by M. C. Jennings | Apr 14, 2016 | Uncategorized
The Springboard Ideas Challenge, sponsored by ACU’s Griggs Center for Entrepreneurship and Philanthropy, has undergone a restructuring for the upcoming competitions.
According to a recent ACU press release, Springboard, which launched in 2007, was created to allow local college students and members of the community a chance to pitch their ideas to local investors and possibly walk away with thousands of dollars in startup funding and other resources. Over the last nine years, the competition has awarded more than $400,000 in winnings to aspiring entrepreneurs.
For 2016, the program will make significant changes to the overall process.
“One of the biggest changes has been moving from a business plan to a business model competition,” Karen Heflin, Springboard program coordinator, said. “A business plan, which is what we’ve required in the past, is a lengthy report. A business model is more of a storyboard presentation with initial research done by participants. It gives aspiring entrepreneurs valuable information before they ever launch their business, helping them be more successful.”
In 2016, the Springboard Ideas Challenge made it easier for entrepreneurs across the Big Country to compete. These first round elevator pitch events for the Springboard Ideas Challenge-Community Division were hosted in Sweetwater, Brownwood/Early, Haskell, Abilene and Snyder, partnering with the Chambers of Commerce in each location to host the event. Participants presented a two-minute elevator pitch instead of submitting a plan or written application. Training and mentors were made available to teams that advanced past the first round of the competition. These resources help to prepare contestants to take their initial idea, and transform it into a working and applicable business model that investors would be interested in.
From those five first rounds, 15 teams advanced to the next round. They attended a business model training workshop at ACU on February 28th and are currently in the process of researching and preparing their business model.
They will present to another panel of live judges on Tuesday, May 10th. The competition will end in May with the top three teams presenting their final business model to a group of local investors for a chance to win $15,000. The top three teams will be chosen and will advance to the final round. The final round will be held at the Investors Lunch on Tuesday, May 24th at the Abilene Civic Center, from 11:45am-1:00pm. The teams will present their business models at the luncheon and a panel of local angel investors will determine the Grand P$2rize winner as well as the 2nd and 3rd place winners. Prizes to be awarded are: Grand Prize: $15,000, 2nd Place: $2,500, and 3rd Place: $2,500. Guests at the luncheon will include members from the area Chambers of Commerce, Economic Development Centers, Small Business Development Centers, and the Springboard Regional Entrepreneur Network.
The Springboard Ideas Challenge-ACU Division participants attended a business model training in early February, researched and then submitted a video presentation of their business model canvas on April 8th. The top teams presented their ideas to a live judging panel on April 14th. Winners will be announced at the Entrepreneur Fellows Program Lunch on April 20th in the Hunter Welcome Center.
For more information, visit acu.edu/springboard, call Karen Heflin at 325-674-6485 or email griggscenter@acu.edu.
by M. C. Jennings | Apr 12, 2016 | Uncategorized
What is your educational background?
PhD in Finance (Texas A&M University, 2012)
Master of International Business Studies (University of South Carolina, 1997)
Bachelor of Arts in International Studies (ACU, 1991)
Dr. Kyle Tippens
What is your work background?
Before getting my PhD, I worked for 13 years in various finance-related jobs at Dell, EDS (now part of HP), Swiss Bank Corporation–Germany (now part of UBS Germany), and Agency Management Services (now Vertafore). For these jobs we have lived in Round Rock, Plano, and College Station, Texas; Wellington, New Zealand; Frankfurt, Germany; and Rochester, New York. My wife can fill you in on the details and number of all our moves. (I need an emoticon here.)
What do you teach at ACU?
I usually teach courses in Personal Financial Planning (open to students of all majors) as well as Investments (usually for financial management or accounting majors). I have also taught a course in International Finance for study abroad, and I recently co-taught a graduate course called “Biblical Perspectives on Stewardship.”
What committees/other duties do you have at ACU aside from teaching?
I am on two research committees, one for COBA and one for ACU. I also try to visit with prospective students and answer their questions about COBA and ACU when they visit campus. Throughout the semesters and during the summer I try to carve out some time to move my research along. Finally, one of my favorite roles is helping coordinate “ACUFIFA,” which is a group of faculty, staff, and students who play football (i.e., soccer) twice a week. We often field one or two intramural teams each semester as well.
What drew you to teaching? Why did you want to work with students?
Teaching is in the blood in my family: my great-grandfather, grandfather, and father have all taught students in secondary or higher education. Initially I had no plans to follow in their footsteps and pursued a career in business. Over time, however, my desire to do deeper research and to help students understand more about business, finance in particular, led me to follow a call to further education and a career in teaching and research. A handful of mentors in my life (including former COBA Dean Rick Lytle) also encouraged me to make that decision.
Kyle working with his dad, Dr. Darryl Tippens on a non-scholastic project
What’s the best part of working with students?
Working with students means that no two days are ever the same. I love to learn, and as any teacher knows, there is no better way to learn than to teach. I learn from students as well. When students are open to it, I really appreciate the discussions and relationships that can form among us inside and outside of the classroom as we seek to learn and grow.
Have you ever given up any big opportunities to keep working with students?
My biggest (and my family’s biggest) sacrifice came in the middle of my finance career when I quit a good job with Dell in 2007, we sold our house, and we moved to College Station in order for me to embark on a five-year PhD degree with little income. It was a tough experience on all of us, and more than once I had second thoughts about the plan.
The Tippens Family
Outside of teaching, what passions and hobbies do you have?
I spend a lot of time with my family. My wife and I have two daughters, a 15-year-old and an 8-year-old. My parents now live in Abilene also, and we often try to visit with my in-laws from Corpus Christi, Texas. Our family loves to travel, both domestically and internationally, and we sometimes go camping. Our church life is important to us as well.
I like to play soccer (both indoor and outdoor); I’m currently on the “Ten Plagues” intramural team. In the past I also enjoyed racquetball and squash. I enjoy going to concerts of many different kinds, but I don’t go as often as I’d like.
What is a good, early story about your teaching?
I was blessed to hear back from a student I had in my very first semester at ACU. He took my Personal Financial Planning class, then graduated and moved to another state for his first full-time job. He wrote me back a couple of months later and told me how specific topics and assignments had been a blessing to him in his new career. I always appreciate hearing back from students.
Tell me about a project or accomplishment that you consider to be the most significant in your career.
Although you may mean my current career, I am going to reach back to a career I had much longer than this one. There is something about a shared, difficult experience that bonds people together. When I worked for EDS in New Zealand, I was on a project team that was bidding on a 10-year, $800 million contract to manage Telecom NZ’s information technology infrastructure. I was on the finance team that was running all the numbers, putting all the pieces together and rolling it into the high-level proposal. We were on conference calls at weird hours of the night with senior management (due to time zone differences) and often stayed very late other nights. It was the most intense work I have ever done, but it was also great to work with a team like that. EDS won the contract and I was able to stick around for a few more months as the deal became reality. Although I would not be physically and emotionally able to work like that for long periods of time, it was an incredible, fun, and satisfying experience.
Do you do any charity or non-profit work?
I am the treasurer for our widows’ and widowers’ ministry at church, and I am on the stewardship team (elsewhere known as the “budget committee”). My wife and I lead middle school small groups on Sundays. This summer the whole family will be volunteering for a few days at Best Friends Animal Society in Utah. (I confess that I am the least excited of the group.)
Who is your role model, and why?
While I want to be Christ-like more than anything else, I have a composite role model: I want to emulate certain things about some very important people in my life.
Who was your most inspirational professor and why?
Two in particular come to mind. I had Physics with Mr. Steve Mathis my senior year in high school in Edmond, Oklahoma. He made the subject so incredibly fun and interesting that I came to ACU as an Engineering Physics major. (I later changed majors after getting tired of studying electrons.) He was extremely knowledgeable and demanding but at the same time was very humble and likeable. It probably helped that I was (and am) in complete awe of the power of physics as a discipline.
The next year as a freshman at ACU, I had Dr. Tony Ash for “Life and Teachings of Jesus.” I had never experienced the gospels in the way that he taught them. I found it exhilarating. He also spent a lot of time going through information about each student at the beginning of each class. He did his best to find some special connection with each student: “I had your aunt in class.” “I used to preach in Podunk, Texas. Did you know Betty Wilson there?” That was amazing also.
If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why?
The kind of answer I might have come up with as a 12-year-old still seems appealing: I’d like the power to be able to switch superpowers at will. Maybe I’d like to be able to fly today, but tomorrow I might want to be invisible. The day after that I might want to be able to keep everyone in a warm room just after lunch from falling asleep. (Purely hypothetical, of course!)
What is something that students might be surprised to find out about you?
I really enjoyed playing the tuba in high school and college. I was in All-State Band and All-State Orchestra in high school, and I was in the Big Purple and the Abilene Intercollegiate Orchestra in college. One of these days I wouldn’t mind getting back into it, if I can find the time.
What would you really want students and alums to know about you?
Although ACU is much different today than when I chose to come here as a student in 1987, I still appreciate ACU and what it stands for. I love working with the students here and I have never enjoyed working with colleagues more than I do here.
by M. C. Jennings | Apr 7, 2016 | Academics, COBA Events, COBA Faculty, COBA Staff, College Decisions, Current Students, Faith Infusion, Uncategorized
On Tuesday, March 29th, generous donors and scholarship recipients enjoyed a luncheon in memory of Ruth Allen Griggs. Ruth’s children, Jack Griggs and Ann Griggs Berger, along with their respective spouses Ann Griggs and the late Bob Berger, established an endowment in 2015 to honor their mother and her spirit of generosity by having a yearly luncheon bringing together COBA donors and students. The goal for the endowment is to honor and thank donors for the scholarships given to the College of Business that allow so many students to attend ACU and to participate in many of the experiential learning opportunities that COBA offers.
COBA students Bailey Thomas, senior marketing major from Lubbock, and Jack Oduro, junior accounting major from Garland, spoke to the audience about what receiving COBA scholarships has meant to them and the impact that it has had on their education and experiences at ACU. Jack said, “A relationship with a donor is usually one with some distance; however, it was humbling to be in deeper conversations with the men and women who have sacrificed time, money and energy in making my experience at COBA great. It (the luncheon) was one of the most effective avenues to allow donors to meet who their resources are developing and to give students the opportunity to express our profound appreciation. ”
Don Crisp, accounting alumnus (class of 1964) from Dallas, spoke about he and his wife, Carol’s experiences as young college students at then Abilene Christian College. Mr. Crisp encouraged donors to continue to pour into the lives of students at ACU and exhorted current students to give back to students in the future.
Dr. Brad Crisp, interim Dean for the College of Business, said “COBA’s donors make so many things possible. Their generosity eases the burden of tuition on our students and enables us to constantly innovate in our goal to consistently provide high quality educational experiences. We’re so thankful for their support and giving spirit.”
by M. C. Jennings | Apr 5, 2016 | Academics, COBA Faculty, Mobile Learning, Research, Uncategorized
What is your educational background?
DA, Middle Tennessee State Univ, 1998.
Major: Economics
MBA, Belmont University, 1989.
Major: Business Administration
BBus, University of Western Sydney, 1987
Major: Marketing
Mcert, Blacktown Technical College, 1982
Mitchell High School, Blacktown, N.S.W. Australia, 1975
(All my degrees after high school were done part time while working full time.)
Dr. Ian Shepherd
What is your work background?
Partner, One Pulse. (May 2010 – Present).
Vice President of Operations, Gradeslayer Inc. (October 2005 – Present).
Professor Management Sciences, Abilene Christian University. (2003 – Present).
Associate Professor and Department Chair, Harris College of Business, Faulkner University. (2002 – 2003).
Vice President, Aussie Delivery Services. (July 2006 – Present).
Director of Finance, New Horizons. (June 2007 – May 2009).
Assistant Vice President, Logistics Systems, INGRAM BOOK GROUP. (2001 – 2002).
Assistant Vice President, Consumer Direct Fulfillment, INGRAM FULFILLMENT SERVICES. (1996 – 2001).
Director of Purchasing Operations, INGRAM BOOK COMPANY. (1991 – 1996).
Marketing Research Manager, Dollar General Corporation. (1987 – 1988).
Materials Controller, Alcan Australia Limited. (1978 – 1987).
Inspectors Clerk, New South Wales Police Department. (1976 – 1978).
Hole digger, Metropolitan Water Sewage and Drainage Board (1975)
What do you teach at ACU?
Undergraduate:
• Macroeconomics
• Microeconomics
• Managerial Economics
• International Business
• Operations
Graduate:
• Leadership
• Economics Boot Camp
• Organizational Behavior
• Human Resource Management
What committees/other duties do you have at ACU aside from teaching?
UGEC
What drew you to teaching? Why did you want to work with students?
I have always wanted to teach at the college level. I just had to get ready to do so.
What’s the best part of working with students?
Seeing that look when someone really gets what you are talking about.
Have you ever given up any big opportunities to keep working with students?
50% pay cut to teach.
Lived away from my family for a year to make the teaching profession happen.
Outside of teaching, what passions and hobbies do you have?
Home projects and fishing.
What is a good, early story about your teaching?
I try to use life experiences to get the importance of economic topics across to students. Here is one of my favorite class moments….
The work bag lesson!
It sits in my office.
It sits on my desk in plain view.
Sometimes it goes unnoticed.
Usually no one asks about it.
Today, however, its story was told to my 9:30 am Macroeconomics class. I would be talking about the value of work and how work changes the legacy of your family. I had no better example than what sat at the front of our class. For the entire class my dad’s work bag sat in front of my 100 students. Each student sat there wondering what was going on. I was about to tell them.
Ian and his father, Cliff Shepherd
Cliffy (Cliff Shepherd for those who did not know him) grew up in Kurrajong at the base of the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. A boy from the bush. He won awards for farming at the county and state shows and can be seen in the attached picture with a serious crop of corn almost 12 feet high. Growing up, dad only finished through the 8th grade. He was a good worker. He worked hard on his dad’s (Cecil’s) farm. I guess he would have stayed farming had he not met the young pretty girl Audrey at a church function. At first Auds (Audrey) did not like dad. She told us she threw stones at him to get him to go away. But as you all know, hate is love in disguise. The boy from the bush and the girl from Granville “Lell in Fove” and were married on New Year’s Eve 1955.
After completing his national service and marrying mum dad was offered a job at Alcan Australia Limited in Granville. It was nowhere near the bush and so different than anything dad had ever experienced. I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that it was mum’s father, Jim Byrnes (a manager at Alcan) that got dad the job. I guess he was looking out for his daughter, Audrey. The job was not a fancy job. It was a case maker. You nailed together boxes to ship the aluminium (yes that spelling is intentional my American friends) sheets, coil, or extrusions. It was (at this time) 6 days a week (5 full days and half day on Saturday).
My first memories of dad as a child were of waking very early on Saturday mornings. Other families would sleep in and enjoy the day, but not ours. At 5:30 am I would here rustling around in the kitchen. It was methodical. The fridge door would open. You would hear items being fumbled and stacked on the table in the darkness. You would then hear items being returned to the fridge. All the time dad would try to be quiet but not quite pull it off. Things would be dropped. Messes would be made. Noises were inevitable. Then you would hear the sandwich, fruit, and drink being placed in the squeaky work bag in preparation for the 6th work day of the week.
I would lay in bed complaining in my head about why this man was keeping me awake! Then I would hear the bag. He would picked it up and as he carried it out the door on the way to work its handle would squeak as it rocked back and forth with each step. Why! I would ask myself. Its 5:30 am when normal people were sleeping. It took fifty or so years for me to grasp what was going on. Each squeak of that handle on each of those 5:30 am mornings was teaching me a lesson. You do what you need to do to take care of your family.
This man, with an eight grade education would go through this routine every day of the week, except for Sundays, for most of his life. I never heard him complain about it. He just did it.
Over the next 45 to 50 years, that young bush boy got out of bed and took that lunch bag to his job. At first he hammered nails. He was good at it. He was also the kind of guy that people liked to be around so dad worked well with people. I can remember when they made him foreman and gave him his own shift to run. I remember when they made him warehouse supervisor in charge of inventory location and movement. I remember when they moved him to work in transportation. Finally, dad was running the warehouse, distribution and transportation nationally for Alcan. Each day, the same thing. Get up, go through the bag loading ritual, work hard, and care for your family. It did not matter that dad had only an eighth grade education. Having little education does not mean you’re stupid. Having no drive to care for your family is stupid, he would tell me. Dad always did what he said he would do. He had promised to care for his family, and for 45 or more years he did that every day without complaint.
When dad retired due to poor health, the bag was stored in the tool shed. It lay there for years gathering dust. I found it two years ago while cleaning out the shed and when Sue (my sister) asked if we should toss it I said no…! It meant too much to me. That day, the enormity of those 45 years of squeaky handle noises struck home.
As kids, we never wanted for anything. We were poor, but we were not in need. We went without, but we were never hungry. We had no TV, flush toilet, or carpet on the floor, but we laughed and loved. We had sheets for curtains and no heat in the house and yet it was a warm place for our family to gather. We played cricket down the driveway with the neighborhood kids and we drove old hand me down Holdens (Chevrolets).
When I look back now I can see his plan. You live your life to make the next generation’s legacy a better legacy than the one you were given. To do that, you have to work hard and be a consistent example to that next generation. The goal is to make things better. If that means hammering nails at 6 am on Saturday, then that is what I will do to make life better for my kids.
That boy from the bush raise three kids and loved his wife. Between them the three children have 8 degrees, the lowest of which is a master’s degree and one a doctorate. They are teachers, executives, and government servants, all with their own homes and families. Not a bad effort on Cliffy’s part if you ask me. Not bad at all.
So the boy from the bush who couldn’t rub two pennies together when he met mum had his story told in class today. As I sit here writing this tome after teaching that class I wonder if the students got the importance of what I was telling them. I can tell you what I got out of that class…..? I suddenly had the desire to be woken up at 5:30 am on a cold Saturday morning as that squeaky bag handle rattles its way to the back door for the ten thousandth time, but this time I get out of bed and I hug the man who made me who I am, and I thank him for what he did to make my life as easy as it is today. Good one Cliffy…good one…!
So what can we learn from this experience?
1. You sometimes don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.
2. Persistence makes perfect! Well, at least it teaches us to keep going.
3. What dad worked for took many decades to come to fruition. A good lesson for the “I want it now” generation in patience.
4. Do what you say you will do!
5. You will miss those annoying traits of your loved ones once they are gone.
6. You can’t make Devon (bologna) and sauce sandwiches quietly in the dark.
7. The rustle of a re-used bread bag to wrap a sandwich can frustrate small children.
8. I’d say “oil that handle,” but then I probably would not have had this story to tell.
Tell me about a project or accomplishment that you consider to be the most significant in your career.
The iPad initiative. Interview with CNBC on national television.
Brent Reeves and Ian Shepherd
Do you do any charity or non-profit work?
No, just regular church work.
Who is your role model, and why?
I have had two great men who have influenced me. The first is, my father, who taught me about life and the church and led by example. The second, my father-in-law who modeled continuing education and study to me.
Who was your most inspirational professor and why?
Most influential was a high school teacher at Mitchell High School in Blacktown in Australia. He taught business and commerce. His name was Max Wilson. He believed in me and made me feel like I could be successful at anything I put my mind to!
If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why?
Invisibility – so I can sleep all day and no one could find me.
What is something that students might be surprised to find out about you?
I slept with my current wife for 6 weeks prior to our wedding in Australia. Of course, I married her twice. Once in Stephenville TX for her side of the family. Then six weeks later for my side of the family in Australia. So, I have been married twice. To the same woman.
We have had three children, but only two are living now.
I played rugby and cricket in Australia.
I also played defensive lineman for the Argonauts in the Australian American Football League in Sydney, Australia.
I have written a humorous book of life stories entitled: “Life Lessons: A roadmap to surviving life’s twists and turns.” Available from Amazon.
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Ian and Dee Ann
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Ian and Dee Ann
What would you really want students and alums to know about you?
Born in Sydney in 1956 to Cliff and Audrey Shepherd, Ian spent the first six years of his life living in Granville, a working class suburb of Sydney, with his parents and grandparents. These formative years were spent mostly under the tutelage of his grandmother who provided day care while the rest of the family worked hard to get their own home built. Some of the early stories of his life date to this period and give an interesting insight into the mind of an active young Aussie with time on his hands.
In 1962 the family moved to their new home in Blacktown, a small outer rim suburb of Sydney that had just begun development. The author spent the next twenty-five years in this area completing high school and finalizing a degree in Marketing from the University of Western Sydney (Nepean). It was during these years that the importance of family and church were imprinted on his impressionable mind.
In 1979 Ian married a lifelong friend, Dee Ann Roper a missionary’s daughter, and took up residence in Marayong, a suburb of Sydney. After living and working in the area for nine years they made plans to further their education in America. In 1987 Ian and Dee Ann moved to Nashville Tennessee where they both entered school, Ian to complete his M.B.A. and Dee Ann to complete her Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education. It was during this time that Tabitha (1988), James (1990 deceased) and Ethan (1991) their children were born.
Ian spent many years working in industry in both Australia and the United States. In all his experience he was noted as having a unique sense of humor regarding the workplace and his home life. “After all,” Ian would say, “If I can’t laugh at the silly and stupid things I have done, my life would be pretty boring?” He is also known to tell a good story around the campfire.
After completing his M.B.A. Ian continued his education while working and in 1998 completed a Doctor of Arts degree in Economics from Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. In July of 2003, Ian moved to Abilene Texas where he is now a Tenured Professor in Economics and teaching online and in the new MBA program.
Ian calls himself a “humorist”, trying to see the funny side of all the events that befall us in life. His stories and humor reflect on the everyday man and his ability to find joy in the simplest of things, mainly his own stupidity.
Ian has lived in the USA for 29 years, but only this year did he become a US citizen. He waited to do so because of his mum (who passed away last year in Australia). His wife (Dee Ann) is a Senior CPA with Davis Kinard in Abilene Texas. Ian has two living children, Ethan Shepherd who graduated from ACU and is an HR Manager at Abilene Regional Hospital, and Tabitha Shepherd who graduated with her masters from the Boston Conservatory. Tabitha teaches in Oregon. Ian’s son, James died at birth.
Ian loves ACU and the environment in which the school molds young lives for Christian Business Service.
by M. C. Jennings | Mar 24, 2016 | Academics, Accounting, Careers In..., COBA Faculty, Faith Infusion, MAcc, Uncategorized
What is your education background?
Ph.D., University of Florida, 1990 – major in Accounting and minor in Finance
M.S., Abilene Christian University, 1984 – major in Religious Education
B.B.A., Abilene Christian University, 1980 – major in Accounting
Dr. John Neill
What is your work background?
I began my career as a Programmer Analyst and Corporate Accountant with Pennzoil Company, working for them from 1980-1983. I spent a year as an Accounting Instructor for ACU from 1984-1985, moving from ACU to the University of Florida as a Research and Teaching Assistant from 1986-1990. I then began my work in academia, serving as an Assistant Professor at Florida State University from 1990-1997, as an Associate Professor at Chapman University from 1997-2000, and then moving to ACU where I began in 2000 as an Associate Professor. I now serve as the Chair of the Department of Accounting and Finance and am a Professor of Accounting.
What do you teach at ACU?
I teach Intermediate Accounting II and Advanced Accounting.
What committees/other duties do you have at ACU aside from teaching?
I am the Chair of the Accounting and Finance Department and the Director of the Master of Accountancy Program.
John, Natalie, and Karene Neill
What drew you to teaching? Why did you want to work with students?
In 1984 and 1985 I was working on a master’s degree in Bible at ACU. During that time, I was asked to teach one sophomore level accounting course per semester. I was surprised to learn how much I enjoyed that experience and it caused me to want to get a Ph.D. in accounting so I could continue to teach accounting at the university level.
What’s the best part of working with students?
I think the most rewarding aspect of teaching is that I get to see students grow up and mature over time.
Have you ever given up any big opportunities to keep working with students?
No, I have never considered doing anything else in the last 25 years.
Outside of teaching, what passions and hobbies do you have?
I am a graduate of the University of Florida, and I really enjoy watching Florida sporting events on TV. I also like to travel. In my younger days, I was an avid runner and I ran three marathons and a number of half marathons. I still enjoy exercising, but injuries have caused me to stop running.
Tell me about a project or accomplishment that you consider to be the most significant in your career.
I was invited to be a panelist at the Bentley University Global Business Ethics Symposium in Madrid, Spain in 2007. I also feel a sense of accomplishment every time one of my research papers is published.
Do you do any charity or non-profit work?
My wife and I deliver Meals on Wheels on Thursdays. We have had the same route for many years.
John and Karene Neill
Who is your role model and why?
I can’t think of a specific individual who I would consider my role model. However, I have great respect for anyone who takes pride in their work and lives their life with integrity.
Who was your most inspirational professor and why?
I have always had great respect for Dr. John Willis. When I was in his classes, I could tell how much he cared for his students. His mastery of the subject matter always impressed me also.
What is something that students might be surprised to find out about you?
I mentioned this earlier, but I think most of my current students would be surprised to know that I ran the Chicago (2002), Marine Corps (2003), and the New York City (2004) marathons. Sadly, age and injuries have now forced me to exercise on an elliptical while watching Netflix (I especially like BBC shows) on my iPad.
What would you really want students and alums to know about you?
I want students and alums to know how much I enjoy teaching at ACU. I believe in Christian education and in our mission in COBA.
by M. C. Jennings | Mar 10, 2016 | Academics, COBA Staff, College Decisions, Current Students, Faith Infusion, Uncategorized
What is your educational background?
I have a B.S. degree from Lubbock Christian College from back in the “dark ages”.
Karen Viertel
What is your work background?
I have been a business manager for a medical clinic, a school nurse/secretary, and an academic advisor. My most important work has been being a mom and now grandmother.
What do you do at ACU/COBA?
I am so privileged to serve as an academic advisor in COBA. I have been here for more than 10 years and I.LOVE.MY.JOB.
The three Amigos. Karen Viertel, Samantha Matta and Nuria Hall.
What drew you to work at ACU? Why did you want to work with students?
What drew me here was the opportunity to work with students every day. No two days are the same and it is NEVER boring. I love watching the life metamorphosis that happens between a student’s freshman year and graduation day. It’s truly remarkable to witness and I get to have a front-row seat for the whole show!! Most come to college scared and afraid and not sure at all about what they want to do after college. To watch them grow wings and be ready to fly off to a new job or adventure upon graduation, ready for the world is a pretty incredible feeling.
Outside of ACU, what passions and hobbies do you have?
My husband Mark and I operate a large family ranch north of Abilene. There we raise cattle and LOVE to build things: fences, houses, good memories. I enjoy “junkin’” and repurposing furniture, etc. I love a good flea market or junk store almost more than anything. My favorite thing to do is to be with my family. We have two grown children, both married and now two grandsons. At ages 3 years and 7 months, they are simply amazing. I can’t get enough of them.
What is a good, early story about your first job or when you were in college?
I remember landing my first job as a business manager for the only obstetrician in the small town we lived in, just prior to college graduation. I had NO IDEA what I was doing but he was patient and I worked hard to soak up everything I could while I was there. In the two years I worked for him, we made tremendous improvements in office efficiency and accuracy. Plus, I learned a lot about teamwork. Without the ability to be a team player, you severely restrict your effectiveness in any organization. Work chemistry is essential.
Do you do any charity or non-profit work?
Yes. Mark and I are very involved with Global Samaritan, Dry Bones in Denver and our church family. I also really love to help with Meals on Wheels.
Mark and Karen Viertel
Who is your role model and why?
My grandmother has always been my role model, but now I would also add my mom. Granny was a very strong woman that raised two children, one of which became my equally strong mother. My mom became a widow at 28 and managed to raise myself and two sisters with the help of her widowed mother. I look back now and wonder how they did it. My mom was a rancher/farmer. She drove a tractor, plowed fields and pulled calves – not the type of work any other mothers at the time did. They both showed us that being a strong woman is a good thing. As a result, I’ve always been pretty much of a tomboy and am very at-home with outdoorsy ranching pursuits and I don’t shy away from hard, manual labor. In fact, I like it. It’s good for the soul.
Who was your most inspirational professor and why?
I would list two teachers: Dr. Gary Evans at LCC. He was my first college Bible teacher and he will never know the impact he had on my life and thinking about being a Christian. Incredible man and mentor. Also, Dr. Christa Dobbs, my accounting teacher. She was an amazing woman and fantastic teacher.
If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why?
The ability to fly and also time-travel. I mean, come on…who wouldn’t?
What is something that students might be surprised to find out about you?
I LOVE to travel, I know how to use a cutting torch and enjoy ranch work. I am learning how to weld.
by M. C. Jennings | Feb 25, 2016 | Uncategorized
What is your educational background?
1997 ACU: BBA in Marketing, Minor in Bible
2003 ACU: MS in Psychology
2008 Indiana University: Joint PhD in Cognitive Psychology and Cognitive Science
Dr. Ryan Jessup
What is your work background?
After finishing my undergraduate degree I designed websites for several companies while also serving as a salesman in training for LL Sams, Inc., in Cameron, Texas, a church furniture manufacturer. I later became their regional sales manager in Atlanta, Georgia. My dad called me a “pew peddler.” After finishing my PhD, I became a research scientist at Trinity College Dublin in Dublin, Ireland, followed by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, California. In both locations I used functional neuroimaging (fMRI) and mathematical modeling to understand human neural activity as it engaged in decision making and learning.
What do you teach at ACU?
I teach Marketing Research, Consumer Behavior, and Data Mining, as well as occasional courses, including a graduate course on analytics and honors courses on topics such as cognitive science or Christian apologetics.
What committees/other duties do you have at ACU aside from teaching?
I serve on the faculty senate, the COBA AACSB continuing improvement working group, the undergraduate research council, the undergraduate research festival planning committee, and as the chair of the COBA research team and the faculty representative on the ACIMCO board.
What drew you to teaching? Why did you want to work with students?
Undergraduates are special. They are bursting with potential, sort of like those little toy cars that you pull back to wind up – when you let go you never know where they’ll end up. Just like those toy cars, undergrads need to be carefully “aimed” so that they fulfill their potential while still maintaining integrity. It is our job to help aim the students, a responsibility I do not take lightly. It can be challenging and humbling because I make my share of mistakes, often causing me to ask “who am I to ‘aim’ these students when I am so filled with error?”
Outside of teaching, what passions and hobbies do you have?
I very much love my family and getting to spend time with them. It has been a tiring joy to build a family with my beloved wife and watch our kids grow.
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The Jessup Family
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Ryan and Elisa Jessup
Also, I enjoy playing soccer. I have been blessed to play it everywhere I’ve lived. Since returning to ACU, I joined with a few other faculty to start a faculty/staff and grad student intramural soccer team named “Sunflowers of Death.” For a bunch of old dudes we have been surprisingly competitive, finishing second in four out of our last six seasons.
Our faculty/staff/grad student fleet of teams: Sunflowers of Death and Ten Plagues
I also love gardening and have peach trees, blackberry vines, and a blueberry shrub, along with a variety of flowering shrubs. And, I also enjoy a wide variety of music, from Sinatra to Sibelius and from Miles Davis to Willie and Merle.
Peaches from the Jessup Peach Orchard
What is a good, early story about your teaching?
The first semester I taught Data Mining I introduced “cheese day” – a day on which I bring fancy cheeses (brie, smoked applewood Cheddar, Wensleydale with raspberries, etc.), crackers, and sparkling grape juice to class. It was a rainy day and not long after class began the fire alarm went off. So, we decided that we would bring all of our fancy cheeses and grape juice outside with us. It was quite memorable to look at all the students in other classes standing out in the drizzle while we sat under a covered area, enjoying our fancy snacks. Because we had a French student, Chloe Susset, with us, I also brought in some American Flavored Cheez Whiz. With sufficient coaxing she reluctantly gave it a taste. She wasn’t converted to Cheez Whiz, but I think many of the other students were converted to the wonders of fancy cheese.
Tell me about a project or accomplishment that you consider to be the most significant in your career.
When I was a grad student at Indiana I had a paper published in the journal Psychological Science. Even though I have had articles accepted in higher impact journals, to this day it is still my favorite article I’ve ever written.
Do you do any charity or non-profit work?
I coach kids’ soccer, serve on the missions committee at church, and am a member of Hillcrest Singers.
Who is your role model, and why?
Well, this requires a multi-dimensional response. My dad, Wade Jessup, has been an excellent role model for me. He modeled how to be a hard worker in your job, how to raise a family, and be a faithful Christian servant. Since coming to ACU, I have tried to mimic and learn from Don Pope. His incredible humility and willingness to do what no one else seems to do is so foreign to me. I hope when I get as old as him to be half as far as him in my ability to “in humility, consider others better than myself.” Good thing I still have a lot more years before I get to that stage (also, Don is pretty good at taking a joke).
If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why?
Is synesthesia a superpower? I’ve often wanted to experience it.
What is something that students might be surprised to find out about you?
I was kicked off my hall (Mabee 3rd West) as a freshman. The reasons are a bit hazy, but it may have had something to do with the fact that we enjoyed watching sunsets out an open window at the end of the hall… or that we threw water balloons out of it at unsuspecting joggers… or perhaps because we glued the window open after the dorm director (Sherwin Abraham) had it glued shut.
by M. C. Jennings | Feb 24, 2016 | Academics, Careers In..., COBA Staff, College Decisions, Current Students, MBA, School of Information Technology and Computing, Uncategorized
What is your educational background?
I received my bachelors in Public Relations and Advertising from Hardin-Simmons University and I will complete my masters in Higher Education from ACU in 2016.
Jenni Williams
What is your work background?
My first job was in PR for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. This was an amazing opportunity and had a great impact on my life. I learned so much from the wish kids and will always be grateful for that opportunity.
Following that role, I began working in Higher Education in 2004. I have worked in several areas of Higher Ed at two universities, including campus visits, financial aid, admissions, student life, retention, recruiting, event coordination, and student services.
What do you do at ACU?
I manage the recruiting process for SITC and assist in bringing new students to ACU. Additionally, I manage marketing communication to current and prospective students. I also play a role in other areas in SITC, including coordination of special events, SITC news, and staff contact for Women in Tech.
What’s the best part of working with students?
I love working with students! It is so amazing to watch students transition from their first visit to campus through to their graduation. I play a small role in their ACU experience and I love being able to share in this transformational process. I enjoy being able to encourage and cheer on students as they take on new challenges, navigate their demanding schedules, and ultimately, interview for jobs. We are able to witness the process of development from the front row. While it is sometimes painful, there is nothing quite like sharing in the moments when they realize that they are capable of more than they imagined.
Have you ever given up any big opportunities to keep working with students?
No. I’m right where I want to be.
Outside of work, what passions and hobbies do you have?
So many things. First and foremost, I have an amazing husband and two precious daughters that I love very much. Our girls keep us extremely busy and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I also love baking and have a sugar cookie business. This hobby-turned-business started out by making cookies for my daughters’ class parties. I really love the creative and artistic outlet!
The Williams Family having fun
Tell me about a project or accomplishment that you consider to be the most significant in your career.
At this juncture, completing my masters will be a huge accomplishment. I have enjoyed the entire process and love how it has cultivated a passion for learning.
Do you do any charity or non-profit work?
I am on the parent council at Alliance for Women and Children.
Who is your role model, and why?
I have a strong network of men and women in my life, who have taught me a great deal about living life. They have served as spiritual, professional, and personal mentors. They have guided me in times of uncertainty and doubt, as well as times of joy and success. I have learned what it means to love others, how to be a better parent, how to walk through challenges and failures, and how to live a life worthy of the calling placed on my life.
Who was your most inspirational professor and why?
Several professors come to mind, but one of the most inspirational was Dr. Susan Piggott. She was one of my Bible profs and I had her for Theological Research and Writing (I was a Bible major at one point). That course was easily one of the most challenging courses I had in undergrad. Dr. Piggott had a reputation of being a pretty tough teacher. When it came time for me to take her course, I experienced this first hand. However, I learned so much from her about questioning preconceived ideas and learning to think on my own. Some of her ideas conflicted with mine, allowing me to examine why I believed what I believed. This experience strengthened my faith and propelled my spiritual development.
If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why?
Power over time, hands down. Primarily to slow down time. Obviously, this would be helpful for accomplishing a lot. However, I think it would be more useful for the ability to slow down and cherish the priceless moments that are over too quickly.
The Williams Family
What is something that students might be surprised to find out about you?
I love Christmas and have a sizable collection of Christmas paraphernalia, which nearly fills up our entire storage shed, seven Christmas trees, and over 700 Christmas songs in my iTunes library. It’s absolutely my favorite time of the year.
What would you really want students and alums to know about you?
I have spent 11 years in higher education working with students in some facet. In this time, I have learned that there is so much more to college than awarding degrees. I view this as a calling. I have the opportunity to impact students in a measurable way, by simply being here. I am committed to the holistic development of students as they explore their identity in relation to others and to God. I will not have all the answers, but I am always available to listen, encourage, and pray for students.
by M. C. Jennings | Feb 16, 2016 | Academics, COBA Faculty, Current Students, Uncategorized
What is your educational background?
BS Psychology ACU
MSIA Purdue
PhD Oklahoma State
Dr. Mark Phillips
What is your work background?
2 years industry (quality engineer), 10 years full-time ministry
What do you teach at ACU?
Management, General Business, Marketing
What committees/other duties do you have at ACU aside from teaching?
Department Chair of Management Sciences, Sponsor of American Marketing Association
What drew you to teaching? Why did you want to work with students?
As long as I can remember I have loved learning…and sharing what I learn with others. In my previous jobs I did lots of things but I always kept coming back to the parts that related to teaching others, which I enjoyed the most.
What’s the best part of working with students?
Just being around them. This is one of the most awesome phases of life and I love getting to experience it with them.
Have you ever given up any big opportunities to keep working with students?
Several years ago I had to choose between becoming a fashion model, an NBA Center, and a professor. Professor was my second choice, so I went with that.
Outside of teaching, what passions and hobbies do you have?
My wife Laura and I love to ride our bikes, which we do regularly when the temperature is above 60 and the wind is below 10. I’m also in the middle of remodeling a house.
Mark and Laura repping the purple and white
Tell me about a project or accomplishment that you consider to be the most significant in your career.
Several years ago President Schubert asked me to lead a year-long task-force to assess the education landscape and figure out where ACU fits. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done, but also one of the most rewarding.
Do you do any charity or non-profit work?
Most of my outside time is invested at church, where I frequently teach classes and occasionally preach.
If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why?
To have the powerful hair of Sampson.
What is something that students might be surprised to find out about you?
For my 50th birthday I got a tattoo. I’m still deciding what to do for my 60th.
What would you really want students and alums to know about you?
That beyond the stuff we do in class, which I really enjoy and try to make good, I genuinely care about them, their futures, and their lives. I think our classes are important, but there are many, many things that have longer-lasting impact and I hope they find those while at ACU.
by M. C. Jennings | Feb 9, 2016 | Academics, Careers In..., COBA Staff, Current Students, Uncategorized
What is your educational background?
B.B.A. in Marketing from ACU.
M.B.A. in Management from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. The company I worked for was based in the Bay Area. When I moved from the field office in Denver to the corporate headquarters, the company paid for me to get my M.B.A. This was very convenient. Golden Gate University is located in downtown San Francisco, but their East Bay campus was located where the company I worked for, Triad’s Systems Corporation, was based in Livermore, CA. Triad paid for all my tuition and books. I went to courses at night, while working full-time.
Tim Johnston
What is your work background?
Originally I worked for Triad Systems Corporation in customer service, then sales, and later became a Regional Manager for our Education Services. I had a team of 12 people, working in 10 cities. This team took care of the system configuration and training for all of our customers.
Eventually we moved to the headquarters in California. I held several positions over the years, including Marketing Analyst (putting together our service offerings), Sales Trainer, and Sales Development Manager (responsible for training our training team for industry training, system training, sales training, and supporting regional manager hiring and coaching programs).
At ACU, I worked as the Chief Enrollment Officer for 11 years and then moved to the Career Center. I have worked in COBA for the last 6 years as the Assistant Dean.
What do you do at ACU/COBA?
First of all, I work with the Connections team to ensure we have a good advising process and career development program to come along side the academic coursework required for each major.
A key tie-in with the Career Development work is our partnership with ACU’s University Relations Managers, who live in Fort Worth, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston. These managers are critical to our efforts to help students connect to starting career opportunities.
ACU’s alumni provide us with scholarship dollars to help improve the affordability of the COBA experience. This is another area of work I help to coordinate.
As one of the co-founders of Leadership Summit, I serve as the leader of our management team to ensure our enrollment, satisfaction, budget and connection goals are achieved through this program.
Tim and crew at Leadership Summit 2015
What drew you to work at ACU? Why did you want to work with students?
Rick Lytle and I met in Denver. After earning my master’s degree, he encouraged me to consider working for ACU. Rick’s statement of, “Not everyone goes to church but most everyone goes to work”, really resonates with me. It’s challenging to be a Christian in the workplace. It’s difficult to be competitive and honorable. It’s important for our graduates to bring hope to their workplace. I wanted to help equip students for this challenge.
What’s the best part of working with students?
It’s great to see students understand how they can prepare to make a valuable contribution to an organization, both in terms of their business ability and their character. It’s exciting to see where they will have a place to live out the mission. A job search is difficult, it takes a lot of effort to put yourself out there in an effective manner. It can be hard on your psyche. This is where my coaching comes in. I like helping students face the challenge and win.
Outside of ACU, what passions and hobbies do you have?
Mountains, mountains and more mountains. I like to snow ski and hike whenever I can. Plus the mountain biking at Buck Creek trails here in Abilene is a lot of fun. A few years ago I bought a shotgun and joined the Sporting Clays Club here in Abilene. COBA students have tried to help me improve my shooting. It’s a work in progress. The students tend to shoot 70 – 80% out there, but I’m usually in the 40% range.
What is a good, early story about your first job or when you were in college?
I remember working for a client in Steamboat Springs, CO. After a few days it was time to return to Denver. I was on a “puddle jumper” – we called it Rocky Mountain Scareways. As I was sitting on the plane watching them plow the runway as the snow kept coming down and the plane received multiple de-icings, I really questioned my career choice.
Do you do any charity or non-profit work?
Currently I am commander of the armies of the north communion team at Highland CoC, (northside of the building) at second service. Over the years I have been very involved with our church Teaching class, or running the Habitat for Humanity Building project or Bus Ministry. Also, I am very passionate about supporting missions and really appreciate the work of World Vision and Compassion International.
Who is your role model and why?
At ACU I have had several including Jack Rich who was my boss for many years. He never got rattled and he always took the high road. And be careful if you are meeting with Jack and you criticize a team member. He will get them on the phone right away and ask them to address the complaint you just levied. That helps you learn quickly. Dr. Terry Pope is so wise and a man of integrity. If you haven’t heard Terry’s 10, you need to, it’s wisdom to guide your life. Rick Lytle is the most enthusiastic, hopeful Christian I have ever met. His positive energy constantly gives me a boost. My mom and dad were awesome. My dad was an Electrical Engineer and Elder at our church. Together they raised 5 children, one of which had special needs. I don’t think he ever wasted any time. Mom was a great communicator who would pour good Biblical wisdom into me, whether I wanted it or not. I could go on and on …
The Johnston Family
Who was your most inspirational professor and why?
In graduate school, I had an economics professor who BELIEVED all problems are pricing problems. When the price goes high enough, people will solve the problem. I could tell his academic discipline was his belief. We disagreed, but he really made me think.
If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why?
My initial thought was to say that I really wish I could fly. But this is a selfish desire. What I really think would be most useful would be to be able to listen to people like Jesus listened to the women at the well. I wish I could tune into someone’s spirit.
What is something that students might be surprised to find out about you?
I wanted to be an artist. But being an art major (courses are double blocked) and being a baseball player did not coincide well. So I switched to accounting. I really swung the pendulum on that decision. Ultimately I landed on marketing. This helps me be patient with our students. It can take a while to find your sweet spot.
