Business Edge Newsletter – Spring 2016

Table of Contents

2016 Columbus Rotary Enterprise Academy at ODU

Twenty-five Columbus City School juniors and seniors recently completed the nine-week Columbus Rotary Enterprise Academy. The students spent four weeks at ODU learning about the fundamentals of business from Dr. John Grant, and four weeks at six local businesses. The final week culminated with students sharing group projects about what they learned while at the businesses.

ODU Division of Business & Education First Credit Union Partner to Provide Financial Literacy Seminars for High School Students and Community

Ohio Dominican University in partnership with Education First Credit Union developed and offered free seminars on financial literacy to Central Ohio high school students and the ODU community.

The program began in the fall of 2015, with three seminars and continued in spring 2016 with an additional four seminars. Seminars will be offered each semester over the next five years on ODU’s campus. The seminars will be led by Education First staff and a team of ODU junior and senior students majoring in Finance and Economics. The seminars will cover topics including banking, financing and investing, debt management, and financial instruments, and will include short presentations, case analyses, and projects on financial planning.

Parents of students who attend the seminars will also have an opportunity to enjoy lunch at ODU and participate in the financial literacy workshop. Education First Credit Union received funding assistance for the first year of the program through a grant from the Ohio Credit Union Foundation. The foundation believes in empowering people to improve their financial well-being, based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality and equity. For many years the Ohio Credit Union Foundation has endorsed educational and outreach initiatives that promote financial independence through credit unions.

"This partnership between ODU’s Division of Business and Education First will enable Ohio Dominican students to develop leadership skills in financial literacy and provide long-lasting benefits to high school students and others in our community,” said Kenneth Fah, Ph.D., associate professor of Economics and Business, and chair of the Division of Business. “We are extremely thankful to Education First Credit Union for their support of this important initiative."

"Financial literacy is far too important in the future lives of this country’s youth, to leave to chance,” said Michael J. Wettrich, president and chief executive officer at Education First Credit Union. “This partnership brings the support of credit unions to a higher level of education where it can be disseminated in an atmosphere that is conducive to young minds. Our commitment reflects the need of today’s young people because understanding how to handle personal finance is one of the single most important skills one could have in our society. The better educated young adults are today with personal finance, the more successful and productive they will be in the future. This knowledge will elevate not only those who participate, but those who are socially attached to them."

MS in Medical Practice Management Has a New Name: MS in Healthcare Administration

The Master of Science in Medical Practice Management program has been renamed to the Master of Science in Healthcare Administration (MSHA). There is no change to any of the courses that are offered in the program or their content. After significant discussions with the program's Board of Advisors (which consists of administrators from major health systems in Central Ohio), it was determined that the name of the program was causing some confusion. As a result, the newly named MSHA is a more universally recognized name, allowing our graduates to spend less time explaining their degree and more time focusing on their individual strengths and skills developed here at ODU.

We are excited for the impact this change is already having on our program, and the increased opportunities afforded our students. If you are interested in a career in healthcare and would like more information about our MSHA, please contact the Office of Graduate Admissions at grad@ohiodominican.edu/ or (614) 251-4615 and visit our website http://www.ohiodominican.edu/academics/graduate/msha.

ODU's December MSHA Graduates:

Jessica Fillian, Shamain Jones, Kelley Spence, Shailly Desai, and Taurai Pahuwa with Program Director Lynn Miller. Additional program graduates unable to attend are Lara Hartman-Robinson and Nicholas George.

Division of Business Student News

Business students in ODU’s Dominican Scholars program visited Spartan Logistics on April 15. During the trip, they learned about the logistics industry in Central Ohio as they toured warehouses. Managing director Steve Harmon, a member of the Conway Center for Family Business, led the visit. Additionally, six Dominican Scholars students visited Abbot Nutrition on April 7 to shadow its pediatric sales and adult nutrition sales teams.

Austin Goodridge ’16, Finance & MBA 4 +1, and Erin Hamm’16, Mathematics and Insurance & Risk Management (pictured left),  spoke about their experience attending the National CPCU Conference at the Columbus CPCU Society’s 2015 New Designee Conferment Banquet, held in November in downtown Columbus.

Future Accounting Professionals (FAP) club sponsored a panel discussion led by ODU alumni Matt Culp, Kyle Burgess, Duncan Campbell, and Fraser Fernandes. The program was geared towards current ODU students and titled "Lessons from the Real World." The alumni shared their professional experiences regarding life after graduation. Club President, Tyler Smith, noted that there were over 30 students in attendance at the February event. FAP also held a second panel discussion in April titled, “Opportunities Working for the Federal Government.”  Three employees from the Department of Defense, Office of the Inspector General, discussed their experiences working for the Federal Government. Michael Hepler, Loretta Unger, and Shaneen Beamish comprised the panel.

Darby Slavin ’16, Business Administration major, participated in the ODU Undergraduate Research Symposium on April 29. Her topic was, “Evaluating Ambition as a Variable in the Gender Pay Gap.” Regarding her experience, Darby said, “Being in Ohio Dominican’s Honors Program was a very rewarding experience. My project allowed me to learn about the difficulties and rewards of doing primary research. Along with this, I gained experience in communicating with top level managers and also gained valuable insight into the demands that come with a corporate career.” 

Financial Executives International 2016 Career Night

Senior, Amanda Fowler, and juniors, DeWayne Ackerman and Seth Boles, attended the Financial Executives International 2016 Career Night on April 19, at Brookside Golf and Country Club. The Central Ohio Chapter of FEI hosts this dinner annually to recognize outstanding students majoring in accounting and finance at colleges and universities in the Central Ohio area. Both ODU juniors were among eight students (out of 34) to be awarded free membership for a year in FEI. The evening started with a panel discussion on finding and being successful in accounting and finance jobs. The ODU table was sponsored by Advanced Drainage Systems (ADS), whose head of accounting, Kurt VanDyke, dined with ODU students and answered their questions. After a chance to network, the evening concluded with a presentation by Doug Lessells, an award-winning sportscaster. Mr. Lessells discussed his adventure as an entrepreneur who developed and patented FanMug. Ken Fah, Division of Business Chair, and Doug Ruml, Finance Professor, attended the event as ODU faculty representatives.

ODU Accounting Students Help More Than 250 Residents Complete Tax Returns

ODU's Accounting students and faculty prepared 256 federal and state income tax returns, and processed $313,122 in refunds during ODU’s tenth annual Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. The service also saved clients more than an estimated $50,000 in tax preparation fees. ODU is one of several sites around Columbus that coordinates with the United Way of Central Ohio to prepare tax returns free of charge.

This year, 21 student volunteers (14 traditional and seven adult students) participated. The service was offered from February 20 – April 13. ODU Accounting professors Dawn Hill and Jack Edwards, J.D., led the program.

“One of our Accounting students prepared 33 tax returns, and the average number of returns all of our students successfully completed was about a dozen,” Edwards said. “Our students used their skills to apply income tax knowledge in real-world situations to serve people with tax filing needs.”

Hill said, “We are extremely proud of our Accounting students and their dedicated volunteer tax work. Our students are grateful for a chance to apply their learning, and members of the community are appreciative of this important assistance.”

VITA offers free tax preparation to people with low-to-moderate income (generally below $58,000). Through this program, ODU Accounting students offer assistance with special credits. ODU faculty and students have helped prepare 2,592 tax returns since 2007. The Internal Revenue Service certifies as tax preparers the participating Accounting students, usually juniors or seniors. Under the supervision of faculty members who are certified public accountants, students prepare federal and state income tax returns. 

New ODU Sales Team Student Organization

The Division of Business has officially created the new National Collegiate Sales Competition student organization. This semester, three students from Dr. Richard Buehrer’s Sales Force Management class, Marshall Stretch, Halston Jones, and Zach Willmes, competed at the National Collegiate Sales Competition (NCSC) in Kennesaw, Ga. in early April. ODU students competed against 67 other universities with some of the top sales programs in the country. The ODU team made it to the second round even though they were a new program (which limited their preparation time).

Now in its 18^th year, NCSC is the largest student sales competition in the country with 80 universities participating at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The overall mission of the NCSC is to promote the sales profession as an honorable and viable career option for college graduates and for highly talented and qualified students to exhibit and enhance their selling skills on a national stage.

The National Collegiate Sales Competition is an outstanding opportunity to learn the techniques of selling and to test those skills against other top students. The competition also allows students to network with business professionals in the sales industry who are actively recruiting new talent as well as with students from other universities with similar aspirations. For more information about the event check out the website at: http://ncsc-ksu.org

The new ODU student organization currently has 11 members interested in being part of the NCSC competition team for next year and is open to all students (so that every student can learn the fundamentals of selling throughout their time on the team). However the competition is only open to juniors and seniors. The club plans to have practices weekly next year, so they will be ready for the 2017 competition. If you are interested in this outstanding opportunity, please contact Zach Willmes at willmesz@ohiodominican.edu 

Ohio Insurance Industry and ODU Partner to Build Program to Address Significant Talent Gap

In 2012 there was not a single Ohio college graduate who received a degree in insurance. It was a troubling fact for an industry, which is considered an economic pillar for the state of Ohio. Insurance employs over 100,000 Ohioans and contributes billions to the state’s gross domestic product. The industry worked around this challenge by recruiting insurance talent from colleges in other states and by hiring students from related disciplines in Ohio. Today, nine Ohio colleges and universities, including Ohio Dominican, offer Insurance and Risk Management (IRM) programs ranging from four-year bachelor degrees to two-year associate degrees and short-term certification programs. The pipeline of talent has been opened, and a new generation of insurance professionals is being trained in Ohio to work in Ohio.

Ohio Dominican is proud to offer one of the broadest insurance and risk management education offerings in the state. As of summer 2016, students can earn the following either fully online or by combining online and on-campus courses:

• Certificate in Insurance and Risk Management
• Associate of Science with a focus in Insurance and Risk Management
• Bachelor of Science, Insurance and Risk Management
• Undergraduate minor in Insurance and Risk Management
• MBA with a Risk Management concentration

“Whether it’s a traditional or adult student looking to major or minor in insurance and risk management, an adult student seeing a certificate to enhance their employability, or a working adult pursuing an MBA to enhance their career, ODU’s IRM program can meet the needs of anyone looking to take advantage of the thousands of jobs available across the state!” said Carol Blaine, Program Director and Lead Faculty for Ohio Dominican’s IRM program.

The State of Ohio played a key role. Jobs have been at the forefront of the Kasich-Taylor agenda and agencies like the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation and Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services have teamed with Ohio Higher Education and the colleges to support the insurance industry talent initiative. For more information on ODU’s IRM program, including details regarding guaranteed job interviews and internships, visit the program site at https://www.ohiodominican.edu/academics/undergraduate/bachelor-degrees/insurance-risk-management; for detailed information on insurance careers visit InsuringOhioFutures.com.

Conversations with Entrepreneurs

The Division of Business hosted another seminar in the popular Conversations with Entrepreneurs series. On April 12, Greg Lehman, Owner of Watershed Distillery located here in Columbus, spoke to students regarding his experience starting a new business and growing it from the ground up. He spoke to a packed house and his lecture is can be viewed by clicking here: https://youtu.be/ro1pLrTs3v0       

New Division of Business Board of Advisor Members

Accounting Board of Advisors

Monika Diehl is the Director of Corporate Tax Services at Clarus Partners. She completed her undergraduate degree in Accounting at The Ohio State University, and her Master of Taxation at Capital University. After graduating from Ohio State, Monika began her career with Deloitte, then moved on to Safelite Auto Glass where she worked for nine years in different areas including the Internal Audit department and the Tax Department. Monika then joined the Corporate Tax team at Clarus Partners in 2011. Monika’s current work continues to be focused on corporate tax compliance and planning.  

Finance Board of Advisors

Daniel Martin, MFE, is an adjunct professor at ODU. After serving six years in the United States Marine Corps, Daniel earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees, in finance and financial economics respectively, at Ohio University. Daniel has also completed all three levels of the Chartered Financial Analyst program. After a number of years in the financial advisory business, with such firms as Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan, Daniel “retired” from the field to focus exclusively on managing his family’s investment portfolio. He teaches courses at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, including such courses as managerial finance, financial markets and institutions, and investment analysis. Daniel lives in Blacklick with his wife Katryna, and their one-year-old son Reese. 

Insurance & Risk Management

Darlyn McDermott, CWCA, CLF, AINS, CLPSII, is a Senior Client Executive with Oswald Companies. She works in the area of Property & Casualty Business Development as well as Property & Casualty Client Management. Darlyn is a Cum Laude graduate of Malone College with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She also received her Masters in Business and Organizational Leadership more recently from Malone University. Currently, she is a Business Administration Doctoral candidate at Capella University and has received certification as a Green Belt in Six Sigma as well and is a Conferred Leadership Fellow. Darlyn has spoken extensively in the energy sector as an industry expert in the field of risk management within natural gas exploration. She has more than 21 years of experience in the insurance industry.

Sport Management Board of Advisors

Eric Archibald started with the Greater Columbus Sports Commission (GCSC) in February 2012, as the Events Manager. Before joining the GCSC, Eric worked in the professional golf industry at Sports America, Inc., at Global Golf Management, and at The Boeing Championship at Sandestin. Prior to those roles, he was the Assistant Director of Merchandise for the Columbus Clippers. Eric has a Masters of Arts in Sports Management and a Bachelor’s degree with an emphasis in Sports Marketing from The Max M. Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University.

Vincent Clarno is a native of Columbus where he was an honor student and a four-year letterman in basketball while attending Walnut Ridge High School. Vincent then attended Duquesne University where he played basketball and majored in education with a minor in finance. After graduation Vincent taught at his alma mater Walnut Ridge. During this time he earned his master’s degree from The Ohio State University, majoring in Policy & Leadership. After OSU, Vincent was an assistant principal at several Columbus City Schools (CCS). Vincent now serves as the CCS Director of Student Activities, guiding the districts interscholastic athletic opportunities for middle and high school students. Vincent and wife Danette have two children, Zuri and Elijah, and reside in Columbus.

Bear Davis is entering his fourth season with the Machine as Vice President of Ticket Sales and Head Coach. Davis, a Hilliard High School graduate, joined the Machine in 2013, when he was named the second head coach in club history. In 2014, Davis led the Machine to an 8-6 regular season record and guided the team to its first playoff appearance. The Machine’s six game improvement over its 2013 record is tied for the largest single-season turnaround in Major League Lacrosse history. Davis was the runner-up for the Brine Coach of the Year award in 2014. Prior to joining the Machine, Davis was the Head Lacrosse Coach and Associate Athletic Director at Archbishop Spalding High School in Maryland. Davis also coached at Robert Morris University and Wheeling Jesuit.

Mark Inkrott is the cofounder and CEO of UpField Group, an agri-sports consulting and marketing firm based in Chicago, IL. Inkrott came to UpField from Dairy Management Inc., a farmer funded, strategic consultancy and resource to businesses. Mark held several roles during his tenure in the dairy industry including management of Fuel Up to Play 60 programs with the NFL, talent management with Roc Nation, and most recently he held the position of Vice President, Business Development & Sports Marketing. Prior to working in sports marketing, Mark was a tight end in the NFL for three years with the Carolina Panthers, New York Giants and on a NFL Europe team in Germany. He played collegiately at the University of Findlay where he graduated with degrees in English and Psychology. He later earned a MBA from ODU.

Faculty News

Carol Blaine, CPCU, PMP, Insurance & Risk Management, was quoted in a June 10 article in Columbus Business First that discusses how veterans are seen as a potential pool of workers for the growing insurance industry in Ohio. Click here to read the article. In August, Blaine presented “Rideshare Companies: An Ohio Perspective” at The Griffith Insurance Education Foundation. Blaine also appeared in the April edition of Columbus CEO magazine. The article discusses ODU’s Insurance & Risk Management program, and how the university is developing programs that meet workforce needs. Click here to read the article. 

Jack Edwards, MBA, J.D., Accounting, presented “Critical Thinking/Practical Applications” at the 2015 Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Conference on June 5. The conference was sponsored by the International Institute for Innovative Instruction of Franklin University.

Ken Fah, Ph.D., Chair of the Division of Business, made a presentation titled “Global Competitiveness: Trends and Perspectives” at the 2016 MBAA International Conference in Chicago, in April. He appeared in an August 11, article in The Daily Reporter that discusses ODU’s partnership with Education First Credit Union to offer financial literacy seminars to high school students, and ODU faculty, staff and students. Click here to read the article.

John Grant, Ph.D., Business, was featured in Columbus City Schools’ daily newsletter, Spirit Spark of the Day, on April 18. Grant was recognized for a program he teaches at ODU called Columbus Rotary Enterprise Academy. Twenty-five high school juniors and seniors recently completed the nine-week class, during which Dr. Grant taught them the fundamentals of business.

Anna Parkman, Ph.D., Business, had an article, “The Imposter Phenomenon in Higher Education: Evidence & Impact,” published in the spring 2016 issue of The Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice.

Cheryl Rode, Ph.D., Sport Management, presented “Camping for the Need of Speed: An Analysis of the Motivations of NASCAR Fanatics at Racing Events,” at Sport Entertainment & Venues of Tomorrow, which was held in March in Columbia, South Carolina. Rode also will co-present two papers at the North American Society for Sport Management in June in Orlando. The papers are titled “I Am Not a Tyrant: Sport Management Faculty Members’ Attitudes Toward Students” and “Contra Harassment: A Quantitative Analysis of the Experiences of Sport Female Faculty.” 

Jim Strode, Ph.D., Sport Management, presented “Growing Trends in Sport Marketing” to juniors and seniors at the Miami Valley Technical Center in Clayton, Ohio, in April. Additionally, Strode will present a symposium, “Sport Management Faculty Perceptions of Professional Service,” in June in Orlando during the annual conference of the North American Society of Sport Management. He also will present “Incorporating Theory and Practice into a Sport Communications Course” at the Teaching and Learning Fair, which will be held at the same conference. 

Steven Vickner, Ph.D., Business, has written an article, “Seafood Safety and Marketing: The Case of the Deepwater Horizon Tragedy,” that was published in the April edition of the American Journal of Agricultural Economics. 

Jay Young, Ph.D., Business, was featured in the Dec. 23, 2015, edition of the National Catholic Reporter in an article discussing possible explanations of the Star of Bethlehem. Click here to read the article. 

Jay Young, Ph.D., Business, Jim Strode, Ph.D., Sport Management, and Anna Davis, Ph.D., Mathematics, were recognized in Ohio Magazine’s Excellence in Education 2016 Honorees List. Each year, the magazine recognizes educators at colleges and universities throughout Ohio for being inventive, inspiring and instrumental in helping students learn and grow. Click here to view the full list.

John Grant, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Business, and Jay Young, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Management and Leadership, participated in the 52^th annual International MBAA conference in Chicago, held in April. Young served as the president of the North American Management Society professional organization and the conference, and Grant continued on as the treasurer.

Division of Business Students of the Week 

Command Sergeant Major Al Whatmough is in the US Army (Ret.) and he recently received his M.B. A. from ODU. He was chosen as student of the week and he explains why he chose to pursue his MBA at ODU. You can see a short video about his story at http://www.ohiodominican.edu/future-students/who-we-are/odu-stories/al-whatmough

Kenny Coleman is a Business Administration major from Dayton. He is on the ODU football team, a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, and in the Dominican Scholars Program.

Kenny participated in an internship last summer with M/I Homes and hopes to go into real estate investment after college. Kenny said, “My goal is to start my own real estate investment company. I've known my whole life that I want to be an entrepreneur and I've started to seek out mentors to help me reach my goals.” To read more about Kenny, click here http://www.ohiodominican.edu/future-students/who-we-are/odu-stories/kenny-coleman

Erin Hamm Erin Hamm is a Mathematics and Insurance & Risk Management double major. Erin is on the ODU Track & Field team and recently became a representative for the Student Athlete Activity Council. Last summer Erin served as a rotational intern at State Auto Insurance. She was also sponsored and attended the 2015 CPCU Society Convention in Indianapolis, where she had the chance to network and connect with several industry professionals. Erin plans to use her education to pursue a doctoral degree and become a college professor. Click here to read more about Erin.

Alli Pavlik has a double major with International Business and Public Relations. She is from Cortland, Ohio, and participates on the ODU Women's Soccer Team as well as in the Public Relations Student Society of America, the Dominican Scholars Program, and Delta Sigma Pi Business Fraternity. You can learn more about her here:

http://www.ohiodominican.edu/future-students/who-we-are/odu-stories/alli-pavlik

Nick Shubert is a math major with a minor in Insurance & Risk Management. He is a non-traditional student with a family of his own, so when he’s not studying he’s busy with them. Nick had an internship with Hylant Group last summer and a few potential career opportunities have come his way from that opportunity. Nick’s goal is to become an actuary within the next few years. He feels like the relationships he has made at ODU are very important and he will take them with him once he graduates. Read more about Nick here:

http://www.ohiodominican.edu/future-students/who-we-are/odu-stories/nick-shubert