School of Business buzzes with activity

The School of Business continues to become more global as it pursues Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation. This summer, five students studying to earn an M.B.A. in Pune, India, visited from the Foundation for Liberal Arts and Management Education (FLAME). They worked on projects with entrepreneurs in the SUNY Fredonia Technology Incubator and learned about U.S. culture, society and business practices.

In March, an interdisciplinary team submitted a nearly $400,000 Business and International Education Grant application to the U.S. Department of Education. If funded, Fredonia will develop an International Entrepreneurship curriculum and establish a new Center for
International Entrepreneurship and Family Business Studies.

The center will conduct training programs and studies to support an increase in exports from local manufacturing, service and agriculture businesses. Also, because many agricultural businesses are family businesses, the center will provide programs on maintaining generational continuity in a business.

Several students distinguished themselves by winning prestigious awards. Under the guidance of Drs. Donald Barnes and Susan McNamara, the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team earned 2nd runner-up at the Regional Competition in New York City, competing against far bigger universities like Columbia, Pace and New York University. This is the 14th consecutive time that SUNY Fredonia has earned a trophy when competing.

Rachel Foltz received Fredonia’s coveted Lanford Presidential Prize, as well as the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence. She graduated summa cum laude this May with concurrent degrees in interdisciplinary studies/music business and psychology. She was a member of Fredonia’s Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society, the Fredonia chapter of the Psi Chi International Honor Society (in psychology), and the Golden Key International Honour Society. This fall she will attend the Ohio State University to pursue a Master of Arts degree in higher education and  student affairs, with a graduate assistantship in Admissions Counseling.

Joining her as a Chancellor’s winner was marketing and economics double major Christopher de Bruyn. Chris also was President of Omicron Delta Epsilon (international honor society in economics), captain of the Fredonia State Hockey Team, and an intern with DFT Communications.

Student groups were also very active serving the campus and the community. Music business students made a promotional video that appears on their department’s web page based on a collaboration with Victor DeLorenzo, co-founder of the Violent Femmes. They also enjoyed guest lectures by Joey DeMaio of the renowned heavy metal band, Manowar, as well as Tess Wiley, formerly of Sixpence None the Richer. Visits from entertainers like this increase the visibility and impact of the program and inspire students.

Accounting students also served the community via the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program. Student volunteers served 238 clients from the local community under the guidance of Dr. Linda Hall this spring.

The School of Business has also expanded its internship program. A record 93 students
completed internships during the year, roughly 40% of the school’s junior and senior
enrollment. Forty were internships affiliated with the SUNY Fredonia Technology
Incubator during the spring semester.

The school continues to expand its intellectual contributions in the various fields of business and economics. The faculty increased its scholarly output to 58 contributions during the 2010-11 academic year. Professors Barnes, Paul Holmes and Maya Thevenot published
refereed journal articles in some of the top journals in their respective fields of marketing, labor economics and accounting.