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College of Business to conclude pre-inaugural activities

By October 17, 2013College of Business, President

The Delta State University College of Business will proudly be recognized on Oct. 31, the final day of pre-inaugural activities in honor of Delta State’s eighth president, William N. LaForge.

“To have this opportunity to share with the campus and community the great contributions, accomplishments and pride of the College of Business is incredibly rewarding,” said Dr. Cooper Johnson, chair of Entrepreneurship in Business Technology.

Faculty, staff and students of the College of Business are excited for the inauguration festivities, and the opportunity to highlight some of their accomplishments. These will all be in spirit of the inauguration’s theme — “Celebrating Excellence.”

“The inauguration of a new president at a university is an exciting time because this event focuses on the truth that education is the best investment anyone can make,” said Dr. Clint Wood, professor of Business Law and chair of Accounting, Computer Information Systems and Finance.

“The College of Business at Delta State is committed to preparing students for the Mississippi Delta and the world, and we greatly appreciate our guest speakers for assisting us in this great calling,” added Wood. “The final day before the inauguration will celebrate the opportunities that only education can provide and challenge us all to make this wonderful Delta and the world better.”

The college is recognized for offering students unique opportunities, like internships from companies such as FedEx in Memphis, Gresham Petroleum/Double Quick in Indianola and Sanderson Farms in Laurel.

The college’s Entrepreneurship in Business Technology center offers assistance to entrepreneurs, small business owners/managers, educators, students and people in the Mississippi Delta seeking to start their own business.

The center has accomplished 76 formed partnerships, 79 business counseling sessions, 31 speaking engagements, 13 Delta-area small business workshops, 13 scholarly accomplishments, 11 scholarships, and has helped small business owners obtain over $400,000 in grants for their operations.

Graduate students are given the opportunity to earn an online master’s in business administration in one year, with concentrations in general business, health care administration, human resource management and computer information systems.

The Department of Commercial Aviation, also under the college’s envelope, offers the state university system’s only undergraduate and graduate aviation programs, with degrees in aviation management and flight operation. Students are prepared for a variety of opportunities in the industry, including the airlines, aircraft manufacturing, airport management, air traffic control and military aviation.

College of Business inauguration events begin at 11 a.m. with a lecture series in the Baioni Conference Center of Broom Hall. The first speaker will be United States Representative Bennie Thompson of the Second District of Mississippi. He will be followed at 2 p.m. by James Morhard, former Chief of Staff of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee and survivor of the 2010 plane crash that claimed the lives of Alaska Senator Ted Stevens and four others.

At 1 p.m. the college will host an open house in Broom Hall.

A reception for the final keynote Colloquia series speaker of the week, Jeff Lenn, professor of Strategic Management at the George Washington University School of Business, will start at 3 p.m. in the auditorium of E.R. Jobe Hall. Lenn will present at 4 p.m.

Lenn and LaForge worked together for more than 30 years at GWU, where Lenn was his department chair, dean and vice president. He has remained LaForge’s great friend and mentor since their time together at GWU.

Lenn’s areas of expertise at GWU include: business-government relations; corporate political strategy; strategic management; executive leadership; managerial ethics; corporate social responsibility; and organizational change.

His current research includes: design and implementation of political strategy; values and ethics in executive decision-making; corporate social responsibility; and business as a vocation and occupation.

Lenn has served as a consultant to corporations, trade associations, non-profit organizations and governmental agencies. He also has extensive experience in management and executive development programs, both domestic and international.

To learn more about the College of Business at Delta State, visit www.deltastate.edu/college-of-business.

All inauguration events are funded through support provided to the Delta State University Foundation. No university funds are being used during the week of activities.