Taking Flight – February 2014 Edition
A Word from Dean Amason
I was at an event recently where someone said to me, “Georgia Southern really is a well-kept secret.” Now, this was intended as a compliment. Our degrees are respected, and our alumni network is expanding in size and influence. So the value of a Georgia Southern degree is clear. What bothered me, though, was that he called it a secret.
You see, it’s not enough just to be good. We must also share that value for the benefit of others. We should be spreading the good news about our quality, our work ethic, and the opportunity we provide. We should invite the world to look at our College of Business and to evaluate our programs, faculty, and graduates. I am confident they will recognize the value and see the potential.
So, are we a well-kept secret? Perhaps, but let it not continue to be so. The College of Business at Georgia Southern is a great place, and we will be even greater. We owe it to the marketplace to make that value known.
Julian Deal Elected Georgia State Board of Accountancy Chairman
Julian I. Deal, CPA, Statesboro, was recently elected chair of the Georgia Board of Accountancy, the State’s seven member board responsible, since 1908, for licensing certified public accountants and public accounting firms in Georgia. He has served as a member of the board since 2011, when he was appointed by Governor Nathan Deal.
Julian received his bachelor degree in business from Georgia Southern and was admitted to Georgia certified public accounting practice in 1966. His wife, Frances Smith Deal, is a Georgia Southern accounting graduate and has been a certified public accountant since 1967.
Deal has long been a leader in the accounting profession in Georgia. He is a member and past president of the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants and past recipient of its state-wide Public Service and prestigious Meritorious Service awards. He has also been a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accounts since 1966.
Julian is a recipient of Georgia Southern’s Outstanding Alumnus of the Year award and has been inducted into the College of Business Administration’s Hall of Fame. He was recognized as Business Leader of the Year by the Statesboro-Bulloch Chamber of Commerce, Alumnus of the Year by Beta Alpha Psi, Zeta Delta Chapter, and Chapter Honoree by Beta Gamma Sigma, the honor society sponsored by AACSB.
Deal serves on the board of directors of the Georgia Southern University Athletic Foundation and has held numerous positions since the 1980’s including search, finance, nominating, investment, and executive committees, along with chair and vice-chair offices. He is past chair of the COBA Business Advisory Council, past president of the Georgia Southern University Foundation, and past chair of the Ogeechee Technical College Foundation.
Julian serves on the boards of directors of the Bethany Foundation, Bethany Home, and Bethany Assisted Living, all charitable affiliations sponsored by the Primitive Baptist denomination. Julian and Frances are members of the Statesboro Primitive Baptist Church. They have two children, Barry and Becky, both Georgia Southern accounting graduates residing in Savannah.
Alumni Spotlight: Cole Swindell
In country music news, Cole Swindell, a 2007 Marketing graduate, dropped his self-titled debut album on February 28. It hit #1 on iTunes. Follow Cole on Twitter @coleswindell.
He performed live on February 28 on the CBS late night talk show, Late Show with David Letterman.
Congratulations to this Georgia Southern University alumnus and Terrell County native.
3 Day Startup
I want to thank everyone who supported our first ever 3 Day Start-up Event at Georgia Southern, February 14-16. It was an intense three-days. The 40 students selected to participate came from all but one College on campus and ranged from freshman to doctorate, in-person and online. These students started on Friday afternoon with a brainstorming session, and, by Sunday evening, they had developed viable businesses, created websites, conducted market research, established financial projections, recorded instructional videos, and developed working prototypes. The six developed companies were
Go Local– A mobile application that connects users to local events and venues based upon their preset preference settings
Our Shelf– A subscription-based e-book rental service for students that could reduce the cost of textbooks by as much as 80 percent and provide students with lifetime access to the text and course notes.
Sweater Weather– A fashion related mobile application that uses metatags, geolocation, and social media to help a user put together outfits based upon weather, what they have in their closet, colors, style, what is trending, etc.
Mac and Chaz– A food truck for college students that has already garnered the interest of potential parking locations and customers with its unique style and service
Cre8tiv– Uses micro-transactions and an open source platform to enable users to develop a fully customizable website for as little as $1
CustoMaze– A new game that enables one player to construct a maze and another player to navigate the maze through the use of camera-fitted robot controlled by their Whose mobile device? The two players’, in which case it should be mobile devices or the company’s in which case it should be its. mobile device
To see the students come together, sacrifice sleep, and dedicate their energies to creating these businesses was truly inspiring.
This is just the beginning for these budding entrepreneurs, as all have approached us about working through our incubator to help bring their ideas to reality, and in helping to be a part of this soon to be annual tradition.
Also, after hearing the pitches, our panelists were asked to select one business to participate in this year’s Creative Coast Fast Pitch Competition. After a lengthy deliberation, I am happy to inform you that our panelists selected Go Local to represent the group. This year’s Fast Pitch should be exciting. The event will be held at the Coastal Georgia Center in Savannah on March 7 from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm.
Thanks again to our Selection Committee for assembling such a great group of students, our Mentors for their amazing and tireless assistance throughout the 3-Days, our panelists for their critique and inspiration, our sponsors for the financial support, and to my team for all your hard work in helping to make this happen.
With continued dedication and support, we will continue to build an ecosystem and culture in which innovation is rewarded, entrepreneurship is celebrated, and jobs are created.
As always, thanks for all your help and support,
Dominique
P.S. Please make plans to join us on April 9 for our inaugural Entrepreneurship Lecture Series as we host Hannah Davis, founder and CEO of BANGS Shoes, as she shares her inspirational story of developing a business with a social purpose. More details to follow.
Georgia Southern Day at the Capitol
A group of faculty, students, and administrators visited the Capitol on the morning of February 6th. Our purpose was to thank the legislature, the Governor, and the staff for their support of Georgia Southern. It was also an opportunity to showcase some of our programs, students, and research. The College of Business was represented by Dean Amason (seen here with Gus) and by Ms. Pam Jones, from our Development Office.
Last updated: 4/7/2021
