The Journey Spring 2024

Editor/Writer/Designer

Addie Rosenthal ’80

Writer

Jay Murdock

Photographers

Jay Murdock

Miami University

Historic photos supplied by their owners

Issue Design

Val Hoffman Design, LLC

Special thanks to proofreaders

Jennifer Blue Lisa Raatz

External Relations 513-529-4221

Kirk Bogard

Associate Vice President for Development and External Relations Farmer School of Business bogardks@miamioh .edu

Have a story to share? deanofbusiness@miamioh edu

The Journey is published twice a year by the External Relations department of the Farmer School of Business at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056 Copyright ©2024, the Farmer School of Business All rights are reserved Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited

“A lot of colleges tell you that you’ll be ready for a career but I haven’t seen anyone do it as well as Miami. There wasn’t anything that I faced in my internship that I hadn’t already had experience with so I really feel ready to go into the workforce.”

RACHEL ’24, ACCOUNTANCY

TOP5 Public University for Career Outcomes

From the Dean

This issue of The Journey focuses on the things that we most value because of their direct relationship to our mission of graduating students who are beyond ready for personal and professional success

The process starts with exceptional students who select the Farmer School for this phase of their journey While these students come from across the country and around the world, they are alike in many ways; they are motivated, keen learners seeking a unique experience that will prepare them well for life after college . While Valerie Do’s story seems humorous—as a Vietnamese high schooler thinking that Miami University was in Florida, she discovered that this school, in the middle of Ohio, was the perfect place for her

Why? Because our faculty and staff are focused on our students’ success They are innovators who push the boundaries to ensure that our students are ready for careers in areas that don’t yet exist Instead of shying away from new technologies, like AI, our faculty immediately found ways to integrate and leverage it to expand the possibilities for their students

But learning isn’t limited to the classroom or to lecture format Outside the classroom, the majority of our students are members of at least one business organization (we have 40 of them!), participate in intra- and inter-collegiate competitions—all opportunities to practice what we teach, making the transition from college to “real life” seamless . Every Farmer School student works on real projects with real clients, as our first-year students quickly learn in our First Year Integrated Core As one remarked about their project with Next Generation Fuel, LLC, (NextGen), “Right off the jump we’re working with companies and communicating with their CEO ” Another added, “This has definitely been the most formative experience for me as a freshman in the business school It’s been a challenge, and it’s highlighted all the strengths that could not be highlighted in other programs It’s something that’s really unique to Miami and it’s really made my freshman year experience and made me love the Farmer School even more ”

Those interactions with businesspeople are a hallmark of the school . In 2023, more than 2,000 worked with our students —as mentors, speakers in classes, competition judges, and as clients for class projects The connection benefits both students and professionals, as Bernita McCann Hightower, founder and president at NextGen, a recent FYIC client, commented, “I really did not know what to expect This whole journey has been so rewarding for me You guys have just opened up so many possibilities . And I have chills right now because you knocked it right out of the park I mean, you were better than professionals . You guys are rock stars!”

Many of our visiting professionals are alumni They are eager to give of their time and talent to the school who gave so much to them They also generously support the continuous enhancement of their alma mater . In 2023, more than 14% of the more than 45,000 Farmer School alumni were also donors to our current capital campaign

It is truly an honor to serve as the dean of an institution that has the students, faculty, staff, and alumni united behind a single goal .

JENNY DARROCH Dean and Mitchell P. Rales Chair in Business Leadership

2/3 OF STUDENTS ARE MEMBERS OF AN FSB STUDENT ORGANIZATION

65%+ OF FARMER SCHOOL STUDENTS

STUDIED ABROAD (THE NATIONAL AVERAGE IS 16%)

TOP10

Public University for Student Outcomes

Poets & Quants 2024

TOP 5

PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES FOR CAREER OUTCOMES

No.1 IN RESEARCH PRODUCTIVITY IN EMPIRICAL SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT OUTPUT AMONG NON-DOCTORAL PROGRAMS IN AMERICA

TOP20

Public Undergraduate Business School

Poets & Quants 2024

WE WELCOME THE CLASS OF 2027

Our students are at the center of all we do We are pleased to attract some of the brightest, most motivated lifetime learners to the Farmer School

In the fall, the Farmer School welcomed 1,243 first year students, an increase of 8.7%. Here’s a little more about them .

• The overwhelming majority were US residents . 56% were from Ohio and 43% were from out of state .

There are eleven majors and one co-major at the school. Our newest major is Real Estate and our largest is Finance.

Accountancy Business Economics

(co-major)

STUDENT SUPPORT IS KEY!

In 2023, our advising staff had 11,446 advising visits by students, two-thirds of which were face-to-face . That level of support translated into a greater than 92% retention rate from first to second year, and we have maintained the highest graduation rate at the university .

Our Passport Program targets talented students who have strong academic credentials and have an interest in studying business Passport students will receive comprehensive academic support along with professional development and service-learning opportunities

“ I get a lot of support, both academically and emotionally, and I think that’s really helped my college experience, for me to have a lot of growth in the past four years. Having to not deal with the financial burden of ‘Am I going to be able to pay for housing? Am I going to be able to eat this week?’ has really allowed me to throw myself into academics, into social life, into clubs, and really enhance my experience to make the most of it at Miami.”

- RI’ANN YATES-MILLER ‘24

After completing her Summer Scholars internship with Warner Brothers Discovery, Ri’Ann was offered a full time position as a Data Scientist at Warner Brothers Discovery

‘You

Guys Are Rock Stars!’

FYIC STUDENTS HELP CLIENT FIND COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES

If there was one person at the First-Year Integrated Core Client Challenge who was most surprised by the ideas that came out of the final presentations, it might well be the client herself, Bernita McCann Hightower .

“I really did not know what to expect This whole journey has been so rewarding for me As an entrepreneur, I sit at my desk many times, always trying to figure out ‘What should I do?’ ‘How should I implement it?’ ‘Am I thinking in the right direction?’ ‘Is it something that people want?’ and ‘Who’s going to help me get there?’ And you guys have just opened up so many possibilities,” she said

Each semester, FYIC students form teams and take on a challenge from a chosen client . Hightower, the president and CEO of Fuel, LLC (NextGen), had asked the FYIC students to “think about ways to have a competitive advantage around our peer and aspirational competitors regarding Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) sustainability . ”

The students used the knowledge gained in their FYIC classes to come up with ideas that addressed the challenge For the final presentations, six teams were chosen from more than 120 that performed semester-long research, development, and consulting roles for NextGen

“This has definitely been the most formative experience for me as a freshman in the business school It’s been a challenge, but I also think it’s highlighted all the strengths that could not be highlighted in other programs,”

Nikki White said “It’s something that’s really unique to Miami and it’s really made my freshman year experience and made me love the Farmer School even more ”

The ideas pitched ranged from forging biofuel partnerships with farmers and holding a conference/summit to adding railroad to the company’s transportation plan and being an electric charger reseller

“Right off the jump we’re working with companies and communicating with their CEO So I think what I take away the most is being able to communicate professionally and communicate my ideas in a way that people might actually agree with those ideas,” Tim Gibson said

“I loved how dynamic each and every one of you were And I have chills right now because you knocked it right out of the park I mean, you were better than professionals,” Hightower said . “You guys are rock stars!”

PRACTICING WHAT WE TEACH

We believe that for students to be ready to add value to an organization on day one, they must have multiple opportunities to practice what we teach. For that reason, we encourage and support student participation in student organizations, hands-on learning opportunities, and intra-and inter-collegiate competitions . This provides them with real world application of the skills they have learned, meeting and building networks with students and practitioners around the world and prepares them for a career where they will be called upon to pivot, work in and lead diverse teams, and defend their solutions in front of C-suite executives .

We challenge our students to actively participate in one of our over 40 organizations, including five co-ed fraternities and two honorary societies, and more than sixty percent of our students are members of one or more of these organizations . That might be because there is truly an organization that’s a good fit for all our students .

In 2024, students from 34 university chapters across the nation competed at the Pi Sigma Epsilon business fraternity’s national convention Members of the Farmer School’s Gamma Gamma chapter placed first or second in 11 competition categories

The chapter also won the Lewis F Gordon Top Chapter Award for the 18th time in the last 26 years, and the sixth time in the last seven years .

“PSE has afforded me the opportunity to grow as a business professional, enhancing my experience as a Farmer School of Business student,” Grace Hogshead said . “I have undergone a variety of sales and marketing experiences, such as this National Convention, that will benefit me as I go off into the work force ”

The John W . Altman Institute for Entrepreneurship’s venture capital investment team competed in the 2024 Undergraduate VCIC (Venture Capital Investment Competition), winning the regional finals for the eighth consecutive year, and placed second overall in the global finals for the second year in a row .

This year’s team was comprised of Kaylee Fickle, Gillian Louiso, Katherine McIntosh, Kia Molaei, Dev Patel, and Mason Seitz .

“I have never learned as much in a class as I have in VCIC . Miami’s program is one of the best in the country and that has consistently been shown to me . Professor Theresa Sedlack has created the most incredible curriculum as well as given this team the best opportunities to learn from real venture capital investors along with founders, CEOs, and more,” Louiso said

The VCIC annually features teams from more than 100 of the top business schools around the world .

This year’s Cleveland Research Stock Pitch Competition provided an opportunity for students to demonstrate their investment ideas and knowledge of the financial markets . Each team of two - four students assembled a slide deck to pitch a long or short equity position with a 3-12 month horizon

33 teams from 16 universities submitted first-round pitches, and the top eight teams advanced to the in-person finals at the Farmer School of Business The Farmer School team of Robert Nahigian, Mickey Fanella, and Nick Mack took first place, while teams from the University of Dayton and the University of Texas came in second and third, respectively

“It’s a very valuable experience because it’s all very real We are pitching real ideas to make real money and identifying certain factors that the equity markets are not pricing into a particular stock,” Nahigian said .

Students from across Miami University came together in March at Social Innovation Weekend, a 48-hour event that integrates key public and private stakeholder organizations at the state, county, and local city-level with students to

Economics department chair Jenny Minier is one of 16 professors nationwide to be selected to participate in a Fulbright-Hays seminar for university faculty in Colombia this summer. The faculty members will participate in the seminar, which focuses on climate change and sustainability in Colombia. They’ll visit Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Barranquilla, and Leticia, meeting with scholars and leaders throughout the country.

solve significant societal issues . This year, a dozen teams of students worked within the theme of building and supporting thriving communities

“Being a biology major, I joined this weekend knowing next to nothing about business or entrepreneurship . All I wanted was to meet new people, challenge myself, and learn something new,” Sophia Bick said . “I think I did just that!”

Farmer School students competed in the 16th annual William Blair Investment Banking Competition, which drew more than 50 teams of three to four students

The competition, which includes both written and oral presentations, seeks to “bring to life what a career in investment banking entails . ”

Nineteen accountancy majors participated in the 6th Annual Douglas Millett Forensic Accounting Case Competition in February Student teams were asked to research and identify public firms that were exhibiting warning signs of fraud and suspicious business activity, develop at least one theory for how a potential fraud could be perpetrated, propose alternative explanations for the observed pattern of red flags, and detail how they would investigate the situation to reach a conclusion .

In the PWC Challenge Case Competition, students were tasked with delving into the business obstacles encountered by a rapidly growing workout equipment company . Their objective was to craft strategies that would fortify the company’s position in a highly-dynamic market

Students formed cross-disciplinary teams, leveraging their diverse skills and knowledge to tackle this real-world business challenge Participating in the competition helped students advance their critical thinking, presentation, and teamwork capabilities, and fortify their resumes to better position them for future job opportunities . Additionally, participants had the chance to network with industry professionals and accountancy professors, as well as gain valuable insights from PwC’s partners and managers .

Four Farmer School students took part in the Deloitte FanTAXtic case study competition in January Created in 2002, FanTAXtic is designed to familiarize students with the tax profession early in their academic careers The competition includes role playing and presentations to help students better understand the types of experiences and business challenges they can expect from a career working with taxes .

Miami University students Mirza Mujtaba Baig, Siddhant Singh Karki, Luke Koulouris, and Carter Pratt took part in the 2024 Econ Games at the University of Kentucky with 18 other teams -- and won!

The Econ Games is a team competition that incorporates economic skills with data analytics to solve problems presented by a corporate sponsor Students gain valuable technical skills, as well as essential soft skills such as teamwork, communication, and persuasion

“Participating in the Econ Games was a challenging yet rewarding experience,” Baig said . “Despite the hard-work, the Econ Games offered understanding of data visualization for actionable insights, making it a valuable learning experience for myself and the team . ”

A Miami University real estate and public administration student is the new leader of a group that works to grow and support impact funds that are run by undergraduate students. Una Marijan became president of the Undergraduate Impact Investing Society in mid-February.

BUSINESS IS GLOBAL.

So are our students’ experiences

The Farmer School is ranked in the Top 5 public institutions for signature/international experience by Poets & Quants, and in the last year, our students have studied in 22 different countries

• SOUTH KOREA

• SINGAPORE

• AUSTRALIA

• ITALY

• UNITED KINGDOM (England and Scotland)

• BELGIUM

• HUNGARY

• CZECH REPUBLIC

• AUSTRIA

• JORDAN

• MOROCCO

• DENMARK

• LUXEMBOURG

• UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

• VIETNAM

• THAILAND

• NETHERLANDS

• INDIA

• CYPRUS

• MALAYSIA

• GREECE

• MALTA

TOP5 Public University for Degree Being Worth the Time and Cost

“WRONG” MIAMI, RIGHT SCHOOL

Four years ago, when she was in high school in Vietnam, Valerie Do began looking for a college to attend, and set her sights on the United States . “Study abroad in America has been my dream ever since I was a kid,” she said “A lot of my Vietnamese friends think that the US is just California or Texas, but I think that the US is more than that . And I thought ‘If I go, I will be able to prove that they were wrong,’ and I was right . ”

“It’s definitely been an adjustment . When I first came here, just like every other international student, I experienced a lot of difficulties, such as language barriers, culture shocks, having no friends But I tried to put myself out there as a domestic student freshman coming into college, not an international student,” Valerie said . “Because the reason why I’m here studying abroad is not just for a degree from a U S college . It’s also the experience that I cannot have elsewhere else in the world So I just had to put myself in the same playing field as every other student here . ”

But Valerie admits that she didn’t quite understand just where in America Miami University was located when she sent in her application “I did not realize until I got accepted, and the letter said ‘Miami University of Ohio’ It’s not in Florida, it’s in Ohio There’s no beaches, just cornfields in the middle of nowhere,” she said “But I compared Miami with other colleges and Miami had what I was looking for. So Miami it is, and I love it here so far.”

Valerie isn’t alone . Every year, a handful of incoming Miami students admit making similar geography mistakes But Valerie’s became a viral sensation last year when she was in her apartment procrastinating one day, and decided to post about her Miami confusion on TikTok

“I wake up and I check my TikTok and it’s like 99 plus notifications,” she said . “Another day I wake up and I receive texts from my friends saying, ‘Valerie, you’re famous My mom knows you .’ And I’m like, ‘What? Why does your mom know me?’ And then they send me a news article that talks about my TikTok and how this one girl ended up in Ohio instead of Florida And it’s just things like that ”

Her internet fame has died down somewhat since then, which is just as well, because Valerie is a busy student “Aside from being a business student, I’m currently working as a student assistant for the Performing Arts Series . I’ve been working there since first semester of freshman year,” she said “I worked as a tour guide full time in the summer And then this semester, I just happened to have more free time, so I kept being a tour guide part time, which is totally awesome . ”

Valerie is also in the Pi Sigma Epsilon business fraternity and has been a Miami University Student Orientation Undergraduate Leader And she’s been making her TikTok account a resource for others thinking of coming to college in America .

“It feels really nice to know everything about Oxford and Miami because if anyone has any questions, I can just answer them Or even if I don’t know the answers, I know someone who can help them out,” she said . “I just love to help people . That’s why my TikTok page talks about international student problems and answering their questions ”

Valerie is double majoring in marketing and a relatively new major at Miami, emerging technology in business and design . “Growing up I did not really see myself as good at STEM, so I never tried it out . But ETBD has given me such an amazing opportunity to try it, and I realized that, ‘Oh, I’m actually good at it ’ And I like user experience, design research, product design, stuff like that,” she said .

“You’ve got to always exceed expectations. You’ve got to always try to strive for the best version of yourself,” Valerie said “Because at the end of the day, we’re working with clients and customers and we want to make them think ‘Wow, this is really good I want to keep working with you ’”

And even though she made a slight geographic mistake when she applied to Miami, she said she’s found a home here, one she highly recommends . “If you are looking for a true American college experience, you want to have fun, you want to elevate yourself professionally, while being safe, then Miami’s for you,” Valerie said “It was a really, really good mistake ”

IN THE NEWS

HENRY JIN, associate professor of supply chain operations and management, has been featured in Consumer Affairs, WalletHub, MoneyGeek (five features!), and on television and radio on a wide range of subjects including fighting fraud in consumer products, stagflation, GDP, and the auto workers’strike.

GILLIAN OAKENFULL, professor of marketing, has recently published five articles in Forbes: “Beyoncé’s Country Pivot Teaches Brands These 5 Marketing Moves”, “Marketing’s New Power Duo: Generative AI Meets Generative Empathy,” “CMOs In AI Age: Leverage Tech, Amplify Human Insight, Drive Growth,” “Can Brands Find Common Ground Among Consumers in Divisive Times?” and “Good As Hell? Lizzo’s Brand Needs Authenticity That C.A.R.E.S.” as well as a series about marketing and leadership relating to the LGBTQ+ community.

MEGAN GERHARDT, professor of management’s article on navigating conflict and embracing mutual learning across generational differences has been named one of Harvard Business Review’s Must Reads for 2024. “Harnessing the Power of Age Diversity” was coauthored by FSB graduates Josephine Nachemson-Ekwall and Brandon Fogel.

9,955

HIGH-ACHIEVING STUDENTS APPLIED FOR ADMITTANCE TO FSB FOR 2023

12 .15%

INCREASE IN APPLICATIONS FROM WOMEN

TOP5

Public University for Signature Experience

Poets & Quants 2024

100% OF FARMER SCHOOL STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN HANDS-ON-LEARNING— STARTING IN THEIR FIRST YEAR HERE

No.7 FOR STUDENT EXPERIENCE

TOP5

Public University for Skill Development

Poets & Quants 2024

Innovating to Lead the Way

The business landscape is ever-evolving, and we don’t believe keeping pace with environmental shifts is enough We seek to prepare our students to lead and succeed in any work environment, so our curriculum must be forward thinking and innovative . We are constantly scanning the business environment and consulting with our industry partners to ensure our students develop the knowledge and skills to meet both today’s market needs and those of the future .

Our most recent curricular innovations include:

• Engineering Management with a Concentration in Entrepreneurship, a collaboration between the department of entrepreneurship and the College of Engineering and Computing;

• Tech Entrepreneurship Fellows Program, a collaboration between the department of entrepreneurship and the department of emerging technologies in business and design within the College of Creative Arts;

• Real Estate major offered by the department of finance;

• Real Estate minor offered by the department of finance;

• Information and Cybersecurity Management major offered by the department of information systems and analytics;

• Business Analytics major offered by the department of information systems and analytics;

• Analytics co-major offered by the department of information systems and analytics;

• Cybersecurity Management for Accountancy certificate, a collaboration between the department of information systems and analytics and the department of accountancy;

• M .S . in Business Analytics (MSBA)—offered by the department of information systems and analytics:

- Graduate Certificate in Analytics

- Graduate Certificate in Advanced Business Analytics

• Healthcare Sales Certificate, a collaboration between the department of marketing, The department of economics, the Colleges of Arts and Sciences and Education, Health and Society;

• Master of Science in Management, offered by the Farmer School;

• Deals Advisory Certificate, a collaboration between the department of accountancy and the department of finance;

• Arts Management and Arts Entrepreneurship minor, a collaboration between the department of entrepreneurship and College of Creative Arts;

• Climate Accounting and Engineering minor— collaboration between the Department of Accountancy and the Department of Chemical, Paper and Biomedical Engineering in the College of Engineering and Computing;

• Master of Entrepreneurship and Emerging Technology—collaboration between the FSB Department of Entrepreneurship and College of Creative Arts;

• Micro-credentials in Leadership, Strategic Thinking, Financial Acumen, and Problem Solving in Business Contexts—offered through the FSB MBA program .

WE MEAN BUSINESS!

More than 2,000 business leaders and professionals interacted with our students – acting as mentors, competition judges, speakers, and clients.

More than 4,500 FSB students attended career fairs at Miami.

12

CEOS OF FORTUNE 1000 COMPANIES ARE FSB GRADS

FSB career counselors conducted more than 700 student appointments this academic year.

More than 60 workshops were conducted by FSB Careers staff.

300+

EMPLOYERS SOUGHT TO HIRE OUR GRADUATES

Faculty are regarded as subject-matter experts by Forbes, Fortune, the Wall Street Journal as well as major scholarly and education-focused publications.

We don’t think our Secret Sauce should be a secret.

We believe all students deserve an educational experience that sets them up for success—beyond ready—from day one.

“Beyond thankful for the education, experiences, and incredible individuals I met. My Miami experience was nothing short of transformative, equipping me with the skills and insights needed to thrive in the 'real world' and seize numerous growth opportunities. Even following graduation, the support of our alumni community and the continued mentorship from faculty has allowed me to reach new heights that I will always be grateful for.”

Amber (Hallmann) Manna ‘18 President and General Manager L Street Collaborative, LLC

Princeton Review, 2024 PUBLIC UNDERGRADUATE ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM Top 10 16 YEARS IN A ROW

ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM IN THE WORLD

Princeton Review, 2024

“I have so many friends at di erent colleges that are strictly doing busy work when I get the opportunity to create a business, invest in real companies, and connect with top talent around the country—and we call it class.”

Abigail Van Drunen

’24

Harness the power FSB.MiamiOH.edu/GoBeyond

OUR WINNING RECIPE

INTERDISCIPLINARY

For the fourth year in a row, at least one student from every undergraduate major at the university enrolled in an entrepreneurship class. This creates a diverse, interdisciplinary environment that fosters creative thinking, strategic skills, and decisive action.

PRACTICE-BASED/IMMERSIVE

Our program emphasizes hands-on learning, with students engaging in experiential opportunities to apply their skills in real-world scenarios. Through various co-curricular programs, they gain immersive experiences and actively solve practical problems.

ECOSYSTEM I NTEGR ATED

Last year, our students and student-led startups received mentoring, coaching, and advice from more than 800 angel investors and venture capitalists, social enterprise and accelerator directors, startup founders, social entrepreneurs, corporate innovators, and other ecosystem builders.

OUR FACULTY ARE HERE BECAUSE THEY LOVE TO TEACH, BUT

THEY ARE TRUE TEACHERS/SCHOLARS

FSB faculty are highly productive and impactful scholars We wanted to share five of our favorite articles from 2023 .

Associate professors of finance Lee Biggerstaff and Brad Goldie’s article, “Hitting the “Grass Ceiling”: Golfing CEOs, Exclusionary Schema, and Career Outcomes for Female Executives” was published in the Journal of Management

Established by the U S Congress in 1991 as part of the Civil Rights Act, the Federal Glass Ceiling Commission focused on identifying barriers that prevent the advancement of women and minorities within corporate hierarchies and recommended strategies to overcome these barriers . In its 1995 report, the Commission described the “glass ceiling” as an invisible yet impenetrable barrier that prevents minorities and women from reaching senior corporate positions, regardless of their qualifications or achievements .

Nearly 30 years later, the problem persists, with few women in executive roles in major public corporations Our research investigates whether CEOs’ participation in golf, a sport historically viewed as exclusionary, impedes the advancement of women in executive positions . We used data from the United States Golf Association and Golf Digest to identify CEOs who play golf and keep a handicap Our findings indicate that companies led by CEOs who golf have significantly fewer women on their executive teams Additionally, women executives in these companies experience a wider pay gap compared to their counterparts in other firms

Peter Nguyen, assistant professor of marketing’s article, “The Influence of Non-Physicality of Goods on Disparities in Seller-Buyer Valuations: A MetaAnalysis” was published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, reveals a significant psychological barrier linked to the marketing and sale of non-physical

products The area of study is important as the marketplace increasingly shifts towards intangible forms of products such as NFTs and virtual goods in the Metaverse Conducting a comprehensive meta-analysis of how individuals value various physical and non-physical products, Nguyen and Wang discovered that non-physical products exhibit greater differences in values between sellers and buyers (that is, larger endowment effects) compared to physical products The pattern holds true across various subcategories of nonphysical products, including digital goods, data privacy, and experiential products .

According to the researchers, traditional marketing approaches that focus on product features and interactions are considerably less effective in shaping valuations for non-physical products compared to physical ones . Instead, abstract-based marketing tactics that link products to consumer emotions and in-group identity have greater impact on the valuation of non-physical products . These findings reflect the important role influencer marketing plays in promoting digital goods like NFTs, as evidenced in recent trends

Professor of accountancy Jon Grenier’s article in Accounting, Organizations and Society, “When law students think like audit litigation attorneys: Implications for experimental research” seeks to stimulate future research in audit litigation . When audits fail to detect fraud and other material misstatements, audit firms are typically sued by parties, such as investors, that suffered losses As most of these civil suits are settled before they reach trial, there is very little information available to researchers seeking to understand and perhaps help improve the process

The best source for researchers in this area are audit litigation attorneys, but they are extremely hard to access for research as there are only about 100 of them and they

are accomplished attorneys who often have many competing demands for their time . Dr . Grenier and his colleagues offer a solution where researchers can use law students as proxies for audit litigation attorneys in research experiments . The research team compared the responses of 76 law students to 15 audit litigation attorneys in terms of how 20 different factors would affect their judgments in three important settings: case acceptance, settlement decisions, and minimum settlement amount . They found that the responses of law students and attorneys were very similar in two of those three settings: case acceptance and minimum settlement amount . As a result, future researchers can have confidence using law students, a far more accessible and affordable group, when researching these two settings .

Zhiyong Yang, professor of marketing’s article, “Passing the Torch: How Parental Privacy Concerns Affect Adolescent SelfDisclosure on Social Networking Sites” was published in MIS Quarterly

This research shows that to educate adolescents about privacy risks and modify their online behavior, parents themselves must become good role models . This places parents at the core of privacy education Further, this research reveals that employing Internet evaluative mediation—whereby parents and adolescents make rules together regarding adolescents’ online activities—can facilitate “passing the torch ” With more participative and interactive co-creation of rules, adolescents are more likely to recognize and appreciate their parents’ values and perceptions Internet evaluative mediation may be the only approach for parents to influence their sons and change their self-disclosure, due to the sons’ lack of compliance In addition to internalization, daughters may also comply with parental privacy concerns under high Internet evaluative mediation . Thus, parents need to closely understand daughters’ situations and issues, so that timely

and effective guidance can be provided to help daughters make sound privacy-related choices . Additionally, our findings have implications for the design of technologies, such as online safety apps . According to our research, the design (and use) of online safety apps should reconcile the needs of both parents and adolescents, rather than favoring one over the other . Such an app should allow parents and adolescents to make rules together (e g , parents and adolescents can agree on the same privacy settings in the apps) . Moreover, the app could also expand its function to identify and minimize the discrepancies between parents and adolescents in privacy concerns to facilitate constructive dialogs between them on related topics

Assistant professor of management Hayley Morrison’s article, “Strengthening supervisor bonds but impairing coworker relations? The divergent effects of voice endorsement” in Journal of Management explores what happens when speaking up at work goes right Through this research, it was found that, for most employees, having their suggestions validated by their supervisor leads to feelings of genuine pride and keeps them speaking up with suggestions in the future However, supervisors should be careful about whose suggestions they validate, as narcissistic employees let this validation go to their heads in a way that creates conflict in the workplace

Best Business and Management Scientists: Lisa Ellram

The 3rd edition of Research .com ranking of the best researchers in the arena of Business and Management relies on data consolidated from various data source . Position in the ranking is based on a scientist’s D-index which takes into account only publications and citation data for an examined discipline .

LISA’S RECORD:

ALL COUNTRIES NO. 143

NATIONAL NO. 81

CITATIONS 30,683

PUBLICATIONS 138

Lisa M. Ellram

University Distinguished Professor Rees Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain Management

Congrats to HCML majors Zayla Yarbrough and Tim Kolp on their acceptance into the prestigious Annual Pre-Doctoral Student Consortium hosted by Southern Management Association

Janice Kinghorn

A Farmer School economics professor was one of twelve Miami University faculty to spend a month in India this summer as part of a U .S . Department of Education grant, and spent the fall semester bringing her experiences to her students .

Janice Kinghorn was part of the Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad group . “The call was for social scientist and humanities faculty, and economics is a social science,” she said . “We met throughout the semester before we went learning a little bit about India We did one session on economics where I proposed readings and led a discussion . And then the other people would do the same in their areas of expertise So we knew a little bit before we went ”

“The broad aim of the Fulbright-Hays program is to provide educators in humanities, social sciences, and languages with professional development experiences overseas to help them integrate international studies into the general curriculum,” professor of psychology Vaishali Raval said .

The overall goals of the project were to:

• Promote reflective exploration of the ways in which multiple cultural influences and systems contribute to individual development, including on one’s own self development;

• Critically evaluate the ways in which knowledge and teaching practices in one’s scholarly discipline have colonial and Euro-American foundations;

• Integrate de-colonized local perspectives from India in one’s humanities and social science curricula;

• Modify pedagogical methods to meet the needs of a diverse student body

• Disseminate knowledge gained to other educators

“The idea behind the grant was not just a quick tour, but to get immersed in a place and try to understand it, and do that in a variety of places . India is so different, and understanding the cultural differences even within that country is what we were trying to do,” Kinghorn said

“I saw a lot of things that I had just read about in the past, such as microcredit enterprise and entrepreneurial efforts in rural areas, and that was really cool . I saw the problems of a developing country, the problems of a lack of public goods And the connection between a lack of public goods and the efficiency of an economy was salient,” she said “I do a lot of study abroad, and the reason I do is I find that it is a very powerful way to learn.”

The group visited Indian universities in Delhi, Dehradun, Ahmedabad, and Bangalore “At each institution, we were warmly welcomed, experienced incredible hospitality with delicious meals and thoughtful gifts, and administrators and faculty took time from their existing commitments to meet and interact with us We learned about higher education in India, explored potential avenues for curricular and research collaborations, and most importantly, developed or strengthened foundational relationships to build future partnerships,” Raval said

“We started a collaborative project where we have four topics My students were in four groups and they researched and developed a report and a presentation on those topics from the U S perspective And the students at Christ University did the same thing from the Indian perspective,” Kinghorn said “And then we had a virtual conference where they presented to each other and they had a discussion about the issues that that come up ”

“My group and our counterpart had the topic ‘Non-Monetary Inequalities .’ We wrote a report titled “Exploring NonMonetary Inequalities in USA” where we mostly focused on racial inequality and gender inequality,” senior economics major Rafid Pranto said . “We met the team from India in October where we had general discussions on non-monetary inequalities in USA and India, asked one another questions, and set up our work agenda for the collaborative project ”

“We learned that poverty is different in India compared to the US and they have very different methods in eradicating poverty We learned about the horizontal inequalities of women in India,” one of Kinghorn’s groups noted in their final report . “We learned in-depth about SHGs (self-help groups) and how they are similar in promoting economic mobility for women.”

“We learned to give time to accommodate for ‘excess’ communication and information that the other culture may have We also learned to elaborate upon ‘US’ words that might be unclear for the group in India,” another group noted .

Kinghorn said that the project helped educate her students in a couple of ways . “I think my students saw their material differently because they were trying to see it from another viewpoint,” she said . “I think the folks from India brought in perspective that my students didn’t have They talked about climate change being an issue of inequality, that poor agricultural countries like India were bearing the brunt of climate change That was not something on the radar of my students . ”

“I liked the collaborative project a lot It was the first time for me collaborating with students outside of Miami University for a class project, and I had so much to learn We found out similarities and dissimilarities between USA and India regarding existing and historical non-monetary inequalities, policy decisions, public awareness, etc ,” Pranto said “My key takeaways from this project were working effectively in a cross-cultural environment, being more detailed and flexible with communication, and asking critical questions to make conversations fruitful.”

Despite time differences, cultural notions, and transmission lags that sometimes complicated the process, Kinghorn said she was continuing the project in her spring class . “I think this is what we should be doing,” Kinghorn said . “It’s messy and it’s frustrating, but working with people who are are different than ourselves can be messy and frustrating and I think it’s what we should be giving our students opportunities to do ”

AI and CHAT GPT: FRIEND OR FOE IN THE CLASSROOM?

Many schools and organizations are grappling with the reality of AI and whether to embrace it, create safeguards against it or hope that it’s a trend that will quickly fade away (unlikely) .

Our professors have chosen to both embrace the positives and guard against misuse in a number of creative ways.

In the management department, associate professor Henry Jin incorporates AI in the classroom extensively He starts by distributing a “cheat sheet” with overall tips on how to use generative AI most effectively He also spends an entire class exploring the prompts and how to use them . Since his class’s centerpiece is a client-based project, students deploy their familiarity with generative AI toward enhancing their project deliverables, using AI to assist with research, coding, and proofreading their presentations and summary papers

For all of the above, students are required to turn in a version with track changes on, so that he can see what they changed based on AI-generated content Throughout the semester he also assists them with finetuning their AI prompts and troubleshooting unexpected output

Henry noted, “The common theme of all of these is that AI not only improves productivity in terms of speed and quality but also allows me and the students to gain capabilities that we otherwise wouldn’t possess ”

In accountancy, assistant professor James Zhang’s students recently completed a client project for PwC in their capstone class about AI, integrating GPT4 and New Bing .

Professor Brian Ballou received a curriculum grant for integrating intelligent automation in the accounting curriculum and met with the KPMG advisory partner in charge of IA and the firm’s head of Audit Innovation Technologies He used a lot of the information from them in classroom discussions to promote “data literacy” versus expertise

In our First Year Integrated Core (FYIC), a mandatory set of courses that all first-year business students take, AI was a recurring theme

Assistant teaching professor Jake Matig encouraged students to use ChatGPT to come up with creative ideas for an opening hook to help their final presentation stand out for the FYIC client challenge He also did a few in-class activities throughout the semester to have students use ChatGPT to help write professional emails, cover letters, and resumes

Assistant teaching professor and BUS101 Team Lead Justin McGlothin shared that all the professors who teach BUS 101 used ChatGPT in their courses to help students develop a SWOT Analysis and Ansoff Matrix for the FYIC client challenge They used AI to develop their first draft and then used research to make it more specific to the client and market

Associate lecturer and FSB Director of Innovation David Eyman had all of his students in five classes use ChatGPT for every creative project that was due, encouraging them to use it as a tool instead of a crutch He required them to write a summary about their prompt, the information AI gave them, what they did with it, and how they used the tool to inspire creativity . One assignment was subtitled “How am I better than AI?”

And visiting assistant professor Greg Dern taught all five of his ESP103 sections how to create artwork using Dall-E and he had them create a professional logo and an image that represents compelling narratives without using words .

In the marketing department, instructor Bruce Lux uses AI to enhance his teaching He prepares unique content that combines key learning objectives from the textbook, his experience, current industry articles and podcasts And, he also prompts at least 2 AI agents for ways to bring the content further along . An example of a frequently used prompt is, “You are a marketing professor for an introductory undergraduate course . Provide me 2-4 examples of ways in which I can make the topic of Services Marketing more interactive .” He believes profg .ai to be most helpful with this .

To eliminate any potential copyright issues with reusing Google Images in content, he is using AI imagery using a combination of Adobe Firefly and Dall-e 3 to bring to life key concepts .

He also encourages his students to leverage AI where creativity can be enhanced and to write their assignments, and then have AI check them for brevity, clarity, and professionalism

Bruce said, “While allowing this is potentially opening Pandora’s Box, I do believe it is essential to preparing students to be job ready on day one To guard against misuse, I caution them that, just like in business, they should be prepared to have their analysis challenged and their recommendations questioned I also insist that they note where they are using AI in any project or in-class work . One watchout: one student keeps ChatGPT open during class and when I ask the class for examples of something we’re talking about, or have them do a table discussion, he will ask ChatGPT and proudly provide an answer . ”

Information Systems & Analytics associate professor Fadel Megahed actively encourages students to use the different generative AI tools to supplement their knowledge of the course material and assist with some of the coding tasks . The students are expected to verify the correctness of the generated outputs and correct them if necessary The tools include commercially and publicly available chatbots (e .g ., BARD, ChatGPT and Claude) and also ChatISA, a chat bot that he specifically created .

Students must submit proof of their interaction with ChatISA and professor Megahed has created a PDF output which captures their entire “conversation” as follows:

Headers and footers: that would capture the student’s name and course number, Miami logo, a disclaimer about the app, and automated page numbers

Cover page: containing three sections: (a) the purpose behind ChatISA, (b) the formatting of the generated PDF, and (c) the cost of the student’s interaction with ChatISA

The Student’s Interaction with ChatISA: The entire chat conversation would be formatted, with light red text for the student query and black text on a white background for the ChatISA response (except when there is code -- code blocks are highlighted in gray)

An Appendix: that contains the custom instructions

These are just a few of the ways our faculty are ensuring that their students will graduate beyond ready to embrace and harness technology to benefit their employers

TOP10 Public University for Entrepreneaurship 16 Years in a Row Princeton Review 2024

Jim Stearns

44 Years, Thousands of Students, a Million Memories

Meriam-Webster defines the word “fixture” as “a familiar or invariably present element or feature in some particular setting ” It would be difficult to name a person at the Farmer School of Business who fits this notion better than Jim Stearns

He’s worn a lot of hats in the decades he’s spent in Oxford: Professor, academic advisor, department chair, coach, tour guide . And Stearns says it all started with a marketing class that he took at Boston College as an undergrad

“It was the first time I ever had to make a presentation in front of the class, and I kind of enjoyed it, even though I thought I was painfully shy at the time . So I went to the professor and I asked, ‘How do I get where you are?’ And, he told me, and I said, ‘Oh, I don’t know if I want to do all that,’” Stearns said “I graduated and worked for a while, but I kept thinking ‘I’ve got to figure out a way to do this ’”

One PhD from Florida State later, Stearns found himself on a plane to Cincinnati after his dissertation advisor suggested Miami “We drove through all these corn fields and soybean fields through three different states . And I’m thinking, ‘Oh, my wife is from Manhattan This is not Manhattan,’” he said “I do vividly remember coming up 27, coming up the hill there to where the campus starts, and it was like this beautiful oasis ”

Stearns taught marketing in the business school for 32 years, while also running the MBA program for two decades along the way . The last couple of years, he was the chair of the Department of Marketing With time added for his three years in the Navy, he was eligible to retire, but not necessarily ready “I could have done the post-retirement three-year teaching gig when I retired, but I was looking to do something different In addition to being a professor, I’d been chief departmental advisor for 20 years,” he said

In talking to his dean and the academic advisors at the time, Stearns came to the conclusion that there was a better way to make Miami and the Farmer School attractive to prospective students . “We were trying to build a visit that projected what was important here and what our values were -- access to faculty, higher touch, trying to feel like a smaller school than we are,” he said “So we wanted to do small groups We wanted to do it as much as possible with a faculty member . ”

“I said, ‘I’ll try it for one or two years ’ I literally I said that, and that was 12 or 13 years ago,” Stearns said . “It’s completely different than being a faculty member, especially coming out of the chair role . Almost everybody in my group when I started was very young, very enthusiastic, very team oriented, very supportive of one another ”

Stearns also became known as the advisor that Miami would send prospective athletes who were considering business, especially hockey players . He’s had decades of experience in coaching hockey, starting with youth leagues and culminating in a stint helping to coach the newly-formed Miami women’s club hockey team—a role he almost didn’t take because of the travel required . “I said, ‘I don’t think I can do it .’ I went home and talked to my wife, and she basically said, “If you don’t do this, you’re going to regret it ”

The women’s team won national championships three times in the next four years.

Stearns said his favorite thing about teaching and about advising is actually the same thing . “One of the reasons I like this job is I’m getting to know these families In a few hours, I’ll be sitting in a room with four or five families and talking about their future and potentially changing the arc of their lives,” he said “The favorite part of it for me is you can change the arc of some lives . ”

So after all these years, is there anything Stearns doesn’t know? Yes For the first time in 60 years, he says he doesn’t know what’s next .

“That’s scary for me a little bit I’ve got to find something, because from the day that I left home after high school to go to college, I have awakened every day and had somewhere to go,” he said . “I’ll find something, you know . I used to play a lot of golf, maybe I’ll play a little bit more golf . ”

“Dr. Stearns—I am excited to share that I have accepted my admissions offer and am now an official Redhawk. I also wanted to send a note to personally thank you for helping introduce Miami to me and all that it means to be a Redhawk.

It was a tough decision between Indiana University and Miami, but after the discussion with you it really helped me realize that Miami was the place for me. You helped me see myself as a student here and how to become the professional businessman I have always dreamed of. I am beyond excited for my next four years here and wanted to let you know how influential you were both when we spoke over the phone in the fall, and when you provided me and my parents with a personal tour while onsite during Make it Miami a few weeks ago.

Brandon Kowall ‘28

“Coach Stearns dedicated his time at Miami to enhancing students’ lives in the classroom and on the ice. His impact was not only felt at Miami but has lasted into our careers. I was lucky enough to be one of them. There will be a major void at Goggin and FSB without coach Stearns around. He was instrumental in putting the women’s program on the map and helping players like me navigate the difficulties of a busy hockey schedule and FSB. Ultimately reaching my goals of graduating with a business degree and playing in the NHL. I will always be grateful for the instrumental role he played in my time at Miami and beyond. Thank you, Coach. Enjoy retirement!”

Sean Kuraly ‘16

“Jim is the absolute example of unwavering dedication and commitment. A gentle and quiet giant making differences in each and every life he touches, he is deservedly loved by students, athletes, recruits, faculty and staff. How fortunate we are that he dedicated his career, and his heart, to FSB. Wow. Thank you... for everything.”

Marti Kyger

FSB Assistant Dean & Director of Divisional Advising 1987 – 2019

The team winning its first national championship in 2014

“From the moment I was recruited by Miami, to the proud alum I am today and everything in between, Jim has undoubtedly had a profound impact on me and my life. He has always been such a strong supporter of Miami Hockey, a program that has provided me with an incredible foundation in life both on and off the ice. Including, but not limited to the unbelievable experience of playing at both the new and old Goggin arenas in front of fellow students of a university I love so much, the friendships and relationships developed of which I still hold today, and the education I received. After leaving upon the conclusion of my junior year to sign a professional contract, Jim was always one of my biggest supporters and encouraged me in finishing out my degree. Within that process he helped me in so many different ways. He provided me with advice, encouragement, coordination of my remaining coursework, and most importantly advocated on my behalf with the university and business school. For this, I am forever indebted to him, as many of my fellow students, as I’m sure we would not have been able to achieve our degree without his support. I am so incredibly fortunate to have had Jim in my corner, but much like myself and my fellow students, Miami University is just or if not more, to have Jim at for as long as they have!”

the team in the form of coaching, management, and travel most importantly Coach Jim was always there as a support both inside and outside the classroom. His guidance throughout earning my marketing degree as well as his networking support as I searched for jobs and internships are a huge reason why I was able to kickstart my career in sports marketing that I have so enjoyed. Thank you, Coach Jim, for your dedication to your students. You have made a lasting positive impact on so many and we are so thankful for you!”

Liz Wardlow ‘13

“For over 31 years, Jim has been a leader by example in terms of teaching, research, and service to Miami, Oxford, the hockey community, the State of Ohio, and the nation. Thousands of students have had their lives enriched in classes, advising on careers, or life’s many challenges.”

Jack Gifford

Professor of Marketing Emeritus

“Your love for Miami, its students, and its programs has inspired me throughout the years.”

Gillian Oakenful Professor of Marketing

“Coach Jim had an incredible impact on my Miami experience that I am forever grateful for. As a marketing major and a founding member of the women’s club hockey team, hardly a day went by without interacting with Coach Jim. His unwavering support for the team is a major reason why the club is as successful as it is today. I will never forget Coach Jim helping us get our first set of jerseys and what a great feeling it was to put that ‘Miami’ jersey on for the first time. Beyond the countless hours he dedicated to

“Jim truly embodies what I believe makes Miami unique – the professors care about the students. His advice to ‘follow your passion and success will follow’ was used early on in my career, as I left a promising job for a little marketing research firm, and was promoted to vice president within seven years.”

Dustin Buecker ‘92

Alec Martinez ‘09

2013 graduation with Liz Wardlow and the other senior on the team (Channing Ahbe) along with our student coach Nolan Peduto

THE CLASS OF 2023: ON TO THE NEXT STAGE OF THEIR JOURNEYS

The more than 1,000 2023 Farmer School graduates were exceptional in so many ways, and employers were eager to hire students that could add value to their organizations on day one . Many of these students had completed internships with their companies, so their learning curves would be much shorter In total, more than 300 companies hired the class of 2023 Our grads’ average total compensation, including signing bonus, was $72,604, and more than 45% of our newly employed grads reported a signing bonus averaging $6,177

Among the hiring companies were:

5W&Co .

84 .51

Ally Logistics

Arrive Logistics

AT&T

CDW

Cintas

Crowe

Deloitte

E . & J . Gallo Winery

EY

Fifth Third Bank

JPMorgan Chase & Co . Key Bank

Kimberly-Clark

KPMG

Plante Moran

Procter and Gamble

PwC

RSM US

Salesforce

Terillium

Wintrust Financial Corporation

Now in its ninth year, Poets & Quants “Best & Brightest” honors seniors whose infectious energy and unrelenting commitment to personal growth represent the best of their cohorts . Two Farmer School of Business students were selected for this honor

Bridget Dougherty, a senior supply chain operations and management major from Columbus, OH, will work as an energy and utilities consultant at West Monroe Partners after graduation .

Yiyang Fu, a senior with majors in economics and finance from Avon, OH, will work as an economic and valuation services associate at KPMG after graduation

Miami University Celebrates Entrepreneurs with Inaugural RedHawk50 Awards

Miami University alumni, faculty, staff, and supporters gathered at Cincinnati’s historic Music Hall on Friday, March 15 to celebrate the 2023 RedHawk50 – the 50 fastest-growing private companies around the world founded or led by former students of Miami University .

The program plays an important role in identifying, engaging, and celebrating accomplished Miamians in business It also reinforces Miami University and the John W Altman Institute for Entrepreneurship as the “Cradle of Founders” and serves as a vehicle for Miami graduates and former students who lead these companies to pass lessons learned to the next generation of Miami entrepreneurs

“Its neat to look back on, a couple college kids that turned a side hustle into a real business that’s impacting lives and recognized for what we’ve done . It’s kind of cool,” Tex Tickets’ Mike Gau said

“The 50 winners represent 17 industries, 14 cities in the U .S . and Great Britain, and 12 high-growth companies featured on the Inc . 5000 list,” Tim Holcomb, professor and chair of the Department of Entrepreneurship said “There are winners from every academic division at the university, representing 24 different majors . ”

“I was surprised we ranked so high . It was such an honor to be here amongst so many awesome companies, many of which we know and we’re friends with,” Mad Rabbit’s Oliver

Zak said . “I’m just so impressed with the ecosystem that Tim and the rest of the faculty have built in the entrepreneurship department and couldn’t be more proud to be an alumni . ”

“The entrepreneurial spirit and perseverance of the RedHawk50 honorees have contributed to Miami’s global reputation as a leader in entrepreneurship education,” Miami University President Gregory Crawford said . “These remarkable individuals are a testament to the caliber of talent that our institution fosters and an inspiration to future Miami entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders . ”

There were 525 nominations reflecting 360 unique Miamian-founded or led businesses received for consideration this year.

“Nothing feels better than coming back to meet the people who you grew up with in college and the professors who taught me, and, it’s in a way, thanks to them where I am today,” Aleta Couture’s Manav Preenja said “I wasn’t expecting to be so high on the list . I thought I’ll be somewhere around 45 to 50 . But it feels good It’s a good experience, and it’s a humbling experience . ”

“I was texting my buddies during the ceremony about how humbling it is to be a part of one of the fastest 50 growing entrepreneurs from Miami all across the globe . So it was just a lot of retrospective, very humbling and honored to be a part of it,” CO-hatch’s Matt Davis said . I just think it’s getting started and our company’s growing so fast, hopefully we win next year . ”

The RedHawk50 program was created by the John W Altman Institute for Entrepreneurship, part of the Farmer School of Business at Miami The John W Altman Institute for Entrepreneurship is a past winner of the Nasdaq Center of Entrepreneurial Excellence Award as the top entrepreneurship program and institute worldwide, has earned a “Top 10” ranking among public schools in The Princeton Review® and Entrepreneur Magazine’s annual ranking of the Top 50 Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Programs in the world for 16 consecutive years, and is currently ranked as the No 7 program in the world and No . 5 among public institutions

“It was awesome to be honored with fellow entrepreneurs and I had no idea -- I’ve been out of Miami for a while -- I didn’t know that the Altman School of Entrepreneurship was so highly ranked nationally, and so I was quite impressed to know that Miami is one of the top programs in the country,” FC Cincinnati’s Jeff Berding said

“When we announced this program, our ecosystem partners immediately came forward to offer support,” said Jenny Darroch, dean of the Farmer School of Business and the Mitchell P Rales Chair in Business Leadership “EY donated their time and talent to receive and review information sent by the nominated companies and to tabulate the results Our alumni leveraged their networks to help us promote the event, and our donors and sponsors provided the financial resources to make all of this possible Support like this is confirmation that our partners strongly believe in the value of what we do, and they want to play an active role ”

“It’s great to be in a room like this because it’s extremely motivating to be around very like-minded entrepreneurs,” Mad Rabbit’s Selom Agbitor said . “I think it just instills the drive to want to succeed some more and keep growing ”

TEX Tickets, Mike Gau and Simon Landon

Aleta Couture, Manav Preenja

InGoodTaste, Ryan Lindholm

Mad Rabbit, Selom Agbitor and Oliver Zak

Steno, Dan Anderson

Foxen, Jay Harkrider, Patrick McBride, Kevin Jacobson, and Andy Lallathin

Transactly, Edward "Coach" Weinhaus

Loop, Jonathan Poma

COhatch, Matt Davis

Professional Fighters League, Donn Davis

Cleveland Kitchen, Mac Anderson

FC Cincinnati, Je Berding

Fire Rover, Will Schmidt

SPR Therapeutics, Maria Bennett (Walker)

Hidden Harbor Capital Partners, David Block

Bridge Industries, Je rey Berlin

Arrive

Ridge Real

, Andrew Lallathin, Patrick McBride, and Jay Harkrider

Kruger and Hodges Attorneys at Law, Joshua Hodges

Eleeo Brands, Richard Palmer

Rooted Grounds Co ee, Dave Knopf and Patsy Knopf (Schneider)

Semify, Patrick Briggs and Amit Dixit

OROS, Michael Markesbery and Rithvik Venna

CELEBRATING FORMER MIAMI UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WHO HAVE GONE BEYOND

The RedHawk50 program was created by The John W. Altman Institute for Entrepreneurship at Miami University’s Farmer School of Business to identify, recognize, and celebrate the 50 fastest growing private companies around the world founded or led by former students of Miami University. The 2023 RedHawk50 winners represent 17 industries and 14 cities in the U.S. and Great Britain.

Textbook Painting, Michael Murray

Kinettix, Chad Mattix

Midwest Power Products, Greg

Jones and Will Angsten

Freestar, Kurt Donnell

UpWest, Jamie Schisler

BHDM Design, Daniel Mazzarini

Vellabox, Adam Ellis

Renovation Sells, Michael Valente

Campbell Psychological Services, Elizabeth Morey Campbell

Unity Sourcing & Roasting, Tyler Elliott

Flaherty & Collins Properties, Michael Collins

Articulation LLC , Ruth Milligan

Orazen Extruded Polymers, Michael Orazen

Jennifer Manners Design, Jennifer Manners (nee Zausch)

Mugsy, Leo Tropeano and Scott Dulany

Xtreme Xperience, Adam Olalde and Joseph Moore

No Laying Up, Philip Landes, Chris Solomon, and Todd Schuster

Orangewood Partners, Alan Goldfarb and Neil Goldfarb

UPshow, Matt Gibbs and Adam Hirsen

Interlink Cloud Advisors, Matt Scherocman

Nested Spaces, Whitney Vredenburgh-Sparks

Republic Wire, Inc., Ronald Rosenbeck

Zylo, Benjamin Pippenger

Align, Jim Dooling

Golden Ceramic Dental Lab, Cydney Topaz

PU BLIC UNDERGRADUATE ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM 16 YEARS IN A ROW

REVIEW, 2024 No. 7 IN THE WORLD FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP PRINCETON REVIEW, 2024

5 PUBLIC SCHOOL FOR CAREER OUTCOMES, FACULTY QUALITY, DEGREE BEING WORTH THE TIME AND COST, AND SIGNATURE EXPERIENCE POETS AND QUANTS, 2024

9 UNICORNS FOUNDED BY MIAMI GRADS

$10.6 billion RAISED BY PRIVATE, HIGH-GROWTH MIAMIAN FOUNDED OR LED COMPANIES IN FY2021-2022

OxVegas Chicken

It was a sunny, cold Saturday afternoon in Uptown Oxford Inside a storefront facing the back of the park bandstand, people were carrying boxes of bottles in from a side door A drink dispenser had a note telling people who couldn’t get ice for their soft drink to see the bartender Workers wearing shirts with “Love Honor Chicken ” emblazoned on the back bustled through a newly-built kitchen making orders .

It was day zero for the latest Oxford restaurant, OxVegas Chicken, an invite-only party before opening to the public the next day

“I don’t know what I expected, but the two years leading up to this were very stressful, to where once we actually got here, I forgot to set some expectations for once we opened,” Tyler Storer said “But here we are, we’re figuring it out as we go So far, so good . ”

“It’s stressful and exciting . I mean, Tyler and I have worked for this for two years now It’s a dream come true Obviously there’s going to be a lot of stuff we’re figuring out as we go, but it’s beautiful in here . Everyone’s happy . The chicken’s great . I’m just happy to be where I am today with a great partner,” Jackson Trester said . “We’ve learned a lot over this journey and we’re just thankful to be open and be able to show what we envisioned over the last few years to the public of Oxford. So it’s going to be hopefully a staple for this town.”

Storer is a Farmer School of Business supply chain operations and management major who will be entering the Ohio National Guard through the ROTC after graduation this spring Trester graduated last year with a degree in finance and works as a nonferrous trader at the David J Joseph Company

The pair first met at the Farmer School’s Startup Weekend in 2021, came up with the idea for OxVegas Chicken a few months later, and have been working on it since . “We leaned on a ton of professors for help, especially in the entrepreneurship department,” Storer said

In a 2023 Facebook post, Storer and Trester said the concept is “a fast-casual, limited-service restaurant with a concise menu that includes chicken tenders, chicken sandwiches, waffle fries, mac and cheese, and Texas toast We understand that our menu is not extensive, but we want to focus on what we know and what we believe is needed in Oxford ”

The restaurant, which also has a bar, is open from noon to midnight Sunday through Wednesday, and stays open until 3 a .m . on Thursday through Saturday for the late-night crowd .

Julia Mendelson, a senior sports leadership and management major, joined the team six months ago “They needed someone to do social media, marketing, handle all that stuff . Tyler and Jackson pretty much know nothing about that, so I’ve taken over for them and helped create a face for the restaurant,” she said

“It’s been super fun . Working with both of them has been incredible . I get to collaborate with them every day and get their opinions on things, they ask my opinions,” Mendelson said “Being able to see it go from nothing into what it is now has been a really cool process, something that I know all three of us are extremely proud of ”

“It’s definitely a team effort We could not be where we are without the help of everyone around us . So we’re just grateful to be here and grateful that everyone’s willing to help us and hope we succeed in the long run,” Storer said .

“We’re hoping to get a couple seconds to be able to sit back and actually take it in and enjoy it,” Trester laughed . “It hasn’t happened so far ”

Almost three months on, stopping to “take it in” still isn’t easy

“The business is doing much better than we could have ever imagined But the work is also much more than anyone can ever make you aware of . People are the most time consuming thing . Managing people is way harder than anyone said it would be! We have a great staff, but 45 people can be hard to maneuver at times!” Storer said .

“It’s been amazing to have so many locals and students come try us out over the last few months It’s been incredible to see the students enjoy the food as much as they have and to see our concept working!” Trester said . “Things are definitely still challenging, as owning and running a restaurant requires a lot of our time and energy on a daily basis . ”

Both men said that their time at the Farmer School of Business has definitely helped make this idea a reality

“We couldn’t have done it without the Farmer School and the ESP program People will ask me why I didn’t drop out of college since “I don’t need the degree anymore” But this education and networking is what got me here . This was absolutely a cause and effect outcome,” Storer said

“My classes at Farmer were very helpful in preparing me for restaurant ownership. Although my major was in finance, the overall business classes provided me with a general knowledge of how to tackle problems and, most importantly, how to be efficient in various aspects of the business,” Trester said “There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes work, including being efficient with our costs, marketing, inventory management, food ordering, staff management, payroll, and accounting Having a foundational knowledge from all my classes has been instrumental in navigating these challenges effectively ”

“The Entrepreneurship department has been extremely supportive well before we opened in giving advice, financial advice, feedback, and even now . . . business . They order and cater from us and make sure everyone knows about OxVegas,” Storer said “We could not be more grateful for the program, and the business school as a whole!

FSB BUSINESS ADVISORY COUNCIL

Mr. Jim Barr

Chief Executive Officer and Board Director Bowflex

Mr. Doug Boersma Chief Executive Officer Wintrust Bank N.A

Mr. Brandon Cruz President Real Tech Capital

Mr. David Dauch Chairman and Chief Executive Officer American Axle and Manufacturing

Mr. Paul Galat Managing Partner PDG Capital

Ms. Michelle Girard

Head of US, NatWest Markets and CEO of NatWest Markets Securities Inc. NatWest Markets Plc

Mr. Alan Goldfarb Founder and Managing Partner Orangewood Partners

Mr. Ryan Graves Founder and CEO Saltwater Capital

Ms. Jillian C. Griffiths Partner and Chief Financial Officer Clayton, Dubilier & Rice

Mr. George Heath President

Global Finishes Group (retired) The Sherwin-Williams Company

Mr. Neil Hunn President and CEO Roper Technologies

FSB The Journey

Ms. Tammy Izzo Partner (retired) EY

Mr. Matt Jennings Operating Partner Kholberg & Co

Mr. Gregory K. Jones Senior Partner and President The Edgewater Funds

Ms. Nina Leigh Krueger CEO and President Neste Purina North America

Mr. John P. McCarthy, Ph. D. Chief Investment Officer Centaur Capital Partners

Mr. Mark R. Mitten Founder The Mitten Group

Ms. Patty Morrison Executive VP and Chief Information Officer (retired) Cardinal Health

Mr. Brian Niccol Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Chipotle

Ms. Mary Lynn Phillips Chief Financial Officer Stop & Shop

Mr. David Probst Executive Vice President Conterra Ag Capital

Mr. Ron Rice President and Chief Operating Officer (Retired) Chairman of the Board of Directors RPM International Inc Metallus Inc and TimkenSteel

Mr. Doug Schosser Chief Financial Officer Northwest Bank

Mr. David (DJ) Shade Partner EY

Mr. Justin Sheperd

Partner and Chief Investment Officer (retired) Aurora Investment Management LLC

Mr. Denis Simon

Senior Executive Vice President Challenger, Gray & Christmas

Mr. Brett Stover

Senior Global Vice President (retired) Kantar Retail Consulting

Mr. Vijay Talwar

Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Digital Officer Avolta AG

Mr. Britt Trukenbrod Managing Director William Blair

Mr. Brian Wolfe Partner Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Mr. Brian S. Young

Chief Commercial Officer (retired) Johnson Controls

FSB BOARD OF VISITORS

Scott Farmer

Executive Chairman (retired) Cintas Corporation

Amy Altman

Executive VP, Clinical Affairs and Diagnostics SAFE Health

Mr. Biff Bowman

Chief Financial Officer (retired) Northern Trust Company

Robert E. Coletti Partner

Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL

Stephanie Ferris

CEO and President FIS

Mr. Christopher Gorman

President and Chief Operating Officer Key Bank

Mark Ridenour

President (retired) DALE Management Co , LLC

Andrea Saia Board of Director Align Technology & LivaNova

David H. Budig President Parsec

Richard K. Smucker

CEO (retired)

J M Smucker Company

EMERITUS MEMBERS:

Roger Howe

President (retired) Howe Investment Co

John Altman

Retired Professor of Entrepreneurship and Miami University Trustee Emeritus

Dinesh Paliwal

CEO & President (retired)

Board Member of Bristol Myers Squibb Nestlé and Raytheon Technologies

C.Michael Armstrong Chairman, Board of Trustees

Johns Hopkins Medicine, Health System Corp . and Hospital

FUNDING OUR FUTURE

The University is in the midst of a one-billion-dollar capital campaign – the largest in the institution’s history public phase kicked off in late 2022 with four cornerstones: Scholarships, Business and Entrepreneurship, Clinical Health Sciences, and Digital Innovation and Technology

AS PART OF THAT CAMPAIGN, THE FARMER SCHOOL IS SEEKING TO RAISE $250 MILLION AND IS ALREADY MORE THAN HALF WAY TO ACHIEVING THAT GOAL.

Our mission is to support our students’ success do that by offering the best curricular and co-curricular student experience in the nation by focusing on both the academic and the personal experience Therefore, our fundraising priorities are:

SCHOLARSHIPS

RECRUITING AND RETAINING TOP FACULTY CURRICULAR AND CO-CURRICULAR PROGRAMMING

The Farmer Family Foundation created a one for one matching gift, that is matching up to $20 million over the next two years . Leveraging that transformational gift has recently resulted in $14 million in gifts to support centers of excellence, including our Center for Supply Chain Excellence, Center for L .I .F.E and the Center for Real Estate Finance and Investment and more than $5 million to support high-need students, $2.5 million for enhancements to our Academic Advising, and $1.5 million for Cyber Security, Student Athletes, and Career Services

In 2023, more than 14% of the more than 45,000 Farmer School alumni supported our efforts

“Miami has a phenomenal academic standard. It’s unbelievable. They really get you beyond ready. A lot of things that I had to do at my internship, Miami had already prepared me for, which I hadn’t even realized. Miami does a great job of making sure that you’re ready for the next step.”

KESHON ‘24, HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP