Three School of Business seniors are planning a rally to clean up violence. That’s why they selected the name “SOAP” for the first non-violence rally for Richmond area elementary and middle school children scheduled from Noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 23 on the VCU Student Commons Plaza, Monroe Park Campus. more>>>

DR. SEERS RECEIVES GRANT TO STUDY RECRUITMENT

Dr. Anson Seers, professor of Management, has received a grant for $29,440 from the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC) to analyze data from its 2002, 2003 and 2004 annual Corporate Recruiters Survey in relation to his research that business schools in general and MBA programs in particular, increasingly need to differentiate themselves with respect to educational quality and value. GMAC is the organization that administers the GMAT examinations.

Dr. Anson Seers, professor of Management, is introduced to Dr. Dan Brass, University of Kentucky, by Dr. Larry Williams, director of CARMA. On March 24 Dr. Brass presented the CARMA lecture and webcast from the VCU School of Business on “Issues in Social Network Analysis.” He is the J. Henning Hillard Professor of Innovation Management in the Gatton College of Business and Economics at University of Kentucky.

SCHOLAR-IN-RESIDENCE DRAWS CROSS-DISCIPLINE AUDIENCE

Dr. M. Lynne Markus, John W. Poduska, Sr. Chair of Information Management, Bentley College, Waltham, Massachusetts, was the 2006 Charles G. Thalhimer Family Scholar-in-Residence on March 28 and 29. Her 9:30 a.m. presentation on March 28 draw 130 attendees. She also spoke to the School of Business Business Council and to two graduate classes during her stay on the campus.

Dr. Markus’ presentations centered on her current research topic “interorganizational technology,” which she described as having tremendous potential in business-to-business environments.

Dr. Allen Lee, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research, introduced Dr. Lynne Markus, the 2006 Charles Thalhimer Family Scholar-in-Residence, as his mentor.	More than 130 students came to hear Dr. Markus discuss “interorganizational business techniques and approaches."

SUMMER RESEARCH GRANT RECIPIENTS NAMED

There were 22 applications made for the 2006 Summer Research Grants: 15 of the applicants were awarded grants. There were eight reviewers: Drs. Peter Aiken, David Downs, Anson Seers, Leslie Stratton, David Urban, Jayaraman “VJ” Vijayakumar, Margaret Williams, and Heiko Wijnholds. The winners were: more>>>

STUDENTS LEARN "HOW TO SUCCEED AS A CONSULTANT"

“Consulting is a wonderful career, but it is not for everyone,” Al Kagan, partner with Deloitte Consulting LLP, told students at a March 30 luncheon seminar sponsored by the School of Business Alumni Board in partnership with Deloitte. Kagan and recent college graduate Niki Brake, Deloitte system analyst, briefed more than 50 VCU business students on the role of consultants, types of consulting projects, qualifications needed, and a consultant’s typical travel schedule. “I enjoyed speaking with the students and learning some of the questions they have about our industry,” said Brake. Thank you to Alumni Board member Marty Wilson, ’87, Manager - Helix Testing, Capital One, for organizing the luncheon.

Al Kagan, partner, Deloitte Consulting, Niki Brake, system analyst, Deloitte Consulting, and Marty Wilson '87, Manager - Helix Testing, Capital One, give smiles of satisfaction following the well-attended event.	More than 50 graduate and undergraduate students attended the March 30 luncheon seminar sponsored by the Alumni Board.

Ph.D. STUDENTS WIN SEDSI AWARDS

At the Southeast Decision Sciences Institute (SEDSI) annual meeting in Wilmington, NC, several former and current School of Business Ph.D. students won awards.

Elizabeth White and Santa Susarapu, current students in our Ph.D. program, won third place award in the student paper competition with their paper entitled, "Responding to New Challenges and Emergencies: A Blueprint for the Next Generation US Electric Grid."

Alfred Charles Greenfield, Jr., Wendy W. Achilles and Robert W. Russ, alumni of our Ph.D. program, received one of the three outstanding paper awards presented at the conference for their paper entitled, “Ethical Measurements in Accounting Research: Why the Ethical Position Questionnaire is Better Suited Than the Defining Issues Test.” Dr. Greenfield is currently at the University Texas of the Permian Basin, Dr. Achiles is currently at East Carolina University and Dr. Russ is currently at Northern Kentucky University.

Ph.D. candidates Elizabeth White, left, and Santa Susarapu won third place in the SEDSI student paper competition.

DR. PITTS ON LECTURE TOUR

Dr. Michael W. Pitts, associate professor of Management, was in Dublin, Ireland, the week of March 20, where he presented three invited lectures on Global Outsourcing to students at Griffith College, Dublin City University and the Dublin Institute of Technology. In total, he was invited to speak to about 150 undergraduate students and faculty.

CFP CERTIFICATES EARNED BY NINE

Nine businesspeople enrolled in the Certified Financial Planners® (CFP) program sponsored by the Center for Corporate Education have graduated. They are:

Charles B. Pasto, Met Life Financial Services; Martha Orr, Heritage Wealth Advisors; Eric Foster Nost, C&F Investment Services; Brian K. Noonan, Zurich North American; Charles T. Hill, Jr., Heritage Wealth Advisors; Keith R. Dull, Scott & Stringfellow; Eric R. Collins, SunTrust Bank. and Nancy A. Canoles, Wachovia. The Financial Planning Certificate Program is licensed by the Certified Financial Planner® Board of Standards. Satisfactory completion of this program enables participants to meet the educational requirement of the CFP® Board to apply for the CFP® licensing examination.

Classes will resume in the fall. For further information visit the Center for Corporate Education http://www.bus.vcu.edu/cce/CFP.htm

MBA STUDENT HIREM KOTAK RECEIVES BEST PAPER

Congratulations to MBA student, Hiren H. Kotak, for receiving "Best Paper of a Track Chair" from American Society of Business and Behavioral Sciences, for his finance research paper titled "Effects of Announcing Early Adoption of Expensing Employee Stock Options on Stock Performance."  The paper was co-authored with Dr. Frank Bacon of Longwood University. more>>>

FIRST INSURANCE CONFERENCE DRAWS 150

An audience of financial, insurance, law enforcement and legal professionals and students attended the School of Business Risk Management Center’s (RISC) first Fraud seminar on March 16. Richmond Times Dispatch reporter, Iris Taylor reported the event in the Sunday edition, stressing many of the points made by such speakers as Tom Snead, ’76, retired chairman and CEO of WellPoint, Inc., Howard Goldblatt, director of government affairs for the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud in Washington, Capt. Robert Tavenner of the Virginia State Police insurance-fraud unit and Lt. Governor William Bolling. The seminar was coordinated by Debbi Little, a VCU insurance studies graduate and RISC’s director.

“Fraud is one of the biggest problems in insurance,” warned Snead. “Fraud costs us billions of dollars each year and everybody pays.”

Taylor listed several tips made by the speakers: Educate consumers and professionals about the magnitude and intricacies of insurance fraud. Change the mind-set of the public. Eliminate the gray areas. Protect your insurance information.

The Fraud seminar is one of several insurance-related educational programs to be presented this year. Coming up April 21 to 23 is the 2006 Risk Theory Society Annual Seminar to be held in the Temple Building, Virginia Commonwealth University. Further information about the program can be found at http://www.bus.vcu.edu/Insurance/index.html

	Dr. Etti Baranoff, associate professor of Insurance and Risk Management and a speaker at the conference, talks with insurance students.
Virginia’s Lt. Governor William Bolling is welcomed to the School of Business Conference on Insurance Fraud by Drs. E.G. Miller, Senior Associate Dean, Michael Sesnowitz, Dean and Kenneth Blaisdell, Executive Director of the School of Business Foundation. Bolling, who worked in the insurance industry prior to election, was the luncheon speaker.