Points of Pride
The Carson College’s School of Hospitality Business Management was ranked number two in the nation and seventh in the world by the Academic Ranking of World Universities in hospitality and tourism management.
WSU’s Ananta team won third prize and $10,000 at the 2021 Dempsey Startup Competition hosted by the UW Foster School of Business’s Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship. Ananta, which was part of the Jones Milestone Accelerator, is developing a bioreactor that can rapidly expand T-cells for use in cancer immunotherapy. The team also took home the $2,500 Perkins Coie Best Innovation/Tech Idea Prize.
Two teams of Boeing Scholars won Gray Awards at the 2021 Showcase for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities in Pullman. The students presented projects on improving efficiency of industrial NOx scrubbers and 3D printing for flight exploration on Mars. They were mentored by Lynne Cooper, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Management, Information Systems, and Entrepreneurship.
A Carson College team placed third in the Association for Corporate Growth Cup Northwest in March and earned $2,000 in prize money. Participating students were: Chuck Evers, Mackenzie Gill, Shane Kennedy, Sierra Leonard, and team captain Elisha Yushin. The competition provides finance majors an opportunity to solve a real-world issue in a high-pressure setting. The cases can involve mergers and acquisitions, investment banking, financial advisory, and private equity.
Two recent graduates were named to WSU’s top ten list of seniors. Crystal Campbell (’21 Accounting) was recognized for community service, including her dedication to volunteering. Charisma Taylor (’21 Hosp. Busi. Mgmt.) was recognized for her involvement as a student athlete. She is a WSU record holder for triple jump and 60m hurdles.
Kelsey Cottrell (‘21, Mgmt., Mgmt. Info. Sys.), Brittany McCardle, (’21 Accounting, Mgmt. Info. Sys.), and Emily Paup (’21 Mktg., Psych.) received Delta Sigma Pi Scholarship Keys for achieving 4.0 grade point averages during their time at WSU.
Abigail Linnenkohl (’21 Accounting, Intl. Busi.) was named a 2021 National Scholar Student-Athlete by the College Rowing Coaches Association.
Emma Claire Spring (’21 Hosp. Busi. Mgmt., Honors) won the She Has a Deal hotel pitch competition and $50,000 in equity. Spring, who presented solo, beat out four other teams from Cornell University, San Diego State University, Michigan State University, and the Zigurat Global Institute of Technology.
Patama Chantaruck, (‘95 MBA) who heads IBM’s operations in Thailand, is featured in WSU Magazine, where she discusses her rise in the technology field and her desire to use technology “with a purpose and in benefit to others.”
Xun Xu (’15 PhD Mgmt. & Op.) received a 2020 Outstanding Reviewer Award from the International Journal of Production Economics. He is an associate professor of operations management at California State University, Stanislaus.
Dogan Gursoy, Taco Bell Distinguished Professor in the School of Hospitality Business Management, was recently named one of the most prolific researchers worldwide in hospitality and tourism over the last 20 years. The ranking was based on a study in the International Journal of Contemporary Management. Gursoy also gave talks to universities around the globe on publishing research, hospitality industry research topics, and the use of artificial intelligence in service delivery. The universities included: Abu Dhabi University, United Arab Emirates; Temple University, Philadelphia; Naples University Federico II, Italy; and Mugla Sitki Kocman University, Turkey.
Lisa Hunter received an Administrative Professional Appreciation Award from the WSU Administrative Professional Advisory Council. Hunter is the partner program enrollment manager for the School of Hospitality Business Management, coordinating the dual degree program with the college’s Swiss partner, César Ritz Colleges Switzerland.
Courtney Anne Jackson has received the college’s Student Club Advisor of the Year award. Jackson, who advises the International Business Club, is the assistant director of the International Business Institute.
Dipra Jha, assistant director and associate professor in the School of Hospitality Business Management, received a $500 grant from the WSU President’s Teaching Academy to attend a March virtual Harvard Business Publishing event on key elements for success in teaching in online and hybrid classes. Jha was one of five faculty members from five colleges who were inaugural recipients of new professional development awards.
Angie Senter, the college’s event manager, was a presenter at the 2021 CASE Special Events in Advancement conference in June. Her talk was titled “No One Left Behind: 25 Simple Ways to Increase Diversity and Equity Events.”
Stacey Smith-Colon, assistant director of academic advising at the Carson Center for Student Success and director of the Carson EDGE program, was recently named co-chair of the WSU Advising Consultant Group, a committee that represents advising from all colleges, schools, and ASWSU.