COB Newsletter

It is my distinct pleasure to welcome each of you to this season’s newsletter. This edition symbolizes the transition of seasons and our evolving journey toward academic and professional excellence. As the fall semester commenced, the Engler College of Business faculty and staff enthusiastically welcomed the incoming freshman class through the exuberant “Buff Branding” event hosted under the Hayward Spirit Clock Tower. This lively event sparked a surge of excitement, setting an upbeat and celebratory atmosphere for the upcoming academic year. Building on this energy, the College organized a special family picnic for its faculty, staff, and their loved ones. The event, featuring a delightful selection of food trucks, spirited lawn games, and a thrilling waterslide, ensured an unforgettable day for everyone in attendance. Despite our unique challenges this year, our resilience and determination have been unparalleled. This edition showcases numerous accomplishments and heartwarming success stories that exemplify our commitment... Read more

One of the great American pastimes is the picnic. Even if it’s in the depths of Texas summer and a little bit toasty, we just adapt, dress appropriately, and find some shade. To that end, the COB has had two picnics already this academic year. On Friday August 18, the College welcomed incoming freshmen who were busy engaging in Buff Branding activities before classes started. All told, there were 159 new students who indicated their desire to be a Business major. The gathering was held in the pedestrian mall just south of the clock tower. Faculty and staff played a big role in this picnic, though, as it was a golden opportunity to meet the people with whom they will be interacting later in their academic careers. Since many of our Business majors do not take many (or even any) of our courses until they are juniors, it is important... Read more

The College of Business held a strategic planning retreat on Friday September 8. The session was held off-campus at the new Sad Monkey Mercantile a mile west of Palo Duro Canyon State Park. The Mercantile has an adjacent event hall for private gatherings, and the spacious accommodations and expansive views outside allowed for creative juices to flow. Strategic planning is a critical part of the College’s efforts to remain relevant and focused in its delivery of quality education programs, as well as satisfy requirements of its AACSB accreditation. Facilitating the session was Eric Alexander of Six Arrows Consulting, who led faculty, staff, and administrators on a guided tour of strategic planning building blocks. This involved assessing our current offerings along with external factors affecting the current market for higher education. These included demographic trends, the economy, the political/legal structure, and the competitive arena.  Alexander then pivoted and guided those present... Read more

Each year, the College of Business welcomes new faculty to its ranks. This is the result of normal attrition through retirements and departures, and once again, the COB is fortunate to be able to throw open its doors to a new cohort of scholars. Collectively, they bring diverse worldviews, a wide variety of academic training, and new energy. Joining the Department of Management, Marketing, and General Business is Andrea Blakely, Assistant Professor of Management. Blakely earned her PhD from the University of Mississippi, along with a Master of Science in Information Systems and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts, both from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. She currently teaches Principles of Management and Organizational Behavior, and is a faculty sponsor of the Women In Business student organization. Her research interests leader-member exchange, servant leadership, compensation management, and idiosyncratic deals. The Alabama native enjoys watching sports, as well as... Read more

Perhaps the most important event in a professor’s life is achieving tenure. It is a vote of confidence from among peers and administrators that, in the words of a former administrator at WT, means you are “top shelf.” Dr. David Howe is the most recent among the College of Business faculty to be granted tenure, as well as promotion to Associate Professor of Management.  These actions were ratified by all levels of university review committees and individuals, as well as at the A&M System level.  Interestingly, Howe had no plans to pursue anything beyond a Bachelor’s degree. He was more interested in employment, and actually worked full-time while going to school. But he soon became self-aware that he had not gotten enough education to pursue his life goals. “I got an MBA, and realized that I kind of liked it. So I kept going.”  Howe was born in Chicago, raised... Read more

Rodeos are a way of life for many in West Texas. Ranch life turned into a competition, they are common events on the High Plains. WT even has a rodeo team, a reflection of the local and regional culture. What is uncommon, though, is having a national rodeo champion among your ranks. Quade Hiatt, a Marketing major and 2023 graduate, added that to his resumé this last June at the College National Finals Rodeo when he was named Men’s All-Around Champ. The event was held in Casper Wyoming. Hiatt scored 365 points, which was more than triple that of the nearest competitor. He took second in team roping, and fourth in tie-down roping. While Hiatt demonstrates versatility across rodeo events, his primary skills are in calf roping. The Canyon native has now turned professional, and finds himself on the road for what is a nearly year-long occupation. He recently returned... Read more

It is always admirable to finish what you started, even if life intervenes for a long time. But it is even more admirable when, once you resume what you started, you realize there’s so much more to accomplish above and beyond what you had originally begun. Such is the story of Erika Cedillos, MBA student and Texas native, who lives on the Big Island of Hawaii. Cedillos had begun her undergraduate degree years ago, but then started a family. It would be many years before she could contemplate returning to academia, but once she did, she found that a Bachelor’s degree wasn’t enough. That’s when she set her sights on the MBA. She plans to graduate next May, and this year was awarded the Stanley Schaeffer Excellence in Business Scholarship As a single Mom putting her three children through college as well, the $3600 scholarship was very helpful. Cedillos works... Read more

One of the best ways to broaden one’s horizons is through travel, and especially foreign travel. To that end, the College of Business has been committed to offering Study Abroad trips on a regular basis. They provide students and faculty alike a chance to experience other cultures, sampling food, beverage, and different norms and expectations along the way. This year the COB hosted a trip to central Europe, specifically to Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Dr. Robert A. King, Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, and Dr. Anne Barthel, Associate Professor of Economics and Decision Management and the Hodges Professor of Business, served as faculty leaders of 14 students. The trip was held in the latter half of May immediately following Spring commencement exercises. Highlights of the trip included visiting the Bundesbank, a brewery, the Salzburg Salt Mine, traveling by rail throughout the trip, and Berchtesgaden in the Bavarian Alps. Language was... Read more