Author: Nicholas Gerlich

Change is in the air at the Engler College of Business! This will be the last Newsletter you receive…well, in this format, at least! We are transitioning to an e-magazine format beginning with the late Spring edition, complete with a totally new look, feel, and name. An e-magazine format will allow us to expand our scope, include full-page photos, provide internal links from the Table of Contents to specific items in each edition, include display ads with clickable links for our existing and emerging programs, embed videos, and more. It will work on mobile and desktop devices equally well. Playing a central role in the production of the magazine is MindSpark, the new in-house student Marketing agency created in Fall 2025. Overseen by Dr. Mary Liz Brooks, MindSpark is responsible for creating a wide variety of content for the Engler College of Business. The magazine will allow them to develop... Read more

Recently the Engler College of Business held three Buff Business Summits for area high school seniors. The goal is to attract and recruit new business students in a fun and entertaining way that also highlights the disciplines we teach. The events were held on December 1st, 5th, and 8th in Legacy Hall. The event was organized by Gina Woodward, Executive Director of the WT Enterprise Center in Amarillo and Instructor of Management, with Dr. Robert King, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies, and Dr. Marisa Crisostomo, Clinical Assistant Professor of Decision Management, emceeing. In its third rendition, the Summits were launched in Fall 2024, held again last Spring, and then recast this Fall to be an annual event only.  Faculty members from across the disciplines took turns speaking in this tightly scheduled production. In the span of 20 minutes, the professors spoke briefly about the types of jobs available for graduates... Read more

All the text books and lectures in the world are no substitute for students learning from actual practitioners. The books and lectures paint a broad picture, and ground students in the fundamentals. But how companies interpret and put these into use varies considerably from one company to the next. To that end, the Engler College of Business seeks to provide opportunities for students to visit and interact with businesses so they can learn how things are done in that mythical place, “the real world.” The event was held on Friday November 21, leading off with a visit to Whitney Russell Printing in Amarillo. Faculty members participating included Dr. Robert King, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Dr. Anne Macy, Director of Amarillo National Bank School of Accounting, Economics, and Finance & Edwards Professor of Finance, and Dr. Nick Gerlich, Hickman Professor of Marketing. “The biggest takeaways from Whitney Russell for students... Read more

Entrepreneur and TV celebrity Mark Cuban recently said, “If you’re not using [AI] to move faster or make smarter decisions, you’re behind.” As such, knowing how to use AI will soon be considered a baseline skill, like email and Microsoft Office applications. In order to prepare students for this inevitability, faculty at the Engler College of Business are actively engaged in bring AI to the classroom, either as a teaching tool or within the context of class projects, as well as in their own research. Dr. Murray Jennex, the Clinical & Gensler Professor of Computer Information Systems, says that although he does not use AI as a teaching tool, “I do use it to look up stuff and find materials for class.” For example, he continues, “I use AI in CIDM6310 in an assignment where students use AI to write a strategic report doing strategic analyses. After they did the... Read more

AI is everywhere. As a business tool, it has gone from 0 to 60 in three short years of public release. While faculty are embracing it in teaching and research (see related article in this edition), students are also using it, and not just to help write papers. As a business tool, it has gone from 0 to 60 in three short years of public release. While faculty are embracing it in teaching and research (see related article in this edition), students are also using it, and not just to help write papers. Senior Jake Potter is a perfect example. The General Business major from Amarillo recently created a custom GPT called Project Control Pro in his BUSI 3301 Business Professional and Leadership Development class, a new course designed to expose Business students to a wide variety of faculty guest speakers who introduce special topics and challenges. One such challenge... Read more

More than 320 Engler College of Business students were slated for graduation on December 13, including 151 undergraduates and 170 across our graduate programs. Preceding the ceremony, the College hosted a reception in the Classroom Center for graduates and their families. This has proven to be a very rewarding activity for the graduates, many of whom are online and have traveled great distances to come to Canyon.  All but two of the undergraduates received the BBA degree, while the other two earned a BS. At the graduate level, students earned a variety of degrees, including the MBA, MSFE, MSCISBA, and MACC. Dr. Amjad Abdullat, Dean of the Engler College of Business, hooded all graduate-level students receiving their degrees. The graduation ceremony, which is one of three that the University hosted, is a joyous time for all, but also difficult for meetups between students and faculty, because several thousand people are... Read more

What started about a decade ago as a small project to crowdsource unneeded professional attire for students in need, has blossomed into a full-blown year-round effort to help students dress for success.  It is no secret that professional clothing can be expensive, no small task for students already trying to make ends meet. The SHRM Clothing Closet really was just a closet at one time, but now occupies a large room filled with rolling racks of suits, shoes, and accessories donated by alumni, faculty, and even sponsored by clothing retailers by way of discounted acquisition. The result is our job seeking students looking their very best as they go through the interview process, and then begin their careers. The Closet was started by two former faculty members, Dr. Alison Berry and Dr. Emily Hammer, a decade ago, when she saw a student need that had to be filled. While we... Read more

Throughout the 21st century, women have outnumbered men at campuses across the nation, including here at WTAMU. In 2025, women account for 59% of the undergraduate student body. In the Engler College of Business, there is a more balanced split between men and women. But in spite of the statistical imbalance across academia, once women graduate and enter the workforce, they are entering a world long dominated by men. While women are making great gains across the board in terms of salaries, career trajectory, and corporate positions sought, it is still a transitional period. And that is precisely why the Women In Business student organization in the Engler College of Business exists. “Our activities revolve around networking, mentorship, and exposure to women leaders in various positions,” says Dr. Elaina Cantrell Robinson, co-faculty advisor to the organization. “We have guest speakers, mostly women leaders in the community. During the meetings, students... Read more

As reported in the last edition of the Engler College of Business Newsletter, Assistant Professor Jimmy Kim held a semester-long competition in his Entrepreneurship class. It involved a Shark Tank-like judging that incentivized his students to put their best foot–and ideas–forward. “The Online Entrepreneurial Pitch Competition was a short social media-based event designed to engage the public and highlight the innovative work happening in our Entrepreneurship program,” Kim says. His social media campaign resulted in 100 votes, with one team–Rush Hour–getting 40 votes. The aptly named Rush Hour app offers commuters a secure parking garage and reservation system. The prize–an Apple Air Tag–was mostly symbolic, because the team took away bragging rights and the satisfaction of knowing they had developed a concept that wowed a sample of the general public. “Their idea resonated strongly because it addresses a real problem many students face. The competition gave the College an opportunity... Read more