Bottom Line header
FALL 2010
In This Issue
Dean's Message
Spain Travel Study Trip
Commercial Real Estate Class Offered
IIA Hosts Webinars
Partners in Education Seminars
Real Estate Club Trip
Accreditation Update
Marketing Faculty Helps St. Andrew the Apostle School
Faculty News
Upcoming Events
November 10, 2010 -Stahl Advisory Board Meeting
December 9, 2010 - Senior Reception  
December 18, 2010 - Graduate Commencement: Ceremony
December 19, 2010 - Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony
Click here to view the Spring 2010 Senior Reception and Awards Ceremony photos.

Never Miss A Class Again!

The Graduate School of Management introduces a new, flexible option to attend classes.  Students enrolled in the Master of Science in Information Security (MSIS) program have three ways to attend classes.

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*Classes are recorded and archived for your convenience

 Sit-in or Log-in to a class before you enroll.

Call today to learn how!

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Next sessions begin January 10, 2011 and  March 7, 2011.

(815)836-5913 www.lewisu.edu/academics/msinfosec

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If you have any questions or comments regarding The Bottom Line E-Newsletter, contact Editor Tracy Joyce at [email protected] or (815)836.5991.

Message from the Dean

Welcome to this issue of the College of Business and Graduate School of Management's e-newsletter, The Bottom Line.  This fall semester has been one of the busiest semesters for the COB in preparation for the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) site visit, which we had in October, and also participation in the preparation for the North Central Association (NCA) reaffirmation visit in November. The ACBSP site visit team arrived on campus in mid October. The visit went very well. The team shared with us a number of areas of strength, and as expected, opportunities for improvement.  The strengths include: the College of Business was seen by many to be a department of change agents, the COB is a leader in new initiatives, there is a sense of optimism among faculty and administrators, and the atmosphere is very positive.  ACBSP Board of Commissioners is meeting in mid-November to discuss our accreditation. They will officially notify us with their decision in January. The other activity we are engaged in is NCA reaffirmation, which is a Lewis University-wide accreditation initiative. Their site visit will be in mid November.

 

You will find in this newsletter several activities that involve the COB faculty giving back to their communities. These activities include: a marketing and an MIS professor organized a workshop on Social Media Marketing to local businesses, Economics professor writes weekly economic memos,  marketing professor helps a Catholic elementary school in recruiting more students, and Information Systems professor organized several webinars in the area of information security.

 

You will find more details about these activities and other initiatives in this issue.  I hope you enjoy reading this latest issue.  Please feel free to email us with your feedback and comments.  

Rami
 

 

Dr. Rami Khasawneh

Dean and Professor

College of Business and Graduate School of Management

Spring 2011 Travel Study Trip- Spain
Once again, the College of Business is organizing an international study trip to give Lewis students an opportunity to gain greater understanding of the economy, culture and politics of a foreign country.  Building on a history of successful study trips to destinations like Japan, India, United Arab Emirates, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Costa Rica and China, Professors Eveann Lovero and Frank Rose are putting together plans for trip to Spain during the spring break, 2011. 

 

Madrid and Barcelona will be the principal stops on this trip.  The purpose will be to learn more about the environment which Spanish, U.S. and other foreign firms must navigate to do business successfully in Spain.  While the specific itinerary is still being worked out, the study group will likely leave on February 25th and return on March 6th.  In Madrid, the first stop, two days of meetings with the U.S. Embassy officials, Spanish government agencies, and American and Spanish companies will be arranged.  The other two days will be spent visiting well-known cultural sites in the city like the Prado Museum, and the historical towns of Segovia and Toledo in the region.

 

The group will then take a high speed train to Barcelona where two more days of business meetings will be held and cultural visits will be arranged.  The tentative itinerary calls for sightseeing at famous sites in Barcelona, as well as visits to the Salvador Dali museum in Figueres and the ancient town of Girona.

 

All Lewis students and faculty are eligible to participate in the study trip.  Students will be able to tie the trip to various course offerings at the COB, based on their interests.  More information on these course options, the cost of the trip and the specific itinerary is forthcoming.  Those with questions may contact Dr. Lovero ([email protected]) or Dr. Rose ([email protected]).

New Real Estate Class to be offered
The College of Business will be offering a new class in Commercial Real Estate.  The Fundamentals of Commercial Real Estate Class is intended to introduce concepts associated with Commercial Real Estate to students in the business curriculum.  This course will cover the basics of real estate finance, development, management, marketing and legal issues so the student will have a familiarity with the financial models and vocabulary utilized in the real estate industry and related businesses.  This class will assist the future business practitioner in understanding real estate transactions.
Institute for Information Assurance Hosts Webinars

The Institute for Information Assurance (IIA) at Lewis Univ
ersity hosts webinars every month.  These webinars include topics, such as Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses, What Does a Comprehensive Cyber Security Program Look Like, and Security on the Smart Grid.  For more information on upcoming webinars please visit the MIS website http://lewisu.edu/academics/msinfosec/iia.htm.    

 

The (IIA) at Lewis University was established as a result of collaboration between the Management Information Systems department at the College of Business and the Mathematics and Computer Science department in the College of Arts and Sciences. 

 

Dr. Faisal Abdullah, Associate Professor of MIS and Director of Master of Science in Information Security program and Dr. Ray Klump, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science, are the co-directors of the IIA.  

 

The mission of IIA is to provide quality education and understanding in the field of information security, critical infrastructure protection, homeland security and data network operations. Institute for Information Assurance was developed to serve as the central hub for Information Assurance (IA) activities for students, faculty, state and federal government agencies, first responders, community leaders, corporations and businesses.

College of Business collaborates with Romeoville Area Chamber of Commerce

Lewis University is a member of the Partners in Education program with the Romeoville Area Chamber of Commerce. This initiative offers a professional and development seminar series for local businesses and individuals. 

 

Dr. Laura Leli-Carmine, department chair of Marketing and Dr. Rami Khasawneh, dean of the College of Business and Graduate School of Management, presented the first seminar, "Marketing with Social Media" at Lewis University on Tuesday, July 29, 2010 in Benilde Hall.  

 

This seminar discussed how to utilize the social marketing media tools of blogs, Wikis, video sharing, social networks, and other social media related websites to benefit marketing efforts.  Dr. Carmine and Dr. Khasawneh taught about the different social media platforms available, such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and LinkedIn and how to use them to market your business. This seminar was attended by nearly 20 participants. 

 

Every quarter a seminar is held by one of the Partners in Education.  The Partners in Education Program include Lewis University, CITGO, Joliet Junior College, LeSaint Logistics, Midwest Generation, Rasmussen College, Valley View School District 365U, Village of Romeoville, and Wilco Area Career Center.         

 

To register for the upcoming seminars, contact the Chamber office: (815) 886-2076.

Chicago Highlands Country Club built on landfill

On Sept. 21, Lewis University's Real Estate Club met at Chicago Highlands Country Club in Westchester, which was developed on a former landfill owned by the Archdiocese of Chicago.

     

John Baxter, managing partner of Chicago Highlands Country Club, explained how the property was redeveloped and informed the Lewis students about the many hurdles that were encountered during the permitting and planning process.  The Real Estate Club observed some of the construction that was still underway and also received a tour of the golf course, which opened in May 2010.            

 

The Country Club was an operating landfill until 1986, and was destined to become a cemetery until the development partners became involved in 2002.  Many years of planning and permitting went into the project to insure its success before the construction was started.  The elevation of the course in relation to the surrounding areas provides spectacular views of the Chicago skyline.

 

Upon touring the project, there are no obvious signs that the Country Club was constructed on a landfill.  Native plants are thriving and wildlife is abundant around the premises.  Adjacent to one of the maintenance buildings on the property are two methane powered turbines that create surplus electricity that is sold back to Commonwealth Edison.  The methane is produced by the decomposition of landfill material and piped to the turbines through a network of underground collection pipes.

 

The trip to the Chicago Highlands Country Club was coordinated, in part, because of the relevance to Lewis University's Fall 2010 Common Reader "Garbage Land" by Elizabeth Royte.  The novel focuses on environmental waste, its generation and its disposal.  Arts & Ideas events and activities are scheduled at the University during the semester, which coincide with the First Year Common Reader Program.

ACBSP LogoACBSP Accreditation Update

The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) was on the Lewis campus for 2 � days conducting a Site Visit as one of the major last steps in the College of Business' (COB's) accreditation initiative.  Specifically, the three-member Site Visit team was on campus Monday October 4th to Wednesday October 6th.  Over 25 meetings were held across the campus for a thorough review of COB activities.

 

The purpose of their visit was to audit and verify the content of the comprehensive Self Study Report which was submitted to ACBSP in August of 2010.

 

Overall, this review was extremely positive and favorable.  The Site Visit Team found many positives, and as expected, other opportunities to improve.  Some of the positives were:

  The College of Business was seen by many to be a department of change agents.  It was reported that the department is a leader in new initiatives.

  There is a sense of optimism among faculty and administrators.  The atmosphere is very positive.  

  The College of Business is in sync with the University's long-term Strategic Plan for improvement.

 

Going forward, the Site Visit Team will provide their findings to the College of Business and there will be an opportunity for a College response.  The findings and our response will go to the ACBSP Board of Commissioners for their mid-November meeting.  Official notification of their approval for ACBSP accreditation will be sent to the College in early January 2011.

 

The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs is a leading specialized accreditation association for business education supporting, celebrating, and rewarding teaching excellence.  The association embraces the virtues of teaching excellence and emphasizes to students that it is essential to learn how to learn.  ACBSP acknowledges the importance of scholarly research and inquiry and believes that such activities facilitate improved teaching.  Institutions are strongly encouraged to pursue a reasonable mutually beneficial balance between teaching and research.  And further, ACBSP encourages faculty involvement within the contemporary business world to enhance the quality of classroom instruction and to contribute to student learning.

 

For Additional information, contact Marvin Bates, Director of ACBSP Accreditation, [email protected].

Marketing Faculty helps St. Andrew the Apostle School

In a true testament to our Lasallian heritage and "giving back", Marketing Professor Robert Bergman devoted his summer to helping a local Catholic elementary school with their recruitment marketing - to build greater awareness and identity in the community, and increase their enrollment.

 

Mr. Bergman designed, developed and produced an interactive CD brochure for St. Andrew the Apostle School in Romeoville.  This school, like many Catholic schools during these difficult economic times, has seen dangerously decreasing enrollment.  St. Andrew School has close ties with Lewis University through the College of Education, offering opportunities for teaching internships and post-graduate employment.  Through Mr. Bergman's role in Lewis University's Mentoring for Mission program, he heard of St. Andrew's need to increase enrollment.

 

Mr. Bergman interviewed, photographed and videotaped the faculty, staff, parents, alumni and students of St. Andrew School.  He also gathered information about St. Andrew's academics, extracurricular activities, and athletic programs.  With thousands of pictures, hours of videotape, and reams of other school information, Mr. Bergman produced a high-tech, interactive marketing brochure that runs on any standard Personal Computer.

 

To help defray the cost of production and duplication, Mr. Bergman recruited 21 corporate sponsors to underwrite the CD brochure - and promote their businesses to the community.

 

The theme of the brochure is "Discover the Joys of Raising Good Kids - By Discovering the Resources to Help You Manage Your Family". While the CD is full of compelling information about St. Andrew School and the benefits of Catholic education, it also contains information for families that are not interested in Catholic education. The CD contains six categories of resources targeted to the needs of local families - from "Family & Youth Resources" to "Financial Planning & Banking".

 

Mr. Bergman, in conjunction with School Principal, Joseph Leppert, and Pastor, Fr. Gregor Gorsic, have created a distribution strategy to reach as many local families with school age children as possible.  This first edition of their interactive CD brochure they call "Version 1.0".  Twenty five hundred CDs are being distributed throughout the community to raise greater awareness of the school and to build its reputation. 

 

Mr. Bergman is already designing "Version 2.0", with plans for its distribution to coincide with Catholic Schools Week in January 2011.

Faculty News
COB Faculty present at IUPUI
In October 2010, George Klemic, William Marker, Frank Rose, and Marvin Bates will be presenting at the IUPUI Assessment Institute in Indianapolis. The presentation is entitled: "Avoiding the big jump to conclusions- students and faculty: Assessment of critical thinking in the College of Business at Lewis University.
Dr. Abdullah passes certification exam

Dr. Faisal Abdullah, Associate Professor of MIS, passed the AccessData Certified Examiner (ACE) certification exam.  He is now an AccessData Certified Computer Forensics Examiner.

Bob AtraDr. Robert Atra to present to appear on special panel

Dr. Robert Atra, CFA, will present at a special session at the Financial Management Association's annual conference in October.  The panel's topic is "Bridging Stable Paretian Distribution Risk Measures and DCF Corporate Governance" and relates to research Atra has co-authored with Rawley Thomas and Dandan Yang in The Valuation Handbook by Wiley.  The discussion will shed light on whether effective valuation models and corporate governance can lead to higher returns yet lower risk when risk is measured by the thickness of the tails of the distribution of returns. The presentation took place October 22, 2010 in New York City.

Dr. Gamarra presents paper

Roberto GamarraAs part of a current research program on international learning and innovation in Brazil, Argentina, India, China, and South Korea, Dr. Gamarra visited the headquarters of Usiminas, located in the city of Bello Horizonte, the Brazilian Steel Institute located in the city of Rio the Janeiro, the Argentinean Steel Institute, located in the city of San Nicolas, and interviewed top executives of these important companies.  During the first week of July 2010, Dr. Gamarra visited the headquarters and production facilities of Acindar-Group ArcelorMittal located in the cities of Buenos Aires and Villa Constitution respectively

 

Dr. Gamarra presented a paper, entitled: Technology Seeking Exporting cum FDI, in the Annual meeting of the Academy of International Business, June 27 - July 1, 2010, in Rio de Janeiro.  He also presented a paper, International Market Learning: A Technology Perspective, and the design of his long-term research program on International Learners and Innovators at the Academy of International Business at the Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, Montreal, Canada, August 7- August 11, 2010.

Dean & Faculty Participates in Lasallian Leadership Institute

Dr. Rami Khasawneh and Patrick Griffin, Associate Professor of Accounting participated in the Lasallian Leadership Institute (LLI) cohort V. The LLI integrates and promotes the Lasallian heritage in the personal and professional lives of ministry leaders as future catalysts of the Lasallian mission. The three-year program consists of a one-week session during the summer and a weekend session in the fall and in the spring. Each year focuses on a particular theme: Year I-Creative Fidelity to the Founding Story, Year II-Spiritual Leadership in Lasallian Ministries, and Year III-Lasallian Leadership in the Educational Community. LLI meets every year in March, July and October.

Dr. Hill Writes Economic Memos

HillDr. Larry Hill, Chair and Professor of Economics, began writing economics memos to inform his audience of the current economic news and how it affects us in today's world. His first memo was sent in July 2010, and they will continue to be sent periodically throughout the year.  Topics for the economic memos include, bank regulation, the business cycle, current economic principles in today's world, the differences between Roth IRA's, 401K's, traditional IRA's and other economic points, etc. 

 

If you are interested and would like to be added to this mailing list, please email Kathy Hettinger, [email protected].  Also, if you would like to read previous Economic Memos, please contact Kathy Hettinger.

Dr. GKlemicKlemic to present in Vancouver
In December 2010, George Klemic will present "Looping the loop: Considering the ADDIE model in terms of a second loop of learning" along with Roger Goodson at the Ubiquitous Learning Conference in Vancouver, BC.
Dr. Frank RoseRose publishes paper
Dr. Frank Rose, Associate Professor of Finance, contributed a paper entitled, "Futures Markets, Portfolio Diversification and Food Prices," to the June 2010 issue of Food Outlook, a publication of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).  This is the second in a series of papers that he has been asked to prepare for the FAO's semiannual publication on the role of derivatives in food price formation.

Dr. Rose is the Session Organizer and Chair of a session entitled "The Financial Crisis" at the 40th Annual Conference of the Illinois Economics Association held at DePaul University in Chicago on October 15-16, 2010.  He is also a discussant for one of the papers in the session, "Changing Marketing Perceptions of Who is 'Too Big to Fail' During the Financial Crisis of 2007-2008."

COB hires new MIS Professor
The COB welcomes ones of its newest full-time members, Dr. Ibrahim Mescioglu, Assistant Professor of MIS.  He holds a Bachelor degree in Computer Engineering and Information Science from Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey.  He holds a Master's and Doctoral degree in Information Technology and Management and Management Information Systems from University of Texas. Before joining Lewis, Dr. Mescioglu was an Assistant Professor of MSIS at Purdue University, as well as Texas A&M International University.
COB hires new Finance Professor
The COB welcomes one of its newest full-time member, Yuntaek Pae, ABD, Assistant Professor of Finance.  Pae holds a Bachelor degree in Physics from Pohang University of Science and Technology, POSTECH, South Korea.  He holds a Master of Arts in Business from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, KAIST, and he also holds a Master of Science in Finance degree from Illinois Institute of Technology, IIT, Chicago.  Pae will finish his PhD in Finance this fall at IIT.
Yuntaek Pae, ABD, presented his paper, "Log-Robust Portfolio Management Strategies that Outperform the 1/n Strategy" at Illinois Institute of Technology on October 8, 2010 in Chicago.  He will also present this paper at the Southern Finance Association 2010 meeting on Novemeber 18, 2010 at Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa in Asheville, North Carolina.  
If you have any questions or comments regarding The Bottom Line E-Newsletter, contact Editor Tracy Joyce at [email protected] or (815) 836.5991.
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