Taking Flight – September 2014 Edition
Message from the Dean
Recently, I had the pleasure of attending our football game against Georgia Tech. You likely saw it, even if you weren’t there. Yes, it was a tough loss, but it was also a great showing by the Eagles and an important step on the journey. The College of Business also took a big step that day; we hosted a tailgate attended by nearly 500 of our alumni, faculty, and friends.
Why was a tailgate a key step in the journey of our college? Well, for several reasons. It was an opportunity for hundreds of people to reconnect with the College. We have more than 20,000 alumni, and we need to engage them all. It allowed us to advertise our brand, to hang our banners, to distribute some swag, and to promote our name. Mostly though, it was a way for us to foster connections among our alumni and supporters. And that is big. As I have said before, we must support one another, invest in one another, do business with one another, even hire one another. But to do that we must first get to know one another. That’s why we sponsor tailgates. That’s why we invest in events like our Eagle Executive Exchanges. And, that’s why I was so proud to be an Eagle on this particular Saturday.
Paint the Town Blue
The University, Athletics, and the City of Statesboro teamed up the first week in September to celebrate all things Georgia Southern and True Blue. The week kicked off with a balloon launch at Julia P. Bryant Elementary School, followed by an on-campus Block Party in front of the University Store on Wednesday, September 3. A city-wide tailgate was held Thursday, with downtown Statesboro businesses decorating their store fronts in support of Georgia Southern University and being True Blue.
Alumni Spotlight – Franklin Dismuke
John Franklin Dismuke is co-founder and owner of Eagle Creek Brewing Company located in downtown Statesboro. A 1992 graduate of the College of Business Administration at Georgia Southern University, Franklin began his career at HBOC/McKesson in Atlanta. He then returned to Statesboro for three years working at Bulloch Memorial Hospital, upgrading its hospital computer system. During this time, Franklin began working on an MBA in the Georgia Southern University College of Business.
Shortly before completing his MBA, Franklin founded VersaHealth, LLC, a hospital information systems consulting company, which employs consultants in mid-to-long-term engagements in major medical centers throughout the United States. After living and working in many major U.S. Cities, Franklin returned to Bulloch County and Statesboro in 2004.
In 2012, he and Daniel Long co-founded Eagle Creek Brewing Company, Statesboro’s First Micro-Brewery. Eagle Creek Brewing Company sold its first beer on July 23, 2013. Since then, Eagle Creek has expanded its beer distribution to nearly cover the entire State of Georgia, with the most recent expansion on August 11, 2014, into North Georgia and the Atlanta Metro Area. Further expansion in 2014 will include both Macon and LaGrange. The expansion and marketing of Eagle Creek Brewing Company is headed up by current Georgia Southern student John (JJ) Mercurio, who will graduate in Spring 2015 with a minor in marketing. Eagle Creek strives to employ Georgia Southern students in part-time positions as well as alumni in full-time positions.
Although Franklin still works for a major medical center just north of New York, New York, he maintains his involvement in Eagle Creek Brewing Company.
College of Business Tailgates
During the month of September, the College of Business hosted three football tailgates, two at home and one on the road at Georgia Tech. The first football tailgate was held during the home opener against Savannah State, where the Eagles football team routed the Savannah State Tigers, 83-9. The College of Business tailgate featured an air-conditioned tent and catering by Subway. The next College of Business tailgate will be Thursday, September 25, two hours prior to the Georgia Southern vs App State kick-off. If you can’t join us, be sure to catch the game on ESPNU.
Georgia Southern vs App State Tailgate Flyer
School of Accountancy Hosts 2014 Meet the Firms
The School of Accountancy hosted the 2014 Meet the Firms (MTF) career fair on Wednesday, September 10, 2014. This was an important opportunity for accounting students to meet potential future employers. Each year, this event kicks off the fall recruiting season which seems to get a little earlier each year as accounting firms and employers want to find the best and brightest students and recruit them into their organizations.
MTF was founded by previous Department Chair and current School of Accountancy Director of Internships & Experiential Learning, Dr. Lowell Mooney. Since the early days, MTF has grown to include more than twenty accounting firms, corporations, and government agencies annually. The School has, on average, 30 firms that interview accounting students on campus. This year, 29 organizations joined MTF in the Nessmith-Lane Building on the Georgia Southern campus. More than 140 undergraduate and graduate students introduced themselves and discussed opportunities that exist with the firms in attendance.
The majority of firms attending the event begin their campus recruiting efforts and promote themselves to students, describing their current internship or full-time employment opportunities. These openings are posted on Eagle CareerNet, the Career Services online system. Accounting students are required to participate in various professional development sessions in preparation for attending MTF. The sessions covered résumé preparation, professional etiquette, and dress. The students must also have a completed profile set up in Eagle CareerNet. All accounting majors, from rising sophomores to graduate students, are encouraged to register and attend the event. Many recruiters attend MTF who do not necessarily have immediate recruiting needs but wish to maintain their visibility with the student body and alert students to future opportunities within their organizations. The School of Accountancy also assisted organizations who could not attend in person by setting up posters and distributing recruitment flyers for them.
While the event officially began at 5:00 pm for students, faculty and administrators welcomed and networked with the recruiters from 4:00—5:00 pm. Director Tim Pearson offered a word of welcome and thanks, followed by Phil Moore of PKM, the chair of the Accounting Advisory Council, extending a welcome to everyone in attendance. Mr. Moore also took the opportunity to present the School with a $4,000 check from his firm as a donation to support the School of Accountancy’s nationally-recognized Fraud & Forensic Accounting programs.
More than 20 faculty, staff, and administrators attended the welcome event including Dean Allen C. Amason, who networked and personally greeted each firm representative. Career Services staff and Janice Brown worked with the students in the Beta Alpha Psi Honor Society to assist firms with on-site registration and set-up.
Many of the firms who participated in MTF are members of Beta Alpha Psi’s Leaders of Tomorrow program, which provides time and resources to support the honor society. Many of the recruiters serve on the Accounting Advisory Council and also volunteer to speak to classes about technical topics, accounting careers, and professional practice matters.
Georgia Southern University College of Business to Host Eagle Executive Exchange Events
This fall, the College of Business Administration at Georgia Southern University will begin hosting new events, called Eagle Executive Exchanges, around the state for its College of Business alumni. The first Eagle Executive Exchange, sponsored by Ron Washburn of Ameriprise, was held in Statesboro on Thursday, September 18 from 5:30–7:30 pm at the Georgia Southern Golf Course.
“Connecting the Eagle Executive Network” is the goal of the exchanges. These networking events provide an opportunity for Georgia Southern University College of Business alumni to get together to exchange business cards, ideas, and stories about their days at Georgia Southern. Invitations will be mailed for each event. Additional Eagle Executive Exchanges will be held in the following cities from 5:30–7:30 pm:
Atlanta, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014, Maggiano’s at The Perimeter Mall, sponsored by Bank of North Georgia
Augusta, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2015, TBD
Savannah, Thursday, Mar. 12, 2015, TBD
Macon, Thursday, June 4, 2015, TBD
“Over the years, there will be many Eagle Executive Exchange events. But this one was the first; so it was especially significant,” said Allen C. Amason, dean of the College of Business. “Given that, I appreciate all those who attended and all those who worked to pull it off. We are certainly off to a strong start.”
TAG – Town Hall Meeting in Savannah
On Friday, September 19, the College of Business sponsored the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) Town Hall meeting in Savannah at the Coastal Georgia Center. The speakers for the town hall meeting were Mr. Tino Mantella, president and CEO of TAG and State Representative Ron Stephens of the 164th district. During the meeting, the following topics were discussed: strengthening computer science education in K-12, film post-production tax credit, Invest Georgia, data centers’ energy usage and a sales tax exemption, autonomous vehicles in Georgia, unmanned aircraft systems and drones, cybersecurity investment incentive tax credit, and small business innovation research (SBIR).
TAG’s mission is to educate, promote, influence, and unite Georgia’s technology community to foster an innovative and connected marketplace that stimulates and enhances Georgia’s tech-based economy. TAG supports the economic development efforts throughout the state by partnering with city, regional, and state chambers of commerce and other growth-oriented organizations to promote the great companies and people that comprise the technology community. Its ultimate goal is to make Georgia a top five state for technology by 2015 (www.tagonline.org/about/).
A Day for Southern: Another Record Breaking Year
Georgia Southern University’s 41st annual A Day for Southern fundraising campaign raised $2,221,424, breaking last year’s record of $2.1 million. This marks the second straight year the campaign has raised more than $2 million.
Statesboro and Bulloch County businesses, along with Georgia Southern faculty, staff, students, retirees, and alumni donated to the campaign as a way to show their support for the University. The gifts received support University programs not funded through state dollars, allow students to achieve academic excellence, and support outreach centers such as the Center for Wildlife Education, the Georgia Southern Museum, the Garden of the Coastal Plain, and state-of-the-art facilities and programs that attract and support research and scholarships.
Barbara Christmas Golden, former principal and chief executive officer of the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE), served as the campaign’s community chair; Christopher Pugh, assistant director of the Multicultural Student Center, served as the staff co-chair; and Chris Caplinger, director of First-Year Experience, served as the faculty co-chair. More than 100 volunteers assisted with the campaign.
A Day for Southern began more than four decades ago and recorded $67,000 in its first year.
College of Business Among Newsweek 12 Top Business Schools 2014
The Georgia Southern University College of Business Administration was recently named among Newsweek’s 12 Top Business Schools of 2014. The recognition comes on the heels of the College being named as one of the nation’s Top 30 Best Online MBA Programs by BestColleges.com
“We’re excited about the recognition. It reflects the dedication and hard work of our faculty and staff, the increasing quality of our students, and the impact of our alumni,” said Allen C. Amason, dean of the College of Business Administration. “As a College, we believe our stock is rising, and this recognition reinforces that belief.”
The College of Business Administration provides a student-centered, learning community that imparts, applies, and extends the current boundaries of knowledge about today’s dynamic global business environment. The curriculum reflects the concern for academic excellence and student success. Faculty, staff, students, and alumni are known for using their diverse strengths to advance the College’s core values: excellence, integrity, accountability, respect, and an appreciation for sustainability.
Other colleges of business recognized by Newsweek were the UCLA Anderson School of Management, the Rady School of Management at UC San Diego, the Carlson School of Management–University of Minnesota, and the SMU Cox School of Business.
Get Social with the College of Business
In the College of Business, we love interacting with our Eagle Executive family through social media. Social media sites, such as Facebook (facebook.com/gasouthernbusiness), Twitter (@AllenAmason), Google+ (Georgia Southern University College of Business), and LinkedIn (Georgia Southern University- College of Business Administration), allow us to give our alumni, parents, students, potential students, and many others an inside look at our great College of Business and all we have to offer. Be sure to like, follow, and connect with us!
Last updated: 4/9/2021
