Price E-News December 2019

Welcome

As we look back at 2019, we have much to be thankful for at the Michael F. Price College of Business. Simply put, 2019 has been one of the most successful years in our history, and the momentum continues as we move into 2020. This year yielded numerous ranking increases in our undergraduate and graduate programs. It’s clear that Price College has become one of the elite business schools in the nation.

This fall, U.S. News and World Report's 2020 Best Colleges Rankings lists Price College’s undergraduate business program as 50^th in the nation, up 12 spots from last year. This ranking is the highest in Price College’s history – a ranking that represents 31^st among all public business schools.

U.S. News and World Report ranks our full-time MBA program 58^th in the nation and our professional MBA 52^nd in the nation. Among public universities, these programs are ranked 31^st (full-time MBA) and 29^th (professional MBA). Our MBA students benefit greatly from interaction with the business community in the world-class Gene Rainbolt Graduate School of Business, a 27,000 square-foot facility located in the heart of Oklahoma City at OU’s University Research Park on the Health Sciences Center campus.

In addition, the graduate entrepreneurship program at Price College has, for the first time, been ranked among the top programs in the nation by the Princeton Review/Entrepreneur Magazine at 17^th. While our undergraduate entrepreneurship program has been among the top programs in the Princeton Review ranking for many years, including this year, it is the first time the graduate program has broken through the Top 25.

Our strong rankings continue to attract large numbers of students as well as aspirational employees. To keep up with growing demand for our programs, we are currently recruiting 15-20 new faculty for the next academic year. We will be pushing forward on many important initiatives, including data analytics, entrepreneurship, aerospace and defense, healthcare, energy, globalization and several joint programs with other colleges on the Norman and Health Sciences Center campuses. Price College stands ready to meet the demands of a changing economy and to prepare the next generation of great business leaders.

On behalf of the students, faculty and staff at Price College, I want to sincerely thank you, our friends and supporters, who believe in this institution and its purpose. Without your support, all the exciting news I’ve shared above simply would not be possible. We are so very grateful for all you are doing for our students. Please take a moment to read below more examples of how our students, alumni, faculty, staff and partners continue to fulfill the Purpose of Price® and why we remain excited about our future.

Please accept my best wishes for a joyous holiday season,

Wayne B. Thomas
Interim Dean
George Lynn Cross Research Professor

Events

Dec 14
Price College Fall 2019 Convocation

Feb 13
GMAT Prep Session

MBA Open House and GMAT Prep Session

Feb 21
JCPenney Leadership Program’s Parker Leadership Conference

Feb 24
2020 Price College Distinguished Research Lecturer Elena Karahanna

Support Adams Hall Renovation

Construction is underway on the third floor of our beloved Adams Hall, which will house new homes for both the Division of Finance and the Division of Management Information Systems. In addition, we will soon begin the next phase and refresh and renovate the second floor in support of the Steed School of Accounting, as well as the Division of Management and International Business. These important upgrades to offices, classrooms and study spaces are needed to meet the expectations of a 21^st century business education. You can play a role in the restoration of Adams Hall to its original magnificence. Please contact us today to support this project by providing a named space in Adams Hall.

Celebrate Fall Convocation

As we prepare for this week’s Convocation ceremony, we’d like to thank you for investing in student success at the Price College of Business. We invite you to consider a year-end gift to our Momentum Scholarships, which support undergraduate students with financial need, or our Do More Sooner® Scholarships for MBA students. With your help, students can focus more on their studies and less on financial concerns while obtaining the education necessary for success.

Remembering Price College in Your Estate Plans

The University of Oklahoma has grown from a faculty of four in 1895 that served 100 students to a premier research institution known worldwide with more than 30,000 current students. Through your estate, a planned gift will support OU and Price College and provide opportunities and preparation of the future leaders our state and nation need.

Tackle Big Issues | Energy

Earlier this year, Price College alumnus Bob Zinke made an additional major contribution to further support the Robert M. Zinke Energy Management Program. To date, Zinke has supported the program with more than $3.4 million in funding. A portion of his most recent gift transformed Adams Hall room 104 into a state-of-the-art collaborative space, with all Energy Management classes now being held in one classroom. Zinke also graciously hosted over 50 Price College alumni and friends in his beautiful home in Tulsa on Nov. 12.

Tackle Big Issues | Economic Development

The OU Entrepreneurship Expo was held Nov. 21. The annual expo is a trade show for OU students, Sooner Innovation Fund winners, local business owners and entrepreneurs to exhibit their goods, services and concepts in an open forum, with opportunities to meet with potential investors, generate leads and sales, and build new business relationships. Six teams were selected to advance to the Norman Innovation Challenge.

Tom Lumpkin (far right), director of the Tom Love Division of Entrepreneurship and Economic Development and C. S. Trosper Chair and professor of entrepreneurship, served on a guest panel of “sharks” during Teach for America Oklahoma City’s second annual Shark Tank OKC event on Nov. 22. Lumpkin and three other panelists reviewed short presentations by Teach for America student innovators and provided feedback about their ideas.

Tackle Big Issues | Healthcare

Dr. Harold Urschel, III, Chief of Medical Strategy for Enterhealth, spoke to a standing-room-only crowd of students, faculty and professionals about “Exploring the Myths of Marijuana” on Nov. 22. Dr. Urschel presented as part of the Center for the Business of Healthcare’s annual Healthcare Day.

Tackle Big Issues | Globalization

In early November, four Price students participated in the 10th Consortium for Undergraduate International Business Education International Business Case Competition, organized by Northeastern University in Boston. Students from 16 universities took part in an intense, 24-hour case analysis, followed by a presentation of their recommendations to a panel of corporate judges. Price students won their preliminary group and qualified for the final, with a fourth-place overall score.

Madison Wallace, an honors international business double major with German and entrepreneurship, finishes her BBA in May 2020, then leaves for the Kyrgyz Republic to join the Peace Corps as a Business Development Advisor. While there, Wallace will support communities by building the capacity of women, youth and farmers to apply improved money management practices, develop their entrepreneurial potential, implement income-generating activities and more.

Students celebrated International Bazaar Day on Oct. 31 in the Dodson Courtyard. Sponsored by the University’s International Advisory Council, the event featured booths, international cuisine, cultural wares and more.

Generate Business Insights

Babel Analytics, a promising new startup founded by two recent OU graduates, was awarded a $250,000 contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to develop a tool for diagnosing laser eye injuries. The duo founded Babel Analytics through the Sooner Innovation Fund, with invaluable guidance from the Tom Love Innovation Hub and the Oklahoma Catalyst Programs.

The Price College of Business is pleased to announce that the University of Oklahoma is now a member of the Consortium for the Advancement of Research Methods and Analysis (CARMA). The new membership to CARMA will provide faculty with a variety of learning opportunities around state-of-the-art research methodologies and analysis, including live streaming webcasts hosted in Price Hall and more.

Cordney D. McClain is the new director of Diversity and Inclusion at Price College. An alumnus with an undergraduate degree in business communications from 2008, McClain earned his MBA from Ashford University shortly after and holds multiple certifications in areas such as financial literacy, diversity and inclusion, and project management, though his passion is primarily community outreach.

The fall 2019 CMISS retreat was held Oct. 24 at the Gene Rainbolt Graduate School of Business. An industry-academic panel discussed the Integrated Security Model, including (left to right) Price faculty Alexandra Durcikova; Nate Graham, Devon Energy Industry; Chris Fallow and Dylan Burns, American Fidelity Assurance. The event was moderated by Diana Bittle, American Fidelity Assurance (not shown in the picture).

In conjunction with Global Entrepreneurship Week, Wes Crews spoke as part of the Distinguished Speaker Series on Nov. 21. Crews is CEO of TRC Healthcare, an online and SaaS business delivering the latest information on prescription drugs and continuing education to pharmacists, technicians and physicians. The company has contracts with the largest retail pharmacy chains in the United States.

Colin FitzSimons, founder of Corytus, spoke with marketing students on Oct. 15.

Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell addressed entrepreneurship students at the Gene Rainbolt Graduate School of Business on Nov. 4.

Prepare Leaders

Laku Chidambaram, Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Engagement and W.P. Wood Professor of Management Information Systems, has received the new AIS Distinguished Member - Cum Laude recognition by the professional society, the Association for Information Systems. He will be inducted into the inaugural class at the International Conference on Information Systems in Munich on Dec. 15.

Kristen Lazalier, Executive Director of Development and External Relations at Price College, received the Outstanding Fundraising Professional – Outside OKC award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Oklahoma Chapter on Nov. 14. She was presented the award during the AFP National Philanthropy Day event and is shown here (on right) with Emily Reed, President of the AFP Oklahoma Chapter and Director of Development for OU’s Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education.

The Oklahoma Society of CPAs recently awarded a silver medal to James Kuegler for achieving the top score on all four CPA exam sections within two consecutive windows. Kuegler is a graduate of the first online MAcc class and is the first graduate of that program to receive a medal. Drew Kimble, an alum of the residential MAcc, also was recognized with an honorable mention for his performance on the CPA exam.

Nearly 300 Price College students served non-profits, food pantries and elementary schools across Norman on Oct. 26. The students were part of the annual Price College Service Day, which allows students to give a few hours of their Saturday to community organizations in need of help. The day is organized by Price students and members of business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi.

Supply Chain Management major and JCPenney Leadership Program associate Saidy Herrera Orellana received the Oklahoma Universal Human Rights Award, which is co-sponsored by the Oklahoma Universal Human Rights Alliance and the United Nations Association Oklahoma City Chapter. The award recognizes Oklahoma individuals or organizations that have made a significant contribution to human rights.

Lauren O’Breza, an entrepreneurship senior, received a write-up by the Norman Transcript for her mentor relationship with two children through the Boys and Girls Club. O’Breza, who will graduate in May of 2020, has been mentoring for the Center for Children and Families Inc. since 2018. What began as a business practicum course volunteer requirement has evolved into a meaningful relationship for the mentor and her mentees.

Jocelyn Pedersen, Instructor of Business Communication at the Center for Student Success, recently won three gold medals at the 2019 Howard Cohen American Masters Weightlifting Championships in Washington. In addition, she set the Washington state record for lifts in her division. She currently is preparing to compete in the Pan American Games in summer 2020 and the Master World Games in 2021.

Faculty Research

Lubomir Litov’s most recent article has been published in the Journal of Accounting Literature. Additionally, he presented previous research at both the NYU Stern 30th Annual Conference on Financial Economics and Accounting and the 14th Annual Conference on Empirical Legal Studies at Claremont McKenna College.

A new article by Marcus Wolfe has been published in the Journal of Business Venturing Insights.

A paper co-written by Brant Christensen was cited by Robert Brown, a Public Company Accounting Oversight Board member, in a speech on audit quality. A press release about his research also has been issued by the American Accounting Association.

A new article in Thrive Global cites Mark Bolino’s and Price alum Anthony Klotz’s 2016 research.

Pullin Alcove Dedication

Price College faculty and staff gathered Nov. 22 for a surprise dedication of the new Pullin Family Study Alcove. Dedicated to the service and leadership of former Price College Dean Daniel Pullin, his wife, Tamara, and their young boys, the alcove is located south of Dodson Lounge on the first floor of Price Hall. A commemorative plaque reads, “In recognition of the purposeful service and commitment to the University of Oklahoma and the Price College of Business by Daniel and Tamara Pullin and their sons, Parker and Halsey.”

Class Notes

Media Mentions

In Memoriam

Rick Moore (BBA, Accounting; JD, 1982; 1985), has passed away. Moore spent 17 years in a large law firm in Oklahoma City before working with noted philanthropist Linda Pace in San Antonio. The Ruby City Contemporary Art Center, which he established on her behalf, came to fruition in October of this year. In 2010, Moore began working as CEO and General Counsel for a prominent San Antonio family and established their private trust company and family office.

Arthur B. Adams Society Gala

The annual Arthur B. Adams Society Gala was held on Friday, Nov. 8, at the Sam Noble Museum. This year, 22 new members were welcomed into this special group. Additionally, stalwart supporters Robert and Shelley Beall were inducted in OU’s prestigious Seed Sower Society that same evening.

Alumni & Friends Tailgate

The annual Price College Alumni and Friends Tailgate was held on Saturday, Nov. 9, in the Dodson Courtyard, and featured catering provided by Rib Crib and live music by Heartbreak Rodeo. Alumnus and namesake Michael F. Price and his four sons joined in the tailgate fun.

Alumni & Friends Reception

In early December, alumni and supporters Ryan and Kristine Burke hosted an Ernst & Young reception for current employees and retirees, as well as DFW area Adams Society members, in their beautiful Dallas home. Dean Thomas shared a college update and Kristen Lazalier provided details on giving back.

CONTACT PRICE
University of Oklahoma
Price College of Business
307 West Brooks OK 73019-4004
(405) 325-3611

Price College Home

INTERIM DEAN
Wayne Thomas

ASSOCIATE DEANS
Frances Ayres
Laku Chidambaram
Robert Dauffenbach

OFFICE OF EXTERNAL RELATIONS

Kristen Lazalier
Michael Bendure
Rhesa Brewster
John Martin
Emily Hulseberg