News from the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business
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
Welcome to the 2019-2020 Academic Year. With over 2,850 students enrolled as business majors and over 3,500 students enrolled in business courses at West Texas A&M University this fall, the coming year promises to be eventful. In the past, the College of Business has occasionally shared information with alumni and stakeholders via a printed magazine. Outreach to students has been in the form of an e-newsletter. As we start a new academic year, we are pleased to share the decision to create a quarterly digital newsletter that will combine content for students, alumni, and various stakeholders. A benefit of serving as dean is the opportunity to visit and learn from many members of the College of Business family including students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, university administrators, and members of the business community. These stakeholder conversations are often exciting and heartwarming, at times challenging, and almost always gravitate back to the... Read more
Paul Engler grew up in a small town of only 450 people in rural Nebraska. His father owned a gas station, but Paul learned early on that he favored the cattle industry over the family business. At the age of seven, Paul was given the responsibility of raising a cow on four acres of land. Within two years, his father purchased a little more land and Paul grew the stock under his charge to seven cows. Read more
Go on college visits. Graduate from High School. Experience college life. Earn a degree. For many college students, the route to college graduation follows a similar path. However, for students like Verónica Alvarado Potter, a recent WT graduate who earned a BBA in General Business with a specialization in International Business, the road to completion has had many twists and turns. At age 13, Verónica moved from central México to Amarillo. Before the move, her father was diagnosed with cancer, which led to her older brother dropping out of high school to move to the United States to financially assist the family. Eventually, her parents obtained their U.S. permanent residency card and moved to reunite with her brother. Before she came to the United States, she thought she had a good idea of what it would be like. “I had watched Home Improvement and Malcom in the Middle. I... Read more