SIX MONTH UPDATE
MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN
The Rawls College continues its commitment to building the foundation for excellence. Over the past six months, the college and its programs have received national recognition, while job placement rates in December remained well above the national average. To support continued job placement successes, the college adapted our introductory business course to focus on career success. With the support of our alumni, the college recruited a new cohort of students into the Rawls Business Leadership Program. The implementation of differential tuition and increase of the transfer GPA to a 3.0 beginning in the fall will enable the college to continue efforts to recruit and retain top students, and improve the faculty to student ratio. Our outstanding students and faculty continue to be recognized for their contributions to the community, industry, and academy. Thanks to the generous contributions of our alumni, development efforts are up 162% from the previous year. Spring scholarship events in Dallas, Fort Worth, and San Antonio raised over $250,000. In total, $1,004,981 in scholarship support was awarded to our students this year. The Rawls Raiders Alumni Network is working diligently to plan Rawls alumni networking and engagement opportunities in local communities. I encourage you to get involved or learn more about ways to become engaged as alumni by visiting engage.ba.ttu.edu. In the fall, I invite you to celebrate our current and future success as we welcome students, faculty, staff, and alumni to Rawls Day to celebrate the beginning of the 2016-17 academic year and the grand opening of our new building addition. I look forward to seeing you at this milestone event. Sincerely,
Paul Goebel, Ph.D. Interim Dean and James E. and Elizabeth F. Sowell Professor of Finance
National Accolades - December 2015 to Present
September 13 Rawls Courtyard 11:00 - 1:30 p.m. The doors to the Rawls College’s new 38,241-square-foot addition will officially open. Join us for our annual Rawls Day celebration and the new building addition ribbon cutting.
Rawls Advisory Council September 29-30 Rawls College of Business Multipurpose Event Room Distinguished Alumni Event September 30 Overton Hotel and Conference Center
Rawls Raiders Pre-Tailgate Alumni Reception TTU VS UT Football Game November 4 The Rawls Course Regional Alumni Events Multiple alumni events will be hosted throughout cities in Texas. Visit rawlsraiders.com to learn more.
2016 EVENTS
Distinguished Alumni Event & Rawls Advisory Council Meeting
UPCOMING
Rawls Day and Building Addition Grand Opening
ENGAGEMENT & SCHOLARSHIPS
Alumni Engagement The Rawls Advisory Council and the Rawls Raiders Alumni Network provide opportunities for our graduates to stay connected and help to increase the college’s alumni presence throughout Texas, while also providing multiple networking opportunities. Hundreds of alumni and friends have supported and attended alumni chapter events throughout the spring. Update your contact information at alumni.ba.ttu.edu to hear about events in your area.
Scholarship Support Assisted by dedicated alumni, the Rawls College hosted our annual scholarship fundraising events in Dallas, Fort Worth, and San Antonio. Thanks to the continued generosity and support of our excellent alumni and friends over the years, one out of every eight business students received scholarship support this spring. The difference this makes in a student’s life is priceless.
Scott Hein, Robert C. Brown Chair in Finance and director of the School of Banking, was named a 2016 Integrated Scholar by Texas Tech University.
William Gardner, Ph.D. William Gardner, the Jerry S. Rawls Chair in Leadership, was awarded the President’s Academic Achievement Award by the Office of the Provost.
Kristen Bigbee, M.S. Kristen Bigbee, instructor in the School of Accounting, was honored with the President’s Excellence in Teaching Award by the Office of the Provost.
Joshua Fairbanks, Ph.D. Joshua Fairbanks, assistant professor of practice in the Area of Finance, received the Texas Tech Alumni Association New Faculty Award.
Mayukh Dass, Ph.D. Mayukh Dass, the J.B. Hoskins Associate Professor of Marketing, is part of a research team – along with other faculty members at Texas Tech and Texas A&M University – that received a $1 million grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture to research effective mitigation strategies for antimicrobial resistance in beef and dairy cattle.
FACULTY ACCOLADES & RESEARCH
Scott Hein, Ph.D.
BEYOND THE CLASSROOM
Distributive Education Clubs of America
A group of Rawls College freshman students established the
first Collegiate Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA)
Chapter at Texas Tech. Five students then attended and participated
in the International Career Development Conference in Washington,
D.C. The conference included professional development academies,
competitive events, career exhibits, and networking.
Multicultural Student Business Association
Four students from the Multicultural Student Business Association
(MSBA) visited Houston to attend the 12th Annual Texas Diversity
and Leadership Conference. The trip gave MSBA students the
opportunity to gain skills and explore resources necessary to build
diverse work environments, as well as the chance to network with
professionals and other business students.
NAIOP, Commercial Real Estate Development Association
A team of students from Texas Tech won the North Texas Chapter of
NAIOP 11th Annual Case Competition in Dallas. This marks the third
time in five years that the Rawls College has won the competition.
Real Estate Organization
Students in the Real Estate Organization traveled to Tampa, Florida,
to tour real estate developments and learn about the industry
firsthand. Through its commitment to hands-on learning and
professional involvement, the REO was named the 2016 Student
Organization of the Year at Texas Tech.
Fundamentals of Business Professionalism (BA 1101), a required course for all Rawls College students, was redesigned to focus on a detailed four-year student career preparation plan. In addition to increasing awareness about the vast career planning opportunities available through the Career Management Center, this course promotes career success by encouraging students to begin building a professional portfolio and network as early as their freshman year.
Academic Expectations To maintain a competitive and knowledgeable environment within the classroom, transfer students are now required to have a 3.0 GPA and 18 credit hours before enrolling in the college. Additionally, undergraduate advising has developed new services to work one-on-one with students to ensure academic success and uphold retention rates.
Rawls Business Leadership Program The Rawls Business Leadership Program, which was established in 2013, welcomed its fourth class of students to the Rawls College for the 2016-17 academic year. These 10 students come from esteemed high schools throughout Texas and surrounding states. To help match the academic requirements expected of the “complete student,” each inductee displayed a strong academic background (with an average SAT score of 1250) and experience in leadership roles.
STUDENT DEVELOPMENT
Career Readiness
Follow our progress #RawlsLeads