Chambers College Awards of Distinction

Accounting 

Despite two years of Covid, the Department of Accounting has transformed our undergraduate and graduate curriculums. Some highlights below: 

• As of Fall 2023, we are CPA Evolution Ready.
• We have experiential learning in undergraduate and graduate courses in partnership with the WV State Auditor’s Office.
• All accounting students complete the Microsoft Specialized Excel Certification as sophomores.
• We offer four 2-course undergraduate tracks: CPA exam, organizational accounting, data analytics and forensic accounting and fraud examination.
• We have data analytics in every upper-level accounting course.
• In Fall 2023, we’ll offer three CPA Evolution Exam Tracks: BAR, ICS and TCP (tax).
• Our CPA pass rates are 75% in the MAcc program.
• We include CIA and CMA exam preparation content in the organizational accounting track.
• We require specializations (e.g., data analytics) in the MAcc and MS-FFE graduate programs. We offer BOTH PhD and DBA doctoral programs.
• We offer two “3+1” programs where advanced placement students can earn both an undergraduate and masters degree in four years: BSBA plus MAcc or MS-FFE.
• In summer 2023, the Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination (FAFE), encompassing the summer 4-course FAFE program and the 10-course MS-FFE turns 20 years old! During that time, we've graduated more that 600 students.

Encova Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Congratulations to Tara St. Clair – program director of our Encova Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship – who made West Virginia Executive Magazine's Young Guns Class of 2023! In her role, she currently helps WVU fulfill its mission of outreach and serving the state of West Virginia. "I love creating programming and watching young people have a real impact on my home state," said St. Clair. 

Finance

Local Edward Jones financial advisor and finance graduate, Kurt Skasik, is among the 2022 Next-Gen Best-In-State Wealth Advisors. His successful practice is empowered by the partnership he builds with clients to make a meaningful difference in their lives. Kurt was in the graduating class of 2006, he was on the Dean's List of Outstanding Scholars, and invited to participate in the International Scholar Laureate Program. Skasik is a Certified Financial Planner and a Chartered Retirement Plan Specialist. 

Global Supply Chain Management

Bernardo (Bernie) F. Quiroga, Ph.D. was announced as one of the three Associate Editors recognized this year for the "Associate Editor Honorable Mention Award 2022," from the current editors-in-chief of the Journal of Operations Management, Suzanne De Treville and Tyson Browning.

Rachael Dodaro, a 2020 Chambers College graduate, was recently honored in the 2022 Cohort of Pittsburgh's 50 Finest. Rachael studied Global Supply Chain Management and was highly involved with the Supply Chain Management Association while at WVU.

Associate Professor Dr. John Saldanha joined hosts Jordan Nicewarner and Marsha Chwalik to give his expert opinion on the current state of the economy nationally and here in West Virginia on the podcast, Panhandle Live! 

Hospitality and Tourism Management 

Dr. Ajay Aluri was honored in the Top 100 Most Powerful People in USA Hospitality by the International Hospitality Information Technology Association(iHITA). 
The International CHRIE awarded Dr. Aluri the 2022 McCool Breakthrough Award during the 75th-anniversary celebration. This award is given to an individual, group, program, school, college, or corporation that has made a significant breakthrough or introduced a unique approach in the spirit of ICHRIE's mission. This award honors the spirit of Willie McCool, a dedicated and successful astronaut and son of Audrey and Barry McCool, faculty members at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. This award was sponsored by the Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida.

Management 

On Friday, October 28th 2022, Department of Management hosted a renowned strategic management scholar Prof. Jay Barney (University of Utah) who discussed his forthcoming book on organizational change. With over 200,000 Google Scholar citations, Jay Barney is a preeminent scholar in the fields of Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship. His research focuses on the relationship between costly-to-copy firm skills and capabilities and sustained competitive advantage. Professor Barney received his PhD in sociology from Yale University and has taught at UCLA, Texas A&M, The Ohio State University. He is currently a Presidential Professor of Strategic Management and the Lassonde Chair of Social Entrepreneurship at the University of Utah.

Dr. Nancy McIntyre, associate professor of management, had her research paper accepted for publication in the Journal of Business Research, which is an A-plus journal. The title of her article is: Investigating the Impact of Religiosity on Social Entrepreneurial Intentions.

Marketing

Assistant Professor of Marketing, Julian Givi, recently published four gift-giving papers in prestigious academic journals: 

• Reshadi, Farnoush and Julian Givi, “Spending the Most on Those Who Need It the Least: Gift Givers Buy More Expensive Gifts for Affluent Recipients,” European Journal of Marketing.
• Givi, Julian, Laura Birg, Tina M. Lowrey, and Jeff Galak (2023), “An Integrative Review of Gift-Giving Research in Consumer Behavior and Marketing,” Journal of Consumer Psychology.
• Givi, Julian and Gopal Das (2023), “Givers Eschew Gifts That Are Inferior to Their Own: How Social Norms, Regulatory Focus, and Concerns about Offending Lead Givers Astray,” Journal of Consumer Psychology.
• Givi, Julian and Yumei Mu (2022), “Your Gift but My Attitude: Gift Givers’ Aversion to Giving Attitude-Inconsistent Gifts,” European Journal of Marketing, 56 (5), 1488-1511.
  

The Knee Center for the Study of Occupational Licensing 

The Knee CSOR at WVU names Matthew Mitchell, PhD as Senior Research Affiliate at their new home in the John Chambers College of Business and Economics at Reynolds Hall. In his new role, Matt will lead the CSOR’s new initiatives on certificate of need (CON) regulation and assist with the Center’s core mission to inform discussions on the effects of occupational licensing. Edward Timmons, director of the Center says, “Matt is an amazing researcher and one of the best to break down complex regulations in ways that make them more understandable.” Matthew received his PhD and MA in economics from George Mason University and his BA in political science and BS in economics from Arizona State University. “I have always admired Matt's work and am thrilled to have a scholar of his caliber on our team,” says Timmons.

The latest policy research paper titled: 'Maryland’s Health Care Lesson for Pennsylvania: 'How Full Practice Authority Can Increase Access And Improve Outcomes' examines the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and how the effects of full practice authority could increase access to care and improve health outcomes. Published by the Commonwealth Foundation, this piece was written by: Knee Center research fellow, Dr. Kihwan Bae, Knee Center research affiliate, Dr. Shishir Shakya, Knee Center assistant director, Conor Norris, and Knee Center director, Dr. Edward Timmons.

The Knee Center's director Edward Timmons, and assistant director Conor Norris, wrote an op-ed on occupational licensing that is currently being placed in a few different news sources.

Dr. Edward Timmons, along with research fellows Dr. Kihwan Bae and Dr. Alicia Plemmons, and research affiliate Dr. Shishir Shakya, published a piece titled: 'The Pharmacist Will See You Now: Pharmacist Prescriptive Authority and Access to Care in Idaho'.

Conor Norris and Dr. Edward Timmons released an op-ed that was published in the Washington Times. The article is titled: 'Occupational licensing reform can ease the pain of inflation' where is explores the relationship with burdensome licensing laws and how these could reduce inflation.

Vantage Ventures

Vantage Ventures resident and Finance Alumni, Auggie Chico of Parthian Battery Solutions, was listed as one of the Top 50 Innovative Startups in America by Bloomberg.