The College of Business is very excited to announce the beginning of our online master’s programs!  The online MBA and online Master of Accountancy programs will be launched in the Fall of 2009.  The programs have been developed to attract professionals who have previously been unable to attend normal on-campus classes for their master’s degree.  These programs allow busy working professionals to earn an advanced degree and improve their marketability without interrupting their career.  The online MBA and online MAcc are 24 month cohort based programs, which includes 41 hours and 39 hours of course credit, respectively.   Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until July 31, 2009.   Please visit http://online.business.siuc.edu/cob for more information!  The SIUC Department of Marketing and the SIU Alumni Association teamed up once again to host the 4th Annual Saluki Expo and Bruch at the 2009 Missouri Valley Conference tournament.  The event is always held in conjunction with the MVC Men’s Basketball Tournament, in St. Louis, Missouri.  This year the Expo and Brunch was located in the newly renovated Archview Room at the Hilton at the Ballpark. Featured speakers included: SIUC Chancellor Sam Goldman, Director of Athletics Mario Moccia, Alumni Association Executive Director Michelle Suarez, and Chairman of the SIUC Department of Marketing, Terry Clark.  Clark commented, “There were certain things that scared me about holding the event—the recession, the possibility that the Salukis would not have a Saturday game.  But, you sure wouldn’t have known it.  The turnout was great, we needed our spillover room, and nearly every college on campus participated.  This event is turning into an MVC tradition.” Scholars from the Southern Illinois University Carbondale and The University of International Business & Economics, Beijing will expand their knowledge of global business practices under an agreement signed by SIUC officials on February 3, 2009. The agreement paves the way for undergraduates, graduate students and faculty from both universities to study and teach at both campuses. SIUC Chancellor Sam Goldman said the agreement promotes understanding and cooperation among tomorrow’s global business leaders.  "We are pleased to sign this agreement with our colleagues from the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE), as it will continue to promote understanding between our cultures and provide learning opportunities for students from both institutions,” Goldman said. “SIUC has a long commitment to international studies, and this agreement is more evidence of that." The College of Business, along with Dean Dennis J. Cradit welcomed members of the Dean’s External Advisory Board to campus on the weekend of April, 3.  Various EAB members arrived to formally meet with the Dean on Saturday, April, 4.  Additionally, the members attended various events such as the Dean’s Reception, held at the Dunn-Richmond Center, and the Henry J. Rehn Society dinner at Bogey’s in Makanda. The College of Business held its Honors Day on April, 5 to honor students and faculty on their great accomplishments throughout the academic year.  The event highlighted faculty who have achieved in their areas of research, as well as, those who have earned the respect of their students and peers.  Students were honored in two different ways; first, they were honored by each department based on their superior academic achievements.  Secondly, students were spotlighted for the scholarships they have earned to further their education.  The donors for these scholarships were in attendance for event as well.  The SIUC School of Accountancy held their annual Accounting Challenge at the student recreation center.  The event focused on testing students on various accounting problems.  Around 20 area high schools and community colleges brought students for the event, which featured individual work, as well as, various team centered events. MBA alumnus Victor Martin came to the College of Business as an Executive in Residence on Monday February 16.  Martin is an associate director at the Center for Comprehensive Services.  Martin has supported many clients regarding various aspects of fund raising. These areas include developing campaign plans, writing case statements and conducting leadership training sessions. Martin has worked with multiple organizations including the Lions Club International in Oak Brook, Illinois; the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois; and the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Missouri.  Martin earned his MBA in Marketing from the SIU College of Business in 2005 and was honored as the 2005 Outstanding MBA student. Current vice chair of Dean Dennis J. Cradit’s External Advisory Board and SIUC Alum of the College of Mass Communications and Fine Arts, J. Adaire Putnam moved up in rank at the Kellogg Company.  Putnam, who works for Kellogg in Battle Creek, MI, was named Director, Corporate Communications.  Putnam has been a member of the Dean’s EAB since 2004 and graduated from SIUC in 1981 with a degree in Public Relations.    Swedish student Emma Lundin is building on the knowledge she gained during her time at the College of Business.  Emma currently works in a Search Marketing trainee position with Ikanobanken, a multinational financial firm in Sweden.   West Frankfort native Jeff Rose is succeeding greatly after partnering with colleagues to open a financial planning firm called, Alliance Investment Planning Group, LLC.  Jeff, a Certified Financial Planner, has a blog that is growing in popularity.  The blog is called Good Financial Cents and is intended to be a resource for anyone seeking simple financial advice and tips.  The blog can be accessed at, http://www.goodfinancialcents.com. Anna native Mark Chamness is currently working as an intern for MPPW in St. Louis, Missouri.  Chamness, who has been putting in long hours for the tax season, plans on working towards his CPA after transitioning into a full time position. John H. Summey, Associate Professor of Marketing and Distinguished Teacher, and SIUC PhD graduate Ramenda Thakur were recently featured speakers at a seminar in Dwarka, New Delhi.  The seminar was at the Apeejay School of Management International Seminar entitled “Customer Relationship Management (CRM) to Relationship Share.” Well over 100 students, faculty members and industry representatives were on hand to hear Summey and Thakur’s presentation.  “It was a great experience for the two of us,” Summey said. “The students at the school were quite knowledgeable and inquisitive. That led to extensive discussion following each presentation with insightful exchanges of information and comparisons of differences and similarities of business strategies in the two countries -- India and the United States. MBA students in Dr. Suzanne Nasco’s Promotional Strategy course partnered with Saluki Athletics during football and men’s basketball home games on an interactive mobile marketing campaign.  Dr. Steven J. Karau has been promoted to professor of management.  Karau was featured on the national ABC News program "20/20" for a segment about productivity in the workplace.  His research revealed that people who work in groups tend to slack off.  Karau earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Arizona State University in 1987 and master’s and doctoral degrees in social psychology from Purdue University in 1990 and 1993, respectively. Henry J. Rehn Professor of Finance Dr. Wallace N. Davidson and doctoral student Vaibhav Sharma won the Best Paper and Best Presentation awards during the 2008 Academic Business World International Conference in Nashville, Tenn.  “It’s an honor for me,” said Sharma, whose paper is entitled “Executive Compensation Following Spin-Offs.” WSIL-TV profiled Professor of Marketing Dr. Gordon Bruner II for a story on rising gas prices.  Bruner has been named one of the “Most Cited Internet Advertising Authors” by the Journal of Advertising.  Two of Bruner’s articles were also among the Journal’s list of “Most Cited Internet-Related Papers.” Three College of Business faculty members were recently awarded promotions in academic rank and tenured by the Office of the Provost and Vice Chancellor.  The faculty members receiving the promotion were: Marcus D. Odom, Professor, Accounting; Mark Peterson, Professor, Finance; and Suresh K. Tadisina, Professor, Management. Several faculty members were recognized at the College of Business Honor’s Day Ceremony.  David Rakowski, Finance, was honored as the Outstanding Researcher of the Year.  Dave Davidson, Finance, was honored as the Outstanding Undergraduate Teacher.  Terry Clark, Marketing, was honored as the Outstanding Graduate Teacher.  Jeri Novara was honored with the Outstanding Service Award. The department of Management will lose a highly respected member of their faculty in the Fall of 2009.  Department chair Gregory White will officially retire from his position in the Management department.  He has held the position from 2002-2005, and 2006-present.  His time away from being the department chair was in 2005-2006 where he acted at the Interim Dean of the College of Business and Administration.  White will be replaced officially on August 1st by fellow management professor Peter Mykytyn. Kate Laegeler, majoring in business and finance management with a minor of accounting, won the 15th Annual Saluki Invitational golf tournament.  Laegeler, a senior from Decatur, Illinois, is an active member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. Katie Schmidt, majoring in marketing, was honored at a softball game in April.  She was asked to bring a faculty member onto the field with her during the event and she chose Joe Pineau.  Pineau obliged and was grateful to Katie for asking him to be a part of the ceremony.       Three College of Business students were among the “25 Most Distinguished Seniors” honored on the University’s Honors Day.  The recipients of the honor were: Bryan Mullins, finance major; Alicia Scott, an accounting major; and Anne Tilton, marketing major. Each department of the College of Business handed out Outstanding Student awards to students on Honor’s Day.  Each student, from their respective departments, was rewarded for their excellence in academic achievement. Tiella Bransford received the School of Accountancy honor; Emelie Ottosson received the Business and Administration honor; Ryan Patton received the Finance honor; Hillary Schmedeke received the Management honor; and Anne Tilton received the Marketing honor, as well as, the overall College of Business honor. At the graduate level, two students were honored as the Most Outstanding MBA students.  The recipients of the award were Jennifer Vansickle from Carbondale, Ill and Kelli Wood of Anna, Illinois. Shannon Page, an accounting student from Chicago, was recognized on Honor’s Day as well.  Shannon, who works in the enrollment office, received the Student Service Worker Award. PhD students Bryan Stinchfield and Matthew Wood recently participated in the ETH PhD-Academy on Sustainability and Technology in Zurich, Germany.  The focus of the event is to promote excellent PhD research and develop responsible leaders for tomorrow’s future.  A theme for the event centered on climate change and ways to create environmental sustainability. Accounting student Ashley Gibson recently became the recipient of the Stuart Cameron Margaret McCleod Memorial Scholarship, worth $5000.  As part of being a scholarship recipient, the Stuart Cameron McCleod Society (SCMS) has offered Gibson an all expenses paid trip to Denver, Colorado, to attend the IMA Annual Conference and Exposition on June 7.