Dividends Magazine, 2015 Centennial Edition by MSU College of Business

dividends T H E M A G A Z I N E O F T H E M I S S I S S I P P I S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y C O L L E G E O F B U S I N E S S • 2 0 1 5

Centennial Edition WE MEAN BUSINESS.

WE MEAN BUSINESS.

college of business welcome

What a great year it has been, as we have celebrated our 100th anniversary of the College

of Business! We have had a year of development and a year of improvements, but most of all we have had a year of achievements.

Our year has focused on six words that we feel best describe the College of Business: Integrity, Discovery, Innovation, Community, Opportunity and Leadership. Several of our faculty, students and alumni express what each of those words mean – and why they characterize the College of Business – in six short centennial videos, which can be found on the 100th anniversary website www.wemeanbusiness.msstate.edu. Throughout this issue of Dividends you will see how we have woven these six words into our year-long celebration with speakers, events and volunteerism. During the fall and spring, we renovated the Dean’s Suite, which had never been modernized. Thanks to some wonderful alumni and friends who saw the need for a more welcoming atmosphere, we have a beautiful newly refurbished area, with additional offices and a nice space to host receptions. The summer brought the beginning of construction of our 2,000 square-foot Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. The Center will be a state-of-the-art facility that will house not only our Entrepreneurship program but also our Office of Outreach. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of the year. This facility would not have been made possible without generous gifts from our donors. The summer also saw the launch of our MaroonX Accelerator program – a joint venture with Texas A&M made possible through a grant from the Blackstone Foundation. Five teams of budding MSU entrepreneurs spent an intensive 10 weeks working to move their products closer to launch. In the end, three of these teams made significant progress and have received some level of angel funding. While we said goodbye to several retiring faculty this year, we also welcomed new faces to our college family this fall. In August, Dr. Shawn Mauldin began as the Director of the Adkerson School of Accountancy. You can read more about Shawn in this edition of Dividends. In addition to the many centennial events held throughout the year, we celebrated the actual birth date of the College of Business – with a birthday cake for faculty, staff and students in the atrium of McCool Hall on October 15. The culmination of our year-long celebration was the Centennial Celebration Gala fundraiser on November 13, featuring comedian Steve Harvey as our special guest. The following day, the College of Business sponsored the Mississippi State v. Alabama football game, complete with a tailgate in The Junction for our students and alumni as well as the unveiling of our COB Centennial hype video during the game. It has been a great year of celebration and also a year of reflection. One hundred years ago, the administration of MSU had the foresight to create a College of Business in what was then rural Mississippi. As the oldest college of business in the state of Mississippi – and one of the oldest in the Southeast – we have seen significant changes in history and graduated highly regarded leaders in the business world. Yet through it all, we have all remained true to the six words featured in this edition of Dividends. I am excited to usher in the next 100 years and discover the many possibilities still uncharted…because after all, We Mean Business.

Sharon L. Oswald, Dean

Executive Advisory Board David P. Abney Boyce Adams, Sr. Richard C. Adkerson

contents Dividends is a publication of the College of Business at Mississippi State University | 2015

E. Andrew Allen Marsha Blackburn

2 Centennial Celebrations

Charles P. Boyd

6 MSU Memories

Mary Childs William Anthony Clark

James A. Coggin Cynthia Cooper Alan Crockett Thomas Darnell Larry Favreau Haley Fisackerly Linda M. Garrett H. Devon Graham, Jr.

Jan L. Gwin John M. Hairston

Lewis F. Mallory, Jr. Don Mason

C.R. Montgomery Roderick A. Moore Debrah Oberkirch

22 DBA/PhD Program: An Historic Milestone 24 Granville Barker: Solving Life’s Problems 28 ASAP Camp: Dual Discovery

36 Toxey Haas: An Empire Builder Who Moves His Own Dirt

Clyde Manning

Mickey Milligan

18 Roderick Erby: Action That Makes A Difference

34 A Starting Point: New Entrepreneurship Center

Paul J. Karre

Lee Miller

14 Cynthia Cooper: The Challenge to Choose Well

30 Privacy Helper App: How Private Is Your Phone?

Joe Iupe

Frank McWhorter

10 Ken Robinson: Commitment Counts

40 Student Start-Ups: Turning Ideas Into Enterprise

44 MaroonX: New Ventures Accelerated 48 Feifei Zeng: A Journey of 8,000 Miles 52 Making Waves: Students on the Move

Shirley Olson

56 Alumni: Top 100 For 100 Years

Ron J. Ponder

70 Notable Faculty: Excellence in Education

Richard Puckett, Sr. R.L. Qualls Joe G. Rice, Jr. Billy Roberts Pat S. Robertson Kenneth B. Robinson James J. Rouse Robert A. Sheely William A. Taylor, III Cyndi A. Tucker Jimmy L. Walden Loretta Walker

74 Charvis Davidson: Opportunity Onward

78 Jim Rouse: An Early Impact 82 Think Globally: MSU’s International Business Program 84 Sally Morgan: Shooting for Golf’s Biggest Stages 88 Scott Stricklin: United We Stand 92 Service: MBA Students Dig In 94 Jeffrey Rupp: In Tune With the Community 98 Impactful Gifts: A Legacy for Tomorrow 100 Dr. Shawn Mauldin: Making Connections

Dividends is published by Tellōs, LLC. www.telloscreative.com

102 News Briefs

celebrations centennial ICE CREAM SOCIAL

MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

On April 22, the College of Business hosted an ice cream social to kick off the year-long series of events celebrating the College’s Centennial Anniversary. College of Business students received free Bop’s Frozen Custard and COB Centennial t-shirts.

CENTENNIAL BBQ In August, the College held its Back to School Centennial BBQ. The meal was provided by The Little Dooey, a local favorite. The picnic-style barbecue lunch was held on the MSU Drill Field and saw a great turnout of students, who were served lunch by some of their favorite COB professors and staff.

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

Throughout the fall, the College hosted a number of MSU football game day tailgates just outside McCool Hall. Alumni and friends who attended were provided with food catered by Brian Michael’s Catering Co. and entertainment by the COB’s own Jeffrey Rupp.

WE MEAN BUSINESS.

MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY

CENTENNIAL ALUMNI TAILGATES

Hosted by the College’s PGA Professional Golf Management program, the Centennial Golf Classic was held September 18 at the MSU Golf Course. The tournament consisted of a four-man scramble, with a PGM student participating on each team. The event also included lunch and prizes for all who participated.

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

CENTENNIAL GOLF CLASSIC

100TH BIRTHDAY PARTY

MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

On October 15, students, faculty and staff celebrated the actual 100th birthday of the College of Business, with Centennial birthday cake served to all in attendance. The party highlighted the Collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s status as the oldest college of business in Mississippi and one of the oldest in the South.

CENTENNIAL TAILGATE RECEPTION A Centennial Tailgate Reception was held November 12 for current and former faculty and staff in the new Gridiron Club inside Davis Wade Stadium. Notable Faculty and Top Students who are featured in this edition of Dividends were recognized, and the Centennial video was previewed.

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

On November 14, alumni, students and faculty gathered for the Centennial Tailgate before the MSU v. Alabama game. It was held just outside Davis Wade Stadium in The Junction. As the official game sponsor, the College of Business received special recognition on the field during first quarter, and the Centennial video was presented on the Jumbotron.

WE MEAN BUSINESS.

MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY

CENTENNIAL TAILGATE & COB SPONSORED FOOTBALL GAME

The Centennial Gala was held at the newly renovated Mill Conference Center Ballroom in Starkville November 13. It featured comedian, actor and television host Steve Harvey as special guest speaker; a silent auction; dinner; special presentation of the COB historical Centennial video and recognition of our Top 100 alumni.

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

CENTENNIAL GALA

memories

MSU Memories

Earlier this year, we invited you to recall your favorite Mississippi State and College of Business memories. Here are some of the recollections and praise shared by alumni, current students and faculty on our Centennial website, www.wemeanbusiness.edu.

uring my last semester of my MBA degree, I was Dr. Don Mosley’s graduate assistant when Dr. O’Quinn, an economics professor, died during the first few days of the semester. On a Friday afternoon, Dr. Rudy White asked me to take over his class. I accepted. (I had no plans to be a professor.) I worked all of Saturday and Sunday on my first lecture, typed out my notes and put them in a three-ring binder. I was 22 years old and was assigned to teach a college class. I remember I was really nervous but made it through the first half of the class, and then I ran out of material. I knew of no other alternative than to dismiss class. I worked even harder on my second lecture. I really enjoyed teaching this class, and Dr. Jack Davis asked me to teach the next semester. From there, I taught at the University of Tennessee for a year to determine if I wanted to be a full-time college professor. I did, so I pursued my doctorate at the University of Alabama where most of my MSU faculty had gone. During my 32 years as a faculty member in the College of Business at Auburn University, I often wondered what would have happened if Professor O’Quinn had not passed away and Dr. White had not asked me to take his economics class. I have always been thankful to my MSU professors who must have seen something in me which I did not see. – D R . W I L L I A M H O L L E Y, J R . (’62; MBA, ’65)

B owen Hal l, 196

MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

Fr ont steps of McC oo Dr. Mike Highf ield and Dean Sharon O swald wit h graduate, Decem ber 2011

l, 1985

Dedication of Company Lab (Co-Lab), April 2013

Using calculator, 1970

eing a College of Business student has blessed me with countless opportunities that I know I would not have been given had I not chosen to be a business major. I’ve made so many wonderful relationships with the faculty, staff and students in the COB, and I cherish every single one of them. The College of Business Ambassadors has been the organization that has given me the tools and skills that I need in order to succeed in my future, and I could not be more grateful to have been able to be a member and serve as President during my senior year. I love Mississippi State University so much, and I love the College of Business even more. Here, you are not just a number, and that is something that not every college graduate can say. I know that I made the right choice when I chose to come to Mississippi State University, and I made an even better choice when I chose to major in business. Hail State! – L E X I W A A R I C H (’15)

loved my entire experience in the College of Business at MSU. I’m most thankful for how well it prepared me for my career. I received the Swayze Scholarship in 2011, thanks in large part to this University. I am now a Loan Officer for First National Bank of Pontotoc, MS, and was just recently promoted to Branch Manager. Thank you to all of the professors who helped me along the way! Go State! – R O B C H I T T O M (’11)

dents B usiness st u st udy abr oad in P isa, Italy, 2015

Computer lab, 1990

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

Her itage C up, 2012

have absolutely enjoyed my time in the College of Business. One of the things that I love most is that although the class size might be 60 or more students, I still am able to get to know the professors on a personal level. They are always willing to help a student in need, and most even remember you by name. I am grateful for such caring professors who want to see students succeed. It makes the college experience even more enjoyable! – T Y R U S H I L L (December ’15)

cC oo l, 2010s

Studying outside M

Banking & finance class

, 1980

McCool construction, circa 1972-74

r. R.H. Gilmer was the Graduate Director when I was there, and he encouraged me to attend Mississippi State instead of my other choices. He later became my dissertation director and helped me tremendously. He is greatly missed. Rest in peace, Dr. Gilmer. – N ATA L I E C H I E F F E (’95)

hen I registered as a transfer student from Meridian Junior College, we all met in the Animal Husbandry Building [now used for volleyball team matches] and went from table to table picking up cards for the class selections. At the very beginning of the process, we were assigned to a counselor, who also was behind a table distributing class cards. Like all good students would do, prior to registering I had asked my friends for advice on what classes and professors to take and which to avoid. The strongest recommendation that I received was, “Whatever you do, avoid Dr. Cho in Business Statistics.” After collecting all my class cards except for Business Statistics, I went back to my counselor and explained that I was down to one class but did not under any circumstance want Dr. Cho. He was very understanding and sent me to seek cards from two other tables. After much frustration, I returned to my counselor and explained that those classes were full, so my only choice was, much to my regret, Dr. Cho. He stood up, handed me a card, and with a very thick accent and big smile said, “I am Byhan Tac Cho, and I will see you Monday.” I thought my career at State had ended before it even started. However, Dr. Cho was one of the best teachers that I had at State. He was tough but fair and would meet us at night to help us if we needed it. He truly wanted his students to succeed in his class. – R O D E R I C K A . ( R O D ) M O O R E (’67)

MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY

Association of Black Business Professionals, 1993

was going on a study abroad trip in the summer of 2012, so I was applying for different scholarships to fund it. Mrs. Tina Sneed in the Dean’s Office called me and said, jokingly, “Dean Oswald wants to see you…what did you do? Did you cheat on a test or something?” I had no idea why I was being called to her office. I went into the dean’s office and Dean Oswald gave me a cool, blank stare, so I was really nervous by this point until she said, “Ticket Henry wants to give you a scholarship for your study abroad trip because he was so impressed with you!” The College of Business is full of wonderful, caring people who will help you in any way they can. I think they are also comedians in their spare time! – M E L A N I E S M I T H (’13)

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

uring my doctoral coursework and my time [as a graduate assistant] in “The Bureau” [the Bureau of Business Research], I became colleagues with people who have also shaped my life. After 45+ years, Junior Feild, Art Bedeian and Bill Hamilton are still my colleagues. Junior and I started at Auburn in 1973. Art came to Auburn in 1974 but left for LSU in 1985. I still work with Junior and Art on research projects. Bill (who recently retired from Columbus State University) and I play golf together periodically. My entire experience at MSU produced numerous fond memories and contributed significantly to the development of my life and career. – DR. ACHILLES ARMENAKIS (DBA ’73)

MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

ollowing graduation from the College of Business in 1967, I accepted a job offer from Humble Oil (now Exxon). Early on in my employment, I knew the oil business was not for me. Like some newly-minted undergraduates, I found myself asking, “What do I really want to do?” One thing I knew that I was passionate about were my college classes that I had taken at MSU. Thus, I decided that graduate school was what I wanted to pursue, with an eye toward university teaching. I recall calling Dr. Don Mosley, who was head of the Department of Management in the College of Business. Don was a past professor of mine, and I respected him so much. He told me that if I wanted to pursue a career as a university professor, I needed to get a PhD. With those few words, Don changed my life. I don’t believe I could be any happier in any other career than the 41-year career I have had working in universities. I credit Don Mosley for that. He like so many other professors in the College of Business supported and encouraged their students. At least for me, that support meant so much at a critical point in my life. – H U B E R T S . “J U N I O R ” F E I L D (’67)

2010

ss, 1948

CP A Accounting C la

ou could say that I stayed at Mississippi State for graduate school because I am from Starkville. You could say that I stayed at MSU because of the strong MBA program that our College of Business provides for its students. You could even say that I stayed here because my apartment rent was so cheap. But the real reason I stayed here is because of the faculty, staff and students. The faculty are always supportive and ready to help students do their best. The staff are always friendly and ready to help students in any way they can. And last but not least, the number of friends I have come to know from the student population at MSU is almost more than I will be able to keep up with when I leave. Thanks to everyone who has helped me get through my six years here at MSU. You are the best! – J A S O N T I F F I N (‘95; MBA, ’96)

uring the summer of 1956, my now deceased wife was enrolled in an income tax class, taught by Dr. Littlejohn in the College of Business. This required subject was posing serious problems for Dorothy “Dot” Moak. In fact, she was likely to fail the course. She studied very hard and sought help from every accounting major she knew, as well as from her professor. Following the final exam, she approached Dr. Littlejohn in tears to plead for mercy. Finally, Dr. Littlejohn said to her, “If you promise me you will never ever prepare a tax return, I will give you a D- in the course.” And that was a promise she kept as long as she lived! – C H A R L E S M O A K (’57)

Dora Her ring teaches acc ount ing class, 1970s

McC ool Hall,, circa 2009

Montgomery Hall/Old Library,, 1917

COB Ambassadors, 2015-2016

uring my final spring semester in 1974, I was taking Finance Cases under Dr. Carroll D. Aby, who was the toughest professor that I ever had at Mississippi State. The night before one of his exams, I was studying with a classmate. We came across a very detailed finance case study that Dr. Aby had given the class but never discussed. The classmate and I decided to work through the case study, which took several hours. The next day, that case study was the only question on the exam. When Dr. Aby was handing out the graded exams the following week, he gave my exam to me and said, “Good job, Mr. Koerber!” (I was astonished that he knew my name.) I looked to see that I had made a 100 on the exam. The classmate who studied with me also made a 100. Although a few others in the class did well on the exam, most in the class either did poorly or failed. Even though Dr. Aby was tough on everyone, he made us strive to be better students. I thank Dr. Aby for that. – J A M E S A . ( J I M ) K O E R B E R (’74)

1977

had an economics professor – Dr. Robert Awh – in the mid-70s. He was Korean, I believe. The first day he came into class and said in a very thick Asian accent, “I speak seven languages fluently. Unfortunately, English is not one of them.” And off we went. He was a great professor, and his English was fine! – C Y N D I T U C K E R (’77; MBA, ’78)

Photos courtesy of MSU Libraries & MSU Office of Public Affairs

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

WE MEAN

1916

1918 Following WWI, the League of Nations is created. •

1920 Calvin Coolidge becomes President upon the sudden • death of Warren G. Harding.

1924 Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming is elected first • U.S. female governor.

1926 Babe Ruth hits 60 home runs in a single season, • and his record stands for 34 years.

1928 U.S. stock market collapses, ushering in the Great Depression. •

1930 Francis Scott Key’s “The Star-Spangled Banner” • becomes the national anthem.

INTEGRITY.

1932 President Franklin D. Roosevelt launches • the New Deal. Milton Bradley invents best-selling board • game, Monopoly.

1934 WE MEAN

WE MEAN INTEGRITY.

Division of Business & Industry is • renamed the School of Business & Industry. First business degree is awarded. • Worldwide influenza pandemic begins, killing • nearly 20 million by 1920.

1915

INTEGRITY.

IHL approves Business Degree program at • Mississippi State University on October 15. James V. Bowen becomes Director of the Division • of Business Administration & Public Affairs. WWI German sub sinks British ocean liner Lusitania. •

• MSU Division of Business Administration & Public Affairs becomes the Division of Business & Industry. • Albert Einstein completes his mathematical formulation of a general theory of relativity.

1917 • MSU School of Business & Industry becomes housed in Lee Hall. • Daylight Saving Time is initiated in the United States.

1919 • 19th Amendment grants U.S. women the right to vote.

1923 • First Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade is held in New York City.

1925 • Gertrude Ederle becomes the first woman to swim across the English Channel.

1927 • Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin.

1929 • Britain, U.S., Japan, France and Italy sign naval disarmament treaty.

1931 • U.S. Congress sets up the Reconstruction Finance Corporation to stimulate the economy.

1933 • Adolf Hitler becomes Führer in Germany.

MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

commit

Commitment Counts By Carolanne Roberts

“I don’t use the word ‘retirement,’” says the 1977 banking and finance graduate. “I say ‘transition’ because that’s what I want to do.” He cites plans for public service on multiple boards. Continuing his non-profit work is a given. Consulting will figure in as well. He also wants to plant flowers and tinker, to fix and fiddle with things at home. He is so busy planning the future that it takes a gentle twist of the arm to lure him to discuss the past. But Robinson is proud of his P&G path, and it is little wonder.

Prior to this position, he served in a vice president role for many years as P&G’s chief audit executive, overseeing ethics and compliance to the company’s global internal audit function. He led the creation of P&G’s Governance, Risk and Compliance framework, including identifying cybersecurity risks and developing integrated solutions.

The word “global” comes up almost every step along the way of his career. As he puts it, “The competitive landscape is not the North or the South, it’s the world.” His career with P&G has been filled with unexpected and elevating experiences. “I wish I could say it’s all been very easy and clearly ordered and that I knew what was coming next,” admits the Eupora native. “But I could never have envisioned it would go the way it has gone.” He cites an example. After expressing an interest in an international role, he was offered a career move. “My boss asked me if I’d like to go work in the Arabian Peninsula,” recalls Robinson, who wondered silently where that might be. “Then, after saying we’d live in an ex-pat compound, he added, ‘You do know it’s in Saudi Arabia, right? Don’t tell me no, just go look.’”

INTEGRITY

KEN ROBINSON

All these years later, he has not questioned his decision. Rather, he celebrates the choice that has led to his current role as Procter & Gamble’s Vice President for Global Diversity & Inclusion.

“I wish I could say that it’s all been very easy and clearly ordered and that I knew what was coming next. But I could never have envisioned it would go the way it has gone.”

In 1977, fresh from his MSU studies, Robinson had an offer to join Shell Oil in New Orleans that he expected to take. However, he decided to interview at other companies as well, and a trip to Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble changed his direction. The company made him an offer, and he accepted it.

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

alking to Ken Robinson at this moment in his life is exciting. He has the perspective of a man looking back through 38.5 years at Procter & Gamble, a professional career filled with highs that seemed to get higher with each promotion, accomplishment and challenge, to discern what he has learned. He is also able to look forward to his future, as he will be tackling the T-word at the end of 2015.

Ken Robinson compassion

INTEGRITY

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

Ken Robinson was an honoree at Cincinnati’s 2014 Men of Honor: A Salute to African American Men. Celebrating with him were his family and P&G Chief Information Officer Linda Clement-Holmes.

The Robinson family – which included wife Windy and sons Kevin, 13, and Tim, 9 – went and spent almost three wonderful and memorable years there. The boys attended British intercontinental schools while their dad served as Finance Director for P&G business in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and UAE. Daughter Kinisha was born during this period. “A boy from ‘suburban Starkville’ who grew up on a farm finds himself in the Middle East,” Robinson marvels. “The last 20 years of my career have been in global roles – roles that required me to travel to all parts of the world. It helped me develop a better appreciation for humanity and, at the same time, a greater appreciation for what we have here in America. This has been one of the most rewarding and enriching things that could have happened to me.” All that positive experience leads to reflection and philosophy.

“I have a very strong ethical principle in terms of honesty,” he says, citing P&G’s Principle Values and Purpose statement, which aligns to his own. “My dad taught me ‘Do what you say, say what you’ll do, and nothing in between. Your word is your bond.’” To his own children he has said repeatedly, “Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you react to it.” Robinson adds, “If you focus on where you are and bring together all the powers of positive belief, passion and tenacity, I think you can work out any situation.”

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

Passion and compassion neatly define this man. So does his deep commitment to the $110 million National Underground Freedom Center, which opened in 2004 along the Ohio River in Cincinnati with Robinson its Chairman of Finance. “We chronicle the role of Ohio in helping African slaves to freedom,” he says. “It’s a story of cooperation, courage and perseverance – the cooperation of blacks and whites trying to help the slaves remain free. We’re also telling how this spirit of effort impacts modern day slavery and human trafficking – Ohio is a hotbed of human trafficking in the Midwest.” While Robinson remains on the Center’s board, he was also “very surprised and pleased” to be named honorary Co-Chair of the organization. As the clock runs out on his days at P&G – only because he says it’s the right time – Ken Robinson is working on a parting project dear to his heart and values. He continues full-time what he has embraced during his other roles over the years.

The end goal is to cultivate a pool of individuals able to carry out the business in that region. “To spend this time in my career on this is very gratifying,” he states. This man in transition departs P&G with distinction, and it is good news that his leaving means more time for Mississippi State. He already serves on the Executive Advisory Board of the College of Business and aims to help make the curriculum even more internationally focused. He will return for the College’s Career Chats, a two-day annual event when practicing professionals speak with students in their classes and share insights.

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

“I’m working to develop what we call an Africa Talent Program as we grow our business in Africa,” he says. “We’ve done this in Asia and Latin America, and now we want to focus on growing in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa as big markets.”

“Mississippi State was a good choice, and the education was fantastic,” says Robinson. His MSU business education gave him the fuel to circle the world – and still come back to Starkville.

Robinson, shown with Dean Sharon Oswald, was named the College’s 2015 Alumni Fellow.

INTEGRITY

And he will continue to enjoy the accomplishments of his children. Kevin is an MSU alumnus and a nationally recognized TV meteorologist. Tim works in finance with Macy’s, and Kinisha is a biology major at Ohio State.

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

choose

The Challenge to Choose Well By Carolanne Roberts

earing and watching Cynthia Cooper in front of an audience is simply spellbinding. The MSU accounting graduate, Class of ’86, strides to the podium and begins to tell a tale none of us would want to experience firsthand. Her eyes are smiling, her cadence is confident and she is at once engaging and candid. Cooper, who admits she once avoided public speaking, is a gifted storyteller. And what a story she has. “There were times when it was overwhelming,” she says of the events that led to the downfall of Mississippi-based WorldCom in 2002. She was the company’s Vice President of Internal Audit and the person who, along with her team, discovered the $3.8 billion fraud and the complicity within the company. It led to her being named one of Time magazine’s 2002 “Persons of the Year.” “There were times when my hands were shaking, my heart was pounding and I was scared to death,” she says. “I had to find a way to push forward in the face of that fear.”

The book, she reports, was actually her mother’s idea. “She encouraged me to write it because there are some very valuable lessons to be gleaned from this story,” Cooper recalls. Cooper, the “numbers person,” transitioned into a skilled “word person,” weighing how to stitch the pieces together. “I’m not a writer,” she says of the four-year process. “I originally wrote the book in past tense, but then I read Angela’s Ashes, written in present tense, and liked how it pulled me into the story. So I went back and wrote my book in present tense because I wanted students to feel like they were there, living it with me. I wanted them to put themselves in the shoes of other people and think about what decisions they would’ve made along the way – and how those events might have impacted not only themselves but other people.” Note the use of the word “student.” Cooper’s heart is with the young people she reaches in her many university talks.

INTEGRITY

“First, I never envisioned I’d be out speaking in front of hundreds, sometimes thousands of people,” she admits. “It wasn’t in my comfort zone, but I felt a passion for sharing these experiences with other people, so it was something I really felt compelled to do.”

That process is artfully detailed in Cooper’s book, Extraordinary Circumstances, and addressed in her many speeches around the country and the world annually. In a conversation with Dividends, she gives insight into the years that have unfolded since the darkest days at WorldCom. Her life, she says, is “very different” from her role at Mississippi’s first Fortune 500 company, located in her hometown of Clinton.

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

Her voice comes alive as she comments, “Sometimes people say you can’t teach students to be ethical once they’re in college, but I think what universities can do is provide them with tools to help them stop, step back, think through ethical dilemmas and hopefully make the right choices.” Proceeds from her book help support ethics education. Though she professes not to “speak millennial,” Cooper employs a participation mode that appeals to her rapt audiences.

INTEGRITY

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

“The more we bring ethics to the forefront of our thinking, the more likely we are to recognize ethical dilemmas and make the right choices. I very much believe ethics education makes a difference.” CYNTHIA COOPER

“It’s an interactive session,” she explains. “We talk about how some of the people who became complicit with the fraud were pretty average citizens, probably not that much different from people they know. Then I challenge the students to define their own core values. I ask them, ‘When you come to the end of your life, what do you want it to have stood for?’” She also challenges her student audiences to think about ethical dilemmas they face. “Not a WorldCom or an Enron hopefully,” Cooper says. “Sometimes they say, ‘cheating’ or ‘speeding,’ then I’ll ask them to think about what happens when people make bad choices or commit white collar crimes. Those people don’t wake up and say, ‘I’m going to become a criminal today.’ The decisions each person makes today can be important in the future.”

Just as she has done with her own two daughters and in each chapter of her book, Cooper encourages those she influences by sharing her personal experience, condensing the point into a simple thought: do the right thing. “I challenge students to think about their own lives – about pressure and pride (some WorldCom employees felt pressure to become complicit with the fraud), about greed and fear (mid-level managers were afraid of losing their jobs and not being able to support their families) and about misguided loyalties. “The more we bring ethics to the forefront of our thinking, the more likely we are to recognize ethical dilemmas and make the right choices,” she continues. “I very much believe ethics education makes a difference.” Cynthia Cooper herself is making a difference. She has formed a consulting firm to work with corporations on governance, risk management, ethics and compliance, and to execute fraud investigations. And she speaks out to help others – boards of directors, corporate executives and students who could change ethics dynamics for the future. She also reaches out to women in ethics presentations geared specifically to her gender. It is a positive mission, borne of a negative slice of business history. Cooper could put “that chapter” of her life behind her and not revisit it. But she uses the experience for good. That is just the kind of person Cynthia Cooper is; the kind of person her mother reared her to be.

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challenge impact MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS |

“I write in the book that my mother taught my brother and me to think about the consequences of our actions,” Cooper notes. “She also said, ‘Never allow yourself to be intimidated,’ which was ingrained in me from a young age. Her advice has helped me find my courage at different points of my life when I needed it the most.” That courage endures. A priest once told Cooper, “You can be a wounded healer,” and she likes the idea. For certain, WorldCom inflicted its share of wounds. At the same time, she is indeed a healer, marching forward to educate, inspire and inform. “Life is about choices,” she says, “And our challenge is to choose well.” Words to live by – from a woman who knows.

INTEGRITY

Cooper was the COB’s Leo W. Seal Distinguished Speaker in February.

INTEGRITY

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DIVIDENDS

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action

Action That Makes a Difference By Carolanne Roberts

e’s in the midst of his senior year as a business information systems major. He boasts a two-page, single-spaced résumé of achievements, including a select summer management program at Harvard. He is a 2015 MSU Spirit of State honoree who is juggling options for prestigious jobs to start after he tosses his mortarboard in the air next May. So what could Roderick Erby possibly want? The answer comes as no surprise to those in the Mississippi State sphere. He wants more. More to conquer, more to experience. And “more” is exactly what the world is going to want from him in return, once his talents become known in the broader professional arena. More of that expertise, more of that drive. “I love being busy. I love being involved,” says the New Albany, MS, native. “I want to get as much out of my college experience as I can. All good things must come to an end, and I know I’m going to be a little sad when I graduate. But it’s a natural step in another direction, and that’s good.” He will always have the four years – a stellar four years – to remember as his career builds. Much of Erby’s campus activity has related directly to his pride in Mississippi State and his innate desire to make his world better.

“That’s one of my favorite things to do,” Erby says. “It’s our job to make prospective students and their parents feel welcome here. What I like to impress on them is that everybody can come to Mississippi State and fit in – that everybody has a place and can feel that they belong. You can’t get that at every university.” As a College of Business Ambassador, he winds up talking to some of those same students once they have chosen MSU. “We welcome them to the school with a personal phone call and help them with any questions,” he says. “It makes them feel more comfortable coming here.” Erby also serves his fellow students and Mississippi State as a member of the Student Honor Code Council. In this role, which bears no small amount of responsibility, he joins with peers and faculty in promoting academic integrity and reducing academic misconduct. He also serves the MSU chapter of the NAACP in the trusted position of Financial Chairman. His service to the University was honored last spring when Erby received a Spirit of State Award. It is the premier recognition for MSU students, paying tribute to those who have made positive impacts on the campus community through their organizational involvement, service and personal actions.

INTEGRITY

There is also his role as a Roadrunner, which, among other tasks, includes serving as a tour guide around the campus he adores.

For example, he shares about his work as an MSU Foundation Ambassador, “We help alumni giving back to the University know that they are appreciated. We also make students aware of what the donations do for the school. We can say, ‘You wouldn’t have this scholarship if it weren’t for an alumnus who gave money.’ I think it makes students more appreciative of their time here.”

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outstanding responsibility

INTEGRITY

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“My business program has given me the aptitude to make it in corporate America. I really excelled at International Paper because of the College of Business.” RODERICK ERBY

Erby attributes much of his success to the G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery Leadership Program, noting, “It honed my leadership skills and opened my eyes to new ways of leadership and of being outgoing.”

The program aims to develop the leadership skills of a select group of students who are committed to transforming their lives and others’ lives. Montgomery Fellows are challenged to recognize how they are equipped to improve the world and to take action that makes a difference. The three-semester program allowed Erby to first explore theories in action as part of a community service project, then to mentor younger students and ultimately to execute his own community program.

“I learned a lot, I changed a lot and I developed as a leader,” he emphasizes. “It really shaped who I am today.” He has also benefitted from being one of 85 top students from across the country chosen for the Summer Venture in Management Program at Harvard University last summer. “We worked with case studies – reading them, forming opinions and developing our arguments – then we argued our point of view and learned management perspectives. I felt equipped from my experience at State to be in those classes,” he remarks. Erby’s acumen impressed his bosses at International Paper in Memphis, where he completed an internship in information technology last summer. “I asked a lot of questions, but I never asked the same one twice,” he says. “They were open to my suggestions, and I actually suggested things they hadn’t thought of – and I think that’s what helped me make my mark. I was able to give them ideas that really helped with productivity.” He credits the College of Business and the long hours “living” at McCool Hall. “My business program has given me the aptitude to make it in corporate America. I really excelled at International Paper because of the College of Business,” Erby states. “There were people along the way here who helped me so much. There were times when I didn’t think I could do it, times when I didn’t think I was good enough, and people here helped me get back up and go on. Renata Prater, my academic advisor, is one. She keeps me level-headed and confident.” Erby has been confident enough and certainly level-headed enough to have chosen his organizations well. Each contributes to his current goals and his future life. Along the way, his achievements have been rewarded with scholarships and honors – and they have made a difference to others. With all of this to his credit, Roderick Erby still wishes for more. More hours in a day to get more done. And more challenges to take his passions for a spin – in campus leadership and academics, in the career ahead and perhaps in an MBA or a graduate degree in organizational development – or both. “People ask me how I have time to study,” he admits of these packed college years. “And I think it’s just having a passion for everything that I do. It’s so important to do things you are passionate about because then you put your heart into them.” And there’s no doubt about it – this fellow is all heart.

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WE MEAN

1936 W.W. Littlejohn establishes the MSU • Accounting program. Amelia Earhart is lost over the Pacific. • German blimp Hindenburg burns in mid-air. •

The Bureau of Business & Economic • Research begins. The Great Depression comes to an end. • Gone with the Wind, starring Vivien Leigh and • Clark Gable, premieres.

1940 Dr. Robert C. Weems becomes Dean of the • School of Business & Industry. Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brings • United States into WWII.

1942 School of Business & Industry relocates to Bowen • Hall, named for first Dean James V. Bowen. FDR freezes prices, salaries and wages to prevent inflation. •

1944 WWII ends. • First electronic computer is built. • Harry S. Truman becomes President upon FDR’s death. •

1946 Jackie Robinson joins the Brooklyn Dodgers, becoming the • first African American in Major League Baseball.

DISCOVERY.

1948 NATO is formed. • First Polaroid cameras are sold to consumers. •

1950 WE MEAN

WE MEAN DISCOVERY.

1938

1935 • African American Jesse Owens wins four gold medals in track & field at the Berlin Olympics.

1937 • The Fair Labor Standards Act establishes minimum wage.

1939 • Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. becomes the first AfricanAmerican general in the U.S. Army. • Selective Training & Service Act is enacted as the first peacetime military draft in U.S. history.

1941 • Women’s military service is established. • United States begins halting production of consumer goods to focus on war-related goods.

1943 • D-Day: Allies invade Normandy, France, on June 6. • G.I. Bill of Rights is signed into law.

1945 • First meeting of United Nations General Assembly convenes in London. • Percy Spencer invents the microwave oven.

1947 • MSU School of Business & Industry awards its first master’s degree. • Renovation begins on Lee Hall after fire guts the top floors. • Truman ends racial segregation in the military. • One million households now own a television set.

1949 • Korean War begins. • Ralph Schneider invents the credit card.

DISCOVERY.

Second phase of the New Deal calls for Social Security, • better housing, equitable taxation and farm assistance. The Hoover Dam is completed. •

D I S C OV E R Y

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DIVIDENDS

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DIVIDENDS

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DBA/PhD Progam: An Historic Milestone By Emily Daniels

historic

he College of Business celebrated yet another historic milestone this year – the 50th Anniversary of the DBA/PhD Program at Mississippi State University.

Highlights of the evening’s agenda included special remarks from Dr. Dora Herring, the very first graduate of the DBA Program, and Dr. Larry White, Professor of Finance and Director of the Center for Banking at East Tennessee State University. White spoke on behalf of his father, the late Dr. Rudolph A. White, former Director of Business Graduate Studies. A special video presentation featured several doctoral graduates in business – from the first to most recent – who touched on the history of the DBA/PhD Program at MSU as well as the career goals they were able to accomplish because of their doctoral degrees in business. In the video, 1972 DBA graduate Dr. George Verrall explains why the establishment of the program at that time was critical to the future development of the College.

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On Saturday, March 21, 2015, the College of Business hosted an event at MSU’s Hunter Henry Center commemorating the golden anniversary of its doctoral program. Current and former faculty and graduates from across the country were in attendance for the occasion, which included a cocktail hour, dinner and program.

The DBA Program – now PhD in Business Administration – was established in the fall of 1964, thanks in large part to Dr. Rudolph White and Dr. William C. Flewellen, Jr., former Dean of the College. The Program has conferred nearly 400 doctoral degrees since its founding 50 years ago. Over the years, the College of Business has ensured that the PhD curriculum remains up to date with the latest advancements in technology, society and the development of a global economy. Dr. Mike Breazeale, 2010 PhD graduate and Assistant Professor of Marketing at MSU, says he is grateful for the opportunities that the College of Business PhD Program has provided for him. “Life with a PhD is wonderful,” he exclaims. “You are surrounded by people who are just as ‘nerdily’ passionate about the same things as you are, and not many people get to have that experience. So every day when I come into work I get to deal with people who care about the same things I do – or at least similar things – and that’s a really good life.”

D I S C OV E R Y

“In schools across the country, there was a growing shortage of faculty members with doctoral degrees teaching business courses,” says Verrall. “The purpose of the DBA Program was to ensure that we had courses in all of the major areas of business at the doctoral level. That way, when you went on the market to look for a job, you were qualified to teach courses in many areas of business.”

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solving

Solving Life’s Problems By Carolanne Roberts

This computer programmer, innovator, mind reader and well-rounded entrepreneur is all about the next discovery. Raised in the Delta town of Marks, MS, and now anchored in Starkville, Barker started his journey by taking apart the family vacuum cleaner at age two. He hunkered down with his first computer at seven or eight and was writing programs by 10. He was born hot-wired to figure out life. Ask his motivation and he replies, “Pain points. I’m always looking for pain points people have and how to solve the problem.”

In those days, attending classes, working on projects and running a business were not enough for Barker. A need came to his attention, and he grabbed it as an opportunity. The crop-dusting industry required flagmen who could signal pilots and position them over the fields, but the flagmen were subjected to the chemicals that were sprayed. Barker helped develop a system that could position the planes instead. “I took it to a phase where they could test the program,” says the 1993 graduate. “Then I turned the program over to a friend who took it to completion.” Barker was already on to the next big thing. It had nothing to do with crops and fields and everything to do with billing. His former store manager had started an ISP (Internet service provider) in Jackson – Mississippi’s first – and had an immediate need for Internet billing software.

Left: Barker holds one of Abigato’s remote sensors that are used to monitor water tanks and provide data via a cloud-based application.

D I S C OV E R Y

Barker was only a few years into his degree in business information systems in the College of Business when he stepped out of the classroom long enough to open a store in town. Simple Solutions sold computers to Mississippi State and to students. It was the early 1990s, when the new-fangled Internet was engaging lives and hardware was in demand.

Recent example: With his children having recently begun riding public school buses, he is fiddling with a way to place a swipe-card iPad on the vehicles to track student (and bus) whereabouts. For Barker, the need for schools and parents to know where children are is a problem with a solution. That is the way his mind works.

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ranville Barker is: • the guy zipping across campus on a Segway • the fellow whose mind spins with “what ifs” and “why nots” • the COB grad who makes lives easier by sensing needs • an innovator who does not know how to slow down (and is proud of it)

D I S C OV E R Y

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Barker wrote the software over his Christmas holiday break that year, then continued to work on other Internet invoice programs and related ones, such as a program for printer supplies – a way to know when they are needed and instantly order more. Sales went from a trickle to a steady flow, and in 2000, Barker closed his Starkville store. The reason: no time, new directions.

This discoverer, this man with the ideas, also has a head for business, so one can see a steady trend of “create, grow, sell” on his résumé. That is exactly what happened with the early Internet billing software business, which sold in 2004 to a Toronto-based company. It was no wistful parting because, as one might guess, Barker was already down the road with new projects. The road, literally. Sometime in the course of writing programs, the Barkers and their toddler discovered the world of recreational vehicles. What was intended as a getaway – a trip from one tip of France to the other – morphed into another business venture. “When we got home from France, my wife and I agreed that we’d seen that country but hadn’t done much in the United States, so we started looking for a VW camper and ended up with a big motor home,” he says. “We found RVParkReviews.com online, and I connected with the owner with some programming suggestions. I ended up buying it.” Was he crazy to buy a website that generated little – or really, no – income? “I made it database driven, added little features here and there and didn’t make money for four years,” says the patient soul. When he discovered Google Ads, traffic increased exponentially, attracting RVers looking for guidance-onthe-go. “I sold it in 2013. I can’t disclose the amount, but that was a successful venture.” Connecting the dots on Granville Barker’s endeavors often means going from one point to a totally unrelated point – from an RV website to a water monitoring system, for instance. For the son of a civil engineer who designed water systems, however, this move seemed logical. He is now President of Abigato Corporation, which supports service providers in the water and wastewater industries.

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DIVIDENDS

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“A cloud-based application provides information like the water level in the tank, the pressure at the bottom of that tank and how often the pumps come on,” he explains. “The hardware is a box placed directly on the tower.” Barker adds that the program also reports results of chlorine monitoring systems. All data is available on a basic iPhone. In a skillful balancing act, Barker manages to take on even more, working from his office in the MSU Business Incubator on campus. He bought a water system and four sewer systems in north Mississippi, developing billing systems and procedures used by meter readers. That software is about to go on the market to the utility industry. He also bought an “incubator company” from two Mississippi State students who developed a phone app for swimming pool cleaning services. It maps the route to the client pool for the service’s employee, then provides data such as chemical readings and calculations for treatment.

“Absolutely,” says the dare-to-dream guy, noting that remote control models are in development by others but none with the tricks he has in store. In-between it all, Barker buys and manages real estate. The seeds for his success were nurtured by his time at Mississippi State’s College of Business.

“I had some good professors who would even give me extra projects,” he says. “That’s what I like to do every day – read and learn. That’s what I enjoy.”

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Then there’s the lawnmower under development. Just imagine sitting on your porch sipping lemonade while your mower does the work.

“I try not to slow down,” he says. “In fact, I’ve just been thinking about...” And he’s off. It’s good news for Mississippi State. And for us all.

creativity

innovation

D I S C OV E R Y

In the time it takes to read this article, Granville Barker may have hatched another little idea that will grow into something bigger, broader and problem solving. One thing is for certain, he does not intend to kick back and admire his past body of work.

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discovery

Dual Discovery By Kirsten Shaw

t a new camp this past summer, high school students made discoveries about two potential directions for their future: the accounting profession and Mississippi State University.

“Going into their final year in high school, students often have some idea about careers that interest them,” remarks Dixon. “Those considering accounting may not be aware of all the career options that the profession offers. ASAP was developed so they could ‘test the waters’ of accounting and see its potential – and we wanted to achieve that in ways that would be fun and interesting for them.”

ASAP also helped participants build skills of immediate and long-term benefit. MSU Extension Service financial management agent Susan Cosgrove talked with them about saving, credit and debit cards and other personal finance topics. A KPMG representative gave them insights on interviewing. A “What Not to Wear” presentation by the MSU Career Center offered an entertaining look at career dress, and an etiquette dinner and awards ceremony provided a social-professional occasion. Rising high school seniors are also looking at the near future, and that means choosing a college. ASAP enabled participants to learn what Mississippi State offers and to sample campus life. The participants were able to hear about the admissions process and scholarships, and they resided in MSU’s newest residence hall, Magnolia Hall. They also sat in on an accounting lecture, dined on campus, took a guided tour of campus and were able to meet with accounting faculty and graduate students, who guided and worked with them throughout the camp. “I now have a much better understanding of accounting than I did before,” observes Franklin, an Ocean Springs, MS, native. “Getting to stay on the campus and see accounting in action, at the Adkerson School of Accountancy and at the businesses we toured, was a valuable experience.” The ASAP camp was a clear success, and plans are under way for 2016, when a new group of young scholars will discover that an accounting education – especially one at MSU – opens doors to the future.

D I S C OV E R Y

The camp exposed students to many facets of accounting. A panel of young practitioners described various career fields, answered questions about day-to-day professional life and then joined accounting faculty for an informal lunch with the participants. Touring the local plants of international businesses Aurora Flight Sciences and PACCAR introduced the students to global possibilities.

A hands-on project allowed participants to use their creativity and to put basic accounting principles into action. After introductory accounting and research instruction, students paired into teams and envisaged ideas for startup companies. They worked together to develop business plans and then presented them in a format modeled on TV’s “Shark Tank.” On the final night, KPMG awarded Target gift cards to the team of Katelyn Franklin and Jenny Huang for their business plan for a beach lemonade stand called Pucker Up!

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In July, the Adkerson School of Accountancy hosted ten rising high school seniors at the first ASAP – Accelerating Students into the Accounting Profession – Camp. Krystle Dixon, Academic Coordinator for the School, conceived the idea and organized the three-day experience.

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private

How Private Is Your Phone? By Emily Daniels

hese days, we are a society that demands convenience. Almost everything you could possibly dream of can be found online. If you’re a college student, you can now keep up with old friends (or celebrities) through social media, view your checking account balance before shopping for the perfect dress to wear on your first date with the guy you met through an online dating site or order a pizza while Googling information for your research project that’s due tomorrow. No computer? No problem. Since the invention of the smartphone, all the information you need can be found right in your pocket.

Crossler joined the College of Business at Mississippi State in 2012 as Assistant Professor of Information Systems. He holds a BS degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Idaho and a PhD in Accounting and Information Systems from Virginia Tech. Crossler, along with France Bélanger, Professor of Accounting and Information Systems at Virginia Tech University, has developed a new app to help iPhone® users make knowledgeable choices about their privacy settings.

D I S C OV E R Y

Crossler says Privacy Helper is not an app for everyday use, but those who use it even once may gain increased peace of mind about how and when their personal information is being shared.

The “Privacy Helper” app, now available in the iTunes® App Store, is designed to educate smartphone users about why many apps ask to share their information or track their location. It also gives users the option of choosing a menu-based text or voice-over format to guide them through the various privacy settings on their mobile device and the process of changing these settings to control the amount of information shared. In addition to privacy settings for location-based services, the app helps users navigate settings for system services, shared app access, browsing privacy and ad tracking.

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But along with the good comes the bad. While many of these technological advancements can be convenient, it is also increasingly convenient for others to capture information about you – whether you are aware of it or not. Mississippi State’s Dr. Robert Crossler is on a mission to educate even the least tech-savvy mobile device users on ways to reduce the threat of online privacy invasion.

31 “People often aren’t aware that the pictures they take and post on Twitter or Facebook have geotag location information attached, and though their intentions may be to just post a fun picture, they’re also telling everybody exactly where they were when that picture was taken,” he says. Crossler says system services collect information from users while they operate their mobile devices. For example, traffic data may be collected when users employ the Apple® Maps app. Privacy Helper explains regarding traffic, “When this setting is turned on, your iPhone anonymously sends trafficbased data to Apple to help build a traffic database. This information is used to help provide real time traffic conditions to mapping apps.”

He adds that many of these security functions “aren’t a bad thing” – but he believes users should be aware how their information is being used so they can make their own decisions about whether to participate in information sharing with others.

“Our goal is to make people aware of the settings on their iPhone and what they do so they can make informed decisions,” says Crossler.

D I S C OV E R Y

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Crossler and Bélanger’s collaborative research about online privacy has spanned nearly a decade and targets the improvement of information privacy practices for individuals. In 2013, they were awarded a Design Science Award by the Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences Information Systems Society for their research project, titled “Privacy that Matters: Designing IT Artifacts for Privacy Protection.” The Society even created a new award category – Outstanding Design Science Research Stream – in recognition of their significant body of privacy research.

Privacy Helper is on the iTunes App Store at https://appsto.re/us/4iLA5.i

As part of that research, Crossler, Bélanger and their team first created a computer browser add-on tool called POCKET, or Parental Online Consent for Kids’ Electronic Transactions. The automated browser tool provides parents with an easy and effective way to protect their children from disclosing private information to websites while unsupervised. The team also developed another browser add-on tool called the Privacy Enhancing Support System, or PESS, that integrates three privacy-enhancing features to enable users to search, control personal information and review user ratings on the privacy practices of each domain visited. Their design of the Privacy Helper app paved the way for the creation of a program called Mobile Privacy Education Training and Awareness, or mPETA, which allows testing of Privacy Helper and different approaches to protect mobile privacy. Crossler says protecting information privacy is something that deeply concerns people worldwide. “With the rapid computer technology advancements in today’s society, the ability to protect our personal privacy is becoming much more limited,” he states. “We believe that through research, we can raise people’s awareness of the importance of protecting your privacy as well as develop programs to help guard against the unwanted sharing of private information.”

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CENTENNIAL edition

1952 Dwight D. Eisenhower is inaugurated as President. • James Watson, Francis Crick and Rosalind • Franklin discover the structure of DNA. First polio vaccine is developed. •

Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat, sparking • the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

1956 James M. Parrish becomes Dean of the • School of Business & Industry. U.S.S.R. launches Sputnik I, the first • satellite to orbit Earth.

1958 Old Main dormitory burns. • Alaska and Hawaii become 49th and 50th states. •

1960 John F. Kennedy, Jr. is inaugurated as President. • Berlin Wall is erected in Germany. •

1962 School of Business & Industry becomes • College of Business & Industry. Business Information Systems program is • established and is today the oldest BIS program in an accredited college of business. Martin Luther King gives his “I Have a Dream” speech. • President Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, TX, and • succeeded by Lyndon Johnson.

INNOVATION.

1964 Higher Education Act of 1965 is enacted, providing • low-interest loans for college students. The Sound of Music, starring Julie Andrews and • Christopher Plummer, premieres. WE MEAN

WE MEAN INNOVATION.

1954

1951

• Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl published.

INNOVATION.

Color television is introduced. •

WE MEAN

1953 • Brown v. Board of Education ends racial segregation in public schools. • Jonas Salk begins vaccinating children against polio.

1955 • Elvis Presley records his first #1 hit, “Heartbreak Hotel.” • First hard drive is invented – 5MB – by IBM.

1957 • The School of Business & Industry awards its first MBA to S. Roland Jones. • NASA is formed, and U.S. enters the space race with Explorer I satellite. • Hula Hoop is introduced by Wham-O.

1959 • Business program is accredited by what is known today as the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). • Office of Graduate Studies in Business is started. • “The Twist” dance craze sweeps the United States.

1961 • William C. Flewellen, Jr. becomes Dean of the School of Business & Industry. • Cuban Missile Crisis escalates nuclear tensions.

1963 • A Doctorate of Business Administration degree program is approved. • Civil Rights Act of 1964 is signed into law by President Johnson.

1965

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start

A Starting Point By Emily Daniels

he sound of drilling, hammering and sawing to some might seem a colossal disruption, but to the 116 new entrepreneurship students in the College of Business it is a sound of exhilaration and progress. Construction on the more than 2,000 square-foot Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation on the first floor of McCool Hall is slated to be completed by the end of 2015.

In addition to housing Eric Hill, Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Jeffrey Rupp, Director of Outreach and Corporate Engagement, the Center will be home to a dedicated Executive-in-Residence (EIR) office. The EIR program will allow seasoned executives to dedicate their time to mentoring MSU entrepreneurs. “The location in the heart of campus should be a major recruiting tool for the College of Business and MSU as a whole,” says Hill.

In the past year, students from every college on campus have been involved with the Entrepreneurship Center, representing 39 different majors. To date, 92 new businesses have been launched, including 36 new start-ups this past fall. One of the program’s start-ups was recently featured in Entrepreneur Magazine and received front cover billing in two of the leading publications in Mumbai, India: Daily News & Analysis and The Economic Times. This year the Center gained recognition from the Blackstone Foundation when it was awarded a $200,000 grant in cooperation with Texas A&M University to launch the MaroonX pilot program, a university accelerator concept designed to connect rural university mentorship networks. The goal is either major investment from the outside or uptake into a top-ranked national accelerator. Out of 550 applications worldwide, MaroonX was among only 20 selected. With the opening of the new facility, entrepreneurial students will find more resources at their disposal than ever before, and they will discover new inspiration as they transform innovation into commercial venture.

Left: In November, construction of the new Entrepreneurship Center was well under way, with completion slated for the end of 2015.

I N N OVA T I O N

“We are so fortunate to have alumni and friends who believe in our vision of entrepreneurship. This Center is not just for the College of Business, but for the entire University,” notes Dean Sharon Oswald.

The total project cost for the Center is approximately $750,000, entirely funded by private donations.

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The Center boasts a world class, modern design with heavy student input. It draws inspiration from the nation’s top-reputed centers while still displaying a hint of the historic features of the original McCool Hall structure. The open co-working space will provide six workstations where students can collaborate and launch new businesses. There will be four micro-work environments to give current and aspiring entrepreneurs spaces for brainstorming sessions. A 25-person capacity pitch zone will also be included in the space, providing an intimate venue for start-ups to practice pitching products and investment opportunities.

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builder

An Empire Builder Who Moves His Own Dirt By Kathy Kenne

oxey Haas could be a poster child for the American entrepreneur – driven (he laughingly calls it “hardheaded,”), innovative and optimistic, with a streak of Mississippi groundedness.

“During the first two years of the business, we lived off my wife Diane’s teaching salary,” shares the 1982 College of Business graduate. “We were really blessed to have the support and encouragement of friends and family as we worked to grow this business.

Following that, in the early 1990s a decision was made that the Mossy Oak brand should no longer be exclusive to the higher end, independent retailers. The company introduced its products into the large chain stores, and distribution increased exponentially. In 1995, Haas again showed his acumen for thinking outside the box by introducing his Mossy Oak BreakUp® pattern, which took the hunting world by storm. Almost overnight, it catapulted Mossy Oak to the number one position in the market. Until that time, camouflage had always been about blending into the environment. The new pattern gave hunters the alternative of breaking up their silhouettes, rendering them virtually unrecognizable to wildlife. The pattern was effective in most any setting.

I N N OVA T I O N

After trenching through the first few years of business, things began to roll Haas’ way. Not only was the camouflage clothing business growing, but big players in the outdoor industry were coming to call. The company’s first licensing deals came from Remington and Browning, who sought to apply the camo patterns to their guns.

“I’ll never forget that first batch of pants we ordered. The dye wasn’t colorfast. The only way to fix the problem was to heat the fabric to 200 degrees. My mother Evelyn, a former MSU Homecoming Queen by the way, got a bunch of quarters and a thermometer and went to every laundromat in town drying hundreds of pairs of pants. I think she folded pants until her hands bled. I’ll never forget that and will always be grateful. That’s the kind of family atmosphere I try to create here. What determines success, more than anything else, is someone believing in you. It builds your energy. As head of this company, I have a greater responsibility than anyone to set an example and foster that kind of camaraderie among our employees.”

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

Haas is the founder and CEO of Haas Outdoors, Inc., the home of Mossy Oak Camouflage located in West Point, MS. The company was founded in 1986 when Haas took a handful of leaves, twigs and dirt to a local graphic designer and asked her to duplicate it for a fabric pattern. From there, he scraped together just enough money to get about 800 yards of fabric made and have some shirts and pants sewn. He took out a small black and white ad in the back of a couple of outdoor magazines, and to his surprise, orders started coming in.

Never one to rest on his accomplishments, Haas decided to next take his passion for the outdoors to television viewers. Mossy Oak Productions was created. Being one of the first outdoor shows to the market, “Hunting the Country” garnered one million viewers in just the first year. Additional television shows and videos followed. In 2000, the company’s executives made the choice to sell the apparel production portion of the company and focus instead on licensing their patterns – a decision that has proven to be quite fruitful. At present there are roughly 1,000 licensees grossing approximately $4 billion a year. Haas’ growth strategy has been to diversify, but within the area of his expertise. In addition to Mossy Oak Productions, subsidiaries of Haas Outdoors, Inc., have grown to include Mossy Oak Outdoor Sports and Entertainment (MOOSE) media sales and services; Mossy Oak Properties; Nativ Brands’ habitats, seeds and furniture; Biologic game feed and 3D Graphics.

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MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

“Most of the time the direction for diversification would be revealed to us as we worked,” says Haas. “For instance, large tracts of rural land don’t turn over often, so realtors avoid dealing with them. My friend Chris Hawley thought there was a significant opportunity being missed. So he and I started Mossy Oak Properties specializing in land sales for recreation, timber and farming. It was supposed to be just one office doing something as a side venture. We placed a couple of ads for property sales and suddenly started getting calls – not from buyers but from real estate agents wanting to franchise the business!” There are now 86 Mossy Oak Properties offices across the country. Haas’ passion is in the company’s mission statement – connecting humans to nature. “There have been psychological studies done proving how much more balanced children are when exposed to regular outdoor activities rather than sitting inside all day playing video games,” he says. “Personally, I get as much pleasure out of moving dirt with my tractor to get the fields ready for hunting as I do in hunting itself. It helps keep things in perspective.” Not only does he love the outdoors, but Haas also loves the small town living of his boyhood home. “When the brand really began to grow, people told me I should relocate to a bigger city,” he shares. “I always knew that whatever I did, I was going to do it in West Point. Truthfully, we couldn’t have done all of this in a big city. It would have cost way too much.” Having grown up a mere 20 miles from Starkville with parents who were Mississippi State alumni, Haas always knew he was bound to be a Bulldog.

“My roots at Mississippi State go deep,” he says. “Carpenter Hall is named for my great grandfather. I remember when I was five years old, I’d huddle close to my old plug-in radio and listen to all the football games being broadcast. There would be no choice about where I was going to school.” After briefly considering veterinary school, Haas settled on business management as his major. “Subconsciously, I knew I wanted the freedom to do my own thing,” he states. “I picked the right major. It gave me the groundwork for owning my own business. “I took a class focused on business logic. That helped me so much. I’m in a ‘follow your passion’ kind of business, but that class taught me to separate the passion and the logic. You should think and plan rationally but then drive that with your passion. That was a powerful thing for me to understand. I didn’t know it at the time, but that gave me the conceptual framework for my business philosophy.” He continues, “So much of what students learn at Mississippi State is in their peripheral vision, and that is to be down to earth and be yourself.”

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Because of Haas Outdoors’ national reputation for nature conservation, the fit was a natural one. The vision is for this course, along with Old Waverly, to become a golfing destination. The course has five sets of tees, offering something for players of every level. The front nine holes are described by Bryan as “challenging,” and the back nine he says are “fun.” Haas attributes the success of the Mossy Oak brand to surrounding himself with people like Bryan who are positive and supportive. “It’s not about me,” says Haas. “The success of this company is about a whole bunch of people, like Bob Dixon, Cuz Strickland, Bill Suggs, my dad and many more, who believed in me and in the company. The people at Mossy Oak believe in each other. We’re a family. It took me a while to realize how important that is, but when I did, that’s when the company really took off.” Indeed, it is family and nature that define Toxey Haas. “Why throw your life away working and wishing for something that might be down the road when life is about the moments you’re in?” he asks. “It’s just easier to see that when you’re in nature.”

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“I have known the Haas family for years,” says Bryan. “Toxey’s father, Fox, was one of our senior vice presidents at Bryan Foods. We hired Toxey when he graduated from Mississippi State. We could see then how creative he was. I knew when he started Haas Outdoors that it would be a success because he and his dad were driving it. I have a lot of respect for them – for their integrity and their common sense.”

So, how many more ideas can one man bring to fruition? Well at present, at least two. He has just started Mossy Oak Gamekeeper Kennels, which will breed and train English Labrador retrievers. A second venture is with another well-known College of Business alumnus, George Bryan. Across from Bryan’s nationally acclaimed Old Waverly Golf Club, the two men are building a sister course called Mossy Oak Golf. It is scheduled to open to the public this spring. Adjacent to the new MSU Golf Center in West Point, the 18-hole links style course will be all natural with no housing or development on the course.

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

That wasn’t all that was in Haas’ peripheral vision. He met his wife one day as he passed her on campus and dropped his books. Intentionally? Who knows, but she helped him pick them up, and a relationship sparked. They have now passed their pride in Mississippi State on to their children, Neill, Daniel and Sara Frances, all of whom are MSU graduates. The two boys and Sara Frances’ husband, Vandy Stubbs, all work at Haas Outdoors and are doing well. Haas gets a little sentimental when talking about how proud he is of a recent national recognition Daniel received for his social media efforts for Mossy Oak.

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ideas

Turning Ideas Into Enterprise By Kirsten Shaw

ith support from Mississippi State University’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and College of Business, driven young people from across campus are achieving impressive success in establishing start-up companies. Entrepreneurial students from many disciplines are identifying needs and starting businesses around their solutions for those needs. Profiled here are three creative, flourishing start-ups involving College of Business students.

n CampusKnot

It began when Patel, a business information systems student from India, was doing research for a project. He found a wealth of information online, but the lectures, videos and research were scattered across the web. He saw that it would be useful if his classmates and professor had a common site where they could share and recommend resources. He also realized that he needed a way to connect with other classmates or professors if he missed something in class. There were other matters, too, like managing all his academic responsibilities along with his organizations and social life. “I began to wonder how one portal could address all these things,” says the 2013 graduate.

CampusKnot is a social media platform that helps students manage college life with tools like free discussion boards, interactive planners, collaboration spaces and a marketplace for buying and selling textbooks. In one place, students can coordinate their academic, professional and social activities and connect with others. For example, a student team might use it to collaborate on a group project, finding it to be an easier and faster way than e-mail to interact and share files. Faculty can use it to connect with students in a given class and to post files, presentations, videos and other material. Any campus entity – professional organizations, sports teams, social clubs – can use it. Plans are underway to integrate CampusKnot for smartphones. “For any feature we build, we look at the prospects for how it can affect a student’s life and whether it improves on existing technologies,” Patel says. “The goal is easing this complex life without consuming more time.” A few months ago Rajan Kher, an investor from Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, saw the potential in CampusKnot and invested $100,000 for 10 percent of the company – imparting a value of $1 million and funding its operation for a year. Soon thereafter, a Clarion-Ledger article about the investment raised interest in India, where the government is focusing on the need for education technology. The start-up from Starkville wound up on the front page of the Daily News & Analysis of

Photos: Top: An award in the Entrepreneurship Center’s 2013 Start-up Competition helped provide seed money to found CampusKnot; team members at the time included (from left) Hiten Patel, Katja Walter, Perceus Mody and Rahul Gopal. Photo courtesy of Robert Underwood. Center: Charles Parker and his Rod Sox at MSU’s Chadwick Lake. Bottom: Alex Gracia with Tortilleria San Felipe’s fresh, authentic tortillas. Photo courtesy of The Calhoun County Journal.

I N N OVA T I O N

“Mississippi State is the backbone of CampusKnot. Without it, CampusKnot wouldn’t be what it is,” emphasizes Patel. “Ideas and nurturing go hand in hand, and the Entrepreneurship Center has nurtured CampusKnot from the beginning.”

Patel shared his idea with his marketing professor, Dr. Melissa Moore. A member of the MSU Entrepreneurship Center Advisory Board, she guided him to the Center. There, Patel and co-founders Perceus Mody and Rahul Gopal found listening ears and invaluable feedback as they developed CampusKnot.

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CampusKnot started as an idea for addressing issues co-founder Hiten Patel faced in his college life. Less than five years later, the online software company is valued at $1 million and has made news half a world away.

Mumbai, a city of 12 million. Consequently, Patel has spent time in India researching how the product might be tailored for students there. He has also been tapped as a featured speaker at the 2016 India Education Innovation Conference hosted by Microsoft outside London in February. To date, CampusKnot has been in a testing phase, with a small closed group at Mississippi State using it and providing feedback. Patel expects the networking site to formally launch campus-wide in the spring. Ultimately it will expand to other universities, sold as a license-based product. From the outset, CampusKnot was founded as a socially conscious business, not only helping students manage their lives, but also helping them financially. A percentage of revenues is earmarked for a nonprofit that funds scholarships, textbooks, laptops and other college essentials. “We’re always looking for ways to use CampusKnot for a better purpose. It’s about solving education problems,” says Patel. “We want to be a helping hand for students.”

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MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

n Rod Sox “Fight the fish, not your rods,” is the tagline for The Original Rod SoxTM. “Rod Sox are covers for fishing rods – they protect the equipment and keep lines from tangling,” says company owner and President, student Charles Parker. Parker started out with a developed product. A client of his father’s fishing lure company had designed Rod Sox and begun manufacturing. He offered to sell the company to Parker’s father, but the elder Parker had a full plate.

“I was an undergraduate looking toward my future. I decided I could take it on and run with it,” recalls the son, who acquired Rod Sox in 2013. One of Parker’s first steps was to enhance the product to distinguish it in the marketplace. To prevent snagging and scratching he chose a denser weave for the cover material and added a rubber mouth to the base, a feature unique to Rod Sox. He added a brand tag that not only serves as a hanger but also allows him to customize for major clients. One of those clients is Toyota. Earlier this year, the automobile giant, a sponsor of world-class competitive bass fishing, ordered 5,000 of the covers branded with its name to give away at events. Parker acknowledges that relationships like this would not have been possible without a solid business foundation. Early on, large orders and generally increasing demand had led to a quandary often faced by burgeoning young companies. “I needed to add more dealers in order to raise more money so I could build my inventory – but I needed more inventory in order to supply more dealers,” Parker recalls. Enter the MSU Entrepreneurship Center. Parker made a pitch to the Center’s Advisory Board, where he received some funding, advice and an invitation to return the next month. He applied their input, returned and was awarded additional funds. A few months later, he won the top award of $10,000 in the MSU Entrepreneurship Week Business Plan Competition. “I needed those funds to help me take the next step up,” he states. In 2014, Rod Sox brought in over $60,000 in revenue, and Parker expects 2015 will surpass that. He boasts endorsements from top professional anglers, including Jason Christie, Kevin VanDam and Todd Faircloth. Among his clients are manufacturers that send out every fishing rod they sell with a Rod Sox cover. Rod Sox are also sold on popular sites like tacklewarehouse.com. The company also sponsors the MSU Bass Fishing Club. Parker is pursuing his third MSU degree – an MS in wildlife, fisheries and aquaculture – having completed an MBA in August, preceded by a BS in wildlife and fisheries.

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“I entered State’s MBA program to round out my knowledge of the business side of things – to further my knowledge of investments and accounting,” he says. “Now I’m much more confident about operating a business.”

n Tortilleria San Felipe Vardaman, MS, is known as the Sweet Potato Capital of the World, but the area is also becoming known around Northeast Mississippi for another savory staple: tortillas. It was the sweet potato industry that spurred international business student Alex Gracia and chemical engineering major Aleks Sina to start their tortilla bakery business.

Seasonal workers found the only tortillas available in the rural area were prepackaged, refrigerated versions. The partners knew they could offer better, providing freshness and authentic flavor and texture using Gracia’s grandmother’s recipe. Upon studying the market and its potential, they decided to start Tortilleria San Felipe. After saving money over two years, building up credit and receiving an MSU Entrepreneurship Center start-up grant, they bought the tortilla machine they needed and opened in early 2015.

“We want to make sure the customer gets something we’d consume ourselves,” Gracia says. “We wake up at 3 a.m. Saturdays to make the tortillas, so we can make a 9 a.m. delivery to a restaurant in Pontotoc. Aleks is doing a co-op in Alabama this semester – he’s been driving five hours each way on the weekends to do this. It’s kind of crazy, but we’re having fun!” Gracia acknowledges that starting a business in a small town has its challenges. To expand their market, he and Sina have worked hard to let people know about their product. They have delivered free packets to restaurants, served quesadillas at stands in grocery stores and given out samples at local festivals and in neighborhoods throughout the region. Currently their clients include restaurants in Pontotoc and Vardaman and Mexican groceries in Pontotoc, Ecru, Tupelo and Houston, MS. They also have regular times they deliver to specific neighborhoods in various communities for home use. “People know when we’re coming, and they look for us,” says Gracia. The future holds growth – added equipment and the introduction of other products like fresh flour tortillas and corn chips. Balancing school and other jobs, however, the partners know they need to proceed at the right pace and not take on too much too soon. They anticipate significant expansion after graduation, which is in December 2016 for Gracia and the following May for Sina. They credit the Entrepreneurship Center for giving them the push they needed to start their own business. “It’s encouraging to meet other students trying to do the same thing and experiencing some of the same challenges,” Gracia says. “The Entrepreneurship Center is there for us, and we thank them for all they’ve done.”

I N N OVA T I O N

Presently, 18,000 tortillas are baked and delivered per weekend. The tortilleria had operated daily during the summer, but in the fall the partners opted to run only on weekends because both are students who have other jobs. Though they have trained employees, Gracia and Sina are committed to a hands-on presence.

“We took enchiladas to the [Entrepreneurship Center] Advisory Board meeting when we presented to them,” says Gracia. “They gave us a lot of input about marketing, management and production. The feedback from the board and Eric [Hill, the Center’s director] has been valuable.”

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

“A lot of migrant workers come from Mexico each year for the harvest,” says Gracia. “We saw an opportunity to give them something that would remind them of home – fresh corn tortillas that are preservative-free and gluten-free.”

I N N OVA T I O N

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

Teams presented their start-ups to investors at MaroonXpo Day.

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venture

Maroon X: New Ventures Accelerated By Kirsten Shaw

n innovative program is bringing fresh opportunity to Bulldog entrepreneurs. This past summer, the new MaroonX Accelerator helped five MSU teams take their business ideas from concept to established enterprise.

Last spring, the Mississippi State University Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and its partner program at Texas A&M University received a $200,000 grant from the Blackstone Charitable Foundation. The funding was for the purpose of advancing rural entrepreneurship through the pilot program of the Universities’ MaroonX Accelerator. It was College of Business alumnus Stephen Buehler, Managing Director of Blackstone’s Hedge Fund Solutions Group, who first brought the Foundation to the attention of MSU Entrepreneurship Center Director Eric Hill. The collaboration was one of 20 projects selected to receive a Blackstone Innovation Grant, among more than 550 international submissions. The pairing of the two universities came about when Hill met his Texas A&M counterpart at a conference.

MaroonX was conceived as the next logical step – an accelerator program to push forward those companies with the most potential. The goal is for participants to exit the program either with investment that will enable them to start their businesses or with acceptance into larger, national accelerators that will expose them to a broader range of investors. The pilot program took place as a highly structured, intensive 10-week module at each university. Ordinarily, advancing a venture from the concept stage to launch can take many months, but MaroonX condensed the process. Five MSU teams – each including at least one student – were selected through a process involving a written short form business plan and a video pitch. They were evaluated by alumni, as well as Hill and Texas A&M program director Blake Petty. Hill also helped assess the applicants at Texas A&M, where six teams were selected. MSU’s teams included ArcFolio, which offers an online portal for design students and interns to display large portfolios to prospective employers; CollegeFit, which offers a web-based social platform promoting healthy lifestyles, social experiences and academic achievement; MStateTech, which offers the Dog Sense gun-mounted sensor to protect hunting dogs; Social Drizzle, which offers a product that shares fan tweets and conversations on stadium video boards, and Vibe, which offers an infuser that adds light and flavor to beverages. MaroonX provided a structured environment based on specific goals and connections to sources of funding and advice, as well as an emphasis on testing an idea with potential customers to determine if there is a market for it and if adaptations might be needed. Some $5,000 to $15,000 was put into each Mississippi State team.

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With the MSU Entrepreneurship Center’s help, 92 new businesses have started, most involving students. The Center, housed in McCool Hall, has worked with entrepreneurs at various stages – from someone with a beginning interest in entrepreneurship to one who has developed a seed idea and is at the point of needing small initial funding.

“We realized our programs had a lot in common,” remarks Hill. “Our universities have similar backgrounds, and both are in rural areas. But the most significant factor is that both entrepreneurship programs are focused on driving students to establish start-ups, rather than simply serving as areas of academic study.”

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

The MSU staff included Hill, 2013 management alumnus Parker Stewart and two part-time student workers. Stewart, the coordinator, has been involved in MSU’s entrepreneurship program as a student and as an employee. He launched and sold his first company as an undergraduate and now owns Del Viejo Gourmet Foods, a company he started with his family. “My role was to make sure the teams stayed on task from day to day,” he says. “If they had a problem or question, I connected them with people who could help solve it.” Participants also had access to experts via multiple workshops and Q&A sessions each week that were led by venture capitalists, attorneys, experienced entrepreneurs and others. Each team also developed an advisory board. “We always seemed to be hearing from a person we needed at the right time,” says Vibe co-founder Kaylie Mitchell. “I don’t know if I’ll ever have another opportunity like that – to have presentations by business leaders then get 20 minutes of their undivided attention to ask questions.” Aggressive goal setting and accountability were keys to keeping the teams moving forward, and Stewart found communication among the teams a useful component.

I N N OVA T I O N

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

“Getting the groups together every week was vital,” he states. “We had what we called our ‘Friday Morning Xpresso.’ It really motivated them when they had to stand up in front of their peers and say what they had accomplished that week and planned to accomplish the next week.” Collectively, the teams put in 1,457 hours of work and made 166 customer contacts. Connecting with potential clients in some cases led teams to alter their products to make them more marketable. Hill notes, “The goal of the program was to give the participants enough support to keep going after the program, either on their own or with a national accelerator.” The 10 week session was capped by MaroonXpo Day, where the teams presented their startups to nearly 20 investors who attended in person or online.

“The connections MaroonX gave us have opened countless doors,” says Mitchell. “We’re currently in talks with an investor we met on Xpo Day, who may become a supplier as well. We’re working with a patent lawyer we also met that day and are close to filing papers.” Now, Vibe is “on the cusp” of starting to manufacture its product. It is also in talks with an investor that may result in co-founder Hagan Walker being able to work for the company full-time. “We never would’ve learned what it takes to start a business and make it happen without the Entrepreneurship Center and MaroonX,” states Mitchell. Success bears repeating, and plans are already under way for next summer. “This past year, we had an outpouring of interest from alumni and others who support entrepreneurship development, and we were able to involve a good number of them,” Hill says appreciatively. “Next year we hope to find new ways to engage all who are interested.” He and Petty aim to combine the most effective aspects of each university’s module into a unified model that can be replicated at other institutions. Hill points out that rural universities do not have resources that are more readily available near big cities, and joining forces has enabled Mississippi State and Texas A&M to provide more opportunities. “We’ve combined mentor pools so teams have access to a larger network of advisors,” he remarks. “We want to build a framework that will allow other universities to easily come on board, thus growing the collective institutional mentor network.” This expanded access to expertise will benefit collegiate entrepreneurs and their products, making them more knowledgeable and prepared for business. The program’s reputation will grow. “Building partnerships will build brand equity,” says Hill. “National programs and investors will recognize the strong potential of those coming out of MaroonX.”

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1967

1969 U.S. voting age is lowered from 21 to 18. • George Gray invents the LCD screen. •

1971 Construction begins on McCool Hall. • The Price is Right, the longest running U.S. • game show, debuts on CBS.

1973 Nixon resigns as President following Watergate • scandal, and Gerald R. Ford succeeds him.

1975 U.S. celebrates its Bicentennial Anniversary. • Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak form Apple, Inc. •

1977

LEADERSHIP.

Senate ratifies treaties that will end U.S. control of • Panama Canal after 1999. Bell Telephone Company introduces first • cellular phone system.

1979 WE MEAN

WE MEAN LEADERSHIP.

First doctorate of business administration is • awarded to Dora Herring. Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated in Memphis. • Robert F. Kennedy is assassinated after winning • the California Democratic Primary.

1966

• Thurgood Marshall becomes first African American U.S. Supreme Court justice. • In first Super Bowl, the Green Bay Packers defeat the Kansas City Chiefs.

1968 • Gaines M. Rogers becomes Dean of the College of Business & Industry. • Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first men to set foot on the moon. • More than 400,000 attend the Woodstock Music & Art Fair, a three-day festival in Woodstock, NY.

1970 • E.B. “Dutch” McCool donates funds for new home for College of Business & Industry. • NASDAQ opens. • National Public Radio begins broadcasting.

1972 • Vietnam War ends. • Watergate scandal is uncovered.

1974 • McCool Hall becomes the new home of the College of Business & Industry. • Bill Gates and Paul Allen form Microsoft. • NASA launches Viking 1 for mission to Mars.

1976 • New York City suffers widespread two-day blackout. • World Trade Center construction is finished in New York City. • Final episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show airs on CBS.

1978 • Department of Accountancy becomes School of Accountancy. • Nuclear power plant accident occurs at Three Mile Island, PA. • Michael Jackson releases his “Off the Wall” album.

LEADERSHIP.

First episode of sci-fi TV series Star Trek airs. • Medicare program begins. •

WE MEAN

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journey

A Journey of 8,000 Miles By Carolanne Roberts

f Feifei Zeng’s story were a novel, it would be a best seller. If it were a movie, awards would be waiting. Yet this is not fiction. It is the inspiring true tale of an accomplished young woman who, through determination and triple-time hard work, made her way to Mississippi State’s International Business program, class of 2017.

“I didn’t even know how to say ‘ciao,’” she recalls, adding that her father tasked her with 10 new Italian words a day to memorize. She started school with an Italian-Chinese dictionary in hand, bewildered but intensely focused. After six months she was communicating, and by her freshman year in high school, Zeng boasted the highest GPA in her class. She burned with ambition to learn English in the United States. “My parents picked up extra jobs to send me on a student exchange program,” reports Zeng, who tended to her two younger sisters, both born in Italy, as well as the housework. At last she was off to Fort Smith, AR, chosen due to the program’s low price. “At first it was extremely hard to make friends,” she recalls. “The soccer team stayed together, the cheerleaders were together – and my English was so bad.” Thanks to an “incredible connection” with the girls’ basketball coach, though, Zeng prospered, joining student organizations and learning leadership. “We don’t have leadership opportunities like that in Italy,” says the woman who started with Future Business Leaders of America, then heaped on many more groups. “Those were the skills I needed to have, and I knew I had to stay in the United States to develop them.” This meant sticking around for college. First attending Carl Albert State College in Poteau, OK, she landed in Starkville in 2014 as a transfer student and plunged right in. Organizations and leadership guide Zeng’s path. The Montgomery Leadership Program’s three semesters stair-step the way to Zeng’s goal of being a “servant leader,” helping others reach their potential. Volunteer involvement as both a College of Business Ambassador and an MSU Foundation Ambassador adds experience and fulfillment.

LEADERSHIP

Zeng arrived in Italy for the long-awaited reunion, speaking no Italian.

“We were from a very, very poor side of China,” Zeng begins, describing the family’s government housing, where they showered in the kitchen with hot water from the cooktop. “My father risked his life going to Italy. It took him almost six years to get his green card and send for my mother and me, because there was not any future for us in China. He did this for us out of desperation.”

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It starts in Changting in the western province of Fujian, China, where her family lived when she was a young girl. Seeking a better future for his family, Zeng’s father moved to Italy. It was not until years later, when Zeng was 11, that she and her mother were able to join him in Alano di Piave in the province of Belluno.

Zeng at age five with mom Qiufang Li and dad Jisen Zeng before he left China for Italy.

“[The Foundation] felt donors would like a story like mine, to see where their money is going,” she says of her interaction with alumni donors. She works to recruit Chinese students to attend Mississippi State and provides ideas and translation for students from her homeland already on campus. And, shortly after arriving at MSU, Zeng ran for a seat on the University Honors Council and won. She is now in her second year of service. The only question that stops this dynamo, even for a second, is the notion of what she does for fun. It is almost a foreign concept. “I think all my organizations are fun,” she says, acknowledging the occasional football game or listening to music with friends. “To be very honest, I don’t have a lot of free time, and I like to spend it wisely. I’ve always worked on campus [currently in the Dean’s Office, College of Arts and Sciences], and I feel like it all pays off.

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“In my free time, I look for things to do in the summer, like internships and fellowships. I’d like to pursue a master’s in international business or foreign affairs, and I’m leaning toward foreign affairs. I want to be able to use my language skills. If I’m working for a business, I want to go to different countries where I can learn and take what’s good from each.” That ambition is a far cry from what might have happened had Zeng stayed in Italy, where the primary options for immigrants include factory work, Chinese restaurants or hairdressing. She has worked too hard and come too far not to aspire to the best – and to be the best. “My mother remembers me coming home from school in Italy crying because I was working so hard,” she recalls. “My mom told me the story of Condoleezza Rice, saying, ‘There was a little black girl in America who came home crying to her dad about how things weren’t fair. He told her that she needed to work twice as hard as the others to be at the same level, and if she wanted to exceed them, she’d have to work three times as hard.’ And I’ve personally experienced that.” “Three times as hard” means Zeng has developed high expectations of herself and what she has to offer. She knows there is a world out there waiting for her input.

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CENTENNIAL edition

“I’ve loved learning in the United States,” she says. “You work hard, you pick yourself up off the floor and try – and your background doesn’t matter.” That said, she is open to living almost anywhere.

“I see myself working for an international organization and traveling. I really like some of the [non-governmental organzations] where they help people assimilate to different cultures. I’m very open to going to Beijing. The United Nations is a long shot, but that would be very much ideal.” In fact, this past August Zeng represented Mississippi State in Beijing as one of 12 American students selected for the Initiating Mutual Understanding through Student Exchange conference.

“I hope my story will empower others to shop for opportunities because opportunities don’t knock on your door. They are given to those who are prepared,” says Zeng. “I hope I inspire some other students.” It goes beyond that. Zeng’s is a drive rooted deep in her soul. “The people I really want to inspire are my sisters,” she says of the little first and second graders back in Italy. “I want my family’s standard of life to increase. I want my sisters to know that they have options and that you can do big things if you have education. “The direction my family will go in the future depends on me. And that’s what motivates me.”

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

Feifei Zeng is one to watch. At age 22, her brave journey contains more chapters and scenes than some of her contemporaries may ever amass. Being a transfer student, an international student and the first in her family to attend college drives her forward.

| LEADERSHIP

Zeng is motivated to inspire her sisters (from left) Yi and Qian Zeng.

waves

Making Waves: Students on the Move T

he College of Business is excited to announce our “Students on the Move.” These 16 young people have been nominated by the College’s faculty as some of the best and brightest current students who are sure to make waves in the business world. Each showcases excellent academic performance, a high level of campus involvement and unique internship experiences.

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MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

These young men and women – along with several other students featured in this edition of Dividends – have shown great potential for successful future careers. We’re sure to see some of them join our Top 100 alumni in the years to come!

COLLEEN BARRETT Colleen Barrett is a marketing major with a concentration in supply chain management whose hometown is Franklin, TN. Colleen serves on campus as a College of Business Ambassador, a Supply Chain Management Concentration Ambassador and an MSU Roadrunner. She is also a member of Delta Gamma sorority. She has received the Davis and Ann Mortensen Scholarship and the Harry Mock Memorial Scholarship. Colleen recently interned with Southwest Airlines, one of 126 interns selected among 14,312 applicants. She plans to graduate in May 2016 and hopes to return to Dallas to work for Southwest Airlines full time.

John Walker Carlisle is a finance major with a concentration in risk management and insurance. The Shreveport, LA, native has been involved in a variety of organizations as an undergraduate. John Walker serves as the President of the Gamma Iota Sigma Insurance Honor Society. He has also spent time working in the Department of Finance and Economics and serving as an MSU Student Orientation Leader. John Walker has been named to both the President’s and the Dean’s Lists, and he is a member of Beta Upsilon Chi Christian fraternity. He remarks, “When I graduate, I would love to become an insurance agent for an independent agency. This has been my dream job for several years, and after interning last summer, I fell more in love with it and knew I wanted to sell insurance for the rest of my life. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for me.”

JOHN WALKER CARLISLE DAISY EDWARDS Daisy Edwards is an international business senior from Florence, AL, majoring in marketing and Spanish. During her time at MSU, Daisy has participated in the Famous Maroon Band while remaining very active in the College of Business. She is the President of the International Business Society, a College of Business Ambassador, a member of the Shackouls Honors College and the founder of MSU’s Latino Student Association. Recently, Daisy completed an internship with Citi Latin America in Miami, FL. As a member of the regional Digital Banking team, she helped plan and execute Citibank’s first-ever hackathon, The Citi Mobile Challenge – a financial tech competition where developers, entrepreneurs and businesses had the opportunity to present mobile banking prototypes directly to Citi. After six months in Miami, she accepted an offer to extend her internship in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she helped coordinate Citibank’s hackathons on an international scale. Daisy will graduate in May 2016.

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

HANQING “CHEVY” FANG An international student at MSU, Hanqing “Chevy” Fang is a PhD candidate in management and information systems. His research interests include strategic decision-making and non-family management in family business. Chevy’s work has been published in Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, the Journal of Product Innovation Management, Small Business Economics, and many other publications. He has received several best paper awards in U.S. Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) conferences and Family Enterprise Research conferences. Chevy is involved in the Academy of Management, Southern Management Association, USASBE, the Small Business Institute and the International Family Enterprise Research Academy. He received the 2014 MSU Office of Research and Economic Development Graduate Student Research Award. Chevy will graduate in December 2015 and plans to pursue a career as a college professor.

BENJAMIN FOSTER

PRIYANKA GADRE

BRETT GARRAWAY

TYRUS HILL

Tyrus Hill of Caledonia, MS, is a finance major at MSU. Tyrus currently serves as President of the College of Business Ambassadors. He has also served as a Resident Advisor and an Alumni Delegate. He has been on the Student Conduct Board as well as MSU’s Student Association. In 2015, Tyrus was a recipient of the MSU Spirit of State award. This award formally honors those students who have excelled in campus involvement and service to the University and who have made an impact on their peers and the broader campus community. Tyrus will graduate in December 2015, and he has already accepted a job offer as a financial advisor with Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P.

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Brett Garraway comes to MSU from Madisonville, LA. He is enrolled in the Master of Professional Accountancy program and will graduate in August 2016. As an undergraduate, Brett received his bachelor’s degree in accountancy from MSU. While at MSU, he has received a number of honors and awards, such as the MSU Outstanding Accounting Major Award in 2015, the Adkerson School of Accountancy Outstanding Graduating Senior Award and the Stephen D. Lee Scholar Award, as well as being named to the President’s List. He is a member of Beta Alpha Psi International Honor Society. Brett worked as an assurance services intern for Ernst & Young New Orleans and participated in the Ernst & Young Global Student Experience internship in Melbourne, Australia. He has also previously had the opportunity to work as an accounting intern for Freeport-McMoRan, Inc. Brett has already accepted a full-time position with Ernst & Young New Orleans upon graduation, in their Assurance Services Practice, with the goal of obtaining his CPA certification before he begins.

Priyanka Gadre is an international student from Pune, India, pursuing her Master of Business Administration degree. She also received her undergraduate degree from MSU in psychology. As a student, Priyanka has served as President of the International Student Advisory Board, Vice President of the Society of Human Resources and Public Relations Officer of the Indian Student Association. Priyanka has also been a member of the Student Association’s Diversity Committee and was a student employee of the Sanderson Center. She has volunteered with Student Support Services as well as United Way. Priyanka earned first place in the individual competition of Speaker’s Edge 2015, an MBA public speaking workshop. “I love interacting with people from different countries and cultures,” she says. “I love diversity, and I always try to diversify my skills, ideas and perspectives.”

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

Benjamin Foster is a business information systems student from Gainesville, FL. He is involved in a variety of organizations on campus, such as the Business Information Systems Club, the MSU Future Business Leaders of America, Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and Young Life. In addition, he works as an information assistant in Creswell Hall. Ben has been named to the Dean’s List twice in his undergraduate career. He plans to graduate in May 2017 and hopes to pursue a career in information systems, with the goal of becoming a chief information officer.

students on HANNAH JORDAN

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MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

A native of Dacula, GA, Hannah Jordan is a double major in marketing and management at MSU. She serves as an Ambassador for the College of Business while also working in the Dean’s Office. Hannah is involved with a number of groups such as the American Marketing Association, Phi Mu sorority and Reformed University Fellowship. She has been named to the President’s and Dean’s Lists during her time as an undergraduate. Moving forward, Hannah aspires to pursue a career in corporate event planning upon graduation in May 2016.

Michelle Lewis is an accounting major from Hampton, VA. As an undergraduate, she has assisted in the establishment and direction of the Accounting and Financial Women’s Alliance (AFWA) and currently serves as President. The organization is the second AFWA student program to be established in the country. Michelle has received numerous awards and scholarships at MSU such as the Francis Rushton Memorial Scholarship, the Don Whitmire Scholarship and the President’s Commission on the Status of Women Student Leader Award. She has been named to both the President’s and Dean’s Lists. Michelle also volunteers at the Maroon Volunteer Center. She will graduate in December 2015 and plans to pursue her CPA certification.

MICHELLE LEWIS

AUSTIN McCANN

A native of Memphis, TN, Austin McCann is a business management major. As a student, Austin has been involved in the Sigma Alpha Lambda honor society and Reformed University Fellowship. He has also been a member of the MSU Roadrunners since 2013 and currently serves as the Event Coordinator. Austin helped create the New Maroon Camp at MSU, a five-day retreat that helps firstyear students transition to college life. He works in student outreach for New Maroon and also serves as a counselor trainer. Austin will graduate in May 2016 and plans to work for either Reformed University Fellowship or in finance.

Chinwe Okorie is a business administration major from Lagos, Nigeria. She is a member of the MSU women’s basketball team. Apart from her academics and athletics, Chinwe is involved with the M-Club on campus, and she is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She has made the Dean’s List as an undergraduate and is expected to graduate in May 2016. Upon graduation, she will continue to play out her eligibility on the women’s basketball team while attending graduate school at MSU. Afterward, Chinwe hopes to pursue a career in the fashion industry. “I want to thank my Mississippi State University community for making life here at State enjoyable and allowing me to be a part of the MSU family,” Chinwe says.

CHINWE OKORIE

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

n the move HANNAH SCARBOROUGH

Cheyenne Stewart comes to MSU from Madison, MS. She is pursuing a degree in finance with a concentration in risk management and insurance. Cheyenne received the Emma Armstrong Book Scholarship in the fall semester of 2014, and she has made the Dean’s List twice. She is involved in a variety of organizations including the Black Student Association, I.D.E.A.L. Woman Organization, HCDC Visionary, Gamma Iota Sigma National Honor Society and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. Cheyenne also serves as a College of Business Ambassador. She will graduate in May 2018 and says her postgraduation goal is to become an actuary.

CHEYENNE STEWART George “Caleb” Woods comes to MSU from Carthage, MS, after playing baseball for East Central Community College. He is studying business economics. Caleb has previously served on the Community and Governmental Relations Committee for the MSU Student Association. In addition, he is involved in the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and Kappa Sigma fraternity. Caleb has been named to the President’s List, and he will graduate in May 2016. He plans to continue his education by pursuing a master’s degree in finance.

GEORGE “CALEB” WOODS

LEADERSHIP

CHANDLER SCARBROUGH

Chandler Scarbrough of Mt. Vernon, IL, is a junior international business (IB) student with an emphasis in business administration and a foreign language concentration in Spanish. This past summer, after backpacking through Europe, Chandler fulfilled her IB internship requirements with the National Railway Equipment Company, which sells new and remanufactured locomotives and parts and has offices in Croatia, India and Australia. On campus, Chandler serves as Student Advisor for the Spanish Club, a Language Emissary for the Department of Classical and Modern Languages & Literature and a College of Business Ambassador. She has been Vice President and President of the Spanish Club and Secretary for the International Business Society. She has been a member of the Student Association’s Public Relations and Academic Affairs committee and an Information Assistant in the MSU residence halls. Chandler plans to study in Spain this spring and upon graduation to pursue an MBA.

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

A native of Spanish Fort, AL, Hannah Scarborough received her Master of Business Administration degree from MSU in August 2015. She also attended MSU as an undergraduate, where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in graphic design. During her time at Mississippi State, Hannah helped with recruitment and marketing of the MBA program. She was also a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority. Hannah recently accepted a full time position at Blufish Design Studio as a senior graphic designer.

Top 100 for 100 Years leadership

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MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

We asked, you voted! As part of the MSU College of Business Centennial Celebration, we are proud to recognize 100 of our most distinguished alumni. With more than 33,000 graduates since our establishment in 1915, selecting only 100 is no easy task. We express our most sincere gratitude to our College of Business students, alumni, faculty and friends who helped in the selection process by nominating these 100 outstanding men and women who mean BUSINESS! Over the next several pages, you will read about former COB students – old and young, from all majors and backgrounds – who have demonstrated distinguished service to their profession, including outstanding achievement in their fields, commitment to the community and commitment to the College of Business and Mississippi State University. BOYCE ADAMS, SR. (1980) Co-founder and President of BankTEL Systems, serving more than 1,400 financial institutions in all 50 states as well as the Caribbean and several other countries. Since the late 1980s, Adams has been involved in software development and marketing in several capacities. He serves on numerous boards including the COB Executive Advisory Board. He was named COB Alumni Fellow in 2014. RICHARD C. ADKERSON (1969; MBA, 1970) Vice Chairman, President and CEO of Freeport-McMoRan, Inc., he is a current member and past chairman of the International Council on Mining and Metals, as well as many other advisory boards. He is a member of the MSU Foundation Board and previously served as President. Adkerson chaired Mississippi State’s “State of the Future” capital campaign and serves on the COB Executive Advisory Board. He was named National Alumnus of the Year of in 2011. Adkerson was inducted into the American Mining Hall of Fame in 2010; received The American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers Charles F. Rand Memorial Award in 2011 and was named Copper Man of the Year 2009 by The Copper Club. He has been named Best CEO in Metals and Mining by Institutional Investor Magazine every year since 2008. Adkerson graduated from MSU with a degree in accounting with highest honors and an MBA degree. He was awarded an honorary doctor of science degree from MSU in 2010. Adkerson also completed the advanced management program of the Harvard Business School in 1988. E. ANDREW “DREW” ALLEN (1974) President of Allen Beverages, Inc., a Pepsi distribution company. Allen is a member of the Board of Directors for The Peoples Bank as well as the COB Executive Advisory Board, where he currently serves as President. Allen received “The Others Award” from the Salvation Army, one of the highest-ranking honors for civic work, and was named COB Alumni Fellow in 2011. He earned a marketing degree from MSU in 1974. JAMES K. ASHFORD (1958) Retired as President and CEO of J.I. Case, a subsidiary of Tenneco Inc., and owner of investment and management group The Ashford Group. He is also the CEO of AP Parts International, Inc. Ashford received the 1986 Outstanding Alumnus Award of the Richard C. Adkerson School of Accountancy and was named COB Alumnus of the Year in 1995 and MSU’s National Alumnus of the Year in 1996. He currently serves on the MSU Foundation Board, and he led MSU’s first capital campaign.

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

JOE ASSELL (1994) Co-founder, President and CEO of GolfTEC. The company began with one employee and $90,000 in sales and now operates with 650 employees and over $80 million in sales. Assell serves on the Board of Directors of the Colorado PGA, the Associate Board of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver, the National PGA Marketing and Member Benefits Committee and the National PGA Golf 2.0 Get Golf Ready Committee. He graduated cum laude in marketing from the Professional Golf Management program. Assell received the Young Alumnus of the Year award in 2002, as well as the 2008 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award. JOHNNY BAKER, III (1963) Former professional football linebacker and tight end. Baker played for the AFL’s Houston Oilers 1963-1966 and for the NFL’s San Diego Chargers in 1967. He was inducted to the MSU Sports Hall of Fame in 1987 and was named COB Alumni Fellow in 1997.

VICK BALLARD (2012) American football running back. Ballard ranks among MSU’s top 10 in rushing touchdowns, with 19 touchdowns – a single-season school record – and was named NJCAA 1st Team All-American. Ballard was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in 2012 and is currently a free agent.

HARRIS C. BRUMFIELD (1986) Chairman and majority owner of Trading Technologies, a privately held Chicago-based software vendor of professional trading software. Brumfield was formerly a Chicago Board of Trade floor trader for ten years, then traded electronically for six years. He was named to Crain’s Chicago Business “40 Under 40” in 2003. He is regularly quoted and/or profiled in Futures Industry Magazine, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Financial Times, Reuters, CNNfn and Forbes. GEORGE W. BRYAN (1967) CEO of Old Waverly Investments, LLC, former Senior Vice President of Sara Lee Corporation and former CEO of Sara Lee Foods Division. Bryan serves as General Campaign Chairman of the United Way of the Mid-South; Board Director, Risk Committee Chair and Audit Committee member of Regions Bank in Memphis and former President of the Chickasaw Council, Boy Scouts of America. He was named Outstanding Mississippian in 1979, COB Alumni Fellow in 1992, COB Alumnus of the Year in 1996 and National Alumnus of the Year in 2000. He serves on the MSU Foundation Board.

LEADERSHIP

SUSAN BELL (1984) Business Risk and Assurance Partner with Ernst & Young, where she serves as the coordinating partner for Delta Airlines, BellSouth and Southern Co. audits. Bell is a member of the Adkerson School of Accountancy Advisory Council.

GRANVILLE BARKER (1993) President of Fusion Utility Company, which provides water and wastewater services to homes in North Mississippi. Barker is also the President of Abigato Corporation, which develops services and applications that are deployed on the web and mobile platforms and provides technical development support to high-traffic websites. He is the former CEO of RV Park Reviews, Inc.

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

SHELBY BALIUS (2013) Balius is a 2013 business graduate with a double major in management and finance. After serving as Student Association President 2012-2013, she joined Accenture Management Consulting firm, advising insurance and consumer banking clients on organizational change and regulatory compliance. She recently transferred to Washington, DC, from the Chicago office. Balius is involved with the MSU Alumni Association D.C. chapter and the Mississippi Society of D.C., and she serves as Vice Chairman of Mississippi for the Taste of the South charity organization.

STEPHEN BUEHLER (2000) Managing Director of the Hedge Fund Solutions Group and COO of Blackstone Individual Investor Solutions. Buehler was previously a Relationship Manager with Merrill Lynch in the greater New York City area and Senior Manager of assurance and advisory services at KPMG LLP. A native of Starkville, he currently resides in New York City. MARY CHILDS (1980) President, CEO, COO and Vice-Chairman of The Peoples Bank in Ripley, MS. Childs is a member of the Board of Trustees of Blue Mountain College and board member and past President of the Boys and Girls Clubs of North Mississippi. She serves as Treasurer of the MSU Foundation Board, Treasurer for the Tippah County Chapter of the MSU Alumni Association and a member of the COB Executive Advisory Board. Childs was named COB Alumni Fellow in 2013.

LEADERSHIP

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

ALBERT C. CLARK (1965) President, CEO and Treasurer of C.C. Clark, Inc., a regional beverage distributor, and Vice President of Clark Distributing Co. in Kentucky. Clark is a current board member of the MSU Bulldog Club and the MSU Foundation, where he previously served as President. He is a former board member of both the Bulldog Foundation and BancorpSouth Bank, Inc., and former Chairman of First Federal Bank for Savings. He was named Alumnus of the Year in 2004. WILLIAM ANTHONY “TONY” CLARK (1980) President of PanAmerican GeoExchange, Inc., based in Houston, TX. Clark previously served as Senior Vice President of Global Geophysical, Inc. He is a member of the COB Executive Advisory Board and serves on the Board of Directors for the Houston-area YMCA. Clark was a recipient of MSU’s National Alumni Association Distinguished Service Award in 2007. DR. JAMES E. COFER (1971) Marketing Professor for the College of Business at Missouri State University. Cofer served as the 10th President of Missouri State University in 2010, after serving as President of the University of Louisiana at Monroe 2002-2010. He is the former Vice President for finance and administration for the University of Missouri System; former Vice President for finance and administration of the University of Arkansas System and former Vice Chancellor for fiscal affairs and Treasurer of the Board of Regents for the University System of Georgia, where he served as the chief fiscal officer of the system. Cofer also served as chief fiscal officer under two governors for the state of Mississippi. He was named a Fulbright Scholar for the 2014-2015 academic year to lecture and conduct research in Brazil. JAMES A. “JIM” COGGIN (1964) Retired President and CEO of Saks, Inc. Coggin graduated in 1964 with a bachelor’s degree in general business. He currently serves on the COB Executive Advisory Board and was named COB Alumnus of the Year in 2015.

LAMAR A. CONERLY, JR. (1971) Partner with Conerly, Bowman and Dykes, LLP in Destin, FL. Conerly is a past MSU National Alumni Association President, former board member of the United Way and former Lions Club President. He is a former board member for the Destin Chamber of Commerce and the Hazlehurst, MS, Chamber of Commerce and a previous President of both. Conerly was named Honorary Commander of the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base in 2001. He was named an MSU Butler Fellow in 2001 and COB Alumni Fellow in 2004. DR. WILLIAM “BILL” COOLEY (PhD 1977) Chairman of the Board of Systems Consultants Associates, Inc., a 26 year-old local management training and consulting firm. Cooley is also Chairman of Systems Electro Coating, LLC, a tier-one automotive part supplier to Nissan North America’s Canton, MS, facility and Systems IT, Inc., an information technology training company. He is a retired Air Force Colonel and former Dean of the School of Business at Jackson State University.

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

CYNTHIA COOPER (1986) CEO of The CooperGroup, a management consulting firm providing services in the areas of internal audit; ethics and compliance; fraud prevention and board consultation. She served as Vice President of Internal Audit at WorldCom, where she investigated and uncovered $3.8 billion in fraud within the company. Cooper was named one of Time magazine’s “Persons of the Year” in 2002. She has also previously worked for the public accounting firms of PricewaterhouseCoopers and Deloitte & Touche. CAROLYN CORERR0 (1983) Former President and CEO of Entergy Mississippi, Inc., credited with transforming Entergy into a customer-focused utility. The Senatobia, MS, native was the first woman to head the state’s largest electric utility when she was appointed in 1999. Corerro began her career at Entergy straight out of college as an accountant. DANNY CUPIT (1967) Successful Mississippi attorney who, in 1987, helped win the first asbestos case in the state of Mississippi. Cupit practices law in downtown Jackson at the Law Offices of Danny E. Cupit and is an active member of the Mississippi Democratic Party.

CHARVIS DAVIDSON (2014) Account Executive at International Paper in Memphis, TN. Davidson graduated summa cum laude with a business emphasis in banking and finance and a language emphasis in Spanish. Davidson is a member of the COB Young Alumni Advisory Board.

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

DR. HELEN CURRIE (PhD 2000) Senior Economist at ConocoPhillips overseeing the company’s longrange plan development and advising on investment analysis, political risk, scenario planning and other strategic initiatives. Currie served on the faculty at Elon University and LaGrange College. Her academic research focused on mortgage-backed securities valuation and financial institutions management. She previously worked with the State of Washington’s Department of Ecology, conducting Economic Impact Studies and Small Business Economic Analyses for environmental regulations.

JOHN “NUTIE” DOWDLE (1965) Chairman of the Board of Dowdle Enterprises, a private investment company. Dowdle is also the Chairman and CEO of Dowdle Gas, Inc. He previously served on the board of directors for Cadence Financial Corporation, and as director and chairman of several other committees and organizations. He is a current board member of the MSU Foundation and was named COB Alumnus of the Year in 1996. DURWARD B. DUNN, III (1975) President of Durward Dunn, Inc., in Metairie, LA. The company, founded by his father Durward Dunn, Jr., specializes in marine and heavy construction, servicing industries along the Mississippi River and the Gulf South. Dunn graduated in 1975 with a bachelor’s degree in management. The Dunns’ commitment to Mississippi State can be seen all over campus, through various scholarships and investments in building expansions and renovations, not only for the College of Business but also for many other colleges and programs.

LEADERSHIP

TIMOTHY “AUSTIN” DEAR (2011) Production Engineering Manager at Facebook. Prior to graduation, Dear founded and developed A6 Technologies, LLC, a web-based management system for churches and non-profit organizations.

CHARLES “CHUCK” EASLEY, JR. (MBA 1976) Former Associate Justice on the Mississippi Supreme Court. Easley previously served as an Assistant District Attorney for the Third Judicial Court 19801983, prosecutor for the town of Caledonia and Judge for the town of Caledonia. He has served on the Mississippi Supreme Court Security Committee, Mississippi Supreme Court Library Committee, Mississippi Supreme Court Human Resources Committee and as chairman of the Mississippi Continuing Judicial Education Committee. Easley has also served on the Board of Directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters, the American Cancer Society and the Mississippi Prosecutor’s Association. He teaches courses on ethics for both judges and attorneys. GEORGE THOMAS “TOMMY” EVERETT, III (1950) Retired President of Magee Auto Supply. Everett received a general business degree from Mississippi State University after his return from World War II. Everett served as MSU National Alumni Board President in 1974 and as Treasurer 1979-1992. He was named National Alumnus of the Year in 2013.

LEADERSHIP

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

LAURENCE E. “LARRY” FAVREAU (1974) Executive Vice President and CEO of Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company. Favreau graduated from MSU with a degree in accounting. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and a Fellow of the Life Management Institute. He currently serves as a member of the COB Executive Advisory Board and was named COB Alumnus of the Year in 2014. JOHN D. FERGUSON (1967) Chairman of the Board and former CEO of Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) International, Inc. Ferguson has extensive business experience that includes banking, entrepreneurial ventures, corporate turnarounds and government experience. He served as the Commissioner of Finance and Administration for the state of Tennessee for four years. He is a 1967 business graduate with a degree in accounting and was named COB Alumni Fellow in 2007. MICHAEL FERRIL (2012) Starting his career as Production Manager at DPM Fragrance before even graduating from college, Ferril quickly moved up the ranks of the company and was named Operations Director in 2014. As a junior majoring in management, he founded CleanCrete Exteriors, a pressure washing business that he sold upon graduation. HALEY R. FISACKERLY (1987) President and CEO of Entergy Mississippi, Inc. A native of Columbus, MS, Fisackerly previously managed the Washington, DC, office of Senator Thad Cochran. He serves on numerous statewide boards, as well as the COB Executive Advisory Board and the MSU Foundation Board.

HASSELL H. FRANKLIN (1959) Founder, President and CEO of Franklin Corp., one of the largest privately owned furniture manufacturers in the United States. Franklin is a 1959 business graduate with a degree in industrial management. He is Lead Director of BancorpSouth, former President of the American Furniture Manufacturers Association and a past Director of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association and the Mississippi Economic Council. Franklin is a member of the MSU Foundation Board, a past member of the COB Executive Advisory Board and former president of the Bulldog Club. The 1995 MSU Alumnus of the Year was inducted into the American Furniture Hall of Fame in 2013. He also established a $1 million endowment at MSU for the Franklin Furniture Institute, a research and training center benefitting the furniture industry. LINDA M. GARRETT (1969) An accounting graduate of MSU and native of Corinth, Linda and late husband Donald were founders and principals of Garrett Associates, Inc., an executive search firm in Atlanta specializing in nationwide health care recruiting. She and Donald were named COB Alumni Fellows in 2000. Linda, now retired, is an active member of the COB Executive Advisory Board of the College of Business and has previously served on the MSU Foundation Board.

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

STEVE D. GOLDING (1972) President of Golding Barge Line in Vicksburg, MS, which specializes in the movement of refined petroleum products, petro-chemicals and chemical products throughout the entire U.S. inland waterway system. Golding is a 1972 business graduate with a degree in transportation. He was named COB Alumni Fellow in 2001 and serves on the MSU Foundation Board. H. DEVON “VON” GRAHAM (1956) President of R.E. Smith Interests of Houston, TX. Graham is the former Regional Managing Partner for the Southeastern United States and Managing Partner of New Orleans for Arthur Andersen. He is a member of the Greater Houston Partnership and the Houston Symphony. He is a trustee at the Institute for Rehabilitation and Research Foundation and an advisory board member of the Houston A+ Challenge, which supports Houston public schools. Graham is also a member of the COB Executive Advisory Board and was named MSU National Alumnus of the Year in 1985.

JAN L. GWIN (1971) A native of Greenville, MS, Jan Gwin resides in Memphis, TN, currently serving as Managing Director of Raymond James. He is a 1971 business graduate who majored in banking and finance. Gwin has served as President of the West Tennessee chapter of the MSU Alumni Association, the Bulldog Club and the MSU M-Club. A former MSU Foundation board member, he currently serves as Vice Chairman on the COB Executive Advisory Board. Gwin was named COB Alumni Fellow in 2008.

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

JOHN R. GRISHAM, JR. (1977) American lawyer, politician and best-selling author, best known for his popular legal thrillers such as The Firm and A Time to Kill. Grisham has sold more than 275 million books in his 30 year career. He graduated from the Adkerson School of Accountancy in 1977. He practiced criminal defense and personal litigation for nearly 10 years and served in the House of Representatives in Mississippi from January 1984 to September 1990. It was during this time that he began pursuing his writing career. Grisham has written more than 30 books, with many adapted into feature films. He has received a number of awards, including the 2007 Galaxy British Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2009 Library of Congress Creative Achievement Award for Fiction. Grisham was named MSU National Alumnus of the Year in 1994.

TOXEY HAAS (1982) Founder and CEO of Haas Outdoors, Inc. In 1986, Haas invented the Mossy Oak brand of camouflage. Haas Outdoors, Inc., is also the parent company of Mossy Oak Properties, BioLogic, and Nativ Nurseries. Haas was instrumental in the development of Mossy Oak Golf Club. He graduated with a degree in business administration. JONATHAN HOLDER (2014) Drafted by the New York Yankees in the 6th round of the 2014 draft. Holder was named a 2013 consensus All-American. He ranks fourth in SEC history and is 16 shy of the NCAA record with 37 career saves. He is Mississippi State’s career and single-season record holder for saves (37/21), Holder is a three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll. He received a marketing degree from MSU. DR. WILLIAM H. “BILL” HOLLEY, JR. (1962; MBA, 1965) Past President and former Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the National Academy of Arbitrators as well as the Southern Management Association. A native of Clarksdale, MS, Holley is a retired Professor of Management, Associate Dean and Department Head at Auburn University. He is the author of The Labor Relations Process, now in its 10th edition, and an active professional arbitrator.

LEADERSHIP

JULIUS P. GWIN (1960) Originally from Greenville, MS, the late Julius Gwin lived in Fayetteville, GA, where he served as Vice President of Corporate Planning for Delta Air Lines until his retirement in 1996. He received a bachelor’s in business administration in 1960, two years prior to serving his country as an Air Force Lieutenant at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Gwin was named COB Alumni Fellow in 1996. He passed away in 2014.

WILBERT G. “MICKEY” HOLLIMAN (1960) Former President, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Furniture Brands International, the world’s largest furniture manufacturer and parent company of Action Industries, which later became Lane Furniture in Tupelo, MS. Director of American Home Furnishings Alliance, Inc., Holliman was named COB Alumni Fellow in 1993 and MSU’s National Alumnus of the Year in 1998, and he serves on the MSU Foundation Board. SHAWN HUNTER (1992) Originally from Memphis, TN, Hunter resides in Mobile, AL. He is a 1992 business graduate majoring in real estate mortgage finance. He is the owner and CEO of Industry Services, Inc., a specialty industrial contractor supplying technical service, equipment and field crews to combat heat and corrosion problems for customers throughout the United States. LOUIS A. HURST, JR. (1949) Currently a Houston, TX, resident, Hurst retired after a 30 year career as Assistant Director of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) in Memphis. He was named COB Alumnus of the Year in 2003 and MSU Alumnus of the Year in 2007. Hurst is a member of the MSU Foundation’s Old Main Society and previously served on the COB Executive Advisory Board.

LEADERSHIP

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

PAUL KARRE (1974) Retired Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Communications for International Paper (IP). Karre served a 40 year career with IP, including four years as Director of Human Resources in Europe. He currently serves on the Zoological Council for the Memphis Zoo and the COB Executive Advisory Board, where he previously served as Chairman. Karre was named COB Alumni Fellow in 2012. RHONDA N. KEENUM (1983) First Lady of MSU and a native of Booneville, MS. Keenum served as Assistant Secretary for Trade Promotion and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service in the U.S. Department of Commerce. She served as White House Director of Public Liaison under the Bush Administration. Keenum is the founder and Partner of the WIT Group and serves on the advisory board of Entergy Mississippi, Inc., and the board of directors of Palmer Home for Children. FRANCIS C. “FRANC” LEE (1989) President and CEO of First Tower, LLC. First Tower is a privately owned finance company that operates more than 200 branches in Mississippi, Louisiana, Illinois, Alabama and Missouri. Lee was named COB Alumnus of the Year in 2012. He earned a degree in banking and finance from MSU. JONATHAN LEE (2000) Account Executive for Phillips Electronics North America Company. Lee is the past President of Mississippi Products, Inc. He served as Chairman of the Jackson Chamber of Commerce, a sub-chamber of the Greater Jackson Chamber set up to help businesses inside the city. Lee also serves on several boards, including the MSU Alumni Association National Board of Directors as the At-Large Director. He was named Young Alumnus of the Year in 2008. PAUL MAHOLM (2003) First-round draft selection of the Pittsburgh Pirates and the eighth player chosen overall. Maholm was Consensus All-American in 2003 for MSU. He put together a 27-10 career record with 267 strikeouts and a 3.54 ERA. Over his career, he has played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers. LEWIS F. MALLORY, JR. (1965) Retired as Chairman and CEO of Cadence Bank in 2011. A Lecturer of Finance for the College of Business and a native of Starkville, Mallory graduated with a degree in banking and finance in 1965. He serves on the MSU Foundation Board, having been President from 1982 to 1985 and also serves on the COB Executive Advisory Board. He was named COB Alumnus of the Year in 1997. He and wife Pie give back to their alma mater through various scholarships and charitable gifts.

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

LEWIS F. MALLORY, SR. (1934) Former MSU Comptroller and later the first Vice President of Business Affairs. He began working at Mississippi State in 1945 and retired in 1978. A native of Calhoun City, MS, Mallory graduated in 1934 with a degree in accounting. He served as the first Treasurer of the MSU Foundation. Mallory passed away in 1990. JAMES “CHRIS” MALONEY (1984) Fourth season as the First Base Coach for the St. Louis Cardinals. Maloney played first base for the Bulldogs during his time at MSU. He then spent four years playing minor league ball for the Mets and Cardinals. Maloney’s managing career began in 1991, with the rookie level Johnson City Cardinals of the Appalachian League, prior to managing the New Orleans Zephyrs, the top farm club of the Houston Astros.

REAR ADMIRAL JAMES OTIS MAYO (1941) Aviator, Aircraft Carrier Commander and Economic Analyst for the U.S. Navy. Mayo graduated in 1941 with a degree in business administration, before beginning a naval career flying torpedo planes in the Pacific during World War II. For 33 years, he had a diverse military career including assignments in the air, on ships and overseas. He worked with the Department of State and served as defense attaché to Moscow. Mayo was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Legion of Merit Award and the State Department Meritorious Service Award. He had a 20 year career with Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc., rising to Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors. Mayo previously served on the COB Executive Advisory Board. He was named COB Alumni Fellow in 1991. Mayo passed away in 2007 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, DC.

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

DON E. MASON (MBA 1965) Business Development and Governmental Relations Consultant for Future Pipe Industries and Seemann Composites. Mason is the retired Vice President of External Affairs and Corporate Services for Mississippi Power Company. He is involved in numerous civic and professional organizations. Mason serves as a member of the MSU Foundation Board and the COB Executive Advisory Board, where he previously served as Chairman.

MAC McINNIS (1965) A Moss Point, MS, native, Mac McInnis resides in Fairhope, AL. He is a 1965 graduate with a B.S. in business administration. McInnis was CEO and majority stockholder of Macland Disposal. The company sold in 2008, but he remains in the waste management industry. McInnis previously served 15 years on the board for MS Youth for Christ and currently serves as Chairman of the Board for Here’s Life Africa, a non-profit organization active in missionary work throughout Africa. JOBIE MELTON (1971) Former Managing Partner for Arthur Andersen and former Partner with Horne CPA Group in Jackson, where he served as Shareholder and Director of Financial Institution Practice, Audit Engagement and Practice Development. Melton was a member of the Adkerson School of Accountancy Advisory Council, where he previously served as President. He served as President, Treasurer, Vice President and board member of the Mississippi Society of CPAs. Melton chaired the Legislative Committee and the Education Foundation Trustees for the society. He was awarded the MSCPA Public Service Award in 2003 and was MSU Beta Alpha Psi Alumnus of the Year in 1995. Melton served on MSU Foundation as Chairman of the Audit Committee and member of the Executive Committee. He is the former President of the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra Association. Melton was named 2005 COB Alumnus of the Year (posthumously). He passed away in 2005.

LEADERSHIP

JOSEPH “MIKE” McILWAIN (1987) Originally from Pahokee, FL, Mike McIlwain resides in Chicago, IL. He is a 1987 business graduate who majored in accounting. He is currently the President and CEO of PSAV. For more than 78 years, PSAV has been setting the standard for event technology services within the hotel, resort and conference center industry, offering expertise for everything from intimate gatherings to large conventions.

LEE MILLER (1979) President of Miller Transporters, Inc., a family-owned business founded in 1942. Miller began his career with Miller Transport out of college holding various positions in Birmingham, AL; Mobile, AL, and El Dorado, AR. He is a past member of Madison County School Board and a current member of the COB Executive Advisory Board. He was named COB Alumni Fellow in 2009. OSCAR MISKELLY (1976) Co-founded Jackson area-based Miskelly Furniture in 1978 with his brothers. Miskelly serves as CEO and the only brother still active in the business. Today, the company has annual revenues in excess of $50 million. Miskelly Furniture was named top independent furniture store in the country in 2014 by the national industry trade magazine Home Furnishings Business.

LEADERSHIP

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

GILLESPIE V. “SONNY” MONTGOMERY (1943) A veteran of World War II and the Korean Conflict, Montgomery retired from the Mississippi National Guard as Major General. He was first elected to the Mississippi State Senate in 1956 before serving for 30 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he championed veterans’ issues and national defense. Montgomery’s greatest legislative victory was the enactment of the bill that bears his name: the Montgomery GI Bill. After retiring from Congress, he operated a Washington-based lobbying firm. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005. Montgomery passed away in 2006. RODERICK A. “ROD” MOORE (1967) Rod Moore is a 1967 accounting graduate from Mississippi State University. He is the retired Executive Vice President and CEO of Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company, a multi-line regional property and casualty insurance company operating in six states: Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina. He is a member of the COB Executive Advisory Board and serves on the MSU Foundation Board. He was named COB Alumni Fellow in 2004. DAVIS K. MORTENSEN (1956) Retired Executive Vice President for Building Products with GeorgiaPacific Corp., which included responsibility for 5.6 million acres of timberland and half of the company’s 52,000 employees in the building products division. Mortensen served for two years in the U.S. Army. He was named COB Alumni Fellow in 1995 and COB Alumnus of the Year in 2000. PAUL B. MURPHY, JR. (1981) CEO and President of Cadence Bancorp, LLC, and Chairman of Cadence Bank. Cadence Bancorp raised $1 billion to invest in the banking industry in 2010 and has since made three acquisitions, bringing the combined company to more than $8.1 billion in assets with 72 branches across five states. Murphy previously spent nearly 20 years at Amegy Bank of Texas as the CEO and a Director. During his tenure, Amegy completed several successful acquisitions and sold to Zions Bancorporation for $1.7 billion in 2005, with original investors realizing 36 times their investment. Murphy is a board member of the Houston Endowment, Inc., the Hines Real Estate Investment Trust, Inc., Oceaneering International, Inc., the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas - Houston Branch, The Kinkaid School and the Children’s Museum of Houston. He is also active in the World Presidents Organization. Murphy was named Alumnus of the Year in 2013. DEBRAH OBERKIRCH (1982) Principal at Deloitte Consulting: Human Capital in Chicago, focused on global HR transformations enabled by technology. A native of Biloxi, MS, Oberkirch previously served as a Consulting Manager for Finance and HR at Deloitte in Houston and Chicago. She serves on the COB Executive Advisory Board. DR. SHIRLEY OLSON (1969; PhD, 1978) and WALTER J. “DUKE” OLSON, III (1968) Shirley is President of Olson Consulting Group in Jackson. She serves on the MSU Foundation Board and the COB Executive Advisory Board and was named COB Alumni Fellow in 1998. Walter is retired Vice President and CIO for Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company. He previously worked for Winsloew Furniture, Inc., (now Brown Jordan International, Inc.) and Merrill Lynch. Walter serves on the COB Economics and Finance Advisory Board. He has been a member of the M-Club for MSU Baseball for 47 years. Walter graduated in 1968 with a bachelor’s degree in business, while Shirley earned a bachelor of business administration in management in 1969, followed by a doctorate in finance in 1978.

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

DR. CRAIG ORGERON (1989) Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services. Orgeron served as President of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) during the 2013-14 program year. He has partnered with many government information technology task forces, such as the MS Broadband Task Force, the Digital Signature Committee and the Electronic Government Task Force. Orgeron began his career as a communications-computer systems officer in the United States Air Force. In addition to his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the College of Business, he holds a master’s degree and a PhD in public policy from MSU. HAL PARKER (1969) Founder of Sunbelt Wholesale Supply Co., a regional distributor of fiberglass insulation and residential roofing. He was a partner in Mississippi Roofing Supply and Parker Land, LLC, until its sale in 2006. He was appointed to the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) Board by Governor Phil Bryant in 2012 to represent the First (Central) Supreme Court District. Parker has previously served four terms on the MSU Foundation Board and two terms on the Hinds Community College Foundation Board. He is past President of the Bulldog Club and was designated as a Dean W. Colvard Founder due to his lifetime gifts to MSU.

BEN PUCKETT (1951) Former Chairman of Puckett Machinery Co. During his career, Puckett served on the board of directors of Trustmark National Bank for 25 years and was an active board member of the Metro Jackson Chamber of Commerce, the MSU Development Foundation, Mississippi Roadbuilders Association and Mississippi Asphalt Association and was President of the Downtown YMCA. Puckett was a founding member of Jackson Preparatory School. He served on the U.S. Olympic Committee as State Chairman for Mississippi for 16 years and Co-chair for another 10 years. Puckett earned the 1993 Distinguished American Award from the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and was named COB Alumnus of the Year in 2001. He passed away in 2013.

LEADERSHIP

DR. RON J. PONDER (1975) Ponder held senior information technology positions in several Fortune 100 companies including FedEx, Sprint, AT&T, Capgemini, Ernst & Young and WellPoint. In 2006, he founded the Ponder Group, an information technology consulting firm. Ponder was a recipient of the Smithsonian Award for Technology Excellence, the Carnegie Mellon Award for Innovative Technology and the Stevie Award for Technology Innovation. In CIO Magazine’s 10th anniversary “Decade of the CIO” issue, he was listed as one of the 12 most influential technology executives. Ponder was named COB Alumni Fellow in 1990.

ROD PERRY (1996) Director of Crane Lakes Golf Club and eight-time North Florida PGA Section Player of the Year. Perry competed in 22 PGA Tour Events, including the 2012, 2013 and 2014 PGA Championships. He won the 2013 PGA of America’s Professional National Championship at Sunriver Resort in Oregon. Perry received the PGA Professional Player of the Year Award in 2012 and 2013. He previously held the assistant professional position at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, FL. Perry earned a degree in marketing and professional golf management in 1996.

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

HARTLEY PEAVEY (1965) Marketing and management graduate from MSU. He is founder and CEO of Peavey Electronics Corporation, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of musical instruments and professional sound equipment. Established in 1965, Peavey Electronics has earned more than 180 patents and produces more than 2,000 products that are distributed throughout the United States and to more than 130 other countries. Peavey is a member of the International Music Products Association Hall of Fame, the Rock Walk of Fame in Hollywood, CA, and the Vintage Guitar Hall of Fame. Peavey also received an honorary doctorate of creative and performing arts from Mississippi State University in 2004. He and wife Melia were named COB Alumni Fellows in 1994.

RICHARD H. PUCKETT, SR. (1977) Chairman and CEO of Puckett Machinery Co. Puckett is a Director of Trustmark Corporation and Trustmark National Bank. He was MSU College of Business 2009 Alumnus of the Year and is a member of the MSU Foundation Board and the COB Executive Advisory Board.

RICHARD L. REDD (1961) Former CEO and Chairman of the Board of Redd Pest Control. Redd was also past Mississippi Section Manager of the American Radio Relay League, the largest membership association of amateur radio enthusiasts. He lived in the Jackson, MS, area at the time of his death in May 2015.

LEADERSHIP

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

JOE RICE (1979) Managing Director, Investments at Raymond James. Rice is a partner of the FinkelbergRice Group of Raymond James. He serves as a member of the MSU Finance Advisory Board, the COB Executive Advisory Board and the Raymond James & Associates Chairman’s Council. Rice was named to Barron’s Top 1,000 Financial Advisors in 2012 and 2013 and to the Financial Times of London’s Top 400 Financial Advisors in 2015. KENNETH B. ROBINSON (1977) Vice President for Global Diversity and Inclusion at Procter & Gamble (P&G) Company, overseeing the company’s global internal audit function and compliance issues. He has served in an array of finance and audit positions throughout his career at P&G. Robinson is a board member and honorary Co-chair of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and an audit committee member for the Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. Robinson is also a member of the COB Executive Advisory Board and was named the 2015 COB Alumni Fellow. JAMES J. “JIM” ROUSE (1962) Retired ExxonMobil Corp. Vice President. Rouse is a 1962 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in industrial management. He is a member of the MSU Foundation Board, where he served as Chairman 2010-2012, the MSU Bulldog Club and the COB Executive Advisory Board. He has previously served as a board member for Ford’s Theatre and Arena Stage Theater in Washington, DC, and the Houston Ballet. Rouse was named MSU National Alumnus of the Year in 2012. He and wife Julia have established a number of scholarships, endowed professorships and chairs for the College of Business, and they are major supporters of MSU Athletics. They reside in Houston, TX. JOE FRANK SANDERSON, SR. (1947) Co-founder and former Chairman of the Board of Sanderson Farms, Inc. Sanderson was a 1947 graduate with degrees in business and accounting. He was former Director and Chairman of the Mississippi Poultry Association and the National Broiler Council. He also served as Chairman of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association, President of the Business and Industry Political Education Committee and Chairman of the MSU Foundation Board. Sanderson was inducted to the Mississippi Poultry Association’s Hall of Fame in 1974 and the Mississippi Business Hall of Fame in 1991. He received the Mississippi Business All-Star Award from the Mississippi Economic Council in 1991, was named Mississippi Philanthropist of the Year in 1994 and was named MSU National Alumnus of the Year in 1990. In 1989, he established the $1 million Joe Frank and Ann Sanderson Fund for Excellence at MSU to promote excellence in teaching, research and service programs in the Colleges of Business and Arts & Sciences. He made a $6 million gift in 1993 to fund the building of MSU’s student health and recreation center, named after him. Sanderson passed away in 2008. LEO W. SEAL, JR. (1949) Former President of Hancock Holding Company and Chairman of Hancock Bank. In addition to his business degree, Seal received an honorary doctorate of public service from MSU. He served in leadership roles throughout Mississippi, including serving as past President of the Mississippi Bankers Association and the Mississippi Economic Council. Seal was named the COB Alumnus of the Year in 2002 and the MSU National Alumnus of the Year in 1983. He passed away in 2008.

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

DEREK SHERROD (2010) First round draft pick by the Green Bay Packers as an offensive lineman before being added to the Kansas City Chiefs’ roster. While at MSU, Sherrod played football all four years, while being named a finalist for the 2010 William V. Campbell Trophy. He earned a degree in business administration from MSU. LIZA SISSON (2010) Lead Analyst for Outbound Fulfillment at Target Corporation in Minneapolis, MN. Her first role was in one of Amazon.com’s largest fulfillment centers outside Philadelphia, PA, before moving to California to design and launch Amazon’s first California fulfillment center outside Los Angeles. Within six months, the fulfillment center was the number one site in the Amazon network in terms of productivity and efficiency.

SCOTT STRICKLIN (1992) Sixteenth Athletics Director (AD) at Mississippi State University, beginning his career here in 2010. Stricklin previously served as Media Relations Director at Auburn, Media Relations Director at Tulane, Assistant AD for Communications and Marketing at Baylor, Associate AD for Media Relations at Kentucky and Senior Associate AD for External Affairs at MSU.

GERALD W. “JERRY” THAMES (1970) Vice Chairman, CEO and President of Global TeleSystems Group, Inc. Thames previously held the position of President and CEO of British Telecom (BT) North America. He also served as President and CEO of Syncordia Corporation, BT’s global enterprise outsourcing subsidiary. Thames began his telecommunications career with AT&T. He was named COB Alumni Fellow in 1999. Thames resides in Duluth, GA.

LEADERSHIP

WILLIAM A. “LEX” TAYLOR, III (1977) CEO and Chairman of The Taylor Group, the Louisville, MS-based company, since 2007. Taylor began working in the family business at the age of 15. He was Chairman of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association 2010-2011 and is past Chairman of the COB Executive Advisory Board and former member of the MSU Foundation Board. He was named COB Alumnus of the Year in 2007.

MARY ALICE TAYLOR (1971) Accounting graduate from Mississippi State University. Taylor is an independent business executive and former Chairman and CEO of Homegrocer.com. Early in her career, she held management positions with Shell Oil Company, Cook Industries, Northern Telecom and Federal Express Corporation. She has previously served on the board of directors for Perrigo, Inc., Sabre Holdings, Dell Computer Corporation, Exult and Autodesk, Inc. Taylor currently serves on the corporate board for Allstate as Chairman of the Audit Committee, and Blue Nile, Inc., as Chairman of the Nominating & Governance Committee.

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

CORNELIOUS D. “C.D.” SMITH, JR. (1991; MBA, 1995) Regional Director with AT&T Mississippi. Smith was appointed to the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board by Governor Haley Barbour and is Chairman of the Board of the G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery Institute. He serves on the boards of directors of East Mississippi Business Development Corporation and State Games of Mississippi and on the board of governors of the Mississippi Economic Council. He has received numerous community awards including The Meridian Star’s Citizen of the Year and Man of the Year awards.

JERRY TONEY (1996) Senior Financial Consultant for Cadence Bank’s Wealth Services Division and President of Cadence Bank for Mississippi. Toney graduated in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in real estate and mortgage finance. He is past President of the local chapter of the MSU Alumni Association and former Vice President and President of its national Board of Directors. Toney currently serves as a member of Mississippi State University’s Master Planning Committee, the Athletic Council Advisory Board and the Department of Finance and Economics Advisory Board. MIKE TUTTLE (1971) Accounting graduate from Mississippi State University. He is currently Chief Executive of Primerica Financial Services. Primerica, Inc., is a distributer of financial services and products. Tuttle is one of Primerica’s top producers and has offices throughout the United States.

WILLIAM L. “BILL” WALLER, JR. (1974) Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi since 2009. A native of Jackson, MS, Waller is the son of William Waller, Sr., the former Governor of Mississippi. Waller, Jr., practiced law for 20 years and served as a municipal judge in Jackson until his election to the Supreme Court in 1996. Waller is a recipient of numerous judicial awards, and he serves as a member of the MSU Stennis Institute Advisory Board. M.L. WATERS (1978) Secretary and Treasurer of family-owned Waters International Trucks, Inc., a fourth generation full service truck dealership and wrecker service. Waters serves on the board of directors of Mississippi Power Company. He received the Hartley D. Peavey Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence.

LEADERSHIP

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

CLAY WAGNER (1982) Senior Vice President of Hancock Bank in Biloxi, MS. Wagner is past President of the Hancock Chamber of Commerce. He received the 2015 Jody Compretta Person of Passion award for his leadership in Mississippi coastwide initiatives and his service on numerous boards throughout the region.

DAVID LEE WATSON (1979) Vice President and Portfolio Manager for Montag & Caldwell, LLC, in Atlanta, GA. Watson is a registered Investment Adviser Representative. He is a member of the firm’s Investment Policy Group and is responsible for Montag’s European clients, having managed the firm’s Dublin-domiciled UCITS fund and its predecessor since 2001. Watson previously served as a member on the Educational Content Committee of the New York Stock Exchange, the Professional Qualifications Committee of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board and the MSU Foundation Board. He is a CFA charter holder and a member of the Atlanta Society of Financial Analysts. Watson was named COB Alumnus of the Year in 2005. CHARLES “CHARLIE” WEATHERLY (1959) Director of Development Emeritus for MSU’s Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine. Weatherly graduated in 1959 with a bachelor’s degree in industrial management. He began working at MSU in 1962 as a Field Representative for the MSU Alumni Association. He served the Alumni Association for many years and was eventually named Executive Director, a role in which he remained until 1987. Weatherly later joined the MSU Foundation staff as Director of Development for the Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine. He retired in 1997 but soon rejoined the Foundation staff in a part-time fundraising role.

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

JOSEPH B. “JOE” WHITESIDE (1949) Helped open Triangle Distributors, where he served as Vice President, President and Chairman of the Board. Whiteside also served in the same capacities at Lee Wholesale in Tupelo, MS. He was a member of the MSU Foundation Board as well as the COB Executive Advisory Board. Whiteside served in the infantry and the military police during World War II. He was named COB Alumnus of the Year in 1999. He passed away in 2008. DON WHITMIRE, JR. (1978) Vice President, Controller, Financial Reporting and Principal Accounting Officer of Freeport-McMoRan, Inc., world’s largest publicly traded copper company. Prior to joining Freeport-McMoRan in 1989, Whitmire worked in the energy audit practice of Arthur Andersen specializing in the oil and gas industry and serving on the firm-wide Oil & Gas Industry Team. He formerly served McMoRan Exploration Co. and currently serves Stratus Properties, Inc., as Vice President and Controller. Whitmire graduated with special distinction and served as President of the Student Honors Council in 1978. He serves on the Adkerson School of Accountancy Advisory Council and was named COB Alumni Fellow in 2010.

MARGARET WOOD (1932) Wood entered the MSU College of Business in 1931 as a junior. She was the first co-ed to enter MSU since 1912, when co-education was barred. Wood was named honorary Colonel of the cadet corps for two consecutive years, and she served as assistant cheerleader, President of the Co-ed Club and Secretary of the 1932 Reveille while in school.

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

TURNER A. WINGO (1967) Retired real estate developer and former owner of Sherry’s Hallmark. Wingo graduated in 1967 with a bachelor’s degree in general business administration. He currently serves on the MSU Foundation Board. He was named COB Alumnus of the Year in 2011. Wingo’s lifelong support of MSU extends to several annual and endowed scholarship funds that assist qualified students in the Colleges of Business; Engineering and Architecture, Art & Design.

| LEADERSHIP

Excellence in Education excellence Notable Faculty:

LEADERSHIP

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

For the Centennial Edition of Dividends, we have recognized our Top 100 Alumni as well as current students who may make the Top Alumni list within the next 100 years. But where would the College of Business be without the support of our notable former faculty, deans and program directors, many of whom were instrumental in laying the very groundwork for the programs, degrees and opportunities offered at the College? Several of these educators were lifelong Bulldogs, starting out as College of Business students themselves before ultimately deciding to teach at the alma mater they came to know and love. We recognize these 19 legendary College of Business faculty not only for their selfless contributions to furthering academic excellence at Mississippi State, but also for the positive impact they made on the lives and careers of countless students who went on to become leaders in the business world.

The late Kirk Patrick Arnett was Professor Emeritus of Information Systems. He received all three of his degrees from MSU. Arnett was recognized for his teaching, research and service. He was the recipient of the NACADA National Merit Advising Award and served as MSU faculty athletic representative to the NCAA and SEC from 1996 to 2005. Arnett retired in 2008 and passed away in 2013. Habib Bazyari was the first Business Professor at the MSU-Meridian campus, joining the faculty when the division opened in 1972. Bazyari later became Chair of the Business Division and grew the program from 80 to 350 students. He came to MSU from Iran and received his DBA in the College of Business in 1974, later retiring after a 36-year career at MSU. Bazyari resides in Meridian. The late James V. Bowen was known as the father of the business curriculum at Mississippi State University, and he became the first Dean of Business in 1915. As history tells it, Bowen, who had only one eye, was known to the students as “Bad Eye.” In 1929, Bowen Hall – the first home of the College of Business – was constructed in his honor. Joe Curry was nicknamed “Smokin’ Joe” by his students because of his energetic demeanor in the classroom. Curry became known as one of the legends of accounting, along with W.W. Littlejohn, Scotty Wofford and Dora Herring. He is former President of the Mississippi Society of CPAs and started Curry and Wofford Accounting firm with friend and colleague Scotty Wofford, which ultimately became part of T.E. Lott & Company. Curry resides in Starkville. Louis Dawkins was Director of the Adkerson School of Accountancy from 1981 to 1987 after serving as Dean of the School of Business at Henderson State University. Dawkins returned to Henderson in 1987 until retirement in 1999. He came out of retirement in 2007 to serve again as Director of the Adkerson School of Accountancy and later as Interim Dean of the College of Business.

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

William C. Flewellen, Jr. was Dean and a Professor of Accounting. Flewellen earned his BS and MS degrees from the University of Alabama and his doctorate from Columbia University. He served as Accounting Professor and Assistant Dean of Business at the University of Alabama. In 1961, Flewellen was named Dean of the MSU College of Business and was instrumental in establishing the doctoral programs and in obtaining accreditation for the master’s and doctoral degrees. He left MSU in 1968 to become Dean of the College of Business at the University of Georgia. Flewellen now resides in Tupelo. Dora Herring is Professor Emeritus and former Director of the Richard C. Adkerson School of Accountancy. Herring was the first person in the state of Mississippi to receive a doctoral degree in accounting and the first female to teach in accounting. She was also the first female to serve as President of the Mississippi Society of CPAs. Herring received an associate’s degree in accounting from Bowling Green University and the rest of her degrees from MSU. She was the first DBA student and graduate in the College of Business, receiving her doctorate in 1968. Herring was the Director of Accounting from 1988 until her retirement – concluding a 30-year career in the College of Business. She resides in Starkville.

The late Charles North Moore was Professor Emeritus and former Department Head of Business Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis. Moore founded the Department of Business Statistics and Data Processing (now BIS) in the College of Business in 1963. He developed the first accredited college degree program in the nation that led to careers in business related data processing using computers. Moore received his degrees from Auburn University, the University of Alabama and the University of Michigan. He was the recipient of the first Association of Retired Faculty Exemplary Service Award. Moore passed away at age 97 in 2015. The late Donald C. Mosley, Sr. was Chair of the Department of Management at MSU and Visiting Professor at the University of Otago in New Zealand, where he developed the first MBA program. Mosley became Dean of the College of Business at the University of South Alabama in 1973 and helped the College receive AACSB accreditation. The Starkville native returned as MSU College of Business faculty in 1983, where he received the MSU Alumni Association Outstanding Professor Award in 1999. Mosley passed away in 2007.

LEADERSHIP

The late W.W. Littlejohn joined the accounting faculty at MSU in the 1940s. He became Assistant Director of Accounting in 1962 and was credited with the significant growth of the major. Outside the University, Littlejohn is best known in Starkville for being the “Father of T-Ball,” after suggesting in 1960 that baseball needed a good program for younger children.

Harvey S. Lewis is a former Dean and Professor Emeritus of the College of Business. An MSU finance alumnus, Lewis later earned his PhD from the University of Arkansas. He was the former Department Head of finance at MSU before working at the University of Mississippi as Executive Vice Chancellor. He later returned to MSU as Executive Director of the MSU Foundation, Vice President for Administration and Development and Interim President for six months. After a seven-year stint at the University of Central Florida as Associate Dean in business, he returned to MSU as Dean of the College of Business until his retirement in 1997. Lewis resides in Tampa, FL.

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

The late Samuel Roland Jones was a Professor of Marketing. In 1958, he became the first graduate of MSU’s MBA program. Jones was the first director of the PGA Golf Management program at Mississippi State University, holding the position from 1985 until his death in 1997. Jones, who directed the second oldest PGA Golf Management program in the country, is honored annually with a golf tournament played among all PGA schools and a scholarship in his name.

The late Henry Warren Nash was Professor Emeritus and former Department Head of Marketing. Nash served in World War II and received his degrees from the University of Florida and the University of Alabama. He became Department Head of Marketing in 1969 and served in this position for 27 years until his retirement in 1996. Nash passed away in 2013. The late Gaines M. Rogers served as Dean of the College of Business from 1968 to 1982. Prior to coming to MSU, he was Dean of the College of Business at Wake Forest University for 20 years. He served as a Professor of Finance for one additional year before retiring in 1983 but returned to the classroom for one additional semester in 1984. Rogers served as President of the Southern Business Deans Association from 1971 to 1972.

LEADERSHIP

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

W.A. “Bill” Simmons was a Professor of Accounting. Simmons began his teaching career at MSU in 1947, shortly after receiving his BS from the University, and he earned a master’s degree from MSU in 1950. He served as President of the Mississippi Society of CPAs. Simmons retired in 1987, and in 1988 the W.A. Simmons Fund for Excellence in Teaching of Accounting was established in honor of his fourdecade career. He resides in Starkville. Garry Smith is a former Professor of Management. Smith was Department Head of Management for more than 20 years until his retirement in 2010. He received his DBA from Louisiana Tech University in 1976, and he taught at universities in Texas and Arkansas prior to coming to MSU in 1980. Smith resides in Starkville. George L. Verrall is Professor Emeritus of Economics. Verrall received all three of his degrees at MSU. He served as Assistant Dean and Associate Dean of the College of Business during the 1970s and was acting Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and Associate Vice President for Academic and Business Affairs from 1976 to 1985. Verrall also served as Vice President for Business Affairs from 1979 to 1994, when he returned to the faculty. He was the Department Head of Economics and Finance from 1995 to 2000, when he retired. He came out of retirement to serve as Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs from 2002 to 2004. Verrall lives in Starkville. The late Rudolph A. White was Director of Business Graduate Studies and Professor Emeritus of Industrial Relations. White was instrumental in establishing doctoral programs in economics and business administration in the College of Business in 1964. He later served on the faculty of the University of Georgia. White was the first President of the United Rubber Workers. He passed away in 1995. The late Ralph Scott “Scotty” Wofford taught accounting for nearly 30 years in the Adkerson School of Accountancy after receiving a bachelor’s in accounting at MSU and a master’s at the University of Denver. Prior to coming to MSU, Wofford taught briefly at North Texas State University. In addition, he established Curry and Wofford Accounting firm with friend and colleague Joe Curry. He was a P-38 fighter pilot during World War II and continued to enjoy flying – often to call on clients. The firm ultimately became part of T.E. Lott & Company. Wofford was an MSU sports enthusiast and longtime member of the Bulldog Club and the Dugout Club. He passed away in 2012.

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

Dennis R. Leyden becomes Dean of the • College of Business & Industry. First issue of USA Today is published. • Time’s Man of the Year is... THE COMPUTER. •

1983 Leo W. Seal, Jr. Distinguished Executive • Speaker Series begins. First Apple Macintosh computers are sold to consumers. •

1985

• Sandra Day O’Connor becomes first woman on the Supreme Court. • AIDS virus is discovered.

1982 • Sally Ride becomes the first woman in space on U.S. space shuttle Challenger’s maiden voyage. • ARPANET officially changes to use the Internet Protocol, creating the Internet.

1984

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

• Professional Golf Management program is sanctioned by the PGA. • In summit, Presidents Reagan and Gorbachev agree to step up U.S./U.S.S.R. arms control talks and renew cultural contacts.

Approximately 6.5 million Americans join • hands in “Hands Across America.” 30 million watch “Live Aid,” a benefit • concert for the Ethiopian famine.

1987 First transatlantic fiber optic cable is laid with capacity • of 40,000 simultaneous phone calls. Hubble space telescope begins operations. •

1989 Doctorate in Business Administration is • redesigned to strengthen area knowledge and quantitative skills of graduates. Virginia’s Douglas Wilder is inaugurated as first • elected African American governor.

Harvey S. Lewis becomes Dean of the • College of Business & Industry. CDs surpass cassette tapes as the preferred • medium for recorded music.

1993 WE MEAN

OPPORTUNITY.

1991

1986 • Executive in Residence Program begins in the College of Business. • MSU Insurance Day is founded. • U.S. stock market crashes October 19, with a 508 point drop (22.6%).

1988

MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY

WE MEAN OPPORTUNITY.

1981

1980

WE MEAN OPPORTUNITY.

John Lennon is assassinated by a deranged fan. • Small pox is eradicated. • Ted Turner starts CNN, introducing 24-hour TV news. •

• College is reorganized into 4 units: Dept. of Finance & Economics; Dept. of Management & Information Systems; Dept. of Marketing, Quantitative Analysis & Business Law and School of Accountancy. • After 28 years, the Berlin Wall is opened to the West. • George H. W. Bush becomes President.

1990 • COB Senior Executive Advisory Board is established. • Tim Berners-Lee introduces the web browser.

1992 • Professor of Marketing Cynthia Webster becomes the College’s first Fulbright Research scholar. • World Trade Center in New York is bombed.

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

onward

Opportunity Onward By Carolanne Roberts

harvis Davidson has many reasons to boast, but it would never occur to him to do so.

The man people call “Cha Cha” is just that low-key and definitely that good. “I’m the youngest of six boys,” he begins. “My mom was a single mother, and she provided well for us.” He affectionately recalls, “As a special education teacher for 30 years, she was tough. When I was in the first grade I brought home homework, but we never got to it. She made me rewrite everything because my handwriting was so bad. She said, ‘Your t’s aren’t high enough – do it over.’ Now I’m a bit of a perfectionist myself. She is proud of me.” He adds that she still encourages him to always do better, and that is what Davidson strives to do: be better, and then better still.

Once Davidson got into college, he discovered MSU’s International Business (IB) program, and it, too, came to have a tremendous impact on the direction of his life.

“I was going to major in business until I met IB seniors who said, ‘It’s a great opportunity – five years, two degrees. It makes you more marketable. It’s a global environment today. You’ll meet so many people, and it’ll open so many doors.’” He continues, “My mother was standing there and said, ‘Why wouldn’t you want to do that? Try international business.’” Davidson did and, in fact, went on to be President of the International Business Society. As a freshman he was awarded an “awesome scholarship” as a Hunter Henry Scholar. “It’s tough to get, and I was surprised,” he says, modesty showing again. “All across Mississippi State they take the top students in each college, and I was blessed to be chosen by the Henry family, who are amazing. I had the scholarship for all five years, and they actually started a new one – and I was one of the first recipients – for study abroad.” As a Spanish student, he found that the idea of studying abroad struck both fear and joy into his soul. Traveling 20 miles from a small town to Mississippi State was one thing. Traveling from Starkville to Alcala, Spain, was another – especially given that his peers were from 12 different countries including Japan, China and Saudi Arabia, among others.

OPPORTUNITY

“Football gives you grit and determination, and I took this over into academics,” he observes.

Another early influence was football.

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

Unless asked, the 2014 international business graduate from West Point, MS, is not likely to mention that he was his high school’s valedictorian and excelled on the football field, or that he could have played at the college level but chose academics. He probably will not volunteer the fact that he won top scholarships to Mississippi State and studied in Spain to sharpen his language skills, or that he now travels around this country and abroad for Memphis-based International Paper.

“I was scared a little bit – strange place, strange language, strange people,” he says of week one. By the second week of his two-month stay, he caught the wave and rode it. “My goal is to go back when I’m fluent,” he adds.

OPPORTUNITY

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

That could be sooner rather than later, given the fact that his job as Account Executive at International Paper involves clients in Mexico, Puerto Rico and Costa Rica, in addition to the United States, France and Israel. He fills their needs for products such as everyday paper, tablet paper, envelopes, forms and file folders. “I’m an extension of the sales department,” he explains. “They make the initial contact with clients, and I take it from there. I’m sending boats all over the world. There are challenges to figuring out the best way to do everything and to working with people to accomplish one unified goal.” His enthusiasm for his work is kid-in-a-candy-store upbeat, especially noteworthy considering that Davidson was not looking to take a job after graduation. He says, “I came out of State very well-rounded and ready, but my plan was to come back and work toward my doctorate. I wanted to be a professor.” The shift came as a result of his role with the IB Society, in which he encouraged students to interview with recruiters visiting campus. To model that behavior, he engaged with the recruiters as well. Then it happened. “I got an offer at one of the dinners with International Paper,” Davidson said. “Wow, that wasn’t the plan. I was impressed by the smart people there and knew [being surrounded by them that] I would always be forced to be better. I can always go back to school. My retirement will probably be being a professor.” But that is a chapter far into the future.

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

“I could work for International Paper forever,” says the employee of just over a year. “I’m intrigued by every aspect of it. When I was driving home recently, I passed one of our signs and felt appreciation and pride. If I ever stop feeling that, then it’s time to change gears. But I don’t see that happening.”

He has quite a message to share with the recruits about doors that were opened for him at MSU and what he achieved – scholarships, international study, a hefty list of honors, an impressive internship with infant and youth apparel manufacturer Garan, Inc., employment with a global business leader. Davidson tells his listeners, “State gave me such opportunities. I had chances to meet with Fortune 100 executives and freely ask questions. State encouraged me to take a leap, so I took a lot of leaps, and they actually worked out. A lot of doors opened, and my mind expanded. I started to imagine things I never even dreamed of before.

business international

OPPORTUNITY

He sums it up simply and effectively. “I’m better for it all today.”

“State will always be a part of me. I took a lot of opportunities, but there are others I didn’t take. That’s testament to how many opportunities there are. You really just don’t realize. And, of course, I was raised with my mom drilling education into my head.”

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

So, for now, Davidson directs paper products to far points of the globe, buoyed by his international business background at Mississippi State. He returns to his alma mater as a member of the Young Alumni Advisory Board and for recruiting events, scouting talent for his company or helping encourage young students in the Memphis area toward Mississippi State.

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

impact

An Early Impact By Carolanne Roberts

As a talented high school student in Germantown, TN, Rouse once dreamed of a career in professional athletics. “I figured I’d be a great wide receiver for the NFL or a first baseman for the Chicago White Sox,” he says. One serious injury later, the dream was taken from him, and he began to reconsider his life’s game plan. His journey led to Mississippi State. Here, a challenge in the classroom sparked his determination to excel, and he has carried that resolve ever since. He recalls, “One professor called me in and said, ‘Mr. Rouse, here’s the deal. You’re either going to make an A in my class or an F. I’m not going to let you settle for a Gentleman’s C.’”

Another experience that shaped his future in unforeseen ways also began at Mississippi State: service to his country.

“Everybody [at the time] had to be in ROTC, so I chose Advanced ROTC to graduate with a commission. I got more out of the Army than the Army got out of me,” he says of his service with an amphibious outfit. “I learned about teamwork, and I learned about working with people of all backgrounds. That served me very well in my career with Exxon.” Those three factors – a shift in career goals, an MSU business education and ROTC – came together to have considerable impact on where his career went from there. “In a period of about three weeks I graduated from Mississippi State, received my commission in the Army, went to work for Exxon and married the girl from Laurel, Mississippi [Julia Ann Bennett, or “Julie,” whom he’d courted at then-Mississippi State College for Women],” says Rouse. “The girl from Laurel and I are still together after 53 years, my career with Exxon lasted 42 years and I spent a total of two years on active duty [on leave from Exxon] and six in the Army Reserve. I made some pretty good decisions in 1962, that’s for sure.” Obviously there is much to fill in between that three-week window and today – most of it good, much of it great. In the “great” category for Rouse were his years as Vice President of Exxon Corporation-Washington Office, in the Public Affairs Department.

OPPORTUNITY

When the industrial management major graduated in 1962, it was with a generous number of A’s to his credit.

Rouse continues, “I thought it was a little rough but decided to go to work in the classroom. Call it opportunity, call it chance, but I found that I really, really liked the competitiveness of being the guy who gets the A. I’m not brilliant, but I have a strong work ethic, which has served me well my whole life.”

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

life’s journey can unfold in sneaky ways. James “Jim” Rouse, who rose to great heights at Exxon Corporation, knows that first-hand. Some key events when he was a young man had far reaching effects that still influence him today. The MSU business alumnus’ tale is one he tells with gratitude for his alma mater and for the many opportunities that have crossed his path.

OPPORTUNITY

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

“People think I was involved in lobbying – and I was – but the corporation does business in 200 countries, so we tried to maintain a relationship with all 200 of those embassies in Washington,” he says of his eight years in that key role. “About half the time was devoted to any activity associated with the countries with which we dealt, and the other half was the House, Senate, that kind of thing.” Rouse believes his wife Julie would say the interlude in the nation’s capital was the best of the couple’s nine moves during the Exxon years, and he shares her enthusiasm. “The VP job in Washington is one of the corporation’s 16 or 17 worldwide vice president jobs,” he explains. “What you do and say can be very impactful.” The Rouses lived in New Orleans Jim and Julie Rouse have shared their resources with the University in many three times, Atlanta once, Charlotte ways, including two endowed management professorships. twice and Houston, their current location, three times. He approached each stop with equal energy, working in employee relations, marketing, supply and transportation, human resources and public affairs. Yet Jim Rouse’s reaction to the Washington offer was one of wonder. “I didn’t think I was very prepared for that job,” he recalls. “But they said they needed someone in Washington who really understood our company and philosophy. They said I could figure out the lobbying piece later, and that was true. I had instant credibility with the Senators and Congressmen, so it turned out the boss was right – what’s valuable is having a strong background in the company you represent.”

He continues, “The most satisfying thing about my career is that in the whole 42 years I could look in the mirror and say this company never asked me to do something I’d be ashamed of.” As Exxon stressed civic commitment beyond company duties, Rouse shared his leadership expertise in the community, too. This included serving on the boards of Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC, and the Houston Ballet; the presidency of the Arena Stage Theater in Washington and many other involvements. The Rouses also attended Presidential balls and a variety of other events in the course of his corporate roles.

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

“I’m the world’s worst golfer – I didn’t have time for that,” he admits. “My objectives were the career and my family [daughters Connie and Lisa]. Now we’re blessed with six grandchildren and have a rule that we see them every six weeks.” He retired from Exxon in 2004. Traveling to visit grandchildren in Indianapolis and Atlanta fills up much of his calendar. So do reading (up to 30 books a year), weight lifting (two to three times a week), their lake house in Texas Hill Country and a cruise or other international trip each year. And football, lots of football. A typical year finds the Rouses at the games of their various teams: Mississippi State, Texas A&M (alma mater of their daughters and sons-in-law), the Houston Texans and their grandson’s high school games – as many as 17 a season.

President Mark Keenum presents the 2012 MSU Alumnus of the Year Award to Jim Rouse.

chance opportunity

OPPORTUNITY

“If you looked up the word ‘opportunity,’ there would be some language about chance or advancing circumstances,” he concludes. “Certainly Mississippi State gave me the chance and the opportunity to be who I turned out to be.”

“It’s very important when you have some small measure of success to go back and make contributions to make sure the kids have a chance,” says the recipient of MSU’s 2012 National Alumnus of the Year Award. “I make wisecracks about my being in jail or driving a truck somewhere if it weren’t for Mississippi State. My development as an individual was hugely impacted by my years at State, and that has caused me to be very involved in activities there for the rest of my life.

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

Julie Rouse thinks they should add a Starkville house to their life, and it does make sense given the amount of time they spend at Mississippi State. The past chairman of the MSU Foundation and permanent board member, joined by his wife, endows professorships and scholarships for Mississippi State – including two endowed professorships in management for the College of Business. As an active board member of the Bulldog Club, Rouse also gives to athletics, having made possible a state-of-the-art strength and conditioning center named for Julie.

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

Think Globally: MSU’s International Business Program By Travis Wiseman

global

ore than 75 years ago, Austrian-American economist Joseph Schumpeter coined the term “creative destruction.” He ascribed these ostensibly paradoxical words to the competitive free-market process – a process that constantly pushes forward new, entrepreneurial ideas and makes obsolete many goods, services and business practices. As new ideas bring new technology and new technology lowers the cost of doing business, entrepreneurs and firms expand their business to world markets – that is, they globalize.

Students intern for a minimum of 10 weeks and may participate in a domestic or foreign experience. Those who intern domestically seek positions with companies conducting international business. Some recent placements include Fortune 500 companies and other multi-national companies. Among this group are International Paper Co., Citigroup, FedEx, National Railway Equipment Co., Garan, Freeport-McMoRan, Deloitte & Touche, Caterpillar and Siemens. The MSU IB program is recognized as one of the best. Each fall, 50 to 55 new students are admitted; more than 300 applied to enter this past fall. Graduates’ placement rates and entry-level salaries are among the highest in the College of Business.

DR. TRAVIS WISEMAN Dr. Travis Wiseman joined the MSU Department of Finance & Economics in 2013 and was promoted to Director of the International Business program in 2014. He holds a PhD in economics from West Virginia University. He teaches courses in international business and economics and hosts faculty-led study abroad programs in Central and Eastern Europe and Latin America. Students voted him the 2014-2015 “Most Influential” professor in the College of Business. His research interests include entrepreneurship, shadow – illicit trade – economies, international economic development and public policy. For more information about the IB program, visit www.business.msstate.edu/programs/ib/, or contact Dr. Wiseman at travis.wiseman@msstate.edu.

OPPORTUNITY

Studying abroad gives students an invaluable opportunity to gain new perspectives on the world while being immersed in an exciting new culture. They develop communication and problem-solving skills that reinforce independence and strengthen confidence, building their abilities to overcome challenges while living in a different culture and speaking a new language. IB students are required to study abroad for a minimum of six weeks. They often design their own experience with assistance from their advisors and MSU’s Office of Study Abroad. Some participate in exchange programs with one of MSU’s many partner institutions located in places like Belgium, Canada, China, France, Germany, Spain, Taiwan, Morocco and South Africa. Others split their study abroad by participating in two or more short-term faculty-led programs. These programs include studies in Latin America, many parts of Europe, Africa and southeast Asia.

IB students usually complete their studies in five years or less and receive dual degrees focused on various aspects of culture and business around the world. Within the College of Business, students choose between a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Accountancy degree. Students who choose the former explore major options in business information systems, business administration, economics, finance, management or marketing. IB students also complete a Bachelor of Arts in foreign languages through the College of Arts and Sciences, with a major in Spanish, German, French or Asian Studies. The Asian Studies major includes both Chinese and Japanese language courses. Students may also study Italian and Russian.

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

Globalization means that today’s college graduates compete in labor markets accessed by the world, with ever-changing and increasing demand for new and special skill sets. There are more opportunities today than at any time in the past for students to merge their passions for cultural exploration with their career goals. The International Business (IB) program at Mississippi State caters to students with that desire. IB students develop a solid understanding of doing business in a global economy through rigorous coursework, travel abroad and internship work experience. An intense career preparation series designed for the IB program by MSU’s Career Center offers our students exclusive guidance that affords them every opportunity for success.

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

stages

Shooting for Golf’s Biggest Stages By Carew Ferguson

Morgan’s internships served as a portion of her core requirements for the PGM program, which is the second oldest of its kind in the country. Accredited by the PGA of America, MSU’s program leads to a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in marketing, and the concentration includes courses related to PGA PGM program material, turf management, food management, landscape architecture and human resource management. Students also develop their playing ability and complete 16 months of practical work experience. On completion of the program, they are eligible to apply for membership as PGA Class A Professionals. Morgan sat down with Dividends to discuss her golf background, professional experiences and perspective on the PGM program at MSU.

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

ally Morgan has gained experience on some of the biggest stages professional golf has to offer. Morgan is a junior in the PGA Golf Management (PGM) program at Mississippi State. In her first internship with the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA), she worked with the Tennessee section of the PGA. This past summer the Milton, GA, native served as the Championships and Merchandising intern at PGA headquarters in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Over the course of this internship, she worked at both the Men’s and Women’s PGA Championships at Westchester Country Club in New York and Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.

My dad has been playing golf for a while, so I have had a club in my hand since I was four. I started playing competitively when I was eight years old, and I began playing in tournaments all over the Southeast. I played competitively for about 10 or 11 years before I came here. I was on my high school team as well. In high school I got a lot of offers to play golf at schools, but in my mind I never saw myself playing on TV. I saw myself working in the industry. I still wanted to be involved in golf but maybe not necessarily playing professionally. I wanted to be more on the corporate side of things. Why did you choose to attend Mississippi State? I looked at 10 of the 19 universities that have the program. I guess I kind of just came on campus, and it felt right. I just felt it – the whole atmosphere and the way the program was run. It was the second program to be established, so I knew it was well established. What is unique about the PGM program at Mississippi State? The fact that it’s in the [College of Business] is really key. That was one thing that I was looking for because other schools may have it in departments like Parks and Recreation or Hospitality. I wanted a business degree. I think having a business degree is very beneficial to have especially for what I want to do, working corporately or in the industry somewhere. Describe the process of getting this internship with the PGA. Being close with [MSU PGA Golf Management Program Director] Jeff Adkerson and Adam Scott, our Program Coordinator, is key because they obviously have a lot of connections. The more you seem interested in what you want and where you want to be, the more willing they are to help you get those things.

OPPORTUNITY

Describe the background on your involvement with golf, starting in high school and moving into the PGM program at Mississippi State.

What were your major roles in the internship at PGA headquarters? What were your day to day responsibilities? This summer they had 11 different departments at headquarters, and each intern was in a specific department. They put me in the Championships and Merchandising Department. I was in New York for a month, and I helped run the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. That was on the tournament operations side of things, so I helped run the Pro-Am, which involved dealing with the players, celebrities and other amateurs. When I was back at headquarters, I was helping people set up for the PGA Championship, which was at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin. That involved looking at and approving samples. Vendors worked with my supervisors a year to two years in advance just getting pieces of clothing together to approve the logo or color combination. It was cool because they would ask my opinions on things, so it was neat to be a part of that. People buy it, and you’re like, “Hey, I picked that out!” When I got to Wisconsin, it was a lot more labor intensive. I was actually building the entire merchandising tent and setting up fixtures. Then, I dealt with customer service as it got closer to the event. What is the most interesting experience you had on the job?

OPPORTUNITY

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

One really cool thing in Wisconsin was when we had a creative designer come to help dress all the mannequins and do all of the aesthetics inside the store. My boss picked me to work specifically with him, so I helped set the store up visually. There is actually a lot of thought in setting up store layout because you are trying to gauge how consumers would look at everything. That is what is cool about the PGA; they are so driven on passion. They put a lot of research into the market and the consumers. What are your plans moving forward, after the internship and graduation? Last summer, I worked with the Tennessee PGA section, so I helped run tournaments all over the state of Tennessee. That gave me some smaller scale tournament operations experience. This [past] summer I saw the bigger scale of it, as well as the merchandising aspect. I could see myself working at headquarters but still being able to travel and have hands-on experience. Where do you see the PGM program going in the future? [The College of Business has] tried to expand our PGM education. Mr. Adkerson is focused on getting you opportunities to see more of the business side. He created a leadership development team last spring to bring our classroom [knowledge] to another level, and to bring more of a business aspect to everything. He wanted to bring this team together as sort of a discussion team and to help us grow as leaders. Eight of us are on the team, and it’s been really good. It was big for us because we could share our experiences in the profession and how we can grow through them. How has the faculty at MSU helped you in specific ways that will be beneficial in your career in golf? I have grown really close with them. They are always willing to help you whether it’s related to PGM or not. Internships are a really big part of it because they want their students to get whatever opportunities they want. Because I want to do big things, I know that those things are not going to happen without Mr. Adkerson and Mr. Scott helping me get there. What is the response from people with whom you have worked in golf, when you tell them you come from MSU’s PGM program? It is regarded very highly. I looked at 10 schools, and one specific school’s director even told me that I needed to go to Mississippi State. We were the second program to be established, so we are very well known with great connections. How have the College of Business and the PGM program helped you develop as a professional? Getting into a new environment in college, coming from out of state, was really good for me because it improved my social skills that could be transferred to the workplace. The College of Business is also very hands-on, which especially helped for the internships. Having experiences here helped me develop communication and other skills you need in these jobs or internships. Without the College of Business, I would not have taken the opportunities that I have been given or done what I have done.

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

World’s first satellite digital television service is launched. • Netscape Navigator is released, quickly becoming market • leader for web browsing.

WE MEAN

1994

COMMUNITY.

Pierre Titard becomes Director of the • School of Accountancy.

• The International Business program is

Council of Student Organizations is chartered • as a coordinating group for all MSU business student organizations. The DVD is introduced. •

1997 Sara M. Freedman becomes Dean of the College • of Business & Industry. Search engine Google is founded. • Exxon and Mobil merge to create the world’s • largest petroleum company.

1999 Young Alumni Advisory Board is established. • Danny Hollingsworth becomes Director of the • School of Accountancy. Tiger Woods becomes youngest player to win a Grand • Slam in professional golf.

Master’s in Taxation. • Domestic terrorism kills 168 in Oklahoma City bombing.

1996 • Garry Smith becomes interim Dean upon the retirement of Harvey S. Lewis. • Microsoft becomes the most valuable company in the world.

1998 • Myspace is introduced to the Internet. • Napster is founded as a pioneering peer-to-peer file sharing Internet service.

2000 • The College and the School of Accountancy

2001 WorldCom files Chapter 11 bankruptcy. • The No Child Left Behind Act is passed. • Time names accounting graduate Cynthia Cooper • one of three “Persons of the Year.”

are reaccredited by the AACSB.

• Terrorists attack World Trade Center and Pentagon on September 11. • Wikipedia goes online.

2002 • The Center of Family Enterprise Research is

2003

established.

• Society for Human Resource Management chapter receives a national award.

• Toyota overtakes Chrysler to reach number three in U.S. car sales.

COMMUNITY.

Ground is broken on the Leo Seal Family Business • Complex and renovation of McCool Hall. Facebook is created by Mark Zuckerberg. • Google initial public offering raises $1.67 billion. •

2005 The School of Accountancy becomes the • Richard C. Adkerson School of Accountancy. Google purchases YouTube for $1.65 billion in stock. •

WE MEAN

WE MEAN COMMUNITY.

1995

established.

• College of Business & Industry introduces

2004 • COB publishes first issue of Dividends Magazine. • Hurricane Katrina strikes the southern United States. • YouTube is launched.

2006

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

united

United We Stand By Carew Ferguson

countless number of roles and responsibilities fit into the job description of Athletic Director at Mississippi State. A day as the head of an athletic department in the Southeastern Conference can be made up of everything from fundraising and managing a budget to picking out uniform patterns. In this role, 1992 MSU graduate Scott Stricklin mines all the skills acquired over his 25-year career in athletics. Among the learning experiences, he recalls his time as a marketing major in the College of Business as a pivotal starting point to his journey in collegiate sports.

“I started working as a freshman in the Athletic Department,” he recalls. “I knew that a business or marketing degree would provide me with a lot of flexibility because I did not really know how to make a career out of athletics when I started college.”

During his time as an undergraduate, Stricklin remembers not only enjoying the marketing classes but also the people in the College of Business. “I spent a lot of time in McCool Hall. When you’re in the same building for a lot of classes you get to encounter a lot of the same people. I just remember there being a camaraderie about it,” he says. Moreover, his peers in the College of Business motivated Stricklin along the way. “You were with people who had a plan and knew what they wanted to do. There is something invigorating about being with people who are driven,” he observes. Stricklin strives to push Mississippi State athletics to new heights, and he can recall specific ways the College of Business laid the groundwork for establishing his professional skill set. “We deal with present values and future values all the time with large donations, facilities and construction costs,” he says. “The first time I ever got exposed to that was in the finance classes that I took.” Aside from managing an exceedingly large budget and taking part in the creation of new venues, Stricklin is in constant communication with alumni and other fans, often through social media and other electronic means. What is a societal necessity in today’s world was first introduced to Stricklin at Mississippi State. “I remember we had a class, a BIS course, where our assignment was to log on to a computer in the lab in McCool Hall, and we had to send an email. This was in 1990 or ’91; no one had the Internet yet,” he recalls. “There was this way you could send an electronic message, and that was a pretty significant deal. “It’s funny when you think about all the pieces then that were building blocks for what we have today, from a technology standpoint.”

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“It was a very unpolished way to get into athletics, which was my goal,” he says. “I was always fascinated by marketing and the way thoughts, ideas and products are packaged and delivered and the economies behind that.”

Stricklin began creating his own roadmap to collegiate athletics by immersing himself in marketing classes and student volunteer work.

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

Stricklin admits that he began his education with some uncertainty about his path and trajectory, but he knew athletics was the destination.

Stricklin is well versed in collegiate athletics, having served in sportsrelated business roles at five universities. In order to move from school to school and into roles of increasing responsibility, he has combined his communications experience in media relations with his marketing education to offer versatility and achieve success. He credits the College of Business with playing a big role in his professional development.

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MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

“It sounds so simple, but I remember they did a great job of setting an expectation as to how you go about doing business – being professional, standing up in front of people and presenting good reports,” he says. “It really does prepare you. They did such a good job.” Now Mississippi State is benefiting from those seeds that were planted. In the past five years, the MSU community has experienced a renaissance of sorts. Students, alumni, faculty, staff, fans and teams have discovered a new sense of connection and solidarity in the Bulldog Nation. This is in no small part a result of Stricklin’s leadership. Both the Starkville community and the University have experienced a rebranding. “There is a lot that goes into that, and there are a lot of people who have been involved, so I don’t want to make it seem like we have done all that,” Stricklin remarks. “But I think my marketing background at MSU has helped in this role and in this job. Athletics is a marketing arm for a university, especially when we have an athletic program that’s competing in the Southeastern Conference at a high level.” He continues, “All the elements that go into marketing come into play. The first thing you have to do when you’re leading an enterprise is to talk about what your core product is. That is part of putting a business plan together. So I still do that.

“When I stand in front of a group, I state that our goal is to create experiences. Our core product is creating great experiences for our student athletes, our coaches, our fans, our alumni and everybody who loves Mississippi State.” He considers every aspect of those family members’ experiences, from adding a curriculum to educate student athletes in personal finance to overseeing the renovation and expansion that has made Davis Wade Mississippi’s largest college football stadium. Of course, at the heart of the Bulldog experience is team performance. “The day I got hired I pointed out that we had been to a Final Four in basketball, played in the SEC Championship game in football and been to the World Series in baseball, so our challenge wasn’t, ‘Can we accomplish that?’” he says. “Our challenge was, ‘Can we do those things consistently?’” Yes, as it turns out. Coaches and student athletes have tapped into Bulldog pride and teamwork to achieve consistent athletic success in recent years. The football team has played in bowl games for five consecutive years and spent five weeks ranked number one in an unprecedented 2014 campaign, and the baseball team played for the National Championship in 2013. In the 2014-15 academic year alone, 11 MSU teams competed in NCAA postseason

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

DIVIDENDS

CENTENNIAL edition

play. Eight earned top 25 rankings with women’s golf reaching number one during the season, and Rhianwedd Price brought home a national crown upon winning the 1500-meter run at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. “In a sense, athletics is the front porch to a university,” Stricklin observes. “When you have successful teams it draws people in. It makes them want to be a part of it.”

This all comes at a time when campus academics and research are also earning greater regional and national recognition, and the confluence is lifting the university to a new level. “It’s amazing. It’s almost a transformative time,” marvels Stricklin. “The leadership we have on campus, in our city and in our county is a big part of that.”

“This is a place where you can come and be who you are, be authentic. And that’s going to be appreciated. That’s going to be celebrated,” he states. “You don’t have to drive a certain car, and you don’t have to come from a certain high school. You can come from anywhere, and be in any walk of life. If you are genuine and authentic and if you are going to work hard, people here are going to embrace that. “There are so many pieces that have been brought in – combined with the winning – that have made for some really cool momentum,” he concludes. Moving forward, Stricklin seeks innovation in the ever-changing world of collegiate athletics. Whether it is from fans, staff, players or coaches, he not only wants to be ready for what is next, but also to create what is next. “I believe you have got to plan for success. You’ve got to plan for the idea that you are going to continue to be successful,” he says. Stricklin understands that planning for the future in sports or in business is a difficult but necessary process. He welcomes the challenge for his department and the Mississippi State community. “We have to continue to keep pushing forward and making sure we have creativity and vision for where we need to be. You never know when that next idea is going to occur, but if you have really smart people around you and a lot of hard working students and staff, then it’s going to happen.”

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Stricklin relishes the culture of Mississippi State as something that naturally lends itself to building community.

He cites the example of MSU President Dr. Mark Keenum and the other SEC schools working with the Athletic Department to bring back a tradition dear to the Bulldog family: the cowbell. This symbol of the university’s proud “aggie” roots had been banned from sports venues as too disruptive, but in 2010 the SEC agreed to allow them at games when play is not occurring. Now the bells – some of which are passed down through generations – are back in Davis Wade Stadium and “The Hump” [basketball arena], uniting fans and inspiring players.

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

Indeed, alumni and fans have responded to the momentum with tremendous enthusiasm and eagerness to be involved. Record fundraising has made possible not only the stadium expansion, but also the Mize Pavilion at Humphrey Coliseum and the Leo W. Seal Jr. Football Complex. The new MSU Golf Center at Old Waverly is near completion, renovations of the softball and tennis complexes are under way and an upgrade to Dudy Noble Field is planned.

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MBA Students Dig In By Sharon Oswald

uild a strong and healthy community. Make the world a better place to live. Create a legacy of giving and service.

On a very hot day in mid-August, new MBA students spent the morning at the Noxubee County Wildlife Refuge tidying up the Visitor’s Center. They picked up trash and did some landscaping and weeding. They made the front entrance of the Refuge a more welcoming place for visitors. So what lesson came of that August morning when 23 MBA students got dirty and sweaty at the beloved local sanctuary? Carew Ferguson learned the significance of fostering relationships.

For MSU’s MBA students, being community-minded is not limited to Springboard Week. The MBA Student Association hosts monthly volunteer opportunities for students and any faculty or staff who wish to participate. Numerous Starkville-area organizations need assistance, and students can adopt one for the year or work at a different establishment each month. Reflecting the MBA program as a whole, Springboard Week offered a well-rounded experience. In addition to volunteering, the students honed interview skills, résumés and job-seeking strategies. A lesson on personal branding followed a four-course etiquette luncheon. The DISC assessment evaluated the behavior of each in various situations. The week also featured an intensive day spent learning presentation and communication skills through the Speakers Edge program, launched for the first time this year at MSU. The day culminated with a competition that included an individual elevator pitch, an individual answer to an ethical dilemma and a team case study. Twenty-eight business professionals and alumni served as judges and stayed to mingle after the competition. “The Speakers Edge event provided us with intense practical training in public speaking and business presentations,” says Ferguson. “That experience and the feedback from it are going to stick with me as my career gets started.” During their yearlong MBA experience, students continue to have professional development seminars and time to hone their communication skills. Working together over the course of a year, they learn from each other as well. With a sense of community, professional skills and an MSU business education, this year’s MBA students will graduate with limitless possibilities, well prepared for what the future holds.

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“Everyone has a responsibility to the community in which they live,” notes Dean Sharon Oswald. “It is important not only for our students to understand the importance of volunteering, but for our entire College of Business family as well. This fall, many faculty and staff participated in the ‘Get Swept Up’ program sponsored by the Greater Starkville Development Partnership to clean up city streets. Others volunteer their time with the Boy Scouts, on school boards and booster clubs and with local charities.”

“With the Refuge being something widely used by students and local residents, we recognized the importance of businesses building a connection with the community,” he observes.

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

These values are instilled in Mississippi State’s College of Business students as a vital part of their education. This year the MBA program took social responsibility to a new level by including a volunteer day as part of the required eight-day intensive orientation fondly known as Springboard Week.

Photo by Jeremy Murdock

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tune

In Tune with the Community By Kathy Kenne

ou can’t walk across campus or dine out practically anywhere in Mississippi with Jeffrey Rupp and not hear people greet him by name. It is testimony to a life lived in service to the community.

“Once I moved down here, I grew to love the South and Mississippi – the blues music and year-round tennis,” he says. Now the Director of Outreach and Corporate Engagement in MSU’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and the University’s federally funded Technology Resource Institute – both headquartered in the College of Business – Rupp feels his whole career has prepared him for the role he fills now. In 1985, Rupp left WTVA to serve a brief stint as the Television Coordinator for University Relations at MSU. During that time the local CBS affiliate, WCBI, started courting him to move to their station and start his own talk show. “Midday” premiered in 1986, and from there Jeffrey rose through the ranks at Imes Communications, becoming News Director, Six O’clock Anchor and eventually Vice President of News for the company.

“I was able to tap into the community groups and individuals whom I had featured in news stories and use their resources to affect change,” he says. “We did things like getting the Boys and Girls Club painted and helping provide playground equipment for the T.K. Martin Center here on campus.” During his second term, then-MSU President Doc Foglesong offered him a position in the President’s Office managing special projects. This eventually led Rupp into the area of entrepreneurship at the University, where all of his talents and skills converged.

“Dean Oswald and others at the University realized there had been somewhat of a disconnect between the College of Business and actual businesses in Mississippi,” he shares. “The ‘service’ part of our land grant mission needed a push. With my background in media and politics, it’s been a natural fit for me to assist people in finding the resources they need. My job is about connecting people to move the ball down the field.” Rupp’s job responsibilities are quite varied, which suits the self-professed “not a sit-behind-a-desk kind of guy” perfectly. He counsels students and entrepreneurs on starting businesses and arranges connections for them with attorneys, CPAs, investors, manufacturers and others whom they will need on their teams. At present, there are more than 90 MSU student-launched businesses.

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Wanting to be an agent of positive change, Rupp resigned from WCBI in 2001 to successfully run for Mayor of Columbus, MS, where he was elected twice. His tenure proved to be a popular one.

“At WCBI, I reported on the great things people were doing in their communities,” he says. “They were taking it upon themselves to make a difference – garden clubs were sprucing up downtown, individuals were helping their neighbors, churches were reaching out to people in need. That’s the way I was raised, and it really resonated with me.”

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

Rupp grew up in a small Pennsylvania town and moved to Mississippi for his first job as a reporter with WTVA television in Tupelo.

He also oversees the MBA students’ team consulting projects, which assist business owners with research, marketing and internal processes. Some of their more notable clients have included George Bryan, retired Senior Vice President of Sara Lee Corporation and owner of Old Waverly Golf Club; Richard Adkerson, CEO of Freeport-McMoRan, Inc., and Boyce Adams, Sr., President and CEO of BankTEL Systems.

While most of the projects Rupp has taken on are in Mississippi and the Southeast, some of his clients have requested help with projects as far away as South Africa. Jean McKnight is a local Mississippian who had an idea for a new drink holder for cars. She received a design patent in 2010 – then things ground to a halt. “I’m learning as I go,” she says. “I didn’t know anything about getting this product to market. I could tell the first time we met that Jeffrey wanted to help me. He told me not to spend any more of my money on people who were promising help and didn’t deliver. The University’s help was free. I owe him many thanks.” Indeed, Rupp has introduced her to Bubba Weir of Innovate Mississippi, who is helping McKnight assess her options and choose the best course of action.

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MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

“We had an MBA class do a market study and business plan on a new business we were developing,” shares Adams. “The company is theBIZ, and it is a small business accounting platform for banks to offer their Rupp meets with inventor Jean McKnight and Innovate Mississippi Vice customers. The experience was invaluable, President Bubba Weir. and the amount of research involved was very beneficial. Working with the students was a lot of fun. They brought passion and energy to the projects. They are very bright young people.”

He also works with many local economic developers and Chambers of Commerce throughout the state, offering advice and the capabilities of the University. Rupp is involved in community building when off the clock as well. This past year, he chaired the Make A Wish golf tournament at Old Waverly in West Point, MS. For a man this busy, down time is essential. Rupp finds his relaxation in music. He is a highly reputable guitar player and singer who enjoys a variety of musical genres. He is often heard playing in venues around the Starkville area and is accomplished enough to have backed up Percy Sledge and opened for Mac McAnally. The community appreciates his talent, and he donates it selflessly. He regularly plays at nursing homes and for other worthy causes. “The Starkville Arts Council for several years has put our band in their fundraising auction. For a certain price we would come play music at your event, and for an even greater price, you could get us to not play,” he jokes. The ability to laugh at himself, along with his natural curiosity, enjoyment of those around him and desire to help others are part of what make him so successful in networking people together. Of course, his experience and quick mindedness are the other part of that formula. He thinks outside the box and loves a challenge. Through a grant from the Herrin Foundation and the work of the School of Architecture and the Carl Small Town Center, Rupp is setting up a model entrepreneurship center in the Mississippi Delta. In order to lay the groundwork for that project, he drives to Delta State University every Tuesday night to teach a course to budding entrepreneurs. Through this class, he is hoping to identify four businesses that would be a good fit for the model program. Rupp and his wife, Donna, have two daughters – Taylor, 14 and Ellie, 10. He involves them in his service activities when he can, including ringing the Salvation Army bells during the holidays. “I tell my kids that you can’t save the world, but if we all take care of our little corner, it adds up. You make a choice to be involved and lead by example,” he shares. “The University has a role to play in the community. In fact, we have an obligation. Through the leadership of Dr. Keenum and Dean Oswald, the Entrepreneurship Center is now positioned more than ever to serve our state.”

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WE MEAN

Lou Capella, Associate Dean for Internal • Affairs, retires after 36 years at MSU. Lynne D. Richardson becomes Dean. •

2007

U.S. housing bubble bursts when home prices drop up • to 15%, causing high numbers of foreclosures. • The College of Business & Industry becomes the College of Business.

2008

• Department of Marketing Advisory Board is established. • Fidel Castro steps down as President of Cuba after almost 50 years in power.

Finance and Economics Advisory Board • is established. The World Health Organization declares H1N1 • influenza strain – “swine flu” – a global pandemic.

2009

Pilot Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger successfully crash • lands US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River.

2010 Sharon L. Oswald becomes Dean of the • College of Business. Royal wedding takes place in the United Kingdom • between Prince William and Kate Middleton.

2012

• President Barack Obama signs the Healthcare Reform Bill/Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law. • BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico leaves coastal industries and ecosystems reeling.

2011 • Strategic Finance Laboratory is dedicated in McCool Hall. • The Mars Science Laboratory’s “Curiosity Rover” lands on Mars. • Facebook goes public with initial stock offering at $38 per share.

Business Information Systems program • celebrates 50th anniversary. Expansion begins on Davis Wade Stadium. • The College and the Adkerson School of • Accountancy are reaccredited by the AACSB.

2013

Micro-video application Vine is released by Twitter. • • DBA/PhD program turns 50.

2014 BUSINESS.

College of Business celebrates • 100th anniversary. Entrepreneurship Center is constructed • in McCool Hall. The World Health Organization declares rubella • eradicated from the Americas.

WE MEAN

WE MEAN BUSINESS.

• President Bush signs the $700 billion Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.

• Davis Wade Stadium celebrates 100th anniversary, and new addition is completed. • The Islamic State (ISIS) declares itself an Islamic caliphate.

2015

BUSINESS.

Department of Management and Information • Systems Advisory Board is established.

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legacy

A Legacy for Tomorrow A Message from the Director of Development

his has been a special year as we celebrate the centennial anniversary of the College of Business. With that comes a great opportunity to showcase our past and present accomplishments while raising the bar of excellence in academics, research and service for the next 100 years. I would like to extend a special thank you to our strong network of alumni and friends who have made this commemorative year particularly memorable.

We are currently in the third year of Infinite Impact: The Mississippi State University Campaign – a multi-year fundraising endeavor to build our University’s reputation both nationally and globally as we make strides for the future. Our minimum goal is $600 million, but our impact achieved with these gifts will be limitless. As one of MSU’s largest academic units, our college fundraising is pivotal to the success of the campaign, and there are many ways for you to join us as supporters. All contributions to the College of Business and MSU through 2018 will count toward the campaign. My fellow development colleague, Zack Harrington (BBA ’09, MS ’10), and I look forward to helping you invest in our College. Please consider gifts that can impact the College today and those that can create a legacy for tomorrow’s students. Some options include: • Outright gifts

• Gifts of personal property and real estate • Gifts of stocks, bonds and other securities • Bequests The impact of your gift may be doubled or even tripled by a company match. Please be sure to check with your human resources office to see if your place of employment is a matching gift company. As one of the top business schools in the South, MSU’s College of Business is dedicated to being a nationally recognized and respected institution, equipped to focus on dynamic and collaborative learning, innovative research and valued outreach activities. Thanks to the loyalty of our alumni and friends, the College of Business has been able to attract and retain outstanding faculty and students to help us remain competitive among the elite business schools in the nation, so everyone will know that We Mean BUSINESS.

Rob Jenkins (’92) Zack Harrington (’09, ’10) Director of Development Assistant Director of Development College of Business College of Business rjenkins@foundation.msstate.edu zharrington@foundation.msstate.edu 662-325-9055 662-325-3431

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• Gift annuities

• Matching gifts from employers

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

The construction of our new Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation on the first floor of McCool Hall is expected to be completed by the end of this year. The 2,000 square-foot facility will create an impactful, unique home and central hub for all MSU entrepreneurial students, faculty and staff in the heart of campus. This world-class Center would not have been possible without your generosity. There are still many scholarship and naming opportunities available for this as we continue to raise money to help sustain the Center and support our student start-ups.

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connect

Making Connections

A Profile of the New Director of the Adkerson School of Accountancy By Kathy Kenne

r. Shawn Mauldin’s vision is to see the Adkerson School of Accountancy recognized as one of the top accounting schools in the nation.

Although simply defined, it is a complex goal to achieve. However, the School’s new Director is putting plans into place to make that vision a reality.

Mauldin’s collaborative leadership model, along with his background in corporate accounting and higher education, has contributed to his being honored by his colleagues. He is a past President of the Louisiana Society of CPAs, an Outstanding Educator in Louisiana and has held committee appointments in organizations such as the American Institute of CPAs and AACSB International.

“I provide a good connecting point between the academic and corporate sides of accounting,” he says. “I get things done by working through people.”

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

Over the summer, the South Louisiana native and his wife, Becky, moved to Starkville. He had been serving at Nicholls State University as Dean of the College of Business. He and Becky have a daughter who is an audit manager at a regional CPA firm in Houma, LA.

“I’m pleased with how the process evolved into a roadmap that will help us achieve our vision,” he says. One topic discussed was the significance of faculty research in attaining recognition as a top academic institution. “We have a highly qualified faculty who understand the importance of research, but not at the expense of effective teaching,” he notes. Mauldin also believes that the School’s alumni and Advisory Council members have much to offer in directing its path. Their workplace experiences can help shape the curriculum and keep it current. In fact, the job placement rate for MSU accounting graduates has been 100 percent for the past two years. This is due, in large part, to the reputation the School has for developing well-disciplined, critical thinkers. With this in mind, a key focus for Mauldin will be on increasing enrollment while maintaining the high standards that are currently in place for student achievement. Mauldin also plans to explore and assess the growing demand for online postgraduate education. “We must be cognizant of how online education will impact the delivery of an accounting education and determine how and if that delivery method is a good fit for us,” he shares. What often motivates leaders, at the end of the day, is the people with whom they are involved. Mauldin is no different. He is looking forward to spending time with alumni, donors, employers and students. “I like being involved in a student’s journey through the educational process, with the end result being an employable young accountant,” he states. “You can’t get much more satisfaction than that!” After all, it is the love of guiding students that compelled him to leave his corporate job years ago in order to teach and has now brought him to Mississippi State.

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To that end, Mauldin held a strategic planning retreat this past fall, bringing the School’s stakeholders together to discuss issues that are critical to the growth of the School.

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News briefs Coggin Honored as COB Alumnus of the Year James A. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jimâ&#x20AC;? Coggin was named the 2015 Alumnus of the Year for the College of Business. Coggin, former President and CEO of Saks, Inc., graduated from MSU in 1964 with a degree in general business. He is involved in community service organizations such as Hospice Ministries, Stewpot Community Services and Habitat for Humanity, and he currently serves on the Board of Directors for Millsaps College and the COB Executive Advisory Board.

New Faculty and Staff Welcome 2015 new College of Business faculty and staff!

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Leslie Adah

Nathan Berglund, PhD

Tiffany Brady

Stephen France, PhD

Lecturer, Accounting

Assistant Professor, Accounting

Assistant Director, Recruiting & Events

Assistant Professor, Quantitative Analysis

Rhonda Gandy

Heriberto Gonzalez Lozano, PhD

Cheng Li, PhD

Shawn Mauldin, PhD

Assistant Professor, Economics

Director, Adkerson School of Accountancy

Office Associate, Marketing, Quantitative Analysis & Business Law

Assistant Clinical Professor, Economics

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Robinson Named 2015 Alumni Fellow

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

Kenneth B. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kenâ&#x20AC;? Robinson was selected as the 2015 Alumni Fellow for the College of Business. The 1977 banking & finance graduate is Vice President for Global Diversity & Inclusion at Procter & Gamble. Robinson is a board member and Honorary Co-Chair of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center; an audit committee member for the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation and a member of the COB Executive Advisory Board.

| BUSINESS

Daniel Parisian, PhD

Wilma Peterson

Seth Pounds, JD

Ryan Seay, PhD

Assistant Professor, Economics

Business Coordinator, Finance & Economics

Instructor and Director, Risk Management & Insurance

Assistant Professor, Accounting

Alan Stancil, PhD

Emma Tate

Xinchang Wang, PhD

Vincent Young

Assistant Professor, Accounting

Office Associate, Marketing, Quantitative Analysis & Business Law

Assistant Professor, Quantitative Analysis

Academic Coordinator, Business

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News briefs VBOC Hosts RibbonCutting Ceremony The Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) hosted a grand opening ceremony on August 28 in the Thad Cochran Research, Technology & Economic Development Park. In partnership with the MSU Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and the G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery Center for America’s Veterans, the VBOC provides guidance for veterans and their spouses who want to start a small business or grow an existing one. MSU received an $825,000 grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to start the VBOC. One of 15 VBOCs nationwide, this one serves Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and Tennessee. Free services include advice on developing ideas into businesses, identifying customer bases and forming business plans.

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Pictured above are (from left) Bob Seitz, VBOC Counselor; Sharon Oswald, College of Business Dean; Mark Scott, VBOC Director; Janita Stewart, Director of the SBA for Mississippi; Trent Kelly, U.S. House of Representatives; Mark Keenum, President of MSU; Rodney Pearson, Professor of Information Systems and VBOC board member, and Mike Pornovets, head of the VBOC’s satellite office at The Innovation Center in Biloxi.

In Memoriam Frances Anne Tolar, former Administrative Assistant to the Dean of the College of Business, passed away on June 1, 2015. She worked at several radio stations before her career at the College of Business. Born in Columbia, MS, Tolar graduated from Pensacola High School in Florida and received a bachelor’s degree from the University of West Florida before earning a master’s degree at Mississippi State. Dr. Charles North Moore, retired Professor and founder of the Business Information Systems program at MSU, passed away January 8, 2015. He served on the faculty of the University of Alabama from 1948 to 1962, where he pioneered courses in electronic data processing. Moore joined MSU in 1963, where he founded the COB’s Business Statistics and Data Processing Department and developed the nation’s first accredited college degree program leading to careers in business related data processing using the computer. He retired in 1984 as Professor and Head Emeritus of Business Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis. He was a founder, President, Director, Treasurer and life member of the MSU Association of Retired Faculty and received its first Exemplary Service Award. The College of Business benefitted significantly from these two individuals’ service to the University. We will miss them greatly.

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National Rankings for Graduate Programs

excellence business

COB Students Named as 2015 MSU Spirit of State Award Winners

MSU COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

Mississippi State’s Distance MBA program was ranked number 18 in U.S. News & World Report’s 2015 Best Online MBA Programs and, for the second consecutive year, number 16 for Best Online MBA Program for Veterans. The MS in Information Systems program (MSIS) was ranked number 38 overall for Best Online Graduate Business Programs and number 33 for Best Online Graduate Programs for Veterans. The on-campus MBA program was ranked number 95 among all accredited MBA programs by U.S. News & World Report.

Retirements Three COB faculty and staff members retired this year. The College of Business extends a heartfelt “thank you” for the positive impact they have made on students and colleagues alike during their years of service. Best wishes for a long and happy retirement! n PAM JONES Academic Coordinator

n BARBARA SPENCER, PhD Professor, Management & Information Systems

n G. STEPHEN “STEVE” TAYLOR, PhD Professor, Management

BUSINESS

In April, 33 MSU students were honored at a special banquet as 2015 Spirit of State Award recipients. The Spirit of State Award is the University’s premier student recognition for those who have made exceptional contributions to student life. Five COB students earned this prestigious honor: (front) Emma Sweat, Roderick Erby, Alexis “Lexi” Waarich, (back) Brett Harris and Tyrus Hill.

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Mississippi State University College of Business Box 9588, Mississippi State, MS 39762

Discrimination based upon race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or veteran’s status is a violation of federal and state law and MSU policy and will not be tolerated. Discrimination based upon sexual orientation or group affiliation is a violation of MSU policy and will not be tolerated.

centennial keepsakes Commemorate the College of Business’ 100th anniversary with a Centennial memento. Limited edition shirts, mugs, glassware and ornaments also make great gifts to honor the Business Bulldog in your life!

COB Centennial merchandise is available on campus at Barnes & Noble, or visit www.wemeanbusiness.msstate.edu and select “Shop.”