Skip to main content Skip to navigation
Dividend The official online magazine of the Carson College of Business

College

The quality of Carson College of Business hospitality and entrepreneurship programs were recently recognized in the following rankings:

The TCU Neely Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation ranked WSU number 18 in the world out of 497 schools, based on research articles published in the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship, and Theory and Practice. These are the top three journals in entrepreneurship research and appear in the top 50 journals the Financial Times uses to rank business school research.
The Bestschools.org ranked WSU number 1 for the 20 best online bachelor in hospitality management degree programs in 2019. The ranking is based on extensive methodology considering academic excellence and professional experience. The Academic Ranking of World Universities also ranked the Carson College hospitality program number 15 in the world for hospitality and tourism. The ranking, conducted by the ShanghaiRanking Consultancy, focuses on the strength of academic research in the social sciences.

CEO Magazine ranked WSU’s online executive MBA and MBA programs number 13 and number 19 respectively among 292 global Online MBA programs. Carson College officials also were proud to have the executive MBA program recognized as Tier One in the global executive MBA ranking. The rankings were based on quality of the faculty, international diversity, class size, faculty to student ratio, and price. The rankings included business programs across North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

Students

Accounting majors Molly McDowell, Natanya Phan, and Chandele Harding submitted the winning entry to the national American Taxation Association’s Why Tax? Competition. Their video can be viewed online. The team won a $3,000 prize for their efforts.
Additionally, accounting majors Sean Bates, Analexis Manjares-Diaz, Nahum Garfias, Samantha Kelley, and Christopher Kelly were each awarded a $5,000 scholarship from the Washington Society of Certified Public Accountants during the Beta Alpha Psi Spring Banquet. The students submitted essays to compete for these statewide awards.

Three student teams in the WSU Vancouver Business Growth Mentor and Analysis Program were recognized for outstanding consultant efforts during the program’s ninth anniversary celebration.

Read more about MAP students’ accomplishments.

From left: Andrew Englund, Marcus Hendrickson, Levi Collins, and Shelby Grover
A first for WSU: students in the Carson College’s Beta Alpha Psi chapter won a $500 first place prize in the 2019 Northwest Regional Best Practices Competition. They qualified to compete at nationals at the annual conference August 8–10 in Chicago. Founded in 1919, Beta Alpha Psi is an international honor organization for financial information students and professionals. There are more than 300 chapters on college and university campuses worldwide. Li Xu is the chapter advisor.
From left, CCB Dean Chip Hunter, Appiture team members Thomas Goble and Lars Neuenschwander; Marie Mayes, director, Center for Entrepreneurship; and Mike Bauer, director, Herbert B. Jones Foundation.

Appiture, the winning team of the 2019 WSU Business Plan Competition, was featured on KREM2 news in Amanda Roley’s article “WSU Students Create App to Improve Early Autism Diagnosis” published March 18, 2019. For children with autism it takes longer for their pupil to shrink when a light is shone in the eye. Appiture is an app that aims to improve the early diagnosis of autism through a camera that looks at how the eye adjusts to light. The device allows earlier detection and enables children to receive intervention services at a younger age.

Read more about Appiture’s innovation.

From left, Donna Paul, associate professor, WSU Tri-Cities, student competitors Kyle Cox, Jesse Duff, Charles Hinson, Caitie Kershaw, Olga Stefanyuk, and Mark Brandon, senior vice president and western Oregon commercial division director, Banner Bank.

For the first time, WSU Vancouver undergraduate finance students competed in the Northwest ACG Cup, as the only non-MBA team. The ACG Cup® case-study competition provides undergraduate finance majors, MBA, and graduate students with an opportunity to solve a real-world issue in a high-pressure setting. Students are challenged to find solutions for a finance-related case in the field of mergers and acquisitions, investment banking, financial advisory, and private equity. After the teams analyze the case and agree upon a course of action, they give presentations to a panel of judges comprised of successful corporate executives in the field of finance.

The following Carson College students received the Dean’s Award for Academic Achievement in 2019:

Jessica Aguilar
management information systems

William Aguilar
management information systems

Nevan Leckman
hospitality business management
photo unavailable

Sarah Moe
accounting/Spanish

Jayme Montague
marketing/hospitality business management

Sarah Montgomery
management information systems

James Perkins
business administration
photo unavailable

Hospitality business management doctoral student Kelvin Chiang won fourth place in the 2019 GPSA Research Exposition in the category of business, communication, and political sciences.
Operations and management science doctoral student Gihan Edirisinghe received two awards in spring 2019: a WSU Graduate and Professional Student Association’s (GPSA) Excellent Graduate Student Instructor award and first place in the 2019 GPSA Research Exposition in the category of business, communication, and political sciences.

Anna McLeod (’18), a management innovation and change/entrepreneurship/psychology major, was named a WSU Top 10 Senior in the community service award category. She was recognized for leading efforts to raise $37,000 to build a school in Malawi, Africa, while president of Panhellenic Council. She also helped reorganize the council by implementing a new position for diversity and inclusion.

Read more about McLeod’s accomplishments.

Hailey Modin, an entrepreneurship major, was named WSU Student Employee of the Year. Modin has served WSU for more than three years as a peer mentor with the Center for Civic Engagement. Her exemplary efforts to benefit students and staff, and her support of the Pullman and nearby communities, has earned her the distinction.

Read more about Modin’s accomplishments.

Operations and management doctoral candidate Alexandros Paparas published a paper: Fotopoulos, Stergios; Krishna Kaul; and Alex Paparas, “Some Properties of the Multivariate Generalized Hyperbolic Laws,” Sankhya Series A, forthcoming.

Tyler Sager, a finance/entrepreneurship major, and member of the Crimsons Medical Solutions project, won a Novice Award in the Engineering and Physical Sciences category at the eighth annual Showcase for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (SURCA).

Mentors were Howard Davis, assistant professor of chemical engineering and bioengineering, director of the Harold Frank Institute for Engineering Entrepreneurship and Marie Mayes, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship.

Read more about the SURCA competition.

Nathan Sargent, a business management, innovation and change senior, received a Pass with Distinction designation on his Honors thesis, the highest recognition of academic commitment, quality, and performance that can be received when completing an Honors thesis.

Alumni

Doctoral alumnus Ismail Karabas (18 Mktg.), assistant professor of marketing at Murray State University, will publish a new paper in September with Carson College coauthors Jeff Joirman, professor of marketing and international business, and doctoral alumna ShinHye Kim (’18 Mktg.), assistant professor of marketing at the Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business, University of Missouri.

Karabas, I., Joireman, J., & Kim, S. (2019). “Why and When Witnessing Uncivil Behavior Lead Observers to Punish Frontline Employees and Leave the Firm.” International Journal of Hospitality Management, Vol. 82, 91-100.

Doctoral alumna Hyounae (Kelly) Min, (’18 Hosp.), assistant professor of hospitality at The Collins College of Hospitality Management, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, published a recent paper with Carson College coauthor Jeff Joirman, professor of marketing and international business.

Min, H., Joireman, J., & Kim, J. (2019). “Understanding Why Anger Predicts Intention to Complain Among High but Not Low Power Customers: A Test of Competing Models.Journal of Business Research, Vol. 95, 93-102.

Recent graduate Nam Nguyen (’20 Intern. Bus., Mktg.) was featured in the May 4, 2019, edition of the Lewiston Tribune in an article “The world is His Classroom” by Justyna Tomtas. Tomtas highlighted Nguyen’s study abroad experiences that were fully paid through scholarships. Nguyen is the first WSU student to participate in study abroad on all seven continents.

Read more about Nam Nguyen’s study abroad story.

Nguyen was also recently selected by the Professionals in International Education (PIE) as one of six finalists for the global PIEoneer Award – International Alumni of the Year, recognizing international students who demonstrate superior assimilation and inspiring achievement and have made a significant contribution to either their institution and/or the wider community in which they live. PIE is a global independent media, recruitment, and events company connecting global community of professionals working in international worldwide.

Faculty/Staff

Two faculty teams were awarded Samuel H. and Patricia W. Smith Teaching and Learning Grants recognizing and rewarding innovative ideas to enhance learning and teaching at WSU:

Three faculty members received a University Affordable Learning Grant that supports exploration of new curricular strategies that employ the use of freely available digital course material of equivalent or higher quality.


Mark Beattie – $4,500 for the development of a high quality, no cost digital course material for HBM 384 in Everett, Vancouver, Tri-Cities, and Pullman

John Babu Mariadoss – $2,500 to update high quality, no cost digital course material for MKTG 360 in Pullman, three sections; $2,500 to update high quality, no cost digital course material for IBUS 482 in Pullman

Leah Sheppard – $4,500 to develop high quality, no cost digital course material for MGMT 401 in Pullman, two sections

Mark Beattie, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs and clinical assistant professor of hospitality at WSU Everett, presented Snohomish County tourism branding research with hospitality business management colleague Soobin Seo and visiting scholar O.J. Park at the 2019 National Urban Extension conference in Seattle. The conference provides opportunities for extension professionals from all program areas to share their research and innovative educational strategies that address the needs of urban and rural populations.

Rob Crossler, assistant professor of information systems, has several papers accepted for publication in top journals:

Crossler, R. E., Bélanger, F. “Why Would I Use Location Protective Settings on My Smartphone? Motivating Protective Behaviors and the Existence of the Privacy Knowledge-Belief Gap.” Information Systems Research.

Ormond, D., Warkentin, M., Crossler, R. E. “Integrating Cognition with an Affective Lens to Better Understand Information Security Policy Compliance.” Journal of the Association for Information Systems.

Bélanger, F., Crossler, R. E. “Dealing with Digital Traces: Understanding Protective Behaviors on Mobile Devices.” Journal of Strategic Information Systems, Vol. 28(1): 34-49.

From left, forum participants Rob Crossler, Steven Stehr, Jon Boll, Asif Chaudhry, Paul Whitney, Sung Ahn, Michael Baumgartner, and Tom Preston.

Crossler and Sung Ahn, associate dean for international programs, were part of a contingency of WSU faculty and state leaders who participated in the Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum in Romania. The forum addressed a range of topics including the environment, energy, and economic and Middle East challenges on Black Sea and Balkan security. Crossler presented “Cyber Defense and Deterrence: The Human Component,” discussing how employees can make correct security decisions, and the types of internal security threats stemming from individuals and how to address them. Ahn visited the University of Ovidius, one of the forum organizers, and discussed possible students and faculty exchange opportunities for the Carson College, including a summer study abroad program on cyber security during the 2020 forum.

Scott Eckstein, clinical assistant professor and senior living executive in residence at WSU Everett, spoke on the rise of intergenerational development and building campuses for all ages at the 2019 Senior House News Build conference focusing on intergenerational development.
Dogan Gursoy, professor of hospitality business management, gave several invited international lectures and a keynote address in May. He spoke on teaching with technology as the keynote speaker at the 1st Zayed University Tourism Symposium “Bridging the Gap Between the Tourism Industry and Academia,” at Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. As the invited speaker at the South Western University of Finance and Economics in Chengdu, China, he spoke on consumers’ acceptance of artificially intelligent (AI) device use in service delivery. As the invited speaker at Sichuan University in Chengdu, China, he spoke on customers’ attitudes towards the use of AI devices in service delivery: comparison of the hospitality and the airline industries.
Anna McLeod, associate director of student services at WSU Everett, received the Certificate of Merit of the Outstanding Advising Award – Primary Advising Role from NACADA, an association that promotes and supports quality academic advising in institutions of higher education. The award recognizes individuals and institutions making significant impact on academic advising. McLeod is dedicated to ensuring student success by working with a “students come first” philosophy always in mind. She independently leads student retention and recruitment initiatives for over 200 students and provides individualized academic advising, career counseling, and student success programming from 10 different academic majors.

Chuck Munson, professor of operations management in the Department of Finance and Management Science and PhD program director, was recognized for the outstanding work performed as a senior editor for the Production and Operations Management Journal. Munson is one of only 13 senior editors selected for the award out of 304 senior editors. He received a plaque during an awards reception May 4, in Washington, D.C. Munson has a new research paper accepted for publication: Jackson, Jonathan E. and Charles L. Munson, “Common Replenishment Cycle Order Policies for Multiple Products with Capacity Expansion Opportunities and Quantity Discounts.” International Journal of Production Economics, Vol. 218 (Dec. 2019), 170-184.

Two new additions of his textbooks have recently been published: Heizer, Jay; Barry Render; and Chuck Munson, “Operations Management: Sustainability and Supply Chain Management” (13th ed.), Pearson: Boston, 2020; and Heizer, Jay; Barry Render; and Chuck Munson, “Principles of Operations Management: Sustainability and Supply Chain Management” (11th ed.), Pearson: Boston, 2020.

Kahlil Philander, assistant professor of hospitality business management at WSU Everett, presented the findings of a funded research study co-authored with researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine to the Washington State Gambling Commission sponsors. The report assessed prevention and treatment programs for gambling disorders in Washington, benchmarking Washington programs against evidence based best practices. Two of the key recommendations from that report have now turned into law:

  • Recommendation: Development of a gaming neutral advisory group, with a mandate to develop a public health strategy for gamblers and communities. Outcome: The 2019-2021 state budget includes an appropriation for a problem gambling task force with broad representation across related business, government, and health stakeholders. The group is tasked to further review the report and Washington services, and make specific recommendations to the legislature on future gambling disorder-related initiatives.
  • Recommendation: Several proposed modifications to casino self-exclusion programs. Outcome: On April 30, Gov. Inslee signed a bill into law that tasked the commission to create a new self-exclusion program for the state.

Philander served on a panel focused on taxation, consumer protection, and sports integrity at the Betting on Sports America conference in New York/New Jersey. The conference was attended by 1,500 people and focused on sports betting in the United States. He also gave an invited talk at the Discovery Responsible Gambling conference in Toronto and presented four papers at the Gambling and Risk Taking conference at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Philander published “An Assessment of the Validity of the Gamblers’ Belief Questionnaire” in one of psychology’s leading addiction journals, Addictive Behaviors. Vol. 97 (Oct. 2019): 104-110.

Jason Porter, associate professor of accounting, won the Global Campus 2018-2019 Excellence in Online Teaching award of $3,000 in faculty development funds. The award recognizes Global Campus faculty who demonstrate best practices to engage, inspire, support, and care for students in an online environment. Porter was one of 35 instructors nominated for the award. He received $3,000 and a trophy in recognition of his win. “As a teacher, there’s nothing better than seeing the light of understanding come on in a student’s eyes,” says Porter. “Because we are online, I don’t see it in person, but I still get to see that excitement show up in their work and discussion posts as they grasp the material. It’s very rewarding, and it’s why I do what I do.”

Read more about Porter’s accomplishments.

Previous Editions’ Points of Pride