The COB Bulletin shares news and highlights from the recent success of our students, alumni, faculty, and staff.
Notably, the UCA College of Business was named among The Princeton Review’s 2024 Best Business Schools. The College also recognized several faculty and staff for their exemplary service to students and their peers as well as for their impact in their areas of study and in the community.
ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT
pictured: Accounting Professors Dr. Patricia Mounce (retired), Dr. Stephanie Watson (Dept. Chair), COB Dean Michael Casey, Mrs. Susan Davenport, and Mary Bane Lackie, Ed.D., VP of University Advancement at UCA
- Meet the Firms annual networking event was a success, bringing more than 25 firms to campus to speak with accounting students.
- Alumna Susan Davenport and her husband Dean were recognized as Outstanding Philanthropists by the Arkansas Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
- Professor Anthony McMullen was named Outstanding Lawyer-Citizen by The Arkansas Bar Foundation and the Arkansas Bar Association for his work with the Arkansas High School Mock Trial Competition and particularly his efforts in hosting the 2023 National High School Mock Trial Championship. He continued his work with the UCA Debate team this semester.
- Accounting Department alumnus John Albritton began his career with Landmark almost twenty years ago as an intern and was promoted to the firm’s member group.
- UCA’s Theta Lambda chapter of Beta Alpha Psi nominated Richard Bell of Bell and Company for Business Information Professional of the Year, and Bell was selected for the national award. This prestigious accolade recognizes outstanding professionals in education, industry & government, and professional services.
- The Theta Lambda chapter also achieved Gold status for 2023-2024.
COMPUTER INFORMATION SYSTEMS & ANALYTICS (CISA) DEPARTMENT
- Jason Brown (student), Dr. K. Michael Casey, and Dr. Mark McMurtrey worked together on “Investing in Timberlands Versus the S&P 500: Which Investment Outperforms?” to appear in the Journal of Accounting and Finance.
- Dr. Michael Casey, Dr. K. Michael Casey, and Carla Barber collaborated on “Covid-19, ESG Ratings, and Dividend Policy: Evidence from Utility Firms” to appear in Oil, Gas, & Energy Quarterly.
ECONOMICS, FINANCE, AND INSURANCE & RISK MANAGEMENT (EFIRM) DEPARTMENT
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Gabriella Adkins, Mason Smith, Cole Vangsnes, Samuel Roper, Peyton “Kai” Davis, William Van Asche, and Emma Daughtrey were named the 2024 Arkansas Insurance Hall of Fame Scholars at the banquet.
Several guest speakers shared expertise with students in person and online, including Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Rhonda Wood, Representative David Ray, EFIRM alumnus David Beale, and Mark Chambers, the President and CEO of Thrasher and Chambers.
- Dr. Michael Casey shared “5 Ways to Pay Less Taxes” in Arkansas Flavor. The magazine is also translated into Spanish and offered for free in establishments across the state.
- Ivan Hudson, Director of UCA’s Center for Insurance & Risk Management, moderated a session on the equity of healthcare navigation at the National African American Insurance Association’s annual conference.
- Dr. Yiling Deng published multiple papers, including “A Dynamic Analysis of the Impact of Household Portfolio Allocation: Decisions on the Demand for Life Insurance” in the Financial Services Review and “Market Discipline and Government Guarantees: Evidence from the Insurance Industry” in the Journal of Risk and Insurance.
- Jacob Bundrick published “Mixed Strategy and the Money Down: A Field Test from American College Football” in the Journal of Business Administration Online.
- Dr. Joe McGarrity wrote several articles for the Log Cabin Democrat centering around relevant economic topics and the election.
- Dr. Jeremy Horpedahl was very active checking facts, writing book reviews, and submitting regular posts for Economist Writing Every Day. Dr. Horpedahl lent his expertise to many news outlets like the Arkansas Democrat Gazette and was mentioned by others including the Wall Street Journal and Market Watch.
- Dr. Stephen Yao contributed his expertise to WalletHub about car insurance such as types a person needs or how to keep your premium from rising.
- Ivan Hudson and Dr. Yiling Deng brought several insurance students to Arkansas Insurance Day in North Little Rock. Connor Black, Samuel Roper, Mason Smith, and Emma Daughtrey are some of the best and brightest from our program and from Gamma Iota Sigma.
- Dr. Huiqiong Duan, Dr. Weici Yuan, and Dr. Thomas Snyder had an article accepted in World Development, entitled “Gender Imbalance and Temporary Migration: Evidence from Rural China.”
- Seven students received scholarships during the Insurance Hall of Fame Induction Banquet.
- The Arkansas Center for Research in Economics (ACRE) brought Nadine Strossen to talk to our students. She is a Professor of Law Emerita and a past president of the ACLU.
MARKETING AND MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT
- Mrs. Rhea Lana Riner, founder of “Rhea Lana” Children’s Consignment, offered her experience as the featured speaker for the John W. Allison Entrepreneurial Speaker Series this fall.
Mrs. Rhea Lana Riner pictured with Dr. Tracy Suter, Chair of the Marketing and Management department at UCA
- Undergraduate student Da’Mya Brittian and marketing professor Dr. JiHoon Jhang had a manuscript entitled, “The Effect of AI Disclosure on Donation Intention,” accepted for presentation at the Atlantic Marketing Association Conference in Charleston, SC.
- Dr. Ben Britton had a manuscript entitled, “Resolving the Salesperson Competitiveness-Performance Paradox: The Role of Benign vs. Malicious Envy,” accepted for publication in Industrial Marketing Management.
- Dr. Doug Voss Doug was interviewed by Mark Willis on SiriusXM regarding supply chain education, current events, and UCA’s supply chain program.
- Dr. Joe Cangelosi was awarded best abstract in the health care marketing track for his manuscript entitled, “Online Sexual and Reproductive Health Information: Consumer Dissemination on Social Media and Networks,” at the Atlantic Marketing Association Conference.
- Dr. JiHoon Jhang had another manuscript entitled, “Consumer Preferences for the Visual Presentation of Nonfungible Tokens (NFTs) of Luxury Products: The Role of Perceived Authenticity,” accepted for publication in the Journal of Retail and Consumer Sciences.
- Dr. Jamila Maxie, Dr. Ben Britton, Dr. David McCalman, and Dr. Tracy Suter had a manuscript entitled, “To B or Not To B: BrewDog’s Turbulent Relationship with B Corp Certification,” conditionally accepted for publication in the Journal of Critical Incidents.
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
- Kandi Chitman Hughes, Esq., a graduate of the MBA program, was highlighted as part of AMP’s Trailblazing Women in Arkansas Money & Politics.
- The MBA Program was named to the Princeton Review’s 2024 list of Best Online MBA Programs and the College Consensus 2025 list for Most Affordable Online MBA.
Senior Da’Mya Brittian, Marketing major with a minor in Computer Information Systems
I learned about the opportunities and joy that arise from taking the path of doing research. I did not know much about how to take this path, but presenting at the Atlantic Marketing Association conference in September increased my interest. 
“My family is the reason I started doing this, but I also love helping other families,” said Riner. She added that when the company began franchising in 2008, she discovered her passion for mentoring other women to become business owners.
The UCA Marketing and Management Department has studied Riner’s success as an entrepreneur as well challenges endured such as the company’s investigation by the Department of Labor. Several faculty members submitted a case study to the Journal of Critical Incidents about the court proceedings. Riner spoke for a short time about the challenges of the 
Jessica Chavez
Michael Isaac, Senior Economics (Pre-Law track) major, Insurance and Risk management minor