S to c k n o te s Commerce Club Publication for the College of Business
Spring 2006
Business Students Visit Investment Guru A group of East Carolina University business students visited with legendary investor Warren Buffet in November during a trip set up through the College of Business. Sam, Tibbs, assistant professor in finance, coordinated the trip. Tibbs and Judy Wagner, assistant professor of marketing, also accompanied the students to Omaha, Nebraska. The COB provided financial support of $250 per student to help defray costs. The students toured Buffett’s operations, including the Nebraska Furniture Mart and Borsheim’s, in Omaha and met with Buffett for about three hours to discuss investing and his philosophies on life and business. Buffett, 75, who was named the second wealthiest man in the United States, is the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. The group then lunched at Buffett’s favorite steakhouse where he picked up the tab. The group also met with Wallace R. Weitz, another famous value investor and founder of Weitz mutual funds, which manages more than $7 billion.
Several students said they were impressed by Buffett’s humble nature and his definition of success. Other students commented on one of B u f f e t t ’ s Mr. Buffett receiving gifts from ECU. common business philosophies – that all employees in a business should be treated with the same amount of respect regardless of their position. “Mr. Buffett isn’t just the second richest man in the U.S. and the greatest investor of all time,” said ECU business student Frank Petro. “He is a great person with a good heart. He actually cares about people. He showed me that having good ethics and treating everyone fairly would get you far in life.” Dean Rick Niswander encouraged the students to follow Buffett’s example of building an extensive knowledge base. “Mr. Buffett is so broadly knowledgeable,” he said. “Not only about business, but about life. One of the keys to success in life is to be broad. I am firmly convinced that if you can stay broad and not narrow, you will be successful for the rest of your life.”
Mr. Buffett giving his wallet to ECU student, Kelly Murray
“The trip to Omaha and my meeting with Mr. Buffett was the high point f my sojourn in the MBA program,” stated Uyi Lewani. “Mr Buffett’s insightful perspective on a wide range of issues – from business to general management, finance to social philosophy – had a big and positive impact on me.”
Niswander said the visit’s educational value was tremendous. “I do not have the words to express the importance and significance of this visit for our students, our college, and the university,” he said. “Buffett meets with fewer than 25 student groups from around the country including the likes of Stanford, Dartmouth, Chicago, Wharton, Iowa, and Tennessee. We are obviously amount some elite company.” Tibbs said that the students were outstanding, and that Buffett commented more than once on the quality of the questions asked by the students. “It was a great trip, and it even exceeded my expectations,” Tibbs said.
w w w. b u s i n e s s . e c u . e d u
Faculty News COB Opens Career Center On February 13, 2006, ECU opened the doors to the College of Business Career Center. F. John Paul “Scotty” Andrews, who has twenty-five years of experience in international business, recruiting, and career advisory assumed the role as the Career Center’s first director.
oral communication skills, networking skills, leadership skills, and professional dress etiquette.
Andrews has previously held director’s positions at Syracuse University, the University of Miami in Coral Gables, and most recently, West Virginia University. Prior to this, he was immersed in the business world, generally in the international arena, with stints in both the US and overseas with Citicorp, Coopers & Lybrand Consulting, World Bank, OPIC, and FCIA, among others. Scotty holds a BA from Syracuse University, a MIM from Thunderbird Graduate School of International Management, and a MS from Columbia University Business School.
Andrews also plans to expand the internship opportunities for students. “Internships are key for students who have no prior Scotty Andrews work experience,” he said. “Fifty to eighty percent of internships lead to a full-time job.” He also plans to develop an online alumni network, where students can seek assistance and advice from College of Business alumni when searching for a job with a particular company or in a particular region.
The mission of the Center is to open as many career opportunities for our students as possible, particularly MBA students, while preparing them to meet the challenges in today’s competitive marketplace. Andrews stresses that this is not a “placement office”. “We don’t have that power. Our mission encompasses a two-pronged partnership with students. First, we plan to increase the opportunities for students by bringing a wide variety of desirable employers to campus (outreach). Secondly, we plan to prepare the students for the job search process and for the business world (professional development).” Professional development encompasses written and
The Career Center is located on the third floor of the Harold H. Bate Building. The suite boasts offices for the director and two assistant directors (who will be hired this summer), as well as three interview rooms. Currently, the Center focuses exclusively on MBA students. ECU Career Services directs recruiters seeking graduate business students to the COB Center. Eventually, the COB Career Center will take over the professional development and recruiting efforts for the undergraduate business students as well.
Boldt Named Kinston’s Citizen of the Year Donald B. Boldt, former Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs for the College of Business, was named the Kinston-Lenoir County Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year for 2005. Boldt, who retired from ECU in 1999, and is the current chairman of Lenoir Memorial Hospital’s board of directors, was recognized during the Chamber’s annual meeting held this January. “I’m completely surprised and very humbled by this,” Boldt told the more than 150 business and community leaders attending the annual meeting. “What I have been able to give back to the community is not near what this community has given me.” In addition to the hospital board, Boldt is a member of the Business Advisory Council, the Lenoir County Manufacturers Association, 2
Lenoir County Committee of 100, Lenoir County Development Commission, Junior Achievement of Lenoir County, Community Council for the Arts, Kinston Rotary Club, Lenoir County United Way, and the KinstonLenoir County Chamber of Commerce.
Donald Boldt and LeAnne Hill, Kinston City Executive for Wachovia and ECU MBA Student.
Hunt Wins Board of Governors Teaching Award Dr. Judith Hunt (Management) was awarded the 2006 UNC Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching. Each year, the Board of Governors, the governing board of the entire UNC System, recognizes one individual at each of the sixteen campuses for the award. Hunt was chosen from among more than 1,500 faculty members at ECU. This award recognizes excellence in teaching over a long period of time. Hunt, an associate professor, came to ECU in 1998. Hunt frequently teaches business policy, the capstone course in the undergraduate and graduate curriculum. She is well regarded by her students, who frequently select her to participate in the MBA hooding in the College of Business Graduate Recognition Ceremony. The criterion for this selection is based on who had the greatest influence on the students’ education.” Teaching award recipients will be recognized at the Spring 2006 Commencement ceremony and the Fall 2006 Faculty Convocation.
Judith Hunt
2005-2006 New Faculty Members Accounting:
Management:
•
• • • • •
Wendy P. Achilles, Assistant Professor ABD Virginia Commonwealth University
Decision Sciences: • • •
James Davenport, Lecturer MBA East Carolina University Steve Mills, Lecturer MBA, East Carolina University James Orr, Lecturer MBA East Carolina University Areas of expertise include networking systems, webpage technologies, Microsoft technologies, and databases.
Finance: • • •
Brett Cotton, Assistant Professor PhD Florida State University James Dautremont, Lecturer JD University of Michigan Member of the Michigan Bar and the US Patent Bar. Wanda Naylor, Lecturer JD North Carolina Central University Areas of expertise include Business law and real estate.
John Davis, Lecturer MBA East Carolina University 25 years of accounting, brand management, and marketing experience Joy Karriker, Assistant Professor PhD Virginia Commonwealth University Areas of expertise include organizational behavior and strategic management. Susan Lynch-Smith, Lecturer MBA East Carolina University L. Melita Prati, Assistant Professor PhD Florida State University Interests include Emotion, emotional labor, emotional intelligence, impression management, politics, and the social interaction process. John M. Toller, Lecturer MS University of Hartford
Marketing: •
Beverly Wright, Assistant Professor PhD, Georgia State University Area of expertise is Marketing research methods.
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Alumni Notes 2005
1999
Jennifer Lyn Bateman (MBA) is employed as an implementation specialist and staff trainer for A4 Health Systems. She is doing lots of traveling for her new job and loves it!
Rich Boustead (MBA, MKTG ’96) is living in Kennesaw, Georgia and is a consultant for Accenture. He recently spoke to student groups at ECU College of Business. He and his wife have a young son.
Justin Carl Lundie (FINA) started a job with Liberty Mutual in Cary after his December graduation.
1997
Robin Viera (DSCI) is a program-analyst with Rural Sourcing an IT company that outsources to rural America. She was recently quoted in Wired News Magazine.
2004 Robin Johnson Armstrong (MBA, MKTG ’03) will be assistant director for Graduate Programs for the ECU COB effective in June. She is chairman of the board for Magnolia Arts Center in Greenville (see article on p. 8).
2003 Myers Weston Chandler (FINA) of Greenville was promoted to banking officer for BB&T.
2002 Christian Kenneth Robinson (DSCI) was promoted to assistant vice officer for BB&T. He and wife, JoAnna (MBA ’98) have a two year-old son, Luke, and welcomed daughter Carman in April. Tara Lilley Setner (MBA) was promoted to banking officer with BB&T. she has been with BB&T since 2003 and is a commercial card sales manager based at the Wilson Service Center. Carolyn Ann Wilburn (MBA, FINA ’98) was named director of eastern region Small Business and Technology Development Center at ECU.
2001 Marybeth Petteway Eason (MBA, MKTG ’00) was promoted to assistant vice president of BB&T.
Tracey Hill Allen, CPA (ACCT) was admitted as a partner in the Greenville accounting firm of Sullivan, Shearin & Co.
1994 Lindsey Allen Crisp, CPA (ACCT) was named president and chief operating officer of Carver Machine Works, Inc. in Washington, NC. Lori Conger Stox (MKTG), owner of Pizzazz jewelry and gift store was named Greenville’s 2004 Small Business Leader of the Year. She spoke to College of Business student groups in November.
1991
Lori Conger Stox
Marilyn Virginia Brown Gibson (FINA) of Greenville has joined the Pitt County Community foundation as an affiliate coordinator.
1990 Christopher Charles Bradford (MGMT) joined the Stoehr Companies Inc, a construction firm in Eldersburg, MD, as vice president of operations. Nancy Johnston Lilley (FINA) has been promoted to vice president of Deposit Operations and Services of First South Bank in Washington, NC. She has been employed at the bank for 15 years. Nancy serves as a liaison between the branches and the corporate office.
2000 Javier Castillo Jr. (MGMT) is president of Castillo Language Services, Inc., has passed the U.S. Department of State Spanish Seminar Interpreting Exam.
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Nancy Johnston Lilley
Deborah Nadine “Debbie” Tarvik Frank (MKTG) and her husband David Bowling Green, VA, welcomed their second child on December 22, 2004.
Timothy J. Shearer (MBA) of Alpharetta, GA has left his position as managing director at Bearing Point to start a new business at the beach in Alabama. He serves on the Business Advisory Council.
1987
1980
1989
Walter Louis Price (MKTG) and wife Frances Louise Creech Price (ECU ’94 and ’00) welcomed baby daughter Victoria on January 12.
1985 Mark Josef Shank (MKTG) of Holly Springs has received a doctor of education degree from N.C. State University.
1984 Scott Perry Evans (FINA) was named president of BB&T’s Upstate Region based in Greenville, SC. During his 20 year career with BB&T, Evans has served as a business services officer in Lexington, NC, retail services officer Raleigh, NC, business services manager in Smithfield, NC, city executive in Statesville, NC, and regional banking
1983 Thomas J. Robinson (MGMT) is vice-president and chief operating officer of the Harveys supermarket chain. He is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Harveys retail stores and distribution network, located in Georgia and Florida. Prior to joining Harveys, Robinson served as a corporate leader at Food Lion, most recently Thomas J. Robinson in the position of vice president of retail operations for Food Lion’s Southern Division.
1981 William S. Corbitt, III (MBA) of Greenville, spoke to a Business Policy class on November 1, about entrepreneurship. Corbitt worked for Catalytca for many years and now is a self-employed consultant in Greenville.
Bruce N. Austin, Jr. (ACCT) of Manteo, was appointed to the East Carolina University Board of Trustees. Mr. Austin, a retired Wachovia vice president and group executive is a member of the Business Advisory Council and the Board of Visitors. He filled James R. Tatlton, Jr.’s (BSBA ‘65) position on the Board.
1979 Daniel Lee Bowlin (MGMT) of Huntington Beach, CA, is chief financial officer for Cable Exchange in Santa Ana. His daughter, Jessica Ann Bowlin ‘03 is now attending law school. Mark Allen Holmes (BSBA) of Greenville was named president and CEO of Slect Bank & Trust. Terry K. Yeargan (MKTG) is vice president of Bovis Lend Lease, Inc. in Raleigh, NC. He and his wife of 24 years, Julia, have three children.
1978
Terry Yeargan
David A. Bond (MKTG) of Raleigh, is the president and CEO of A4 Health Systems. He spoke to a business policy class on November 1, about working for a growing business.
1976 Leonard Wayne Jones, CPA (ACCT) of Morehead City is 20052006 president of the N.C. State Board of Certificate Public Accountant Examiners.
1973 Carl Waylon Joyner (MBA, BSBA ’71) of Greenville has joined Old North State Trust LLC in Rocky Mount as senior financial advisor and trust officer.
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Alumni Notes 1969 Joe Speight Tripp (BSBA) of Hickory was named regional president for Catawba Valley Bank.
1968 William C. Baggett (BSBA) of Greenville was appointed to the Pitt County advisory board of directors for Wachovia Bank and to the board of directors of Washington-based Carver Machine Works. Baggett is a former member of the ECU Board of Trustees. (l-r) Kim Bullard of Dixon-Hughes and Patrick Lindsey (ACCT ’92) and Tanya Hale (ACCT ’98) of RSM McGladrey spoke to Accounting students in the College of Business.
1971 W. Kendall Chalk (MBA, BSBA ’68) was featured on the cover of the October 2005 issue of The RMA Journal, the publication of The Risk Management Association. Phillip Ray “Phil” Dixon (MGMT) of Greenville was appointed to the UNC Board of Governors by the N.C. Senate. Dixon served from 1993 to 2001 on the ECU Board of Trustees, the last two years as chairman.
1970 Robert Wade Edwards (BSBA) of Rocky Mount has joined Old North State Trust LLC as a senior financial adviser and trust officer. He is dean of Southeastern Trust School at Campbell University. William Lee “Bill” DeBruhl, Jr. (BSBA) of Greenville has joined the staff at Frist Flight Federal Credit Union. Edward J. Brown, Jr. (BSBA) of Hilton Head Island, SC, is the president of the Mortgage Bankers Association of the Carolinas.
Charles Columbus “Charlie” Martin, Jr. (BSBA) of Greenville is president of the ECU Parents Council. He also serves on the ECU Board of Visitors and the ECU Medical Foundation board.
1963 James W. Chesnutt (BSBA) president and CEO of National Spinning Company, spoke to a group of business students on November 1 in the Bate Building. He is a long time Business Advisory Council member and was the 2004 Beta Gamma Sigma Distinguished lecture speaker.
In Memoriam Clifton E. Boyd (BUSA ’56) of Greenville died February 7, 2007. He served 11 years active duty in the US Air Force and 30 years in the Air Force Reserves. Mr. Boyd enjoyed a 27-year career with American Airlines, serving as a pilot, flight engineer first officer, captain, and flight instructor. Allen Courtney Holden (ACCT ’83) of Wilmington died February 21. A certified public accountant, he held positions with hospitals and medical practices in Pinehurst, Albany, GA and Wilmington. Rebecca Ann Smithwick Congleton (BSBA ’63) of Smithfield, VA, died February 6. After graduation Rebecca received a master’s degree from Old Dominion University and taught business for 30 years in the Newport News school system.
Marketing Faculty Members Win Best Paper Award Marketing Faculty Susan DelVecchio, Scott Nadler, and Jim Zemanek won the Steven J. Shaw Award for the best conference paper at the Society for Marketing Advances 2005 Conference in San Antonio, Texas. The paper was entitled “Field Sales People and Wireless Computing Technology: Testing the Innovation-Diffusion Theory.” 6
Alumni Spotlight COB Alum Combines Business Knowledge with Passion for Arts
Robin Johnson Armstrong
Robin Johnson Armstrong (MKTG ’03 and MBA ’04) is using her ECU business degree and her deeply rooted passion for the arts to work with a group of local citizens to establish a local arts center in Greenville. The Magnolia Arts Center, incorporated last summer, is designed to be a local arts center that will play host to a wide variety of events and offerings. Robin Armstrong is the President of the Board of Directors for Magnolia. Robin developed a love for the theater as a child participating in “Smiles and Frowns” theater productions here in Greenville. Her passion continued while she attended ECU, although she realized that acting was not her true calling. While a college student, she took several acting classes as electives, but a theater management class made her realize that she could use the knowledge she was gaining in her business classes to pursue a career in theater without actually being an actress. She worked in the box office and was the company manager for two years for the ECU Summer Theater, maintaining excellent grades while completing her BSBA degree with a concentration in Marketing and her MBA. Robin was also honored by being chosen as a member of the prestigious (and extremely time-intensive) Graduate Case Competition team, under the direction of faculty members Len Rhodes and Ralph Flanary. Robin took a Non-Profit Finance course taught by Professor Jack Karns in the MBA program that illuminated her idea of starting a local arts center. “I grew up in Greenville, and I always had it in the back of my mind that we had a real need for an arts center here. Professor Karns’ class gave me the tools that I needed to make it happen.” The idea for an arts center in Greenville started about eight years ago, but a plan was formalized last spring, and
the Magnolia Arts Center was incorporated last summer, thanks to Armstrong and group of local patrons of the arts. Armstrong is completing all of the paperwork for the organization’s nonprofit status. The group is diligently working to get the support of the business and the public. Plans for the Center include community theater productions, experimental theater productions, partnerships with local art galleries to showcase exhibits, choral and instrumental music and dance presentations, showings of independent and documentary films and films by local filmmakers, trips to concerts, plays, and other cultural events around the state, actingclasses, and a venue for new playwrights to have their works heard. They also hope to offer presentation space for other local arts group. At 24 years of age, Robin is the youngest member of Magnolia Art Center’s Board of Directors by almost twenty years. Her love of the arts, combined with her business knowledge, make her a very effective leader. She and her husband Joshua (DSCI ’05), who is also originally from Greenville, live in Raleigh. Joshua is the Center’s website designer and webmaster. Robin still participates in community theater productions in Farmville, most recently as stage manager in Ragtime. She commutes from Raleigh to Pitt County at least once per week for Magnolia meetings or programs or theater productions. “I feel very lucky to be able to use my business degree to further the arts in Greenville. This has been a dream of mine for a long time!” Armstrong reflected. Robin was named Assistant Director for Graduate Programs for the COB effective May 22, 2006. In addition to her duties in the Graduate Office, she will lecture in the Marketing Department. 7
Alumni Spotlight Dixon Delivers Commencement Address at December University Ceremony Phillip R. Dixon (MGMT ’71) was the keynote speaker at East Carolina University’s December 17, 2005 University-wide graduation ceremony. Dixon is a current member of the UNC Board of Governors, former chair of the ECU Board of Trustees, civic leader, and noted Greenville attorney. He has also served on the Alumni Association Board of Directors, the ECU Foundation Board of Phil Dixon
Directors, the Board of Visitors, The College of Education Advancement Council, and the Friends of Joyner Library Board. Phil Dixon also became the very first member of the Commerce Club, the College of Business Alumni, when it was created in 1984. Among his awards are “Citizen of the Year” from the Pitt-Greenville Chamber of Commerce, an Outstanding Alumnus Award from ECU, and the Distinguished Service Award from the Greenville Jaycees. Dixon addressed the December graduates in at the 10 a.m. ceremony held in Minges Coliseum. He shared his Simple Rules for Successful Living with the students. Following is a brief synopsis of Dixon’s “Rules to Live By”:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Be willing to pay the price – You must make a commitment and sacrifices to succeed in life. Be self-disciplined – Discipline is control. If you don’t control yourself, someone else will, or no one else will. Either case will be less desirable than self-control. Set some goals – Discipline is setting your alarm clock at 5 am and making yourself get up when it goes off. Goal setting is knowing why you set the alarm at 5 am in the first place. Learn to get along with others – You may not please all the people all the time, but you can please most of the people most of the time – even if it is no other way than being open to their criticism. Be a dreamer – Keep your head in the clouds – Dare to Dream. Take Risks – We need people in the business world who strike out where there is no path, and leave a trail of their own - not people who simply follow where the path leads. Stay informed – Never be satisfied to stop learning what is going on around you. Be ethical – Know when to compromise and when to stick to your convictions. Have some fun – Choose a job you love, and you will never work a day in your life. Define success in your own terms – Some people spend their lives climbing the ladder of success only to find hat when they get to the top, the ladder is leaning against the wrong building. Your personal definition of success makes many seemingly difficulty decisions much easier through the years.
Entrepreneurial Alumnus Satisfies Students’ Munchies Only a year has passed since Katherine Earley (MGMT ’05) was an ECU student living in an apartment and getting the late-night munchies. Earley, who grew up in Ahoskie, is using knowledge gained from her concentration in entrepreneurship and small business to create a business that gives students a quick fix for the munchies. Convenience on Wheels is a roving convenience store that rolls into apartment complexes in the university area serving up snacks, hot and cold beverages, and other goodies. The mooing sound of a cow and ice-cream truck music alerts students that the snack van is in the area.
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Finances figured heavily in Earley’s choice of business. She would have liked to open a bar or restaurant but did not have access to the capital necessary for something of that scope, so she had a van customized with a sink, freezer, Sno-Cone machine and serving
window. Although there are other snack and ice cream trucks in Pitt County, none cater to college students. Convenience on Wheels serves eight apartment complexes with routes running from 7-9 pm and 11 pm – 1 am. Earley plans to add an afternoon route (3-5 pm) to serve students at the apartment complex pools during the summer months. A wide selection of beverages includes soft drinks, Red Bull energy drinks, Gatorade, water, Fruit punch, and hot chocolate (during the winter). Snack items include chips, cookies, crackers, nuts, honey buns, sunflower seeds, beef jerky, and most any kind of candy. Ice cream cones, Sno Cones, tobacco products and lighters, chaptstick, StarKist tuna, Dole fruit cups, and 7-pound bags of ice are also available. Earley also hopes to eventually offer hot dogs and nachos.
Fall 2005 Graduate Recognition Ceremony Speech Good evening.
Oie Osterkamp (MBA, ’88) President of the Commerce Club
I just want you to know what an honor it is to be asked to speak to you tonight. How many of you were 18 years old when you came to ECU? I realized this past week that as of tonight I have been asked to speak to the graduating class of the ECU College of Business each year for the past 18 years. Wow. That means I must have been 10 years old at the first one!
As I look out into your bright young faces, I realize what an awesome journey those 18 years have been for me. I am so thankful to be able to share some things I have learned… with you tonight. You know, it’s interesting what happens after each of these speeches. There will be five of you (sometimes four, but more often five) who will take the trouble to find my address or email and send me a note of thanks or tell me how my words “hit home”. Now, there are two ways I can take this. I can be thankful that over the years about 90 people have contacted me about how my words moved them. Or…I can fret that maybe 36,000 people either didn’t listen or weren’t impressed! I choose to be thankful. As I look out on this crowd tonight I can’t help but wonder who my five new friends will be. It is an unwritten rule in public speaking that to make an impact you have to have only three points with three examples and then shut up. Sounds like a plan. Professors – Thank you for all of the untold hours you have spent through the years helping others prepare to leave school life and begin “life’s school” as my Dad used to say. You too make lifetime friends with some of the students and enjoy watching them grow up when they leave ECU. I also know that sometimes it’s frustrating and you feel unappreciated. You put so much time and effort into these folks then one day they cross the stage and they are gone and you have to start all over. You don’t really know the impact you have had in their lives. Look at it this way, when you cut an apple in half, how many seeds are there in the middle? There are normally ten. Those represent your students. Now, how many apples will those ten seeds produce? This represents the potential impact that something you have taught these students can have as it is passed to friends, parents, co-workers, and children. Remember professors - Anyone can count the number of seeds in an apple; no one can count the number of apples in a seed. Now, As professors, you know that people remember 20% of what they hear and 70% of what they say, so repeat this with me. Anyone can count the number of seeds in an apple; no one can count the number of apples in a seed.
Ok, now on to the parents and families. I’d like for you all to take a deep breath…now exhale. It’s over. No more tuition payments! Can I have an “Amen”!? NOW what do you do? Your beloved child is no longer in the capable hands of the talented professors here at ECU. And some of these graduates did not let classes get in the way of their education. It took awhile for some of you to get that one, didn’t it? What can you offer your special child that is leaving this place a much different person than the one who entered it so many years ago? Simple. Listen. By the way, listening means not talking. It means not interrupting. It means turning off the TV and looking your new young adult in the eye and listening with your heart. Be open with ideas you will hear. Offer help finding resources. Be non-judgmental. Look, I said this was simple. I didn’t say it was easy. It very well could be time to start letting go. That’s right. I said it. It’s time to help your little eagle learn how to fly and there’s not a bird in the world that can fly in the nest. After all, an ancient Native American proverb sums it up best. “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children.” Parents, it is time for your children to have their turn with the world. Let us show our support by saying together “We give the world to you”. Ready Parents? “We give the world to you”. Wow. That was really hard for some of you, wasn’t it? OK, Graduates, now it is time for you to borrow the world from YOUR children. God has given each of you the amazing power of free will. The gift…of choice. You will make choices from this point forward that will dictate how the rest of your life plays out. Some of these choices will only effect you. Some will effect you, your circle of friends and family, and possibly your future family. I pray that you will embrace this gift. Do not listen to what the world says you must be to be considered successful. The world will lie. You do not need to be thin, or attractive, or rich. Someone else does not have to “lose” for you to be a winner. In his book Wild at Heart John Eldridge has a quote. “Do not ask what the world needs. Ask instead what makes you come alive and go do that. For what the world needs …is more people who have come alive.” That’s powerful, isn’t it? Close your eyes right now and take a deep breath and exhale slowly. Think of a time that you felt on top of the world. What have you done in your life that has made you feel like you had truly accomplished something significant? OK. You can open your eyes now. If you haven’t had that feeling yet, don’t worry. Do some research. Volunteer. Ask people you respect what they think makes you come alive. Repeat after me: “I will ask …what makes me come alive.” Let me tell you why I think this is so important. Think about it. Most people make a living by getting what they can get. You have the choice to make a LIFE by giving what you can give. Do not settle for anything less. As for me, I look forward to hearing from the five of you who make that choice. May God bless you all. 9
Student Activities
Albert Morrison, ECU Student shown in Iraq
Now This is Real Distance Learning Alberto Morrison, aka “Big Al” is not your typical ECU business student. He is in his second semester of online classes in the COB while concurrently serving his third Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) rotation in Kandahar, Iraq. Morrison, who has served on active duty for more than 15 years, is currently the Weapons and Electronics Officer for the 7th Special Air Forces Group (Airborne) stationed out of Fort Bragg. He is taking Accounting 2401, Financial Accounting, instructed online by Dr. Cal Christian, during the spring semester, and he is facing lots of challenges in this epitome of distance learning.
zone. Second, he has an extensive traveling schedule. Third, not all firebases have internet access readily available for “personal’ use, and finally, the proctor for tests will be an issue because he does not know where his proctor will be (or himself, for that matter) during the exam times posted.
“My first course (Business Environment with Dr. Karns) was wellreceived and I not only enjoyed taking my first online course, but found what will inevitably be my only means of taking classes in the foreseeable future,” Morrison stated in his bio for Christian’s class. He is an undergraduate student attempting to complete his BSBA within the next few years. He has already earned on Associates degree in General Education from credits attained through several universities attended throughout his military career.
Alberto plans to retire from the military in four years, and he and Shylo hope to use their practical management skills and academic knowledge to open a business in Arizona at that time. They will do a market analysis when the time comes to determine what kind of business to pursue. “I hope that this and other classes will develop the necessary tools for me to adroitly manage our business ledgers,” Morrison stated. “I thank you for the opportunity to continue my education during these busy times.”
Morrison faces numerous challenges taking the online Accounting class. First, and most obvious, he is currently stationed in a war 10
Morrison’s wife Shylo is a Captain serving in 18th Airborne Corps G-6. She just returned from her tour supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom in late December. Most of her tour centered around Baghdad. Al played “Daddy Daycare” to the couple’s 17 monthold daughter, Berlyn, during his wife’s deployment.
SBI Case Team Wins National Championship Five students in Dr. Mike Harris’ Small Business Management class brought great honor and recognition to the College of Business when they were awarded first place in the National Small Business Institute Case Competition (Undergraduate Comprehensive Division). The case competition was part of the 2006 National Joint Conference of the United State Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) and Small Business Institute (SBI) held in Tucson Arizona on January 12-15, 2006.
them to eight local families with demonstrated need. Because of their work, at least 13 children, as well as their parents and guardians, now have access to technology to learn and enjoy. Robert Moloney, of Digital Union, who organized the event, was very impressed with the AITP members. “The students were very professional and well-prepared,” he said, “a tribute to the professors who instruct them. The ECU College of Business should be proud.”
Bryant Beddard, Chris Long, Brian Ozment, Tauris Speight, and Rachel Baxter, spent approximately 500 hours in the field doing research and writing up recommendations for Mr. and Mrs. Buddy Harrell, the owners of Bennett Vineyards in Edward, NC. They turned in a written report and presented an oral report for the competition. ECU’s Small Business Institute, directed by Dr. Mike Harris since 2000, won second place in the national case competition in 2005 and in 1995 and has won numerous regional awards over the past fifteen years.
MIS Students Update Network Infrastructure for Community Agency On Saturday, November 12, students in the MIS 4123 class spent the day at Martin Enterprises, a community-based sheltered work rehabilitation agency, in Williamston, NC. The students updated the data network infrastructure by relocating the switch, installing a patch panel in the new location and physically pulling the cable for 28 drops. They then punched down the RJ 45 ends for each of the connections.
Bryant Beddard, Chris Long, Brian Ozzment, Tauris Speight, and Rachel Baxter shown with Mr. and Mrs. Buddy Harrell
AITP Joined with Digital Union to Provide Computers to Those in Need Eleven ECU student Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP) members and their advisors, Drs. Paul Schwager, Elaine Seeman, and David Rosenthal, joined forces with notfor-profit Digital Union to provide computers to those in need last November. The students helped to repair computers and deliver
While this is not “MIS” in the sense of managing IT strategy in the enterprise, it was an excellent learning experience in a very hands-on way for this class. They worked hard – very hard making this project happen. Student team pairs developed a proposal for the project, including a budget, and presented their proposal. The actual project was a blend of their proposals and their materials and budgets were spot on. The actual day saw lots of time on ladders and working out the myriad problems that go along with updating infrastructure in an older building. MIS majors Alina Barnes, Morgan Bedford, Bryan Eccleston, Nick Gerich, Misty Johnson, Garett Peterkin, Sarah Keeling, Rocky Vaughters and Justin Wagaman along with Marketing ecommerce majors Barrett Brooks and Rebecca Scarboro comprised the student team. 11
Pirates Storm New York Thirty five College of Business students and three faculty leftThursday evening by bus to have a full day in New York. Before the NASDAQ opening bell at 9AM on Friday, the group was seen on Good Morning America and were in the Today show crowd. Meeting with Business Advisory Council member Joe Gantz, gave the group a chance to hear from a private equity fund leader. Visits with US Trust, CRM, and Meridian firms were all scheduled before an evening gathering with alumni in Chelsea. Business Advisory Council member Alvin Hutzler helped other students attend the Vision Expo trade show on Saturday.
Mad Cow?
Sixty-four students were awarded scholarships with a total value of $48,400 at the 2006 College of Business Scholarship Awards Ceremony. Many benefactors were present at the ceremony, which was held in the new Science and Technology Building and followed by a reception in the Bate Building. Above, Lester Brown (center), representing the Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina, who fund a scholarship, is shown with recipients Elizabeth Sutliff and Michael Bould.
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MBA Student John Soto gives mooving presentation on Gateway computers in Policy class. Classmates say, “Cowabunga! What an udderly fantastic set of slides.�
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