Tommy filled the hearts of Idaho’s sports fans with pride in his pro debut when – as literally a last-second substitute – he tore up the script and upset the odds in beating Reno’s Carey “Bubba” Dupree (pictured below), the highly-touted and well-connected sparring partner to 3-Division World Champion, James Toney.

While the students learned much about the mechanics of how deals are made (and the pitfalls to be avoided) in the professional sports industry, they also have the opportunity to help market Tommy in the world of professional boxing as part of a brief “non-traditional marketing plan”.  Chair of the Department of Business and Economics and Professor of Marketing, Dr. Konya Weber, joined the discussion and had this to say about the experience: “I was intrigued to learn from Tommy and his trainer about the boxing industry and how the principles of economics and business strategies can be applied to be successful in this industry.”

Article by David Chaplin

Panama City is quickly becoming the business hub of Latin America. While in Panama the group visited the 1) Panama Canal and actually experiencing the challenges of moving through the each of the locks to reach the Pacific Ocean in a small boat, 2) Emberra tribe, an indigenous native community working to become self-sufficient through eco-tourism, and 3) viewed the site of a new international terminal being planned for major air transport into a newly-designed city on the Pacific coast.

In Costa Rica, the group observed a nation that has become the No. 1 eco-tourist nation in the world. They visited the Daka coffee plantation, Poas Volcano, and beach destinations created for world tourism. This trip provided a unique view of how cultural differences affect political, social, and business dealings.

Those traveling were Sam and Lois Dunn, Ron Galloway, Karen Jones, Corey Eyre, Deborah and Michael Fantaski, and Dena and Aldin Nadarevic.

“What an amazing and incredible experience! I just loved seeing how people in other countries run their businesses, especially the indigenous people and how self-sufficient they are. This trip gave me insight into how other parts of the world manage in a global economy. I would recommend this to all those studying business.”  (Deborah Fantaski)

“It helped me see firsthand how countries market themselves, how different groups do business-from Embera Indians to tourism- and how culture, location, and the global economy affect everything. It was a very enriching and worthwhile experience.”  (Corey Eyre)

“There is no better way to connect concepts to reality than through experience.  The international trip was an enlightening journey that allowed me better understand the importance of culture, as well as the challenges and rewards of international business.  It gave me the opportunity to really see how the global economy is more interconnected than ever before.”  (Dena Molsee)

“This trip was one of the best MBA trips I’ve had the privilege to accompany.  Special features for me were:   the boat ride going through the Panama Canal locks; the canoe trip into the Panama jungle to visit an indigenous tribal village; the two-hour boat trip off the coast of Costa Rica to Tortuga Island;  seeing  so many crocodiles; and the tour through the coffee plantation.”  (Sam Dunn)

Article by Karen Jones

Lauren Hartford, (AMA President) and Holly Joffer, (AMA Vice President) gave a presentation on “Best Practices for Community Service.”  The NNU AMA Chapter was a recipient of the ‘Outstanding Community Service’ award, placing them in the top 5% of this category.

Our students also competed in the AMASavesLives competition, which was to increase awareness of the importance of organ donation.  Our students won recognition for “Best Event and Organ Donor Awareness Registration.”

Our AMA team took some free time to walk around downtown New Orleans, trying local foods at local restaurants.  Some of the local foods experienced were, muffuelata, beignets, grits, frog legs, gumbo and jambalaya.  They walked along the riverfront of the Mississippi River, and were able to visit the French Quarter.

The team experienced some difficulties on their return to Idaho with delays totaling 24 hours; three flight changes, two airport changes in Louisiana, a taxi ride from New Orleans to Baton Rouge, two hotel changes, and an overnight in Houston, Texas.  The journey home ended up being a fun adventure a great bonding experience.

Article by Stephanie Lemons   Photos by Lauren Hartford

Olympic Training Center, Colorado Springs

Dr. David Chaplin, Associate Professor of Economics in the School of Business, was in Colorado Springs Feb. 25-29 to collect data for a paper he and Dr. Mark Emerson are developing.  The paper, Pugilistic Pastoring – Volunteering in Amateur Boxing as “Mission Work” will be submitted for publication.  Dr. Chaplin also officiated at the U.S. Amateur Boxing Championships being conducted at Fort Carson Army Base. As the lone official representing Idaho, Dr. Chaplin worked 29 bouts as a referee and judge at the tournament.

Using colorful language from his boxing experience, Dr. Chaplin describes Southern Idaho’s only athlete represented at the Colorado Springs tournament.  “Dillon Fowler of Twin Falls announced his presence on the national scene in style. Despite dropping a close decision to teak-tough, big city operator, Devaun Lee of Jamaica Queens, NY, Dillon embraced the opportunity to showcase his skills on the big stage. Boxing out of his skin, he engaged in one of the most compelling and highest-scoring bouts of the day. With the contest as close as your next breath going in to the final round, the two warriors came to the scratch and held their ground in a gripping war of attrition. Blocking out the thunderous applause of the New Yorker’s vociferous fan base, Dillon maintained his focus and two-fisted pressure, earning the respect of his more seasoned opponent…and some new fans.”

Dr. David Chaplin recently had two scholarly articles in the field of sports economics accepted for publication in peer-reviewed journals: 1) Blood, Sweat and Fears – The Need for a Professional Boxers’ Pension Plan, forthcoming in Journal of Sport and Social Issues (indexed in Social Sciences Citation Index); 2) Pay and Race in World Championship Boxing, forthcoming in Journal of Economics (indexed in EconLit).

Article and picture submitted by David Chaplin

“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.