics.

Five School of Business faculty (Dr. Ron Galloway, Dr. Karen Jones, Dr. Jeff Lineman, Dr. Steve Mountjoy, and Dr. Bill Russell) attended the annual Christian Business Faculty Association (CBFA) conference held October 15-17, 2009, in Rogers, Arkansas. The conference highlights included keynote speaker Rollin L. Ford, Walmart’s Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer.  Tours were also offered to Walmart’s Innovation Lab, as well as the Distribution Center. Walmart, based out of Bentonville, Arkansas, boast itself as the world’s largest retailer with 2.5 million associates (employees).

Dr. Bill Russell presented papers entitled “A Wesleyan Paradigm for Teaching Business Ethics in Business Schools,” “Law: Use of Regional Economic Research as an Alternative for Writing Papers,”  as well as co-presenting with Dr. Randy Ataide, Director of the Fermanian Business Center at Point Loma Nazarene University (San Diego, California), on “Engaging the Business Community.”  Dr. Russell was also presented with the award for the Best Practices in Ethics and Law.

Dr. Jeff Lineman serves on the CBFA Board of Directors and chaired the Awards Committee for the conference.

The CBFA conference was hosted by John Brown University.

Article contributed by Karen Jones

Faculty advisor Ann Thompson-Crabb said the Accounting Club, “gives students real life experience in accounting, and provides a better understanding of business while serving our community.”  Jake Allen (pictured), President of the Accounting Club notes, “We get students together as accountants to learn more about it . . ., and to see how accounting in the real world may work.”    

The Accounting Club plans to sponsor several speakers through the school year as well as creating a panel of recent graduates to discuss their transition into the working world. Annette Elg, Simplot CFO, is already scheduled to be a guest speaker later this year.  The club also plans to provide accounting services to small businesses in the area. Last year, the club assisted a local church with its financial records.

Jake Allen commented on the picnic, “It was great to see so many new faces of people who are interested in the club and want to help participate in our activities.”  The Accounting club meets each Tuesday at 11:00 AM in Helstrom room 201.

“Delta Mu Delta is a national honor society established in 1913 to recognize students in accredited business schools for their high academic achievement in a baccalaureate or masters degree program. Over the last 80 years, Delta Mu Delta has grown to its current membership of more than 200 active chapters, approximately 117 of which are ACBSP members, with more than 105,000 individual members.”**   NNU has been a member of Delta Mu Delta for ten years, since the business programs have been accredited by ACBSP.

One of the criteria for the Star Chapter Award is student submission of an application for the National Scholarship Program.  Business Major, Ashley Mormon, received a 2009 Delta Mu Delta Scholarship worth $2,000 from a total of $30,000 scholarship monies awarded to 25 students.  She also won a $1,000 Delta Mu Delta Scholarship the previous year.  Additional students willing scholarship monies from Delta Mu Delta include; Jacklyn Travis, 2007 Honorable Mention, $100 award; Andrew Ellestad, 2006 Honorable Mention, $100 award;  and Ashley Jerome, 2006 Honorable Mention, $100 award.***     

Pictured are Jeff Lineman, former STEP Director and Faculty Advisor of NNU Delta Mu Delta, and Rhonda Gray, Executive Secretary for the School of Business and Recording Secfretary for NNU Delta Mu Delta.
 
*     http://www.deltamudelta.org/chapter.officer.award.program.star.php
**   http://www.acbsp.org/p/cm/ld/fid=21
*** http://www.dmd-ntl.org/scholarship.programs.winners.php

Jeff Lineman, Contributor

The following projects are a part of the improvements;

• Amphitheater connection between Culver and Dooley (see picture)
• Circle Drive seal coat and restriping, including sidewalk replacement for safety (see picture)
• Relocation of Holly sidewalk east of Emerson to provide a safer walking surface (see picture)
• Sutherland remodel – energy efficient dual pane windows
• Dooley remodel – energy efficient dual pane windows, restroom renovation, and “living room” refurbish (see picture)
• Culver remodel – same as Dooley, remodel of main lobby
• Renovation (carpet, counter tops, appliances, paint, etc) of “Colorado” duplexes and “Holly houses”
• Baseball backstop reinforcement and expansion
• Near completion of the fence on the south perimeter of the campus
• New roofing on Olsen Apartments and Corlett Hall
• Williams Hall – three new offices, air conditioning, carpet and roof resurfacing
• Emergency generator – to provide continuous campus network operation in the event of power failure

Our thanks to School of Business faculty Dick Van Schyndel and Britton Hall for improving our campus environment.

“Janet L. Yellen took office as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco on June 14, 2004. As a 2009 voting member of the Federal Open Market Committee, Dr. Yellen brings her District’s perspective to policy discussions in Washington.  [She] is Professor Emeritus at the University of California at Berkeley where she was the Eugene E. and Catherine M. Trefethen Professor of Business and Professor of Economics and has been a faculty member since 1980.

“The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco provides wholesale banking services to financial institutions in the nine western states through its head office in San Francisco, branch offices in Los Angeles, Portland, Salt Lake City, and Seattle, and a cash processing office in Phoenix. As the nation’s central bank, the Federal Reserve System formulates monetary policy, serves as a bank regulator, administers consumer protection laws, and is fiscal agent for the U.S. government. The Twelfth District is the largest in the Federal Reserve System, encompassing 36 percent of the nation’s land area, and 20 percent of its population, employment, and the nation’s personal income.”

Quotes taken from http://www.frbsf.org/federalreserve/people/officers/yellen.html