Business Matters

Recognition and high regards

The Business Innovation and Entrepreneurship program has been recognized by the Small Business Institute as the 2022 Showcase Award winner, ranking MTSU as the top entrepreneurship program of the year nationally.

Jones College’s new Human Resource Management concentration earns alignment with the Society for Human Resource Management (see page 29).

MTSU’s Economics graduate program, which includes both master’s and doctoral degrees, is now ranked as one of the Best Economics Schools nationally by U.S. News & World Report.

#3 BEST TENNESSEE M.B.A. SCHOOLS AND PROGRAMS (2022)

#20 BEST AFFORDABLE ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAMS IN THE U.S. (2021)

Joshua R. Aaron, Pam Wright Chair in Entrepreneurship

Centering on selling

The MTSU Board of Trustees approved the establishment of the Center for Professional Selling, an innovative sales laboratory where students can hone their selling skills in efforts to become ready-to-hire graduates. Thom Coats serves as director.

Thom Coats

The new center creates opportunities and resources for the business community in middle Tennessee, enabling growth and positioning salespeople for success in their careers. Additionally, the center allows MTSU to join the University Sales Center Alliance to elevate visibility across the nation of the Professional Selling concentration within the B.B.A. in Marketing program.

Like a B.O.S.S.

The Jones College of Business successfully hosted the inaugural Business Organizations and Student Services (B.O.S.S.) Fair last October. The event offered an opportunity for business majors to learn more about available minors and student organizations and for undeclared students to learn about business programs and concentrations.

Free help for M.B.A.

Jones College has partnered with Coursera, a selfpaced online course provider, to offer incoming M.B.A. students the opportunity to complete program prerequisites at no cost to the student. Additionally, select graduate students may use Coursera to achieve professional certifications in sales development, social media marketing, or project management.

Inclusion matters

Over a dozen Jones College of Business faculty and staff participated in MTSU Safe Zone Training. In conjunction with the prior attendees, every Jones College department now offers safe spaces for students in need. Each participant pledges to create an inclusive and equitable atmosphere where all students’ identities are valued and respected.

mtsu.edu/lgbt/safezone.php

Tech diversity initiative

Sam Zaza

Jones College sponsored the Nashville Technology Council’s Diversity and Inclusion Initiative of the Year award. The winner, Culturally Tech, aims to dramatically increase the number of underrepresented groups pursuing careers in the tech industry by creating culturally relevant opportunities for high school students that expose and prepare them with industry-aligned skills. Information Systems and Analytics faculty members Sam Zaza and Michael Erskine were nominated for Diversity and Inclusion Advocate of the Year and Community Leader of the Year, respectively.

Research advancement

MTSU joined an elite group of universities across the country with its advancement to Doctoral University: High Research Activity, or R2, status as designated by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Only 3% of universities hold this Carnegie classification.

Economic education

Gov. Bill Lee signed a proclamation earlier this year that recognizes October as Economic Education Month in Tennessee. The designation was petitioned for by the Tennessee Council on Economic and Free Enterprise Education (Maria Edlin King, director) housed in MTSU’s Jennings A. Jones College of Business, the MTSU Department of Economics and Finance (Stuart Fowler, chair), and state Rep. Charlie Baum, an Economics professor at MTSU.

ABET accreditation

The Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET (formerly the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) has approved initial accreditation for the B.B.A. in Information Systems. ABET has been in existence for over 80 years and accredits college and university programs in the disciplines of applied and natural science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology at the associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree levels. ABET standards have become the basis of quality for STEM disciplines all over the world. With ABET accreditation, students, employers, and society can be confident that a program meets the quality standards that produce graduates prepared to enter a global workforce.

Supply chain summit

MTSU’s Supply Chain Management Student Organization, in conjunction with the Department of Management and the Jones College of Business, hosted the inaugural MTSU Supply Chain Summit on March 22. Twentyfive industry partner representatives from 15 local and midstate companies participated, with over 100 students attending.

Retired Col. Nathan Swartz of Amazon

Keynote speaker was MTSU alumnus Nathan Swartz (‘96), a retired U.S. Army colonel and logistics officer, former chief of staff for the White House COVID-19 Supply Chain Task Force, and currently a senior manager at Amazon.

Curtis Sawyer

Curtis Sawyer, a lecturer in Management, also recently established the first Supply Chain endowed scholarship.

Student success

Troy Jones (pictured above), co-founder and chief executive officer of the sports technology gaming company StatusPRO, delivered the Financial Literacy Week keynote address “Crafting Your Success!” Other events included speaker and StoneCentury Financial owner Brock Fortner, a Careers in Financial Planning panel discussion, and the “Game of Life” financial budgeting simulation. Jones College classes also hosted 22 expert speakers as a part of Tom and Martha Boyd Ethical Leadership Week. The keynote speaker was Tim Spence, president, Fifth Third Bank.

Gold standard

Ashley Gold

The Dean’s Advisory Council welcomes new member Ashley Gold, an attorney with Wood Stabell Law Group. Gold is a lawyer, insurance agent, lobbyist, and former CEO and general counsel.

Faculty news

EXCELLENCE

Murat Arik

The MTSU Board of Trustees approved the appointment of Murat Arik as Jennings and Rebecca Jones Chair of Excellence in Urban and Regional Planning. The chair’s mission is to produce and disseminate information relevant to the planning needs and issues in the midstate region. It encourages dialogue on these important issues among area policymakers, opinion leaders, and the broader community of interest.

DISTINCTION

Rebecca Foote (‘06), master instructor coordinator in the Department of Accounting, was honored by the MTSU Alumni Association with the 2021–22 True Blue Citation of Distinction for Achievement in Education (MTSU faculty) award. Foote received her master’s in Accounting/Information Systems from the University. A faculty member since spring 2006, she finds it humbling to have been cited 19 separate semesters as an instructor “who makes a real difference” in students’ lives by MTSU’s Office of Student Affairs, based on student input at graduation.

ACHIEVEMENT

Tim Graeff, a professor of Marketing, was selected as the 2021 recipient of MTSU’s Career Achievement Award. Created in 2000, the award recognizes one faculty member each year who has exhibited profound, sustained, and high-quality contributions in a variety of areas: teaching, educational innovation, research/creative activity, and service to the University and the profession.

OUTSTANDING

Keith Gamble received MTSU’s 2021 Outstanding Achievement in Instructional Technology Award. The award is presented annually to faculty members who demonstrate excellence in the development of technology-based teaching materials as well as the successful integration of instructional technology into the classroom.

2021 ANNUAL AWARDS

State Farm Outstanding Professor Award: Michael Erskine, assistant professor, Information Systems and Analytics Bridgestone Americas Distinguished Lecturer Award: Pramod Iyer, assistant professor, Marketing Bill and Kathy Jones Outstanding Professor Award: Dan Smith, director of PERI, professor, Economics Outstanding Dale Carnegie Trainer Award: Sean Salter, assistant dean E.W. “Wink” Midgett Awards Distinguished Teaching: Laura Buckner, instructor and coordinator of internship program, Marketing Distinguished Research: Tom Tang, professor, Management Distinguished Service: John Wermert, associate professor, Accounting Award of Excellence: Tammy Waymire, professor, Accounting Outstanding Staff Member: Teena Young (formerly Dean’s Office)

Info security scholarship

Carolyn Tumbleson, Jones College development director, with donor Greg Schaffer and Tim Greer (r), chair of Information Systems and Analytics

Greg Schaffer (’10) and his wife have established the Greg and Vicki Schaffer vCISO Services Scholarship, awarded to Information Systems students interested in pursuing a career in information security.

Schaffer, principal of vCISO Services, entrepreneur, and author, works with several top-notch security professionals helping small and midsize companies gain access to the same skill set that large corporations have. He graduated with an M.S. in Information Systems from MTSU while employed as the University’s assistant vice president for network and information technology security. He recalls his time in the program as a remarkable experience.

“Every instructor was approachable and knowledgeable,” Schaffer said.

He recognized the growing opportunities in information security and credits his master’s degree for helping him achieve his career goals. Schaffer is passionate about information security and says it’s “a very useful degree in today’s world.”

After feeling led to start his own business, he was moved to give back to his local community. Schaffer realized that there were comparatively few scholarships exclusively offered to students in the Department of Information Systems and Analytics and answered the call. The first Greg and Vicki Schaffer vCISO Services Scholarship was awarded in 2018 with an amount of $500. In 2021, the scholarship increased to $1,000, which is awarded annually to a qualified student.

Schaffer is enthusiastic about the opportunity to use his prosperity for the benefit of those who need it. “I’m blessed to be a blessing, and I am very honored to do this for MTSU,” he said.

Andy Bailey

Alumni news

Bobby Joslin

Andy Bailey, CEO of PetraCoach, and Bobby Joslin, CEO of Joslin and Sons Signs, were both recognized among the Nashville Business Journal’s Most Admired CEOs.

Arils Armstrong

President Joe Biden appointed Arlisa Armstrong (‘89) as Tennessee state director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development program. Armstrong has served in a variety of USDA Rural Development roles in Tennessee, including as area director for west Tennessee from 2010 to 2021. In this position, she was a key member of the state director’s staff and fully participated in the planning, development, and implementation of rural development and rural assistance programs.

David Feldhaus

David Feldhaus (’08, ’09, ’19) was named CFO of Ascend Federal Credit Union. Before joining Ascend, he was senior assurance associate at KraftCPAs in Nashville and senior accountant at Edmondson Betzler & Dame in Brentwood. Jim Arnette (‘82), director of local government audit for the Tennessee comptroller, received the Robert W. King Memorial Award. This is the highest honor bestowed by the Association of Government Accountants.

Eddie James Alford Jr. (’01) is Pinnacle’s first diversity and inclusion officer. Alford joined Pinnacle in 2005 and took on this role in 2020. He serves as a thought leader who centers diversity, equity, and inclusion as a part of the firm’s work internally, with clients, and in the community.

Matthew Crews

Matthew W. Crews (’91) was an MTSU record-setting kicker. Now, Crews is the founder, CEO, and driving force behind the IndyCar Grand Prix that returns to Nashville in August after last year’s inaugural race.

Quality Exteriors with award

Quality Exteriors, owned by brothers Jordan Howell (’05) and Justin Howell (’03), was the 2020 recipient of the GAF Triple Excellence Award for middle Tennessee. Voted Murfreesboro’s Favorite Roofer for the past 11 years in a row as well as Favorite Employer for eight consecutive years, Quality Exteriors appreciates consistently being recognized as the area’s preferred local, family-owned roofing contractor.