This edition of the Walker College of Business Dean's Update is one in a series of monthly publications for Walker College faculty, staff, stakeholders and Appalachian State University community members. Please share your departmental, programmatic or individual news items for inclusion in this and other publications of the Walker College of Business.
As the temperature and the leaves continue to fall on our campus, the activity level in the Walker College of Business continues to rise. More than 1,200 students, faculty and business community members attended the Boyles CEO Lecture on October 13. Westglow Resort & Spa Owner and former Claire's Stores CEO Bonnie Schaefer met with students from the Walker Fellows and the Women of Walker organizations in Peacock Hall before delivering her lecture, Finding Your Path, in the Holmes Convocation Center. Just over two hundred business students, faculty members, and key supporters participated in the executive luncheon following Dr. Schaefer's lecture. John Pfeifer delivered comments at the luncheon, speaking on the axioms of learning. Both the lecture and the luncheon talks, as well as a podcast with Dr. Schaefer and photos from the day are linked from our website.
On October 29, Peacock Hall corridors were filled with industry representatives during the Risk Management and Insurance (RMI) Career Fair. A record forty three companies were represented, almost all of which conducted interviews with selected candidates for internship and professional positions on October 30. Through programs like the RMI career fair, the Brantley Risk and Insurance Center continues to develop one of the strongest national programs in risk management and insurance. Existing and new industry alliances continue to give our RMI majors a "leg up" on graduates from neighboring universities.
Partnerships with the business community benefit not only our graduates through our high career placement rate, but also our undergraduates through funding for tuition. More than 250 scholarship donors and recipients came together in the Holmes Center on October 23 for the Walker College's annual scholarship reception, which featured comments from Walker College supporter and Appalachian Board of Trustees member Kenan Smith. Smith is a member of the Dean's Club, the college's annual giving society that funds scholarships for multiple business students each year. Economics major Tori Cole and management major Zully Castaneda delivered comments about the life-changing impact of the scholarships they received. Pictured above left are Cole, Smith and Castaneda. Donors participating in the event also included several Business Advisory Council (BAC) members, who were on campus for the semi-annual BAC meeting on the morning of the 23rd.Thanks to our generous scholarship donors, $438,000 was awarded to our business students this academic year, which marks the first time the scholarship awarded amount has surpassed $400,000. However, the need remains great, as fewer than 10% of our business students receive scholarship awards annually. View more photos from the 2015 scholarship reception.
Walker College alumnus Lee Barnes (pictured at right) has pledged $300,000 to establish the Lee Barnes Benefaction for Learning Enhancement and Enrichment, which will continue support for the Barnes Scholars Program, the premiere scholarship for Walker College of Business students. The Barnes Scholars was established by Barnes and his wife, Christy, in 2012, and this recent pledge will extend the program for years to come. The gift will also serve to further student and faculty research endeavors in the college through grant program offerings.
Our faculty members are engaged with alumni, industry, and regional and national non-profit organizations. Harry Davis, Professor of Banking and Economist for the North Carolina Bankers Association, recently spoke at the North Carolina Affordable Housing Conference held in Raleigh by the North Carolina Housing Coalition. Sustainable Business Director and Professor of Management Jim Westerman recently traveled to Cambridge, Massachusetts to present at Harvard University's Executive Education for Sustainable Leadership Program. It is important that the college maintain and grow connections in academia not only with peer and aspirant institutions, but also within our own community. Marketing Professor Pia Albinsson recently completed Appalachian's Scholarly Teaching Academy, an initiative to foster excellence in teaching and learning offered by the university's Faculty and Academic Development. Pia was in the second cohort. Pictured from left are Davis, Westerman, and Albinsson. Share your accomplishments, upcoming activities, and guest speakers with our communications team online.
November brings still more activities and opportunities to engage with our students and the community.
- This Friday, November 6, the college will host an international fair in Peacock Hall, which will feature faculty leaders and previous student participants in panel format. Please drop in if you can, to learn about the many global opportunities available. Door prizes and refreshments will be provided, but students must register to be eligible for door prizes. For more information, visit http://international.business.appstate.edu/internationalfair or contact Meredith Pipes, churchmm@appstate.edu, (828) 262-7727.
- Next Friday, November 13, is the Carole Moore McLeod Entrepreneur Summit. The event will begin at 9:00 a.m. with a keynote address from Brandon Adcock, owner of Direct Digital, in the Plemmons Student Union's Grandfather Mountain Ballroom. The summit will also feature three focus sessions in the 10:00 a.m. hour and multiple breakouts in the 11:00 a.m. hour with successful entrepreneurs. Donald Thompson, Jr. will deliver comments at the 12:00 p.m. luncheon. Faculty members: please register your classes for scanning, and encourage your students to attend. There is no cost for the luncheon, but registration is required. To register, visit summit.appstate.edu or for more information please contact Jonathan Carpenter, carpenterjd@appstate.edu, (828) 262-6196.
You can find more information about college activities in our 2015 Business Leaders magazine, which is now available online. I hope you will read about how our students are excelling and about how our faculty and staff members are creating innovative and engaging learning experiences for them. Happy birthday to some of those faculty and staff members, who are celebrating this month:
- November 2: John Dawson, Economics
- November 6: Bryan Bouboulis, Finance, Banking & Insurance
- November 10: Karen Epermanis, Finance, Banking & Insurance
- November 11: Mike McKee, Economics
- November 14: Brian Whitaker, Management
- November 19: Ken Brackney, Accounting
- November 20: Chuck Ciaramita, Marketing
- November 20: Mary Hofmann, Accounting
- November 22: Regina Hartley, Computer Information Systems
- November 24: Bill Pollard, Accounting
- November 24: David Marlett, Finance, Banking & Insurance
- November 24: Rachel Keller, Accounting
- November 27: Eva Hyatt, Marketing
- November 28: Greg Langdon, Brantley Risk & Insurance Center
Heather Norris, Dean
Walker College of Business
Bonnie Schaefer, Boyles CEO lecturer for Fall 2015
