COB News — College of Business

Student Success Spotlight: Izzy Saettele

Lilly “Izzy” Saettele, Senior Accounting major, Computer Info Systems minor

Involved at UCA:
Accounting Club President
(Outstanding Accounting Club Member 2024)
Girls Who Code Treasurer
COB Student Ambassador 2022, 2023, 2024
Beta Alpha Psi member
Business Analytics Competition 2023

Why did you choose your field of study?
I was originally a marketing major. During my sophomore fall semester, I had to take Accounting 1, and I was absolutely dreading it. Once I got into it, I found that not only is it not that bad, I really enjoyed it. Before the end of the semester, I officially changed my major. [Read more…]

Posted in: Accounting, COB News, Featured News, _Internships and Part-time, _Volunteer on June 3, 2024 Tagged: Accounting, Accounting Club, Advice, Beta Alpha Psi, Computer Information Systems, Girls Who Code, Handshake, Internship, Izzy Saettele, Meet The Firms, Student Ambassador, Student Success, Student Success Spotlight

Business Students Join Analytics Competition at Manhattan College in NY

For the second year in a row, a UCA student team has competed in the business analytics competition at Manhattan College. Students in the CISA 4V71 Project Course began in February to analyze the dataset provided by the competition. After months of preparing, teams presented their results to a UCA committee in the form of a poster on May 1. Once the winning team was announced, they began preparing for competition against other university teams in New York City. [Read more…]

Posted in: CISA, COB News, Featured News, _Competition on May 30, 2024 Tagged: Abby Bounds, Analytics, Ben Scallion, college of business, Competition, Computer Information Systems, Data Analytics, Data Project, Houston Baber, linda galeano midence, Mike Ellis, New York, O'Malley School of Business, Susan Shaw, UCA College of Business, University of Central Arkansas

CISA Faculty & Students Present at Southwest Decision Sciences Institute

Fourteen UCA College of Business students and eight faculty members from the College of Business had their research presented at the 53rd Meeting of the Southwest Decision Sciences Institute (SWDSI) in Galveston, Texas (April 10-13, 2024). Carla Barber was presented the Outstanding Educator award.

Carla Barber pictured on right

Professors Mark McMurtrey, Joe Thomas, Mike Ellis, and Carla Barber represented the Computer Information Systems & Analytics Department. MSADA graduate students included Julian Haessner, Philipp Haessner, Luciana Subirana, and William Pontious,

Pictured L to R: Philipp Haessner, Dr. Mark McMurtrey, and Julian Haessner.

MBA graduate students included Micah Secor, Cynthia Sandefur, Dustin Rigsby, Chris Fisher, Imran Ali, Jose Alonso Rodriguez, Adam Daniel, Madalyn Bass, and Jason Brown (two presentations).

In addition, Professors Alexander Chen, Tracy Suter, and David McCalman from the Department of Marketing and Management had their research presented along with undergraduate student Iffah Ather. Dr. Mike Casey, Interim Dean of the COB, also had a paper presented that was coauthored by Dr. McMurtrey and MBA student Jason Brown.

Philipp Haessner’s presentation was titled “The Use of Big Data in the Retail Industry” and Julian Haessner’s was called “The Art and Challenges of Privacy-Preserving Data Visualizations in Healthcare and Medicine.” The Haessners co-authored these projects with Dr. Joe Thomas.

Posted in: COB News on May 1, 2024

Junior CISA major Abby Bounds Awarded for Outstanding Community Outreach by a Student

Abby Bounds, a junior Computer Information Systems and Analytics (CISA) major and the President of Girls Who Code, was presented with the Outstanding Community Outreach by a Student at the 2024 University of Central Arkansas Student Involvement Awards on Thursday, April 25.

This award is presented to a student who prioritizes volunteerism and service to UCA and the local community. It is given to a student who has made an impact within an organization by leading with courage and being a positive role model to others. [Read more…]

Posted in: CISA, COB News, Featured News, _Awards, _Volunteer on April 26, 2024 Tagged: Abby Bounds, CNSM, college of business, Computer Information Systems, Computer Science, Girls Who Code, Michelle Talley, Outstanding Community Outreach by a Student, Serve, STEM, Susan Shaw, UCA, Volunteer

COB Names Student Ambassadors for 2024 – 2025 Academic Year

COB Student Ambassadors are a critical part of the COB culture because they represent our diverse UCA student body. The program is inclusive to all business majors regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, and religious/spiritual affiliation. Learn more about the program.

Each year, we seek outstanding students and leaders in each business degree program to serve as COB Ambassadors. Less than 50 students are accepted to this program each year.

The University of Central Arkansas College of Business is proud to announce its 2024-2025 class of Student Ambassadors: [Read more…]

Posted in: COB News, Featured News on April 25, 2024

COB’s Allison Speaker Series Features Angela & Alan Mahan of Rabbit Ridge Farm

This week, the spring Allison Speaker Series featured Angela and Alan Mahan of Rabbit Ridge Farm in Bee Branch. They shared their expertise in business, innovation, and entrepreneurship with students and spoke of their passion to create community through agriculture, food, and experiences.

Students Bo Cunningham & Ally Loter Win Governor’s Cup, Team Led by I&E Prof. Duggins

Yesterday, business students Bo Cunningham and Ally Loter, led by faculty sponsor Dr. Ron Duggins, claimed first place in the Small Business Competition at the Arkansas Governor’s Cup in Little Rock. As part of their win, they earned a ten thousand dollar prize. The team represents only the third all-UCA finalists in the competition’s nearly 25-year history.

pictured: I&E Professor Dr. Ron Duggins, Ally Loter, Bo Cunningham, and Dr. Tracy Suter, UCA Chair of Marketing & Management

2024 Spencer Risk Manager on Campus Program Brings Robin Roeder to UCA College of Business

Robin S. Roeder

Each year, an Insurance and Risk Management (IRM) professional is brought to the UCA College of Business for visits with students, faculty, and other industry and community professionals. Early this week, we were thrilled to welcome Robin S. Roeder, senior vice president of risk management for Sedgwick, to share her experience with us. The program is supported by the Spencer Educational Foundation.

Roeder visited campus for two days. At the luncheon on Monday, April 15, we were joined by many students, faculty, and insurance professionals, including Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Alan McClain, who spoke a few words to highlight the significance of the IRM industry in Arkansas.

(Pictured from L to R: UCA Insurance Center Director Mr. Ivan Hudson, Ms. Robin Roeder, Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Mr. Alan McClain, and Mr. Kelley Erstine, UCA Board of Trustees Member and CEO of the Independent Insurance Agents of Arkansas.) [Read more…]

Posted in: COB News, EFIRM, Featured News, Gamma Iota Sigma, grant, Insurance and Risk Management program, Risk Manager on Campus, Spencer Educational Foundation, _All Opportunities, _Grants, _Networking on April 16, 2024 Tagged: Alan McClain, Center for Insurance and Risk Management, Gamma Iota Sigma, Hurricane Katrina, Ivan Hudson, Kelley Erstine, Risk Manager on Campus, Roeder, Spencer

Business & STEM Students Participate in Eclipse Celebrations Led by CISA Prof. Susan Shaw

Monday was a beautiful day for Total Eclipse fun at UCA, and CISA Prof. Susan Shaw was out on the UCA Stripes with STEM students. The group included 17 “Girls Who Code” members, 11 College of Business students taking CISA classes, 3 Beta Alpha Psi Members, and 3 UCA sorority members.

At the Girls Who Code booth led by President Abby Bounds, the members taught about the significance of [Read more…]

Posted in: CISA, COB News, Featured News, _All Opportunities, _Events, _RSOs, _Service Learning on April 9, 2024 Tagged: Abby Bounds, Abby Bray, college of business, Data Science independent study, Girls Who Code, project, STEM, Susan Shaw, Total Eclipse

UCA College of Business Announces Outstanding Students of 2023-2024 Academic Year

At its annual Outstanding Student Awards Banquet, the UCA College of Business recently announced and celebrated the Outstanding Students selected for the 2023-2024 academic year. The awards given celebrate students who stood out this year in our academic programs and registered student organizations. The following selected students were selected because they have optimized their education by combining exemplary academic performance with internships, volunteerism, professional development, experiential education, and participation in clubs and other important experiences.