February 2021
In the News
Tiedemann-Cotton Dean Sri Sundaram has been named chair of the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce Board. He is the first person from outside the local business community to hold this position.
On Feb. 22, the Tampa Bay Business Journal is participating in Bizwomen Mentoring Monday, an event that connects 1,700 mentors with more than 8,600 businesswomen across the nation. Among the mentors representing Tampa Bay is Rita Lowman, Kate Tiedemann School of Business and Finance Advisory Board member. Read more here.
Two members of the Kate Tiedemann School of Business and Finance Dean's Advisory Board, Bob Glaser and Chris Steinocher, have been named to Tampa Bay Business Journal's Power 100, Tampa Bay's most influential leaders list.
Tiedemann-Cotton Dean Sri Sundaram was featured in a Forbes video and article about the essential skills that our students will need as they enter the workforce. Read more here.
This semester, the Kate Tiedemann School of Business and Finance launched the Securities Industry Essentials Exam Scholarship Program. Thank you to Franklin Templeton for its generous sponsorship. The scholarships cover the exam fees and review materials by CeriFi, for 20 students.
The Kate Tiedemann School of Business and Finance has a new partnership with the Barron’s in Education Program from Dow Jones, which will provide Muma College of Business students, faculty and staff complimentary 24/7 digital content from Barron’s. All Muma College of Business students, faculty, and staff can activate their free subscriptions for Barron's in Education here.
Students at work: Internship Spotlight
Fatima Cugley
Fatima Cugley is a senior majoring in finance with a concentration in corporate finance. Cugley is a finance Intern and product coach at Therapax.

“Joining the Therapax team has allowed me to not only showcase the technical skills I have acquired through my studies but has also allowed me to grow individually by fostering my creativity in a field that I had not yet experienced. It is empowering to see my contributions come to life as integral elements of the software. Being a part of a startup company allows for an almost build-your-own internship structure where you can own your projects and experience elements of the industry you may not have had access to otherwise and every day is an adventure!”

Are you looking for an internship? Contact the Undergraduate Program office here.
Student Spotlight
Third-year doctoral student, Shaddy Douidar, is just 25 years old and is following his parents’ footsteps by earning a PhD in business administration. The Tampa local received his undergraduate degree in finance at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University before returning to Florida to pursue a master's degree in finance at USF.

Douidar’s research has focused on the relationship between politics and finance. The paper he plans to submit for publication focuses on the impact of a firms’ political geography or proximity to political power, on the valuation of real options. He also investigates whether a firms’ donations to political action campaigns, lobbying expenditures or engagement in government procurement contracts impact the relationship of political geography and real options. Douidar proposes that firms may find an enhanced value in the flexibility provided by real options, due to the constantly evolving political risk that corporations face, as a result of bi-annual election cycles. He finds that firms headquartered in areas with strong political alignment and that do not engage in political contributions, lobbying expenditures, nor government procurement contracts, benefit from the real option value-enhancing effect. Overall, he provides evidence that exposure to political uncertainty make real options more valuable.

Besides research, Douidar teaches personal finance. He enjoys his new role as an instructor. In his free time, Douidar plays soccer, stays active and visits his family.
Faculty Spotlight
Finance Professor Kiyoung Chang has worked at USF since 2010. He teaches Principles of Finance, Advanced Corporate Finance and International Finance. Chang feels that in light of today’s rapidly changing technologies, the most important thing students can take away from their schooling is the ability to teach themselves how to adapt to the world and industry around them.

Chang has published in over 40 journals and proceedings primarily in corporate and international finance. He has an interest in corporate social responsibility and sustainability specific to finance. Chang stated, “Financially if it is not ethical, it is not sustainable.” More recently he has been pursuing an interest in the impact of unions on firm performance and financial and non-financial reporting.

Chang is the president of the Korea America Finance Association, which has more than 200 academic members around the world. His role involves working with donors, organizing academic conference sessions, seminars and working with foreign exchange programs. Chang is very active in his local church and enjoys spending time at home with his son.
Financial Literacy Advice
Sponsored by the Merrill Lynch Wealth Management Center
What’s a Good Credit Score? Here’s the Number You Should Aim For
Curtis Westman, The Penny Hoarder

Your credit score is a three-digit number ranging from 300 to 850 that represents how responsible you are with debt. Read more here.
The Penny Hoarder Academy offers financial literacy courses that may be helpful for those who are looking to learn more about credit cards, homebuying, budgeting, job hunting, and more.
USF Muma College of Business
Kate Tiedemann School of Business and Finance