University of South Florida Muma College of Business   December 2017
MUMA HOLIDAY VIDEO CAPTURES SPIRIT OF SEASON, SCHOOL
From ours to yours
The annual holiday video produced by the Muma College of Business features faculty, staff, students and friends of the college who send along their best wishes for a happy holiday season. Using the USF Fight Song, mashed up with a rejuvenating spirit, the video was released earlier this month and already has been widely viewed not only among business college denizens, but also by a much wider audience. To view the video, click here.
FALL COMMENCEMENT: EXCEPTIONAL STUDENTS AND A DBA FIRST
Outstanding Graduate Alexis Drees
Muma College of Business graduation bright spots included Alexis Drees (international business), as an Oustanding Graduate; the inaugural DBA class graduation; and the recognition of four King O'Neal Scholars: David Blanchard (marketing), Mary Edwards (accounting), Paul Rogers (management) and Alexander Zhideev (MIS). To see photos, click here or click here to watch a video featuring images of business grads at graduation.
A YEAR IN REVIEW: SMILES, TEARS AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN
What a year!
We laughed. We cried. There were days we cheered and times we patted ourselves on the back. Mixed in were memorable moments when the poignancy overcame us. Professors conducted impactful research and made connections with real-world business partners. Data analytics and creativity took center stage and a graduate student with a debilitating disease rose from his wheelchair to walk across the stage to receive his diploma. For a look back at 2017, click here.
PROFESSOR JIM STOCK NOW A FELLOW AT PRESTIGIOUS AAAS

AAAS Fellow Jim Stock
Jim Stock, a Distinguished University Professor and Frank Harvey Endowed Professor of Marketing, has added another prize to his already crowded list of honors: a fellowship with the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The award is considered among the top honors in academic research. Stock was one of six USF professors to receive the award. To read more, click here.
SPORT AND ENTERTAINMENT MANAGEMENT CLASS TAKES IN THE UK 
Tower of London tour
Students in the Vinik Sport & Entertainment Management Program Class of 2018 took six days to study in and soak up the local culture of the United Kingdom. They not only attended conferences and met with marketing professionals in London, but they also tried cricket and handball and were dazzled by the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London. They even visited a number of London pubs and eateries. To read more, click here. To view the video, click here.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM RANKED IN TOP 25 NATIONALLY
Director Mike Fountain
For the past 11 consecutive years, the graduate program at the USF Center for Entrepreneurship has been named to the Top 25 list compiled by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine. The annual list appears in the December issue of Entrepreneur, and the graduate program here tops out at No. 11. It is the only program in the state of Florida to make the list. To read more, click here.
STUDENTS OFFER MARKETING ADVICE FOR AREA MIDDLE SCHOOL 
Advice from marketing students
Livening up the Terrace Community Middle School's website with color and photographs and keeping better track of alumni were among the suggestions offered by students in Mark Bender's marketing class. Students studied the strengths and weaknesses of the charter school and made recommendations to enhance the school's image. TCMS board members vowed to apply some of their ideas. To read more, click here.
DIGITAL MARKETING CERTIFICATION HELPS BOOST EXECS' CAREERS 
Anand Kumar
The intensive four-day Digital Marketing Certificate program at the Muma College of Business is enhancing the careers of professionals who successfully complete the program. Marketing Professor Anand Kumar says attendees are bringing ideas back to their workplaces and that is resulting in promotions, new responsibilities and bumps in salaries. This, he says, is the perfect example of the college benefiting the outside business world. To read more, click here.
ELEVATOR PITCH COMPETITON: HOW BEST TO SELL YOURSELF
Going up?
This is your chance. You're alone in an elevator with the CEO of a company where you want to work. You just happen to be there to get an application. How do you make an impression without taking it too far, or not far enough?  The  Elevator Competition aims to teach students how to sell themselves, communicate effectively and interact with business leaders. To view a video about the competition, click here.
ACCOUNTING INSTRUCTOR KERRY MYERS TAKES A FLIGHT OF HOPE 
Flight of Hope lands in Tampa 
A relief flight to Puerto Rico to bring much needed supplies in the wake of Hurricane Maria, including a return flight with island residents who have medical problems, was in need of a security person. Look no further than accounting instructor Kerry Myers, a former FBI agent who helped in the endeavor in mid-November. To read his account, click here.
FACULTY/STAFF NOTES 
  • Dipayan Biswas, professor of marketing, recently accepted an invitation to join the editorial review board of the Journal of Marketing, a premier journal in the discipline. Biswas teaches undergraduate, graduate, and PhD-level courses in the sensory and experiential aspects of marketing.
  • Janelle Wells and Michelle Harrolle, both assistant professors with the Vinik Sport & Entertainment Management Program, recently presented a paper titled, "Rivalry Influences on Fan Engagement Within Twitter: A Case Study of Manchester United," at the Sport Marketing Association Conference in Boston.
  • Shivendu Shivendu was promoted recently to associate professor with the Information Systems Decision Sciences Department. He is the PhD program coordinator and has created and taught undergraduate MBA/MS and doctoral courses in areas related to economics and information systems. He has been with the Muma College of Business since 2015.
  • Delroy Hunter recently was promoted to full professor in the Finance Department. Hunter teaches graduate courses in investments, international finance and empirical methods. Since coming to USF in 2001, he has taught a wide range of courses at all levels. He holds a PhD from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom, where he was a Commonwealth Scholar.
 
ALUMNI NOTES   
  • Ryan Denlinger ('76, Business Administration) has been named home-clubhouse manager for the Tampa Bay Rays. Denlinger has been with the team for 12 years.
  • Dennis Zank ('76, Accounting) was honored recently with the 2017
    Zank
     
    Distinguished Alumnus Award recognizing him as reaching "the pinnacle of success in his career." He is the chief operating officer of Raymond James Financial and chief executive officer of Raymond James & Associates. He also is the longest-serving mentor in the Muma College of Business's Corporate Mentor Program. Zank is a first-generation university graduate and has a long history of volunteerism and philanthropy to the university and to the Tampa Bay Community.
  • Diana Devitt ('13, Marketing) has begun a new job as marketing automation manager with VIPRE Security. Devitt was on the 25 Under 25 list in 2013.
  • Duane Driskell ('17, Accounting) has taken a job with Wells Fargo beginning in March 2018 as an investment portfolio analyst in San Francisco. Driskell was on the 25 Under 25 list in 2016.
  • Brian Killingsworth ('02, MBA) now works for the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights as vice president and chief marketing officer. Previously, he had worked with marketing teams of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the St. Louis Rams and the Tampa Bay Rays.
  • Andre Kirwan ('13, Executive MBA) is now a residential mortgage broker at First Security Mortgage, where he specializes in purchases and refinancing for residential customers.
  • Sam Morgan ('17, Accounting) now works with the auditing staff at Rivero Gordimer, an accounting firm in Tampa. 

 
 
* Jan. 10, 10:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Week of Welcome takes place in the Muma College of Business atrium and breezeway. Free food and T-shirts will be available for declared business majors (while supplies last).
* Jan. 18, 3 p.m., Raymond James Financial to announce that a donation the investment giant is making to the Muma College of Business will name the directorship position in the Personal Financial Planning program. The event will take place in the Muma College of Business atrium and includes talks by industry professionals and a panel discussion.
* Jan. 26, deadline to nominate USF Bull-owned or Bull-operated businesses for the 2018 USF Fast 56 Awards. Being named to the list makes a business owner part of an elite group of fellow Bulls who are publicly honored as making their marks in business and in their communities. To nominate a business, click here.
* Jan. 28-30, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, which sets the standard for excellence in business colleges around the globe, will visit the Muma College of Business as part of its five-year re-accreditation process. A peer review team, made up of leaders in other business colleges, will examine policies and procedures to determine whether the Muma College of Business will receive its accreditation renewal for the next five years.
* Feb. 1, 8:30-10 a.m., Conversation with a CEO  featuring Steve Griggs, president and CEO of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The event is set to take place at the Center for Advanced Medical Learning Simulation (CAMLS), 124 S. Franklin St., in downtown Tampa. To register, click here.
* Feb. 20, 2 p.m., the Muma College of Business Thought Leader Series with Steve Wozniak, entrepreneur, philanthropist and engineer who invented the first Apple computers, leading to devices that have found their way into just about every house, briefcase and hip pocket of users around the world. The talk will take place in the USF Sun Dome. It's free and open to the public, but RSVPs are required. To register, click here.