Featured Stories February 2021
Graduate students found Super Bowl LV internships earlier this month. Nearly two dozen students in the Vinik Sport & Entertainment Management Program landed gigs at the game itself or at the NFL Experience in the week leading up to the game. They brought good luck, as the home team walked away with the Lombardi Trophy. Read more.
Students: Are you looking for something that will set you apart? Applications are now open the 25 Under 25 program. It recognizes 25 USF business students under 25 years old based on grades, leadership qualities and engagement with communities both on and off campus. It is open to business students on all campuses . To apply, click here.
The COVID-19 pandemic put a bright spotlight on the importance of supply chain dynamics. Initially, the focus was on toilet paper and sanitizer. Now it's integral in the distribution of the life-saving vaccine. The virtual 2021 Florida Supply Chain Summit updates what's happening now and what the future holds. Read more. To register for the summit, click here.
The Muma College of Business "Post-Crisis Leadership" Certificate is back. Thousands of participants enrolled in the first two programs, earning a certificate from an accredited college and university. This virtual offering begins on Feb. 22 and consists of seven modules designed to prepare business leaders coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. To learn more and to register, click here.
Researchers from USF’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management are using tech to interact with visiting scholars amid COVID-19. “By staying flexible and open to alternative research methods we can collaborate effectively with our international partners and researchers from outside of the area,” said Cihan Cobanoglu, director of the M3 Center. Read more.
A Forbes article says one in four women are thinking about reducing hours or leaving the workforce in the next year due to the pandemic. Companies need to invest in women, so the Muma College of Business is offering LEADForward Roundtables, providing another valuable resource to the community.
To watch a video, click here.
Brian Butler, president of Vistra Communications, is scheduled to be the next guest at the Muma College of Business' Conversation with a CEO, scheduled from noon until 1 p.m. on Feb. 25. The event is virtual and free to the public. Registration is required, however. To read more about him, click here. To register to attend, click here.
The Muma College of Business' online MBA program ranked No. 26 -- No. 19 among public universities -- on the U.S. News and World Report's annual ranking, recently released. It is the third national ranking achieved for the graduate program in a month. The program just last year broke into the top 100. Read more.
It takes more than a COVID-19 pandemic to put the brakes on the Intercollegiate Selling with the Bulls competition. Billed as the "Toughest Test in Sales Education," the competition drew nearly 100 students from various universities across the nation. Twenty-five teams from 21 schools took part. Learn more.
James Stock Adds Endowed Professorship to his Vita

James R. Stock, co-director of the Monica Wooden Center for Supply Chain Management and Sustainability, a Distinguished University Professor and Frank Harvey Endowed Professor of Marketing, was recently appointed the first holder of the Monica Wooden Professorship in Supply Chain Management. The professorship supports "a distinguished faculty member dedicated to education, business engagement and research in the discipline of supply chain management."
 
The endowment is part of the $5 million naming gift Monica Wooden, founder of MercuryGate, gave to the Muma College of Business in 2019. Per that agreement, $1 million was earmarked as an endowment for the professorship.
 
A professor in the School of Marketing and Innovation, Stock was elected an AAAS Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2017 and was the Fulbright-Hanken Distinguished Chair of Business & Economics at the Hanken School of Economics in Helsinki, Finland, on a flex Fulbright Award in 2016 and 2017.
Researchers in the School of Information Systems and Management Score on International Rankings

The researchers in the Muma College of Business’ School of Information Systems and Management were ranked No. 5 in the world in 2020 for the number of publications in information systems journals, according to a ranking recently released by the University of Texas at Dallas. The UTD 24 ranking counts only publications in the top 24 IS journals.

The USF researchers have made significant strides over the past three years. From 2018-20, they ranked No. 19 and from 2019-20, No. 12. Read more.
Little Known Super Bowl Fact: Auditing Takes a Back Seat to Strong Passing Game

The week, before the big game, traffic around Tampa was more aggravating than usual. Hotel rooms were in short supply. Reservations at restaurants were a must. Even the drive-thru lanes at fast food eateries were backed up.

Add to all that Super Bowl gridlock: audit efficiency timeliness.

Researchers with the Muma College of Business’ Lynn Pippenger School of Accountancy are looking at that topic in and around Super Bowl host cities over the past 16 years to see if there is an impact on auditing this time of year. Preliminary findings suggest that, yes there is an impact.

“All My Rowdy Friends: The Effect of Super Bowl Hosting on Audit Timing” is the title of the work in progress, said James Whitworth, assistant USF accounting professor and CPA.
Are You OK with your Server Wearing a Mask? What Color? Black is the new Black

Cihan Cobanoglu, professor, and Faizan Ali, assistant professor, both with the Muma College of Business School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, conducted a survey of 4,500 Americans to gauge their thoughts on whether they appreciate or are bothered by hospitality workers wearing face masks to stem the spread of COVID-19. The results of the survey were published in The Conversation. Read more.
The Velocity of Money, Explained

Murad Antia, an instructor in the Kate Tiedemann School of Business and Finance, penned a column for the Tampa Bay Times talking about how money changing hands determines certain economic factors.

He says: "The velocity of money (let’s call it 'V') is the rate at which money changes hands, typically in a year. If 'V' is, say five, that means that the average dollar changes hands five times a year. It is an important economic metric that gets little mention by the economic press.

"When 'V' is high, a dollar is changing hands frequently to purchase goods and services — suggesting that the economy is doing well. It reflects high demand, which generates more economic activity. When 'V' is low, a dollar is not changing hands often to buy things — meaning economic activity is sluggish. Instead, it is being saved and invested."
Carol Osborne Talks Super Bowl LV Commercials

Advertising during the Super Bowl earlier this month remained an expensive proposition, costing some $5.5 million for 30 seconds of airtime. The ads this year took into account the pandemic and other social issues. Carol Osborne, an instructor in the School of Marketing and Innovation, talked with Fox 13 Tampa Bay about Super Bowl advertisers and their messages this year.
Cybersecurity Opportunities

Cybersecurity is a hot job market and students are even landing jobs before graduation. Opportunities abound.

The Muma College of Business partners with ReliaQuest to offer students a free cybersecurity certificate that could lead to an internship, further training and networking opportunities. It is not just for business analytics and information systems majors. This is an excellent learning opportunity for finance, marketing, accounting and global business majors. It is open to all business students who are currently registered for classes.

The ReliaQuest Labs boot camp takes place over the next five weeks, said Clinton Daniel, who is coordinating the program. Upon completion, a number of students will be offered an opportunity for an interview with ReliaQuest and many will receive offers of part-time and/or full-time positions, he said. Here are some numbers:

  • 180 ... the number of USF students who attended the pre-boot camp in the spring of 2021. This is an informational boot camp to brief students about ReliaQuest Labs before they apply
  • 111 ... the number of USF students who attended the pre-boot camp and were interviewed as a potential candidate for ReliaQuest Labs
  • 58 ... the number of USF students selected to participate in the spring 2021 ReliaQuest Labs boot camp

Daniel says: "Since the fall of 2018, we have trained 526 students in a cybersecurity fundamentals (Pre-ReliaQuest Labs) boot camp. The ReliaQuest Labs program seeks to address the industry problem of cybersecurity workforce and skills shortage using a hands-on approach. To address this problem, a competitive process was established in which 238 of the 526 students trained by the cybersecurity fundamentals boot camp have been selected to participate in the ReliaQuest Labs program since the fall of 2018.

"Of those 238 USF students, 36 students have been selected for full-time or part-time jobs at ReliaQuest. Many others reported that this experience has had a direct impact on their success for future employment." 

To view a video of the program, click here.
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Another opportunity for students interested in cybersecurity careers is with ExLabs, a highly competitive accelerator lab that exposes participants to the latest trends and strategies used in the technology industry. Students from USF's St. Petersburg campus and all majors from the Muma College of Business will be able to engage with industry mentors from Tech Data and develop valuable skills in problem-solving, leadership, diversity and inclusion, networking, data analytics and more.

Ex Labs is now available as an internship for credit. Students learn how to translate strengths from their particular major into a successful career in the technology industry and be part of a team that will create a new IoT product, design a multi-faceted business plan and develop a strategy to take the product to market. 

"The Ex Labs program is a great partnership between USF and Tech Data to educate our students about technology-related careers," said Sridhar Sundaram, dean of the Kate Tiedemann School of Business and Finance. "These students work on projects that allow them to apply technology solutions to practical situations. Many students graduating from this program have joined Tech Data and other technology companies in the region."
 
Sport & Entertainment Analytics Conference set for March

The University of South Florida's Sport & Entertainment Analytics Conference is scheduled from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on March 18 and, for the first time, will be a 100 percent virtual event.

The annual conference, hosted by the Vinik Sport & Entertainment Management Program, provides a platform for students and industry professionals to discuss the important role of analytics in the global sport and entertainment industries.

Key leaders will discuss valuable insights promoting education, growth and innovation.
To learn more and to register, click here.
Seckin Ozkul Driving Research into Driverless Vehicles

Seckin Ozkul, associate faculty member with the Monica Wooden Center for Supply Chain Management and Sustainability, co-authored an article regarding connected and automated vehicles. The article was published in the European Transport Research Review Journal, a Q1 and peer-reviewed journal in the automotive engineering/transportation field.
 
The study determined connected vehicle applications of speed advice for all vehicles, and especially connected and automated commercial trucks used for logistics. The research found that such applications could reduce carbon dioxide levels by 13 percent at intersections and approximately 3 percent on a network level without increasing travel times.
Faculty Spotlights
Alumni Careers
Kaushik Dutta, director of the School of Information Systems and Management, and Grandon Gill, director of the DBA program, were named to a list of the top academics in the world compiled by CDO Magazine. Read more.
Marvin Karlins, professor in the School of Information Systems and Management, wrote a blog about the GameStop stock saga in Psychology Today. Read more.

Jennifer Cainas, accounting instructor and Juliana Kralik, accounting doctoral student, received the AIS Section's Outstanding Education Case Award, sponsored by the Institute of Management Accountants.

Doreen MacAulay, instructor with School of Information Systems and Management, presented a paper titled "Shaping Your Core: Culture of Relevance and Excellence," at the Woman's Summit 2021.

Dipayan Biswas, professor with the School of Marketing and Innovation, is on the editorial review boards of three top journals: the Journal of Consumer Research, the Journal of Marketing, and the Journal of Marketing Research.
Sara Atta (‘19, Finance), currently a master's degree in business analytics, has accepted a position with Goldman Sachs as an operations summer analyst. She currently serves as a graduate teaching assistant at the Muma College of Business.
Manouchka Castor ('17, General Business Administration; '18, MBA) is now an assistant branch manager at Enterprise Holdings. She has served in a management capacity since 2017 and prior to that worked in the USF comptroller's office as a student assistant.

Logan Babiak (’11, Finance, Marketing) is now a researcher at Google in San Francisco. She previously worked as a competitive Intelligence manager at Walmart and an insights analyst at Raymond James.

Josh Korlin ('19, Executive MBA) has been named vice president of corporate partnerships by the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League. He previously served as senior manager of partnership development with the Vinik Sports Group in Tampa.
In Other News ...
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.
The 2021 Fast 56 awards event presented by the USF Alumni Association has been rescheduled for Sept. 10, which means you have more time to nominate a Bull-led business and to complete the application form. This prestigious award identifies, recognizes and celebrates the world's fastest growing USF Bull-owned or Bull-led businesses. Click here to view eligibility criteria. Nominations close on May 28.
Click here to nominate a Bull business.
Applications are due June 1 and the awards ceremony and reception: Sept. 10.
Vincent Jackson, an alumnusof the Muma College of Business, member of the college's Executive Advisory Council and former Tampa Bay Buccaneer, was found dead this month in Brandon. The cause of death has not yet been determined. He was 38 and was named a USF Outstanding Young Alumni in 2018.

"Losing a community leader like Vincent is always sad and while we mourn the loss of the person, we are also mourning the lost promise. Vincent had already enjoyed success in the NFL but he had so much ahead of him. He earned a degree in business after his football career and was building businesses, had a heart for others, and those things, combined with his warm personality, make this loss especially heartbreaking." said Lynn Pippenger Dean Moez Limayem.
Dates to Remember
Most 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:

  • Feb. 22, the Muma College of Business Post Crisis Leadership Certificate will be offered once again - and for the final time. To register for the seven-week program, click here.

  • Feb. 25, noon until 1 p.m., Conversation with a CEO will feature Brian Butler, president and CEO of Vistra, a Tampa Bay-based integrated and marketing communications company. Unlike many other firms, this company has thrived during the pandemic. Why? Get the answer from the CEO himself. The event will take place in a virtual format. To register, click here.

  • March 9, 9 a.m. until 5:15 p.m., the Florida Supply Chain Summit takes place on a virtual format. To register, click here.

  • March 15, 5-6:15 p.m. the I'm Speaking Series features Sky Indehen, Hillary Van Dyke and Gypsy Gillardo. To register for the virtual event, click here.

  • March 16, noon until 1 p.m., info session for prospective graduate students. To register, click here.

  • March 18, 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., the Sport and Entertainment Analytics Conference takes place. Read more.

  • March 21-22, the Accounting Circle CPE Conference will take place on a virtual format. Watch for registration details.