Business
Connection
New Agriculture/Business Building Opens
Almost two years to the day from the groundbreaking in January
2014, the Colleges of Business and Agriculture and Human Sciences
moved into a brand new facility. The 90,000 square foot building
shared with the College of Agriculture and Human Science, features
14 modern classrooms, eight instructional and science laboratories,
a trading laboratory, student study rooms, office space and a 400seat auditorium with a balcony.
The PVAMU Small Business Development Center and classrooms,
including three 60-seat tiered rooms and multi-functional rooms
such as the trading laboratory and multi-purpose room are
conveniently located on the first floor. Student study rooms, a
collaboration and innovation lab, computer classrooms and the
Center for Business Communication and tutorial hub are located on
the second floor. Also located on the second floor is a student
lounge surrounded by glass that is etched with the university seal
and situated just below the clock tower. Faculty, staff and
professional offices including the Center for International Business
Education are located on the third floor along with a dedicated
business student computer lab. Additional office, meeting space and
a faculty lounges for both colleges are located on the fourth floor.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned in early 2016. Classes are
planned for spring 2016 with the auditorium, trading room and a few
other surprises open and available by summer.
New Ag/Business Building Opens Page 1
Dean’s Corner
Page 2
PVAMU Gala 2015
Page 3
Panthers on the Prowl Abroad
Page 4
Student News & Notes
Page 5
Faculty and Staff News and Notes Page 7
COB Welcomes New Faculty
Page 9
IMPACT Mentoring Launched
Page 10
PVAMU Recognized in News
Page 10
Donor Honor Roll
Page 11
Mission & Vision Statements
Page 12
Happy New Year to all. This year we are celebrating 40 years as an
independent academic college and we have moved to a new building. This a
splendid facility - the best on campus so far!
The open space, the modern facilities, the state-of-the-art technology, the
meeting space - all of these features makes the building highly studentfriendly. Speaking to a number of students, and by noticing their behavior, it is
evident that the students love the new building.
Dr. Munir Quddus
Dean and
Professor of Economics
From available funding and conception, the space was in four years in making.
During the initial planning meetings, all of the constituents met and were asked
for input and we all wanted the building to be modern and functional but also
have a "wow!" factor to it. The College of Business asked for a state-of-the-art
"trading room" to help our finance majors and other students learn about investing and trading. We were also
interested in a large auditorium for our programs such as executive and lecture series and award ceremonies
to name a few. We are proud to share the space with the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences, who
requested specialized labs that they were missing in other campus locations. The users also wanted modern
classrooms with multi-media technology and student space for study and team collaboration. Now that we are
in the new building, it seems we got most of what was on our wish list.
Besides moving to the new building, the leadership, faculty and staff have also been busy with preparing for
the AACSB visit in February (21-23), 2016. This is the regular reaccreditation five-year visit by the "Peer Review
Team" as part of the Continuous Improvement Review (CIR) under the new (2013) standards. This is an intense
effort and a substantial document (more than 150 pages) that outlines our strategies, highlights our faculty and
programs as well as our commitment to continuous engagement, impact and innovation. The PRT will be at
the main campus for one full day of meetings, and will interact with faculty, students and staff members.
For the second semester in a row, the COB was at the top of the list of all colleges in terms of enrollment
growth (as measured by the semester credit hours). We have had double digit growth in back-to-back
semesters. This demonstrates the reputation and quality of education of the business programs is on the rise the recently introduced Executive MBA has certainly added to the brand.
Taking advantage of the PVAMU NWHC, the COB has begun to offer several non-credit programs: Becker CPA
review, Six Sigma and PMP certification courses - these programs and opportunities are being offered to
benefit our students, to increase our presence in the community and to attract prospective students in the
greater Houston area. A number of professors - Dr. Ngamassi, Dr. McNeil, Dr. Baldwin, Dr. Opara, Dr. Zhang have received research and service-oriented grants. The total grants received in 2015 adds up to more than
half a million dollars, more than we have ever received in a year. We hope you are able to visit with us this
year and I look forward to hearing from you.
Wishing you a great semester,
Munir Quddus, PhD
Dean, College of Business
Associate Provost, PVAMU Northwest Houston Center
PVAMU College of Business Newsletter - Business Connection
Page 2
PVAMU 2015 Gala
Prairie View A&M University’s biennial gala has
become a signature event for the university
attracting hundreds of alumni, distinguished guests,
and friends of the university as well as university
faculty, staff, students and administrators. The
College of Business served as the host and featured
college for the 2015 PVAMU Gala. Dr. Samuel
Metter, class of 1957, served as the honorary chair
of this worthwhile event.
Ayanna Mack, a proud PVAMU alumna from the
College of Arts and Sciences (where the department
of business and economics had its genesis) served as
the mistress of ceremonies and guided the
attendees through the program which honored the
rich history of the College of Business. The event
was used to highlight the college’s excellent
academic programs and to honor its students,
alumni and supporters.
Dean’s Advisory Board
members Wanda Jackson Graves, chair, and Vernita
Harris, a distinguished business alumna, brought
remarks and greetings along with Gerald Herd, a
recent alumnus who also had the distinction of being
among the first executive MBA students to graduate
from the program.
Members of the PVAMU jazz band and the PV
singers provided rousing entertainment and
Lockheed Martin was recognized as the Cluster
Company of the year . Mr. Donald Bowers, II, a
charter member of the College of Business Dean’s
Advisory Board, was recognized for his outstanding
contributions to Prairie View A&M University and
selected as the President’s Vision Award honoree.
PVAMU College of Business Newsletter - Business Connection
Page 3
Panthers on the Prowl Abroad
Accounting Internship in Malaysia
David Westerfield, senior accounting major, spent his
summer working with KPMG in their (GIP) Global Internship
Program in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in the firm’s deal
advisory practice. Westerfield competed with more than
700 applicants who applied for this opportunity – only 30
were chosen to represent their universities and KPMG in a
global setting. David completed his internship back in his
hometown of Dallas, Texas and returned to PVAMU for his
final semester as an undergraduate student. “I believe with
all of my heart that PVAMU prepared me for my future in
public accounting and groomed me for a future position in a
globalized economy,” says the December 2015 candidate
for graduation. He has accepted a full-time position with an
accounting firm and plans to start in January 2016.
David Westerfield in Malaysia.
EMBA Students Study Abroad in China
Prairie View A&M University's Executive MBA students
took an educational field trip abroad this past May. EMBA
students had the opportunity to visit China to immerse
themselves in the Chinese culture. Students got a chance
to visit many different cultural sites, such as the Great Wall
of China and the Forbidden City. In addition to the
beautiful and impressive Chinese cultural sites, they also
visited many different Chinese businesses and educational
institutions. For instance, students got a chance to tour
China Securities, Shanghai Electronic Industry School,
China Europe International Business School and other
exciting venues. Students came away
with a broad understanding of China and
its economic success, business etiquette,
history, culture, geography and most
importantly the Chinese people. This is
the second group of EMBA students to
visit China. The visit for the next EMBA
cohort is planned in May 2016.
PVAMU College of Business Newsletter - Business Connection
EMBA Students in China
Page 4
Student News & Notes Around the College of Business
Dalya Sanders Awarded $75,000 Scholarship
Destiny Velez crowned Miss Puerto Rico
Sophomore business management major Dalya
Sanders probably knows how to use the Google
search engine to her advantage better than most.
In her free time, Dalya used the search engine to
find scholarship funds so that she could continue
her journey in school. This enterprising young
woman was raised by a single parent who is
already putting her sister, a senior at Lamar
University, through college so, Dalya says, “I
knew that the only options I had to pay for school
were either scholarships or loans. When I
entered high school, I set a goal for my self saying
that I would graduate from college debt-free.”
Ms. Sanders found out about a scholarship
sponsored by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and
Toyota worth $75,000 and an internship
opportunity with the Japanese auto maker. She
applied for the scholarship and was selected as a
recipient.
How did you spend your summer? Member of
the PVAMU bowling team, dean’s honor student
and MIS major Destiny Vélez took home the
crown as the new
2015 Miss Puerto
Rico for the 2016
Miss America
Organization
competition. Vélez is
the first studentathlete from the
Southwestern
Athletic Association
(SWAC) to
participate in the
Miss America competition (yes, that Miss
America competition). Destiny is no stranger
competition, in addition to competitive bowling,
she has been competing in pageants and
showcasing her talents as a drummer since she
In addition to the financial gain and career was 13.
internship opportunity, Dalya believes, “The
greatest benefit I have received as far as being a
recipient of this scholarship has been an extreme
boost in confidence. I now know that I am able to
compete with students from schools across the
nation such as Morehouse College and Tuskegee
University and actually come out on top. Being
able to represent Prairie View A&M University
along with the College of Business and shining a
positive light on my HBCU has been an honor.”
PVAMU College of Business Newsletter - Business Connection
Page 5
Business Student News & Notes
Jocelyn Eusery, sophomore marketing major, had a
summer internship with the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) in the FAA Minority Serving
Institutions Intern program. Jocelyn was informed
that she was the first PVAMU student in the program
and the youngest intern in the program.
Ashley Harbeson was awarded a $1,000 Petroleum
Accounts Society of Houston (PASH) scholarship
thanks to the efforts and nomination from her
professor, Dr. Gin Chong who teaches Oil and Gas
Accounting. Chong calls Harbeson his “top student”
in the course and was pleased to attend the
ceremony recognizing her for her accomplishment.
Prairie View A&M University was selected to
participate in TCU’s Values and Ventures Business
Plan Competition in Fort Worth, Texas. The team that
represented PVAMU included Ms. Morgan Walker,
Ms. Tammy Malone, Mr. Stephen Edwards, and Mr.
Alexander Richardson. Under their business name,
Detect-T, the team made a presentation about their
idea for a new product a set of gloves and air masks
that will act as a disinfectant and an anti-bacterial self
-sterilizing fabric when worn. The team posited that
these products could be very useful in different
industries but that their main targets would be in the
medical industry and the construction industry. When
used properly, the patented design for a glove and an
air mask could dramatically reduce infections.
Four student members of Enactus traveled to St.
Louis to attend the 2015 Enactus United States
National Conference in April. Over 180 colleges and
universities were represented. PVAMU’s Enactus
Chapter conducted several projects that resulted in
grants being awarded to support their activities.
Student participants also attended a two-day career
fair where more than 40 companies were
represented. The PVAMU team felt that attending
this event was very beneficial and a way to prepare
for the 2016 regional competition in Dallas, Texas.
Moreover, several students received offers of
employment through this conference.
The Prairie View
A&M University
Enactus Chapter
is a Sam Walton
Fellow;
conference
attendees
included Mr.
Jeffery Sealy, Mr.
Christian
Krushall, Ms.
Paisley Horn,
and Mr. Paris Washington (shown in the photo).
Their advisor, who also attended the conference, is
Dr. Rick Baldwin.
Congratulations to Celeste Garner and Tiara Howell
who were selected to participate in the University of
California Summer Institute for Emerging Managers
and Leaders. This is a free career-building fellowship
for first year students from historically black colleges
and universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-serving
institutions (HSIs). Participants spent two weeks
over two consecutive summers learning from worldclass educators and met one-on-one with CEOs,
CFOs and other industry leaders in one of the
country's most thriving hubs for enterprise and
innovation.
Richardson, Walker, Edwards and Malone
PVAMU College of Business Newsletter - Business Connection
Page 6
Business Faculty and Staff News & Notes
Dr. Reginald L. Bell has completed a new book (his first) Managerial Communication with co-author Dr.
Jeanette S. Martin available through Business Expert Press. In their text the authors “explore what the
communication managers actually do in business across the planning, organizing, leading, and controlling
functions” by synthesizing ideas from experts including noted scholars as well as popular culture. Since
intrapersonal, interpersonal, group, organizational, and intercultural play a role in managerial communication,
the authors discuss each type of communication thoroughly.
In addition to the publishing of his book, Dr. Bell was promoted to professor in fall 2014. Dr. Bell earned his
Ph.D. in Business Education from the University of Missouri at Columbia and has been a member of the
business faculty since 2002. Bell has more than six dozen articles published in peer-reviewed journals and
proceedings and has been recognized by his peers as a recipient of the Dean’s Excellence Award in Research.
Dr. Yi Zhang has earned tenure and been promoted to associate professor. Dr. Zhang has created several
online courses in finance at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. She received her Ph.D. in Finance
from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and has research interests in empirical asset pricing, investments and
behavioral finance. She is a textbook reviewer for McGraw-Hill Irwin Publishing and a previous recipient of a
College of Business Summer Research Grant.
Congratulations to Department Head, Dr. M. Moosa Khan, Dr. Rahim Quazi and Dr. Sukumar Debnath who
have been promoted to the rank of full professor effective September 1, 2015.
Business Faculty Take on Administrative Roles
Dr. Gin Chong is the new executive director of the PVAMU Executive MBA program. Professor Chong
assumed the mantle of leadership in June as interim director for the Graduate Programs in Business in summer
2014 and is eager to continue to serve the College of Business in this new role. During his tenure at Prairie View
A&M University, he has introduced new courses in Oil and Gas Accounting at both the undergraduate and
graduate levels. He takes over the reins from Dr. Daniel Perez Liston, the first EMBA executive director who led
the program from fledgling concept to a successful cohort of EMBA graduates within two years.
Assistant Dean Carolyn S. Davis will also add to her responsibilities as the new associate director for the EMBA
program. As primary recruiter for both undergraduate and graduate programs, Mrs. Davis will expand her role
in recruiting and program management for the EMBA program.
Kimberly Gordon will head the Graduate Programs in Business beginning in fall 2015. Ms. Gordon was
appointed to this new position with plans to increase awareness of the MBA and Master of Science in
Accounting programs as well as increase enrollment and retention. Ms. Gordon will continue to serve as
assistant dean.
The new associate director of the PVAMU Northwest Houston Center is Dr. Rahim Quazi. Dr. Quazi has served
in the College of Business for more than a decade. During his tenure at Prairie View A&M University, he has
secured more than $500,000 in grant funding to secure a Center for International Business Education at the
PVAMU campus, serves as the editor of the PV International Business Digest and is a professor of economics.
PVAMU College of Business Newsletter - Business Connection
Page 7
Business Faculty and Staff News & Notes
Faculty, staff and students are still mourning the loss of one of their dear
colleagues, Dr. Sonja B. Langley, associate professor, who succumbed to an
illness on Friday, July 3, 2015. In an attempt to honor her, her family, friends
and colleagues have indicated that they would like to create a scholarship in
her name. All scholarship proceeds will be used to support business students in
the College of Business where Dr. Langley faithfully taught, inspired and served
for more than a decade.
For information on ways to contribute to the Dr. Sonja B. Langley Memorial
Scholarship, please contact the dean’s office in the College of Business at (936)
261-9200 or Ms. Kimberly Gordon at klgordon@pvamu.edu or (936) 261-9238.
Dr. Sonja Langley pictured
receiving the
2010 College of Business
Excellence in Teaching Award
New College of Business Faculty & Staff
The College of Business is pleased to welcome the following new faculty and staff members.
Audria Ford - adjunct instructor of finance (EMBA - Tulane University)
Crisarla Houston, Esq. - adjunct instructor of law (J.D. - Harvard University)
Hinh D. Khieu, PhD - assistant professor of finance (Ph.D. in Finance - University of Kentucky)
Clyde McNeil, CPA, CIA - adjunct instructor of accounting (MS in Accountancy and MBA University Houston)
Oluwagbemiga Ojumu, PhD - adjunct faculty (Ph.D. in Applied Economics, Auburn University)
Rosita Oliver, administrative assistant to the dean
Maria Tobar - adjunct instructor of finance (MBA - Prairie View A&M University)
Congratulations to Dr. Lawrence McNeil who received word that his
proposal with colleagues from Texas A&M and Duke Universities for a
half million dollar grant for economic research has been accepted for
funding by the National Science Foundation.
The Accounting Path, an online site designed to be an easy to guide to
accounting that also gets students excited about careers in the
accounting field, has announced that PVAMU professor Dr. Gin Chong
was ranked among the top 10 accounting professors in Texas based
on feedback provided by Rate My Professor.
Drs. Yi Zhang, Lawrence McNeil and Rick Baldwin have received
grant support from Title III to be used to support a new finance
trading lab and several entrepreneurship initiatives. Funding to
support these collaborative efforts will help strengthen and grow the
finance program and grow the college’s programs.
PVAMU College of Business Newsletter - Business Connection
Page 8
Business Faculty and Staff News & Notes
Vetter Appointed to Nationwide Taxpayer Advocacy Panel
A statement from the Internal Revenue Service is not always good news. Associate Professor William Vetter,
who teaches Federal Income Tax and Business Law, among other courses in the business school at PVAMU, is
taking his notification from the IRS in stride. The Department of Treasury has approved the IRS’
recommendation that Dr. Vetter be among 27 new members to serve on a nationwide Taxpayer Advocacy
Panel, also known as TAP. TAP, a federal advisory committee, is tasked with “providing taxpayer suggestions to
improve IRS customer service.”
New members of TAP were selected from a nationwide pool of more than 400 applicants and will join 46
returning members to serve out a three-year term. Vetter, the only new member who hails from Texas, along
with other new members will join the returning 46 members of the committee who will devote 200 to 300
hours per year to panel activities including advising the IRS on taxpayer needs.
Dr. Vetter is an ideal choice to serve in this new role. William Vetter, J.D., LL.M. has been assisting taxpayers
through the PVAMU Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) for nearly 10 years. Students, faculty
and staff at Prairie View A&M University as well as residents of Waller County and parts of the greater Houston
area have recovered millions of dollars in refunds through the VITA program under his leadership. Trained
volunteers at the VITA sites assist low-income individuals and families by preparing taxes, explaining new
guidelines and regulations and helping clients e-file their returns.
Dr. Louis Ngamassi, associate professor of MIS, completed a 10-week
summer research program at Purdue University with VACCINE (Visual
Analytics for Command, Control, and Interoperability Environments). The
VACCINE program is in conjunction with the Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) Summer Research Team for Minority Serving Institutions
program, which seeks to enhance the leadership at minority-serving
institutions in subject areas that relate to DHS goals. Ngamassi has done
extensive research about disaster management and international
humanitarian organizations and sought to explore how visual analytics
could aid in processing and disseminating disaster social media data.
2015 College of Business Dean’s Excellence Award Recipients
EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING
Daniel Kennebrew*
Sanzid Haq
*Mr. Kennebrew was the College of Business nominee for the President’s Teaching Excellence Award
EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH
Rahim Quazi, Ph.D.
Qiang Fei, Ph.D.
EXCELLENCE IN SERVICE
Ahmed Mahfouz, Ph.D.
STAFF AWARD
Rosita Oliver Yolanda Kesee
PVAMU College of Business Newsletter - Business Connection
Page 9
PVAMU Online MBA Program
Simply the Best
Business Mentoring Program
Seeking Volunteers
The Prairie View A&M University College of Business
Mentor/Protégé Connection (IMPACT) offers
students the opportunity to develop their
professional insights and networks through the
guidance of a career mentor. Mentoring has proven
to be an effective strategy which can contribute
significantly to professional development.
IMPACT is expected to be a bonus to all parties in the
relationship. Student protégés will immediately
benefit from assistance with career development,
lifestyle enhancement, goal achievement and other
areas mutually designated by the mentor and
protégé. Mentors develop a deeper awareness of
their own behavior, improved interpersonal skills in
listening, modeling and leading for personal growth.
Moreover, IMPACT will enable alumni, members of
industry and professionals to connect with the
College of Business, as well as current and future
colleagues in their field.
While most people can
certainly see the value in
obtaining a higher education
and an advanced degree, for
many, the costs associated
with getting a degree can be
an expensive proposition.
AffordableCollegesOnline.org
has compared cost and quality
metrics for hundreds of public,
not-for-profit universities offering online degree
programs and released their ranking of the Best
Online MBA Programs for the 2015-2016 school
year. Prairie View A&M University’s Online MBA
program was ranked 31st overall.
Prairie View A&M University has also found its way
onto CollegeNet’s Social Mobility Index (SMI) - “the
extent to which a college or university educates
more economically disadvantaged students (with
family incomes below the national median) at lower
tuition, so they can graduate and obtain good paying
jobs” - the university ranks second among
undergraduate institutions on the SMI and most of
the Ivy League schools don’t come close.
Contributors to the
Business Connection Newsletter
Dr. Rick Baldwin
Dr. Gin Chong
Ms. Jocelyn Eusery
Dr. Rahim Quazi
Ms. Dalya Sanders
Mr. David Westerfield
Ms. Kimberly Gordon (editor)
If you are willing to give your most precious asset your time, please contact one of the IMPACT
Program Coordinators and get involved: Mr. Danny
Harvey – djharvey@pvamu.edu, (936) 261-9221 or
Mr. Cleveland Stiff – ccstiff@pvamu.edu, (936) 2619263.
Gala photos provided by Orok Orok; other
photos provided by student contributors
PVAMU College of Business Newsletter - Business Connection
Page 10
College of Business
2015 Donor Honor Roll
The College of Business appreciates all of the individuals and organizations that have made a financial
contribution this academic year. Thank you for your support.
Gifts received between
January 1, 2015 - December 1, 2015
Individual Donors
Individual Donors
Arshad Alam
Henri L. Bailey & Family
Rickie Baldwin
Wayne Ballentine
Patricia Baughman
Lois Blyden
Felix Braggs
Milton Bryant
Michael D. Brown
Gin Chong
Sukumar Debnath
D’Ann Dickson
Alfreda Dobiyanski
Qiang Fei
Edwina Garcia
Audrey Gilbreath
Kimberly Gordon
Wided Hemissi
Danny Harvey
Gerald Herd
Mary Lee Hodge
Reginald Holloway
Jamie House
C. Mel Hughlett
Barbara Jones
Myrtle Jones
Daniel Kennebrew
Yolanda Kesee
Moosa Khan
Gary Langley
The Family and Friends of Sonja B.
Langely
Buryung “Brian” Lee
Eric Lyons
Ahmed Mahfouz
Samuel Metters
Louis Ngamassi
Yadira Perez
Rahim Quazi
Munir and Tasmina Quddus
Shahedur Rahman
Thiagarajan Ramakrishnan
The Family of Bob Roberts
Sammie Robinson
Ed Ryland
The Family and Friends of Joseph
Scott, Jr.
Mostafa Soliman
Bea Sowell
Donald Sowell
Jana B. Smith
Cleveland Stiff
Wibawa “Peter” Sutanto
E. Joahanne Thomas-Smith
Sudhir Tandon
Phyllis Tidwell
Georgia Thomas
Joseph Thomas
Ada Till
David Townsend
Jermaine Vesey
Vijaya Vemuri
Fred Washington
Sarah Wiemken
Michael Williams
Rochester Williams
Shirley Wilson
Yi Zhang
PVAMU College of Business Newsletter - Business Connection
Corporate and
Organization Donors
Bluebird Solutions
Capital Farm Credit Bank
CITGO Petroleum Corporation
EdVenture Partners
JW Greenfield
Lockheed Martin
Shell Oil
Spectra Energy Foundation
The Boeing Corporation
Quick Fact
In 2015-2016 academic
year, the College of
Business awarded $168,000
in undergraduate
scholarships to 81 students
(approximately 1 out of 10).
Page 11
College of Business
Vision
The Prairie View A&M University College of Business strives to be among the best regional
business schools in the nation by empowering students from diverse backgrounds to reach their
full potential.
Mission
The Prairie View A&M University College of Business provides students from diverse academic
and socioeconomic backgrounds with education that helps them become business professionals
and leaders who are ethical, entrepreneurial, productive, and prepared to succeed in the global
economy. The College achieves excellence through quality teaching, research, service, and
engagement with the business community.
(936) 261-9200 | www.pvamu.edu/business | cob@pvamu.edu