Timely Discussion with Dean Klock

Key Thematic Goals For The Next Five Years

2012-01-18T17:41:00.000-06:00

The leadership of the School spent fall term reviewing the book The Innovative University by Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen, a recognized expert in innovation in times of difficult transitions. The theme of the book is that two key changes have caused a dramatic and permanent change in higher education: (1) The persistent and deep financial crisis of the recession; and (2) The disruptive technology of the internet and viable online education tools. He concludes that each University must be more focused on niches of excellence, with selective and limited key thematic goals.

I am pleased to report that the UAB School of Business has been and will be very responsive to the strategies of focus urged by Professor Christensen. For the last several years, in preparation for our AACSB visitation, we engaged the faculty and staff in a process of intense strategic planning. Beyond a successful accreditation visit, we have achieved a new and stimulating culture of change in which faculty (including both our many long-term faculty members and our 27 new faculty members) are together : (1) exploring and implementing creative, technologically-driven, and high quality ways to meet the rapidly changing learning needs of students; and (2) moving deep into a process of research and discovery related to the commercialization of the great intellectual property created by UAB’s respected scientists and medical investigators. As a result of the necessity of change and the crisis of economic uncertainty, we are creating new sources of revenue and pride in helping to solve big, meaningful problems. And we are pulling our students into this process of change and discovery so they learn first-hand that change can mean opportunity and growth.

Helping Solve Big Problems Through Translational Mentoring and Research

2011-12-14T12:05:00.000-06:00

In the past several years we have focused our School on two key themes: (1) Creating an environment of support and mentoring that enhances student learning and (2) Applying our faculty’s exceptional skills of discovery/research to take on big, meaningful problems.

Our students and their families expect us to be creative and dedicated in focusing on their success as students and their success in a lifetime of evolving careers. I am proud to say that the UAB School of Business faculty and staff are daily focused on the real needs of students. We measure our progress on this critical School theme by the use of well developed “Assurance of Learning” (AOL) tools—we inspect what we expect, and then take steps to make improvements where needed. Our accrediting organization (AACSB) calls this key last step “completing the loop” of AOL. Nationally, thought leaders and key educational observers are concerned that a big, meaningful problem for this economy is not having enough well educated employees with the technical, behavioral, and management skills needed for growth in the 21^st century. We are completing the loop of AOL with new/revised and rigorous classes that add to our students’ skills in quantitative analysis, communication, rapidly changing technical areas, and critical thinking. We understand the importance of these efforts to the economic success of the many communities we serve. We call this translational mentoring and learning as we transition our students from great potential to productive leaders of commerce and society.

Our second key School theme is a dedication to participating with the many areas of research excellence at UAB—to address big, meaningful social, economic, commercial and health problems. Cross-disciple research at UAB is imbedded in the DNA of this exceptional institution of discovery. The solutions to Big Problems need many skills. The skill we in the School of Business bring to the process is more concentrated in what is today called translational research—how to materially move great discoveries/research findings far more rapidly into the communities of need. In the world of commerce, we study and implement creative ways to speed up the movement of awesome intellectual property created by UAB’s many exceptional scientists and engineers—move it from the “bench” of a lab into the communities we serve. We are also focused on commercializing these great discoveries and improved processes. We are building a team of teacher-scholars with real world experiences in creating and growing new companies—new companies that will create high paying jobs and tax revenue in Birmingham and the region. And we will soon be telling you more of our plans to create a multi-million dollar philanthropic private equity fund to be jointly managed by the Schools of Business and Medicine. This fund will provide proof of concept capital to aspiring UAB entrepreneurs.

Plans for Growth and Innovation

2011-11-16T12:38:00.000-06:00

During the last 15 months, the School of Business undertook an intense strategic planning process. We were aided in this process by an exceptional retired academic leader, Dr. Doyle Williams, former dean of the Walton School of Business at the University of Arkansas and former dean of the School of Accountancy at the University of Southern California. As a result of monthly all-faculty meetings, monthly department meetings, and four faculty/staff task forces, we formulated five key goals:

• Goal 1. Meet UAB institutional goals on 50% student enrollment growth and material improvement in graduation rates

– By promoting innovative programs of excellence for student recruiting, retention and graduation.

– By stimulating growth of a diverse student body through high quality instruction that enhance student learning and success.

– By developing and implementing a school-wide communication and branding plan to support our mission and strategy.

• Goal 2. Promote faculty and staff development

– By investing in our faculty and staff to ensure a high-quality work environment that encourages professional development and ensures our faculty build and maintain their stature in their academic disciplines.

– By identifying faculty and staff hiring needs along with potential sources of revenue to support recruitment and development.

• Goal 3. Promote a unified and inclusive culture

– By breaking down artificial barriers and silos across departments and programs to create a unified culture and commitment to the School.

• Goal 4. Expand value-added partnerships

– By building many partnerships with external stakeholders including: UAB Schools and programs, other universities in our geographic region, Industry and Funding agencies.

• Goal 5. Maintain a strong financial position

– By leveraging programs and outreach that provide strong financial operating leverage.

– By raising significant amounts of development funds to support the school’s major capital investment needs.

In addition to these key strategic goals, a wide group of faculty and other school constituents developed very specific action steps/tactics (with timelines) to achieve each goal. In coming blogs we will keep you informed on our progress and how you can assist in this strategic process of growth and innovation.

Professor Ollie Powers, An Exceptional UAB Servant Leader

2011-10-10T17:20:00.000-05:00

Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote “Great men exist that there may be greater men” is the opening line in a biography of George C. Marshall, Solider Statesman Peacemaker, written by Jack Uldrich. This is an excellent book on servant leadership recommended to me by personal friend and friend of UAB, Charles Collat. I bring this to your attention not as a book critic, but as the opening line of my note about Professor Ollie Powers, an exceptional UAB servant leader, and his recently announced retirement.

In his 36+ years at UAB, Ollie has made numerous contributions in teaching, service, and publications to the profession. In other ways and in other places, we will provide long lists of his many professional accomplishments—items that give Ollie a very long and valued professional CV. Today, we want to celebrate Ollie as that exceptional and kind man who has always focused on others. His gift of compassion is matched with a willingness to ask faculty and students to stretch beyond their comfort levels of performance and find that extra gear needed to overcome a challenge or frustration.

Ollie lives a caring life and exceptional career focused on asking students to go to work, inviting them in ways that stimulate a passion for excellence. When Ollie asks students to come join “the work”, there is no doubt that he will be there to aid, nurture, and challenge them. The work he asks of his students leads them not just to success in accounting, but to success as caring folks who know how to help others. They, along with many of us, learn by watching Ollie!

We will celebrate Ollie’s career at UAB in many ways in the coming months. More news will follow. We encourage you to celebrate his positive influence on thousands of lives by continuing his example of asking others to go to work as a competent professional and servant leader, and by matching that with Ollie’s example of compassionate help and encouragement. There is no doubt he is living a life of helping others to be great, and in ways they never dreamed possible.

Launching Leader to Leader Series

2011-09-13T15:58:00.007-05:00

Alan Fishman, cofounder and chairman of Beech Street Capital, has had a long and distinguished career in banking and finance. He was named chairman and CEO of Independence Community Bank in 2001 and, after its merger in 2006, appointed president and COO of Sovereign Bank. During the financial crisis, he served briefly as CEO of Washington Mutual Bank.

Next month, Alan will share his thoughts on his industry and on leadership in the first installment of the School of Business’ new Leader to Leader Breakfast Series.

The series starts October 3, 2011 at the Alys Stephens Center (from 7am to 8:15 am) and continues through summer 2012, bringing top-level corporate leaders together to discuss current business issues and trends. Our speakers are all either School of Business alumni or business leaders who are committed friends of our School. For the 2011-12 series, these will include:

Daryl Byrd, President and CEO of IBERIA Bank

Declan O’Beirne, Vice President and CFO of John Hancock Financial Services

Michael F. Golden, President and CEO of Smith & Wesson Holding Corp.

Susan Story, President and CEO of Southern Company Services

William M. Walker, Chairman, President and CEO of Walker & Dunlop

These exceptional innovators represent a variety of experience and industries, but all share the UAB School of Business’ commitment to leadership and service. We are thrilled to be able to engage the business community with this leadership series, and hope it stimulates a broader dialogue on important issues of our complex times.

If you have any questions or would like additional information please call my office, 205.934.8800. You may also contact Erik Kahill at the School of Business, kahill@uab.edu or 205.996.5399.

Changing Lives Through Service-Learning

2011-08-09T12:43:00.005-05:00

I recently had the pleasure of visiting Wilcox County, Alabama to see first-hand the unique and life changing service learning project of six UAB School of Business students and their two exceptional faculty members—matched with a diverse group of twenty high school students. This is one of two highly significant School of Business service-learning projects ongoing this summer that is using experiential hands-on learning to truly touch lives in many special ways.

While helping to lead a UAB discussion on economic growth and health issues last fall, I was privileged to meet a group of community leaders from Wilcox County. They urged me to visit their beautiful county to discuss ways the School could assist with their economic challenges. Along with Associate Dean Eric Jack and several respected School of Medicine faculty and staff members, we travelled to Wilcox County and spent a day experiencing the natural beauty and gaining a better understanding of the economic issues of this area.

After reviewing the needs in the area, the School committed to engage our students and faculty in a project to stimulate entrepreneurial activities in Wilcox County. After significant planning, led by instructor and executive-in-residence Mickey Gee, six UAB students (Olu Dosunmu-Ogunbi, Calvin Burchfiel, Daniel Owens, Gabrielle Hood, Eboni Thomas, Lewinale Harris and Derrick Strong) and two faculty members (Nathan Oliver and Jacob Gelber) arrived in Camden, Alabama on July 18^th to work with a group of diverse high school students (10 from the public school and 10 from the private school), along with a teacher from each high school. They spent the next two weeks working together to revamp several local web sites and implement social networking tools to: (1) Stimulate the sale of local artwork including magnificent quilts and baskets and (2) Create excitement in the state and region to attract more tourists to the beauty and natural resources of Wilcox County. This fall they will continue the efforts related to online social networking/marketing as well as developing a preliminary plan for a small business incubator. The $40,000 cost of this project was paid by the School of Business—as an investment in service learning and a life-changing experience for 30 students and four faculty members.

Back in Birmingham, a group of 20 UAB students, under the guidance of Professor Steve Yoder, continue to work on distributing $250,000 in grants and forgivable loans to individuals and families suffering from tornado damage. A group of very generous anonymous local community leaders donated the funding to UAB and asked that the forgivable loan program (insert hyperlink) be managed by the School of Business and used as a service learning experience for students. This project will continue into the 2011/2012 academic year.

We are taking our skills and passions into the real world of hurts and hopes. Our students are changing lives, including their own. We are proud! The many fruits of these and other service learning experiences through the School will continue to be reported to you in future messages.

Expanding Scholarship that Enhances Teaching and Service

2011-06-01T13:41:00.003-05:00

The School has been active over the past few years in expanding our scholarship with the purpose of becoming a school internationally recognized not only for its exceptional teaching and professional and community interactions, but also for our life and industry changing research. Excellent universities serve many constituencies and do not sacrifice, but enhance the quality of their many missions. Our world-class UAB Academic Medical Center (AMC) is a classic example of scholarship excellence that facilitates and enhances the teaching and service components of a university.

Using AMC as a role model, the UAB School of Business has spent the last several years taking steps to raise the bar on research that is imperative to the growing recognition as a destination school, while balancing the simultaneous and complementary critical focus on excellence in teaching and service:

(1) We have dedicated added resources in support of on-going faculty research-with over $200,000 of added annual funding for research data and summer research grants.

(2) In the last 30 months we have recruited 17 new teacher-scholars, exceptional faculty from top-tier Schools of Business such as The University of Missouri, Florida State, U Mass, Georgia Tech, The University of Georgia, Texas Tech, and the University of Illinois. And like many of our respected scholars who are also exceptional teachers and mentors to industry - a previous blog post discussed the excellence of Dr. Tom Powers as a true teacher-scholar over a 25-year career at UAB - the new teacher-scholars also bring many years of industry experience that facilitate their contribution to the experiential learning of our students.

(3) We have materially expanded the participation of our faculty in healthcare research with several business faculty members now actively participating in major healthcare research efforts and grants in the School of Medicine. These scholars are following the example set by Professor Emeritus Dr. Jack Duncan, an exceptional long-standing healthcare scholar in the School of Business.

Find more about UAB’s commitment to civic engagement, service learning and research from UAB President Dr. Carol Garrison.

Pay It Forward

2011-04-19T16:57:00.001-05:00

A recent letter received from a second-year business student, who was awarded a scholarship by the School of Business, exemplifies how our scholarship donors provide crucial life-changing opportunities for some of our students.

The scholarship recipient has been raised by a single mom and the family, while blessed in many ways, has needed to be a shepherd of very modest financial resources. This scholarship gives some degree of certainty to the student and his mom that he can continue their joint dream for his graduation. Leaving school for a semester to garner tuition dollars will not be his destination in the fall—he will stay in school and thus greatly increase the likelihood of completing his degree. This experience occurs often at UAB, but never fails to bring me back to the reality of our very special core mission to create opportunity for students to seek their life- changing destinations, resulting from an excellent education and a supportive and caring faculty and staff.

Where do we garner these key scholarship dollars? It is provided by our alumni, many of whom contribute to the Dean’s Leadership Fund, the School’s annual gift fund. Donors also include past and present faculty, and friends who understand the need to “pay it forward” – to help provide assistance to the next generation. Each year, I am privileged to interact with many of our scholarship donors. Their most common reason for giving is simply caring —a desire to replicate the life-changing support they received decades ago when they were struggling to complete their education. UAB and the School of Business have a long legacy of being a place where enhanced professional and career destinations are started for students of very modest economic means. As we end the academic year, we will have many year-ending events where we honor next year’s scholarship recipients and their donors. It is so special to see joy and hope in the students. But, I always see greater joy and many tears in the eyes of the donors. The donors almost universally know of no greater joy than being able to pass on the opportunity for a new and better destination for our exceptional students.

Times are still very difficult for many UAB students. We need your help in this great destination-changing effort! I look forward to seeing a special joy in your eyes. Yes, I am with pride asking for your help. Please join me and my wife Phyllis as scholarship donors at UAB by making an investment in our students through the Dean’s Leadership Fund.

If you are a current donor or past scholarship recipient, I welcome any story that you may want to share to help others understand how important this effort is to future generations of UAB School of Business graduates.

Experienced Teacher-Scholars Continue to be Leaders in the School of Business

2011-03-02T16:30:00.000-06:00

Dr. Tom Powers joined UAB in 1985, after receiving a Ph.D. in Marketing from Michigan State University. Prior to his doctoral studies, Tom was marketing manager with Ford Motor Company, holding progressive assignments in sales, product forecasting, and distribution. Thus, he brings both academic and real-world lessons to his classroom and to his scholarship. Early in his career at UAB Tom established a reputation, supported by 25 years of very positive testimony from students, as a caring, rigorous, and committed teacher—both at the undergraduate and graduate level.

Last week I had the pleasure of sitting with Tom when he received recognition for 25 years of exceptional service to UAB and the School of Business. Tom was especially excited, as he had just received notice from a respected peer-reviewed business journal that a part of his recent research portfolio was accepted for publication. I then learned that 25 years ago Tom had set a professional goal to have 100 peer-reviewed journal articles in the first 25 years as a professor. He had met the goal that day! Tom sees the need to be current in the technology, theory, and practice of marketing. His consistency of pursuing research year after year reflects both a genuine pride in his professional commitment to the profession and to his students---but also reflects his daily passion for discovery.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Powers for his exceptional career and for his consistency in scholarship over a sustained period of 25 years. But fear not. Tom is not retiring or slowing down. His passion for discovery and teaching is unquenched. He told me at the celebration of his 25 years of service that he loves this fine institution we call UAB, and he loves his work with fellow scholars and students. This gives us all pleasure, as we know he blesses us all with his exceptional professional demeanor and his vey contagious excitement for discovery.

An Exceptional Team of Faculty

2011-01-18T16:18:00.003-06:00

In our continued recruitment for individual faculty members we are focused on the term “an exceptional faculty”---meaning an exceptional TEAM of faculty members that collectively meet the learning needs of our students and the mission of the School to be active players in the life changing research of UAB. Balance is a key goal in building an exceptional faculty. Balance is needed in their special fields of knowledge, skills relevant to teaching and research, and passions/commitments to service. We also seek to build a diverse faculty team which is representative of the students and communities we serve. The one consistency we seek is commitment to be fully engaged in a collegial community---i.e., we seek faculty members who understand our balanced and diverse mission and will work hard to contribute to multiple phases of our mission. We seek faculty who have a passion for both student learning and the pursuit of excellence in research. Both commitments are equally critical to the mission of UAB.

With regard to student learning we seek faculty who have a dynamic presence in the classroom and a strong commitment to see each and every student succeed. As you will see in the video, Faculty Receive an A+ from Fall Graduates, our faculty are recognized for providing excellent instruction along with compassionate consistent motivation. We unfailingly meet our students where they are and build their confidence as well as exceptional technical and critical thinking skills needed to succeed.

Preparing Our Students For The New "Normal"

2010-12-08T16:56:00.003-06:00

Business graduates today are facing a whole new playing field where many past assumptions are being challenged. A new “normal” is evolving. How do we prepare our students with the skills needed to succeed in this rapidly changing environment?

The academy will debate the specificity of those needed skills---technical skills, critical thinking skills, communication skills, and interpersonal skills. Faculty members will exercise their appropriate academic freedom and their dedication to student learning in many diverse ways and with many diverse themes of needed skills. The breadth of diversification of faculty responses and perspectives concerning change will benefit our students as they will need to be broadly equipped for the challenges.

My role as dean will be to stimulate the discussion of changes needed (such as in curriculum and advising of our students)---by persuasion and dialogue I need to keep us all focused on being a business school that is open to diversity of opinions on how best to prepare our students for a new normal. Change is hard work and can generate material conflict. We must be open to that process of conflict and open to compromise –and open to fixing our mistakes. And change is never done—just when you think you have it right, the environment changes and we need to adjust.

We all have our perceptions (even some firm beliefs) on what is the answer. Our success, however, will be driven by many observations from your complex real experiences. I welcome and value posts regarding your insights and guidance on your perceptions of the new normal and the skills needed by our students.

UAB Brings Life Changing Research to the Marketplace of Healthcare

2010-11-10T13:39:00.001-06:00

Two months ago, I met with a prominent UAB endowed professor and had the privilege to hear the story of his biotechnology research and its potential to have a significant impact on the treatment of a major life threatening disease. The issue on the table was the need to raise capital to fund the next stage of a start-up company that would be a part of conducting the critical “phase III” testing of his IP—and hopefully move to commercializing the IP. His company up to this point has been funded by friends and family.

As part of the commitment by the School of Business to expand our scholarship in the many fields of healthcare that connect to the research disciplines of the school, Drs. Molly Wasko, Eric Jack, and Karen Kennedy are joining me in this exciting project. Our goals are in three parts: facilitate raising the next level of seed capital, assist in designing a next-stage business plan, and directly participate in plan implementation (including the ultimate raising of significant investment capital). With regard to capital needs, the school (with university assistance) is in the process of conducting due diligence which may lead us to make a direct investment in this company---an investment that is admittedly high risk even if all due diligence is positive (given the historical probabilities of success associated with most phase III IP). However, we are making a commitment to true involvement by the school in the intense and high risk process of commercializing healthcare IP. Such involvement is one part of the strategic plan of the school, as we work to facilitate translation of IP to the marketplace and to help exceptional scholars create great companies here in Birmingham and in Alabama. I look forward to providing periodic updates, as we move forward on this exciting project.

Recruitment Continues for Exceptional Teacher Scholars

2010-10-13T17:17:00.010-05:00

With the announcement of our continued recruitment for six new teacher-scholars, I am especially pleased to report that they will be joining excellent school-wide faculty members who continue to materially “raise their game”. We have fully met and exceeded the requirement for reaccreditation by AACSB that our faculty as a whole is 90% academically qualified or professionally qualified. In the coming months, I will post copies of the excellent published research by our many fine faculty members. As you will see, the scholarship of our faculty is a balanced blend of theoretical, practical, and educational research that is relevant to both the academy and to the professions we serve.

We are fortunate to be actively seeking additional teacher-scholars to join our outstanding team of faculty, as many peer universities, struggling with diminished funding, are inactive in recruiting. The entrepreneurial environment of UAB, matched with a material increase in school student enrollment (over 2,000 students in School of Business this fall) and the continuing support of alumni and friends, has created a financial profile that allows us to continue to grow by seeking additional exceptional scholars—while still maintaining a positive annual contribution to our investable reserves. Please know that the faculty and staff of the UAB School of Business have been exceptional stewards of our funding—as we have intensely focused our financial and business insight on very mission driven activities and investments.

Adding Value Through University Recruitment

2010-09-14T14:49:00.004-05:00

Companies are now taking a very strategic look at university recruitment, with a growing focus on identifying and aligning with a few select “key schools”. Being designated as a “key school” enhances the level of attention the school will receive from a corporation and its leaders. This includes recruitment of full-time hires and interns, partnerships with faculty in their research and teaching efforts, and corporate philanthropy directed toward programs, faculty, and students.

I am pleased to report that one of the large distribution industry firms we recently visited designated us as their key school for hiring in the southeast. The School of Business and UAB clearly have an opportunity to add real value in the evolving hiring practices related to well educated business students, as major public and private corporations begin to move toward modest hiring and related intern/training programs.

Meeting with industry leaders is a key part of our increased focus on communicating with our alumni and external stakeholders. The School’s External Relations staff and I are meeting face-to-face with alumni and key employers around the country. They are telling us they can help facilitate potential recruitment opportunities for our students as their companies begin to consider recent graduate hiring. In continuing this outreach, I want to know how your company is dealing with the economic recovery---i.e. do you see signs within your organization of an improving outlook, is your organization hiring, are you bullish or bearish on the economy? Post your response here and I look forward to continuing the dialogue with you.

Welcome Dr. Grant Savage

2010-08-10T14:20:00.003-05:00

Dr Grant Savage will be joining us from The University of Missouri, School of Medicine where he serves as Health Management and Informatics Alumni Distinguished Professor. Prior to that, he served as the HealthSouth Chair in Health Care Management at the University of Alabama, Culverhouse College of Commerce.

Dr Savage received a PhD from The Ohio State University. For 26 years, he has been an exceptional teacher-scholar in healthcare management. He held appointments at Texas Tech, Alabama, and Missouri, as well as visiting faculty appointments at Heinrich Heine University (Germany) and Helsinki University of Technology (Finland). He is the author of 59 peer-reviewed journal articles and 3 books, along with hundreds of published technical reports, monographs, manuals, and practitioner articles.

Grant will be joining a group of faculty in the School of Business that is following in the exceptional legacy of Dr. Jack Duncan, retired Professor of Management and University Scholar, becoming active in healthcare research. Examples of our recent healthcare research activities include:

(1) Dr Eric Jack has been an active participant in the research grant entitled “Prescription Drug Care Coordination for United Mine Workers of America”,

(2) Drs Jack Howard and Barbara Wech are working with faculty in the School of Nursing on research related to several key Human Resource Management issues of working nurses,

(3) Dr Molly Wasko has been asked by several university-wide interdisciplinary research centers to assist in their strategic planning process,

(4) Our two new hires in Quantitative Analysis (Drs Xu and Huang), with extensive skills in quantitative modeling and data mining, have been invited to participate in the efforts of several highly respected UAB cross-discipline healthcare research centers, and

(5) Several School faculty members and the dean, with student participants, have been assisting in the designing of a business plan for a potential new medical practice entrepreneurial venture.

Dr. Savage will join us as Professor in the Department of Management, Information Systems, and Quantitative Methods (MISQ), Co-Director of the UAB HealthCare Leadership Academy, and hold secondary appointments in the School of Medicine and the School of Public Health. We anticipate that Dr. Savage (with vast healthcare management experience) will also be highly engaged in these research collaborations after he arrives in January.

Exposing Myths about Business Education

2010-07-09T09:54:00.000-05:00

One of our goals as business educators is to help students master the tools for determining and resolving personal/business challenges---including ethical issues. Views that business education is “vocational” or fails to provide critical life skills to students are based on myths about the content and depth of requirements in contemporary business school curricula. The analytical skills requisite to interpret Shakespeare, Plato, or Milton are not superior to those needed to interpret economist Friedman, financial theorist Modigliani, decision scientist Kahneman, or management scientist Simon—all winners of the Nobel Prize. In fact, as you will soon learn, business students in AACSB accredited programs are also required to study the great minds such as Milton or Plato.

Myth 1: Colleges of Arts and Sciences hold a monopoly on the production of liberally educated (however defined) students. This position often focuses on excessive specialization and holds that specialization is synonymous with professional education.
Fact: Specialization is present within the curriculum of every school in a university. Course programs in music, communications, journalism, or math can be as narrowly focused (or not) as classes in strength of materials or business policy.

Myth 2: Business students are not liberally educated.
Fact: All AACSB accredited schools of business require that their students earn at least 40% of their total credit hours from outside the school of business. As an accredited business school, our students are essentially involved in extensive studies of the arts, humanities, math, and the sciences during their first two years of study. Some business majors (e.g. industrial distribution) also take engineering and/or pre-med classes. Furthermore, the analytical and behavioral content of the next two years of study is extensive as they apply quantitative and behavior lessons learned in the arts and sciences to business issues. They also must master communication skills as they work through group presentations/case analysis--- and the rigorous process of defending defined solutions to complex problems. Business education produces a combined liberal-professional background.

Myth 3: Management education produces no new or socially beneficial knowledge.
Fact: While often criticized (and not perfect), our nations business structure is the envy of the globe. Like it or not, the free enterprise commerce system makes our country go and management education and research deals with the ever changing complex technical, behavioral, and ethical issues of commerce.

Instead of debating the merits of professional vs. a liberal education, let us celebrate the role of both and work for balance. To that end, a growing number of business schools are hiring PhDs from math and the behavioral sciences---and providing post doctorate one-year bridge programs---followed by active careers as teacher-scholars in business leadership education. Just this year, our school hired two new faculty members with PhDs in quantitative/math disciplines (along with graduate work in business) and significant high quality published research on business issues. The combination of cross-discipline training will accelerate as students see career opportunities in the not-for-profit or public policy arena aided by business school matriculation.

A Valued Partnership!

2010-06-15T10:13:00.001-05:00

A key tool in this expansion of our teaching mission and to our commitment to ethical behavior is the use of “service learning” projects. I am pleased to note that the UAB School of Business has established a separate Program in Service Learning—led by a senior faculty member. The lead project of this “program” is assisting a local high school that serves the needs of poor students of diversity—students who are “at risk” without the significant structure and intern/work positions created by the school and its many communities of support. Our commitment to “service learning” goes beyond any one key project—into all our majors and into many specific classes.

Mission growth is driven by frequent inquiries from not-for-profit organizations for training in key management/leadership skills---such as financial analysis/forecasting/budgeting in times of declining revenue and/or high variability/risk of cash flows. Four of our faculty members (in finance and quantitative analysis) recently worked pro-bono for the City of Birmingham to facilitate more accuracy in the forecasting of monthly city revenues—not an easy task in these challenging times. As this project continues, our undergraduate students will assume more of an ongoing role in maintaining the forecasts.

The partnership that we enjoy with the Birmingham business community provides our students with an opportunity to gain real-world training and a chance to experience giving back to the community. Our students not only learn from experienced, award winning faculty but also from leaders in the local business community. I am grateful for the partnership and the leaders who share our commitment to improve the lives of our students and our community.

In the coming weeks and months, you will be learning more of a major ethics initiative by the UAB School of Business. In the meantime, I would love to hear your ideas as to what we can do as a School to become a positive force in these times of ethical and economic concerns?

Our Key Mission – Transforming Lives!

2010-05-18T16:34:00.003-05:00

Our students come to UAB seeking a door to economic and social success in a rapidly changing world. They are often worried about how to compete in a tough world with high unemployment and increasing demands by employers for relevant skills. Our exceptional faculty use their well refined academic skills and genuine desire for the success of each student to help transform these folks into confident professionals– confident in their technical skills, confident in their critical thinking skills, confident in their communication skills, and confident in their ability to compete with graduates of any other university. They also gain assurance that the leadership skills learned and practiced in business classes can be directly applied to the leadership needs of not-for-profit organizations and government entities.

Our main focus is on experiential learning or “learn by doing” and gives students hands-on experience through paid internships, service-learning projects, simulation projects, international travel involving class projects, and direct class involvement by exceptional business and community leaders. Not only does experiential learning provide students with experience to build their resumes, but also allows them a first-hand look at what their future career may entail. We have industry focused advisory boards that provide critical input to our curriculum and to our unique experiential learning opportunities.

At the School level, I have appointed a “Council of Directors” to serve like a board of directors to the School. As a former CEO of a public company, I find it very constructive to have accomplished business and community leaders who can look the dean in the eye and tell me what I need to hear. We are blessed to have exceptional volunteers serving on the School’s Council of Directors to help keep us on track with our mission. See Council of Directors

Growing Our Expertise in Statistical and Quantitative Modeling Skills

2010-04-07T17:15:00.001-05:00

I am pleased to announce that Dr. Nuo Xu and Dr. Xuan Huang will be joining the School of Business team this summer. Their expertise will help us meet the growing demand for skills in sophisticated data mining tools that are invaluable to both our students and to the research efforts of our faculty.

Dr Xu joins UAB as an assistant professor. He is coming from Discover Financial Services Inc---where he served as a senior associate. He attended the University of Cincinnati and received a PhD in Industrial Engineering in 2007 ---with an emphasis on econometrics and statistical modeling, data modeling and knowledge discovery from large databases, linear/nonlinear optimization, stochastic modeling, and artificial intelligence. He has applied his skills to real-world problems in finance, marketing/consumer behavior, risk modeling, and medical data---leading to numerous peer-reviewed publications.

Dr Huang joins UAB as an assistant professor. She attended The Isenberg School of Management at The University of Massachusetts, earning a PhD in Management Science with a minor in Finance, February 2010. Her training and expertise is in statistical modeling, operations management, process improvement, and econometrics of financial markets. She has published in respected peer-reviewed journals, including Journal of Quality Technology and Control and Decision.

Both Drs Huang and Xu have demonstrated excellent teaching skills. Their exceptional pedagogical skills will be important to helping both our undergraduate and our graduate students to appreciate and use the newest statistical and mathematical tools of business analysis.

Another Exceptional Addition to the Team!

2010-03-09T17:06:00.001-06:00

Dr. Jenice Prather-Kinsey, CPA will be joining the School of Business on June 1, 2010 as the new Chair of the Department of Accounting and Finance. Dr. Prather –Kinsey is moving from the University of Missouri College of Business, where she has served on the faculty since 1990. She holds an MS in accounting from the University of Illinois and a PhD in Accounting from the University of Alabama.

Dr. Prather-Kinsey is an exceptional teacher scholar and is very active in the accounting academy and in the accounting profession. She is the author of 21 peer-reviewed articles in respected journals as well as the author of three books – the most recent being Financial Reporting in Developing Countries (forthcoming later this year) and Cost Accounting: Foundations and Evolution (2005).

From 1994 to the present, Dr. Prather-Kinsey has been the KPMG Peat Marwick Mentor for the African-American Doctoral Students Association. She served on the AAA Commons Editorial Board 2009-2010. She served as President of the International Accounting Section of the American Accounting Association (AAA) 2007-2008. She currently serves on the Editorial boards of the Journal of International Accounting Research, Advances in Accounting Education, and the Journal of Managerial Issues. She has also served on the Accounting Education Executive Committee of AICPA.

In addition to her many academic and professional accomplishments, Jenice is a very caring individual with a passion for student learning. Each year she takes a group of students to Europe to study international accounting trends and standards. She plans to continue this great experiential opportunity with UAB students in the coming 2010/2011 academic year.

I am very proud of the exceptional talent that we are bringing to the UAB School of Business. We are on our way to becoming a destination school for business education!

Increased Credit Hour Production Supports Continued Growth

2010-02-08T17:17:00.004-06:00

Along with my excitement of announcing Dr. Molly Wasko as the new Chair of the Department of Management, Information Systems, and Quantitative Methods (MISQ), I am also pleased to report that our credit-hour production for fall and spring semester was up 10% and 14% respectfully. Given the very entrepreneurial environment of UAB, the growth in credit hours produces a direct increase in school revenue. I wish to thank all the faculty and staff members for their excellent work in creating a positive and exciting learning environment which is the key to student growth. While many other state university schools of business are cutting back staffing (in response to budget cuts), we at the UAB School of Business are pursuing exceptional scholar-teachers to work with our excellent faculty in meeting the learning needs of our growing number of exceptional students.

Plans For The New Year

2010-01-11T16:48:00.006-06:00

We start 2010 with a new addition to the UAB School of Business team, Erik Kahill- our new Senior Director of Development and Alumni Affairs, joining our school from the Terry School of Business at The University of Georgia. In addition to Erik, we are in the final phases of recruiting two excellent Chairs—in Accounting/ Finance and in Management/Information Systems/Quantitative Methods. I am also pleased to report that we have appointed two new faculty members in Marketing and we are actively searching for two or three faculty in accounting, one in quantitative methods, and one senior position in health care management. These new faculty hires are a strategic part of our transition to becoming a destination School of Business. We are excited about the high caliber of scholar candidates who have expressed a serious interest in joining UAB. In these difficult economic times, we are blessed with being one of the few Business Schools in our region to be actively seeking new scholar teachers. The entrepreneurial environment of UAB has facilitated the financial ability to hire new faculty. We have confidence that we can hire 8-9 new faculty members, and continue to generate investable surpluses for the current academic year and again in the 2010/2011 academic year. These surpluses will be “invested” in new creative student-learning programs and in support of quality faculty research.

As we begin the new year, I would love to hear any comments or ideas that you may have regarding plans for continued growth and success of the School of Business in the coming year and over the next decade.

Have a blessed new year, David

Preparing Future Healthcare Leaders Today at UAB!

2009-12-02T15:01:00.005-06:00

I talked with you last month about some of the things we are doing to reach our goal of becoming a “destination“ program for both exceptional students and employers throughout the southeast region. As we work in that direction, we are developing a collaborative, interdisciplinary culture that thrives on pushing boundaries, surpassing expectations and creating exciting learning opportunities.
As a national leader in healthcare education and research, UAB has a wealth of expertise to offer the multi-faceted healthcare industry. The School of Business is highly involved with collaborations that provide healthcare professionals with the business skills required in today’s healthcare environment and business students with the knowledge they need to succeed in the healthcare industry. Here are a few examples of what we are doing:
In 2008, the School of Business, in a joint effort with the School of Medicine (and with the very generous support of the Doré Family), initiated The Healthcare Leadership Academy to provide strategic management training for key healthcare faculty and staff members identified as possessing the potential to take on more demanding leadership positions in the near future. Retired scholar and faculty member Dr. Jack Duncan played a key role in designing and implementing the curriculum for the successful first class of 2008/2009.

The School of Business is a much better place of scholarship and teaching because of the long and positive impact of Dr. Jack Duncan. All that have interacted with Jack know that a kind and genuinely caring teacher scholar has touched them. We will honor Jack and extend our historical involvement in healthcare management by bringing new scholars to UAB who will continue his exceptional work. In addition to a national search for a focused senior scholar position in healthcare, the school is also engaged in eight other faculty searches---with many of the new positions having an opportunity to enhance our healthcare related research.
In addition to The Healthcare Leadership Academy, the School of Business works closely with UAB healthcare professionals to insure the Industrial Distribution Program in Medical Equipment and Supplies meets the ever-changing needs of the healthcare industry. The school also collaborates with the Schools of Nursing, Health Related Professions, and Public Health to offer dual degrees and areas of concentration for our MBA students.
As Dean, I am committed to our School playing a growing role in research that will have a real impact on healthcare management and future healthcare leaders. I welcome your ideas on how Business can work more closely in the many areas of healthcare to provide additional advantages for the university and its students to flourish in the collaborative environment we enjoy here at UAB!

The Destination: UAB School of Business

2009-10-29T16:07:00.007-05:00

The School of Business is engaged this year in an intense strategic planning process----with the focused goal to become a “destination“ program for both exceptional students and employers throughout the southeast region. With monthly faculty meetings with assigned projects, led by faculty task forces, we are setting forth plans leading to recognition for excellence in both our programs of student learning and our exceptional faculty research. We have a simple initial 3-5 year “destination” goal--- when high-achieving high school students are seeking an undergraduate business education, the UAB School of Business will be top of mind. We will be top of mind for quality faculty scholars and respected programs of study and top of mind for internships and long-term employment opportunities. To these ends, we are implementing programs of support for: (1) enhanced faculty development and scholarship, including expanding research grants and (2) recruitment of eight new faculty scholars for fall 2010---three in accounting, two in marketing, two in management/quantitative methods, and one in healthcare management. These efforts are matched with major reviews/updates of academic programs and a material growth in external PR and news releases on excellence in programs and research---we will be doing a better job of telling the story of excellence in Business education and research at UAB.

School's core mission is enhanced by the diversity of students and faculty common to UAB

2009-09-30T17:01:00.004-05:00

The core mission of the School of Business goes beyond providing our students with exceptional technical, communication, and critical thinking skills. We also aim to provide intense experiential learning opportunities----a ten-dollar academic word for hands-on, learn by doing. In today’s very competitive and “flat” world, our students need the practical job environment skills that the best employers expect and seek. We work to accomplish this key experiential learning goal by many ways, including:

1. Paid and faculty supervised internships with local and regional companies

2. Faculty supervised service-learning projects where our students help small businesses and not-for-profit organizations with the design and the implementation of strategic plans

3. Real-world case studies led by faculty with extensive and relevant industry experience

4. Opportunities for students to participate in the cutting edge research conducted by School faculty members

5. International study programs designed to gain cultural and unique business insights.

Our focus on experiential learning is enhanced by the diversity of students and faculty common to UAB. As recently reported, UAB has the third most diverse campus in the U.S. Diversity is a complex and very broad term at our School---encompassing diversity of race, economic background, culture, skills, geography, and political viewpoints. Business students at UAB are in a daily environment that matches the diversity of the work place and the diversity of the communities where they may live/work. Their perception of folks from very different cultures and life experiences is an initial challenge that quickly becomes an exceptional opportunity to gain new insights. It is a pleasure to observe our students as they gain new ways to think about common business issues and problems---and find creative ways to work with other students from materially different cultures. As they mature in this process, their eyes are opened wide to the real economic benefits of a diverse work place. Old perceptions fade away and new friendships are formed and nurtured. Our students leave UAB prepared to work with diverse associates, with diverse customers, with diverse regulators, and to prosper in diverse cultures.

We are being unfair to President Obama.

2009-09-01T11:13:00.004-05:00

We are being unfair to President Obama. We are also being very unfair to ourselves, unfair to our children, and unfair to our traditional institutions of public service. We are expecting our new President and our many appointed or elected Washington DC based public servants quickly to solve all our economic, education, and healthcare problems. We always seem to expect this of our Presidents---Republican or Democrat. However, in the current time of economic concerns we have taken the level of Presidential expectation and dependency to a very unhealthy level---a level that will only disappoint. I call this phenomenon the overreliance on leadership—an issue not just for the President but also for all individuals placed in leadership positions. The problem is compounded by many leaders that welcome, even seek out, the opportunity to be “the one” for whom the folks become dependent. We need to step back and recognize that the operative words for helping our President are “what do I personally need to do today to help improve our economy, to help reduce our healthcare costs, and/or to improve our education system”. We can be fair, and even instructive, to President Obama by being patient and by not demanding short-term “easy” solutions. While the President, with Congress, works to define and implement the “right things” (for which there are many conflicting and confusing options), we can be fair to the President by taking immediate personal initiatives to solve our own issues. I provide a list of actions we can take today to be fair to our governmental leaders and to be fair to ourselves:

1. Do all things for your personal health that we all know are positive---loose some weight, exercise, eat less fat, stop smoking. You know--all those things that are hard to do, but are things all healthcare professionals tell us are essential for reducing escalating healthcare costs. In the same category of known healthcare cost issues---use seat belts and do not drink and drive. If you choose to reach out to help the hurts and hopes of the less fortunate, you can start an outreach mission at your place of worship or community center to provide healthier food, advice on nutrition or exercise, and help with disease prevention.

2. Help one child to learn the excitement of reading and learning. In the process, you can help one child to understand the great benefits of deferred gratification. The child may be you own son or daughter, or a grandchild, or a stranger at any elementary school with budget cuts. Help a child to be excited about learning and you help create a productive contributor to our economy. This will also give a teacher help and encouragement—they deserve your help!

3. Spend your limited resources on needs and less on wants—and allocate some funds to savings for your future needs. Start today to save your own nest egg and be less dependent on government. Become less dependent on debt and more willing to defer purchases while you save to pay cash. If you still have a good income, use your resources to invest in those less fortunate who need a lift up. There is no better investment than lifting others up from desperate conditions—your returns will be infinite, even if it means some potential frustrations at not being thanked.

4. Help one unemployed individual to identify a pathway to work. You can help an unemployed person build a network of job contacts, you can help an unemployed person find retraining, you can invest in his or her future by gifting tuition for retraining, or you can personally tutor this person on improved skills needed in the changed workplace. Help one adult to learn to read – Birmingham has a very active Adult Literacy Program that makes it very easy to participate in this incredibly worthwhile endeavor. Be creative, kind, and generous in helping just one unemployed person find a path to work.

5. Avoid being a self-fulfilling phenomenon who whines about how bad things are at work or in the country, talking in the halls about how the economy or the boss or the employer are so bad that we will all loose our jobs. These folks (who may be hourly workers and/or executives) forget to work hard each day—too busy anticipating and talking about the bad things that may happen. Go to work each day with a great attitude and with a great work ethic---invest every hour and every day doing your job and helping your employer and your community to survive. You may face unfairness in pay or promotion---but keep on working hard. When times improve, your options will be many if you maintain a great work ethic and a positive attitude. Be helpful to others with a positive attitude rather than by dragging them down with your whining.

6. Visit and help in some small way one senior citizen confined to a home or a nursing facility. Healthcare cost fall disproportionally on the elderly. Many physician friends tell me their waiting rooms and phone messages are full of elderly patients just seeking comfort and some attention. One visit a week to an elderly person can lift a spirit and improve feelings of being loved---a less expensive but potent medicine for an elderly person facing death. If you feel like giving more time, help take an elderly person to their place of worship or bring the worship to their home—for many, this brings comfort.

7. Help in any way you can to allow one student to remain in college. Many college students are in need of aid to stay in school as their families face severe financial hardships. Your help can by a direct gift or a part-time job. By keeping one more student in college and allowing him or her to get a degree, you are creating one more employable worker and eliminating one more person seeking a job today.