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Belmont Abbey College

The Catholic College of the South

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Student Voices: Compliments About Faculty

Author: The Crusader Staff Writers

We asked students for compliments about professors and here are some of the responses:

  • Mrs. Margot Rhoades made class really fun/interesting.
  • Dr. Gomes is very understanding and helpful, his class was why I chose to major in Psychology.
  • Dr. Cote, she is difficult and demands a lot, but yet a wonderful/easy to understand and learn from teacher.
  • Father Chris did a great job at engaging all of his students.
  • Professor Hayes because she was always so energetic in class and encouraged our participation always.
  • Dr. Larner. She is just the best teacher, cares for all her students, and helps anyone with anything.
  • Dr. Hutchinson makes history come alive.
  • Dr. Jansen is an excellent professor.
  • Dr. Joseph Pizza and Dr. Erin Jensen. Both of these professors are very open minded and appreciate everyone’s comments, concerns, and look for new ways to approach teaching.
  • Dr. Dell’Isola is friendly and seeks to meet his students on their level when teaching.
  • Dr. Corwin pushes her students to understand the beautiful purpose of literature.
  • Dr. Gina Noia is a great teacher and really understands how to connect the content to life.

This article was originally posted in the Fall 2022, Issue 1 of The Crusader Newspaper. Download the full issue.

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New Social Media and Digital Communications Minor

Author: Dr. Erin Jensen (Crusader Faculty Advisor), Associate Professor of English

The Social Media and Digital Communications minor just started this semester. Please contact erinjensen@bac.edu if you are interested in this minor.

The Social Media and Digital Communication minor is an interdisciplinary minor focused on providing students with increased understanding of and practical experience with using social media and digital communication. Students will have options for classes in English, Business, Digital Humanities, Computer Science, and Digital Art. As part of the coursework, students will create and run social media campaigns and engage in application assignments within their various classes. Upon completion of the courses necessary for this minor, students will have the skills necessary to find jobs in a variety of positions, including social media writing, social media management, graphic design, digital design, content creation, content strategy, digital communication, and many others. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of this minor, students from all majors would be welcome and would find that the minor complements their major studies and increases their employment opportunities.

Minor in Social Media and Digital Communication: 15 credits
Students will complete five courses (15 credits), including one required course (EN 361) and four additional courses.
Required for all students:

  • EN 361 Writing for Social Media (3 credits) (Taught Spring 2023 and Summer 2023)

Students will choose any four of the following courses:

  • EN 106: Introduction to Digital Art and Multimedia Art
  • CS 110: Introduction to Video Game (3 credits)
  • CS 243: Web Site Development (3 credits)
  • DH 301: Introduction to Digital Humanities (3 credits)
  • DH 400: Methods in the Digital Humanities (3 credits)
  • EN 363: Professional and Technical Writing (3 credits)
  • BU 315W: Business Communication (3 credits)
  • BU 319: Advertising and Promotion (3 credits)
  • Digital Communication (to be added)
  • EN 453 Internship or Department Internship class (3 credits)
  • Additional social media and digital communication-based courses as they are added to individual departments

This article was originally posted in the Fall 2022, Issue 1 of The Crusader Newspaper. Download the full issue.

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New Minors in Accounting

Author: Toni Berbick, Associate Professor of Accounting

Belmont Abbey College has approved two new Accounting Minors to compliment the revised Accounting Program Curriculum: The Cyber Audit Minor and the Fraud Minor.

The new curriculum reflects the new format and content of the CPA exam and is based on the ACIPA’s Evolution Module Curriculum and the content on the CPA exam effective 2024. The first minor is in Cyber Audit Risk and Compliance (Cyber Audit) and the second is Fraud and Forensic Investigations Minor (Fraud Minor). In addition to providing students with the skills and competencies required of a newly licensed CPA, both minors address the global skills gap in these two areas. These two new minors complement existing minors available to Accounting Majors including a Minor in Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Information Security, Cyber Security, Criminal Justice and Pre-Law.

The Cyber Audit Minor is designed for Business and Accounting students who want to complement their major by adding the valuable and highly sought-after skill set of IT Audit. The Cyber Audit Minor compliments the existing Cyber Security Minor offered by the Computer Science Department at the Abbey. While the existing Cyber Security Minor focuses on data risk from and technical perspective, the Cyber Audit minor focuses on operating and control risk based on a foundation of Accounting Information Systems. This was a joint effort between the Accounting and Computer Science Departments.
The Cyber Audit minor was developed with the guidance and support from members of the Charlotte Chapter of ISACA, including Mr. Steve Spittler, CPA, CISA – Senior Audit at LPL Financial and Charlotte ISACA Academic Relations Committee Chair; Ted Wolff, CISA – IT Audit and Risk Management Professional, recently retired from a position as a Senior Leader in Vanguard’s Global IT Risk & Control; and, Kyle Conn, CPA, CISA – IT Divisional Risk Advisor at Vanguard. Their experience and insight were invaluable and I am most grateful for their time and support.

The Fraud Minor is designed for Criminal Justice and Accounting majors interested in pursuing a career in Risk Assurance, Compliance, Internal Audit, Criminal Investigations, and Anti-Money Laundering. Students will learn the skills necessary to identify financial fraud, how to assess and mitigate the risk of fraud and understanding the criminal investigative procedures. The required coursework is designed to meet the hiring demands of accounting, banking, investment and insurance institutions as well as federal and state regulatory agencies and law enforcement authorities.

The Fraud Minor was developed with collective guidance from members of the Charlotte Institute of Internal Auditors, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, federal, state and regional law enforcement agencies and major banking, investment and insurance firms in the region. This minor was a joint effort between the Accounting and Criminal Justice Departments at Belmont Abbey College.

I am grateful for the support and guidance from Dr. David Williams, Vice Provost and for the vote of confidence from Dr. Travis Feezel, Provost, Dr. Brad Frazier, Dr. Julie Beeman, Mr. Gupta, and Dr. Alessandro Rovati. It is truly a pleasure to work in a such a collegial and empowering environment.

This article was originally posted in the Fall 2022, Issue 1 of The Crusader Newspaper. Download the full issue.

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A Look into the Education Department

Author: The Crusader Staff Writer, Danashia Tucker

Dr. Mary Stratton joined Belmont Abbey College January ’21 as the Chair of the Education Department and Associate Professor. Dr. Stratton has a B.A. from Pennsylvania State University, an M.A. from West Chester University, and a D.Ed. from Widener University. Dr. Stratton teaches numerous courses including ED 305 Education of the Exceptional Child, ED 310 W Educational Development and Psychology, ED 406 Foundations of English Language Arts, and ED 407 Literacy and Assessment.

Dr. Stratton’s favorite course to teach is ED 305 as she stated, “I love to witness the transformation of our pre-service teachers, from thinking that children with disabilities have many barriers to learning to looking at children with disabilities in open-minded and creative way, focused on providing instruction and support to ensure success for all students.”

As an Education Studies major and Psychology Minor, I have enjoyed taking Dr. Stratton’s classes with “Introduction to the Exceptional Child” being my favorite. This class provided an overview of the needs and nature of an exceptional child including the integration and accommodations put into place to ensure the child’s success. I enjoyed the assignments in the class, the assignments provided me with more insight on the daily accommodations for individuals with a physical or intellectual disability.

I interviewed Dr. Stratton and this is her approach to teaching:

“Student success is the central focus of my instruction. I believe that the teacher is a facilitator of learning as compared to a dictator of content. It is important to me that I can provide realistic examples from my own teaching experience that are directly aligned with theory and pedagogy found in the educational methods textbooks. It is also essential to establish genuine relationships with your students. You must really know your students; you are their mentor which is both an honor and privilege.”

I asked her about what the Abbey she was inspired by and her response was:

“The Abbey is a unique, extraordinary example of a faith-based community. The interconnectedness of faith and scholarship is without a doubt extraordinary. I love President Thierfelder’s messages each week…the message is full of love and clarity. I love the students. Abbot Placid’s leadership and gentle guidance on not only spirituality and theology but his kindness and concern in dealing with the human side of life is full of comfort and compassion. The beauty of the campus and the tradition behind not only the physical structures but the student activities and rigorous academic standards are immeasurable.”

Fun Fact: The honor society “Kappa Delta Pi” is an organization available for the students within the Education Department. It’s an international organization that focuses on supporting the work of educators throughout the local and international community.

Student Feedback: “I have had multiple classes with Dr. Stratton as my teacher and she has always made it enjoyable and interesting to learn. She has such a complex understanding of everything that she teaches and makes it easier to understand. She also cares deeply about her students’ personal lives and does what she can to help. In my experience she is absolutely
wonderful and kind.”

– Addisyn Ricafrente, Educational Studies Major

This article was originally posted in the Fall 2022, Issue 2 of The Crusader Newspaper. Download the full issue.

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