College of Business Administration News Fall 2016 1

C O L L E G E O F B U S I N E S S A D M I N I S T R A T I O N • F A L L 2 0 1 6

COBA NewsIn this issue

Dr. Sara Hart ...................1

Dean’s Message ................1

Career Panel .....................2

Alumni Networking ........2

Meet The Firms ................3

COBA Cookout ...............3

Study Abroad ...................4

Faculty News ...................4

Message from the Dean’s Office

This past year has been a very good year for your College of Business Administration. The demand for courses offered through COBA is at an all-time high, with credit hour production 23% higher than it was just five years ago. At the same time, your COBA is committed to offering the same personal, demanding and nurturing educational environment that you experienced. The College has been fortunate to receive funding to add faculty members to meet the growing demand. Six new faculty members joined COBA this fall.

Your COBA is also continuing to pursue ways to improve the education it provides. This fall, faculty committees were created to explore how to further enhance the communica-tion skills, critical thinking skills and teamwork/leadership skills of its

BOARD OF REGENTSTHE TEXAS STATE

UNIVERSITY SYSTEM

Rossanna Salazar, Chairman, Austin

William F. Scott, Vice Chairman Nederland

Charlie Amato, San AntonioVeronica Muzquiz-Edwards, San

AntonioDr. Jaime R. Garza, San AntonioDavid Montagne, BeaumontVernon Reaser III, BellaireAlan L. Tinsley, MadisonvilleDonna N. Williams, ArlingtonDylan J. McFarland, Student

Regent, Frisco

Brian McCall, Chancellor, Austin

COBA News is published semi-annually by the Sam Houston State

University College of Business Administration.

continued on pg. 3

Remembering Dr. Sara Hart

On the evening of November 11, 2016, we

lost an iconic figure. Dr. Sara Ann Hart passed away at Hunts-ville Memorial Hospi-tal at the age of 74. Dr. Hart devoted over 40 years of her life serving Sam Houston State University. Sara was a superb educator who balanced a demand for excellence with a nurturing and giving persona. Dr. Hart made many contributions to her profession, her university, her college and her community; she touched the lives of thousands of colleagues and students, friends and neighbors. Sara embodied the motto of SHSU, “The measure of a Life is its Service”. Sara was regularly called upon to serve her university and college on the most vital and demanding committee assignments. She mentored students and colleagues and was a role model for many. It was not uncommon to hear of Sara’s offer to open her home to students or faculty in need of a place to rest or regroup. In 1994, she received one of the highest honors Sam Houston State University can bestow upon a faculty member—its Excellence in Service Award. Upon her retirement, in 2005, she was awarded Professor Emeritus status.

Although Dr. Hart endured many challenges and heartaches in her own life, she consistently acted with grace and seemingly endless generosity. The fact that so many of her friends and colleagues stayed in touch with her is a testament to her unflappable influence on others and her desire to always lend a hand, an ear, her home, or her guidance to those lucky enough to call her friend.

An endowed scholarship is being created in Dr. Hart’s honor. If you would like to make a contribution please send a check to your College of Business Administration at Box 2056, Hunts-ville, TX 77341-2056. Please make the check payable to SHSU/COBA (indicate Sara Hart scholarship in the memo line).

2 Sam Houston State University

COBA News

9 companies participatedOver 100 students attended

1st COBA Internship Fair

SHSU College of Business Administration continues to host develop-ing business professional programs designed to help students transition to business professionals. In October, COBA hosted its seventh COBA Alumni Career Panel. Seven COBA alum panelists (Jamie Barry - Enterprise Holdings, Patrick Blossom - Independent Bank, Regina Bynote Jones - Schlumberger, Russ Milam - Hetsco, Stephen Morgan - TransTex

Developing business professionals …SHSU COBA: shsu.edu/academics/business-administration/

LinkedIn: SHSU COBA Alumni

Twitter: twitter.com/SHSUCOBA

Facebook:facebook.com/shsucoba

Donate: shsu.edu/academics/business-administration/giving

COBA Hosts Fall Alumni Career Panel

COBA Alumni Networking Reception Your COBA wants to help you connect with your fellow Bearkats. COBA plans to host

several COBA Alumni Networking Reception each year to provide opportunities for our alumni. COBA hosted its inaugural event on November 9th at Razzoo’s Cajun Café in Spring, TX (owned by COBA Alum Jeff Powell). The event attracted COBA alumni, faculty and the dean for an evening of networking and socializing. During the spring of 2017, COBA plans to host COBA Alumni Networking Receptions in The Woodlands and inside-the-loop in Houston. If you interested in helping COBA organize a reception in the DFW area, Austin, or San Antonio, please contact Ms. Julie Campbell at jcampbell@shsu.edu.

Our next COBA Alumni Networking Reception is planned for March 1, 2017, 6:30pm at Grotto Ristorante in The Wood-lands. Although a RSVP is not required to attend, it helps us plan the event. Please contact Julie Campbell jcampbell@shsu.edu if you plan to join us.

LLC, Earnest Richards - Sueba USA Corp, and Donnie Roberts - Woodway Financial Group) created two panels and over 180 COBA students attended. The panel discus-

sions were followed by a hamburger/hotdog cookout for panelists and students giving the panelists and students the opportunity to connect in a casual setting.

When the students were asked what they liked most about the event, one student responded “getting real life advice about how to apply myself and move into the business world” and another student added “The people were very successful and I can see myself wanting to be like

them. They’re inspiring.” The college hosts panels each semester. Contact Julie Campbell jcampbell@shsu.edu if you are interested in participating in a career panel.

College of Business Administration News Fall 2016 3

students. The committees will be making their recommenda-tions in the spring of 2017.

The College’s “Developing Business Professionals” program continues to grow. As we have done for the past four years, the college hosts COBA Alumni Career Panels each fall and spring providing opportunities for our students to learn from our alumni. Encouraging engagement between our students and career professionals can only help our students build a stronger foundation on which to build their professional career. If you are interested in participating on a panel or as a classroom speaker, please contact Ms. Julie Campbell, COBA’s Program Coordinator, at jcampbell@shsu.edu. This fall the College expanded its efforts to help our students’ growth by hosting an Internship Fair, provid-ing a forum for companies to interact with students seeking an internship. If your organization is interested in hiring Bearkats for internships, please contact Ms. Campbell.

On a sad note, the College lost an iconic figure this semester. Dr. Sara Hart, a faculty member for over 40 years, passed away after a long battle with cancer. Sara was an inspiration to thousands of students over the years as well as a mentor and role model for so many of our faculty. She will be missed. To honor Dr. Hart, we are creating a scholarship in her name. If you would like to contribute, please send your contribution to SHSU/COBA and indicate that the contribution is in memory of Dr. Hart.

Your COBA has started a new program to further engage our alumni with each other and the college. Last month we hosted our inaugural COBA Alumni Networking Recep-tion. We hope these receptions will encourage our alumni to stay in contact with the college and other alumni as well as helping each other professionally. During the spring semes-ter, we will host a COBA Alumni Networking Reception in The Woodlands area as well as one inside-the-loop in Houston. The Alumni Association will send out an an-nouncement and your COBA will send a message to mem-bers of the SHSU COBA Alumni group on LinkedIn. I hope you see you at one of these events.

In the fall of 2017, COBA will induct four individuals into the COBA Hall of Honor. The Hall of Honor Award recognizes College of Business Administration alumni who have brought honor and distinction to the College through personal and professional achievement and through signifi-cant contributions to the business profession and/or to society. Please contact me if you would like to nominate someone for this prestigious honor and I will send you a nomination form.

We want to stay in contact with you. Please join COBA on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. This newsletter is only being distributed electronically. Please encourage fellow COBA alumni to share their current email address with us.

Dean’s Message, con’t.Meet the Firms

COBA Courtyard Cookout

Thirty-four firms participated in the 2016 Meet the Firms event in September.

From the top: Faculty Cooks, student cookout and student booth.

Your College of Business Administration has seen changes in faculty and leadership this semester. We have new faculty members in all four departments and two new department chairs. Dr. Oscar Harvin joins the Accounting department; while Dr. Danica Schieber is a new member of the General Business & Finance team. The Eco-nomics & International Business department grew by three with the additions of Dr. Lei Ji, Dr. Younoh Kim, and Dr. Vlad Radois. Dr. Carliss Miller was the single addition to the Management & Marketing department.

The Economics & Interna-tional Business and General Business & Finance depart-ments each have new depart-ment chairs. Dr. Mark Frank (with COBA 16 years) now leads the Econom-ics & Interna-tional Business depart-ment and Dr. Joey Robertson (with COBA 8 years) heads the General Business & Finance department. Dr. Kurt Jess-wein was named Associate Dean of COBA with primary responsibility for the COBA graduate programs.

Three of our faculty were granted tenure and promoted to Associate professor. Dr. Chris Cassidy (Management),

Dr. Jamie Collins (Manage-ment), and Dr. Joey Gutierrez (Finance) join the ranks of tenured COBA faculty. Dr. Jamie Collins was also named the Director of the Entrepre-neurship Institute.

Several COBA faculty received recognition for exemplary service. Dr. Jim Bexley was named TSUS Regents’ Professor and Dr. Bill Green was awarded Emeritus status. Dr. Sanjay Mehta received COBA’s first David Payne Academic Achievement Award and Dr. Joey Gutierrez was recognized as Outstand-ing COBA Faculty Member, 2015.

We continue to be extremely proud of our faculty and their accomplishments. As the foundation of the college, faculty impact on the students is key to student success.

COBA News

Faculty News

Eleven students attended the Study Abroad Program in China this year (June 2016). They took two classes: one in Economics and the other in Management. China University of Mining and Technology Beijing (CUMTB) hosted the group of SHSU students along with the faculty leader Dr. Hiranya K. Nath. In addition to regular classes, the students attended guest lectures by CUMTB Business School faculty, and visited businesses includ-ing Beijing Hyundai and Huiyuan Juice Group Limited, a food processing firm, and historic sites like the Great Wall of China, Forbidden City, Summer Palace. The students lived on campus of CUMTB and they were helped in their day-to-day activities by the students from the university. Overall, it was a great academic and cultural experience for the students.

Study Abroad

COBAFal l Graduate s

3322nd highest

on record

Dr. Oscar Harvin

Dr. Lei Ji

Dr. Carliss Miller

Dr. Danica Schieber