Sam Kornblau

Virginia Commonwealth University announced a $2.5 million gift from Richmond businessman Sam Kornblau to establish a real estate institute in the VCU School of Business.

The announcement was made at the annual Trends Real Estate Conference in the Richmond Convention Center. The institute will focus on research broadly related to commercial and residential real estate. These issues often benefit from an interdisciplinary approach and include such concerns as land use, housing and commerical development - the social, cultural and economic sides of the real estate business.

Read more about this gift at http://www.news.vcu.edu/news.aspx?v=detail&nid=1756

About 800 real estate professionals from various industry sectors such as law, finance, construction, development, brokerage and appraisal attended the conference. It has been cited as the largest such real estate conference on the southeastern coast. Featured speakers" were Frank E. Nothaft Ph.D., Chief Economist, Freddie Mac, and Marie T. Sicola, Senior Managing Director, Cushman & Wakefield. Their comments are available at http://www.realestate.vcu.edu.

Amber Westbrook  demonstrates the Kurzweil machine for Dr. E.G. Miller, Senior Associate Dean of the School of Business.

CAREER CENTER DEMONSTRATES NEW BUSINESS TOOLS
 
A September open house at the VCU University Career Center brought many business students in to seek help in learning how to interview, write resumes and fill out applications. “Some students learn more by audio than reading,” says Jennifer von Durckheim ’06, who also is the coordinator of the Interview Stream program at the Center. A Kurzweil machine has been added to aid the visually impaired or international students.  Students can listen to current news articles translated from Spanish, German, Italian and French in a number of different voices including tones reminiscent of  grandpa’s or mom’s voice.

Tuyen Nguyen, one of the Center’s six Ambassadors, demonstrates the Interview Stream.  Center Ambassadors also take demo equipment and information about the Career Center to residence halls.

An “Interview Stream” machine has been added for students to practice interviewing techniques. The television screen is really a web cam so they can email their interview to an instructor or friend to evaluate. It is not used to transmit business interviews, but to practice and evaluate student progress. Students or faculty may schedule an appointment with the Career Center.  The “Dragon” is another new piece of equipment with a software program for voice recognition. This is an assistance tool for writing cover letters and personal documents.   

To encourage students to purchase racing memorabilia,  Dr. Michael Pitts, professor of Management,  handed out an incentive to students such as Hersch Bhatia, right, who are taking the honors NASCAR Management class.  Richmond Times-Dispatch sports writer Ralph Paulk, center,  spoke to the class on the part sports reporting plays in the popularity of auto racing.

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS PROFESSORS GAIN MEDIA ATTENTION 

The School of Business has attracted media attention this summer by offering several unique and creative classes. In July the Executive MBA class of 2008 made its annual orientation trip to re-enact the Battle of Chancellorsville as part of its teambuilding and leadership training. Freelance Star reporter Cindy Jett tagged along and reported how the training helped students understand why strategies are needed in business when situations change. The University News Service picked up on the story and wrote it for VCU’s website. Soon the story will be told again in Doctor’s Digest, from a physician’s point of view. 

The roar of engines can almost be heard in the hallways when Drs. Jon Ackley and Michael Pitts teach “From Dirt Tracks to Madison Avenue.” Their honors management class on the business of NASCAR. has brought them “fifteen minutes plus” in media stories,  a National Public Radio interview in Charlottesville, and over 30 interviews in such publications as Racing Times, Richmond Times Dispatch, and Miami Herald.

The troubles of Ford Motor Company and the closing of its Norfolk plant has kept Dr. George Hoffer busy discussing the economics of the automotive industry on Norfolk National Public Radio, Virginian-Pilot, Southern California Lifestyle and Dallas News.

 U.S.A. Today sought out Dr. Gurpreet Dhillion for his views on security. His summer presentations on security at the India Institute also were reviewed in over 30 publications around the world. 

November 6 to 10
Six Sigma Certification for Black Belt
8 a.m. Room 1129, School of Business Building
1015 West Floyd Avenue, Richmond
For information visit our Center for Corporate Education website
http://www.bus.vcu.edu/cce/SixSigma.htm

FINANCE DEPARTMENT STRESSES DOLLARS & SENSE TO STUDENTS

The School of Business Finance, Insurance and Real Estate Department is joining forces with the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs to teach “Dollars & Sense,” a personal finance workshop series. Once a month through April, 2007, a facilitator from the Financial Planning Association will teach the class in the Student Commons. It is open to all students.

Upcoming dates and locations are October 18 in the  Forum Room; November 8 Richmond Salon IV; January 31 in the Forum Room; February 21 in the Richmond Salon II; March 21 in Richmond Salon I and April 18 in the Forum Room. All sessions are from 4 to 6 p.m.

“These workshops are designed to capture students’ attention as they learn how to incorporate each important concept into their own financial planning. Students will leave each session with a ready-to-implement financial plan, and the tools and knowledge they need to effectively manage their own personal finances,” says Beverly A. Walker, Assistant Director, and Office of Multicultural Student Affairs.  For more information call (804) 828-6672 or visit www.omsa.vcu.edu.

Dr. Dennis O’Toole represented the Consortium of Universities for International Studies and its professional programs in Italy.

STUDY BUSINESS ABROAD

“Around the world in 40 minutes” was one of the slogans used to promote the annual Students Study Abroad Fair on September 20.  Dr. Michael Pitts and Dr. Charles Byles, professors in the Management Department, manned the “Study in the Alps” booth, promoting a VCU exchange program that is offered in Austria during spring semester. “It’s at the FHS Kufstein University,” says Dr. Pitts. “Students study in Austria while paying VCU tuition.”  Applicant deadline is November 15. For further information contact Dr. Pitts at (804) 828-7107.

This year the exchange student to VCU from Austria is Florian Fink. He is the second exchange student from Kufstein, and has given several talks about the university.

Maureen Carley presents Tech Tuesday’s September speaker, Greg Provo, a VCU inscribed cup in appreciation for his support.  Provo is president/CEO of Strategy Café. “Information technology is helping people,  and about the organization  and delivery of appropriate information to help people make the most sound decisions possible in the moment they need to make them,” said Provo.

Tech Tuesday Coming Up

Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Room 1132, School of Business Building
Speaker to be Announced

Suzanne Gallagher

SUZANNE GALLAGHER RECEIVES BEEKHUIS AWARD

Suzanne Gallagher, Director of the Center for Economic Education, School of Business, has been selected for the 2006 Albert Beekhuis Award. Annually the Albert Beekhuis Foundation to the National Council on Economic Education (NCEE) recognizes an affiliated Center for outstanding performance in working with teachers and exhibiting excellence in practice, delivery of high quality programs and outreach to its community. She will receive the award and an honorarium at the NCEE/NAEE annual conference awards dinner in New York on October 12.

Caring for the Community. 

VCU has been recognized among the nation’s top 25 universities for cultivating its relationship with local communities. In a recent ranking compiled by Evan Dobelle, president/CEO of the New England Board of Higher Education, VCU ranked eighth among the top 25 universities recognized for their positive effects on neighboring communities. Since 1990 VCU has been a facilitator for academic programs such as the Carver-VCU Partnership and Service-Learning. In August 2006 the VCU Board of Visitors approved the expansion of the university’s Office of Community Programs’ infrastructure to establish the Division of Community Engagement. Its creation comes at a time when the national spotlight is shining on the roles universities play in the health of their cities.   

We beat the national average!

Eighty-seven percent of the students enrolled in the 2006 SHRM certification program passed the national exam. The national average is 80%. SHRM certification is issued by the Society for Human Resources Management, and taught by the VCU Business Center for Corporate Education www.bus.vcu.edu/cce

This year our Center for Corporate Education partnered with the Center for Fiduciary Studies to host two-day worship for investment fiduciaries. One hundred percent of the class of 19 students passed the Accredited Investment Fiduciary examination, and now qualify to use the designation AIF after their name. For future class information, email the Center for Corporate Education www.bus.vcu.edu/cce.

Two School of Business economic professors, Dr. George Hoffer and Dr. Michael Pratt have been named by Governor Timothy Kaine to the Governor’s Economic Advisory Board of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Dr. Hoffer previously served on the Board for former Governor Mark Warner. 

Cheers for Research.  The Summer Research Grant Program has met with enthusiastic success. Dr. Allen Lee, Associate  Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, reports that 23 separate grants have been awarded to School of Business faculty members for summer research projects. For two years there have been repeat researchers receiving grants. A total of 31 grants have been awarded since the program started.