News from the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business
Dr. Eric Hoffmann grew up in Titusville, Florida, located just east of the Kingdom of the Evil Mouse and in the shadows of NASA’s launchpads. After competing in the state championships in discus and shot put in high school, Dr. Hoffmann completed a major in Economics and a minor in Mathematics at the University of Central Florida. In an attempt to avoid the real world for as long as possible, he then decided to Read more
By Kyla Frye The WT Enterprise Center, a department of the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business, is celebrating its 20th Anniversary of serving entrepreneurs in the Texas Panhandle. In 2001, through a joint partnership between West Texas A&M University and The State of Texas, the WT Enterprise Center was established as the first and only business incubator serving the top 26 counties of Texas. Dr. Russell Long, Representative David Swinford and Don Taylor, worked together to establish the center to serve as a means of supporting local businesses in the community and to help reduce the “brain drain” of students to more urban areas by offering high-level resources here in the Panhandle. Since then, the WT Enterprise Center (WTEC) has engaged with hundreds of entrepreneurs in the Texas Panhandle to help them validate their business ideas, scale existing companies and connect them to the capital and resources they... Read more
By Dr. Leslie Ramos Salazar By March of 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic had fully set in. Subsequently, all on-campus club activities and events had to be cancelled. However, the pandemic did not stop the WTAMU student chapter of the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA) Read more
By Dr. Jeffry Babb In the cycles of academic life, we become accustomed to seeing students come and go on a regular basis as we engage in the business of guiding and nurturing student development in their education. Along the way, we collaborate with our colleagues, year in and out, in the fundamental endeavor of providing the educational foundation and environment that is our mission. We come to know and rely on these colleagues a partners in the journey – we share the highs and lows and plan for the future together. There is comfort in this rhythm and, to a degree, this stability is among the necessary components of developing the academic “well” to draw from. However, there comes a day when our journey together runs its course and we say goodbye. When our colleagues retire, it is a bittersweet moment. Our support structure and shared foundation is now... Read more
In a recent issue of this newsletter, we had highlighted the arrival of the Wharton Research Data Services Database (WRDS) as an asset for both faculty and student development Read more
As we enter into the Christmas and Holiday season, we have much to be grateful for and to celebrate, even in the face of a very challenging year for all of us. This is my first holiday season as the Dean of the Paul and Virginia College of Business, and, in that spirit, I extend all of the season’s greetings to you. The winter break is a reflective time and a season of family, friends, loved ones, and a variety of profound personal observances. I wish you peace, health, good spirits, and blessing. Read more
By Dr. Oscar Solis A Hometown Hero Fans of West Texas A&M University football might not have noticed Dalton Bell when he arrived as a freshman in 2002. The small-town student athlete was the eighth-string quarterback on the roster, and his WTAMU scholarship amounted to $500 for books. Little did the fans know, but that was all the opportunity that Dalton needed to rise from his humble beginnings. Combining determination and perseverance with a WTAMU education, Dalton has now transitioned from a professional football career into a successful real estate career. Read more
While 2020 has been a remarkable year in many respects, among the notable occurrences was Dr. Neil Terry’s promotion to Executive Vice President and Provost. Dr. Terry’s leadership and resolute character provided the cadence, rhythm, and course for the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business that is still very discernable. However, Dr. Terry also touched the lives of many in the college in ways that developed the strengths of the individuals as they, in turn, strengthened the college. As we look back on 2020, we have created a thank you video of testimonials from those who have shared in Dr. Terry’s journeys Read more
Hassan and Jill Dana, along with their oldest son Osman, own and operate fifteen McDonald’s restaurants in the Texas Panhandle including the one across the street from West Texas A&M University in Canyon, which is frequented by students, faculty, and staff. Hassan and Jill are blessed to have enjoyed many years of business success in the Texas Panhandle. They credit much of their success to hard work and community involvement. Hassan and Jill believe in giving back to the Texas Panhandle community that has contributed to their success. Read more
Jillian Williamson Yarbrough grew up in New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment, with mountains and green chilis galore. Because she grew up in the desert and on wide open mesas, the landscape of the Panhandle is both familiar and particularly beautiful to her. She came to WTAMU in 2016 as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Management. She obtained her BS in Education from Texas Christian University, her MS and PhD in Educational Human Resource Development from Texas A&M University and her MBA from Texas A&M University. Read more
By Dr. Nick Gerlich There are more than 31 million monthly bloggers in the US, and more than 600 million worldwide. Each year, more than two billion blog posts are made, or more than 5.7 million per day and more than 4000 per minute. But while blogging is a popular online activity for many, the College of Business was not represented in the blogosphere until this fall. Thanks to an initiative launched Read more
There are many success stories about students that were able to find an internship or full-time job through Career Services at WT. For Dakota Puga, a senior marketing major, walking into the Career EXPO not only lead to a summer internship, but also a full-time job immediately following graduation. Read more