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STAFF
Jon McCarry
Jon McCarry, a UNT alumnus with a wide breadth of experience in private equity, was tapped as the senior director for the Murphy Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, housed within the UNT College of Business.
"Jon McCarry's expertise is exactly what our region needs, and I’m thrilled to welcome him to UNT. His exceptional experience will help UNT continue to contribute to the economic vitality of the region, while ensuring UNT’s students have additional hands-on learning opportunities," said Marilyn Wiley, Dean of the College of Business.
Under his leadership, McCarry will spearhead the Murphy Center's efforts to spur entrepreneurial creativity on campus and in surrounding communities. In the coming months, McCarry plans to make the center a go-to resource for businesses, as well as UNT students, faculty, staff and alumni.
“I’d like to see the Murphy Center become a leading resource for the North Texas region – partnering with a range of ventures, from innovative ideas to early stage growth companies, while also building bridges with the investor community at large,” McCarry said. “If we’re doing our job correctly, new opportunities are blooming in concert with a vibrant environment. We want our innovative companies to keep their roots in the North Texas region and inspire others.”
The Murphy Enterprise Center was established in 1999 thanks to a $1 million gift from Ken and Shirley Murphy, and it was renamed the Murphy Center for Entrepreneurship in 2009. READ MORE...
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PH.D. CANDIDATE
Niusha Jones
Niusha Jones, College of Business marketing doctoral candidate focusing on consumer behavior, has earned the international prestigious Marketing Science Institute/Sheth Dissertation Award, funded by the Madhu and Jagdish Sheth Foundation and the Marketing Science Institute.
The award is one of the most prestigious awards in the marketing discipline and Jones was the first University of North Texas Ph.D. student to have ever earned it.
“Her distinction invariably enhances the program and doctoral students’ international reputation,” said Dr. Lou Pelton, Associate Professor of Marketing.
Jones presented her dissertation research on “Choice Androgyny” at the 2018 Academy of Marketing Science Annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana this May, and received overwhelmingly positive feedback for her research contributions to the field and her professional poise. Niusha’s dissertation work is co-authored with her advisor, Dr. Blair Kidwell and has received a revision request from the Journal of Consumer Research, a top journal in marketing.
Prior to beginning her path toward a Ph.D., Niusha earned a B.S. degree in structural engineering, an M.B.A degree and an M.S. degree in marketing research. She also worked as a marketing researcher and manager in leading companies in Europe and the Middle East.
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Don and Donna Millican
Alumnus Don Millican and his wife Donna Millican established the Don and Donna Millican Endowed Chair in Accounting in 2016, enabling the College of Business to hire renowned faculty member, Dr. Ananth Seetharaman, to lead the department.
Since their gift, the department has made tremendous strides, including ranking among the top 25 in the nation for its faculty size, earning separate endorsements by the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) and the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) (making it the only accounting program in the DFW area to achieve dual IIA/IMA endorsements), and having 94 percent of its students in the Accounting M.S. program who completed internships last spring receive full-time job offers.
It goes without saying that the Millican's support has made, and continues to make, a transformative difference.
“UNT gave me an outstanding foundation on which I have been blessed to build a successful career,” said Millican. “I attribute that foundation to the excellent teaching and the strong work ethic culture that continues to exist at UNT. I believe it is the mission of UNT, and particularly the College of Business and the Department of Accounting, to give students an educational platform that will truly change the trajectory of their lives.”
Millican added that he hopes that other UNT alumni will continue to support the university.
“Do whatever you can to give current and future students the same opportunity you were given,” he said.
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UNT student group receives prestigious award from world’s largest HR association
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UNT’s Society for Human Resource Management affiliate has been awarded the 2017-2018 Outstanding Student Chapter Award by their national society for their excellent initiatives to ensure their members thrive and become future professionals. The chapter will be presented a plaque at the organization’s annual conference in Chicago on June 17th.
The Society for Human Resource Management, or SHRM, student chapter merit award program, was created in 1972 to encourage student chapters to require ongoing excellence in the following areas: student chapter requirements, chapter operations, chapter programming and professional development of members, support of the human resource profession and SHRM engagement.
“As we move together forward, young professionals like these being honored at distinguished student chapters play a vital role in SHRM’s success,” said Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, president and chief executive officer of SHRM. “I’m especially honored to thank this year’s award winners because they offer excellent evidence that SHRM’s future is indeed in good hands.”
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Risk management and insurance program named a Global Center of Insurance Excellence
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The University of North Texas was recently awarded the prestigious Global Centers of Insurance Excellence designation by International Insurance Society for its outstanding risk management and insurance program. Last year in the inaugural year of the award program, only 20 institutions from around the world were recognized as recipients of the designation.
The designation honors the world’s top collegiate risk management and insurance programs that play an integral role in promoting insurance knowledge and research, and that advances the interests of the global insurance industry. To receive the designation, a program needs to excel and meet stringent criteria for consideration include course offerings, graduate employment rates, professional involvement, and faculty expertise and qualifications. UNT will be formally announced and recognized at the annual International Insurance Society Global Insurance Forum, held in Berlin from July 8-11.
“We are very proud of this recognition as it places our program among the most elite in the world, and it significantly enhances our visibility within the international insurance community,” said Yu-Luen Ma, the UNT Glen L. Taylor professor of insurance in the Department of Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Law of the UNT College of Business.
READ MORE...
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Second annual Westheimer New Venture Competition awards prizes to top competitors
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UNT students competed to win nearly $7,000 in prize money during the second annual Westheimer New Venture Competition, thanks to UNT alumnus and competition founder, Jerome “Bruzzy” Westheimer.
The competition gained interest college-wide, but only four finalist teams were selected to compete in the final round. Tasked with aiming to convince a panel of DFW business leaders and venture capitalists that their ideas were worth investing in, each team of three was restricted to pitching their proposal with just a PowerPoint presentation and 15 minutes. Much like Shark Tank, judges brought heat to the competition by asking contestants thought-provoking questions to keep them on their toes and thinking like an entrepreneur.
Members from the winning team, Big Day Collective, included husband and wife duo Meaghan and David Hildinger, as well as Hemalsha Dissanayake. Their investment idea, which involved a co-working event and networking space, was well proposed through in-depth market analyses and financial breakdowns.
Students should be on the lookout for news about the 2019 Westheimer New Venture Competition, set to be announced soon. |
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Beta Alpha Psi earn Superior status
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UNT’s Chapter of Beta Alpha Psi (BAP), the international honor organization for accounting, finance and information systems, was awarded with Superior status for their committed service hours during the 2017-2018 year.
In order to qualify for this honorable distinction, the chapter was tasked with recording at least 876 professional hours and 876 community service hours from July 2017 through June 2018. Chapter members ultimately surpassed these objectives however, and achieved 2,275 professional hours and 1,916 community service hours for a total of 4,191 hours of activity—or 239% of what was required.
“For me, being a part of Beta Alpha Psi is about demonstrating how important giving back to the community is,” said Michael Babich, chapter vice president.
Compared to 2016-2017, BAP counted a total of 1,627 more hours of activity, representing an impressive 63% increase in service hours. This dramatic increase is largely attributed to the increase in membership base requirements and the acute attention to detail that each officer exercised in holding its members accountable.
Members participated at a number of service events throughout the DFW region, including Adopt-A-Block, the Fort Worth Alliance Air Show, UNT’s Big Event, the Dallas Inflatable Run and the Ronald McDonald House (to name a few), and officers sent consistent reminders to their members about what their status is and how they can get involved.
“We have to give back to our surrounding community so that we can make a difference, improve lives, become leaders, and give UNT the reputation that our students aren’t just technically skilled, but that they understand how important the community is to being a business professional,” said Babich. “I know that I can look back on my time with BAP and be proud of the work that I helped lead the chapter to.”
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Dean Marilyn Wiley featured in D Magazine
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Dean Marilyn Wiley sat down with D Magazine to share what she learned from her first job as a summer day camp instructor at the Park Cities YMCA:
“I was 16 and responsible for keeping the youngest group, 6- to 8-year-olds, entertained all day, five days a week as a summer day camp instructor at the Park Cities YMCA. I really enjoyed it. I had to come up with a variety of projects to keep them engaged. I had to deal with the age variation and different personalities you see in a group that really changes what you do. I’m not saying I work with 8-year-olds anymore, but I was surprised at how much of my time now has to do with personality differences and emotions.
“Employees bring their history and emotions, consciously and subconsciously, into what they’re doing. For example, if you have an employee who needs a lot of feedback, you need to be aware of that. Learning early the personal side of the work relationship has really made a difference in what I do. My belief is that every employee in my organization has something to contribute to the mission and something they’re good at, and my job is to find that and empower it. My first job also made very clear to me the need to understand how you fill a work schedule. To appropriately delegate and fill someone’s plate and not overload them—that’s going to be different for every person. My first job helped me do that.”
READ MORE...
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Delta Sigma Pi spreads awareness through #BLBeClean campaign
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Delta Sigma Pi (DSP), the Professional Business Fraternity at UNT, worked alongside the College of Business Dean’s Office to bring awareness to the importance of maintaining cleanliness, professionalism and pride in the Business Leadership Building (BLB) through their semester-based #BLBeClean initiative.
By tabling at different locations on campus, DSP was able to actively educate the student body about keeping the building clean and taking pride in the space they call home for nearly nine months of the year.
“#BLBeClean was the best way for Delta Sigma Pi to show the pride it takes in the Business Leadership Building. I hope #BLBeClean leaves an everlasting mark in the minds of all who have come across our initiative and that it reminds them to sustain the Business Leadership Building; a special place that cultivates learning and is the birthplace of valuable connections,” said former Delta Sigma Pi President Brandon Gomez.
By handing out reusable water bottles, stain remover pens and informative flyers, DSP was able to educate its peers and empower them to take the pledge to keep the building clean.
The BLB is 180,000 square feet that reflects the college’s desire to be forward thinking and prepare students for careers of the future. It accomplishes this by having technology infused into its classrooms, labs and research spaces, offering collaborative spaces that encourage team-oriented learning, and by being committed to sustainability through its Gold-level LEED certification.
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Philanthropic opportunities at the College of Business
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$10,000 - THE GLEN L. TAYLOR CHAIR IN INSURANCE
A gift to the Glen L. Taylor Chair in Insurance will help the College of Business further position itself as one of the premiere institutions for Risk Management and Insurance. In the fall of 2018, the college added the top researcher in the country, Dr. Yu-luen Ma, as well as the top educator in country, Dr. Nat Pope, to its list of distinguished faculty. Dr. Yu-luen Ma serves as the inaugural Glen L. Taylor Professorship in Insurance, which is helping the college attain its objectives of attracting new students to the program and showcase its value. Your gift will help us reach our overall goal of $500,000 to elevate the Glen L. Taylor Professorship in Insurance to a Chair position. In doing so, you will help establish a permanent endowment that will generate $60,000 per year, in perpetuity, to guarantee the quality of our programs and students. |
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$5,000 - PHOTOGRAPHY
Visual communication is critical to today’s marketing efforts, particularly due to the rise in digital and social marketing platforms. Photography is the most essential part of this communication, because it is known to influence emotion, solicit action, increase engagement and, most importantly, garner attention. Hiring a photographer to capture not only the inspiring work of our students, but also the impressive beauty of our school, will bring tremendous value to the college by aiding these efforts. With the help of photographer, we will be able to develop a repository of photographs for the college to utilize in promoting programs and recruiting new talent to the college, giving the college a fresh, branded look. |
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$1,000 - Student Development
UNT students come from all walks of life with varying perspectives and backgrounds. While this is a valuable characteristic for well-rounded classrooms, it also comes with differing career preparedness and polish than peer competitors from other institutions. Your commitment to student success will help provide necessary professional development and career services. The College of Business Department of Accounting has already implemented a pilot program where they have seen a 94% success rate. Replicating these efforts in all departments will give students an even playing field and increase overall employment rates.
Click here or the "Make a Gift" link below to learn more
and solidify your support.
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