COB Newsletter

As we approach the end of another remarkable year, I am filled with a deep sense of pride and gratitude. Here, at the year’s end, we enter a festive season that offers us an opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments and successes of this past year in the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business. This year’s journey is one of progress, innovation, and collective triumph; I am pleased to share these highlights with you in this Christmas newsletter. Above all, the end of the year reminds me of the greatest contribution we make,and that is the transformation of lives through education. This December, we will joyously celebrate a significant milestone in the lives of our students, whereupon 144 graduate and 145 undergraduate students crossed the stage in the First United Bank Center to receive their well-deserved diplomas. This milestone in these students’ lives symbolizes the culmination of hard work... Read more

Peer review is the hallmark of higher education, covering everything from journal article publication to program review and accreditation. Call it iron-sharpening-iron, and it ultimately brings out the best in everyone. A big part of the Engler College of Business’ successes stem from our accreditation with AACSB, which places us among the top business programs around the world. But we have gone the extra mile in seeking accreditation from ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology), which recently reaffirmed our programs in Computer Information Systems. Typically, ABET accreditation is sought by programs in the STEM disciplines. At WT, our programs across campus in Engineering and Computer Science have earned accreditation. It is less common for business programs to seek ABET accreditation, and we find ourselves among 920 institutions and 4674 programs worldwide who have such credentials. More than anything, gaining (and maintaining) ABET accreditation in the Engler College of Business... Read more

The MSCISBA program (Master in Computer Information Systems and Business Analytics) will welcome new students from India in the Fall 2024 semester. While the program has existed in the online space since its inception several years ago, it will soon be available on campus as well. This will allow for greater student enrollments, as dual modalities make it possible for students to select one over the other or a blend of both. Also on tap for the program is the infusion of 30-50 students from India, who will take courses on-campus in Canyon. A fresh cohort of similar size is also expected in the following years. The College of Business is working with Miles Education Services, a Delaware company with experience in placing professionals in degree programs. They work closely with professionals in India, helping place them in degree programs and jobs. The MSCISBA program is designed for a full-time... Read more

Dr. Carl Zhang joined the Engler College of Business in 2020, quickly established himself as a key contributor in all aspects of faculty life. He earned his Master’s and PhD from George Washington University in 2017 and 2020, respectively. He teaches several courses related to business applications, social network analysis, and data visualization. His interests include machine learning and social network privacy. He has connected solidly with students, who love his teaching style and knowledge, and he won the College’s Teaching Excellence Award this year. Check out this video interview with Dr. Zhang to learn more about this rising star. Read more

The Engler College of Business continues to build its outbound communication program. We are committed not only to staying in touch with our core constituencies (e.g., students, alumni, donors, local businesses), but also potential constituents. After all, like all universities, we are constantly looking to bring more people under our tent. While this email Newsletter is a big part of our efforts, it is only the tip of the iceberg, and the beginning of our outreach efforts. For example, our ProfSpeak faculty blog is one of our premier communication vehicles. Faculty members provide essays on a variety of relevant and current topics that pertain to their interests and specialties, and write them in such a way that they are accessible to everyone. Our intention is to keep these essays as jargon-free as possible, saving those words and phrases for academic journal articles. “ProfSpeak helps the WT faculty reach a different... Read more

There is much to be said for finishing what you started. When it comes to higher education, not all students finish in one continuous period of time. Some drop out because of finances or difficulties making the grade. Some get married and start a family, or perhaps start a job. Sadly, too many of these students neve return. But some find their way back to the ivory towers of academe to earn a degree they wanted long ago, having realized they would be able to make a greater impact on society once they had their diploma. That’s the story of J. Pat Richmond, who returned to WT 20 years ago at the age of 53. Richmond had taken a job with a major beverage distributor, married, and did all the things that young people do. It’s just that he found himself only about halfway to the finish line, something that... Read more

Universities in the US have become increasingly diverse in recent decades. This reflects changing demographics of the nation, and is felt in both on-campus and online classrooms. Adding to this changing tapestry is a surge among women and certain ethnicities and races to pursue higher education. The result far and wide–including to WT as well as the Engler College of Business–is a student body very different from last century. Perhaps the biggest change has been the number of women pursuing degrees. While many universities now have a 60-40 split (favoring women), even once male-dominant programs like in Business have attracted an increasing number of women. Women view business degrees as a necessary component of their training and preparation for professional life. Within the COB, women are now about 50% of the student body, with that number continuing to increase over time. The COB is also experiencing growing diversity in terms... Read more