Share the pride of College of Business accomplishments

by Mohammed Khayum

Article taken from College of Business Reports, Summer 2006

Faculty, students demonstrate commitment
to engagement in community initiatives

At our commencement on May 6, the College of Business awarded 382 degrees — 343 undergraduate and 39 graduate — and three post-graduate certificates. This represents one of the largest College of Business graduating classes, accounting for almost 23 percent of the total number of graduates from the University in 2006.

As we celebrate the accomplishments of our graduates and wish them success in their future endeavors, we know from past patterns that about 79 percent of them will reside and work within a 60-mile radius of USI and, as a consequence, share a common interest in ensuring that community-based initiatives associated with the College of Business become successful.

This message highlights ways the college exhibits an active commitment to addressing regional issues and challenges with the use of student and faculty expertise.

• Michael Williams and Jason Hoffman are among the first students to be involved with projects through the University’s new Center for Applied Research and Development (CARED).
• Dr. Beth Mott-Stenerson of the marketing faculty has been instrumental in a Spencer County CARED project; several other faculty will soon be conducting applied research through this new outreach arm of USI Extended Services.
• Dr. Kevin Celuch, also of the marketing faculty, serves with Connect with Southern Indiana, another program to encourage economic development and enhance leadership skills.
• Lisa Wiltsie, lecturer in business, led students to assist a local business owner through the Southwestern Indiana Small Business Development Center.
• Each month a faculty member prepares a column about timely issues or research in his or her field for the Evansville Business Journal.

At the end of my first semester as dean, I also am pleased to report on several additional initiatives.

• We have awarded faculty stipends for summer activities. Two awards fund projects on student learning and teaching innovations. Another two were awarded for faculty expertise addressing community issues.
• The design of the Joe Coslett Family Sales Management Development Laboratory was completed during spring semester and construction has begun. Completion was expected by early July.
• We have taken steps to make College of Business faculty and administrators more aware of expectations regarding standards of behavior based on principles of personal ethics (willing compliance with laws and regulations and honesty) and professional ethics (due diligence, impartiality, confidentiality of information, and avoidance of potential or apparent conflict of interest).
• We have begun implementation of a Web-based annual reporting system of faculty activities in the areas of teaching, research, and service. It will be completed during the summer.
• We completed a review of the curriculum in the business administration major, which enrolls more students than any other major in the college.
• Tentatively, a team visit pertaining to the maintenance of AACSB accreditation is scheduled for February 2008.
• The architectural firm that will design the College of Business and Classroom Building was selected by the USI Board of Trustees in May.

The 2005-06 academic year marked the first year of implementation of the college’s strategic plan, tremendous accomplishments by our students and faculty, and evidence that the College of Business has an active commitment to addressing community-based needs and problems.

I hope that as you read this message, you will share in the pride we feel about the accomplishments of our alumni, students, and faculty. In this issue we celebrate the success of our students, share the advice and accomplishments of our alumnus in residence, and recognize the distinctly generous ways that our alumni, friends, and businesses can support the academic and professional development of our students.

Your gifts have a direct and vital impact on our students. Scholarships
open the doors of opportunity to some of the best and brightest students who are business majors. Your support also makes possible the learning and innovation that take place every day in the College of Business.

Thank you for investing in the College of Business. I see the tremendous impact of your support every day when our students and alumni excel because of what they have learned in their business program.