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Dividend The official online magazine of the Carson College of Business

PhD Corner – Director’s Message – March 2022

Dear friends:

In the midst of taking rigorous PhD courses in theory, research methods, and statistics, each spring our first-year students get a bit of an academic “break” in their Research and Professional Development course. This one-credit required course exposes students to some of the expectations, responsibilities, and challenges that professors face.

As the PhD program director, I run some of the sessions, but most other sessions invite faculty and associate deans from the Carson College as guest speakers. We believe it’s very important for our students to get exposed to views and people from outside of their home departments. These faculty volunteer their time to help prepare future generations of professors.

Several sessions cover academic research, including the paper review process, time management and working with coauthors, plagiarism and ethics in academia, and publishing in top journals. Presenters provide research tips while also conveying the scope of the process. Similar to a professional athlete being drafted by the pros, earning a PhD is only the beginning of the research journey. Professors have to “prove themselves on the court” regularly to remain relevant and in the academic research “game.”

The course also features sessions on teaching. These sessions provide an excellent preview and complement to the three-credit teaching course students typically take in their second year. Topics include preparing good lectures, teaching cases, motivating and engaging students, teaching large classes, and teaching in the online environment. One clear message is that different teaching styles and techniques can all be successful—there is not one right way to teach a class.

We also hold several sessions on topics other than teaching and research, beginning with how to prepare an academic vita. We also discuss the extremely important faculty role of service, both for the university and the profession. In fact, one requirement of the course is for students to provide several service hours to the college during the semester. In April, we offer a session on being a good college citizen, followed by an interviewing tips session. At the end of the semester, graduating students who have received job offers share their interviewing experiences with first-year students during a panel discussion. While the interview process may seem far off for first-year students, the takeaway from the final two sessions is that successful job placements tend to come to those who start preparing for the job market early in their program.

We hope that the varied sessions in this course help our students get through their program and have a leg up on their future in academia. Nobody ever said getting a PhD is easy, but the rewards are worth the journey.

Chuck Munson,
PhD Program Director

March 2022 – New Hires

Evan Barton (’21 MBA) is the MBA admissions manager for graduate and online programs. He previously worked for WSU as the recruitment and outreach specialist for the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business marketing and marketing analytics from the University of Idaho. In his free time, he enjoys outdoor recreation, traveling, and spending time with his partner and their corgi.
Jessica Barkley (’18 Human Dev., Spanish) is an academic coordinator at WSU Vancouver. She previously worked as a course and data coordinator for the University of Colorado Denver’s Business School and as a transfer coordinator for Concordia University in Portland. Barkley earned a master’s degree in educational leadership and policy from Portland State University. Outside of work, she enjoys going to NBA basketball games, exploring new cities, and spending time with her loved ones.
Rachel Boyer (’19 Accounting, ’21 MBA) is a teaching assistant professor of accounting at WSU Vancouver. She spent 20 years working in accounting for companies and local government. She is a first-generation, non-traditional student with a passion for audit, financial, and cost accounting.
Lydia Guenther (’18 Hosp. Busi. Mgmt.) is an office assistant in the dean’s office. Prior to joining the college, she worked in the event industry at the Best Western in Moscow, Idaho. A first-generation college student, Guenther was born in Syria. During her time as a WSU student, she studied abroad in Spain and Morocco and received a Global Leadership certificate. She has a passion for helping people. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, photography, wedding coordinating, other cultures and history, and writing.
Jay Harris is a director of development based in Seattle. He was an assistant athletic director for the Cougar Athletic Fund in Seattle from 2015 to 2018. More recently, he was a philanthropy director at Swedish Medical Center Foundation, working with caregivers and patients in the Swedish Heart and Vascular Institute. He is originally from Alabama, but moved to the Pacific Northwest in 2015.
Jacqui LaCroix (’21 Poli. Sci.) is the retention manager for the online and executive MBA programs. She previously worked as a general manager in WSU Dining Services. In her free time, she enjoys reading, cooking, and spending time with family.
Nicola Lippetti is an academic coordinator at WSU Vancouver. She grew up in Las Vegas, earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology from University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University. A first-generation college graduate, Lippetti describes herself as a life-long learner who is passionate about higher education. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her children.
Goretti Manzo (’05 Crim. Jus.) is the office manager for the Carson Center for Student Success. She says, “I am so excited to be back in the university that I love and to be able to give back to a community that gave so much to me while I was a student here.” Manzo enjoys spending time with her family, pets, and plants as well as traveling and being outdoors.
Tiffany Reiss is the assistant director of the Center for Entrepreneurship. She previously worked in the Innovation and Research Engagement Office in the WSU Office of Research, and she leads the I-Corps teaching team. Reiss has a doctorate from Virginia Tech in curriculum design and instruction and a master’s degree in exercise physiology from Appalachian State. She previously founded multiple companies in education technology.
Whitney Thurgood is the new program coordinator for graduate and online programs. She previously worked for the college as the administrative assistant for the Department of Management, Information Systems, and Entrepreneurship.
Tabetha Villanueva (’21 Soc. Sci.) is a fiscal specialist II for the college. She previously worked as a fiscal technician for WSU’s Payroll Services. She has a bachelor’s degree in social science. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, running, and hosting dinner parties.
Minie Yadama is the administrative assistant in the Department of Management, Information Systems, and Entrepreneurship. She has an MBA from the University of Mississippi. She enjoys assisting faculty “who give their best for our students—the future of our country.” In her free time, she enjoys the sunsets on the Palouse and walks and hikes with friends and family.

March 2022 – Research & Popular Press

“Should Younger Adults Get a Financial Advisor?”

Jedidiah Collins, an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Finance and Management Science, was featured in a December 1, 2021, CreditDonkey article about investing in your 20s.

“Vaccines, Supply Chain Issues and Shipping Delays Fuel Return to In-Store Holiday Shopping”

Joan Giese, associate professor (career track) in the Department of Marketing and International Business was featured in a November 16, 2021, NBC News report about the college’s annual holiday shopping survey. Information from the survey was also featured in other national and regional media, including Yahoo, Street Insider, KHQ-TV in Spokane, Pullman Radio, Spokane Journal of Business, and the Spokesman-Review.

“The Impact of the Pandemic on the Tourism and Hospitality Industry”

Dipra Jha, scholarly associate professor and assistant director in the School of Hospitality Business Management, was featured in Brandon Steele’s February 1, 2022, podcast for MainSail Financial Group. Jha discussed the pandemic’s impacts to the industry as well as expectations for recovery.

Jha was also featured in WalletHub’s “Best Credit Cards for International Travel 2022,” with tips about what to look for in a credit card used for foreign travel.

In the “Global Virtual Classroom Project with Washington State University” episode of Higher Education in Ukraine, Jha was interviewed about a collaborative effort with Sumy State University in Ukraine. The podcast aired February 2, 2022.

“WSU Study: Some People More Sensitive to Webcams than Others”

Research by Kristine Kuhn, associate professor in the Department of Management, Information Systems, and Entrepreneurship, was featured in Amanda Arden’s January 5, 2022, report on KOIN 6 TV in Portland. Kuhn found that self-conscious people dislike Zoom meetings the most, while less self-conscious people don’t mind them as much. Her work was also featured in a January 4, 2022, report by NBC Right Now, “Zoom Meeting Anxiety Doesn’t Strike Everyone.”

“One Rotten Apple Can Spoil All the Rest”

Soobin Seo’s research was featured in Tim York’s November 8, 2021, story in The Packer. Seo, assistant professor of hospitality business management at WSU Everett, discussed how a food safety crisis at one restaurant made people hesitant to eat at other restaurants, even though they were not directly involved in the event.