1. AlumniNewsletter
Winter 2014 - 2015
Building Distinction.
Help your fellow Bulldogs know what’s
happening in your life by sending your news
for the “Class Notes.” Email your news to
nichols@latech.edu, and we will share it with
everyone in our next quarterly newsletter.
Thanks!
SEND USYOUR NEWS!
First time freshmen enrollment was up 13% this fall.
Total enrollment in the college of business was 1147,
which is a 3.1 % increase.
The search for a new Dean is underway. The review
of applicants began October 1st and applicants are
under review. The committee hopes to make its
recommendations in February.
- Bankers Day - March 31
- Hall of Fame Banquet - April 30
COB HIGHLIGHTS
DEAN SEARCH UPDATE
UPCOMING HAPPENINGS
THETIME HAS COME - NEW WING ADDITIONTOTHE COB
CIS PROGRAM ATRUE WINNER!
For students majoring in computer
information systems (CIS) at LouisianaTech
University, what they learn in college will
help them continue learning in the future.
“We have people who are network
administrators, software developers,
system analysts, project managers, and
database administrators,” said Dr. Selwyn
Ellis, an associate professor. “We have kids
who are good problem solvers and good
critical thinkers.” “These problem solvers,”
Ellis said, “graduate with technical skills
and are equipped with a complete set of
business skills.”
“We try to teach kids fundamentals and
a willingness to be a lifelong learner,” Ellis
said. “In a technology career, you’ll get a
skill set in college. When you get out of
school, the skill set will be there, but the
tool may not be there. You have to keep
your skills current.”
Dr.Tim Bisping, interim dean of the College
of Business, said the job prospects for a
CIS major are very strong.
“Major companies located in north
Louisiana actively recruit our students for
jobs with great potential,” Bisping said.
“A CIS degree provides a broad range
of opportunities for students to apply
technology in business environments. If
students are interested in using information
technology and developing a career with
real growth potential, CIS is a great answer
for them.”
According to a recent United States
Department of Labor Jobs Outlook Report,
employment of computer and information
systems managers is projected to grow
15 percent from 2012 to 2022, which is
significantly faster than the average for all
occupations. The report said that additional
employment growth is likely to result from
the need to bolster cybersecurity in IT
departments as more attention is directed
at cyber threats. The trend is expected to
increase over the next decade.
Some of this job growth in CIS and
related programs is being felt right here
in north Louisiana. Louisiana Tech has
partnered with global IT leader Computer
Sciences Corporation (CSC) and the Cyber
Innovation Center in Bossier City to offer
a comprehensive suite of CIS, cyber and
computer science programs that are
designed to meet the current and future
needs of CSC, and will result in well-paid,
unique career opportunities for graduates.
Also, CenturyLink’s continued growth
as a leader in telecommunications and
IT solutions services offers excellent
opportunities for Louisiana Tech graduates
to build lucrative careers and use their skills
to help grow the knowledge economy of
our region.
Zach Hobbs graduated with a CIS degree
in May and said this major was a great way
to diversify one’s skill set in a business
environment. “It’s important today to have
a sufficient understanding of technology,”
Hobbs said. “There’s not an office job
out there that doesn’t involve creating a
few macros in an Excel spreadsheet or
PowerPoint slides in a presentation. When
you have an advanced understanding of
these tools which are regularly used in the
workplace, you truly become valuable in
any career path that you take.”
Bisping said students learn a variety
of skills in the CIS program. “First and
foremost, students must complete the
business foundation courses that every
student in the College of Business must
take,” he said. “This means students have
a business background upon graduation.
Within CIS, students are required to take
multiple programming courses, as well
as courses in database administration,
information security, computer networking,
and an information systems analysis and
design senior project course.”
“From there,” Bisping said, “the students
tailor their degree based on their own
interests. In addition, students have the
opportunity to customize their program by
pursuing additional courses in programming
or information security,” Bisping said. “The
real strength of the CIS degree program
is that students get both business and
technology.”
The College of Business is proud to announce that building will soon begin, and we plan
to break ground early this spring. The building addition will host several classrooms and
workspaces for students. To learn about naming opportunities in various areas of the new
wing, please contact Courtnie Nichols.
DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS
AND FINANCE PROVIDES
COMMUNITY OUTREACHTO
LOCAL SCHOOLS
The Center for Economic Education and the
Department of Economics and Finance hosted a
workshop in August for K-12 teachers to promote
curriculum development to enhance economic
and financial literacy. The workshop featured
economists from the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank
who provided a myriad of classroom materials and
offered attending teachers help with curriculum
planning. The workshop was open to teachers
from eight parishes in northern Louisiana. Once
again, the second annual workshop discussed the
introduction and development of economics and
personal finance into the public school curriculum
for the purpose of enhancing the productivity of
parish students as citizens.The key idea was how
to help students develop critical decision making
skills that require economic or financial reasoning.
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Threeindustrial/organizationalpsychologydoctoral
students at Louisiana Tech University recently
won top research awards from the Southern
Management Association (SMA) for “Overall
Best Doctoral Student Paper in Conference” and
“Best Doctoral Student Paper in Organizational
Behavior.”
The paper, entitled “The Real McCoy: Integrating
the Empirical Research on Authentic Leadership,”
was developed by James DeLeon, William
Scanu, Evan Theys, and Dr. Bryan Fuller. The
research project arose from Dr. Fuller’s MGMT
671 (organizational behavior) doctoral seminar
in the fall of last year. Dr. Fuller is the Humana/
McCallister endowed professor of management
in LouisianaTech University’s College of Business
and teaches courses in organizational behavior,
human resource management, and leadership.
“These students have put together an amazing
researchprojectthathasimportantimplicationsfor
the study and practice of leadership,” according to
Dr. Fuller. He further stated that the awards “place
these students among the top doctoral students in
the country and are an indication of the quality of
both students and doctoral programs at Louisiana
Tech University.” In her notification of the awards,
SMA program chair Dr. Micki Kacmar noted that
with over 550 papers submitted for inclusion in
the conference program, winning these awards
“was no small feat.” The students and Dr. Fuller
will receive plaques at the conference, and have
their membership and conference registration
fees waived for the current year.
KYLE MCDONALD - COB ALUMNUS OFTHEYEAR
The College of Business named Kyle McDonald as this year’s
Alumnus of the Year. A reception was held November 1st in
the Rawle Conference Center.
McDonald, who earned a Finance degree from Louisiana Tech
in 1981 and a Juris Doctorate from the LSU Law Center in 1984,
is an ABA National Trust School graduate. He serves as chief
executive officer for Argent Financial Group and is a past vice
president and trust officer at Ruston State Bank. McDonald
practiced law with Taylor, Porter, Brooks, & Phillips in Baton
Rouge in 1984 and 1985 before joining Ruston State Bank in 1985. McDonald has also
served as chairman of the Board of Trustees of Northern Louisiana Medical Center, the
North Louisiana Economic Partnership and the Ruston-Lincoln Chamber of Commerce
among other community activities. He is a member of the Louisiana committee of 100
for Economic Development and The Bridge Community Church of Ruston.
Bulldog Fans, we want to see you! If you have
notyetmadeyourwayovertoournewbuilding,
please do so. Our doors are always open.
Again, please feel free to stop by. Courtnie
Nichols, Director of External Relations, would
love to show you around and visit with you.
VISITTHE NEW COB BUILDING
ENTREPRENEURIAL STARS-TOP
DAWG IDEA PITCH
Theentrepreneurship
program keeps
making news with
competition for the
TOP DAWG Idea
Pitch. Two teams
from Louisiana
Tech were selected
to compete in the
first-ever Louisiana
Startup Prize
competition and won first and third place. The
competition allowed teams to pitch business
models to investors for a chance to win
$25,000 cash and $25,000 worth of services,
which included office space and accounting to
help grow their business.
PathoRADAR won the 2014 TOP DAWG New
Venture Championship. Alchemy, another
team in the competition, has licensed their
technology from La Tech. Both teams were
mentored by Louisiana Tech entrepreneurship
professionals (Technology Business
Development Center and others).Inman
credited the process, which begins with the
idea pitch and ends with the New Venture
competition, with helping PathoRadar gain
access to a network geared toward helping
Tech’s young entrepreneurs get a head start
with their business ideas.
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS PROFESSORTEAMS UP WITH ELSTO DO GREATTHINGS!
Dr. Sean Dwyer, Associate Professor of
Marketing & Analysis for the College of
Business, is working across campus to help
International Students adjust to entering
College in the United States with less
barriers. Dr. Dwyer has teamed up with
Dan Erickson, Director of the International
Student & Scholar Office, and Jay Ligon,
Center Director for ELS Ruston to assist
international students in their transition to
US higher education. Louisiana Tech has
formed a partnership with ELS Ruston to
bring foreign students’ language skills up to
a level where they can enter college – often
times here atTech. The program developed is
called the International Pathways Certificate
program. This program allows ELS students
to take part in a class for a full semester
to help them gain the understanding and
skills needed to be a successful college
student. Dr. Dwyer was chosen to be the
pioneer of this pilot and served as a host
for a few ELS students in the certificate
program. He graciously allowed a group of
ELS students to audit his Personal Selling
class and participate in the assignments.
ELS Ruston used Dwyer’s class to measure
the effectiveness of the certificate program
with their students. The program has done
so well that a film is being produced to share
with other ELS offices around the country.
Hopefully, these successful methods will
be replicated at other universities. The ELS
corporate office has also approved and
produced a video clip that is being displayed
on their national website. The video will
be translated for Viet Nam and a few other
Southeast Asian nations including Japan.
The head of ELS in Latin America has used
the certificate program for the first time as
a marketing tool, bringing 25 Columbian
students to Tech this past summer for 25
weeks of language training. Dr. Sean Dwyer,
will be coordinating the transition-to-the
classroom part of the certificate with the ELS
and College of Business administration. Dr.
Dwyer believes this initiative is something
with a good long-run implication for the
College. The Columbian students taking part
in the program may well serve as the first of
many students from their country to attend
Tech, and their first imprints will come from
the College of Business.
FACULTY SPOTLIGHT - DR. ANDREA DRAKE
Dr. Andrea Drake has been named the new director of the
School of Accounting & Information Systems. Dr. Drake has a
bachelors in economics from Michigan State University and
a Ph.D. in Accounting. She previously held the position of
associate professor of accounting at LouisianaTech and before
then assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati. She has
produced several publications and was awarded the Humana/
McCallister Endowed Professorship and Outstanding Faculty
Advisor of the Year for the College of Business.
CSC VISITS LOUISIANATECH UNIVERSITY &
THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
Faculty from Louisiana Tech University’s
computer information systems, cyber
engineering, and computer science
programs, along with a research and
development group recently hosted a
strategic curriculum workshop for over 30
executives from CSC, a global leader in
next-generation IT, .
Clad in co-branded attire, the teams
gathered at the Louisiana Tech campus,
and in the spirit of collaboration discussed
action plans for preparing Louisiana Tech
graduates with the skills, knowledge, and
competencies needed to gain employment.
A series of breakout and brainstorming
sessions served as the foundation for the
workshop, allowing Louisiana Tech and CSC
personnel to build working relationships,
better understand the goals for CSC’s
Integrated Technology Center in Bossier
City, and familiarize themselves with CSC’s
recruiting and hiring strategies.
LouisianaTech faculty presented summaries
of relevant courses, curricula, and projects
in computer science, computer information
systems, cyber engineering, and information
technology, with the goal of developing
action plans for minor or major curriculum
changes, new courses, and projects. They
also helped the CSC executives and staff
better understand the university’s mission
and vision, as well as experience some of
Louisiana Tech’s rich traditions and campus
culture.
“The level of experience and thought
leadership of our visiting executives from
CSC was tremendous, and the breadth of
responsibility and technologies represented
was also very high,” said Dr. Stan Napper,
vice president for research and development
for Louisiana Tech. “Faculty and executives
were engaged as colleagues in a way that
I have never seen. The resulting action
plans are comprehensive, but we have also
identified some broad themes for the actions
so that our curricula will more effectively
prepare graduates for careers with CSC and
other IT and software services companies.”
Joanne M. Tran, doctoral candidate in the Department of Marketing & Analysis at
LouisianaTech won the Best Student Paper Award at the 39th annual conference of the
Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ASBE).The conference was held
in Memphis, TN September 24-26, 2014.
Her presentation entitled, “Exploring The Red Queen Effect on Vietnamese Small
Businesses and Innovation Post-Hurricane Katrina: A Qualitative Study”, was well
received among conference participants.
DOCTORAL CANDIDATE RECEIVES AWARD - JOANNE M.TRAN
JAMIE ADAMS - UNIVERSITYYOUNG ALUMNUS OFTHEYEAR
The University named our very own Jamie Adams, CIS
graduate of the College of Business, the Young Alumnus of
the Year. Adams is Senior Vice President of Sales at Scorpion
Design, LLC and is also co-founder of RollKoll Technologies.
After beginning his career as a senior consultant at Deloitte
& Touche, Adams became director of the ReachLocal Auto
Division as well as vice president of sales within the Home
Services Vertical Division and vice president of the Strategic
Partnerships Division.
In January of 2014, Adams co-founded RollKoll Technologies, a company dedicated to
bringing efficiency and transparency to the off-duty security industry, making it easier
for agencies to connect with police officers looking for off-duty work and then providing
oversight. Then in March of 2014, Adams took on the additional role of senior vice
president of Scorpion Design, LCC, an Internet marketing company designed to help
professionals in a wide range of professions.
FEDERAL RESERVE BANKERS COMETOTHE COB
The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas hosted one of their free FR
Y-6 (Annual Report of Holding Companies) and FRY-10 (Report
of Changes in Organizational Structure) report workshops
at the College of Business on October 23rd, 2014. This
workshop assisted bank and savings and loan holding
companies in the preparation of their structure reports.
There were 17 participants from area banks across the
state that attended the workshop where they learned
more about the reports, reporting requirements, filing
options, shortcuts, helpful hints, and learned best practices
from other reporters.
If you and/or your company is interested in holding your next workshop, meeting, seminar
etc., please do not hesitate to call and schedule with Courtnie Nichols, director of external
relations. The College of Business would love to work with you in hosting your next event.
FACULTY RECOGNITION: CHRISTIE FULLER
Dr. Christie Fuller has recently obtained the CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security
Professional) credential. To become a CISSP, you must have five years of full time work
experience in two or more of the 10 domains that comprise the CISSP common body of
knowledge, and you must also receive a score of at least 70% on a 250 question exam.The
CISSP is widely considered one of the most prestigious information security certifications.
Annual continuing education credits must be earned to maintain the credential.
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS CELEBRATES FACULTY/STAFF FORTHE 2014-2015 ACADEMICYEAR
Feb. 12 - (Thursday) Florida Atlantic
Feb. 14 - (Saturday) FIU
Feb. 26 - (Thursday) UTEP
Feb. 28 - (Saturday) UTSA
BASKETBALL HOME GAMES
Brian Dowis
Accounting
Dr. Andrew
Sbaraglia,
Accounting
Dr. Kevin Watson,
Management
Paula Rose
Economics &
Finance
Gwen Herring
Dean’s Office
Courtnie Nichols,
Director of
External
Relations
Gloria Skains
Economics &
Graduate
Programs
NEW FACULTY/STAFF
Timothy O. Bisping,
Interim Dean
Qiming Wang
Associate Professor
Finance
John Francis,
Interim Associate Dean of
Graduate Programs
Christie Fuller,
Associate
Professor CIS
Marcia Dickerson,
Full Professor
Bryan Fuller
Full Professor
FACULTY PROMOTIONS
RECOGNITION
RETIREMENT
Bambie Seal, Administrative
Coordinator for
Undergraduate Programs
was named the 2014
Outstanding Staff of the
Year.
Many of you know Vernette as the Administrative Assistant for
the Dean’s office. She recently retired this summer. Mildred
Vernette Farrar came to work atTech July 10, 1989 and started
with the College of Business on September 13, 1994. She
retired from Tech with 25 years of service, 20 of those years
with the College of Business. Vernette will be missed; all of us
at the College of Business wish her much success.
RESEARCH ROUNDUP
Barry Babin, Head of the Department of Marketing & Analysis has recently prepared the following presentations:
1. “What Constitutes Unethical Author Behavior in the Publishing Process?” presented at the 2014 Academy of Marketing Science World
Marketing Congress, Lima, Peru, August 6, 2014. With O.C. Ferrell.
2. “M-Turk Workers as Consumer Subjects -- Potential and Peril,” presented at the 2014 Academy of Marketing Science World Marketing
Congress, Lima, Peru, August 6. With Lauren Brewer.
3. “How Do Signals Shape Wine Shoppers Value Perception?” presented at the 2014 Academy of Wine Business Research Conference,
Griesheim University, Germany, June 29. With Nina Krey.
He will also be publishing this journal publication in print by 2015: All the Same to Me: Outcomes of Aesthetic Labor Performed by Frontline
Service Providers,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, DOI 10.1007/s11747-014-0407-4. With K. Pounders and A. Close.
MESSAGE FROMTHE DEAN
Greetings to all
of our alumni and
friends! I hope that
your new year is off
to an excellent start,
and that you share
in my enthusiasm
as we look ahead
to the rest of 2015.
It has been a busy
and productive academic year for the College
of Business with many good things on the
horizon.
The College of Business is growing! Our
enrollment numbers remain strong, and we
are about to embark on the expansion of our
building. The bid process begins this month
and we expect to break ground this spring.
Not only do we need the new space, but
we are also excited about the opportunity to
plan this space carefully in order to maximize
the benefits to our students. I am confident
that this new wing will provide a modern and
effective learning environment that will be a
significant asset to our students, faculty, and
staff.
The search process for a new Dean of the
College of Business is on track, and we are
optimistic that the search will be concluded
soon. We truly appreciate the service of our
search committee which has been working
diligently to identify and recommend the right
candidate to serve the college in this capacity.
Throughout this edition of our newsletter,
you will learn about even more good things
that are set to come this spring including our
annual Banker’s Day on March 31st and the
BSA Crawfish Boil, April 23rd.
Please make special note that we will continue
our newly established tradition of hosting the
Hall of Fame Banquet. It is scheduled for
April 30 and we will soon be sharing more
information on this event.
Thank you for taking the time to catch up on
the latest news from the College of Business,
and for your continued loyalty and support. I
witness on a daily basis the difference that the
support of our loyal alumni and friends makes
in the lives of our students, faculty, and staff,
and I thank you for your dedication to the
College of Business.
All my best,
- Tim Bisping, Interim Dean