Return on Investment: Students Gain Experience Managing Accounts Totaling $500k

December 12, 2013

A group of Indiana State University students watches the stock ticker scroll across the screen, listing business acronyms and a swath of numerals. Upon seeing the green arrow they were anticipating, the students exhale a deep sigh of relief.

The student investment club at Indiana State monitors the New York Stock Exchange on a daily basis to see how its investments are doing. Members also plan meetings and meet with advisors. The group manages two accounts totaling just under $500,000. Members select the stocks they invest in and decide when to drop or add stocks depending on how businesses are doing. They hone in on the market as if they were hawks: Invest in the wrong company, and the account could lose money; wait too long, and they could find themselves missing out on a great opportunity.

The club was started in the Scott College of Business in 2001 by Tarek Zaher, the club's faculty advisor and a finance professor at Indiana State.

SMIFC Conference 2013

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Business Education Association Honors Indiana State Professor, Graduate

December 5, 2013

The Indiana Business Education Association has recognized an Indiana State University business professor and a graduate of the Scott College of Business.

The association named William Wilhelm, professor of management, information systems and business education, the recipient of the Outstanding Business Educator award. He has been a faculty member at Indiana State since 2001. In addition to the IBEA award, he has also won the Delta Pi Epsilon Outstanding Research Award, among many others.Wilhelm said that he was honored "to be recognized by such highly engaged educators."

Barbara Beadle received the Friend of Business Education award. Beadle graduated from Indiana State with her bachelor's degree in 1965 and her master's degree in 1972. She was also recognized as a Distinguished Alumni in 2007. Beadle has served as the business and marketing education specialist at the Indiana Department of Education for most of her career. She was also the interim state advisor for Business Professionals of America (BPA) and DECA as well as an independent educational consultant.

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Piece of Cupcake: Business Students Taste Success in "Sweet" Project

November 20, 2013

While Dana Miller savored the scrumptious samples of pastry to determine which would be served as her wedding cake, she didn't think it would serve up another inspiration: a start-up business venture.

Miller was part of a group of four Indiana State University business students who created Sweet and Petite, a small venture that was part of a semester long class project to create a business. Sweet and Petite sold cupcakes created by Marshall, Ill.-based LMC Creations - which is also creating Miller's wedding cake - at Federal Hall, which houses the Scott College of Business, and several businesses in downtown Terre Haute.

The group, which included Indiana State students Kathleen Anslinger, Sumika Mogi and Allison Vaught, initially ordered 24 cupcakes for their first two days. LMC Creations gave the students some extras, which left them with an initial order of 33. They quickly realized what was to come, though, when they presold five of the sweets before they even had set up their selling area.

The project was part of International Global Business Advisors (IGloBA), which was started by Chandra to engage her students in experiential learning opportunities that also include organizations and businesses around the world. After they decided they wanted to sell cupcakes, they had approached Lisa Claypool, owner of LMC Creations, who supported their idea.

Indiana State University students Dana Miller, Allison Vaught, Kathleen Anslinger and Sumika Mogi in front of their cupcake table in the basement of Federal Hall. The group created Sweet and Petite, which sold cupcakes at Indiana State and to Terre Haute businesses.

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Honor Students Teach Ethics to Terre Haute North Business Classes

November 19, 2013

Indiana State University student Andrew Feutz posed a question to a class of local high school students: a new company coming to a town would emit waste and be harmful to the community, but it would bring a lot of jobs and the company has a reputation of generously giving scholarships to local college-bound students.

Feutz then asked the class: should the company be allowed in the town?

Feutz was part of a group of four Indiana State University students who taught local high school students about business ethics through case studies that were presented during the classes at Terre Haute North Vigo High School. The project started when Kim LaGrange, coordinator of the Meis Student Development Center and instructor in Indiana State's Scott College of Business, and Abe Nasser, teacher at Terre Haute North, discussed a collaboration that the college students could present to Nasser's business class.

The other students involved were Taryn Ash, Simone Hill, and Jonathan Wachala (Marketing junior).

Andrew Feutz talks with students at Terre Haute North Vigo High School.

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Business Professor Cultivates Leadership Principles for Co-op Businesses

November 13, 2013

An Indiana State University business professor recently studied the work of a renowned Noble Prize winner to extend her life's work to the kind of businesses he consults across the country.

Art Sherwood, associate professor of management in Indiana State's Scott College of Business, created guidelines for co-operatively owned businesses, or co-ops. He incorporated the work of Elinor Ostrom, who won the 2009 Nobel Prize in economics, along with various other scholars' work into his analysis of boards of directors' operations for co-ops and investor-owned companies from January to August while he was a visiting scholar at The Vincent and Elinor Ostrom Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis at Indiana University Bloomington. He then was among a team of professionals presenting their findings on cooperative governance at the International Co-operative Governance Symposium at St. Mary's University in Nova Scotia.

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Princeton Review Ranks Indiana State MBA Among Nation'sBbest for 8th Straight Year

November 8, 2013

"Small classes," "great faculty accessibility" and affordable tuition are among the benefits of Indiana State University's Master of Business Administration, named by the Princeton Review as among the nation's best for the eighth straight year.

The academic test preparation and admissions counseling company named Indiana State's program in its "Best 295 Business Schools" for 2014. In the listing, students referenced the program's intimate size as another advantage of the program that is "an excellent value for students." The Princeton Review compiled student responses from the past three academic years to determine its final listing of the top business schools in the nation.

Indiana State University graduate Will Mansard, far right, talks with several classmates earlier this year during a session in the Professional MBA (ProMBA) program in Plainfield.

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Accounting Major Crowned Miss ISU

November 1, 2013

An Indiana State University student used her personality, talent and business skills to capture the title of Miss Indiana State University 2014 and earn a chance at the Miss Indiana crown.

For Jessica Weesner, a senior accounting major from Cambridge City, it was enough for her first pageant experience. Up until she hit the stage of University Hall, she had only competed twice - for festival and county fair queen titles.

It was a challenge she was up to, adding the skills she has learned as a business student and Networks Scholar made her feel comfortable in the interview and dancing for 16 years gave her confidence.

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Grads Garner Insurance and Risk Management Industry Honors

October 10, 2013

An insurance industry publication has named two Indiana State University graduates as among the Midwest's top insurance broker leaders.

Business Insurance magazine named Maureen Biehl, senior vice president at Marsh, Inc., in Indianapolis; and Tim Leman, CEO of South Bend-based Gibson as honorees for its 40 Under 40 awards. Biehl, who graduated from Indiana State in 1998 with a bachelor's degree in insurance and risk management; and Leman, who graduated in 1997 from the same program, were two of the magazine's eight honorees from the Midwest.

Leman and Biehl credit the insurance and risk management program for providing them with the experiences and network needed to be successful in the industry. The program helps students organize internships to provide them with real-world experience, they said, along with bringing in industry executives to provide insights on how classroom lessons are implemented in the workplace.

Indiana State University graduates Maureen Biehl (far left) and Tim Leman (second from left) participate in a Scott College of Business panel event in 2009.

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ISU to Host National Student Investment Organization Inaugural Meeting

September 26, 2013

Indiana State University will host the inaugural conference of a newly created national organization of groups featuring college student-run investment funds.

The Student Managed Investment Fund Consortium will host the conference Oct. 10-11 at Indiana State's Hulman Memorial Student Union. The conference has a theme of "Best Practices of Student Managed Investment Funds: Bridging the Gap between Industry and Academia." It will include speakers and panel sessions covering a variety of topics in financial services, such as effective use of derivatives in financial management and new trends in portfolio management. The conference sessions are free and will be open to the public, including Terre Haute and Indianapolis residents.

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Brazilian MBA Students Learn About Business, U.S. Culture During Indiana State Visit

September 11, 2013

The Brazilian business executives' eyes locked onto the computer screen, then onto the acronyms scrolling across the stock ticker overhead. Each member of the group had chosen $100,000 worth of securities to invest in, then witnessed the real-world roller coaster of Wall Street judge their investments.

The experiential learning activity was just part of a weeklong visit to Indiana State University that covered a wide range of topics, from international business negotiations to motorsports.

A group of MBA students and recent graduates from Brazil came to Indiana State to learn more about different business skills and American culture. During the inaugural visit of the International Executive Program, several Indiana State professors and Terre Haute residents led intensive classes, including activities such as the real-time investment project, to help students implement the theories they were learning. The program featured mid-level professionals and executives who wanted to learn more about corporate finance and business principles at an American university.

Indiana State University faculty members Eurico Ferreira (front row center), Jon Hawes (third row, far left) and Scott College of Business Dean Brien Smith (second row center) pose with members of the International Exchange Program, including Frederico Galvão (fourth row, far left), operations director for Empreza; and Paraskevi Bessa Rodrigues (second row, fourth from right), international coordinator of Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV),and other members of the International Exchange Program from Brazil. Ferreira helped organize the weeklong program at Indiana State, while Hawes taught business negotiations to the program participants.

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A Growing Tree-dition: Fifth and Sixth Children of Family Enroll at ISU

September 3, 2013

With 11 children in a blended family, Kathy Garretson has experience helping children pack for college, especially for life at Indiana State University. Of those 11, four of the seven currently in college attend Indiana State and two graduated in 2012. The children - all 21st Century Scholars - also earned laptop scholarships from Indiana State as well as other aid.

Now Aaron Garretson attends as a senior studying math while Shannon Garretson studies business as a junior. Twins Stephanie and Shane Swinford joined their older brothers this fall as freshmen.

Kathy Garretson, Shane Swinford, Shannon Garretson, Stephanie Swinford and Mike Garretson

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Artful Lesson: Indiana State Grad's Commitment Creates Federal Hall Art Fund

August 22, 2013

For Indiana State University alumna Sherry Mills Hockemeyer, an unexpected question led to a lifelong endeavor.

After initially charting a career path in business, she decided to teach high school business classes. Following graduation from Indiana State in 1967 with her master's in business education, she stood in a job placement office hoping to schedule interviews when she heard an unexpected question: had she ever considered teaching at a junior college?

That question helped lead to her career teaching business classes to college students for more than 35 years. Though she is now retired from teaching, she is still dedicated to educating business students - in a different way.

Hockemeyer's commitment to the Indiana State University Foundation has helped establish the Business Permanent Art Collection fund. The resources committed to the fund from Hockemeyer and future donors will be used to purchase artworks to be placed in and around Federal Hall, the former downtown Terre Haute federal building that underwent a more than $20 million renovation to house the Scott College of Business.

Scott College of Business Dean Brien Smith (left), Indiana State University alumna Sherry Hockemeyer, and Catherine Saunders, executive vice president of advancement for the ISU Foundation, near the Under the Buttonwood sculpture outside Federal Hall

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Federal Hall Renovation Receives National Sustainability Certification

August 9, 2013

Several Indiana State University business professors routinely ride their bikes to their workplace before showering in part of their building that formerly housed decades-old abandoned appliances and office supplies.

The building's shower is just one redesigned element in a renovation that has garnered national certification for sustainability.

Federal Hall, the former downtown Terre Haute federal building that now houses the Scott College of Business at Indiana State, received the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED certified projects fulfill criteria set forth by the council, which then reviews the completed projects for their commitment to environmental sustainability efforts. Federal Hall received the organization's third-highest designation.

Bruce McLaren (left), associate dean of the Scott College of Business at Indiana State University; Brien Smith, dean of the Scott College; Diann McKee, vice president for business affairs, finance and university treasurer; and Dan Bradley, president of Indiana State University pose at the LEED Silver plaque in Federal Hall. 

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Business Students Provide Attendance Data Analysis to Children's Museum

July 15, 2013

Several students enrolled in the online section of an Indiana State University course found the perfect place to implement some lessons from class: a museum just blocks away from campus.

Two students in a distance education course taught by Constance McLaren worked with the Terre Haute Children's Museum to analyze attendance data since the museum opened at its current location in September 2010. The museum opened to much fanfare, and while it still receives community support, attendance has declined from when it first opened. Indiana State students Chaleise Everly and Brye Creek, who were enrolled in McLaren's business forecasting class in the spring, received attendance figures and other information from the museum to create a forecasting model as a way to implement what they were learning in class.

The idea for the project came up after McLaren heard Lynn Hughes, executive director of the Terre Haute Children's Museum, discuss the museum's attendance at a public presentation. McLaren, professor of operations and supply chain management in the Scott College of Business at Indiana State, saw the potential of students collaborating with the museum.

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ISU's Networks Financial Institute to Host Affordable Care Act Seminar in Indianapolis

July 12, 2013

The Affordable Care Act's seismic effects on the nation's health care industry, including how people get insurance, its availability and cost, will be discussed at an Oct. 18 forum at the Columbia Club in Indianapolis.

Networks Financial Institute (NFI) in the Scott College of Business at Indiana State University will host "The big bang for the Affordable Care Act: The end of health care financing as we know it?" The forum will provide insights about the implementation of the law known as Obamacare, including the law's unintended consequences and potential regulatory responses. The forum will come just as ACA enrollment begins on Oct. 1, with coverage starting on Jan. 1, 2014.

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Diet Plan: Indiana State Grad Receives Support to Open Business

July 12, 2013

When Sarah James casually pondered starting her own business while surfing the Internet last summer, she stumbled onto a website that jolted her - and the idea - into reality.

James, a registered dietitian who graduated from Indiana State University in 2003, has opened Nutrition to Grow, an outpatient consulting business providing nutritional guidance and dietary plan development to clients. James launched her business in June, nearly a year after she discovered the website of the West Central Indiana Small Business Development Center housed in Federal Hall at Indiana State. While James had considered starting her own business, the support and advice she received from the business development center guided her in making that a reality.

The center is part of the statewide network that provides a variety of services and support to small business start-ups to promote job growth in Indiana. While on the business development center's website, James took the organization's business survey. Within a week, James had a consultation with Heather Strohm, the center's director, to begin discussing the plan for Nutrition to Grow.

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Living Social: Indiana State Students Cross Economic Divide in Brazil Trip

July 10, 2013

One by one, a group of Indiana State University students emerged from the seemingly endless maze of dark, narrow alleyways. While surveying an open space sandwiched between crumbling, multilevel homes featuring graffiti and moss-covered walls near piles of bricks, trash and debris blanketing the ground, Jaclin Huxford instantly noticed a powerful stench.

A stream of raw sewage flowing a few feet from where she stood emitted the odor that etched itself onto Huxford's brain. "That smell ... that smell will probably stick with me the most," said Huxford, a senior insurance and risk management major from Clinton.

The Indiana State students stood in the middle of Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro's largest favela, the heavily populated shanty towns scattered in and around the city.

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Networks Scholars Learn About Global Banking, Business in Europe Trip

July 2, 2013

Indiana State University student Mitch Wasmund was delighted to discover that the theories and lessons he was learning in the classroom are used by professionals across the business world - including a global insurance giant based in Europe.

Wasmund was part of a group of 19 Indiana State University students who traveled to Zurich, Switzerland, and Munich, Germany, on a 10-day trip to gain more perspective about international business practices. Networks Financial Institute's (NFI) Professional Development Program's annual student trip includes site visits, tours and presentations from professionals in a variety of fields. Students on this year's trip visited with executives from Zurich Insurance and Credit Suisse to learn more about how the respective multinational businesses function.

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2013 Gongaware Scholars Announced

July 2, 2013

The Gongaware Center in the Indiana State University Scott College of Business announces the 2013 class of Gongaware Scholars.

Freshmen Zach McCoy, Meagan Stenger and Ben Weber are recipients of the scholarship, which includes a $3,000 professional development account, a laptop and participation in Networks Financial Institute's (NFI) Professional Development Program. Stenger and McCoy also received full in-state tuition through the program; Weber received a full in-state tuition award to attend Indiana State through the 21st Century Scholars program.

In addition to participating in Gongaware Center and insurance and risk management program events, Gongaware Scholars also participate in the NFI Professional Development Program. This program provides scholars with an award-winning, four-year curriculum designed to cultivate leadership, management, teamwork and career skills. Scholars also receive access to corporate mentors, internships and travel opportunities. Participants in the NFI Professional Development Program are required to complete internships and regularly attend educational seminars throughout the year.

Zach McCoy, Meagan Stenger and Ben Weber

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Indiana State Adds Accounting to DegreeLink Offerings

June 24, 2013

People will have the opportunity to complete their bachelor's degree in accounting starting this fall through Indiana State University's distance education program.

Indiana State has added the courses needed for people with an associate degree to complete their bachelor's degree via the internet through DegreeLink, a program that enables people to transfer college credit and complete their bachelor's degree at a distance. While students have previously been able to take accounting classes or complete an accounting minor, they can now complete all the classes through the Internet that are required for the major.

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Federal Hall to Host Seminar on Affordable Care Act for Small Businesses

June 24, 2013

Indiana State University will host an informational seminar focusing on how the Affordable Care Act will impact small businesses when more of the law's components go into effect next year.

The seminar "Healthcare Reform: Impact on Employers and Their Workforce" will be July 8 from 10 a.m. to noon in Federal Hall on Indiana State's campus. The seminar costs $25 to attend and will feature Pat Carney, vice president of employee benefits at Old National Insurance in Terre Haute. The seminar will highlight the Affordable Care Act's impact on businesses that have 50 or less employees, said Heather Strohm, regional director of the West Central Indiana Small Business Development Center housed in Federal Hall with the Scott College of Business.

"If you're a business owner, chances are you probably do not know all the ways the law will affect you, as updates on the regulation keep coming," Strohm said. "We recommend that business owners attend this seminar to learn about some of the recent changes to ensure that they are in compliance. It also provides an opportunity to ask questions to a professional who is very fluent in all of the legislation and regulations associated with the act."

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2013 Networks Scholars Announced

June 19, 2013

Eight incoming Indiana State University students will comprise the Networks Scholars program's Class of 2017.

The first-year students will receive the prestigious Networks Financial Institute (NFI) Scholarship, which includes full in-state tuition for four years, a $3,000 professional development account and a laptop. The students also will be a part of the NFI Professional Development Program, which provides the scholars an award-winning, four-year curriculum designed to cultivate leadership, management, teamwork and career skills. Scholars also receive access to corporate mentors, internships and travel opportunities.

The students are Bram Blackwell (Accounting), Bethany Collins (Financial Services), Reagan Elston (Management), Larynda Keith (Accounting), Trent Lunsford (Finance), Ashton Meares (Business Administration), Abigail Shanks (Business Administration), and Kyle Varble (Finance).

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2013 President's Scholars Named

June 17, 2013

Indiana State University has recognized 20 incoming students as President's Scholars.

The President's Scholarship is Indiana State's most prestigious financial award, with a four-year value of $68,000. President's Scholars are chosen based on academic performance in high school, personal accomplishments and interviews during campus visits. This year's incoming scholars boast an average high school grade point average of 3.9 on a 4.0 scale. Among them is Shannon Anderson of St. Charles, Illinois. She plans to major in marketing in Indiana State's Scott College of Business. 

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Business Students Brew sStrategic Plan for Local Beer

June 12, 2013

A dark brown horse clopped along Wabash Avenue near the Copper Bar while towing a wagon with kegs around town as people would have witnessed in the 1800s. Even the concoction in the kegs - Terre Haute legendary beer Champagne Velvet - had not been seen for some time.

Yet the ale was returning to the Wabash Valley, though not without support from some local college students who collaborated with the beer's new brewer in a class project of locally historic proportions.

Indiana State University students Zach Shannon, Chris Vidal, Parker Hodges and Casey Reed this spring helped create a strategic plan for Upland Brewery's re-launch of Champagne Velvet as part of a strategy capstone class taught by Aruna Chandra, professor of management in the Scott College of Business. The students chose to work with Upland Brewery, a Bloomington, Ind., company making beer since 1998, on the re-launch over several other initiatives offered in the class.

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Medical (Ad)vice: Business Students Provide Marketing Analysis to Nurse Care

June 4, 2013

When registered nurse Karen Gray wanted to learn more about how a local company could expand its business, she realized the best choice was to learn from school.

Gray and her employer Nurse Care collaborated with two classes of Indiana State University business students taught by Aruna Chandra to create a marketing plan for the company. A group of Indiana State seniors and a second group of MBA students in another class reviewed the marketing efforts of Nurse Care, an in-home health care services provider based in Terre Haute. The groups then provided analysis and recommendations for ways that Nurse Care could increase its brand awareness. The MBA students also gave a PowerPoint presentation on their effort.

The projects were part of the Indiana Global Business Advisors (IGloBA), an initiative created by Chandra in which she pairs her students with companies and organizations from around the world. The professor uses the opportunity of having students partner with existing groups on real-world issues as a way to help implement lessons and theories into the business world.

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Surveying the Field: Marketing Students' Class Project Supports Terre Foods

May 22, 2013

When Sandeep Bhowmick arrived in the Wabash Valley after moving from Duluth, Minn., in January, he learned there were some differences he hadn't planned for.

Duluth had more expansive local food markets than Terre Haute. As the assistant professor of marketing at Indiana State University searched the Internet for local food markets, he found Terre Foods. Though the local co-op is in the initial stages of its formation, it didn't take long for Bhowmick to find an area of mutual interest with the new store and his new job.

Students in Bhowmick's marketing research class partnered with Terre Foods to conduct research that covered several different areas for the co-op to gain greater insight about public interest. Four groups of students in the class crafted surveys on topics that ranged from the public's awareness of Terre Foods to how much more people would be willing to pay for food that is grown locally and organically.

The group concluded that respondents' education level had significant influence on their responses to their health perception and willingness to spend to purchase healthy foods.

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Business Professor Crafting Global Learning Opportunities for Students

May 21, 2013

For a group of Indiana State University students, traveling to Brazil this summer to learn about social entrepreneurship is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

For the business professor organizing the trip, it's one of many projects to connect her students with the world outside of the classroom.

Aruna Chandra, professor of management in the Scott College of Business, with support from the Center for Community Engagement has established the Indiana Global Business Advisors, or IGloBA, at the university. In her classes, Chandra partners teams of students with companies and organizations from a variety of places to work on projects that will benefit the organization while helping students learn more about the course curriculum.

"We need to give more exposure to our students to national and international businesses," Chandra said in her decision to develop IGloBA. "I feel that is a need, and that's the need that IGloBA seems to fit."

Aruna Chandra (right) at the Bangalore Conference

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Business Education Students Teach Peers at National Conference

May 1, 2013

Indiana State University student Brian Krawiec's approach to discussing financial literacy for middle and high-school students is most effective when complete with green lemonade, a jug with a spout and several clearly marked cups. His message: only what goes in can go out.

Krawiec was one of three Indiana State business education students who gave presentations at the national conference of Pi Omega Pi, the organization for college students aspiring to teach business education. Denise Current presented "Ways of Funding College," while Krawiec and Craig Blair presented "Personal Budgeting with a Twist," which included Krawiec's plan. A predetermined amount of green liquid- to represent money - is poured in the jug. Different cups with different levels marked "good," "better" and "best" and labeled "car," "house/rent," "taxes" and several additional expenses represent the spending decisions that people make on a daily basis.

The students also had an opportunity to attend sessions at the National Business Education Association's national conference, which ran concurrently with Pi Omega Pi's conference. William Wilhelm, professor of business education, information and technology at Indiana State, organized the trip to the national conference to introduce students to professional development opportunities.

Brian Krawiec (left), Denise Current and Craig Blair

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Five Receive Hines Medal for Academic Achievement

April 23, 2013

Indiana State University has presented the Hines Memorial Medal to five graduating seniors in recognition of their academic accomplishments.

Named after Linnaeus Hines, who served as the fourth president of Indiana State from 1921 to 1933, the medal is awarded to students with the highest cumulative grade-point average during the pursuit of a bachelor's degree at Indiana State. Recipients will be recognized during Indiana State's spring commencement on May 4.

Rachel Marie Hand of Milan is graduating with a bachelor's degree in speech-language pathology. Kristen (Hodge) McDonald of Bedford is completing a bachelor's degree in mathematics education and a minor in coaching education. Danielle Schuster Nichols of Terre Haute is completing a bachelor's degree in elementary education and special education with a minor in reading. Sarah L. Wachala of Munster will be graduating with bachelor's degrees in special education and elementary education with a minor in reading.

Andrea Nicole Rademacher of Borden is graduating with a bachelor's degree in management. While at Indiana State, she served as captain of the women's basketball team, president of the student athlete advisory committee and as a student leader with Campus Outreach. She was involved with Nonprofit Leadership Alliance, University Honors Program and ISU Business Professionals of America.

A President's Scholar, she was recognized on Indiana State's All-Academic Team, received the Missouri Valley Conference Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award, was a nominee for MVC Athlete of the Year, received he MVC State Farm Good Neighbor Award, MVC President's Council Excellence Award and Brenda Howell Spirit Award. She is a member of Alpha Lambda Delta honor societty.

Her community activities included DistinXion, Parents' Night Out fundraiser for March of Dimes, March for Babies, Emerge Youth Retreat, ScoutReach/Venture Crew Spring Awards, Wabash Senior Activity Center, Terre Haute Boys and Girls Club, SAAC National Student Athletic Day, Bridges of Indiana Autism Awareness Golf Scramble, "Pass the Bucket" fundraiser for Ryves Youth Center; Terre Haute Children's Museum, Special Olympics Indiana state basketball tournament and Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.

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Indiana State to Offer CFP Board-registered Financial Planning Program

April 22, 2013

When Indiana State University junior Jennifer Groth began scheduling classes last semester, she planned them out by thinking of an academic program the university does not yet offer.

Yet she knows it's a matter of time - and she will be among its first graduates.

Groth will be one of the inaugural students in the financial planning program that Indiana State will begin to offer in spring 2014. ISU's Scott College of Business will offer the program as a concentration within the finance major. The CFP Board, a nonprofit organization that sets the requirements for Certified Financial Planner certification, approved Indiana State's proposed curriculum for the program.

Graduates of the new program will have fulfilled the CFP Board's educational requirements for certification, said Sharon L. Robinson, finance instructor in the Scott College who helped create the new program at Indiana State. The board's additional certification requirements include an examination, several years of work experience, and recognizing and understanding the ethics required in personal financial planning, Robinson said.

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Four Graduates Recognized with Rankin Award

April 19, 2013

Indiana State University has honored four students with the Rankin Memorial Distinguished Senior Awards in recognition of their contributions to the betterment of the university.

Named for Alan Rankin, the university's seventh president who served from 1965-1975, the awards recognize outstanding seniors who have demonstrated dedicated membership and leadership in campus organizations and in the community. Recipients must also have a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.25 on a 4.0 scale.

The 2013 Rankin Award recipients, who will be recognized during ISU's spring commencement, are Kay Brown, aviation flight technology and aviation management; Andrew Graman, insurance and risk management; Katelynn Moats, elementary education with minor concentrations in reading, English ad a new language, Spanish, civic leadership and middle school mathematics; and Kylee Thacker, English with a minor in French.

Graman is completing a bachelor's degree in insurance and risk management. A President's Scholar and a Gongaware Scholar, he has been active in Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, serving as alumni relations chair, sound chapter operations chair and intramural chair; Networks Professional Development Program; Gamma Iota Sigma, serving as vice president of industry relations and president's conference representative; Insurance and Risk Management Honors Corps, serving as president and vice president; Insurance Advisory Council; Sycamore Student Ventures, serving as project team leader for industry and marketing of the Executive Express Café; University Honors Program; Alpha Lambda Delta; Golden Key; and Phi Kappa Phi. He was also industry relations coordinator for the Insurance and Risk Management Oktoberfest Golf Outing.

His awards have included the J. D. Miller Distinguished Service Award; Spencer Educational Foundation Scholar; Anita Benedetti Student Involvement Program; Order of Omega Outstanding Chapter Member; Gibson Insurance Scholarship; Insurance Advisory Council Scholarship; Networks Financial Institute Academic Scholar of the Year; and Pi Kappa Phi Eta Beta Chapter Scholarship Award, Chapter Sportsmanship Award and Most Engaged Executive Council Member Award.

His community activities included Push America, Pi Kappa Phi's philanthropy; No Boundaries Week; No Hair ‘Cuz We Care; Visually Impaired Volleyball Tournament; Empathy Dinner; Happiness Bag, Inc.; City of Terre Haute highway cleanup; Homeless Outreach San Francisco; Downtown Chicago YMCA Youth Sports; Terre Haute Boys and Girls Club; Adopt-A-Family; Riley Children's Hospital; United Way of the Wabash Valley; Ryves Youth Center; and Terre Haute nursing home outreach.

A graduate of North Knox High School, Graman is the son of J.D. and Christina Graman. He has accepted the position of assistant client manager with Gibson Insurance in South Bend.

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Prominent Financial Advisor: Hard work, Consistency Will Yield Success

April 17, 2013

Like clockwork, Indiana State University graduate Joe Evelo regularly provides monthly updates to the first client he signed up when he embarked on his financial investment career more than 35 years ago.

These updates reflect the consistency that led Evelo through economic booms and busts and billions of dollars in financial transactions to become one of the top financial advisors in the nation.

Evelo returned to his alma mater to speak at the eighth annual Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility Conference. During his presentation, the Terre Haute native tapped into his experiences and insights to provide lessons to Indiana State students and community business leaders on what it takes to be successful in the financial services industry and life in general.

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Mike Bosworth: A New Way to Sell Through Stories

April 17, 2013

"I usually don't get a lot of hands but, how many of your mothers wanted you to be salespeople when you grew up?" asked Mike Bosworth. After a few seconds and a raised hand, he went into his story of when he was a child and talked about how he didn't want to go into sales.

He has incorporated storytelling into selling products - with enviable results.

Bosworth, founder of Solution Selling and co-author of "What Great Salespeople Do," presented "Building Trust One Story at a Time," at Indiana State University on March 27 as part of the State Farm Circle of Influence Speaker Series.

Bosworth discussed the success behind his storytelling sales approach and how people can utilize it. Salespeople need to reframe selling, Bosworth said, by helping customers achieve a goal by using their product.

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Insurance and Risk Management Students Garner National Scholarships

April 11, 2013

A group of Indiana State University insurance and risk management students will be receiving some major support next year. Nine students received scholarships from the Spencer Educational Foundation, an organization dedicated to funding educational opportunities for risk management and insurance students. Eight students received the $5,000 Spencer Educational Foundation General Fund award for undergraduate students, while Jaclin Huxford, senior insurance and risk management major from Clinton, received the foundation's $10,000 graduate student award. That award will help when Huxford begins pursuit of an MBA in the fall.

The Indiana State students who received the undergraduate award are: Renee Collins, a sophomore insurance and risk management major; Patrick Harpenau, junior insurance and risk management major; Sarah Helman, junior insurance and risk management major; Brad Ketzner, junior insurance and risk management major; Brittany Kirk, junior marketing and insurance and risk management double major; Ellen Lamb, junior financial services and insurance and risk management double major; Will Lehman, junior insurance and risk management major; and Swapna Namburi, sophomore insurance and risk management major.

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Sales and Negotiations Center Admitted to National Alliance

April 9, 2013

When Jon Hawes first joined Indiana State University in 2009, the marketing professor knew the objective: establish a nationally recognized sales center.

He recently received notification that a major part of his goal has been reached.

In late March, the University Sales Center Alliance, a national organization of university sales programs admitted Indiana State's Sales and Negotiations Center in March with full member status. The alliance reviewed Indiana State's curriculum and the Sales and Negotiations Center, before members granted approval. Indiana State becomes just the 19th university accepted into the alliance as a full member.

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Holocaust Survivor Eva Kor to Speak About Ethics of Human Experimentation on Tuesday

March 28, 2013

Holocaust survivor Eva Kor will discuss the ethics of medical experimentation on people during a presentation on April 2 at Indiana State University.

Kor, who as a young girl survived medical experiments conducted in a concentration camp by "The Angel of Death" Nazi Josef Mengele, will speak from 5 to 7 p.m. in Hulman Memorial Student Union, Dede III, on Indiana State's campus. Her presentation, which is free and open to the public, is part of the annual Ethics Week programming, which is organized and hosted by students in Networks Financial Institute's Professional Development Program.

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Indiana Anthem President to Speak at Indiana State on April 10

March 27, 2013

The president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Indiana will be the next Scott College of Business Leader In Action presenter at Indiana State University on Wednesday, April 10.

Rob Hillman will present "The Power of People: Achieving Success by Building Strong Relationships in the Workplace" at 2 p.m. in Federal Hall on Indiana State's campus in downtown Terre Haute. A reception will follow his presentation, which is free and open to the public, though registration is required.

A 30-year veteran of the health insurance and managed care industry, Hillman assumed his current position in 2007. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Indiana is the largest health benefits company in the state, with nearly 4,500 associates serving more than 3 million members. Prior to Anthem, Hillman served in various sales and operations management roles. He serves on the boards of directors for Special Olympics of Indiana and the United Way of Central Indiana, among other organizations.

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University Recognizes Adidas for Community Engagement

March 27, 2013

Indiana State University students Katelynn Moats and Kelly Keyes have received the university's 2013 President's Award for Civic and Community Leadership.

The university presents the award annually to a junior or senior who has made community service an integral part of their university experience. The awards were presented during the university's annual Community Engagement Recognition Banquet in Hulman Memorial Student Union.

During the Recognition Banquet, the Adidas Sports Licensed Division received the university's Community Partner Award for its work with the Scott College of Business. The company, located in Indianapolis, worked with two teams of Indiana State business students in Spring 2012 to implement an employee suggestion improvement process called C4 which resulted in one Indiana State student being awarded a paid internship to continue the work over the summer. In Fall 2012, Adidas supported two students enrolled in the Lean Six Sigma course to complete a real world project in order to earn Six Sigma Green Belt status.

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Indiana State Grad, Ethics Professor Among Speakers at April Conference

March 20, 2013

A prominent financial advisor and Indiana State University graduate will join an internationally recognized ethics professor as among the speakers at an upcoming conference about ethics.

Financial advisor Joe Evelo and Paul Fiorelli, co-director of the Cintas Institute for Business Ethics at Xavier University, will present at the eighth annual Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility Conference at Indiana State on April 3. Evelo will present "Ethics and Integrity in the Real World: A Real-Life Story of an ISU Student" in a general audience session at 2 p.m. Fiorelli will present "The Value of Values: Why We Should Care About Ethics" during a noon presentation.

Evelo is founder and senior investment strategist for the Evelo/Singer Group in Cincinnati. In February he was recognized as the top financial advisor in Ohio in Barron's "America's Top 1,000 Financial Advisors." Evelo, who received his bachelor's in economics from Indiana State, has more than 36 years of experience in the financial services field.

Fiorelli was selected to be part of a national advisory group working with the United States Sentencing Commission. He has received the Thomas Clark Fellow Award from former U.S. Chief Justice William Rehnquist, and he also was honored with the 2007 International Compliance Award from the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics.

Joe Evelo and Paul Fiorelli

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Indiana State Business Students Aim to Strike Out Hunger in Wabash Valley

March 14, 2013

As Jason Downs was pondering the different kinds of fundraisers to organize, he considered one of his favorite hobbies: bowling.

Downs is part of the MBA Association student group at Indiana State University that is organizing the "Striking Out Hunger" fundraiser at Imperial Lanes in Terre Haute. For the event, the participating Indiana State MBA alumni and students, such as Downs, are seeking donations for each strike they bowl during the two games they will play. All of the money that the participants receive will be donated to the Terre Haute Catholic Charities Food Bank.

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Perfect Plan: Successful Animal Hospital Bolstered by Business Development Center at Indiana State

March 13, 2013

Terre Haute veterinarian Beth Brown vividly remembers her father encouraging for her to own her own business. Yet while she had the technical expertise to be successful in her field, she was not nearly as familiar with the business aspects of running her own animal hospital.

As Brown recently stood on stage to receive a state award for outstanding small business, she was reminded that the lessons she learned from an organization housed at Indiana State University were pivotal to her success.Brown received support to create Brown Veterinary Hospital from the West Central Indiana Small Business Development Center located in Federal Hall, along with Indiana State's Scott College of Business. Brown worked with Dick Pittelkow, business advisor at the center, to develop a business plan and learn more about the resources necessary to open the animal clinic.

Indiana Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann (left), Terre Haute native and veterinarian Beth Brown, and Heather Strohm and Dick Pittelkow of the West Central Indiana Small Business Development Center at Indiana State University

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Key Congressional Leaders, Policy Experts to Discuss Insurance Industry in Washington, D.C. Summit

March 8, 2013

Two key congressional leaders from opposite sides of the aisle will be among those providing public policy insights for the insurance industry at an upcoming summit in Washington, D.C.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo., will speak at Networks Financial Institute's ninth annual Insurance Public Policy Summit on March 20 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. The summit, with a theme of "Navigating U.S. and International Cross Currents," will run from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and feature policy, industry and research experts discussing the latest analysis and updates on a variety of areas affecting the insurance industry.

"There are under discussion new rules for capital requirements, accounting standards and collateral that affect the global insurance industry, and there are efforts here and abroad to harmonize and improve these standards," said John Tatom, director of research for NFI. "It's not just affecting domestic insurers. It's also affecting the international operations of domestic insurers, as well as international companies that are doing business in the U.S."

The goal of the Summit is to engage industry leaders and lawmakers in a forum that promotes an interchange of ideas on proposed regulatory reforms, said Brien Smith, dean of the Scott College of Business at Indiana State University, which houses Networks Financial Institute.

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Social Experience: Students Gained Social Media Knowledge in Marketing Internship

March 6, 2013

It started over a year ago when Indiana State University student Miguel de la Rosa was searching on Google for an internship in Orlando, Fla. The first company that popped up was Your Brand Voice, a digital marketing agency, which "was more than an advertising agency," he said.

"Essentially they were involved with taking an integrated approach to digital online practices when it comes to marketing campaigns, which was huge because a lot of marketing agencies now are catching on to this trend of internet marketing," said de la Rosa, who scored an internship in the company along with friend and fellow Indiana State student Ishaan Vadhera. "This includes anything from social media to email marketing and even text marketing."

Senior Miguel de la Rosa (left); Bryan Bruce, owner of Your Brand Voice; and senior Ishaan Vadhera.
Vadhera and de la Rosa interned with Your Brand Voice last summer, learning a variety about social media marketing while building up the young business.
They have both received job offers for the company after they graduate in May.

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Group Proposing Weighted Blanket-like Item Wins Terre Haute Business Competition

February 21, 2013

"Best way to know if your idea is good or bad is to pitch it," said Jess Falkenthal, member of Startup Weekend, as the Terre Haute version of the business completion got underway.

Two teams learned their pitches were a good idea.

A team proposing a weighted blanket-like product to prevent it from blowing away in the wind won first place at Startup Weekend Terre Haute, a weekend-long competition in which aspiring entrepreneurs and inventors crafted business plans for a new device or business. The team winning first place created Beach Ez 360, a weighted blanket that doesn't blow away in the wind. The mat, which is ideal to take to the pool or the beach, includes a waterproof pouch for electronic devices. Second place was Underground Recruitment, a proposed website that would give high school athletes an opportunity to create a profile featuring their accomplishments for college recruiters to review.

Brien Smith (second from left), dean of the Scott College of Business at Indiana State University, poses with the members of the team that proposed Beach Ez 360, a weighted blanket-like item that will not blow away in the wind.

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Wabash Valley Paradigm Network group Linking Supply Chain Professionals

February 13, 2013

Mike Wood sat intently in a Federal Hall classroom listening to an Indiana State University faculty member discuss supply chain management issues. Yet Wood wasn't a college student listening to a lecture. The director of procurement at Sony DADC in Terre Haute hopes that the university can fill the void created when professional organizations left town.

Wood is one of more than 20 organizational and supply chain management professionals who have attended meetings of the Wabash Valley Paradigm Network, a group started by the Scott College of Business at Indiana State in November. The organization consists of working professionals who discuss industry-related topics and issues.

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Business Dean: Stronger Partnerships Needed Between Education, Business to Bridge Workforce Skills Gap

February 13, 2013

Businesses must forge stronger partnerships with education to improve the growing workforce skills gap, Indiana State University's business dean told members of the local business community.

Brien Smith, dean of the Scott College of Business, suggested to the Groundhog Day Economic Forecast audience that such partnerships would help improve the skills of the workforce that they will need in the future. The forecast event, which was sponsored by Indiana State and the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce, featured speakers to discuss different aspects of the economy at the local, state and national level.

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Scott College of Business to Host "Meet the Dean" Community Event

February 7, 2013

Wabash Valley business leaders can meet the dean of Indiana State University's Scott College of Business and network with other area business leaders during an event on Feb. 27.

The Scott College's Community Business Reception and "Meet the Dean" event is scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. at Federal Hall in downtown Terre Haute. The event, which is sponsored by Frontier Communications, will provide an opportunity for people to meet Dean Brien Smith and learn more about collaborating with the college's students and faculty.

The Scott College has numerous resources that can be beneficial to local businesses and organizations. Faculty members frequently work with business leaders to provide experiential learning opportunities while businesses also benefit from partnering with students on real-world projects. The Sycamore Student Ventures senior capstone classes include Sycamore Business Advisors, for example, which provide consulting services to nonprofits and businesses.

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Two Alumni Receive 2013 GOLD Awards

February 4, 2013

The Indiana State University Alumni Association has recognized Rachel Leslie of Terre Haute and Thomas J. "TJ" Mattick of Avon with Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD) Awards for 2013.

GOLD Awards recognize graduates who are outstanding in their professions; have made significant contributions to their communities, states or nation; and have exhibited interest in the university and/or the ISU Alumni Association since leaving the campus.

Mattick, a vice president with BMO Harris Bank of Central Indiana, holds two degrees from the Scott College of Business at Indiana State. He completed a bachelor's degree in management and finance in 2001 and a Master of Business Administration in 2005. He also obtained a liberal arts degree in economics in 2001 and completed a study abroad program during his junior year. He spent a semester at Lulea Tekniska University in Lulea, Sweden.

Mattick joined BMO Harris Bank in 2009 following eight years with Fifth Third Bank. A member of the Scott College's inaugural Young Professionals Board, he mentors students in the college's Networks Professional Development Program, is active in United Way of Central Indiana, serves as an elder at Our Sheperd Lutheran Church and is a volunteer basketball coach.

Mattick's professional achievements include being the No. 1 performer in BMO Harris' Business Banking Group in 2011 and being the only Harris Employee to qualify for the Millionaire's Club, which recognizes those producing at least $1 million in annual revenue, which he has done twice in three years with the company.

Indiana State University President Dan Bradley (left) and Rex Kendall (right), director of the university's alumni association, pose with 2013 Graduate of the Last Decade Award recipients Rachel Leslie and T.J. Mattick during the university's Founders Day program on February 2, 2013.

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Business Students Learn Through Collaboration with Conference in India

February 1, 2013

When Kelly Baer started taking a business entrepreneurship class, she never expected that in four months she would be teaching college students in another country about the nuances of social businesses around the world.

The Indiana State University student also could not have expected that she would receive a grant to do it.

Baer was among two groups of Indiana State students and a professor who collaborated with a college affiliated with Bangalore University in Bangalore, India, as part of an international conference on social entrepreneurship and sustainable development in emerging economies. Aruna Chandra, professor of management at Indiana State, was invited to serve on the college's advisory board to help organize the conference and to present her research on social businesses, which are mission driven organizations that create social value in response to pressing social problems. Unlike a non-profit venture, they are profitable, but not profit-driven. Two groups of her students, including Baer, volunteered to work on different initiatives for the conference. They received grants from the Center for Student Research and Creativity to participate in the project.

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Prominent Author and Sales Expert to Speak at Indiana State on March 27

January 23, 2013

A prominent author and sales expert will discuss his latest insights in the sales industry at Indiana State University on March 27.

Mike Bosworth, founder of the solution selling concept and co-author of "What Great Salespeople Do: The Science of Selling through Emotional Connection and the Power of Story," will present "The Power of Story" in Hulman Memorial Student Union, Dede I. Bosworth will discuss the success behind the sales approach, including how people can utilize it. His visit is part of the State Farm Circle of Influence Speaker Series.

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Business Students, Vigo High Schools Team up in Fundraising Efforts

January 23, 2013

It seemed like just another start to the month when Adam Gaunt paid a visit to his landlord to pay his rent.

While there, the Indiana State University senior couldn't help but notice something peculiar: loose change was sprawled out over his landlord's floor. When Gaunt asked about it, his landlord informed Gaunt of the penny wars project at Terre Haute North Vigo High School: students were competing on their teachers' behalf to see who could collect the most pennies, though any other coins collected (such as nickels, dimes and quarters) would count against the teacher's final tally.

Gaunt already knew about it; he was part of a team of Indiana State students who helped organize the project that the team hoped would generate about $400 for a charitable cause.

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University, Old National Bank Announce Financial Literacy Program

January 15, 2013

A new Indiana State University program is aimed at providing children and their families with the knowledge and skills to make wise financial decisions.

University representatives joined Old National Bank officials Tuesday in announcing a financial literacy program to be based in the Scott College of Business at Federal Hall.

"Old National Bank is excited to partner with Indiana State University, the Vigo County School Corporation and the Terre Haute Children's Museum to support this exciting financial health and empowerment project in the Wabash Valley area," said Bob Jones, president and CEO. "A focus of this project will be to create and identify initiatives and activities to help build financial capacity for individuals, families and businesses in this community."

The Old National Bank Foundation has committed $250,000 in funding for the Old National Bank Financial Health Classroom and to support the Old National Bank Financial Literacy Program for the next five years.

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Business Students Teach Kids, Preteens

January 10, 2013

A group of Indiana State University business students spent several weeks learning lessons by serving as teachers.

The ISU business students volunteered their time to teach children and preteens at Ryves Youth Center at Etling Hall and the 14th and Chestnut Community Center. They spoke to young adults about maintaining proper health, and the Indiana State business students led a donation drive to collect toiletries and other items to be used at the community centers.

"We were able to provide effective lessons, and the students were interested in the lessons we taught them on either oral hygiene health or bodily hygiene," said Amber Kemp, junior business management major from Terre Haute.

In order to make the experience more engaging for the kids and preteens, the ISU business students created humorous educational videos showing proper health techniques. After playing the video, some students facilitated group discussions to build on the lessons, said Miguel de la Rosa, a senior marketing major from Greenwood.

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Sycamore Blitz Promotions Teams with Local Businesses

January 2, 2013

At the start of the fall semester, student members of Sycamore Blitz Promotions at Indiana State University created a street team to raise awareness of Terre Haute businesses.

The team signed ISU students up for email blasts, which included coupons and free offers from local businesses to get the campus community involved.

The Sycamore Blitz Promotions team creates a promotional blitz that last three weeks. The goal of the organization is to connect the ISU community with local businesses and in the process build a business strategy for these companies.

The group is the latest addition to Sycamore Student Ventures, a series of capstone experiential learning labs for senior business students to apply their class lessons in a real-world setting, said Art Sherwood, professor and co-director of Sycamore Student Ventures.

Since Sycamore Blitz Promotions was so new, students had to run the business while also helping to define some of the organization's practices. The organization was test-piloted in spring 2011, before finally being implemented fully in the fall, Sherwood said.

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