S.J. Chang Named Associate Dean

S.J. Chang will assume responsibilities as Associate Dean for MBA and Undergraduate Programs on January 1, 2007. S.J.’s candidacy was well-received by faculty, staff, and college leaders. He brings an impressive record of talents and accomplishments as he moves to a leadership position in the college.

S.J. has been a long-time, contributing member of the finance and MBA faculty, has an extensive record of scholarly accomplishments, and has an active record of professional service to his discipline, the university, and the community. He has been honored as a Caterpillar Faculty Scholar and with the College of Business Research Award. He has served on the Academic Senate and been involved in other college and university initiatives.  Dr. Chang has written more than 25 articles and books, has had many professional presentations and chapters in books, serves on several journal editorial boards and as a reviewer for many others, and is recognized widely in international circles for his expertise and insights on international finance.  He has recently served as President of the Korea-America Finance Association, an international organization in which he has been active for many years.

Most importantly, S.J. has the ability, combined with great enthusiasm and energy, to shape this new position for the college. He is looking forward to exploring new opportunities for our faculty, students, and academic programs.

 

.Katie School Welcomes Visitors

The Katie School of Insurance hosted a variety of events during the summer that brought hundreds of students and industry professionals to campus. The 15th annual Katie School Golf was held on June 19, 2006 at the Stonebridge Country Club in Aurora, IL, and raised over $30,000 for program enhancements and student scholarships.

The Ken Smith Financial Regulators Program was held June 20-30 at no cost to 31 insurance regulators from around the country. Faculty for this program was a mix of academics, industry professionals, and regulators. Topics covered included:

• Challenges of the Insurance Financial Regulator
• Risk Modeling, Legislative and Regulatory Issues
• Financial Statement Analysis
• Reinsurance

In mid-July the Katie School strengthened important connections by hosting the Insurance Education Institute for High School Guidance Counselors. The program, sponsored by the Insurance Education Institute, is specifically designed to provide a detailed understanding of numerous jobs in insurance and risk management, with emphasis upon their relevance to high school students and their families. 

Overseas visitors came to campus with the 11th London Market Study Tour:  This one-week training program, which focused on the U.S. property-casualty industry, was held for 20 individuals from Lloyd’s and the London market in Chicago and on the Illinois State University campus during July.  The event attracted underwriters, claims personnel, brokers and representatives from Lloyd’s including the Corporation, as well as the London insurance market and its service providers.  The program offered interaction with an exceptional group of industry executives from the US insurance market as well as with outstanding faculty from the Katie School.

The Minority High School Scholars Actuarial Academy was held in late July. The program is designed for African-American, Hispanic and Native American high school students who excel in mathematics, enjoy learning, and like to solve complicated problems. The academy explains what actuaries do, where they work, and what they have in common.

Twenty of the most outstanding high school senior from the Midwest competed to attend Redbird High School Risk Management. The week-long risk management challenge was held July 23- July 28. During the event teammates assumed the roles of senior risk management professionals and were asked to guide their corporation through a mine field of potential disasters. Student teams competed against one another in developing the best risk management strategies.

In August insurance professionals from Russia visited the Katie School to learn more about the US insurance markets.  The group also toured various insurance companies in the area.

International Conference Hosted at the COB

More than 40 scholars from Brazil, China, France, Israel, New Zealand, Spain, and the United States gathered on the ISU campus in June to present and discuss cutting edge research related to consumer satisfaction, dissatisfaction and complaining behavior. The group utilized the Executive Classroom and Focus Group rooms during the event. Attendees enjoyed a welcoming reception, an old-fashioned cookout with a barbershop quartet as the entertainment, and a formal banquet which included a performance by internationally renowned classical guitarist, Angelo Favis, an associate professor of Music at ISU.

Stephen Goodwin (MKT) and Steven Taylor (MKT), along with Kevin Celuch from the University of Southern Indiana, sponsored the conference. These same individuals also serve as editors of the Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior.  Now in its nineteenth year, this journal has achieved international recognition for the quality and impact of the articles it publishes.

“This was a tremendous opportunity for the University, the College of Business, and the Department of Marketing to showcase our faculty, our new COB Building, and our outstanding students and programs,” said Goodwin. “We are absolutely thrilled to have hosted scholars from so many fine universities.”

COB faculty presenting at the conference were Jill Attaway (MKT), John Bantham (MQM), Aysen Bakir (MKT), Jeri Mullins Beggs (MKT), Mike Humphreys (MKT), Mary Kay Rotsch (MQM) and Rodger Singley (MKT).

The conference is slated to return to ISU in June, 2007.

May Graduate Employment Survey Results

Led by Norris Porter, Assistant to the Dean for Student Relations, a team of faculty and staff conducted a survey of COB students as they waited for graduation ceremonies to begin. Using hand-held devices to conduct face-to-face interviews, the response rate for the survey was 64%, up from just 35.7% the previous year. 

 

• 49% of the graduates had already secured professional employment, with 90% of those positions being in Illinois
• 5% were attending graduate school, with 71% pursuing an MBA, 6% focusing on Accounting and 23.5% studying Law
• 16% were employed part-time or not seeking employment
• approximately 30% were still actively seeking full-time employment in their field.
• salaries for those professionally employed were right on target with averages reported by The National Association of Collegiate Employers.
• 16.5% were over $50,000
• 30% were between $40,000 and $50,000
• 75% had salaries between $30,000 and $50,000
• The average of the midpoints was $39,745

 

Illinois Small Business Development Center Offers Certificate

The Illinois Small Business Development Center is offering a Certificate in Small Business Management this fall. It runs 11 consecutive Tuesdays and is designed to provide clients with the advantage they need to succeed in small business. The program consists of more than 40 class hours on subjects such as business management, human resource best practices, legal issues, customer service, reducing your tax burden, creating marketing plans, and cash flow planning.

Taught by a combination of Small Business Development Center staff as well as local attorneys, accountants, and business professionals in the trenches, the Certificate in Small Business Management focuses on real solutions for everyday problems.

Tthe certificate course, which is partially funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, will be repeated in the fall of 2007.

 

New Faculty Members Join the COB

• The Department of Finance, Insurance and Law welcomed two new faculty members. Ms. Yayuan Ren completed her Ph.D. this summer at the University of Wisconsin. Nat Pope also earned his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin. Both will teach courses and conduct research related to insurance and risk management.
• Mathew Sheep, who earned his Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati, has joined MQM. His work will focus on organizational behavior.
• Chiharu Ishida joined the Marketing faculty this fall. She received her Ph.D. from Virginia Tech and will focus on business-to-business marketing, strategic alliances, key account and relationship management.   
• Sally Fitzgibbons is a new non-tenure-track faculty member. She will teach accounting.