College of Business and Innovation featured in The Princeton Review’s Best 295 Business Schools: 2014 Edition

The University of Toledo College of Business and Innovation (COBI) is one of the nation's most outstanding business schools, according to the education services company, The Princeton Review (www.princetonreview.com), which features the school in the new 2014 edition of its book, The Best 295 Business Schools.

According to Robert Franek, Princeton Review Senior VP-Publisher, "We recommend The University of Toledo College of Business and Innovation as one of the best institutions a student could attend to earn a business school degree. We chose the schools we profile in this book based on our high regard for their academic programs and our reviews of institutional data we collect from the schools. We also solicit and greatly respect the opinions of students attending these schools who rate and report on their experiences at them on our 80-question student survey for the book."

“All of us in the College of Business and Innovation are very excited at this continuing recognition by The Princeton Review of the quality and relevance of our programs,” noted Dr. Thomas Sharkey, COBI Interim Dean. “We like to point out that COBI is increasingly ranked and recognized by national and international organizations, and this recognition by The Princeton Review further validates the quality of our faculty, the significance of our curriculum and the excellence of our students.”

Dr. Terribeth Gordon-Moore, COBI Senior Associate Dean, observed, “Our inclusion in this select group is a seal of quality for our degree programs. It elevates the value of degrees received, leads to increased enrollment of high quality students, and enhances the qualifications of alumni. Furthermore, it benefits businesses nationwide by providing them with highly qualified graduates who become superb employees.”

The Best 295 Business Schools: 2014 Edition has two-page profiles of the schools with write-ups on their academics, student life and admissions. In the COBI profile, the Princeton Review editors describe the school as "offering a good education at a very competitive price with convenient scheduling.” Among the topics about which students surveyed had the highest consensus are smart classrooms, solid preparation in general management and doing business in a global economy. 

The school profiles in The Best 295 Business Schools have rating scores in five categories: academic experience, admissions selectivity, career, professors interesting, and professors accessible.  The Princeton Review does not rank the business schools in the book on a single hierarchical list from 1 to 295, or name one business school best overall.

 

COBI teams finish first in two supply chain management case competitions

UT business students finish first in national supply chain management case competition

Supply chain management students in The University of Toledo College of Business and Innovation claimed first place in the 2013 Supply Chain Case Competition in Detroit, sponsored by General Motors and Wayne State University.

In so doing, they bested teams from 19 other universities, including BGSU, Ohio State, Michigan State, Pennsylvania State, Rutgers and the University of Maryland.

“All credit goes to the team,” observed Dr. P. S. Sundararaghavan of COBI Information Operations & Technology Management department and faculty advisor to the team. “The case analysis is entirely the responsibility of students with zero input from faculty. Faculty responsibility ends with team selection”.  The students performed magnificently, and our UT team won big…very big, beating out teams from 19 other high caliber business schools from around the country.  I want to thank COBI for their generous support and Senior Associate Dean Terribeth Gordon-Moore for all the encouragement.”

Team members were (pictured above, left to right) Justin Michael Blake, Emily Burghardt,  Dr. P.S. Sundararaghavan, Sasha VonSacken and Athreya Rajan.

“Congratulations to the team for their outstanding performance in this national competition and thanks to Dr. Sundararaghavan for motivating the team,” Dr. Gordon-Moore said. “This success shines a wonderful light on our college and is additional evidence as to why UT COBI is increasingly nationally ranked and recognized.”

During the September 19-21 competition, students also had the opportunity to participate in two employment-oriented panel discussions, several sessions on the state of automotive industry supply chain by leading experts in the field, a factory visit to the DHAM plant of GM which makes the Volt, several interviews for full-time employment and internships, and attend a Detroit Tigers game.  

International judges award UT business students first place at Global Supply Chain Management Conference case competition

Operations/supply chain management students in the University of Toledo College of Business and Innovation (COBI) won the undergraduate student case competition in front of a panel of international judges at the Sixth Global Supply Chain Management Conference in Detroit, held September 26-28.

Teams from six universities, including The University of Toledo, The University of Evansville, Western Michigan University and Rowan University, registered for the competition, with four teams selected to present their case analyses at the conference. The case analysis was entirely the responsibility of the students, with zero input from faculty.

The contest was judged by an international panel of faculty members representing The University of Tokyo (Japan), IE Business School (Spain), Old Dominion University (USA), and Western Carolina University (USA). The panel considered multiple criteria in their evaluation including the written case analysis, presentation, and questions and answers.

Pictured above is the UT COBI team: left to right, are Essa Almazni, Jingwen Zhang, Riheng Cao, and Austin Petroff. Judges praised the team’s work spirit and presentation.

During the competition, students also had the opportunity to participate in panel discussions on automotive and healthcare industry issues, sessions on up-to-date research in supply chain management, workshops, and a healthcare facility tour.  

The Sixth Global Supply Chain Management Conference was co-organized by The University of Toledo and Michigan State University. The affiliation of the teams was not released to the judges until the final decision was made.

 

Sales students claim second place in National Team Selling competition

Four professional sales majors in The University of Toledo (UT) College of Business and Innovation (COBI) Edward H. Schmidt School of Professional Sales (ESSPS) claimed a second place finish in the 2013 annual National Team Selling competition on October 11.

Twenty-one teams from across the nation participated in the competition, which was held at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.

UT’s ESSPS team consisted of John Doncaster, Allie Gligor, Brad Mossing and Matt Wells. They finished ahead of teams from schools such as Indiana University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Michigan State University, University of Cincinnati, Purdue University, University of Missouri, University of Kansas, University of Washington, University of Florida and Syracuse University.  The first place award went to the team from University of Wisconsin-Parkside.

By competing in this event, selling teams from universities across the United States got the chance to take their classroom knowledge and experience and apply those skills in a selling situation that is realistic and relevant in today’s market.

The ESSPS team was coached by ESSPS Director Dr. Ellen Pullins and Professor Lora Cramer, with assistance from many other COBI sales and marketing faculty members. Students received a cash award for their efforts.

“This was the second year in a row our team placed second, which validates our continued success as one of the top professional selling programs in the world,” Pullins said.

The mission of the Edward H. Schmidt School of Professional Sales is to provide high quality educational programs in sales and related areas, to enhance the world of business practice related to professional sales and to become a recognized global leader in sales learning, discovery and engagement. ESSPS provides a learning environment for students, faculty and business professionals that promotes shared learning, networking opportunities and the exchange of ideas about sales issues in an open and professional manner.

The National Team Selling competition is made possible through the financial and volunteer support of Altria Group Distribution Company and 3M Corporation.

College of Business and Innovation Alumni receive awards during UT Homecoming

Dr. Clinton O. Longenecker

UT Alumni Association Gold T Award  

Dr. Clinton O. Longenecker, Stranahan Professor of Leadership and Organizational Excellence in The University of Toledo College of Business and Innovation (COBI) is the 2013 recipient of The University of Toledo Alumni Association Gold T award, which is awarded to a UT/MUO alum in recognition of outstanding achievement in his/her field of endeavor while providing leadership and noteworthy service to the community. Longenecker received bachelor and master of business administration degrees from UT in 1977 and 1978, respectively.

Last year Longenecker was selected as one of the top 10 business educators in the world by The Economist magazine. He has been the recipient of more than 20 outstanding teaching awards and has published more than 150 articles and papers in leading academic and professional journals.  His research has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Investor’s Business Daily and on MSNBC and NPR.

His best-selling book, Getting Results: Five Absolutes for High Performance - - which has been translated into nine languages - - describes the best practices of more than 2,000 high-performance managers and how they achieve outstanding success.

An active management consultant, Longenecker’s clients include a variety of Fortune 500 firms and entrepreneurial organizations, including Harley-Davidson, Owens-Illinois, Cooper Tire, Marathon, ConAgra Foods, SSOE, ProMedica Health System and Eaton.

Longenecker has also spent extensive time in Haiti working as a missionary, building schools, hospitals and homes.

Heidi Burkhart

Edward H. Schmidt Outstanding Young Alum Award

The Edward H. Schmidt Outstanding Young Alum Award is presented to a UT  graduate who is 35 years old (or younger) in recognition of outstanding achievement in her or her field of endeavor, while providing leadership and noteworthy service to the Alumni Association, University or community. This award is named in memory of the 1942 alumnus and a longtime supporter of the University and its Alumni Association.

The 2013 recipient is Heidi Burkhart of New York, NY, who received her bachelor’s degree from the UT College of Business in business administration in 2002.

Burkhart is chair and founder of Dane Professional Consulting Group, which specializes in affordable housing, brokerage and consulting. She has facilitated the closing in excess of $500 million of affordable housing in the past four years.

In November she will receive the Young Leader Award from Affordable Housing Finance, which honors men and women under the age of 40 who are building organizations and ushering in new ways of delivering affordable housing.

Burkhart is also involved in philanthropic efforts associated with children and education.

Michael Hanf

UT College of Business and Innovation Outstanding Young Alumnus Award

Michael Hanf is recipient of the UT College of Business and Innovation Outstanding Young Alumnus Award.  Hanf is owner of  Owner, Davenport, Hanf & Company (DHC).

Hanf has more than 18 years of diversified accounting and audit experience. His experience includes working with domestic and international multi-location organizations in both the public and private sectors. Hanf has significant experience with construction related matters and is a member of the BDO Construction Accounting Network. He also has extensive experience with employee benefit plan audits.

Hanf also has spent 18 years bringing professional services to entrepreneurial companies in Northwest Ohio, exercising his own entrepreneurial spirit in 2005 as the founding member of DHC.  He spent 10 years at Ernst & Young, LLP (E&Y), where he coordinated audit, tax and advisory services to a wide range of clients. Hanf was also actively involved in the E&Y construction group, serving most of E&Y’s local construction clients. He was also the local Construction Financial Managers Association (CFMA) representative, and has maintained his involvement in the CFMA and currently sits on their Steering Committee.

Gary Smith

COBI Outstanding Alumnus Award

College of Business and Innovation Outstanding Alumnus Award given to Gary Smith, a 1972 business graduate who majored in accounting and finance.

Smith has recently served as Vice President Finance & Treasurer (Principal Financial Officer) of The Andersons, Inc.  In 1995, Gary provided the leadership to transition the company from a private entity into a publicly traded corporation. Gary has over 38 years of experience in the agribusiness, commodity and financial industries.

Previously, Gary served as Vice President and Controller of Toledo Pickling and Steel Service, Inc., one of the largest importers and steel service centers in the Great Lakes. In 1971 Gary joined Arthur Young & Co, auditing/consulting many regional companies. Gary is a U.S. Army veteran, spent two years self-employed in the beverage industry, and grew up on the family farm.

For 21 years, Smith was a trustee of The University of Toledo Foundation, chairing the Investment Committee and serving as its President for several years. Currently Gary is on the Board of Directors of The Toledo Zoological Society.

Gary is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors of Lansing Trade Group LLC and AAA Northwest Ohio. In addition, he is on the Northwest Ohio Advisory Board of FirstMerit Corporation.).