We are excited to bring you our new alumni newsletter, Inside Hull! While we often update you about the activities and achievements of the James M. Hull College of Business through our various social media channels, we want to provide you with a regular update on the life of the College. As I finish up my fourth year as Dean and as we continue to grow the brand of the College, it is important to let you know about the great achievements of our students, faculty, alumni, and friends of the College. As our College and its students, faculty, and alumni grow in stature, the value of your degree grows along with it. Proud alumni, such as yourselves, can help carry the message on the value of a Hull degree throughout the local area, state, country, and world.
While we have dealt with the challenges of the pandemic, the Hull College continues to thrive. In December, the Hull College was named as one of The Princeton Review’s Best Business Schools for 2021 for our on-campus MBA program, one of only 244 business schools in the United States so honored. Our on-campus MBA program continues to grow as an outstanding choice for the area’s working professionals. In addition, starting in fall 2020, Augusta University and the Hull College joined the Georgia WebMBA program, so we now offer a fully online MBA program. These outstanding graduate programs complement our distinctive undergraduate Bachelors of Business Administration programs that includes a major in accounting and concentrations in healthcare management, digital marketing, financial services, and applied economic analysis. Such areas of study have been driven by the career opportunities in the Augusta area and throughout the State of Georgia.
Ultimately, what makes an institution great is its people, and the goal of this newsletter is to bring you closer to the people of the Hull College: our outstanding faculty and staff and our high achieving students and alumni. I hope these stories will increase your pride in the Hull College, and I encourage you to share your stories and achievements to be included in this newsletter (hull@augusta.edu).
Enjoy the first issue of Inside Hull
Leading up to Fall 2020 Commencement, Augusta University celebrated all 2020 graduates by highlighting them on Jagwire. Here, we put the spotlight on some of our Hull College graduates.
Where Is Your Spot In JagNation?
“My name is Matt Brocato, and I finished my bachelors in business administration in July. I’m currently a full-time graduate student working on my masters in business administration.”
What's Your Favorite Spot On Campus?
“My favorite spot on campus is the third floor in Reese Library. I need a quiet area to study and complete assignments, and the third floor has been my spot for the past two plus years. I have a routine of cleaning my spot, and once that’s done, I can sit down and get to work without distraction.”
What Are Some Gems You've Learned As A Student?
“I am a person who likes and thrives in having a routine. I’ve learned that this has given me the best chance to be as successful as possible. However, I have learned to adapt to change. Each semester my schedule has changed, and I have had to adjust and figure out my new routine each semester. This may not seem like a big deal to most, but change is stressful for me, so a lot of energy goes into planning out my days and semesters. Another life lesson I learned is to not give up when things get hard. I have proven to myself that anything is possible if you really want to achieve something. I never thought I would graduate from college, but here I am a college graduate who just finished his first semester of grad school.”
What Are You Looking Forward To After Graduating?
“I would love to find a job here on campus somewhere. Since coming back to school and working part time in the Military and Veterans Services office, I have really enjoyed the college campus atmosphere. I like helping students like me and I have loved being in an environment of learning.”
Where Is Your Spot In JagNation?
“My name is Demonta Calhoun, and I earned a Bachelor of Business Administration
with a concentration in digital marketing.”
What's Your Favorite Spot On Campus?
“My favorite spot on campus has been the library. The peace and quiet allowed me to study for finals or do homework and not get distracted.”
What Are Some Gems You've Learned As A Student?
“I’ve learned to make connections with classmates and professors. In the real world, it’s good to have a good network of people.”
What Are You Looking Forward To After Graduating?
“I look forward to having the time to focus on my development with T-Mobile and also digital marketing for my mom’s business.”
Where Is Your Spot In JagNation?
“My name is Kayla Churchill. I have a bachelor’s degree in business administration. I am also a Women’s Leadership Academy participant and a Hull Scholar.”
What's Your Favorite Spot On Campus?
“I love the courtyard where the big fountain is behind all the administrative buildings.”
What Are Some Gems You've Learned As A Student?
“You can’t hurt anything by asking. Professors and administrative staff won’t bite, and the worst they can say is no. Also, the best time to be at the library is 1 a.m. Going to the library is severely underrated, and I got my best studying done there in the wee hours of the morning. Also, study abroad. It’s not too expensive, a great way to get some credits, and you’ll make some of your best friends.”
What Are You Looking Forward To After Graduating?
“Having my evenings free after work.”
Where Is Your Spot In JagNation?
“My name is Jacob Glover, and I’m a finance major with a bachelor’s degree in business. I’m also president of the Real Estate Club at Augusta University.”
What Are Some Gems You've Learned As A Student?
“I learned the importance of applying what I am learning to get the full experience.”
What Are You Looking Forward To After Graduating?
“I look forward to continuing my professional career as a Realtor and building my business.”
From Jagwire
Augusta University Hull College of Business’s associate dean and professor, Mark Thompson,
has covered Georgia Trend’s Top Hospitals in Georgia since 2017.
Hospitals, providing a range of services and of similar size and mission, are ranked in the annual publication based on Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) data.
Thompson begins his work on the annual rankings in September, where he organizes the data into rankings. Information analyzed includes clinical process, patient experience, outcome and efficiency. Once the rankings are published, Thompson often fields questions from hospital administration, allowing for continuous improvements.
“One of the things that business schools have always done [well] is taking academic knowledge and providing value to the community, to society,” Thompson said. “When hospitals see where they are, and see where they scored relative to others, it provides a benchmark to look for ways to improve.”
Georgia Trend groups hospitals into four categories: Teaching Hospitals (certified by the Association of American Medical Colleges Council of Teaching Hospitals and Health Systems), Large Hospitals (250+ patient beds), Medium Hospitals (100 – 249 patient beds), and Small Hospitals (less than 100 patient beds).
Augusta University Medical Center ranked third among the top teaching hospitals in 2019 and 2020.
Georgia Trend has been covering Georgia business, politics and economic development since 1985. It publishes information to its website, a daily newsletter, and a monthly printed magazine.
To view the Top Hospitals in Georgia, visit https://www.georgiatrend.com/2020/11/30/2020-top-hospitals/.
“We recommend Augusta University’s Hull College of Business as an excellent choice for an aspiring MBA,” said Rob Franek, The Princeton Review’s editor-in-chief.
Franek noted the schools were chosen for the 2021 list based on data from the company’s surveys of administrators at business schools during the 2019-20 academic year. The administrator survey covered topics from academic offerings and admission requirements to data about currently enrolled students as well as graduates’ employment.
“The Hull College of Business is honored to once again be recognized by The Princeton Review. With our AACSB accreditation, this puts us in the company of the best business schools in the country and demonstrates our commitment to world-class business education,” said Hull College of Business Dean Richard Franza, Ph.D. “The brand of the Hull College and Augusta University is resonating not only throughout the CSRA and Georgia but also throughout the United States. This is a tribute to our outstanding faculty and our graduates who continue to shine in the world of business.”
The James M. Hull College of Business is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). The Hull MBA, on campus or online, provides working professionals with the skills, experience, and professional network to advance in today’s highly competitive, global work environment.
Roger Duke, lecturer of project management at the Hull College of Business, delivered several bags of clothing for residents of Hope House during Augusta University's annual Days of Service.
Students in the Hull College of Business, taking the project management course, collected coats and gloves to donate to Hope House, a residential substance abuse recovery and mental health facility for women, as part of Augusta University’s Days of Service.
During the annual Days of Service, students collected 100 coats and 50 pairs of gloves in November for residents of Hope House. In addition to the coats and gloves, notes of encouragement were placed in the pockets of the coats.
In November, Roger Duke, lecturer of project management, delivered several bags of clothing to the Augusta non-profit’s campus.
“I was looking for a good service project for my project management students, so the timing with the Days of Service fit well,” Duke said. “The students then took the idea one more step and included Gloves with Love. I think we made a real difference.”
The Notes with Coats project was an idea of Hope House.
“It may seem small, a coat with a note inside, but I promise you this means more than you can imagine,” said Chaz Butler, coordinator with Hope House. “Most of our women come to us with the clothes on their backs. This winter will be cold, so we are excited all our women will be clothed with a coat that will keep them cozy all winter.”
Hope House has helped 2,000 women and their families since 1992, helping about 100 women daily.
“What makes the nonprofit unique is that it allows women to live on the campus with their children during recovery,” said Kim Grimes, development coordinator for Hope House.
The Center for Instructional Innovation at Augusta University named Dr. Susan Murray, assistant professor in the Peter S. Knox School of Accountancy in the James M. Hull College of Business at Augusta University, the recipient of the 2020 Augusta University Individual Teaching Excellence Award.
This award honors a full-time member of the teaching faculty and teaching academic staff at Augusta University who demonstrates a commitment to teaching and student success, uses effective teaching strategies, and is dedicated to fostering the academic success of students through interaction with students outside of the classroom.
As part of her recognition, Murray has moved forward in being a nominee for the University System of Georgia’s Felton Jenkins Jr. Hall of Fame Faculty Award.
“Our institution takes pride in its commitment to fostering student success through excellent and innovative teaching, and it is our privilege to acknowledge Dr. Murray’s remarkable contributions in this area of higher education,” said Dr. Raymond A. Whiting, associate vice president for Curriculum and Instructional Innovation.
Murray joined Augusta University in 2017 and has made a name for herself among students and colleagues as an instructor who excels at providing students with educational opportunities that will position them for top-rated accounting jobs.
She achieves this by cultivating a welcoming and inclusive environment to support all learning styles, and she dedicates most of her classroom time to allowing students to engage in active learning assignments. Murray says she uses this approach so students can apply theory to practical, real-world situations.
“I hope that by using a variety of approaches and applications, students of all backgrounds and affinities for the topic will critically engage with the material, become confident consumers and users of it, and come away with some of my passion for the subject,” said Murray.
She also leads Hull College’s annual Case Competition, which offers cross-disciplinary collaboration between undergraduate students to solve real-world business problems, network with the local business community, and win cash prizes.
“The Hull Case Competition is an excellent opportunity for students to analyze and present a real-life situation involving business processes, controls, and ethics,” said Murray. “They get to show off their skills in research, professional writing, analysis, public speaking, and persuasion. It is also a great networking opportunity as the students work with area professionals, and it is a great opportunity for our potential employers to see our students in action.”
Hull College of Business Dean Dr. Rick Franza attributes her teaching success to the continuous development of her technical skills and pedagogical abilities.
“I can’t think of a more deserving candidate for this award than Dr. Murray,” said Franza. “Her engagement of her students, both in and out of the classroom, is unparalleled, and her commitment to improving her technical knowledge is remarkable.”
Zach Boone, one of Murray’s former students and a budget accountant for Deere & Company World Headquarters, shared similar sentiments.
“Dr. Murray exemplifies commitment by her willingness to always be there for her students,” said Boone. “She inspires her students with a ‘real-world’ approach to the managerial accounting discipline, and she does an exceptional job of providing scenarios that can be applied to the business environment.”
Murray’s career in higher education spans more than 13 years. She earned her doctoral degree from Texas Tech University, a master’s degree from Hawaii Pacific University, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Additionally, she earned her certifications in management accountancy and financial management from the Institute of Management Accountants.
She is also a certified public accountant in the states of Illinois and Georgia, and she is a certified global management accountant with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Her work in education and accounting has been published in seven peer-reviewed publications, including a teaching case in the Institute of Management Accounting’s Educational Case Journal.
Channell, an Augusta native, is returning to Augusta University, where she worked for five years in University Advancement, first as the assistant director of alumni affairs for the Medical College of Georgia and later as a director of development for the MCG School of Dentistry (now The Dental College of Georgia) during its More than a Building campaign.
She left for Statesboro in 2011 to assist Georgia Southern University with its MBA programs and led the marketing efforts for the Parker College of Business since 2014.
“We are very excited to have Kate join us at Hull. She brings a track record of outstanding success, experience, and knowledge in both the business school environment and the Augusta community that will serve the Hull brand incredibly well,” said Dr. Richard Franza, dean of Hull College.
Channell holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing and an MBA with an international business concentration from Georgia Southern University.
She served on the board for Professional Women of Statesboro and the Statesboro-Bulloch County Breast Cancer Foundation. She is also a 2015 graduate of Leadership Bulloch, Georgia Forward Young Gamechangers in 2017, and the Lynda Brannen Williamson Foundation Women’s Leadership Academy in 2019.
Michael Dugan, professor and Peter S. Knox III Distinguished Chair of Accounting in the James M. Hull College of Business at Augusta University, was recently honored by his alma mater, the University of New Orleans, with the 2020 Accounting Department Outstanding Alumnus Award.
The award is given to alumni who have an outstanding research record, hold high positions at reputable schools, have a record of teaching excellence and are held in high esteem in the profession, in addition to their service record to their university and to their profession.
“Dr. Michael Dugan has had a very long and distinguished career in academia. Through his heavy involvement in research and teaching, he has published numerous high-quality articles in academic and professional journals, and he has influenced thousands of accounting students at several universities,” said Philip Harmelink, PhD, Ernst & Young Professor of Accounting at the University of New Orleans.
Dugan is known academically for his development of bankruptcy prediction models based on research first published in 1989. He has published more than 60 articles in both academic and professional journals. Dugan has won multiple awards throughout his education career, most recently as the recipient of the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants’ 2018 Outstanding Accounting Educator Award and the Hull College Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year Award in 2019.
Dugan is honored to receive the award and thanks his mentors and supporters. “I am very proud of the high-quality undergraduate accounting education that I received at UNO, which provided me the requisite foundation for my professional contributions as a teacher and researcher in financial accounting,” he said.
Born in Dallas and raised in New Orleans, Dugan earned his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from UNO in 1978 and was an assistant professor there from 1982 to 1984. He finished his Master of Accountancy in 1981 and his Doctor of Business Administration in 1982, both at the University of Tennessee.
Dugan came to the Hull College of Business at Augusta University in 2014 as the Peter S. Knox III Distinguished Chair for the Knox School of Accountancy. Prior to that, he taught for four years at the University of Southern Mississippi after serving 25 years at the University of Alabama.
Mansell is an alumnus of the Hull College, obtaining her MBA in 2012. Prior to joining the Hull College staff two years ago, she worked as a talent consultant for Augusta University for three years.
“I am honored to have this opportunity to contribute to a local organization that has meant so much to my career and our community. Serving with this distinguished group of human resources professionals has been a personal career goal for many years. To make this opportunity even sweeter, I look forward to representing the Hull College of Business as both an alumnus and Career Advisor,” Mansell said.
The CSRA SHRM Chapter provides the opportunity for local human resource professionals to belong to a community of peers. There are 11 members-at-large on the local chapter’s board.
As the Hull College’s career advisor, Mansell assists students with finding and securing internships and employment out of the Career and Academic Planning (CAP) Center in Allgood Hall.
Mansell holds the certification of Professional in Human Resources (PHR) from the HR Certification Institute.
Three Hull College of Business students placed in the top half of the International Collegiate Sales Competition 2020 World Cup hosted by Florida State University, starting November 11, 2020.
Caroline Graham, Michael Sanders, and Darren Key, the Augusta University team, placed 38th out of 80 teams. The placement clinched an automatic bid to the 2021 World Cup.
“Competition was different this year because it is normally face-to-face, live. This year was virtual. That was a challenge for our students,” said Stacy Roberts, lecturer in management and marketing for the Hull College and faculty mentor for the team.
In the sales management simulation, the team placed second in its group behind Arizona State University.
For the sales management case portion of the competition, the team placed fifth in the first round.
Goforth, originally from Milledgeville, set her sights on becoming a Jag after attending Undergraduate Preview Day and receiving a tour from an 1828 ambassador who would later become her sorority sister and friend.
“I immediately clicked with her, and we became friends,” Goforth said. “After the event, she gave me a personal tour of campus, and I thought that campus was so beautiful, especially the fountain. I definitely loved the buildings and classroom sizes.”
After changing her major twice freshman year, she switched to pursue a Bachelor of Business Administration.
“My first business class was Intro to Business with Dr. Melissa Furman,” Goforth said. “After the first day of class, I knew in my gut that this was clearly the right choice.”
She wasted no time getting involved on campus. She went through sorority recruitment in her first semester and joined Alpha Delta Pi.
“Being involved in my sorority so heavily in the beginning made such an impact on me. Through ADPi, I have never felt alone and always had something to do,” she said.
“Sorority events are always so memorable, especially our socials. I remember my first social I ever attended was Mallard Ball my freshman year. We dressed up in all camouflage and had to walk from campus down the street to the event. We probably looked so silly in our outfits,” she said.
Goforth served as recruitment and marketing vice president for her sorority. In addition to serving within her sorority, she’s participated in Jaguar Miracle, a student-led organization that raises funds and awareness throughout the year for patients treated at the Children’s Hospital of Georgia.
“It’s crazy how fast time flies,” she said. “I can remember walking into Oak Hall for the first time. Some of my favorite freshman memories happened there.”
Recently, Goforth was selected to help establish a new program for women on campus – Hull College’s Women’s Leadership Academy (WLA). The WLA works in coordination with ADP to teach and train college women on different skills to make them more competitive in the workplace. The women selected also receive a mentor from ADP as well as a scholarship.
“The pilot year was great,” she said. “We didn’t get to fully finish everything we planned in person due to COVID-19, but this year we’re back and I’m serving as a peer leader, helping new women go through the program.”
The program begins over the summer. Students are given books, assessments, and other resources to help them understand their leadership style, personality types, etc. They also attend a two-day mini-conference and monthly sessions.
“Due to the program being funded by ADP, we were able to utilize unique learning tools that most students wouldn’t normally have access to,” Goforth said.
“My ADP mentor, Jennifer Baggett, was really, really great. We went through our books and discussed what we were learning. Multiple times she took us to dinner and spent a lot of time developing a relationship with each of us outside of the program,” she said. “She took the time to really get to know me.”
Toward the end of the program, students presented what they learned at ADP. After her completion of the program, Goforth began an internship this fall with ADP working in Campus Talent Acquisition. She credited her success in her internship to the skills she obtained from the Academy.
Mike Dugan, Ph.D., professor and Peter S. Knox Distinguished Chair in Accounting, published “The Future of Accounting Education: In-Demand Skills, Workplace Readiness, the 150-Hour Requirement, MAcc Programs, and the CPA Exam” with his co-authors. It was featured by The CPA Journal.
Dinesh Hasija, Ph.D., assistant professor, received the Research Scholarship and Creative Activity (RSCA) grant for his project titled, “Political Lobbying by Foreign Firms: A New Firm-Level Data Set.” The grant provides funds for expenses and summer salary during the months of June and July 2021 to conduct research.
Sam Park, Ph.D., associate professor, recently had his article “An Analysis of the Sources of Value Loss Following Financial Restatements” accepted in the Journal of Accounting, Audit, and Finance.
Jonathan Leightner, Ph.D., professor of economics, had his manuscript "See No Evil: Secularization versus Sacred Scriptures" accepted by Nova Science Publishers in November 2020.
