Price College Newsletter | June 2023

Dan Sloat embodies the essence of a modern-day Renaissance Man. From a young age, an entrepreneurial spirit has been an intrinsic part of his character. As a prior United States Air Force captain, drone pilot, novice sommelier, stand-up comedian, English teacher, filmmaker, oil painter, horse wrangler, day sailor and humanitarian, Sloat embraces new challenges and champions multi-disciplinary innovations.  

Price College recently spoke with Sloat to delve into this evolving industry and his role within it. 
 

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All five Price College MBA programs placed in CEO Magazine’s 2023 Global MBA Rankings. Program rankings were categorized by Tier 1 and Tier 2 university classifications, executive MBA programs and fully online delivery options. This is the second consecutive year Price College’s full-time and professional MBA programs received top mentions, while the online program landed at No. 50 globally. OU Price College executive MBA programs in Energy and Aerospace & Defense also placed No. 50, advancing 5 and 15 spots, respectively, since last year. OU Price College is the only Oklahoma-based research institution included in this year’s MBA, executive MBA and online MBA lists. 

In an effort to address critical business and legal support needs for entrepreneurs and small businesses, Price College, in partnership with the OU College of Law, has launched Oklahoma’s first-ever entrepreneurial law center. The OU Entrepreneurial Law Center provides free, early-stage counseling to entrepreneurs and small businesses. Under the guidance of executive director David Kinsinger  and with accreditation insight and design support offered from OU College of Law colleagues, OU ELC completed its first pilot clinic by supporting three startup clients over OU’s spring 2023 semester.

Price College students were recognized with 17 awards, including winning team and individual awards at the 19th annual Love’s Entrepreneur’s Cup held this spring. Forty-one teams entered the competition, which culminated in 18 finalist teams (eight of them from OU) across three business plan divisions: Small Business, High Growth Undergraduate and High Growth Graduate. 

Price College senior Randilyn Gomme was recently selected to receive the AWESOME Excellence in Education Scholarship. She's one of only 20 women nationwide studying supply chain management to be named to the group's 2023 cohort for this honor. Gomme, a double-major in supply chain management and management information systems, will receive a $5,000 scholarship to support tuition and fees and gain access to mentorship and networking opportunities with experienced supply chain professionals. She also will have the opportunity to attend the annual AWESOME Symposium in May 2024.

Margaret Shaffer, the Michael F. Price Chair in International Business Professor of Management, was the recipient of this year's David L. Boren Award for Outstanding Global Engagement at the University of Oklahoma's Faculty Awards and Honors Luncheon. She was recognized for her over seven years of service leading the OU MBA program's international trips to destinations around the world as a means to better prepare Price graduates for leading in an increasingly connected world.

Wayne Thomas, senior associate dean and David C. Steed Chair in Accounting, has been recognized for superior teaching by the American Accounting Association. Thomas is this year’s recipient of the American Accounting Association/J. Michael and Mary Anne Cook/Deloitte Foundation Prize in the undergraduate category. This prize is the highest recognition of an individual who consistently demonstrates the attributes of a superior teacher in accounting. Thomas will receive a solid silver medal and a monetary prize at this year’s AAA Annual Meeting in August in Denver.

In a long-awaited ceremony, the Price College Division of Finance celebrated the grand opening of its new home on the third floor of Adams Hall. The space features a reception area, 23 offices, a Ph.D. student office, a few common areas and a conference room. It is just one part of the Adams Hall third-floor renovations that included a refurbished MIS Division office, several classrooms, a conference room and additional offices. Though the renovation was completed in 2020, the formal ribbon cutting took place this spring, with about 65 faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of the college gathering for the event.

Startup OU  hosted Startup Showcase at The Well in Norman and awarded $30,000 in seed funding to budding startups from OU and other colleges and teams across the state. Helion Illumination received the largest prize — $10,000 — for its advanced drone lighting system.

The Ronnie K. Irani Center for the Creation of Economic Wealth (I-CCEW) hosted its Final Presentations in Norman this spring. Student teams explored consulting solutions for the likes of Totem, ExxonMobil, Side by Side, Hive, American Prime, Vlow, and Prairie Bio Ag in their presentations. I-CCEW is Oklahoma's largest innovation consultant and works to accelerate the growth of the state, enable leadership in its students and cultivate entrepreneurship.

The First Fidelity Bank Integrated Business Core (IBC) program welcomed Lee Symcox  and his family for end-of-semester final presentations and celebrated the banking CEO's 50th anniversary in the finance industry. Experiential opportunities, like IBC, are critical to students' future readiness and success. The efforts of Lee, his family and First Fidelity Bank have been instrumental in this program’s impact.

The Price College of Business recently recognized the excellence and extraordinary commitment demonstrated by faculty, staff and Ph.D. students during this year’s award ceremony. Dean Corey Phelps presented 19 awards – nine to faculty, eight to staff and two to Ph.D. students during the April 7 luncheon at the MidFirst Bank Stadium Club. He also recognized 16 faculty members for having research articles accepted for publication in “A” journals and acknowledged service milestones for one faculty member and two staff members. 

Price accounting senior Ashley Schwarz has been selected to attend KPMG's Global Advantage program. This elite international leadership development program developed by KPMG invites 120 students from top universities around the globe based on exceptional academic performance as well as campus and community leadership. She will join this prestigious group of students and members of KPMG's global network later this month in Brussels, Belgium, for training courses on leadership, self-awareness, interpersonal impact and cultural versatility taught by KPMG Partners.

The OU Price College of Business wants to learn more how it can best engage with its alumni. For all Price College graduates, please consider completing Price College's alumni survey, which should take just 5-7 minutes of your time and will help our team understand how to best support and engage with our graduates.

Professor Emeritus Erv Black’s paper was published in the  Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation. 

Mark Bolino, director of the Division of Management and International Business, was interviewed for an opinion piece in The Washington Post  about how some companies, including those praising the merits of in-person work, have conducted layoffs remotely. He also was interviewed by Business Insider and ABC News about the four-day workweek. Lastly, The Journal Record interviewed him for an article about a survey showing business managers find Generation Z employees the most difficult to work with. 

Laku Chidambaram, senior associate dean for academic programs and engagement, made a joint presentation with Page Keller of Knack Technologies at the Annual AACSB ICAM Conference in Chicago. The presentation was titled “Learning & Earning: Investing in Tech to Reinvest in Student Success.” 

Sam Greco, marketing and supply chain management instructor, is mentioned in an Ahwatukee Foothills News (Arizona) article about two experienced supply chain executives who authored a book about the costs and clinical quality challenges inherent in the implantable medical device system. 

Meng Li, assistant professor of accounting, has a paper forthcoming in The Accounting Review.

Associate professor of finance and law Lubo Litov's  scholarship with Dhruv Aggarwal (Yale University) on “Corruption and Cash Policy: Evidence from a Natural Experiment” was discussed in detail on the Oxford Business Law Blog  (at University of Oxford). 

Krish Muralidhar, professor of marketing and supply chain management, was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)  for his research that addresses data privacy risks associated with the U.S. Census. This publication was made more special because Muralidhar’s daughter, Pavitra, an evolutionary biology researcher, has had work published in the journal.  

Dean Corey Phelps and his virtual presentation about the design-thinking process were mentioned in articles in the Khaleej Times and the Gulf News. Phelps presented to participants of the United Arab Emirates' National Experts Programme, who explored solutions to challenges faced by the Masfout Ajman community in the UAE.  

Qiong Wang, associate professor of marketing and supply chain management and one of the OU Humanitarian Innovation Research Group co-founders, was interviewed with the NPR podcast “Focus: Black Oklahoma.” In the episode, Wang discusses the need for a broader approach to addressing refugees' needs and how equipping them to become self-reliant will mutually benefit refugees and their host cities. Listen to the full episode here (skip to 7:05 and 14:53 to listen to OU HIRG researchers and Wang's input, respectively). 

Tom Wavering, executive director of the I-Hub, received the Office of the Vice President for Research and Partnerships' Annual Award for Excellence in Research Grants at the 2023 VPRP Research and Creative Awards. Wavering’s Oklahoma Biotech Startup Programs project was awarded $6.9 million from the U.S. Economic Development Administration last year. The award honors 30 tenured or tenure-track OU investigators or research teams who obtained extramural sponsored research awards totaling $1 million or more in 2022. 

Matthew Wood, professor of entrepreneurship, advised entrepreneurs as an expert panel member for a Wallet Hub article titled "2023 Best and Worst Small Cities to Start a Business.” Wood offered advice on starting a business in a small city.