News and Events

COB faculty and students completed a study abroad trip to India during Spring Break 2017.

On March 9, 2017, GSU's COllege of Business hosted a Doing Business in Asia event. To learn more visit http://www.govst.edu/doingbusinessin/ 

Governors State University’s College of Business has received one of the most distinguished honors awarded to any business education program in the world: accreditation from AACSB International—the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

Fewer than five percent of the 16,000 business schools worldwide have received AACSB accreditation, which is considered the hallmark of excellence in business education.

“Earning this prestigious accreditation is an honor and an affirmation,” said GSU President Elaine P. Maimon. “It demonstrates that the success of our educational vision is being recognized comprehensively and extensively.”

GSU’s College of Business and Administration now joins the ranks of other Chicagoland business schools that have attained this exclusive distinction, including programs at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University.

“It takes a great deal of self-evaluation and determination to earn AACSB accreditation and I commend Governors State for its dedication to management education, as well as its leadership in the community,” said Robert D. Reid, Executive Vice President and Chief Accreditation Officer of AACSB. “Through accreditation, GSU has not only met specific standards of excellence but has also made a commitment to ongoing improvement to ensure that the institution will continue to deliver high-quality education to its students.”

As described by AACSB, achieving accreditation “is a process of rigorous internal review, engagement with an AACSB assigned mentor, and peer review. During the multi-year process, the school focuses on developing and implementing a plan to align with AACSB’s accreditation standards. These standards require excellence in areas relating to strategic management and innovation; student, faculty, and staff as active participants; learning and teaching; and academic and professional engagement.”

“Attaining this hallmark was a cooperative effort of faculty and staff,” said GSU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Deborah Bordelon, “and the rigorous process of meeting the AACSB accreditation standards was unifying and strengthening. I’m particularly pleased that the accreditation will help us create more corporate partnerships, in our continuous effort to enhance our engagement with the business community.”

Jun Zhao, Interim Dean of the College of Business and Administration, said that “AACSB accreditation will make us more attractive to students for our undergraduate and graduate programs. It will also make our graduates more marketable and help us continue to recruit high-quality faculty members.”

Congratulations to Dr. Gökçe Sargut, Associate Professor of Management, and winner of one of three Governors State University excellence awards for his teaching, research, and service. Dr. Sargut teaches in Governors State University College of Business MBA and undergraduate business programs. Dr. Sargut (fourth from the left) is pictured with GSU Board of Trustees Chair Brian Mitchell; President Elaine Maimon; CHHS Faculty Member Darrin Aase; and GSU Provost Deborah Bordelon. 

Father Stefan Hippler- Co-founder and BOT Chair of Project Hope visit GSU on June 1. Father Hippler discussed the pandemic of HIV/AIDS/TB in Cape Town South Africa-:www.hopecapetownusa.com

On March 11, 2016, Governors State University College of Business hosted a Doing Business in Africa event for area businesses and students. Video of the workshop is available at http://www.govst.edu/DoingBusinessIn/.

October 1, 2015

Dr. Ellen Foster Curtis, Dean of College of Business, and Dr. Jun Zhao, MME Division Chair attended the 2015 Manufacturing Day celebration held at Blooms High School on Thursday, October 1, 2015. More than 200 students from 19 area high schools attended the event. Lieutenant Governor Sanguinetti gave opening remarks, and the panel included representatives from IL DCEO, area manufacturing companies, faculty and administrators from South Suburban College, Prairie State College and Governors State University.

Manufacturing Day is a celebration of modern manufacturing meant to inspire the next generation of manufacturers. Manufacturing Day addresses common misperceptions about manufacturing by giving manufacturers an opportunity to open their doors and show, in a coordinated effort, what manufacturing is — and what it isn’t. By working together during and after Manufacturing Day, manufacturers will begin to address the skilled labor shortage they face, connect with future generations, take charge of the public image of manufacturing, and ensure the ongoing prosperity of the whole industry.

Dr. Zhao spoke to the audience about the new Bachelor of Arts in Manufacturing Management (BAMM) program offered by GSU. The BAMM program is designed for graduates of the various AAS in manufacturing programs at community colleges. It builds on their technical specialty and practical experience in various manufacturing fields, and provides a solid foundation in business knowledge as well as skillset needed to advance their careers in the manufacturing sector. She encouraged students to start their journey in manufacturing today by enrolling in internship programs at their high schools, and start taking courses that will transfer to community colleges. She welcomed the students to explore the seamless transfer opportunities GSU has created with its partner schools such as PSC and SSC, and take advantage of the dual degree program offered to qualified students at GSU.

 (Dr. Jun Zhao speaking to students and Manufacturing Day sponsors)

   (Lieutenant Governor Sanguinetti and Dr. Jun Zhao at Bloom High School in Chicago Heights, Illinois)

Accounting Career & CPA Exam Symposium - September 10, 2015, GSU Campus

Over 120 students and faculty were in attendance with speakers from the Illinois Board of Examiners, Illinois CPA Society, and alumni presenting information about the CPA exam, accounting profession, internships, and scholarships in accounting.

Doing Business in Latin America - March 27, 2015, GSU Campus
Provides practical knowledge to businesses in the Chicago area that aspire to do business in and with emerging markets in the Latin American region, with a focus on Brazil, Columbia, and Panama. Participants will learn: (1) entry and marketing strategies in Latin America, 2) how to finance their trade and investment activities in the region, and (3) best practices from Illinois businesses that have been successful in these markets. They will also have opportunity to build important business connections with government officials, other businesses and industry experts.

Delta Mu Delta is an international honor society for business administration. The Lambda Delta chapter of Delta Mu Delta at Governors State University holds annual indication ceremonies each fall. We held our sixth induction ceremony on November 19, 2014. Twenty-eight new members were honored with membership: 17 undergraduate students and 11 graduate students. Read More

At the Governors State University Small Business Development Center, Priscilla Cordero is director of a program that supports and facilitates economic growth and development in the Chicago Southland region’s small business community. In a little more than one year as the director, Cordero has helped 33 businesses get started and those businesses have created 120 jobs. See full story here

The 2014 SBDC at GSU Veteran's Entrepreneurial Boot Camp continues a legacy of supporting veterans as they operate in the private sector as current or future business owners. The 2014 scheduled speakers, many of whom are veterans themselves, represent a diverse collection of industries and specialties. Read more here

The U.S. Manufacturing Institute’s 2010 report revealed that U.S. companies can’t fill an estimated 600,000 positions in the advanced manufacturing sector, and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers predicted the number of unfilled manufacturing jobs will reach 3 million by 2015. In response to this identified need, the College of Business and Public Administration at Governors State University partnered with Harper College to develop a Bachelor of Arts in Manufacturing Management (B.A.M.M.) degree. Students will be able to enter the B.A.M.M. program in fall 2015. There are no similar programs offered by public institutions in Illinois at this time.

Nearly all community colleges in the Chicago area offer A.A.S. degree programs in manufacturing and graduate thousands of students each year. These graduates are hired by manufacturing companies in the region as technicians or machine operators. The manufacturing sector today is a cutting edge, technology-driven industry that is in need of a new generation of workers who are not only capable of operating complex machines, but also able to think critically and solve problems creatively, as well as lead others effectively. The unique design of the B.A.M.M. program provides associate degree graduates with a transfer-friendly, critical advanced education pathway in manufacturing that will help them to earn a four-year baccalaureate degree and obtain managerial positions within the manufacturing environment.

The 20 Best Online Master in Supply Chain Management Degree Programs

The website bestschools.org has released its ranking of the top 20 online graduate degree programs in supply chain management – with Governors State University listed among the best. The discipline of supply chain management is critical to U.S. competitiveness. “As the global economy becomes more interconnected, strategic supply chain management becomes increasingly crucial to our economic success,” says Dr. Ellen Foster Curtis, Dean of the College of Business and Public Administration at GSU. “It is an interdisciplinary field that oversees business interactions from the supplier’s supplier to the customer’s customer,” she added. “Using tools of financial and statistical analysis, information technology and security, negotiation, transportation operations management and collaboration, to name just a few, today’s supply chain manager represents a critical link in any company’s success,” she expanded.

The bestschools website ranks degree programs based on academic excellence, range of available classes, faculty strength, rankings and reputation. In the site’s review of the best programs for supply chain management, business students are encouraged to pursue graduate degrees. “According to the Institute for Supply Management 2013 Salary Survey, supply chain managers with a master’s degree earn 25 percent more than supply chain managers with a bachelor’s degree,” the site editors say. To read more, click here.

Michael Larson earned his MBA at GSU and is now a GSU College of Business & Public Administration lecturer, teaching Macroeconomics and Managerial Economics, as well as Principles of Financial Management. But as Chief Financial Officer of Helical Robotics, an Oregon, Wisconsin-based company, he's making his mark as entrepreneur.

Recently his company announced it had granted Lincoln Electric Company an exclusive worldwide license for their proprietary magnetic robotic technology. This agreement expands Lincoln Electric's automation solutions to include the industry's first trackless automated arc welding and cutting solution. The technology and platforms Helical Robotics develops allow for integrating industrial equipment into mobile magnetic robotic systems.

For Larson and his company the licensing process taught an important lesson: Nothing succeeds like success.

"We have experienced the frustrations of having what you believe is an excellent idea, having been told by major corporations that it's a great idea and then told that due to either budgets, risk or any other reason, that they just aren't ready to invest in new methods," he said. To Larson and his company it seemed that, as much as people want to say their companies are forward thinking, most are still not rushing to be first in line for new technology or methods of doing things.  While the company is cutting edge, if managers feel that their reputations or job reviews might reflect poor decisions, it is very hard to get ideas past them.

But media attention can change all that.  "Once a press release announcing the licensing agreement was issued, we have received a lot of inquiries from companies that we had already tried approaching in the past, with renewed interest," Larson said. 

The Governors State University College of Business and Public Administration, Masters of Public Administration Program held its inaugural induction Pi Alpha Alpha Ceremony on Friday, October 3, 2014 in the Center for Performing Arts from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. Over 50 new members were inducted. The guest speaker and honorary inductee was State Representative William Davis.

The purpose of Pi Alpha Alpha is to encourage and recognize outstanding scholarship and accomplishment in public affairs and administration. Its objectives, such as fostering integrity, professionalism, and effective performance, promote the advancement of quality in the education and practice of the art and science of public affairs and administration. PAA membership identifies those with the highest performance levels in educational programs preparing them for public service careers. Local chapters of Pi Alpha Alpha may be established and maintained only at NASPAA member schools.

If you would like more information about Pi Alpha Alpha please contact the Faculty Advisor Dr. Mary Bruce at mbruce@govst.edu.

Join the College of Business and Public Administration for an informative event on Tuesday, October 28 at in the Thompson Center in Downtown Chicago (100 W. Randolph, Suite 2-025) from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.. Find out about our Master of Public Administration program, learn about careers in federal, city, and state government, and how the MPA degree can help you succeed. For more information or to RSVP contact us at bpainfo@govst.edu.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Gökçe Sargut on his recent publication.

Argun Saatcioglu and Gökçe Sargut, “Sociology of School Boards: A Social Capital Perspective.” Sociological Inquiry, Vol. 84, No. 1, February 2014, 42–74.

The pdf of the published version is attached.  Here is the link to the paper on the publisher's website:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/soin.12025/abstract

Here is a news release based on an interview with the first author. It provides a good summary of their research question and findings:

http://news.ku.edu/2013/11/26/study-shows-sociological-strength-school-boards-internal-and-external-ties-can-affect

Please join us in congratulating Michael Williams on his publication in the Journal of Banking and Finance, one of the top journals in Finance:

Bhanot, K., Burns, N., Hunter, D., Williams, M., 2014. News spillovers from the Greek debt crisis: Impact on the Eurozone financial sector. Journal of Banking & Finance 38, 51-63.

For GSU colleagues, you may access the entire article by  going to the GSU  library main page, clicking on the “Databases A-Z”,  selecting the “R-S” tab, and scrolling down to Science Direct.

For other colleagues, you may find the abstract and some of the charts and graphs at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037842661300383X.

This is a wonderful achievement.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Natalia Ermasova on her recent publications.  

“Administrative Innovations in Capital Budgeting at the State Level in the USA during the Great Recession”  Journal of Business and Economics, Vol.4, No.10, October, 2013, 957-972.

Another article titled, "The Improvement of Capital Budgeting at the State Level in the USA"  in Public Administration Research, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2013. 
http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/par/article/view/30864

Dr. Ermasova states, “This research examines the effects of economic decline on changes in capital budgeting practices. Dr. Ermasova choose capital budgeting practices of the following states as the examples of the successful use of analytics, data, and performance information: California, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, New York, Oregon, and Vermont. The result of this research will improve the knowledge about best practices in capital planning and budgeting and, finally, will contribute to greater efficiency in capital spending within states.  This study expands the  knowledge of capital budgeting ‘best practices’ for practicing planners, developers, budget analytics, debt managers, and policy makers in the areas of capital planning, financing, and budgeting.”

Public Administration Research (PAR) is a double-blind peer-reviewed international journal dedicated to promoting scholarly exchange among teachers and researchers in the field of public administration. The journal is published semiannually in both print and online versions by the Canadian Center of Science and Education. The scope of PAR includes the following fields: public administration, public policy, public management, human resource management, organizational theory in public administration, ethics in public administration, policy analysis and public budgeting.

Finally an article entitled “The Impact of policy risk on innovation activity in Russia”  (Ermasova N., Ermasov S.) published in the SAM Advanced Management Journal Volume 78, Number 4 Autumn 2013, pp 23-34.  

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Carlos Ferran on the recent 2013 publication of his article titled “Infoenergy: Technology for Replacing Massive Degradation with Speedier (Cleaner) Energy” in the International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy. The article is co-authored with Dr. Ricardo Salim and relates to a topic that they have been working on for many years (Infoenergy).  According to Dr. Ferran, the article “takes a different spin by looking into the environment and clean energy solutions.”  The journal is an open journal so everyone can download a copy of the article. (http://econjournals.com/index.php/ijeep/article/view/576).

Peruse the archive here.