COB Newsletter

As we approach the end of the fall semester and enter the new calendar year, several high profile ranking outlets will publish results for 2020. One of the most distinctive entities with respect to rankings is The Princeton Review. I am pleased to share, the Engler College of Business has been recognized as a top 25 Online MBA program in the world rankings by The Princeton Review, for the second consecutive year. This year we moved up a spot to number 23.  The thing that makes The Princeton Review rankings special is the primary source of input comes from student surveys about faculty, staff, classmates, IT infrastructure, and related.  Being recognized via external rankings is always great, but recognition based on the experience of our recent graduates is very gratifying to our dedicated faculty and staff.   Beyond The Princeton Review rankings listed below, we are pleased to share information... Read more

Like many great stories of entrepreneurship, this one starts in a single-car garage in 1953. In a small house on Ong Street in Amarillo, J.W. and Nell Foust started their own printing company. They worked out of their garage for four years until they bought Whitney Printing Company in 1957.  They later expanded their business when they purchased Russell Stationery in 1979. For almost 50 years, they worked side-by-side Read more

Recently named in Boston Business Journal’s 40 under 40, Michaele Morrow has made quite an impact during her short career. She got her start at West Texas A&M University where she graduated in 2001 with a combined bachelor’s and master’s degree in Accounting. After graduating, she earned her CPA license and worked in public accounting until she decided to return to school pursuing her Ph.D. in Accounting from Texas Tech University in 2008.  Since then, she has been a professor of accounting at Northeastern Read more

One of the best things about the Texas Panhandle is the people. There is a general sense of pride with being open and hospitable and being there for people when needed. That is a big part of Marlene van Mourik’s story at WT. One of Marlene’s favorite jobs growing up on her family’s farm raising dairy cows is helping feed the calves early every morning.  It is a quiet time of day and she has fond memories of talking about life with her Dad while giving the calves milk. This is a picturesque view of Texas Panhandle life, with the subtle twist of being in Hovborg, Denmark. This similarity and the hospitality of the people made Marlene’s transition Read more

The Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business recently inducted the 2019 cohort of students from West Texas A&M University into Beta Gamma Sigma.  The induction ceremony took place in Legacy Hall on November 6th with students and their families. The International Honor Society of Beta Gamma Sigma membership is the highest recognition a business student anywhere in the world can receive in an undergraduate or graduate program at a school accredited by Read more

In the mountain town of Oberstdorf, Dr. Barthel grew up surrounded by the overwhelming beauty of the Bavarian Alps…and lots of cows. This small town located in Southern Germany is known for winter sports and dairy cows, where there are farms located right in the middle of town. In fact, Dr. Barthel remembers waking up to cow bells in the morning as the cows walked down her street to the pasture each day. During her childhood her parents, both teachers, would typically have the television tuned to the news during dinner.  It was during these dinners that Dr. Barthel began to take an interest in Read more

Engler College of Business graduates, Sarah and J. Rich Sparks, recently decided to dabble in entrepreneurship when they bought the boutique clothing store, 79/Salt, in downtown Canyon, Texas. We bought the store in August 2019. We had been contemplating a business/investment venture for years and all the right doors opened to purchase the store. This venture really allows us to utilize our respective skill sets and we always wanted to be involved with everything happening on the Read more

Given the diversity of the Engler College of Business student body, students may not know much about the West Texas A&M University campus, history, and traditions. In each issue of our newsletter, we will highlight some of the locations on campus and WT traditions that make us proud to be Buffs! Read more

October 2019 – Heidy Valverde Rodriguez “Heidy is a student researcher and a student leader with great potential. She demonstrates self-motivation, she is punctual and task-oriented. She is always ready to “grab the bull by the horns” when completing assignments. She has also been involved in serving as a leader (treasurer) for the ALPFA club and continues to help with student outreach events and activities.” – Dr. Leslie Ramos Salazar Hometown: Arequipa, Peru Read more

Study abroad can broadly be seen as a method of learning a new concept. In some departments, this means immersing oneself in a culture to learn a language while other departments encourage study abroad to allow students to interact in a political, legal, or business system unlike their own. Currently, the Engler College of Business hosts two-week faculty-led study abroad trips so that students can learn first-hand how different systems function without needing to take several months off from their Read more