Message from the Dean
In the classic musical Camelot, Julie Andrews sang, “It’s May, the lusty month of May…that holiday”. Although we are not quite there, it is close enough to see. Of course, we needed to weather (more on that later) April to get here. To say that April has been at the same time rewarding and frustrating is an understatement.
A team of our MBA students are featured in our lead article. The group competed in the University of West Florida Case Competition in Pensacola against teams from Bradley University, the University of North Carolina Greensboro, Fort Hays State University, and the University of West Florida. Spoiler alert: They won.
As is the norm, the College had a strong showing at the Society of Business, Industry, and Economics (SOBIE) meeting. Dr. Al Chow served as SOBIE President this year. Five students presented at the meeting with the Best Student Paper Award going to Lauren Carrubba. In addition, six MCOB faculty made presentations.
Our annual Melton Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Coastal Venture Competition featured 23 University student teams. Pitch ideas ranged from small business marketing consulting to doggie daycare to building awareness for upcoming artists. For the first time, the competition featured a separate competition for high school students. Teams from four different Mobile high schools competed. Check out the details in the article.
Our annual Scholars Night/Alumni Fellows recognition was scheduled for Thursday, April 18. An outstanding group of scholars and the third class of the Mitchell College Alumni Fellows were to be recognized (both groups will be featured in the May issue of the Mitchell Report). The event was hosted by the USS Alabama; all the preparations came together seamlessly. Unfortunately, someone forgot to check with Mother Nature. April 18 was a stormy spring day on the Gulf Coast—so stormy that all South Alabama activities after 5:00 PM were canceled. After the decision was made to cancel mid-morning, the staff worked feverishly to contact those attending. Kudos to Emmy Rieske, Janet Ayers, and Ashley Ezell for their efforts. On the bright side, our students were able to distribute the table arrangements to patients at the USA Children’s & Women’s Hospital. Also, a thank you to our event venue and event providers for working with us to suspend the process.
My deadline has passed so I will wind it up. With all that happened in April, I look forward to May. See you next month.