by M. C. Jennings | Sep 10, 2015 | Academics, Careers In..., COBA Events, COBA Faculty, College Decisions, Current Students, MBA, Mobile Learning, Placement stories, Research, Uncategorized
ACU will welcome the first class of its online MBA program this fall. I had the opportunity to sit down with Brad Crisp, COBA’s Associate Dean for Graduate Business, to learn more about the new program.
Why is ACU launching a Master of Business Administration program?
We offered a residential MBA for most of the 1980s and 90s, but it was difficult to attract the number of students that we wanted to serve in Abilene. With the launch of ACU Dallas, ACU is better equipped to serve graduate students through online programs. We now have the opportunity to reach a new market of graduate students who are established in their careers, yet wanting to be challenged and have the opportunity to grow professionally. The online MBA is the perfect vehicle for allowing them to continue their careers and attain their educational goals.
What is the focus of the curriculum?
The MBA curriculum is designed to equip students in four key areas:
- leadership skills that will enable them to lead in their career, but also in their homes, churches, and communities
- organizational innovation that prepares them to meet new opportunities
- decision-making that engages data available in today’s tech-driven workplace
- the ability to let faith and ethical principles guide their work
What role is COBA faculty playing in the creation of this program?
COBA faculty in Abilene designed the program and have played an important role in the development of the core courses that will be taken by all students. Additionally, some of the courses will be taught by our Abilene faculty, while other courses will be led by qualified faculty in Dallas and elsewhere.
How is graduate education different from undergraduate education?
Education ideally helps us think about theory and practice, that is, how we combine great ideas with implementation. One of the key differences in graduate education is that the adult learner has a greater amount of work experience to connect with the learning. Having an environment where students can bring their work experience into class discussions and on assignments is a key component of a professional program like the MBA. That is why I encourage students to work for a couple of years before making the transition to graduate education, because the knowledge gained in industry adds a great deal of depth to their graduate experience.
What excites you about the launch of this new program?
Most ACU faculty come to Abilene to teach the traditional undergraduate student, and we are excited to help students in that stage of their formation. Now we have decided that we aren’t stopping there. We have the chance to connect with adults in the next phase of their lives as they’ve grown in their careers, their communities, and their families. We have the opportunity to serve them in another important stage of their life, as they are learning where faith intersects with work and life.
For more information on ACU’s online MBA program, visit www.acu.edu/mba.
by M. C. Jennings | Sep 8, 2015 | COBA Staff, College Decisions, Current Students, Uncategorized
What is your educational background?
I graduated from Conroe High School in 2008 and enrolled at ACU that fall. I graduated with a Bachelors degree in Business Management from COBA in 2012.
Corinne and her husband Chase
What is your work background?
While in school I worked with the University Events team on the ACU campus. We did everything from small lunches to large events like the President’s Circle Dinner. After graduating from ACU, I moved to Dallas and worked at the Coppell YMCA. After moving back to Abilene and getting married, I began working at a local oil drilling company. I began working in COBA in July of 2014.
What do you do at ACU/COBA?
I am the Administrative Assistant to the Dean of the College of Business, Dr. Rick Lytle.
What drew you to work at ACU? Why did you want to work with students?
ACU played a major role in making me who I am today. I came to school not knowing if I was going to be able to make it on my own, away from my parents. I met lifelong friends, grew to be someone that I loved and someone that loved the Lord more than anything. ACU helped me believe in myself. Deciding to work at ACU was not a hard decision at all. To work in a place where I can help lead students to Christ and possibly be a part of their story is a great feeling and I wake up every morning looking forward to coming to work.
What’s the best part of working with students?
The best part about working with students are the relationships that you can build along with the different types of people you meet and learn about.
Outside of ACU, what passions and hobbies do you have?
I love to bake! It has been a stress reliever for me for a very long time. I also like to go to sporting events. My husband is a high school basketball coach and I love supporting him and his players! I would say that is my main hobby – getting to see him do what he loves along with being able to be a part of it and building relationships with each player during the season and during off season.
Corinne is Hawley basketball’s #1 fan!
Tell me about a project or accomplishment that you consider to be the most significant in your career.
When I was a senior at ACU, working with the University Events team, I was put in charge of the Opening Chapel Parade of Flags. This is a huge event on campus and an ACU tradition so I had to get it right! I spent about 6 months planning and getting students to volunteer to carry different flags. About a week out, I was bribing my roommates and close friends to be on the list to carry a flag. When the first day of school came I was super excited and a little nervous about opening chapel but all the work I had put into organizing and planning with each student had paid off. The entrance of each of the flags was perfect! To be a part of something so special to ACU and to get the chance to learn different event management skills made all the stress and worrying worth it.
Who is your role model, and why?
I would have to say that my mom is my role model. She has been my best friend since day one. She is a Senior Leadership Consultant for the YMCA of the USA and has had the chance to travel the country meeting new people and helping them achieve their career goals. She has taught me a lot about how to be a good daughter, friend, colleague and wife and I am so thankful to have someone like her in my life that is always pushing me to be a better person.
Who was your most inspirational professor and why?
My most inspirational professor was Laura Phillips. I was in her class a couple times throughout my four years in COBA and enjoyed the classes. But it was the times that she invited us over for dinner and to make Christmas Candy that were so special to me. Being 6 hours away from home was hard but when I would go over to the Phillips’ house it made me feel like I was at home, obviously not my own, but being around a family and taking part in their lives really made me feel special and loved.
If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why?
If I could have a superpower I would choose to be able to talk to my dog. We have a chocolate lab, Bear, and yes I talk to him pretty much every day. I would love to be able to have conversations with him and also know that he understood me when he gets in trouble. I’m pretty sure he would have a British accent if he could talk.
Bear
What is something that students might be surprised to find out about you?
My mother and I have been on 25 mother/daughter trips. Beginning when I was just a year old, we have done a trip, just the two of us. They have ranged anywhere from a short weekend in Dallas for shopping to a two week trip exploring Italy. These are memories that I will always have and I hope to one day continue the tradition with my kids and their grandmother.
What would you really want students and alums to know about you?
Take the time to invest in yourself. When you are confident and believe in yourself, others will start to see you the same. Surround yourself with people that will help you grow into the person that God designed you to be!
by M. C. Jennings | Sep 3, 2015 | Academics, COBA Faculty, College Decisions, Current Students, School of Information Technology and Computing, Uncategorized
Let us introduce you to Dr. Brent Reeves, Associate Professor of Management Science and Computer Science, in our first COBA spotlight.
Dr. Brent Reeves
What is your educational background?
B.B.A., Computer Science, Abilene Christian University, 1980
M.A., Biblical and Related Studies, Abilene Christian University, 1982
M.S., Computer Science, University of Colorado at Boulder, 1991
Ph.D., Computer Science, University of Colorado at Boulder, 1993
I started as a double major in Bible and Accounting at ACU. I took Intermediate and Auditing before realizing I didn’t really like accounting. About that time, Dr. Charles Small joined ACU after finishing his Ph.D. at A&M. He said, “Switch majors – it’ll be great.” So, my junior year, 2 weeks into the semester, I dropped 18 hours and added 18 hours. Super stressful time. The schedule change made me reconsider the Bible major so I asked Dr. John T. Willis about the difference between an undergrad Bible degree and a graduate Bible degree. He answered, “When you finish the undergrad degree, you’ll be ready for the questions.” So he had me. My dad offered to pay tuition if I stayed at ACU, so I was fortunate to be able to study under Willis, Olbricht, Fair, Ferguson, etc. Those guys were great.
What is your work background?
My first programming job was part time at Dunigan Tool and Supply in Abilene. They had 10 oil field stores in 3 states. It was a fantastic opportunity. My boss, Dick Loveless, sent me on my first assignment with the admonition, “Don’t use any computer words. You’ll be talking to a guy who has done accounting for 25 years. He knows his stuff. He doesn’t know computers. Your job is to learn his stuff and translate it into a system.”
Next came ARCO Oil & Gas in Dallas for 4 years. We had 4 of IBM’s largest mainframes and a Cray-II supercomputer with 300 people in systems and programming. And… we made terrible systems. Every year, they got bigger and more expensive and…not any better. One day I caught an accountant saying, “All I wanted it to do was…” That got me thinking about User Interfaces – what would it mean to have a User Interface that let you do exactly what you wanted to do? And Knowledge-Based Systems – what would it mean if the system knew, understood what you wanted to do? Those two questions led me back to graduate school to study Artificial Intelligence and User Interface Design. In a random coincidence, I resigned the day the Challenger shuttle exploded.
After finishing graduate school in Computer Science in1993, teaching spots at the big “R” schools were, interestingly, not all that attractive. Two consulting opportunities arose – one with Software Research Associates, a company headquartered in Tokyo, and the other with ObjecTime, a Nortel-spinoff out of Ottawa. I got to work for ATT, Lucent, Motorola, and Ericsson and work in half a dozen countries. Challenging, but great.
What drew you to teaching and working with students?
The main draw was for the family lifestyle. You immerse your children in education – what it means to ask hard questions – what it means to work with people who study all kinds of different things they are passionate about. Enabling students who work hard to reach that “Aha” moment is great.
What is the best part of working with students?
Although the brilliant students are a delight, the best part is the students who just work hard. It is satisfying to see a student reach that point where it finally clicks.
Outside of teaching, what passions and hobbies do you have?
- Radio-control fixed wing and multi-rotors. Mostly scratch building. But now and then even flying. And by flying, I mean, crashing.
- I am fortunate to spend lots of time with my boys hiking around and enjoying creation.
- Terry Pope once humbly acknowledged that he was the best golfer in COBA. In that same spirit of humility, I am undoubtedly the best faculty player on ACU’s world famous intramural team, the Sunflowers of Death.
Sunflowers of Death
Do you have a good story from your early career in teaching?
The first day in Management Information Systems (45 students), as I was going through the syllabus, a student came in late and sat on the front row, pretty disruptively. Two minutes later a phone rings and he reaches into his backpack, looks at it, and answers it. “Hello? Yeah. Nah – some class. Whatever. Tonight? Sure.” By that time, I had just stopped talking. By now the whole class is listening in to this conversation. It just so happened that I had brought my grandfather’s hammer to class for an illustration about technology “tools”. So I walked over to the student and said, “Are you done?” “Yeah, why?” “May I please see your phone?” “Uhmmmmm, ok.” I took his phone, placed it on the floor, picked up the hammer and smashed the phone. Surprisingly, it didn’t just explode into bits, so I hit it again. Then I picked up the pieces, handed them to the student and said, “I’m sorry, son, but this class isn’t going to work out for you. You are excused.” He stammered around a bit and left.
The room was silent. Blank stares all around. Cell-phone policy explanation complete.
Two notes:
- I had said, “I’m sorry, son” because he actually was my son. It was Joshua, wearing a cap so students wouldn’t recognize him. When his phone rang, it was because I had speed dialed it without being noticed. When he answered it, he had reached into his backpack, turned off the ringing phone and grabbed a non-working old phone and pretended to have a conversation.
- The funniest thing of all was that right after I smashed the phone, Joshua was looking around at the students and a guy across from him was holding his own phone and frantically pressing ALL the buttons trying desperately to shut it OFF.
Who is your role model and why?
Mom. Growing up in a time when the public voices we heard were mostly male, she found a way to be constructive. Tireless worker, always teaching, volunteering, organizing.
Dad. Church of Christ preacher who decided to do missionary work in a foreign country. He was extremely well-read. Preached for German-and English-speaking congregations every Sunday for 12 years in Wiesbaden.
Dr. John T. Willis. In a graduate class “Advanced Introduction to the Old Testament”, each student gave a presentation on the book they had been assigned. When the Isaiah student started with the same-old same-old, Dr. Willis kindly interrupted, “I see your references don’t include Blinkendorfer. When you’ve had a chance to do a little bit more research, have another go at it.” Boom. I learned there are real issues in the biblical text and we must deal with them. Before you quote scripture, do your homework.
Who was your most inspirational professor and why?
Undergrad: Dwight Caughfield. Disciplined, studied, calm, clear approach to topics such as new programming languages.
Graduate: John T. Willis. He modeled how to treat scripture with respect, to do your homework – not just quote a 2,000 year old saying because you like its current translation.
If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why?
If you rule out the “clearly ridiculous” powers, I choose… Magneto. Shaping metal would be awesome. Well, either Magneto or the power to type faster. Either one.
What is something that students might be surprised to find out about you?
- I’ve gotten to stand on Lost Arrow Spire twice. If you ignore the 3,500 foot drop, it has a nice view.
- I once learned to memorize a deck of cards so you could shuffle it, read the cards, and I could recite them forwards, backwards and name the 17th card, etc. So why are names so hard to remember?
What would you really want students and alums to know about you?
- We have a great set of profs here and after 14 years at ACU, I am still continuing to learn to appreciate how much work that takes. It takes much good will and many contributions to make ACU go.
- I wonder how to live a life that deals intentionally with the challenge to be “Grace and Truth”. What if that is the test? Today, this day, I am not so good at that.
by M. C. Jennings | Jun 26, 2015 | Academics, College Decisions, Current Students, Uncategorized
COBA in Switzerland: June 21st by Griffin Pedigo
Happy Fathers Day! Our day started out in Geneva, Switzerland.
After a little confusion on flight times & dates, Edhwin left for the airport earlier than Chris and I. While Edhwin hurried to the airport, Chris and I went to Starbucks (because that’s what every American does) and had some tea and coffee.
We left Starbucks and headed to the airport to catch up with Edhwin to make sure his flight was straightened out and to meet the girls. IT WAS! Praise the Lord. We met the girls and got on the plane for London.
Swiss Air has been one of the best airlines to fly with. They gave us sandwiches, drinks, and chocolate – talk about great customer service. We landed and sprinted to immigration and then sprinted to the bus in order to make it to 9@9.
People probably thought we were crazy running through the airport, but we just laughed about it. After a good, fun, and relaxing weekend we sat together as a group and worshiped our Heavenly Father with singing and reading of scripture. Dr. Lytle pushed us to answer this question after reading out of Isaiah 6: “What needs to die in your life, so you can be closer to Christ?” What a great question – something for us to think and journal about.
COBA in Oxford: June 22nd by Lydia Pinson
This morning at Oxford Analytica there were many things discussed. Something that stuck out to me was how we, as Americans, do things in life that seem simple to us without thinking about them very much even though they may have a lot of meaning in other places around the world.
This afternoon in class, Dr. Lytle talked about how to make a brand which, in his terms, is making a promise. He also talked about many more specific aspects of branding which were very interesting. Included in this were the factors that increase brand strengths such as product quality, consistent advertising, distribution intensity, and brand personality. Dr. Lytle also emphasized that brands are very important for making decisions.
Overall, it was a good day with lots of great opportunities to learn!
by M. C. Jennings | Jun 25, 2015 | Academics, College Decisions, Current Students, Uncategorized
COBA in Oxford: June 18th by Michelle Lytle
The much anticipated “free” travel weekend is official upon us! Group travel is over and students are going out to places with smaller groups of friends such as; Budapest, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, London, and more. We had class this morning with Dr. Lytle and learned that SERVICE MATTERS.
We talked through how great customer service is common sense but strangely rare and hard to accomplish without the correct vision, values, and leadership set in place. Next, we split to our different classes after lunch and were only there for about an hour so students could head out to their anticipated destinations. Traveling in Europe is a whole new ball game and we are all learning/trying to maneuver it in the most efficient way possible to maximize our time and minimize the amount of money we have to spend.
The majority of the students hit the road this afternoon, but there are a few of us holding down the fort tonight and getting up way too early to catch our flights!
We are so blessed to be here and excited to see what the Lord teaches us through experiencing different cultures and seeing His world from a whole new perspective. Thanks for letting me be historian of the day!!
COBA in Rome: June 19th by Morgan Mosley
On June 19th we started out the day at a hotel near the Rome airport. Our small group had what the hotel called an American Buffet breakfast with bacon, sausage and eggs with coffee. Soon after, we left the hotel by riding the Leonardo Di Vinci express train into the main city at Termini Station. We were so excited to get into the city and see the different sights! I got off at the train station at the stop right near Vatican City.
We learned that Vatican City is actually a separate country inside Italy. We walked around St. Peter’s square and got a great view of the Vatican! We kept walking a short distance until we arrived at our rented apartment during the duration of the trip. It was hard navigating in the streets at first, but we quickly learned our way. We left the apartment shortly after arrival to walk around our town, called Aurelia. We found a meat butcher shop and bought some beef and chicken to cook for dinner.
We also grabbed some pasta and other items to cook dinner in our apartment. On our way back to the apartment we grabbed some Gelato at a café and headed back to cook dinner.
Yes. We had dessert before dinner, and it did not spoil our appetite. We made dinner, and then had a quiet evening all together in the apartment.
It was a great 1st day in Rome!
COBA in London: June 20th by Temi Ogunleye and Spencer Woolfolk
What a fun Saturday in London! Spencer and I started our day early trying to find the London Zoo.
After roaming around for about an hour we found it but decided that tickets were a tad bit too expensive for our liking. We then decided to walk to the Big Ben/Hyde Park area to have lunch and explore.
My favorite part of Hyde Park was an area by a lake where there were a bunch of pigeons, herons, and geese. We concluded our excursion by going to the Sherlock Holmes Museum and walking across Abbey Road.
After this, we took the tube back to Oxford and headed home.
by M. C. Jennings | Jun 24, 2015 | Academics, College Decisions, Current Students, Uncategorized
COBA in Oxford: June 16th by Jake Linn
Today we had study hall/class at 8:30 while some of us visited Oxford Analytica. During study hall we worked on a case study dealing with targeting a certain sector of consumers or the “bottom of the pyramid.” Once the Oxford Analytica students returned we had a guest speaker, Jason Lepojarvi, give a lecture on C.S. Lewis and The Four Loves.
It was very interesting to hear Mr. Lepojarvi break down the different types of love that C.S. Lewis wrote about. For me personally, the most powerful part was learning about how a person’s character determines how they love. The more positive virtues a person portrays, the greater they love on others. At 2:00, half of the group went on a tour of Magdalen College, where C.S. Lewis studied, followed by the rest of the group at 2:30.
After the tours we had time to relax at the house, work on homework, and read for our quiz tomorrow.
COBA in Oxford: June 17th by Cody Luttrell
Today we started off by having a group of students go to Oxford Analytica while the rest of us had time to catch up on homework and get ahead on projects. When the students returned, Professor Golden talked to us all about information technology and all the different reasons how and why we market and grab others’ attention.
She introduced us to The STP Process, which is segmentation, targeting, and positioning, which is how we are going to go about marketing our product.
We broke for lunch and then the class split with half going with Dr. Lytle and the other half going with Professor Golden. Professor Golden talked to our half about the customer as a whole, their behavior, decision making process, and the different strategies we can use for different customers. We got the rest of the afternoon and night off to work on homework, our journals, and start some new projects. At night, a group of us went to to see a movie at the local Oxford movie theatre, Odeon, which was a great time!
This next entry is chronologically posted out of order, but so important. We hope it inspires you!
COBA in Normandy: June 14th by Kyle Kennedy
On June 6, 1944 the allied forces invaded the Normandy beaches, a 90 mile stretch of northern France. These forces were predominantly made up of American, British, and Canadian troops each invading five separate beaches in order to liberate territory under German occupation. The Allies took the beaches through amphibious and airborne assaults, but not without much difficulty and many casualties.
Throughout this infamous day, over 4,400 brave men lost their lives, 2,499 of which were American soldiers. Today, our class had the honor of being able to see where these American troops laid their lives on the line to defend the freedom of people all around the world.
After a few stops on our tour we arrived at Utah Beach, one of the two beaches invaded by American infantry. An astounding 23,000 American troops arrived at Utah Beach on June 6th and overtook the German regiments in only a few hours. A couple of stops later we arrived at Omaha Beach, the second of the two American invaded locations. Standing on these two beaches was a very interesting feeling. Imagining what took place only 71 years ago, while looking out towards the ocean clearly brought feelings of sadness, but also a sense of pride. Visioning these Americans that risked and lost their lives to liberate others reminded us of how grateful we should be to live where we do. Our last stop was one that I’m sure none of us will forget. We finished our tour by seeing the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial where 9,387 American men and women are buried as a result of World War II.
Seeing rows upon rows of crosses lined up for hundreds of yards was such a powerful image. It is hard to find the words to describe the feelings that accompanied all of us while walking through the grounds. Overall, getting the opportunity to see such monumental parts of the world’s history is an experience we will all remember for many years.
We ended the day by gathering as a group and giving thanks to God for the various blessings that come with freedom, and giving the utmost gratitude to those who have sacrificed their life to defend it.
