From the Dean
Solomon
writes, “There is a time for everything, a season
for every activity under heaven…a time to gain, and a time to lose...” (Ecclesiastes 3). This semester is evidence of this with
yet more School of Business initiatives, but regrettable changes as well.
 Positive
contributions have included co-author Lee Hibbett to be published in the 2006
AMA Summer Educators’ Conference Proceedings and invited to present in
Chicago; three faculty members completing their first year are April Brashier, Jason Brashier, and
Mark Scott; Pam Carver completing her first year as Administrative Assistant;
the approval of a dual BBA/MBA degree accounting program; and the tremendous
opportunity our students will have using a $1 Million Investment Fund because of the efforts of Ken Moran
and the generosity of Jim Clayton
(please see article below).
With great
progress also come changes as Dr. Mike Oliver and Dr. Jim Shelton and their
families return home to teach at Harding University. We wish each of them
success in their new positions. We are very grateful for their combined 32
years of service and their many contributions to the FHU family. They have
made a positive impact on many in the School of Business family. I’m sure
many of you would join me in thanking them not only for their instruction in
the classroom, but their guidance, example, and friendship as well. We pray
for God’s continual blessings on them.
As always, please feel welcome to visit us at any time or e-mail
me at reldridge@fhu.edu.
“See you on the high ground.”
Ray Eldridge
Dean, FHU School of Business
 FHU Class to Test Finance Skills with $1M Investment Portfolio
(As
printed in the Jackson Sun by Ned B.
Hunter)
It’s no longer
play time for Freed-Hardeman University students majoring in finance.
Beginning in
September, anywhere from five to 20 finance students will begin managing a $1
million investment portfolio financed by former home builder Jim Clayton.
Many of the students have practiced investing $100,000 in a simulated
investment competition held nationwide, but the possibility of making and/or
losing real cash ups the ante.
“It puts
tremendous pressure on us to do our research and know our fundamentals and
buy the right companies,” said Colton Mulligan, a marketing/finance major
from Knoxville. “It’s not something that is going to just be turned in for a
grade. Whatever we choose to buy or sell is going to affect this portfolio
for years to come.”
For now, the fund
will be kept with Fidelity Investments. It will be managed by the students
with some oversight by a four-person committee, said Ken Moran, assistant
professor of finance at FHU.
“We are looking
at establishing a balanced portfolio with about 80 percent in the market,
including international and domestic stocks with some money in bonds and a
very minute amount in cash,” he said. “But that will be student-determined.”
Born in Finger,
Clayton began selling manufactured housing in 1966. In 2003, he sold his
Maryville-based Clayton Homes to investor Warren Buffett
for $1.7 billion, according to jimclayton.com.
Clayton said he
has not given the money to the university; rather, he is giving students a
chance to manage and share in any profits of the portfolio.
“We actually
split the profits over and above the million, assuming they make money,”
Clayton said on Tuesday (April 18). “I take all the risk, and they get half
the profits. So they have a strong incentive to make a profit.”
Clayton’s $1
million fund at Freed-Hardeman University not only challenges students, it
pressures faculty members to cover curriculum even more thoroughly.
“There are some
areas, as we look at the curriculum, we will have to reinforce, because the
points of preparing the students for their senior year has been moved up,”
said Ray Eldridge, dean of the School of Business. “It puts responsibility on
us to make sure they are getting the education to do this in their senior
year, but I think we already have a good basis for that.”
Third
Annual Business Forum
 Prominent
Tennessee businessman Jim Clayton brought high energy and solid business
lessons while speaking at the third annual Business Forum on April 18. Ayers Auditorium was packed with students,
teachers, and community members.
After a brief speech, including a demonstration about
trust involving many of our M.B.A. students, Jim Clayton strapped on his
guitar and sang some country music with Business major, Lauren Peters. The simple fun and music gave a comfortable,
casual feel to the evening.
Between singing and a question and answer period, Mr.
Clayton announced that he would allow FHU students to invest one million
dollars of his own money.
The evening ended with Dr. Eldridge presenting Mr. Clayton
an honorary Delta Mu Delta membership
certificate. Some audience members
came to the stage after the event to meet Mr. Clayton and to have him sign copies
of his autobiography.
New
Members are Inducted into Delta Mu
Delta - Before the Business Forum events took place on
April 18, business students and the School of Business faculty enjoyed a
catered dinner in the lobby of Brown-Kopel. The
purpose of the dinner was to honor the newest members of the Delta Rho chapter of the honor society Delta Mu Delta. Six students were inducted, they are:
Stephanie
Anderton, Marketing
Dan
Bradley, Marketing
Brandon
Lanciloti, Accounting and Management
Adam
McDowell, Accounting
Rose
Wallen, Management
Lee
Wilkinson, Finance
Society of Future Accountants Takes Field Trip
to Nashville - The Society of Future Accountants (SFA) took their annual
field trip on February 16 to Nashville, TN. A group of 12 students,
accompanied by Dr. Keith Smith, spent the morning touring the Gaylord
Entertainment Center (GEC). The Chief Financial Officer for the Nashville
Predators and for the GEC led the group through the facilities and gave a
presentation about her job and some aspects of accounting for a professional
sports team. After dining at the historic
Hard Rock Café for lunch, the group set its sights on KPMG, one of the Big
Four accounting firms. FHU alumnus
Hope (Brown) Shelton led the tour of the downtown offices and talked about
the firm. Also, a partner at KPMG was available to answer any questions about
working at a large public accounting firm.
The field trip this year was very informative as well as entertaining.
Learning about different areas in the accounting profession is a huge benefit
of being a part of SFA and the Nashville trip gave the members a great
opportunity to hear about some fascinating and intriguing accounting jobs.
Association of Collegiate Business Schools and
Programs (ACBSP) Site Visit
 Dr.
Ray Eldridge served as a Program Evaluator for the specialized business
accreditation body, Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs
(ACBSP), for the Universidad Argentina de la Empresa,
in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
ACBSP, which has accredited Freed-Hardeman University’s school
of business program, puts together a team of trained program evaluators to
conduct accreditation site visits. ACBSP selects visiting team members from a
pool of well qualified persons who have experience in the association’s
evaluation process. After careful review of the self-study report, the
visiting team’s findings, the response by the institution, and other relevant
materials, the Board of Commissioners makes a determination of whether the
business school or program meets the accreditation standards of ACBSP.
Marketing Students Hear Voices from the Real
World
Students in the Services Marketing class traveled to
Memphis to attend a Get Motivated seminar.
Speakers included: Zig Ziglar;
Rick Belluzzo, former Microsoft President and COO;
Jeff Taylor, founder and former CEO of Monster.com; Phil Town, best selling
author and investment advisor; Tom Hopkins; and Rudolph Giuliani.
Mark Coffman, of Coffman’s Furniture, spoke to the Principles
of Marketing class about the pleasures and difficulties that come from being
involved in a successful family business.
Mark is the fourth generation of Coffmans to
be involved in this long-time Jackson business.
Jud Davis, Freed-Hardeman’s
Director of Marketing and University Relations, challenged students in
Marketing Strategy to think about “What is Your Brand” and how to apply the 4
Ps of marketing to themselves as they begin their
careers.
Dawn Bramblett (Director of Alumni Relations at FHU) and
Jason Bramblett (President of DCA DCPR Agency) served as guest judges for the
commercials created by Marketing Promotion students. The format was much like the “American Idol”
competition where students were critiqued and encouraged. Their bullet point comment after the
presentations was, “These students are definitely getting the tools they
need.”
School of Business Helps with Tornado Relief -
Twelve School of Business students and faculty participated
in Freed-Hardeman tornado relief efforts by traveling to Skullbone,
Bradford, and Newbern, Tennessee, and to Marmaduke,
Arkansas. Several participants in
these efforts were veterans of Katrina relief trips made in the fall
semester. Freed-Hardeman made seven
trips to aid the victims of the recent tornados. Fallen trees were cut, brush was dragged,
debris was cleared, encouragement was given, and blessings were counted.
New Dual BBA/MBA Degree Program
To
sit for the Certified Public Accountant (C.P.A.) examination in Tennessee,
candidates must obtain a baccalaureate degree and 150 semester hours from an
accredited college or university. Now FHU accounting students can obtain both
their baccalaureate degree (B.B.A.) and master’s degree (M.B.A.) with a 153
hour dual degree program beginning fall 2006.
MBA Students Take Learning Outside
the Classroom
The
M.B.A. Leadership classes participated in a Leaders’ Terrain walk at Shiloh
National Military Park and the team and confidence building ROPES courses at
Mid-South Youth Camp. Everyone enjoyed the creative time outside the
classroom. Enjoy the photos below!
 
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