Turner Business

Yesterday, Maj. Gen. (Retired) Patrick Donahoe briefed  Maneuver Captain's Career Course (MCCC) students about the benefits of the transfer credit degree program between the U.S. Army and the Turner College. U.S. Army Captain Andrew Tanner summed it up nicely, stating, " If you are an incoming (or current) MCCC student at Fort Moore, Georgia, and willing to incur a two-year Additional Duty Service Obligation (ADSO), you can receive a master's degree in 12 months, completely online, and 100% paid-for using the U.S. Army's Tuitions Assistance (TA) benefit. Columbus State University accepted my MCCC completion as 9x credit hours, only requiring me to complete 21x credit hours (7 Courses) to earn a master's degree in organizational leadership (MSOL - Leader Development Track)." Turner Business urges military personnel and civilians alike to check into the Turner College's fast growing MSOL program. 

A recent story in U.S. News & World Report identifies how some states offer in-state tuition reciprocation in order to make a college education more affordable. In doing so, the report relies in part on the experience of CSU student Abigail Akerson. Abigail attended high school in Florida and hoped to play college soccer, but when she didn't receive any scholarship offers from in-state schools, she looked out of state. She received a partial scholarship to play soccer at CSU, which has a reciprocity agreement with Florida and other bordering states. Paying in-state tuition helped her scholarship dollars go further and minimized her overall costs. "Deciding on attending Columbus State University was largely influenced by the border state tuition program," Akerson, a junior, wrote in an email. "A lower tuition rate takes stress off my workload and allows me to focus on studying and playing soccer." Although Abigail is a psychology major at CSU, many out-of-st...

Current and former CSU colleagues recently joined President Stuart Rayfield in celebrating the retirements of Pat McHenry and Tim Howard.  Each concludes a nearly 30-year career at CSU at the end of June after teaching, leading departments or colleges, and most recently, providing university-level leadership from the Office of the Provost.  President Rayfield commended each for their versatility and dedication as the university and its students have evolved during their three-decade tenures. Turner Business joins the rest of the CSU community in wishing Pat and Tim a happy retirement. 

The CSU Alumni Association  will begin its new membership year in August with new officers and six new directors on its volunteer board of directors.  Two-time alumnus Lionel Haynes Jr. , of Columbus, Georgia, assumes the role of president after previously serving as the association’s vice president. A deputy comptroller with the U.S. Department of Defense, he holds two degrees from the Turner College — a BBA focused on finance and an MBA. Haynes has served on the board for more than 15 years.       Andy Luker of Columbus, Georgia, returns for his second tenure of service on the board; he previously served two terms from 2015 to 2021. He is the creative director for Columbus-based Media, Marketing . . . and More! Before completing his BBA in the Turner College, he was an active member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity and the Student Activities Council. Another new member is  Chris Miller of Midland, Georgia, who is a partner in the Audit Department of Colum...

New research by TSYS School computer scientist Mohamed Riduan Abid and his colleagues from Moulay Ismail University and Al Akhawayn University delves into the utilization of an optimal and robust Integral Sliding Mode Controller (ISMC) for maximizing the output of a solar power system.  Their research covers two distinct periods — summer and winter — encompassing diverse atmospheric conditions. The innovative ISMC controller, introduced as a unique approach, ensures system stability. "Comparative simulations, utilizing real-world data from Ifrane City in Morocco, are conducted against the conventional Sliding Mode Control (SMC), validating the robustness and efficacy of the proposed ISMC. The results demonstrate the ISMC's superior resilience to atmospheric variations, showcasing rapid transition responses and enhanced tracking performance in comparison to SMC controllers," Abid explained.

Synovus' Chief Information Security Officer Kevin Gowen recently spoke to cybersecurity professionals at a workforce impact conference in Dallas, Texas. According to TSYS Center for Cybersecurity Director Patrick Aiken , who also attended the event, "Kevin . . . delivered an inspiring presentation . . .  about how Synovus . . .  has partnered with the cybersecurity Nexus program at Columbus State University.  His 'Cyber Fusion Center' has hired some outstanding and award-winning entry-level cybersecurity analysts from the Nexus program, which is part of the CyberSkills2Work  coalition."  As a TSYS Center for Cybersecurity Advisory Board member and frequent visitor to the TSYS School, Gowen has an intimate knowledge of the Nexus program. He described the program's impact on the local and regional cybersecurity  community in the West Georgia/East Alabama area, including Fort Moore .  Gowen received a CyberSkills2Work  souvenir coin from Eman El-Shei...

This summer TSYS School cybersecurity students  Isabel Ehrlich and Jett Robinson  are working with Activ8 summer campers on the basics of Scratch programming. " Today, Activ8 campers ‘scratched’ the surface of Scratch programming with the help of a few special CSU cybersecurity students.  Big thanks to Isabel and Jett  for stepping up and over the challenge. The kids loved hearing about [their] college experiences and discussing hacking," stated Samantha Miller Gurski , Director of Continuing and Professional Education at CSU. " On a personal note, I’m happy that one of the kids knew what I meant by ‘scratch a record’, he even made the sound and incorporated it into his project. He definitely got a piece of candy from this ‘old grouchy lady in the back of the room’ (my words, not his)," Miller Gurski added.  Isabel plans to graduate with a B.S. in computer science in May of 2025. Jett holds an A.A.S. degree in cyber defense from Chattahoochee Valley Community C...

Senior Vice President of Global Security Operations at Global Payments, Mike Kane,  participated in a panel of experts at NICECyberCon24 in  Dallas to discuss rapid workforce development for the cybersecurity i ndustry. " Mike eloquently described how his organization has lots of options, but they choose to hire the majority of their entry-level cybersecurity workforce from our cybersecurity Nexus program at Columbus State University.  As an CSU Cyber Advisory Board member, Kane has direct communication with Nexus instructors and students about curriculum and extra-curricular activities. He described the partnership his company has with our program, which is part of the umbrella CyberSkills2Work  coalition of academic institutions across the nation. The CyberSkills2Work  coalition's purpose is to train people to pivot into the in-demand field of Cybersecurity, " explained Patrick Aiken , Director of the TSYS Center for Cybersecurity .  The panel was facilit...

It is widely acknowledged that traditional agricultural practices must effectively address the increasing global demand for food while facing water scarcity and climate change challenges. In response, IoT-based Smart Agriculture has emerged as a promising solution. Smart Agriculture can significantly bolster agricultural development by integrating renewable energy sources, particularly in arid regions with abundant sunlight. Real-time control systems utilizing big data acquisition and processing are pivotal in this advancement. A new study by TSYS School computer scientist Mohamed Riduan Abid and his colleagues from Moulay Ismail University, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Al Akhawayn University, the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, the University of Houston and Alfaisal University  introduces a Cloud-based smart irrigation system to connect numerous small-scale smart farms and centralize pertinent data.  Their system optimizes irrigation water usage through c...

This week Synovus announced its partnership as the title sponsor for the ballpark  – Synovus Park – that will be the new home for the Atlanta Braves AA team in Columbus in 2025. Synovus Chairman, CEO and President, Kevin Blair, made the announcement in front of local business leaders and media. " I’m excited about [this] new milestone for Synovus . . .  Synovus has supported Columbus for more than 135 years, and this investment is one more way we’re helping the community grow.  We look forward to the first pitch at Synovus Park in 2025," Blair stated. Regular visitors to Turner Business will recall that the Turner College's Butler Center for Research and Economic Development, which is directed by Fady Mansour , played a key role  in  Columbus' support  of  the relocation  of the Braves' AA team from Mississippi. According to Butler Center projections,  the Columbus area could expect an estimated $475 million in direct and indirect economic o...

One of the most fulfilling assignments entrusted to Turner College alum Ashley Becker by the Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce, where she works as Program Manager, is Leadership Columbus. " Yesterday, we wrapped another wonderful year with Leadership Columbus. Simply saying I am proud of this group is an understatement. The work they have done, are doing, and will continue to do will benefit our community for years to come," Ashley explained. Leadership Columbus is one of three primary programs Ashley manages each year for the Chamber. The others are Young Professionals and Partners in Education.      Ashley graduated from the Turner College with a BBA in management. During her undergraduate studies she was a member of Chamber Chorale, Teen Advisors and the Baptist Student Union. Later, Ashley earned an M.S. in organizational leadership from the Turner College, during which time she was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society and was a member of the Turne...

With advancements in machine learning technology and the availability of large machine learning-as-a-Service (MLaaS) clouds, accurately understanding I/O behaviors in the storage subsystem of an MLaaS cloud platform is crucial for resource scheduling and optimization.  New research by TSYS School computer scientist Yi Zhou and his colleagues from Guangxi Minzu University, Jinan University, the University of Maine and Zhejiang University provides valuable insights into the correlation of I/O request arrivals in a representative and dynamic MLaaS workload – Alibaba PAI (a machine learning platform for artificial intelligence).  Regarding the I/O requests in the PAI workload at the machine level, their diagnosis reveals that the I/O arrival process exhibits significant bursts. Their findings also highlight the existence of a certain level of correlation between I/O request arrivals on long-term time scales. Zhou and his colleagues create self-similar workload models to synthesiz...

The Turner College website recently underwent an update to include a new data dashboard. Some of the data included come from Steppingblocks. For example, Steppingblocks reports that the top employers of Turner College business graduates are (1) Aflac, (2) the U.S. Army, (3) TSYS, a Global Payments company, (4) Synovus, and (5) the Muscogee County School District. That same source reports that the skills most valued by Turner College business graduates are customer service, leadership, management, Microsoft Excel and strategic planning. Next, Steppingblocks also reports that the industries employing the largest numbers of Turner College business graduates are finance, education, information technology, insurance and healthcare, while the most common job titles held by Turner College business graduates are accountant, owner, manager, principal and account manager.  In terms of student success and outcomes, the new dashboard indicates that Turner College enrollments fell from 1,774 in...

Turner Business congratulates Turner College alum Mark Yanoschik , who recently added the Senior Professional Society of Human Resource Management certification to his educational portfolio. Mark, who earned an M.S. degree in organizational leadership from the Turner College in 2017, is currently an HR Employee Relations Specialist at Detroit-based Rocket Companies. In this role, Mark advises  senior leaders on team relations issues, c onducts internal investigations from initial intake to process completion, and serves on the Core Investigations Team for the entire Rocket Mortgage family of companies, among other duties. Mark previously earned an Employment Law Certificate from Auburn University in 2021 and the traditional SHRM certification in 2020. Prior to earning the MSOL degree in 2017, Mark earned a bachelor's degree in communications through CSU's Honors College. Lastly, before joining Rocket Companies Mark worked in human resources positions with Tanner Health System ...

The TSYS School's cybersecurity Nexus program prepares students for a career in cybersecurity partly through the opportunities if offers to catch a glimpse inside the industry.  Nexus students often get the chance to communicate with professionals in order to gain insight into the best techniques and procedures. Such an occasion occurred on June 4th when Jon Shelley, the Director of Threat Operations at Global Payments, and his team visited the Synovus Center on CSU's main campus. Jon and his team spoke with Nexus students and spent some time training in the TSYS Center for Cybersecurity's  state-of-the-art cyber range located on the first floor of the Synovus Center . This part of Jon's visit allowed Nexus s tudents to see pros at work in their field, thus providing invaluable knowledge. Turner Business thanks Jon and his Global Payments team for  coming out, providing insight, and showing their professional skills.       Prior to Jon's visit, Jonath...

TSYS School computer scientist Mohamed Riduan Abid colleagues from Moulay Ismail University, Al Akhawayn University, the University of Houston and Alfaisal University recently coauthored a book chapter on machine learning for Cloud and IoT-based smart agriculture. The chapter points out that predicting soil moisture in smart agriculture is essential for deploying water-efficient irrigation systems. According to Abid, "Various techniques and models have been used to forecast soil moisture. In this study, we looked at the available approaches . . . [using] real-world data from a smart farm prototype . . . to train and validate the suggested models . . .  These models were then used to predict data related to soil moisture value." Even though the researchers' model's prediction accuracy was modest, they still recommend that it be used as a blueprint for real-world smart agriculture test beds. Lastly, Abid and coauthors also recommend the use of machine learning to better...

Turner College economist Frank Mixon recently reached the professional milestone of having 100 publications in A-rated academic journals. This occurred with his recent publication ranking women economists in the U.S. South, which was reported last week here at Turner Business . As indicated in the previous post, that paper is scheduled for publication in a future issue of Applied Economics . Being an economist, most of these publications by Mixon have appeared in A-rated economics journals. The 22 A-rated economics journals included in his research portfolio are  the Journal of Applied Econometrics , Journal of Economic Perspectives , Economic Inquiry , Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics ,  Land Economics , Energy Economics , Labour Economics ,  Public Choice , Southern Economic Journal , Economic Modelling , Kyklos ,  Economics of Transition , Applied Economics ,  Empirical Economics , Journal of Sports Economics , Journal of Institutional Economics ,...

As a financial advisor with Raymond James in Columbus, Turner College alum John Peacock  assist s small business owners map out a plan for their retirement by helping them with investment management, retirement planning, exit and succession planning, business valuation and personal finances. In addition to his Turner College education, John's FINRA Series 7 and NASAA Series 66 certifications and three years of professional experience support his ability to provide his small business clients with the tools to achieve their professional goals.       One goal of small business owners involves selling their business at market value. "We speak to a lot of business owners who don't even know where to start when it comes to valuing their business.  The problem with not knowing is that only about 20-30% of businesses successfully sell. You have to plan or you might sell your business for pennies on the dollar or even worse, you won't be able to sell it at all . . . [W]e...

Turner College economist Frank Mixon has been named Member of the Month for June 2024 by the International Atlantic Economic Society.  The International Atlantic Economic Society was organized in 1973 by  economists and financial experts from academe, government, and the private sector. Now headquartered at Emory University, the Society’s purpose is to provide an educational and scientific forum for the global community of economists and others in related disciplines by offering a variety of venues for communication. Early on  the International Atlantic Economic Society identified a need for increased communication among economists across continents. Well-known economists from around the world have participated in the Society's global exchange, including Nobel laureates and leading government officials. In fact, several IAES Presidents have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics. Through its publications and conferences, the Society promotes the dissemination of econo...

The TSYS School recently announced that Christopher Lovelock will join its Nexus cybersecurity faculty as a lecturer in August. Christopher earned a B.S. in management from the Harbert College of Business at Auburn University in 1997. In 2012, Christopher earned an M.A. in education, with an emphasis in mathematics and science, from Columbus State University. During this time he was inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. Lastly, in 2019 Christopher earned an endorsement in computer science and cybersecurity from the TSYS School. Between 2012 and 2020, he served as a computer science teacher within the Muscogee County School District. Since 2020, he has worked as a cybersecurity instructor at Harris County High School. During this period Christopher served on the TSYS Center for Cybersecurity Advisory Board. Turner Business joins the rest of the Turner College faculty and staff in welcoming Christopher to the TSYS School faculty.