Business Spotlight of the Week!

WOW! 200+ 

We send the Business Spotlight to all students with a business major, concentration, or minor.  For the first time, this issue is going to over 200 students...201 to be exact!  We have had a number of students decidde to join us when they registered for the fall semester.  Thanks to all of our current students for sharing that the Business Department is a great place to be!

New Major Approved!

On Thursday, the Academic Council gave final approval to the new Nonprofit Business & Social Enterprise major and minor and the six new courses that will be part of this program.  We are excited to add this program to meet the needs of many students who want to apply the concepts of business to help nonprofit and social enterprise organizations be more effective.  Evangel University will one of only a few universities in the nation that offers this program as an undergraduate major.  The new major will include all of the core courses required for the management major, and then will allow students to select a project management or marketing/social enterprise track with the elective courses.  New courses include volunteer recruitment and management, nonprofit governance and law, nonprofit marketing and promotion, social enterprise development, the theory and practice of philanthropy, and nonprofit financial management.  We are now working to implement in 2012-2013!

$45,000 Grant Awarded to Business Department

The Vetter Foundation, Omaha, NE. has approved a $45,000 grant to the Evangel Business Department to help launch the new Nonprofit Business and Social Enterprise major.  The grant will given in three annual $15,000 installments beginning May 1, 2012.  The funds are to be used to provide stipends for the development of the new courses, pay adjunct faculty salaries for three years, and provide some funds to assist students in the major with the required field experience.

Special Department Awards for Graduates

The Business faculty are pleased to announce the following special department awards for 2012:

·        Outstanding Accounting Major:  Michael Johnson and Jessica Osborn

·        Outstanding Management Major:  Allison Fontaine, Natalie Francis, and Kristen Ostrem

·        Outstanding Marketing Major:  Cassie McDaniel

·        Academic Excellence: Allison Fontaine, Natalie Francis, Cassie McDaniel, Jessica Osborn, and Kristen Ostrem

Wanna Take a Trip!

The faculty have approved testing the level of interest in three business study tours for next year.  We will have a sign-up sheet at Mrs. Campbell's desk just to determine you interest level in the following.  Signing up does not create an obligation to go.

·        Fall break (October 22-24, 2012) business study tour to Chick-fil-A headquarters in Atlanta, GA to explore the unique culture of this large company founded and operated on Christian Principles.  We may add Coca-Cola headquarters in this visit.  We have a donation to cover the cost of van transportation, so the estimated cost will be approximately $300 each for lodging and food.

·        Semester break business study tour and intercultural experience to China.  We would leave around December 28 for about 8 days.  This visit will include visits to  large manufacturing businesses, micro-enterprise businesses, and interaction with Chinese university students.  The cost is expected to be about $3,000.  The Business Department will cover about $300 of the cost for approximately 15 students.  This trip will qualify for THEO 350 Global Connections credit and that provides the opportunity to add the trip cost as a course fee to help with financing. 

·        Spring break (March 2013) business study tour to Lancaster, PA to explore the entrepreneurial culture of the Amish.  We will visit with people who have started businesses like Aunt Annie's Pretzels that have been birthed out of this culture. We will also visit a large international humanitarian organization.  This 7-8 day trip will most likely be by van with the transportation cost covered by the Business Department's Lifeworks funds.  The cost of this trip for food and lodging will be about $500.  This trip should also qualify for THEO 350 Global Connections credit and the opportunity to add the trip cost as a course fee to help with financing.

Paid Manager Position at Lance Available - Apply Immediately

The Lance, EU's student-run newspaper, is seeking applications for the Managing Editor position for 2012-2013 school year.  This is primarily a management position that requires great organizational and relational skills.  It is also helpful to be a good writer.  The position pays a stipend at the end of the year and would be a great resume item.  If interested, contact Christine Temple, Editor-in-Chief at temp111478@evangel.edu or call extension 8634 for more information.

Preliminary Accreditation Visit Next Week!

Dr. Dewayne Thompson will visit our campus on Wednesday and Thursday this week to determine if the Business Department is ready to proceed with a full "self-study" for accreditation of our business programs with the Accreditation Council of Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).  Dr. Thompson has been assigned by ACBSP to be our mentor.  He is chair of the Business Department at Lee University in Cleveland, TN.  He will be interviewing and visiting with members of the administration, assessment officers, business faculty, and having dinner with the Business Students' Advisory Council.  If you happen to see him, please say "hello," or just "hey" as they do in east Tennessee!

Hoffman Makes Impact with Blog at Georgetown University

In the March 2 issue of the Business Spotlight, we announced the opportunity for our students to apply for a Millennial Values Fellowship at Georgetown University.   Interested students needed to send a CV; a 150-200-word bio; and a 300-400-word blog post that takes a clear and strong position on one of several statements. 

Brandon Hoffman, junior finance major, decided to accept this challenge.  He monitored the blog and noted that many of the contributing students were viewing inequality as being related to economic fairness.  Brandon's blog challenges that view.  You can read his blog at:http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/projects/campus-conversation-on-values  (you may have to cut and paste this into your browser)

Senate Leadership Selects Mussetter

The newly elected leaders of student Senate have selected Stephanie Mussetter as the new Senate Treasurer for 2012-2013.  Stephanie will be a senior accounting major next year.  She was one of several highly qualified business majors who were interviewed. Congratulations, Stephanie!

Business Heroes In Sports

Tennis coach Debbie DeAmeida said that the "biggest win in program history" of Evangel tennis occurred April 10 in a victory over Missouri Valley.  Three of the tennis players who played key roles in that victory have either a major or concentration in business.  Congratulations to the entire tennis team, but especially to business heroes Lyvia Gomes, Claire Hoover, and Maria Martinez.

Guess who hit the solo home run in the top of the 11th inning that enabled Evangel's baseball team edge out a victory over Benedictine on April 14? Send some applause to business hero Michael Headlee, freshman management major!

Adjunct Professor Receives Special Honor

Derek Schmidly, adjunct professor of finance, has been selected for the Springfield Business Journal's "40 under 40" honor this year based on his professional and community accomplishments.  Mr. Schmidly, 2006 EU alumnus, is an investment advisor and owner of Auxan Capital Advisors, LLC and has played a large role in the success of our Student Investment Group.  He teaches a finance course each semester on fixed income portfolio investment.

Business Spotlight of the Week

Welcome New Business Majors, Concentrations, and Minors

The process of registering for fall classes as brought us some students who are joining the business department for the first time.  Welcome!

Human Resource Management Scholarship - Deadline is Now!

The Springfield Human Resources Association (SAHRA) has a $500 scholarship available for an Evangel students interested in a career in human resource management.  You need a minimum of a 3.25 GPA.  PLEASE ACT IMMEDIATELY to apply for this scholarship!   The deadline at the website is April 1, but it will be extended for about a week.  Review the criteria and download the application form at the following link: http://sahra.affiniscape.com/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=12

Human Resource Management Internship Opportunity

Springfield Remanufacturing Corp here in Springfield has a part-time (20 hours week) summer HR internship available with the Director of HR at the Corporate Division. This could extend into the next year.  The intern will be assisting with coordination of HR sponsored events at several facilities as well as other duties related to designing and marketing employee training programs.  They are looking for someone with a creative side, good attention to details, good research skills, and the ability to work independently.  Send resume to Tim Baltes, HR Director for SRC at  tbaltes@srcreman.com .

Accessing Information at New EU Website

Evangel launched its new website this weekend.  You need to update the link if you have the old website saved as a "favorite place" or another type of quick access link.  Just type www.evangel.edu to identify the new website.  You can access your student portal through the "Current Students" tab in the maroon ribbon at the very top of the webpage.  Go to "Programs" and select any one of the business majors to access the new Business webpage and all of the information that is available at this location.

Work Study/Fellowship Positions for 2012-2013

See Mrs. Campbell for an application form if you are interested in work in the Business Department during the next school year.  We have a couple of positions opening up due to graduation.  Most of our positions are related to providing support to a faculty member, so the faculty will make the final decision regarding selection.  Preference is given to those with strong academic performance, positive attitudes, and personal initiative.

Senior Breakfast for Business Majors and Concentrations

The Senior Breakfast for business majors will be on April 16 at 10:00 a.m.  This breakfast is being sponsored by a contribution from alumnus Bill Link and Redeemed Music and Books.  Come prepared to share a highlight of your time at Evangel.

Fall Registration - Freshmen and Higher

Act now if you need to schedule an advising session for the fall semester.  Freshmen should be scheduling advising sessions this week so they can submit schedules next Saturday and have the best chance to get the courses and sections they want.  This is the last week that most business professors will have advising schedules on their door.  If schedules are not available, check the office schedule posted by your advisor's door to see when they may be available.

SIFE/PBL Celebration Dinner on Sunday, April 22

Mrs. Fletcher's home and 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 22 is the time for the SIFE/PBL Celebration Dinner.  This event will include the installation of officers for next year, senior cording, and lots of fun and good food.  Directions are available in the Business Department.  The SIFE team was first runner-up in their flight at the regional competition in Rogers, AR last week.  25 students have qualified to go to the PBL national competition based on their performance at the state level.

Job Opportunities

Three alumni recently provided job opportunities that seniors should consider:

·        Sandra Mazdzanowski ('81), Benefits Finance Manager for United Technologies Corporation, reports that UTC just acquired Goodrich and there are several job openings for new hires. For more information, visit www.utc.com

·        Erin Taylor ('05), General Accounting Analyst, has been with Pier1 Imports for 4 years and says it is a growing company and a GREAT place to work. They frequently have a variety of positions available. Interested seniors can check out open positions on Monster.com or can e-mail Erin at etaylor@pier1.com to check internal postings as well.

·       Joshua Young ('10, financial analyst with LP Capital Advisors in Sacramento, CA, reports that his firm is looking for candidates with accounting, finance, economics, or management backgrounds/majors. The ideal candidate will have academic accomplishments, some experience with finance such as SIG or an internship in any of the above-mentioned areas.   A job description is available in the Business Department.  E-mail resumes to jyoung@lpcapitaladvisors.com   Visit their website: http://www.lpcapitaladvisors.com

Alumni Support Continues to Grow

It is exciting to see the response to the 2nd edition of the Alumni Business Spotlight sent last week.  The three job opportunities previously mentioned were responding to the newsletter's appeal to help seniors find jobs.   One alumnus expressed interest in donating $100,000 over the next five years to help establish an endowed chair in the business department to help support faculty needs.  We also received a donation to cover the cost of the Senior Breakfast this year!

Business Spotlight of the Week

$95,000 Gift Helps Shape Future Scholarship Development

Last week, the Business Department received a gift of stock that is currently traded at $95,000. The business alumnus making the gift prefers to remain anonymous. The gift is to be used as private scholarships for new business majors entering Evangel based on criteria established by the Business Department faculty. Funds not used for the 2012-2013 school year will be carried over to future years.

This gift is a tremendous boost for our department's scholarship program.  We are seeing increases in enrollment and academic performance of current students.  When we allocated scholarships to current students on March 1, we had to take about $8,000 away from the reserves we hold for new students that come in the fall and spring. 

This gift will allow us to make some modest increases in the future and meet the immediate needs for scholarships over the next five years while we move forward with a plan to increase the amount of endowed business scholarships from $520,000 to $1 million over the next 3-5 years. This increase in the endowed scholarship funds will eventually generate sufficient funds to replace the need for the private scholarships coming from this recent gift.

Reminder about Fall Registration

Seniors were supposed to be able to enter their course schedules this past Saturday, but several reported that the system would not let them do it.  I reported this to Information Technology and the Registrar.  Get signed up for an advising conference with your faculty advisor as soon as possible.  Ask him or her directly if he or she doesn't have an advising schedule posted on the door.

Politics and Marketing - An Internship Opportunity

The Institute on Business and Government Affairs will place you in an internship where you will gain valuable business, lobbying and leadership skills. What better place to see the intersection of business and policy than Washington, DC, where government is the number one business? With an IBGA internship you can develop a strategic marketing plan for your client who is lobbying for a bill on Capitol Hill and attend various strategy and meetings with advocacy and lobby groups.  This is an eight-week academic internship program held in Washington, D.C and sponsored by The Fund for American Studies. The program combines substantive professional experience for 30 hours a week with a challenging undergraduate academic experience worth 6 credit hours from Georgetown University. All students are housed on campus in apartment-style dorms.  This summer’s deadline has been extended to March 23, 2012 with generous scholarship funding still available.  Contact Recruitment and Admissions Director Mary Stankus at mstankus@tfas.org or 202-986-0384 for assistance and check out their website at www.DCinternships.org.

Need Assistance Getting Ready for an Internship?

An alumnus sent the following link that provides helpful tips and resources as you prepare for an internship experience. http://theinternview.com/the-internview-crew/

Springfield News-Leader Prints Feature on the Dress for Success Display

The local newspaper printed a nice story about the Business Department's Dress for Success display across from Computer Lab 109.  Check out the following link.
http://www.news-leader.com/article/20120305/NEWS04/303050033/dressing-interview-evangel

Business Spotlight of the Week

Take Advantage of Career Fairs Next Week

Regardless of your student classification, the spring career fairs are a great opportunity to explore the kinds of jobs that are available in business and other professions.  We would like for every business major and minor to consider attending one or all of the three fairs listed below.  In addition to maybe seeing that career opportunity that the Lord has for you, you can meet some very nice people and usually find some "goodies" at the various booths!  Take copies of your resume with you if you are job hunting!

Career Fair #1: Non Profit, Human Service, Healthcare, Graduate Schools

Monday, February 27, 10 am-2 pm: Cantrell Student Union

· 18 employers and 10 graduate schools

Career Fair #2: Career Consortium Expo for All Majors

Tuesday, February 28, 1- 5 pm: JQH Arena at MSU Campus

· 134 employers from all areas of industries. Employers are looking to fill internships and full-time positions. Sponsored in consortium with 4 other area universities.

Career Fair #3: For-Profit Organizations, Business, Entrepreneur, Military

Wednesday, February 29, 10 am-2 pm: Cantrell Student Union

· Employers: AG Financial Services, American National Property & Casualty (ANPAC), Best Buy, Better Business Bureau, The Buckle, Central States Industrial, City Utilities of Springfield, Commerce Bank, Enterprise Rent-A-Car , Farmers Insurance, Frito Lay (Pepsi-Co), Jack Henry, Journal Broadcast Group, JP Morgan Chase, Nebraska Book Company, North Springfield Betterment Assoc., Northwestern Mutual, O'Reilly Auto Parts, Penmac, Professional Accounting, Reliable Superstore, T-Mobile, Vintage Stock, Western Southern Life, Wyndham Vacation Ownership · Military: Air Force, Navy, Army, US Marines, National Guard

Career Development Office Serves You!

Wondering what career fits your strengths and interests?  Want some help getting ready for a job interview?  Looking for a part-time or temporary job?  Dr. Sheri Phillips and Mr. Scott Kirby in the Career Development Office can help you!  They are located in the LifeWorks office (west of the Bookstore).  They have an on-line assessment tool that gives you a comprehensive review of vocational areas that will best fit you.  They will provide mock interviews and part-time jobs in the community.  They are our partners in your business career development. Take advantage of this free service.

Like to have $25,000 Scholarship to Study Abroad?

A dozen or more Evangel students have benefited from Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship over past years.  Our most recent Rotary Scholarship student was 2011 graduate, Nick Reasor.  March 15 is the deadline to submit an application to the local Rotary Club.  Mr. George Crawford, Evangel's Vice President of Business and Finance, will be happy to coach you about process and to receive your application if you are a high performing student who is interested in studying abroad in the academic year 2013-2014.  The scholarship that pays up to $25,000 for a year of study in undergraduate or graduate school.   You can download information and the application at the following website:http://www.rotary6080.org/rotary-ambassadorial-scholarships/

Business Spotlight of the Week

Farewell to Graduates and Welcome to New Students

Congratulations to Natalie Akins, Tanner Boone, Jon Butts, Brittany Byers, and Nick Wilson who completed the requirements to graduate in December.

We are excited to welcome the following nine new students who have joined us this spring semester as business majors: Michael Bowman, Joshua Gill, Larissa Haberberg, Hannah Hans, Caleb Harris, Mitchell Jenkins, Brandon Polk, and Sharesa Rodgers.

Business Department Scholarships for 2012-13

If you are a business major, you do not need to submit an on-line scholarship application to receive an academic scholarship for 2012-2013. Students with a 3.0 GPA or higher and a major in business automatically qualify an academic scholarship from the business department.  The amount of the scholarship awards are tiered for different GPA levels.

In the last two months, the Business Department received over $21,000 in endowed business scholarship donations.  The interest on these funds will be combined with donations totaling $10,000 for directly funded business scholarships.  The total of the Business Department's Endowed scholarships is now just over $500,000...and on our way to a goal of $1 million!

We Set a New Record!

Thanks to all of our students, the Business Department set a new record in the fall for course evaluation participation at 78%.  The next highest department was Social Sciences with 69%.  The overall average for the university was 62%. 

Writing Proficiency Exam

If you transferred an ENGL 111 composition course into EU, you must pass a writing proficiency exam during your first semester at EU.   Passing the writing proficiency is the required before you can take some of the required Frameworks and Bible courses.  The writing proficiency exam is offered on January 30, March 19-20, and April 9 this semester.  Sign up on the bulletin board outside of The Write Place (Trask 2nd floor).  Test times are 3:30-5:30 p.m. and 6:00-8:00 p.m..  See the Humanities office for more details and study packets.

Get Involved - SIFE/PBL and Student Investment Group

Applications for Students in Free Enterprise/Phi Beta Lambda (SIFE/PBL) and the Student Investment Group (SIG) are available on the shelf in front of the reception area in the business department.  See Mrs. Fletcher if you want more information about SIFE/PBL and Mr. Manke if you would like to learn about the SIG.  You need to be a sophomore or higher for the SIG.

SIFE/PBL is gearing up for the PBL state competition in subject matter exams and presentations.

Portal Open for Summer Registration

If you already know that you are going to take summer classes at EU, you can now submit your schedule for advisor review.  Please ask your advisor for assistance if you are not sure what you should take.

Internship Opportunities 

Business majors are encouraged to work in their field of interest.  This can be an internship where you register for 3 credits to fulfill an elective requirement.  Nine business majors completed formal internships last summer and fall.  Local businesses and non-profits are providing three internship opportunities:

·         AG Financial Services has a paid customer service internship available to juniors and seniors part-time this spring and full-time over the summer.  See Marilyn Campbell for an application.

·         Sperry Van Ness Commercial Real Estate is looking for someone that can work 15-20 hours in their office located at Highway 65 & Battlefield. Hours are flexible (i.e. 3-7 p.m.)  This could be a full time position in the summer.  Starting pay is $7.00 with quarterly reviews and potential to earn $10 within a year.  Need reliable transportation, upbeat attitude, good character.  Intern will be trained.  Activities include marketing packages, email campaigns, post cards, and managing listings on LoopNet, CoStar, etc.  Contact Mike Fusek, Senior Advisor, at 417-849-5703 or Mike.Fusek@svn.com.  This job is also posted at HireEvangel.com.

·         4 the World Resource Distributors (4WRD) is a relatively new and unique non-profit ministry started to help provide affordable and accessible books, information and resources in schools and other entities internationally.  The office and warehouse is located within 2 miles of the EU campus.  They are providing an unpaid, grant research and writing internship.  Additional information is provided at the 4WRD link at the bottom of this email.

·         Thumb Print Marketing Group is a growing, for-profit social media marketing company based in Branson that specializes in social media .  They are providing an unpaid marketing/ communications internship for a senior who can work 10-20 hours a week.  Much of the work can be done remotely rather than traveling to Branson.  For the right person, this could turn into a full-time paid position in about 6 months.  Contact Sundi Jo at 573-263-1939 or sundijo@thumbprintmarketinggroup.com for more information.  This opportunity is also posted at HireEvangel.com.

Accelerate Earning a Master's Degree at Missouri State University (MSU)

Representatives from MSU (including our own Natalie Akins) will be at the non-profit and graduate school career fair on Monday, February 27 from 10:00-2:00 in the Cantrell Student Union.  Interest keeps growing in the consortium agreement we have with MSU.  This program allows EU business majors who qualify to take up to 9 credits in a master's program at MSU and apply those hours to meet required or elective courses in the business major at EU.   Financial aid works as if you are taking the credits at EU.  Eight students attended a special meeting in the Business Department last semester to learn more about this opportunity to accelerate their opportunity to earn a Master of Business Administration, Master of Accountancy, or Master of Healthcare Administration degree. 

Business Spotlight of the Week - Christmas Break Edition!

Fall Semester Grades Posted!

You should be able to see your fall semester grades in your student portal.  Please e-mail me at DanaB@evangel.edu if you do not see a grade for a course you have completed and do not know the reason why.

Internship at Compassion International - Important Announcement

January 2 is the last day to apply for a paid summer internship with Compassion International based in Colorado Springs, CO.  Business students intending to graduate in May 2012-2014 range with a 3.2 GPA or higher who have a strong interest in a career with non-profit, humanitarian organizations should explore this opportunity.  The internship is from May 21 to August 3.  There were about 40 internships available when these were posted a year ago.  In the past, Compassion International has helped to arrange housing.

Thanks for Completing Course Evaluations!

The data is now available for EU faculty to review the course evaluations.  Your sincere ratings and comments are valuable to us as we explore our opportunities to improve our courses.  I took a quick scan and do see some improvements in areas that we targeted.  I will have to wait to receive an analysis on the percentage participation, but business faculty members have been reporting very high participation rates.  Hopefully, we will hit the 80% or higher target we had for this semester.

Vote EU Grad into Miss America Top 15

You can help Sydney Friar, 2011 EU grad in Advertising/Public Relations and current Miss Missouri, get in the top 15 at the Miss America pageant by watching the video and casting your vote at http://missamerica.org/videocontest/.  

Have a great Christmas and New Year Holiday!

The business department faculty members extend to each of you our prayers for a safe and meaningful holiday season.  We pray that you will be spiritually, physically, and mentally refreshed during this break and that you will return to classes on January 11 eager pursue new opportunities to learn.  We will miss you...but we are delighted to have a break, too!!!

What does music do for you?

Need a way to relieve stress?  Increase productivity?  Remember more?
Check it out!

http://lifehacker.com/5865032/how-music-affects-the-brain-and-how-you-can-use-it-to-your-advantage