Constant Hall News

May, 2005


Message From the Dean

Dr. Nancy Bagranoff

Here we are again, at the end of another academic year!  This is a good time to reflect on what we've accomplished during the year.  I will be giving a State of the College address on Tuesday, August 23 (4:00 p.m. in Room 1002, Constant Hall) that will recap this past year and describe plans for the next one, but in the meanwhile, the Constant Hall News tells some of the story.  This issue is full of faculty, student, and staff accomplishments and activities.  The end of the spring semester is the time we hand out the awards and the winners are categorized in the newsletter.  While all are important, we are particularly pleased that Dr. Barbara Bartkus has been named University Professor for her outstanding teaching. 

 The end of an academic year is also a time when some of our faculty are completing their final year with us.  Two tenured faculty who are taking retirement are Dr. Fred Granger (Decision Sciences) and Dr. Abdel Agami (Accounting).  Also leaving us after this year are Dr. Steve Gara (Accounting), Richard Matika (Information Technology), Scott Davis (Information Technology), and Roger Geyer (Information Technology). 

We expect to have a productive summer and will be publishing another issue of the Constant Hall News in July.  As always, we hope you enjoy the newsletter.  Connie Merriman, Assistant to the Dean, has taken over as publisher.  If you have anything to contribute for a future issue, please contact her (683-6548) or send your news to constantnews@odu.edu. 

 

Faculty News

Barbara Bartkus Named University Professor

Dr. Barbara R. Bartkus, Associate Professor of Management, has been named a University Professor. The designation of University Professor recognizes faculty members at the University who are outstanding teachers. Designated faculty members hold the title permanently, are so identified in university publications, and receive $2,500 per year of discretionary funds to support their professional development for the four years following their appointment

Selection of University Professors is made by a committee of tenured faculty members representing the six colleges within the University. Nominees must receive high ratings for overall effectiveness (as reported on student evaluation forms), have a record of superior accomplishment in teaching, and receive letters of support from two former students who have graduated and two University colleagues.

Leonard Ruchelman Receives Pindur Award from ASPA

Dr. Leonard Ruchelman, USPA, has received the 2005 Dr. Wolfgang Pindur Award for Distinguished Service in Academia and Practice from the Hampton Roads Chapter of the American Society of Public Administration (ASPA).

The Pindur Award is presented annually to an outstanding public administrator in the field of higher education based upon: a record of outstanding performance in public service, linking the academic world to the practitioner, dedication to democratic ideals, and conducting research directly benefiting the public.

Tenure/Promotion Congratulations

Congratulations to Larry Filer, John Griffith, Shaomin Li, and John Morris on being granted tenure in April. Additional congratulations to Dr. Li on promotion to Professor and to Drs. Filer and Griffith on promotion to Associate Professor. (Dr. Morris already holds the rank of Associate Professor.)

Joan Mann Selected for Faculty Proposal Preparation Program

Dr. Joan Mann, IT&DS, has been selected for the Office of Research Faculty Proposal Preparation Program (FPPP) for Fall 2005. The goal of the program is to financially assist the colleges by releasing faculty from their teaching commitment by one course so that high-quality, competitive proposals might be developed for submission to external agencies.

According to Mohammed Karim, Vice President of Research, “the program is based on the premise that there are faculty who have the enthusiasm and capability to be competitive for sponsored programs, yet are unable to set aside sufficient time for a systematic proposal preparation process.” The Office of Research expects the program to increase both the number of submitted grant proposals and the number of research-active faculty.

Ali Ardalan, Wayne Talley Selected for New Collaborative Research Program

Drs. Ali Ardalan and Wayne Talley are among ten faculty members selected for a new intramural program called Summer Experience Enhancing Collaborative Research (SEECR). Pronounced “seeker,” the new initiative will fund pilot projects involving collaboration of faculty from different colleges.

Awarded by the Office of Research and administered by the Research Foundation, the program provides $6,000 stipends and up to $5,000 per team for supplies, equipment, or part-time assistance (such as a graduate or undergraduate student assistant) for an eight-week period.

Dr. Ardalan, Associate Dean of CBPA and professor of information technology/decision sciences will team up with Rabadi Ghaith, assistant professor of engineering management and systems engineering, to study “A Simulation-based Cost Modeling for Assembly Flow Shop Just-in-Time Problems.” (Dr. Ardalan will dedicate full-time effort without financial compensation.)

Dr. Talley, Eminent Scholar of Economics, will team with C. Ariel Pinto, assistant professor of engineering management and systems engineering, to research “Port Recoverability from Security Disruptions.”

The goal of the program is to encourage a greater number of collaborations among faculty and assist multi-disciplinary pairs in obtaining pilot data as background for proposal submissions to federal agencies. Upon completion of the eight-week study, the principal investigators are expected to actively seek external funding to further their research. They will also be required to present their research findings at the University Research Exposition.

Wayne Talley Named Visiting Professor at Cass Business School, City University, London; Appointed to Board of Advice, University of Sydney

Dr. Wayne Talley, Port & Maritime Studies, has been named an Honorary Visiting Professor (Faculty of Finance) at the Cass Business School Centre for Shipping, Trade and Finance, City University, London, United Kingdom.

Additionally, Dr. Talley was recently appointed to the Board of Advice, Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies, School of Business, Faculty of Economics and Business, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

John Doukas Receives Graham and Dodd Award for Best Financial Analysts Journal Article

Dr. John A. Doukas, Professor of Finance and Eminent Scholar, has received the CFA Institute Financial Analysts Journal (FAJ) Graham and Dodd Award for his article “Divergent Opinions and the Performance of Value Stocks” co-authored with C. Kim and C. Pantzalis.

The Graham and Dodd Award, created in 1960 to honor Benjamin Graham's and David L. Dodd's enduring contributions to the field of investment analysis, is presented each year to the author or authors of the most outstanding article published in the Financial Analysts Journal that year. The FAJ is published by CFA Institute, the worldwide association of more than 70,000 financial securities analysts and investment managers.

Awarded by the FAJ's advisory council and editorial board, the Graham and Dodd Award for excellence in research and financial writing is the publication's highest honor. The article, published in the November-December 2004 issue, describes how divergent opinions among investors can explain the “value” anomaly. It investigates whether divergence of opinion among investors, manifested in the dispersion of analysts' earnings forecasts, plays an important role in asset pricing.

Sylvia Hudgins VP for Arrangements for EFA Annual Meeting

Dr. Sylvia Hudgins, Finance, was Vice President for Arrangements for the 41st annual meeting of the Eastern Finance Association (EFA) held April 20-23 held at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott Hotel. CBPA Finance PhD students assisted with the event.

Over 375 participants and exhibitors attended, representing the United States, Russia, Turkey, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Spain, Italy, and France. The program included 92 sessions and featured papers on numerous aspects of financial economics, with special emphasis on Behavioral Finance.

The conference ended with a luncheon at which Dean Nancy Bagranoff accepted a plaque recognizing CBPA's contribution to the EFA.

Anil Nair, Shaomin Li Featured in University's Quest Magazine

Dr. Anil Nair and Dr. Shaomin Li, Management, were featured in the Winter 2005 issue of the University's research magazine Quest, discussing their research on the relationship between the political and economic processes in China and India.

The research project, titled “The Tortoise and the Hare: A Tale of Two Countries in Their Pursuit of Economic Development,” was also presented at the April 2005 meeting of the CBPA Executive Advisory Council.

Dr. Agarwal Accompanies Governor's Mission to India

Vinod B. Agarwal, professor and chair of the Economics Department, accompanied Gov. Mark R. Warner's economic mission to India in late April.

The trade mission, organized by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, was focused on developing trade opportunities with India.

Dr. Agarwal, a native of India, is a key member of the Economic Forecasting Project at Old Dominion. His research interests are in the area of applied economics. He earned a bachelor's degree with honors in economics at Delhi University and a Ph.D. in economics at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Annual Faculty Award Winners Announced

Congratulations to the following Faculty Award winners for 2005:

  • Dr. Anusorn Singhapakdi, Faculty Service Award
  • Dr. Ed Markowski, Faculty Teaching Award
  • Dr. Li Xu, Faculty Research Award
  • Dr. Kiran Karande, Faculty Advising Award
University Research Exposition

The “Portal to New Worlds: Second Annual Research Exposition” was held April 6, 2005 at the Ted Constant Convocation Center. The theme for the 2005 Exposition, co-sponsored by Old Dominion University and Norfolk State University, was “Research and Economic Development.”

The program featured a research exposition and four research panels, including a panel on “Advantage Hampton Roads: Planning and Economic Development,” moderated by Dr. Vinod Agarwal, Professor of Economics. Panel discussion included an “Analysis of the Impact of the Port on the Local Economy” by Dr. Wayne Talley, Professor of Economics and a presentation of the “Structure of Local Economy and Role of Tourism, Port, and Military” by Dr. Agarwal.

In addition to the panel, the Research Day featured posters by the following CBPA faculty:

  • Mahesh Gopinath, Marketing: “Consumption Emotions.”
  • John Griffith, Finance: “An Examination of Hostile Bidders' Gains” and “Do Life Insurance Stocks Provide Superior Returns?”
  • Vijay Kalburgi, Information Technology and Decision Sciences: “New Approaches to Gortler and Tollmien-Schlichting Boundary-Layer Instability.”
  • Soo-Hoon Lee, Management: “The Relationships between Tie Strength and Tie Diversity on Organizational Attachment and Career Outcomes.”
  • Shaomin Li, Management: “Why Some Countries Trade More than Others:  The Effect of the Governance Environment on Trade Flows.”
  • Ling Li, Information Technology and Decision Sciences: “The Utility of Return to Scale in DEA Programming:  An analysis of Michigan Rural Hospital.”
  • Berhanu Mengistu Urban Studies and Public Administration: “Public Perceptions of Privatization in Ethiopia.”
  • Anil Nair, Management: “Jeffersonian and Hamiltonian Organizations.”
  • Mohammad Najand, Finance: “Should You Have REITs in Your Portfolio?”
  • David Selover, Economics: “Does El Nino Affect Business Cycles?”
  • Elizabeth Vogel, Urban Studies and Public Administration: Social Capital as the Nexus of Human Capital, Institutional Arrangements, and Spatial Configuration.”
  • Li Xu, Information Technology and Decision Sciences: “A Decision Support System for Product Design in Concurrent Engineering.”
  • Yin Xu, Accounting: “The State, Social Actors, and Cultural Capital: Unification of Bank Accounting Classification and Terminology in Early Twentieth-Century China.”
  • Douglas Ziegenfuss, Accounting: “International Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities of Auditors/Accountants: Evidence from Recent Competency Studies.”
In Memory of: Max Jones, Professor Emeritus of Management 

Maximilian (Max) Jones, Professor Emeritus of Management, passed away Saturday March 26, 2005 at the age of 72.

Dr. Jones, a native of Vienna, Austria, taught business management courses at Old Dominion University for more than 25 years. In addition, he was a captain in the USNRSC, and a respected labor relation's arbitrator. In his retirement years, Max enjoyed traveling, golf and his many friendships.

[Back to Faculty][Back to Top]

Staff News

Katrina Davenport Named CBPA Outstanding Staff Member

Katrina Davenport, Program Support Technician, was named CBPA Outstanding Staff Member for 2004/2005. Katrina works out of the Dean's Office and provides support to the PhD in Business program, Economics Club, and Dean's Office.

The Outstanding Staff Member is selected by the Nominations, Elections, and Awards Committee from nominations submitted by faculty, staff, administrators, department chairpersons, and department coordinators.

[Back to Staff][Back to Top]

 

Upcoming Events

Economics Club of Hampton Roads Guest Speaker List

The Economics Club of Hampton Roads has announced the following speaker schedule for 2005/2006:

  • September 28, 2005:  Admiral Edmund Giambastiani, Commander of the US Joint Forces Command and NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Transformation.
  • October 12, 2005:  Glen Ayres, President of the Family Firm Institute and Minneapolis attorney.  Popular speaker on family and closely-held businesses.
  • November 16, 2005:  Laurence Kotlikoff, Economist, Boston University & the National Bureau of Economic Research.  Author of The Coming Generation.
  • December 8, 2005:  David Goode, Chairman, Norfolk Southern.
  • January 18, 2006:  Mark Zandi, Economy.com and the ODU Economic Forecasting team.
  • February 8, 2006:  Gary Pfeiffer, CFO, DuPont Corporation.
  • March 2006: to be announced
  • April 26, 2006: William Starbuck, ITT Professor of Creative Management, Stern School of Business, New York University.  Topic: “How a butterfly upset an industry . . . and changed American society.” Subtitle: “The origins and development of America's most successful corporate law firm.”

 

[Back to Upcoming Events][Back to Top]

Student News

MBA Students Beat Top Competition in Business Challenge

MBA students Caroline Swao, Keith Wallace, and Dmitry Poisik placed seventh in the "Thunderbird Social Responsibility and Ethics Challenge," which pitted against one another 56 teams of MBA degree candidates from schools in London, Spain, Germany, Canada, and the United States.

The ODU team beat teams from universities such as North Carolina, Virginia, and LSU. The contest was sponsored by Thunderbird, The Garvin School of International Management, in Glendale, Arizona.

The challenge was developed in recognition of the need to communicate world-wide that a “corporate social responsibility mindset can create a difference in the business world.”  The 56 teams worked on a business case involving an ethical or social responsibility issue presented to them by the organizers. The top five teams were invited to compete in the final round.

Beta Alpha Psi Earns Over $3,000 for Relay for Life

Beta Alpha Psi, with only 18 members, earned over $3,000 for the 2005 Relay for Life and was third-highest RFL fund-raising organization at the University. According to advisor Pat Doherty, BAP held several fund-raising events, including a TV raffle (won by student Chris Wilson) and poker tournament on the evening of the relay.

Gamma Iota Sigma Members Attend National RIMS Meeting

In April, three officers of the ODU Alpha Phi Chapter of Gamma Iota Sigma (National Collegiate Insurance Society) attended the national meeting of the Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) in Philadelphia. Chapter president Debbi Baravik won an all-expenses-paid scholarship to participate in the six-day conference, which included insurance students from schools across the United States. Attendance costs for the other Alpha Phi Chapter officers were partially subsidized by the Center for Insurance and Financial Services. The students were accompanied by Chapter advisor Dr. Andre Liebenberg.

The Alpha Phi Chapter of GIS re-formed this year under the leadership of Dr. Liebenberg. Several officers from the Temple University chapter visited earlier this year to assist with the induction of Ms. Baravik as president and Ben Porter as vice president. The Spring 2005 issue of the Society newsletter, The Sextant, featured an article on Dr. Liebenberg and some of the Chapter's activities, which included participation in a walk to raise funds as part of the Grand Chapter's Tsunami Relief effort.

Business Honors Student Society Assists with Norfolk Sister City Program

The Norfolk Sister City Association (NSCA) has recognized the CBPA Business Honors Student Society for participating in the Association's Russian Judges Program. Four Russian judges were hosted by the City of Norfolk, the Federal District Court, and NSCA as part of the Open World Rule of Law Program, with support provided by the Academy for Educational Development and the American Councils for International Education.

Honors students Natalie Gourova, Alena Nikitsina, and Andrijus Petkevicius provided interpreting services at formal events and social functions, which afforded them the opportunity to meet the Russian judges, members of the Norfolk Council, and members of the local business and legal communities.

NSCA President Polly Owens commended the students as “fine representatives of their organization and Old Dominion University,” referring to them as “a marvelous resource of young people willing to give of their time and ability to benefit the Norfolk community and the nation.  Ms. Owens added that the program grant will be renewed next year, in part, because of the participation of the CBPA honors students.

2005 CBPA Award Recipients

The following students were honored at the CBPA 2005 Awards Ceremony on April 18:

  • John L. Bass: Outstanding Marketing Student
  • Steven Chenault: Outstanding Masters Student in Urban Studies
  • Cynthia Cooper: Outstanding Doctoral Student in Urban Services
  • Michelle Dotson: Outstanding Information Systems Graduate Student
  • Cadet Kevin J. Downing: Cadet Leadership Award
  • Gina Foringer: Outstanding MBA Student
  • Olga N. Gebert: Institute of Management Accountants Outstanding Accounting Student
  • Keith German: Wolfgang Pindur Outstanding Research Paper Award
  • Marquita N. Goodhope: Outstanding Management Student
  • Cadet Jonathan R. Haller: Outstanding Cadet
  • Mirei Haraguchi:  Bagwell-Jones Prize and Jack W. Nickson & Nathaniel Shechter Memorial Award for Excellence in Economics
  • Allison Hawley: Bagwell-Jones Prize, CBPA Alumni Award, Honors Program Outstanding Graduating Student, and Outstanding Financial Management Student
  • Katherine Hentley: Outstanding Real Estate Student
  • Laurence Houlbert: Tidewater Chapter of Institute of Internal Auditors Outstanding Student and Federation of Schools of Accountancy Outstanding Graduate Student
  • Kristine Karlsen: Outstanding MBA Student
  • Terry Kirchner: Outstanding Doctoral Student
  • Constance Merriman: Outstanding Masters Student in Public Administration
  • Bizuwork Negussie: Outstanding MBA Student
  • Dmitry Poisik: Outstanding MBA Student
  • Ben Porter: Outstanding Insurance Student
  • Martin Robertson: Outstanding Decision Sciences Student and Wall Street Journal Award
  • Irina Sawyer: Association of Information Technology Professionals Outstanding Graduate Student
  • Lisa Stoneman: Association of Government Accountants Outstanding Government Auditing Student
  • Qian Sun: Outstanding MA Student in Economics
  • Carly Umberger: Outstanding International Business Student
  • Thomas Van Scoten: Outstanding Information Systems Graduate Student
  • Christopher W. Wilson: Tidewater Chapter of Virginia Society of CPAs Outstanding Accounting Student
  • Kirstin Winchester: Virginia Society of CPAs Outstanding Accounting Student
  • Tan Xu: Outstanding Doctoral Student
  • Hiroko K. Yancey: Jack W. Kerr, Jr. Outstanding Graduate Taxation Student
2005 Beta Gamma Sigma Inductees

The following students are inductees into the Old Dominion University Chapter of the Honor Society of Beta Gamma Sigma for 2005:

  • PhD students: Yuhong Fan and Tan Xu.
  • Masters' students: Dean Cummings, Cherly Smith and Alyssa Stribling.
  • Seniors: Patricia Adinolfi, Sandeep Bagai, John Bass, James Burok, Brynn Calef, Susan Dukes, Shelley Haynes, Katherine Hentley, Angela Kristiansen, Kara Large, Shannon McKimmey, Winona Morrow, Xerxes Nabong, Alena Nikitsina, Mady Pehovaz-Diez, Venecia Pope, Kimberly Pritchard, Irina Sawyer, Lisa Stoneman, Kimberly Trussell, Anna Tunnicliffe, Carrie Underwood, Kirstin Winchester, Christina Young and Karen Yuen.
  • Juniors: Kimberly DuFord, Natalia Gourova, Emily Hunter and Gurjit Singh.
2005 Undergraduate Student Focus Groups

The second-annual CBPA Student Focus Group Program was held in March to provide graduating seniors the opportunity to discuss their experiences with the College of Business and Old Dominion University. A total of 24 students recruited from the College's 400-level Management capstone course participated in the focus groups, which were moderated by volunteers from the CBPA Executive Advisory Council (EAC). An additional 13 students answered the same questions in a written survey.

The students responded to questions submitted by the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee and the Student Recruitment, Advising, and Retention Committee. The 12 questions were designed to gather students' perceptions of how well prepared they feel to enter the workforce and how helpful College support programs have been to them.

Volunteer moderators from the EAC included Nick Clark, Project Manager for George G. Sharp, Inc; Eric Coble, Corporate Secretary of Dollar Tree Stores; Jack Hornbeck, Chairman and CEO of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce; Ed Ladd, President of Downtown Norfolk Council; Mike LaRock, Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer of SYSCO Food Services of Hampton Roads; and Rick Wyatt, Director of Financial Planning and Reporting for Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, Inc. The project was coordinated by Mary Beth Dale, CBPA Executive in Residence.

The focus groups are part of the College's ongoing self-assessment process, with results reviewed by faculty and administration to assist in future planning for the program. Dean Nancy Bagranoff referred to the students' comments as providing “good information that we will use,” adding that students are likely to be more candid in expressing their opinions without College authority figures present. As a bonus, the EAC members have the opportunity to interact personally with students, while the students gain valuable exposure to positive business role models.

According to Dean Bagranoff, different student groups will participate in focus groups each year.  In 2004, MBA students were interviewed and their views incorporated into the future planning process for that program.

[Back to Student News][Back to Top]

Alumni, Advisors, and Friends

Les Cappetta Speaks for Executive in Residence Series

Les Cappetta, Executive Vice President of North American Business Development for HMSHost Corporation, spoke at the April 2005 Landmark Executive in Residence Speaker Series. HMSHost manages nearly two million square feet of food, beverage and retail concessions in airports, toll roads, and entertainment venues world-wide. Mr. Cappetta's responsibilities include managing a successful development staff in winning new contracts, fostering landlord relations and improving portfolio real estate values.

A resident of the Bethesda, Maryland area, Mr. Cappetta graduated from the ODU College of Business and Public Administration with a major in Finance. He also holds a graduate degree in Finance. Prior to his position with HMSHost, he served in many domestic and international capacities with Marriott Hotels and Resorts, American Security Bank, and United Parcel Service. Mr. Cappetta currently serves as Chair of Airports Council International Associate's Board and also serves on several industry, educational, and corporate boards.

The goal of the Executive in Residence Speaker Series is to help students acquire strategies for becoming a leader, enrich their entrepreneurial spirit and increase their capacity for global mobility.

 

[Back to Alumni, Advisors, and Friends][Back to Top]