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News_______________________________ The CBPA at a glance In the fall of 2007, there were 40 fulltime faculty members, 973 undergraduate majors (up from 941 in the fall of 2006) and 75 graduate students in the College. The average class size was 27.9 at the undergraduate level and 13.6 at the graduate level. The College graduated 59 students in December, 20% of the University's graduating class.To better serve students in our primary service area, the College has eliminated graduate programs (taught by compressed video) in Knoxville and Memphis. This change allowed the college to offer three additional undergraduate courses on the Martin Campus during both the fall and spring semesters and helped reduce the average undergraduate class size.
College of Business and Public Affairs to honor founding dean, William H. Baker
William Baker came to UT Martin in 1952 as the first chair of the Department of Business. After a 30-year career, Dean Baker retired on June 30, 1982. Through his efforts, the Department became the School of Business and began its pursuit of national prominence that ultimately resulted in the School of Business receiving national accreditation in 1995. Dean Baker was an avid recruiter of new and existing faculty and he was instrumental in convincing such students as Kay Durden and Nell Gullett to further their education and become faculty members.
A group of current and former faculty members, each hired by Dean Baker, has partnered with the UT Martin Development Office to begin a search for funds to establish an endowment for the College in Dean Baker's name. The William H. Baker Faculty/Student Enhancement Endowment has received pledges totaling $250,000 to date and hopes to attain a total value of at least $500,000.
College of Business and Public Affairs scheduled to return to the BA Building
The College of Business and Public Affairs has been housed on the third floor of Clement Hall since May, 2007, while the heating, air conditioning, and electrical systems in the BA building were being replaced. The $3 million project is ahead of schedule and the College will return to the building in June 2008. While Clement Hall is an excellent location, close to the library and the Boling University Center, its loud hallways and overactive heating system, will not be missed.
Finance students continue outstanding (and profitable) performance in the TVA Investment Challenge
Since 1998, the Tennessee Valley Authority has given university students in its service region the opportunity to take a portion of TVA's Nuclear Decommissioning Trust and develop a portfolio of stocks. With the help/oversight of UT Martin finance professors, Dr. Mahmoud Haddad and Dr. Arnold Redman, UT Martin students increased the value of their portfolio by over 28% during 2007, well above the 5.5% increase in the benchmark S&P 500 index and putting UTM finance students in second place among the 25 universities participating in the program. The second place finish for the year results in a $10,100 cash prize for the finance program. For the three years ending December 2007, the UT Martin Investment Challenge team is in first place with an average return topping 20% per year for the period, more than doubling the average return of the S&P 500!
Journal of Business and Economic Perspectives
For the past 32 years, the College of Business and Public Affairs has published the Journal of Business and Economic Perspectives , a scholarly journal devoted to articles by faculty members from around the world. The Journal is published twice each year and is edited by Dr. Bob Figgins, Professor of Economics and former chair of the Department of Accounting, Economics, Finance, and International Business. Dr. Figgins ensures that all articles published in the journal are scrutinized for accuracy and relevance by peers from universities around the country. Published articles range from esoteric research of interest only to other academicians to applications of theory that practitioners in the various fields of business find very useful.
College welcomes Advising Coordinator
Ms. Sheryl Breeden, MBA, was named advising coordinator for the College beginning in fall, 2007. During her first year as coordinator, Ms. Breeden oversaw 153 freshmen business majors, taking special care to see that students enrolled in the correct classes (and not just classes recommended by friends), helped undecided majors choose a major area of study, and established four-year graduation plans for her students. Ms. Breeden is also the first point of contact for students transferring into the college, checking their transcripts for courses that apply to their CBPA major and recommending courses the student might need to complete the University's general education requirements. In the fall, 2008, Ms. Breeden will take in another group of freshmen and gradually shift her second year advisees to an advisor in the student's major. |
Events______________________________
Retirements
In December, two long-time faculty members at the University retired: Dr. Bob Putman, Professor of Accounting, and Dr. Richard Chesteen, Professor of Political Science. Both have entered the University of Tennessee Post-Retirement Program in which they are allowed to teach two courses per semester for the next several years. The post-retirement program allows students to benefit from the expertise of these two excellent instructors while Dr. Chesteen and Dr. Putman transition into full retirement.
Dr. Kay Durden, Professor of Information Systems, will leave the Post-Retirement Program and end her teaching career of 40+ years at UT Martin. Kay will be missed both in the classroom where she is an excellent and demanding instructor and on the ball fields where she was friend and advisor to hundreds of student-athletes. The University has announced the establishment of the Kay Durden scholarship fund to honor her years of outstanding service.
New faculty
Dr. Kiattisak Phongkusolchit joined the faculty in the fall of 2007 as Assistant Professor of Operations Management. Dr. Pong (as he asks people to call him) is a native of Thailand, with an undergraduate degree in Material Science. He holds the M.S. in Manufacturing Systems and the Ph.D. with a major in Production and Operations Management from Southern Illinois University. Dr. Pong is an excellent classroom instructor and has already made 10 research presentations to professional conferences. With his connections to Thailand, we expect Dr. Pong to develop new travel study destinations in the Far East to complement our existing study trips to the Americas, Japan, and Europe.
Dr. Janice Hanna will join the faculty in August, 2008, as Assistant Professor of Marketing. Dr. Hanna holds the PhD in Marketing from the University of Illinois and comes to UTM with teaching experience at two universities and most notably with 25 years of experience in professional marketing with AT&T and as a marketing consultant. Dr. Hanna will bring our students knowledge of both the theory and the practical applications of marketing.
Award-Winning Faculty
While teaching is our primary purpose, faculty are expected to stay current with the latest developments in their fields by presenting papers at professional conferences. During 2007, six faculty members received best paper awards at conferences for their outstanding research efforts. Faculty receiving these recognitions include: Dr. Michael Park, Drs. Ashley and Brandon Kilburn, Dr. Richard Griffin and Dr. Bob Putman, and Dr. Ken VanVuren.
In addition, Dr. Joy Roach, Assistant Professor of Office Information Systems, received the Delta Pi Epsilon Doctoral Dissertation Award, the highest award in the field of graduate business education. She received the award during the National Business Education Association's annual convention in San Antonio.
Regional Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (REED) Center completes its second full year of operation
The REED Center partners the College of Business and Public Affairs, the Dunagan Chair of Excellence in Banking and the Hendrix Chair of Excellence in Free Enterprise with the City of Martin, the counties of Carroll, Gibson, Henry, Obion, and Weakley, regional banks and the Tennessee Small Business Development Center.
The REED Center moved into its newly remodeled building at 406 Lindell Street in downtown Martin, secured a $49,900 Rural Development grant from the United States Department of Agriculture to expand the Center's educational programs, sponsored 12 seminars, and counseled 65 clients interested in opening or growing their own business. Four new businesses opened during 2007 after receiving counseling from REED Center staff. Since its opening in August, 2005, REED Center clients have reported 147 new jobs created in the region!
One of the highlights of 2007 for the REED Center was organizing the first MidSouth Economic and Business Summit. The Summit, held in partnership with Dyersburg State Community College, the Tennessee Small Business Development Center, First State Bank, First Citizens National Bank and the WestStar Class of 2007, attracted over 100 civic leaders from across northwest Tennessee.
If you have not made a gift this year to your university, college, department or program, would you consider this as an ask for your financial consideration. Click here to make a gift online. |
