Branch joins Office of Diversity

Janice Branch has been named coordinator of diversity initiatives in the Office of Diversity and Community Relations at the Haslam College of Business. She will be responsible for coordinating all of the undergraduate recruitment, pre-college (BETS Program, AIM Academy and the Early College Awareness Program) and retention/advising initiatives for the office. 

Branch comes to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, from Wake Forest University, where she served as the event manager for the School of Business. She provided strategy and leadership the development of comprehensive plans for event management that supported holistic student development for six graduate business programs.

During her tenure at Wake Forest, Branch became a certified internal diversity trainer, conducting workshops for faculty, staff and students on the importance of inclusion, empathy and self-awareness. Her background also includes intercultural communications training and student advising.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the College of William and Mary in 2008 and a master’s degree in management from Wake Forest School of Business.

UT Business Students Get Head Start with Young Alumni Mentoring Program

For the second year in a row, 13 local business professionals will take part in a program to mentor 64 first-year students from the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Beginning at 6 p.m. on Feb. 11, representatives from companies such as Whirlpool, Pilot Flying J, Kimberly Clark, EY, PepsiCo and more will attend an introductory dinner at Haslam to meet students and help advise them on their career paths.

The program lasts about three months, during which students will have the opportunity to learn first-hand about their mentor’s college experience and daily work, including taking a workplace site visit. The experience not only helps students determine their career focus but also teaches them how to conduct themselves in a professional environment well before peers who do not go through a mentoring program.

“By being matched with a management major, I learned what the major entails and what to focus on in the upcoming years,” said Hannah Dunbar, a business major who completed the program last year. “In my second semester of college…I [saw] the supply chain, production facilities and accounting department at an international company and met with its human resource manager.”

Mentors for the program are Haslam alumni who typically have graduated in the last 10 years. Students are part of the Haslam College of Business’s Venture Living Learning Community, a program to enrich the college experience for first-year business majors, giving them opportunities to take classes together, attend guest lectures and participate in community service projects. The program is open to all incoming business students and filled on a first-come, first served basis.

For more information on the Haslam College of Business, please visit http://haslam.utk.edu/.

To learn more about the Venture LLC program visit http://undergrad.bus.utk.edu/opportunities/venture.asp.

CONTACT: Katie Bahr, writer/publicist, Haslam College of Business, 865-974-3589, katiebahr@utk.edu

Haslam Students Speak to Local News about Working the Super Bowl

Members of The Big Orange Combine — UT students and staff who attended the Super Bowl — appeared on WBIR‘s Live at 5 at 4 this week to share their memories of working behind-the-scenes in Arizona at the mega event. Watch the video here.

Three UT Student Business Plan Competitions to be Held this Spring

KNOXVILLE—Many students have turned their ideas into profitable startup companies ranging from web design to cycling apparel, while enrolled at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Since 2010, 60 student teams have been awarded more than $197,000 in funding to further their business idea through business plan competitions organized by the UT Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

This spring, UT students with business aspirations can win cash and other prizes by competing in up to three Anderson Center-sponsored competitions—Vol Court, Undergraduate Business Plan Competition and Boyd Venture Challenge.

Kicking off the semester is Vol Court, a six-week entrepreneurial speaker series that teaches students the basics of starting a business. The series, which begins Feb. 17, culminates in a pitch competition where participants put into practice what they’ve learned by presenting their business ideas to a panel of professionals. Vol Court meets from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. on Tuesdays in Haslam Business Building Room 104. No advance registration is required, and Vol Court is open to students, faculty, staff and members of the local community. The winner of the Vol Court Pitch Competition will receive $1,000 in cash, one year free rent in the UT Research Foundation Business Incubator, and various professional services. The runner-up will receive $500 in cash, six months free rent in the UTRF Business Incubator and various professional services. For more information, visit http://tiny.utk.edu/VolCourt.

The Undergraduate Business Plan Competition features three rounds of judging and is open to UT Knoxville and UT Institute of Agriculture undergraduates from any field of study. First, second and third prizes of $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000, respectively, are awarded in two business categories, growth and lifestyle. In order to compete, students must submit a one-page statement of concept by Feb. 27. Interested students should visit http://tiny.utk.edu/UBPC for application guidelines.

Boyd Venture Challenge, the last Anderson Center competition of the semester, awards up to $20,000 in seed funding to student-owned startups. Any UT undergraduate, graduate or doctoral student is eligible to apply, providing they own a legally formed company and are enrolled in a UT degree program in Knoxville at the time of application. The deadline for applications is March 25. To date, Boyd Venture Challenge has awarded $137,000 to student startup companies. For details on Boyd Venture Challenge, visit http://tiny.utk.edu/Boyd15.

Any student with a business idea is encouraged attend Vol Court and participate in one or all of the Anderson Center competitions. Additional details about the competitions and information on starting a company can be found at http://www.acei.haslam.utk.edu.

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CONTACT:

Kimberly Hood (865-974-5126, kimberlyhood@utk.edu)

Lola Alapo (865-974-3993, lalapo@utk.edu)

UT-Kentucky Study Highlighted in Maritime Global News

Investing in our inland waterways is both crucial to their survival as well as a key way to expand the economy, according to research conducted by UT and the University of Kentucky.

Commissioned by the National Waterways Foundation, the two-year study, “Inland Navigation in the United States: An Evaluation of Economic Impacts and the Potential Effects of Infrastructure Investment,” was led at UT by Larry Bray and Mark Burton, both of the Center for Transportation Research as well as the Department of Economics.

Among other findings in the report, detailed in Maritime Global News:

• The completion of 21 key projects at a cost of $5.8 billion would net an $82 billion return in economic activity over 20 years
• Investing in inland waterways could sustain 541,000 jobs
• The loss or degradation of the waterway system through lack of investment could result in everything from a spike in the cost of goods to increased electric bills

The full report can be seen at Maritime Global News.

UT Report: More Jobs, Low Gas Prices to Boost U.S., State Economies in 2015

Lower unemployment rates, falling gas prices, and increased consumer confidence position the national and Tennessee economies for continued recovery and strong growth in 2015 and beyond, according to a UT report released today.

Last year marked the fifth year of consecutive economic growth, according to the forecast in the 2015 Economic Report to the Governor of the State of Tennessee. In 2014, US total nonfarm payrolls finally reached and surpassed their prerecession level. An estimated 2.5 million jobs were created in 2014 for a total of 138.9 million jobs in the economy. Consumer confidence is up, thanks to falling gas prices that have increased consumers’ disposable income.

The study, prepared by UT’s Center for Business and Economic Research, predicts the course of the state and national economies by examining many fiscal factors and trends.

“While there are reasons to be cautious about the next year in the US recovery, there are more reasons to be optimistic,” said Matt Murray, CBER associate director and the report’s author. “The economy did well overall last year and is expected to continue to grow in 2015.”

The US unemployment rate will continue to fall and average 5.5 percent this year, compared to 6.2 percent in 2014. Consumer spending is expected to grow by 3.4 percent.

A negative indicator in 2014 was the housing market, which did not experience the double-digit growth it saw in 2012 and 2013. Residential fixed investment grew by only 1.6 percent. The housing market is expected to recover this year, with residential fixed investment to grow by 11.1 percent.

Tennessee Economy

Tennessee’s economic performance relies heavily on the national economy, and as a result the state’s short-term economic outlook largely resembles that of the nation’s, according to the report.

The state unemployment rate dropped from 8.2 percent in 2013 to 6.8 percent in 2014. However, it is still above the national rate of 5.5 percent. Tennessee’s unemployment rate is predicted to average 6.5 percent this year and then fall to 6.2 percent in 2016.

Other report findings:

• Nonfarm employment increased by 1.9 percent in 2014, representing a gain of more than 51,000 jobs. It is expected to grow by 1.8 percent this year and 1.5 percent in 2016.

• Professional and business services, natural resources, mining and construction, and leisure and hospitality will enjoy the largest employment gains in 2015 and 2016. Conversely, the government sector will continue to lose jobs over the next two years.

• Nominal personal income is projected to rise by 4.2 percent this year and 4.4 percent in 2016.

• Nominal taxable sales is predicted to expand by 3.9 percent this year and 3.4 percent in 2016.

The quality of the labor force—education, skill level, and health—will be a key ingredient of the state’s long-term economic growth. In many instances, Tennessee’s economic growth has lagged behind the nation’s.

In 2013, the percentage of Tennesseans with a high school degree was 85.6 percent, compared to 86.6 percent for the nation. The percentage of Tennesseans with a bachelor’s degree was only 24.8 percent, compared to a national average of 29.6 percent.

Programs like Tennessee Promise and Drive to 55 can help transition workers into high-skilled occupations in sectors that are growing. “If Tennessee cannot produce a high-quality workforce, businesses that need to compete in a global economy will go elsewhere,” the report states.

Recently, the White House announced that UT will lead the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation, a $259 million public-private partnership. It is a consortium of 122 companies, nonprofits, and universities in partnership with the Department of Energy that will connect the world’s leading manufacturers and develop a robust supply chain for advanced composite materials. The institute will make Tennessee a regional hub for advanced manufacturing and a training center for students and workers at all levels.

“It also should help provide a much needed influx of well-paying jobs into the state’s manufacturing sector,” according to the report.

State Revenue Performance

Tennessee tax revenue growth was slightly slower than both the national and regional average in fiscal year 2014. Total tax collections grew by only 1 percent over fiscal year 2013, and sales and use tax revenues increased by 3.6 percent.

The state also experienced a large contraction in corporate income receipts last fiscal year, as revenues fell by 8.7 percent.

“This was the second lowest in the region, only behind West Virginia, and was largely driven by strategic business decisions that can likely be viewed as one-time events,” the report states.

In December 2014, sales and use tax collections grew by 5.9 percent, and franchise and excise tax collections increased by 9.9 percent compared to December 2013 collections.

Read the entire report online.

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CONTACT:

Matt Murray (865-974-6084 or 865-974-0931, mmurray1@utk.edu)

Lola Alapo (865-974-3993, lalapo@utk.edu)

Reprinted from Tennessee Today.

SmartRail World: Expert insights: Maintaining a more efficient rail industry.

SmartRail World, a rail and metro technology website, recently interviewed Haslam professor Mandyam Srinivasan regarding his latest book, Lean Maintenance Repair and Overhaul. Srinivasan’s book highlights how greater efficiency in maintenance, repair and operations can affect a company’s financial outcomes. Read the story here.

UT GSCI Brings Executives Together to Review Southeast’s Supply Chain Potential

Thirty-one of the nation’s leading supply chain professionals met Jan. 8-9 in Charleston, South Carolina, to discuss the Southeast’s bourgeoning role as a major corridor for manufacturing and logistics. Attendees included representatives from Boeing, Amazon, Wal-mart, Pilot Flying J and Mondelēz International, among others.

The group converged as part of the University of Tennessee’s Global Supply Chain Institute (GSCI) advisory board, which brings real-world issues to the forefront of one of the nation’s leading supply chain curriculums. During preliminary sessions, executives toured the Boeing facility and the Charleston port, examining the potential growth of each entity and its effects on the region.

Boeing South Carolina, founded in 2009, is the company’s first airplane assembly location outside of Puget Sound, and many credit its success with competitor Airbus’s decision to build an assembly plant in Alabama last year. Boeing employs more than 3,500 in South Carolina and is already undergoing expansion projects.

The Charleston port is a major trade center, loading and unloading vessels faster than New York or Los Angeles/Long Beach. There are plans to take the harbor to 52 feet, making it the deepest port on the East Coast. The project will prepare Charleston for completion of the Panama Canal expansion, which industry insiders estimate could bring 50 percent of the Asian shipping trade to East Coast ports.

The growth of these facilities points to the potential of the Southeast as a supply chain hub, despite a decades-long trend favoring emerging economies. Research from the GSCI shows the cost-cutting strategies behind offshoring harmed profits in the long term. The increasingly global nature of supply chains demands a more comprehensive view of business, with an emphasis on mitigating risk.

Demand for broader-thinking supply chain professionals informs the second greatest concern for executives at the conference: talent acquisition. The industry needs more workers at all levels, and new employees must conceptualize the supply chain from end to end to stay ahead of risk inherit in the global environment.

Daniel Myers, EVP of global integrated supply chain for Mondelēz International stated, “We work with UT on research, but we also hope to influence young minds and prepare current and potential future employees.” Myers is not alone. Recruitment and professional development needs dominated the discussion.

UT’s Global Supply Chain Institute is an internationally recognized thought leader in supply chain research. Its curriculum is ranked third in the nation. For more information visit: http://globalsupplychaininstitute.utk.edu

Contact: Katie Bahr, writer/publicist, (865) 974-3589, katiebahr@utk.edu

UT Launches Aerospace and Defense Business Institute

KNOXVILLE—The University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s, Haslam College of Business, in partnership with the UT Office of Research, has launched a new institute to better organize and build aerospace- and defense-related research, education and training.

The UT Aerospace and Defense Business Institute will coordinate the college’s services to students and employers throughout the industry.

The Haslam College of Business regularly provides business education and consultation work to every branch of the United States military, NASA, and major aerospace and defense companies in addition to its work with smaller suppliers and service corporations in the industry. The UT Aerospace and Defense Master of Business Administration program—which will be housed under the new institute—has graduated more than 250 top leaders from the military and private companies since its inception in 2004.

The college’s connections to aerospace and defense include research, teaching and support performed in conjunction with government partnerships. The Haslam College of Business has been awarded contracts totaling more than $58 million by the U.S. Air Force for applied research, curriculum development, instruction and application support. Since winning the contract in 2006, the college’s professors have conducted research and delivered courses to improve Air Force business strategies and models with contractors, and defined best practices in aviation and missile maintenance.

“This new institute will bring the Aerospace and Defense MBA, government partnerships and the college’s executive and nondegree offerings in areas such as operations excellence, supply chain management and business leadership, under one umbrella,” said Steve Mangum, dean and Stokely Foundation Leadership Chair of the Haslam College of Business. “Our faculty and staff apply their expertise to real problems to create leaders who make a difference in business and industry. The Aerospace and Defense Business Institute will continue this tradition of excellence.”

Andy White, former director of the Aerospace and Defense MBA program, will serve as director of the institute. Before his work at the Haslam College of Business, he spent 20 years as an officer in the U.S. Air Force. James Cody, a retired Air Force colonel, directs work on the college’s Air Force contract and oversees delivery of defense-tailored nondegree programs and supporting research and service efforts.

The Aerospace and Defense Business Institute will support defense systems from beginning to end—from conception of new projects to training and deployment—by providing a full spectrum of research, development and product support.

“We expect the institute to help us sustain and expand work with this industry for the good of our nation, UT and the state of Tennessee,” said Dan Stewart, UT’s associate vice president for research and a former executive director of Air Force Materiel Command. “In time, we believe the institute will also foster more interdisciplinary research and service in every aspect of the aerospace and defense business sector. UT’s ability to do that sets us apart. Our clients and partners in this industry recognize that and value it.”

To learn more about the Aerospace and Defense Business Institute, visit http://haslam.utk.edu/adi/.

CONTACT:
Tanya Brown, (865-974-1570, tgbrown@utk.edu)
Lola Alapo (865-974-3993, lalapo@utk.edu)

Haslam Professor Featured in Forbes

Kate Vitasek, a lecturer in the Haslam College of Business, is contributing regular articles to Forbes magazine on various aspects of business based on UT research. This week, Vitasek examines how organizations can build strong, balanced business relationships in the article, 5 Rules To Transform Your Business Relationships.

Vitasek has written other articles this month for Forbes including:

Innovation and Collaboration: It’s Not An Either-Or Proposition

It’s Time to Rethink Your Business Relationships

Reprinted from Tennessee Today.

Diversity Job Fair to Be Held Feb. 10

UT Career Services is hosting the seventh annual Diversity Job Fair on Tuesday, Feb. 10 from 3-5 p.m. The event will take place on the concourse level of Thompson Boling arena. More than 30 companies will be present.

The career fair is designed to connect employers seeking a multicultural workplace with students from a variety of backgrounds. All are welcome to attend, and the event’s organizers encourage students to define diversity themselves, whether it pertains to racial and ethnic background, disability, the LGBT community, veteran status or something completely different.

Students should wear business attire and come with professional resumes. For resume assistance and critiques before the event, students can contact Career Services at 865-974-5435 or email utcareer@utk.edu.

For a list of employers attending, visit http://bit.ly/DiversityFair2015.

For more information on the Diversity Job Fair, contact Joanne Jeter in Career Services at 865-974-2154 or email jjeter@utk.edu.

Accounting Student Recognized with Courage to Climb Award

Wayne Taylor, a third-year accounting major in the Haslam College of Business, was selected for the November 2014 Courage to Climb award. The award is presented by UT’s Division of Student Life and recognizes students who show promise in the areas of research, community service, leadership development, campus involvement or promotion of civility and inclusion.

Taylor is being recognized for his academic excellence and commitment to improving campus life. He first discovered a love for UT through participation in BETS, a program by the Haslam College of Business that exposes high school students from diverse backgrounds to the various fields of business. Since joining Haslam, he has been accepted into the Global Leadership Scholars program and the Chancellor’s Honors Program.

Taylor is very involved in campus governance, serving on the Student Government Association as both a member of freshmen council and a senator. He is also a Haslam College of Business and UT Ambassador and has been appointed to the Haslam College of Business Deans Student Advisory Board.

His nominator writes, “Wayne Taylor understands it takes courage and wisdom to use opportunities as a gateway to accomplish his dreams and goals.”

Last summer Taylor received a competitive internship with Ernst and Young in Nashville and this summer will be interning with Dixon Hughes Goodman. His ultimate goal is to start his own firm in a low-income area that specifically serves individuals with disabilities.

UT Students, Staff Head to Arizona to Work Super Bowl XLIX

KNOXVILLE—A group of students and staff from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville,
will head to Glendale, Arizona, at the end of the month to work behind the scenes at
Super Bowl XLIX, one of the largest one-day sporting events in the world.

This year’s game will be Sunday, Feb. 1, between the New England Patriots and Seattle
Seahawks. The UT team will be on site Jan. 28 to Feb. 2.

This is the ninth year a UT team has worked at the Super Bowl.

Debbie Mackey, a senior lecturer and director of the Human Resource Management
master’s program, will lead the team along with Brian Russell, associate director of the
Thornton Athletics Student Life Center.

The trip is a valuable experience for students and will assist them in learning about all
aspects of business, Mackey said.

Students will work as volunteers with Mgroup and NFL on Location at special events
before and during the Super Bowl. They will have the opportunity to meet professional
team members as well as a UT alumnus who works with the NFL network. During the
game, they will host guests in various venues and possibly take guests to the field. They
also will meet with ESPN professionals and learn about how to get started in the
professional world.

The team used Volstarter, the university’s crowdfunding site, to raise money for travel,
Mackey said. They also have a partnership with UT Athletics through which they
received support.

This year’s team includes four UT student-athletes—Justin Worley, Matt Darr and Jacob
Carter from football, and Allie Sirna from soccer.

Team members are

Molly Gronotte, a senior in recreation and sports management from Indianapolis, Indiana.

Alexandria Hunt, a senior in advertising from Morristown, Tennessee.

Brittany Davis, a junior in recreation and sports management from Knoxville.

Justin Worley, a graduate student in recreation and sports management from Rock Hill,
South Carolina.

Ani Williams, a senior in recreation and sports management from Memphis.

Matt Darr, a graduate student in human resource management from Bakersville,
California.

Rae Benton, a senior in hotel, restaurant and tourism management from Yadkinville,
North Carolina.

Jacob Carter, a graduate student in human resource management from Nashville.

Kayla Godfrey, a junior in recreation and sports management from Suffolk, Virginia.

Allie Sirna, a senior in business management from Cleveland, Ohio.

Will Crockett, a graduate student in recreation and sports management from Lebanon,
Tennessee.

Leah Scruggs, a senior in recreation and sports management from Knoxville.
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C O N T A C T :
Lola Alapo (865-974-3993, lalapo@utk.edu)
Debbie Mackey (865-974-7014, dmackey@utk.edu)

MBA Program to Host Open House January 26

The UT full-time Master of Business Administration program will host an open house for prospective candidates on Monday, January 26.

The 6:00-8:00 p.m. event will be in the Haslam Business Building, Room 203. Registration begins at 5:45 p.m.  Learn More.