Friday, August 11, 2017

Dr. Hong teaches and observes during his Fulbright Scholar experience in India


Dr. Paul Hong, professor in the Information Operations and Technology Management Department in the UT College of Business and Innovation, has a lot of teaching, research, service and outreach activities through his five-month stay in India as a Fulbright-Nehru scholar.

“UT well trained me to have a professional work habit--five or six days a week,” Dr. Hong said.  “We have the American sense of productivity and innovation.  Two or three days a week I spoke at Christ University and other universities including the India Institute of Sciences and Indus Business Academy.”

Dr. Hong, right, with Thomas C. Mathew, Vice Chancellor of Christ University


“I had multiple project teams of various professors from business, international relations and economics, and for the first three months I conducted a weekly leadership cohort where we addressed such issues as Economic Growth Opportunities and Challenges for India, Digital India Issues, and Planning for Life for Integrity, Meaning and Contribution,” Dr. Hong said. Other lectures he made while in India included ones on economic growth and development; he conducted a productivity and innovation workshop; presented a lecture at a research workshop and spoke to MBA students about Building Skills for Tomorrow’s Work.

Dr. Hong also conducted research that resulted in three book chapters that he authored/co-authored; “Asian Innovators”--a book proposal with Springer; the publication/acceptance/submission of material for four journals; the submission of papers for two conferences; and worked on several research projects with faculty of Christ University Christ University at Bangalore, his base during his trip. He also spoke or gave the keynote lecture at a number of international conferences, spoke to the Rotary Clubs of Bangalore, and met with senior executives at major companies and professional organizations.

Following these very important endeavors during his Fulbright experience, he has several observations to benefit current and future students in UT COBI.

“Fulbright is about service engagement, and most people teach and engage in very small, very focused groups. The Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Award, supported by both US and Indian resources, is one of the largest. Besides senior level faculty, many American students—with diverse backgrounds from sociology, business, engineering and medicine-- also receive this prestigious award. I would like to encourage UT students to go with Fulbright scholarship for research and engagement. From the beginning, I made a presentation about management, then to economics, international relations and different schools invited me…and that’s what I wanted. My growing interest is in entrepreneurial innovation, which is a hot topic in India.”

“Our UT COBI students are in a very good position in the growing global market.  My experiences in India has assured me of the increasing contribution potential with emerging markets such as India.  Students and business leaders in India are interested in pursuing opportunities with a US-based global network, because a lot of innovation comes from us.  Our potential to serve the world is very huge.  Academic and business leaders in India are very keen in creating and delivering value through global network efforts.  Fortunately, the US is still in the center of such diverse global network.   In this sense, I see increasing importance of linkage role to bring diverse stakeholders to interact, inspire and innovate,” Dr. Hong said.  

“One of the most rewarding experiences is to see that numerous American young business leaders stay in India with long-term vision. I met with a company that brings capital resources from US to support socially minded organizations.  One company I visited hires thousands of people who are blind, deaf and physically challenged.  There are no government grants but they are a self-supporting organization!  An American businessman was sponsoring such a company while providing sound financial services for growing middle class people in India and provide professional services for achieving market growth. It is not easy to practice integrity in every sense.  Yet, such firms maintain high level of ethical standards and integrity practices despite occasional losses. It takes time, but after a while, these firms are respected now. They make an impact in bringing constructive business environment in India.”

“One thing really amazing is the middle class there is growing; the projection is that by 2050, 60% or more of the global middle class will be outside of North America. Global companies will not be able to afford to lose sight of this global market reality.”

“My message to UT alumni is when they go to another country, see if they can find opportunities to engage and interact,” Dr. Hong said. “I was looking for UT alumni. I did contact the Rotary Clubs in India. ”

“The key is a global perspective,” Dr. Hong explained. “What I emphasize to students here is to go beyond a tri-state perspective; our students can work with companies from around the world because their technical and communication and relationship skills are very good. They are prepared to go anywhere. Once a Fulbright-Nehru Scholar, then I represent the United States and am connected to India and the emerging world hereafter. I strive to help our students engage with those students and companies, and this provides a great opportunity to further understand their growing market potential. Growth through global engagement; this increasing strategic initiative will continue to provide a lot of opportunity and will benefit students who work in the US.”




Two COBI students on UT's men's basketball team named to national honors court

UT men’s basketball players Zach Garber and Jordan Lauf have been named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Honors Court for a second consecutive season.

Zach Garber

Jordan Lauf
Garber and Lauf each graduated from UT following the 2016-17 academic year.

To be eligible, a student-athlete has to be a member of the varsity squad with junior or senior status and hold a cumulative 3.2 GPA or higher at the conclusion of the academic year.

A business management major, Garber started 10 of 16 contests last year while missing much of the second half of the season due to a broken foot. He averaged 3.6 points per game and 4.4 rebounds per game in 15.4 minutes per game and was able to return to play his final contest as a Rocket in the 2017 College Basketball Invitational.

Lauf will be entering his first season as a graduate assistant on the Rockets’ coaching staff after earning his degree in business management. He paced UT with a 59 field-goal percentage and ranked second on the team with a career-best 6.2 rebounds per game and 75 offensive boards. The Rockets’ two-time captain started 33 of 34 contests and averaged a career-high 8.3 points per game in a career-best 33.6 minutes per game en route to playing in a school-record 133 contests in his collegiate career.

COBI Faculty members assume new leadership roles


This summer COBI Dean Gary Insch named three faculty members to new positions within the college.

Dr. Hassan HassabElnaby, Chair of the COBI Accounting Department, was named Associate Dean for Graduate Programs and Research, following the retirement of Executive Associate Dean Dr. Anand Kunnathur. Dr. Diana Franz was named Chair of the Accounting Department, and Dr. Marc Simpson was named Chair of the Finance Department.

All appointments were effective in July.

“I want to express my most sincere thanks for the remarkable leadership and an amazing commitment to the UT College of Business and Innovation to Dr. HassanElnaby for his service as Chair of the Accounting Department and to Dr. Ozcan Sezer for chairing the Finance Department in recent years,” Dean Insch said.

“I also want to publicly thank Dr. Anand Kunnathur who served the college, our faculty and thousands of students with great devotion and integrity for the many years during his term as Executive Associate Dean, and we are appreciative that he will continue to serve in the dean’s office working on special projects and teaching classes.”

“Dr. HassabElnaby has done an amazing job Chairing the Accounting Department in recent years, including leading our successful efforts to obtain a separate Accounting accreditation from the AACSB, an achievement obtained by less than 2% of business colleges around the world, Dean Insch added. “His academic and administrative skills will enhance our delivery of our graduate programs as well as other key areas throughout COBI.”

Dr. HassanElnaby has served as Director of the Ph.D.  program in Manufacturing and Technology Management;  was the UT faculty representative of the University Board of Trustees’ Audit Committee; coordinated the UT Master of Business Administration (MBA) program American Chamber of Commerce-Egypt; the Bachelor of Business Administration with the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime, Egypt; UT programs with King Saud University and the COBI-UT MBA program with the American Chamber of Commerce Egypt. He has published his research in several journals and presented his research at numerous international, national and regional conferences.

Dr. Franz has taught at the University of Toledo since 1992, and has previously served as Department Chair of the Accounting Department. She has obtained three distinctive certifications: Data Visualization with Advanced Excel; Problem Solving with Excel; and Data-driven Decision Making. She is active with Beta Alpha Psi, an honor organization for financial information students and professionals.

Dr. Marc W. Simpson, CFA, obtained his Master of Arts and his Doctor of Philosophy at Fordham University; taught at Marshall University and the University of Texas – Pan American; and was chairman of the Department of Finance at Northern Illinois University. Prior to being named Finance Department Chair at UT COBI, Dr. Simpson was the John B. and Lillian E. Neff Endowed Chair in Finance at UT for four years.

Dean Insch said, “I know that Drs. HassabElnaby, Franz and Simpson are dedicated and well-respected members of our COBI faculty. I am confident that their service to our university, college and our students through their latest expanded responsibilities in these critically important positions will have a positive, meaningful impact on many lives and careers.”

Accounting major receives prestigious scholarship


Frank Rolando, an accounting major in the UT College of Business and Innovation, received the $10,000 Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) scholarship for the 2017/2018 academic year. Rolando received notification of the award in June.

Frank Rolando
“This scholarship is a very prestigious award and first time to be received by one of our students,” noted Dr. Hassan HassabElnaby, Associate Dean for Graduate Programs and Research.

PCAOB scholarships are merit-based, one-time awards which must be used to cover eligible expenses such as tuition, books, supplies and equipment.

The PCAOB is a nonprofit corporation established by Congress to oversee the audits of public companies and broker-dealers to promote investor protection. The Board established the  PCAOB Scholarship Program to provide a source of funding to encourage outstanding undergraduate and graduate students to pursue a career in auditing.

“I would like to thank you for entering me into the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) Scholarship. I am very pleased and honored to have received this prestigious and honorable award. This will definitely assist me in my educational endeavors,” Rolando said.

“I cannot express how thankful I am. You have allowed me to develop and foster professional growth. I am extremely appreciative of all the opportunities that the University of Toledo's Accounting Department has offered. I hope to help others as Dr. HassabElnaby has helped me in my development.”

COBI earns SHRM Outstanding Student Chapter Award


The UT COBI Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) received the highest recognition possible from SHRM when it was named an Outstanding Chapter for 2016-2017 in July.

“All praise goes to our awesome student leadership,” proclaimed Dr. Jenell Wittmer, faculty advisor to the Chapter. “We have received the Outstanding Chapter twice in the past three years, having received the Superior Chapter Award the other. This is great news and a wonderful recognition of the hard work and efforts our HR students apply within our professional organization.” Our University of Toledo student team also took second place at the East Region SHRM Student Case Competition in Philadelphia, PA this year. This has been a great year for UT SHRM!"

The Outstanding Student Chapter award is given to SHRM student chapters whose programs and activities were at a level that distinguished them from other chapters. This award represents significant achievement in one of five categories: recruitment, programming/education, innovation/technology, campus/community service or promotion of assurance of learning assessment.

The Society for Human Resource Management's Student Program was created in 1965 to promote mutually beneficial interaction between HRM students and practitioners. The program now includes over 250 affiliated student chapters and more than 19,000 student members.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is the world’s largest HR professional society, representing 285,000 members in more than 165 countries. For nearly seven decades, the Society has been the leading provider of resources serving the needs of HR professionals and advancing the practice of human resource management.

UT College of Business and Innovation and BGSU College of Business jointly present Women in Leadership Conference

The University of Toledo College of Business and Innovation and Bowling Green State University College of Business are again presenting a Women in Leadership conference. Entitled Step Out to Step Up, it will be held on Friday, October 20, 2017,  at the Hilton Garden Inn, Levis Commons, Perrysburg.




Additional details may be found here.

COBI vs. Engineering Golf outing raises funds for scholarships





COBI Dean Gary Insch and Russ Ely, recently named COBI's Outstanding Alum from the Department of Marketing and International Business, ready to hit the links.

UT's beloved mascots Rocky and Roxsie join Dean Gary Insch and  Russ Ely  as  the golfers  enter their carts.

Rocky and Roxsie launch the golfers on the way to their starting tees.


Refreshments in the Bedford Hills clubhouse!

COBI Alumni Affiliate Board Member Dan Miller poses with  Roxsie before the  competition begins!