by M. C. Jennings | Jul 23, 2012 | Current Students
Five weeks, two countries, six cities, and one mission: to spread God’s love across Korea and China by meeting the needs of the people met along the way.
Dr. Kilnam Cha, professor in the College of Biblical Studies led his mission team, which was comprised of two COBA students— Kyndal Coleman, junior accounting major from San Antonio and Tóng Yíng An, senior accounting major from Taiyuan, China— along with Cannon Spears, sophomore missions major from Blue Ridge, TX.
Below is a blog entry from Kyndal Coleman, one of the students on the trip, as she explains how God moved throughout her team’s journey across Asia.
The journey began in Seoul, South Korea where we worked with local schools to bring support to English students of all ages. While 
visiting many different learning environments, we quickly discovered how powerful the English language truly is- it’s being taught regularly alongside Korean and Chinese classes to students as young as 3 years old. All across Asia, the English language is seen as the gateway to better job opportunities, more personal connections, and ultimately the possibility of making a name of oneself. Our job was simple: use the skills God has blessed us with as native English speakers to help each person move closer to their chance at a better life once they’ve mastered the language. Even more, we had the chance to share God’s love through encouragement; reminding each of our students how precious they are in God’s sight even without perfect English because God’s love transcends all language boundaries!
As we moved on to China, we were blessed to have Tóng Yíng available as our guide and translator, as we found the environment to be much different than that of Korea. Throughout all four cities we visited while in China, I sensed this deep longing for excellence in the people we encountered. This desire made it very easy to find students who were open and willing to work extremely hard with us to study the English language. I found that I was actually the one being encouraged by the Chinese student’s inquisitive and hard-working spirits, an unexpected shift from what I was prepared for. Isn’t it funny how God sometimes uses unexpected people and situations to teach us such valuable lessons?
Before we left for our trip, I had a hard time believing that I was prepared to travel across the world to teach a foreign language. But the truth is, I was more than prepared, for the skills I needed to spread God’s love across Asia were not complicated at all. In fact, these “skills” were things I would sometimes take for granted in the past- things like growing up in a home that speaks English fluently, my daily Bible classes at ACU, perseverance brought forth by the COBA professors who have pushed me to excel, and even just the ability to sit down and have a conversation with someone. Teaching English in Korea in China wasn’t about being the most “skilled” English teacher around; it was about using the skills and experiences God had already blessed me with to make a difference in the lives of others. God had equipped me and the rest of my team LONG before He called us to this mission field, and we were overly prepared for the work He had for us to do.
As our five-week journey came to a close, we had the chance to spend one of our final days in Beijing with the COBA Study Abroad group who had arrived in the area just days before. Again, I was unexpectedly encouraged by the sight of familiar faces all the way across the world! After working so hard for the duration of our trip, it was nice to wrap up our voyage with fellowship and an exciting adventure. We traveled together to a unique part of the Great Wall of China: an area complete with a gondola ride to the top and a 
toboggan slide down the mountain. Our group spent over two hours marveling at the breathtaking sights of the ancient structure. Set high in the mountainous landscapes of China, the Great wall spans further than our eyes could ever see. We were in awe of the beauty that surrounded us, and for me it was the perfect ending to a life-changing trip.
Thank you to the COBA Study Abroad group for making our last day in China so enjoyable. I will never forget those glimpses of the Great Wall, and can’t wait to proudly hang the gorgeous photos all around my apartment for all to see!
by M. C. Jennings | Jun 19, 2012 | Current Students
Congratulations to Dr. Andy Little, Assistant Professor in the Management Sciences Department of the College of Business, who was named ACU’s 2011-2012 Teacher of the Year. Dr. Little joined the College of Business in 2010 and teaches business law.
ACU’s Teacher of the Year is nominated by the student body. One student commented, “Dr. Little has been an incredible mentor, friend and teacher to me. His classes are engaging, but more importantly, he has offered support beyond the classroom. He has been a life plan adviser – academically, personally and spiritually. He is a great asset to the business department, and I have no doubt he will continue to positively impact lives of students for years to come.”
You can read more about Dr. Little and his award by clicking on this link: http://www.acu.edu/news/2012/120614-andy-little-teacher-of-the-year.html.
by M. C. Jennings | May 29, 2012 | Current Students |
COBA bid farewell to Dr. David Wright and Assistant Professor Mike Winegeart at a luncheon held in their honor this month. Faculty, staff and friends shared stories about David and Mike and presented them with tokens of appreciation from the college.
Dr. David Wright is retiring after eleven years of service as an associate professor of marketing. With broad academic and industry experience, David joined ACU in 2001 to teach management. When the College of Business needed extra help in teaching marketing courses, David employed his past experience in the field and graciously added these classes to his routine. David served for several years as the sponsor of the American Marketing chapter and mentored countless student teams while providing consulting services to over thirty clients in the area as part of the marketing research class. David has helped train a generation of ACU management and marketing students. His kindness and Christian example have blessed many.
Mike Winegeart has served as Assistant Professor of Marketing and Director of Global Initiatives for COBA since 1997. Mike brought extensive European business and cultural experiences to his ACU classes along with a passionate faith. His fingerprints are evident on ACU’s summer Global Apprentice program in Oxford, England and in COBA’s winter Leadership Summit in Colorado. Because of Mike, a decade and a half of students have left ACU with inspiring words in their ears and hearts and a well-formatted portfolio under their arm.
Each of these men have left an indelible mark on the College of Business faculty, staff, alumni and students. COBA and ACU will greatly miss Mike and Nancy Winegeart and David and Gayle Wright. We wish them God’s blessings in their future endeavors. 
by Amanda Pittman | Jan 27, 2012 | COBA Events, Current Students, Special Speakers, Springboard
If you have ever taken the time to sit down and jot out a plan for starting your own business, you need to enter our Springboard Ideas Challenge. If you ever even just thought about a cool idea for a business or service, you need to enter our Springboard Ideas Challenge. You never know! YOU could win $10,000! There’s even a high school category for competition this year. Click here for more information about the competition, divisions, awards and prizes.
Registration is now open for our fifth annual Springboard Ideas Challenge!
Don’t worry if you don’t know how to write a business plan, there are training sessions scheduled to help you learn!
Also, mark your calendars for Tuesday, April 17th for the Springboard Ideas Challenge Awards Dinner. We’re honored to welcome William (Bill) E. Greehey, former Chairman and CEO of Valero, as our guest speaker. Click here to learn more about Mr. Greehey. He now serves as Chairman of the Board for NuStar Energy L.P. and is an active philanthropic patron in the San Antonio area.
We hope you can join us during this exciting Springboard season.
by Amanda Pittman | Jan 19, 2012 | Careers In..., COBA Events, College Decisions, Current Students, Special Speakers
After being pushed from the fall, due to their appearance in the World Series, we are thrilled to welcome the CFO of the Texas Rangers, Kellie Fischer, to our campus on Feb. 7th.
Here’s Kellie’s bio, from the Rangers website:
Kellie Fischer was appointed Chief Financial Officer of the Texas Rangers in March of 2005. She oversees all financial matters, human resources, information technology and legal operations for the Texas Rangers. Kellie joined the Rangers in 1999 and has served in many roles for the Rangers former parent company, Southwest Sports Group and the Dallas Stars.
We're excited to welcome Mrs. Fischer to our campus this semester
Prior to joining the Rangers, Kellie spent four years at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in the audit division of the Dallas office. She earned her B.A. in accounting from Baylor University in 1995 and is a Texas CPA. Kellie serves on the Executive Board of Directors for the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Directors for the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation, the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas, and the Baylor Hankamer School of Business Advisory Board. In addition, Kellie recently served on the Baylor Accounting Department Advisory Board.
In October 2010, Kellie was awarded Chief Financial Officer of the year for private mid-size companies by the Dallas Business Journal.
Kellie and her husband Scott reside in Dallas and are active in promoting cancer awareness for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life.
The luncheon event, where Mrs. Fischer will be speaking, is free and only open to ACU students and faculty. For more information, click here.
by Amanda Pittman | Jan 4, 2012 | COBA Events, Current Students
If you are heading to Honduras or Australia with COBA this summer, you need to be sure you have completed and returned these forms to MC Jennings in the Dean’s Suite.
