Meet Your 2011-2012 PR Team!

Mrs. Rhoades 

I love working with the PR team because it gives my marketing mind an outlet. I’m not a creative nor am I a project manager, but my ideation strength comes out in marketing. I enjoy the challenge of anticipating the changes in the prospective student market. Brainstorming with the team and then seeing a finished project down the line is rewarding. PR Team is FUN! Oh ok . . . sometimes it’s pressure but most of the time it’s fun! 

  

Clair Hoehamer

I'm from Des Moines, Iowa- a senior Journalism major with a Marketing concentration. I enjoy working with the Business Department because I get an interactive experience that allows me to practice all the things I learn in classes and be creative! One of the projects that I am currently working on is to redesign the display case outside of the Business Department with the theme 'Dress for Success'. Dillard's is providing all the clothing and accessories so it's really fun to have free reign to make it my own. On a separate note my favorite thing about being at Evangel is all the great relationships I've made with both faculty and students! I’m a HUGE Chicago Cubs fan and coffee is one of the loves of my life! 

Danielle Brozovich

I’m a Finance major in the Business Department. Although my major is finance what I really want to do with my life is to go into Business Law. This is my second year on the PR Team and I have loved every minute of it! One of the biggest reasons I decided to get involved with the PR Team is because I love coming up with ideas on how to help market the Business Department, not to mention being able to help current and future students get involved with Business Department Events. As a part of the PR Team I have the opportunity to work on many different projects, one of the major projects that I oversee are the My Major. My Life. posters you may have seen around the department. I’m excited about what this year holds, and don’t forget to check out our Facebook and twitter page!

Andrew Grumke

The PR team has been such a great fit for me the past two years! I’m a Junior Marketing and Digital Arts major which ties in perfectly to my main hobby of Photography (ACG Portraits and Photos). When I’m not snapping pictures you can probably find me watching episodes of Lost, Fringe, or any other cliff-hanger TV shows. Ending up at EU was a journey, but I know that God has placed me here so I’m up for learning all that I can and getting the most out of my college years. Back to the PR Team, I enjoy being on the team because I can use my creative side to work for a Department I have loyalty to, as well as one that I support. I like the people I work with and the work that I do.

Ashley Gingerich

This is my first year on the PR Team and man has it been CRAZY, crazy good that is! I'm a Senior Marketing/International-Multicultural Studies double major, so just by that mouthful of words you can kind of tell how my schedule is... full! Being a part of the PR Team this year has given me so many opportunities and has really given me a chance to utilize a lot of the skills that I have learned during my time at Evangel. When I'm not busy with school work and PR Team responsibilities, I can usually be found brewing my favorite cup of coffee, outside running, or creating something artistic!

The Business Spotlight

·         Time for Spring Registration!

The registration system for spring courses will open to seniors on Saturday, October 29; for juniors on November 5; for sophomores on November 12; and for freshmen on November 19.  These schedules are based on your classification this semester. 

That means that you can go through your student portal to submit a spring schedule of courses at 12:01 a.m. on those Saturdays.  The schedule you submit has to be approved by your faculty advisor before you have a seat reserved in those courses.  Some courses fill up quickly.  Getting your schedule approved as early as possible helps assure that you will get the courses you want. 

You should meet with your faculty advisor to agree on a schedule before entering it.  Business faculty advisors have been asked to put sign-up sheets on their door of available advising times. 

·         Freshmen and Sophomores Need a History or Government Course

Students coming in under the new Frameworks general education requirements will need a history or government course to meet the Social Science elective requirements.  Freshmen and sophomores should make sure that they are including one of those courses in their schedules, ideally during the first four semesters.  The changes made to the General Education program in the past two years created some confusion for all of us.  The Business Department initially thought that students would have their Social Science elective requirement met by taking Macroeconomics and included that assumption in some of our early degree sheet changes.  We have been corrected.  The degree sheet has been changed and business department faculty advisors are now aware of this requirement.

·         Special Spring Courses

We have two exciting courses that are offered only in the spring that juniors and seniors should consider as electives.  These two courses are also required as port of our Human Resources Minor:

o   MGMT 460: Organizational Leadership taught by Mr. Dana on MWF at 9:00-9:50.

o   MGMT 470: Workforce Selection and Development taught by Mr. Papit on TTR at 11:00-12:15

·         Conference Day Seminars with a Business Focus

Conference Day is just one week away on Wednesday, November 2^nd.  Regular classes are cancelled that day and special 50 minute seminars on a variety of topics around the Conference Day theme of "Redemption."  We want all business majors to attend at least one of the following two sessions sponsored by the business department.

o   Make Your Coffee Count - Learn how Eurasia Café: Coffee and Tea Company is changing lives by giving back to faith-based social justice causes and how you can be a part.  Charity Reeb, a business alumnus, shares an exciting story about how she has mixed her expertise in branding and passion for the lost and hurting to develop a for profit company that is focused on redemption.

·         Creating an Organizational Culture of Redemption – You have never seen a session like this on the Evangel campus!  We are using audio/video networking to bring a panel of four senior executives from Denbury Resources, a publicly held energy company, into a classroom to interact with our students.  The CEO, CFO, CIO, and chief internal auditor of Denbury Resources are all Evangel business who will share how they strive to create an organizational culture that develops and restores its people. 

·         Improve your grades with Flash Card Tool

Senior business major Dalie Hand highly recommends setting up a free account with StudyBlue.com so you can create flash cards to study for exams and quizzes.  The program will run through the flash cards randomly and actually score your performance.

·         Spring Break in Instanbul!

October 28 is the deposit deadline if you are interested in the intercultural experience in Istanbul for Spring Break being co-sponsored by the Business Department.  The cost of the trip has been reduced to $2,500 and this cost can be added as a course fee for those who are taking Global Connections.  If you are interested, but cannot make the October 28 deposit deadline, please e-mail Bernie Dana soon.  We may have some resources to help provide assistance for this trip.

                                

·         Washington Studies Trip Invitation 

Business plays a huge part in government…or at least it should!  Sophomore, Junior, and Senior business majors with a 2.75 GPA or higher are invited to be a part of the two week Washington Studies trip on February 28-March 10.  The first week is touring and meeting with various government officials and groups and the second week is working with a government agency or non-profit organization.  Contact Mrs. Collier or Dr. Sanders in the Social Science Department to get more information and pick up an application.

·         Course Withdrawal Reminder!

October 28 is the last day for students to withdraw from a class with a "W."  After that date, a withdrawal will be accompanied with a WP (withdraw passing) or WF (withdraw failing).  The withdraw failing will affect your GPA and only a retake of the class with a higher grade will eliminate the effect.

·         Explore Marketing!

Dr. Wubbena, Mrs. Fletcher, and Dr. Maynard have developed and begun implementing proposals to make our marketing program one of the best available. These initiatives are focused on providing various "tracks" that link to vocational areas and creating partnerships with businesses to enable students to apply what they learn.  The tracks currently being discussed with students are event marketing such as hospitality, sports, music, fine arts; promotional strategies such as retail, sales, promotions; social enterprise; and international marketing.  The department will consider some new courses to enhance these tracks.

Please see Dr. Wubbena or Mrs. Fletcher if you are interested in exploring the various marketing major and vocations opportunities to which it leads.

·         Need Help with a Course?

Some courses can become difficult when they don’t suit your strengths.  If you are struggling and would like to have some assistance, consider the following alternatives.  If you need some temporary help on a particular issue, see if the lab assistant on duty in ZM-109 can help you.  Many of our lab assistants are upper division students who have already completed the courses that may be causing you some problems.  If the general subject matter is difficult for you, contact the personnel in the Academic Support Center on the second floor of Zimmerman Hall (southeast corner).  They have tutors available for courses at no cost to you.

·         Seniors – Get you Graduation Papers In!

Seniors intending to graduate in May 2012 or the summer following need to go to their student portal and complete the Intent to Graduate form, pick up the senior paper forms from Records and Registration office (Riggs lower level), and bring those forms to Mrs. Campbell for instructions on how to complete. The Business Department is the only department that provides significant assistance in completing the graduation papers.   You do not need to see your advisor before completing these papers.

·         Department News   

Your Business Department is continuing to improve our programs in a number of areas.  We are:

o   Simplifying course offerings by eliminating some of the confusing duplicate offerings in the course schedules.

o   Exploring the need to offer an Ethics course as a core course in our curriculum.  This helps meet the growing demands for this course for public accounting certification and for some MBA programs.

o   Exploring the possibility of changing Accounting Information Systems to a Management Information Systems course to address this vital information for all business students.

Bernie Dana

Chair, Business Department

Business Spotlight of the Week

The Business Spotlight is sent periodically to announce the achievements, goals, and activities of the Business Department and its students.

·         Homecoming Events Successful!

Thumbs up to our business students who participated in the Career Connections event on Thursday and Leadership Forum on Friday.  By all indications, these were the most highly attended student events during homecoming weekend.  You are making other departments jealous!   We are processing the sign-in sheets to make sure that you get credit for appropriate attendance and bonus points.

·         Business Alumni say, WOW! 

About 30 business department alumni attended a special reception and update on Saturday morning after the alumni breakfast.  Brock Shaffer (Sr Mgmt major) presented information about SIFE/PBL activities, Mr. Schmidly and Michael Johnson (Sr, Acct major) shared about the Student Investment Group, and Ashley Gingerich (Sr. Mrkt/Intl Multi-culture studies major) and Andrew Grumke (Soph Mrkt/digital arts major) showed the promotional materials and explained the creative ways that the department is reaching out to current and prospective students.  The Alumni said they were super impressed with these student presentations and the opportunities that students have to practice what they learn.  One alumnus later pledged $10,000 for an endowed business scholarship!

·         Gut Check Time on your Courses!

Struggling with a class???  The last day for students to withdraw from a class with a "W" is October 28.  After that date, a withdrawal will be accompanied with a WP (withdraw passing) or WF (withdraw failing).  The withdraw failing will affect your GPA and only a retake of the class with a higher grade will eliminate the effect.

·         Student Achievements

Congratulations to Kristen Ostrem (Sr Mgmt/Mrkt major) and Stephanie Yonke (Sr Engl major/Mgmt minor) for being honored this past weekend as members of the 2011 Homecoming Court.  Three business students have been selected to represent the business department at Springfield Rotary this year. Allison Fontaine (Sr Mgmt/Intercultural Studies major), Cameron Allison (Sr. Mgmt major), and Daylea Duvall (Fr Acct major) will have an opportunity to join with the Rotary Club members at lunch and share briefly about their EU experience.  

Elizabeth Hensley (Sr Finance major) and Molly Hurt (Jr Mrkt major) have been selected respectively as recipients of the Wachovia and Enterprise Rental Car scholarships received through the Missouri Colleges Fund.  Jose Socorro (Jr Mgmt major) is the first Evangel student to receive the Platinum SIFE Service Leadership Award for recording 500 hours of service through Students in Free Enterprise activities.  Two of our international students, Maria Martinez (Sr Art major/Mgmt minor) from Mexico and Lyvia Gomes (Soph Mgmt major) from Brazil are having successful fall seasons with the EU Tennis team.  Maria will be a member of the EU doubles team that is competing for the NAIA-ITA National Championship in Mobile Alabama this week.  Go Maria!!!

Stay tuned for more Business Spotlights!

The Business Spotlight

The Business Spotlight is sent periodically to announce the achievements, goals, and activities of the Business Department and its students.

Homecoming Events Just For You!

During homecoming, the Business Department sponsors two events for students who have a major, concentration, or minor in business. Your business professors will be encouraging you to attend by cancelling classes or providing bonus points. We have also requested that faculty in other departments grant excused absences from their classes so you can attend these events. Please plug these into your planner.


· Career Connections on Thursday, October 6, at 11:00 – 12:15 in Joust West

Career Connections brings together a panel of business alumni who graduate between 3 and 10 years ago to provide a perspective of the different career opportunities that are available to business students. Each panel member will have about 8 minutes to share what they do, how they got there, and some sage advice about maximizing your Evangel experience. They will then have a Q&A time for students to ask the panel questions.

· Leadership Forum on Friday, October 7, at 1:00 – 2:30 in Barnet Fine Arts Auditorium

Mr. Don Zimmerman, the 2011 EU Distinguished Alumnus, will share lessons learned on his leadership journey in a presentation titled: My Leadership Journey: The People Along the Way. Since 2005, Mr. Zimmerman has served as senior vice president and chief information officer for the Wendy’s/Arby’s Group in Atlanta, Ga. Where he has guided all of the technology aspects of Arby’s strategic merger with Wendy’s. He graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from Evangel in 1982. Since his graduation from Evangel University, Zimmerman served with both Frito-Lay, Inc. and PepsiCo Foods International for a combined 12 years, and later served as vice president of information technology for Sears, Roebuck and Co.

Opportunity to Visit Springfield Businesses – All in One Place!

The Springfield Business and Technology Expo is October 6^th at the Springfield Exposition Center, 635 St. Louis Street from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is a great way to see the many different kinds of business in the area, explore career opportunities, and even pick up all kinds of goodies! See Marilyn Campbell or Elizabeth Fletcher for free tickets.

Dress To Impress!

When looking for a Job, think twice about your appearance! Your appearance has A Lot to do with the first impression you give off to future employers. Although unfair, You will be judged by the way you're dress when sitting in an interview. Remember, companies are looking for people who reflect who they are as a company. So what does this mean for those of you who filter your wardrobe through phrases such as the following: "Is it wrinkled?" "Does this smell" "Is this hole noticeable?"? It means that you need to seriously reevaluate the way you use your wardrobe to reflect who you are! When applying for a job, what you wear should be a reflection of who you are and how you want to be known to others. You want to project the image of 'Responsibility' 'Organized' 'Assertive' and 'Leadership potential'. Even if you posses these qualities, all can be lost with one glance if your outfit says 'Just woke up' 'Unorganized' 'Not professional'.

The below article gives some very helpful tips when deciding between those Black Dress pants and the Trendy ripped jeans!

http://www.sensationaljobs.com/blog/2010/12/how-to-dress-for-your-job-interview/

Business Spotlight of the Week

The Business Spotlight is sent periodically to announce the achievements, goals, and activities of the Business Department and its students.

Welcome New Students!

We welcome 40 new students as business majors this fall.  They include 4 majors in accounting, 2 in business education, 2 in finance, 22 in management, and 10 in marketing.  Fifteen students are on the baseball, football, volleyball, tennis, and marching band rosters.  Sixteen of the 40 (40%) are transfer students with an average GPA of 3.1.  In addition to the new students, we have had a significant number of current students change to a business major this fall.  As a result, we have 163 business majors this semester, a 4.5% increase over last fall.  Go Business.

Take Advantage of Spiritual Emphasis Week

Spiritual emphasis week is a great opportunity to evaluate how your daily habits reflect on your commitment to grow spiritually. Your vocational calling to business is just as important to God's kingdom as any other calling. Take advantage of this week to develop some deliberate goals and habits that will enhance your daily walk with the Lord.

Who Moved the Furniture?

Diana Papit, wife of adjunct faculty member Mr. Ted Papit, has volunteered her interior design skills to help enhance our office area. She came last Friday morning and took some initial steps by simply rearranging existing furniture and décor items.  She has a concept hanging action photos of our students scanned onto canvas and adding other decor pieces to help provide decor consistency and enhance the professionalism and warmth of our office suite, the lab, and the SIFE office. The business department's student public relations team will provide input and help identify appropriate pictures. We have a limited budget to work with, and really appreciate Diana’s willingness to help us.

Pledge to Improve

Students in each course are encouraged to go to their student portal and complete confidential, on-line course evaluations at the end of each semester.  In the spring, we were "top dog" with an average of 73% of students in business courses completed the surveys!  The average for all courses was 58% and the next highest academic department was 67%.

The business department faculty take your feedback seriously.  We have set three year outcome goals as a department for key areas of the survey.  At the beginning of this semester, each faculty member is evaluating the spring results and reporting his or her strategies for improvement to the department chair.

Accreditation

On August 26, the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) approved our application for candidacy status to receive specialized accreditation for our undergraduate business and Master's of Organizational Leadership programs.  This process preparation of an extensive self-assessment and formal visits from representatives of ACBSP.  We anticipate achieving full accreditation in approximately 18 months.

Special Scholarship Award

For the first time, the Springfield Area Human Resources Association (SAHRA) designated a scholarship specifically for an Evangel University student who has shown an interest in human resource management .  Congratulations to Kelly Goncalves, the 2011-12 recipient of this special scholarship.  Applications for the award are received in the spring.

Writing Proficiency Exam

Some of you must take Evangel's writing proficiency exam because you transferred in a composition course or your ACT writing score qualified you to take the writing proficiency exam to help identify the quickest path for you to complete RHET 205 Effective Communication.  You should have been told by your faculty advisor and/or notified by the Humanities Department if you are in this category.  Students who need to take this exam must sign up on the bulletin board outside the Write Place in ABII room 202 about 2 weeks before the tests.  The exam dates are shown below.  You can see a sample proficiency exam at  http://www.evangel.edu/Academics/PaperWriting/ProficiencyTestExample.asp 

·       September 12, 2011 - 3:30 and 6:30 p.m.

·       November 14-15, 2011 - 3:30 and 6:30 p.m.

·       December 5, 2011 - 3:30 and 6:30 p.m.

Getting Involved - A Real Plus!

Many of our business majors are involved in sports, music groups, theater, and a variety of student organizations such as Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), Student Investment Group (SIG), Student Government, CrossWalk, and Chi Alpha Honors Society.   These activities provide excellent opportunities to network and use the business skills you are developing to lead projects and organizations. 

Some students find the need to find regular work opportunities or spot jobs either on or off campus to help fund their education and personal needs.  Working is also an excellent way to apply what you are learning and to develop experience and an excellent work ethic which is greatly valued when you start your career.  Evangel's LifeWorks office provides excellent support if you are looking for part-time work either on or off campus you can go to www.HireEvangel.com  or http://www.evangel.edu/LifeWorks/Career/students.asp

Bernie Dana

Chair, Business Department

To Be or Not to Be... a Business Major

Thinking about a Business degree?? Well think no more!

Here at Evangel University we offer a variety of majors including management, marketing, accounting, finance, public administration and business education!

Not sure a Business degree is for you? Why not pair your field of study with a minor in international business, human resource management, management, marketing, accounting, finance, public administration or business education?!?!

With options like this the combinations are endless!!

Also! Here at EU we encourage a Christian worldview of business and our graduates actually have an advantage when entering the workforce because organizations are eager to hire people who demonstrate values, integrity, and character.

Business may be one of the most challenging, flexible, and practical paths you can choose, regardless of the vocational area you feel called to enter. Our business graduates are not only taking key roles in for-profit enterprises, they are helping lead humanitarian, ministry, and government organizations around the world achieve their mission and goals. We learn from them to keep our curriculum and practices relevant.

Our department is recognized for the quality of our programs and our students consistently rank at the highest levels in regional and national business competitions.

But what's our most outstanding quality? It's our stellar staff who fall far from the typical "those who can't do, teach"! Our professors have been there and done that! (and successfully too!) They represent some of the most innovative and talented business men and women that one could meet! These awesome professors will become your advisers and help walk you through class selection and guide you through classes all while serving as your mentors, giving you priceless insight into the business world!