March 10, 2006   Fisher 90th Fulbright professor in Namibia Faculty awards Students network on LaSalle Alumnus to receive university award Cohorts rev up Columbus housing study Fisher People: Jackie McClure Fisher celebrates 90th anniversary Memories of surviving the “Tides of Hagerty,” elevator malfunctions and invasions of various members of the animal kingdom were shared among the Fisher community during the college’s 90th anniversary celebration on March 7, the date university trustees created the school in 1916. Current and retired faculty and staff paused for a lighthearted look at the college’s first 90 years depicted in historical photographs and timeline displayed in the Blackwell ballroom and reminiscence of Fisher’s early years during the birthday party luncheon. While Dean Joe Alutto regaled celebrants with humorous recollections of the college’s former home across campus, he also used the opportunity to honor the longest serving employees. Cindy Coykendale who joined Fisher on June 30, 1969, and Jim Kinard who was hired on October 1, 1972, were given five-day parking passes for the front of Fisher Hall. Alutto joked that the passes become invalid if the holders are found bumping the dean’s car. During the event, Alutto paid homage to Fisher’s past leadership and early scholarship by faculty whose work continues to serve as a standard-bearer in business education. “We are famous for fostering an entire approach to the study of leadership, an effort brought to worldwide recognition by Ralph Stogdill in the 1940’s and 1950’s,” Alutto said. “To this day we receive requests for use of instruments developed by Ralph and his colleagues at Ohio State. This is only one of many ways in which the college has affected the life of the academy and practice.” Back to Top Hills finds African country still recovering from apartheid regime Steve Hills, associate professor of management and human resources, and his wife Martha, visit Cape Point in South Africa before their arrival in Namibia. More than a decade-and-a half after independence was granted to the African country of Namibia, Steve Hills, associate professor of management and human resources, figured there would be a certain level of equality. Instead he arrived in January to find the clutches of apartheid had barely been broken. With racial segregation still in place 16 years after independence, Hills and his wife, Martha, who are spending a year in the country as a part of the Fulbright Scholar program, were greeted with their own form of culture shock. Hills currently teaches two courses in international business and labor relations at the University of Namibia. The university has suffered financially after integration prompted an exodus of white students to South Africa. The departure reversed the demographics and most students cannot afford text books. Most Namibians including Hills’ students, still feel the burdens of income inequality and a housing shortage. While independence from colonial rule has allowed a growing middle class to emerge, the newfound liberties have been slow to overtake the injustices left by the former governors from South Africa. “Many of my students feel somewhat resentful of the white flight. The university is poor in resources and faculty have very little support services,” he said. “I am somewhat self-contained since I brought a laptop with me and bought an electronic projector so that I could show my PowerPoint slides through it.” Outside of the classroom, Hills is working with the U.S. Embassy and a team of economists to help the country qualify for foreign aid under President Bush’s Millennium Challenge Account. The program aims to reward poorer countries who have good government with aid for projects of their own design. Back to Top Undergraduate Business Council presents awards to faculty, staff Pamela Park-Curry (second from right), director of undergraduate career development in Career Services, is presented with excellence in undergraduate service award by Doug Kondrath (left), Karen Horwitz (second from left) and Senior Associate Dean for Academic Programs Steve Mangum (right). Five awards were given out to faculty and staff at this year’s undergraduate student and faculty mixer at the Blackwell on Feb. 21. Two awards were given out for excellence in honors instruction. Eric Spires, associate professor of accounting, was recognized for successfully integrating research, theory and practice of auditing into a highly interactive and challenging auditing course. Nancy Lahmers, the honors cohort coordinator, was cited for her ability to create a learning environment that helps students translate their potential into reality. Pamela Park-Curry, director of undergraduate career development in Career Services, received the excellence in undergraduate service award for mentoring students and helping them improve their interviewing skills. Paul Weinstock received an award for excellence in core instruction. As a senior lecturer in finance and business law, he was recognized for incorporating finance, law and economics into the curriculum. Stephen Hills, associate professor of management and human resources, earned an excellence in innovative instruction award for creating a global classroom and broadening students’ awareness of international business issues. He teaches international business via teleconferencing from countries around the world. Senior Associate Dean for Academic Programs Stephen Mangum presented the honorees with plaques. The winners were selected for the awards through a combination of faculty and staff nominations and student evaluations. Back to Top Students network on LaSalle Street On a blustery, snowy February morning, a group of Fisher undergraduate students trekked down Chicago's LaSalle Street to network with business leaders and explore career paths. The program “Diversity on LaSalle Street” took the students to the Chicago Board of Trade to witness live trading and then on to the offices of several companies including Boeing, LaSalle Bank, Accenture and the Wrigley Co. to meet with their leaders. Back to Top Alumnus to receive Distinguished Service Award at commencement Richard Johnson, a 1962 graduate of the Fisher MBA program, will receive the University’s Distinguished Service Award at Winter Commencement in St. Johns Arena on March 19. The award recognizes individuals who have rendered exceptional service to the university. Johnson has been a long supporter of Fisher. He served on the Advisory Board from 1976-83, the national campaign committee to finance the new Fisher campus and received the 2002 Distinguished Alumni Award from the Business Alumni Society Board. Johnson, of Lake Forest, Ill., is president of RDJ Ltd., an independent consultancy serving numerous major national and international firms, which he started in 1999. He is also a member of the advisory board of the information technology firm, Powered Performance. Prior to starting his current venture, Johnson spent 21 years at Arthur Andersen & Co., as managing partner of the firm's consulting practice in Cleveland. He also oversaw the firm services in Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. After retiring from Andersen Consulting, he founded VIA International LLC, and served as chairman until 1999. Back to Top Honors Cohorts rev up Undergraduate Honors Cohort students were introduced to the challenges and rewards of managing an entrepreneurial business first-hand at the oldest Harley Davidson dealership in America. Robert Althoff, owner of AD Farrow and former Wall Street executive, provided an intense lesson of marketing, finance, accounting and human resource demands of an enterprise built around one of the world’s most recognizable brands. The Cohorts were also briefed on the dealership’s expansion plans, community service and Harley Davidson’s commitment to remaining the American “inspirational brand.” Back to Top Study finds housing price risks in Columbus’ outer belt communities A study of housing prices conducted by Anthony B. Sanders, John W. Galbreath Chair of Real Estate, found that consumers purchasing homes in the outer communities around Columbus face potential price risks. However, he found that Columbus, in general, was not experiencing a housing bubble. Sanders concluded that home prices in New Albany represented the most volatile market in the greater Columbus area. “The reason for concern is that the average rate of growth is low and the variation in prices is relatively high,” Sanders said. “Unlike communities within the Interstate-270 outer belt, communities like New Albany have additional development potential which keeps housing price growth lower than communities with limited new development potential, such as Upper Arlington and Bexley.” Sanders compiled housing prices from a leading real estate brokerage company and from Freddie Mac’s Bureau of Economic Analysis. The complete report on the Columbus Housing Prices is available online at: fisher.osu.edu/~sanders_12 Back to Top Fisher People: Jackie McClure Title: Office Administrative Associate for the Center for Operational Excellence Hobbies: "Keeping up with our 16-year-old daughter, sending 'care packages' to our son who is a sophomore in college, a parent volunteer at Grove City Christian School and softball." FisherLure: “I enjoy working at Fisher because the people are very helpful and make me feel like I am a part of the team.” Back to Top March 14 Shane Heitzman, a graduate accounting student at the University of Arizona, will speak at the Accounting & MIS Thomas J. Burns Research Colloquium at 3:30 p.m. 275 Gerlach Hall. Heitzman will present his paper titled, “Equity Grants to Target CEOs Prior to Acquisitions.” Copies of the paper are available in 406 Fisher Hall. April 13-15 Fisher will host the Big Ten Case Competition, which aims to test the analytical and presentation skills of teams from around the conference. Teams of four will pitch business plans to a panel of judges acting as a corporate board of directors. April 29 Students, business professionals and the deans of Fisher will gather for the annual Dean’s Leadership Conference in 140 Pfahl Hall. This year’s theme is “A Day with the Deans” and will feature a keynote speech by Dean Joe Alutto, leadership activities, a business simulation case study and a panel discussion with the deans. The all-day event begins at 8 a.m. Diversity Awards nominations sought Nominations for the Fisher College of Business Annual Diversity in Business Awards are being sought until April 7. The awards will be presented during the alumni reunion on May 24. Awards are given to corporations or individuals that are: • Effective in outreach to diverse students through scholarships, sponsorships, classroom involvement and other activities. • Provide professional advancement of diverse students through internships, mentoring, recruitment and other career readiness activities. • Demonstrated a commitment to community diversity outreach efforts. • Have hiring and retention practices to create a more diverse workforce. • Initiated innovative programs to support the development of an inclusive corporate culture. Nominations should consist of one to three pages, additional materials to support it and a cover sheet with the nominee and nominator’s name, organization, address, work telephone and e-mail address. Self nominations are also accepted, but they must demonstrate a connection with Fisher. Faculty, staff and students are not eligible for the awards. Submit nominations to Fisher College of Business Annual Diversity Business Awards Committee, 200B Fisher Hall, 2100 Neil Ave., Columbus, Ohio 43210. Campus Campaign aims to make Fisher tops The 2006 Campus Campaign is underway and Fisher faculty and staff are encouraged to make the college tops among the entire university. Pledge cards are being distributed across the college along with a letter from Dean Joe Alutto. The funds established within Fisher will help the upcoming capital campaign. Participation is a key goal this year to make Fisher tops. Fisher placed 22nd in internal participation among the 34 university units that took part in the campaign last year. Fisher takes gold, bronze at Ohio HR Games Annie Cinadr, David Frankhouser and Kevin Rudlosky took top honors at the Ohio HR Games held Feb. 24-25 at Cleveland State University. Another Fisher team of Jay Parry, Ashley Ruen and Kathy McElhatten finished in third place. Both teams qualified for next month’s regional competition in Ft. Wayne, Ind. The undergraduate teams competed in a series of rounds answering questions based on their knowledge of human resource management. The competition helps students prepare for the human resource profession and a professional certification exam. Honor societies hail Fisher faculty and staff A quartet of Fisher faculty and staff where honored for their contributions to students at the Sphinx-Mortar Board Faculty-Staff Reception on Feb. 28. The honor societies recognized Harold Green, finance lecturer, Larry Inks, visiting professor of management and human resources, Nancy Lahmers, honors cohort coordinator, and Melinda McDonald, assistant director of the honors program for undergraduate programs office. Haugtvedt honored by AMA chapter Curt Haugtvedt, associate professor of marketing, was named the Ohio State Chapter of the American Marketing Association’s “Professor of the Year,” at their annual banquet on Feb. 22. Carol Newcomb, executive director of the executive education program, was quoted in the Jan. 13, 2006 edition of The Daily Reporter in reaction to Cornell University establishing an executive MBA program in Columbus. Newcomb told the paper she doesn't consider the Ivy League school's offering as direct competition because it operates under a different model than Fisher's program. Anthony B. Sanders, John W. Galbreath Chair of Real Estate, had his study on government assisted mortgages mentioned in an article on the Wall Street Journal’s Web site on March 3. The study found that government-sponsored entities like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac offer would-be home buyers a .24 percent break on mortgage rates. Curt Haugtvedt, professor of marketing, was quoted in the March 1, 2006 edition of “Ward’s Auto World” on the Ford Motor Co.’s recent round of advertising promoting hybrid vehicles. He said the car maker has been considering environmentally vehicles for more than 20 years, but the latest ads could be sparked by desperation and financial woes. Fisher News is published bi-weekly throughout the academic year. To submit story ideas, e-mail content and your contact information to fishernews@cob.osu.edu or use the online news submission form. The deadline for story submissions is 5 p.m. the Friday before the upcoming issue. Note: You are receiving this newsletter as a student, faculty or staff member of the Fisher College of Business. If you are receiving this e-mail in error, please send an e-mail to fishernews@cob.osu.edu