Why You Should Join the Lincoln Memorial University School of Business

Welcome to future Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters! The School of Business has enjoyed significant growth in enrollment for this school year and I wanted to thank everyone for their efforts in this regard and to share our successes over the past three years, as well as, goals for this upcoming year.

The Master of Business Administration has grown its enrollment from 54 students from the fall of 2008 to over 200 students for fall 2010.Classes are taught at our Harrogate, TN campus; at our extended learning site campus at Cedar Bluff; and at the Sevierville, TN campus of Walters State Community College. In addition, our Management Leadership Program has grown from 44 students to over 110 students during the same time period.Classes are taught at our Knoxville, TN extended site campus at Cedar Bluff; Middlesboro, KY on the campus of Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College; Morristown and Sevierville, TN on the campuses of Walters State Community College. Undergraduate enrollment has remained relatively constant over the past year at nearly 130 students. In 2011-2012 we hope to enjoy continued enrollment growth.

Dr. Jack McCann is the Dean of the School of Business since serving as Interim Dean in 2008-2009. He accepted the role as Dean in summer 2009. Dr. Michael Dillon is the MBA Program Director and Dr. Dan Graves, is the MLP Program Director. Dr. Dillon also serves as the Chair of Undergraduate Accounting and General Business. Dr. McCann also serves as the Interim Chair of Management, Marketing, and Professional Golf Management.

One of the shining examples of the LMU education and the School of Business is the Students in Free Enterprise Organization (SIFE). SIFE is an interdisciplinary student organization at LMU and a Non-profit organization educating people on concepts like market economics, entrepreneurship, and business ethics through educational outreach projects. Under the leadership Mrs. Christy Graham (Assistant Professor of Business and Sam Walton Fellow), Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) developed and presented seven community education programs on topics such as ethics, stock market, financial freedom, entrepreneurship, etc., with 70 students participating. These community educational programs and SIFE Events impacted 152,232 people. The SIFE team won the 2011 regional competition in Atlanta, GA. and competed in the national competition in Minneapolis.

The LMU SIFE team had 19 active members including the presenting team of Trevor Jones, Chris Graves, Lia Bevins, Trey Goins, JR Roden, Sofia Lopez Mimendi, and Carla Dunn. Assistant Professor of Management Christy Graham serves as the program advisor. SIFE has been active at LMU for eight years. This is the fifth trip to Nationals for the LMU team.

During this 2010-2011 academic year, the LMU SIFE team organized several projects, including the Campbell’s Let’s Can Hunger Food Drive, as well as a workshop called International Etiquette 101 that featured several international speakers discussing business etiquette in their home countries. 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, personal financial success skills and business ethics.

SIFE is now under the direction of Mr. Tim McCoy who will be the new advisor along with Dr. McCann serving as the co-advisor for 2011-2012. We hope to expand enrollment and continue with our success in competition.

A School of Business decision was made to redirect the curriculum to focus on the "nuts and bolts" of the real world. Discussion and consideration of cross-functional classes that incorporate real word situations represents a departure from the traditional departmentalized course of instruction. Discussions in the School of Business have begun to consider combining majors to create additional, non-traditional as well as value-added, real-world majors. Your thoughts on this topic would be most appreciated.

The School of Business has chosen to spotlight teaching excellence by focusing on the requirements of ACBSP accreditation over the next year or two, while looking long-term on the AACSB accreditation. Student surveys reveal a high level of satisfaction with faculty with regard to availability, teaching quality, advising and supporting the high level of content knowledge the business school faculty possesses. Information literacy has also been placed at the forefront in a majority of the classes by including literature reviews, writing, and communication technique improvements with course rubrics developed and defined for the evaluation of and assessment of projects and presentations.

A School of Business decision to reach out to the community by providing education and consulting services led by specialists in the school has resulted in the following efforts:

SIFE
Extended Sites MLP and MBA
Refocused curriculum
Improved academic competency in accounting, finance, and marketing

Mr. Richard Bryant (Associate Professor of Business) coordinated the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program during 2010-2011. VITA is sponsored by the Internal Revenue Service. Students participated in preparation of state and federal individual tax returns. The students prepared federal returns for LMU students and employees and the external community). The students also assisted in preparing state tax returns from Kentucky.

Internship participation improved to 37 students in 2010-2011 from the previous year. We hope to meet and exceed this number in 2011-2012.

Utilization of guest speakers and class project sponsors from the Knoxville and Harrogate has provided authentic learning opportunities.

The mission of the School of Business is to provide a fundamental business education with a focus on students from the Appalachian Region. The School of Business is committed to providing quality business education that builds upon the knowledge of foundational business concepts that enable students to recognize and evaluate the balance between the creation of profits and wealth and the maintenance of business ethics and social responsibility in a global economy. The School strives to prepare students who can secure employment in diverse fields or obtain graduate level education. In addition, the School is committed to providing service to the tri-state region and to engage in scholarly activities that advance our service area. The School of Business offers three baccalaureate degree major programs and five minor programs. These programs are designed to prepare students for careers in business, industry, and government.

The Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree requires the completion of the BBA Core (36 semester credit hours) and one BBA Major (24 semester credit hours) from those detailed in the undergraduate catalog.
The Management and Leadership Studies Program* (MLP) leads to a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree, and is designed for adults, who have 60 semester credit hours of college credit and prior learning experiences. The program is now composed of 54 semester credit hours of study that can be completed over a 4 semester period. Other coursework may be required to meet degree requirements. Additional information about this program for older adult learners is available in the MLP Catalog posted on the LMU website.
The major in Business leads to the Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree, providing a solid foundation of knowledge and skills in general business practices. While open to all students, the Business major is designed primarily as a second major for students pursuing another primary field of interest. It also provides an alternative to the BBA for the student who discovers an interest in business late in the undergraduate career.
Minor programs are available in Computer Information Systems, Economics, General Business, Management, and Marketing for baccalaureate students not taking a major in the School of Business.
The mission of the Master of Business Administration program is to provide educational and research opportunities to working adults wanting to develop professionally by enhancing their business skills and credentials. The MBA degree is a thirty-six semester credit hour program intended for upwardly mobile professionals and recent graduates with exceptional academic backgrounds. The MBA offers concentrations areas in accounting, international business, finance, human resource management, management, marketing, and general business.

The School of Business invites you to consider the LMU as the place to continue your education. We are excited about the future of our school and expect great things in the coming years. Please call or e-mail your questions.

Regards,

Jack McCann, PhD
Dean
LMU School of Business
6965 Cumberland Gap Parkway
Harrogate, TN 37752
office: 423.869.6298
cell: 606.269.4544