Constant Hall News

January 2005


Message From the Dean

Dr. Nancy Bagranoff

Happy New Year!

I had hoped to get this out in December, but there was simply too much to do. The good news is that we are bringing faculty candidates in for interviews as we are hiring next year. The downside is a small one; it takes some time. We have hired two new tenure-track faculty for our Information Technology area and we will have a new tenure-track faculty member next year in Management. We also hope to hire faculty in finance, marketing, economics, accounting, and another in management. Several of these are replacement positions, but we also have some new slots as a result of the state budget allocation to Old Dominion University. This is good news for our college, as our faculty numbers have been going down while student numbers were going up over the past decade.

Also this fall we continued to work on our Strategic Plan. It's almost finished and the faculty will vote on the goals and action items at our next general faculty meeting. Another important activity this past semester was creation of an assessment process to fit the new standards for the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Associate Dean Ali Ardalan took the lead on this project and worked with representatives of various programs. The result is a very sound set of learning goals and assessment plans for the undergraduate and graduate academic programs in the college. (Special thanks to Barbara Bartkus and Carol Markowski for their work on behalf of the undergraduate program.)

We are looking forward to the new semester and the New Year ahead. It promises to be a good one for ODU and the College of Business and Public Administration. 

As always, we hope you enjoy the Newsletter!

Faculty and Staff News

Faculty News

Dr. Steven Maurer named
Harry Lyman Hooker Distinguished Visiting Professor
DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University

Dr. Steven Maurer, Professor of business management at Old Dominion University, has been named Hooker Distinguished Visiting Professor at the DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University, an honor bestowed once each year on highly accomplished academics who have made significant contributions to their field of study. Named for the late Dr. Harry Lyman Hooker, the program invites distinguished scholars whose teaching and research interests enhance the quality of academia in terms of their area of expertise, and throughout the university generally. Past Hooker Distinguished Speakers include Professor Jiing-Lih (Larry) Farh, Department of Management and Organizations, Hong Kong University of Science &Technology; Professor Robert Guion, Professor Emeritus, Bowling Green State University; Professor John Hunter, Department of Psychology, Michigan State University; Professor Gary Johns, Concordia Research Chair in Management, Concordia University; Professor Michelle Kacmar, Durr-Fillauer Chair of Business Ethics and Professor of Management, University of Alabama; and Professor Frank Schmidit, University of Iowa.

During Professor Maurer's visit (March 5-12, 2005), he will give a public lecture entitled "Advances in Employment Interviews: Fifty Years of Research Effort."

Since 1952, McMaster University has offered an internationally recognized program in business that has spawned the most successful business and community leaders Canada has to offer.

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Staff News

Fall Staff Recognition

On Tuesday, November 30, Old Dominion University (ODU) held a Staff Recognition luncheon. Three College of Business and Public Administration (CBPA) staff members were honored. Katrina Davenport was honored as a nominee for the university 2004 Customer Relations Employee of the Year. Katrina was nominated for her service in particular to PhD students and to the members of the Hampton Roads Economic Club. While she did not take the university award, she is definitely a winner! Ms. Davenport serves in the CBPA as Program Support Technician. She supports the PhD in Business Administration program, the Economics Club of Hampton Roads, Beta Gamma Sigma, and the Dean's Office. This past year, Katrina also began managing the college Executive-in-Residence program.

Patricia Beauter was also honored for twenty-five years of service at ODU. Pat began working here in 1978 in the Department of Industrial Arts (now Occupational and Technical Studies) in the College of Education as a Clerk Steno B. In 1984 she moved to the Commonwealth Graduate Engineering Program in the College of Engineering & Technology. There Pat worked with undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, department chairs and administrators in academic departments until 2001. In 2001 Ms. Beauter transferred to an administrative position in a non-academic office. Finally, Pat began her current position of Office Manager (Administrative & Program Specialist III) in the Executive Development Center in July 2003.

Also honored was Kathy Heins, for ten years of service at ODU. In March 1994, Kathy worked at the Physical Plant for 7 1/2 months as a hourly before becoming classified in December 1994 as the Secretary for Marketing in CBPA. In 1998, she worked in the Career Management Center until she became the Secretary to Management in the College of Business and Public Administration. Since 2002, Ms. Heins has been the Executive Assistant to Management, Marketing and International Business. She has taken credit classes at ODU, as well as certificate training through Human Resources.

 

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Upcoming Events

Supply Chain Security Research Symposium

On December 3, 2004, the College of Business and Public Administration held its first Supply Chain Security Research Symposium in the Ted Constant Convocation Center. The symposium is supported by a gift from Norfolk Southern Corporation and organized by the Maritime Institute. Presentations and speakers included: “Supply Chain Resilience Preparedness – Gaining Operating Performance Plus Security through Collaborative Programs,” Dr. Omar Keith Helferich, Professor of Supply Chain Management, Central Michigan University; “Government Security Programs – A Floor or Ceiling on Securing Your Supply Chain,” Mr. Irvin Varkonyi, Director of Education, Trade Security Institute, Fairfax, Virginia; and “Maritime and Intermodal Security: Importance of the Human Factor,” Capt. Jon S. Helmick, Director, Logistics and Intermodal Transportation Program, United States Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, New York. The program also included a panel with the invited speakers and Dr. David Cook and Dr. Ling Li from the College of Business and Public Administration. Hugh Kiley, of Norfolk Southern, talked about railroad security during the lunch. About fifty people attended the event.

 

Economics Club of Hampton Roads Guest Speakers

It's been a great academic year so far for the Economics Club of Hampton Roads. We've teamed up with several organizations to provide speakers for a broader audience. These include the Norfolk Foundation, ODU's India Forum, and the World Affairs Council. The New Year will bring ODU's Economics Team back with a forecast for the region, and a favorite, Mark Zandi, who will provide a national economic forecast. We look forward to seeing you.

Upcoming Economics Club speakers and dates are:

January 19, 2005 Annual Economic Outlook Conference .

Mark Zandi —nationally known economist with Regional Financial Association and founder of Economy.com, will present a national forecast at the Annual Economic Outlook Conference.

Old Dominion University Forecast Team , Vinod Agarwal, Mohammad Najand and Gil Yochum, will present their regional forecast.

February 16, 2005 G. Kennedy Thompson - Chairman and CEO, Wachovia Corporation, Charlotte, North Carolina. Ken Thompson was named Chairman, President & CEO of Wachovia in 2001, after the company merged with First Union Corporation. Prior to these positions, Thompson held the same titles at First Union. Mr. Thompson serves on the Boards of Directors for Florida Rock Industries, Inc., (NYSE) and Carolinas Healthcare System. Professional affiliations include Board member, Financial Services Roundtable; vice chairman and board member, New York Clearing House; member, Financial Services Forum, The Business Council.

March 16, 2005 Professor Sydney Finkelstein – the Steven Roth Professor of Management, Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth. An expert on strategy and leadership, Dr. Finkelstein is the author of Why Smart Executives Fail . His articles have been published in the Harvard Business Review, Strategic Management Journal, Organizational Dynamics, Journal of Business Strategy , and other leading business journals. He received the Academy of Management Award for Best Article of the Year in 1997, and an award from McKinsey and Company for an article on boards of directors.

Executive-in-Residence

The next Executive-in-Residence event will be:

February 17, 2005 Elizabeth (Betsy) Duke , an ODU alum and Executive Vice President Community Bank Development, SouthTrust Bank, Virginia Beach, VA. Ms. Duke is also Chair of the American Bankers Association for 2004-2005. Constant Hall, Room 1005. Public welcome to attend.

CPA Exam Review Courses

The Department of Accounting will be offering its popular CPA Exam Review Courses starting in May 2005. Please contact University Professor Timothy Mckee at tmckee@odu.edu or office 683 - 3577. Space is limited. Recent graduates of the course have scored extremely well on the Uniform CPA Exam.

Dean's Research Seminar

Each Friday, the Dean's Research Seminar is held in Constant 2099, from 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. We have had several faculty members present their papers this semester, including Dr. Steve Gara, Dr. Ling Li, Professor Mahesh Gopinath, and Dr. Rob Pinsker. The Research Seminar is coordinated by Dr. David Selover. Please let Professor David Selover (683-3541) know if you would be interested in presenting your research.

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Student News

New Marketing Club

Marketing students have started a new club called the ODU Marketing Network, which is open to all business majors. The club will work to establish contacts with professionals in the Hampton Roads community, in order to learn about their experiences and types of job opportunities available.

Presiding officers for the new club are President Rachel Eure, Vice President Jenilee Lucero, Treasurer David Randolph, and Secretary Megan Inscoe. The faculty advisor is Professor Ateba Crocker. The ODU Marketing Network will have a variety of committees to fit everyone's special area of interest. The committee list consists of IT, Media, Market Research, Sports Marketing, Sales, Special Events, Public Relations, Advertising, Cause Marketing, and Business-to-Business Marketing.

In February, the club will host a “Meet and Mingle,” where the students of the ODU Marketing Network will have the opportunity to intermingle with representatives from area businesses. Also planned, is “Flavors of Norfolk,” which would showcase a number of local cuisines. The Marketing Club is conducting a project this spring by helping Miller Oil Co., Inc. to market their new Miller Mart across campus to ODU students, faculty, and neighbors.

If you are interested in joining or have any questions, please feel free to e-mail President Rachel Eure at reure001@odu.edu or Vice President Jenilee Lucero at jluce003@odu.edu . Thank you!

 

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Alumni, Advisors, and Friends

Remembering Prabhav Miniyar (1959 – 2004)

Prabhav Maniyar, ODU alumnus and Board of Visitor member died of cancer on October 25. He received a bachelor's degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and his master's degree in economics from Old Dominion University in 1985. He was honored by the University with a Distinguished Alumni award in 1998. Mr. Maniyar had a successful career in banking and business and in 1997 joined Startec Global Communications Corporation, where he was Chief Executive Officer and President at the time of his death. The company introduced low telephone rates to immigrants from India and Asia so they could make phone calls to relatives in their home countries. Mr. Maniyar came to the United States from India in 1962. He leaves behind his wife, Manisha, and two young children, Arjun and Rhi. He coached youth basketball teams and recently endowed a scholarship in the College of Business and Public Administration. Mr. Maniyar was also a charter member of the Indian High Tech CEO Council and TIE (The Indus Entrepreneurs), and a board member of Net Commerce Corporation and Autoprof.com.

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Other News

The Motto Contest

The CBPA has a new motto - Today's students, tomorrow's leaders. The motto is courtesy of Martin Robertson, a student majoring in decision sciences. Martin will receive the first prize in the Motto Contest of dinner for two at the Town Point Club. There were five runners-up in the contest, each of who will receive a gift card of $20 for Moe's Southwestern Grill. These winners are Bryan Carmichael, Sam Cross, Meredith Green, and students in John Dixon's class. The winning motto was chosen by a vote of faculty and staff from the list below:

1) Nurturing leaders today to take care of business and government tomorrow.

2) Defining the next generation of leadership excellence.

3) Investing in the future of business and government.

4) The foundation on which to build your future.

5) Developing responsible leaders for a global community.

6) Today's students, tomorrow's leaders.

7) Forging leaders today, taking care of business and government tomorrow.

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TEACHING TIP

The One-Minute Quiz (Nancy Bagranoff)

College faculty are a bit busy at this time of year, working on research projects and preparing for the next semester. Writing up a teaching tip then falls to one of the few people in the college who isn't teaching – the dean. I'd like to share a tip that I have found to be of great benefit in improving two things in the classroom that perhaps matter most: student learning and faculty teaching evaluations!

The one-minute quiz can be given at the end of every class period or on a weekly basis or some other frequency. The process is simple. The instructor announces to students that they should each take out a scrap of paper and write down the answers to two questions. The first question is, “What do you think was the most important thing you have learned this class/week/time period?” The second question is, “What topic that we discussed today/this week/this time period that you still do not understand?” Of course the wording of the questions can vary, but the idea behind the questions should reflect the same sentiments. The first question asks the student to think over all that they have learned (therefore alerting them to the fact that perhaps they have learned something) and to select out an idea or concept that they find valuable. This is quite an important exercise. The second question provides feedback to the instructor that might not otherwise be available. The student is asked in a non-threatening and confidential way to let on that perhaps something is still not clear. The instructor can use this feedback for the next class session to spend a few minutes clarifying the concepts that students mention in this anonymous quiz.

Research shows that administration of this one-minute quiz helps students to learn better and also improves the teaching evaluations of the respective faculty member. The quiz lets students recognize that they are learning things of import. It also allows for a feedback loop to the teacher that can help to ensure that complex subjects are covered comprehensively.

Department of Urban Studies and Public Administration Forms Advisory Council

The Department of Urban Studies and Public Administration (USPA) has recently established a USPA Advisory Council comprised of recognized governmental and nonprofit leaders and distinguished alumni to provide an important stakeholder forum to collaborate and consult with the Department. The establishment of the USPA Advisory Council was one of the key recommendations made by the Site Visit Team during last years reaccredidation process for the Department's MPA program by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA.) The USPA Department is looking forward to working in partnership with the Advisory Council to provide visionary leadership, participation and linkage activities between the Department and governmental and nonprofit organizations in the Hampton Roads region.

The initial meeting of the Advisory Council was held December 3 rd and involved election of Council officers and a review of issues to be considered in coming meetings. The Department is very pleased with the level of community interest in the Council and the excellent group of public administrators who have agreed to serve on the Council for three year terms. USPA Advisory Council members include: Edgar Maroney, City Manager of the City of Newport News; Steven Herbert, City Manager of Suffolk; Charles Meyer, Chief Operating Officer of the City of Virginia Beach; Mary Ann Saunders, Deputy City Manager of Chesapeake; Mary Bunting, Assistant City Manager of Hampton; Nancy Olivo, Director of Human Resources for the City of Norfolk; and Sue Mellen, Acting Assistant County Administrator of James City County. Other Council members represent the US military in Hampton Roads, nonprofit agencies, alumni and current students.

Activities of the USPA Department and the USPA Advisory Council will be detailed in future issues of the Constant Hall News.

 

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Development

Michael J. Walker Named Major Gift Officer -
College of Business and Public Administration

Michael J. Walker, a native of Norfolk, VA and an alum of Old Dominion University is the new Major Gift Officer in the College of Business and Public Administration (CBPA). He graduated from Old Dominion in 1988 with a BA in Speech Communication. After graduation, he spent sixteen years working in the financial services industry. Michael was with Wachovia Bank, most recently as Vice President and Financial Center Manager. He began his career as a Management Trainee and also worked as a Community Banker/Small Business Banker. In that role Mr. Walker coordinated community outreach efforts and worked as a Small Business Banker.

The CBPA is delighted to have Michael Walker on board. He will be working with the dean in raising funds during the Capital Campaign and in building relationships with the local business community and college alumni.

 

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