by M. C. Jennings | Mar 7, 2017 | Academics, Accounting, COBA Events, College Decisions, Current Students, Faith Infusion, Uncategorized
In 2015, Tolleson Wealth Management, Inc. created the Tolleson Scholars COBA Endowment Fund to give scholarship awards in the amount of $5,000 each year to two deserving COBA students. To be considered, students must have completed 75 credit hours toward their degree, but also have at least 30 credit hours remaining to complete their degree. The award also is meant to be awarded to students recognized as top academic performers as well as excellent role models in terms of their Christian commitment and moral behavior. To be considered for the award, students submitted an essay reflecting on a time when they were a role model and exhibited commitment to their Christian faith. The recipients of this year’s awards are Brandon Gonzales, senior accounting major from Rowlett, TX and Megan Young, senior accounting major from Burleson, TX.
-
-
Brandon Gonzales
-
-
Megan Young
Brandon wrote about his experience volunteering with Operation Blessing, an international relief and development non-profit, after tornadoes destroyed much of the Rockwall, Rowlett, and Garland areas on December 26th of 2015. Brandon and his friends went door to door with the relief operation, asking residents what help they needed as well as consoling and praying with them. He said that, “It was eye opening to see everyone come together to help people they had never met and would likely never see again when they could have been spending their holiday break with family. I was only with my group for a couple of days and although we may not have been able to fix all the problems we came across, I learned how powerful even the smallest actions can be”. When asked about receiving the Tolleson Scholar Award, Brandon said, “Winning this scholarship was truly an unexpected blessing for my family and I. Being the first in my family to attend a university and with my graduation date on the horizon, this award is another reminder that I couldn’t have gotten this far without the help of the ACU community and the friends that I have made along the way.”
Brandon with team members from Operation Blessing
Megan wrote about serving with her church on an unexpected mission trip to Rio Bravo, Mexico during the spring break of her senior year. She told of how her church had been raising money for a kidney and liver transplant for the Rio Bravo congregation’s church liaison to the Burleson church, Jorge. Jorge and his family moved to Burleson temporarily while he received medical care. Megan said that they became “mi familia” as they grew very close to one another. During this time, the church raised half of the money needed but Jorge died two days after Christmas while waiting for a transplant. Megan said that the trip to Rio Bravo was the first time she would see Jorge’s family since his death and she was uncertain about the meeting. However, she and the Burleson mission team were greeted warmly by the family and the church and much healing happened as they worked side by side building an addition to the church building that Jorge once led. She said, “At the end of the week, the church threw a big party for our mission team. The church members and Jorge’s family were so grateful for all we had done. That’s when I realized the full scope of what God had planned for me that week. I wasn’t there just to do hard work; I was there to be part of the healing process. I was there to help this small church move forward after the death of Jorge. I was there to let his family know that we were still “familia”. Most of all, I was there to show God’s love and grace to our dear friends across the border”. When asked what receiving the Tolleson Award meant to her, Megan said, “I am so honored to be receiving the Tolleson Scholarship. This award will assist me in completing my BBA in accounting and start on my goal of attaining my Masters of Accountancy. Thank you to the donors for their generosity and support!”
Megan with the Rio Bravo Mission Team
Megan and Brandon represent well the student body that makes up the College of Business Administration (COBA). Our students serve in various volunteer capacities throughout the year, using the skills and lessons they’ve learned in the classroom to help organizations like non-profits and churches. Using business to do good – it’s a value COBA strives to integrate in and out of the classroom. Generous donors make college tuition scholarships and experiences like Leadership Summit or service trips to destinations like Mission Lazarus possible. COBA has approximately 50 scholarship and endowment funds that, this year alone, provided financial help to over 120 COBA students. We are so thankful for the generosity of our friends and donors who help us continue our mission of educating business and technology professionals for Christian service and leadership throughout the world. If you would like to learn more about giving to COBA scholarship funds, please email coba@acu.edu.
by M. C. Jennings | Feb 1, 2017 | Academics, Current Students, Faith Infusion, Social Entrepreneurship, Uncategorized
written by guest blogger Rachael Kroeger and with permission from WorldWide Witness
This summer I served in a WorldWide Witness internship in Chiang Mai, Thailand, at Business as Mission (BAM). BAM is a network of global partners seeking to share resources to advance Christianity in the business world. The group wants to make business be an integral part of the church by creating companies built upon Christian principles that work to better the communities around them. It is a striving toward a “holistic gospel,” meaning that us as Christians should work to bring the kingdom of God not only spiritually, but also socially, mentally, and physically. My internship mainly consisted of working on the development and execution of their international conference that took place in LA September 15-18. I networked, networked, networked! During my time in Thailand, I sent out around 4,000 LinkedIn invites and conference invites combined, not to mention the research I did on different organizations that BAM plans to reach out to.
Rachael Kroeger, Senior Business Management major with a minor in Sociology was a BAM Intern and LA 2016 Conference Speaker.
Because I worked so much on the conference, the lead man of the project, Mark Plummer, asked that I would come facilitate the student sector of the event, as well as lead worship on Sunday morning and speak at one of the breakout sessions. My session was titled “Training, Consulting, and On Ramp Opportunities,” and it was a session I shared among three other speakers. I specifically spoke on my experiences in Thailand, what the program looks like, and what led me to take part in such an awesome project in the first place. It was incredible being a part of the conference (and BAM itself) because I was able to work with several diverse business men and women with hearts for God, and I was able to connect with different businesses and entrepreneurs from all around the world.
There were many contributing factors that prepared me to constructively participate in BAM. WorldWide Witness prepared me through my missions course with Larry Henderson and Gary Green. In it, I studied what it looked like to go abroad with one worldview and work with those from a completely different background and environment. COBA also prepared me by equipping me with adequate business knowledge and skills that was then put to use while working for BAM in Thailand. Through this internship experience, it was solidified in my mind and heart that we as Christians much approach business with a mission-minded viewpoint. I believe that mission in itself should encompass everything; in all that we do, we should be portraying Christ and His love. That being said, I believe as a society, we need to work to come out of our negative take on business. We see business as a necessary evil, where the Bible says that clearly isn’t the case. As business men and women, we must rid the world of the mindset that business is set apart outside of the church and reinstate what it means to be a Godly steward through business. I hope to be an example of this in the future through my own career path.
by M. C. Jennings | Nov 18, 2016 | Academics, COBA Events, COBA Faculty, COBA Staff, College Decisions, Current Students, Distinguished Speakers Series, Faith Infusion, MAcc, MBA, School of Information Technology and Computing, Uncategorized
Dr. Brad Crisp officially began his tenure as the Dean of the College of Business Administration in June and has been building an agenda since for his new role. One of the items on that agenda has been to reach out to and connect with alumni from the College of Business and the School of Information Technology and Computing, giving alumni and friends an opportunity to meet or reacquaint themselves with Dr. Crisp as well as learning more about the state of our college and what our plans are for the future. Thus, the idea for the “Meet the Dean Tour” was born and implemented in partnership with the Alumni Relations Office.
Dr. Brad Crisp, Dean of the College of Business Administration
The tour began in Abilene with 56 alumni and friends and at each stop, Dr. Crisp illustrated ACU’s long standing success in business education and our recent path of progress with our School of IT and Computing. Along with our first event in Abilene, alumni and friends gathered in Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and Silicon Valley at networking breakfasts and lunches. Alumni who graduated within the past 10 years were invited to join Dr. Crisp for a “Beat the Dean” event at Top Golf in several of these cities, as they attempted to best the new Dean. It was a fun time of networking and Dr. Crisp was able to withstand the challenge brought by our young alums.
Young Alums in Dallas
Dr. Crisp aims to win
COBA Beat the Dean at Top Golf in Dallas
Not only were we able to reconnect with alumni, but we also met with parents of current students as well as prospective students and their families as they sought to learn more about the College and our programs and opportunities. Recent graduates were hard at work at these events, helping us connect students to internships and job opportunities in their organization. Alumni who have risen to leadership roles in their companies expressed their desire to create and sustain pipelines of ACU talent to their organizations. Many of our alums shared stories of the encouragement and strengthening they received both professionally and personally while attending ACU. They were encouraged by Dr. Crisp’s consistent reference to our heritage of business excellence, rooted in our personal commitment to living out the mission of Christ and bringing this mission to the workplace.
Meet the Dean lunch stop in Austin
Today, Dr. Crisp leads a College offering 5 business degrees and 4 technology degrees at our Abilene campus, the Griggs Center for Entrepreneurship and Philanthropy which is leading the nation in student engagement for entrepreneurship programs, and the new Lytle Center for Leadership and Faith Development which is continuing our Distinguished Speaker Series and Leadership Summit course. The reach of ACU’s mission to educate Christian servants and leaders has expanded with the on-line MBA program, offered through the ACU Dallas campus in addition to our residential Master of Accountancy program and additional on-line graduate programs are in the discussion phase. The College of Business enjoyed an enrollment of exactly 1,000 total students this fall and is positioned for additional growth. Our Master of Accountancy and Computer Science programs supply a steady stream of employers coming to campus to interview for talent as the changing landscape of business is driven by technology and entrepreneurship, demanding ethical leaders in this rapidly transforming environment.
Young alums at Beat the Dean in San Antonio
The opportunity to begin Dr. Crisp’s tenure by connecting with alumni was emphasized by an intentional effort to listen to and involve alumni and friends in our efforts to develop the next generation of business and technology servant leaders. All in attendance were encouraged to give us feedback via an on-line survey. If you were unable to attend one of the stops but would like to give feedback as we continue to shape the direction and future of ACU’s College of Business and School of Information Technology and Computing, please fill out the survey by clicking on this link.
Your support of our work to educate business and technology professionals for Christian service and leadership throughout the world is a great encouragement to us and we cannot achieve our goals without support from alumni and friends. Thank you!
by M. C. Jennings | Nov 17, 2016 | Academics, Accounting, Careers In..., COBA Events, COBA Faculty, COBA Staff, College Decisions, Current Students, Faith Infusion, Special Speakers, Uncategorized
The Lytle Center for Faith and Leadership Development hosted Brett Biggs, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. on October 25th, as the speaker at COBA’s annual Distinguished Speaker Series luncheon.
Brett Biggs, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
Biggs is responsible for accounting and control, corporate strategy and development, business planning and analysis, internal auditing, treasury, tax, global shared services and several other key areas of the company. Before being appointed to his current role, Biggs was executive vice president and chief financial officer for Walmart International, where he was responsible for all global finance activities, including accounting and controls, business planning and analysis, financial services, and support for real estate, M&A and Strategy. Prior to that, Brett served as executive vice president and chief financial officer for Walmart U.S., where he was responsible for U.S. finance functions including strategy, merchandising, logistics, financial services, real estate, operations, and financial planning and analysis.
Biggs began his visit to ACU with a Q&A meeting with approximately 30 COBA students. The students had unfettered access to ask Biggs questions about his career path, how Walmart works and his best advice on how to jump start their own careers. After the private gathering with students, he then addressed the luncheon crowd of about 200 guests, talking to them about Walmart’s corporate philosophy as well as his own beliefs on what it means to be a Christian leader in the workplace.
Mr. Biggs meeting with COBA students
Biggs stated that the “Joy of working at Walmart is that it is a company that stands for things: take care of your people, do your best, and take care of the people that come through your door.” Biggs also said that he believes, “The world needs places that stand for something. I love ACU’s mission. If you can combine your passion and your vocation with your mission, that’s where it’s at. Sometimes being a person of faith is tough. You have to stand your ground when others around you aren’t. Rosa Parks said it well when she said, ‘Stand for something or you will fall for anything. Today’s mighty oak is yesterday’s nut that held its ground.’ Matt 5:14 says, ‘You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.’ I know that’s what this university is about and I appreciate that.”
Biggs also gave a personal anecdote when he told a story about meeting Sam Walton, who he described as a once in a lifetime kind of man and the greatest entrepreneur of all time. Biggs said that he met Walton on a field trip in college. Biggs happened to be carrying around a very big notebook while studying for the CPA exam. Sam Walton asked what the book was for and Biggs explained to him that he was intensely studying for the exam. Walton then told him that, “If you study hard and work hard you never know what you’ll be able to achieve.” Biggs said that today, his office is next door to Sam Walton’s former office.
Biggs encouraged students to find a company that fits your values, to be intentional about your faith and to stay grounded and focused on your faith. He also exhorted the audience to know who you are before you are faced with big decisions. He stated, “You have to know what you would do and make a choice ahead of time. You have to really know who you are. Students, take advantage of your time here and form that person now. Take advantage of all the spiritual opportunities you have here.”
Mr. Biggs meeting with COBA Faculty
Biggs wrapped his trip to ACU up with a private meeting with some of COBA’s faculty, where they discussed current markets and opportunities for students. COBA would like to thank Brett Biggs for so graciously giving of his time and energy to our students, faculty, staff and community.
For pictures from the event, please click on this link for COBA’s FaceBook page.
by M. C. Jennings | Oct 19, 2016 | Academics, Careers In..., COBA Faculty, College Decisions, Current Students, Faith Infusion, Human Resource Management, Uncategorized
Dr. Malcolm Coco
What is your educational background?
Bachelor of Business Administration, University of Southwestern La.
Personnel Management and Supervision, Central Michigan University
Doctorate of Public Administration, Nova Southeastern University
What is your work background?
I was a United States Air Force Pilot for 22 years.
What do you teach at ACU?
I teach Human Resource Management courses and am the Director of Internships for COBA.
What committees/other duties do you have at ACU aside from teaching?
Too many to list. I was Associate Dean from 1993-1997.
What drew you to teaching? Why did you want to work with students?
When stationed at Dyess AFB in the 70s, I met a number of ACU faculty/staff/and grads. I determined then based on those relationships that ACU was special and that after my Air Force career I would like to work for ACU.
What’s the best part of working with students?
Working with young people with fresh ideas, passion, and engagement.
Have you ever given up any big opportunities to keep working with students?
The offer to be the Director of Human Resources at ACU and several other HR director jobs.
Outside of teaching, what passions and hobbies do you have?
Anything outdoors: bow hunting, fly fishing, and duck hunting especially.
Enjoying the great outdoors.
What is a good, early story about your teaching?
I’ve always enjoyed inviting local, national and international HR professionals to speak in my class.
Tell me about a project or accomplishment that you consider to be the most significant in your career.
Being the Deputy Director of U.S. air force pilots world wide assignments for 40,000 air force pilots as well as being the Associate Dean during some of the most challenging times for the College of Business.
Do you do any charity or non-profit work?
I volunteer with Rotary International, Big Country Society for Human Resource Management, Military Officers Association, and Herald of Truth.
Who is your role model, and why?
Anyone of a few faculty who can fully engage students.
Dr. Coco on a field trip with students.
Who was your most inspirational professor and why?
Former Department Chair, Lamar Riench.
If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why?
To have a better ability to connect people with Jesus.
What is something that students might be surprised to find out about you?
That I was a State Champion pole vaulter and sprinter.
What would you really want students and alums to know about you?
To know how much I really care about our students and how much I appreciate our student’s parents giving us their children for an education.
by M. C. Jennings | Oct 12, 2016 | Academics, COBA Faculty, College Decisions, Current Students, Faith Infusion, Research, Uncategorized
Dr. Katie Wick
What is your educational background?
I was drawn to the University of Virginia for my undergraduate education. The campus is a magical place steeped in history and tradition. When I came to UVA, I was convinced I was going to be a doctor, and as I was taking my first course in chemistry I realized that I was going to have to slog and push myself through my prerequisites for medical school. Simultaneously, I happened to enroll in principles of microeconomics with 550 other undergraduates and the class made my heart sing! I decided I need to dive into economics further.
My game theory and experimental economics classes convinced me to make the study of economics my future. Strategy, games, choices, and decisions came alive in the economics laboratory, and I simply had to find a way to get to graduate school to study further. With the guidance of my advisor, I applied to experimental graduate programs and received an amazing offer from the University of Pittsburgh where the real work in economics began.
Playing economics games with handheld devices out on the famous UVA lawn with my experimental economics class (that’s me on the very far right in the red and my advisor/professor right next to me). This was a big deal since it was WAY before iPads!
After two to three years of the basic course work (basic is a misnomer since it was scary hard), I started my research in experiments. My dissertation was based around two experiments I designed to test efficiency in public good giving. It was such a thrill to conduct every aspect of the experiment and see it take shape from just an idea to the design then the programming, the recruiting of subjects, the running of the experiment in the laboratory, and the analysis afterward. The day I defended my dissertation was almost as exciting as the days I welcomed my children into the world!
What is your work background?
You’ll notice the narrative of my work history exactly coincides with the development of my family. My first professor job was at Allegheny College in Meadville, PA where I was blessed with amazing students who loved economics as well as game theory and experiments. At the end of my very first week of work, our first foster child came to live with us, a little boy named Braden who we had the privilege of later adopting. Concurrently, my husband was in his family medicine residency, and when he graduated, he would begin active duty with the Air Force due to the terms of his medical school scholarship. After two years of working at Allegheny, my husband was given orders to Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, TX, which we had to look up on a map! God went before us to provide a community of support including an amazing church and friends.
Dr. Matthew Wick, then a captain in the USAF on his first day of active duty service at Dyess with our 2-year-old son Braden.
I was 30+ weeks with our second child when we moved to Abilene, and I took two years off from teaching to be with our small kids. I missed being with students and teaching, and I reached out to the academic community in town. I started teaching part-time at McMurry in the fall of 2012 when I was 36 weeks pregnant with our 3rd child! I had missed the excitement of the first day of school in those two years away. That was a busy semester!
-
-
The first day back to school in 2012! 36 weeks pregnant with #3.
-
-
My bosses for two years “off”.
I taught part-time at McMurry for one year and full-time for three years. We loved living in Abilene. After my husband’s active duty commitment was over, we decided to stay and put down permanent roots here, and we had one more kid too!
What do you teach at ACU?
My main teaching focus at ACU is the principles of economics courses (macro and micro) and equipping our COBA students for their upper level business classes. This spring I will be teaching one of my favorite classes on game theory which studies choices in strategic settings. We also play a good deal of games which makes it a very fun and memorable class. I also hope to add other economics topics classes in the future.
What drew you to teaching? Why did you want to work with students?
The mentoring process is my favorite part of teaching. I love getting to know about student’s uniqueness and helping them learn material in a way that makes sense to them. I went to a large university where having a mentor relationship with your professor was very difficult if not close to impossible in some cases. It became paramount that my students have a different experience than I did, one where they were known. In addition, I LOVE school, have always loved school, so it’s exciting that I always get to be in school!
What’s the best part of working with students?
I love that I get to be a small part of this transformational time in their lives. College is a shaping experience academically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually. It is a great privilege to be able to encourage them on this journey. In addition, students make me laugh, and they help to keep me relevant.
Outside of teaching, what passions and hobbies do you have?
When I’m not teaching, I’m usually at home or out and about with my “tribe.” They are my biggest hobby and my greatest joy in life. Currently, my kids are 2, 4, 6, and 8 years old so they are still at an age where they require attention which is both great and hard.
Other than my tribe, I love to spend time with my friends, exercise, read, and I am very involved in my church community. I have a huge passion for the foster and adoptive community, and we hope to open our home again to children in the future.
-
-
-
My tribe of kiddos
What is a good, early story about your teaching?
While I was still a student in my doctoral program, I taught a section of Intermediate Microeconomics in the summer when I was 24 years old. I remember walking into the classroom, very nervous, and one of the students asking me about the professor and if this was known to be a hard class. I giggled on the inside. I guess they thought that I was taking the class and not teaching it!
Tell me about a project or accomplishment that you consider to be the most significant in your career.
Up to this point, I don’t think anything has topped the feeling of the accomplishment of my dissertation. Conducting every aspect of those experiments and single authoring the papers created an incredible sense of triumph.
Do you do any charity or non-profit work?
Most Thursday mornings I work in my church’s food pantry where we provide groceries and household goods to approximately 25 families that day. These families and the others working the food pantry bless my life in tremendous ways. I also lead a life group and counsel couples in the premarital journey with my husband.
Who is your role model, and why?
My parents! My father worked tirelessly to provide for us as well as let us know we were always loved. He was also an incredibly successful surgeon bringing healing to thousands of patients and teaching hundreds of budding doctors. My mom was the rock upon which our whole family stood, and she is our earthly guide in this life. She also led each of her children to know and love the Lord.
Who was your most inspirational professor and why?
There are many, and I could pick inspirational teachers/professors for different phases of my life.
Childhood – my mom, Helen Johnson, who encouraged me to love learning and see it as a constant adventure at a young age.
Middle/High School – Dr. Tracy Inman who taught me an intensive three-week summer course in humanities studying different perspectives of the afterlife at my favorite summer camp (lovingly dubbed nerd camp by my friends and family). Her guidance helped challenge my critical thinking skills and nourish my individual ideas.
College – Dr. Charles Holt who opened my eyes to the world of game theory and experimental economics. At the time, I didn’t know he was such a leader in this field and that working in his laboratory would put me way ahead in skills for graduate school. I was so blessed by his leadership and guidance.
At UVA’s Intermediate Honors (I’m on the far right) with Dr. Charles Holt in the center. We all call him Charlie.
If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why?
Flying! Oh, how freeing it would be! Plus, you could see the world from a different perspective and travel places quickly.
What is something that students might be surprised to find out about you?
My husband and I were dating for less than 10 months when we got married! We are coming up on our 11th anniversary this Christmas.
What would you really want students and alums to know about you?
When I was in graduate school, I longed to teach at a university just like ACU. Working here is a blessing, and teaching, mentoring, and working with students is my professional dream-come-true. I am honored to share in the mission of ACU.
The Wick Family
