Dean’s Advisory Board
Calendar of Events MARCH 10 - 16 Spring Break
Joe Brown Sue Culpepper Mark Degler Carla Donina
APRIL Tues. April 1, at 11:30 a.m. and Thurs. April 3, at 5:30 p.m.: EMBA Information Sessions Learn more about the EMBA program at one of two Information Sessions Tuesday, April 1, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. OR Thursday, April 3, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in Fletcher Hall Room 305. Meet graduates of the EMBA program and members of the UTC College of Business faculty. Lunch will be provided at the April 1 session; drinks and snacks at the April 3 session. RSVP to bschool@utc.edu.
Tom Eddy Bob Farnsworth John Foy Steve Frost Brenda Lawson
Thurs. April 17 at 6 p.m.: Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame
Scott LeRoy
Induction Ceremony
Chris Levan
Each year, community leaders, College of Business faculty and students come together at a dinner to honor entrepreneurial excellence in Chattanooga by inducting a group of entrepreneurs into the Hall of Fame.
Fri. April 18: Spring Holiday
MAY
Warren McEwen Ben Miller Dana Perry Roger Smith
Thurs. May 1 at 4 p.m.: Student Recognition Ceremony
Blake Strickland
College of Business alumni, community partners and friends of the College of Business are invited to join us at 4 p.m. in the University Center Chattanooga Rooms A/B/C as we recognize the achievements of our outstanding students.
Miller Welborn
Sat. May 3: Commencement and Reception Attend commencement in McKenzie Arena at 2 p.m. and then join us at 4 p.m. in the University Center Tennessee Room as we celebrate with our graduates and their families.
UTC.edu/Business
Jenny Whitener Merri Mai Williamson
In this issue Vision to Reality: Student Success Center 4 The new College of Business Student Success Center provides enhanced student support.
Summer Business Experience
7
Message from the Dean
New programs invites exceptional high school students to experience the College of Business.
Dean Honored
7
Dr. Dooley receives honorary degree from Moi University.
Elevator Pitch
8
Students compete in Tampa, Fla.
Editor
Katrina Craven katrina-craven@utc.edu Contributing Writers
Sue Culpepper Hayley Graham Contact
(423) 425-4710 bschool@utc.edu UTC is an EEO/AA/Titles VI & IX/Section 504/ ADA/ADEA institution.E04XXXX-XXX-14
The undergraduate and graduate programs at UTC’s College of Business, in both business and accounting, are accredited by AACSB International—The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
I am so pleased to present the inaugural issue of “Venture,” a quarterly publication from the UTC College of Business. This magazine is designed to help the College of Business share our stories with our alumni, friends and community partners. One of the most exciting recent developments in the College is the new Student Success Center. Our students are at the core of everything we do and the Success Center is designed to help them succeed academically and in the business world. With six academic advisors to help students chart their paths to graduation to career services that include resume reviews, internship placements, business-focused career fairs and more, the Success Center provides a way for us to positively impact every student in the business school. The dedicated staff are already providing services and fundraising efforts are underway to support a renovation of the Success Center space to provide needed space and technology updates. This issue of “Venture” also highlights several students who participated in this year’s Elevator Pitch Competition, both locally and regionally. I was so impressed by these men and women and I think you will be, too. Finally, I would like to thank all of our alumni, donors, community partners and other supporters for all that you do to help make the UTC College of Business a great resource for the Chattanooga region. Whether you serve on a board, provide financial support, host student interns or hire our graduates, I appreciate your interest. We couldn’t do what we do without you.
Robert Dooley, Ph.D. Dean
College of Business Student Success Center Turning Vision into Reality A few years ago, the UTC College of Business set forth a vision to ensure every graduate from the business school was “Academically Prepared and Business World Ready.” Another piece of that vision is coming into view with the launch of the College of Business Student Success Center. The Success Center, housed on the second floor of Fletcher Hall, is a one-stop shop where business students receive advising, career counseling and other services such as internship assistance, resume reviews and more. Student success has been a primary goal of Dean Robert Dooley since he arrived at UTC almost 3 years ago. The COB Student Success Center’s mission is to assist students in their path to a successful graduation and to prepare them for a rewarding career beyond. “The Student Success Center is an investment in our students, and reflects
our commitment to ensuring that they are academically successful and prepared for professional careers and life-long personal growth and development,” Dooley said. The Student Success Center provides many types of services and support for students, including: guidance to help students plan their academic paths; opportunities for students to participate in professional interviewing exercises and practice business networking skills; and assistance in finding meaningful internships. Ultimately, the Success Center is committed to guiding students in an efficient and effective manner to make the most of their academic opportunities and then apply that knowledge in the business world.
Sue Culpepper, Director of the College of Business Student Success Center
Director Sue Culpepper The Success Center director, Sue Culpepper, is no stranger to UTC or the College of Business. She is a proud alumnus of the College of Business, served on the Dean’s Advisory Board in the College of Business for more than 15 years, and had
a successful 30-year career in banking in an executive role. Sue joined the College of Business in August of 2012. Her commitment to the students and her long-time business connections allow for the corporate relationships to blend with the University culture.
Nikki Ownby Nikki earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Industrial Management from the College of Business at UTC. With more than 10 years of experience, she advises undergraduate students majoring in business, leads freshmen and transfer orientation sessions, and develops a variety of internal student resources. In addition, she acts as liaison between students and department heads, works “Today’s job market on curriculum and course scheduling and is highly competitive serves on the Provost’s Advisor Council. She is so the education also member of the students receive National Academic Advising Association. in our classrooms
“Our responsibility is to engage students beginning at the freshman level and chart a course that guides them every step of the way, keeping academics, graduation and career preparation as top priorities,” she said. “Today’s job market is highly competitive, so the quality education students receive in our classrooms should be supported by top-notch career counseling as well as professional training.” A student’s university career begins with advising. The Academic Advising Team in the College of Business Student Success Center provides the advising that recognizes and appreciates the individual differences of students and their career goals. As students mature and advance at the university, advisors encourage students to make strategic decisions to maximize their personal growth and success.
should be supported by top-notch career counseling as well as professional training.”
Nichole D. Orr Nichole earned her Bachelors of Science degree in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice from The University of Tennessee —Sue Culpepper, at Chattanooga. With more than 13 years of Success Center Director University experience and more than eight Academic Advisors years of advising experience, she advises Angela Giere undergraduate students majoring and Angela will soon receive her MBA at UTC. She graduated UTC with an undergraduate degree in Business Finance and Accounting in 2012. She works as a Graduate Assistant advising the College of Business freshmen, and assists as the Internship Coordinator. Amber Noblitt Amber has a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology and sociology from The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She has more than eight years of experience at the University and has worked in the College of Business for nearly five. She currently serves on the Provost Advisors’ Council and is a member of The National Academic Advising Association.
Internships give College of Business students valuable, real-world experience.
minoring in business and helps with the facilitation of freshmen and transfer orientation sessions for these students. She also serves on the Provost’s Advisor Council and has been trained as a UTC Safe Zone Ally. Shana D. Oates Shana’s current position includes advising and mentoring undergraduate students within the College of Business, monitoring their academic progress, and executing retention initiatives with students having academic difficulties.
Members of the academic advising team in the College of Business Student Success Center help students chart their academic paths to success. From left, Shana Oates, Marjorie Whiteside, Nichole Orr, Angela Giere, Nikki Ownby and Amber Noblitt.
Additionally, in previous positions, her responsibilities have included planning, implementing and facilitating seminars and presentations on topics relevant to organizational training, student leadership, and strategies for academic success. Marjorie Whiteside Marjorie earned her BS in Psychology from UTC. She joined the College of Business after working in UTC’s Center for Advisement and Student Success. Marjorie encourages students to take advantage of the many resources on campus to achieve their academic and personal goals. Marjorie is a member of UTC’s Advisors’ Council and the National Academic Advising Association.
Career Services Irene Hillman, Career Services Manager Leading career counseling is Irene Hillman, who joined UTC in October of 2012. She has many years of experience in recruiting, placement and career advising. As Manager of Career Services, Hillman’s duties include working with business leaders in the area to create experiential learning, internships, and other employment opportunities for students. Additionally, she will provide support for students as they prepare for the job market through career and personality assessments, mock interviews, resume and cover letter reviews, portfolio advising, network recommendations and self-marketing support. “Being ‘Business Word Ready’ is not a catchphrase,” Hillman said. “It is the driving force behind all we do.”
Events like the annual Entrepreneurial Forum, Corporate Connections lunches and Meet the Firms provide networking opportunities for students and local businessnes.
To make sure students are business world ready, it means weaving career preparation into the curriculum and providing opportunities like hands-on workshops, topical seminars and oneon-one career advising sessions. For employers, the Success Center’s Career Services offer the benefits of candidate sourcing, tailored interview programs, career fairs at UTC, online advertising, Corporate Connection luncheons and
Irene Hillman, Manager of Career Services in the College of Business Student Success Center
other opportunities to connect with students. The College of Business has plans to build out the Student Success Center with a renovation of the second floor of Fletcher Hall. While the fundraising for completion of that renovation is ongoing, the dedicated members of the Student Success Center team continue with their efforts to promote and support student success.
Summer Business Experience A Program for Exceptional High School Students
The UTC College of Business Summer Business Experience is a residential summer program scheduled for June 16 to June 21, 2014. It is designed for academically talented rising high school seniors who are interested in pursuing a career in business.
leaders in the manufacturing, retail, and service industries. Students will experience personal interaction with top-level executives as well as behindthe-scenes tours of operations and facilities.
Program participants The Summer Business Summer Business will explore each of the Experience offers the business disciplines— Experience Dates: opportunity to interaccounting, finance, act one-on-one with June 16 — 21, 2014 economics, marketing, university professors management science, and successful business information systems— professionals through in interactive formats Applications a variety of hands-on designed to provide are due by: workshops, field trips insight into those disApril 15, 2014 and seminars. In addiciplines and potential tion, students will get business career paths. a preview of college life and the Chattanooga To apply, students experience through recreational events should fill out the application form that include athletic activities, picnics, at: utc.edu/business-summer-2014 and visits to area attractions and more. provide one letter of recommendation from a counselor, teacher, employer or The Summer Business Experience other mentor. includes visits to top employers of the UTC College of Business school graduates, including national and regional
Dean Dooley Receives Honorary Doctorate from Moi University
In December 2013, Dr. Robert Dooley, dean of the UTC College of Business, was awarded an honorary doctorate from Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya. The degree was presented to honor his contributions to capacity building and staff training in Moi’s School of Business and Economics. He and colleague Dr. Federico Aime from Oklahoma State have worked with Moi since 2009 to help boost the number of Moi faculty with Ph.Ds. When the collaboration began, Moi’s School of Business had three faculty members with Ph.Ds. The school now has 12 PhD holders with eight more working toward doctorate degrees, giving the Moi School of Business one of the largest concentrations of Ph.D holders at Moi and other universities in Kenya. “I didn’t realize the impact we were having,” Dooley said. “In all honesty, this honor means more to me than the degrees I earned.”
Elevator Pitch Competition
Three UTC students advance to the regional semi-finals Five UTC students competed and three advanced to the semi-finals of the regional Elevator Pitch Competition in Tampa, Fla., after their participation in the UTC Elevator Pitch competition, sponsored by the UTC College of Business CEO Club. Students (pictured above left to right) Daniel Taylor, Donald Marsh, Chelsea Larkins, Stuart French, and Andrew McPherson traveled to Tampa in late
Student Daniel Taylor pitches his concept for the Ladder Wedge.
February to compete. Larkins, Marsh and Taylor advanced to the semi-finals with Taylor making it all the way to the final round of the competition. The Elevator Pitch Competition challenges students to create a business
model and pitch their idea to a panel of judges in just 90 seconds.
computer, or tablet.
“We’re incredibly proud of all the students who participated in this competition at the local and regional level,” said Dr. Beverly Brockman, who holds the George Lester Nation Centennial Professorship of Entrepreneurship in the College of Business. “The students’ achievements in Tampa reflect the support they received from faculty at UTC and from the entrepreneurship community in Chattanooga.
Larkins won her trip to Tampa with a pitch for Temp Tats, a line of organic tattoo ink.
“In particular, I’d like to thank the Hamliton County Business Development Center, CoLab and the partners at the LampPost Group for the time and assistance they gave to our students,” Brockman added. The pitches in the Chattanooga competition were varied. Andrew McPherson, a senior from Chattanooga, and Stuart French, a junior from Tampa, Fla., won the second round of the local Elevator Pitch Competition with their pitch for an online video editor called Viditor that would allow multiple users to access and edit video from the web on their phone,
Student Donald Marsh pitched GovFunder.
Taylor’s final round presentation was for the patented Ladder Wedge, a clever solution that allows the safe use of a traditional ladder on uneven ground. Marsh presented GovFunder, an online service that matches a donor’s political preferences with candidates all over the country in the tradition of eHarmony and kickstarter.com. First and second place winners in the local competition received free consulting from The Company Lab and the partners at Lamppost Group and a free trip to Tampa to participate in the competition. They also received $2,000 and $1,000 in start up capital, respectively.
EMBA Enrollment Open Accelerate. Lead.
The UTC EMBA program is on the lookout for a new cohort of driven professionals looking to broaden their knowledge and go further in their careers. The UTC EMBA is a broad-based, fast-paced program specifically designed to train current and potential executives who wish to enhance their skills and leadership effectiveness. Participants will engage in a forward-thinking curriculum; apply their knowledge immediately to workplace challenges; network with other professionals through a cohort teaching approach; and earn an MBA without interrupting their career. The EMBA program is a 16 month program that covers 4 semesters (fall, spring, summer, fall). A cohort group of approximately 12-16 students will meet alternating weekends on Fridays and Saturdays. Courses are taught by worldclass faculty who conduct extensive applied research in their academic fields and bring that practical knowledge to the classroom. The program also features an international component focused on globalization and international business with students taking part in a 10-day international trip in early May.
The program offers a forward-thinking curriculum that allows students to apply the knowledge they gain immediately to challenges in the workplace. Participants in the UTC Executive MBA program say that they saw an increase in their value at the office right away—the new skills they learned on the weekend could be applied to a work challenge on Monday morning. The UTC EMBA program also offers students an expanded view of the world and the opportunity to learn the skills needed to succeed in international business and to lead a diverse workforce. At the end of the 16-month program, EMBA students have mastered skills that will enable them to navigate the ever-changing business environment and to successfully manage their careers.
Attend one of the EMBA Info Sessions on April 1 or 3. Visit utc.edu/emba to learn more. For additional information, contact Michael Owens, Assistant Dean of Graduate Programs at 423.425.5250 or michael-owens@utc.edu.
Wolford Conference Room Dedicated
In late fall, UTC staff, faculty, administration and members of the Chattanooga community gathered to dedicate the newly renovated Wolford Conference Room, located in Fletcher Hall. The renovated room features a new layout, new furniture and upgraded technology and was made possible through the generous support of UTC alum James L. “Bucky” Wolford. Wolford began a career in retail development with Arlen Shopping Centers of Chattanooga and in 1978, he joined four others as principals in CBL and Associates, Inc. Wolford retired from CBL in 1997 and in 1999 formed Wolford Development, Inc. Wolford grew up in a small town in Alabama, the son of a coal miner. He was captain of his high school football team and president of the School’s National Honor Society. He received a football scholarship to UTC, was co-captain of the football team, and third team Little All-American. He graduated from UTC in the summer of 1969. He is married to Diane Kilgore and they have two sons, Clint and Chad.
Online MBA enrollment open Prepare to excel by joining UTC’s new Online Professional MBA program. Enrollment is open for the Professional MBA online. The program offers an experiential learning environment that bridges theoretical knowledge and practical business application. Participants can earn a respected master’s degree on their own time, without leaving their current jobs.
The program offers students a degree in 16-24 months and provides a strong skill-set in marketing, accounting, finance and business law; practical skills in organization, operations financial and information management and skills for entrepreneurial success.
For information, visit mbaonline.utc.edu.
Data Analytics Students Present to Volkswagen IT Eight College of Business MBA students recently completed a Data Analytics project and presentation for the Volkswagen IT steering committee. Dr. Ashish Gupta, Associate Professor of Analytics in the College of Business mentored the group. Dr. Gupta teaches business analytics and big data-related courses. The VW committee included executives from VW worldwide and the Chief Information Officer of Volkswagen North America.
Be Business-World Ready. UTC’s nationally ranked business school offers the degree programs that prepare you for today’s highly competitive business world. The UTC College of Business has earned AACSB International accreditation, a distinction given to less than 10 percent of business schools worldwide. • B.S. in Accounting, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Management or Marketing
College of Business Celebrates First Graduates of the UTC/UPAEP Dual Degree Program The College of Business recently celebrated the first graduates of a new dual degree program, offered in partnership with the Universidad Popular Autonoma del Estado de Puebla. Maribel Hernandez Equibar, Maricela Gomez Herrera and Crystal Ammons received their graduate degrees from UTC in December and received their degrees from UPAEP in February.
• Part-time, customizable MBA including electives in Engineering Management, Data Analytics, Communications and Environmental Science • Off-site MBA at VW Academy • Executive MBA for professional leadership development • NEW online Professional MBA allows you to earn a master’s degree on your own time • Business Analytics Graduate Certificate Program co-sponsored by SAS • Strategic Human Resource Leadership Graduate Certificate Program
Learn more at
www.UTC.edu/Business
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is an equal employment opportunity/ affirmative action/Title VI/Title IX/Section 504/ADA/ADEA institution.
College of Business Updates
Academically Prepared. Business-world Ready.
TM
UTC has partnered with UPAEP to offer this dual graduate degree program. The Universidad Popular Autonoma del Estado de Puebla is a leading private university located in Puebla Mexico.