Turner Business

New research out of the Turner College's Center for Economic Education examines whether compensating wages and price differentials exist across cities in the U.S. The study, authored by Bishwa Koirala of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Hem Basnet of Methodist University, Kamal Upadhyaya of the University of New Haven, and Frank Mixon , Director of the Center for Economic Education at CSU,  calculates the net implicit monetary values of the cost of living in cities with a higher cost of entertainment offerings. These net implicit monetary values reflect an individual’s willingness to pay for, or willingness to accept, life in cities with a higher cost of entertainment offerings. Viewed in this way, a city’s entertainment offerings are not clearly an amenity or disamenity. On the one hand, the higher costs of entertainment offerings might reflect higher quality offerings. On the other hand, higher costs of entertainment offerings may be a disamenity perhaps because t...

Turner Business occasionally examines the Google Scholar citations of the Turner College business faculty. At latest check, the research conducted by the 14 individuals comprising the corps of instruction of the Department of Management and Marketing, which also includes management information systems faculty, has to date garnered 11,692 Google Scholar citations, for an average of 835.1 Google Scholar citations per faculty member. The research conducted by the 10 individuals comprising the corps of instruction of the Department of Accounting and Finance, which also includes economics faculty, has to date garnered 7,001 Google Scholar citations, for an average of 700.1 Google Scholar citations per faculty member. Given these figures, the research of all 24 business faculty comprising the Turner College's corps of instruction has to date garnered 18,693 Google Scholar citations, for an average of 778.9 Google Scholar citations per faculty member. Lastly, when all 28 Turner College b...

TSYS School associate professor of computer science Lixin Wang has been nominated by the Turner College's Awards & Scholarships Committee for the 2025 CSU Faculty Research and Scholarship Award. This award recognizes  outstanding efforts by faculty members in research and scholarship. The award is meant to celebrate the value of these activities, particularly for their role in contributing to the faculty's intellectual growth. It implicitly recognizes the role of research and scholarship in the enhancement of a faculty member's teaching and service capabilities. Since joining the TSYS School in August of 2016, Wang has produced 22 journal publications. Among these are papers appearing in Tsinghua Science and Technology and IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications , both rated among the A-level journals on the Turner College's publication lists. In addition to these, Wang has published twice in both Electronics and Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing ...

Six students from the TSYS School recently  had the opportunity to attend the ACM Mid-Southeast Conference. They are  Md. Nurullah , Gaurob Saha , Trenton Jones , Kaleb Horvath , Yasser Mahmoud , and Luka Wilmink . TSYS School faculty are par ticularly proud to highlight Md. Nurullah, a graduate student who was mentored by TSYS School Director Rania Hodhod and Turner College management professor Kirk Heriot , who earned 3rd place for Best Presentation for his research titled "Extracting Entrepreneurial Insights from Open-Ended and Unstructured Survey Data Using NLP Techniques."  A huge congratulations is also due to Helle Friis and Walker Smith for contributing their outstanding work to this project.

TSYS School associate professor of computer science Hyrum Carroll has been nominated by the Turner College's Awards & Scholarships Committee for the 2025 CSU Teaching Excellence Award. This award recognizes  a faculty member's strong commitment to teaching and learning. The criteria for selection include demonstrated use of classroom activities designed to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and/or global and multicultural understanding; use of effective teaching strategies to enhance student learning, such as innovative uses of technology, active learning, learning communities, student portfolios, and assessment; and a strong commitment to fostering academic success through interaction with students outside of the classroom (e.g., advising, mentoring, recruiting, etc.).  During his seven and a half years in the TSYS School, Hyrum has taught an average of 97.6 students per Fall and Spring semester, totaling 1,045 unique students across 66 course sectio...

TSYS School professor of computer science Jianhua Yang has been nominated by the Turner College's Awards & Scholarships Committee for the 2025 CSU Excellence in Online Award. This award recognizes those members of our faculty who have contributed outstanding professional service to the University and/or community. Service is defined as the contribution of the faculty member's expertise in his or her discipline to worthwhile efforts of the university, community, educational, environmental, business and economic life of the community. In terms of service to CSU, Yang is currently a member of the Faculty Affairs Committee. At the Turner College level, he is a member of both the Curriculum and Faculty Resource and Development Committees. At the beginning of this semester, the Turner College Dean's Office announced that Yang would be assuming the  CAE Coordinator, making him responsible for managing the TSYS School's cybersecurity accreditation efforts. At the TSYS Sch...

Patrick Aiken , Director of the TSYS Center for Cybersecurity, recently visited management information systems Professor  Jennifer Pitts ' MBA class to speak with students about some cybersecurity concepts. According to Aiken, " Among other things, [the students] were curious about how to protect themselves, so I shared some common sense 'cyber hygiene' best practices." The students also got the chance to tour the newly renovated first floor on the Synovus Center, where the TSYS Center for Cybersecurity is located.

Turner College professor of finance Brett Cotten has been nominated by the Turner College's Awards & Scholarships Committee for the 2025 CSU Excellence in Online Award. This award recognizes  those full-time members of the Columbus State University Graduate Faculty who, in the tradition established by Dr. William "Bill" Chappell, have demonstrated excellence in teaching Columbus State University's graduate students and have contributed outstanding professional service to the Graduate School, the University and the community. Although Cotten only recently returned to teaching in the Turner College's MBA program, he  spent a lot of time last winter and spring developing and  teaching the Managerial Finance course for the program.  In  addition, he worked with and provided input toward the development of the finance portion of a  new MBA class, Foundations for Business. In speaking with Turner Business , Cotten explained his pedagogical approach. " I want...

TSYS School associate professor of computer science Linqiang Ge has been nominated by the Turner College's Awards & Scholarships Committee for the 2025 CSU Excellence in Online Award. This award recognizes  a faculty member's strong commitment to quality online teaching and learning. The criteria for selection include demonstration of teaching, service and scholarly activities designed to advance the quality of online teaching and learning; the use of effective and innovative online teaching practices that result in student engagement, student satisfaction, and effectiveness in achieving desired learning outcomes; and an extraordinary commitment to fostering the academic success of online students through the development of rapport with individual learners in and beyond the virtual classroom. As Ge explained his approach to online teaching to  Turner Business , " Throughout my time at Columbus State University, I have worked to achieve and maintain excellence in onlin...

Congratulations to Madison Henderson , who will graduate this fall with a BBA in marketing. She currently serves as the Vice President of Communications for the CSU Marketing Club and as a Turner College Student Ambassador. Her professional goal is to work in marketing with the Georgia or United States Department of Agriculture. Madison shares a piece of wisdom that has inspired her journey: "Listen to the advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand." - Proverbs 19:20-21.

TSYS School associate professor of computer science Rodrigo Obando has been nominated by the Turner College's Awards & Scholarships Committee for the 2025 CSU Scholarship of Teaching & Learning Award. This award  recognizes and rewards the efforts of faculty members who develop and practice innovative methodologies in pedagogy. This award showcases the creative innovations of the faculty members that facilitate enhanced learning. This award specifically focuses on the uniqueness of the "program actions" that increase student interest and drive achievement. This award recognizes the effort and documentation of outcomes by the faculty member attempting to create a new learning strategy or methodology and celebrates the faculty's willingness to expand boundaries of traditional and established teaching strategies. Obando's award portfolio indicates that he has  tried many ways to innovate in his classes and each one has required a different method of delivery...

Turner College grad Angela Margeson is a dedicated program manager with a focus on enhancing employment opportunities for military-affiliated job seekers.  Currently the Manager of the Career Connector Program at Hiring Our Heroes, she  curates an individualized approach to better prepare candidates for hiring events, ensuring meaningful connections with employers. Margeson g raduated cum laude from the Turner College in 2018 with a BBA in management. During her time at CSU, she was inducted into the  National Society of Leadership and Success and Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society. Prior to joining Hiring Our Heroes, Margeson worked as Talent Acquisition Specialist for Lowe's, and earlier as Strategic Business Consultant for Zarfling Platoon. Her current employer, Hiring Our Heroes, is a  nationwide initiative of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation to help veterans, transitioning service members, military spouses, and caregivers find meaningful employment.

Turner College associate professor of accounting Jasmine Bordere has been nominated by the Turner College's Awards & Scholarships Committee for the 2025 CSU Scholarship of Teaching & Learning Award. This award recognizes a faculty member's engagement in the systematic examination of issues about student learning and instructional conditions which promote the learning, building on previous scholarship. The criteria for selection include documented use of strategies for investigating and evaluating the impact of teaching practice on student learning, anchored in the research literature; engagement in scholarship that is public, peer reviewed and critiqued; the production of scholarly work which contributes new questions and knowledge about teaching and learning; the development of a well-articulated teaching philosophy that drives research questions; and documented dissemination of their scholarship results. Bordere's award portfolio includes a 2024 study in Educatio...

Thanks to the generosity of its donors, CSU awards more than $3 million in student scholarships each year. Individual and corporate donations now account for hundreds of annual and endowed scholarship opportunities available to undergraduate and graduate students. Many of this year’s scholarship recipients gathered on the evening of November 4, 2024, to celebrate that spirit of philanthropy. One of those students was Jacob Starling , a senior who grew up in nearby Harris County and is now majoring in finance and marketing. Receiving a scholarship allows him to invest more of his time in his studies.  “[My scholarship] has helped me reduce much of the financial strain of my studies,” Starling (pictured) explained. “I've been able to study more without relying on working a full-time job. It’s been very helpful stress-wise, so I can focus more on my education.”  Receiving the Paul and Jean Amos Aflac Scholarship is significant to Starling, as the Columbus-based supplemental insur...

Monday, November 11, marks the beginning of National Philanthropy Week in the U.S. To celebrate, CSU is hosting several events, including at least two events where CSU faculty and staff will gather to thank individual donors for their financial support of the work done here at CSU. To kick off the week, holders of endowed professorships in the Turner College are writing annual letters of thanks to the families who funded the endowments. The include Kirk Heriot , holder of the Evelyn and Ray Crowley Professorship , Dean Deb Kidder , holder of the Bill Heard Professorship , Rania Hodhod , holder of the Edwin and Florette Rothschild Professorship , Fady Mansour , holder of the Sarah Turner Butler Professorship , and Frank Mixon , holder of the Violet Litchfield and Thomas Bryant Buck Professorship . The two paragraphs that follow are the first and final from Mixon's letter to the Buck family. They provide an indication as to the value of these endowed professorships to Turner College ...

Turner College alum Amy Robertson is a seasoned and energetic sales representative with an outstanding track record of effectively assessing customer’s needs and closing sales with winning attitude and strong work ethic. She honed her professional skills beginning in 2016 at RADCO Residential in Denver, Colorado. There Robertson worked as a corporate traveler with take-over and luxury properties.  In this position she e xceeded all sales targets and maintained a 95.4% closing ratio. Robertson's more recent professional experience includes posts at The Richmond Group, Mile High Locators, and her current position as an account manager at Trident Transport. Her educational background of course played a major role in her professional success. Prior to joining RADCO Residential, Robertson earned a B.B.A. in business administration from the Turner College, proving once again that "you can get there from here."    

Today we are excited to celebrate Desteni Durrah , who earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees from Columbus State University.  Desteni shares, “I would definitely recommend someone to attend CSU. I received both my bachelor's and master's degrees from CSU, and I truly love this school. The quality of education, supportive faculty, and vibrant campus community have made my experience incredibly rewarding. I believe others would benefit from the same opportunities and positive environment that CSU offers.”  With a passion for higher education, Desteni is focused on a career in student affairs and housing. Her long-term goal is to build a meaningful career that fosters supportive, inclusive environments for students. “My goal is to make a lasting impact on the student experience while continuing to grow and learn throughout my career,” she says.  We are proud to see Desteni continuing on her path of success and pursuing her vision of enhancing student success. Con...

CSU Campus Planning & Development is hosting a virtual town hall on Friday, November 8, at 10 a.m. in order to provide an update on the upcoming Synovus Center facilities project.  This project will involve removing and reapplying the building's exterior to address ongoing moisture and flooding issues. The town hall will outline project details, including the planned timeline, areas in and around the building that may be affected, and potential disruptions to nearby parking lots and paths of travel. "I want to t] hank [faculty and staff] for taking time to learn more on Friday, and for [thei]r understanding and patience once this project begins," stated Steve Morse, CSU Facilities Officer and Assistant Vice President of University Operations.

This is what Eli White , another amazing success story from Cohort 7, has to say about the cybersecurity Nexus program: "My time in the cybersecurity Nexus program was the most transformative year of my life. The camaraderie in my cohort and the genuinely helpful leadership helped me realize my potential as a student and professional. Every piece of information we learn in the program is well thought out and purposeful, from the industry-grade certifications to the time spent with professionals in the field. There are endless extracurricular opportunities provided. It is a critical function that the alumni and cohorts that are further along in the program help the newer cohorts through answering questions and giving advice. Words that can describe the program are genuine, function over form, approachable, forgiving, encouraging, and successful." After he completed the cybersecurity Nexus program, Eli accepted a position as an Information Security Analyst with Global Payments ...

As interest surrounding the use of generative AI in schools grows, research examining the effects of generative AI in education and learning remains sparse. New research by Turner College management professor Johnny Ho and Yaojie Li of the University of New Orleans aims to demystify the potential of generative AI by evaluating the performance of ChatGPT in addressing operations management problems and questions.  The findings of their study, which is set to appear in a future issue of the  International Journal of Services and Standards , reveal that ChatGPT generally performed well but struggled with aspects of Bloom’s taxonomy, suggesting its limitations in higher-order cognitive tasks.  This particular finding underscores the importance of collaboration among educators, learners, and generative AI to enhance educational outcomes. Lastly, the study also  explores the role of prompt engineering and custom GPTs in improving education and learning in operations manag...

Synovus is taking applications for their 2025 Career Symposium. This is an excellent opportunity for Turner College students to connect with industry professionals and gain valuable insights in the financial services industry. During the event attendees will hear from executive leadership and talent advisors about the financial services industry and Synovus' commitment to enabling careers in a diverse workplace. The Symposium is slated for February 21, 2025, from 8:00 am until 3:00 pm at Synovus Overton Park. College sophomores, juniors and seniors from diverse backgrounds with a strong interest in the financial services or technology industry should apply by December 4th by scanning the QR Code below. For students outside of Atlanta, Synovus will arrange complimentary hotel accommodations at the Even Hotel (Atlanta Cobb Galleria). Meals will be included for all attendees.

Cloud computing is a critical component in the success of 5G and 6G networks, particularly  given the computation-intensive nature of emerging applications. Despite all it advantages, cloud computing  faces limitations in meeting the strict latency and bandwidth requirements of applications such as eHealth  and automotive systems. To overcome these limitations, edge computing has emerged as a novel paradigm  that bring computation closer to the user. Moreover, intelligent tasks related to deep learning demand  more memory and processing power than edge devices can handle. To address these challenges, methods like  quantization, pruning, and distributed inference have been proposed. A new study by TSYS School computer scientist Riduan Abid , Salmane Douch,  Khalid Zine-Dine  and Driss Bouzidi of Mohammed V University in Rabat, and Driss Benhaddou of Alfaisal University examines  a promising  approach for running deep learning models at th...

A new study by Turner College management professor Kevin Hurt and the United States Army's  Tucker Van Dyke , a Turner College alum, develops a theoretical model and evidence-based propositions depicting the interrelationships between servant leadership, organizational trust, and affective conflict. The authors position affective conflict, which is a type of disagreement that occurs when people focus on their personal feelings and relationships with others, rather than the task at hand, as a negative moderating influence between servant leadership and organizational trust in order to present a solution to mitigate the negative effects of affective conflict. The study first  reviews the relationship between servant leadership and organizational trust and develop propositions linking the constructs. The study, which appears in the current issue of Conflict Resolution Quarterly , then discusses the impact of affective conflict on the servant leadership—organizational trust relat...

For the first time in Columbus State University’s history, its donor-supported endowment has exceeded $100 million. “This high-water mark is another testament to the trust and support of the donors who invest in Columbus State University, its students and its programs,” said Turner College alum Tim Money , Chair of the CSU Foundation. “It also speaks directly to the seriousness with which the foundation’s volunteer trustees steward those funds.”  The university’s endowment portfolio includes nearly 300 individual endowment funds, 70 of which were created in just the past five years.  Recent endowment gifts like Ellen Roberts’ demonstrate the popularity of creating scholarships to support students’ academic studies. Roberts, who retired from the College of Education & Health Professions, chose to create endowments funding both undergraduate scholarships and graduate fellowships.  Other recent endowments include the Hallock Endowment for Military History based in the De...