Message from the Dean
As always, March has been an interesting month in South Alabama. The city’s annual celebration of Mardi Gras came to a screeching halt on Fat Tuesday. Two finance faculty members and I missed the big day traveling to New York City with students attending the Financial Management Association Leadership Conference. Prior to attending the Conference, the students were afforded the opportunity to visit the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. We were hosted by John Elliott, a broker with GTS, Inc. During the morning visit, the students spent time meeting with brokers and market makers discussing price establishment, order flow, and other market activities. A highlight of the Conference was the two-day quiz bowl where student teams compete head-to-head. At the end of the second day of the competition, teams from South finished first and second (overall besting teams from Auburn, Temple, Butler, James Madison, and other schools). I’d be amiss if I didn’t mention that I attended Hamilton before leaving the city. Having done my homework (reading the biography by Ron Chernow and the show’s script and listening to the soundtrack), I was ready for the show. Expectations were exceeded; do not miss seeing it if you have the opportunity. Make sure that you do your homework before you go.
Upon our return, I attended the quarterly meeting of the Alabama Commission for Higher Education (ACHE) in Montgomery. I’m pleased to announce that both of our proposals were approved. Our DBA-degree doctoral program is now a PhD-degree program. I want to take a moment to thank Joe Hair (our PhD Director) and the College faculty for their efforts in making this happen. We also added a Healthcare Leadership concentration to our MBA program. In addition to the courses in the concentration, we plan to offer multiple certificate programs for professionals along the Gulf Coast.
During the last week of the month, we hosted our final Executive in Residence this year, Mr. Marco Provvidera. Mr. Provvidera practices law in New York City and is qualified in Italy. He received his JD from the University of Rome and his LL.M in Anglo-American and Comparative Law at the New York University School of Law, and he is fluent in English, French, Italian, and Spanish. His practice focuses on contracting, international trade, Internet law, and international property rights protection and enforcement and privacy. That same week, we held our fourth-annual Marketing Career Fair in conjunction with the USA Career Services Office.
All in all, a busy March. Back next month.