Turner Business

This past weekend was eventful for Turner College senior Lauren Katzfey , a business administration major who hopes to pursue a career in corporate law. Lauren and her classmates visited the University of North Georgia to participate in  the Georgia Collegiate Honors Conference. While at the Conference, Lauren presented her  Honors Contract titled, "Compelling Cases: An Analysis of Georgia Workers' Compensation." She was also part of the Leadership Panel. "It was a fantastic weekend spent with some amazing people," Lauren stated. Lauren is a student in CSU's Honors College, co-founder and Vice President of Phi Alpha Delta, Secretary of Honoris Causa, and an academic coach at CSU's Learning Success Center. She was also recently inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma honor society. She is also  a tour guide for CSU, a Student Ambassador for Turner College of Business, she attended a Study Abroad Program in Scotland earlier in her studies. Even with all of these ac...

The search profile put together by the Buffkin/Baker firm to facilitate its search for CSU's next provost lauds several of the Turner College's accomplishments. For instance, the TSYS Center for Cybersecurity is listed alongside the Bo Bartlett Center, the Coca-Cola Space Science Center and others as examples of how CSU provides its students with opportunities for academic enrichment, also referred to as "learning laboratories," that exist beyond the classroom. Among the programs that "position graduates to create their future" are the TSYS School's cybersecurity programs , which are described as including traditional degrees, stackable one-year credentials and certificates, and Nexus programs. The profile indicates that the Turner College accounts for 24% of CSU's enrollment, and that in terms of undergraduate academic programs the BBA in general business is CSU's fifth largest academic program, while the BBA in management ranks tenth in enro...

Turner College faculty and staff are wrapping up their preparations for next week's visit from the AACSB accreditation review team. According to the visit schedule, the review team will meet with each individual Turner College faculty committee. The Turner College has separate committees for curriculum, awards and scholarships, assessment, strategic planning, and faculty development. The AACSB review team will also hold separate meetings with tenured faculty and untenured faculty. The Turner College's AACSB report on continuous improvement was sent to the review team in early January. Stay connected to Turner Business for updates on this process.

The TSYS School's Nexus cybersecurity program held another successful mock interview event recently, allowing students to practice their interviewing skills. Guest interviewers from Global Payments, Inc., Synovus, Aflac, Chick-fil-A, Ankerpak, Optiv, Accenture, TD Bank and CSU participated in these most recent mock interviews. In addition to thanking TSYS School instructor Armando Fernandez for producing the event, Patrick Aiken , Director of the TSYS Center for Cybersecurity, praised industry partners for volunteering time and expertise to prepare the students for their future careers. The TSYS School hosts this event every semester and students often utilize these to land jobs in cybersecurity. Lastly, Aiken gave a hat tip to Country's Barbecue for providing lunch to participants, giving them time to chat in a more relaxed environment.

Turner College alum Aaron Meadow 's early professional career has been eventful. He  graduated from the Turner College in 2015 with a BBA in finance. During his time at CSU he served as the Chief Information Officer for the Turner College's chapter of the Financial Management Association. After graduation, Aaron joined United Shore in Troy, Michigan, as an underwriter. After about 18 months in this position, he accepted an offer from Edward Jones in Chesterfield, Michigan, as a financial advisor. During his time with Edward Jones, Aaron earned both a FINRA Series 7 license and an NASAA Series 66 license. In April of 2019, Aaron became an investment specialist for Fidelity Investments in Jacksonville, Florida. From there he accepted the position of Priority Wealth Advisor at Citi's Jacksonville office. It was during this time with Citi that Aaron completed  an MBA degree from Auburn University's Harbert College of Business.  The combination of prior education and experie...

The TSYS School's student chapter of Women in Technology recent received a visit from Gail Burgos , Chief Executive Officer of Girls Inc. of Columbus and founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Burgos Consulting Group, Inc. Burgos earned a BBA from the Turner College, a master's in human resource management from Troy University, and a doctorate in organizational theory and leadership from the University of Phoenix. Prior to her current roles, Burgos spent more than 25 years at TSYS, ending her tenure there in 2020 as Senior Diversity Officer. According to Patrick Aiken , "Gail  and I sat in back-to-back offices while we were both at TSYS . . .  Many late nights I would walk into the break room for a cup of water or coffee to find that Gail was also still there working on something important. We would encourage each other and get back to work every time." Burgos is the latest local business or enterprise leader who has visited with students enrolled in the TSYS Scho...

Turner College marketing major Quinton Mills recently travelled to Atlanta to attend a meeting of the University System of Georgia's African-American Male Initiative which was held at Georgia Power's corporate offices. The Initiative  is designed to increase the number of African-American males who complete their postsecondary education from any one of the USG institutions.  Its mission is to provide an Integrated Program Model of academic and social tools that support students adopting a positive mindset to successfully complete classes, elevate their cumulative GPAs, matriculate through each academic level and graduate.  On this occasion the Initiative held sessions and led tours of Georgia Power's headquarters and Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves. While there, Mills was able to meet the Initiative's Director, Wanda Everson Gross. Gross, who has served in this position since 2016, spoke about meeting Mills in Atlanta,  "It was so great to meet [Quinton]. ...

Director of the TSYS Center for Cybersecurity, Patrick Aiken , recently delivered what could be called the "State of the Nexus Cybersecurity Program" address to the CSU Foundation Board of Directors. According to Aiken, " It is always thrilling for me to talk about the program since we are experiencing expansion, changing students' lives, and providing amazing employees to secure and protect the world's digital assets. Regular followers of Turner Business are familiar with how the TSYS School's Nexus cybersecurity program is growing and providing full-time (and lucrative) employment to its graduates. In fact, one could argue that this program, along with the MSOL program, are the crown jewels of the Turner College's academic offerings.       For readers less familiar with this program, it is nicely described by Art Recesso, Vice Chancellor for Academic Innovation for the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, in commenting on Aiken's r...

Recent TSYS School Nexus cybersecurity graduate " Rose " Huirui Washington is described as "a legend" by her professors and peers because she secured a full-time job in cybersecurity after only her first semester in the program. On top of that, she finished the program while on the job. The professional title Rose holds is Alternate Information System Security Officer at Fort Moore.  In this role she assists  the Information System Security Officer (ISSO) with new hiring security procedures and CAC card application processes,  deploys the Egnyte file-sharing solution to provide seamless and secure collaboration among organizations, and  monitors, identifies and reports security violations to government functional managers, among many other responsibilities. Other items on Rose's CV are also associated with legendary status.  Prior to earning the Nexus degree in cybersecurity from the TSYS School in December of 2023, Rose earned a bachelor's degree in chemis...

CSU graduate Mat Edmunds learned much about administration, recruiting and leadership during his days in the Turner's College master's program in organizational leadership. A Director of Graduate Admissions in the Stetson-Hatcher School of Business at Mercer University, Mat is not only putting that education into practice, he is doing so in a way that reflects the program's emphasis on servant leadership. In addition to the duties one would expect of a business school's admissions director, those who have followed Mat's professional career (as  Turner Business has) know that he has made a special effort in his position at Mercer University to assist K-12 educators who, as a result of the stress and strain that accompanies a career in primary and secondary education, have decided to transition into a new career in business or entrepreneurship. Mat's journey to get in the position to positively impact the lives of graduate students is an interesting one that beg...

 

A November 2023 blog here at Turner Business presented data indicating that the Turner College's master's degree program in organizational leadership is currently experiencing an enormous growth spurt. That blog pointed out that overall course enrollments in the program grew from 226 in Fall 2022 to 321 in Fall 2023, while student credit hours rose from 678 during Fall 2022 to 963 during Fall 2023. Either way, the program experienced a 42% overall growth rate (year-over-year). With that blog in mind, we decided to revisit the Spring enrollment data for an updated year-over-year comparison.  The data below provide a picture of the program's growth by comparing Spring 2023 enrollment data to their Spring 2024 counterparts.                                                                           ...

CSU's Office of Strategic Communications is providing all Turner College faculty, staff and students an opportunity to take or update their professional headshot tomorrow in the Davidson Center from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. The  photo station, provided by Student Life & Development, is providing access to free, high-quality headshots featuring 20 different backgrounds. The Office of Strategic Communications also informed the Turner College that e very faculty and staff member is listed in the university's online employee directory , but not everyone has submitted information for their online profiles. While optional, these profiles are helpful to CSU's news-reporting efforts, media seeking subject-matter experts, and others looking for university-based expertise or knowledge.  The CSU Profile Update Form is available under the Forms menu in MyCSU.

Higher education is typically not quick to change. In many ways, university life is much the same today as it was 30 years ago. There are, however, some exceptions. The TSYS School's Nexus program in cybersecurity is one such example, as it was developed in short order following the USG's recent request for a program that would fill society's need for additional cybersecurity professionals. Not only did Patrick Aiken , Director of the TSYS Center for Cybersecurity, and his colleagues Armando Fernandez ,  Elke Brumbaugh  and others respond by putting together a quality academic program, that program has already changed the lives, and very much for the better, of many Columbus area residents. As a result, others are excited to blaze their own trail as cybersecurity professionals. Take, for example, Shannon Williams , a U.S. Army veteran and logistics expert who joined the program in January of 2024. As Shannon explains,  "I'm an aspiring Cyber Security Compliance and...

Chances are good that Turner College students will see a new face among the management faculty roaming the halls of the Synovus Center beginning this summer. That is because the Department of Management and Marketing, chaired by associate professor John Finley , is currently conducting a national search for an assistant professor of management. In the advertisement drafted last month, the Turner College announced that it is seeking  candidates for a tenure-track assistant professor who has a strong commitment to excellence in teaching and engaged learning. It also states that candidates are expected to demonstrate a specialization in management defined by research and publications, and that preference will be given to specialties in leadership and negotiations. The latter portion of this advertisement alludes to teaching and research expectations for the Turner College's growing master's degree program in organizational leadership. The remainder of the advertisement indicates t...

Several of the academic programs offered by the Turner College, particularly its MSOL program, are chosen by military veterans who attend CSU. With that in mind, the CSU Student Veterans Association might appeal to a number of Turner College enrollees. On March 4, 2024, the CSU SVA is holding an interest meeting from 12:00 noon until 1:00 pm in Room 130 of the Schuster Student Success Center, which is located right next to the Synovus Center on CSU's main campus. According to the SVA, this is a fantastic opportunity to connect with fellow student veterans, share experiences, and explore ways to make a positive impact together. Those who are interested in attending are requested to RSVP by February 23, 2024, using the SVA e-mail address at the bottom of the poster accompanying this Turner Business blog post. Light refreshments will be provided, and students are encouraged to invite as many student veterans as they wish.

GiveCampus is the world's leading fundraising platform for non-profit educational institutions. Working on behalf of millions of donors and for more than 1,000 educational institutions, its mission is to advance the quality, affordability, and accessibility of education by providing software, services, and expertise that help schools raise money through charitable giving projects.  In his position as Revenue Operations Analyst for GiveCampus, Turner College alum Blake Edwards   helps stakeholders across all levels to execute projects that optimize systems and processes to drive revenue. Edwards' educational background provided a solid foundation for this type of work. He graduated summa cum laude from the Turner College in 2016 with a BBA in general business. During his undergraduate studies he was inducted into Phi Kappa Phi and Beta Gamma Sigma.       Blake was also a standout player on the CSU baseball team, being named the Peach Belt Scholar Athlete of ...

The TSYS School's Black Box Society is a student organization devoted to all things related to computer security, cybersecurity, and information security. Its goals are to facilitate computer security education, grow the pool of qualified information security professionals, and represent the TSYS School in cybersecurity competitions. The Society aims to be a premier computer security organization and produce world class information security talent. The Black Box Society meets on the first Thursday of every month from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm in Room 122 of the Synovus Center on CSU's main campus. Its current president is Fernando Cabello ; its current vice president is Atticus Church .

TSYS School alum Luvenia Mitchell  describes herself as being ". . .  d edicated to enhancing organizational security . . . through strategic planning and robust risk mitigation[, and] eager to drive innovation and strengthen defenses in a dynamic threat landscape."  This dedication is supported by a solid educational foundation.  Luvenia earned a B.A. in integrated media from CSU in 2020, and just three months ago, in December of 2023, she added an M.S. in cybersecurity management from the TSYS School. This combination of endeavors provided for her the type of marketable educational credential that would be desired by many potential employers. So, it's no surprise that her professional resume now includes an iconic organization like Whirlpool, where she is employed as a cybersecurity analyst. Turner Business congratulates Luvenia on all of her educational and professional accomplishments thus far, and wishes her the best in the years to come.  

With the Turner College's latest career fair set for next week, the CSU Career Center's Career Closet is available to assist Turner College students with their business attire needs. A display currently set up in the lobby of the Synovus Center, home to the Turner College on CSU's main campus, provides examples of interview attire for Turner College students to consider. These are provided to the CSU Career Center's Career Closet through donations from supporters of CSU. Turner College students who face financial obstacles when it comes to acquiring business attire can set up an appointment with the Career Closet, using the QR code on the display poster shown above, to peruse available inventory. The Career Closet offers each student one free attire per semester. This is a good way to support Turner College students, so Turner Business encourages faculty and staff to consider a donation in the future.      

A campuswide meeting of CSU graduate faculty was held February 13th and newly appointed Dean of the College of Education and Health Professions Margie Yates reported that graduate student enrollment at CSU has risen by 8.9%, with fall semester enrollment rising from 1,478 graduate students in 2022 to 1,610 graduate students in 2023. Preliminary data also suggest that spring enrollment is up 5.6%, with 1,560 graduate students currently enrolled for spring 2024, compared to 1,477 during spring of 2023. In terms of spring student credit hour generation, graduate student enrollment is up 6.2% since last spring. Yates also described several efforts made by CSU to increase graduate student enrollment, including reducing graduate program requirements to 30 hours where possible, reducing tuition in some cases, offering credit for prior learning and more flexible course scheduling, and improving the relevancy of course offerings. 

TSYS School Nexus cybersecurity students recently received a visit from Casey Hergett,  Senior Director of Enterprise Technologies at Muscogee County School District and current member of the TSYS School  Cybersecurity Advisory Board. " Casey shared some inspirational words with the cybersecurity Nexus  students and shared his career story and advice. These types of interactions are tremendously beneficial to the students to give them direction for their future careers outside the walls of CSU," Patrick Aiken , Director of the TSYS Center for Cybersecurity, stated. Prior to joining MCSD, Hergett worked for CSU for almost 15 years, most recently as Executive Director of Operations and Infrastructure. He earned a B.S. in computer science and an M.S. in information technology, both from Arkansas Tech University. 

To characterize the first six years of someone's professional career, moving from accounting internship to an SEC Reporting Accountant at a Fortune 500 company, as a meteoric rise is probably an understatement. That is, however, the description being used by Turner Business to describe the beginning of  Kelsey Parker 's professional career. That career took flight in April of 2017 as a c losing coordinator for Edge & Kimbell Law here in Columbus. It continued January of 2018 with an accounting internship with Robinson, Grimes & Company, another Columbus business pillar. From there Kelsey transitioned to become a post closer with Morris, Manning & Martin.  Of course, this part of Kelsey's professional journey was assisted by the BBA in accounting that she earned from the Turner College in 2018. During her four years of study at CSU, she was a member of  Phi Mu, Order of Omega Honor Society, and the Accounting Club, all while serving in the Student Alumni Assoc...

Turner College alum Grace Davin was recently promoted from Social Media Coordinator to Associate Social Marketing Manager at Char-Broil. Davin, who graduated from CSU with a BBA in marketing in December of 2022, joined Char-Broil in November of 2022. During her studies in the Turner College, Grace was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society, placing her among the top 10% of Turner College students at the time.  She also served as the Turner College's marketing intern during her senior year at CSU. Current Turner College students who wish to emulate Grace's success should note that she landed her initial position with Char-Broil at a Turner College Career Fair. The next such opportunity for current Turner College students is next week, on February 20th. 

Turner College faculty Linqiang Ge , Mark James , Bruce Montgomery and Mark James have been nominated for two specialized 2024 Turner College Faculty Teaching Awards. Ge, an associate professor of computer science in the TSYS School, is a nominee for the 2024 Turner College Online Teaching Award. His teaching credentials were recently recognized through his recent nomination  for the 2024 CSU Teaching Excellence Award, which will be awarded in April.         James is an associate professor of management in the Turner College. He is a nominee for the 2024 Turner College Graduate Faculty Teaching Award. James previously won CSU's 2021 Chappell Graduate Faculty Award. His pedagogical skills are exemplified by comments from one of his students,  "He is a very good professor. He is enthusiastic in the classroom and he cares about his students . . . He is very engaging with the class."      Montgomery recently joined the TSYS School as a limited-...

Last week's Turner College student alumni mixer was a success. Please enjoy the images below.