Marshall University maintains accreditation for College of Business

HUNTINGTON — The College of Business at Marshall University has maintained its business accreditation as well as its accounting accreditation by AACSB International—The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

AACSB International is the longest-serving global accrediting body for business schools that offer bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in both business and accounting.

Marshall University is one of two institutions in West Virginia to hold AACSB accreditation. As of December 2011, only 643 schools of business worldwide are AACSB accredited and only 176 institutions have AACSB’s additional accounting accreditation.

To maintain business accreditation, programs undergo an internal review every five years, at which they must demonstrate a continued commitment to the 21 quality standards relating to faculty qualification, strategic management of resources, interactions of faculty and students, as well as a commitment to continuous improvement and achievement of learning goals in degree programs.

To maintain accounting accreditation, an institution must first earn or maintain AACSB Business Accreditation as well as meet an additional 15 standards that are specific to the discipline and profession of accounting.

To learn more about Marshall University’s College of Business and its Accounting Division, visit www.marshall.edu/lcob. To learn more about AACSB accreditation, visit www.aacsb.edu/accreditation.

Statewide technology conference to feature presidents of Marshall, WVU

    HUNTINGTON – TechConnect West Virginia (www.techconnectwv.org ), in partnership with Verizon West Virginia, Marshall University and West Virginia University, will bring together policy and opinion leaders, researchers and entrepreneurs, economic developers and others to discuss and develop strategies for growing our state's technology economy. Featured speakers include Dr. James P. Clements, President of West Virginia University, and Dr. Stephen J. Kopp, President of Marshall University.

    The event will be held from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 7, at Foundation Hall on the campus of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia.

    “West Virginia has the potential to significantly grow its technology economy, and in doing so, create jobs and economic diversity for state residents,” said Kevin DiGregorio, Executive Director of TechConnect West Virginia. “The purpose of this event is to inform state leaders on what is taking place across the state in this sector and to identify what needs to be done to spur growth.”

    DiGregorio said the event will feature presentations by the presidents of both Marshall University and West Virginia University on the role of universities as the foundation for technology growth in their state. Paul Hill, Vice Chancellor for Science & Research with the WV Higher Education Policy Commission, will speak to the need for facilities in the tech field and specifically discuss the WV Education, Research & Technology Park in South Charleston. Additionally, panel segments, featuring experts and technology business owners from around the state, will focus on access to capital, entrepreneurial assistance and entrepreneurial talent. The panels will be moderated by Kelley Goes, Secretary of the WV Division of Commerce, and John Golden, Director of External Affairs for Verizon WV.

    TechConnect West Virginia is a 501(c)3 non-profit coalition of public and private partners dedicated to growing and diversifying West Virginia’s economy by boosting the state’s technology economy. The organization serves as a forum and facilitator to spur collaboration within West Virginia’s technology community, bringing the assets of statewide entities to the table to spur technology commercialization and stimulate the creation of tech-based companies and jobs. The organization is a partner of Vision Shared.

    For additional information,  visit the organization’s website at www.techconnectwv.org .

Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour coming to Marshall in September

    HUNTINGTON – The power of the entrepreneurial spirit will take the Tri-State Area by storm this fall when The Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour visits Marshall University’s Huntington campus.

    The tour, a high-energy, half-day event, will take place from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 23, at the Marshall University Foundation Hall, Home of the Erickson Alumni Center. Those in attendance will hear the stories of and learn the secrets behind the success of the world’s top entrepreneurs who are still in their 20s.

    The event is sponsored by Marshall University’s Office of the President, MU Online College in the High School, the Center for Business and Economic Research and the Marshall University Research Corp.

    The Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour is the first and only nationwide entrepreneurship tour. It is run by three award-winning young entrepreneurs – Sheena Lindahl (27), Michael Simmons (28) and Arel Moodie (26). Created in 2006 by Lindahl and Simmons, the tour features many of California’s top young entrepreneurs who have made, or sold companies for, millions of dollars and/or made a huge impact before the age of 30.

    One speaker, Cameron Johnson (24) from Los Angeles, started a dozen profitable businesses and became a self-made millionaire while he was still a teenager. Another speaker, Rahim Fazal (27) from San Francisco, sold his first business for $1.5 million as he was graduating from high school. Fazal is the co-founder and CEO of the venture-backed company, Involver.

    “More than half the companies on the 2009 Fortune 500 list were launched during a recession or bear market,” Simmons said. “Technology and globalization have made it very inexpensive to start a business. Now is the best time that there has ever been to become your own boss.”

    According to a 2007 Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation survey by Harris Interactive, four out of 10 young people would like to start their own businesses someday.

    “However, when we talked with students, we realized that many of them needed inspiration and support to achieve this dream,” Lindahl said. “That’s why we started the tour.”

    The goal of the Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour is to have college students around the nation graduate with an entrepreneurial mindset.

    The tour uses numerous themes and resources to reach and inspire those in attendance. Some are:

    · Focus – students are inspired and learn how to start and run their own businesses;

    · Keynote – this speaker is an extremely successful young entrepreneur who shares his or her story and business lessons;

    · Workshop – helps students come up with a viable business idea based on strengths and passions;

    · Speed networking – focuses on students connecting with each other based on their business ideas;

    · Panel – consists of the event speakers and local entrepreneurs with a focus on entrepreneurship. Local participants will include some who have created businesses and been successful in commercializing products, including representatives from Vandalia Research Inc., which is the first biotechnology research company based upon Marshall University research. Other panelists include local K-12 students, including award-winning students from Cabell Midland High School.

    Registration to the event is limited to Marshall University students, faculty and staff, and to K-12 students. To register, they may go to www.extremetour.org/marshall. 

Upcoming workshop to focus on commercializing scientific discoveries

    HUNTINGTON – The Marshall University Technology Transfer Office and TechConnectWV will present a free workshop, “The Roadmap from Laboratory to Market: Driving Scientific Discoveries to Commercialization,” on Monday, July 26.

    Intended for scientists and engineers, the workshop will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Marshall University Foundation Hall, 519 John Marshall Dr., Huntington.

    The program will focus on helping participants identify their role in commercializing their discoveries and tapping into a network of people who can help them. Topics will include investment capital, development assistance and take-to-market management talent.

    The workshop will be led by Ron Basini, a consultant to the West Virginia Angel Network.

    Basini has held faculty positions at business schools in North Carolina, Kentucky, Romania and Switzerland, and has raised millions of dollars in angel and venture capital for the four technology-based companies he founded. He also conducts new venture strategy, business plan writing, new management team training and strategic planning seminars around the world.

    The West Virginia Angel Network was formed in 2008 by a group of individuals who make high-risk, potentially high-yield investments in startup companies. The network encourages applications from startup and early stage companies headquartered in West Virginia. Decisions on investing are made on an individual basis and are based on a wide range of criteria, including market growth potential, management team and customer base. For information about the West Virginia Angel Network, visit www.wvangel.net.

    TechConnectWV is a coalition of professionals dedicated to growing and diversifying West Virginia’s economy by advancing technology‐based economic development. The group’s focus is the attraction and creation of innovation‐based companies and jobs, and advanced research and development in universities and the private sector. For more information about TechConnectWV, visit www.techconnectwv.org.

    The workshop is being presented with financial assistance from Verizon. The program is free, but reservations are requested. Send reservations to tto@marshall.edu. For more information, contact Amy Melton at 304-696-4365.

Two Marshall University business students to present ideas to top U.S. economists and policy makers

    HUNTINGTON – Two students taking an economics class in the Marshall University Lewis College of Business have been selected to be among 12 finalists who will present their ideas to a panel of top U.S. economists and policy makers during the National Economics Insider Symposium this summer.

    While taking Principles of Microeconomics, Natalie J. Faulk, a senior education student from Hartford, W.Va., and Jerica D. Hall, a sophomore management major from Hurricane, W.Va., wrote winning papers for the competition. They will travel to Washington, D.C., June 11-12 to make their presentations to a Nobel Prize winner in economics, a White House economic adviser, and a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, among others.

    Economics and finance adjunct professor Ralph E. McKinney Jr., nominated the students.

    “Marshall University is fortunate to have two of 12 finalists for this honor. This speaks highly of our commitment to research and education,” McKinney said.

    Contestants could submit essays on one of the following economic issues: health care; the environment; education; housing; technology; or other economic issues needing to be addressed. Faulk wrote about Cap and Trade. Hall wrote about the effect of oil and gas costs on shipping costs. They will be competing for a top prize at the event.

    While in Washington, finalists will present to Ben Bernanke, chairmen and member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; Paul R. Krugman, winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Economics; Olivier Blanchard, Economic Counselor and Director of Research Department of the International Monetary Fund; R. Glenn Hubbard, former Chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisors; Karl E. Case, the Katherine Coman and A. Barton Hepburn Professor of Economics at Wellesley College; Frederic S. Mishkin, former Board of Governors member of the Federal Reserve; as well as the following research associates from the National Bureau of Economic Research: Daron Acemoglu (Massachusetts Institute of Technology); David I. Laibson (Harvard University); and John List (University of Chicago).

    Students will also tour the Federal Reserve and the White House.

    The National Economics Insider Symposium is an exclusive event sponsored by Pearson Higher Education, a publishing company that offers textbooks under the brands Addison-Wesley, Allyn & Bacon, Benjamin Cummings, Longman, Merrill and Prentice Hall.

Disney Institute coming to Huntington May 18

    HUNTINGTON – Disney Institute is bringing its renowned professional development program, “Disney’s Approach to Business Excellence,” to Huntington on May 18. Sponsored locally by Marshall University, the full-day event will give area professionals an opportunity to “experience the business behind the magic.”

    The program will bring the best of Disney Institute content to the Don Morris Room in the Memorial Student Center on Marshall’s Huntington campus.

    “This is a convenient way to experience Disney Institute programs in local business communities,” said Jeff James, vice president for Disney Institute. “Our programs teach easily-adaptable strategies and best practices that have been part of our company for more than 80 years.”

    The full-day “Disney’s Approach to Business Excellence” program introduces participants to five core Disney business principles:

    Disney’s Approach to Inspiring Creativity – Focused on strategies and tactics that have helped Disney maintain its creative and innovative culture in good times and bad, this program can help other organizations be equally successful. 

    Disney’s Approach to Leadership Excellence -- Strong leadership is fundamental for organizations to grow and succeed. Participants will explore strategies and methods for improving team results through proven leadership philosophies that are used to exhibit the values and behaviors that generate results.

    Disney’s Approach to People Management – The Disney corporate culture instills pride and ownership in Disney Cast Members (employees). The same can be true for any organization looking to inspire and motivate employees. Participants explore the Disney approach to selection, training, retention, and communication, all of which sustain a supportive and interactive culture.

    Disney’s Approach to Quality Service – In an era where everyone is competing for business and market share, excellent customer service isn’t a luxury, it is mission critical. Participants discover how Disney exceeds expectations through its service infrastructure, ongoing research, and established service standards.

    Disney’s Approach to Brand Loyalty – The relationship between consumer experiences and a company’s brand is vital and can generate superior bottom-line results. Participants explore strategies that deliver on an organization’s brand and retain customers for life.

    Program registration fee includes all course materials plus catered breakfast, breaks, and lunch. Group discounts are available.

    For more information and to register for the Disney’s Approach to Business Excellence program, call 877-544-2384 ext. 1 or visit www.KeysHuntington.com .

Four named to Business Hall of Fame at Marshall University

    HUNTINGTON – Four successful business leaders will be honored by Marshall University when they are inducted into the Lewis College of Business Hall of Fame Tuesday, April 20. This year’s inductees include Mark Chandler, vice president and chief financial officer of Triana Energy LLC; David Fox, III, vice president of business development of McJunkin Red Man Supply Company; James C. Justice, II, owner of The Greenbrier; and John Leslie, owner of Leslie Equipment Company.

    The induction reception and ceremony will take place in the new Marshall University Foundation Hall, home of the Erickson Alumni Center, on the Huntington campus. The celebration will start with a VIP reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by a general reception at 6:15 p.m. and an awards ceremony at 7 p.m.

    The Hall of Fame honors those people in the business community who have an outstanding record of long-standing achievement in their career fields. It is the most distinguished honor granted by the Lewis College of Business (LCOB).

    “This year we have some very outstanding inductees into the Lewis College Business Hall of Fame,” said Dr. Chong Kim, dean of the College of Business. “Not only will we be recognizing four outstanding business leaders, but this also will be one of the first big events in our new alumni center. It also is a revitalization of the Hall of Fame since we have not had an induction since 2006.”

    The 2010 inductees are:

    • Mark A. Chandler, vice president and chief financial officer of Triana Engergy LLC and affiliated companies, graduated magna cum laude from Marshall University in 1981. He began his career in Huntington, rising within the ranks of public accounting to become a partner in the firm Lockhart and Chandler, CPA’s. He left public accounting to join Columbia Energy in 1989 and became the Chief Financial Officer of Columbia Natural Resources in 1996. Chandler later became one of the original partners in Triana Energy, where he served as vice president and CFO from 2001 until the company’s sale in 2005. He continued working with that team of entrepreneurs and currently serves as CFO for a number of successful energy related enterprises, including Triana Energy, Highlands Drilling and Appalachian Geophysical Services.

    • David Fox, III, vice president of business development with McJunkin Red Man Supply Company, graduated from Marshall University in 1971 with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration. His career began in the oil and gas industry in 1972 with Branchland Pipe & Supply, a family owned business started in 1921 by his grandfather, David Fox, Sr. Along with his family, Fox started Appalachian Pipe & Supply in 1984. It merged with the oil and gas division of McJunkin Corporation in 1989 to form the largest oil field supply company in the eastern United States. Fox served as senior vice president and managed overall operations. McJunkin was sold to Goldman Sachs in 2007.

    • James C. Justice, II, owner of The Greenbrier and The Greenbrier Sporting Club, and James C. Justice Companies, Inc., received his BS and MBA degrees from Marshall University. He served as captain of the Marshall University golf team his last two years. Justice joined the family business in 1976 and as a result of his strong interest in agriculture in 1977 he started Bluestone Farms, which is currently operating as Justice Family Farms, LLC. Under his direction, Justice Farms grew to be the largest cash grain operation on the east coast. After the death of his father in 1983, Justice became president and CEO of Bluestone Industries, In., and Bluestone Coal Corporation. In 2003, Justice founded the James C. Justice Companies, Inc., to further expand the coal reserve base and acquire additional mining operations.

    • John Leslie, owner of Leslie Equipment Company, graduated from Marshall University in 1974 with a bachelor’s degree in business management. He returned to his hometown of Cowen, W.Va., and bought his uncle’s half of Leslie Brothers Equipment Co., a John Deere equipment franchise. Leslie ran the business with his father until 1985, when he purchased his father’s half of the company to become the sole owner. Eventually, Leslie shortened the name to Leslie Equipment Co. and expanded the business in Cowen. Today, Leslie Equipment employs more than 250 people at 10 locations throughout West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky.

BB&T Chairman to deliver lecture Nov. 3 at Marshall University

HUNTINGTON – John A. Allison, Chairman of BB&T Corporation, the 10th-largest financial services holding company in the United States, will deliver the 2009 BB&T Discussion on American Capitalism Lecture at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3 at Marshall University.

Allison’s lecture, titled “Principled Leadership,” will take place in Corbly Hall 105 on Marshall’s Huntington campus. The event, which is open to the public, is sponsored by the BB&T Center for the Advancement of American Capitalism and Marshall’s Lewis College of Business.

The Center was established in 2008 as part of a $1 million grant from the BB&T Charitable Foundation. It is part of the Lewis College of Business.

“In a time when the ethics and abilities of financial institution executives are under scrutiny, John Allison is an example of what a leader should be,” said Dr. Cal Kent, Vice President for Business and Economic Research, and director of the BB&T Center for the Advancement of American Capitalism. “Under his leadership BB&T has remained profitable by sticking with the fundamental principals of sound banking. His high ethical code permeates the organization. If his example had been followed much of the nation’s current economic misery would not have come to pass. It is an honor to host him on our campus.”

Allison began his service with BB&T in 1971 and has managed a wide variety of responsibilities throughout the bank. He became president of BB&T in 1987 and was elected Chairman and CEO in July 1989. During Allison’s tenure as CEO from 1989 to 2008, BB&T grew from $4.5 billion to $152 billion in assets. In March 2009, he joined the faculty of Wake Forest University School of Business as Distinguished Professor of Practice.

Allison is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he received a B.S. degree in business administration in 1971. He received his master’s degree in management from Duke University in 1974. He also is a graduate of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking and has received Honorary Doctorate Degrees from Clemson University (2005), East Carolina University (1995), Mount Olive College (2002), Marymount University (2008), and Mercer University (2009). Allison received the Corning Award for Distinguished Leadership in 2009.

Marshall University Executive MBA class going to Chile

SOUTH CHARLESTON – Twenty-two professional students in the current Marshall University Executive Master of Business Administration class will embark on an international study abroad residency to Santiago, Chile, this Saturday.

The students, who have been studying together on Saturdays at Marshall’s South Charleston campus for the past 15 months, depart from Charleston Saturday afternoon and return to Charleston on Sunday, Oct. 11. While in Santiago, students will interact with locally owned and operated businesses and international companies during the weeklong residency abroad.

The excursion is an important part of the Marshall Executive MBA experience and involves five full days of class, lectures, presentations and on-site tours, said Dr. Uday Tate, director of the Executive MBA program.

“This is the last leg of the cohort’s journey,” Tate said. “Our students, who will graduate later this month, can now take the principles they have mastered in class and learned through their classmates and see how it comes together to work on an international level. This is an amazing opportunity for our students.”

While in Santiago, the cohort and accompanying professors will experience an economic briefing by the U.S. Department of Commerce at the U.S. Embassy, a presentation by the Association of Chilean Exporters, a tour of Drillco and a presentation by the nonprofit Endeavor on its role in the development of the mining-related company. Other presentations and tours include an overview of the continent’s economy given by BBVA’s chief economist for South America, a lecture at Adolfo Ibanez University on why Chile is one of Latin America’s most competitive economies, and a corporate presentation at the country’s largest and most successful wineries.

Students also will experience another American connection during a tour and overview of Finning, a Caterpillar dealer in the region, which was arranged by one of the Executive MBA students with connections and an interest in the mining and construction industries.

John Rulli to deliver Ruth E. Butler Executive in Residence Lecture Oct. 2 at Marshall

HUNTINGTON - Marshall University graduate John Rulli, executive vice president, chief administrative officer and president of Simon Management Group for Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group, Inc., will deliver the Ruth E. Butler Executive in Residence Lecture Friday, Oct. 2 at Marshall University.

Rulli, who received his Bachelor of Business Administration from Marshall in 1979, will speak at 11 a.m. in Corbly Hall, room 105, on Marshall's Huntington campus. The lecture is open to the public.

The Executive in Residence program was created in 1984 by Dr. Robert P. Alexander, then dean of the Lewis College of Business, with the purpose of providing students with the opportunity to hear and interact with successful business executives. The program provides role models with outstanding business experience related to students through lectures, discussions and informal dialogue.

Rulli is on the advisory board for Marshall's Lewis College of Business and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2006. He is vice chairman of the board for Indianapolis Downtown, Inc.

Simon Property Group is an S&P 500 company and the largest U.S. publicly traded real estate company. Simon Property Group is a fully integrated real estate company that operates from five retail real estate platforms: regional malls, Premium Outlet Centers, The Mills Corporation, community/lifestyle centers and international properties. The company currently owns or has an interest in approximately 380 properties in North America, Europe and Asia.

Prior to being appointed to his current position in 2007, Rulli was instrumental in building the operating foundation upon which Simon Property Group has grown. He has led the integration of all acquisitions including DeBartolo, CPI, IBM, New England Development Company and The Mills Corporation portfolios. Rulli has been a key member of the Simon Property Group management team for more than 20 years.