2018 EDITION
BusinessMatters NEWS FROM LAMAR UNIVERSITY’S COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
Table of Contents Featuring
Lamar University’s College of Business Leadership Team Dean Dan French
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Dept. Chair Information Systems & Analysis Kakoli Bandyopadhyay Dept. Chair Accounting & Business Law Toni Mulvaney Dept. Chair Management, Marketing & HR K.C. Sen Interim Dept. Chair Construction Management Henry Venta
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Our Solution To Retention
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Working Together After Harvey
Addressing a continuing problem with a creative solution.
Lamar University Construction Management Students team up with the community to help rebuild.
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In Every Issue
Dept. Chair Economics & Finance Larry Allen
06 Academic Advances
Director of General Business Programs Marleen Swerdlow
18 Faculty and Staff Focus
12 Club Convene
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Development and Alumni Relations Development Officer Uliana Trylowsky BusinessMatters 2018 Edition Editor & Designer: Kayce Smith Writers: Beth Gallaspy, Kayce Smith
22 Planned Providing
20 Generous Gifts 24 Research Report
26 Speaker Spotlight
28 Student Stories
Spotlights Students
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28 Eric Spaulding 29 Merit Scholarship Winners 29 Student Advisory Council 29 Lamar University Ambassadors 30 Ryan Sherer
Contributors: Clare Burns, Lindsey Jackson, Christina Trujillo,
30 Angelica Hernandez
Alumni 10 Jennifer Warren, VP of Corporate Marketing at Indeed.com 11 Todd Hoffman, Partner at PWC State and Local Practice
Direct Correspondence To
11 Orlando Alvarez, President and CEO of BP Energy Company
Editor, BusinessMatters Magazine, Lamar University College of Business 4400 S M L King Jr Pkwy Beaumont, TX 77705 or kstutzman@lamar.edu Board of Regents Chairman, Austin, Rossanna Salazar Vice Chairman, Nederland, William F. Scott Regent, San Antonio, Charlie Amato Regent, The Hills, Garry Crain Regent, San Antonio, Dr. Veronica Muzquiz Edwards Regent, San Antonio, Dr. Jaime R. Garza Regent, Beaumont, David Montagne Regent, Houston, Vernon Reaser III Regent, Madisonville, Alan Tinsley Student Regent, San Marcos, Leanna Mouton
10 Alumni Announcements 14 Exemplary Events
Faculty 10 Dr. Ricardo Colon awarded Young CPA of the Year by Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants. 11 Dr. Vivek Natarajan awarded 2018 Federation of Business Disciplines Distinguished Educator Award by the Association of Collegiate Marketing Educators.
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BusinessMatters | Lamar University College of Business | 2018 Edition | Page 2
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On the Cover Sage Granger, undergraduate marketing student, utilizes the College of Business’ state-of-theart financial information lab. The Fecel Financial Center was made possible by Craig Fecel.
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From the NEW dean Let me take this opportunity to welcome you to this latest issue of BusinessMatters and to introduce myself to you. I started my assignment as Dean of Lamar University’s College of Business on July 1, and I am excited and honored to be able to serve this institution and the Southeast Texas community. We have a diverse faculty body dedicated to providing education that leads to challenging and rewarding careers in a number of business fields. Our goal is to make an impact at all levels, offering services to contribute to our regional economic prosperity, serving area businesses and organizations and influencing the lives of our students. The accreditation of our college by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business - International validates the quality of our educational experience and demonstrates that we also continually assess our programs and processes to ensure they achieve their purpose. As an alumnus of Lamar University myself, I have been so pleased to see that the Lamar Spirit means just as much today as it did back when I was a student. Faculty still provide counsel and mentoring to individual students to encourage them to reach their dreams (as Dr. Hawkins and others did for me). The staff continue to offer assistance at every opportunity and the band still stirs Big Red to jump and cheer! At LU, we care about success. Please join me, our students, and the community of faculty and staff in our efforts. Feel free to call me or to
Dan French Dean, College of Business BusinessMatters | Lamar University College of Business | 2018 Edition | Page 4
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Academic Advances
MSA Students In Demand
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his past spring, we celebrated the accomplishments of our 8th graduating class of Lamar University’s Masters of Science in Accounting program. The MSA program, which began in 2010, has proven to be a quality program from which our graduates are highly recruited by local, mid-market and international accounting firms as well as employers from the governmental and corporate sectors. Our program accepts students with or without an undergraduate degree in accounting or business. We have
a diverse student population, including LU alumni, students who earned their bachelor degree from other domestic institutions, international students, students seeking a career change and individuals expanding their knowledge and enhancing their academic credentials. Each semester alumni are invited into our classrooms exposing our students to the implications of recent changes impacting the accounting profession. The insight provided has been invaluable. Each year a significant number of our students complete internships and receive course
credit as well as full time job offers. The MSA program was recently revised to allow our students to take the CPA exam in their last semester of coursework. The curriculum includes the Becker CPA review course for 2 sections of the CPA exam. The faculty are enthusiastic about the opportunity this provides our students and anticipate an increase in LU’s CPA exam pass rates. Thank you to all who have supported the faculty and students of the MSA program. Because of you, we are able to
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ensure our future accounting alumni are afforded the same excellent opportunities we have had. — Clare Burns, Director of the MSA Program
“ The Master of Science in Accounting program at Lamar University has opened the door to my future by providing me an opportunity to excel in the professional world. Professors in the MSA program provided guidance and instruction both inside and outside the classroom.” — Taylor Stockton MSA Graduate 2017
Taylor Stockton MSA Graduate 2017 Audit Assistant, Deloitte BusinessMatters | Lamar University College of Business | 2018 Edition | Page 7
New Program: MIS
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Our Solution to Retention One of Lamar University’s main goals is to increase student retention and success. The College of Business has taken a significant step toward achieving this goal by creating a college-based Office of Student Retention and Success. The position of Cardinal CoachStudent Retention Manager, was created to lead the college’s undergraduate student retention efforts. Working with the College of Business departments and the University Advising Center, the Cardinal Coach will identify students at risk of voluntary or involuntary withdrawal from the university and develop individualized plans to help these students achieve success in their field of study. The Cardinal Coach will establish the CoB student retention office, manage all CoB student retention efforts, conduct related research and data analysis and
liaison with CoB departments, the UAC and the university’s retention office. The coach will create a supportive and inviting atmosphere for students in need of help and support. An advantage to attending Lamar University is personal attention. The Cardinal Coach position is no exception as this person will meet with students one-on-one to discuss their short-term and long-term goals for college and beyond. How will the students know such a resource exists? The coach will work with the CoB Cardinal Community groups, visit CoB classes and work with faculty to promote the college-based Office of Student Retention and Success. Student outreach will also take place in the Student Success Collaborative Campus database. The Cardinal Coach will be able to set up student watch lists and create targeted campaigns for any students
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marked at-risk in the system. Introductory messages are sent to potential at risk students through SSC Campus asking them to stop by the Office of Student Retention and Success to have a friendly conversation. In addition to targeted campaigns, the coach relies on the faculty to complete progress reports and early alerts for students that need additional assistance. The coach will follow up with each student to ensure they are making necessary changes to succeed in their courses. While this new role is still being established, we hope the students understand they have support within the College of Business. The faculty and staff of the college are in each student’s corner. It is the responsibility of the Cardinal Coach to relay this message of support.
Cardinal Coach Lindsay Jackson
Education:
LU, Bachelor of General Studies, 2008 LU, Master of Educational Technology Leadership, 2010
Background:
Lamar University-Career & Testing Center, Assistant Director, University of St. Thomas-Career Services & Testing Center, Director
he popularity of graduate Management Information Systems courses within the MBA program and repeated inquiries from prospective students made the leaders in the College of Business see a demand for a graduate degree in MIS that could be met. Lamar University’s new Master of Science in Management Information Systems, which begins in Spring 2019, will be a 30-hour STEM program that will take one year to complete for full-time students. The program will be offered entirely online. “We thought there was a gap here between the programs offered and the student demands which we can fill,” said Kakoli Bandyopadhyay, professor and chair of the Department of Information Systems and Analysis. “We will differentiate ourselves from other regional universities in the state by offering a Master’s in MIS that is mainly focused on Enterprise Resource Planning.” Current courses teach the leading business software, SAP, for enterprise resource planning, which is used throughout the Southeast Texas and Houston region by major employers such as ExxonMobil, Total, Dupont, Chevron Services and others. “This region has the demand and looks for people with this knowledge,” Bandyopadhyay said. “That way, we have an advantage.” More than 404,000 customers in more than 180 countries use SAP applications, which means this College of Business program will prepare students with a competitive edge for careers around the globe in positions such as data analysts, systems analysts, enterprise resource planning consultants and business intelligence designers. “Although the new master’s program emphasizes enterprise resource planning using SAP, that is not its exclusive focus. The program also will teach a variety of highly desirable commercial software such as Tableau for data visualization, the customer relationship management software Salesforce, SAS Visual Analytics, Visual Studio, Primavera P6 for project management and Oracle-SQL for database,” Bandyopadhyay said.
“I am excited to return to the Beaumont area and to my alma mater, Lamar University. When I think back to what I needed as a first generation student, I think of a mentor that could have helped me navigate through the stresses of college life. As the new Cardinal Coach – Student Retention Manager, my goal is to serve as that mentor to all College of Business students by building relationships, being supportive throughout their college courses and assisting them with becoming successful after graduating from the university. I want the students to know they have a support system. If there are struggles or obstacles stopping one from continuing coursework, I will be there to assist in any way possible.”
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Alumni Announcements Craig Fecel
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s a successful financial advisor in Houston for more than 50 years, Craig Fecel is results oriented. So when he decided to give back to his alma mater, he wanted to make sure his investment would have a high impact. After discussions with then Dean Henry Venta and others, Fecel believed his contribution could make the most difference by creating the Fecel Financial Center, a state-of-the-art
financial lab with technology on par with that found in Wall Street firms. The Fecel Financial Center has helped students in the College of Business expand their knowledge of financial markets since 2011. “My hope was that the facility would not only increase the level of talent and experience that people had when they graduated, but that it would become a magnet to attract a higher level of candidates for the College of Business. As I understand it, that’s what’s happened,” Fecel said. Fecel began his career as a financial advisor with Merrill Lynch in 1968 after earning his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Lamar University and a master’s degree in industrial administration from
Purdue University. He credits his success to the educational foundation he received at Lamar and to his development of a unique investment model called the PSYCLE, as described in his 1983 book, “How to Profit from the PSYCLE.” “The model is based on the fact that I believe there’s a predictable cycle of psychological change that stocks go through,” Fecel said. “It’s greed at the top and fear at the bottom. If you want to buy low and sell high, you have to buy fear and sell greed, and that’s not easy to do.” Following this investment model, Fecel said, helped him find his niche and differentiate himself, leading to professional success. As the business of financial advising
has changed with increased competition from index funds, differentiation is becoming more and more important for those interested in entering the field, he said. “At least one ingredient for success for anyone is to find something you’re really passionate about doing and pursue that with a lot of vigor and effort,” Fecel said. “If they’re really motivated to improve themselves and passionate about what they’re doing, then they’re much more likely to be successful. You’ve got to find something you love to do and work at it really hard to become uniquely value added so that you can survive the challenges and setbacks and all the stuff that happens in the normal course of a successful business career.”
Alvarez Excels as President and CEO of BP Energy
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rlando Alvarez knows energy. As president and CEO of BP Energy, the 1987 College of Business graduate in accounting leads a sizable team responsible for marketing and trading energy commodities throughout North America for global energy giant BP. He serves in multiple leadership roles for the company and in industry organizations, including as chairman of the Natural Gas Supply Association. Alvarez has spent his entire career in the energy industry based in Houston, starting in accounting for Transco Energy soon after graduating from LU
and then moving into other roles from planning to trading to commercial aspects. “What I love about it is it’s fast paced. It’s always changing. From a macro level, there’s so many contributing factors to how energy commodities are priced,” he said. “It fits my personality. I’m a passionate guy. I like high energy, and trading and marketing are right up my alley.” Although Alvarez has stayed in touch with Lamar friends and fraternity brothers from Phi Delta Theta over the years, occasionally returning to campus for a baseball game, his connection with his alma
mater grew stronger in recent years fueled by a desire to give back. Alvarez joined the College of Business Board of Advisors this year and has shared his expertise by speaking to students. “We live in the energy capital of the U.S.,” Alvarez said. “By working for one of the major companies for the past 22 years and being in the oil and gas business for 31 years, I can bring that knowledge into the College of Business — what’s practical these days in the oil and gas business, what are we looking for in the business, what’s the culture of the industry.”
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In addition to his industry leadership, Alvarez serves on the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation Board, promoting a passion for the outdoors that developed when he moved to Texas at age 13. Alvarez was born in Cuba, moving with his parents and brother to New York at age three before settling in Houston. Most weekends in college, Alvarez recalled, were spent hunting and fishing with friends. These days, he enjoys hunting and fishing with his wife, two young adult children and two young adult step-children.
Jennifer Warren Named VP of Global Brand Marketing at Indeed
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er education in the College of Business might have sparked Jennifer Warren’s passion for marketing, but her desire to continually challenge herself and keep growing is what makes her a successful leader in her field. A member of the college’s board of advisors since 2016, Warren, now vice president of global brand marketing at Indeed.com, said that same type of curiosity is necessary for current business students to succeed. “The way people consume media and content is everchanging, which means the role of a marketer is also ever-changing,” Warren said. “Realize that it’s not an area that you are going to leave college knowing everything you need to know, no matter what. To succeed, you must stay curious and stay on top of what is going on in the industry and
seek out ways to learn daily. That’s also what makes it such a fun industry.” Warren said she has “been fortunate to be inspired by and learn from some of the best in the business.” While completing her marketing degree at LU, she worked part-time at a small advertising agency in Beaumont. That job gave her insight into all aspects of advertising — from creating ads to buying media to attracting new clients. The experience, paired with her academic background, helped her resume stand out when she moved to Austin and was competing for jobs with University of Texas graduates. She landed a position with the largest, most respected agency in the city, GSD&M, known for its trailblazing work for brands like Southwest Airlines, Walmart and Chili’s. After 12 years rising through the ranks
at GSD&M and working with multiple brands across multiple industries, Warren moved on to global digital agency Razorfish to lead their Samsung business. A desire to continue growing and “to get closer to the business and where decisions were made” prompted Warren to leave Razorfish — and Austin — to become chief marketing officer for RadioShack, based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Her team launched the “Do It Together” brand strategy, complete with a much lauded Superbowl campaign. The campaign was recognized as a top 5 SuperBowl spot and brought people back into the store. From RadioShack, she moved on to At Home as chief marketing officer to help a growing home decor retailer build a brand identity from scratch. But family commitments drew her back
to Austin, where she found an attractive opportunity with Indeed.com, a global, highgrowth company with a mission and culture she appreciates. “We are in over 60 countries, and my role is to define our global brand strategy and help us continue to grow our business around the world, helping more and more people get jobs,” Warren said. Warren, who has participated in the college’s Executive in Residence Speaker Series as well as serving on the board of advisors, said she is glad to contribute to her alma mater. “I’m looking forward to bringing another perspective to the table on both the marketing front and through my experience with Indeed,” she said. “I can now bring knowledge on how jobs are changing and how students need to be prepared to join the labor force.”
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Finance Association
Networking, and expanding knowledge of the accounting and financial services industries and preparing for thriving careers brings College of Business students together in the college’s Finance Association. The student organization, which had about 15 active members this past academic year, hosts a variety of finance professionals as guest speakers working in industries such as banking, investment advising, insurance and real estate. Finance Association members also toured the Port of Beaumont this year and met with staff members to learn more about the port’s business operations. The Finance Association normally makes an annual trip to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas - Houston branch, said Karyn Neuhauser, professor of finance and faculty advisor to the organization. However, disruptions caused by Hurricane Harvey prevented that last year. Neuhauser said the trip to the Fed will be a priority in the coming year because it provides such a good educational and networking opportunity. “One of the past presidents of the Finance Association, Paige Carter, actually networked herself into a summer internship at this event,” Neuhauser said. Incoming Finance Association President Kyle Reid credits professional skills gained through the group with helping him land an internship this summer with Northwestern Mutual. “We are looking to expand our list of activities and to host more events this year and next, as well as increase our membership,” Reid said. “We want more students to have the opportunities that can be theirs if they are a part of this great organization.”
American Marketing Association Through the College of Business’ chapter of the American Marketing Association, students have the opportunity to not only network with peers pursuing a similar professional interest, but to begin tapping into the resources of a powerful national organization. “The American Marketing Association is the number one association for anything related to marketing in America,” said Komal Karani, associate professor of marketing and AMA advisor. “Once they become members, students have the option of attending conferences. They also have access to all of the job listings in the country, and AMA has different learning sessions in a online training center.” This past year, the campus chapter had six students participate in the AMA Collegiate Case Competition, and another member made it to the final round of the National Outbound Sales Competition. Members also attend the AMA’s national conference in the spring. “Just talking to students at other universities, they come back with their horizons broadened,” Karani said. “I think it’s wonderful exposure for them.” On the campus level, AMA members hear from guest speakers and are working to network with other LU organizations. For example, AMA will be collaborating with the LU Green Squad to better market campus recycling efforts, according to Karani. The organization also plans to broaden networking efforts with local businesses. “If there are companies that are struggling and they just need help with marketing, here’s a team of very motivated and driven students who can help out and bring in a fresh pair of eyes to your problem,” Karani said.
pd at es
Organization Spotlight
Sp ac eU
Club Convene
Classroom Updates 5 classrooms redone in Summer 2018 5 classrooms still to come
New Student Lounge
New student lounge construction Summer 2018 New graphics and furniture still to come
Landes Auditorium Renovations
New flooring Fall 2017 New graphics and technology updates still to come
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BusinessMatters | Lamar University College of Business | 2018 Edition | Page 13
Exemplary Events Student Journal: My Time in Central America
Student Journal: My Time in China
Andrew Ramirez, MBA
Hannah Breaux, MSA
As my partner wished me safe travels, the butterflies and reality set in that I’m actually leaving to Central America. Full of excitement, and a 32oz. Red Bull, I was beyond enthusiastic for the new adventures I would be involved in, as well as the international connections I would be making. Once we landed in Costa Rica, we were happily greeted by our trip leader, Laura, who supplied us with an itinerary that included our business and leisure times. After a long day of travel, we finally arrived to our host families. LU students and faculty were divided into groups of 3-5 and assigned Costa Rican natives in which to stay. Living with our host family was my favorite part of the trip. We lived as the Costa Ricans lived, we ate what they ate…and they loved us as one of their own. My favorite Costa Rican trip was the tour of Doka State Coffee, where Starbucks gets some of their coffee! As a slave to the bean, I genuinely wanted to know how these beans were cared for and harvested. Josué, our tour guide at Doka, explained how there is one time a year that the coffee bushes are harvestable. Coffee beans start out as a red cherry. The 3-4 month harvest can yield anywhere from 600-840 million tons of the red cherries. They will then lose about 30% of their harvest when the red cherries sun dry into the light brown beans. After the red cherries are picked, Doka will measure 10 Cajuela (approximately 4.5 gallons) into 1 Quintal (approximately 100 pounds). Once there are 10 Quintals in the water mill, the red cherries are separated by quality. The better ones will sink and the lesser quality ones will float. Josué noted that they only export the highest quality beans and keep others for in-state use. From one country to another, my favorite part of our Panama trip was witnessing international cargo pass through the infamous Panama Canal. Panama has done a fantastic job of up keeping the canal and contributes over 9% of the world’s trade. With those profits, they invested 5 billion dollars to expand in 2016, which included an extra lane for larger ships to pass though and contributed to more trade and revenue for Panama. If I had a choice to do this all over again, I would in a heartbeat! From trying new foods to experiencing new adventures, I wouldn’t take my experience back for the world.
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At the end of May, I had the opportunity to study in Asia for two weeks with a group of LU students. We spent time in Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Tai Pei. Our company visits included Oracle, Hyundai Motors, Crocs, Speedo Goggles, Invest Hong Kong and VEGA. While in Tai Pei, we met with MBA students from Ming Chuan University for tours of two of their campuses and The Grand Hotel. We hiked the Great Wall at Mutianyu and went snorkeling in Hong Kong. Our experience transcended our expectations with visits to a circus, safari park/zoo, night market and the National Palace Museum. We took a Hutong tour of Old Beijing and visited the Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City. Contrary to popular belief, China is no longer leading in lowcost manufacturing. In recent years, labor intensive manufacturing has been directed to other developing Asian countries while China focuses more on research, development and advanced manufacturing processes (e.g., AI, robotics, etc.). Oracle’s Beijing campus focuses on research and development of technology specific to China with emphasis on cloud services. At Hyundai, we toured a production facility which was highly automated and only employed a few hundred people. In Guangzhou, we visited Crocs and Speedo manufacturing facilities. Both of the factories use injection molding to produce shoes and goggles respectively. While these facilities were not as technologically advanced as the Hyundai facility, they were still highly automated. I found our presentation at Invest Hong Kong very interesting as well. The city is favorably located within a five hour flight of half the world’s population and within a four hour flight of key Asian markets. Start-ups tend to do well in Hong Kong because of its geographic location as well as the ease with which they can enter the market. One theme the students noticed was the quick adoption of new technology and embracement of change both in business and in Chinese culture. Throughout our trip, we were able to visit various historical sites and tourist attractions. China has a rich history and one of the longest on record dating back to 2700 BC. Going to the Great Wall was my favorite part of the trip and the place I was most looking forward to visiting. It was amazing to be standing on a structure older than U.S. history. Being able to learn the history of the places we visited, especially in Beijing, was very edifying and helped me appreciate Chinese culture and tradition. This trip was an incredible learning and networking experience, and I am so grateful to have been a part of it. BusinessMatters | Lamar University College of Business | 2018 Edition | Page 15
Student Journal: My Time in France Madison Clark, Undergrad
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hough I had flown once before, it was only for an hour and in a friend’s personal airplane. Now I was about to take an 11 hour flight to a country whose language I could not understand nor speak. It was scary and exciting! With only one other LU student as a companion, I spent 4.5 months studying business with the French and exploring Italy. The French way of doing business is primarily about the employees. They follow a ‘Code du Travail’ or ‘Code of Work’which focuses more on the worker instead of the employers. The employee pays one tax to the state while the employer pays two: on the employee’s paycheck and on their own. Shorter work weeks and pay raises are always a possibility and therefore always up for debate. If the employees feel they are being treated unfairly, they go on strike, and things are often worked out in their favor. Employees are more protected than they are in the United States but it does come at a cost to the employers. Hospitals, transportation and many other services are public so higher taxes are needed to pay for these amenities. These things primarily affect the employer but will eventually affect the employee as well. Because of these things, the government is involved in a large part of the people’s everyday life. Having only ever experienced the American culture, it was interesting to see a new culture first hand. One of the biggest differences I found is that the French do not mind giving more in
taxes in order to have those services while most Americans I know would prefer to take on more themselves rather than pay more to the government. I know that stereotypically the French are considered snobbish and disdainful when foreigners speak their language badly. In my experience, they were very nice but more subdued than most Americans. They were happy to hear that I was an exchange student and even more so when they realized I wanted to learn French. Of course I constantly butchered this beautiful language, but they were always glad to help me improve my French. In my experience, the language itself is beautiful, and the people even more so. During my time in Italy, I learned that Italians do ‘talk like that’ to an extent and perhaps most importantly that Italian gelato is the best manmade creation on Earth! All the sights are larger than you’d expect and take longer to get to than you plan. People are still just people, and they love it when you make an effort to fit in and learn their language. I loved traveling with someone but I learned so much when I went places by myself and had to rely on the kindness of strangers to get by. Solo travel shows you how capable you actually are and inspires more curiosity than if you traveled with a friend. I loved traveling so much that I’m ready to pack up and go somewhere new as soon as I find the money, regardless of whether or not someone comes with me.
Working Together After Harvey Lamar University Construction Management Students Team Up With the Community to Help Rebuild In Hurricane Harvey’s wake, the construction industry found itself at the top of our community’s mind. While rebuilding efforts after the flood forced many Southeast Texans to rapidly acquire construction knowledge, one group of Construction Management students was ready to apply what they had already learned into a new form of classroom: their neighbors’ homes. Students in the Reese Construction Management Program worked alongside a range of volunteers aged 15 to 80-yearsold in partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Jefferson County. With funding from the Rotary Club of Beaumont, the volunteers worked over the course of two days to rebuild one home damaged by the storm and help build one brand-new home. Dr. Mahdi Safa, assistant professor of Construction Management, served as the project manager. To plan for the endeavor, he worked alongside Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Miriam Morgan, and president of Rotary Club, Tim Sudela, for many weeks leading up to the November 17 and 18, 2017, work dates. Bringing together education and service is a critical component of the Reese Construction Management Program, explained Safa. “Education needs more than what students can learn from a textbook,” said Safa. “In one project, the students learn so much: service to their community, how to work in a team and how to network – the types of soft skills that are necessary to be competitive in today’s workforce.” The students also found many opportunities to learn from the examples of experts, such as Chuck Mason, president of Mason Construction and member of the Program’s Construction Management Advisory Council, and Patrick Ramb, construction manager for Habitat for Humanity of Jefferson County. While some students had previous construction experience, many were first-time construction workers. It was hard work in the hot and humid Southeast Texas environment, but one first-time volunteer believes the effort was worth it. Jean Kim, a senior Construction Management student, said getting real world experience is critical for success in the construction industry. “If you don’t have any construction experience, and you try to lead a construction crew, they won’t respect you,” said Kim. “Plus, it was really nice to do some construction and get out of the classroom.”
“Education needs more than what students can learn from a textbook.” — Dr. Safa
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BusinessMatters | Lamar University College of Business | 2018 Edition | Page 17
Faculty and Staff Focus College of Business Retirees
Natarajan Nets National Honor
Dr. Charles Hawkins Professor Economics and Finance Years of Service: 52
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Dr. Jimmy Moss Professor Economics and Finance Years of Service: 32
Ms. Donna Holland Administrative Associate Economics and Finance Years of Service: 13
ivek Natarajan, associate professor of marketing, sees the three-pronged mission of College of Business faculty members — service, research and teaching — as “mutually reinforcing.” His excellence in all three areas garnered national recognition this year when he was awarded the 2018 Federation of Business Disciplines Distinguished Educator Award by the Association of Collegiate Marketing Educators. “Good service helps you do good research. Good research helps you in the classroom,” Natarajan said. “Good teaching provides inspiration from the classroom for service through sharing knowledge at professional conferences.’ The Association of Collegiate Marketing Educators, one of 10 professional associations that together form the Federation of Business Disciplines, has been a beneficiary of Natarajan’s service for many years. He served as an officer for five years, including as program chair in 2015 and as president in 2016. With his service on
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that board complete, Natarajan said he was honored to be recognized by his peers with the Distinguished Educator award. “I feel satisfied because it recognizes my work in the classroom, my work as a leader in both research and teaching and service,” he said. Natarajan continues his work with the Federation of Business Disciplines and will serve as general program chair for the organization’s major conference in Houston in 2019. “It’s very hard work, but I’m really looking forward to it. I’m very enthusiastic about getting it done,” he said. Challenging himself through ambitious service commitments and participating a variety of conference sessions on both teaching and research topics has helped him avoid settling into complacency as a mid-career academic, Natarajan said. “I think it helps me become a stronger academic,” he said. “When I go to these conferences, there are methods I can bring back to the classroom.” In addition to his professional service nationally, Natarajan served his peers on campus as president of the Faculty Senate for the 2017-2018 academic year. This fall offers him an opportunity to focus more on his research into marketing analytics during faculty development leave. “I have ideas I want to implement in the classroom,” he said. “This might be the time I can reinvent myself as an instructor.”
New Faculty and Staff
Mr. Dale Fontenot mis instructor
Dr. Ahmad Mohassel economics instructor
Dr. Gevorg Sargsyan finance instructor
Mr. Fonenot currently teaches
Dr. Mohassel currently teaches
Dr. Sargsyan currently teaches
Introduction to Business Technologies Principles of MIS Visual Basic
Principles and Policies Macroeconomics Economics of Port and Trade
Principles of Finance Foundations of Finance
MS. Judy Havens Administrative Associate Senior Judy Havens was hired to be the new administrative associate senior for the Department of Economics and Finance. She will be handling office procedures, scheduling and student inquiries.
Colon Wins Young CPA of the Year
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icardo Colon’s impact in the world of accounting is attracting attention. Colon, who joined the College of Business faculty in 2012 and was promoted to associate professor this year, was honored by the Texas Society
of Certified Public Accountants as Texas Young CPA of the Year in 2017, one of only two honorees. Colon found the recognition particularly meaningful because the award typically goes to professionals practicing as CPAs rather than to professors. “To me, being one of the first professors to receive this award is a manifestation of the education that we provide, our emphasis in trying to educate the future generation of accountants. It’s also a manifestation that people can achieve anything that they set out to do in life,” Colon said. A licensed attorney and CPA, Colon worked in his field as an auditor for Arthur Andersen and as a tax attorney for ExxonMobil, among other
roles, before entering academia. He continues to forge strong professional bonds as an active member of the Southeast Texas chapter of the Texas Society of CPAs. “It really benefits me because it allows me to network with local CPAs,” he said. “We can provide them insights as far as what’s going on with the education of accounting students, and we get some first hand knowledge of the needs of our local CPAs.” Through those connections, Colon is able to help accounting students who want to remain in Southeast Texas find valuable internships that often lead to full-time jobs upon graduation. Having served as faculty adviser to Beta Alpha Psi, an honor
society for business students, Colon also has been involved in organizing joint community service projects with students and Southeast Texas accounting professionals, creating opportunities to network while volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, the Southeast Texas Food Bank or a community garden. “In the accounting profession, we are very aware of the importance of serving the community, and we try to develop in our students a sense of leadership and of service to the community,” Colon said. “That’s something I think the accounting department does very well.”
BusinessMatters | Lamar University College of Business | 2018 Edition | Page 19
Generous Gifts First Two Scholars Selected
Gifts Help Launch the Transformational Scholars Program
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en freshman students were given $7,500 dollars each this semester as recipients of a new scholarship. The Transformational Scholars Program was designed to help students with financial need transition into the College of Business. These students will continue to receive the scholarship throughout their time at the college. The goal of the program is to graduate 70% of program participants in 4 years. Two students, along with a group of faculty and staff members built the first year of the program as part of the university effort to improve retention and student success. During the first year, the Transformational Scholars will participate in workshops with cardinal communities; such as, how to succeed in college, goal setting, introduction to university resources and choosing a career. “One of the most important pieces of this program is the community that we are trying to build,” said College of Business marketing manager and original committee member, Kayce Smith. “ We want to help the students develop a strong support system, so that they feel comfortable expressing concerns and ultimately build friendships with the other scholars.”
The Transformational Scholars Program will introduce students to student organizations, undergraduate research opportunities, study abroad and networking and communication events. “Campus engagement has been a critical factor to my success at Lamar University,” said Darien Phillips, one of the original students involved in the creation of the program. “My involvement in several student organizations has eased my transition into college life and offered me unique experiences and long-lasting friendships. My perception of college is not constant studying and classes, but rather an environment where I am learning, and creating memories. This involvement has forced me to prioritize and manage my time effectively. ” Each year of the program will present new topics for the students in the areas of college success, career readiness, communication skills, teamwork, community service and culture. The Transformational Scholars Program is made possible by generous gifts from Herman and Bobbie Wilson. Mr. Wilson serves on the College of Business Board of Advisors and graduated Lamar University in 1963 with his undergraduate degree in Accounting.
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Name: MeaGHAN Bloodworth Hometown: MAjor: Accounting
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Name: Darien PHillips Hometown: Houston, TX MAjor: Accounting organizations: LU Ambassadors, LU MArching Band, NABA LU Chapter
Pat Parsons Named to College of Business Hall of Fame
at Parsons’ banking career has taken him around the world and back home to Beaumont again, but none of it would have been possible, he said, without the firm foundation provided by his accounting education at Lamar University. In light of his outstanding professional accomplishments, Parsons was inducted into the College of Business Hall of Fame in September 2017 during a luncheon on campus. His photograph, along with those of other alumni inductees, now hangs in the college to provide inspirational role models to current and future students. “To me, it was a recognition of the opportunities that I have had because of the excellent accounting program that Lamar University has, which gave me the opportunity to have success in business and, through the founding
of CommunityBank, contribute to the success of our community,” Parsons said. Parsons, a 1971 LU graduate who earned an MBA at the University of Houston, began his banking career with First City Bank in Houston. He worked in the Asia Pacific Group and as general manager of the London branch before transferring back to Texas, ultimately becoming president of First City in Beaumont. In the early 1990s, he joined Community Bank & Trust in Beaumont as president and chief operating officer, overeeing tremendous growth and later a sale to Texas State Bank. In 2007, Parsons became founding chief executive officer of CommunityBank of Texas, where he now serves as vice chairman after bringing in a successor management team. Parsons and his wife, Melody, a 1971 Lamar University graduate in elementary
education, have continued to share their time and treasure with their alma mater. Parsons serves on the Lamar University Foundation board and previously served on the Investing in the Future campaign cabinet. He and his wife are founding members of the President’s Circle and he was honored as a Lamar University Distinguished Alumnus in 2016. The couple established an endowment in the College of Business, the Melody and Pat Parsons Innovation Fund in Business in 2014 to help outstanding students further their education. “I have a deep commitment to Beaumont and a desire to see it be successful,” Parsons said. “Lamar University is an absolutely integral part of any potential success our community’s going to have.”
BusinessMatters | Lamar University College of Business | 2018 Edition | Page 21
Planned Providing Myrna and Milton Dunnam: A Lasting Legacy
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yrna and Milton Dunnam are two of Lamar University’s biggest fans. From sporting events to luncheons to receptions to meetings of the College of Business board of advisors, the couple makes the drive from their Baytown home to campus every chance they get. “We’re interested in doing anything we can to promote LU. I wear Lamar University T-shirts a lot,” Myrna said, adding that she pulled out her Big Red gear to wear to high school graduation parties. Wanting to ensure the continued strength of her alma mater, the Dunnams have named Lamar University as a major beneficiary of their estate. Their planned gift will endow scholarships in the College of Business for years to come. “Our passion is education,” Myrna said. “I’ve been fairly successful and wouldn’t have been anywhere without LU. If we hadn’t gotten degrees, we’d be having mediocre lives. We want to give back.” Both Myrna and Milton were the first in their families to graduate from college. Having grown up in Groves as the daughter of a refinery worker, Myrna was urged by her parents to study secretarial science. When she looked through the catalog and saw
management courses listed, “I thought why should I be the secretary when I could be the manager.” Registration officials persuaded her to major in marketing instead because “girls didn’t major in management,” Myrna recalled. Myrna credits one of her marketing professors, David Taylor, with helping her land a great job at the U.S. Census Bureau in Maryland after she graduated in 1967 through his coaching on resumes and interviewing skills. “That’s one reason I’m so passionate about LU, because they help people get jobs.” After working in Maryland for a few years, Myrna decided to change careers and turned to her LU professors for recommendations when applying to law school. She and Milton, an engineer she met and married while both were in Maryland, returned to Texas after she completed her law degree. She set up a family law practice in Baytown. He worked at NASA for Raytheon, including on the critical project to recover Apollo 13. His company recruited heavily from LU, and he was consistently impressed with hard-working LU graduates when hiring. Both Myrna and Milton have retired now, but she said they both continue to be impressed by Lamar students.
“We like spending time with the students at LU,” she said. “We get a lot of satisfaction from their successes. We encourage them, and they seem to appreciate it.” Along with the couple’s membership in Lamar University’s Cardinal
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Bill and Nancy Frank Gift
Club and Legacy Society, Myrna has served on the College of Business Board of Advisors since 2011, participating on the strategic planning committee and the reaccreditation process.
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penchant for looking to the future, a desirable quality in a business executive, also has proved helpful to Bill Frank in providing for his family and for the future needs of organizations that matter to him and his wife,
Nancy, including the College of Business. Frank, who received his bachelor of business administration in accounting from LU in 1968, retired more than a decade ago as executive vice president and
chief financial officer of Conn’s Inc. He and Nancy have designated the Lamar University Foundation as the contingent beneficiary of an annuity with proceeds designated to establish the Nancy and Bill Frank Scholarship in Business, available to undergraduate or graduate students of any major within the College of Business. “Our decision to give to the College of Business through the Legacy Society was based on our desire to help future students in a significant way without having to make the contribution today,” he said.
“In our case, we are able to enjoy the income from the annuity we purchased for our own current benefit and still insure that LU will receive the face value of the investment after my death.” Frank credits LU with providing the foundation that he and his wife needed for future career success. “The small size of the classes and the commitment of the dedicated teaching staff made the learning process both unique and quite effective,” he said. “We both will always carry a special place in our hearts for Lamar University.”
Would you like to give to the College of Business?
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ave you ever considered how you can make a lasting impact on the College of Business? There are ways to make a transformational gift to benefit the college while also providing for family and other charitable interests. Current gifts can be in the form of gifts of appreciated stock, a life insurance policy, real estate and cash. One technique currently being used by a number of alumni and friends of the university is the IRA. Charitable Rollover. Current federal tax laws allow a donor over the age of 70 ½ to direct a distribution from their IRA to a qualified charity up to
$100,000.00 per year. The distribution is not considered a taxable distribution and may satisfy all or a part of the annual required minimum distribution from the IRA. While not considered a charitable contribution, the distribution from the IRA to the charity is not taxable to the donor. Deferred gifts to benefit the College of Business may include a bequest through a will, a beneficiary of an IRA, annuity or other deferred investment. There are a number of deferred giving techniques such as a Charitable Gift Annuity and a Charitable Remainder Trust which can
provide lifetime income to the donor with the remainder going to benefit the designated charity. All of the charitable giving options referenced above can be instrumental in making a huge impact on current and future generations of students and faculty in the College of Business. More detailed information on charitable giving techniques can be found at the Lamar University planned giving website at lamar.edu/legacy. We encourage you to consult your tax and legal advisors when considering a deferred gift. We would be glad to work with you and your advisors to
explore ways to achieve your planning goals. Please contact Floyd McSpadden at (409) 8807895 or a member of the Lamar University Foundation staff at (409) 880-2117 for additional information.
BusinessMatters | Lamar University College of Business | 2018 Edition | Page 23
Research Report Spotlight Researcher Dr. John McCollough Economics
The College of Business Mission Statement America has transitioned into a throwaway society over the past few decades. My current research is looking at the likelihood of developing countries also transitioning into throwaway societies as they develop further. If this happens, the environmental impacts of this type of consumption behavior will be magnified.
We deliver a quality education to a diverse population of current and future business professionals. We cultivate the intellectual capabilities and professional competencies required to successfully and ethically meet the challenges of a rapidly-changing global and technological environment. Our faculty fosters a spirit of shared learning through innovative teaching, scholarly contributions, and business and community service.
Undergraduate Reaserch Focus
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articipating in undergraduate research in the College of Business has meant extra work for students like John Reichard, but it has also led to extra rewards. Reichard, a construction management major, was part of two different research teams honored for poster presentations at Lamar University’s Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Expo this spring. The first, an advanced stage project that originated from coursework, looked at electrical safety and the effects of personal protective equipment. The student researchers found that as each new regulation requiring the use of personal protective equipment has taken effect, the number of related deaths in the industry has declined. The second project, which is still in progress, involves implementing an asset management program for the Port of Houston. The project, Reichard said,
“will eventually help them cut costs of maintenance and help track their maintenance, help track their life cycles of equipment. It’s almost a business model of keeping track of it.” The initial investment is high, Reichard said, but the program is expected to pay for itself within two years. Mahdi Safa, assistant professor of construction management, initially suggested that Reichard become involved in the port research project. That experience led not only to the awardwinning poster but also to a part-time job in the spring and a full-time paid internship in the summer as a research associate with LU’s Center for Advances in Port Management, which is conducting research for the Port of Houston. Reichard said his construction management studies and his research experience have allowed him to build on knowledge he had already acquired as a
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damage control man in the Coast Guard before enrolling in the College of Business. “The knowledge I already had was good, but this research is what will get me to the top, I think,” Reichard said. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it in the end. You become a better writer — technical writing skills, you need them. Every company wants to see it.” Reichard, who also serves as president of the Construction Management Student Association, said his research has allowed him to learn more about data analysis and about procurement processes for large construction projects, knowledge that will be valuable once he completes his studies and begins looking for work in his field. “To be able to manage a large construction project at a port facility, I think, would be fun. There’d be so many challenges involved in it, but to be able to see your work every day is the best thing to me.” BusinessMatters | Lamar University College of Business | 2018 Edition | Page 25
Speaker Spotlight O
ver the past decade Johnny Cupcakes, founded by speaker Johnny Earle, has grown from a “joke” to a multi-million dollar, highly exclusive t-shirt brand driven by a community of world-wide collectors. On Jan 31, 2018 Earle shared his story with Lamar University of how he took his t-shirt brand from the trunk of his rusty car as a 19-year-old with a learning disability, to some of the world’s most sought after retail locations. Johnny has been named Americas #1 Young Entrepreneur by BusinessWeek and one of the top innovative people in Massachusetts by The Boston Globe. He has been recognized four years in a row for making it into the INC 500/5000 fastest growing independent companies in America, and has been featured on MTV, NPR, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and as a case study in several branding and business books
Orlando Alvarez
President and CEO BP Energy Company Lamar University Alumnus
Jonathan Gregory
CEO and Vice Chairman Royale Energy Lamar University Alumnus
Winston Guillory
Managing Director Belisarius Capital Lamar University Alumnus
Orlando A. Alvarez, president and chief executive officer of BP Energy based in Houston, is also a member of the BP America Board overseeing all of the companies’ activities in the US. Alvarez’s tenure at BP spans over 20 years with current accountability for all of North America’s trading, marketing, supply and derivatives activities, specifically pertaining to natural gas, power and ngls, as well as oversight for BP’s global LPG business. He also a member of BP’s global supply and trading organization’s executive leadership team.
Jonathan Gregory joined the board of directors of Royale Energy, Inc., a publicly traded oil and natural gas company headquartered in San Diego, California in June 2014, and was appointed its chief executive officer and vice chairman in September 2015. Known for his consistent, solutions-oriented approach, Gregory was charged by the board to lead a turnaround of the 30-yearold oil company. Prior to starting Belisarius Capital, Winston Guillory served as CEO and board of directors of GeoSentric, a NASDAQ company based in Helsinki, Finland. GeoSentric was a pioneer in the location-based, mobile social media market. Guillory led the company in their launch of Gypsii, as one of the top location based, mobile products in China, signing agreements with China Mobile and China Unicom. Gypsii was incorporated by Hong Kong based Sina, into their highly successful Wei Ling Di “Micro Kingdom” location-based service product. Wei Ling Di, along with Sina’s Weibo offering, has more than 340 million active users.
Ethics Speaker: Aaron Beam
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aron Beam was a founder and the first chief financial officer of Healthsouth from 1984 until 1997. Today he lives in Loxley, Alabama with his wife of 44 years, Phyllis. In 1996, he took part in the accounting fraud at Healthsouth and in 2003, Beam pled guilty to the fraud and spent time in a federal prison for his crime. He began his public speaking career in 2009 and as of October 2014 has spoken to more than 250 different groups. These include universities, associations, companies and civic groups. Beam’s primary message is about corporate fraud. Who is actually responsible for these frauds, how they take place and what can be done to prevent company frauds, such as Enron and Healthsouth. Beam is also an author with his first book Healthsouth: The Wagon to Disaster published in 2009 and his second book Ethics Playbook: Winning Ethically in Business in 2014.
BusinessMatters | Lamar University College of Business | 2018 Edition | Page 26
BusinessMatters | Lamar University College of Business | 2018 Edition | Page 27
Student Stories
The College of Business Student Advisory Council
President
Vice President
Name: KayAlana Turner Hometown: Lumberton, TX Major: Management and Spanish Career Goal: To work internationally for a company implementing sustainable management decisions
Name: Ryan Sherer Hometown: Nederland, TX Major: Management Career Goal: Start a career in prosecution or corporate law
Name: Madison Marino Hometown: Vidor, TX Major: Economics and Finance Career Goal: Attend law school and ultimately work in the field of corporate/business law
Name: Celine Do Hometown: Groves, TX Major: MIS Career Goal: Start a career in healthcare administration
Name: Deisy Vargas Hometown: Anahuac, TX Major: Finance and Economics Career Goal: Start a career as a financial analyst at a oil and gas company or a tech co.
Name: Savannah M. Agee Hometown: Orange, TX Major: MIS Career Goal: Start a career in network administration
Name: Iqra Masood Hometown: Beaumont, TX Major: Accounting Career Goal: To work for a public accounting firm and receive my CPA license within the next year
Name: Kender Myers Hometown: Mauriceville, TX Major: Accounting Career Goal: To get an MSA degree, sit for the CPA exam and work as an auditor in public accounting
Name: Kayla Clifton Hometown: Port Neches, TX Major: Management Career Goal: To continue working for Southeast Texas organizations that give back to the community and make a difference.
Name: Hannah Rumsey Hometown: Lumberton, TX Major: Accounting and Finance Minor: Business Law & Spanish Career Goal: Attend law school to become a Medical malpractice lawyer
Name:Jack Dolce Hometown: Port Neches, TX Major: Management Career Goal: start a career as an optometrist and open a practice
Eric Spaulding: Game Changer
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or Eric Spaulding, receiving the Ben J. Rogers Scholarship from the Texas Business Hall of Fame was a game changer in helping him move forward in achieving his educational and professional goals. Spaulding graduated from Lamar University’s College of Business with a bachelor’s degree in marketing in 2017 and earned his MBA in leadership in 2018. The Ben J. Rogers Scholarship, awarded in November 2017, allowed him to complete his MBA debt free. Spaulding begins his studies at University of Texas School of Law in fall 2018 and credits the scholarship with helping him gain acceptance to such a competitive program. Participating in the awards ceremony was an amazing experience, Spaulding said. “Hearing the legends who were inducted speak about their process to get to where they are today, that really stuck with me, and it’s really going to help me in the future with my own business,” he said of the dinner in Dallas. “My dream is to become a Major League Baseball player agent,” Spaulding said. In law school, he plans to focus on employment and labor law so he can understand the complexities of contracts and player unions and be able to properly advise future clients. “I want to have my own agency. I’ve been around baseball my whole life, so I wanted to find a way where I would be able to continue sticking around baseball.” An injury prevented Spaulding from playing baseball at the collegiate level, but while at LU, he helped found a club baseball
team on campus. He also continues to coach with a youth baseball organization based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area called Texas Stix. “I’ve coached some players who will be drafted when they graduate high school, so I’m starting to make connections there, and also the organization I coach for is one of the largest in Texas, and they have 30 something players in the major leagues. They’ll be able to open up opportunities for me as well.” Combining these opportunities with the knowledge and experience he gained in the College of Business has made Spaulding confident about his future. A native of Flower Mound, Spaulding said he chose LU because smaller classes would allow him to build relationships with faculty members. “Those relationships helped me engage in the material a lot more,” he said. “I was able to develop my communication skills with people of different backgrounds and ethnicities. Being able to connect that way, I feel is going to help me in the future because athletes in the big leagues are all from different backgrounds and different countries around the world.” During his scholarship interview, Spaulding said it started to feel more like an exciting conversation when he shared his plans to become a sports agent. “I was hoping that they would believe in me and my future plans and they would select me, and ultimately they did.”
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Name: Victoria Lafleur Hometown: Port Neches, TX Major: Accounting and Finance Career Goal: Become an attorney
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Leony Alvarez: From Internship to Dream Job
I Angelica Hernandez: Scoring Success
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rom her studies in the MBA program to her leadership in women’s soccer, Angelica Hernandez has made an impact in her short time at Lamar University. A native of Bogota, Colombia, Hernandez started her collegiate soccer career at the University of Toledo in Ohio, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in finance. An injury in 2015 led to a medical redshirt, leaving her with a year of eligibility. She mentioned to a friend and fellow soccer player from Colombia, now at LU, that she hoped to find a soccer graduate assistantship. That conversation led to a meeting with LU’s coach. Both the soccer and MBA programs turned out to be great experiences for Hernandez. In her graduate classes in the College of Business, Hernandez said her professors and classmates appreciated her unique perspective. “I brought a new point of view. Maybe I saw some things from another side. They really value that. They value diversity. They really always took into account what I had to say,” she said. “Coming from a developing country is way different from a country that is a little bit more advanced.”
After competing with LU’s soccer team for one year, Hernandez joined the program as director of soccer operations while completing her MBA studies. She graduated in May 2018 and began considering job opportunities in Europe, hoping to find a data analyst position that would allow her to use the enterprise resource planning knowledge she gained in the MBA program as well continue to play soccer. In the longer term, she hopes to transition to the business side of soccer in Europe and eventually return to Colombia to use her business knowledge in service of sport. Hernandez cited her entrepreneurship class as a valuable part of her MBA education, providing students an opportunity to envision a company they would like to create. “My company was about helping athletes from South America come to the States,” she said. “I started learning how to make a company, how to predict if it’s going to work or not going to work. Eventually I might start up a company and help people like me to play the sport they love somewhere they can have the resources and support to do it.”
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n Lamar University’s Construction Management Program, I learned a range of skills that helped me stand out in my summer internships, leading me to a bright future as a soon-to-be Construction Management graduate. When deciding which internship company would work best with my career goals, I selected Lennar Corporation. Lennar is a multilevel homebuilder and, in 2017, became the largest home construction company by merging with CalAtlantic Group. More importantly, Lennar’s core values focus on providing their clients and community with the utmost quality product and customer service. These shared values drove me to seek an internship with Lennar Homes. Through networking, I reached out to the right person to submit my resume, and I had my very first career-based interview. After my internship concluded, I knew I had made the right decision. Lennar’s values as a company matched my values as an employee, and as an individual. Because I still had another summer left before my graduation, I decided to intern for Lennar once more. This time, my goal was for the company to see me as an asset rather than as a learning individual. As my internship came to an end, the CEO of the company offered me an amazing position as soon as I graduated. The decisions I made and the skills I obtained from the Construction Management Program landed me with my dream job. I’m excited to receive my degree and my personalized red hard hat, and start work at Lennar.
Ryan Sherer: Aggressive Ambitions
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s he completed his final classes as a business management major in the College of Business, Ryan Sherer readily acknowledged that he wouldn’t be where he is without the help he has received along the way. “The financial aspects of higher education have grown so extremely in recent years,” said the Nederland native. “I wouldn’t have had the opportunities I’ve had in undergraduate education and what I’ll be receiving with a law school education if hadn’t been for scholarship donors.” Sherer began his studies in the College of Business as a Cardinal Scholar and later received the Kip Glasscock Scholarship in Business, the Gilbert T. Adams Sr. Presidential Scholarship and the Lamar University Pre-Law Scholarship and Texas Tech University Law Scholarship. “It’s made the financial burden of an undergraduate education much less. I’m very grateful for that.” At Texas Tech, where he planned to begin law school in
fall 2018 after graduating from LU in August 2018, he received a scholarship covering 65 percent of tuition and fees. Since childhood, Sherer’s highest ambition has been to become president of the United States. However, he has shorter term goals along the way. “Right now, I’m kind of at a 50-50 split between going into prosecution or corporate law. There’s pros and cons to both. My attitude with law definitely favors prosecution, but my background in the business college definitely favors going into any sort of business law.” Sherer believes his course work as a business management major with minors in business law and legal studies have prepared him well for the next phase of his education. “The business college has actually helped with my analytical skills for one, and also there’s a lot of writing in my particular major because we do all kinds of case studies. The practical applications of business, I think, will also help with the practical applications of law,” he said.
“My education here has definitely given me the chance to get a step up going into law school in a way that I don’t think I would have gotten at another university.” Among his favorite experiences at LU Sherer said, were serving on the College of Business Student Advisory Council to the Dean and serving as a Lamar University Ambassador. “We got to work on promoting the college and working with students and faculty alike to better the college as a whole, which is an experience that has prepared me in a professional sense,” he said. Sherer also was a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, served as president of College Republicans and was one of two LU students chosen to attend the 2016 Republican National Convention. Perhaps most valuable, Sherer said, are the relationships he has built at the university — with faculty members, administrators, making lifelong friends and meeting his girlfriend.
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PAY IT FORWARD As a College of Business alumni you are part of our legacy and we are proud of all that you have accomplished. The impact of alumni giving is so much more than a dollar amount. We ask you to pay it forward and truly make a difference in a student’s life by providing financial support, guidance and knowledge. Thank you for all you do to make Lamar University’s College of Business a competitive, accredited and innovative institution lamar.edu/payitforward