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University of South Florida Muma College of Business   May 2017
SAM BRIDGMAN INSPIRES IN COURAGEOUS GRADUATION WALK
Sport MBA grad Sam Bridgman's steps across the stage to receive his diploma were more than just a happy stroll toward a just reward. Sam suffers from Friedreich's ataxia, a neural disease that has no cure. He rose from his wheelchair to get his diploma in spite of the odds because, well, that's who Sam is. He also landed a job with the Tampa Bay Lightning. A video of his walk has gone viral, too, appearing on Good Morning America, BuzzFeed, the Daily Mail, and the Irish Times, among other outlets.   Learn more or view video
INSTRUCTOR GREG SMERSH: STUDENT MENTORS EQUAL SUCCESS
Data analytics with a strong dose of creativity has led to an innovative approach that is boosting student success at one of the Muma College of Business' more challenging prerequisite courses. The Principles of Finance class is required for all business students and is pretty much dreaded, particularly by those whose majors may not be finance and don't have an affinity for numbers. The answer: student mentors. Learn more
CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP GARNERS ANOTHER ACCOLADE
USF's Center for Entrepreneurship, recently ranked No. 10 in the nation for the quality of its curriculum,  was named among top 35 programs on the planet by the AACSB, which said the cutting-edge educational programs at the center focus on a commitment to foster "entrepreneurship in the next generation of business leaders."   Learn More
INTERNATIONAL BIZ THOUGHT LEADERS GATHER IN THE ATRIUM  
The sea on which global commerce sails is no longer calm. Political divisions and economic differences are churning up those waters and the course set by international companies is now beset by political storms. The International Business Symposium 2017 answered questions for business owners involved in or thinking about international trade . Learn more
PHILANTHROPIST DICK CORBETT SEES THE DIGITAL WALL HE FUNDED  
Though a new digital wall in the atrium has been up and dry-running for several weeks, Dick Corbett, the man who paid for it, had yet to see it. In April, he got his chance at the unveiling, complete with content created just for the high-res display including faculty, alumni and student spotlights. The wall also features four cable channels on half the screen. To read about Corbett's reaction, just  click here 
FIRST DBA CANDIDATE DEFENDS DISSERTATION, FOCUSES ON SALES
Rob Hammond enrolled in the Muma College of Business' Doctor of Business Administration program because he wanted to research and revolutionize the way sales teams do their jobs. It's been two years since Hammond began studies with the inaugural DBA cohort. Last month, he became the first DBA student to defend his dissertation.  Learn More
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: KAITLYN FRANZA'S FUTURE LOOKING BRIGHT
Kaitlyn Franza, one of the faces of the Muma College of Business Dean's Suite with her engaging smile and gregarious manner, might never have come here had it not been for a chance visit to the Bulls Business Community open house during her senior year in high school. F or the first time, the idea of studying business opened up to her. Learn More
SBDC AT USF OFFERS HELP TO PROTECT AGAINST CYBER ATTACKS
As if you don't have enough to think about while running your own business - increasing competition for customers, managing bills and cash flow, learning the ins and outs of social media marketing and which human resource laws apply to you - along comes cyber security and data breaches. The SBDC at USF has experts to help you protect against cyber invasions. Already, 43 percent of all cyber attacks take aim at small businesses, 60 percent of which end up folding within six months of an attack. Learn More
PhD STUDENT RACKS UP THE $$$$ IN MUMA TRADING CHALLENGE  
The gavel has fallen and the financial dust has settled on the 2017 version of the Muma Trading Challenge. Emerging at the top of the heap was Matthew Henricksson, a first-year finance PhD student who made more than $300,000 in virtual cash in three months. Henricksson's bulging portfolio won him $1,000 in scholarship money. This is the third time the challenge has been offered and more than 200 students signed up at the end of January to compete. Want to know the secrets of his highly successful strategy? Just click here
MUMA PROFESSORS RANK HIGH IN RESEARCH AND CITATIONS
Gert-Jan de Vreede was named the top management information systems scholar from USF on a list that measures productivity and citations of a prof's work. ISDS colleague Alan Hevner also was on the list that was compiled by the University of Arizona. It ranks academics' publishing productivity combined with the frequency their work was cited in other research. The h-index grades how influential a researcher's work is in the scientific community. Learn more
SPRING STUDENT BOOT CAMP FEATURES CITI'S GREGG MORTON
As boot camps go, this one was pretty relaxed. No obstacle courses, no bellowing drill sergeants no 10-mile runs with full gear in the rain. But attendees - some engineering students, but mostly business majors - learned about global banking from someone who knows his stuff: Gregg Morton, site president of the Tampa Citi Service Center. Learn more
ALAN HEVNER NAMED DISTINGUISHED UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR 
Alan R. Hevner, an Eminent Scholar in the Information Systems and Decision Sciences Department, has one more lofty title to add to his curriculum vita: Distinguished University Professor. Hevner joined three other Muma College of Business professors who have previously been named Distinguished University Professors by the USF Provost's Office: Jim Stock, who received the honor in 2011;  Walter Nord, recognized in 2000, and the late Arie Beenhakker, who earned it in 1987.  Learn More
FACULTY/STAFF NOTES 
  • Dionne Speer was promoted to fiscal and business manager at the Muma College of Business. She now manages the team for which she had been an analyst. Her responsibilities include monthly reconciliations, fiscal liaison with departments and approving purchases. Prior to coming here three years ago, Speer had worked for the USF Student Affairs Shared Services Center. She has been with the university since 2004.
  • Shane Heiser will fill the vacancy created by Dionne's promotion. Heiser, previously the fiscal and business specialist working in the dean's suite, has a bachelor's degree in accounting and is nearing completion of his master's degree in accounting. He will be the lead accountant for finance, marketing, sport and entertainment management and the Center for Entrepreneurship.
  • Kyle King was hired as a consultant by the Small Business Development Center at USF.
  • Mitchell Lairmore also was hired as a consultant with the Small Business Development Center at USF.
 
ALUMNI NOTES
  • Eric J. Biel ('16, MBA) co-founder and COO of Tembo Education, a social enterprise that brings early childhood education to children around the world via text messages, was named a 2017 USF Outstanding Young Alumnus. The award is sponsored by NorthStar Bank and was established in 2004 to  recognize annually young alumni for their professional accomplishments.
  • Rhea Law ('77, Management) was appointed to the Tampa Electric Co. local board, which oversees operations for Tampa Electric and TECO Peoples Gas for corporate owner Emera. Law is chair of the Florida offices of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC.
  • Robert Chacon ('85, Management) retired as an FBI special agent after 27 years of service. Chacon relocated to Los Angeles with his wife and two rescue dogs, where he now works as technical advisor for the TV show "Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders."
  • Betty Viamontes ('95 Accounting, '97 MS Accounting, '03 MBA) published her third novel, "The Dance of the Rose," and saw her first novel, "Waiting on Zapote Street," make The Latino Author website's list of top ten nonfiction books of 2016. Viamontes is the current chair of FICPA Healthcare Conference.
  • Vijay Vaswani ('04 Accounting) joined Bennett Thrasher, a top 100 public accounting and consulting firm, as managing director of its transaction advisory services. Vaswani previously served as director of mergers and acquisitions at EarthLink.
  • Meg Ross ('04 Management) was inducted into the USF College of Behavioral and Community Sciences Criminology Wall of Fame as a Distinguished Alumnus. Ross is a lieutenant in the USF Police Department. 
  • Jonathan Conde, ('17 MS, MBA, Sport & Entertainment Management) was named account representative with the Tampa Bay Lightning in April. 
  • Lauren K. Einhorn ('06 Marketing, Management) joined the West Palm Beach law firm of Kelley Kronenberg, focusing her practice on financial services litigation and assisting banks and other financial service providers with regulatory, enforcement, transactional and litigation matters. Prior to joining Kelley Kronenberg, she worked as a litigation attorney at various firms throughout Florida. 
 Read More Alumni Notes
 
 
* May 18-19, USF Accounting Circle CPE Conference will take place in the Marshall Student Center. A wide variety of informative presentations will offer participants 16 CPE credits, of which 12 are accounting and auditing (subject to approval). To register, click here.
* May 20, 11:00 - noon, Information session USF's Graduate Business Programs will take place in the college. To RSVP, click here.
* May 31, 5:30-7 p.m., Information session for the Masters of Business Analytics and Information Systems will take place in the Port Authority Building, 1101 Channelside Drive, Suite 210, Tampa. Parking is free. For more information about the program, click here or for information about other graduate programs, click here