Dr. Mike Ellis was honored last night as “Most Valuable Professor” at the UCA vs Arkansas State baseball game for his impact on UCA student-athletes. Here Dr. Ellis is pictured with MBA student and right fielder Kolby Johnson, who nominated him for the award. Dr. Ellis serves as an Associate Professor of Computer Information Systems & Analytics. Congratulations, Dr. Ellis!
UCA has been ranked as one of the nation’s top 50 most affordable colleges for online master’s programs in business. Just six percent of regionally accredited postsecondary institutions earned a ranking position from OnlineMastersDegrees.org (OMD). UCA’s business programs earned top honors for overall quality, affordability and commitment to student success.
“This year, we focused on the schools making it easier for students to compete in today’s increasingly difficult job market,” said Kyle Darland, co-founder of OMD. “Each ranked school offers a fully or partially online master’s program in business at a time when earning a master’s has become a minimum barrier to entry for many.”
Darland is referencing a recent survey from CareerBuilder, which found that “thirty-three percent of employers are hiring workers with master’s degrees for positions that had been primarily held by those with four-year degrees.” These employers cited an evolution of the skills needed to perform the jobs as the cause of the shift, and an increase in work quality, productivity and employee retention as the result.
“Providing students with opportunities to get a master’s online is only part of our rankings,” said Darland. “Top-ranked schools also had competitive tuition rates and/or scholarships to help drive costs down. And with grocery, gas and other expenses on everyone’s mind right now, an affordable master’s is key.”
OnlineMastersDegrees.org analyzed more than 7,700 accredited universities by using data pulled from the schools themselves and from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). After the data was compiled, OMD’s data science team then applied a proprietary algorithm to rank all qualifying schools for each of the different master’s degrees specialties. Primary data points include:
To be eligible for ranking, a university must hold active regional accreditation and have at least one partially online master’s program in the ranking subject.
About OnlineMastersDegrees.org
OnlineMastersDegrees.org began in 2020 to support online learning at the master’s level. Our user-friendly, research-backed content helps students find scholarships, resources, financial aid, and connect with accredited colleges and universities across the country.
Each year the College of Business recognizes its outstanding faculty with awards. This year, four new awards were created to highlight the exceptional work of this faculty and to encourage continued excellence in the areas of societal impact, research, service, innovative teaching, engaged teaching, and an individual’s impact on the college itself.
(pictured from left to right, back: Schlachter, Chen, Nelson; front: Burleson, Horpedahl, Shaw)
This new award was created to recognize faculty or staff who have outsized impact on the success of the UCA College of Business. Professor Nelson’s work outside of the classroom is most often noticed by faculty. He has served as the Director of Assessment since 2016 and revamped data collection and improvement team communications. He is an outstanding communicator who helps all faculty understand what and when to assess, which contributes to continuous improvement of the college for our students.
Dr. Horpedahl is the incoming Director of the Arkansas Center for Research in Economics (ACRE). Outside of the classroom, he is well known in the region for sharing his expert testimony with the Arkansas Legislature as well as with the general public in the newspaper and on television. On Twitter, he helps citizens understand how to tell fact from fiction and often dispels incorrect statistics and rumors. He is also a regular contributor to Economist writing every day. This new award was created to encourage societal impact such as Dr. Horpedahl’s impact on countless students and citizens.
Professor Schlachter was recognized because of his efforts to innovate in every one of the classes he teaches, whether face-to-face or online. His work sets an excellent example as the world of higher education attempts to find ways to engage students in- and outside of the classroom.
Professor Burleson is the Director of the Center for Insurance and Risk Management (IRM). She welcomes IRM professionals on a regular basis to help students gain experience and network within the industry. Burleson’s excellent work contributes to UCA’s IRM program, which remains the only IRM program in the region, and partnerships with employers are one reason why UCA has one of the most active internship programs in the state.
Dr. Chen is known for his excellence in research. The quality and quantity of his published works are truly excellent, but he was recognized for this award because his focus is teaching others how to research well. Dr. Chen collaborates with other faculty and students in much of his work. In this past year, four of his articles that involved student collaborations underwent review, an achievement which helps his students stand out as they pursue employment and higher education opportunities.
Professor Shaw serves on committees doing work that is noticed by faculty, but her work coordinating the annual IT Careers Camp in partnership with Acxiom impacts high school students around Arkansas. The event is a significant amount of work each year, and Susan does a fantastic job organizing the camp, which educates students about IT careers and encourages them to continue their education beyond high school.
Insurance and Risk Management student William Biernat has been selected as an International Representative for the Grand Chapter of Gamma Iota Sigma.
The organization shared on its social media platforms, “#GammaIS thrilled to congratulate William Biernat of the Alpha Psi Chapter at the University of Central Arkansas and Zane Smith of the Beta Xi Chapter at St. Mary’s University for being elected International Student Representatives for the 2022-2023 academic year.” [credit @GammaIotaSigma]
Biernat says he is proud and excited to have been chosen to serve in this new leadership role. He was chosen as the Outstanding GIS student for the College of Business at the conclusion of the 2021-2022 academic year.
“I am especially excited and grateful to announce that I have been chosen to serve as the International Student Representative for GIS for the upcoming year,” said Biernat. “I will serve alongside Zane S. as we will represent all 4000+ members and 99 collegiate chapters all across the nation. Can’t wait to get started!
With 97+ Chapters Nationwide with 4,000+ members organized to promote, encourage, and sustain student interest in insurance, risk management, and actuarial science as professions, Gamma Iota Sigma is an international professional fraternity that aims to encourage high moral and scholastic attainments and to facilitate the interaction and cooperation of educational institutions, industry, and professional organizations by fostering research, scholarship, and improved public relations.
Pictured (R to L): Kaidan Zheng, Tristen Porter, and Harris Felton
UCA students traveled to Orlando, Florida during the last week of July 2022 for the Beta Alpha Psi annual meeting of all chapters.
Before the meeting started, the students enjoyed an Arkansas BAP Connection breakfast sponsored by the Arkansas Society of CPAs. During the meeting, the students networked, provided community service, attended professional development meetings, and participated in multiple competitions.
After their regional win earlier this year, the Chapter qualified to compete at the conference and brought home the INTERNATIONAL FIRST PLACE award in Best Practices in the Art of Engagement for the Resume Escape Room they hosted for students last spring. This is UCA’s 3rd international first place in Beta Alpha Psi Best Practices. Congratulations to students Harris Felton, Tristen Porter, and Kaidan Zheng for their excellent work!
Additional UCA Recognition at the Annual Meeting:
The students also took advantage of their time in Orlando to have some fun!
Beta Alpha Psi is an honor organization for financial information students and professionals with over 300 chapters internationally. The organization promotes academic excellence, professional development, and responsible practices.
Congratulations to our Beta Alpha Psi students and to Connie McKnight and Ashley Phillips, our tireless faculty advisors, for another year of superior status!
To be a superior chapter, the registered student organization met the following requirements:
In addition, the chapter accomplished:
Beta Alpha Psi is an honor organization founded in 1919 for financial information students and professionals. There are over 300 AACSB- and/or EQUIS-accredited chapters on university campuses with over 300,000 members. Beta Alpha Psi recognizes scholastic excellence, offers professional development, and encourages ethical, social, and public responsibility.
The BAP Theta Lambda chapter of University of Central Arkansas focuses on honoring scholarship, professional development, and service to the community. Members have the opportunity to meet and get to know professionals from all areas of accounting, and they learn skills needed to be successful in careers in accounting, finance, information systems, and analytics.
Elian Mackey
Graduated in May 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems
Recently honored as 2022’s Outstanding Information Systems Student
What drew you to business? When and how did you know that an education in business is the right fit for you?
I wanted to combine technical skills with business skills. I had a variety of extracurriculars that allowed me to grow as a person while helping me meet new people and build strong connections. That was when I knew this is what I wanted to do.
What have you found useful in the College of Business and why?
My advisor has been such an immense help for as long as I can remember. He has always been so supportive, and if I felt like I needed help with my schedule or DegreeWorks, I would never be afraid to contact him.
I recommend the UCA College of Business as there are so many opportunities you can pursue, and the professors are all willing to help get your name out there. A big part of this that I have seen is at the annual STEM career fair.
What tips or advice would you give to new, current, or prospective business students?
Something that I wish I knew during my first year was to start working on my online portfolio early. If you have projects, list them. Join LinkedIn and start making those connections. Go to career fairs and hand out those resumes even if you are not planning on applying for a job. It is important for success in your future college career and your future profession.
Professor Ashley Phillips of the Accounting Department has been awarded the Peter J. Mehl Service-Learning Faculty of the Year Award for 2021-2022. She partners with the United Way of Central Arkansas to offer the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program to low income taxpayers in our region. Ashley offers a service-learning course for UCA students, who earn the necessary IRS certification, and prepare the tax returns.
UCA accounting students did an amazing job this tax season as part of the VITA program at United Way of Central Arkansas (UWCA). Five UCA accounting majors took the VITA course for credit, and of the five taking it for credit, four volunteered over 80 hours (Macy Dillard, Joseph Howe, Jonathan Humphrey, and Jakob Ligon). There were an additional six UCA accounting majors who volunteered. These students volunteered approximately 420 hours.
UWCA filed 255 federal tax returns as part of the VITA program. UCA accounting students prepared 253 of the 255 returns. These returns brought back over $324,000 to the local community.
Congratulations Ashley!
And way to go VITA student volunteers.
UCA’s Theta Lambda Chapter of Beta Alpha Psi earned a first place win at the 2022 regional conference in the category of Best Practices in the Art of Engagement. Several members worked to create an escape room with a resume theme and offered the escape to teams of students. Harris Felton and Tristen Porter presented the project for the virtual competition. Because of the first place regional win, the Theta Lambda Chapter will compete against the other regional winners in Orlando this summer.
UCA students also earned a 2nd Place regional win for Best Practices in the Art of Change. Chapter members Claire DeBusk, Yulia Lyubchenko, and Kaidan Zheng shared how the Theta Lambda Chapter changed in the face of covid and the increased demands of members. [Read more…]
Jenna Glisch
Classification: Senior earning a BBA in Business Administration
Hometown: Rockwall, TX
Future plans: I haven’t accepted a job yet, but as of right now I plan on finding a job working in HR, and eventually move back to Texas to be closer to my family. I am open to whatever career path fits best for me and my life, and that is part of the reason why I chose general Business Administration as my major! I have many interests in hobbies, so I can see my career path changing over time.
Having professors that care not only how you do in their course, but also in life, is the best thing. Professors don’t have to take the time out of their day to ask about you, your life, and how you’re doing, so it means a lot when they do! COB Adviser Emma Allen also took time to talk to me about my life, my hobbies, and made a real connection with me when we could have just talked about my classes for next semester and been done with it. The advice I have received that is most meaningful to me is the life lessons Mr. Courtway taught us.
