Quicknotes | september 2022

SMARRT (Student Managed Asset Risk and Return Training) is a student-lead portfolio management team that oversees a small portion of Southern’s endowment. Housed in the School of Business, the purpose of SMARRT is to provide opportunities for Southern students to get hands-on portfolio management, financial analysis, and leadership development. This experience provides more career opportunities, as many companies seek out new graduates with student-led investment fund experience.

The SMARRT Fund at Southern was initiated in Fall 2019. Returns from this fund are used for student programs and scholarships, and it is structured to establish a source of income while providing valuable experience for its student managers. The fund started with $500K and has since grown to nearly $700K.

In August 2022, the School of Business opened up the new Bloomberg Finance Lab, sponsored by AdventHealth. This lab houses 12 Bloomberg consoles, which are computers outfitted with software that allows students access to economic news, stock market indices, and financial information for any publicly traded company. They are accompanied by wall-mounted screens to provide a broad view of current market news.

Apart from researching stocks to buy or sell, students also are put into teams to research different financial sectors. They present their findings to the entire SMARRT team, and the team decides how to act based on the information.

“SMARRT has provided me with the environment to learn, prepared me for my internships, and makes me a competitive candidate in the work force,” says Max Harrison, a junior finance major who is president and chief investment officer of SMARRT. “Beyond the technical skills, SMARRT offers a fun community where people can interact and learn from each other while investing, learning, and growing.”

-by Ethan Emde, junior finance major

With more than 640 students participating, this year’s Freshman Service Day was the biggest Southern has held so far, a result of the incoming class being the third largest in the school’s 130-year history and the largest since the annual event began. On August 18, all new students served on 33 different projects throughout Chattanooga and the surrounding communities. From trail maintenance at Red Clay State Park to preparation for the university’s local food distribution, the required event provided opportunities for campus newcomers to venture into nearby neighborhoods and make a difference.

“Freshman Service Day allows students to grow in their walks with Jesus as they model Him,” said Julie Devlin, service learning and community service coordinator. “Each one is taken out of his or her element to be a part of another organization’s mission. This can be a real eye-opener for most of them in understanding what’s needed right here in the university’s backyard.”

Devlin served alongside students packing food bags for those in need. The group was assisted by police officers as part of an ongoing effort by the Collegedale Police Department to partner with Southern. Freshman Service Day was an opportunity for the police team to work closely with the community they serve, according to Assistant Chief of Police Jamie Heath.

“We were immediately made to feel welcome by Southern students and faculty alike,” Heath said. “Our department looks forward to future service days and other opportunities to live our agency’s motto of ‘Service Before Self.’”

Southern’s Christian Service Director Cheryl Craven joined students at one of three work sites where they helped elderly couples with yard work. Craven described one couple as “beaming” and added that at another site, the husband and wife were moved to tears by the students’ contributions to their lawn and home.

“Freshman Service Day engages students in service within their first month of being on campus,” said Craven. “It aligns their Southern experience with the university’s mission statement to ‘… embody academic and professional excellence, and pursue Spirit-filled lives of service.’”

-by Amanda Blake, junior journalism major

Rahn Shaw, ’78, MD, has lent his collection of verified original signatures to Southern for display at the McKee Library. The exhibit includes 75 autographs spread across 24 frames, each of which include historically significant objects.

“I want to inspire students,” Shaw said. “This collection represents people who aimed and strived for great accomplishments. For learners with all kinds of passions and interests, this can encourage them to dream big within the realms of their own fields of study.”

A few years ago, Shaw enabled the university to better recognize and empower students with entrepreneurial spirits who are pursuing STEM and business degrees when he initiated the Dr. Rahn and Natalia Shaw Endowed Scholarship Fund. Now, he hopes his collection will inspire students from all academic departments and schools.

Passion for science and history motivated Shaw to begin acquiring autographs nearly 30 years ago when he purchased the signature of Captain A. E. Laporte, the man who piloted the first mail service flight across the Atlantic Ocean.

Other renowned signatures in the collection include Sir Isaac Newton, Marie Curie, Desmond Doss, Alexander Hamilton, and Albert Einstein. Each U.S. president is represented except the current commander in chief.

McKee Library has never before featured an autograph exhibit this large or expansive, according to Deyse Bravo, library director.

“Seeing the real signatures of notable historical figures on our walls is stimulating to our students,” Bravo added. “It’s a wonderful reminder of how ‘unimaginable’ feats can be achieved through hard work.”

Shaw will be at McKee Library on Friday afternoon of Homecoming Weekend to personally share his collection with fellow alumni. Learn more at southern.edu/homecoming.

-by Amanda Blake, junior journalism major

Volunteering at a Seventh-day Adventist school changed the course of Jasmine Johnson’s career. Johnson, EdD, had earned an undergraduate degree in history and pre-law, as well as an MBA. While working in the corporate world, she felt drawn to teaching and took the opportunity to volunteer in a local classroom. She loved it so much that she decided to pursue a degree in education, earning her Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT).

“The MAT program literally changed my life,” Johnson said. “It gave me the skills and the tools that I needed to be a teacher. When I started teaching, it was so amazing; the students were awesome, and teaching was awesome.”

Johnson continued her education, eventually earning her doctorate in education with an emphasis in educational leadership. She also continued teaching, and when Southern Adventist University launched its new online MAT program, she was thrilled to join the team as program director and associate professor.

“We are so excited about this degree program and about having Jasmine here on campus,” said Tammy Overstreet, PhD, dean of Southern’s School of Education and Psychology. “Her passion for education is contagious.”

Because the MAT program allows students to pursue a degree in teaching without having previously studied education, Johnson looks forward to helping people make the kind of fulfilling career change that she did. She also anticipates the program helping to address the nation-wide teacher shortage.

“For example, teacher aides, substitutes, and local hires are already in schools but are not certified and aren’t working full time,” Johnson said. “They don’t have the certification or prior education courses that they need, but through the MAT degree, they can take on that full-time goal.”

Arne Nielsen, PhD, vice president for education in the North American Division, is also excited for the effect this new degree may have.

“The teacher shortage is real, large, and growing in both public and private sectors,” Nielsen said. “NAD Education is thankful for the collaboration that is happening across our territory as solutions are emerging. The MAT program at Southern appears to be one solution to the teacher shortage conundrum.”

Taught completely online, Southern’s new MAT program can be completed anywhere in the United States; the university will help participants arrange field training in person at a school near them. Additionally, options are available for students to begin working as teachers while completing their clinical hours.

“We believe that there are individuals in our churches and spheres of influence who feel called to impact the future by working with young people,” Overstreet said. “This degree program can help such individuals become effective educators through the convenience of online learning.  They can then answer their callings and simultaneously meet the needs of schools that are desperately seeking quality educators.”

To learn more about Southern’s MAT program, visit southern.edu/graduatestudies.

-by Anaya Miller, sophomore fine arts major

Eric Dunkel, ’99, Alumni Association senior president, and Cheryl (Fuller) Torres, ’05, Alumni Relations director, share a glimpse into plans for the year and highlight favorite homecoming events.

For the weekend's schedule, visit southern.edu/homecoming.

-Staff Report

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