In episode 1 of Conversatio’s second season, Dr. Michael Watson and Dr. Julia Beeman sit down to discuss the role of guns in our culture today and how to navigate this hot topic as Catholics.
Crossroads
Motorsports Program Makes Strides and Speeds Towards Success
Author: The Crusader Staff Writer, Alex Mullin
The brightest minds have come from across the country and the world to study an ever-expanding world of fast cars and big money, Motorsports, both national and international. The Belmont Abbey Motorsports Program has seen a lot of change over these past couple years. The program has opened new avenues and career opportunities for both upperclassmen and underclassmen who are looking to forge a career path in Motorsports.
To start off, there are a lot of different ways one may involve themselves in Motorsports. In the first semester of freshman year, the first course in the program is Intro to Motorsports at Sacred Heart Campus in Mercedes Hall to get a good introduction to the many classes that are taught within the program. From there, there are options to choose from in pursuing a Motorsports Management Major, which includes classes like History of Motorsports, Sports Broadcasting, and many more. Some of the esteemed faculty involved in the program include, but are not limited to: Professor Quinn Beekwilder, Professor Trey Cunningham, and Professor Matt Yocum just to name a few.
The program has recently produced some great talent in graduating classes in this past decade that have gone on to work for or own a professional NASCAR team, and the current group of upperclassmen look to continue that trend. Recently, the Motorsports Program made trips to Ford Performance Racing School, and both zMAX Dragway and the Charlotte Motor Speedway, giving students an opportunity to be more hands-on in learning about how the world of motorsports brings people together out of a pure desire to go fast and have fun.
Other than the main classes in Motorsports available at the Abbey, you can also join the Motorsports Club. There are many events they are currently organizing as the Motorsports scene slows down in off-seasons for organizations such as NASCAR and IndyCar, and the more people that are involved, the better. It is a great learning experience for learning about the world of Motorsports from local short track racing to international escapades of speed and sound. The club typically meets Thursdays at 6:30 P.M. in Student Commons unless noted otherwise.
This article was originally posted in the Fall 2022, Issue 2 of The Crusader Newspaper. Download the full issue.
Grant in Support of STEM Students
BELMONT, N.C. – (November 30, 2022) Belmont Abbey College is pleased to announce that it has received a grant from NCICU to support its STEM students.
The NCICU (North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities) announced a new grant for Faculty-Student STEM Mentoring. This funding will be used to enhance programs already underway for STEM majors and to expand Belmont Abbey’s current mentoring programs. One of the grant’s goals is to also improve participation in first-generation college students, minorities, and Pell grant-eligible students in the STEM field.
The proposal for this grant consisted of issuing funds to support the STEM Learning Lab currently on campus. The STEM Learning Lab focuses on helping Belmont Abbey students in the areas of Math and Statistics, Anatomy and Physiology, Biology, Chemistry, Genetics, Ecology and the Physical sciences. The STEM Learning Lab will serve as a hub for faculty student interactions, peer tutoring, and peer mentoring. Upper level students are offered positions to tutor in the first year courses (College Algebra, Calculus, Math for Liberal Arts,) hold test review sessions, and meet with their first or second year mentees.
Faculty Director, Dr. White, mentions that, “The Faculty-Peer mentorship program pairs interested students in STEM related fields with a faculty and a peer mentor. Peer mentors provide camaraderie, advising from a student’s perspective, and tutoring if desired. Mentees can meet with their mentors in the STEM Learning Lab or elsewhere on campus as the pair chooses.” Mentees and mentors will attend 2-3 professional development events with Dr. White, over the course of the academic year.
In addition to the Faculty-Peer mentorship program, representatives from local industries will also be invited to discuss entry-level positions and internships with the students. Speakers from local banks, insurance firms, and the manufacturing industry will be invited to discuss STEM related job opportunities. By promoting post graduate opportunities, the mathematics department hopes to attract more students interested in STEM fields.
Election Integrity
In episode 12 of the Conversatio podcast, Dr. Mary Imparato, Chair of the Politics Department at Belmont Abbey College and Youthan Love, student and President of the College Republicans join Hans von Spakovsky, Director of the Heritage Foundation’s Election Law Reform Initiative to discuss election integrity in America today.
New Suite of Master’s Programs
Belmont, N.C. (October 26, 2022) – Today Belmont Abbey College publicizes the addition of three new Master’s degrees to its academic offerings. All under the umbrella of business, the private liberal arts college announces a Master of Business Administration (MBA), a Master of Leadership (MA in Leadership), and a Master of Strategic Analysis (MS in Strategic Analysis)*. These new graduate degrees, in addition to our existing Master’s of Health Administration (MHA) and Master’s of Science in Nursing (MSN), align with Belmont Abbey’s objective to prepare students to create a better world for themselves and their communities and equip them to lead without compromising their values. Unlike many other programs in the market today, the MBA, MA in Leadership, and MS in Strategic Analysis are designed for completion within 12 months.
“As a Catholic academic institution, we believe in providing quality education with a moral foundation that will help solve societal problems. We are thrilled to offer degrees that are dedicated to producing the kinds of organizational leaders the world needs,” says Dr. Travis Feezell, Provost of Belmont Abbey College.
Founded in Catholic social thought, Belmont Abbey’s online, asynchronous MBA program explores the connection between faith and business. “Leaders today are often expected to deny their principles for the sake of their organization(s). Our goal at the Abbey is to provide a solid moral foundation along with ethics training so that graduates feel prepared to lead in an ever-changing landscape,” remarks Dr. Brad Frazier, Associate Professor and Chair of the Business Department at Belmont Abbey. The cross-disciplinary program ensures that students are well-versed in key business areas such as Managerial Finance, Strategic Marketing Management, and Corporate Governance and Law. Designed to appeal to a wide variety of business professionals, students will tailor their academic program by electing one of the seven available concentrations: Accounting, Finance, Data Analytics, Leadership, Marketing, Motorsports Management, and Sports Management.
The MA in Leadership program at Belmont Abbey prepares students to lead organizations ethically and effectively while demonstrating the concept of servant leadership. Guided by Benedictine values, this program encourages and inspires leaders and other business stakeholders to see challenges and opportunities, to judge them according to the ethical social principles illuminated for Christians by the Gospel, and to act as leaders who serve God in all things. “Here at the Abbey, we are passionate about helping students find their vocations. The MA in Leadership allows us to support students who are called to lead and help give them the tools to change the world,” says Frazier. This program is designed for individuals who desire the training and skills to be a dynamic leader.
The MS in Strategic Analysis degree supports its students’ work within organizations in their journey to search for and live in response to Truth. The program produces leaders who demonstrate decision intelligence, the practical discipline of mind used to improve decision making by explicitly understanding and engineering the evaluation, management, and improvement of decisions and outcomes. Dr. Hannah Kling, Assistant Professor of Data Analytics & Economics at Belmont Abbey, says it is imperative that we change the way we interpret and use data. “Data is so often misrepresented. The MS in Strategic Analysis program is committed to engage in practices that challenge realities often taken for granted, foster intellectual breakthroughs, and cultivate habits of mind that will transform our students’ abilities to interpret data and communicate the truth”. This program is for change leaders who are responsible for evaluating and explaining data in any number of organizational settings, including not-for-profit organizations, educational institutions, for-profit businesses, and government agencies. Applications for the MBA, MA in Leadership, and MS in Strategic Analysis programs are open now! Apply today. http://belmontabbey.force.com/apply
*Pending Approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
For information on all of the Master’s degrees offered at Belmont Abbey, visit https://bac.edu/academics/graduate-studies/. Press inquiries can contact Julia Long at 423-827-8727 or julialong@bac.edu.
