Business Spotlight of the Week

Dr. Maynard update
Dr. Maynard had surgery today to have a pacemaker inplanted.  He was exhausted this evening when I visited with him, but in good spirits.  There was no blockage and this seems to be the key step to his recovery.  He will need to wear a sling and not drive a car for two weeks, which breaks his heart!  I expect that he will be in the hospital for a couple more days for observation.  The other faculty in the department will be managing his classes for him for the remainder of the semester so he can fully recover.




Help us get better - course evalutions
Please go to your student portal and complete the course evaluations for all of your courses this semester.  The Business Department faculty are committed to using these evaluations to improve our courses.  We review the results carefully, benchmark the very best results, and each faculty member provides me with a course improvement plan.   In the spring semester, the Business Department had the highest average percentage of student participation in the course evaluations. Please help us hit a target of at least 80% this fall!  Some instructors are giving bonus points as a reward.




Finish Strong!
We are in the last week of classes for the semester.  It is always tough getting back into the groove after Thanksgiving...but it is important.  Plan ahead and allocate plenty of time to finish projects and reports and to prepare for your final exams.


Keep smiling!
B. Dana

Business Spotlight of the Week

·     Welcome to new Business majors and minors! Want a way to get involved in the department?

We strongly encourage you to join the Students in Free Enterprise/Phi Beta Lambda (SIFE/PBL) student organization. SIFE/PBL provides a great opportunity to get involved with other business students in activities that allow you to practice what you learn and to complete with other universities.  Ten students just returned from a SIFE leadership conference and business study tour in Little Rock, AR this weekend.  See Mrs. Campbell, the department secretary, or Mrs. Fletcher to get more information on how to get involved.

·     Spring registration in final stages - Course and instructor changes

 If you have not yet completed a spring schedule, contact your advisor for an advising time ASAP and enter the schedule during the advising session.  Getting your schedule approved as soon as possible is the best way to have a choice on which classes you take. 

·     Business Students' Advisory Council created

The newly formed Business Students' Advisory Council will meet for the first time on November 21.  The Council consists of Seniors Samantha Garza, Michael Johnson, and Cassie McDaniel; Juniors Ashley Gingerich, Daniel Noah, and Natalie Nordstrom; Sophomores Danielle Brozovich, Alexander Cuilty, and Yesenia Gallegos; and Freshmen Daylea Duvall, Joshua Whitaker, and Brodie Wingert.  These are your representatives, so please share with them issues that you would like to see addressed. 

Creating this Council is one of the strategies in our 2011-2014 year Performance Improvement Plan.  The purpose of the Council is to provide a student voice in developing or revising the department's mission, vision, and values for proposed improvements in curriculum, programs and activities of the department.   Each business faculty member nominated four students from each class for the chair to make the final selection which was ratified by the faculty in the November meeting.  The members serve for one school year term.

·     Your assistance needed for "Let's Can Hunger!"

SIFE/PBL partners with the EU music department each year to provide canned food and donations to the local Salvation Army to assist individuals and families in need during this season.  We need business majors and minors and their friends to volunteer as greeters and ushers for the Annual Christmas Concert provided for the Springfield community on December 2nd in the EU Chapel.  Volunteer practices is on December 1st from 8:00-8:30 in the chapel. For the event on December 2nd, male volunteers need to wear black suit, white shirt, and red tie.  Female volunteers should wear a black skirt of pants, jacket, white or red shirt, and dress shoes.  Evangel's SIFE team has ranked very high nationally in the Campbell Soup's Let's Can Hunger" campaign for the amount of food gathered at this event. Contact Dr. Mark Maynard, Mrs. Elizabeth Fletcher, or Jose Socorro (Socorro7592@evangel.edu) for more information.

·     Special Human Resource Management opportunity

The Business Department has allocated LifeWorks grant funds to pay for student memberships in the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) for students who have an interest in HR careers.  The national membership in SHRM enables you to receive their monthly magazine and other materials that will enable you to better understand the career opportunities in this specialized area.  We have had several graduates who now have successful careers in HR management.  Please let your advisor and Mr. Dana know if you have an interest in this area.

·     Job hunting time - Got your resume ready?

It is time to get your resume in shape if you are a senior beginning your job search or an underclassman looking for a summer job or internship.  Mrs. Campbell, Business Department Secretary, is eager to look over the resume you have prepared and identify opportunities for improvement.  Don't wait until the last minute to take advantage of this opportunity.  TIP:  It is a "no, no" to use templates for professional resumes. 

·     Business Education major growing

We are proud of the seven students who have elected to major in Business Education.  These students have a desire to teach business in middle and high schools, an area of teaching in very high demand.  We collaborate with the Education Department to provide this degree.  If you would like to know more about this major, please contact Dr. Linda Wellborn (WellbornL@evangel.edu) who serves as the primary advisor for this program.

·     Students learn more about MBA at MSU

Eight of our business majors met last Wednesday to learn more about the opportunity to begin pursuing a Master's of Business Administration (MBA) at Missouri State University (MSU) while still a senior at Evangel.  Students can earn up to nine credits in the MBA program and also count those credits towards their undergraduate major at EU.  This opportunity is also available with the Master's of Accountancy and Master's of Health Administration programs. Christopher Lynn represents MSU's MBA program and is eager to help our students who have a 3.00 GPA or higher to pursue this opportunity.  See Mr. Dana for additional information or contact Mr. Lynn at ChristopherLynn@MissouriState.edu.  We also have information available about Drury University's MBA program.

·     New partner for potential job opportunities

Capstone Financial is a rapidly growing investment management firm based in Houston, Texas.  They help design and manage the investment options offered in retirement plans by corporations and financial institutions.  One of their clients is AG Financial Solutions which markets retirement plans for employees of AG churches and schools. Capstone Financial's business development director used to work with AG Financial Solutions.  He recently contacted the business department regarding a couple of positions that are becoming available in their firm.  The director has been impressed with the quality of the many graduates we have placed over the years with AG Financial Solutions and wanted the opportunity to have some of the same.

·     Mr. Papit on the mend!

After his recent heart problems, Mr. Papit is feeling much better and has returned to teaching his Organizational Design and Management course.  He still appreciates your prayers since his heart is still out of rhythm and he is tired from the medications he has to take.  We've told him the rhythm problem is because he grew up AG and wasn't allowed to dance when he was young!

·     Ostrem sets EU record at National meet

Congratulations to Kristen Ostrem, senior management/marketing major, who finished 64th out of 323 runners in the 5-K run at the NAIA National Cross Country Championship in Vancouver, Washington on Saturday.  This is best finish in the history of EU's cross country program.  Kristen has qualified for nationals in all four years at EU.

Business Spotlight of the Week

 Dr. Maynard to Explore New Adventures

•  Dr. Maynard has decided to retire from teaching full time at the end of this semester.  As many of you know, he has a passion in life to teach free enterprise around the world and loves to travel.  He is planning to develop his CEO Radio Broadcast into new markets and develop a new curriculum in free enterprise. 
• He will continue to work with our SIFE/PBL team as a member of the Advisory Board.  

Registration Update!

• We are starting to run into classes already being full, particularly in the Bible and theology areas.  Getting your schedule approved as soon as possible is the best way to have control of your schedule. 

New Library Resources

• The Evangel Library has recently added study resources for our Finance Majors who wish to prepare for the Series 65 certification exam.  Study for the exam can be done as a 3 credit hour directed study finance course.
• The EU Library has also added a link for temporary access to the Westlaw Campus Research program: https://www.evangel.edu/lLibrary/databases.asp#Law   This new link provides business majors with access to research financial data for companies as well as legal research.  It will be useful in finance courses, the Student Investment Group, and the Strategic Management course.   This is on a trial basis at the current time, but an exciting opportunity to expand the ability of business majors to analyze financial results.

Internship Opportunities

• North Point Church has unpaid business internship opportunities for three students.  Adam Swenka, Resource Directory  who worked in the banking industry for 8 years, will lead the interns through a 6-8 month internship program.  Jon Butts and Zach Coffman are currently in the program.  You can access the description/application at: http://www.northpointchurch.tv/index.php?opton=com/content&view=article&id=348&Itemid=233

Business Highlight -- Maria Martinez [ Tennis Player ]

Senior graphic design major/ marketing minor Maria Martinez has been rocking the tennis courts for the past 3 years she has been at Evangel. Her passion for the sport is something that has made Maria stand out time and time again. This year Maria, along with her partner Amy, made it to the National Tennis Conference. This was Maria’s second time to Nationals. When asked what contributed to her success this year, Maria said “I feel that my doubles partner Amy and I have game styles that complement each other. We improved and gained confidence after playing in two warm up tournaments before regionals."

One of the biggest differences between this year at Nationals for Maria compared to last year was that she had to adjust to her new partner, "which did not take that long because we communicate and understand each other very well" said Maria. 

When she is not busy with tennis practices Maria loves hanging out with friends. "Any activity that includes fun, chocolate, and friends will make me happy J". 
You might be wondering what motivates Maria on and off the tennis court. According to Martinez it is her dedication and love for God, her family, and her friends! 

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!