David Graf, Brian Kaiser, and John Wirtz founded their company, Agile Sports Technologies while still working on their MBAs. Simply put, the company develops software to bring playbooks into the digital age. Current clients include the New York Jets and the Nebraska Huskers. In the past two years the team has grown to 18 team members and has garnered several recognition awards. www.agilesportstech.com
Valuation and the Buffett Investment Methodology, a finance elective course includes a visit to Berkshire Hathaway headquarters for a Q & A session with Buffett and tours of two Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary companies: Nebraska Furniture Mart and Borsheims.
Business Week Best Business Schools issue noted that CBA ranks in the top ten of three of twelve academic specialty areas:
- #1 in Business Law
- #3 in Quantitative Methods
- #7 in Macroeconomics
Dr. Carlos Asarta received the Association of Students at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (ASUN) Outstanding Educator of the Year (large classroom). He teaches the large sections of Principles of Macro and Microeconomics and the Intermediate Microeconomic Theory courses. Continually recognized for his teaching quality, he received the “Certificate of Recognition for Contributions to Students” from the UNL Parents Association, the Beta Theta Pi Outstanding Professor Award, and the 2008 College of Business Administration Excellence in Teaching Award, and was nominated for the James V. Griesen Exemplary Service to Students Award. In addition, Carlos was selected as a recipient of the Bauermeister Faculty Award for outstanding teaching, research and outreach.
Three students were honored as Chancellor's Scholar at the 2009 College of Business Administration Honors Convocation. Chancellor's Scholars are those who complete their undergraduate degree with a cumulative 4.0 GPA. The three students also received Delta Sigma Pi Scholarship Keys. Delta Sigma Pi is a professional fraternity organized to foster the study of business in universities and to encourage scholarship, social activity, and the association of students for their mutual advancement by research and practice. From left to right, Dean Cynthia Milligan, David Paulmeyer, Katherine Adams, Shelby Tilts, and Assistant Dean, Donna Dudney.
The Daily Drip, the coffee and lunch shop in the College of Business Administration, is one of two business owned and operated by the Students in Free Enterprise. The other is the Capitol Corner Gift Shop located in the Nebraska State Capitol Building.
MBA student, Dan Hinds, was selected to be an honorary member of Phi Beta Delta. Phi Beta Delta is the honor society of international scholars, which recognizes significant contributions and leadership in international teaching and research. The society honors faculty and staff who have distinguished themselves in an international context and it recognizes students who have studied abroad or who have made a significant contribution to international education.
Professor David Rosenbaum, economics, was selected as the 2008 Nebraska Carnegie Professor of the Year. According to Anthony S. Bryk, president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, "We honor the U.S. Professor of the Year award winners for innovative approaches to their profession, contributions to the filed and their demonstrating passion for teaching and commitment to student learning."
Want to get your latest news or event promoted fast? Try utilizing CBA's enhanced new digital signage. The CBA IT Services unit has partnered with the Lincoln-based company Nanonation to help deliver better messaging capablities in the College. Nanonation’s CommandPoint software package allows customization of all types of media on the displays. Nanonation CEO, Bradley Walker, is a former UNL alum.
CBA is currently delivering digital panels in the first floor Atrium, the Coe Learning Center and the Writing Lab. There are also touch screen panels outside Undergraduate Advising, our new CBA Corporate Relations office and the CBA Help Desk. Over the next couple years we will be rolling out even more digital panels at the College. You can check our future plans here. If you have a CBA or UNL related event or announcement click on the link below to make a submission and get your news posted today!
Professor Dwayne Ball is staying in 'sync' with his Marketing 350 students these days with the help of a new software package implemented in CBA computer classrooms called SynchronEyes. SynchronEyes allows Ball to better manage classroom activity by sharing single computer screen views with all students simultaneously.
Not only can students see firsthand on their computer what is being shown on the classroom's main displays, they also have the potential to work on assignments that can be monitored and shared with other students in a more collaborative manner.
SynchronEyes gives instructors the ability to use whiteboard features like drawing on a screen and then turn control over to students to practice or complete lessons. The instructor can also transfer files seamlessly to students or answer questions with chat mode.
"It's a good way to maintain social control," said Professor Ball. "I can actually block internet access during the class which is an extremely valuable thing because if I have a student working on a project it means they aren't sending email or going on Facebook. It helps them to focus better during the class."
If you are interested in using SynchronEyes please contact the CBA ITS team for more information.
CBA professor Fiona Nah is bringing new life to her research and teaching. She's bringing 'SecondLife' - the virtual world which allows individuals to create instructional content in a new innovative online environment.
Nah has been a major advocate for bringing SecondLife to UNL and while the program is still in its infancy at our institution that hasn't stopped Nah from getting started. Nah has begun partnering with instructors at Wright State University and Iowa State University to set up virtual projects that CBA students can also use.
SecondLife allows students to enter a virtual world using an animated character of themselves which they create. The character can then move through the virtual world learning business management concepts via audio, animation, movies, interactive activities, and more.
For instance, one fairly extensive project that Nah has used for her MNGT 350 class is a virtual tour of the so-called 'hospital of the future' - the Palomar Medical Center in Escondido, California. The tour takes students through a virtual hospital setting to teach them how management and IT policies are positively influencing patient care through better security, comfort, and treatment practices.
Students also build team projects in SecondLife to demonstrate their understanding of management principles. This semester Nah's graduate students will focus on building projects with Management Information System themes.
Although a quick look at SecondLife might give someone more an impression of a game than a classroom, Nah has found that students involvement with the program has been a success in terms of capturing their imagination. Although Nah has only scratched the surface of what might eventually be done with SecondLife in the classroom the possibilities for future development are already taking hold here at the UNL College of Business.
Professor Luthans was presented with the Outstanding Research and Creative Activity Award (ORCA), recognizing individual faculty members for research and creative activity of international or national significance. He was selected by a committee of his peers. University President, J.B. Milliken, presented the award.
Jared Li, president of Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), received the $5,000 Alvin Rohrs Servant Leadership Scholarship. This scholarship, the president and CEO of SIFE, recognizes the SIFE student that has had the greatest impact improving the overall successfulness of his/her SIFE Team through conducting themselves as a servant leader. SIFE is an international non-profit organization with the mission of bringing together the top leaders of today and tomorrow to create a better, more sustainable world through the positive power of business.
John Anderson, associate dean, professor of economics, and an expert in public finance, served a term on the President's Council of Economic Advisers and was responsible for Chapter 5 in the 2006 Economic Report of the President. Anderson now serves as Associate Dean for the College. In 2006, he received the Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award from the College of Arts and Sciences at Western Michigan University.
Kathleen Thornton, interim director for the Nebraska Center for Entrepreneurship, was selected as the winner of the UNL New Advisor of the Year Spirit of Service Award.
Les Carlson was selected for the 2009 American Academy of Advertising's Outstanding Contribution to Research Award. He was chosen for his contribution to advertising research, including his research on environmental issues and green advertising, advertising to children and the role of parental mediation, service advertising, and public policy issues. Carlson was also named an associate editor of the Journal of Public Policy and Marketing. The academic journal is a source for today's research, findings, and discussion of marketing subjects related to business and government. Carlson holds the Nathan J. Gold Distinguished Professorship in Marketing. His research interests include the effects of advertising on consumers and consumer behavior.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Phi Beta Lambda Chapter hosted a conference for approximately 340 Nebraska FBLA members. The conference, titled Path to Success, has been hosted by UNL for a number of years and focuses on leadership, goal setting, and college preparation, along with other important business concepts. This year's coordinator was Megan Boice, a sophomore at UNL. Path to Success was held at the campus Union, and started off with a keynote presentation on leadership by UNL Athletic Director, former head football coach and congressman, Dr. Tom Osborne. Megan is president of the Phi Beta Lambda chapter at UNL for 2009-2010.
CBA student, Megan Collins, is the 2009-2010 president of ASUN, the governing body for UNL students. One of the privileges of the president is to serve as student regent on the University of Nebraska Board of Regents.
Charlotte, North Carolina. The Association for Career and Technical Education annually recognizes outstanding secondary and post secondary business students for the contributions and accomplishments through their student organizations. This year, Mike Kistler received the national post secondary award from Region V, representing the western part of the United States. Originally from Grand Island, NE, Kistler currently attends the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and will graduate with his Masters in Business Administration degree from the Jeffery S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management in May 2009. Following the completion of his degree, he will join PricewaterhouseCooper's audit department in Kansas City, MO.
Mike Krush, doctoral candidate in marketing, is one of the 3 winners of Penn State's Institute for the Study of Business Markets (ISBM) dissertation support award competition. This is one of the most prestigious competitive awards for B2B dissertations and he will be receiving $7500 to support his research expenses. Mike also won the UNL College of Business Administration Graduate Research Assistant Award for 2008-09. Dr. Ravi Sohi is Mike's PhD dissertation advisor.
Sullivan, finance major, a two-time first-team All-Big 12 Academic honoree and nine-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll, is contemplating attending graduate school or law school if a future doesn't work out in professional baseball.
"Playing for Nebraska and the tradition behind this university was something I always dreamed about," Sullivan said. "Through all of the adversity I've faced, I've learned that patience truly is a virtue, and that if you believe in yourself and the all the work you put in, it will pay off in the end."
CBA has recently created unique panorama views of locations throughout the college.
The CBA IT Services unit worked with RoundUs, a local company headed by CEO and UNL alum
Christopher Kingsley. RoundUs is dedicated to creating panoramas of places around the
world. Now web visitors have an opportunity to take a closer look at the College of
Business before they ever walk through the doors. Just use your mouse to rotate the
pictures and view complete 360 degree images from inside the College.
Bringing in speakers from around the world to talk with CBA students was once a daunting task. But recently things have gotten a lot easier. The Polycom videoconferencing system is breaking down the physical barriers and professors such as CBA's Rob Simon are taking advantage of the technology.
Simon has used the Polycom system to give his Marketing students the chance to hear speakers from companies as diverse as the Union Pacific and Disney. In many cases the opportunity would have been lost if the speakers would have been forced to give their presentations in person. With the Polycom system in place the reduced accessibility issues give instructors a lot more options for bringing business professionals into the classroom.
Simon has also used the Polycom system to make student connections in his MRKT 490/890A class. Students have shared class presentations as far as New York to Washington D.C. and from Mexico to England. Students are able to give their class presentations and then receive instantaneous feedback from Business Professionals around the globe.
There are some technical issues that occassionally come into play such as firewall issues with smaller businesses or occasional phone line problems but for the most part Simon has found the Polycom system to work smoothly and operate well with the integration of live video feeds and Powerpoint presentations.
If you are interested in using the Polycom system for one of your classes or business meetings, please contact the ITS staff.
MBA Alum, Ryan Brewster has recently completed his year of service as an an Agricultural Adviser in Iraq's Diyala Province. The assignment followed a year of working for the Western Dairy Association. Pictured with Ryan is General Petraus.
To see the amazing work Ryan and his fellow Agricultural Advisers have been doing in Iraq, please watch this video. Ryan is now serving as an Agricultural Adviser in Afghanistan. To follow Ryan's work in Afghanistan, you can visit his blog at: http://huskerbrewii.blogspot.com/
The presentation team of the 2008-09 Students in Free Enterprise team wowed the judges at the regional SIFE competition in Denver. The team went on to the national competition where they placed in the top 50 of 700 competing teams. SIFE has more than 40 members and their projects included asset mapping for the town of Ogallala, an insurance fraud awareness campaign, and a consulting project to improve the service of the student run business, the Daily Drip.
