Public Company Accounting Oversight Board Scholarship
Alexis Washington (Accounting, Jackson, MS) was awarded the $10,000 merit-based scholarship from the Pubic Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) for 2020-21. Only one student from more than 300 accredited U.S. colleges and universities nationwide is selected to receive the award. The recipient is chosen based on their demonstration of high ethical standards and their interest and aptitude in accounting and auditing. This marks the third year in a row that a Southern Miss Business student has been selected for the honor.
GRE & GMAT WAIVER extended through spring 2021
THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME TO GET YOUR MASTER'S!
The University of Southern Mississippi Graduate School has extended its waiver on standardized admission exams (GRE/GMAT) for applications to the university’s graduate programs to include spring 2021 admissions.
International Business Course takes action during COvid-19
In January, Dr. John Lambert and his International Business students were approached by two Southern Miss International Business alumni and current Sanderson Farms representatives, Ryan Grady and Shelly Reboul to take on the project of analyzing the potential impact of COVID-19 to the global poultry supply chain. Little did the students know that the real-time research they'd be conducting would become extremely beneficial as the corporation entered the unprecedented time. As the project progressed, the team predicted supermarket shortages and many jolts that the retail supply chain faced prior to them occurring. Our students gained practical experience using real-world techniques which allowed them to analyze information, both domestic and international.
The results of this project include a report to Sanderson Farms on the Global Poultry Supply Chain Interruption due to COVID-19, a report to The U.S. Senator from Mississippi, Cindy Hyde-Smith, on the global food supply chain interruption, and a manuscript accepted for publication in Journal of Business Management & Change.
AHLA Foundation Scholarship
Congratulations to Hospitality and Tourism Management students Tayler Motes and Patrick Napier for being selected for the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) Foundation Scholarship!
Impact on Study Abroad
The College of Business and Economic Development traditionally offers three summer study abroad programs to business students each year: Asian Studies, British Studies, and Italian Studies. Over the years, the college has built strong relationships with companies and contacts in each of these three countries. Dr. Brigitte Burgess reached out to our contacts in Italy to check on them early on in the pandemic development.
“The Italian Business and Culture course is designed to give students exposure to businesses and industry leaders in a personal way. Our partnerships have developed into friendships over the years, and our connections to them and their families are personal. When the situation began to unfold in Italy, I reached out right away to make sure they were okay and to see if there was anything we could do to help,” said Dr. Brigitte Burgess, Associate Professor of Merchandising in the School of Marketing.
Like many universities around the nation, the Southern Miss Study Abroad Office had to make the difficult decision to cancel all three programs for Summer 2020 as part of a protective measure against COVID-19. Although this was a challenging decision, the safety and well-being of the university community is top priority. Our college had 50 business students enroll in the three summer programs for 2020, increasing by 25% when compared to enrollment last summer. The Study Abroad Task Force, made up of business faculty and staff, were thrilled with this increase and were looking forward to hearing about the student’s experiences upon their return.
Many of the students who were planning to participate in study abroad this summer will not have another chance to before they graduate. However, some plan to re-enroll for summer 2021.
“Study abroad is something I have always wanted to participate in, and I have worked hard to earn scholarships to go. I feel like traveling to Italy as a hospitality and tourism management major go hand-in-hand and having that experience could benefit both my personal and professional goals. Whenever I heard we would no longer be traveling to Italy this summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I was devastated. There is so much uncertainty during this time, but I know we have to be resilient. I have made the decision to study abroad next summer and feel by doing so, I can learn how Italy has been impacted and changed through the current events. Next year will be the perfect opportunity to learn about the endurance and strength of the country of Italy in relation to its business and culture.” - Will Walters, Junior Hospitality and Tourism Management major who plans to attend Italian Studies in Summer 2021.
Students like Will, who have chosen to study abroad next summer, will have priority enrollment and will be guaranteed a spot in their preferred program. The task force anticipates enrollment numbers to be greater than usual due to this unique situation. To prepare for this, in the upcoming fall the college will launch a fundraising initiative through The USM Foundation, providing an outlet for individuals interested in providing financial support to business students who are studying abroad.
Virtual guest lectures
USM MPA alumnus, Kyle Stoner, recorded multiple guest lecture videos for Amber Hatten's Audit Analytics and IT Auditing (ACC615) course. Stoner, who is considered an analytics expert within PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) for his region, obtained extensive experience leading the Analytics efforts with PwC through their national analytics team. He consult with a variety of audit clients and advising engagement teams across the country regarding their use of analytics within their audit teams.
Stoner visits accounting classes each year to share his experiences and provide real-world context to our MPA students. He is a fantastic resource, given his significant industry experience in analytics, and we are grateful that he chose to overcome the current circumstances and still invest his time to impact our students virtually!
our faculty share their expertise
Dr. Greg Bradley will be leading a Summer Workshop for the USM Center for Faculty Development entitled "Creating Collaborative Projects in Canvas" via Zoom on June 30, 2020 and August 11, 2020.
Dr. Marvin Bouillon was featured by the Mississippi Business Journal in an article about how the pandemic is affecting accounting graduates.
Mike Morgan conducted a webinar to over 100 participants entitled "Raising Capital in a Pandemic" for Innovate Mississippi. Mike's webinar was geared towards helping start-up CEOs raise capital during this difficult time. Additionally, Morgan gave valuable expert feedback for an WalletHub.com article on credit cards.