News

You’re Invited…

You’re moved in. You started classes. Labor Day is over. The excitement of the “start of the semester” is dwindling. Now what do you do?

Come out for the College of Business Day on the Lawn.

All of the student organizations and departments in the College of Business will be there along with Career Services. Check out your opportunities for clubs and internships, check out different majors and minors, and meet some other students. There will be music, there will be food, and there will be a lot of information about how to get involved.

College of Business Day on the Lawn
When: Wednesday, September 21, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Where: On the lawn in front of the College of Business Building

COB Days Flyer 2016

9 a.m. to 3p.m. Friday, September 30th
College of Business Room 307

The University of Central Arkansas is hosting the Arkansas College Teachers of Economics & Business (ACTEB) Conference on September 30th in the College of Business Room 307.

Economics and business faculty from Arkansas share their research and teaching methods. The conference includes paper sessions, panel discussions, and teaching workshops. Dr. Mark McMurtrey (markmc@uca.edu or 501-450-5308) is the faculty contact for this event.

Presentations and Dates:

Local Option Sales Tax Elections in Arkansas: When Do They Pass?
Jeremy Horpedahl
September 13

Occupational Licensing & Crime
Thomas Snyder
October 11

Charter School Performance Effects on Public Schools
Mavuto Kalulu
November 15

Time and Location:

1:40 pm – 2:30 pm (x-period)
COB 210
Refreshments will be served!

Cosponsored by UCA’s Economiocs, Finance, Insurance & Risk Management (EFIRM) Department & The Arkansas Center for Economic Research (ACRE).

April 2-3, 2016, Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) students competed against college students state-wide in business-related events at their Spring Leadership Conference. If you see them, please CONGRATULATE them for “placing” in their competitive events! Several of them will be eligible to compete at the PBL National Leadership Conference this summer.

David Beale	1st place Macroeconomics & 4th place Personal Finance
Jamie-Lynn Gills	2nd place Public Speaking & 2nd place Marketing Concepts
Amy Koum	1st place Hospitality Management
Michael Lofton	1st place Management Concepts
Adam Vasquez	4th place Cyber Security & 4th place Project Management
Madeline West	2nd place Retail Management
Team: Luz Elena Arechiga Michael Lofton Amy Koum	5th place Business Ethics
UCA PBL	2nd largest chapter paid membership increase

The Business & Information Technology (BIT) Club is having its last meeting of the school year on Tuesday, April 5th. The event, which will be held in the College of Business Auditorium (Rooms 107/208) during X-period (1:40 – 2:30 p.m.), is open to all majors on campus. Kristi Connell and Amy Beam, Senior Recruiters at Acxiom, will be the featured speakers. We will also conduct Officer Elections for next year, as well as discuss our upcoming field trip to the Dillard’s Data Center and Headquarters in Little Rock on Tuesday, April 12th. Refreshments will be served (PIZZA!) and door prizes will be awarded. All students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend.

Topic:   Soft Skills in a Hard Environment

Abstract:  Presenters will discuss “soft skills” suitable for today’s young professionals.  Specifics to include interpersonal skills; emotional intelligence; collaboration; business etiquette; expectations of supervisors of multiple generations; relationships with professional mentors; and appropriate online presence.

Presenters:  Two Senior Partners from Mission Plus, LLC, Student Affairs Consulting.

Jan Austin, Ed. D. worked in higher education for 40 years. As Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Life and Leadership Development at UALR, she directed new student orientation, nontraditional student services, Greek life, diversity programs, campus recreation, and advised student government.  She has facilitated numerous college student and new professional retreats and leadership experiences. Dr. Austin’s engaging and interactive presentation style informs her work with college student and professional audiences. Her vast teaching experience includes undergraduate and graduate courses.  She earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology, master’s degree in technical and expository writing, and doctorate in higher education administration at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Debbie Gentry, M.Ed. has more than 30 years of experience in Higher Education.  She was the founding Director of Student Housing at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has served as Associate Dean of Students, and taught in First Year Experience programs focusing on career exploration and preparation.  Ms. Gentry has extensive presentation experience and connects with a variety of audiences through approaches geared to bring out audience collaboration.  She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Memphis State University and a Master of Education from Mississippi State University.

Refreshments will be served.  All students are welcome!

The Business & Information Technology (BIT) Club is having its second meeting on Tuesday, February 16th. The event, which will be held in the College of Business Auditorium (Rooms 107/208) during X-period (1:40 – 2:30 p.m.), is open to all majors on campus. Christina Copely, Director of IT Corporate Systems at Windstream Communications, will be the featured speaker. Christina is an IT Director at Windstream Communications, with over 15 years of work experience in various IT roles. She graduated from UCA in 2002 with a degree in MIS, and received a MBA with a concentration in Information Systems from UALR in 2004. Joining her is Ashley Nabholz French, Senior Recruiter – Corporate I Windstream. Refreshments will be served and door prizes will be awarded. All students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend.

You are invited to the UCA College of Business Davis Family Lecture, which is scheduled for February 11, 2016 during x-period (1:40 – 2:30pm) in COB 107.

​We are pleased to announce that the speaker this year is Marcy Doderer (CEO and President of Arkansas Children’s Hospital) and her talk will focus on the intersection of ​healthcare and business. Her talk is titled “The Business of Healthcare: What Makes it Special”. Ms. Doderer’s bio is available for viewing on the Davis Family Lecture page.

The lecture is sponsored by the Davis Family Lecture Series Endowment and is designed to feature prominent business leaders who have made a significant impact on ​their industry​​. Past speakers include the senior managing partner of Edward Jones (John Bachmann), the CEO and Founder of Maverick Transportation (Steve Williams), the CEO of America’s CarMart (Hank Henderson)​, and the CEO/President of First Security Bancorp (Reynie Rutledge)​.

Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) is hosting it’s first meeting this Thursday.
WHEN: this Thurs. Jan. 28 at x-period (2:40-3:30)
WHERE: COB room 311
WHAT: “Panel of Recent Graduates”:
Kyle Tabor, owner of Blue Sail Cafe
Katie Culpepper, Community Engagement Specialist
AETN; Joyti Lal from HP
Drew Spurgers, owner of Kangabloo Creative

We will also mention an upcoming meeting for those of you who might be interested in competing at the State Spring Leadership Conference.

A signup sheet will be provided. EVERYONE IS WELCOME!

The Business & Information Technology (BIT) Club is having its Spring Welcome Meeting and Kick-Off on Tuesday, January 26th. The event, which will be held in the College of Business Auditorium (Rooms 107/208) during X-period (1:40 – 2:30 p.m.), is open to all majors on campus. Brandon Carpenter, Director of Customer Services at Rock-Pond Solutions in Conway, will be the featured speaker. Through the use of reporting, dashboards, analytic cubes and data movement tools Rock-Pond simplifies complicated data sets to provide end users to get more value out of their data, consolidate multiple data points and align their organization. Brandon is a graduate of UCA and we are delighted to welcome him back to campus. Refreshments will be served and door prizes will be awarded. All students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend.