Dr. Chen with Jessica Kao

Jessica Kao is an exceptional alumnus of the Management Information Systems (MIS)* department at the University of Central Arkansas (UCA). Since January 2020, she has been working for Qualcomm Semiconductor Inc. in Taipei, where she has demonstrated her commitment to her work and the skills she developed during her studies at UCA.

As part of her role at Qualcomm, Jessica is responsible for identifying key inefficiencies and issues across different projects. She develops user guides and training materials and conducts training sessions for both internal and external clients. She collaborates with multinational teams to develop and test various programs and projects. Additionally, she leverages her system analysis skills to work on supply chain operation and procurement systems for clients across APAC, the Americas, and Europe.

Jessica credits her success in the professional world to the rigorous training she received from UCA’s outstanding faculty members, particularly those in the *, Marketing, and Management departments. She believes the College of Business at BT����provided her with a balanced, practical, and valuable education, which equipped her with the necessary tools to excel in her field.

Working alongside colleagues who mostly hold master’s degrees from prestigious universities in Taiwan and the United States, Jessica’s exceptional performance and professionalism have earned her the respect and trust of her teammates. She has also received substantial raises for her outstanding achievements. To learn more about Jessica’s achievements, check out on LinkedIn.

* When Jessica graduated in 2019, the department and program were named Management Information Systems; in 2021, the name was changed to Computer Information Systems & Analytics to reflect updates to the program.

The BT����College of Business delivers experiences that prepare and inspire students to be ethical, innovative and engaged business leaders who positively impact their communities. We are committed to a culture of excellence across all programs, activities, and events, with a focus on action-based learning and student success and retention.

Despite disruptions due to COVID during our last academic year, our students and alumni have overcome obstacles and risen as leaders. Several COB alumni were honored for their efforts in their communities and workplaces while our students volunteered at food pantries, prepared free tax returns for low-income Arkansans, and earned awards.

This annual review gives a brief look at this year’s student, alumni, and faculty success as well as evidence of our commitment to engaged learning.

If you have a story of success or accomplishment from 2021-2022 to add to this list, or anytime in the future, please��send��it to US.

Sincerely,
Michael Hargis
Dean, BT����College of Business

NEW & NOTEWORTHY

To address the changing business environment,��COB expanded to add three new Applied Data Analytics programs:
– a Bachelor of Science
– a Master of Science
– and a technical certificate.

COB welcomed new Marketing & Management Department Chair,��Dr. Tracy A. Suter, who began his role at the start of the spring semester.

Dr. Suter has taught and led at 5 institutions over the past 25 years; has authored many academic articles and textbooks and served in other administrative capacities; most extensive experience was as a 15-year faculty member at Oklahoma State University.

Learn more��about his credentials, career, and interests.

COB Student Ambassadors��engage, connect, and serve as representatives for our college.��Twenty-one students��took on the task of serving as COB’s first ever group of ambassadors.

They have talked with incoming students, received swag and headshots, and experienced unique development opportunities available only to ambassadors.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Economics student Caleb Vines won the Student Research Award at the 2022 Society of Business, Industry, and Economics (SOBIE) conference.

Several other COB faculty and students across all disciplines also presented papers at the SOBIE and International Academy of Business Disciplines (IABD) conferences this spring.�� MORE

COB named its Outstanding Students who were chosen because they combined exemplary academic performance with internships, volunteerism, professional development, experiential education, and participation in clubs and other important experiences.

Daisy Martinez Carranza took home the top honor of COB’s 2022 Outstanding Student.��READ MORE

���䴡’s��Master of Business Administration (MBA)��program was named to the��Programs and University HQ’s����Programs list.

Associate Professor of economics and��ACRE Scholar��Jeremy Horpedahl received the Public Choice’s��Duncan Black Prize��for the best article contributed by a senior scholar.

Karen Shaw, a member of the COB Board of Advisors, was named 2021��CFO of the Year��by Arkansas Business.

Shaw was a leader even during her BT����days, as a charter member of Beta Alpha Psi, but her leadership development didn’t stop there.��Learn more��about Karen’s leadership as a business and community leader.

Several COB alumni, including����(�辱���ٳܰ����),��, and����were named as rising business and community leaders by Arkansas Business.

Three teams representing UCA’s MBA program placed among the top 100 performers in a worldwide business simulation competition called GLO-BUS. Nearly 2,000 teams from 99 colleges and universities competed.

Congratulations to COB’s��Theta Lambda Chapter��who earned first place at the 2022 Beta Alpha Psi regional conference competitions in the category of Best Practices in the Art of Engagement and will compete at the conference in Orlando this summer. The chapter also earned a second-place win for Best Practices.��MORE

In addition, UCA’s chapter of Beta Alpha Psi achieved superior status for 2021-2022 from the national chapter. To be a superior chapter, the registered student organization met the following requirements:

• Average member��completed at least 32 hours of service and professional development (at least 12 each)
  >265 hours of professional development
  >555 hours of service
• Chapter completed at least 8 reaching-out activities including attending conferences; competing in best practices and project run-with-it; alumni activities’ multi-chapter events; and promoting careers in accounting, finance, information systems, and/or data analytics.

Congratulations to our����students and to��Connie McKnight�����Ի���Ashley Phillips, our tireless faculty advisors, for another year of superior status!

CAREER DEVELOPMENT & SERVICE LEARNING

More than 65 volunteers and students from UCA’s Biz@Bear Residential College collected over $1650 worth of personal care donations for children in Arkansas foster care.

This event ended an academic year with more than 1800 student engagement hours led by Academic Director, Dr. Louisa Moseley; over 200 of those were service hours.��MORE

Accounting Professor Ashley Phillips was awarded the Peter J. Mehl Service-Learning Faculty of the Year Award for her work with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Under her leadership, students��volunteered approximately 420 hours��to return more than $324,000 of taxpayer money to the community through the preparation of over 250 tax returns for low-income taxpayers in the region.

Sixteen business professionals connected with COB students at the annual��Women in Business Sixteen business professionals connected with COB students at the annual��Women in Business luncheon��for which a panel and table leaders shared the “Top 5 Things Women in Business Need to Know.”

����hosted a COB Escape Room of intricate puzzles for students to solve. To “escape,” participants applied tips for create an effective resume.��READ MORE

In ’21 & ’22, COB and Acxiom partnered to provide a four-day Information��Technology (IT) Careers Camp��for high school students.

During the camp, students��stayed on UCA’s campus, were mentored by industry experts, and participated in exercises in programming, cybersecurity, robotics, 3D modeling, and 3D laser printing.

Congratulations to all of our graduates in 2021-2022!

If you have a story of success or accomplishment from 2021-2022 to add to this list, please��send��it to the BT����College of Business.

For year-round news and��updates��from the BT����College of Business, make sure to visit��.

(Conway, Ark.) – The University of Central Arkansas (UCA) College of Business has named Dr. Tracy A. Suter as the new Chair for the Department of Marketing and Management. Dr. Suter began his role at the start of the spring semester.

As Department Chair, Dr. Suter will collaborate with the faculty and supervise department activities that support the college’s mission to provide an innovative and relevant curriculum combined with hands-on student experiences in the business community. He will also teach creativity and innovation courses from a marketing point of view and continue his research interests in creative problem-solving and business innovation.

Dean Michael Hargis welcomed Suter to the College of Business saying, “Tracy is innovative, engaging, and committed to student and faculty success. He also has a long track record of success as a leader in higher education. I look forward to Tracy’s contributions to the development and continuous improvement of our college’s programs.”

Suter, originally from Russellville, brings a wealth of expertise from his 25-year academic career as he assumes the role of department chair. In addition to teaching, Dr. Suter has authored many academic articles and textbooks and served in other administrative capacities. His most extensive experience was as a 15-year faculty member at Oklahoma State University.

“As a first-generation college student from the great state of Arkansas, I do not take my opportunity or responsibility lightly to nurture and develop the next generation of leaders, thinkers and doers,” said Dr. Suter. “I look forward to working with my departmental and college colleagues in helping students grow and succeed here at UCA.”

Suter earned his Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Business Administration degrees from the University of Arkansas. Before teaching, he worked as a marketing and analysis specialist at an aviation company.

Established in 1969, the BT����College of Business offers 20 undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificates to equip current and future business professionals to successfully and ethically meet the changing business environment. The AACSB-accredited program offers a thorough business education as well as opportunities for hands-on experience and industry networking.

Before the interview day, you’ll also get a review of your resume and training about how to dress appropriately and deliver an impactful interview.

Spaces are limited, so sign up as soon as possible. Download the details and contact��BT����CAREER SERVICES at 501-450-3134 or careerservices@uca.edu.

IT Career Connection: Tuesday, September 14, 2021

• Students must be classified as a Junior or Senior by the first day of Fall 2021 classes
• Must be an Applied Math, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Systems or MIS major
• Cumulative GPA of 2.75
• Graduating: December 2021, May 2022, August 2022, December 2022, May 2023, or August 2023

Career Connection: Wednesday, September 15, 2021

• Students must be classified as a Senior by the first day of Fall 2021 classes
• Cumulative GPA of 3.0
• Graduating: December 2021, May 2022 or August 2022

Outstanding students are those who take advantage of educational opportunities and show exemplary academic performance through internships, professional development and experiential education, volunteerism, and participation in clubs and activities.

The following students were awarded an outstanding status, chosen from over 1600 undergraduate and graduate students:

• Ashley Phipps, Outstanding General Business Student
• Bethany Arnold, Outstanding Insurance & Risk Management Student
• Brandon Scott Phipps, Outstanding Master of Business Student
• Claire DeBusk, Outstanding Accounting Student
• Daryl Adopo, Outstanding Finance Student
• Devin Gilbert, Outstanding Master of Accountancy Student
• Elsa Mattson, Outstanding College of Business Student and��Outstanding Economic Student
• Emma McKnight, Outstanding Marketing Student
• Jack Bornhoft, Outstanding Logistics & Supply Chain Management Student
• Kayla Dean, Outstanding Management Information Systems Student
• Lucas Southard, Outstanding Management Student
• Laura Lane, Outstanding Marketing Student
• Logan Tribble, Outstanding Innovation & Entrepreneurship Student
• Rohan Saxena, Outstanding Information Systems Student

ABOUT THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

The BT����College of Business includes:

• Over 1600 Majors and Graduate Students
• 62 Total Faculty
• 15 Undergraduate Degree Programs
• 3 Graduate Degree Programs (MBA, MAcc, and Graduate Certificate in Data Analytics)

The goal of the BT����College of Business��is to provide a hands-on, experience driven, education that prepares graduates to take on global issues.��Through our diverse��programs of study and distinguished faculty and staff, we take creative, engaged students and give them the tools to succeed when they earn their degrees. Our students travel the world, start their own innovative businesses, and join established businesses across the country.�� Whatever their next step, our students are ready to make a positive impact.

Learn more about our programs of study and distinguished faculty and staff.