by Amanda Pittman | Oct 4, 2011 | COBA Events, College Decisions, Current Students, Dean Chronicles
Dr. Lytle’s Consumer Behavior had an interesting class project: to go see if they could pump gas for Shell station customers. Lytle tasked the students with finding out if customers were interested in having their gas pumped, oil level checked, windshield cleaned and tire pressure checked. There was no cost for this service – students just asked the customers to answer a few questions in exchange for the service. Click on over to the Abilene Reporter-News to read how the project went and what our students learned about consumer behavior by pumping gas.
Dr. Lytle explains to the class how this research project will work
Dr. Lytle shows his Consumer Behavior class how to properly clean a windshield
Learning how to check oil levels
by Amanda Pittman | Sep 16, 2011 | College Decisions, Current Students
We hope you are planning on heading to Cowboys Stadium tomorrow at about 4pm to watch the #3 ACU Wildcats take on the #4 North Alabama Lions, in what is sure to be a scrappy cat fight (Get it? Wildcats vs. Lions?).
Join us in rooting for these business majors who will be suiting up on Saturday:
- Ronald Gaudin (Acct.) – WR
- Morgan Lineberry (Acct.) – PK
- Ryan Owens (Acct.) – PK
- Taylor Gabriel (IT) – WR
- Justin Andrews (MGMT) – FB
- Brandon Dornak (MGMT) – DE
- Paul Ellis (MGMT) – OL
- Alexander Fussell (MGMT) – OL
- David Guinn (MGMT) – LB
- Logan Hoppenrath (MGMT) – OL
- Juan Hull (MGMT) – DL
- Ben Hynds (MGMT) – P
- Samuel Kelley (MGMT) – WR
- Jordan Lightfoot (MGMT) – DL
- LB Suggs (MGMT) – LB
- Daniel Talavera (MGMT) – FB
- Neal Tivis (MGMT) – OL
- Matthew Webber (MGMT) – OL
- Connor Keeton (MKTG) – OL
- Austin Kessler (MKTG) – WR
- Luke Luttrell (MKTG) – QB
- Hunter McAnally (MKTG) – OL
- Ashton Thomas (MKTG) – DL
We are excited to watch these student athletes perform on the field tomorrow. And we are excited they have chosen to join our team in the College of Business Administration as we teach them, train them, pray for them and prepare them for their life off the field.
See you at the game!
by Amanda Pittman | Sep 9, 2011 | Careers In..., College Decisions, Current Students
Aaron is a sophomore marketing major from Burleson. He came to ACU interested in pursing a career in sports management or sports marketing. After attending a job fair in Dallas centered around the corporate side of sports, Aaron made connections with the front office of FC Dallas. He accepted the unpaid internship because he was excited about the opportunity and experience and knew it would be a great resume builder. We’ve asked Aaron to share about his summer internship experience with us:
Every experience gained throughout this internship was a vital building block in my understanding of life, business, and personal goals. This thirteen-week experience of trials, setbacks, and successes was a much-needed real world encounter. I came into this internship with expectations of what a professional soccer team would be like, and I was very please with what I found.
Aaron at Cowboy Stadium for an FC Dallas game
The business side is completely different from the game played on the field. These two sides have to work together in order to compete well against other teams and stay profitable and sustainable. FC Dallas has the one of the most consistent organizations in the MLS with numbers to back it up. They’re growing in popularity every year, and are consistently staying competitive. These are great signs for what the future holds for the game here in the United States of America.
When I first interviewed for the Team Administrative & Player Personnel Intern position, I wanted to make it clear that I wanted to learn the business of sports. Wherever they were going to put me, I was going to soak up as much information as possible through this experience. Come to find out when I started I was given just what I was asking for. My position gave me the ability to work and help with the team at practices and games.
FC Dallas at Cowboys Stadium
I also worked in the corporate office dealing with scouting databases, budgets, and logistics for the Team Administration and players to which it gave me the other perspective. Both sides of the puzzle were at my grasp to learn from multiple supervisors that were either directors, managers, or coaches. All of which have amazing stories that helped with me understanding more insights in today’s complex sports niche. I am extremely thankful for the trust that they gave in me with passing sensitive information in order for me to learn.
Time was my only downfall to this experience with which I wanted more time to be a part of this great organization. These thirteen weeks flew by with so many different scenarios that I was able to learn from for future successes. The projects given to me to be responsible for at FC Dallas were great challenges for me to start, but now the projects must be passed to the next intern for furthering them in benefiting the company. There is still much to learn about this sport and how things are done, but I have a feeling it wont be my last time in this related field. I thank God for my opportunity with FC Dallas, and I hope that I made a lasting impression.
by Amanda Pittman | Sep 8, 2011 | COBA Events, College Decisions, Current Students, Faith Infusion
From Dr. Don Pope, chair, Department of Management Sciences:
A Christian Business School
Students and parents choose a university based on several possible criteria. For those students majoring in business at ACU, some possible reasons would include our faculty – undergraduate courses taught, not by graduate assistants, but by faculty who are qualified both academically and by business experience. Our accreditation with AACSB places us in the select category of the best business schools in the world. Our size – ACU is large enough to offer a broad range of quality programs in excellent facilities, but small enough that our students are not lost in the crowds of larger schools. And for students selecting ACU, an extremely significant difference at our College of Business Administration is the integration of Christian faith and learning.
To some people, the words “Christian” and “business” sit uncomfortably in the same sentence. The word business is sometimes taken to mean self-serving and self-seeking at the expense of others – just the opposite of the others-first philosophy taught by Christ. And then you throw in the word “school”, then what does that all mean?
To the faculty and staff at the College of Business Administration at ACU, a Christian business school means the integration of faith and learning in ways that are lived out and not just talked about. In the classroom, it might involve a discussion of ethics or prayerful concern for a student. Beyond the classroom, it involves living out our faith in the market place, whether in towering office buildings in cities or with people living in poverty, anywhere in the world. Our faculty and students build homes and help feed the hungry in garbage dumps in Honduras, provide medical care for people in the remote areas of Zambia, establish and support orphanages in India and Ghana, volunteer for Meals on Wheels, assist the elderly with tax preparation, and countless other acts of service.
Our mission is great – to educate students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world. Our faculty and staff are capable to that challenge. Our students dream big dreams. Come join us in this journey together.
Faculty members praying over the newest inductees of Beta Gamma Sigma
Faculty praying over graduating seniors at our annual Senior Blessing lunch
by Amanda Pittman | Sep 4, 2011 | City of Abilene, COBA Events, College Decisions, Current Students
ACU’s chapter of Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE – a national organization formed by Sam Walton) does several projects with and for the community, using their business skills and knowledge to serve others. One project they do each year is with the elementary students over at Abilene Christian Schools. They set up a ‘little town’ in their school gym, with a bank, retail stores, a grocery store among others. Each student has a chance to earn a specific amount of money, and then they can turn around and either spend the money or save it at the bank – all under the guidance and teaching of our SIFE students and two business professors, Dr. Jinkerson and Dr. Vardiman.
The Abilene Reporter News recently did a story on teaching kids the value of money, and featured our SIFE team and professors. Click here for the full story. We’re proud of Dr. Jinkerson and Dr. Vardiman and the good work they are doing with our students!
by Amanda Pittman | Aug 30, 2011 | College Decisions, Current Students, Mobile Learning
Recently, Dr. Ian Shepherd, Associate Professor in Management Sciences, was honored with a Blackboard Catalyst Award. You can read more about it here. We are thrilled for Dr. Shepherd and grateful for his dedication to innovative teaching in the classroom. We thought you might like to hear a bit more from a few of the students who were in his class and hear about their experience using the ipad in class.
Here were the questions we asked Molly, Leanne and Kayli (who all happened to earn an “A” in the class):
1) How did you use the ipad? Was it in place of a textbook? Did you use it everyday?
“Yes, I used my iPad mostly for the access to the textbook. I used it every class and whenever I was doing homework for the class. So, I was using it 4-5 days a week. It was vital to bring your iPad to class because Dr. Shepherd incorporated it into every class.”
“Outside of class, I mostly used it for Facebook and for looking up information quickly like weather and news. Our textbooks were on the ipad instead of textbook. The nice thing about that was that we could search for terms or phrases in the textbook. I used the ipad most days; it was easy to carry and was a lot faster to get started than a laptop.”
“We used the ipads to download our textbooks. We used an application called Inkling that allowed us to download our textbook and access it just like any other application on an ipad. I also used the ipad for checking class assignments on blackboard, working on group assignments during class (such as graphs, reviews, etc.), and following notes in class. I used the ipad ever class day, and other days that I needed it to work on an assignment (a few times a week).”
2) Did you each have your own?
“Yes, we all got our own iPad which we downloaded the textbook on. We downloaded excel and used it daily as well.”
3) Do you feel using the ipad enhanced what you learned inside the classroom?
“I definitely think that the ipad was a beneficial tool for the class… the ipad helped because it allowed us to be more interactive.”
“Using the iPad in class kept us engaged in class..!”
“I do feel like the ipad enhanced the learning process for me because it allowed the class to be more interactive. We were each capable of entering our own information in to graphs and spreadsheets during class instead of just watching Dr. Shepherd compute the information himself. We were also able to follow along with his lectures by using notes.”
4) What did you like best about using the ipad?
“The best thing about using the ipad was that it was easy and fast to use.”
“I absolutely loved having the textbook online. It was so nice not to have to carry a huge book all around with you.”
“I liked that I could follow along with the notes and keep track of my own notes without having multiple pieces of paper and spirals to keep up with when it was time to study. I also enjoyed the ability to quickly find information in the textbook using the search feature.”
5) What didn’t you like about the ipad?
“I thought it was harder to type on the ipad.”
“I can type pretty quickly on a keyboard, but I was really slow on the ipad. Also, I did not like the version Apple’s version of
Excel that we had to use.”
“I didn’t like using excel on the iPad. It’s not the same as on the computer and took longer to perform the same tasks.
I did not like that it was harder to take notes and online tests on the ipad than on a normal laptop simply due to its physical structure.”
6) If you don’t currently own an ipad, would you purchase one to use in your future classes?
“If more of our textbooks were on the ipad, I would for sure!!”
“I would buy an iPad if all my classes had online textbooks. You can do your homework anywhere at anytime when you have your textbooks right there at your fingertips.”
“I would not purchase one right now because I already own an iphone and a laptop that can perform many of the ipad’s functions, and I do not want to spend the extra money. If it was more affordable and offered more features that I could not already access with other devices, then I would absolutely purchase one.”
