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Alumni Highlight
Name: Eric Weatherbee
Major: Economics
Minor(s): Business
Year graduated from MC: 2006
Current Title and Company Name: Controller, LeConte Medical Center
Responsibilities of the position:
I’m responsible for overseeing the month-end close process and subsequent preparation of Financial Statements and their review. I oversee the Capital and Operating Budget processes. I sit on several teams and committees whose functions range from analyzing the hospital’s revenue streams to approving new equipment for use in the hospital, as well as big picture initiatives like physician recruitment and long-term planning.
What you love most about what you do?
While sometimes people cringe when they think about Finance, I love being able to communicate the financial side of healthcare to my co-workers on the clinical side, and vice-versa. I really enjoying learning about the care the give patients and how they operate their departments, so it’s very enjoyable for me to be able to take care of and explain the finances while they focus on delivering excellent care.
Best advice for college students:
The best advice I ever got at MC was to take advantage of the opportunities that were presented to me. From studying abroad to internships, I think every bit of my experience helped prepare me for being a young professional in a business world that has been rocked in the past 5 years.
Favorite Course at MC:
My favorite courses were Principles of Finance and The Economic History of the U.S. Principles was a class where it all came together for me and I started to realize that I might be comfortable having a future in Finance. Economic History was a class that combined my sister’s major (History) and my major, so I found it incredibly interesting and it was delivered in a very conducive, fun format.
Plans for the near future:
In healthcare, the near future is so uncertain. Trying to stay on top of all the changes that the Healthcare Reform Act brings about will be key. And I’ll be starting my MBA in the spring.
Quick fact:
Dr. Sharon May received the Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award of 2006 from the Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics at The Ohio State University.
Social Sciences Division Life After MC
Building Community & Staying Sharp
Dr. Mark O’Gorman, Coordinator of the Environmental Studies program, worked with former professor Dr. Ben Cash and two MC students, including Environmental Studies major Melissa Wee ’08 on the Pistol Creek wetlands education project sponsored through a grant by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the City of Maryville. They made sustainable construction and maintenance recommendations to the city. The pavilion and walkways allow for educational trips to the urban wetland.
Students in Dr. Susan Ambler’s Spring, 2008, Social Problems class had their choice of two service-learning projects. One involved work with local agencies such as Good Samaritan Clinic, Haven House, and Boys and Girls Clubs of Blount County. Students took the role of a “sociologist participant/observer” and produced an analysis and evaluation of the nonprofit’s program. Another project involved doing research for the League of Women Voters and putting together a Voter’s Guide for the November, 2008, election.
Sociologist Dr. Susan Ambler is a co-founder of Just Connections, a regional network designed to foster collaboration among faculty from Appalachian colleges and community members. The aim is to promote community-based research on social justice issues and help build community capacity.
Students Matt Bertrand ‘09, Trey Brewer ‘09, Steven Elliott ‘08, Danielle Jones ‘09, and Aaron Jackson ‘03 comprise a Social Entrepreneurship Team developing a business plan for a service that could benefit the Appalachian area. They have been invited to attend the IDEAS conference on social entrepreneurship in April, 2008, at the University of Kentucky. Faculty supervisors are Dr. Clay Shwab and Dr. Mary Kay Sullivan.