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Year in Review: 2017 Saw Faculty Receiving Honors, Research With Impact being conducted and Groundbreaking Conferences and Symposiums

By Keith Morelli

TAMPA (December 12, 2017) -- Twelve months. Fifty-Two weeks. Three-hundred-sixty-five days. That's 2017 broken down to its barest essentials. But the year was much more than that. Here's a list of some of what made 2017 special:

January

Muma College of Business Students Excel at Hackathon Challenge

Competition was fierce among 20 enterprising ßÙßÇÂþ»­ students who focused on chatbots and vied for cash prizes in a Jabil-sponsored Hackathon. The 12-hour event was the first Hackathon, a competition at which creativity and self-expression through technology were rewarded. The competition pitted teams of ßÙßÇÂþ»­ students against each other and emphasized the role of IT in manufacturing. The challenge was for students to design and create sustainable software that breaks barriers in technology and that can be integrated into a manufacturing setting. To read more, click here.

Finance Professor Receives Fulbright Core Scholarship; Heads to Portugal in 2018

Dan Bradley was awarded a Fulbright Core Scholarship, becoming the fourth Muma College of Business professor since 2015 to be honored with the prestigious Fulbright Core Scholarship and the fifth to be recognized by the program. "It's an honor to be awarded a Fulbright," Bradley said. "They are extremely competitive. I hope that it can help expand the USF brand on an international level." His assignment will be at the Instituto Superior de Ciências do Trabalho e da Empresa Business School in the University Institute of Lisbon in Portugal, from May-August 2018. To read more, click here.

February

Gift Leads to Name Change for DBA Suite

USF is the Hasbini family's home away from home. Both Mohamad Ali Hasbini and his wife, Sawsan, have earned degrees here and their three children either have USF degrees or are currently taking classes. The patriarch himself has achieved his third degree, a doctorate of business and graduated in December 2018. About 100 people, mostly doctoral candidates, faculty and staff, gathered outside the Doctor of Business Administration offices for the naming ceremony and unveiling of the Mohamad Ali Hasbini DBA Suite after Hasbini's donation paid for the renovation and expansion of the offices. To read more, click here.

Accounting Preview Day Hosts 100 Students at the Marshall Student Center

If you want to make a career out of business but you're not sure what field to focus on, accounting just might be for you. That was the theme delivered to just over 100 students, many of whom were still in high school, attending the Accounting Preview Day at the ßÙßÇÂþ»­'s Marshall Student Center. The message from the keynote speaker, Chris Denner, controller with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a USF graduate with an accounting degree, is that those who enter the workforce with a firm knowledge of accounting can go anywhere in any business. To read more, click here.

March

Sheila Johnson Honored at Annual Muma College of Business Celebration of Free Enterprise

Sheila Johnson, whose grace belies her hard-nosed business style, told a room full of high achievers that her career as a determined woman of firsts would not have happened without flexibility, tenacity and a knack for negotiation. They are traits that thread through her entire life. She was the first African-American woman to chair the Illinois all-state music competition, which won for her a second first: a full scholarship to the University of Illinois to study music. From there, her career soared, leaving shards of shattered glass ceilings all along her path to become the first African-American woman to reach billionaire status. She also became the first woman – and the first African-American – in 30 years to be presented with the Celebration of Free Enterprise award. To read more, click here.

Part-Time MBA Moves Up in National Rankings, Places 56th Among Public Universities

The part-time MBA program at the Muma College of Business jumped 10 points in national rankings from the previous year, cracking the top 100 for all public and private universities for the first time and placing the program in the top third of U.S. universities, according to the U.S. News and World Report. Among just public colleges on the list, USF came in at No. 56. To read more, click here.

A New Finance Major Announced: Personal Financial Planning Offered in the Fall

With the number of qualified financial advisors dwindling, the University of South Florida's Muma College of Business announced its plans to move forward with a plan to offer a new major in personal financial planning. The new major became available in the fall to business students interested in filling the anticipated marketplace void caused by a large number of the current financial advisors and planners marching into retirement themselves. To read more, click here.

Sport & Entertainment Analytics Conference Attracts Hundreds

Kevin Kelley, the highly successful head coach of the Pulaski Academy football team in Arkansas, knows not only how to get data and analyze it, but how to apply it in creative ways. While his unorthodox formula works for his football team, his message resonates in the world of business. He was among a list of influential speakers at the third annual ßÙßÇÂþ»­ Sport & Entertainment Analytics Conference, where the behind-the-scenes side of sports and entertainment marketing took center stage. To read more, click here.

April

Florida Business Analytics Forum Presents Latest Developments in Data Collection, Analytics, Creativity

The mantra that data never sleeps was hammered home during the inaugural Florida Business Analytics Forum at the Muma College of Business. Guest speakers came from across the nation to address a crowd of more than 250 who packed the atrium. They came to hear the pioneers in data collection, research, analytics and creativity, themes the college has undertaken in many of its courses. It's a field of study that is emerging as a driving force in the corporate world and has been undertaken by the Muma College of Business faculty, which has achieved a national level of recognition for its research. To read more, click here.

Digital Wall Named for Dick Corbett

Though the new Muma College of Business digital wall had been up and running for several weeks, the man who paid for it hadn't seen it. He hadn't seen the content created just for the high-resolution wall; the faculty, alumni and student spotlights; the social media feeds or the four cable channels broadcasting simultaneously on half the screen. Dick Corbett saw for the first time his monster wall, made up of 32, 55-inch screens at the dedication. With more than 100 guests there to celebrate with him, Corbett, a former collegiate boxer-turned-developer-turned-philanthropist and an enviable ball of energy, said he paid for the wall for one reason and one reason only: "It's for the kids," he said. To read more, click here.

International Business Symposium 2017 Features Commerce Experts

The sea on which global commerce sails is no longer calm. Political divisions and economic differences are churning up those waters and the course set by international companies and traders is beset by geopolitical hurricanes and typhoons. The International Business Symposium 2017: Charting a Winning Course in the Uncertain Waters of Global Commerce, took place in the atrium with about 75 attending. The event brought together senior trade officials from the U.S. Department of Commerce, the United Kingdom's Department of International Trade and the government of Mexico, as well as international business experts on China and India, who shared insights and advice on how to capitalize on the uncertainties in these markets. To read more, click here.

May

ISDS'S Alan Hevner Named Distinguished University Professor by Provost's Office

Alan R. Hevner, an Eminent Scholar in the Information Systems Decision Sciences Department, has one more esteemed title to add to his curriculum vita: Distinguished University Professor. Hevner joined three other Muma College of Business professors who have previously been named Distinguished University Professors: James Stock, a marketing professor who received the honor in 2011; Management Professor Walter Nord, recognized in 2000, and the late Arie Beenhakker, who won the award in 1987. To read more, click here.

Living with Friedreich's Ataxia, Sam Bridgman Rises From his Wheelchair, Walks to Receive Diploma

Of the hundreds of mortarboard-and-robe-clad graduates crossing the University of South Florida Sun Dome stage to receive their diplomas, Sam Bridgman's steps were the most poignant. He graduated with a master's degree and an MBA from the Muma College of Business Sport & Entertainment Management program and already had landed a job with the Tampa Bay Lightning. "I'm seeking miracles every single day," Bridgman says. "I keep moving forward." He has Friedreich's ataxia, a rare inherited disease that causes nervous system damage and movement problems. There is no cure. To read more, click here.

Muma Trading Challenge Crowns Winner

The gavel has fallen and the financial dust has settled on the 2017 version of the Muma Trading Challenge. Emerging at the top of the heap was Matthew Henricksson, a first-year finance PhD student who made more than $300,000 in virtual cash in three months. The challenge involved a simulated stock-market trading competition in real-time. Henricksson's bulging portfolio won him $1,000 in scholarship money. This is the third time the challenge has been offered and more than 200 students signed up at the end of January to compete. To read more, click here.

Accounting Circle Conference Offers Advice on Leadership, Cybersecurity, Industry Trends.

What do accountants and Navy SEALs have in common? Most would say not much. Accountants sit in safe, climate-controlled offices in front of computers full of numbers. SEALs generally spend thousands of hours in grueling training suffering through all kinds of weather for the chance to take part in a mission that involves all-out warfare. But there are similarities that lie below the surface, said retired Navy Capt. Tom Chaby, who served as an active duty U.S. Navy SEAL for 26 years and who was the keynote speaker at the ßÙßÇÂþ»­'s Accounting Circle Conference. More than 500 accountants and managers attended the two-day conference. The purpose: to fulfill the continuing professional education requirements to maintain their Certified Public Accountant license. To read more, click here.

June

Digital Marketing Certificate Program Uses Experts, Marketing Instructors to Teach Professionals

Professional marketers and managers attended the first Digital Marketing Certificate program at the Muma College of Business, learning how to maximize their marketing efforts through cutting-edge technology. The program was attended by nearly two-dozen participants, eager for insights into best practices in digital marketing, information about how to leverage technology and ways to maximize their advertising program's return on investment. "There is no marketing today," said Anand Kumar, associate professor at the Muma College of Business, "that isn't digital." Several attendees have since reported that they have used the material they learned in class to benefit their businesses and at least one has been promoted. A second session took place in November. To read more, click here.

July

ISDS Department Research Productivity Receives National Attention

The Information Systems Decision Sciences Department was ranked No. 30 in business school research rankings compiled by the University of Texas at Dallas. The rankings were based on scores of more than 300 business schools and colleges across North America and included data collected from the three top research journal publications between Jan. 1, 2014 and Dec. 31, 2016. The survey ranked the Muma College of Business higher than Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania. To read more, click here.

Sport & Entertainment Management Program Ranked Among the Top 20 in the World by SportBusiness International

The Sport & Entertainment Management program was ranked in the Top 20 of postgraduate courses on the planet, as rated by SportBusiness International. SportBusiness analysts sifted through 1,000 survey responses from alumni and course leaders of programs around the world to rank the top 40 institutions. The 5-year-old Muma College of Business program, which boasts a near 100 percent placement rate within three months of graduation, ranked No. 19 on the list of public and private universities. To read more, click here.

August

It's a Record, Nearly $600,000 in Scholarships Given Out at the Annual Scholarship Luncheon

Solomon Mukasa is the reason business scholarships are so important. The native Ugandan moved the crowd of nearly 400 with his story of hardship and triumph at the annual Muma College of Business Scholarship Luncheon. "You must know that this scholarship proved what I suspected when I chose USF," he said. "People care here." His was one of many stories told among scholarship recipients seated at the nearly 50 tables inside the Marshall Student Center during the luncheon. Another milestone for the day was this: The amount of scholarships - $600,000 awarded to about 250 business students – was the most ever given out by the college. To read more, click here.

September

USF Honors Vinik Family Generosity by Naming Sport & Entertainment Management Program For Couple

After five years of giving graduate business students the tools they need to succeed in the world of sports and entertainment, the program was named after the philanthropists who helped found it in 2012. Tampa Bay Lightning owners Jeff and Penny Vinik are woven into the culture of the Tampa Bay area with their vision of re-inventing the downtown waterfront and their altruism and generosity throughout the region. And the family's legacy at the ßÙßÇÂþ»­ was cemented further with the official naming of the course of study as the Vinik Sport & Entertainment Management Program. To read more, click here.

October

Future of Sports and Entertainment Revealed at Lecture Series

From holographic professional games played in home stadiums of teams playing away games to the emergence of esports as a profound money maker, the future of sports and entertainment – or at least a hazy vision of what it might be – played itself out in the ßÙßÇÂþ»­ Sun Dome during the Vinik Sport & Entertainment Management Program's event titled "What Tomorrow Might Look Like." The wide-ranging discussion hit on managing professional sports and venues, enhancing fan engagement with athletes and developing revenue streams through simulated video game systems. To read more, click here.

November

Computer Science and Tech Whiz Kids Attend Big Data Day

Hundreds of high school students, all considered the best and brightest in their computer science and tech courses, spent the day learning about USF and the Muma College of Business and how enrolling here can lead to lucrative careers in business analytics and information systems. In all, nearly 400 students attended the Muma College of Business Big Data Day and were introduced to college offerings in the Business Analytics and Information Systems Department, which hosted nearly 120 more students than it did during last year's inaugural Big Data Days. To read more, click here.

Center for Creativity and Analytics Collects Real-Time Data for the 2018 State of the Region Report

Exhaustive joint studies comparing the Tampa Bay region to metro areas with similar demographics and business potential used – for the very first time – groundbreaking analytics compiled and interpreted by the Muma College of Business' Center for Analytics and Creativity. The center's work, presented as part of the report, was unveiled in the ballroom of the USF's Marshall Student Center in front of 260 business and governmental leaders and included recommendations from key faculty members who worked on the project. To read more, click here.

Wozniak to be the Inaugural Speaker in Muma Thought Leader Series

As thought leaders go, you can't get much headier than Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, philanthropist and entrepreneur and now, the inaugural speaker at the Muma College of Business Thought Leader Series, scheduled for Feb. 20 on the Tampa campus. The series was established to draw nationally recognized speakers, innovators, idea generators, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, authors and "turn-around artists" in business and industry. The topics Wozniak will discuss likely will vary widely. The event was moved to the ßÙßÇÂþ»­ Sun Dome from the Marshall Student Center because of overwhelming response for tickets. To read more, click here.

Les and Pam Muma Donate another $15 Million to USF.

The USF: Unstoppable fundraising campaign ended with a bang at the Amalie Arena with the announcement that philanthropists Pam and Les Muma had just made a transformative gift of $15 million to the university. The gift will benefit three areas they have helped in the past, including $5 million to the Muma College of Business, $2 million to establish a Women's Health Center at the Tampa General Hospital campus and $8 million to USF Athletics. The Mumas made a $25 million gift in 2014 to the business college, which now bears the Muma name. They remain the largest single donor to USF with a total of more than $56 million. To read more, click .

December

Center for Entrepreneurship Graduate Program Once Again Achieves National Ranking

For 11 straight years, the graduate program at the ßÙßÇÂþ»­'s Center for Entrepreneurship was ranked among the Top 25 in the nation by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine. The interdisciplinary center, housed in the Muma College of Business, was ranked No. 11 and was the only Florida program to be represented. The Princeton Review surveyed entrepreneurship programs in some 300 schools that offered both undergraduate and graduate courses. The findings were published in the December issue of Entrepreneur magazine. To read more, click here.