Volume 16, Issue 1
Fall 2009
SBE MBA Case Team Takes 3rd
Place in National Competition
THE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS NEWSLETTER
Since 1992, the National
Black MBA Association
Case Competition has
awarded more than
$300,000 in scholarships to
minority business students,
and helped more than 1000
MBA students gain access
to otherwise unknown
scholarship, mentoring and
employment opportunities.
total of $35,000 in scholarship awards were at stake
and, by finishing 3rd, the
WSSU SBE team received
an $8,000 fund. In the preliminary round of competition, the SBE team faced
off against teams from
Georgia Tech, the University of Maryland, and
Texas Southern University
Faculty coach Dr. Suresh Gopalan (2nd from right), along with team
members (l to r) J. Nathan Thompson, Miranda Dalton, and Willie Hunt
The 2009 edition of the
competition, held in New
Orleans, Louisiana on September 23-27, 2009, provided such an opportunity
to three of the School of
Business and Economics’
finest representatives when
MBA students Miranda
Dalton, Willie Hunt, and J.
Nathan Thompson took
third place honors in a field
of 22 of the nation’s leading business schools. A
before advancing to the
final round where only the
competition winners from
the University of North
Carolina-Chapel Hill and
runner-up Emory University finished ahead of the
WSSU students.
Faculty coach and mentor
Dr. Suresh Gopalan, Assistant Dean for Graduate
Programs within the School
of Business and Economics
said, ―I am really proud of
what our students have
accomplished… They
worked really hard and
demonstrated a high level
of commitment to finishing
strong.‖
Ms. Miranda Dalton is
manager of enrollment and
family services for Rockingham County Head Start;
Mr. Willie Hunt is a portfolio review manager for
BB&T; and Mr. J. Nathan
Thompson is assistant controller at Winston-Salem
State University.
In the national competition,
sponsored by the Chrysler
Foundation, competing
teams of up to three members are given four weeks
to prepare an analysis and
presentation of a complex
business case. Students
present their solutions and
defend their analyses before a panel of senior executives, who evaluate the
teams on presentation
skills, thoroughness, and
creativity evident in the
analyses.
The third place finish was
particularly remarkable due
to the fact that this was
WSSU’s first year of participation in the seventeenyear old event. Congratulations to everyone involved!
Special points of interest:
Inside this issue:
Message from the Dean
2
Hallmark Leadership Retreat
2
Homecoming 2009—October 31st,
2009
Congrats to Our Graduates
3
Fall Graduation—Dec. 18th, 2009
TEAM UP Project Success
4
Spring Classes Begin—Jan. 11th, 2010
CEFS Making a Difference
5
New Business Honor Societies
6
3rd Annual Business Plan Competition—Jan. 29th, 2010
Faculty Accomplishments
7
A Message from the Dean
Dr. Jessica Bailey
This is an exciting time for the School
of Business and Economics (SBE)!
We are preparing for our upcoming
reaffirmation of AACSB accreditation,
which takes place in February 2010.
To that end, faculty and staff are active
in preparing reports that demonstrate
how our mission guides the strategic
management, participants, and assurance of learning of the school. We
have involved our students, alumni, and
business affiliates in the process as
well. The AACSB accreditation, the
premier business school accreditation,
is important for the SBE and important
for WSSU. It certifies the SBE and its
programs as being of the highest quality, an honor bestowed on only a few
schools internationally. Graduates of
our programs can advance with the
assurance that what they have learned
has prepared them well to compete in
the business world.
We would like to invite you to join the
excitement and help the SBE to become even better. If you are an alum
of the SBE, you can contribute to improving the quality of education offered
by the SBE by becoming part of the
Alumni Advisory Council (AAC). You
can provide your ideas about all the
ways that we can strengthen and improve the school, as well as connect
with others like-minded alums. The
Alumni Advisory Council is you means
of making a difference in the SBE.
Call us. We would love to have you
join us.
FOCUS... on Leadership
SBE Hallmark Retreat Provides Leadership Training for Students
The Hallmark Leadership Retreat, sponsored by a grant from Altria Client Services was held on September 18th, 2009
on the campus of Winston-Salem State
University. The retreat was attended by
officers and advisors of the School of
Business and Economics student organizations, and provided students with the
opportunity to enhance their leadership
skills. Guest speakers, Natasha Gore from
the ECHO Foundation and Barbara Jones
from Altria Client Services gave students
a practical understanding of leadership
through interaction with the students on
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topics such as strategic
planning, leadership
and fundraising. The
retreat also facilitated
the development of
each organization’s
strategic plan, as well
as encouraged networking between students, advisors, faculty
and special guests.
As part of its mission,
the SBE has three
hallmarks: Leadership,
Professionalism, and
Practical Experiences. In an effort to
The 2009 SBE Hallmark Leadership Retreat Attendees
enhance and further
develop students’ leadership skills and
clude the integration of ―soft skills‖ –
their preparedness for practical experioral and written communication, netences, the Professional Development
working, and presentation/technology
Center is being developed in order to
proficiency– with discipline-specific
provide a central location in the SBE
knowledge.
which will facilitate student access and
continuous engagement to leadership,
The Professional Development Center is
experiential and professional developfunded partially by a grant provided by
ment programs. Program activities inAltria Client Services.
FO C U S
FOCUS... on Commencement
SBE Class of 2009—A Picture is Worth...
The SBE’s Top Spring 2009 Graduate Performers
Accounting
MIS
Business
Administration
Economics
Finance
Management
Marketing
Justin Freeman Tamara Grayson
Robyn Thomas
Kenneth Green
Outstanding Overall
Outstanding Overall
Samantha Reed
Bryant King
Ray Polomski
Outstanding Overall
Outstanding Overall
Outstanding Overall
Outstanding Overall
Outstanding Overall
Kenyetta Boone Brandon Moore
Robyn Thomas
Demar Drummond
Sandy Billings
Outstanding Double Major
Distinction
Jennitra Howard
Excellence
F O C US
Excellence
Top Dept. Specialist
Jessica Mouzzon Kendra Bruton
Outstanding Overall
Outstanding in HR
Brian Davis
Samantha Reed
Malliron Hodge
Excellence
Top Dept. Specialist
Excellence in HR
Excellence
Page 3
FOCUS on… The SBE in the Community
TEAM UP Project Highlights Opportunities for Foster Kids
“The opportunity to make a difference in
the lives of the most vulnerable of our
citizens…”— this is but one of the principles guiding Teens Engaged in Aspiring
Mentorships and Uplifting Partnerships,
or TEAM UP, a collaborative project
implemented during the summer of 2009
to affect the lives of teenagers in Forsyth
County transitioning from foster care into
young adulthood. The week-long program, which took place in June, was the
result of a confluence of several forces: a
team of Winston-Salem State University
faculty and staff members led by WSSU
Center for Entrepreneurship director Dr.
Notis Pagiavlas, a generous grant from
BB&T to enhance the entrepreneurial
spirit of youth as they enter the free enterprise system, a grant from the Piedmont
Triad Partnership to disseminate information about career and entrepreneurial
options after high school, additional
matching grants from the WSSU S.G.
Atkins Community Development Corporation, DataMax Foundation, Action
Gear, Best Buy, and The WSSU Center
for Entrepreneurship, housing and meals
provided by the Children’s Home of
Winston-Salem, as well as a local community that responded with amazing humanity and caring spirit. A total of 40
youth participated in a wide variety of
activities, ranging from a dinner at the
affluent Piedmont Club of WinstonSalem illustrating professional decorum
Page 4
and etiquette, and where motivational
speakers presented inspirational words of
wisdom, to a shopping trip to Concord
Mills in Charlotte, where they learned to
shop for appropriate clothing and to experience the entrepreneurial aspects of
retail development, to visits to the WSSU
and UNC Chapel Hill campuses as well as
the state capital of Raleigh, where they
visited government offices and local museums.
The inspiration for the program was a
startling look at the obstacles in life that
disproportionately affect young adults that
―age out‖ of foster care. In evaluating the
outcomes of youth ages 18 to 23 in several areas such as mental/physical illness,
incarceration, high school graduation,
single parenthood, maintaining employment, homelessness, the existence of a
natural adult support system, and postsecondary education, the disparity between foster care children and those from
more traditional environments is alarming.
TEAM UP program participants with Dr. Notis
Pagiavlas, Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and SBE Associate Dean Dr. Kathy
Stitts
Throughout the week-long program, the
TEAM UP participants were introduced
to concepts in self-reliance and entrepreneurial drive. While on a day trip to
Carowinds theme park, the students completed evaluations of the business by
determining target markets, product pricing, advertising options, and the effects of
personnel/staff behavior on the operating
environment. On their visit to various
state government offices, including the
North Carolina state legislature, the youth
were exposed to the impact of regulatory
practices on entrepreneurial creation
Ms. Beverly Johnson, Instructor of
Management and Marketing in the SBE
To combat the problem, the TEAM UP
project adopted a plan designed by the NC
LINKS program, which has established
seven critical outcomes to assist youth in
transition. These outcomes state that all
youth leaving foster care shall:
Have sufficient economic resources
Have safe and stable housing
Attain academic goals
Be connected to people and community
Avoid illegal and high-risk behaviors
Postpone parenthood until maturity
Have access to physical and emotional
health care
within the market system, as well as the
legal aspects of business management
and ownership.
The 2009 TEAM UP project was universally deemed a rousing success, and its
creators anticipate that the future of the
program will be even brighter than its
impactful and promising start.
F O C US
FOCUS on… The SBE in the Community
The Center of Excellence in Financial Services… Making a Difference
The Center of Excellence in Financial Services, located within the School of Business and Economics and headed by Mr. Nicholas
Daves, was created in the fall of 2007 to provide guidance, to both students and the community, in all aspects of financial planning.
Here’s what the Center has been up to:
A total of 53 couples, age 50 and older, attended a series of retirement planning seminars, sponsored by the Center of Excellence
in Financial Services (CEFS), given over the course of the year. Financial planners from Merrill Lynch covered topics that included Life Planning for Retirement, Retirement Needs and Expenses, Income Sources, Retirement Distributions, Investments,
Asset Protection, and Estate Planning.
In January and September of 2009, the CEFS awarded two scholarships of $500 per semester to two outstanding finance majors,
Janay Taylor and Silver Garnett. The money for these grants came from the endowment funds provided by Gateway Management
Services, Inc.
On January 26, 2009, the CEFS made a presentation to the state senators and representatives which was hosted at WSSU Chancellor Donald Reaves’ house.
In February and March 2009, the CEFS sponsored and participated in a series of six weekly seminars for the clients of the Salvation Army. Presentations were made by SIFE students. Clients were homeless women with children and felons in the last six
months of their prison terms. Topics included resume preparation, credit management and job interviewing skills. Approximately
25 clients were present for each seminar.
On March 16, 2009, the CEFS provided coaching support for seven SIFE students who were competing in the SIFE regional competition in Charlotte. The WSSU team placed as the second runner up in its division (see page 6).
On March 23, 2009, the CEFS and SIFE co-sponsored a visit from Mr. Ted Daniels who spoke on several financial literacy topics. Mr. Daniels is scheduled to return on November 9, 2009.
In May of this year the CEFS prepared and submitted a renewal application to extend the registration of the Finance Major-Focus
on Personal Financial Planning curriculum. The application was approved in August. WSSU continues to be the only HBCU in the
nation with an undergraduate degree program registered with the CFP Board of Standards, Inc.
On June 13, 2009, the CEFS made a budgeting and credit management presentation to participants in the TEAM UP project
headed by Dr. Notis Pagiavlas (see opposite page).
During June and July of this year, the CEFS wrote an 11-module continuing education course for WSSU entitled Personal Finance
Success Strategies.
On September 16, 2009, the CEFS sponsored a visit by Duane Davis, CFP, who discussed financial planning careers in the Freshman Seminar class.
On October 13-15, 2009, Mr. Daves attended the annual conference for CFP Registered Program Directors in Arlington, VA.
Stephanie Joseph, J.D., assistant professor of business law in the SBE, served as a community volunteer at Legal Aid Society of
Forsyth County during the spring semester. Dr. Joseph also prepared and delivered seminars on ―Don’t Be Prey – Stay One Step
Ahead‖ and ‖Intellectual Property, Privacy and Technology.‖ Other seminars being prepared by Dr. Joseph are a high school-level
pre-law seminar and ―Selecting a Suitable Business Structure.‖
Walk for the Cure
Congratulations to Dr. Robert Herring, Ms. Beverly Johnson, and team leader Dr. Beth
Schneider, who participated in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund's (JDRF) "Walk for
the Cure" on September 26, 2009 in Greensboro, North Carolina. They raised funds and
walked as members of the ―Nicholas’ Knights‖ team. The Piedmont Triad chapter of JDRF
was founded in 1994 and holds ―walks‖ in Winston-Salem, Greensboro, High Point, and
Burlington/Alamance County. These four annual walks now raise over $1 million each
year for important diabetes research. In fiscal year 2009, the chapter raised over $1.5 million was raised for research to find a cure for type I diabetes.
(l to r) Beth Schneider, Robert Herring,
and Beverly Johnson
F O C US
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FOCUS… on Students
MBA Team Places 3rd in OFC National Business Plan Competition
The team of Tracy Askew, Erin
Hammond, Tiyi Moori, Jonathan Sandler,
and Crystal Wilson, students in the
School of Business and Economics’ Maters of Business Administration program,
successfully represented Winston-Salem
State University by earning third place
honors and a $3,000 prize in the 2009
OFC Venture Challenge 9th Annual
Business Plan Competition, which took
place in Atlanta, GA in April, 2009. The
WSSU team joined a field of 27 competing HBCUs, which presented original
business plans to a panel of professionals
judging them on business concept content, viability, capital funding and revenue potential, as well as the teams’ written and oral presentation of their plans.
After a preliminary round, six teams ad-
vanced to the final round, where Team
WSSU finished only behind champions
Clark Atlanta University and the second
place team from North Carolina Central
University. Our team was mentored by co
-advisors Dr. Notis Pagiavlas, director of
the Center for Entrepreneurship and associate professor of Marketing, and Dr.
Suresh Gopalan, assistant dean of Graduate Programs in the SBE, with substantial
guidance from Dr. Kathy Stitts, associate
dean of the SBE.
The Opportunity Funding Corporation
(L to R) Tracy Askew, Tiyi Moori, Erin Hammond,
(OFC) is a not-for profit corporation
Crystal Wilson, Dr. Kathy Stitts, Dr. Notis Pagiavlas,
which was created in 1970 to facilitate
Jonathan Sandler
the ownership of for-profit business entities by minorities and other disadvanplan competition for HBCUs in 2001 as a
taged persons through provision of inway to encourage entrepreneurial spirit in
vestment capital. It began the business
young students and professionals.
The SBE Welcomes Two New Business Student Honor Societies
The profile of academic achievement has
once again been raised as the School of
Business and Economics welcomed to
new business-oriented student honor societies to the Winston-Salem State University campus, beginning with the 20092010 school year.
Omicron Delta Epsilon is one of the
world's largest academic honor societies.
The objectives of Omicron Delta Epsilon
are recognition of scholastic attainment
and the honoring of outstanding achievements in economics; the establishment of
closer ties between students and faculty
in economics within colleges and universities, and among colleges and universities; the publication of its official journal,
The American Economist , and sponsoring of panels at professional meetings as
well as the Irving Fisher and Frank W.
Taussig competitions. Here at the SBE,
Dr. Craig Richardson, associate professor
of Economics, serves as the faculty advisor for ODE.
Pi Sigma Epsilon Pi Sigma Epsilon's
mission is to develop the sales and marketing skills of its members through lifelong opportunities. PSE has grown to be
Congratulations
The WSSU Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) Team received a Second
Runner-up trophy in their league in the
SIFE Regional Competition in Charlotte NC in March 2009. The team is
overseen by SIFE Walton
Fellows (advisors) Nick
Daves, Robert Herring,
and Notis Pagiavlas.
Page 6
the premiere
organization for
motivated and
dedicated students looking to
maximize their
college experience. PSE's goal
is to provide
collegiate students with practical business experience through sales,
sales projects, marketing, marketing research and community service projects.
Dr. Clive Muir, associate professor of
Business Administration in the SBE, is
the faculty advisor for the campus chapter
of Pi Sigma Epsilon.
Nathan Mumford, an SBE
double major in Economics and Finance,
completed a 2-month internship with the
Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. It
was a highly competitive internship and
only 24 students were selected to participate from the entire country. Schools
represented included UNC-Chapel Hill,
University of Virginia, University of
Michigan, Harvard, and others. Congratulations to Nathan!
F O C US
FOCUS... on Faculty
Dr. Robert A. Herring III, Professor of Management, has been actively involved in professional
development activities this summer. He participated in The OBTC Teaching Conference for Management Educators –2009, which took place June 10-13, 2009 at the College of Charleston in South
Carolina. With colleague M. Eileen Higgins of Frostburg State University, he presented a session
entitled: Ice-breaking or time-wasting? The effective use of ―ice-breakers‖ in class.
Prior to the conference, from June 7-10, he coordinated the running of the ‖OB T-Group‖ 2009, a
personal and professional development pre-conference activity. Herring had planned and organized
the activity during the preceding academic year.
Dr. Robert Herring and M. Eileen
Higgins
On June 18-21, 2009, Dr. Herring and Dr.
Nikolaos Karagiannis participated in Faculty Development in International Business
(FDIB) seminars at the University of Memphis Center for International Business, Education, and Research (CIBER). Dr. Herring
and Dr. Karagiannis represented the WSSU
School of Business and Economics in the
third year of a three -year grant for faculty
of HBCU’s to attend the FDIB’s.
Dr. Robert Herring (red shirt near center of group), Dr. Nikolaos Karagiannis (back row, 3rd from left)
On July 14, 2009, in Cherokee NC, Dr. Herring attended the initial seminar of the newly-formed organization ―WNC Lean,‖ created to
promote ―lean‖ business practices in western North Carolina. Lean business and management practices are one of the topics in the
course Dr. Herring teaches at WSSU, ―Management and Control of Quality.‖
Faculty Publications and Presentations
Alican Kavas and Aysel Kavas, (2009) "Global trends, Food
Industry and Marketing Practices and their Impact on Childhood Obesity," European Journal of Management, Vol.9 (1),
2009, 135-145. (Also presented in the IABE 2009 Greece Summer Conference, June 5-7, 2009, in Thessaloniki, Greece)
Richardson, Craig, (2009) ―Markets and Medical Records‖
in American Institute of Economic Research’s Research Reports, Sept. 8, 2009.
(2009) ―Mandatory Health Insurance: Lessons from Massachusetts‖ in the Cato Journal (Spring/Summer 2009).
Herring, Robert, (2009) Presented paper at the Southeast Decision Sciences Institute (SEDSI) meeting February 2009 in
Charleston SC: A PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF THE
FACTORS OF FACULTY PERSONAL PRODUCTIVITY: IS
THERE A BETTER WAY? with Professor M. Eileen Higgins of
Frostburg State University, Maryland
F O C US
Page 7
WINSTON SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY
School of Business & Economics
R. J. Reynolds Center
601 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.
Winston-Salem, NC 27110
FOCUS is published biannually by the School of Business and Economics at
Winston-Salem State University. For information concerning the newsletter, or to
contribute an article, please contact Charles Parrott at (336) 750-2245 or by forwarding an e-mail to parrottch@wssu.edu.
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collegiate experience of our students.
Please make donations payable to:
Winston-Salem State University Foundation, Inc.
SBE Excellence Fund
R. J. Reynolds Center
Winston-Salem, NC 27110
or
Go to our website at www.wssu.edu,
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