COBA Student Morgan Lineberry Signs with the Carolina Panthers

We have lots of opportunities to celebrate career accomplishments here in COBA, but rarely are these accomplishments in the field of athletics. Because of this rarity, the fact that COBA student and former ACU placekicker Morgan Lineberry just signed a three-year free agent contract with the Carolina Panthers is definite cause for celebration.

Morgan Lineberry

Morgan Lineberry

It can be incredibly challenging to be a student athlete, but Morgan says that his COBA professors have done nothing but support him in his goals to balance school and sports.

“The professors in COBA have been an absolute blessing,” he elaborates. “They have demonstrated tremendous understanding in scheduling dilemmas as well as going out of their way to make sure I understood any material I may have missed due to football. I can say with confidence that I respect them because they respect the rigors of every student-athlete.”

In addition to working with him on scheduling issues, Morgan’s professors have done a lot to help him grow as an individual, not just a student or athlete.

“My favorite times, just in general, have been the times I spent in the offices of my professors and the time I spent working on projects with my peers,” says Morgan. “Getting to see and work with people outside the realm of the classroom brings an entirely different life to the atmosphere of COBA.”

Dr. Andy Little, COBA’s business law professor, has enjoyed getting to know Morgan as a student and believes that he is an individual who will make COBA proud.

“Morgan is an outstanding kicker and an even better human being,” Dr. Little explains. “It’s been my privilege to work with him in two classes and a guided study project, and I’ve probably learned more from him than he learned from me.  He is a quick, analytical thinker who expresses himself well.  He’s the kind of person who makes me almost want to switch my football loyalties and become a raving Carolina Panthers fan.  Almost, but not quite.  But I will at least be following his career closely, and I wish him the best.”

Congratulations, Morgan!

 

 

 

COBA Honors New Members of Beta Gamma Sigma

On April 23rd, fourteen COBA students were honored at a luncheon celebrating their induction into Beta Gamma Sigma, a business honors society. Dr. Monty Lynn, acting dean of COBA, described this honor, saying, “Given that the top 20% of the junior and senior class and the top 10% of graduate students in COBA may be considered for membership, induction into BGS recognizes exceptional academic accomplishments.”

Ashley Crisp receives her certificate of membership

Ashley Crisp receives her certificate of membership

BGS is a significant honor because it takes into account the merit of both the students and the college of business.

“Only AACSB accredited schools of business are allowed to have a BGS chapter,” elaborates Dr. Lynn. “Internationally, BGS is recognized as the best academic performance in the best business schools. We’re glad that the diligence and talents of our students can be recognized by an international standard.”

Allie Rostron, one of the students who received this honor, was thankful for COBA’s acknowledgement.

“It was a great honor and I was very appreciative. It was nice to see my hard work pay off.”

    Dr. Don Pope cannot contain his excitement regarding the new BSG inductees

Dr. Don Pope could not contain his excitement as he presented Allie Rostron with her certificate of membership

Courtney Richardson, another award recipient, said that she feels her BGS membership is just one more example of the wide array of opportunities that COBA provides to its students.

 “I was honored to hear that I had been selected for Beta Gamma Sigma,” Courtney said. “COBA has been a special place for me already in my time at ACU, and the ability to join this prestigious honor society only added to the numerous opportunities COBA has presented to me.”

This year’s inductees come from a variety of majors and include the following students:

Ashton Bailey

Jonathan Bryant

Lauren Carr

Corbin Cross

Michael Davis

Jenny Dudensing

Olga Ivasina

Keegan Kinder

Emily Kruse

David Legler

Amy Morris

Courtney Richardson

Allie Rostron

Paul Valamides

You can learn more about Beta Gamma Sigma on their website: http://www.betagammasigma.org/. We’re incredibly proud of these students’ academic accomplishments and the incredible way that they represent COBA!

 

COBA Students Study Alternative Lighting Options

We are so proud of Dr. Monty Lynn’s International Poverty and Development class for the work they recently did researching alternative lighting sources. The project looked at alternative sources of lighting that could be used in the place of kerosene, which is a health hazard. The Optimist did a great write up on this project, which you can read here:

Business class addresses lighting problems abroad

We are incredibly thankful for the way our COBA students demonstrate what it looks like to apply the principles of business to something bigger than themselves!

The Class in Front of their Project

The project is on display in COBA this week

COBA Students Speak at National Conference

On April 3, four ACU students, accompanied by Dr. Vic McCracken, traveled to Washington D.C. in order to attend the IJM Student Conference and Global Prayer Gathering. These students made the trip as part of their involvement in ACU’s chapter of International Justice Mission, or IJM. IJM is committed to raising awareness and stopping trafficking around the world, whether that be sex trafficking, child soldiers, or forced labor.

Kayla, Carlee, and Sarah in D.C.

Kayla, Carlee, and Sarah in D.C.

The Global Prayer Gathering, an event at which students gather to pray and hear the stories of former trafficking victims and caseworkers from the field, was very meaningful to Carlee Finkelstein, a junior marketing major from Plano.

“For me it was really amazing to pray with people all across the world for IJM and their mission,” she explained. “As a college student I know that I can’t just write a huge check to IJM to help with their work, but I can pray and that is what God has called us to do.”

Kayla Lawrence, senior accounting major from Cross Plains, felt that the student conference provided a lot of insights on running an event like Justice Week, ACU’s annual event focusing on social justice.

“I learned the most at the student conference by hearing ideas from other schools on how we can improve our Justice Week even more,” she elaborated. “It was very interesting to talk with students from across the states and hear what events and strategies have worked on their campus to spread awareness and what earned the most success. I thought it was very helpful and we plan to incorporate some of those cool ideas into ACU Justice Week 2014!”

In addition to learning, a couple of ACU students were asked to speak at the Student Conference about Justice Week and the way their social justice organizations are run here on campus.

Sarah Ratliff, a senior marketing major from Lake Kiowa, who was asked to speak at the Student Conference, said she really enjoyed getting to talk about what IJM is doing here at ACU.

“Getting to go is so exciting,” she said, “but being asked to speak and display our leadership is another thing. I hope that we can continue to have great leaders that can continue to set a great example on campus and off so we can make more trips like this.”

There’s a lot of opportunity for COBA students to make a difference in the world, so be sure to check out opportunities like IJM!

 

The IJM Group in Washington D.C.

The IJM Group in Washington D.C.