Document 1446112

Winter 2007
C o l l e g e o f B u s i n e s s A d m i n i s t r a t i o n
advantage
THE
Volume Three, Number One
Since 1989, EMBA candidates have
completed 70 projects in 24
different countries for 50 different
sponsors, donating consulting
services worth $ 5,350,000 (in
2004 US$).
Taking Theory to Task
T
he University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO)
Executive MBA (EMBA) program is one of
the most unique in North America. Its
capstone Business Consulting Experience provides
an innovative venue for the program’s executive students to apply what they have learned in the
classroom to real-world business concerns.
Corporate, foundation and government sponsors,
recruited annually, identify a business issue, specify
research goals—often an evaluation of market entry prospects, and provide the EMBA consulting
team with ready access to their key executives and
business data.
For each project, an EMBA team of four students
and a supervising professor is assigned. During
their final spring term they research and evaluate
data from secondary and primary sources. In the
May–June time period, the teams travel to a designated foreign country for two weeks of intensive
primary research that typically involves data collection from 50 or more interviews with
government, industry and trade association officials, academics, and consumers.
The visited countries may be the target of a
sponsor’s plan to enter a new market; they may be
selected to learn how the research issues would be
addressed in a different business culture; or they
may be part of an effort to help businesses in former
Soviet states become competitive in a privatized,
free(r) market economy.
The teams assume full responsibility for all aspects
of their on-site consultancy; from the routine—
making international travel arrangements and
developing productive interview contacts, to the
extraordinary—coping with language, cultural, and
physical infrastructure differences without an incountry sponsor or host to guide the way. Upon
their return, the teams integrate, evaluate, and
document the fruits of their primary and secondary research.
Alternative courses of action are developed and
Continued on page 11
DEAN’s MESSAGE
College of
BUSINESS
ADMINISTRATION
Dean
Louis G. Pol
I
hope that you had a first-rate holiday and that your new year is off to a good
beginning. Once again, the students, faculty, staff, alums, and friends of our
college have been busy being successful. The Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC) has been recognized as a fully-accredited Small Business
Development Center (only six of 63 state and regional programs received this designation). A CBA alum is now the Nebraska State Tax Commissioner, and a CBA
faculty member received a national entrepreneurship education award from the
Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education. Students who manage the Cloud
Investment Fund are closing in on another good year.
Scholarship support in the college has been outstanding this year and for the first
time in our history awards exceeded $400,000. The scholarship reception, held
each September, was well attended, giving donors and recipients the opportunity
to meet and learn more about each other. There are changes in Roskens Hall as
well—all in the spirit of creating a better environment for learning in and out of
the classroom.
Once again, I invite you to call, e-mail, write, and/or visit us whenever you are
able. I believe that you will like what you see and learn—please visit when classes
are in session. All of us in CBA are grateful for your interest and support.
Regards,
Associate Dean
Lynn Harland
Assistant Dean
Robert E. Bernier
Contributors
Tracy Abler
Curt Bayer
Sue Bollich
Tim Fitzgerald
Derek Geschwender
Lex Kaczmarek
Ellen Lincoln
Marjorie Miskec
the ADVANTAGE
is published twice a year by UNO's
College of Business Administration
for alumni and friends.
Direct correspondence to:
the ADVANTAGE
College of Business
Administration
University of Nebraska
at Omaha
RH 414
Omaha NE 68182
402-554-2303
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://cba.unomaha.edu
IN THIS ISSUE
Nebraska Business Development Center dedicates
new services for Nebraska innovators and
researchers. Story on page 10.
2 • College of Business Administration
SNAPSHOTS
CBA meets again at the 18th hole
F
or the second year, CBA sponsored Skybox 45 at the 18th
hole of the Cox Classic Golf Tournament. From August
3-6, CBA golf fans enjoyed great weather and championship
golf with fellow alums, faculty and friends.
CBA was part of a record gallery of 110,000 people who watched golf
professionals compete for a $625,000 purse in this nationwide tour
event. In the final round, Johnson Wagner finished eagle-birdie to
win the Cox Classic title and a $117,000 prize.
CBA fans signed up to win free tickets for next year’s tournament and
other prizes in a drawing. Ivan Gilreath, MBA alum and National Advisory Board member, won the grand prize, a golf outing with the dean.
MBA students learn etiquette as
they practice networking skills
N
ot all business takes place in an office. Throughout a
professional career, many meetings, conferences, and
networking events involve buffet lines and dining rooms.
On such occasions, knowledge of some rules of etiquette can help
make the best possible impression on employers and business
associates.
To provide an opportunity for MBA students to learn and practice etiquette and networking skills, CBA hosted dinners at the W.H.
Thompson Alumni Center as part of the required MBA course, Essential Leadership Skills, in both the spring and fall classes.
At these functions, Christina Fielder of the UNL Career Center instructed participants in such challenges as how to hold a plate of hors
d’oeuvres, a glass, and napkin in one hand. Students were then guided
through the soup, salad, and entrée courses. Everyone enjoyed a delicious dinner and acquired skills that will provide poise and confidence
whenever a business meeting involves food and beverages.
Winter 2007 • 3
N E W FAC U LT Y
Vishal Gupta
Dr. Gupta, new faculty member in the Department of Marketing and Management, received
his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri in 2006. Professor Gupta teaches undergraduate
courses in corporate and business strategy (capstone course) and entrepreneurship. His research interests include differences between men and women in entrepreneurial activity, social
entrepreneurship (individuals who start new social organizations), Austrian economics, and
technology entrepreneurship.
Professor Gupta is a member of the Maverick Entrepreneurship Institute. He is an active member of the Academy of Management and is a regular reviewer for its Entrepreneurship and
Business Policy and Strategy Division.
Jinlan Ni
Professor Ni received her Ph.D. in economics from Purdue University. In 2004, Dr. Ni came to
UNO as a visiting scholar and in 2006, joined the faculty as an assistant professor in the Economics Department. She teaches Quantitative Applications in Economics and Business,
Econometrics, Economics of Technology, Research Methods and Principles of
Microeconomics. Her primary research areas are applied econometrics, international finance,
information economics and financial economics.
Dr. Ni’s current research topics include international equity home bias puzzle, determinants
of mutual fund manager turnover, institutional ownership and dividend policy, the relationship between home ownership and social crime, information asymmetry and IT investment,
and gender and race discrimination. One of her dissertation papers, “Endogenous Asymmetric Information and International Equity Home Bias: The Effects of Portfolio Size and
Information Costs,” is forthcoming in the Journal of International Money and Finance.
CBA remodels study alcoves
A
relaxed and functional environment was the goal for the newly
remodeled study alcoves on the second and fourth floors of
Roskens Hall. Students are able to take advantage of comfortable
functional furniture, wireless internet connectivity, and natural lighting
to meet in groups or study alone. New artwork, some created by UNO
students and staff, brighten the walls.
The alcoves have become an important point of destination for students
throughout the day and evening. The remodel was designed by CBA
Information Technology staff and implemented through partnerships
with the Nebraska Bankers Association and UNO’s Facilities
Management Department. Additional remodeling and updating projects
are scheduled.
4 • College of Business Administration
Professor Wilson wins national
entrepreneurship education award
R
Student
artwork
brightens
walls
T
hose familiar with Roskens Hall have undoubtedly observed
the blandness of our cinderblock walls. Earlier this year,
UNO student senators representing CBA approached the
dean with a plan to purchase artwork that would bring color and
contrast to the otherwise drab walls. The plan called for the
purchase of UNO student and staff art with funding from UNO
student government and a match in money from CBA. The dean
agreed to the match and purchases are now being made.
achel Wilson, assistant professor of marketing and
management at the University of Nebraska at Omaha
(UNO), was recognized for leadership and creativity in
bringing entrepreneurship education to the school environment. The
“Entrepreneurship 101 Award” was presented to her at the 24th
annual Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education (CEE) FORUM
held November 3-7 in Phoenix, Arizona. The award included a full
scholarship for Wilson to attend the event.
Wilson was honored for the 2006 Maverick High School Entrepreneurship Institute held at CBA last summer. The summer institute
for high school seniors was promoted across the state of Nebraska
and taught students commercialization, budgeting, human resources
planning and strategic planning skills. The students used these skills
to transfer their own business ideas into commercially feasible
projects over the week-long program.
The CEE is a national membership association of 85 organizations
that advocate entrepreneurship education as a lifelong learning process. CEE provides programs for youth and adults. The conference
in Phoenix brought more than 350 educators together to share program ideas and establish nationwide networks.
The artwork decorating the southern stairwell of Roskens is
pictured above with the artist Weenonah Miller. Early reaction from
students and faculty has been very positive, and CBA plans to
continue this program for several years. Those interested in our
efforts to purchase artwork for Roskens Hall can contact the dean’s
office at 402-554-2304.
Above left: Artist Weenonah Miller poses with her canvas in Roskens Hall;
Above right: Professor Rachel Wilson receiving the Entrepreneurship 101
Award; Right: Rachel Wilson with high school students who attended the
2006 Maverick Entrepreneurship Summer Camp.
Winter 2007 • 5
Since 1998,
Mammel scholarships
challenge students to excel
I
n 1998, Carl Mammel through the Mammel Foundation funded
an endowment that supports both student scholarships and
faculty-in-residence opportunities. In the past eight years, over
100 students have benefited from Mammel scholarships, and 20
faculty have participated in the residence program.
All Mammel scholarship recipients must be enrolled full time in the
College of Business Administration, be residents of metropolitan
Omaha, achieve required ACT scores, must meet or exceed specific
grade-point average requirements, participate in at least one student
organization, and work as a business intern during their junior year.
At annual meetings (a 2006 event is pictured above), student recipients learn about Mr. Mammel’s philosophy—that high academic
performance, as well as extracurricular participation, provide a strong
foundation for future success.
This summer, Professor James Bell from the University of Ulster at
Magee (Northern Ireland) joined CBA to assist in developing an international entrepreneurship network. CBA Professor David Ambrose
is currently working with UNeMed in the commercialization of intellectual property. Both faculty-in-residence opportunities were made
possible with support from the Mammel endowment.
2006–07
SCHOLARSHIP STATS
$404,439.75 funded
70 different scholarships
238 student recipients
6 • College of Business Administration
Major Thomas Spencer (Scholarship and Professorship) with
student recipients, Chris Miller and Anita Carodoni
CBA alumnus supports
government accounting field
M
ajor Thomas Spencer (BSBA ,’71) funds two full-tuition
scholarships and a professorship in the College of Business
Administration. The two scholarships, one in Major
Spencer’s name and the other in the name of Beverly Spencer, are
renewable.
Both Major Spencer and Beverly Spencer had successful careers in
government accounting. Believing that government agencies at all levels need qualified accountants to be efficient, the professorship,
currently held by Dr. Richard File, is funded to support and encourage the study of and careers in government accounting.
CBA has awarded over 100 scholarships with the support of the Mammel Foundation
Reception gives
students and
donors a personal
connection
O
n September 12, more than 202 students, faculty,
and scholarship donors mingled on the Rosken's
Hall patio for the third annual CBA scholarship reception.
Putting faces to important relationships, faculty met students, and students met their scholarship donors.
Mrs. Eileen Conway (Conway Memorial Scholarship) with student
recipients, Tiffany Hanus and Nick Milledge
“Donors get to see what wonderful students we have and who they
are benefiting," says Lynn Harland, associate dean. “Scholarship recipients make up a relatively large number of the total CBA students
and this is an opportunity to reward them for their hard work.”
Kellogg Scholarship recipient Chancy Sims with
Tom Smith
Horace Wu and Kate King Wu with their scholarship recipients,
Cody Butt, Nichole Furman, Carol Casper
Winter
2007
• 7• 7
Winter
2007
Class
Notes
ALUMS
Pete Pirsch, MBA, 2005. Elected to state senate representing Omaha, District 4.
Governor appoints
CBA accounting
alumnus
O
n November 27, Governor Dave
Heineman appointed Douglas
Ewald, MAcc, 1987 as State
Tax Commissioner.
Ewald came to the Nebraska Department of Revenue after a 19-year career
in private sector accounting and business planning. His last position was as
director of state taxes for the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) in Omaha, where he
was responsible for the overall coordination of UP’s state tax operations,
including budgeting, planning, compliance, incentive applications, audits,
appeals and financial reporting requirements.
In the Department of Treasury news release concerning his appointment,
Ewald said he was excited about the opportunity to have a positive impact on
the tax policy of Nebraska.
Elda Ashcroft, MBA, 2006. Senior staff accountant, cds administrators, Inc. She and
husband Jason relocated to Pittsburgh where
he is enrolled in dental school.
Amelia Latham, MBA, 2004. Contractor/financial analyst in corporate IT department,
ServiceMaster.
Shubhra Kejriwal, MBA, 2006. Accepted a
position as a market data analyst, Data Transmission Network (DTN).
Todd Richardson, BSBA, 1998. Listed
among The Best Lawyers in America 2007.
Pete Graziano, MBA, 2001. Promoted to director of planning and analysis at Harrah's
and Horseshoe Casinos.
Jerry O’Doherty, BSBA, 1993. Promoted to
partner at Seim, Johnson, Sestak and Quist
LLP.
Tom Mohr, BS, 1974. Opened Renaissance
Executive Forums, Inc. in Omaha.
George S. Akers, BS, 1977. Received the 2006
Mortgage Lender of the Year Award from the
Nebraska Mortgage Association.
Picked as one of 40
Gustavo Oberto (EMBA ’05), international sales
manager, Insul-8 Corp, was named as one of Omaha’s
2006 40 Under-40 entrepreneurs, executives and
business professionals by the Midlands Business
Journal. Oberto participated in the 2005 EMBA project
in Australia.
8 • College of Business Administration
Recruited as bank
senior credit analyst
I
n 2004-2005, Eric Stuedemann,
BSBA, '05, studied Great Western
Bank in a group project in Professor
Kath Henebry’s intermediate finance class.
When a former EVP from that bank spoke to
the class, Stuedemann took the opportunity
to visit with him. After he graduated in 2005
with an emphasis in finance and banking,
that networking connection led to a job as a
commercial credit analyst with Great
Western Bank and later a promotion.
In August, 2006, Stuedemann was recruited
by First Westroads Bank to be senior credit
analyst. Stuedemann credits the networking
opportunities and the principles learned in
Dr. Henebry’s class for a great beginning to
a promising career.
Association bridges school and
corporate world
T
he Student Marketing Association (SMA) is a forum for
CBA marketing majors (although all business majors are
welcome) where they learn about marketing careers and job
opportunities from corporate marketing professionals.
“By serving as a bridge between college marketing classes and the marketing function within corporations,” Birud Sindhav, SMA faculty
advisor remarks, “the association provides academic and career-related benefits to the students.”
For each SMA monthly meeting, members invite a different marketing professional to address the group. This fall, speakers were Lee
Above: Rodrigo Gosende, president of SMA and Drew Downard, VP
of SMA during the membership drive week; left: CBA marketing
honors students are also members of SMA.
Pavelka, director, consumer marketing, Oriental Trading company;
Patrick Stibbs, director of strategic development, Sacco Advertising;
and Bob Kassmeier, marketing manager, Chipotle. The meetings also
provide an opportunity for SMA members to share their resumés, compiled on a CD-ROM, with corporate guests.
Union Pacific career day connects UP professionals with CBA students
I
n September, Union Pacific hosted an informational event
at their global headquarters in Omaha. The reception gave
CBA students the opportunity to meet and network with UP
professionals working in their particular area of study. As an added
bonus, most of the UP professionals who participated are UNO CBA
alumni.
Patricia M. Carnie, assistant vice president of accounting and finance
and Dean Louis Pol welcomed students and faculty members to the
event. The UP professionals spoke one-on-one with UNO-CBA students about their work responsibilities at UP and about recruitment
and opportunities for advancement at UP.
UP and CBA both benefit from this close relationship. Through participation in these events CBA students and faculty gain clearer
understanding of the qualifications today’s companies are looking for
in new employees and interns. Union Pacific benefits by gaining the
opportunity to meet and recruit some of the best and brightest CBA
students.
Over 300 CBA alumni are employed by Union Pacific in a variety of
positions.
Winter 2007 • 9
NBDC service group focuses on commercializing
technology innovation
NBDC Venture
Innovation Services will
help innovators,
particularly faculty and
researchers of the
Nebraska universities
and colleges, assess
the value of their ideas
and turn them into
commercial ventures.
E
conomic growth relies on innovation. Since
the Nebraska Business Development Center
(NBDC) has provided management and
technical assistance to entrepreneurs for nearly 30
years, its services have always been valuable to innovative firms. Today, NBDC is enhancing its
programs for entrepreneurs by combining three existing NBDC services with four new services and a
new partnership under the banner “Innovation Venture Services.”
The new NBDC programs are—
SBIR/STTR ASSISTANCE. Eleven federal agencies
set aside research funds for contracts with small
businesses to develop new products, processes and
services. NBDC will help entrepreneurs apply for
these programs.
FASTRAC TECHVENTURE, a special entrepreneurship training program designed by the Kauffman
Foundation for researchers with little business background, will be delivered in Omaha and Lincoln.
ANDY ALEXANDER, new
manager of NBDC’s procurement
technical assistance program, has
a successful record of building
management teams and procuring
more than $30 million in government contracts at 109 military
sites. He is a retired major in the
United States Army and a Vietnam
veteran.
10 • College of Business Administration
JULIE WILHELM brings experience as a small business owner in
rural Nebraska to NBDC’s Council
of Advisory Boards. Wilhelm
recruits volunteer board members
from entrepreneurs and professionals to assist high growthpotential businesses with strategic
planning. She will also coordinate
the Fastrac Techventure program.
LICENSING ASSESSMENT. Using a program from
Texas A&M University, NBDC will assess University
innovations for market potential.
COUNCIL OF ADVISORY BOARDS. NBDC is recruiting successful entrepreneurs and professionals
that serve entrepreneurial firms (accountants, attorneys, bankers, real estate brokers, insurance agents,
etc.) to volunteer as mentors for growing innovative
businesses.
NBDC’s new partnership is with the University of Nebraska – Lincoln Office of Technology Development.
This office, which is responsible for commercializing innovations from UNL, is the new sponsor of the
NBDC Lincoln small business development office.
Through this partnership, NBDC will work closely
with entrepreneurs using UNL inventions as a source
of innovation.
These new initiatives along with existing NBDC services (assistance in obtaining capital, selling to the
government, and designing manufacturing processes) make NBDC able to provide comprehensive
support to Nebraska innovators.
JEAN WATERS is NBDC’s new
Small Business Innovative
Research/Small Business
Technology Transfer (SBIR/ STTR)
program consultant. Waters has
served on numerous SBIR review
panels for the Environmental
Protection Agency. A chemical
engineer, she previously directed
the national Pollution Prevention
Resource Exchange.
JASON BALL, new director of the
Lincoln service center, focuses on
helping technology-based new
businesses, especially University
of Nebraska–Lincoln researchers,
in the start-up process. After
working as a bench chemist, Ball
joined the UNL Office of Technology Development to help
commercialize university
intellectual property.
Executive MBA:
Taking Theory to Task
continued from page one
analyzed and recommendations are then made. After an intensive peer
and faculty review, reports are formally presented to corporate sponsors in early summer.
Typically, corporate sponsors fund most direct research expenses. An
average project costs a sponsoring corporation less than $25,000—primarily recovering direct costs of travel, lodging and per diem.
NBDC multitasker retires
A
reception was held at the Milo Bail Student Center
on December 7 to honor Joyce Redman (pictured
above). During her seven-year tenure at NBDC,
Redman served as secretary, receptionist, and accountant,
managing the many grant funds that NBDC has received
over the years. Prior to joining NBDC, Redman worked for
11 years in UNO’s accounting department.
Scott Bradley (pictured above) will fill Redman’s position.
A senior accounting major with a minor in MIS, Bradley
plans to complete his CPA credit requirement and pursue
a Master’s degree in accounting.
During the 17 years UNO’s EMBA program has undertaken the Business Consulting Experience, it has generated enthusiastic support from
participating EMBA students and has attracted local, regional, and
national corporate project sponsorships.
This unique commerce and education partnership successfully
bridges classroom theory and real-world challenges and produces
EMBA graduates qualified to make unique contributions to their companies.
NBDC joins an elite group
A
t the annual conference of the Association of Small Business
Development Centers (ASBDC) in September the Nebraska
Business Development Center received a distinction earned
by less than ten percent of small business development centers.
Each state or regional small business development center (SBDC) must
be accredited by the ASBDC to continue to receive funding from the
U.S. Small Business Administration. Most programs, however, receive
accreditation with conditions—meaning they pass, but there are things
that should be fixed. NBDC was one of only six of the 63 state and regional SBDC programs to receive full accreditation, meaning that no
conditions were attached. NBDC joins such programs as the Pennsylvania SBDC, a part of the Wharton School at the University of
Pennsylvania, and the Georgia SBDC, a part of the University of Georgia College of Business Administration, in achieving this distinction.
Robert Bernier, (center) NBDC state director and CBA assistant
dean, pictured with Antonio Doss, associate administrator, and
Jean Smith, deputy associate administrator, U.S. Small Business
Administration Office of Small Business Development Centers
The ASBDC accreditation program uses Baldridge principles. All parts
of an SBDC program must be operationally sound and must have a
process for continual monitoring and continual improvement in order to achieve full accreditation. At the conference, SBA awarded
NBDC State Director Bob Bernier a certificate recognizing the NBDC
for “achieving a quality standard of excellence in small business service delivery as evidenced through full accreditation.”
Winter 2007 • 11
C A L E N DA R
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DECEMBER
15
Graduation
JANUARY
8
First day of spring classes
15
Martin Luther King Holiday
17
Steve Ricchiuto, Chief U.S.
Economist, ABN, AMRO is
guest of CBA
24
CBA Club Fair Day
30
MBA Leadership Series
○
Union Pacific
career day
story on page 9
FEBRUARY
1
Scholarship applications
are due
6
Inside CBA
28
MBA Leadership Series
MARCH
8-18
CBA in Ireland
11-18 Spring Break
27-28 Job Fair
APRIL
17
CBA Honors and Awards
Ceremony
ion
t
a
r
of minist
e
g
d
e
Coll iness A
Bus
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Roskens Hall 414
6001 Dodge Street
Omaha NE 68182-0048
12 • College of Business Administration
NON-PROFIT ORG
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
OMAHA NE
PERMIT NO. 301