Dr. David H. Downs, Alfred L. Blake Chair, Professor of Real Estate in the Finance, Insurance and Real Estate Department, has been appointed by the co-editors of Real Estate Economics to its Editorial Board. Real Estate Economics is published by the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association and is considered the premier journal for real estate related topics. Dr. Downs was selected "due to his place among the world's best Real Estate scholars and his previous service to the publication and to the Association". Among his duties on the Board, he will be reviewing research manuscripts submitted for consideration and working with the authors to prepare their contributions for publication. Published since 1973, the purpose of the journal is to facilitate communication among academic researchers and industry professionals and to improve the analysis of real estate decisions.

MAUREEN CARLEY & IS DEPARTMENT TECH AWARDS FINALISTS

Maureen Carley and the School of Business Information Systems Department were selected as one of the five 2005 finalists in the Technology SkillBuilder category by the Greater Richmond Technology Council. Glenn A. Davis ‘86, President/CEO, BranCore Technologies, LLC was a finalist in the Leadership Award category.

DR. WALTER GRIGGS A STONEWALL EXPERT

Dr. Walter Griggs, Associate Dean Undergraduate Studies Program, was the keynote speaker at the Civil War Weekend May 6-7 at Wintergreen. His topic was “the life and times of Stonewall Jackson.” Dr. Griggs is a Civil War historian and speaks frequently on historical personalities.

SIX SIGMA RESUMES MAY 23

Lee Campe, ’93, Six Sigma Black Belt, will return to Richmond May 23-27 to lead the Six Sigma training for Module II Black Belt will be sponsored by the School of Business Center for Corporate Education. Lee is an experienced Six Sigma instructor, and has extensive experience in transactional environments including sales, human resources, marketing, finance and information management. Campe has worked with such companies as Home Depot. Lee was the Vice President and Master Black Belt for JP Morgan Chase in New York. For information contact Center for Corporate Education at (804) 828-3165 or email corp-ed@vcu.edu.

Lee Campe, ’93, standing, instructs in Green Belt training at the first Six Sigma session sponsored by the Center for Corporate Education April 18-22. Students are Marcie Rado, left, Edward Flynn, right.	Six Sigma students working on a problem.

Six Sigma student Dean Warner reaches a conclusion during the first Six Sigma session.

MCQUAID NAMED DIRECTOR

Jana McQuaid MBA’02, has been named Director, Student Services, Graduate Studies in Business. Prior to joining VCU, Mrs. McQuaid served as Regional Corporate Liaison for Strayer University where she was responsible for recruiting students, establishing relationships between Strayer and corporations and developing articulation agreements with other educational institutions.

ALUMNI BOARD SPONSORS CAREER SEMINAR & NETWORKING RECEPTION

“Converting an Internship into a Job Offer” was presented on April 12 by Aditya Mehta
’ 05 who last year interned with Genworth Financial, and will join that company fulltime in May in its Leadership Development Program. Aditya offered a variety of tips on how to succeed as an intern. He urged future interns “to begin by building a rapport with a new supervisor and show a willingness to learn beyond your position. Take on new responsibilities, or work on new projects. Look upon an internship as a fulltime job,” said Aditya. He also recommended that interns “learn how to self-assess your strengths and weaknesses and acquire the knowledge needed to analyze your role in the corporate culture.”

On April 18 the Business/Student Networking Reception drew nearly 30 company representatives and alumni to talk with students. Alumni sponsors were Cathy Redford ’80, Technology Leasing Concepts, Martha Redstron-Plourd ’77, ’79 of Springboard and David J. Stirrup ’99, Bankers Life and Casualty Company. The event sponsor was Apex Systems, Inc.

In April the Alumni Board sponsored a career seminar about succeeding in internships. Aditya Menhta BS’05, left, described how his internship with Genworth Financial developed into a fulltime position. Alumni Board member Rajiv Pant, MBA’02, center, Capital One, introduced Aditya. After the presentation prospective interns talked further with Aditya and Rajiv.

DR. GEORGE DAY BRINGS EXPERTISE TO CAMPUS

Professor George Day, Geoffrey T. Boisi, Professor of Marketing and Co-Director of Mack Center for Technological Innovation at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, was named the 2005 Charles G. Thalhimer Family Scholar-in-Residence, and visited on campus Thursday and Friday, April 7 and 8. In a series of presentations he met with undergraduate students, MBA and Fast Track Executive MBA students, faculty and Ph.D. students. Dr. Day spoke to the School of Business Council breakfast and to the School of business alumni Board. On Friday morning he met with Dr. Frank Franzak, Chair of the Department of Marketing & Business Law and a group of chief marketing officers from local businesses. Dr. Day’s presentation to each group followed the theme of “What Does It Mean to be Market Driven?” and was based on research he has been conducting with several prominent businesses in the U.S. and United Kingdom.

The Charles G. Thalhimer Family Scholar-in-Residence program was established in 1984 to provide VCU School of Business students and faculty access to outstanding scholars. The program provides significant opportunities for the exchange of ideas and intellectual growth.

On May 7 over 200 students, faculty and community business leaders,attended the seminar delivered by Dr. George Day, Thalhimer Family Scholar-in-Residence, on “What is a Market Driven Firm?” in the Student Commons.	Dr. George Day, Thalhimer Scholar-in-Residence, talked with members of the Business Council at a breakfast meeting May 7. Among member guests were Michael J. Morecroft, President and CEO of Hamilton Beach Proctor-Silex.

GAMMA IOTA SIGMA PRESENTS INSURANCE INDUSTRY INFO

“Introducing the various aspects of the insurance industry” was the topic presented to VCU chapter of Gamma Iota Sigma by Desi Wyatt, Vice President, Sales Solutions-Bank Operations, Genworth Financial. This is a new operational division with Genworth Financial, formerly GE Financial. Wyatt is a 2000 Fast Track Executive MBA graduate. He also presented a recruiting film about Genworth’s recruiting process for Spring 2006. Gamma Iota Sigma is a national fraternity organized to promote and encourage interest in insurance, risk management, financial planning, employee benefits, safety and other related professions.

Desi Wyatt EMBA ’02 welcomes Eric Cosley, a junior to the meeting.

STOCK MARKET AWARDS GIVEN FOR FALL AND SPRING

The VCU Center for Economic Education announced the regional Stock Market Game winners for fall 2004 and spring 2005 at a May 3 reception in the Student Commons. This year 970 teams in the greater Richmond area participated representing 3600 students. This was the largest participation ever, primarily because entry fees for schools were paid by the American Express Financial Services. The awards program was moderated by Suzanne Gallagher, director of the VCU Center for Economic Education. The Stock Market Game is a national program sponsored in Virginia by the Virginia Council on Economic Education.

Although it was a tough year for the stock market, students prevailed by purchasing a variety of stocks, many for non-traditional reasons. The most frequently purchased stocks were Google, CarMax, Krispy Kreme, Circuit City and Dollar Tree. Off beat stocks were Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, KWK Quick Silver (sunglasses) and Boom dynamite. Several teams used a strategy of looking around the classrooms and selecting brands of furniture or accessories in use there. Business reporter, Randy Cox, with WWBT-12 NBC, had visited several classrooms and suggested that “students invest in stocks we know.” Another team followed whatever stocks were doing well at their 10 a.m. morning break time.

DR. MCDANIEL LEAVES A PAPER TRAIL ACROSS CONTINENTS

Dr. Michael A. McDaniel, professor of Management, has had research papers accepted at three international conferences. In Amsterdam, The Netherlands, he will present at the Personnel and Human Resources Research Group (PHHRG) meeting.

In Istanbul, Turkey, he will present at the European Work and Organizational Psychology (EWOP) conference from May 12 to May 15th. In Korea he will present a two-day training course on “Meta-analysis” at the Korean Industrial and Organizational Psychology conference. Dr. McDaniel has received awards for his previous research from the Academy of Management, The International Personnel Management Association and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

OUTSTANDING DISSERTATION AWARD TO DR. HODGDON

Dr. Christopher Hodgdon, VCU accounting Ph.D. student, has received the International Accounting Sections Outstanding Dissertation Award in International Accounting. Dr. Hodgdon’s dissertation is titled “Empirical Examination of the Effect of Firm Compliance with the Disclosure Requirements of International Accounting Standards on the Characteristics of Analysts Earnings Forecasts.” Dissertations submitted for this award are judged on methodological rigor and the contributions they make to the field of international accounting. The following VCU School of Business faculty served on Dr. Hodgdon’s Dissertation Committee: Drs. Ross Tondkar chair, Edward Coffman, David Harless, Roxanne Spindle, and Jayaramann Vijayakumar, and Dr. Ajay Adhikari of the American University.

This award in International Accounting is a worldwide award, and past recipients have come from universities in the United States, Australia, Canada and Sweden. Virginia Commonwealth University is the only university that has received the award three times since its inception in 1984. All three dissertations were chaired by Dr. Tondkar. The past recipients of this award from VCU are 1991 Dr. Ajay Adhikari MBA ‘86, now associate professor, American University, and in 1995, Dr. Mary A. Flanigan PhD. ’94, associate professor at Longwood University.

The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., Denver, Colorado, has renewed registration of the curriculum for the Financial Planning Certificate program as offered by VCU School of Business Corporate Education Center. This registration period is for five years ending May 31, 2010. Registration is contingent upon compliance with annual renewals and continued compliance with requirements for CFP Board registration. VCU offers the CFP program in Richmond and in northern Virginia. For further information about the CFP program, contact Jan Allen, Center for Corporate Education at 804-828-3165.

Spring on the Campus

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