FALL 2017
Business: A savvy path to success in medicine
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School of Business WALLA WALLA UNIVERSITY
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School of Business Message from the dean
Bruce Toews, interim dean of the School of Business
This is my 27th year in Christian higher education, and at least 27 times I’ve asked myself:
Is the cost of a private, faith-based education worth it?
Each time (so far), the answer has been a resounding “yes.” In this annual report, you’ll find some reasons why I’m still convinced. Stellar results on the Major Field Test indicate that our students are learning business concepts exceptionally well. Our hands-on, projectbased approach fosters relevant learning and provides a valuable community service. Faculty qualifications are strong and getting stronger. The quality of instruction and advising is highly rated by students. Our business accreditation allows B.B.A. and B.A. students to have confidence that their degrees meet international standards of excellence. More than 95 percent of graduates are placed in jobs or graduate schools within a year of graduation. Our mandatory internship program helps interns build strong résumés and create valuable relationships with employers. The career development program is set to get even stronger with a new full-time position in employer relations. A vibrant social life exists on campus. Our students incur less student loan debt and have fewer loan defaults than the national average, indicating that their loans are manageable. Finally, we are very intentional about integrating faith and learning and our students pledge to adhere to the highest levels of integrity and professionalism. Others are convinced that WWU is worth it, too, as evidenced by a 34 percent growth in business major and minor enrollment during the last five years. Many generous donors who believe in our future have invested in the remodel of Bowers Hall. I’m convinced now, more than ever, that a business education at WWU is worth every penny. 2 BUSI.2017.SofB Annual Report Newsletter.indd 2
Business Club improv event builds communication skills The WWU Business Club collaborated last spring with an improvisation team from Walla Walla to host an event titled “How to Fail at Your First Job.” The presentation focused on the importance of workplace professionalism and continuous preparation for any career, including ideas for what to put on a résumé, how to prepare for an interview, and what to do on your first day of work. The improv team interacted with the audience to create authentic scenarios on these topics. “The best part about the evening was how much we got the audience involved, which I think was a different vibe for the students,” said Brandon Patchett, 2016-17 Business Club president and 2017 graduate with a bachelor of business administration degree. “Generally, students come expecting to sit and listen to a speaker, maybe take a few notes, and possibly brave a question. We wanted every single individual to be involved throughout the evening, and that’s what made it better overall.” The Business Club is sponsored by the School of Business, but it is not an exclusive club. Students from all majors are encouraged to join. Last school year the club had over 660 members. Club events often give members a chance to experience the Walla Walla Valley in different ways. Last year, the club teamed up with Starbucks to host an After Hours event in which the Starbucks on Main Street in Walla Walla was opened after closing time for Business Club members to socialize and study while also getting free drinks. The Business Club has also carried on some great traditions, including movie premieres and free Worm Ranch burritos. The club plans events that allow students to build lifelong relationships with other students and with faculty and business professionals. It brings in employers, professors, and alumni to share their experiences in the world of business and to encourage students to prepare for the professional challenges that come after their degrees are complete.
Business seniors score in 96th percentile on MFT Seniors in the WWU School of Business scored in the 96th percentile on the Major Field Test in business in 2016 and 2015. (Scores for 2017 have not yet been received.) A score in the 96th percentile means that WWU business seniors, as a group, scored higher than 96 percent of the 602 business schools who took the test. Nearly 109,000 students participated in this exam in 2016. The MFT is administered by the Educational Testing Service, which also administers the percentile Graduate Record Exam over last decade and other standardized exams. The MFT takes two hours to complete and tests seniors on how much they know about accounting, economics, finance, management, marketing, business law, quantitative analysis, information systems, and international business. Over the last decade, the average WWU percentile on this test was 91, which is far above the average at most denominational and other peer business schools. These test results clearly indicate that WWU business students are learning core business concepts exceptionally well.
91st
Attoh defends doctoral dissertation Johanna Attoh, assistant professor of economics, successfully defended her doctoral dissertation, titled “Three Essays Assessing Global Value Chain Fragmentation on International Trade Using the World Input-Output Database,” in which she explores how fragmented supply chains impact international trade. Attoh’s doctorate in economics from Western Michigan University rounds out her academic qualifications of a bachelor’s degree from the National University of Costa Rica and a master’s degree from East Carolina University. Attoh joined the WWU business faculty in 2014. She teaches classes that include Macroeconomics, International Trade and Finance, and Comparative Economic Development.
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Taruwinga joins business faculty The WWU School of Business has a new professor on the team. Patience Taruwinga, entrepreneur and owner of Geek Investments LLC, has relocated from Lafayette, Indiana, to join the business faculty as associate professor of business. “I’m overjoyed to be a part of an environment that openly confesses Christ,” Taruwinga says. “The following quote from E. G. White’s writings influenced my decision to be here. ‘True education means more than the perusal of a certain course of study. It means more than a preparation for the life that now is. It has to do with the whole being, and with the whole period of existence possible to man. It is the harmonious development of the physical, the mental, and the spiritual powers. It prepares the student for the joy of service in this world and for the higher joy of wider service in the world to come’ (Education, p. 13). “As an entrepreneur and business owner, I find it rewarding to help students establish that connection between theory and the real business world,” he says. His favorite subjects to teach are management and international business. Outside of teaching, Taruwinga participates in prison ministries and enjoys singing and fishing. Prior to joining the WWU faculty, Taruwinga
Business faculty recognized for outstanding achievements was an assistant professor of business administration at St. Joseph’s College and an adjunct faculty member at Ivy Tech College and Indiana University in South Bend, Indiana. He has a doctorate in business leadership from the University of South Africa, a master’s degree in management information technology, a master of business administration degree from Indiana University South Bend, and a bachelor’s degree in statistics from the University of Zimbabwe. His company, Geek Investments LLC, specializes in the export of construction equipment from the United States, Canada, and China to countries in Africa. He would like his students to know that virtually nothing is impossible if you have faith and if you put your mind to it and maintain a positive attitude.
WWU hosts first annual design and innovation event The first annual WWU Collaborative Innovation Laboratory, or CoLab Scrum, was held during the 2016-17 school year. The Scrum was a design and innovation event where student teams representing a variety of majors presented new, marketable, and patentable ideas to a panel of judges who offered feedback and ideas for improvements. The Scrum was a collaborative effort of the Department of Technology, the School of
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Engineering, the Department of Computer Science, and the School of Business. The panel of judges was comprised of community members and faculty with experience in communications, journalism, fine art, physics, engineering, and business. The innovations presented included a child-friendly stethoscope, a new 3-D printer design, and a special backpack device for people who pick tea leaves.
Two School of Business faculty received awards at the annual WWU Awards CommUnity last spring. Bruce Toews, associate professor of business and interim dean of the School of Business, received the School of Business Excellence in Teaching Award, which is given in recognition of outstanding teaching, mentoring, and advising. Steven VanOrden, assistant professor of business, received the Walla Walla University Excellence in Advising award. The recipient of this award demonstrates a holistic approach to advising, which supports students academically, spiritually, professionally, and personally. Award nominations are submitted by students and colleagues. Recipients are selected by the Faculty Awards Committee. Along with recognition of their hard work and exceptional achievements, award recipients receive a plaque and a monetary award. Over the last decade, School of Business faculty have received more than a dozen institutional and national awards in teaching, advising, research, and community service.
Investment banker Bethany Logan Ropa ’06 presented a colloquium at WWU on Nov. 6 at 7 p.m.3 10/25/17 11:48 AM
Good business A 2015 business graduate shares why undergraduate business study is a savvy path to success in medicine by Timothy Barbosa, third year medical student
Business and medicine—truly a complex relationship. As a Walla Walla University graduate in business administration, I walk the halls of medical school as a minority. Surrounded by peers educated in the sciences, my first year was a constant reminder that all too often business and medicine are treated as two separate endeavors. Yet what some might see as a challenge, I discovered to be an advantage.
It quickly became apparent that the two fields can appear to be very different or even at odds. Medicine prioritizes the scientific method to treat illness, supported by the pillars of ethics and literature. Business is focused on efficiency and growth, sometimes turning patients into numbers and evaluating care by cost. Friction is easy to find, but the relationship is inescapable. Many physicians face frustration and even burnout for that very reason.
An unlikely partnership So how is a background in business an opportunity in medicine? In more ways than I could have imagined. Here are a few things that I’ve already discovered. I’ve found that understanding what’s going 4 BUSI.2017.SofB Annual Report Newsletter.indd 4
on with both sides gives me the opportunity to make more informed decisions and to maintain composure when friction arises. I believe this may be one of the stronger tools in the future of fighting physician burnout. There is currently a big shift in medical school curriculums toward integrating teambased education and cooperation. Medicine as an effective practice is a hugely cooperative effort, never individual. Hardly any other undergraduate degree emphasizes experience in teams or the opportunities to learn from them. This happens regularly at WWU in business study. Perhaps truer today than ever, health care is an ever-changing, complex landscape that is defined by a love triangle between provider, patient, and payer. Providers are medical professionals, patients are anyone unwell, and payers are our friends the insurers. An unfortunate reality of health care is that often it comes down to physicians trying to balance their practice in medicine with managing the relationship between payers and patients. These relationships are comparable to those essential to success in business. Navigating and negotiating relationships are skillsets better found in a business education. Healthcare legislation is a big deal. Government regulation is changing at an
accelerating pace on both state and federal levels. With my background in business, I feel better able to keep up with and understand their impact. Contracts, medical licensing, and continuing medical education are all constant parts of being a physician. I already know that I will be better prepared to handle these with less anguish! This is another valuable tool to combat burnout with business education. Malpractice is the big bad bully in medicine. With tort law in its current state, chances are low that any physician will escape lawsuits in their career. Compared to my colleagues with science-based degrees, I feel better prepared to understand legal duty, the concept of malpractice, and the process of defense. Being prepared to handle litigation is an underemphasized skill to hone—a skill on my radar thanks to numerous hours studying business law.
From learner to leader Leadership experience on teams and with projects is crucial to medical practice. Whether used in directing an entire operating room or running a code to bring back a heartbeat, effective management of people and processes is huge. Even though practicing for these scenarios has been an intense test of my team management skills, I feel prepared and excited to put my skills to use.
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Business degrees prepare learners to be leaders. Medical schools and residencies that are not intensely focused on research like to recruit future physicians who will be influential. Many healthcare administrators and political leaders launch from medical careers. I look forward to entertaining the idea when the time comes! Business students traditionally have more time to invest in extracurricular projects, work experience, and shadowing—all of which are critical not only to getting into medical school, but also into residency programs down the road. Being a well-rounded person combined with leadership and personal interests are things that medical programs look for in future alumni. Having extra time to discover my interests was great in undergrad, and it was fun too! Each patient interaction might as well be a SWOT analysis followed by a strategic plan. So far, while rotating on different services, I have had the opportunity to practice my project management skills with varying teams of professionals. We determine goals, evaluate and pursue therapies based on the concept of cost-benefit analysis, establish timelines, plan contingencies, manage consulting professionals, and much more. Every single patient I encounter is approached as a project.
They are my patient, and I am their project manager. This is not an analogy; this is reality! This next benefit is very important. As a practitioner, I know I will be tasked with empathy. Part of delivering medical care is helping patients understand their circumstances, opportunities, and roles in treatments. Building solid communication and interpersonal skills is emphasized in business education. Discovering people’s motivations and targeting them for their own well-being is an everyday part of practicing medicine.
Developing policies Extracurriculars are no longer just for applying to medical school! Residency positions, especially competitive ones, are getting harder to secure. Cornerstones that build a desirable candidate out of medical school are board scores, evaluations, research experience, and extracurriculars. Involvement in healthcare policy and leadership is attractive and unique to a minority of medical students. As a business graduate, I have already been privileged to serve in several positions. I am the elected Loma Linda University School of Medicine (LLUSM) delegate to the American Medical Association Medical
School Section (AMA-MSS). As delegate, I act as a bridge between the AMA-MSS and the LLUSM student body and have authored current AMA policies. In this role, I have also thrice been appointed on the AMA-MSS Parliamentary Procedures Committee and been honored to serve on the AMA-MSS Committee for Long-Range Planning. I also represent the interests of the American Medical Association Foundation, the nonprofit branch of the AMA. Additionally, I have been elected to serve as the LLUSM student delegation to the California Medical Association. In this role, I have worked on developing policies and lobbying at the state Capitol for meaningful change for healthcare in California. Due to my experience in policy and representation, I was nominated to the Board of Directors of the San Bernardino County Medical Society, influencing change at the most local level. Many if not all of these accomplishments can be attributed to skills and perspectives gained from business. I am a firm believer in the business-based medical professional, and I will continue to advocate it as a path to success in medicine. Medical science will forever be foundational to practicing medicine. Practicing medicine well, however, takes a savvy for the essentials of business.
“Having a business degree gives me the knowledge I would need if I open my own clinic, making it so I don’t have to hire extra people to do things I already know how to do.” —Jonathan Evans, 2015 WWU business graduate, third year medical student
“I remember from business communications that things like the ‘elevator speech’ (med school calls it a personal statement), the CV, and interview skills are at times more important than what grade you received on a test.” —Jonathan Gaskill, M.D., 2013 WWU business graduate, first year family medicine resident
“This week my attending physician was a chair of a department and is involved every day in his work with systems management, designing and maintaining the methods for how this hospital gets paid and stays profitable. Every day he brings up topics, and I feel I’ve been able to understand these conversations better given my business education.” —Michael Woodruff, 2013 WWU business graduate, fourth year medical student
Seven WWU business graduates are currently in medical school at the Loma Linda University School of Medicine. Front row: Michael Woodruff, 2013; Tim Barbosa, 2015; Alyssa Seibold, 2014. Back row: Zachary Gilbert, 2014; Jonathan Evans, 2015; Michael Carter, 2013; Jonathan Gaskill, 2013.
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Bowers Hall to re-emerge stronger, smarter Some things just get better with age, and Walla Walla University’s 92-year-old Bowers Hall is one of them. On December 7—the university’s 125th birthday—Bowers Hall will re-open after a year of extensive renovation, once again housing WWU’s growing School of Business. “This was a major project; almost every square inch of Bowers has been completely updated,” says George Bennett, WWU director of facility services. “Our first step was to make sure this renovation was a smart investment, given the building’s age. But our engineers said Bowers was in good shape and able to take on improvements that will continue to serve the university well into the future.”
Older but smarter
One of three vital projects funded by the university’s Life.Changing. Campaign, the yearlong Bowers Hall Renovation Project has affected the entire building. More than 3,000 square feet were added to the original hall, primarily extending the building’s footprint to the south toward Kretschmar Hall. Custom two-story windows welcome students through new entrances and into a light-filled, professional atrium space equipped for gathering and studying. To support the program’s hands-on approach to learning, all classrooms were reorganized to provide flexible learning labs for a collaborative, project-based curriculum. Faculty offices are now deliberately located adjacent to study areas to enhance out-of-classroom interaction between students and faculty. Four professional spaces—much like conference or board rooms in larger businesses—offer much-needed meeting and study space for students and friends of the School of Business. Bowers Hall isn’t just bigger and newer inside, it’s smarter, too. Every space includes the latest technology and ready access to online resources. Classrooms and study areas feature built-in connections and monitors so professors and students can easily connect their devices to share spreadsheets, presentations, research, and other materials, either with an entire classroom or in smaller groups.
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“These improvements were very carefully planned, and they have already influenced how our professors prepare for classroom learning,” says Bruce Toews, interim dean of the School of Business. “The tools and spaces now available to us rival any professional space, and we’re excited to take full advantage of the space starting in winter quarter this January.”
A smart investment
Expanding WWU’s School of Business program is a university priority, says John McVay, Walla Walla University president. “The School of Business is already one of our largest programs, and growing it is of strategic importance to the university. This investment in Bowers Hall matches the excellence of the education we already offer and will help us better prepare students to be ethical, successful leaders who carry Walla Walla University’s core values into the business world.” Generous donors provided $4 million in funding for the renovation, McVay adds, signaling their appreciation for how Bowers Hall has served them in the past and also their interest in preparing students for the future. “We’re so grateful to the donors who partnered with us, and we look forward to seeing return on their investment as we send skilled graduates into the workplace,” says McVay.
Dec. 7 grand re-opening
“It’s fitting that our oldest and one of our dearest buildings has been refreshed and will re-open on the university’s 125th birthday,” says Jodi Wagner, vice president for University Relations and Advancement. A public reception in the new Bowers Hall will be held Thursday, Dec. 7, at noon, as part of the university’s birthday celebration. Other university activities that day include a morning birthday commemoration, parade, Christmas tree lighting, and fireworks celebrations with the City of College Place in the evening. “We hope our alumni and friends will drop by to celebrate this new chapter for a treasured hall,” says Wagner. “Walla Walla University has been blessed for these 125 years, and we’re doubly blessed that Bowers Hall will continue to be part of the university’s mission for years to come.”
Learn more about the Life.Changing. Campaign and the Bowers Hall project at wallawalla.edu/bowers-hall.
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WWU core themes realized through business project-based learning During spring quarter 2017, 23 students received project management certificates at the WWU School of Business awards ceremony. The requirements for this certificate include the completion of the Project Management class and four real-world projects in which students demonstrate competencies in initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing projects. The Project Management class is just one of several business classes offered at WWU that include a project-based learning component. Other real-world projects are completed in business classes such as Strategic Management, Market Research Methods, Marketing Management, Principles of Advertising, Global Management and Marketing, and Public Relations. These projects often involve consulting for Walla Walla-area businesses and organizations. During the last four years, students in Strategic Management class alone have put together
more than a dozen 60- to 120-page strategic a bachelor of business administration degree, plans for local organizations, including a says, “The project-based classroom at WWU healthcare clinic, a dental practice, a local farm, gave me real-life experience that equipped me the WWU School of Business, and the local for the transition from academic to corporate YMCA. Students in Market Research Methods life. Mastery of project management skills comes class conducted market research for local from experience—lots of experience. The many organizations, including a hospital, an internet projects I completed at WWU gave me that basic service company, and experience on which to a pharmacy. The project-based classroom grow.” “Students see value at WWU gave me real-life Another graduate in these projects from the School of experience that equipped because academic Business, Daniel concepts are actively me for the transition from Howard, 2015 graduate applied through academic to corporate life. with a bachelor of hands-on learning business administration – Lauren Resler experiences,” says degree, says, “In my Steven VanOrden, senior year, my teams assistant professor of business. “A completed produced and presented over 300 pages of project is also a great addition to one’s resume.” plans, reports, research, and copy, not counting Lauren Resler Gilbert, 2014 graduate with the dozens of extensive spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations that went along with those projects. I never felt overwhelmed by the scope of the projects we were completing; I thought it was the normal college experience. Now that I’m working on similar projects with my graduate-level colleagues I’ve found that this isn’t the norm at all, and tasks that I regard as commonplace often overwhelm and frustrate students who spent their undergrad at much more ‘prestigious’—and expensive—programs.” VanOrden says his students also appreciate knowing their hard work is making a difference in the community. He says, “Project-based learning has been beneficial to students, professors, and more importantly the community by actively fulfilling our commitment to excellence in thought, generosity in service, beauty in expression, and faith in God.”
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Students who received project management certificates in 2017: (Top) Mareliza DeJesus, Cody Angevine, Jake Nasholts, Ethan Osias, Jordan Couch, Jonathan Trautwein, and Chad Torkelsen. (Right) Isaac Eatherton, Maxine Iehsi, Jake Hanson, Erick Juarez, Nicholas Carlson, Kari Gomez, Allison Dortch, Renee Titus, and Krishawn Woodbury.
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NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID WALLA WALLA UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS (509) 527-2951 204 S. College Ave. College Place, WA 99324 busnschool@wallawalla.edu RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
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Entrepreneurs collaborate at CoLab Scrum p. 3
By the numbers
1900 The year the first diploma in business was awarded at WWU as a “commercial” diploma.
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2,958
The number of students who have completed a major in a businessrelated area at WWU.
533
The number of students who have completed a minor in a business-related area at WWU. (Of the 533 minors, 349 have been awarded since 1990).
1924 The year the first bachelor’s degree with a major in business was awarded to a student at WWU. (He also completed a major in history.)
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