University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Two teams of UALR graduate students took two of the three top awards Tuesday in the Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup business plan competition designed to encourage students at Arkansas colleges and universities to act on their ideas and talents to create future businesses.

“It’s a large credit to our student population for their extra commitment of the time and persistence necessary to get our teams wonderful recognition in front of such a large audience of the Arkansas business community,” said Dr. Joseph R. Bell, associate professor of management in UALR’s College of Business, who mentored three of the UALR teams in the final competition. “Each year the competition gets more and more competitive and the pride we have in our student effort cannot be understated.”

R.J. Martino and his sister Roxane Martino of Bryant, students at UALR’s William H. Bowen School of Law, and fellow Bowen student Anthony Johnson of Maumelle won a $10,000 second place and a chance to compete in the tri-state competition in Las Vegas in May.

They scored for their business plan for their company, ThanksBud, an online mobile marketplace changing the way services are bought and sold.

Dr. Joe Bell mentored the ThanksBud team.

Another team - MBA candidates Drew Jensen of Little Rock, Garama Lall of India, Glediana Rexha of Albania, and Kevin White of Conway, a master’s of science in taxation candidate who earned a B.A. in accounting at UALR - won third place and $5,000 for their company, Orlumet LLC.

Mildred Holley mentored the Orlumet team.

In addition to UALR prize-winning teams, the University’s entrees in the state finals were:

Wireless Structural Health Systems, LLC, designed and developed a system to provide real-time detection and monitoring of defects and damages in structures such as bridges, tunnels, and aerospace structures. Team members are James Mayhan, Nicholas Scroggins,Sarnad Raheem, Yeimer Bolanos and Oleksandr Babenko. Bell served as mentor.

iCube Technologies, created by five MBA students, developed the BiliSuit, a patent-pending technology in neonatal phototherapy that is a portable light emitting garment for infants used to treat neonatal jaundice. Team members are Jenish Pahari, Mitesh Patel, ZhengYu Li, Srijan Shrestha and Phu Huynh Bell mentored the team.

Three of UALR’s top finance students will culminate their independent study programs with a trip sponsored by Delta Trust & Bank to the annual Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders meeting May 2 and hear from financial luminary Warren Buffett.

This is the third year that Delta Trust & Bank has provided UALR College of Business students the unique opportunity to engage in a challenging independent study topped off by a trip to Omaha, Neb., for the Berkshire Hathaway meeting. Students who have completed the Investment Analysis class apply and interview to participate in the intense study, which includes extensive reading such as text by Buffett’s mentor, Benjamin Graham, and videos on investment strategies of Berkshire Hathaway’s largest shareholder and CEO who is currently the wealthiest person in the U.S.

The three students chosen this year are:

Katarina Lovrantova

Liana Peret

Jose Montes de Oca

Additionally, Delta Trust executives give the students an overview of a comprehensive financial services firm, including trust management, estate planning, portfolio management, insurance, trading, and investment advice.

“With the combination of the academic study materials and interaction with professionals in the field, UALR students gain a perspective that would not be possible strictly in the classroom,” said Larry Holland, UALR professor of finance, who will accompany the students on the trip. “They are also better prepared to absorb the experience of attending the Berkshire Hathaway meeting.”

“The internship training at Delta Trust provides the three students with extensive knowledge about investments, trust, and insurance with experts in each respective field,” said French Hill, chief executive officer of Delta Trust. “It is a privilege for Delta Trust to offer these students the opportunity to hear Warren Buffett and experience the Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders Meeting. I believe it is an experience that they will benefit from for many years.”

Fourteen College of Business students were inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma at 32nd Annual Honors & Awards Ceremony April 24.

Beta Gamma Sigma is the honor society serving business programs accredited by AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Membership in Beta Gamma Sigma is the highest recognition a business student anywhere in the world can receive in a business program accredited by AACSB International. These students represent the best of the best in Colleges of Business throughout the world.

Dr. Frank Hall, associate professor of management, is the UALR sponsor of Beta Gamma Sigma.

Building Knowledge Models

For almost nine years, Associate Professor Sung-Kwan Kim has been sharing his unique view of management with his students in the College of Business. His belief in the value of knowledge assets led to a distinctive field of research – and has made drastic improvements in the field of management information systems for all business students – new knowledge modeling methodology.

In his three most recent journal articles, Dr. Kim focuses on the development of new knowledge modeling methodology. This methodolgy offers an effective means for analyzing the knowledge and knowledge flows required to complete business processes and it can potentially improve processes for business managers. Dr. Kim’s publication level – five peer-reviewed journal articles and seven conference presentations – is exceptional in management according to his peers.

Dr. Kim earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Kyunghee University in Seoul, Korea, and his master’s degree in management information systems from the University of Missouri at Columbia. Dr. Kim earned a doctorate in management information systems from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. He is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery and the Decision Sciences Institute.

Watching students succeed

Bringing a wealth of experience to the classroom – from the private sector as well as academia – is what makes Dr. Janet Bailey’s management information systems courses among the most popular in the College of Business. This associate professor has been a business advisor, employee, business owner, and faculty member, and all this knowledge adds to her ability to bring real-world application to the courses she teaches.

In her 12 years at UALR, Dr. Bailey has developed strong relationships with students and business partners. Her emphasis on technology – both in the regular classroom and in online courses – prepares students well for a rapidly changing future. Dr. Bailey has redesigned many courses in the Department of Management, and through her contributions has made a solid imprint on both undergraduate and graduate business education in central Arkansas.

Dr. Bailey earned her bachelor’s degree in computer information systems at the University of Texas – Pan American and her doctorate at the University of North Texas. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Microsoft Enterprise Consortium and was named to Who’s Who of American Women in 2008.

Simplifying the Insurance Industry

College of Business Associate Professor Lars Powell has established himself as an authority on how insurance markets operate, the pricing behavior of insurers, and the financial viability of insurance industry segments. But it is his dedication to ensuring that insurance regulation policies are designed and implemented correctly that makes the difference for the average citizen.

Dr. Powell also dedicates himself to testifying about tort reform when necessary. He has authored and testified on studies relating to this contentious issue and its effects on medical malpractice insurance costs. Dr. Powell works to promote other legislation benefiting Arkansas consumers, and he is a respected member of various health insurance and healthcare finance committees.

After earning his bachelor’s degree in finance and insurance from the University of South Carolina, Dr. Powell received his doctoral degree from the University of Georgia. He was named to the Whitbeck-Beyer Chair of Insurance and Financial Services in 2004 and also serves as an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in the area of health services research.

Dr. Jimie Kusel, professor of accounting, was presented the Harper W. Boyd Jr. Professor of Excellence award at the College of Business springs awards ceremony April 24.

The Boyd Professor of Excellence was established to recognize a professor for their distinction as a scholar, a teacher, and a leader in the College, University, and Community.

Dr. Jimie Kusel earned his AB in economics from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in accounting from Michigan State University. He is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Internal Auditor, and a Certified Government Financial Manager. Prior to joining the UALR faculty in 1981, he served as director of research for the Air Force Audit Agency and dean of civilian university programs for the Air Force Institute of Technology.

During his tenure at UALR, Dr. Kusel has served on numerous College and University committees including co-chair of the committee that gained the last AACSB re-accreditation for the College. In his profession, his service includes president of the Southwest Region of the American Accounting Association and National Council Member. He has been selected six times for the Graduate Outstanding Professor Award.

Get your elevator speech ready( 30 sec. to sell yourself during 5 minute interviews)!
Polish your resume & shine your shoes!
Meet employers, shares resumes & open doors of opportunity
(Event restricted to business seniors, post-bac & grads)

Students: Please arrive between 2:30-2:45 pm
Interviews Begin promptly at 3pm
Call to register: 501.569.3358

Candidate profile form due April 1
Cobstudentservices@ualr.edu

For the second consecutive year, UALR’s Center for Professional Sales is listed in the University Sales Education Foundation’s annual Top University Sales Programs of 2009, a publication supplement of the Selling Power magazine.

UniversitySupplement_2009.pdf

UALR’s business school minor in professional selling offers professional, hands-on courses taught by sales professionals. The sales minor program is supported by local and national firms that hire a number of sales professionals each year.

Dr. Anthony F. Chelte, current dean of the Dillard College of Business Administration at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, has accepted the position of dean of UALR’s College of Business, according to Dr. David Belcher, UALR provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs.

Chelte, dean of the college for four years, is also the Louis J. and Ramona Rodriguez Distinguished Professor of Management.

“We are very fortunate to attract Dr. Chelte to central Arkansas,” said Belcher. “His strong leadership and strategic planning skills will be critical in the years ahead as the college moves forward with AACSB reaccreditation, fundraising, community partnerships, and program and faculty development.”

At Dillard College, Chelte oversaw the completion of a new $18 million business building, implemented a new strategic plan for the college, and organized the Task Force for Continuous Improvement to help achieve the college’s first international accreditation.

“I am looking forward to the opportunity to work with an inspiring group of talented faculty, staff, and administrators,” Chelte said. “Together with the business and broader community, we can continue moving the College of Business forward, pursue innovation, and build broader support for our students and programs. I am excited to become a member of a team of professionals who are committed to the enhancement of high quality in our undergraduate and graduate programs in business.”

Chelte has served as a professional consultant in the areas of management development, training, and strategic planning to clients that include the U.S. Postal Service, 3M, IBM, AT&T, Merillat Industries, Kimberly Clark, Atlantic Valve, and the U.S. Air Force.

In Wichita Falls, he has been a member of the Wells Fargo Bank Community Board of Directors, the Workforce Development Task Force of Texas, the Non-Profit Management Agency of Wichita Falls, and the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce and Industry. As a Rotarian, he has participated in Rotary Youth Leadership Awards for several years.

The author of numerous articles on leadership and team development and performance, Chelte has been a frequent speaker at professional associations and business functions. He also contributes to textbooks in the areas of introduction to business, organizational behavior, and general management. Most recently, Chelte was appointed as an associate editor of the Journal of Management Education.

Chelte published a monthly column on the role of business schools and leadership in communities in the Wichita Falls newspaper, the Times Record News’ Biz to Biz magazine.

Prior to accepting the appointment as dean at Midwestern State, Chelte chaired the Department of Management in the School of Business at Western New England College in Springfield, Mass., where he served for 23 years.

Chelte earned a Ph.D. in industrial sociology at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He began his higher education with a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams and earned a master’s degree from Western Washington University in Bellingham, Wash.