AMC/Fairmont Pledges $100,000 for Dr. John Bratton Endowed Professorship
AMC/Fairmont has pledged $100,000 to become the lead donor and strategic partner in the advancement of the Insurance and Risk Management program by creating the Dr. John Bratton Endowed Professorship at the University of Central Arkansas. The growth and strength of the curriculum of UCA’s program is directly attributable to the leadership of Dr. John Bratton, stated Stephen L. Strange, president of AMC/Fairmont, formerly American Management Corporation (AMC). American Management Corporation was acquired in 2011 by Fairfax Financial Holdings and became part of their Crum & Forster division under the name AMC/Fairmont.
The number of majors has grown from six in 2002 to 87 in 2011. In 2011, Bratton championed the regulatory change allowing UCA graduates to take the claims adjusters license exam without the one year experience or direct supervision requirement.
Bratton, a professor of insurance & risk management, was also instrumental in bringing the University Associate Certified Insurance Counselor (UACIC) designation program to UCA. The program was created to give college students pursuing an insurance and risk management undergraduate degree the opportunity to attain a new level of professionalism through advanced practical education while in college. The earnings from this endowment will be used to provide resources and opportunities for faculty and students that would not otherwise be accessible.
Acxiom Corporation Gives $150,000 to Establish the “Acxiom Professors of MIS.”
Acxiom Corporation® has pledged $150,000 to the University of Central Arkansas to establish the “Acxiom Professors of MIS.” The gift will support five faculty members within the Department of Management Information Systems over the next four years. The gift was announced Tuesday during a press conference at the UCA College of Business.
“We sincerely appreciate this gift from Acxiom. This is just another example of Acxiom’s continued involvement in and generosity to UCA, but more importantly, to its commitment to the education of our students and faculty, and the overall improvement of Arkansas’s economy,” said UCA President Tom Courtway. “These funds will enable us to recruit and retain the highest quality faculty in the Management Information System program and provide our state with tomorrow’s leaders in the field.”
The department plans to use up to $37,500 per year to fulfill needs of faculty who work in close partnership with Acxiom. The funds can be used for research support, technology needs, conference travel, or any approved needs that further the department.
Professors selected for the program are Dr. Ron McGaughey, Dr. Summer Bartczak, Dr. Ken Griffin, Dr. Jim Downey and Dr. Kaye McKinzie.
Dr. McGaughey founded the Acxiom/IT Careers Camp that encourages bright Arkansas high school students to select a path of study in IT or MIS fields. Dr. Bartczak and Dr. Downey currently oversee the program. Dr. McKinzie has partnered with Acxiom in working on a project management course and business analytics. Dr. Griffin has been involved on the administrative aspect of all of these initiatives. Several of the faculty members are working on the Acxiom Task Force that has resulted in MIS curriculum redesign and alignment targeted to develop skill sets in graduates that meet the technology jobs market need, including Acxiom’s.
Between August 2011 and September 2012, UCA provided 34 interns and 18 full-time hires for Acxiom. Twenty four interns transitioned to a full-time role.
Voss Awarded the Jack Meredith Award from the Journal of Operations Management for the Best Paper Published
Dr. Doug Voss
Doug Voss and co-authors from Michigan State University received the Jack Meredith Award from the Journal of Operations Management (JOM) for the best paper published in the Journal in 2011. JOM is debatably the top supply chain/operations research journal in the world. According to Thomson Reuters, it has the number 1 impact factor of any Operations Research & Management Science journal ( http://www.elsevier.com/authored_subject_sections/S03/misc/ORMS.pdf ). It is one of 40 academic journals used by Financial Times to compile their annual business school research ranking, and is included in both their Global MBA and EMBA rankings ( http://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-operations-management/journal-news/financial-times-research-rank/ ).
Voss’s winning paper is entitled, “Global Supply Chain Design Considerations: Mitigating Product Safety and Security Risks.” The article can be view here: Global Supply Chain Design Considerations.
There were three other manuscripts considered for the award, authored by faculty representing the following universities: The University of Arkansas – Fayetteville, University of Virginia, Arizona State University, Texas A&M University and Northeastern University.
Trucking Industry Defense Association Awards $5,000 Grant to UCA
Joe Pappalardo, TIDA’s General Counsel, and Dr. David Voss
The Trucking Industry Defense Association (TIDA) has selected UCA as one of four recipients of its fifth annual Endowment Fund Grants in the amount of $5,000. The grant will help fund scholarships and research for the university’s Center for Logistics Education, Advancement, and Research (CLEAR), a program designed to prepare students for careers in the transportation industry.
The grant was presented to Dr. Douglas Voss, director of the CLEAR program for the University of Central Arkansas, at a ceremony on Sept. 20.
“On behalf of the University of Central Arkansas’ transportation and logistics students and faculty, I would like to express our sincere appreciation to TIDA for choosing our University and CLEAR as a beneficiary of its annual endowment program,” said Voss.
“Arkansas is home to many large trucking companies and our mission is to educate the motor carrier workforce of tomorrow. TIDA’s annual endowment grant allows us to reward deserving students with scholarships, fund faculty and student motor carrier research projects, and recruit the best students and employers to our program. The grant has a direct impact on the trucking industry as we work together to improve motor carrier safety and productivity,” said Voss.
Other recipients of TIDA’s 2012 Endowment Fund Grant were the University of Memphis, the University of North Texas and Cuyahoga Community College in Ohio.
Phi Beta Lambda Attends Annual National Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)-Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) National Leadership Conference
In early July, Phi Beta Lambda student officers attended the annual National Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)-Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) National Leadership Conference in San Antonio. They competed in business-related events against students across the nation.
The following students placed in the competitions: Roderick Wells — 3rd place in Website Design — awarded $250; Nick Williams — 4th in Hospitality Management; Amber Rowlett & Alex Harbuck — 8th in Accounting Analysis & Decision Making; and James Calvert & Charlie Passmore — 5th in Marketing Analysis & Decision Making