Centers
Oklahoma State University student-led business
wins $30,000 at Donald W. Reynolds Cup
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin (center) recognizes the R2R Technologies team members, from left, Aravind Seshadri, Pedro Velasco, Carlo Branca and Prabhakar Pagilla, professor of engineering, at the 2013 Oklahoma Governor’s Cup.
R2R Technologies, an Oklahoma State University student-led business, was one of the major winners at the Tri-State Donald. W. Reynolds Cup business plan competition in Las Vegas on Tuesday night.
R2R Technologies, which includes OSU graduate students Aravind Seshadri, Carol Branca and Pedro Velasco, was named the Graduate Division winner in the business plan competition and won $30,000. The OSU students were competing against the top two teams from Governor’s Cup competitions in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Nevada.
“We are very proud of this team and their accomplishments,” said Bruce Barringer, interim chair of the School of Entrepreneurship in OSU’s Spears School of Business. “Although the students did the hard part, this win is a big step forward for the School of Entrepreneurship and also is an affirmation of the strength of the entrepreneurial ecosystem on the OSU system.
CEPD seminar aims to teach powerful business tools
Oklahoma State University’s Department of Management and the Center for Executive and Professional Development will host “Improving Your Business Processes & Project Management” on June 26-27 at the OSU-Oklahoma City campus.
This two-day seminar covers the basics of Business Process Improvement including: terminology, identifying and selecting projects, planning, management and execution, analysis and measurement. The session includes practical exercises and examples that can apply to both small and large businesses.
Participants may enroll in the first day of “Improving your Business Processes” or both days which includes the second session, “Project Management and Practical Application.”
Center for Executive and Professional Development
celebrates 60 years of serving Oklahoma
The Center for Executive and Professional Development (CEPD) in the Spears School of Business is marking 60 years of service and outreach to students and Oklahoma’s business community this year.
CEPD fulfills a vital role by providing quality executive, management and professional development programs and services for business, industry and government. The center also provides credit and media credit courses to traditional and nontraditional students. Overall, 560 programs were offered to more than 28,700 individuals this year.
“We have been truly honored over the years with Spears School faculty who embrace the land-grant mission of Oklahoma State University,” CEPD Director Julie Weathers said. “They take their knowledge and research and deliver executive and management development programs in the various departments of accounting, finance, management, entrepreneurship, legal studies, management information systems, economics, and marketing. The information the instructors give is practical and the participants enjoy being able to apply the information in their work and make a difference in their careers.” Continue Reading
Three teams of OSU students win top prizes
in Riata Business Plan Competition
R2R Technologies was awarded a $25,000 check after winning first place in the Annual Riata Business Plan Competition. R2R Technologies team members, from left, are OSU students Carlo Branca, Aravind Seshadri and Pedro Velasco.
The fifth annual Riata Business Plan Competition awarded more than $43,000 in prize money on Saturday to help winning student teams finance their plans and turn them into viable business ventures.
The Riata Business Plan Competition is facilitated by the Oklahoma State University School of Entrepreneurship in the Spears School of Business.
R2R Technologies, a solution that can eliminate the setup and wastage during product changeover due to misalignment issues in roll-to-roll (R2R) processes, received top honors and the $25,000 for capturing first place. R2R Technologies team members are OSU students Carlo Branca, Aravind Seshadri and Pedro Velasco. Continue Reading
OSU hosts Energy Conference on April 23
The 7th Annual Oklahoma State University Energy Conference will be held on April 23 from 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. at the Cox Business Convention Center in Oklahoma City. The event is offered by the Department of Finance and the Center for Executive and Professional Development in the Spears School of Business at OSU.
This conference is intended for participants to hear emerging topics of interest in the energy industry. These interests include federal policy, the progress of the Horizontal Mississippian Oil Play, the latest technologies in fracking, green energy myths debunked, the future of energy in Oklahoma, the transformation of America’s energy supply, domestic oil production, and global impacts of LNG exports from the United States.
Longtime television journalist Tom Brokaw
embraces ‘big ideas’ during visit to Oklahoma
Tom Brokaw
A man whom America is accustomed to seeing behind a television anchor’s desk chose to stand in front of a podium Tuesday. Tom Brokaw, who United States citizens are accustomed to listening to during his longtime journalistic career with NBC News, chose to have a “conversation” on who Americans are in the 21st century and where he thinks the country needs to go in the future.
Brokaw was the final speaker in the 2012-2013 Tulsa Business Forums and Executive Management Briefings speaker series, coordinated by the Center for Executive and Professional Development at Oklahoma State University’s Spears School of Business.
OSU’s ISyTE Academy is designed
for high school students interested in MIS
Oklahoma high school students will spend part of their time building a computer from start to finish during their week at the OSU ISyTE Academy.
The Oklahoma State University Information Systems Technology Exploration Academy (ISyTE) is now taking applications for its 2013 session. ISyTE, presented by the Department of Management Science and Information Systems in the Spears School of Business, will be held from June 2-7, 2013 on the Stillwater campus.
ISyTE is an activity-based, hands-on program designed for high school students interested in the vital intersection of business and technology. The program allows participants to interact with current Management Information Systems (MIS) students, faculty, and industry IT professionals. Students from across the state of Oklahoma will learn how to build a computer from start to finish, take part in a mock investigation where they use forensics technology to track down an imaginary criminal, and much more during the fifth annual OSU ISyTE Academy.
“The ISyTE Academy was a great program for me to meet others interested in the same things as me,” said former ISyTE student Austen Rozanski of Tulsa. “I am very thankful for this opportunity and felt it helped me greatly to understand computers and MIS.”
Longtime television journalist Tom Brokaw
will present ‘The Voice of a Generation’
Tom Brokaw
Television journalist Tom Brokaw will be the featured speaker during visits Tuesday, April 2, to Tulsa and Oklahoma City as the third and final installment of the 2012-13 Spears School of Business speaker series.
Brokaw will present “The Voice of a Generation” during the Tulsa Business Forums from 10-11:30 a.m. at the Mabee Center.
The longtime NBC television journalist also will speak from 4-5:30 p.m. at the Civic Center in downtown Oklahoma City during the Executive Management Briefings, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
Founder of Mrs. Fields Cookies to speak
at Women Entrepreneurs Inspire Conference
Debbi Fields
Debbi Fields made the decision in 1977 to open a chocolate chip cookie bakeshop and store, and in 20-plus years she built her business from scratch into one of the most visible, successful dessert empires in the United States. The founder of Mrs. Fields Cookies, she will be sharing her story at the 2013 Women Entrepreneurs (WE) Inspire Conference.
WE Inspire 2013 is hosted by the Riata Center for Entrepreneurship at Oklahoma State University and will explore the unique obstacles, demands and challenges women face when creating and expanding ventures. The conference is scheduled for April 2 at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City.
“This year’s WE Inspire event will really be the launch of a year-round initiative where women entrepreneurs will be able to inspire each other through workshops, networking events, webinars and much more. We want this to become something where it is not only one day but an ongoing flow of information. We are thrilled to have women like Debbi Fields sharing their experiences and offering encouragement to the women who will be attending this year’s conference,” said Craig Watters, Carl Thoma Distinguished Clinical Professor of Entrepreneurship and acting director of the Riata Center.
Commissioner Bob Bowlsby ‘very excited’
about future of Big 12, college athletics
Bob Bowlsby
Bob Bowlsby has spent the last nine months since being named the fourth commissioner of the Big 12 Conference listening to others. He hears the good and sometimes the opposite in his job, and the first-year commissioner took the opportunity on Wednesday to share his thoughts on the current state of major college athletics.
Bowlsby was the featured speaker in the Executive Management Briefings, coordinated by the Center for Executive and Professional Development at Oklahoma State University’s Spears School of Business. He also is scheduled to be the featured speaker at the Tulsa Business Forums on Thursday at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.
OSU’s Online Master’s in Entrepreneurship receives recognition as No. 1 in the nation
The Online Master’s in Entrepreneurship program offered by the School of Entrepreneurship in the Spears School of Business is the best in the United States, according to rankings published this week.
Oklahoma State University’s Master’s in Entrepreneurship online program is No. 1 in the nation in the rankings of the 10 Best Online MBA Entrepreneurship Programs as named by TheBestSchools.org, a website devoted to empowering students with information to assist them in selecting the best school and degree programs.
“The (Oklahoma State) online Master in Entrepreneurship program covers the nature of entrepreneurship and the entrepreneurial process. The program combines core content with a strong commitment to experimental learning. It enhances student competencies in areas such as risk management, opportunity recognition, resource leveraging, business planning, and innovation,” according to TheBestSchools.org release in describing why OSU’s program was selected No. 1.
OSU will host national conference
on disruptive innovation in health care
The 2013 OSU Healthcare Conference, focusing on disruptive innovations in health care, is scheduled for Feb. 28 at Oklahoma City’s National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. National and state health care experts will provide updates on cutting edge programs in “Disruptive Innovation in Healthcare.”
The national conference will last from 8 a.m. until 4:15 p.m. and will be presented by OSU’s Center for Health Systems Innovation and the Center for Executive and Professional Development in cooperation with the OSU Center for Health Sciences.
This 2013 OSU Healthcare Conference reflects a growing need to transform today’s functional health care systems into one in which creative and innovative solutions will lead to better health and health care delivery.
OSU’s Spears School of Business to host
Women’s Business Leadership Conference
The 22nd annual Women’s Business Leadership Conference will be held Wednesday, March 6, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Tulsa. It is presented by the Spears School of Business at Oklahoma State University and the Oklahoma International Women’s Forum.
This conference brings in a variety of expert women leaders who share their experiences in the business world. Participants will learn more about moving toward their career goals, enhancing their leadership skills, and developing themselves and others.
Landscape architect to share with OSU
his insights on community building
Thomas Kopf
Thomas Kopf, a landscape architect whose work is admired worldwide, will be the featured speaker as part of the Wake Up & Dream interdisciplinary planning grant, sponsored by the Provost and administered by the Institute for Creativity and Innovation in Oklahoma State University’s Spears School of Business.
Kopf will speak and consult with students on the landscape architecture fifth-year studio project on the OSU Residential Life’s dormitory expansion into an ecovillage design project and living laboratory as part of the OSU Residential Life and Housing’s exploration into advanced learning environments.
The public lecture is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7, at the Donald W. Reynolds Architecture Building. OSU students, members of the university community and the public are invited to attend for free.
OSU’s Veterans Entrepreneurship Program
attracts participants for week-long bootcamp
More than 40 disabled United States veterans who faithfully served their country will be traveling to Stillwater the first week of February to participate in an intensive, eight-day entrepreneurial bootcamp on the campus of Oklahoma State University.
The Veterans Entrepreneurship Program (VEP) continues to attract national attention as it enters its fourth year in empowering disabled American military veterans as they turn their business ideas into workable business models. The program offers a unique, highly innovative training program built around hands-on learning, personalized interaction and exposure to inspiring role models.
The eight-day VEP begins Saturday, Feb. 2, and runs throughout the week before concluding with the VEP Gala Celebration Saturday, Feb. 9. Former U.S. Representative J.C. Watts will be the featured speaker at the VEP Gala Celebration at 6:30 p.m. at Gaillardia Country Club in Oklahoma City.
Foot Petals founder Tina Aldatz will speak
at Women Entrepreneurs Inspire Conference
Tina Aldatz
Tina Aldatz grew up in the boroughs of Los Angeles but that did not stop her from turning a great idea into Foot Petals, a multimillion dollar company. In 2001, when Tina was working in the fashion industry in New York City, the long hours didn’t bother her, but her stilettos and flats did.
After an extensive search she realized there were no products that met her needs for both comfort and style. Aldatz designed her first product, Tip Toes, which are still her number one-selling product today. More than a decade later, Foot Petals now has more than 20 products and is embraced by celebrities, stylists and influencers across the globe.
Foot Petals was acquired several years ago by an established company in Ohio that produces Dearfoam footwear products. Both the Dearform and Foot Petals products are sold at retailers worldwide and online.
Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby
to speak on ‘The Business of Sports’
Bob Bowlsby
Bob Bowlsby, Big 12 Conference commissioner, will be the featured speaker during visits to Oklahoma City (Feb. 20) and Tulsa (Feb. 21) for the Spears School of Business speaker series.
Bowlsby will speak during the Executive Management Briefings in Oklahoma City from 12-1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 20, at the Cox Business Convention Center.
Also, the first-year Big 12 commissioner will present “The Business of Sports” during the Tulsa Business Forums from 12-1:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.
Each year, the forum series showcases prominent business, political and world leaders, authors and policymakers to the Oklahoma City and Tulsa business communities. Both the Tulsa Business Forums and the Executive Management Briefings are coordinated by the Center for Executive and Professional Development at Oklahoma State University. Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was the featured speaker in November.
Former U.S. Representative J.C. Watts to speak at 2013 VEP Gala Celebration
J.C. Watts
Former U.S. Representative J.C. Watts will be the featured speaker at the 2013 VEP Gala Celebration, honoring the group of military personnel participating in the Veterans Entrepreneurship Program presented each year by the Riata Center of Entrepreneurship and School of Entrepreneurship in the Spears School of Business.
The 2013 VEP Gala Celebration will be at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013, at Gaillardia Country Club in Oklahoma City.
“We are pleased that J.C. Watts will be addressing the 2013 graduates of the Veterans Entrepreneurship Program,” said Larry Crosby, dean of the Spears School. “His insights on inspiring the student in everyone to dream big, stretch their leadership potential, transform organizations and make a difference in the world will be beneficial as they embark on this new challenge in their lives.”
Oklahoma will see growth, more jobs in 2013,
Spears School economist Dan Rickman forecasts
Dan Rickman, Regents Professor of Economics and Oklahoma Gas and Electric Services Chair in Regional Economic Analysis, projects that more than 26,000 jobs will be added to the Oklahoma workforce during the 12-month period beginning Jan. 1.
Oklahoma is expected to see continued job growth in 2013 as the state continues to bounce back from economic struggles in recent years, Oklahoma State University economist Dan Rickman said Wednesday during the 2013 Oklahoma Economic Outlook Conference.
The conference is hosted each December by the Center for Applied Economic Research in the Spears School of Business. This year’s conference, held at the Metro Technology Centers at Springlake Campus in Oklahoma City, includes discussions of economic conditions and prospects for Oklahoma and the United States.
Rickman projects that more than 26,000 jobs will be added to the Oklahoma workforce during the 12-month period beginning Jan. 1. The majority of those jobs will be in the professional and business services (with more than 5,000 new jobs created) and construction (more than 4,000) industries, Rickman’s forecast reflects.
James Pappas receives award at University Awards Convocation
David Henneberry, associate vice president of International Studies and Outreach, presents associate professor James Pappas with the International Education Faculty Excellence Award.
James Pappas, associate professor and Ph.D. coordinator for the Department of Management in the Spears School of Business, was awarded the International Education Faculty Excellence Award at the University Awards Convocation on Tuesday.
The University Awards Convocation recognizes outstanding achievements of faculty, staff and administration at Oklahoma State University.
Pappas is being awarded for his work in engaging students in a variety of study abroad and travel program opportunities through the Spears School. In the past four years, Pappas has led more than 100 students through programs in five countries – England, France, Mexico, Costa Rica and Greece. He is currently planning a new program in Germany for the summer of 2013.
CleanNG, company founded by OSU graduates,
recognized as a best, brightest new startup
A company founded by three recent Oklahoma State University graduates was selected last month as one of 50 businesses to be recognized as the “GEW 50,” the best and brightest new startups around the world.
CleanNG, which began as a project in the Riata Center of Entrepreneurship’s Cowboy Idea Hatchery student incubator in the Spears School of Business, was one of 50 finalists competing for the grand prize in the 2012 Startup Open, a competition for startups with high-growth potential featured as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) 2012.
Also, CleanNG was one of the 28 finalists from the Startup Open to be featured in a story of titled “The World’s Most Promising Companies,” on the CNBC.com website in early November. Although only one startup is awarded the grand prize, and CleanNG was not selected for that honor, the company is taking advantage of its newfound notoriety.
Study Abroad trips for winter, spring breaks
available through Spears School of Business
Are you or someone you know interested in spending winter or spring break in an exciting United States city or foreign country while earning college credit hours? Oklahoma State University’s Spears School of Business offers its students many study abroad opportunities during these short breaks from school.
Although the European study abroad programs in Spain and Italy are full, the Spears School of Business still has availabilities in our Latin America and U.S. programs.
This winter break, students can earn up to three credit hours while studying and traveling to Washington, D.C., with Bryan Finch, visiting professor in the Department of Management, teaching the course.
Center for Applied Economic Research will host 2013 Oklahoma Economic Outlook Conference
Oklahoma State University’s Center for Applied Economic Research in the Spears School of Business will present the 2013 Oklahoma Economic Outlook Conference on Dec. 5 at the Metro Technology Center Springlake Campus in Oklahoma City.
The conference will run from 8:30 a.m. to noon.
“While the housing sector finally shows signs of recovery, the U.S. economy faces significant headwinds,” said Dan Rickman, OSU Regents professor of economics and Oklahoma Gas & Electric Services Chair in Regional Economic Analysis, who will be one of the featured speakers at the conference.
“The impending ‘fiscal cliff’ and slowing global demand pose significant threats to near-term economic growth. How these events most likely will unfold and affect the U.S. and Oklahoma economies will be addressed during the 2013 OSU Economic Outlook Conference. The conference also will include presentations on how Oklahoma can best position itself for long-term economic prosperity,” said Rickman.
Creative strategies in career development
topic of Arts and Entrepreneurship Lecture
Claudia Stevens
Claudia Stevens, trained pianist, musicologist and composer, will be the featured speaker as part of the School of Entrepreneurship’s fourth annual Arts and Entrepreneurship Lecture Series, sponsored by the Institute for Creativity and Innovation in Oklahoma State University’s Spears School of Business.
“Breaking Some Eggs,” is a presentation for students in the arts and in business about creative strategies in career development. The lecture by Stevens is scheduled from 10:30-11:45 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 6, in the Seretean Center Concert Hall on OSU’s Stillwater campus.
Admission is free and open to the public.
Seminars in Human Resources webinar series
will focus on employee development
The Spears School of Business will begin hosting in November its annual webinar series on employee development in Human Resources.
This series is presented by the Department of Management and the Center for Executive and Professional Development in the Spears School of Business at Oklahoma State University.
“Training and Development” will be led by Tom Stone, professor in the Department of Management in the Spears School of Business. The webinar will take place Tuesday, Nov. 13, from noon to 1:15 p.m. Stone will share why training is a major source of competitive advantage. Needs assessment, learning objectives, selecting training methods, transfer of learning and training evaluation are all examples of topics that will be discussed.
OSU’s Veterans Entrepreneurship Program
receives grant from Wounded Warrior Project
The Riata Center for Entrepreneurship in Oklahoma State University’s Spears School of Business announced today that it is the recipient of a $75,000 grant from the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), a non-profit organization whose mission is to honor and empower Wounded Warriors.
The grant was presented to the Riata Center to support the highly successful Veterans Entrepreneurship Program (VEP), which was created to empower disabled American veterans to turn their business ideas into reality, and to find a path to financial independence through entrepreneurship.
“The Veterans Entrepreneurship Program is one of the most rewarding outreach programs that we put on each year and we are privileged to be able to offer our resources and expertise to men and women who have paid a price for our freedom,” said Michael Morris, OSU’s N. Malone Mitchell, Jr. Chair in Entrepreneurship and founder of the VEP. “Our goal is to help these veterans become entrepreneurs as a way to make their transition into the private sector successful and sustainable.”
Management and Professional Development Seminars
scheduled to be held at OSU-Tulsa
Through Oklahoma State University’s Spears School of Business, the Center for Executive and Professional Development will be presenting five Management and Professional Development Seminars in Tulsa to aid employees in improving their effectiveness at work.
Take advantage of the special offer of registering three participants for any one session and the fourth person is free.
All seminars are held at the OSU-Tulsa campus, and Continuing Education Units are awarded.
Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates
calls Nov. 6 election most important in history
Robert Gates
Robert Gates spent many years of his life protecting the American dream. He served as the 22nd United States Secretary of Defense from 2006 to 2011, and also spent 26 years in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the National Security Council.
But the 69-year-old says he doesn’t believe foreign affairs or the defense of the country are the most important issues in the Nov. 6 Presidential election, what he calls one of the most important in the nation’s history. Incumbent President Barack Obama is facing Republican challenger Mitt Romney with the nation’s economy as the major issue for Americans, Gates said.
“Yes, I think it is more important because as a lot of commentators have pointed out we really have two very starkly different approaches to the role of government in the life of the country and in the economy,” Gates said on Tuesday afternoon before speaking to more than 850 people at the Executive Management Briefings at the Cox Business Convention Center in downtown Oklahoma City.
The Executive Management Briefings is celebrating its 25th year of bringing business speakers and world leaders to Oklahoma City. The series is made possible by Oklahoma State University’s Spears School of Business and its corporate sponsors.
OSU’s Spears School of Business will host
annual Accounting Conferences in Tulsa
The School of Accounting in the Spears School of Business at Oklahoma State University will host the 8th Annual Oil and Gas Accounting Conference and the 12th Annual Accounting and Financial Reporting Conference at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Tulsa on Nov. 15-16.
These conferences bring together nationally recognized experts, accounting standard deters, Securities and Exchange Commission and Financial Accounting Standards Board officials, corporate financial executives, professional accountants and academics to discuss current issues in the field of accounting.
“We are excited to again host the Oil and Gas and Accounting and Financial Reporting conferences in November,” said Robert Cornell, Anadarko Petroleum Chair and head of the School of Accounting in the Spears School. “We have put together an all-star lineup for this year’s conferences, including former SEC chief accountant James Kroeker, OSU alum Doug Linehan, who is senior vice president for ConAgra Foods in Omaha, Nebraska, and a number of outstanding experts from the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC and the oil and gas industry.
Sustainable Enterprise Conference
returning to Tulsa in October
Oklahoma State University’s Spears School of Business will present the second annual Sustainable Enterprise Conference on Oct. 18 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Tulsa. The conference is offered in cooperation with the Tulsa Metro Chamber.
This full-day event focuses on how Oklahoma businesses can benefit from becoming a more sustainable enterprise by following the principles of the triple bottom line: people, planet and profit.
“Sustainability, as it pertains to the economic realities of today’s business environment, is a crucial component of long-term competitive advantage,” said James Pappas, associate professor of management at the Spears School who is the faculty coordinator for the conference. “Whether your primary focus is on cost and resource efficiencies, developing new products for changing markets or seeking to comply with new regulations, utilizing sustainable business practices can usher in a culture of creativity and innovation in any company.”