Walker College of Business

The Walker College of Business at Appalachian State University has named three student recipients of the inaugural International Business Student Association (IBSA) International Business Engagement for Study Abroad Scholarship.

The students are junior International Business major and Spanish and Supply Chain Management minor Reena Patel, senior International Business and Economics double major and German and Chinese double minor Jack Terrell, and sophomore International Business major and Spanish minor Kaitlyn Little. 

Pictured, from left, Walker College Dean Heather Norris, International Programs Coordinator Meredith Pipes, Reena Patel, Jack Terrell, Kaitlyn Little, IBSA advisor Shannon Creighton, and Walker College Associate Dean of International Programs Martin Meznar.

The students are IBSA members who have performed above and beyond the expected level of involvement and commitment to the student group.

IBSA funded the scholarships through stadium cleanup efforts during a six-home-game football season, supporting the commitment of the university and the Walker College of Business to working toward a more sustainable future.

"It's humbling to see students investing their time, working so hard after football games, then donating this money back to others," said Walker College Dean Heather Norris.  "The IBSA members are demonstrating life skills we can all learn."

The stadium cleanup was an initiative of Appalachian's zero waste commitment.  IBSA worked closely with Appalachian Athletics, Physical Plant and Office of Sustainability to develop the zero waste stadium plan, which was implemented during the 2014 football season.

The IBSA student scholarships will be used for short-term, semester, and year long study abroad programs, as well as international internships. 

To learn more about business student-led initiatives or how to support Appalachian's Walker College of Business and students, contact Director of Development Will Sears, (828) 262-6231. 

Tags:

• International
• Students

The Carolina Business Review recently hosted a panel of top economists for an Economic Year in Review.  They looked back at the stories that had the biggest impact on the Carolina economy in 2015 and how events will shape business and policy debates in 2016.

Panelists included Frank Hefner, College of Charleston; Doug Woodward, University of South Carolina; John Connaughton, UNC Charlotte, and Harry Davis, Appalachian State University.

The economists also discussed the biggest surprises of the year.

Appalachian resident economist Harry Davis believes the biggest surprise was "energy prices going below $50/barrel, the fact that they're staying under $40 and perhaps going even lower."  

"Another surprise for North Carolina was the dramatic growth in apartment-building in Charlotte and Raleigh," said Davis. "That's been huge this year for the economy." 

The panel also discussed deflation and commodity prices, consumer spending, sales taxes and an upcoming state bond referendum.

As far as expectations for growth in 2016, Davis commented that "North Carolina will grow a little bit quicker in 2016 than in 2015, "but he added that "we need to get our [unemployment rate] down."

Watch the video.

Carolina Business Review is the most widely watched source for business and public policy issues across North and South Carolina.

Tags:

• Harry Davis
• Economy