BELK COLLEGE CONNECTS
spring 2013
NEWS BELK, INC. MAKES HISTORIC GIFT / SEE PAGE 3 FOR DETAILS /
No.
08
BIG DATA
DSBA provides talent, research solutions
INNOVATION MBA class sparks creativity
TOM TURNER College honors accounting stalwart
PRIYAN ATTYGALLE
Alumnus shares global perspective
CONTENTS 3
NEWS
9
STUDENTS
1 3
FACULTY
16
DONOR LIST
21
ALUMNI
ON THE COVER: Detail of “The Path to Understanding II,” a multi-media collage by Charlotte artist Rod Wimer, on display in the Friday Building. (See story, back cover) Photo by: Wade Burton
THE BELK COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
DEPARTMENT CHAIRS
CONTRIBUTORS
UNC Charlotte 9201 University City Boulevard Charlotte, NC 28223 belkcollege.uncc.edu
Hughlene Burton Accounting
Photography Wade Bruton, Charlotte Business Journal, Stephanie Chesson, John Daughtry/ LOF Productions, Kim Hummel
Cem Saydam B usiness Information Systems & Operations Management Jennifer Troyer E conomics
COLLEGE LEADERSHIP
Dolly King F inance
Steven H. Ott Dean
David Woehr M anagement
Richard Buttimer Associate Dean for Faculty & Research
Sunil Erevelles Marketing
Christie Amato Associate Dean for Graduate Programs
EXTERNAL RELATIONS STAFF
Daryl L. Kerr A ssociate Dean for Undergraduate Programs
Sasha Trosch E xecutive Director of External Relations Melissa Shelton D irector of Development
Graphic Design Crown Communications Writers P age Leggett, Bea Quirk, Sasha Trosch
bcc: (Belk College Connects) is published by the Belk College of Business at UNC Charlotte. To suggest story ideas, share feedback or change your mailing address, email belknews@uncc.edu.
20,000 copies of this public document were printed at a cost of $9,939.
Sarah Caron M arketing Manager
CORRECTION: Due to a proofreading error, we misidentified Dr. Alice Tseng in a photo caption in Issue #7 of bcc:. We sincerely regret the error.
bcc: NEWS
Belk, Inc. Donates $5 Million to Belk College Transformational Gift – the Largest in College History – to Expand Curriculum, Research, Student Opportunities STORY: Sasha Trosch
of Business have long benefited from the generosity and dedicated personal involvement of the Belk family and executives at Belk, Inc.,” said UNC Charlotte Chancellor Philip L. Dubois.
“This gift not only reinforces that very special relationship, but marks a new era in corporate-university partnerships for the college and the university.” While the Belk family and organization have long had personal and philanthropic ties to the college that bears their name, the $5 million gift marks a new level of collaboration – one that Chancellor Dubois
hopes will inspire other corporate leaders. “The gift we celebrate today will be instrumental in furthering the University’s position as a provider of a high-quality, high-value education focusing on programs that are responsive to the changing needs of the business community,” he said at the gift announcement. “It also supports the Belk College’s aspiration to be a preeminent public urban research school that fosters strategic partnerships with industry in this region.” Plans for the gift came together in a series of conversations between Chancellor Dubois and Belk College Dean Steven Ott with key Belk executives, including Belk College Board of Advisors member and Belk CFO Brian Marley, EVP for Human Resources Adam Orvos, VP of Customer Relationship Management Anu Brookins and EVP and General Counsel Ralph Pitts. The group came to see synergies between Belk, Inc.’s
BELK COLLEGE CONNECTS
February 12, 2013 was a red-letter day for the Belk College of Business. At a noontime press conference at UNC Charlotte’s center city campus attended by university dignitaries, alumni, business and community leaders, the college received the largest single gift in its history – a $5 million contribution from Belk, Inc. Belk, Inc. Chairman and CEO Thomas M. (Tim) Belk, Jr. and President John R. Belk announced the gift, which will support an exciting expansion of the college curriculum, including new initiatives focused on business innovation, data science and marketing analytics. Components of the gift include an endowed professorship in business innovation; an endowed chair in marketing analytics; a Belk Scholars program for undergraduate students; and faculty research and teaching grants. “UNC Charlotte and the Belk College
Photos: Stephanie Chesson
3
bcc: NEWS
Tim Belk announced Belk, Inc.’s $5 million contribution at the February press conference
Belk, Inc. Chairman and CEO Tim Belk (second from left) and COO Johnny Belk (right) pose with Chancellor Dubois and the Belk College department chairs and Dean’s Council
strategic initiatives and the Belk College’s plans for expanding its curriculum and research capabilities. “We were pleased to realize the convergences in our areas of interest,” said Dean Ott. “From there, the conversation evolved into how we could collaborate and support each other’s efforts.” Following the public announcement, Dean Ott hosted a celebration on campus where he outlined the details of the gift for Belk College faculty and staff. “This is a truly transformational gift for our college,” he said. “With the support of Belk, Inc. we can build on our strong reputation of collaboration with the business community by moving into new
areas of growth and opportunity. We want to be seen by Charlotte’s business community as the region’s school of choice for business education and to be recognized as a preeminent public urban research business school.” The UNC Charlotte gift was announced as Belk, Inc. prepared to commemorate the company’s 125th anniversary. “As we celebrate our 125th year in 2013, we are honoring our heritage while celebrating the future. This gift symbolizes both values,” explained Tim Belk. “This contribution honors our decades-long support of education, while it provides the foundation of future growth for the university’s Belk College of Business.”
Belk College Dean Steve Ott enjoyed the postannouncement reception with Board of Advisors member Michelle Menard ‘96
Belk College Dean’s Fellows David Plath and Kelsey Young, pictured here with Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs Daryl Kerr, helped announce the gift amount
BELK COLLEGE CONNECTS
gift CoMPonEnts
4
EndowEd ProfEssorshiP in BusinEss innovation
EndowEd Chair in MarkEting analytiCs
Building on a growing focus on innovation in business as well as Belk’s specific emphasis on this area, this faculty position will add expertise in the research and teaching of innovation – ideas and processes that add value to business, customers and society. In addition to creating curriculum and teaching courses on innovation, the professor will teach alongside Belk, Inc. associates and will serve as a liaison to the company for programs that support innovation. Matching funds from the State of North Carolina will be added to this endowment.
This faculty position will play a key role in development of the Data Science and Business Analytics (DSBA) Initiative being championed by UNC Charlotte, providing research and teaching expertise in the growing fields of customer analytics and customer relationship management. This professor will also help develop a learn-work-hire program for Belk College students to prepare participants for direct entry into the retail industry. Matching funds from the State of North Carolina will be added to this endowed faculty fund.
bcc: NEWS
A LEGACY OF PHILANTHROPY MEETS MODERN SOUTHERN STYLE Members of the Belk family have been involved with UNC Charlotte since its infancy. Thomas M. Belk served on the first Board of Trustees of Charlotte College, which later became UNC Charlotte. His brother John M. Belk, four-time mayor of Charlotte and chairman of Belk, Inc., served on the first Foundation Board for Charlotte College. A portrait of John and Tom Belk hangs in a prominent location in the Friday Building, the home of the Belk College on the main UNC Charlotte campus. Two other Belk brothers also played a role in the university’s history. William Henry Belk, Jr. served on the original advisory committee for the Charlotte Center, which would in 1949 become Charlotte College and later, UNC Charlotte. In 1965, North Carolina state senator Irwin “Ike” Belk introduced the legislation that would make UNC Charlotte the fourth university in the consolidated North Carolina system. Ike Belk has endowed scholarships and professorships at the university and has
commissioned more than 25 sculptures that grace the campus. The Belk name is on several landmarks at UNC Charlotte, most notably the distinctive Belk Tower and the Belk Gymnasium, named in honor of Tom and Katherine Belk and dedicated in 1987. In 1990, UNC Charlotte honored Belk, Inc. and the Belk family for their many contributions – both personal and philanthropic – to UNC Charlotte. Belk, Inc. and the Belk family provided the first truly transformative gift for the college of business – an endowment that resulted in the college being named in their honor. Tom Belk was the first chair of the Belk College Business Advisory Council in the 1990s, a position later held by his son Johnny in the early 2000s. John M. Belk made a significant gift to the college in 2003 to support the expansion of global programs. In 2012, the Belk Foundation made a lead gift to support the creation of the Student Center for Professional Development in the Belk College.
A 1987 photo of Thomas M. Belk, left, and John M. Belk, president and chairman, respectively, of Belk stores. The bust on the desk is of their father, William Henry Belk.
The most recent $5 million contribution – the largest single gift in the history of the college – was spearheaded by Belk, Inc. Chairman and CEO Tim Belk and President and COO Johnny Belk (sons of Tom Belk) and key company executives. This new era in corporate-university collaboration also reinforces the very special relationship between the Belk College and the Belk family and organization.
FACULTY RESEARCH AND TEACHING GRANTS
This program will identify undergraduate business students with high potential and groom them for careers in analytics and business innovation. Scholars will participate in a fast-track program that leads directly to a graduate program, with students encouraged to pursue the proposed Professional Science Masters (PSM) in Data Science and Business Analytics currently under development at UNC Charlotte.
These funds will support research and curriculum development by Belk College faculty in the areas of marketing analytics, customer analytics, customer relationship management and strategic innovation. Some research projects and educational offerings will be developed in partnership with Belk, Inc.
BELK COLLEGE CONNECTS
BELK SCHOLARS PROGRAM
5
bcc: NEWS
BELK COLLEGE CONNECTS
NEXT series explores IBM Watson technology
6
IBM’s revolutionary Watson technology took center stage at UNC Charlotte last fall through the Belk College of Business NEXT speaker series. The Watson artificial intelligence system revolutionized technology when it was introduced in 2011. Perhaps best known for its appearances on the television quiz show Jeopardy!, Watson is now being used to transform how organizations think, act, and operate in the future. Learning through interactions, it delivers evidence-based responses that drive better outcomes. Events at UNC Charlotte included a presentation to more than 400 undergraduate students; a presentation to graduate students, alumni and members of the business community; a technical seminar for doctoral and graduate students in computer science and business; and a workshop for faculty on introducing Watson into the curriculum. IBM selected UNC Charlotte to showcase their new “Watson at Work” university initiatives due to the university’s expertise and growing reputation in data science and business analytics. The Belk College’s NEXT speaker series explores “tomorrow’s ideas, today” by focusing on the ideas, people and trends driving what’s next in business. To learn more or join the NEXT mailing list, visit belkcollege.uncc.edu/next.
Keynote speaker, IBM executive Stephen Gold
“Technology like Watson means that today’s students will require new skills when they enter the job market … They will need to combine business skills and knowledge with advanced analytical techniques to compete successfully in the world economy.” DR. STEVE OTT Dean, Belk College of Business
BELK COLLEGE MBA RANKED BY U.S. NEWS AS TOP 50 PROGRAM The Belk College Master of Business Administration (MBA) program has been ranked among the top 50 parttime programs in the nation, according to the 2014 edition of Best Graduate Schools by U.S. News Media Group. UNC Charlotte tied for 50th place among 325 part-time programs in the annual ranking, moving up five spots from last year. The rankings are calculated based on responses by business school deans and MBA program directors, as well as students’ GMAT scores, work experience and undergraduate grade point averages. Other universities in UNC Charlotte’s tier include Creighton, DePaul, Marquette, Pepperdine, Purdue – West Lafayette, Connecticut and Villanova. “We’ve had our eye on the Top 50 ranking for a few years, so this is a great milestone for the Belk College of Business,” said Dean Steven Ott. “The college has been on an upward trajectory for the past few years, and it is always gratifying to be recognized as such by our peers.” Based at UNC Charlotte Center City, the MBA program enrolls more than 300 students. In addition to the MBA, the Belk College offers graduate degrees in accounting, economics, mathematical finance and real estate. For information on the UNC Charlotte MBA program, visit mba. uncc.edu. For more information about U.S. News’ Best Graduate Schools, visit usnews.com/grad2014.
bcc: NEWS
BELK COLLEGE, CCI JOIN FORCES IN HARNESSING THE I N FO R M AT I O N The Belk College has partnered with the College of Computing and Informatics (CCI) to develop an innovative solution to the challenges of the “Big Data” era. The Data Science and Business Analytics (DSBA) Initiative will consist of three pillars: interdisciplinary graduate degree programs to develop a talent pipeline of data scientists, business analysts and managers with a strong combination of technical and business skills; professional development programs to provide state-of-the-art training to executives in the strategic use of data; and an industry-university consortium to integrate academic research with business innovation. One of the signature programs of the DSBA is a proposed Professional Science Master’s degree (PSM) in data science and business analytics, which college officials hope will be approved in time to enroll its first class in the fall of 2014.
The colleges’ key corporate partners – including IBM, Bank of America, Carolinas Healthcare System, Lowe’s and Belk, Inc. – have been actively engaged in development of the DSBA, providing feedback on the proposed curriculum; explaining their challenges in identifying, recruiting and retaining analytics employees; and describing the key skills and attributes they look for in data science workforce talent. “There’s a great deal of interest in the DSBA among the business community,” said Dr. Christie Amato, Belk College associate dean for graduate programs. “Because data science and business analytics span across industries, we anticipate that graduates of the PSM will be in high demand with prospective employers.” Visit DSBA.uncc.edu for more information.
1.9 million
Two-thirds
$3.7 trillion
Big Data jobs will be created by 2015
of those jobs could go unfilled due to a lack of qualified talent
will be spent on IT globally in 2013, with investments in Big Data systems a primary driver
BELK COLLEGE CONNECTS
Source: Gartner forecast, October 2012 7
bcc: NEWS BELK COLLEGE BOARD OF ADVISORS
Belk College announces new advisory board members Two high-profile Belk College alumni have joined the college’s Board of Advisors, a group of accomplished business and civic leaders who work closely with the Belk College to build and strengthen relationships with the business community. Julie Harris ’00 is the CFO of Global Commercial Banking at Bank of America. She joined Bank of America in 2000 as a Finance MAP associate and subsequently held positions as VP, Manager and SVP, senior finance manager. Harris joined Treasury Finance in 2008. In her most recent positions she was first controller and then a senior finance manager leading the Corporate Treasury finance team. At UNC Charlotte, Harris majored in finance with a specific concentration in financial analysis and accounting. Harris is actively involved with the Levine Children’s Hospital and Women Executives, Charlotte chapter. She lives in Charlotte with her husband, Craig, and their two children. Mark F. Miller ’92 is senior vice president of Operational Finance for Novant Health, Inc. Prior to joining Novant in 2010, he served as CFO of Duke University Hospital. A CPA in the State of North Carolina, he earned a B.S. in Accounting from UNC Charlotte and an MBA from UNC Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. Miller began his career in public accounting with Arthur Andersen LLP in Charlotte, where he worked for eight years. He currently serves on the advisory board of Chapel Hill-based Grinnell Leadership and is a member of the N.C. Healthcare Financial Management Association. Miller lives in Winston-Salem with his wife, Susan – also a Belk College graduate – and their two children.
W. Henry Atkins Atkins Properties Marcia Avedon (Vice Chair) Ingersoll-Rand Wes Beckner BB&T Corp.
Tom Mathews Michelle Menard ‘97 Choice Translating, Inc. Mark F. Miller ‘92 Novant Health, Inc.
John P. Derham Cato ‘73 The Cato Corporation
Michael Mulligan (Chair) General Dynamics Armaments & Technical Products
Mark Copeland Ernst & Young
Linda Okowita Cogentrix Energy, Inc.
Theresa Drew Deloitte
David Parker Abbot Downing
Thomas M. Finke Babson Capital Management LLC
Jennifer Pollino
Tim Flanagan, Jr. Hinrichs Flanagan Financial Julie S. Harris ’00 Bank of America David Hauser, MBA ‘77 UNC Charlotte Trustee Robert E. James, Jr. Fifth Third Bank (N.C.)(retired) Richard Maltsbarger Lowe’s Companies, Inc. Brian T. Marley Belk, Inc. (retired) Matthew Martin Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Charlotte Branch
Joe L. Price ‘83 UNC Charlotte Trustee Bob Qutub ‘88 MSCI, Inc. Robert Rucho, DDS, MBA ‘94 North Carolina Senate David Shearer BDO Michael J. Smith Charlotte Center City Partners Jennifer Weber Duke Energy Dave Wedding ‘80 Grant Thornton, LLP Manuel Zapata MBA ‘72 Zapata Engineering
BELK COLLEGE CONNECTS
BARNHARDT LECTURE FEATURES HUGH MCCOLL
8
Hugh L. McColl Jr., retired chairman and CEO of Bank of America, was the featured speaker at the Barnhardt Lecture on Ethics and The World of Business last December. McColl spoke on balancing shareholder interests at the event, which is sponsored by the Center for Professional and Applied Ethics at UNC Charlotte and supported by the Belk College and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Pictured, from left: Dr. Denis Arnold, Surtman distinguished scholar in ethics in the Belk College; Mr. McColl; Dr. Rosie Tong, director of the Center for Professional and Applied Ethics; UNC Charlotte Chancellor Philip L. Dubois; and Belk College Dean Steve Ott.
bcc: STUDENTS
NEW CENTER AIMS TO BOOST STUDENTS’ CAREER PROSPECTS
semester freshman enrolled in Introduction to Business and Professional Development, which will eventually become a required course for all freshmen. The SCPD also gives students access to a support network made up of an academic advisor and a career advisor, and they can attend workshops on topics such as email etiquette, how to dress in the workplace and networking. These may be “soft” skills, but employers say they are essential. Students also have access to special internship and study-abroad opportunities. In fact, experiential learning – including job shadowing, internships and career placement – is an important component of the SCPD. Henderson focuses much of her time on developing relationships with employers who need business students to serve as interns. Students get three credit hours for a semester’s work and generally put in about 20 hours a week on the job. She reports that some of Charlotte’s largest employers – including Bank of America, TIAA-CREF, Wells Fargo and Chiquita – are enthusiastic supporters. Additionally, the college has developed an exclusive partnership with Walmart’s operational compliance team, which is based in Charlotte. The SCPD’s support services and programs are designed to help students discover their passion early in their college careers and take the steps to prepare for a career they’re suited for. Hopkins describes the center’s approach as “very intentional” and says the program will help students determine their interests and strengths well before they declare their major. The required course for freshmen is just the beginning. The center’s services are available to all business students through their senior year. While the SCPD helps
SCPD Director Kristine Hopkins (left) and Assistant Director Corey Henderson (right) are developing the SCPD’s programs and services
WANT TO LEARN MORE? Visit the Student Center on the web at belkcollege.uncc.edu/SCPD. Alumni who would like to get involved with the SCPD may contact Corey Henderson at chende33@uncc.edu.
prepare business students for internships and coaches them on interviewing skills, formal recruiting is still handled through the University Career Center. There’s a place for Belk College alumni who want to be involved in the SCPD, Henderson says. For example, an alumnus could write a blog post about their business and the skills they look for in new hires or host a workshop. Alumni can also participate in an SCPD “executive minute clinic,” where professionals can spend 30 minutes talking to students about topics such as interpersonal skills, developing a personal brand, using social media in the job search, networking and time management. Belk College graduates are expected to have mastered the finer points of accounting, finance and marketing. But employees say it’s just as important for graduates to demonstrate strong leadership skills as well. Thanks to the SCPD, Belk College graduates are going to have both, and that’s a pretty powerful combination.
BELK COLLEGE CONNECTS
The Belk College of Business has developed a reputation for producing graduates with all the right technical skills. But employers today are demanding other skills to complement what’s taught in the classroom. Now, thanks to contributions from The Belk Foundation and alumnus Mark Doughton and his wife Susan, Kristine Hopkins is building a comprehensive professional development program for undergraduate students in the Belk College – the Student Center for Professional Development. Hopkins, who previously served as director of undergraduate advising for the Belk College, says students have already embraced the concept. “Business students are pragmatic,” she says. “This concept makes sense to them. It’s very practical.” The goal of the SCPD is to give graduates an advantage in the job market. To ensure that its offerings are relevant to what businesses need, employers were actively consulted during the development stage. “We asked employers what they were looking for,” said Corey Henderson, the program’s assistant director. “Their feedback helped us shape the programming.” Feedback from the business community actually helped inspire the program. “Employers are telling many business schools that while graduates have a solid understanding of business concepts, they often lack the practical professional knowledge and experiences they need to be successful in the workplace,” Belk College Dean Steven Ott said at the time the Belk Foundation and Doughton gifts were announced. Hopkins is using what she calls a “measured rollout” of the program. It began this year with a pilot group of second-
STORY: Page Leggett
9
bcc: STUDENTS
INSPIRATION • IDEATION • CREATION
BELK COLLEGE CONNECTS
Innovation course encourages MBA students to bring creativity to business
10
Businesses have long recognized the value of creativity and “thinking outside the box” for maintaining a thriving enterprise, one that can adapt quickly to change and anticipate new opportunities. A growing number of companies have taken this one step further, creating corporate cultures that not only foster innovation, but include systems to ensure that new ideas are turned into products that successfully reach the marketplace. The Belk College MBA program has embraced this approach as well, both as a way of operating and as a subject of instruction. And so last fall semester, the program offered a new elective course – “Bringing Innovation to Life: Idea to Inception.” The course was led by Dr. Christie Amato, Belk College associate dean for graduate programs and professor of marketing, along with John Tuders, a professional working in the innovation field. A Belk College MBA alumnus, Tuders is a senior vice president and consumer product and payments innovation executive with Bank of America. The goal of the course was to show MBA students how to make the most of the ideation process and then follow up that process with a sales pitch within their company to get the resources required to bring their ideas to fruition. It hit a home run with its 16 students. “I’m down to my last few electives, and I was looking for something different,” says Todd Phillips, vice president of marketing for Snyder’s-Lance, Inc. “I’ve been in marketing for many years, and this class was truly something out of the ordinary. I learned new processes; it stretched me in terms of thinking creatively; and taught me how to develop a case to sell an innovation to management.” “The class wasn’t just focused on products,
but on the whole innovation process from end to end,” says Lydia Makokha, who just began working on her MBA. “I liked that the professors came from different backgrounds. And they were always there for us to ask questions both in class and afterwards.” Makokha works for Bank of America in global technology and operations.
“Charlotte’s push into the innovation space is phenomenal, and [this course] has laid the foundation.” - John Tuders
Dr. Amato was looking for ways to help students think atypically and then be able to put those “Aha!” moments to work within their companies. “In the last century, companies have been looking for more efficient ways to do things, and they have pretty much reached their limit,” she observes. “Today, for companies looking to be competitive in the globallyconnected environment, innovation is incredibly important – it’s a key to success. Companies can’t keep doing what they have been doing. “It’s all about nurturing creativity to unleash the power to bring into existence something that was not there before,” she adds. Adds Tuders, “I refer to the course as ‘the soup-to-nuts of innovation.’ And it’s
STORY: Bea Quirk
not just theoretical, but practical. UNC Charlotte’s push into the innovation space is phenomenal, and this course has laid the foundation. “I brought the banking community Dr. Christie Amato to the school, and Dr. Amato and I played off each other well,” he adds. “I’ve had a ball teaching this course,” says Dr. Amato, who plans to offer it again. For Dr. Amato, John Tuders, MBA ‘01 what makes innovation so valuable is not just the creation of a new product, but also the process of bringing it to market, where it is accepted and increases revenues. For example, it was programmers at Xerox who first developed the Graphical User Interface (GUI), the now ubiquitous point-and-click, icon-driven system used to operate computers and other electronic devices. But they didn’t recognize its potential. So they gave it to Steve Jobs. And the rest, as they say, is history. “Jobs said that people don’t know what they want; you have to tell them,” Amato notes. “That was the Apple mystique.” In addition, being innovative goes beyond simply creating a team that recognizes the power and potential of new products and knows how to successfully launch them. It also means accepting failure. “You can’t be creative without making mistakes,” Amato says. “But an innovative company will fail early and fast when it is
bcc: STUDENTS STUDENT NEWS BRIEFS The UNC Charlotte chapter of Enactus, the student organization formerly known as SIFE, recently won the organization’s annual regional competition. The chapter marked its tenth anniversary this year and has won regionals every year. The UNC Charlotte Enactus team participated in the national competition in May. As part of its rebranding, Enactus has defined itself as “a community of student, academic and business leaders committed to using the power of entrepreneurial action to transform lives and shape a better more sustainable world.” The UNC Charlotte chapter has spent the past year working with a Mooresville, N.C. resident who is building an orphanage in Ecuador, creating a fundraising campaign and business plan for the non-profit organization.
Christopher Canady, a senior management major, was selected for an operations compliance internship with Walmart, which has its East Coast operations center in Charlotte. This competitive internship is available to junior and senior management majors who have completed the Managerial Ethics course with a grade of B or better.
Ashleigh Thornton, a senior marketing major, was a finalist for the Charlotte Chamber’s first Young Professionals Awards in the entrepreneurship category. Ashleigh is the founder of NoireNaturals, a natural hair-care product manufacturing company. She also was featured in the November 2012 edition of Seventeen magazine.
Fahad Firdausi and Zhon Coleare, students in the Belk College’s Certificate in Entrpreneurship program, were recently featured in UCity Reach magazine. The article spotlighted their new company, Word Billy, which they created as a result of the program and support from Ventureprise, the small business incubator associated with UNC Charlotte.
BELK COLLEGE CONNECTS
less expensive – and when it doesn’t lose its credibility. The thing is to learn when and how to fail, to recover from it and move forward.” A company embracing innovation also has to accept that it can’t measure its effectiveness or usefulness with traditional metrics. And just because a team isn’t producing quantifiable results on a regular basis, it doesn’t mean they’re not John Tudors and Dr. Amato (back row) invited local corporate innovation doing anything. leaders to participate in a panel discussion in the MBA innovation class “Companies can no longer take a mechanistic approach to business and view it simply as a well-oiled about money. It’s a research method called machine,” Amato says. “So some companies ethnography – the observers watch how are slow moving into this new space. But they subjects use artifacts. “It’s a rich process that cannot be truly successful unless they adapt looks at subtle clues about how people solve and embrace innovation.” problems,” Amato says. That doesn’t necessarily mean doing away Once the data was collected, each with data-driven decisions. Rather, says team held ideation sessions to discuss Amato, “It’s how you look at the data and possible solutions, then developed make sense of it.” Employees need to be prototype products and ways to test them. encouraged to look at things in unusual and Then they came up with a marketing new ways and not be afraid of losing their plan that included writing a business jobs or not getting a promotion if they say case and figuring out the metrics for a something unorthodox or unconventional. successful launch. Amato and Tuders used a variety of Each group made a 30- to 45-minute teaching tools to ensure their students truly presentation to their classmates, similar to grasped these concepts. what they might make to their bosses in a In addition to lectures, the course featured work environment. presentations by representatives from “Other classes have rigid expectations – companies known for their innovation efforts, but in this class our grades were related to such as Belk, Chiquita, Carolinas HealthCare the creativity of the presentation, not just System and Bank of America. the content. It was all about utilizing the Field work was another major component. material from our research and expressing The students were split into four teams of four, it back in a creative way,” Phillips says. “It and they were given a project from Bank of makes me pause when I give presentations America. (Under a signed agreement, the bank now, so they are about effectiveness and owns any products or services created as a creativity. The class was a great change of result.) “It was a great way for the college and pace – it has balanced my thinking style.” the bank to come together,” Tuders says. Makokha agrees. “I learned more than I Tuders says the bank wanted to explore expected and gained insights I can take back products for youth and children aged 7-15. to work and apply. I wish other classes let us Students were instructed to explore the tools get our hands dirty. We were learning and families use, and need, to make financial applying it at the same time to make it stick. decisions and what role bank customers’ That made everything more real.” children play in this process. As a first step in their fieldwork, students observed families performing financial activities and how they talk to their children
11
bcc: STUDENTS
Graduate marketing campaign focuses on
BELK COLLEGE CONNECTS
“EVEN HIGHER EDUCATION”
12
UNC Charlotte recently launched a marketing campaign to raise the visibility of the university’s graduate programs. The “Even Higher Education” campaign aims to educate the community and prospective students on the wide array of graduate degree programs offered at the university. The campaign features various individuals associated with the graduate programs – faculty, students, alumni and community leaders – with each of the seven university colleges taking a turn in the spotlight. The Belk College’s contribution to the campaign highlights the college’s strong ties to the business community. The star of the ad is Charlotte real estate developer H.C. “Smoky” Bissell, a longtime UNC Charlotte supporter and former chair of the Board of Trustees. Bissell was instrumental in efforts to establish a graduate curriculum in real estate in the Belk College. “Mr. Bissell was a perfect example of the business and community leaders who have lent their support to UNC Charlotte through the years,” said Sarah Caron, Belk College marketing manager, who served on the graduate campaign planning committee. “Those relationships provide a real competitive advantage for the college, because these VIPs take an active interest in our students’ success.” The campaign is designed to drive traffic to a special website, evenhighereducation.uncc.edu, where more information is available. While brand awareness is the first step, the campaign team hopes to convert web traffic into enrollment by providing opportunities for prospective students to request information and interact with faculty and staff. “This campaign complements the Belk College’s existing student recruitment efforts,” said Sasha Trosch, Belk College executive director of external relations. “By spotlighting our talented faculty, successful alumni and strong community connections, we have the opportunity to inform the community about the incredible educational resources available at their hometown university.”
T H I N K I N G A BOU T G RAD SC HOOL? The Belk College offers graduate degrees in accounting, business administration (MBA), economics, mathematical finance and real estate. To learn more, visit belkcollege.uncc.edu/connect.
bcc: FACULTY Faculty study takes
“Big Pharma”to task
with adult content, primarily ED ads, can only be broadcast at times of day when 90 percent of the viewing audience is 18 or older. The study uses Nielsen audience composition data to show that none of the companies followed this principle for any quarter during the four-year period under review. “This probably doesn’t come as a surprise to parents who watch sports or the news with their children,” Arnold said. “But our data makes it plain that the companies are not meeting their own standards.” The study found widespread non-compliance with many of the nine principles that were evaluated. “Our research was grounded in two basic ideas,” Arnold explained. “First, that executive commitment to internal ethics programs is an indication that the program is taken seriously by the company and therefore integrated into organizational practices; and second, that self-regulatory schemes don’t work unless there are explicit sanctions for violating them. In this case there was a tension, since there was executive commitment but no sanctions.” Drs. Arnold and Oakley’s analysis found that rather than a serious effort to facilitate the education of consumers, the guiding principles were often ignored, putting consumers at possible risk and exposing children to inappropriate content. “Cumulatively, our data shows that ED marketing campaigns fail to responsibly
Denis Arnold
educate consumers about health conditions and appropriate treatments,” Dr. Arnold said. “Instead of facilitating a balancing of interests between company profits and public health, the illusion of industry selfregulation is primarily serving the interest of pharmaceutical companies at the expense of the public’s interest in genuine health education and welfare.” The paper got traction in traditional media, but was of particular interest to publications and blogs that follow the pharmaceutical industry. “The companies took notice,” Dr. Arnold said. “The three manufacturers most involved with marketing these drugs each issued formal press releases in response, as did PhRMA, the industry trade group that developed the guiding principles that the companies have committed to comply with. “The responses varied from statements that they would look into their marketing practices, to pledges to try harder, to denial,” he continued. “We need to hold companies to their public commitments, especially when these commitments are made by ethics officers and CEOs. When companies betray the public trust, they lose moral legitimacy.” The study was funded by a Belk College research grant, made possible with private donations to the college and by the Surtman Foundation.
L E A R N M OR E Denis Arnold and Jim Oakley discussed their study on “Charlotte Talks,”a public affairs radio program, in February. To hear their interview, visit www.wfae.org/post/pharmaceutical-marketing
BELK COLLEGE CONNECTS
Belk College management professor Denis Arnold, the Surtman Distinguished Scholar in business ethics, recently published an article in a high-profile journal which concluded that the pharmaceutical industry’s marketing selfregulation is “an industry-sponsored ruse.” The article generated significant media buzz and formal responses from the companies and the industry’s trade group. The paper, “The Politics and Strategy of Industry Self-Regulation: The Pharmaceutical Industry’s Principles for Ethical Direct-to-Consumer Advertising as a Deceptive Blocking Strategy,” was published in the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law in February. The paper was co-authored by Dr. James Oakley, a former Belk College professor who now holds a faculty appointment at Montana State University. Drs. Arnold and Oakley studied the marketing campaigns for erectile dysfunction (ED) drugs over a four-year period, 2006 to 2010. These products are brands wellknown to just about anyone who owns a TV: Viagra, manufactured and marketed by Pfizer; Cialis, manufactured and marketed by Eli Lilly; and Levitra, manufactured by Bayer Healthcare and jointly marketed by Bayer Healthcare, GlaxoSmithKline and Merck. All of these companies have certified compliance with the “PhRMA Guiding Principles,” developed by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America trade organization and first introduced in 2005. The principles are supposed to help ensure that television commercials touting prescription drugs engage in public health education, rather that traditional marketing, and protect children from adult content. One of the principles stipulates that ads
STORY: Sasha Trosch
13
bcc: FACULTY FACULTY NEWS BRIEFS NEW FACULTY EXPAND BELK COLLEGE TEACHING, RESEARCH AND SERVICE
BELK COLLEGE CONNECTS
The Belk College welcomed six new full-time professors this academic year. Stephen Billings, assistant professor of economics, earned a Ph.D. from the University of Victor Zitian Chen Stephen Billings Colorado at Boulder. His research focuses on the nexus between local government and urban economics and has included studies on the role of enterprise zone tax credits in firm location decisions. Victor Zitian Chen, assistant professor of international Karen Ford-Eickhoff W. Scott Frame management, received his Ph.D. from Simon Fraser University. He has been active in both the international economic and commercial arenas and is an associate with the Vale Columbia Center on Sustainable Paul Gaggl Kristen Luttecke International Investment. Karen Ford-Eickhoff, clinical assistant professor of management, joined the Belk College from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Her research interests include strategic decision making, leadership, and organizational design. W. Scott Frame, professor of finance, joined the Belk College from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta where he was a financial economist and senior policy advisor. While at the Federal Reserve, he was a consultant to the President’s Council of Economic Advisers on housing finance-related issues. Paul Gaggl, assistant professor of economics, teaches macroeconomic theory, money and banking, and macroeconomic policy. His primary research interests include macro, monetary, and financial economics, with a special focus on macroeconomic policy issues. He earned a Ph.D. from the University of California at Davis. Kristen Luttecke, assistant professor of accounting, joined the Belk College from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Her research focuses on financial intermediaries and equity compensation. A licensed CPA, Dr. Luttecke earned a Ph.D. at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
14
Lloyd Blenman, professor of finance, has been appointed editor of the Quarterly Journal of Finance and Accounting, a rated finance journal. He also has been elected president of the Midwest Finance Educational Foundation. Richard Buttimer, associate dean for faculty and research and professor of finance, received the 2012 Best Paper Award from the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association. “The Adjustable Balance Mortgage: Reducing the Value of Put” was published in Real Estate Economics. An article by Scott Frame, professor of finance, has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Applied Finance. “The Devil’s in the Tail: Residential Mortgage Finance and the U.S. Treasury” outlines policy issues surrounding government intervention in secondary mortgage markets. Janaki Gooty, assistant professor of management, published: “Use and misuse of levels of analysis in leadership research: An illustrative review of leader-member exchange” in Leadership Quarterly. An article by Jared Hansen, assistant professor of marketing, has been accepted by the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science: “Competence Resource Specialization, Causal Ambiguity, and the Creation and Decay of Competitiveness: The Role of Marketing Strategy in New Product Development and Shareholder Value.” Jeremiah Nelson, director of graduate student services, and assistant director Lisa Thomson were presenters at the annual conference of the National Association of Graduate Admissions Professionals (NAGAP). Steven Rogelberg, professor of management and director of the Ph.D. program in organizational science, has been appointed a research and science officer with the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Peter Schwarz, professor of economics, recently travelled to Taiwan to make presentations on energy pricing and demand to several groups, including the Commerce Development Research Institute and National Chi Nan University. Sasha Trosch, executive director of external relations, has been elected chair of the Board of Directors of Hands On Charlotte.
ORGANIZATIONAL SCIENCE PH.D., ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT NATIONALLY RANKED The Organizational Science program at UNC Charlotte – a collaboration between the Belk College and the College of Arts & Sciences – was recently ranked tenth in the nation, according to research conducted at Auburn University. The paper rank-ordered Ph.D. programs based on faculty research productivity between 2002-12 in top scholarly journals in management, applied psychology and organizational behavior.
A recent issue of the Southern Economics Journal ranked UNC Charlotte in the top 20 percent of all universities offering Economics majors, based on research productivity and publications. UNC Charlotte was ranked 125th for the 2002-2009 time period, a 79 spot improvement over 1994-2001. This ranking puts UNC Charlotte ahead of all North Carolina institutions except Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, and N.C. State.
bcc: FACULTY
TOM TURNER:
NOT THE RETIRING TYPE
BUILDING A LEGACY Tom Turner arrived at UNC Charlotte in 1966 – just one year after the institution
became part of the UNC system. He insisted that a strong accounting program had to begin with strong teachers. And he had a hand in hiring many of those teachers, some of whom remain with the program today. Dr. Howard Godfrey, a member of the accounting faculty for 39 years who was hired by Turner, says it was Turner’s insistence on great teaching that created an indomitable department. Godfrey says Turner’s commitment to students went beyond the classroom. He says Turner insisted that “faculty should help students acquire the knowledge and skills for career success.” Turner was known as a tough teacher. “Even the intro course he taught was extremely rigorous,” says Gene Johnson. “He insisted on preparing his students for a tough profession.” But he went about that with a certain gentleness. Turner’s goal was always, he says, to bring out the best in students. “Every class began with a lecture, but I always got students involved by posing questions,” he said. “I encouraged them to speak up and ask questions themselves.” He also had a gift. “He made complex things understandable,” says Johnson, who worked as Turner’s student assistant his senior year. “Everyone loved him. He was just the best of the best.”
THE VALUE OF HARD WORK If there’s another legacy Turner left his students, it’s the importance of ethics. “He preached ethics,” says Johnson. “He was insistent on doing it the right way.” He also served on the professional ethics committee of the N.C. Association of Certified Public Accountants. Turner taught more than 2,000
accounting students in his day and had at least 19 graduates earn medals for outstanding performance on the CPA examination. That means those students ranked either first, second or third in the state. Turner retired from UNC Charlotte in 1991, but – like the sports fan he is – he’s remained a devoted follower of the school and 49er athletics. That’s not surprising, given that he thought sports were essential to campus life. “He believed strongly that sports were part of the college experience,” Johnson says. As chairman of the UNC Charlotte Faculty Athletic Committee for more than 20 years, Turner was the university’s representative to the NCAA. Tom Turner’s legacy shines in the success of UNC Charlotte’s accounting department. He trained a generation of accountants to work hard, do the right thing and have a full, active life outside the classroom and the office. His presence is still felt all over campus – on running trails, on playing fields and on basketball courts. Now, thanks to the campaign, future generations of accountants will know what Tom Turner meant to the university he loved.
PAY TR I B UT E TO TO M TUR N E R To make a contribution to the endowment fund established in Tom Turner’s honor, please contact Melissa Shelton, director of development: melissa.shelton@uncc.edu.
BELK COLLEGE CONNECTS
Tom Turner, the father of UNC Charlotte’s accounting program, never fit the buttoned-up, bean-counter stereotype. He’s always had a wry sense of humor. The man who almost single-handedly built the Accounting Department into a premier program is known as much for giving people a good-natured hard time as he is for teaching. He’s never been one to hole up in his office with his calculator and spreadsheets, either. One of his former students and a long-time friend, Belk College alumnus and UNC Charlotte Trustee Gene Johnson ’73 says he recalls his accounting professor running all the time. “You’d see him around campus running, and you’d think, ‘He really takes care of himself. Maybe I ought to follow his lead,’” Johnson said. Johnson followed Tom Turner’s lead in many ways. He’s also become a kind of unofficial guardian of the legacy of his friend and professor. Johnson and his wife, Vickie (herself an accounting graduate, class of ’71) are the driving forces behind a fundraising campaign that will pay tribute to their former teacher. The Johnsons helped kick off the capital campaign last November with a dinner at the Carriage Club, where Turner lives, and have made a lead gift towards the $200,000 goal. The campaign will support a major renovation to the Accounting Department conference room, an endowed scholarship and supplemental funding for the Thomas C. Turner Teaching Award, presented annually to an accounting faculty member.
STORY: Page Leggett
15
bcc: DONORS $20,000 AND HIGHER
BELK COLLEGE CONNECTS
The Belk College extends sincere gratitude to the individuals, foundations and corporations that supported the college in the 2011-12 fiscal year. Your generosity allows us to recruit and support promising students, attract and retain top faculty, develop new academic programs, and expand our reach in the community. We have made every attempt to ensure the accuracy of the donor list; however, please accept our sincere apologies for any omissions or errors. Please contact Melissa Shelton, director of development, at melissa.shelton@uncc.edu if you have any questions.
16
Babson Capital Management LLC The Belk Foundation Childress Klein Properties, Inc. Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina, Inc. John Crosland, Jr. Donor Advised Fund Shelco, Inc. Charitable Fund
$7,500 to $19,999 Fifth Third Bancorp K & L Gates LLP N.C. Surplus Lines Association North Carolina Chapter of CCIM Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP Kathleen McAvoy Qutub and Robert Qutub ‘88 RIMS Carolinas Chapter Mattye B. Silverman and Marc Silverman Southeastern Insurance Institute, Inc. Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice LLP
Linda Okowita Lynn Parker and David M. Parker Jennifer Pollino PricewaterhouseCoopers Foundation The John Lewis Endowed Scholarship Fund Time Warner Cable U.S. Bancorp Foundation University City Partners David Lewis Wedding ‘80 Karen J. Zapata ‘75 and Manuel L. Zapata ‘69, ‘72 Bryan Paul Zeiss ‘02
$5,000 to $7,499 Bank of America Charitable Foundation, Inc. Batson-Cook Company Charlotte Region Commercial Board of Realtors® CliftonLarsonAllen LLP Concrete Supply Company Susan Renee DeVore ‘80 Frozen and Refrigerated Food Council of N.C. Grant Thornton Foundation I.R.E.M. King & Spalding LLP George L. Maloomian NAIOP Charlotte The Duke Energy Foundation
$1,000 to $2,499 AT&T Foundation BDO USA, LLP Blair, Bohle & Whitsitt, PLLC Elliott S. Bryant ‘85 Carolinas Surety Association Chandler Concrete Company, Inc. Charlotte Association of Insurance Professionals Choice Translating Janet V. Conboy and Richard M. Conboy, Ph.D. Deloitte Foundation Dickson Foundation, Inc. Ernst & Young, LLP Anthony J. Forman ‘81 Stephanie G. Good ‘03 and James Edward Good ‘03, ‘04 Grant Thornton, LLP Richard A. Grimstad, III ‘05, ‘07 H.J. Cofer, Jr. Scholarship Fund Lisa Renée Hardee ‘11 Nancy S. Hauser ‘77 and David Lee Hauser ‘77 Hinrichs Flanagan Financial IBM International Foundation Icon Medical LLC Independent Insurance Agents of Charlotte Mecklenburg Integra Realty Resources Charlotte Carol P. Lowe ‘87
$2,500 to $4,999 Robert P. Brownlie C.P.C.U. Loman Educational Foundation Cardinal Real Estate Partners, LLC Jane Greeson Cato and John P. Derham Cato ‘73 Charlotte Chapter of CPCU, Inc. Amy Louise Clement ‘10 Neil Cotty Deloitte Services LP Thomas M. Finke Fara S. Maltsbarger and Richard D. Maltsbarger Myers & Chapman, Inc. NCPRIMA
Lowe’s Companies, Inc. Marc and Mattye Silverman Family Foundation MassMutual Financial Group N.C. State Board of CPA Examiners Vivian Adele Nix ‘04 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP The Prudential Foundation Brian J. Schoeck Students in Free Enterprise Tax Executives Institute Jill S. Tietjen ‘79 Warren & Associates Wells Fargo Foundation Mildred L. West ‘81 $500 to $999 Robert Aiken ‘92 Darla D. Albert ‘83 Robert Lee Anderson ‘74, ‘79 Jefferson W. Brown Corriher & Michael, PLLC George G. Dais Steven Michael Durham ‘80 Theodore Scott Fischer ‘98, ‘04, ‘10 Clara S. Hahn Heritage House Realty, Inc. Steven L. Hyland ‘72, ‘80 John T. Kopfle ‘83 KPMG Foundation Jason Edward Lackey ‘97 Fannie Lappir Virginia Ruth Long ‘82 Susan P. Miller ‘91 Jennifer Ashley Parlier ‘05 PPC Foundation Timothy Alan Ralston ‘09 Dustin C. Read, Ph.D. ‘08 Ann L. Shaffer ‘84 Mark V. Thigpen Mary T. Valenta ‘96
bcc: DONORS Allen P. Watson ‘81 Wine Vault Teresa M. Zeigler ‘03
Joshua Ervin Lemke ‘11 Catherine J. Lewis Fred N. Liles ‘85 Barbara Beggs Littell ‘90 Timothy Alan Loesch ‘04 John M. Love ‘83 Mark Charles Luckey ‘93 Alyce Jayne Machak ‘07 Matthew Martin William Ralph McCollum ‘83 Nicole Renee McCoy ‘94 R. Wayne McGee ‘73 Deirdre Lachelle McGlone-Webb ‘83 Melinda Meade-White and John D. White ‘76 George N. Miller Chris Miller Peter T. Milliones Kristen Salls Mills ‘98 and Steven Richard Mills ‘98 Wylie Mitchell Kimberly Elaine Moore ‘95 Elizabeth M. Morris ‘82 John P. Mosca Keith Brian Moses ‘88 Zuzana L. Murphey ‘06 N.C. Association of CPAs Faith Roberts Neale Edwin Tyler Niblack ‘03 Valerie Regina Nixon ‘92 Patrick J. Oberer ‘93 Christopher S. O’Connor, III ‘98, ‘01 William Porter O’Herron ‘66 Julia Lynne Patton ‘06 Paula Ann Paul ‘09 Dravsia Paula and Daniel Henrique Seixas Paula ‘08 Christine Perkins and Henry Perkins Susanne L. Philippson Stephen R. Philpott ‘81 Scott Lawrence Poff ‘87 Lewis Preston C. Douglas Ralston ‘77 Debra Lee Ransom ‘81 Jeffrey M. Reaves ‘79 James Rizzo ‘97 Stephen B. Robison Tracey Carr Rossman ‘88 John Sydney Rowe ‘90 Richard Wallace Roycroft ‘94 Marianne Kisly Sadowski ‘82 Siraj Negash Salih ‘02 Adam Kendall Santos ‘06 Susan Christine Sanzari ‘95 Donna Roman Sappington ‘85 and John R. Sappington ‘87 Jeffrey Troy Sawyers ‘92 William Schworm Susan C. Shellhorn ‘84
David J. Shortridge, Jr. ‘96 Lee H. Shrum and Ray B. Shrum ‘73 Elizabeth K. Sidell ‘89 and Bruce Sidell M. Ward Simmons, Jr. ‘79 David Eric Sites ‘99 Frances F. Skenderis Jamie David Sledge ‘92 Daniel Lee Smith ‘05 John Edward Stack, III ‘84 Richard W. Stade ‘78 Dawn Marie Stafford ‘82 Greg Steele ‘93 Cindy L. Stellute ‘83 Jo Anna Stephens ‘85 Carol Jean P. Stogner ‘91 Ruth Halter Straley ‘95 Lynn R. Sullivan ‘85 Shailin Vijay Suthar ‘09 Stephen Young Sweet ‘72 Brian David Swilling ‘03 Cynthia Sue Taylor ‘85 Charles Edward Teal ‘86 The Vanguard Group Foundation Gary Bruce Thomas ‘71 John Gordon Thomas, II ‘09 Torrie J. Thompson and James A. Thompson ‘81 Scott Allen Tilley ‘88 Savio V. Tran ‘02 Patrick A. Travers ‘95 Samuel M. Underwood ‘77 VITEX, Inc. Gary Lee Voncannon ‘89, ‘95 Peggy S. Wagstaff ‘82 and Donald E. Wagstaff, Jr. ‘74 Erika P. Walters-Engemann Thomas J. Ward Gavin Patrick Warner ‘09 Brett L. Waters ‘83 Kimberly Watson Stephen H. Watson ‘82 Wells Fargo Community Support Barrie L. Wiggins ‘82 Stephanie Park Wilson ‘08, ‘09 Shelia A. Wilson ‘99 Jennifer E. Woodward ‘91 Susan McNally Workley ‘92 Stephen Michael Yeh ‘09 Laura Grifenhagen Zhiss ‘97 Up to $100 Patrick M. Adkisson ‘08 Janet F. Ahern ‘82 Gregory M. Alcorn ‘90 Teresa Brickner Alderman ‘82 Paula D. Alexander ‘85 Alexander & Baldwin Foundation Gina Carpenter Alion ‘91 Kimberley Pressley Allen ‘87 and Steven Ray Allen ‘86
BELK COLLEGE CONNECTS
$100 to $499 Allison Transou Abernethy ‘01 Altria Group, Inc. Gary J. Anderson Louis Andre, III ‘01 AOL Matching Gifts Program Aon Foundation Terri Wright Arnold ‘78 Scott C. Barnes ‘95 Jimmy Edward Barrett, Jr. ‘79 Alicia Bess Bartosch ‘05, ‘06 and Geoffrey Adam Bartosch ‘04, ‘06 Earl W. Baucom ‘69 Amy Palazzo Berdahl ‘98 Robert L. Blackwelder ‘82 Matthew Josiah Boling ‘09 Robin Lankford Bornkamp ‘91, ‘95 and Allan W. Bornkamp ‘92 Trenton Ray Bost ‘90 Deborah Appling Brannan ‘84 and Robert B. Brannan, III ‘84 Angela H. Broadway ‘90 Nancy Hovis Brown ‘87 David Earl Burch ‘78 Julie Wall Burris ‘90 Jennifer Green Byerly ‘94 Steven Pinkney Bynum ‘83, ‘91 Henry Carson Byrd, III ‘59 Krista G. Cahoon ‘98, ‘04 Bill Campbell ‘73 Ruth P. Campbell ‘96 William Edmond Carlin ‘03 James T. Cavalaris Ronald Kah Chang ‘91 Andy I. Chen ‘08 John E. Childers, Jr. ‘91 Kelly P. Clark ‘83 Shirley S. Coleman ‘97 Shannon Moorhead Coley ‘00 James Richard Connors ‘87 Natalie N. Corrigan ‘94 Rusty Corzine, Jr. ‘88 John N. Couchell ‘83 Debora V. Cox and Robert S. Cox ‘80 Susan O. Coxe and William S. Coxe ‘77 Juanita M. Craig ‘84 Kevin Douglas Cross ‘90 Shenita Gilmore Cunningham ‘82 Raymond Edward Curry, Jr. ‘03 Melba W. Daniels and Eric E. Daniels ‘87 Mark Alan Davis ‘89 Cheryl Crews Dillard ‘88 and Alan E. Dillard Pamela Shannon Dodd ‘74 and Terry L. Dodd ‘75
Amy Gardner Dunn ‘84 David Ronald Edwards ‘71 Karen Carpenter Elliott ‘78 and David B. Elliott ‘80 Chester D. Eloge ‘75 Steven L. Emerson ‘76 Equity Mortgage Corporation of Georgia Charles Abel Erikson ‘74 Fairpoint Communications Frances C. Falco ‘95 First Link Services, Inc. Andrea Flynn and Christopher John Flynn ‘94, ‘00 James T. Flythe, Jr. ‘90 Carol A. Fogartie Betsy Huddle Fonvielle ‘82 F. Terre Fridell, Jr. ‘81 Shawn David Fulton ‘98 Audrey L. George ‘91 DeDe Gerhart ‘92 Constantine Gus Gianakopoulos Cynthia J. Gleason ‘76 John W. Graham ‘73 Grainger Martha Groblewski and Harry P. Creemers ‘83 Bess S. Gurley Sheila Chafin Haas ‘86 Jonathan K. Hafezi ‘10 Lisa M. Hairr ‘90 and John R. Hairr, III Gina Barber Harrison ‘90 Charles S. Heflin, Jr. ‘79 Timothy M. Hege ‘90 Linda W. Heiberger ‘76 Julie Trull Helms ‘85 and David Andrew Helms ‘90 Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral Jennifer R. Howard ‘01 Andrea Wilkerson Howard ‘98 and Nathan D. Howard ‘98 Carol L. Hull ‘91 Douglas W. Isaac, Jr. ‘81 Harold Dean Ivester, Jr. ‘09 June K. Jebram ‘01 and David W. Jebram ‘98 Walter I. Jenkins, III ‘83 Leslie Doane Johnson ‘80 Carol Desiree Jones ‘03 R. Lanier Jones ‘69 Thomas F. Kantsios Thomas S. Kantsios ‘74 Christy Brown Kearns ‘00 Stratford Newitt Kiger ‘98 Gyeong J. Kim ‘91 Dennis D. Kokenes Paul Kurzeja ‘01 Michael John Latham ‘89 Richard Jason Leach ‘07 Shu Mien Lee ‘82
17
BELK COLLEGE CONNECTS
bcc: DONORS
18
Harry Stanford Allen ‘74 Leah Seets Allen ‘85 and Mark A. Allen ‘82 John J. Anderson Michael T. Anderson ‘81 Pamela Ward Anderson ‘02, ‘03 Jonathan Daniel Andrade ‘10 Bobby Alan Archer ‘04 Wilma F. Asrael ‘81 Sean Brewer Autry ‘98 Samuel G. Autry, Jr. ‘71, ‘78 Robin W. Autry ‘94 Lillith Sorrell Baker ‘85 Donna R. Ball ‘82 Frances C. Ballard ‘75 Dare S. Ballard and Garry L. Ballard ‘74 Bank of America United Way Campaign David Lee Barber, Jr. ‘05 Elizabeth M. Barber ‘84 Robert W. Barret, Jr. ‘85 Arlene C. Bates ‘85 Hilda F. Batts ‘92, ‘00 Pamela Keppler Baucom ‘88 Anne Baucom ‘80, ‘88 Donna Lynn Bean ‘85 Jamie Nicole Beason ‘08 and Daniel L. Beason ‘06, ‘08 Kathy Patrick Beaty ‘82 Helen T. Beleos Sofia Bennani ‘09 Chaye Aryanne Bernier ‘08 Lorraine Betts ‘06 Terri E. Bishop ‘84 James A. Blanchard ‘98 Patricia Meyer Booker ‘79 Clayton L. Bostick ‘97 Yasiliki Bouras Shelia Sengupta Bovard ‘90 Martha Vaughn Boyles ‘82 Karin Ruth Brace ‘92, ‘03 Joel Clayton Bradsher ‘10 Maureen O. Brady ‘88, ‘92 Kathie Reed Brantley ‘85 Corey Randall Brooks ‘11 Phillip Aaron Broome ‘07 William Thomas Brown ‘82 Kenneth R. Brown Sheena S. Brown ‘06 Cheryl A. Burleson ‘80 Cory Owen Buxton ‘01 Robin Bridges Byrum ‘85 Dean White Caldwell ‘70 and Bruce F. Caldwell ‘70 Courtney S. Callahan ‘03 Patricia Lorbacher Calloway ‘69, ‘84 and James R. Calloway Paul William Canovai ‘84 Donna H. Capps ‘87 Bret Paul Caron ‘03, ‘04 Mary Lauren Carr ‘09 C. Edward Carter, Jr. ‘85 Tiffany Jonell Carter ‘05 Robert V. Casciani ‘87 Cherie Amour Cathey ‘07 Edward Peter Chaconas ‘86 Lenore S. Chambliss ‘06
DONOR SPOTLIGHT FROZEN AND REFRIGERATED FOOD COUNCIL OF NORTH CAROLINA Frozen foods don’t just make our time in the kitchen easier. At the Belk College, they also provide scholarships. Since 2000, the Frozen and Refrigerated Food Council of North Carolina has provided $60,000 in scholarships to 24 students. The scholarships, usually awarded to marketing majors, are for a period of one year and are based in part on financial need. Two scholars receive $2,500 each year. The money for the scholarships is raised through the McKenney Golf Classic, held each year in memory of Bill McKenney, whom Council President Jeff Wright describes as an integral part of the state’s frozen foods industry. Wright says, “Unfortunately, Bill’s life was cut way too short. The Council decided to honor his memory with the golf tournament and scholarships.” Wright says, “We feel honored to be able in some small way to help assist two deserving students in furthering their education and achieving their goals.”
Jana L. Chaney ‘00 Margaret L. Chappell ‘05 Barbara R. Cheek ‘86, ‘00 Susan A. Christensen ‘84 Tonda Beam Christian ‘86 and G. William Christian, Jr. ‘83 Amy E. Clater ‘98 Scott K. Coffey Floyd Cogley, Jr. ‘88 Elizabeth W. Colcord ‘89 Frank R. Coleman ‘77 Thomas E. Collins, Jr. ‘72 Renee A. Collins Janet Crews Cothron ‘81 Covidien Jean Doyle Cowan ‘98 Betty T. Cox Mary C. Cranford ‘94 Daniel Thurston Crouse ‘07 Scott B. Crowell ‘92 Richard E. Culler ‘76 Benjamin Kyle Cunningham ‘09 John Harry Curtis ‘82 Stewart Carter Curtis ‘09 Amanda Lee Cuthbertson ‘06, ‘08 Linda S. Daley ‘94 Janet Louise Dapkunas ‘71 Linda Clement Daves ‘75 Jeffrey Alan Davidson ‘91 Laura A. Davidson ‘99 Jamey R. Davis ‘95 Ronald Stevens Davis, Jr. ‘95 Melissa A. Davis Roberta F. Davis ‘71 Kim Rice Davis ‘85 Gregory Phillip Deatherage ‘94 Patti DeBar Matthew Steven Degenhardt ‘11 Lindsay Michelle Deprey ‘05 Don W. Dewolfe Lee Gregory Diamond ‘74 Linda Lawing Dilley ‘86
Bessie Dimos Deborah L. Donaldson ‘88 and Phillip S. Donaldson ‘86 Jeanne Ann Double ‘83 Geoffrey M. Dreher ‘10 Shari Driscoll and Phillip M. Driscoll John N. Dross Ozgur Dulger ‘02, ‘11 Mary A. Duncan ‘91 Marla Tillman Dunovant ‘03 and Brian T. Dunovant Carol F. Dynesius ‘87 Chris Economides Diane Lazor Elkins ‘83 Stephen D. Embler ‘82 Hunter Drew Everton ‘93 Matilda Parnie Fahnbulleh ‘02, ‘12 Androniki J. Fallis Cindy L. Fehd ‘84 Jenn Feltis and Jason Gill Feltis ‘08 LeAnn Fenton ‘81 Thalia Fergione Christopher Michael Ferrante ‘91 Richard D. Ferrell ‘77 Elizabeth Norwood Fischer and A. J. Fischer Philip J. Forlidas Arthur F. Forman ‘86 Ricky Alan Fortier ‘96 Sara J. Frankenberg ‘99 and Brett E. Frankenberg ‘98 Virginia S. Freund ‘81 Jimmy D. Froneberger ‘79 Surassawadee Keopradit Fry ‘99 Edith Y. Frye ‘68 Wei Fu ‘09 Harley Dale Furr ‘88 Meredith Kiser Gaddy ‘98 Lisa M. Gallimore ‘83 Crystal A. Garris ‘83 Drue W. Garrison ‘99 Emily Anne Gawlik ‘03
GE Foundation William L. Gechtman ‘92 James Lewis Gibson, III ‘95 Betty Jo Gill ‘78 Betty R. Gilmore ‘78 and Kenny D. Gilmore ‘78 James Paul Gilroy ‘10 Brent L. Glines ‘85 Goulston Technologies, Inc. Andrew P. Gradus, II ‘00 Colleen R. Graham ‘88 and Ralph Arthur Graham ‘89 Jan C. Gray ‘85 Sabrena Lynn Gray ‘95 Kate Green ‘86 Adam James Greiner ‘04 Gloria C. Grifenhagen ‘93 Renvy Hill Griffith and Julian M. Griffith ‘97 Theda Powers Hale ‘82 Fleeta M. Hall ‘81 and Herb R. Hall ‘81 Theresa C. Hall and Brent W. Hall ‘96 Virginia K. Hall ‘85 Jeffrey L. Hamilton ‘82 Karen E. Hammill ‘98 Dara Routh Haney ‘90 Susan Hang ‘09 Christopher Adam Harleson ‘09 Deirdre Helms Hasty ‘88, ‘96 Lynn McGoogan Hawkins ‘95 Leslie Erin Helms ‘05 Joyce Fender Hendry ‘99 Ramona Eudy Henegar ‘98 Thomas J. Herlocker Sherri S. Heyward ‘93, ‘00 and Waddie Heyward ‘93 Jon David Hightower ‘07 Robert Edwin Hilton ‘79 Linda M. Hinson ‘75 and John C. Hinson, Jr. Charles Henry Hodge ‘95 Brian Lawrence Hoffbauer ‘02
bcc: DONORS Maggie Ann Land ‘07 Amy T. Landis and Jeffery F. Landis ‘92 Patricia Ann Langan ‘93 Cynthia W. Lank ‘79 Gayle Diana Larson ‘85 Patricia Elaine Laurion ‘07 Danielle Anne Lawson ‘10 Christine Cassaro Lederer ‘87 Kelli E. Lee ‘90 Ann K. Lee ‘78 Elizabeth Napier Lee ‘88 David Allan Lewyn ‘89 William J. Liapis Garret Kelvin Little ‘85 Darrell G. Little ‘87 Christopher Lynn Locklear ‘01 Felix Omar Lopez ‘08 Arlene K. Lowery ‘83 John T. Lowry ‘81 Christa G. Lynch ‘85 Christine C. Malatras ‘91 and Mark D. Malatras ‘87 John D. Malatras Jennifer Chelette Maness ‘93, ‘96 W. Travis Mangum ‘76 Mangum & Associates, Inc. Christine Nicole Manning ‘11 Milton J. Mansfield, Jr. ‘74 Sandra Denise Marsh ‘80 R. Jerry Martin ‘54 Smith A. Massey ‘75 Howard W. Mauney ‘74 Susan V. McElrath ‘00 Dawn S. McHale ‘84 Richard P. Mendell ‘80 Krystn Mae Messer ‘84 Marcia Nunn Miller ‘94, ‘00 Kay K. Miller ‘81 Priscilla Murray Mills ‘83 Elizabeth A. Mims ‘88 Kevin John Misenheimer ‘05 Deirdre Mladsi ‘88 William Todd Monroe ‘93 Derek LaVerne Morgan ‘99 Robert P. Morgan, III ‘78 William D. Morgerson ‘98 Philip Morrow ‘09 Spencer Lee Morton ‘77 Kenneth L. Mosca Steven Edgar Murdock ‘80 Eric G. Murdock ‘99 Julie A. Murphy ‘96 Phillip John Murray ‘00, ‘06 Austin W. Murray ‘08 Betty Beal Musselwhite ‘79 David P. Nanney, Jr. ‘80 Jeffrica Lynn Naumann ‘01 Allison Borkowski Nelson ‘92 Tracy Chandler Nelson ‘08 Bao Anh Thi Nguyen ‘11 Julia C. Nichols ‘85 and Robert Carl Nichols ‘84 Nick X. Nixon Georgia Ann Nixon Theophani C. Nixon
DONOR SPOTLIGHT REMEMBERING HENRY FAISON UNC Charlotte and the Belk College remember Henry Faison, the Charlotte real estate developer who passed away unexpectedly last November. A graduate of Davidson College and the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, Faison began his career in real estate in the 1960s as he pioneered shopping center development in the Southeast. Over the years Faison built one of the most successful real estate development companies in the country. Faison’s memorial notice in The Charlotte Observer noted, “Whatever Henry did, he engaged with energy, passion, focus and conviction. He was humble, generous, and cared deeply for people. Many looked to him for advice, guidance and support. His true nature was seen at these times.” At UNC Charlotte, Faison was a member of the university Board of Visitors and a founding member of the advisory group that helped create the Center for Real Estate (CRE) in the Belk College of Business. He served on the CRE Advisory Board for nearly ten years. Faison and his wife, Carolyn, made significant financial gifts to the CRE endowment, the John Crosland Sr. Distinguished Professorship in Real Estate and the Chancellor’s Fund. Henry Faison “passionately believed in the American dream and the success that comes with hard work and determination,” as noted in his memorial, “and he loved to watch others succeed.”
Novartis US Foundation Karen Lee Olert ‘90 and Michael D. Olert, Jr. Katherine Elizabeth Oliver ‘03 Darshan Nikhil Pandya ‘95, ‘00 Georgia Angelo Pappas ‘04 H. Vann Parker Paul Edward Parker ‘71 Robert N. Parker ‘84 Jonathan Glenn Parsons ‘09 Derrell Lanar Pate ‘12 Dharmpriya Ramanlal Patel ‘04 William Ted Patterson ‘84 Beverly G. Paullin ‘82 Bryan P. Perry ‘95 Regina Darnell Pettyjohn ‘90 Christopher Lee Phuntek ‘05 Piedmont Natural Gas Company Elizabeth Ward Pierce ‘74 Frank John Pietras, Jr. ‘85 Bill Pistolis Erika Marsh Pitman ‘06 Kimberly Miller Pittard ‘00
Karen N. Pless and Todd Anthony Pless ‘85 Barbara Broome Pope ‘86 Andrew Poulos James S. Poulos ‘95 Michelle Preslar ‘98 Lari A. Procunier ‘97 Eve A. Psilopoulos K. Newton Raff ‘73 David C. Ramsey ‘96 Lauren G. Rapp ‘83 John Timothy Ray ‘82 Audrea N. Rease ‘95 Paula M. Reavis ‘96 Jill Brubaker Reigh ‘84 George J. Retsios James David Rhinehardt ‘71 James Robert Rhyne ‘75 John A. Richardson Stephen Neal Rierson ‘80 James N. Ritzema ‘99 Catherine Aston Rodgers ‘81 Karen M. Rodriguez ‘88 and James D. Rodriguez ‘89
BELK COLLEGE CONNECTS
Haley Smith Hoffler ‘88 Victor Scott Hoffman ‘81 David John Honeywell ‘09 Beverley D. Hooks ‘85 W. Alex Hopkins ‘89 Brett H. Houston ‘93 Peggy A. Howard ‘83 Linda M. Howe and Jim Howe, Jr. Ellen B. Huffman and Bryce Jeffrey Huffman ‘87, ‘92 Stephanie Lynn Iannone ‘03 Jonathan Cornelius Ingram ‘06 Jacquolyn Holden Ivey ‘92 Tamika W. Jackson ‘97 Julia Anne Jackson ‘90 Stephanie K. James and Bruce L. James ‘83 Anne Odell James ‘82 David E. Jewett ‘77 Suzanne M. Johnson ‘97 Lisa Yanni Johnson ‘95 William W. Johnson, III ‘76 Ruth Johnson ‘05 Terrell Amley Jones ‘92 Timothy S. Jones ‘96 Lisa Glenn Jones ‘84 Dana H. Jones ‘95 Theresa V. Jones ‘99 Julia B. Jones ‘91 Yvonne Ann Jordan ‘10 Amy Josey ‘86 James Ronald Joyce ‘68 Joan Elizabeth Joyner ‘81 Kara Dillon Judd ‘94 Suzanne Justus ‘83 Amin Kabbani ‘85, ‘88 Dean C. Kalariotes William Kantsios Pamela J. Kantsios Ravi Kumar Kargool ‘07 Helen H. Karras Matthew J. Karres Lisa Marie Kartikis ‘10 Beth Kastler ‘83 James Kastriches Robert Cebe Keever, Jr. ‘79 John Randolph Keller ‘75 George Walter Kester ‘76 Michael T. Keziah Moutaz J. Khouja Leigh I. King ‘82 Susan S. King ‘89 Jennifer L. Kirby ‘95 Katherine Siobhan Kivett ‘97 Tom Kleto Timothy B. Klund Lisa M. Kneeppel ‘06 Kathleen M. Knip ‘87 Peggy C. Koepnick ‘82 and Donald J. Koepnick ‘73 C. S. Kokenes Jeffrey Paul Kolody ‘03 Johnny C. Kontoulas ‘81 Karen Shealy Kraynock ‘87 Pointe Kimberly La Pointe ‘02
19
BELK COLLEGE CONNECTS
bcc: DONORS
20
Wen Chieh Tung ‘03 Paul James Turner ‘05 Brandi Lynn Turner ‘03, ‘10 Pamela Rollins Turner ‘86 Lori Poole Turpin ‘85 Nicholas J. Twigg ‘11 Mary Jane Van Lanen ‘86 and Robert Wells Van Lanen, DDS ‘94 Carolyn M. Van Malssen ‘71, ‘86 Raghunandana Venkatapathy ‘10 Viana Properties & Services LLC Donna Goldstein Waga ‘87 Shawntonia LaDrel Walden ‘06 Susan Elizabeth Waldkirch ‘80 and Bryant Scott Waldkirch Dawn M. Waldrop ‘89 and Daniel M. Waldrop ‘97 Mian Wang ‘06 Angela M. Warner ‘93 and Timothy M. Warner Tonya S. Watenpaugh ‘96, ‘97 Ellen Young Watson Martha E. Watson Krista Sharpe Waugh ‘01, ‘02 Eileen A. Wayne ‘79 Dana Michelle Weaver ‘08 and Jason Weaver Jennifer G. Weeks ‘99 and Michael D. Weeks ‘93 David Steven Weiner ‘83 Terry W. Weinle ‘88 Abeba Amanuel Welde ‘03 Carolyn Carr Westall ‘76 Joan D. White ‘82 Makisha Desiree White ‘06 Stephenie C. Whitfield ‘83 Bradley Charles Wickard ‘02 Wide Screen TV, Inc. Christine A. Wilcox and Daniel Andrew Wilcox ‘10 Phillip Scott Wilkins ‘85 Veronica I. Williams ‘83 Deborah Murphy Williams ‘76 C. Earl Williams, Jr. ‘74 Ellis L. Williams ‘95 Anne M. Williams ‘91 Antwan Tannette Wilson ‘01 Julie Marie Windeknecht ‘88 Paul W. Winegar Albert Darry Withers, Jr. ‘81 Felicia Janeil Withers ‘09 Laura L. Witherspoon ‘89 Benita J. Witherspoon ‘90 M. Helen Wolfe Linda West Wooten ‘88 Kathleen Edythe Wootton ‘95 Donald O. Wright, Jr. ‘80 Lakshmi Ganapathi Yanamandra ‘05 Wendy Bell Yancey ‘75 Kristen Selvey Yancey ‘05 William Paul Yergens ‘71 Clay H. Young ‘92 George Zogzas Constantine G. Zourzoukis ‘85 Mary F. Zourzoukis Dimitrios G. Zourzoukis David Shane Zumbro ‘94
PHOTO: John Daughtry, LOF Productions
LeAnne Rogers ‘88 Kristen Ann Roulette ‘02 Leslie M. Russell ‘85 Kevin Michael Ryan ‘90 George Sadler ‘74 Rebecca S. Schenck ‘78 Cristy B. Schnitzlein ‘94 Lara G. Schwager ‘94 John D. Scott ‘64, ‘66 David A. Scott Michael Scott ‘88 Scott Realty Company Mary Jane Shafer ‘07 Fae Elizabeth Shaffer ‘07 and Jeremy R. Shaffer Ellen A. Shake ‘87 Tammy Cowan Sharp ‘85 Texie P. Shelby and Bradford M. Shelby ‘82 Pamela W. Sheldon ‘80 Sherri Wentz Shepard ‘88 Michael Wayne Shinn ‘74 Deborah T. Shoff ‘00 David W. Short ‘05 Doug M. Sistare ‘83 Alison Mullis Sizemore ‘94 Jack Donald Skinner ‘67 Robert M. Small ‘74 Laura Nicole Smallwood ‘07 Lynette R. Smith ‘87 Steven Dale Smith ‘75 Lauren Sloop Smith ‘03, ‘04 Linda C. Smith ‘85 Valerie Faulkner Smithers ‘83 Cindy Lee Smithy and Michael Deron Smithy ‘00 Angela Miller Spaugh ‘91 Lisa Mills Spivey ‘84 and Andrew Gary Spivey ‘89 Eleanor A. Stack and Michael J. Stack ‘86 Cari F. Stackpole ‘95, ‘97 State Farm Companies Foundation Deborah Stober and Carl R. Stober ‘86 Melanie Parent Streeter ‘95 Robin Elizabeth Surane ‘05 Sally Wilson Sutton ‘79 Heike R. Sweeney ‘88 Jessie Tan ‘92 Angelo D. Tatsis B. Lamont Taylor ‘93 Mitchell Alan Taylor ‘93 David Samuel Teate ‘80 Vicki W. Temple ‘99 Marcus B. Terry The Hilton Club Peter J. Thevaos Jeffrey Dean Thomas ‘87, ‘95 Aisha Akilah Thomas ‘03 Joey Franklin Thore ‘85 TIAA-CREF Employee Giving Campaign Deborah Anne Timmons ‘00 Jack L. Touchstone, Jr. ‘83 Nick John Triantis Lea Ann Truelove ‘79 and Harold Eugene Truelove ‘82
DONOR SPOTLIGHT BETH AND ROBERT MONAGHAN
Robert and Beth Monaghan and their son, Jordan
If Charlotte has an accounting “power couple,” it’s surely Beth and Robert Monaghan. The Monaghans mean a lot to the Belk College of Business; they say the Belk College means a lot to them, too, and they’re showing their gratitude. Their shared history with UNC Charlotte dates back to the 1980s. Robert first graduated in 1981 with a degree in biology, but returned to UNC Charlotte in the mid-1980s to take accounting classes. Beth is a 1988 graduate with an accounting degree. After a successful 20-year career in various accounting related positions, Robert had a realization: he wanted to teach. He enrolled for a third time as a student – this time in the Master of Accountancy (MACC) program – and joined the Belk College faculty as a lecturer last fall. Some of the professors he had in the ‘80s were his teachers again. Now, they’re his colleagues. “This is really what I want to do when I grow up,” he says. He admits managerial accounting is not always enthralling, so he pulls out all the tricks imaginable to keep students interested and engaged. Meanwhile, Beth has engaged with her alma mater in another way – through philanthropy. “I realized that endowing a scholarship was one of the best ways I could say ‘thank you’ to UNC Charlotte,” she says. “My decision was from a place of gratitude.” Beth credits the Belk College with helping her succeed. “UNC Charlotte absolutely increased my individual marketability,” she says. “The college prepared me to successfully sit for and pass the CPA exam, and their ability to attract strong employers gave me the opportunity to interview with PricewaterhouseCoopers and secure a job offer.” When she started her own business – Monaghan Group, which provides custom accounting solutions – her affiliation with the Belk College helped her deepen relationships that have helped her business grow. The Monaghans are not all business, though. Beth says, “I just selected my seats in the new stadium, and I am so looking forward to future football games.” The couple will be cheering on the 49ers, and a grateful university is cheering them right back.
bcc: ALUMNI
A World View Alumnus Priyan Attygalle ’87 shares his journey from UNC Charlotte undergraduate to CEO
View of the Kingdom Tower from inside The Globe of the Faisaliah Centre, downtown Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
STORY: Page Leggett
some of the most legendary names in UNC Charlotte history. “Dr. Ted Arrington influenced me to take on political science as a major, and Dr. Bob Mundt influenced me to concentrate in international politics,” says Priyan. “In the Belk College, Dr. Ellen Miller Sewell, Prof. Stella Nkomo and Dr. Christie Amato helped guide me.” As a graduate student, he worked for Dr. John Connaughton and Dr. Ron Madsen, and he credits former associate dean Dr. Virginia Guerin with encouraging him to pursue his MBA.
“Having American roommates really helped me integrate, Priyan says. “I always recommend international students room with Americans, and Americans room with international students. This grounding is what helped me adapt in life.” His favorite gathering spot was The Sandwich Construction Company. “My undergraduate roommate, Bob Qutub (now a member of the Belk College Board of Advisors), Brad Getsinger and I spent a lot of time there after classes.”
AN INTERNATIONAL VIEW OF THE WORLD
We all hear about the global marketplace these days, but Priyan knows first-hand about it. And how fast it changes. He advises undergraduates to consider the pace of change – and not to pursue the current “hot” career. It may not be so hot by the time you graduate. “A good career path could become a dead end in a few years, and a poor career path could turn out to be lucrative,” he muses. “So my advice is that you must do something you like.” That’s what he did, and he considers that one of the secrets to his success. “I studied what I liked and then was fortunate to join a great bank that provided me with a good foundation and international training. I always wanted to see the world.” As a teen, Priyan was lured to North Carolina; today, he still feels called to see the world. Travel is just in his blood. And to anyone considering an international career, he recommends the part of the world he now calls home. “The Middle East is a great place to live and work,” he says. “There are plenty of opportunities and the economies are doing great.”
While Saudi Arabia may seem distant and exotic to many of us, Priyan says it’s really very similar to the U.S. in many ways. “Roads, fast food, shopping malls, house designs and brands remind me of my days in the U.S.,” he says. And there are other reminders of his college days. “There are many Saudis who came to the U.S. for college,” he says. “They all have very fond memories of their school days.” He believes people who studied in the United States are “well rounded not only academically, but in general, how they think and evaluate problems.” That’s how it happened in Priyan’s case. He says UNC Charlotte prepared him for living abroad and working in a global economy. “When I came to the U.S., it was the first time I left Sri Lanka,” he says. “So I had to adapt very quickly to a different lifestyle. This was before the world became truly globalized – long before the Internet.” Communication with the folks back home was expensive and infrequent.
PURSUE WHAT YOU LOVE
BELK COLLEGE CONNECTS
Charlotte is a long way from Saudi Arabia. It’s even farther away from Sri Lanka, where Priyan Attygalle ’87 was born and raised. So the fact that Priyan would end up working in Saudi Arabia may not be as unusual as the fact he came to North Carolina in the first place. What brought him to Charlotte? The same siren song that has led many people here: “The Carolina weather,” he says, and the “robust growth in the region,” which he recognized even as a high school student half a world away. He returned to that part of the world after graduation and worked for HSBC for 15 years – first in Hong Kong, then Sri Lanka Priyan poses with his wife, and on to Hiranthi and son, Praveen. Dubai. Along the way, he met his wife, Hiranthi – a lawyer by training. They’ve been married for 18 years and have a son, Praveen, 15. A headhunter plucked him from Dubai for the top spot at American Express Saudi Arabia, where he’s been since 2006. But his path to the top began at UNC Charlotte. “The campus was small enough to know people by name rather than by your Social Security number,” he recalls. The business administration/political science double major went on to earn his MBA at UNC Charlotte, too. The faculty members who influenced him to go into international business are
21
bcc: CLASS NOTES Jill S. Tietjen MBA ‘79 received the 2012 Daughters of the American Revolution History Award Medal for her book Her Story: A Timeline of the Women Who Changed America. The book was issued in paperback and ebook formats in January; the hardback edition came out in 2008. Jill was featured in the Spring 2008 edition of bcc:. Dave Wedding ‘80 was named managing partner of the Carolinas practice of Grant Thornton. Dave is a member of the Belk College Board of Advisors and a longtime supporter of the accounting program. Ron Garrow ’86 has been named chief human resources officer for MasterCard and has been appointed to the company’s executive committee. He previously had served as group head, global talent acquisition, management and development. Brady Teague ’92 is principal for accounting and finance search at Talent Bridge, which recently celebrated its 11th year in business by being named one of Charlotte’s Best Places to Work and being named to the Fast 50 for the third straight year. Brady founded the company in 2002 with two partners. He lives in the Charlotte area with his wife Rachel, a 1993 graduate from the College of Education, and their three children.
BELK COLLEGE CONNECTS
Rishi Bhambri ’95/MBA ’00 was recently promoted to chief operating officer for the Commercial Finance Division of BB&T. He lives in Clemmons, N.C.
22
Ryan McDaniels ’01 has been appointed executive director of the Lake Norman Economic Development Corporation. Previously, he had been vice president at Cabarrus Economic Development. Beth Osborne Allen ‘02/MACC ’03 was named to the Charlotte Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” for 2013. The program recognizes the professional and civic contributions of young professionals in the community. Beth is an audit senior manager at GreerWalker.
Courtney Peters Patterson ’04 and her husband, Justin, welcomed their first child – a son, Max – in February 2012. She has a new job as an account manager at PICA and lives in Madison, Ala. Joanna Gammon ’05, a member of the UNC Charlotte Alumni Board, recently hosted “Joanna’s Barefoot 30,” a 5k fundraiser to benefit Samaritan’s Feet, the Charlotte-based nonprofit.
Thomas Coley ’91, shown here with his wife Katie (left) and Dr. Hughlene Burton, was the 2012 recipient of the Outstanding Alumni Award, presented by Beta Alpha Psi and the Department of Accounting. Tom is senior manager, state and local tax practice at Grant Thornton. He has 15 years of public accounting experience serving clients in the retail, manufacturing, distribution and service industries.
Russell Brown ’06 has rejoined Brackett Flagship Properties as VP – investments. The company is acquiring and developing medical office buildings in the Southeast on behalf of its new private equity fund. Russell recently completed the Weekend Executive MBA program at The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. Andrew J. Norton ’09 has recently joined Anderson Jones, PLLC in Raleigh, N.C. as an associate attorney practicing in the areas of business law, construction law, collections, contracts and general civil litigation. Tracy Copeland ’10 is the assistant director of mail and package services at UNC Charlotte. Derrell Pate ’12 was featured in an article on DiversityCareers.com, discussing his participation in the UNC Charlotte/Bank of America Applied Technology Program (ATP). The ATP provides an intensive work and internship experience for high potential undergraduate students in technology and finance. Derrell was offered a full-time position at the bank as a result of his ATP experience.
To submit a class note for the next issue of bcc:, visit belkcollege.uncc.edu/alumni
Belk College graduates Dennis N. Bunker III (left) and John P. Derham Cato were recently inducted into the UNC Charlotte Alumni Hall of Fame. Dennis is a 1981 graduate with a B.A. in Economics. He is principal of Bunker Land Group, LLC in Charlotte. An enthusiastic 49er, Dennis is a past president of the UNC Charlotte Alumni Association. He and his wife Kathy have endowed two scholarship funds at UNC Charlotte, one which benefits economics students with demonstrated financial need and good academic standing, and a second for students with an interest in economic geography. John is chairman, CEO and president of The Cato Corporation. He graduated from UNC Charlotte in 1973 with a B.S. in Accounting. John has been a longtime member of the Belk College Board of Advisors and has also served on the UNC Charlotte Foundation Board. The Cato family and organization have been significant supporters of UNC Charlotte for many years. John and his wife Jane have endowed a scholarship in the College of Education.
bcc: NEWS FROM THE DEAN Steven H. Ott, Dean of the Belk College
Dear Alumni and Friends of the Belk College,
PHOTO: Charlotte Business Journal
I hope you’ve enjoyed this issue of bcc:. As you’ve seen, it’s been a remarkable year for the Belk College: The $5 million contribution from Belk, Inc., the ranking of the MBA program in the national top 50 parttime programs for the first time, the return of the NEXT speaker series and the launch of the Student Center for Professional Development are just a few of the highlights. There’s significant momentum in these successes and others we have celebrated this year. They all represent the culmination of a great deal of hard work and commitment on the part of our dedicated faculty and staff. They reflect the ambition of our university and our region. And they celebrate the potential of our students and alumni to thrive in today’s dynamic business environment – and tomorrow’s. Looking ahead, there is even more reason for optimism. The new Data Science and Business Analytics (DSBA) Initiative is one of the most groundbreaking and exciting partnerships ever undertaken at UNC Charlotte. The blend of talent from the Belk College, the College of Computing and Informatics, the College of Health and Human Services and our “Big Data” focused business partners is a powerful combination, one that will drive both strategic innovation and economic growth. As plans move ahead, I look forward to updating you about the new academic programs, research partnerships and public and private investments that result from the DSBA. All of these new initiatives provide opportunities for alumni and friends to become more involved in the Belk College – speaking to classes, hosting interns, sharing job opportunities or attending programs and special events. And of course, I’d be remiss as a Dean if I didn’t mention that you have an opportunity to invest in the future of the Belk College and our students through your financial support. I hope you are as excited about the Belk College’s future as we are, and I hope you’ll be a part of it.
Steve Ott Dean
Connect with us via Facebook and LinkedIn to continue the conversation.
9201 University City Boulevard Charlotte, NC 28223
MULTI-MEDIA COLLAGES BRIGHTEN FRIDAY BUILDING Three new abstract collages were created last year by Charlotte artist Rod Wimer specifically for the Belk College of Business, for display on the first floor of the Friday Building. Inspired by both Mid-Century modern design and the controlled chaos of nature, Wimer’s works evoke a joyous riot of color, form, and his signature love of texture. Wimer’s paintings are in numerous corporate and private collections across the United States and abroad.
Details of “The Path to Understanding I and II” Photos by: Wade Burton