Featured Stories November 2021
The Muma College of Business celebrated the grand opening of the Monica Wooden Center for Supply Chain Management & Sustainability on Oct. 26 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The center will serve as a hub for innovation, research, and industry-specific approaches to supply chain management and logistics. Read more. View a slide show from the event.
The Muma College of Business and McKibbon Hospitality announced a new partnership on Nov. 10 that creates an innovative hospitality teaching lab program. The affiliation gives School of Hospitality and Tourism Management students the chance to gain hands-on experience at a variety of hotel brand concepts. Read more. Watch a slide show.
Kerkering, Barberio & Co. has established a five-year gift to the USF Muma College of Business that include multiple components in the Lynn Pippenger School of Accountancy, including student scholarships. The announcement was made Nov. 7 during the 27th Brunch on the Bay at the Sarasota-Manatee campus. Read more.
Patrick Hwu, CEO of Moffitt Cancer Center, was the featured guest at the Oct. 21 Muma College of Business Conversation with a CEO series. Hwu took the helm at Moffitt a year ago. "Since being here in the last year, I feel like every cell in my body is energized. I never thought I'd be the CEO of a major cancer center. My goal was always to find ways to get the immune system to fight cancer," he said. Read more. Watch a slide show.
Dezhi Yin, an associate professor in the Muma College of Business' School of Information Systems and Management, won the INFORMS Information Systems Society's Sandra A. Slaughter Early Career Award. This prestigious national award is given each year to information systems faculty who are on a path toward making outstanding intellectual contributions to the information systems discipline. Read more.
Dipayan Biswas, the Frank Harvey Endowed Professor of Marketing, was quoted in a Wall Street Journal article on his research and ways restaurants can win back customers. Biswas advises creating a dining room that offers two areas -- one for diners who prefer to be socially distanced and one for those who want to socialize. He also says certain scents encourage diners to eat more. Read more.
Cathie Wood, founder, CEO, and CIO of ARK Invest is the featured guest on the upcoming Barron's webinar, "A Conversation with Cathie Wood: Investing for a Better World." Wood will discuss the technologies reshaping our world. All faculty, staff, and students can activate their free Barron's subscription and sign up. The session is at 2 p.m. Nov. 17. Reserve your spot here.
USF's Ketrin Gavani was among several hospitality students recently to win a scholarship from the Tampa Bay Hospitality Alliance. Gavani, a senior in the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, was awarded the $1,000 scholarship during the alliance's "ExTravelganza" event for culinary and hospitality management students on Oct. 8. Read more.
Bulls Bistro is a series of community dining events where students in USF's Restaurant Operations class get first-hand experience running a restaurant. "We're not a culinary school. It's to give the students this hands-on experiential learning. From the students, it's just a resounding, profound, positive experience," said Garry Colpitts. The next Bulls Bistro is Nov. 18. Read more. View a slide show.
Muma researchers ranked among the top 2% in the world by Stanford University

A study by Stanford University has placed six USF Muma College of Business faculty among the top 2% of scientists in the world. The elite ranking is based on their career-long impact in their fields of study. Another five Muma College of Business faculty were recognized in the Stanford rankings for making a single-year impact in 2020. "The strong showing by the Muma College of Business faculty demonstrates the broad scientific impact our research is making. I congratulate everyone who has been included,” said GJ de Vreede, associate dean at the Muma College of Business. Read more.
Partnership between USF and Tampa Bay Wave to make the region a major fintech hub

An innovative multi-year partnership between the University of South Florida Muma College of Business and Tampa Bay Wave is launching the FinTech|X Accelerator, with its first cohort to be selected in 2022.

This accelerator is designed to assist high-potential, high-growth startups in the fintech, or financial technology, industry through mentoring, pitch coaching, and investment training. The overall goal is to transition startups to sustainable, scalable, and profitable businesses. Read more. To apply, visit Tampa Bay Wave.
Muma College of Business and dean honored with LiFT RISE awards

The Muma College of Business and Lynn Pippenger Dean Moez Limayem were honored by Learning, Independence for Tomorrow, an organization that empowers people with learning differences and neurodiversity, at a reception on Nov. 10 with two awards - the 2021 LiFT RISE Award for community commitment and the 2021 LiFT RISE Award for leadership.

The leadership award recognized Limayem as "an inspirational leader who makes a difference in this world." The community commitment award noted the college's "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace" certificate program, which was offered for free, as an example of how an organization can inspire others to take on leadership roles.
Entrepreneurship students using NASA patents to study strategic market assessment

The USF Muma College of Business is one of the first to collaborate with NASA in its new all-virtual Technology Transfer (T2U) Program. In early 2021, the Tech Transfer Office at NASA Kennedy Space Center sought new ways to engage with students in a virtual format. As a result, the T2U program is now incorporated into a graduate-level entrepreneurship course, Strategic Market Assessment, in the USF Center for Entrepreneurship within the Muma College of Business. The collaboration allows students to use three technologies from the NASA Patent Portfolio to analyze market opportunities for new inventions and intellectual properties. Read more
Alumna Spotlight: Brittany Grossfield Lindsay selected as a COVID-19 Hero of Tampa Bay

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor may have named USF Muma College of Business graduate Brittany Grossfield Lindsay ('17, MBA) a COVID-19 Hero of Tampa Bay, but her hero status started well before 2020.

In March of 2020, Lindsay was a senior program director at the local YMCA supervising the Office of Youth Development. She was responsible for essential workers’ children. When daycare shut down, it was her immediate responsibility to make all daycare options safe for the children of essential workers, like police, firefighters, and those in the military.

Where did this passion to help children come from? It was an experience she had as a teenager that has guided her into the person she is today. Read more.
Student Spotlight: Xiomara Mantes Gil headed to NYC for JPMorgan Global Finance Internship

Xiomara Mantes Gil, a junior majoring in finance and business analytics, has earned a spot in the JPMorgan Global Finance Internship program in New York City this summer.

“The thought of working for a company like JPMorgan was completely unimaginable,” said Gil, who is a student at the Kate Tiedemann School of Business and Finance, a part of the Muma College of Business.

She applied to several other opportunities, thinking the summer program at JPMorgan was just a dream. Gil credits her peers in Delta Sigma Pi for encouraging her to apply to roles with larger companies. Read more.
Tampa General CEO John Couris: Once a learner, always a learner

Tampa General CEO John Couris recently penned a blog on Becker's Hospital Review about his doctoral journey in the USF Muma College of Business' online Doctor of Business Administration program.

He writes, "A little over a week ago, I defended my dissertation. In December, I will graduate with a doctorate in business administration with a focus in management sciences from the Muma College of Business at the University of South Florida.

While I am tremendously proud of what I have achieved, my purpose in sharing this is to inspire others to continue pursuing their passions. Learning is a lifelong journey and should be a process for everyone." Read more.
Popular DEI in the Workplace Certificate program is available

A self-paced version of the “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace” certificate program is available through the USF Muma College of Business. It is the second time this year the program is being offered. The first drew more than 135,000 registrants. “The concept of diversity, equity, and inclusion is in our DNA at the college,” said Dean Moez Limayem. Read more. To enroll, click here.
Faculty Spotlights
Alumni Careers
Martina Schmidt, a finance instructor in the Kate Tiedemann School of Business and Finance, was quoted in a Tampa Bay Times story about instant buyers, or "iBuyers" of real estate. Read more. She also was among a panel of industry experts answering readers' questions for CreditDonkey.

Rob Hooker, associate professor in the School of Marketing and Sales Innovation, was interviewed by ABC Action News, on how supply chain issues are affecting the holiday shopping season. Watch the segment.
Murad Antia, an instructor in the Kate Tiedemann School of Business and Finance, wrote two guest columns in the Tampa Bay Times. In "Gaming the political system corrupts us all," he discusses flaws in the U.S. democracy. Read more. In "What Tom Hanks and `Cast Away' can teach us about inflation, immigration, and the American economy," he discusses how the labor shortage and inflation could get worse and offers solutions. Read more.

Michael Mondello, professor in the School of Marketing and Innovation, was featured on "That's All I'm Saying with Ernest Hooper." The Nov. 4 episode, titled "Tampa Bay Pro Sports Impact on Economics," explored the connections between the success of Tampa Bay area sports franchises and the economies of our region. To watch the episode, click here.
Tim Boynton (`20, MBA) made the list of Modern Healthcare’s 2021 class of Top 25 Emerging Leaders. Boynton serves as vice president of development and chief public relations and communications officer at Lakeland Regional Health.

Ken Welch (‘85, Accounting) made history on election night. He won the mayoral contest and became the first Black mayor of St. Petersburg. “Thank you again, St. Pete, for believing in our vision — you’ve never let me or my family down,” he tweeted.

Andrea Pacheco (‘19, Marketing) has joined the U.S. Department of State as a security administrator. Pacheco visited Washington, D.C. for the first time four years ago and told herself, “I will be living and working here.” She wanted to make a change in the nation’s capital.

Susan Varga (‘20, MS) is getting an early start to a promising academic career. Varga had an article in the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. The article looked at employee wellness programs at hospitality businesses, comparing the companies’ claims with employees’ perceptions of them.

Volkan Turan (’11, Finance) started a new position at Lincare as director of business development. He is a former 25 Under 25 honoree.
In Other News ...
USF's Delta Sigma Pi - Theta Phi chapter won three regional awards during the 2021 Virtual LEAD School event held in October. The chapter was recognized in the following categories:

  • R. Nelson Mitchell Outstanding Collegiate Chapter Award
  • Most Improved Collegiate Chapter
  • Outstanding Professional Activities Award for a Collegiate Chapter

Winning these numerous awards is a testament to the chapter's overall excellence. Congratulations to all!
Dates to Remember
Here are some events planned for the next few months. Some may be virtual, others may be face-to-face:

  • Dec. 1, 6 p.m., USF Crosley Dinner Series hosted at the Powel Crosley Estate. Purchase tickets here.

  • Dec. 10, 6 p.m., USF's 125th Commencement Convocation for Fall 2021 graduates of the Muma College of Business, held at the Yuengling Center on the Tampa campus.

  • Jan. 21, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., the fifth annual State of the Region will be held in the University Student Center Ballroom on the USF St. Petersburg campus. Watch for details.