One thing I think a lot about these days is what the Harry F. Byrd, Jr. School of Business (Byrd School) is going to look like in the future. Should we be doing the same things that we are doing today or should we be different? We, like other business organizations, are being forced to adapt to a changing, competitive world. For all enterprises, academic or otherwise, to be competitive in the future requires creativity and innovation. I attended a conference awhile back and listened to Gary Hamel of the London Business School - often cited as the world's most influential business thinker - talk about "reinventing your company." He stated that the most fundamental question a company's employees and executives need to ask is: Who are we? He went on to say the answer to that question determines whether the organization searches for unconventional opportunities. He stated that too many companies define themselves by what they do rather than what they know and what they own. I have thought about those comments and realize that those statements can be translated to the Byrd School in terms of our competencies (e.g. we develop curricula, we create and transfer knowledge) and our assets (e.g. the Byrd name). Opportunities are what our faculty and I will be addressing during the days to come based on this type of perspective.

I trust you will enjoy reading about recent activities and events in the Byrd School. Each month brings new items for me to report to you.

As a P.S., last month's issue of the Byrd Business Review (an interview with Dr. Tracy Fitzsimmons, SU's new president) has gone down as one of the most read and discussed issues that have ever come out of the dean's office, which pleases me very much. Please drop by my office in Halpin-Harrison Hall any time you are in the Winchester area and we can personally discuss the many positive attributes and current activities of the Byrd School.

DR. JOHN D. PROE HONORED IN RETIREMENT CEREMONY

Dean Randy Boxx and Dr. John Proe

Dr. John D. Proe, professor of management and health care administration, was honored by the Byrd School and the Byrd Alumni Club with a retirement ceremony recognizing his 18 years of professorial service to Shenandoah University. Faculty, staff and former students offered personal comments to Dr. Proe during the 2008 Homecoming weekend ceremony. As was stated during the event, Proe was a professional who successfully discharged his work as a faculty member. He added to the body of knowledge in management and health-care administration through his research and publications; he was an outstanding servant for the university and the school, especially through the coordination he provided during the successful AACSB International accreditation journey; and he was an exemplary teacher as documented through oral and written statements provided by his former students. Proe will be greatly missed, but his SU friends and colleagues know that he has earned this time to begin pursuing a new chapter in his life, one which will certainly involve lots of travel in the U. S. with his wife, B. J. We offer God’s rich blessings for you today and tomorrow, our friend.

NEW MINOR IN ECONOMICS

Dr. Bogdan Daraban, Dr. Clifford Thies, and Dr. Yvonne Chen

The Byrd School faculty has recently passed a new minor in economics pending university approval. Recognizing that economics is an important tool for understanding modern society, the faculty sought to introduce a program for helping students analyze how people with limited resources make choices. Complementing their major with an economics minor will provide students with analytical skills and a competitive edge for further graduate or law school work. Students across the university in arts and sciences, the health professions or the conservatory will now have the opportunity to add another important educational component to their personal portfolio. The minor will require 18 credit hours in economics, including intermediate microeconomics and macroeconomics and preparation in calculus and statistics.

This minor complements the mission of the Byrd School of Business, which is to “educate its students to become successful, principled leaders with a global perspective.” Successful leaders must be able to identify how decisions meet or fail to meet the cost-benefit tests appropriate to the mission of their enterprises. Economists are well-trained in weighing costs and benefits, both directly and indirectly, resulting from individual decisions and public policy. Economists many times are drawn to international trade and investments and, thus, have a global perspective. They are concerned with what is principled, both because of their approach to equity – which generally supposes that each person’s pursuit of happiness is incomparable, so that welfare-maximization must be guided by the principle that no one is harmed – as well as by their concern for efficiency.

NEW SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT COURSES

Dr. Mesut Yavuz and Dr. Bingguang Li

In addition to the economics minor described above, the faculty of the Byrd School have recently added new undergraduate and graduate courses in supply chain management (SCM) pending university approval. SCM is that broad set of activities that must take place to get products from raw materials to consumers. It includes planning, purchasing, producing, moving, storing and keeping track of products. The three major flows in the supply chain are product, information and monetary. Students today, whether they go to work with a large or a small manufacturing or service organization, must understand the importance of this field. CEOs have said that SCM is one of the most important factors that have led to their company's success - by building products better, faster and cheaper in the global business world.

As students graduate and go out into the global marketplace, employment opportunities in this field abound. There is a high demand for individuals with this skill-set, but there is limited supply. That bodes well for career and advancement prospects. Courses to be offered include undergraduate and graduate SCM elective courses (cross-listed): purchasing and supply management and logistics and distribution management. Purchasing and supply management will address modern practices and techniques of the purchasing and supply management function, while logistics and distribution management will provide an overview of distribution, operations and tools to make strategic, tactical and operational-level decisions. Dr. Bingguang Li and Dr. Mesut Yavuz will teach the courses.

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP PROJECT: BYRD SCHOOL PARTICIPANTS

Linda Simpson and Danielle Reed-Gypins; back row – Micah Melton, Dr. Bogdan Daraban, and Dr. Miles Davis

The Byrd School will be well represented during the 2009 Global Citizenship Project (GCP) spring break trips to five foreign destinations. Dr. Miles Davis and Dr. Bogdan Daraban, faculty members in the Byrd School, will be leading two of the groups. Linda Simpson, administrative assistant to the dean, Micah Melton, Danielle Reed-Gypins and Fan Zhou, students in the School, will have this educational opportunity to explore different cultures built around the GCP theme of "Beyond Borders." The GCP was initiated in 2004 through a gift from Dr. Nancy Larrick Crosby, a SU trustee who was a strong advocate for literacy around the world and wanted global communities to be engaged in such a quest. As stated in SU's promotional literature, "The Global Citizenship Project has captured the spirit of Shenandoah in a very unique way. It is a program not found elsewhere, and one about which most anyone on campus who has been here awhile can tell you about. It makes an impact and has led to a significant increase of interest in other global learning opportunities - Global Experiential Learning, Mission Programs, Semester Abroad and Careers Abroad." Further information will be shared with the readers of the Byrd Business Review when the destinations are announced on November 19.

VERIZON SPEAKER: STAY TRUE TO YOUR VALUES

B. Keith Fulton, president of Verizon West Virginia

B. Keith Fulton, president of Verizon West Virginia, oversees the company's operations and financial matters and has responsibility for Verizon's public policy, external affairs and regulatory matters. Recently Fulton spoke to the SU community about the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR). According to Fulton, "CSR should not just be a separate initiative; it should be part of how the company does business." Students engaged Fulton in numerous questions as he explained Verizon's positions on going "green" and community involvement.

Fulton made his story very personal by explaining that for the first time he was working for a company that did not require him to compromise his ethics. He encouraged students to think about the values of the organizations they go to work for and how those values align with theirs. Fulton made it clear that while this was his first visit to SU, he hoped it would not be his last.

EARTH UNIVERSITY: FORMING THE LEADERS OF TOMORROW

Several members and friends of Shenandoah University recently visited Earth University in Guacimo, Limon, Costa Rica. President Tracy Fitzsimmons, Dean Randy Boxx, Dr. Miles Davis, Mark Ohrstrom, trustee, George Ohrstrom, friend and supporter, and Mary Boxx participated in discussions and field trips led by members of Earth University. During the three-day visit, SU representatives learned that Earth University was formed to improve the world by sustaining its future. Students have been recruited with one purpose in mind: To create a more equitable and just society, one which balances growth with social and environmental well-being. Education is provided in the agricultural sciences with an emphasis on the rational use of natural resources. While contributing to the sustainable development in the humid tropics of Latin America and the Caribbean, the university explores collaborative relationships with other universities throughout the world. It was interesting to note that Earth University’s mission is very similar to that of the Byrd School: To prepare leaders with ethical values to contribute to the sustainable development of the humid tropics and to construct a prosperous and just society.

ACCOUNTING SEMINAR HOSTED BY BYRD SCHOOL

Pictured are Dr. Charles J. Pineno, SU professor of accounting, Dr. Mark Tyree, associate dean of the Byrd School of Business and professor of accounting, Molly Brown, Alex Vuchnich, and Tom E. Rosengarth, treasurer of the Blue Ridge Chapter of the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants (VSCPAs) and associate professor of business administration at Bridgewater College.

The Byrd School of Business recently hosted a seminar for certified public accountants needing continuing professional education (CPE) credits. The seminar was sponsored by the Blue Ridge Chapter of the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants. Dr. Charles Pineno made welcoming remarks. The first speaker was Alex Vuchnich, CPA, CFE, manager of enterprise accounting markets for Sageworks, who lectured on analytical review including a software package. The speakers for the breakout sessions were Molly Brown, CPA and James Madison University instructor of accounting, who lectured on must-know topics of professional ethics, and Robert Muldoon, investment professional for Navigator Wealth Management, who lectured on Section 1031 transactions.

Twenty attendees participated, including eight SU accounting students. Some students had an opportunity to interact with the professionals during part of the seminar concerning group discussions of various ethics cases. The Byrd School sponsored a reception immediately following the seminar affording accounting faculty and students the opportunity to meet and talk with practicing accountants and alumni.

ANNE BEILER RECOGNIZED WITH ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR AWARD

The Institute for Entrepreneurship within the Byrd School of Business recently recognized Anne Beiler, founder of Auntie Anne’s Prezels, Inc., as its 23rd Entrepreneur of the Year award recipient. As a successful business woman and faith-based philanthropist, she discussed with students, faculty and the general community how she built the world’s largest mall-based pretzel retail chain. She informed the audience that she based her business on many of the principles found in Proverbs in the Bible. She stated that the acronym LIGHT was used to guide the way she managed and operated her business enterprise: Lead by example; Invest in employees; Give freely; Honor God; and Treat all business contacts with integrity.
Pretzels.”

Today, the company has more than 900 locations worldwide with annual sales of $293 million. Since selling her company in 2005, Beiler now spends her time with the Christian-based family counseling center in Pennsylvania and with the Angela Foundation named after her deceased daughter. She has just released her autobiography, “Twist of Faith: The Story of Anne Beiler, Founder of Auntie Anne’s Pretzels.”