by Allison Phillips | Apr 29, 2013 | Careers In..., COBA Faculty, Current Students
Members of STAR at the RISE Conference
You may have heard about Student Trading and Research, one of COBA’s student organizations. In fact, you may even have heard about the fact that they manage half a million dollars of ACU’s endowment.
However, you probably haven’t heard about the recent opportunity STAR portfolio managers had to attend the Redefining Investment Strategy Education (RISE) Conference at the University of Dayton.
Dr. Terry Pope, who led this trip, explained that,
“Day one comprises panel discussions with recognized experts regarding the economy and financial markets. Day two comprises break-out sessions led by practitioners covering a host of topics of interest to the investment community.”
Whitney Stevens, a junior accounting and finance major who participated in the trip, said she was incredibly impressed with this year’s list of speakers, which included the following:
CHARLES L. EVANS, PH.D., President & CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
DENNIS P. LOCKHART, President & CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
ROGER W. FERGUSON, JR., PH.D., President & CEO, TIAA-CREF
ROBERT S. KAPITO, President & Director, BlackRock
STEPHANIE LINK, CIO & Co-Portfolio Manager, TheStreet, Inc.
LIZ ANN SONDERS, Senior Vice President & Chief Investment Strategist, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
FRED TOMCZYK, President & CEO, TD Ameritrade
Participating in this experience had a big impact on Whitney.
“This experience allowed me to correlate what I have learned in the classroom with its practical application in the finance industry,” she explained. “The advice given by the accomplished professionals alerted me to some key areas on which to focus. As my graduation date approaches it is exciting to know that my hard work in college is preparing me to be successful in my career.”
Dr. Pope understands the impact the RISE Conference can have, which is why he enjoys sponsoring the trip.
“I like taking the students to this conference because it presents the best collection of expertise of any conference available to our students,” he elaborated. “It also provides a great opportunity for our students to visit with peers from universities all over the world.”
If you haven’t already, be sure to check out STAR and the great things they’re doing here on campus!
by Allison Phillips | Apr 18, 2013 | Careers In..., Current Students
Wondering whether to pursue a career in the corporate world or in the world of nonprofits? Scott Orr has done both, a story he shared with a packed room at last Thursday’s luncheon.
Orr, who is the Vice President of Public Affairs at Fidelity, has had a fascinating career path since his graduation from ACU in 1984. Starting out at Price Waterhouse, Orr really enjoyed his job as an accountant. However, as he spent a Sunday afternoon in a meeting after having worked twenty-four days in row without a single day off, he decided it might be time to consider grad school.
Orr was accepted to Harvard, so he and his family left their Dallas home and headed north. Through the next couple of years, Orr found himself immersed in case studies, as he learned what it took to be successful in the world of business. Following his time at Harvard, Orr planned to head back to Dallas, get into commercial real estate, and make $1 million dollars.
However, God had other plans.
Once the housing market plummeted, Orr realized he needed to enter into a different field, prompting him to take an internship with Fidelity that turned into an analyst job where he worked with government and municipal funds. For the next nine years, Orr worked at Fidelity and loved the work he did; however, he and his wife began to grow concerned that they weren’t involved with a healthy church where their children could grow up. Additionally, Orr was beginning to wonder whether or not his career was making a difference in the lives of others.
“I just thought, ‘I’m not doing much for the world,’” explained Orr.
In light of these concerns, Orr quit his job in 2000 and moved back to Texas with his family. In the metroplex, Orr enjoyed a couple months of retirement, during which time he began volunteering at the local food pantry. Through this process, Orr ended up on the food pantry’s board.
From there, he was asked to join an organization that worked with adoption agencies and provided ministry to mothers who had given their children up for adoption. He remained with that nonprofit until he felt that he had helped grow the organization as far as he was able to under the direction of his board at that time.
Once Orr resigned, God once again intervened, this time providing him with a job offer to be the president of Christian Community Action.
Because CCA was significantly larger than the nonprofit at which he had previously worked, Orr’s role was completely different. At his first job, Orr had done everything. At CCA, Orr had a staff, which he was able to use very effectively due to his new-found understanding of the non-profit world as a whole. Orr eventually left CCA and was delighted to return to Fidelity, where he was hired to be the Vice President of Public Affairs.
In this role, Orr has been able to find the best of both worlds. He is still able to effect change, but he doesn’t have to do the draining work of eliciting funds. In addition, he gets to spend a great deal of time working with the government to change legislation, as well as being responsible for motivating employees to volunteer in the community.
Orr would never have imagined that he would be back at Fidelity, but he is incredibly thankful for where he is now, as well as the journey that led him there.
“God really put these things in my path and put each step in my way,” said Orr. “Throughout this whole process God has given me the skills I need.”
Are you looking for God to guide your path?
by Allison Phillips | Apr 10, 2013 | Current Students
COBA does a lot of things well, but one of the things we do best is providing students with hands on, real world experience. A great example of this can be seen in one of our student organizations, Wildcat Ventures. Created in July of 2012, Wildcat Ventures is a series of “on-campus, student-run enterprises,” as described by President Hannah Ostertag.
Hannah Ostertag
Because Wildcat Ventures is a relatively new organization, Hannah has been involved in its development as well as its day-to-day operations. As a result, she believes deeply in the organization’s purpose and vision.
“The vision for this program is to create a series of businesses that are student-run and operated, providing an experiential learning environment for students to apply concepts learned throughout their coursework,” explains Hannah. “Students in this program gain practical leadership development and business acumen through the planning, implementation, and development of student businesses on campus.”
By the Fall 2013 semester, Wildcat Ventures will have launched four different enterprises: Connections Café, a t-shirt business, a phone-electronics repair business, and a sales and distribution business.
As president, Hannah has learned more than she ever could have imagined, including the fact that surrounding yourself with talented individuals whose skills complement your own makes any task easier.
“Working at Wildcat Ventures really gave me a glimpse of what it takes to start a business,” she elaborates. “You will have to work hard, extremely hard. You will have to live and breathe your business at times because if you don’t, the tasks that need to get completed won’t get done. There will be days when the challenges and barriers to your business seem overwhelming. But when you are reminded of your vision for the project, solutions to those problems can be found and those barriers can be overcome with enough perseverance.”
Thanks to Dr. Litton, Hannah, and the rest of the leadership at Wildcat Ventures for providing this incredible opportunity.
Be sure to get involved with Wildcat Ventures and support their businesses here on campus!
by Allison Phillips | Mar 18, 2013 | Accounting, Careers In..., Current Students
It’s interview season here in the College of Business. COBA students are encouraged to participate in an internship while they’re studying here, so most juniors are on the hunt for that elusive perfect internship.
Kyndal Coleman, a junior accounting major from San Antonio, is right in the middle of this stressful process. However, she took a few minutes to give us the inside scoop on what it’s like in the world of accounting internship interviews.
Kyndal Coleman
1. Who have you interviewed with this semester?
“So far, I’ve interviewed with Whitley Penn, Weaver LLP, and PricewaterhouseCoopers. I’m also hoping for the chance to interview with Lane Gorman Trubitt, Hartman Leito & Bolt, Ernst & Young and KPMG as they come to campus in the next few weeks.”
2. How did you connect with the companies you interviewed with?
“Prior to the application process, firms host recruiting events and visit ACU’s campus to speak to organizations like the Student Accounting Organization. This is a great chance to see what each firm offers and where you might be interested in applying. All of the firms I am interviewing with utilize CareerLink for their recruiting process. They post internship availibilities online and allow you to apply via the CareerLink website. From there, you can further connect by attending the pre-interview dinners in the Spring. These events are a wonderful way to get to know the people working at the firm in a relaxed atmosphere before interviews actually begin.”
3. What were you most nervous about going into the interviews?
“The “unknown”: not knowing exactly who you’ll be interviewing with or exactly what questions they’ll ask is a scary thought. While I can’t predict exactly what will happen in each interview, proper preparation definitely helps build confidence and calm nerves.”
4. How did COBA prepare you for these interviews?
“My Career Center mock interview was a very informative way to learn about proper answering techniques, attire, body language, and other helpful tips that could only be learned through seasoned professionals who are willing to give constructive criticism.
Additionally, CareerLink has been an invaluable tool in applying for and scheduling my interviews. I know there is such hard work behind the scenes that goes into getting such a wide range of employers on our campus, and this website simplifies and streamlines the entire process beautifully for students.”
5. What advice would you give someone who’s going into an interview for the first time?
- “Don’t be afraid to ask questions ahead of time and during the entire interview process!
- Ahead of time: Seek out the relationships of upperclassmen and faculty in COBA who have “been there done that.” It’s great to get advice and insight from people who have successfully made it through the interview process themselves.
- When you meet the employer: If you’re curious about an aspect of the job you’re applying for, don’t hesitate to ask about it during the interview. Questions show that you’re engaged in the process, and allow for you to better determine where you’ll best fit in.”
Good luck to all of our students who are currently in the interview process!
by Allison Phillips | Mar 14, 2013 | COBA Faculty, Current Students, Research
The College of Business at ACU is committed to involving students in undergraduate research, something that sets us apart from many of our larger competitors. While participating in undergraduate research gives students a hands-on opportunity to conduct research, it also provides students with the chance to be mentored by a memeber of our faculty and to learn from them in a one-on-one setting.
Ashley Truong, a junior marketing major, has had the opportunity to work with Dr. Malcolm Coco on research concerning internships. Ashley describes this project’s focus, saying,
“Our research paper, ‘Content Analysis of Student and Company Reactions to a University Internship Program,’ is about the purpose of internships, the advantages and disadvantages of internships, host companies, student likes and dislikes about internships, and suggestions for host companies and students.”
For the past several years, Dr. Coco has surveyed all COBA interns and their host companies at the conclusion of each internship. Through this survey, Dr. Coco has collected data on suggestions that host companies have for their interns and vice versa, as well as likes and dislikes that each party had about the internship. Because this study has spanned multiple years, Dr. Coco has been able to compile a list of recommendations for both interns and host companies that should help internships flow smoothly.
Dr. Malcolm Coco
“At the start of each internship program, I provide the students and host companies a master list of the data collected over the past 10 years,” Dr. Coco elaborated. “This information will hopefully tell the interns and host company representatives what will make their internship experience more meaningful. In other words, to do the things that work and avoid the things that don’t.”
In addition to the external benefits of Dr. Coco’s research results, the actual research process has numerous benefits for students like Ashley, an aspect of the project that Dr. Coco believes is important.
“It is fun to do research with undergrads. It hopefully encourages them to think about masters and maybe doctoral work and of course increases their knowledge about the subject being researched,” he said.
Ashley has enjoyed working on this project, although she has discovered that learning how to find research can be challenging. In spite of the challenges, she feels that the project has taught her a lot, in addition to being very rewarding.
“This has not only been a huge blessing, but it has also been a great learning experience,” she explained. “I have been able to work directly with Dr. Coco on this research project, and project has also allowed me to use what I have learned and apply it to my current classes, especially Marketing Research…I think everyone should find a mentor and friend during college and beyond.”
Congratulations to Ashley Truong and Dr. Malcolm Coco on their acceptance to the ACU Undergraduate Research Festival and to the International Academy of Business and Public Administration Disciplines Conference in Dallas!
by Allison Phillips | Feb 28, 2013 | Current Students
COBA is full of students with fantastic entrepreneurial ideas. However, many of these students don’t know how to develop these innovative concepts. One great way for students to engage in entrepreneurial training is by working with our new Entrepreneur in Residence, Chad Hutchins.
Chad Hutchins, Entrepreneur-in-Residence
Chad, a 2008 graduate who studied computer science with a focus in business, has always had an affinity for entrepreneurship. Chad explains,
“Since grade school, there’s always been some project on the side I worked on that I considered my ‘business’ at the time, which varied from mowing yards to making websites. “
While here at ACU, Chad, along with three other students, created Sheepdog, a service that assisted companies in identifying the social networks that their customers were using. While Sheepdog wasn’t a big money maker, it provided Hutchins with valuable learning experience from the time he came up with the idea in 2008 until 2010 when he and his friends sold the intellectual property to another startup.
Since Sheepdog, Chad has been involved in two additional startups, the most recent of which is called SugarOutfitters.
“It’s an app store for SugarCRM, a popular CRM solution,” explains Chad. “We spent nine months building the company and website, which we launched in September. Since then, sales have been going up every month.”
After successfully starting three different companies, Chad has learned a few things, one of which is the importance of having a solid business plan.
“Building whatever it is you want to sell is the easy part,” he elaborates. “It’s the marketing and distribution that will make or break you. So having a laser-focused target market and a strong plan for reaching that market is extremely important.”
In his new role as Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Chad will be in his office in the eHub every Wednesday and Thursday afternoon. During these times, he will be able to meet with students in order to help them achieve the same entrepreneurial success he has enjoyed.
Chad is excited about this opportunity, because he can easily identify with the students with whom he will be working.
“Having been in their exact shoes, the thing that excites me most is being able to help provide the things I wished were available to me as I tried to build my own businesses while at ACU,” says Chad. “The college experience is such a unique time in a person’s life, a time that you don’t get back. I believe trying to build a business during that time is the best time to do so.”
Be sure to check out Chad’s latest startup, SugarOutfitters, by clicking here, and don’t hesitate to email him at hutchins.chad@gmail.com.
