The Muma College of Business newsletter brings you news and information from the consolidated USF business colleges (and its six schools) in Sarasota-Manatee, St. Petersburg and Tampa.
Featured Stories October 2020
Tampa is the new home for the Stanley Cup, thanks to the Tampa Bay Lightning's stunning effort last month against the Dallas Stars. Among the first to give the Cup a hug are student interns (fellows) and alumni who work for the organization. Read more
In this time of uncertainty, with out-of-work people struggling to make ends meet because of the COVID-19 pandemic, does it make sense to refinance your house? Real estate and finance faculty talk about that and steps homeowners might take. Read more
Dick Corbett's "Ringside Stories" is published and the dean recently chatted with the philanthropist about it via Facebook Live. He shares fascinating stories, ranging from his experience as a witness to Robert F. Kennedy's assassination to lessons learned developing an area mall. Watch video
The keynote speaker at the USF Esports Summit was Jordan Zietz, CEO of All Star eSports League. He heads a multi-million dollar company and is just getting started. At 18, he also is a college freshman, juggling teenage life, an esports company and college classes. Learn more.
Duane Driskell, a recent Muma College of Business graduate and former 25 Under 215 honoree, has landed a job with a little company in San Francisco called Google. He reveals the influence USF had on him, his networking styles and how he landed in California. Learn more.
Tampa Bay Inno’s Under 25 list came out this month highlighting creative ideas from young minds in the area. Some of the honorees are USF students already with reputations as rising entrepreneurs. A few have connections to the USF Center for Entrepreneurship. Learn more.
Uday Murthy, professor in the Lynn Pippenger School of Accountancy and former director of the school, recently published research on the benefits of hiring different auditors to look at financial statements and cybersecurity risk management examinations. Investors will note the difference. Learn more
New research by School of Marketing and Innovation Professor Dejun "Tony" Kong disputes long-held beliefs about the subtleties imbedded in the fine art of negotiation. Besides offers and counter offers, there is “face.” Or more specifically, “face-threat sensitivity” matters to consider. Read more
A team of USF researchers, who have been working to create a sensor system that acts as an "electronic nose" to sniff out the virus that causes COVID-19, is a semi-finalist in the XPRIZE Rapid COVID competition. On the team is Matt Mullarkey, director of the DBA program. Read more
School of Hospitality and Tourism Management to Offer FREE Post-Crisis Certificate for Industry

The Muma College of Business' School of Hospitality and Tourism Management plans to offer a Post-Crisis Hospitality Management Certificate course aimed at the workers in the struggling industry that was particularly hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Cihan Cobanoglu, the McKibbon Endowed Chair, director of the M3 Center and coordinator of International programs for the school, said the certificate would help leaders devise strategies for hospitality and tourism operations once the crisis subsides. To read more, click here. To register for the free, non-credit certificate program, click here.
Business Honors Program Planning to Expand onto St. Petersburg Campus

The Business Honors Program at the Muma College of Business is poised to expand onto USF's St. Petersburg campus, possibly by next fall.

“It has moved from rumor to the planning stages,” said April Bailey, an instructor in the School of Marketing and Innovation and director of the program on the Tampa campus. “I believe the timeline will call for the first group of Business Honors students to be living in the new residence halls on the St. Petersburg campus by the fall of 2021.” Read more
Kate Tiedemann School of Business and Finance Professor Weighs In On Compensation for College Athletes

Finance Professor Richard Borghesi was cited in a recent Washington Post article that covers compensating collegiate athletes and the racial inequality that exists among different sports. Borghesi is quoted saying, "No convincing argument has been made that players should not be compensated far more than they currently are.”
Sundaram to Speak at "Leadership in the Age of Personalization" Summit

Tiedemann-Cotton Dean Sri Sundaram will speak at the Leadership in the Age of Personalization virtual summit scheduled for Oct. 30. The summit will feature experts in industries including health care, corporate America and higher education. The event is hosted by Fairfield University. Registration is free.
State of the Region Set

Save the Date: Jan. 15, between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., the annual State of the Region will be held on a virtual platform. The event offers a chance for researchers, including graduate students and faculty with the Muma College of Business Center for Analytics and Creativity, to highlight groundbreaking data that compares the Tampa Bay region with other metropolitan areas of the same demographics and size. The data not only presents comparisons, but also offers recommendations on how to make improvements in areas of transportation, unemployment and quality of life. Watch for registration details. To read more about the program, click here.
Muma College of Business and Cybersecurity Partners Support Tampa Bay Wave Accelerator

Tampa Bay Wave wants to make the Tampa-St. Petersburg area a hub for cybersecurity talent and innovation. An article in Catalyst says that's why Wave is planning a new accelerator program next year that will be a highly specialized, 90-day initiative exclusively for innovative and disruptive technology startups focused on cybersecurity. Among the backers: USF's Muma College of Business and its partners Jabil, KnowBe4, A-LIGN as well as accounting and consulting company EY. Strategic Partners and Cyber Florida. To discover more, click here.
Pharmacy Students to Gain Entrepreneurial and Business Skills in New Interdisciplinary Program
Some pharmacists may want an edge -- that entrepreneurial expertise -- to understand how to create and drive change that supports value-based care and health care innovation.

The USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy is launching a new interdisciplinary program with the Muma College of Business that aims to help its pharmacy students succeed in the health care industry and pharmacy sector.

Called the Taneja College of Pharmacy Entrepreneurial Academy, the intra- and inter-collegiate program, will provide pharmacy students with innovative, intrapreneurial and entrepreneurial knowledge, tools and skills necessary for advanced practice training and health care careers. To read more, click here.
Faculty Spotlights
Alumni Spotlights
Richard Kelso, instructor in the School of Marketing and Innovation, received the Academic Excellence Award given by USF Student Success. The USF Center for Entrepreneurship, headed by Dirk Libaers, was given an Innovation Award by USF Student Success.
Chris Pantzalis, professor of finance, recently published "The Unexpected and Stickiness Behavior of Institutional Investors in Index Funds," in Managerial Finance.

Eddie Sanchez, instructor of finance, recently published “Foreign-Born Resident Networks and Stock Comovement: When Local Bias Meets Home (Country) Bias” in the Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis.

Jackie Nelson, senior director of the Muma College of Business Undergraduate Affairs, was named a USF Champion in the 2020 Student Success Awards announced last month.

Sharon Segrest, associate professor in the School of Information Systems and Management, teaches a course in organizational behavior analysis, which last month received Quality Management certification.
Ron Sanders (’73, Business) has joined Florida Center for Cybersecurity as staff director. Previously, he served as director of USF’s School of Public Affairs. He will continue to serve as chair of the U.S. Federal Salary Council and as an adviser to the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.

Tony Alhadeff (‘93, Finance) published his first book, “The Family Treasure,” about his grandmother, a Holocaust survivor. He is the chief operating officer of Louis Poulsen Lighting in Weston, Florida.

Jason Morris (’93, MBA) was promoted to North American president of consumer tools for Techtronic Industries. He previously was a senior vice president at Techtronic.

Samantha Olah (’10, General Business Administration) has joined the Oklahoma City Community College as bursar. She previously worked as an accountant with the Oklahoma Student Loan Authority.

Sarah Gimbel ('20, Marketing) has taken a job at Gartner as an account Manager. She was the keynote speaker at the Muma College of Business Scholarship Luncheon in 2018.

In Other News ...
Kelly Cowart, a professor in the School of Marketing and Innovation, recently appeared on ABC News to discuss her projects on anti-racism and systemic racism in American culture. Her research interests focus on the impact of marketing and consumption on women, ethnic communities and other marginalized populations.
Doreen MacAulay recently penned a blog for McGraw-Hill Higher Ed discussing teaching in a remote environment. Titled "Times Are Changing: 4 Tips for Online Teaching," the piece draws on her own experiences and best practices throughout the higher education landscape.
Tina Yang, professor in the Kate Tiedemann School of Business and Finance, along with doctoral student Jan Hanousek Jr., will present their research at a virtual brown bag scheduled for Oct. 23. Yang will present "Independent Directors and Active Boards: Evidence from Board Minutes," at 10 a.m. and Hanousek will present "Political Insider Trading: A Narrow Versus Comprehensive Approach" at 10:45 a.m. The event is available on Microsoft Teams.
Beta Alpha Psi, an accounting honors organization, again achieved "Gold Chapter Status. It is the only chapter in the nation to reach the KPMG Gold Chapter status since it began in 2009. The achievement is based on a five-minute, student-created video talking about the accomplishments of the chapter. The video was judged by several professional partners that are affiliated with the national office of Beta Alpha Psi. Delta Gamma also was awarded "superior status" again this year -- for the 42nd consecutive year. Superior status for the chapter is earned by having a certain number of professional and community service hours for each member. 
Dates to Remember
Many in-person events planned for the near future have been canceled or postponed because of the threat of spreading COVID-19. Here are some virtual events scheduled in the near future:


  • Oct. 30, Tiedemann-Cotton Dean Sri Sundaram will address the third day of the Leadership in the Age of Personalization virtual summit, which features experts in health care, corporate and higher education fields. Registration is free.

  • Jan. 15, 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m., State of the Region, sponsored by the Tampa Bay Partnership and the Muma College of Business. Watch for registration details. For more info about the program, click here.
Calling witches, wizards and muggles of all ages! Join the USF Alumni Association for a challenging trivia game at 6:30 p.m., Nov. 10 to compete against fellow Potterheads. Special USF alumni prizes will be awarded for the best team name and costumes on the Zoom call. Only one team member per team should register. To register, click here.