
Herd Business
Marshall University Lewis College of Business
Alumni & Friends Newsletter
Volume 1, Issue 3 | July 2018 | Huntington, WV
Editor: Glen Midkiff
Director of the Center for Stakeholder Engagement
Email: lcob@marshall.edu
Website: marshall.edu/cob
Location: 1 John Marshall Drive, Huntington, WV, United States
Phone: 304-696-2361
Facebook: facebook.com/herdbusiness
Twitter: @herdbusiness
From the Desk of the Dean
As we return from the summer and usher in the new academic year, I wish to take this opportunity to welcome you all back to the Lewis College of Business. The start of the year is always a special time on our campus, with new students and faculty, new relationships, new initiatives and exciting conversations. We are fortunate to welcome six new full time faculty members this academic year, whose diverse areas of expertise will build upon the remarkable dedication to excellence in teaching and research that characterizes our Herd Business community.
I very much look forward to the rich and rewarding academic year ahead, and wish to take this opportunity to share with you some updates from our community. We are in the process of fund raising and initial planning for our brand new business school facility, and will continue to engage our community in the master planning process. We have successfully received AACSB dual reaccreditation for the college in Business and Accounting, COA accreditation for our Nurse Anesthesia Management doctoral program, and successful five-year program reviews for all our 15 academic programs from the MU Board of Governors, all just this past year. We launched our first fully online degree program - the Marshall Online MBA - with great success. Our college got recognized among the best in the country by Newsweek and Best College Reviews. We started the Business and Economics Research Symposium (BERS) and the Faculty Research Day as signature events for each semester. Our new Cohen Speaker Series brought 22 business leaders to campus, and many students received the Business Professionalism Certificate.
We launched the iCenter (Center for Entrepreneurship & Business Innovation), brought back CBER (Center for Business and Economic Research) to the college as the academic home, and renamed the BB&T Center with a focus on Leadership. Our four Divisions created their own Advisory Boards, and the college achieved many marketing and branding successes.
I am deeply grateful to each of you for your contributions and extraordinary dedication to our students. I am honored to be a part of such a remarkable and talented community.
With warm regards,
Avi Mukherjee, Ph.D.
Dean, Lewis College of Business
AACSB Reaffirms Accreditation
Marshall University's Lewis College of Business has maintained its dual accreditation in business and accounting by AACSB International — the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Founded in 1916, AACSB International is the longest-serving global accrediting body for business schools that offer undergraduate, master's and doctoral degrees in business and accounting.
AACSB accreditation is the hallmark of excellence in business education, and has been earned by less than 5 percent of the world's business programs. Today, 810 institutions across 53 countries and territories have earned AACSB accreditation. Further, 186 institutions hold supplemental AACSB Accreditation for their accounting programs.
"AACSB congratulates each institution on their achievement," said Stephanie M. Bryant, executive vice president and chief accreditation officer of AACSB, in a release. "Every AACSB-accredited school has demonstrated a focus on excellence in all areas, including teaching, research, curricula development and student learning. The intense peer-review process exemplifies their commitment to quality business education."
AACSB accreditation signifies the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide. Less than 2.5 percent of more than 16,000 schools worldwide granting business degrees have earned dual AACSB accreditation like Marshall. AACSB-accredited schools have higher quality faculty, deliver more relevant and challenging curriculum, and provide outstanding educational and career opportunities that are not always found at other non-accredited business schools. AACSB-accredited schools produce graduates that are highly skilled and more desirable to employers than non-accredited schools, according to Dr. Avinandan "Avi" Mukherjee, dean of the college.
"This reaffirmation reinforces what we at Marshall University know - our Lewis College of Business and its faculty are delivering the highest quality education to the sons and daughters of Marshall. This recognition is a testament to the outstanding value of our business and accounting degrees," Mukherjee said. "Our outstanding faculty and staff, who are committed to educating and helping students achieve their educational goals, deserve recognition for this tremendous achievement."
AACSB accreditation standards require excellence in areas relating to strategic management and innovation; student, faculty and staff as active participants; learning and teaching; and academic and professional engagement.
To achieve accounting accreditation, an institution must first earn AACSB business accreditation. In addition to developing and implementing a mission-driven plan to satisfy the business accreditation quality standards, accounting accreditation requires the satisfaction of an additional set of standards specific to the discipline and profession of accounting. Once accreditation is achieved, each institution participates in a five-year continuous improvement peer review to maintain high quality and extend its accreditation
Faculty and Staff Honored at Annual Awards Banquet
Three faculty members and a staff member from the Marshall University Lewis College of Business were honored by the college’s Faculty Awards Committee and Advisory Board for their teaching, research, service and outstanding performance.
Recipients of the awards received plaques and monetary awards in recognition of their successes at Guyan Country Club on April 13th from Dr. Avinandan Mukherjee, dean of the college.
“We are extremely honored to award these very deserving faculty and staff members that are committed to their profession and dedicated the college,” Mukherjee said.
The 2018 awardees were:
- Dr. Marc Sollosy, Associate Rrofessor of Management, received the Robert Bruce Hayes Award for Excellence in Teaching;
- Dr. Mohammad Karim, Assistant Professor of Finance, received the Robert P. Alexander Award for Excellence in Research;
- Dr. Jean Price, Associate Professor of Accounting, received the Robert P. Alexander Award for Excellence in Service;
- Mr. Glen Midkiff, Director of the Center of Stakeholder Engagement, received the Advisory Board Award for Staff Member of the Year.
The Excellence in Teaching Award recognizes overall excellence in teaching by a business faculty member. Excellence in teaching is demonstrated by pedagogy that engages students in the learning process, creates an environment that stimulates intellectual curiosity and facilitates acquisition of knowledge.
The Excellence in Research Award is presented to a faculty member who demonstrates and achieves scholarly work as recognized by his or her peers.
The Excellence in Service Award is presented to the individual who best exhibits outstanding service to the Lewis College of Business and Marshall University.
The Staff Member of the Year is presented to the individual who embodies the mission of the college, produces quality work, and consistently displays characteristics valued and appreciated by coworkers. The awardee must be a reliable compass continually pointing the college in the direction of its goals and aspirations.
In addition, three other faculty and staff members were honored. Dr. Harlan Smith, professor of economics, received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Smith retired at the end of this academic year after 27 years of service. Staff members Molly Robertson, accounting assistant, and Sandy Hicks, business manager, were also honored for their years of service.
Forty Students Complete Cohen Business Professionalism Certificate Program
During Spring 2018, The Cohen Business Professionalism Speaker Series was offered to students as professional enrichment program by the Marshall University Lewis College of Business. The series allows students to make the connection between classroom teachings and real-world business applications through meeting experienced and successful business people. We appreciate the generous gift of Mr. Ron and Mrs. Sandy Cohen for supporting the series.
Speakers included Ms. Vicki Dunn-Marshall, CEO of Little Ceasars and The VDM Management Group, Leslie Bates, Director of the Talent Acquisition, N3, Guy Gage, Owner of Partners Coach, Dave Pray, CTO, Prayworks,LLC, John Rickert, Principal-Executive Managing Director, SVN/RICORE, Jason Quehl, Site Leader at Amazon, Rob Sellards, JD, Attorney at Nelson Mullins, Chuck Fordyce, Verizon, Human Resource Career Panel, Alfonzo D. Alexander, President Center for the public trust (CPT), National Associates of the State Boards of Accountancy, John Jackson, Executive Director, Consumer Credit and Counseling service.
Forty students completed the program and received a formal printed certificate, an engraved padfolio, and an official LCOB lapel pin.
For more information about the Cohen Business Professionalism Speaker Series, please contact Glen Midkiff, Director of Stakeholder Engagement by emailing midkiff@marshall.edu or calling 304-696-3431.
SAM places 2nd in National Case Competition
The Marshall University Society for Advancement of Management (SAM) chapter took home 2nd place at the national organization’s collegiate case competition in Washington, D.C., last month at the 2018 International Business Conference.
Undergraduate and Graduate students from the Lewis College of Business earned 2nd place in their first appearance in the Thomas Greensmith Open Division Business Case Competition. Under the leadership of Faculty Advisor Dr. Marc Sollosy, the team included graduate students Clayton Stevens, Brenda Gordon, Hassan Malik, Glen Midkiff and one undergraduate student, Keely Truman.
The student case competition is the hallmark of the annual SAM meeting, according to Dr. Avinandan Mukherjee, dean of the college.
“The case study for the competition was about developing and presenting a strategy for Ryder System, a transportation and supply chain management company. I am delighted that our students got this wonderful opportunity. We would like our students to participate in more such competitions in the future,” Mukherjee said. “SAM, an organization with more than 50 student chapters across the country, aims to provide its members ‘opportunities to increase management skills and expertise through participation in programs and services designed to improve the professional quality of their knowledge, performance, and leadership ability.’”
Founded in 1912 by the colleagues and disciples of Frederick Taylor, the “Father of Scientific Management,” SAM is the world’s oldest professional organization focused on the teaching and practice of management. SAM members, both nationally and internationally, come from a variety of disciplines, but share a common bond of interest in promoting and becoming stronger managers. SAM builds bridges among academicians, practitioners and students, not only to better share management expertise, but also to develop and promote new management ideas.
Marshall’s Lewis College of Business Advisory Board inducts business leaders into Hall of Fame
HUNTINGTON — Marshall University’s Lewis College of Business Advisory Board welcomed four business leaders into its Hall of Fame on April 26.
The 2018 Hall of Fame inductees were Greg Burton, Jim Datin, Joe Holley and Steve Roberts.
Burton has been executive chair of Motorists Insurance Group since its affiliation with BrickStreet Mutual, which closed in April 2017. Burton became BrickStreet’s chief executive officer and president when the company launched in 2006. In May 2015, he became chief executive officer — a position he held until April 2017. He also continues to serve on the BrickStreet board of directors as executive chair.
Burton holds an M.B.A. from the University of Kentucky and a bachelor’s degree in business, with a concentration in management and marketing, from the University of Charleston.
Datin is currently president and chief executive officer of BioAgilytix, a leading global bioanalytical contract research organization that supports the development of novel therapeutic biologics and biosimilars.
With laboratory locations in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park area and Hamburg, Germany, BioAgilytix specializes in large molecule bioanalysis to provide critical insight into the safety and efficacy of biotherapeutic drug candidates throughout the clinical trial process.
Datin received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Marshall University, his M.B.A. from the University of New Haven, and attended the Advanced Management Program at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Holley is a licensed CPA in West Virginia and co-owner and executive vice president at JABO Supply Corporation.
He graduated from Marshall University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1970. Holley completed postgraduate studies at Marshall, West Virginia University and the University of Charleston.
In addition to serving as chair emeritus of the West Virginia Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, he is a current member of the IRS Taxpayer Advocacy Panel and a member of the Lewis College of Business Advisory Board.
Roberts is president of the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce, a statewide organization that seeks greater prosperity and a higher standard of living for West Virginians.
The Chamber is the voice of business throughout the state and was recently voted the No.1 Chamber of Commerce in the United States by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives. Additionally, the West Virginia Chamber has been recognized for achieving the highest market share and largest new member growth in the nation.
The Lewis College of Business 2018 induction ceremony took place in the Brad D. Smith Foundation Hall.
Spring Research Day
On April 27, the Lewis College of Business celebrated its second "Research Day". This event provided an opportunity for our faculty to present their current or recently completed research projects. The event was a huge success. The event was organized by the LCOB Faculty Development Committee, led by Dr. Alberto Coustasse (chair).
Dr. William J. Kehoe, William F. O’Dell Professor at the McIntyre School in the University of Virginia, a Son of Marshall (Marshall alumnus and former Marshall faculty in our Marketing program) served as the plenary Dean’s Distinguished Speaker. There were thirteen scholarly papers presented, authored by 19 LCOB faculty and 2 co-authors from other schools. Five poster presentations were displayed, authored by twelve scholars.
Our panel of judges (Dr. William Kehoe, Univ of Virginia), Dr. Cal Kent (former LCOB Dean and current Advisory Board member), and Ms. Anna Lynch (Undergrad senior, President of Beta Gamma Sigma) selected the following winners:
Oral Presentations: 1st place: Marc Sollosy & Nicholas Gerlich (Strategic Management and Social Media); 2nd place: Nancy Lankton & Charles Stivason (Protection-Motivated Behaviors: The Role of Criticality); 3rd place: Casey Baker (Marijuana, Fraud, and Investors’ Unclean Hands).
Poster Presentations: 1st place: Ralph McKinney (Strategic Integration of Educational Programs); 2nd place: Alberto Coustasse, Maggie Phillips, Jumana Abboud, Neha Botre, and David Paul (The Growing Problem of Hepatitis C in the US: The Case of WV).
Faculty Notes
Dr. Deanna Mader, former Associate Dean of Accreditation & Strategic Initiatives decided to return to the faculty, effective July 1st. Dr. Mader is a highly respected and valued colleague and leader of our college, and has served in various critical roles such as Interim Dean and Senior Associate Dean, and Director of the BB&T Center for Advancement of American Capitalism.
Dr. Mader will work with Dean Avi closely and remain deeply engaged in the future directions of the college. To ensure greater flexibility in her work schedule and to match her expertise and interest, she will be the Director of Enrollment Management. Margie Phillips will work with her as the Co-Director.
Dr. Jean Price is the new Associate Dean for Accreditation and Strategic Initiatives. After earning her Ph.D. at Indiana University in 1992, Jean Price taught accounting at Clemson University and Valdosta State University. She joined Marshall’s Lewis College of Business (LCOB) in 2002, and has since become a valuable member of the Division of Accountancy and Legal Environment. In addition to her teaching and research duties, she has served her Division, the University, and the LCOB in a variety of roles. For several years, Dr. Price has served as course coordinator for the Division’s introductory accounting course, while also serving on the Division’s Recruiting Committee. She is an active member of Marshall University’s Budget and Academic Policy Committee. At the College level, she contributed to the Policy Development Committee and is a member of the Doctoral Education Task Force. In addition, Dr. Price has served as chair of the College’s Undergraduate Curriculum Committee for the past five years. She also serves as Editor of LCOB’s annual Impact Report. Dr. Price’s contributions to the College were recently recognized when she was awarded the 2018 Robert P. Alexander Faculty Award for Excellence in Service. In 2017, Dr. Price received the Outstanding Accounting Educator Award from the West Virginia Society of CPAs.
Dr. Margie McInerney, Professor of Management, attended and presented during the Professional Development Workshop portion of the the Academy of Management in Chicago on August 10th-14th. The session was: "Building Internet Research Collaborations That Have Impact". It was organized by Agata Stanusch (Silesian University of Technology, Poland) and Charles Wankel (St John's University, New York). Dr. McInerney's presentation was titled: "International Collaborations on Common Themes: Ethics, Sustainability and PRME Initiatives."
The iPED teaching conference scheduled for Tuesday, August 14th. The presenters include faculty members from your college and I am certain they would appreciate your support.
Benefits and Challenges of Business Simulations: Pedagogy for Experiential Learning
Dr. Uday Tate (Marketing/MIS/Entrepreneurship), Dr. Deepak Subedi (Management & Health Care Administration), Dr. Marc Sollosy (Management & Health Care Administration)
How to Help College Students Find Their Drive
Dr. Ben Eng (Marketing/MIS/Entrepreneurship), Dr. Christine Ingersoll (Journalism & Mass Communications)
Breaking Past Student Intuitions and Development of a Growth Mindset
Herman Mays (Biological Sciences), Dr. Nabaneeta Biswas (Finance & Economics)
Dr. Liz Alexander, Chair of Marketing, Entrepreneurship, and MIS, was named to the 2018 Conference Track Chair of Consumer Behavior / Retailing for the Atlantic Marketing Association Conference on September 26th-29th in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Dr. Avi Mukherjee, Dean, published his research the Psychology & Marketing Journal. The title of the article was, "Tell me your story and I will tell you who you are: Persona perspective in sustainable consumption." This article came out of a dialogical conference called Transformative Consumer Research (TCR), a part of ACR, held at Cornell University in June 2017.
Lewis College of Business hosts the Business and Economics Research Symposium
The event was organized by the BB&T Center for the Advancement of American Capitalism and supported by BB&T.
The objective of BERS was to showcase some of the great applied research work in our undergraduate and graduate courses, and to celebrate collaboration with our community stakeholders and local organizations who have sponsored these projects.
Twenty student projects were presented through posters in this event. The keynote speaker for the event was Mr. John B. Jung, Jr., Senior Managing Director and Head of BB&T Capital Markets, a division of BB&T Securities, LLC.
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Diana Sole Walko
As president and owner of MotionMasters, Diana is hands-on in every aspect of her company’s business. She has led film crews into remote villages in Africa—five times. She visited India with a Marshall University contingent and logged hours toward her M.B.A.
In addition to running the company, she writes scripts, directs live action, casts talent, produces video, edits copy, advises on public relations and serves as project manager, executive producer or creative director for much of the work they do.
Her leadership has earned her accolades such as the State Journal’s Who’s Who in West Virginia Business award and the prestigious Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award. Junior Achievement presented her with a Laureate award and selected her for membership in its Business Hall of Fame.
Her business acumen was lauded in the 2005 book, Jumpstart Your Awesome Film Production Company; and political candidates, corporations and non-profit organizations repeatedly seek her strategic communications consulting.
But perhaps most important of all, she builds and keeps relationships with clients, many of whom have been with MotionMasters from the beginning. Founded on Groundhog Day (Feb. 2) in 1987, the company has been serving the digital media market for more than 25 years.
Diana is a veteran of the communications industry, serving as the CEO of MotionMasters since 1988, and prior to that as its vice president and executive producer. With more than 30 years in the communications industry, she has led innumerable public relations, advertising, marketing and political campaigns designed to educate, motivate and persuade. Under her direction, the company has evolved from a film and video firm serving West Virginia clients to an award-winning producer of educational media and documentaries that are distributed nationally.
In addition to leading MotionMasters, Diana is very active in the community. She is the immediate past president of the board of directors of Habitat for Humanity of Kanawha and Putnam, a group she has been actively involved with since 1990. In addition to her board responsibilities, she led the turnaround for the organization’s retail operation as director of the ReStore Advisory team.
She also serves on the Charleston Area Alliance Board of Directors and was a key player in that organization’s formation in 2004. A Rotarian since 1990, she is a member of the Charleston Rotary Club’s Board of Directors, and chaired the group’s Community Service committee. She also serves on the Board of Directors of ALEF, the Appalachian Leadership and Education Foundation, to provide college scholarships to young men and women from Appalachia. She was a co-founder and co-chair of the Charleston Area Medical Center Foundation’s Children’s Fund Gala and is a member of Elizabeth Memorial United Methodist. Diana was the co-coordinator of Celebration Station, Charleston’s community playground built entirely by volunteer labor.
In 2015, she was elected chairwoman of The Charleston Regional Chamber of Commerce, the largest regional Chamber of Commerce in West Virginia. The organization represents more than 600 businesses and their 40,000 employees.
A native of Weirton, W. Va., she holds two degrees from Marshall University — a B.A. in Journalism; and an M.B.A., the latter of which she completed in 2004.
Most recently, Diana was a recipient of the Lewis College of Business Distinguished Alumni Award in April 2018.
HERD ON THE MOVE
Joshua Means
Earlier this year, he applied for the position and traveled to Arlington, VA for four days to interview for the position and to be examined. There were 957 applicants from across the country, 48 of the applicants made it to Arlington, and then roughly 22 were selected to work with the FDIC in field offices across the United States. Joshua started working full-time for the FDIC after graduating in July.
"I am very thankful for the opportunity, as I was one of those 22 selected, and after graduating with my MBA this summer I will begin working full-time with the FDIC." Johsua said. He continued, " I would have never known about the opportunity if Glen Midkiff, the Director of Stakeholder Engagement, had not sent out the information about the application process. I really appreciate it!"