NIU College of Business Dean's Annual Report — AY21 Goals Progress Update and AY22 Goals

Dean’s Annual Report

De La Vega INNOVATION LAB

AY21 Goals Progress Update and AY22 Goals

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College of Business — Annual Report

Team Accomplishments All accomplishments are made possible because of the phenomenal effort of our team of leaders, faculty and staff in the College of Business. Thank you for your passionate commitment to the vision and mission of the College of Business.

Vision Statement Inspire and empower to innovate, transform business, change lives and make a difference in the world.

Mission Statement Create knowledge, transform business and develop principled, adaptable global citizens through innovative active learning and personalized experiences.

Core Values Excellence. Integrity. Caring.

Recognitions Poets & Quants

Selected to be #77 among the top undergraduate business programs.

U.S. News & World Report

The College of Business Undergraduate Program has been ranked among the nation’s best for over 30 consecutive years (since 1987).

College of Business Leadership Team Balaji Rajagopalan, Dean

Jon Briscoe, Chair, Department of Management

Daewoo Park, Associate Dean

Gina Nicolosi, Chair, Department of Finance

Anthony Preston, Assistant Dean, Graduate Business Program

Vijaykumar Krishnan Palghat, Chair, Department of Marketing

Brad Cripe, Chair, Department of Accountancy

Chang Liu, Chair, Department of OM&IS

Rebecca Shortridge, Chair, Department of Accountancy (AY21)

College of Business — Annual Report

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Reflections from the Dean

Our Entrepreneurial Spirit and Visionary Outlook Since the humble beginnings sixty years ago and throughout our history, the College of Business has exemplified an entrepreneurial spirit and a visionary outlook. Our story began with Francis R. Geigle, a former banker from New Jersey who headed up NIU’s business education program. A precursor to the college, the program was established in the 1950s to meet market demands for teachers of business education. Geigle and his three colleagues addressed that need while keeping their eye on the future. In just a few years, propelled by their energy and entrepreneurial mindset, they transformed the program into a comprehensive business college, established in 1961, that evolved from graduating high school business education teachers to preparing business professionals.

Continuing this journey, our portfolio of initiatives and programs have kept up with developments in industry. In particular, the thread of experiential learning has strengthened to become a defining trait of our DNA. Through it all, we’ve earned and held AACSB International accreditation both for the college and accountancy just eight years after the college’s founding. And we’ve held continuous rank among the nation’s best undergraduate programs for more than 30 years, since the beginning of the U.S. News & World Report ranking in 1987.

Such a strong reputation is owed to the phenomenal work of the college’s former and current leaders, faculty, staff, partners and alumni. As they say, we stand on the shoulders of giants. Inspired by our community, we’ve blazed new trails in the last five years. As you peruse this report documenting

the progress we have made during one of the most challenging years of our lifetime, I hope you are both in awe and proud of the Huskie grit to achieve what many would deem impossible. Exemplifying such entrepreneurial spirit is the launch of the De La Vega INNOVATION LAB, a new 3,000 square foot space in Barsema Hall dedicated to inspiring entrepreneurship everywhere on campus through experiential activities.

As we continue along our journey to be a world leader in experiential learning in business education, stay tuned to news about the exciting initiatives that will put us on the map.

Go Huskies!

Balaji Rajagopalan, Dean

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College of Business — Annual Report

Awards and Honor

Distinctive Teaching, Mentoring, and Service

University Award — “Excellence in Online Teaching” Without any prior experience and with no notice, Furkan Gur got right to business transforming his in-person classes to an online format due to the Coronavirus pandemic. “When the pandemic led to instructional disruptions, I worked hard to make sure the changes were smooth and easy to implement for students,” says Gur. “I also continued my commitment to making sure students still had a positive experience and learning objectives for classes were met.”

Furkan Gur (Management).

Furkan structured his classes to be delivered in a modular format, with a new lesson released each week. He created new assignments to adapt to the online learning

environment, including a New Venture Launch project in which students created an online business. He overhauled course readings and resources and introduced students to YellowDig, an online community building platform. The variety of content that Gur was able to deliver was not comprised when he moved his courses online. His students were pleased that they were still able to experience the activities, resources and connection they had grown accustomed to while taking Gur’s classes in-person.

Colleagues in the College of Business have also benefited from working with Gur in transitioning course delivery online.

Association for Information Systems (AIS) Award — “Innovation in Teaching” At the close of 2020, Biago Palese and his co-researchers won the prestigious AIS award for innovation in teaching for their research project entitled, “Designing Scalability in required in-class introductory college courses.” AIS is a global association with membership from over 100 countries. Palese received the award during a ceremony that was held virtually for all member countries in December 2020.

Biagio Palese (OM&IS).

The international conference on information systems, organized by AIS, is among the best conferences in information systems (IS) and the most prestigious. For this reason, scholars from all over the world attend

the conference and are recognized each year with different awards. AIS launched its Innovation in Teaching award in 2012.

All previous winners are well known elite scholars. “I am so delighted to learn that Biagio Palese was awarded the Association for Information Systems (AIS) award for Innovation in Teaching. This award recognizes outstanding teaching in classroom innovation and specifically focuses on the uniqueness that increases student interest and drives achievement,” says Chang Liu, Dean’s Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Operations Management and Information Systems (OM&IS) in the NIU College of Business.

College of Business — Annual Report

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Distinctive Research and Intellectual Contribution

College of Business Faculty who published in Financial Times Top 50 Journals

Bethany S. Cockburn (Management).

Journal of Applied Psychology.

Amanda J. Ferguson (Management).

Administrative Science Quarterly.

Mahesh Subramony (Management) Human Resource Management.

Elina Tang (Marketing) Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science.

Timothy L. Michaelis (Management) Journal of Business Venturing.

Brian W. McCormick (Management).

Journal of Management. (Two publications in AY21).

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College of Business — Annual Report

Key Highlights of Progress Report on Goals for AY21 Theme One: Culture of Innovation Goal: Launch the Creativity Lab Progress: • Creativity Lab will be opened in Barsema Hall (BH) in August 2021. BH renovations for the Innovation Lab were done in AY20.

Goal: Enhance Pedagogical Innovation Progress: • One Dean’s Instructional Innovation Fellowship was funded for AY21.

• Mya Groza — MKTG 443: Marketing Research Summary: • Transform MKTG 443 using design thinking, active pedagogy and adaptive learning technologies. This will be an 8-week, hybrid, flipped course design.

Theme Two: Distinctive Student Experiences and Career Success

Goal: Institutionalize the IGNITE! program

Progress: • Eight students spent approximately 2,500 hours working for five organizations in AY21.

Project details can be found here: go.niu.edu/experiencesignite.

• Innovation DuPage — A non-profit venture that unites entrepreneurs and small business owners with the people, resources and programs that help them grow.

• Gotivation — A start-up that teaches people how to motivate themselves.

• Datatelligent — A start-up that helps organizations compete and thrive in today’s data-driven world by providing a unique Data Analytics as a Service (DAaaS) approach. Datatelligent hired their IGNITE! student to continue during summer 2021.

• AutoMeter — An established instrumentation and vehicle electronics manufacturer.

• Kishwaukee College — Kishwaukee College hired their IGNITE! student as full-time Human Resource Generalist.

Goal: Engage 50 students in eight Experiential Learning Center (ELC) Projects per semester.

Progress: • Sixteen ELC projects were funded in AY21: Project details can be found here: go.niu.edu/elcprojects.

• Fall 2020: Caterpillar, Heel Strike, Numerator, Opportunity DeKalb, Purafil, Beyond Sport Foundation, RAMP, Sinnissippi Centers.

• Spring 2021: Caterpillar, Crest Foods, Echo Global Logistics, McDonald’s Corporation, Rust-Oleum, OpenLoop, SuperBetter, Rockford Park District.

• 93 students participated.

Goal: Continue efforts toward increasing internship/micro-internship/ELC/IGNITE or similar experience participation rate to 75% over the next three years Progress: • 52% of AY21 graduates reported one or more of the experiences above.

Goal: Deliver architectural design for: Digital Innovation and Data Analytics Lab and Sales Lab 2.0 Progress: • A fundraising plan is in place and execution has begun for the new DIDA Lab. • Sales Lab 2.0 — Visioning document is in the preparation stage.

Goal: Complete the work on concept design for FinTech Lab. Progress: • A fundraising plan is in place.

• Over $250,000 pledged for the project.

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Theme Three: Mission and Market Driven Program Transformation Goal: Execute on the new MBA program curriculum for all formats. Launch online MBA program redesign and enhancement.

Progress: • Redesigned and enhanced MBA programs were offered in AY21.

• Executive MBA program had new curricular structure and courses with innovative pedagogy in AY21.

• One Year MBA program had newly refined core and elective courses in AY21.

• Global MBA program had newly refined core and elective courses in AY21.

• New Online MBA program (converted from evening MBA program) was launched in AY21.

Goal: Develop and execute marketing plan for promoting MBA programs to meet enrollment target of a minimum of 15 students in the EMBA format and 20 in the One Year MBA format.

Progress: • EMBA program had 29 (16 Year One, 13 Year Two students) in AY21. One Year MBA program had 60 students (42 Hoffman Estates, 18 Chicago) in AY21.

Goal: Launch re-design exercise for the undergraduate business program.

Progress: • UBUS 110: Business in Action will be required of all incoming freshmen and transfer students in Fall 2021 • Career Compass was redesigned as an individualized advising experience.

Goal: Expand global initiatives: • Deliver Nanjing MBA program.

• Explore new opportunities globally for graduate programs.

Progress: • Nanjing MBA program was successfully delivered in AY21 in spite of the global pandemic challenges.

• Global MBA program collaboration with Chung-Ang University (Korea) was made in AY21.

Goal: Strengthen Specialized Masters: • Work to increase enrollment in the M.S. Finance program with a steady state of 20-25 students.

• Launch Online Master of Accountancy; Execute on phasing out the Master of Science in Taxation program decision.

• Explore synergies among online programs — M.S. in Digital Marketing, M.S. in Data Analytics, MB. Progress: • M.S. in Finance program was redesigned to reflect the changes in the business world and better arm students with enhanced competence in their future career. 23 students enrolled in the program in Spring 2021. Similar number of students will enroll in the program in AY22.

• M.S. in Data Analytics (MSDA) was enhanced with curricular changes including the revisions to the program goals and learning objectives.

143 students enrolled in the MSDA program in Spring 2021. Over 150 students will enroll in the program in AY22.

• M.S. in Digital Marketing (MSDM) was enhanced with curricular changes. 92 students enrolled in the program in Spring 2021. Over 100 students will enroll in the program in AY22.

• Online Master of Accountancy (MAC) was launched with 46 students in Fall 21. Over 58 students will enroll in the program in AY22.

Goal: Explore cross-disciplinary and new program opportunities.

Progress: • HTM emphasis in BS Business Administration was approved in AY21 and will be introduced in AY22.

• Developing Entrepreneurship Certificate programs for Engineering students was launched.

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College of Business — Annual Report

Theme Four: Faculty Research and Professional Development Goal: Institutionalize and modify department research excellence model as needed.

Progress: • All five departments established and executed department-specific reward structures.

• 26 Professorships and 1 Research Fellowship in each discipline: • COB Research Spending — $923,579 in AY21.

• Research Fellowships and Research Grants — $263,579.

• Conference Presentations and Research Collaboration — $110,000.

• Graduate Assistantships for Faculty Research — $550,000.

Goal: Expand professional development opportunities for staff.

Progress: • All five departments provided professional development opportunities for staff- online advising conference, online training for advance data analytics, online conferencing, etc.

Theme Five: Inclusivity Goal: Develop an inclusivity plan.

Progress: • The Business Passport continents were updated and now include Diversity & Inclusion as a continent. All College of Business students must participate in at least one activity in this continent prior to graduation.

• COB SEM Committee worked to develop equity gap-related initiatives (including an inclusivity plan): COB Black Alumni Mentoring Program (BAMP) was launched with 56 Black Alums. Works on developing the COB Hispanic and Asian Alumni Mentoring Programs are in progress. Accountancy, Marketing, and OMIS Departments joined Management Department for the COB Peer Mentoring Program.

• COB worked to finalize a new COB diversity-equity-inclusion (DEI) action plan.

College of Business — Annual Report

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AY21 Activities

New HTM Emphasis for the College of Business Students

Eunha Myung

NIU’s Hospitality and Tourism Management program prepares students for careers in hotel operations, food service, event management and other such industries with an emphasis on understanding the industry’s complex business environment.

This program has a strong business component; to leverage existing expertise and industry connections, the program will transition to a new degree emphasis within the College of Business (COB). As part of this

transition, two tenured faculty from this program within the School of Family and Consumer Sciences in the College of Health and Human Sciences will change their tenure home to the Department of Management (Dr. Lan Li) and the Department of Marketing (Dr. Eunha Myung) in the College of Business. They will also have joint appointments: Dr. Li with the Department of OMIS, Dr. Myung with the Department of Management.

Lan Li

COB Crowdfunding College of Business successfully completed the AY21 COB Crowdfunding campaign. The AY21 COB Crowdfunding campaign included the Angel Fund, the Northern Adventures Fund, and the Keep Learning Fund. All three funds (their goals described below) exceeded the goals with support from alumni, faculty, and staff.

Angels Among Us Have you ever been touched by an angel? Perhaps a good Samaritan, a stranger who aided you in a time of need?

A kind person who reached out with a hand you needed at the exact time you needed it and without the expectation of getting anything in return? That’s what NIU’s College of Business Angel Fund is about -- helping others in their time of need and when that help makes the most impact.

Nonprofit organizations that normally perform this kind of work have needs too. Business needs that the College of Business’ ELC was designed to perform for commercial organizations. Nonprofits are often not in a financial position to seek outside advice or business analysis that help guide their efforts. The ELC can help and you can be the angel to lead the way.

The ELC Angel Fund is currently accepting donations to fund ELC projects for a nonprofits so they can become better organizations and impact more lives. When, based on your contributions, sufficient funds are available, a non-profit organization will be selected to receive the benefit of an ELC project. The result will not only assist the nonprofit organization, but also will significantly contribute to the experience and education of the students who are selected for the team. It will also provide good feelings for you, the angel donor!

Northern Adventures — Supporting Student Travel The pandemic has hit us all very hard. While we have been cooped up in our homes, working online and perhaps going out occasionally to walk our dogs, we yearn for more movement, connection, travel.

Our students do too.

They have been learning remotely yet yearning for far-away places and new adventures. There is much to learn in the online environment, and so much more to can be gained through personal engagement and cultural immersion. Travel is the answer.

NIU’s College of Business students who have been lucky enough to travel have seen first-hand different cultures, ideas, food and perceptions.

Traveling throughout the U.S. and beyond our borders (when it’s safe to do so) adds immense value to our students’ character. They are able immerse themselves in situations they might never face at home. They might also encounter challenges that drive them to learn from a hands-on experience.

Students come back from their trips with a better understanding of the world, expanded perceptions of people and actually earn high grades. The Northern Adventures Fund will support those students. So many can’t afford the luxury of travel, but with your support we can provide them the opportunity for a global learning experience, and we can truly say: our students are crossing boundaries and transforming lives.

Keep Learning Did you ever need a little push?

A little help to get you over the finish line? Some assistance from your friends?

Our students frequently find themselves in the same predicament. You can be that friend and provide the little push our students need to get over the hump.

Gifts to the Keep Learning Fund provide students who are struggling with their limited resources to purchase a book for class, get access to technology needed for group projects, allow them a warm meal through finals or other basic or critical needs in their NIU journey.

With your help, these deserving students can keep learning without disruption.

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College of Business — Annual Report

2021 NIU Business Olympics The NIU Business Olympics began in 2017 with one challenge, the NIUIA Valuation Challenge. Since then, the event has grown to include five different competitions. Talented high school and community college students from the State of Illinois in the United States competed for prize money in up to three competitions, either individually or in teams. We’ve named their competitive track the Amazing Huskie Olympian Track.

This year, we also welcomed two international universities to our firstever online event.

Teams in the Amazing Huskie Olympian Track vied for real first place and second place prize money in the following competitions: Accountancy Data Visualization. As consultants for the fictitious Huskie Motor Company, teams presented a 10-minute data-driven production and marketing analysis using spreadsheets and visualization software (First Place – Yourkville HS, Second Place – Maine East HS).

Big Idea Pitch Competition. Teams pitched their big idea for a new business in five minutes to like-minded entrepreneurs and potential investors (First Place – Lake Zurich HS, Second Place – Palatine HS).

Digital Marketing Competition. Teams chose a small, real-life local company that could benefit from the use of a marketing strategy: visited the company and mapped out their customer journey using the RACE framework we provided and created a website for the company with our free platform, Wix (First Place – Main East HS Team 808, Second Place – Main East HS Team Sillicon) Mobile App Idea Competition. In 12 minutes, teams presented an idea for an app that addresses any everyday problem, caters to any industry/ sector needs, or adds value to any current business area (First Place – Barrington HS, Second Place — Metea Valley HS).

NIUIA Valuation Challenge. After submitting written quantitative and qualitative analyses, teams advancing in this two-stage event defended their proposal: they described why their two selected publicly traded firms belonging to an assigned sector should undergo a hypothetical merger (First Place – Main East HS, Second Place – Neuqua Valley HS).

“The NIU Business Olympics is a terrific opportunity for high school students to gain valuable skills that will benefit them in their future college experiences and throughout their professional careers. By working together to solve real-world problems, my students were able to learn how to do actual business research within a team setting. The communication skills that were necessary for success are transferable, and the strong bond they each have for one another will be lasting.

Overall, this competition offers students more than the chance to win great prizes, but an opportunity to learn how to become successful business professionals. Thank you for all your hard work and creativity in making this event so incredibly fun and educational! “ — Dale Lasky, Maine East High School teacher and team coach.

College of Business — Annual Report

2021 High School Business Ethics Competition Several years ago, a group of business students from Leaders in Ethics and Academic Discipline (LEAD), the Building Ethical Leaders Using an Integrated Ethics Framework (BELIEF) Program’s student organizations, started an ethics case competition at NIU. This annual event benefits not only the College of Business, but the entire university as well.

The competition provides an opportunity for high school teams to present their solution to an ethical dilemma to a panel of judges.

Benefits include: 1) obtain exposure to ethical dilemmas in the business world, 2) understand that dilemmas occur everywhere and everyday to everyone who makes choices, 3) develop and improve decision-making skills in high-pressure, time-sensitive situations at a leadership level.

The event has received very positive feedback from participants and their advisers. Due to the pandemic, the 2021 event was held virtually.

2021 Sales Competition Each semester, students from the NIU Sales Center participate in numerous national sales competitions where they have the unique opportunity to compete against other universities on a national level and apply classroom theory in a real-world selling scenario.

Collegiate sales competitions provide an excellent opportunity for students who are interested in pursuing a career in professional sales to develop their communication and presentation skills in a highly competitive environment. Additionally, students network with recruiters and collegiate peers from across North America.

This semester, nine students, three student coaches and three NIU Professional Sales Advisory Board industry coaches competed in three university sales competitions. The NIU team for the USF competition included Samantha Pinnock, Erin Bradford, Jacqueline Ponzetti and Jake Hamilton. The competition included “Running with the Bulls,” a virtual sales competition hosted by the University of South Florida.

For that competition, Bradford and Hamilton placed in the top five nationally.

Jake Hamilton and Erin Bradford.

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College of Business — Annual Report

Virtual 2020 COB Graduate Celebration and 2021 Commencement at Huskie Stadium

NIU had to postpone the 2020 commencement ceremony. As an attempt to show our strong support and appreciation, however, the College of Business held the Virtual 2020 Graduate Celebration last June. After waiting for more than a year, Class of 2020 COB graduates could attend the NIU commencement ceremony (held at Huskie Stadium) in June 2021. Class of 2021 COB graduates also attended the NIU commencement in June 2021.

College of Business — Annual Report

Wednesday Night Wisdom Online Speaker Series The Wednesday Night Wisdom online speaker series keeps NIU business students, alumni and friends connected and learning, regardless of location. This monthly digital gathering features accomplished NIU alumni and thought leaders speaking on business topics relevant to our community. Webcasts cover a range of perspectives on networking, managing finances through retirement and leading during a crisis. Best of all, the Wednesday Night Wisdom webcasts are available at no charge. Many guests have joined the NIU community as we explore best practices, learn about leading edge innovations, and one another’s success stories.

Sessions feature a range of perspectives on topics such as using networks during challenging times, managing finances through retirement and leading during a crisis. Sessions are recorded and made available as downloadable podcasts.

ELC Teams Solve Business Problems The College of Business Experiential Learning Center (ELC) strives to create unique real world educational experiences for Northern Illinois University students and provide measurable value to external organizations.

The Experiential Learning Center (ELC) connects teams of talented NIU students with organizations to tackle real-world business issues over the course of a semester. At the end of the semester, through a formal presentation accompanied by written documentation, the student team transfers recommendations with measurable value to their customer organization. ELC teams are hand-picked and guided by faculty coaches. Students are chosen to participate on ELC teams based on their interests, talents, and motivation. Sponsoring organizations pay a project fee to the ELC and expect a return on their investment. This encourages students to step out of the classroom mode and into the role of a true consultant. Successful ELC projects result from committed students, dedicated faculty coaches, and accessible sponsors. Previous project sponsoring organizations include: Insurance Auto Auctions, True Value, Calamos, Abbott, Jewel-Osco, Junior League of Kane & Dupage Counties, Living Well Cancer Resource Center, Family Service Agency, Knaack, Yum, Navistar, Geico, OfficeMax, Savant Capital Management, RichardsonRFPD. In AY21, Ninety three students participated in eight ELC projects: (Fall 2020) Caterpillar, Heel Strike, Numerator, Opportunity DeKalb, Purafil, RAMP, Beyond Sports Foundation, Sinnissippi Centers (Spring 2021) Caterpillar, Crest Foods, Echo Global Logistics, McDonald’s Corporation, Rust-Oleum, OpenLoop, SuperBetter, Rockford Park District.

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NIU-IGNITE! to connect outstanding students with local area companies The NIU College of Business and the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation (DCEDC) IGNITE! program makes it possible for DCEDC member companies, northern Illinois startups and nonprofits to employ outstanding NIU Business students part time (up to 20 hours per week) for just 75 cents per hour.

“This program was developed to help small businesses, startups and nonprofits access much-needed human resources even when they are short on financial resources. At the same time, it allows our students to gain valuable, résumé-worthy experiences,” says Amy Buhrow, NIU College of Business senior director of strategy, student success and accreditation.

Over the past three years, the NIU College of Business and DCEDC have funded positions at these for-profit organizations: Production Cutting Services, OC Creative, Auto Meter, Nenni and Associates, GoTivation, Datatelligent, and the LiteracyPlanet. Additionally, IGNITE! positions have been funded for nonprofits, such as: Kishwaukee College, the Egyptian Theatre, Innovation DuPage, the Illinois Business Innovation Association, the DeKalb Park District and the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation. In AY21, eight students spent 2,500 hours working for five organizations including Innovation DuPage, Gotivation, Datatelligent, AutoMeter, and Kishwaukee College.

BELIEF Week Speaker Series BELIEF is the name of the applied business ethics program in the college. BELIEF builds ethical business leaders through the integration of program development, faculty support, business community involvement and learner engagement. In March 2021, two virtual events of the BELIEF Week Speaker Series were successfully held: 1) Ethics in Investment and Financial Services (Frank Scarpiniti, Joe and Jean Marella, John Keen), 2) Ethics and Crisis Management (Ken Quinn, Admiral Sandra Stoxz, Admiral Cutler Dawson).

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College of Business — Annual Report

Lasting Impact

We thank the following individuals who retired recently Pam Smith

Pam Smith has long been recognized and viewed as a leader in the accounting academic circle and has been highly engaged with the accounting business community.

“Pam’s unwavering commitment to our students, education, the academy and the profession is extraordinary,” says Balaji Rajagopalan, dean of the NIU College of Business. “Pam has received just about every award possible in her field. That she strikes such a perfect balance between outstanding achievement on all fronts and student growth is remarkable.”

When asked to describe her proudest moments at NIU, Smith says, “I am most proud of having the honor and privilege to teach the awesome students at NIU and the impact on thousands of students through the BELIEF program. I know that BELIEF has made a difference in the lives of many.” Of equally great importance is the honor to hold an endowed professorship. “The crowning point of my time here is the distinct privilege to carry the title of KPMG Endowed Professor for the past 17 years. NIU’s legacy with firms such as KPMG is a point of pride and honor.”

Tamara Phelan

Tamara Phelan is retiring after 19 years with the Department of Accountancy.

As the director of its highly successful Accountancy Academic Internship Program, Tamara helped thousands of students secure their first professional accounting experience. She also served as a team coach for students in the Experiential Learning Center and taught Managerial Accounting to both accounting and non-accounting students. Her passion for helping students learn and grow is legendary within the Department of Accountancy!

Mark Horgan

Mark Hogan was the Department of Accountancy’s first AICPA Champion and helped thousands of students through the arduous process of passing the Uniform CPA Examination. Always full of energy, spirit and fun, Mark influenced many students’ lives. He was an accomplished instructor in the College of Business’s MBA program and also distinguished himself as an outstanding instructor for the Accountancy Department’s MAS Capstone course. His professional and personal stories, as well as his kindness, will be missed in the hallways of Barsema Hall.

Margaret Berg

Margaret Berg is retiring after serving the College of Business and NIU Accountancy for over 30 years. Over that time, Margaret helped countless colleagues and five department chairs.

She exceeded expectations every day and was known as an exceptional office administrator. Margaret’s positive attitude, attention to detail, care for faculty, staff and students, and her exceptional work ethic will be missed.

College of Business — Annual Report

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COB Highlights

Chung-Ang University, Korea.

• New global academic partnership — Chung-Ang University (CAU) Korea (pictured above) — MBA program collaboration • Enhancing global partnership with European schools – University of Tetovo, Macedonia — Visiting professor Arber Celiku.

• In continuing collaboration with PRIME Business School (Bogota, Colombia), the next cohort of MBA will be launched in fall 2021.

• Nanjing, China EMBA program was delivered in AY21.

AY21 Dean’s Student Advisory Board (DSAB): Halle Beverly, Karina Cisneros, Megan Duenser, Zane George, Hunter Gomez, James Keppler, Brelee Klaus, Sydney Klunk, Hailey Kofoid, Hannah Kofoid, Alison Kramer, Katherine Lavoie, Keira McFarland, Brian Meyer, William Olson, John Patten, Alyssa Pincuspy, Edgar Ramirez, Sofia Riart, Sharon Thomas, Yamaira Velez and Paula Veyhle.

Reputation

• #77 nationally within a prestigious group of business school and Top 3 Business School with the most minorities (Poets&Quants).

• Seven COB faculty research publications in the Financial Times (FT) Top 50 Journals.

Revenue Reputation

Relationships

Revenue Related Metric

• 2,192 undergraduate students.

• 828 graduate students.

• 57,327 credit hours delivered during the academic year.

• $6,100,000 plus revenue generated through differential tuition, contract programs, executive education and global initiatives.

• $2.94 million in total gift activity.

Relationships

• 149 organizations hired students.

• 20 industries hired students.

AY 22 Goals Theme One: Culture of Innovation • • • •

Design and launch three programs around design thinking.

Build three partnerships with the startup community and work toward building an active advisory board.

Begin the process to develop a plan for positioning the college as a leader in experiential learning.

Conceptualize hosting a global conference on “Experiential Learning Innovations” to launch in the next two to three years.

• Experiential Learning: • Strengthen IGNITE program by identifying areas for enhancement; maintain three to five IGNITE internships per year.

• Engage about 50 students in eight Experiential Learning Center projects per semester.

• Continue efforts toward increasing internship and micro-internships with ELC and Ignite participation rate to 75%.

• Strengthen relationship with MATTER by executing projects for startups and guest speakers from startups.

• Launch an annual digital publication “IMPACT of Experiential Learning Innovations” from NIU College of Business.

• Institutionalize the Wednesday Night Wisdom Online speaker series.

• Integrate suitable platform with our events and activities for students.

• Work towards the goal of 50% of UG courses having significant experiential activity.

• Building awareness of the Experiential Learning model for high school students: • Business Olympics (Target of 100 students to participate).

• LEAD Competition organized by BELIEF. • Global Experience: • Immersive global experiences with a target of 30% of undergraduate students over the next five years.

• Spaces to support active learning: • Digital innovations and data analytics lab.

• FinTech.

Theme Three: Mission and Market-Driven Program Transformation • MBA Programs: • Review feedback on the new MBA program curriculum for all formats and develop an action plan.

• Enhance co-curricular experiences through career coach support and mentoring.

• Launch MBA Advisory Board to enhance the brand visibility and drive program innovations.

• Develop a pathway for completing phase 1 MBA courses aligned with our program needs.

• Enhance undergraduate business curriculum.

• Global Initiatives: • Launch fifth cohort of NIU-PRIME MBA program in Bogota, Colombia.

• Plan for the second cohort of MBA program in China.

• Two events in Barsema Hall to raise awareness of global culture.

• Explore new opportunities globally for offering non-credit and graduate programs.

• Specialized Masters: • MS Finance program curricular and co-curricular enhancements.

• MAC program curricular and co-curricular enhancements • MS DA program curricular and co-curricular enhancements.

• MS DM program curricular and co-curricular enhancements.

• Explore synergies among online programs — MS in Digital Marketing, MS in Data Analytics, MBA. • Integrate HTM program with BS and BA. • Explore new program opportunities.

Theme Four: Faculty Research and Professional Development • Pilot faculty externship framework.

• Expand professional development opportunities for staff.

Theme Five: Inclusivity • Launch a mentoring program for people of color by engaging Black and Latinx alums.

• Expand peer tutoring in key gateway courses to support student success.

• Execute on an DEI plan.

Northern Illinois University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution. Produced by authority of the state of Illinois. niu.edu 53653 8/21

Theme Two: Distinctive Student Experiences and Career Success