The College of Business Society Alumni Advisory Board will host a networking event from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, October 1, at Diamond Bear Brewery.
All UALR College of Business alumni are invited to the event that will include a private tour of the brewery, located at 323 Cross Street in Little Rock. Cost is $5 per person.
RSVP by Wednesday, September 30 to Patrice Sims at cobdean@ualr.edu or 501.569.3048.
Business Expert Press recently announced the release of “Sustainable Business: An Executive’s Primer,” authored by Nancy E. Landrum, Ph.D., an associate professor of management at UALR, and Sandra Edwards.
The book provides an overview of how sustainability is applied throughout an organization. Chapters are organized by familiar departments or functions of business and covers applications and terminology of sustainability throughout each area. It is written for executives, entrepreneurs, and other employees or business students to understand the big picture of what it means to be a sustainable business.
“Sustainable Business: An Executive’s Primer” may be purchased on the Business Expert Press site.
Dr. Landrum will be presenting during the session “Greening 101/What is Green?” at the upcoming Little Rock Sustainability Summit, hosted by the City of Little Rock and the Little Rock Sustainability Commission, on Sept. 26 at the Statehouse Convention Center.
A principal at Sustainable Business Design Consulting, Landrum has consulted on sustainability issues with companies ranging from Fortune 200 and large oil companies to locally-owned small businesses. She is co-founder of the Sustainable Business Network of Central Arkansas, a committee member with the Little Rock Sustainability Commission, and serves on the Green Schools committee of the Arkansas chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. Last year her Sustainable Business Design consulting blog was named among the Top 50 Business Professor Blogs by Biz.edu.
Landrum chairs UALR’s Sustainability Committee and is faculty advisor to UALR Net Impact. She was named a distinguished member of Net Impact, an international nonprofit organization that works to use the power of business to create a more socially and environmentally sustainable world. And she has been a visiting scholar in China and Finland
Through her class projects, she and her students have worked with several local private, public, government, and nonprofit organizations pursuing sustainability. Her research, teaching, consulting, and publication contributions are primarily in the areas of strategic management, corporate social responsibility, sustainable business, and base of the pyramid strategies. Landrum was previously a children’s mental health therapist and licensed social worker.
UALR MBA student Robert Airo of North Little Rock, who worked on a team that completed a sustainability assessment for the City of Little Rock, was recently hired as the sustainability coordinator at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
Airo was in Dr. Nancy Landrum’s Corporate Strategy course in the spring when he worked on the City’s sustainability assessment. Dr. Landrum, an associate professor of management in the College of Business, said the City wanted to know the state of the industry (urban sustainability), an internal analysis of how the City compared to similar cities around the country, and some recommendations on how to be more competitive on urban sustainability indicators. The team presented their research to the Little Rock Sustainability Commission (LRSC).
“The LRSC project was the deciding factor to hire me,” said Airo. He said it was a direct correlation of school work to obtaining a job, adding that people have told him that they “never actually knew anyone who had it happen. I am the first one UAMS hired to specifically work on sustainability.” Airo said he never before would have considered sustainability as a career path.
“To continue building upon this success, with Robert’s help, my current students in Sustainable Business (MGMT 7398) will be completing a self-study for UAMS this semester following the Green Guide for Health Care,” said Landrum. “They will also conduct industry research to identify best ‘green’ practices in the health care industry. By the end of the semester, we expect Robert and this new team of students to make recommendations to UAMS on how to be more green and sustainable in their operations.”
Airo started in the MBA program in fall 2007 and will complete his graduate degree this December.
Dr. James Bullard, president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, will speak to MBA students, business alumni, and other interested parties from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 27, in an event cohosted by UALR College of Business and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
Bullard’s 45-minute presentation — “Monetary Policy and the Economic Outlook” — will be followed by question-and-answer session and a reception. The event will be in the atrium of the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Business and Economic Development on the UALR campus.
Bullard took office as president and CEO in April 2008 directing the activities of the bank’s head office in St. Louis as well as its three branches in Little Rock, Louisville, Ky., and Memphis, Tenn. He also represents the Bank on the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the Federal Reserve’s chief monetary policymaking body.
The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, one of 12 regional reserve banks, along with the Board of Governors in Washington, D.C., constitute the Federal Reserve System. As the nation’s central bank, the Fed is responsible for conducting monetary policy, supervising banks, and operating the nation’s payment system.
After joining the research division of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis in 1990, Bullard held several positions to include deputy director of research for monetary analysis. He holds a B.S. degree in quantitative methods and information systems and economics from St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minn., and a doctorate in economics from Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind.
Bullard has written numerous papers published in professional journals and has been a peer reviewer for more than two dozen periodicals. He has participated in more than 150 conferences, symposia, or lectures sponsored by foreign central banks, academic institutions, and monetary policy groups around the world.
For more information about the presentation at the UALR College of Business, call 501.569.3356, e-mail cobdean@ualr.edu, or visit ualr.edu/cob. Parking is available across 28th Street from the Reynolds Center in Lot 13.
Dr. James Bullard, president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, spoke to MBA students, business alumni, and other interested parties Thursday, Aug. 27, in an event cohosted by UALR College of Business and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
Bullard’s 45-minute presentation — “Monetary Policy and the Economic Outlook” — was followed by a question-and-answer session and a reception. The event was held at the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Business and Economic Development at UALR.
Bullard took office as president and CEO in April 2008 directing the activities of the bank’s head office in St. Louis as well as its three branches in Little Rock, Louisville, Ky., and Memphis, Tenn. He also represents the Bank on the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the Federal Reserve’s chief monetary policymaking body. The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, one of 12 regional reserve banks, along with the Board of Governors in Washington, D.C., constitute the Federal Reserve System. As the nation’s central bank, the Fed is responsible for conducting monetary policy, supervising banks, and operating the nation’s payment system.
After joining the research division of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis in 1990, Bullard held several positions to include deputy director of research for monetary analysis. He holds a B.S. degree in quantitative methods and information systems and economics from St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minn., and a doctorate in economics from Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind.
Bullard has written numerous papers published in professional journals and has been a peer reviewer for more than two dozen periodicals. He has participated in more than 150 conferences, symposia, or lectures sponsored by foreign central banks, academic institutions, and monetary policy groups around the world.
Centennial Bank directors and employees have established an endowment scholarship at the UALR College of Business honoring the late banker and marketing executive Tom Steves, a UALR alumnus. The Thomas E. Steves Sr. Memorial Alumni Endowment will benefit UALR students in marketing and advertising. Centennial Bank will match employer contributions to the endowment.
Steves, 68, died May 26 in a motorcycle accident. He had been executive vice president at Twin City Bank, now Centennial Bank, since 2002. Steves received a bachelor’s degree in advertising and marketing from UALR in 1970. He was long-time advertising and public relations professional in Little Rock who was a member of the UALR Alumni Association Board of Directors and University District Partnership Steering Committee and a former UALR adjunct professor.
“All of us at Centennial Bank are proud to support the Tom Steves Sr. Endowment,” said Centennial CEO Bob Birch. “We recognize both Tom and UALR’s commitment to education in the marketing and advertising professions. This endowment will perpetuate his memory as well as provide for students to learn about the career he truly loved.”
Steves’ dedication to UALR extended to his entire family. His wife, Robin Helton Steves, is a 1980 UALR graduate. His son, Tom Steves Jr., received accounting and finance degrees from UALR, and their daughter, Hope, is pursuing a master’s degree in education at UALR.
The Steves Endowment will be administered by the chair of the marketing and advertising department, and funds will be utilized for tuition, fees, books, and room/board at UALR. Recipients must be full- or part-time students majoring in marketing or advertising. Preference will be given to junior and senior level students. Academic accomplishment and financial need will be considered. Recipients must have a minimum grade point average of a 2.5.
To contribute to the endowed scholarship fund, contact Will Elliott, development director for the College of Business, at 501.569.3208 or jwelliott@ualr.edu
The UALR College of Business is seeking nominations for its 2009 Distinguished Alumnus and Young Alumnus awards. Recipients will be recognized at the College’s awards luncheon Oct. 16, 2009.
Candidates for the Distinguished Alumnus must be a graduate of the UALR College of Business (undergraduate or graduate student) and someone who has made a significant impact as a leader in a business or nonprofit organization, has made a difference in the community and/or at UALR, and be available to attend the awards luncheon.
To be nominated for the College of Business Young Alumnus of the Year award, he or she must have graduated (undergraduate or graduate) from the College of Business between 2004 and 2009, shown promise as a leader in the business or nonprofit community, been involved in the community and/or at UALR, and is available to attend the awards luncheon.
Letters of nomination should be sent by July 21 to Dr. Jane P. Wayland, associate dean of Graduate Studies, UALR College of Business, 2801 South University, Little Rock, AR, 72204 or e-mail jpwayland@ualr.edu. Electronic submissions are encouraged.
Elizabeth Small, president and CEO of PDC Companies and PDC Construction in Little Rock, was the 2008 Distinguished Alumna recipient. She earned an Executive MBA in 2000 and is a licensed Arkansas Real Estate Broker. The 2008 Young Alumnus Award winner was Drew Higginbothom, who received his MBA from UALR in 2006 and is a commercial lines property and casualty broker at Ramsey, Krug, Farrell, and Lensing.
Applicants seeking admission to the COB Graduate School should submit their application on or before July 20, 2009.
If you have any questions or require further assistance feel free to contact the graduate office at (501) 569.3356.
Dr. Nancy Landrum, associate professor of management in the UALR College of Business, has published a paper showing that Murphy Oil’s $50 million donation to establish the El Dorado Promise college scholarship program for local youth, was more than “checkbook philanthropy.”
“It was strategic philanthropy,” Landrum says. “Strategic philanthropy is that in which corporations use their charitable initiatives to improve the competitive context for the business, or the quality of the company’s immediate business environment.”
A major component necessary to conduct business is human capital. Since the announcement of the Murphy Corp.’s commitment, company officials said the Promise program will help make it easier to recruit people and rebuild the local talent pool. One year after announcing the Promise program, the city saw an 18 percent increase in college-bound seniors.
After two years, the community saw a 4 percent increase in school enrollment, the local community college experienced a 16 percent increase in enrollment, and families from more than 28 states and 10 foreign countries had moved to El Dorado.
“When viewed from the framework of strategic philanthropy, it becomes apparent how Murphy Oil’s investment in its business environment was strategic in nature by investing in factor conditions necessary for ongoing business (or the creation and development of human capital) and has the potential to improve long-term business prospects for the company,” Landrum said.
In addition to this research publication, Landrum had two other journal publications in 2008 and is anticipating the release of her book in August 2009, Sustainable Business: An Executive’s Primer.
A team of UALR graduate business students is one of five teams selected to compete in the worldwide Microsoft Imagine Cup H.E. Suzanne Mubarak Special Award competition in Cairo, Egypt, next month.
The Special Child team was among 113 entries in the competition to get the chance to represent the U.S. at the worldwide finals. Special Team won second runner-up in the national Microsoft Corp. Imagine Cup Software Design Initiative competition at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Mass.,in April. UALR’s finish was a stunning accomplishment, considering it was the first year the University competed in the worldwide contest.
UALR won two spots in the national competition. Earlier this spring, UALR fielded eight teams in the regional competition and is the only university in the four-state region - Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana - to have a team in the nationals.
In fielding eight teams this year, UALR broke the previous record of teams in the semi-finals. Three years ago, Virginia Commonwealth set the previous record of five teams.
The Imagine Cup is Microsoft’s largest competition, and they invest millions in it each year. Students had to design software around the theme “Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems facing us today.” Now in its seventh year, the Microsoft U.S. Imagine Cup attracts more than 200,000 students from more than 100 countries globally to enter the competition.
Special Child, UALR’s team of graduate students, proposes to establish a central point of information on adoptable children through Arkansas state agencies and families who have registered to be adoptive parents.
Special Child team members - all Master of Science in management information systems majors - are Joshua Thacker of Little Rock, Sandy Callahan of Benton and currently residing in Conway, Shreyasi Dutta, a native of India who lived in Dallas before coming to Little Rock, and Tomica Seals of Marvell.
The teams have been coached by Janet Bailey, Ph.D., associate professor of MIS, and James Parrish, assistant professor of management.
The second UALR team in the finals at MIT was PRODIGY - Positioning Research on Dynamic Information Globally Yielded. The team of undergraduates proposes using bioinformatics to uncover and eradicate causes of childhood cancer. It harnesses the power of technology to provide a mechanism through which parents, doctors and medical researchers can enter data into a worldwide database.
Management Information Systems majors on the team are Angela Howell of Mabelvale, Bernard Myers of North Little Rock, Aaron Yates of Bryant, and Emil White of Sherwood, who is also double majoring in accounting.