Portfolio 2011 Magazine

FALL 2011

Beyond Business Casual

A What Not to Wear in Business Event

Roundtable Conference Alumni Offer Career Advice

College of Business

The Magazine of the UAFS College of Business

From the

Dean

Dr. Steve Williams, Dean and Professor of Management Joel R. Stubblefield Endowed Chair of Business

Experience. Expert. Education.

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elcome to the third edition of our Portfolio newsletter where students, alumni, and friends can find out what’s going on, touch base with faculty and classmates, and discover all the activities and improvements taking place at the UAFS College of Business. In this issue, you’ll see why we’re proud of our connection with our outstanding students, faculty, alumni, business partners, and others. We’re energized by our recent achievements and prepared for even more exciting successes in the future.

You are already aware that the College of Business has exceptional teachers who bring “Experience.

Expert. Education.” to life. Did you know many of our professors were recently acknowledged for outstanding achievement awards? If you’re on campus, be sure to check out the Distinguished Faculty exhibit on the first floor of Business and Industrial Institute building where COB professors and their honors are displayed. You’ll see that: • Dr. Latisha Settlage received the 2010 UA Fort Smith NUMAS Award once again as Adviser of the Year for her work with Phi Beta Lambda, the college division of the Future Business Leaders of America • Dr. Kermit Kuehn received the Academy of Entrepreneurship Distinguished Research Award for his article titled “It Wasn’t an Option: Entrepreneurial Choice through the Lens of Image Theory.”

• Dr. George Schmidt won the International Academy of Business and Public Administration Disciplines Research Award for his paper titled “The Effect on Firms Defined Pension Plans and Financial Statements Due to FAS 158.”

• Dr. Tom Hayes received the Distinguished Research Award from the Academy of Information and Management Sciences for his article titled “Predicting Information Technology Adoption

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in Small Businesses: An Extension of the Technology Acceptance Model.”

• Dr. Amelia Baldwin was recognized with the Outstanding Author Contribution 2011 for her article titled “Accounting Doctoral Programs: A Multidimensional Description, ” coauthored with Drs. Carol Brown and Brad Trinkle.

Intertwining theory and practice through “Experience.

Expert. Education.” transforms College of Business students into outstanding examples of scholarly activity and civic engagement. Recent student achievements include: • Phi Beta Lambda members won 46 total awards and recognitions at the state leadership conference for Phi Beta Lambda, with all 23 members attending the conference qualifying for the national competition in Orlando.

• The College of Business Student Leadership Council successfully hosted the first Advances in Business Research symposium, with dozens of recognized business scholars from across the nation presenting to hundreds of students and faculty at the Fort Smith Convention Center.

• Another record-setting year for College of Business internships working with dozens of companies in the Fort Smith community Our connection with the business community continues to be strong and helps to enhance our “Experience.

Expert. Education.” approach. For example, the Dean’s Leadership Council is comprised of 24 business leaders who are actively engaged in our classrooms by sharing experiences and expertise, offering input in strategic planning for the COB, and assisting with co-curricular student activities. We’re also moving toward establishing a stronger connection with our alumni with events like the highly successful Student/Alumni Roundtable

uafs.edu/cob where dozens of students are able to learn the secrets to professional success from recent business graduates.

Similarly, an indication of our commitment to continuous improvement of quality education is the recent acceptance of our accreditation plan by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the premier accrediting agency for programs in business administration and accounting. This move puts us one step closer to achieving AACSB accreditation when we are visited by a review team of experienced business deans in the near future.

Other recent achievements include: • The College of Business published the first-ever peerreviewed scholarly journal from UAFS this past March titled Advances in Business Research with Dr. Mohamed Zainuba as editor.

• The First Bank Corp. Collegiate Ambassador Board sponsored a highly successful and informational “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” game show highlighting the importance of personal financial responsibility with over one hundred business students in attendance.

Our Mission We will be increasingly recognized by our stakeholders for developing entrepreneurial leadership in our students through integrated, practice-grounded programs. We prepare our students to succeed in a changing and global workplace through an integrated, practice-oriented curriculum that cultivates entrepreneurial skills and attitudes. Our approach rests upon a foundation of proven competencies in business, leadership, and communications. Our scholarly activity focuses on instruction and application, and we are committed to service and regional economic development.

• The College of Business had two educational travel Maymester classes, one to Dallas, Texas, and one to China.

• A strong and growing College of Business endowment with generous support from benefactors like Kathy and Doug Babb, Kim and John McFarland, MorrisonShipley Engineers, Mary and John Putnam, Carole and George Beattie, Vicki Bond, Sherri and Jimmy Bell, First Bank Corp., Bess Williams, the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, Kathleen Safreed, Donnie Pendergraft, Simmons First National Bank, and Store Kraft Manufacturing As you read this copy of our newsletter, I think you’ll agree that the College of Business at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith continues to transform lives and build a better business future for the community, the state, and the nation. At the College of Business, you can count on: Experience. Expert. Education.

Steve Williams Dean and Professor of Management Joel R. Stubblefield Endowed Chair of Business steve.williams@uafs.edu

Contents Experience. Expert. Education.

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Department of Business Administration

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Advances in Business Research Symposium

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Department of Accounting, Economics,

and Finance

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Beyond Business Casual? 7 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

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Alumni Offer Career Advice

at Roundtable Conference

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Faculty Spotlight

10

New Faculty Spotlight

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Adjunct Faculty Spotlight

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Meet Rachel Solley, Alumni

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Student Spotlight

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Fort Smith Regional Economic Outlook

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Student Spotlight

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From the Editor

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Department of Business Administration Fall 2011 Update

Dr. Jim Beard, Chair

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he Department of Business Administration hosts two of the three majors offered at the College of Business: Business Administration and Marketing. Twelve full-time faculty members and five adjunct instructors comprise our departmental staff. In addition, our administrative specialist Sarah Woods plays a significant role. Beyond her administrative activities, for example, Ms. Woods is an active member of the Faculty/Staff Composition and Development Committee. As a matter of fact, she is the editor of this issue of Portfolio! I am fortunate to work with such a fine team. Here are just a few examples of their exemplary accomplishments over this past year: Last October, Dr. Mohamed Zainuba, Associate Professor of Management, led the College in initiating our first national research symposium. Scholars from around the country specializing in the areas of management, marketing, entrepreneurship, international business, accounting, finance, and economics came to Fort Smith to present their latest cutting-edge research. Dr. Zainuba also edited the first academic business journal ever published at UAFS, Advances in Business Research (see article in this issue).

Departmental faculty members have been extremely productive in research, producing 13 peer-reviewed journal and proceedings articles over the past year.

Dr. Terrence Gabel and Dr. Clifford Scott, Associate Professors of Marketing, were nominated

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to receive the 2010 Thomas C. Kinnear Award, which is given annually to the Journal of Public Policy and Marketing article judged to have made the most significant contribution to the understanding of marketing and public policy issues over the past three years.

In terms of course offerings, the Department of Business Administration continued to grow in the area of international business. We successfully conducted a formal search for the Ross Pendergraft Professor of International Business, and I am pleased to report that Dr. Balbir Bhasin will begin teaching International Management in Fall 2011. Dr. Bhasin comes to us from the John Welch College of Business at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut, where he was instrumental in developing the international business major.

Dr. Bhasin’s international management course will be added to our current offerings in international economics, international finance, international marketing, and global supply chain management. Dr. Bhasin will also help develop future course offerings, such as Cross-Cultural Relations and Strategy & Global Management Integration.

In the Department of Business Administration we strive to produce meaningful coursework for our students and quality research to further our profession. 2010 was a great year, but we’re just getting started!

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Advances in Business Research Symposium

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early 40 scholars from universities across the nation presented their cutting-edge research findings to each other, UAFS business faculty, and hundreds of College of Business students at the Advances in Business Research Symposium, hosted by the College of Business on October 27-28, 2010.

The top 30 percent of all submissions were invited to participate in the symposium. Presented manuscripts passing the double-blind review process were published in spring 2011 in the first peer-reviewed journal produced by UAFS. The journal, titled Advances in Business Research, was edited by Dr. Mohamed Zainuba, Associate Professor of Management, who coordinated the symposium.

The purpose of both the Advances in Business Research Symposium and the Advances in Business Research journal is to provide a forum for current thoughts, techniques, theories, issues, trends and innovations in business administration, entrepreneurship, leadership and related fields.

“The quality of the participants at this year’s symposium was outstanding,” said Zainuba. “Many attendees

informed me that this was the best research conference they had ever attended, which I believe is a testament to the quality of both the scholarly submissions we received as well as the quality of the business professors who came to Fort Smith to present.”

Dr. Steve Williams, dean of the College of Business, was pleased with the student and faculty participation at this inaugural event.

“Several hundred business students were exposed to the latest research findings in a variety of business fields, something most would only have the opportunity to experience when they entered doctoral programs,” said Williams.

Students from the College of Business Student Leadership Council acted as hosts, coordinators and UAFS ambassadors while business faculty served as session moderators for the symposium.

“Responses were overwhelmingly positive from all session attendees about the professionalism and poise of our students – they did a first-class job,” said Williams.

“Responses were overwhelmingly positive from all session attendees about the professionalism and poise of our students – they did a first-class job,” said Williams.

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Department of Accounting, Economics, and Finance 2011 Update

Dr. Margaret M. Tanner, Chair

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e enjoyed another great year in the Department of Accounting, Economics and Finance!

It seems that the time goes by too quickly, but when all is said and done, we have a lot to show for our efforts. Some of the notable accomplishments this year include: • The efforts of three faculty members were recognized with promotions to the rank of Associate Professor.

Dr. Thomas Hayes, Dr. Latisha Settlage, and Dr. Jim Wollscheid were all successful in their bid for promotion this past year.

• We were joined by an additional Accounting faculty member, Dr. Amelia Baldwin. She came to us from the University of Alabama at Huntsville. See the separate article about her later in the publication.

• Julie Wright worked with a record number of interns this past year and it looks as though that trend will continue. We placed several students in accounting internships this year at employers such as Beall Barclay, Arkansas Best, Rheem, and Baldor.

We are quite pleased with the caliber of the learning experiences our students are exposed to through these internship positions.

• Dr. Latisha Settlage took 23 students to the State PBL Conference and, for the first time ever,

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all students qualified to go to the National competition in June. Of those who qualified, 14 will be attending the national convention in Orlando this summer. It should be a great trip once again.

• We received approval for several new courses in Finance this past year in anticipation of the inclusion of a major in Finance after we receive accreditation.

These new courses include Financial Statement Analysis, Capital Budgeting, Management of Financial Institutions, and Principles of Portfolio Management. These courses will be worked into the rotation of courses currently offered in our department.

• We received approval to hire another economics faculty member late in the spring and we have been working to identify a strong candidate to bring to campus for the fall.

As you can see, we all have been busy and making a difference at the University. Our primary emphasis continues to be on delivering excellent classroom instruction; however, our work on scholarship and service is important as well. It is truly a joy to work with the faculty in this department and I consider myself lucky to be serving as their department chair.

uafs.edu/cob

Beyond Business Casual?

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n September, College of Business faculty members put on a “fashion” show for students with the first annual What Not to Wear in Business event.

Last summer, Internship Coordinator Julie Wright and then-intern Kristen Garrett met to discuss their fall semester marketing strategy for the Internship Program. During their meeting a faculty member stopped in to share an “interview horror story” concerning unprofessional dress, and Kristen was inspired: “It’s what NOT to wear in business!” Professor Wright remembers: “Once the idea took root, we ran with it and tried to recreate the TLC show ‘What Not to Wear’ – COB style. We wanted the students to have fun while also getting the message out that there are certain expectations in interview attire. At this point, we were inspired to have the faculty dress in what NOT to wear while the students dressed in what TO wear. Once the faculty got started, it really got fun and hilarious!”

The end result was an event hosted by Kristen Garrett (BBA, 2010) and Ashton Peters, (BBA, 2011) and concluded by Gina Bowen, Human Resources specialist at Whirlpool, who shared tips and techniques for a great interview and impressing employers. Phi Beta Lambda and the First Bank Corp Student Leadership Council members modeled interview-appropriate attire, Phi Beta Lambda and the Business Society had information available about their organizations and how to join, and the Business Society provided snacks for attendees.

For those who missed the fun the first time around, the second annual What Not to Wear in Business will be held on September 14 at 1:00 p.m., in the Latture Conference Room.

Dr. Dan Settlage Associate Professor of Economics

Students (from right to left) Ashton Peters, and Kristen Garrett, and Margie Ramsey (far left) advise Dr. Amelia Baldwin, Pendergraft Professor of Accounting (2nd from left) about what not to wear to a job interview.

Students Tyler Lamon (left) and Ashton Peters (far right) give fashion advice to Professor Bob Sell (center).

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Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

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usiness students from UAFS got a chance to play a version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” — complete with audience lifeline — as part of the second First Bank Corp. Collegiate Ambassador Board Spring Event on March 1.

The game was hosted by Dr. Jim Beard, chair of the Business Administration Department, and emceed

by Randy Briggs, who is a Collegiate Ambassador member.

More than 100 students attended the two-hour event.

Briggs outlined the purpose of the activity for those attending.

“We are here for three things — to learn about money management and personal finance, to introduce you to the people and services of First National Bank, and to send one lucky winner home with a brand new

Apple iPad,” said Briggs.

Accounting student Emily Robinson won the iPad. Dr. Steve Williams, dean,

believes students benefited

from what took place during

the activities.

“The purpose of the annual Collegiate Ambassador Board event is to educate and inform UAFS students about fiscal responsibility and personal finance,” said Williams.

He said the event allows current business students to begin thinking about becoming financially responsible.

“First Bank Corp. supplied the expertise and the Collegiate Ambassador Board supplied the entertainment,” said Williams.

“The combination provided students with an informative and educational experience to start them down the road to understanding personal financial responsibility.”

First Bank Corp. executive vice president Sam T. Sicard agreed.

“Brooke Moreton, who is adviser for the Collegiate Ambassador Board, and the Collegiate Ambassador Board members all did a great job,” said Sicard. “I think the spring event was a smashing success.” Moreton is head of the Agriculture Lending Department at First National Bank.

Keynote speaker Kim Snipes, vice president of auditing at First National Bank, offered recommendations and advice to students to encourage and enhance their financial responsibility.

First Bank Corp. sponsored booths with information, giveaways, and hot dogs. The iPad door prize was donated by Taco Bell through Fred Williams of the Williams Crawford and Associates advertising agency.

The mission of the Collegiate Ambassadors Board is to educate students on departments and activities within a financial institution, provide students opportunities to serve on advisory boards at financial institutions, and to allow students to gain insight and provide feedback on the bank’s marketing strategies. Board members are selected by the bank through an application process and serve one-year terms.

Emily Robinson, iPad winner

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uafs.edu/cob

Alumni Offer Career Advice at Roundtable Conference

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t the Student/Alumni Roundtable Conference in April, eleven College of Business alumni returned to campus to share with students their experiences in transitioning from classroom to career. Students heard first-hand accounts of alumni overcoming hurdles in today’s tough labor market to find their current jobs.

Sponsored by the College of Business Student/ Alumni Committee, the event attracted more than 60 participants. Dr. Latisha Settlage, committee chair, was impressed by the level of student participation. “The purpose of the roundtable event is to engage students — both current and past — in the College and also to develop productive networking relationships between these groups,” Settlage said.

Participating alumni included Jayson Arendall, Trenchless Technologies, LLC; Dallas Haas, MHC Truck Leasing; Anas Ben Salah, Golden Living; Michele Delawder, Cancer Support Foundation; Brock Holland, UAFS; Brice Jones, Air Compressor Equipment Co.; Katie Kratzberg, UAFS; Kristi Olienyk, BKD, LLP; Kim Snipes, First National Bank of Fort Smith; Anthony Tahan, Arvest Bank; and Linda Williams, First National Bank of Fort Smith.

According to Dr. Steve Williams, dean of the College of Business, “Recent alumni are our best advocates for the quality of the education students receive at UAFS, and our current students are fortunate to be able to learn the secrets of success from these emerging business leaders.”

A Successful First Year for Chancellor Beran’s Strategic Plan In August 2010, Chancellor Paul B. Beran rolled out a five-year strategic plan for the University of Arkansas Fort Smith. The first-year efforts at achieving the goals set out by the plan point to an exciting future for our students. Designed to meet and enhance the UAFS mission, the strategic plan’s six pillars are: • Developing as a center for intellectual, artistic, social, and cultural advancement.

• Leading in the innovative use of technology.

• Maximizing citizenship and real-world work application experiences.

• Continuing to seek and steward resources.

• Promoting global learning initiatives.

• Solidifying and expanding UAFS’s position as a primary contributor to economic development.

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Faculty Spotlight

Jim Beard, Ph.D., SPHR

D

r. Jim Beard joined the College of Business during the early days of growth in 2003 and remembers, “We started out with no departmental chairs, approximately ten full-time faculty members, 900 business students, and two majors: Business Administration and Accounting. So, building a faculty base was our first order of priority. We actively recruited people with considerable experience in realworld business who had also earned doctorates, because we weren’t just hiring faculty, we were looking for the founding faculty to help us build a brand new business school.”

Dr. Beard’s own background provides an example of the founding faculty profile. Before becoming an academic, he was a radio air personality, program director, and operations director in the broadcasting industry during the 1970s and early 1980s. Following his broadcasting career, Dr. Beard was recruited into the advertising and public relations industry and quickly rose to vice president at a top Northwest Arkansas firm. “As an ad exec, I was often asked to guest-lecture to marketing classes at the University of Arkansas – Fayetteville, and I discovered that I loved it,” Dr. Beard explains. “That’s when I decided to complete the doctorate, and become a college professor.

The risk was high, given that I had reached my forties, but this was something I just knew I had to do.”

a major merger, and this was an opportunity to help their managers become better prepared to successfully navigate and lead through the new dynamic environment of change.” The merger was successful, and in late 2002 Dr. Beard received a phone call that brought him back to university teaching.

Dr. Beard earned his Ph.D. in Communication Studies at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and then joined the faculty at the University of Arkansas – Fayetteville as the director of the Fundamentals of Communication Program in 1995, where he led 20 faculty members and graduate students in delivering over 40 sections of the foundational course in oral, interpersonal, and organizational communication.

“Westark Community College had recently become UA Fort Smith, and my wife was teaching anthropology there…and loved it. The business dean called and asked me if I was interested in helping him build a new business school.

This was literally an opportunity of a lifetime, so I signed up…and I’m still here eight years later.” An Associate Professor of Management, Dr. Beard is certified as Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). He teaches courses in business communications, human resource management, organizational behavior, leadership, and business ethics.

Five years later, Dr. Beard was recruited by one of his consulting clients, Tyson Foods, Inc., to join the company full time and develop curricula for their management training program. Dr. Beard remembers, “I was reluctant to leave the university environment, but Tyson’s corporate culture was undergoing a significant transformation with

Dr. Beard was promoted to Chair of the Department of Business Administration in July of 2009, overseeing the majors in Business Administration and Marketing. “I’m blessed with outstanding faculty and motivated students.

And the support from the dean, provost, chancellor, and business community — including alumni — is incredible!”

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uafs.edu/cob

New Faculty Spotlight

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his year, Dr. Amelia Baldwin joined the faculty in the College of Business as the Neal Pendergraft Professor of Accounting.

She came to us from the University of Alabama in Huntsville where she had taught since 2006. Dr. Baldwin earned her Ph.D. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1991 and she also holds a Masters in Accountancy from Auburn University.

Dr. Baldwin has held faculty positions at Eastern Michigan University, Florida International, and the University of Alabama – Tuscaloosa. Currently, she is teaching Cost Accounting, Advanced Cost Accounting, and Managerial Accounting.

Dr. Baldwin cares deeply about the students and wants to see them succeed in the Accounting field. She commented recently that: “Accounting isn’t just about numbers, it’s about people. Therefore, I try to instill in students a need to understand more than the numbers, including human behavior and qualitative considerations in any given situation. I also want students to see the bigger picture.

I sometimes mention historical facts about tangential issues to remind students to think more broadly than the details of the exercises or problems they are trying to solve. I want to help them develop problem-solving skills that will enable them in the future to handle new unforeseen issues and situations and not just be number crunchers.”

Dr. Baldwin is also very active in research, with approximately 45 refereed journal articles already published and numerous other projects in process.

She has two main research streams. She studies the impact of emerging technologies, such as expert systems, the internet, and XBRL on accounting and business situations. The second set of research focuses on understanding the labor market for accounting professors. Unlike almost every other academic discipline (and many professions) in the current economic environment, academic accountants are in very short supply but increasingly high demand. She has spent several years creating a multi-dimensional database on this labor market. These projects are likely to keep her busy for some time to come.

Dr. Amelia Baldwin

Neal Pendergraft Professor of Accounting

When not working, Dr. Baldwin enjoys swimming and biking. She pursues these interests in the same way she does everything else – full speed ahead. She has completed triathlons and aqua bike events in the name of “fun” and to help raise money for charities such as the Leukemia and Lymphoma Societies.

Her longest swim this year was just over 4 miles and she has done one bike ride of 100 miles some time ago. Dr. Baldwin spends many weekends a year officiating at local and national bike races. She has already gotten involved in officiating bike races in Arkansas.

Dr. Baldwin is also doing her part for the environment; she and her husband choose to have one car so on most days she rides her bike or takes the bus to work.

Dr. Baldwin has been a great addition to our college and her enthusiasm for life is infectious. She is full of energy and has made great contributions to life in the College of Business at UAFS. Please join me in welcoming her to campus.

University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Alumni Association

Save the date! October 14 -15, 2011 For more information or for a registration packet, please contact Dr. Latisha Settlage or Elizabeth Underwood at: (800) 532-9094, or email alumni@uafs.edu.

uafsalumni.com

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Adjunct Faculty Spotlight

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ohn Taylor, senior vice president of the brokerage firm Sterne Agee and Leach Inc., joined the ranks of adjunct faculty in the College of Business for the spring 2011 semester. John lent his expertise to students in our college by teaching a section of a new course in Personal Finance. In this class, students learn about topics such as savings and investment planning, personal budgeting and prudent use of credit to name of few. Taylor is very committed to the notion of financial literacy and his actions on and off campus demonstrate that commitment.

John Taylor is a natural born educator and he regularly conducts seminars and has a daily radio segment with local talk radio KFPW. He also writes a weekly column on personal financial planning for the “Times Record.”

Mr. Taylor has made several presentations to interested parties on campus and in the community regarding issues such as tax law changes and health care reform.

John is incredibly knowledgeable and works very hard to inform others of important issues that affect their financial well-being.

John Taylor currently serves as the treasurer for the UA Fort Smith Foundation board, is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and holds the Personal Financial Specialist (PFS) designation from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). He is also a Certified Financial Planner (CFP). Based on his experience and expertise, John has also taught continuing education programs in numerous states through the AICPA.

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John Taylor Adjunct Faculty

Taylor received a bachelor’s degree in accounting and graduated with honors from Henderson State University in 1973. He then moved to Fort Smith and he co-founded a CPA firm here in 1978. In October 1995, Taylor and two partners founded the John R. Taylor Financial Group Inc., a broker/ dealer and investment advisory firm.

This group merged with Stern Agee in Fall 2000 and he is still part of that combined firm.

More recently, John became involved with the Dean’s Leadership Council for the College of Business. This group consists of business leaders from the region that provide information and insight into the needs of the business community to the Dean of the College of Business. As a member of this council, John has made several presentations to our student body. For example, he was the keynote speaker at the first “Back to Business” event last fall. In that speech, he provided students and other council members with his advice on how to be successful in business today.

We hope to involve Taylor in upper level classes in the future as a speaker where his expertise is relevant. For example, Dr. Latisha Settlage hopes to have him visit her Money, Banking and Financial Institutions class this fall. John is a very busy individual yet he enjoys meaningful interaction with students in and out of class.

He is someone the students look up to and they are always interested in what he has to say. We can always count on John Taylor to leave our students with a message that can make a difference in their lives.

uafs.edu/cob

Meet Rachel Solley, Alumnus

R

achel Solley (BSBA, Class of 2006) is very good at maximizing an experience.

Most college students are happy just to attain a degree, but not Rachel! Not only did she participate in the inaugural Chancellor’s Leadership Council Scholarship Program, she was also involved with University Ambassadors, Student Senate, Student Activities, and Baptist Collegiate Ministry.

Upon graduating in May of 2006, she relocated to Chicago and began working for ABF Freight System, Inc. as a Management Trainee. Within just a few months, she was promoted to Field Account Manager.

Last February she was promoted to Branch Manager of ABF’s La Salle, Illinois terminal. Of ABF’s 280 terminals, 13 are managed by women, and Rachel is currently the youngest female branch manager in the entire company. “I have the challenging joy of growing retained accounts and bringing on new business …

I learned many skills from the College of Business that I currently use in my job as a Branch Manager.”

Even outside of her career, Rachel keeps busy maximizing the experience of living in Chicago. She enjoys visiting the Theatre District, hanging out at North Avenue Beach on Lake Michigan, and supporting the many local sports teams. She also invests a large amount of time volunteering and working with her local church, Willow Creek, as part of the Generation Axis ministry. Through Willow Creek Rachel became aware

of an organization called World Vision, a humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children and their families to eradicate poverty and injustice, which has become one of her biggest passions — she ran the 2009 Chicago Marathon as a charity runner for World Vision.

Although she loves living in Chicago, Rachel still enjoys coming back home to Fort Smith and spending time with all her friends and family here. As she says, “I firmly agree with the saying, ‘There is no place like home.’”

MAYMESTER – China and Dallas, TX

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Student Spotlight

A

t first glance, William “Tyler” Lamon appears to be an average UAFS student, but it doesn’t take long to realize just how far above average he actually is.

Over the course of his college career Lamon was a member of Phi Beta Lamda, winning 2nd place in Impromptu Speaking at the PBL State Leadership Conference, and a member of the First Bank Corp Collegiate Ambassador Board.

He helped to develop the Student Alumni Association, one of UAFS’s largest recognized student organizations, and served on its first-ever board of directors.

He became a member of the College of Business’ Student Leadership Council in March 2010 and was elected its president in October 2010. Additionally, he was inducted into Sigma Beta Delta, an international Honor Society for Business, Management, and Administration, and received the College of Business’ Student Leadership award in Spring 2011, and he accomplished all this while earning a degree in Business Administration and maintaining a 3.4 GPA. Lamon has one thing to thank for his accomplishments: “My determination. I did my best to keep up motivation,

William “Tyler” Lamon and complete anything I started. Some might say I have too much confidence, or that I’m hard-headed; but my determination is what has helped me accomplish so much.”

That determination was put to good use in Lamon’s position as the Center for Business Research and Economic Development’s Student Assistant in his last year of college. Working under Dr. Kermit Kuehn, Lamon made Monthly Economic Indicator publications, conducted research for the quarterly Fort Smith Regional Economic Outlook Report, and administered the area Consumer Confidence Survey. Says Lamon, “This was an outstanding experience. I learned more computer skills than I ever wanted to know, I grew an awareness for the value and benefits of networking, and I worked around a lot of great people.”

As for what’s next now that he’s graduted, Lamon naturally already has a plan: in June he started working as a teller at First National Bank, with the intention of moving into their management training program; after he receives his MBA he’d like to have a management role within the First Bank Corp.

CBRED Holds Inaugural Regional Economic Outlook Forum The UAFS Center for Business Research and Economic Development (CBRED) held its first Fort Smith Regional Economic Outlook Forum on Dec. 10, to coincide with the release of the third quarter Fort Smith Regional Economic Outlook Report. The Forum and the Outlook Report were both sponsored by Arvest Bank.

Dr. Kermit Kuehn, Professor of Entrepreneurship, was joined by Kathy Deck, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research in the Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, to review the latest data on the national, state and regional economy, as well as highlights from the third quarter report. Copies of the report were made available to forum participants.

Dr. Kermit Kuehn

Arvest Bank president Craig Rivaldo said that Arvest is pleased to partner with UAFS on the quarterly economic report and bring the information to the public in an open forum.

“The information provided is so valuable to the business community, and we’re happy we can help support the University’s efforts in this,” said Rivaldo.

The semi-annual forum was part of the agreement signed with Arvest in July 2010 to sponsor the quarterly report, according to Kuehn.

Kuehn said, “Arvest’s support of the quarterly report and their desire to make this information available to as wide an audience as possible fit well with our goals at CBRED. The forums are a key part of this community outreach.”

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uafs.edu/cob

From the Editor Portfolio is an annual publication presented by the UAFS College of Business, the purpose of which is to keep alumni and friends of the College informed of our activities. Each issue showcases activities of the College and its faculty, students, and alumni.

We are always interested in hearing about the accomplishments of our alumni and friends! If you’d like to share yours, you may email your information to colbus@uafs.edu.

Have a great year!

Sarah Woods Editor, Portfolio Magazine

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