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Attaining Sustainability: The American Evolution Of Socially Responsible Business Practices, Lauren M. Beatty

Alumni Scholarship

The focus of this thesis is on the evolution of socially responsible business practices (SRBPs); the historical progression of commercial philanthropy; the current market trends that drive corporate actions; and the projected rise of social responsibility integration within organizational cultures. The purpose of this paper is to provide evidence for how SRBPs contribute to, rather than detract from, the strength and success of American consumer goods companies because of their strategic integration in organizational cultures. In addition to providing a brief historical overview of the evolution of SRBPs, the thesis will highlight how the objectives of SRBPs have continuously advanced …

2nd Place Essay: The Art Of Leadership, Bailey Heemstra

Reed Leadership Student Essay Contest Winners

In response to the essay prompt: "Leadership is more art than science."

Effective leadership is an art. Leadership is not a direct set of rules to follow or books to read. Finding the correct way to lead cannot be found in a textbook. Leadership is a characteristic that is learned over time. Leadership is forming relationships, making connections, and meeting the needs of your followers. Just as art is full of many possibilities and not defined to one answer, so too is leadership. The most effective form of leadership is one that incorporates flexibility, creativity, and the idea that there …

3rd Place Essay: Leadership: A New Art, Matthew D. Reed

Reed Leadership Student Essay Contest Winners

In response to the essay prompt: "Leadership is more art than science."

Leadership is not a science. Leadership is more of an art and should be evaluated as such. Although everyone can benefit from studying and developing basic leadership qualities, just as one studies the works of famous artists to benefit from their techniques, I believe that becoming a leader requires something more, something intangible. Like great works of art, great works of leadership can be found in many different forms and in all areas of life, every example unique. It cannot be described completely in a lecture, or in …

Tutorials: Resource Instruction For Distance Learners, Pam Greenlee

Faculty Scholarship – Library Science

Academic librarians, devoted to providing resources and services for learners, find both opportunity and challenge in the continuing growth of online programs in higher education. The technology tools available for online courses are also available to librarians seeking to support those courses with research and information literacy skills instruction. Researchers have delineated factors necessary for achieving defined learning outcomes with online tutorials. These factors include assignment relevance, faculty collaboration, and student interaction. A fourth issue emerges as equally critical; there must be a single iteration of the tutorial, posted in an unique online location, and subject to dynamic revision. There …

1st Place Essay: Leadership: Fulfilling The Purpose Of Art, Amanda Johnson

Reed Leadership Student Essay Contest Winners

In response to the essay prompt: "Leadership is more art than science."

“Leadership is more art than science” is a bold statement. It implies that leadership does not follow a set of rules nor is it based on experimental results, but rather, it comes from the creative and skilled mind of the leader. I believe that God has ingrained creativity and potential for leadership in every human being when He created us “in His image.” Without the divine inspiration of God, the success of his leadership will rarely be complete or long-lasting. The best leaders listen to God’s leading and …

Characteristics Of Successful Minority Female Police Supervisors Within A Large Urban Midwest Police Department, Yasmia G. Dunn

Ed.D. Dissertations

This study explored the leadership characteristics of minority female police supervisors, the actual and perceived barriers to their advancement through the ranks, and the strategies and factors that aided their success and career advancement within the police department participating in the study. Statistical data was gathered regarding the status of high-ranking minority women in the agency, administered participant questionnaires and surveys, and conducted individual semi-structured interviews with the participants. Information obtained from the department's online personnel data system aided in identifying study participants within the agency. The study participants met the criteria of being high-ranking minority female supervisors holding the …

Resourcing The Postmodern Pastor: An Examination Of Young Pastors’ Attitudes And The Implications For Denominational Publishers, Bonnie J. Perry

Ed.D. Dissertations

This study explored the influence of postmodernity on the changing attitudes of young pastors regarding spirituality and discipleship in their adult congregants. The purpose of this study was to educate and equip Christian publishers to resource young pastors who are ministering in a postmodern culture. The study focused on Church of the Nazarene pastors 35 years old or younger in the calendar year 2012, exploring their attitudes toward Christian faith, spirituality, and discipleship. At certain junctures in the study, the young pastors’ attitudes were compared to those of pastors who were 36 years or older in order to determine what …

The Voice Of The Homeless Adult Male: Perceptions Of Those Who Have Successfully Transitioned To Self-Sufficiency, Dallas W. Gatlin

Ed.D. Dissertations

This study drew out and described the perceptions of 10 men who successfully made the transition from homelessness to self-sufficiency. Responding to semi-structured openended questions in a one-on-one interview format, participants shared perceptions about their lived-experiences before, during, and after chronic homelessness, and how they navigated the difficult journey to self-sufficiency. The researcher used conventional content analysis to allow the perspectives of participants to emerge from their own words in themes and meaning units. The findings of this study suggest that from participants’ point of view loss of social support due to the death of a parent or spouse, divorce, …

Scholar Week, Janna Mclean

Scholar Week Archives (2011-2015)

ONU's Scholar Week #4.

Engaging Capitalism With Wesleyan Theology, Paul R. Koch, Kevin Twain Lowery

Faculty Scholarship – Economics

In this paper presented at the Wesleyan Theological Society Annual Meeting in March 2014, two professors from Olivet Nazarene University – one from the field of Economics and the other from Theology – address the intersection of Wesleyan theology and ethics with the theoretical foundations of capitalism. The paper consists of four major sections:

• A Wesleyan voice in the capitalist jungle
• The compatibility of capitalism and Wesleyan thought
• Elements of Wesleyan theology most relevant to capitalism
• Toward a Wesleyan approach to free market economics

The Collaboration Of Faith And Social Work In Creating A Gateway Of Helping, Breanne M. Bambrick

Honors Program Projects

When tragedy occurs, trauma follows. In crises, emergency response professionals are called upon in order to aid survivors. While the majority of professionals involved have received formal education on crisis management or disaster relief, the faith community is often called upon to assist without such prior knowledge. However, based on their mutual commitment to serve those in need, the social work profession and faith community represents a natural partnership in preparing for the disaster management process. Therefore, social workers can assist faith leadership in order to empower the faith community to be involved in crisis response. Specifically, this research addresses …

An Evaluation Of Youth In(Vol)Ved: Impact On Participants' Attitudes Toward Volunteerism, Kelsey G. Steines

Honors Program Projects

Youth In(VOL)ved is an 8 week youth volunteer program directed by the Grant Wood Area American Red Cross, which is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The purpose of the program is to contribute to the American Red Cross’ goal of motivating and recruiting a new generation of volunteers, which supports the organization’s mission of alleviating human suffering in the face of emergencies. This paper examines the impact of Youth In(VOL)ved on participants’ attitudes toward volunteerism, which is information that can be used by the American Red Cross to apply for grant funding and to improve the program in future years. …

Relationships Between Elements Of Leslie Matrices And Future Growth Of The Population, Lorisha Lynn Riley

Honors Program Projects

Leslie matrices have been used for years to model and predict the growth of animal populations. Recently, general rules have been applied that can relatively easily determine whether an animal population will grow or decline. My mentor, Dr. Justin Brown and I examine, more specifically, whether there are relationships between certain elements of a population and the dominant eigenvalue, which determines growth. Not only do we consider the general 3x3 Leslie matrix, but also we looked into modified versions for incomplete data and migration models of Leslie matrices. We successfully found several connections within these cases; however, there is much …

Direct Human Service Experience And Its Effect On Volunteers' Self-Perceived Generosity And Meeting Volunteer Expectations, Emily M. Borger

Honors Program Projects

A study using participants (n=61) from a small liberal arts college was conducted to analyze the effect of direct human service on volunteers’ self‐perceived generosity, expected versus actual appreciation, expected versus actual satisfaction in work, and expected versus actual value of work. An experimental group (n=31) was given pre‐ and post‐surveys evaluating these dependent variables using a Likert scale. Between the surveys the experimental group received treatment of direct human service at a free community lunch program. The control group (n=30) was given the same pre‐ and postsurveys without treatment.

It was hypothesized that …

Aurora Volume 101, Staci Bradbury (Editor)

Aurora-yearbook

College formerly located at Olivet, Illinois and known as Olivet University (1912-1923) Olivet College (1923-1939), Olivet Nazarene College (1940-1986), and Olivet Nazarene University (1986-Present).

The 4-Tions: Your Guide To Developing Successful Job Search Strategies, Emad Rahim, Richard Q. Holloway, Lisa D. Summerour

Alumni Books

The 4-Tions is designed to provide you with fundamental job search strategies and practices to help you develop habits that will stay with you your entire professional life. The 4-Tions represents what the authors consider to be the 4 most important aspects of the job search. These 4 areas are:

❋ Documenta tion : Resume, Application Information, References

❋ Prepara tion : Company Background, History, Questions

❋ Presenta tion : Appearance, Clothing, Hygiene, Grooming

❋ Communica tion : Articulation, Eye Contact, Active Listening