Turner Business

On May 15, 2025, Turner Business reported news from CSU President Stuart Rayfield indicating that CSU had budgeted $145,000 for academic year 2025-26 and onward to provide merit raises to the top 15% of CSU's faculty.  According to the CSU Faculty Senate's latest release of business, that plan has been completed, with "the average raise  [being] 2% for those [faculty] with no in-market or retention offer" and with the largest raise potentially reaching 4%. To be named among CSU's top 15% of faculty, one had to earn an "Excellent" rating in teaching, research and service for calendar year 2024, which is the most recent year for which CSU faculty were evaluated by their department chairs. Secondary (tie-breaking) priority was based on years of service to CSU. Please join Turner Business in congratulating those Turner College faculty who were awarded these merit raises.

Advising for spring semester has begun in the Turner College, marking the first semester that the new academic success coaching model is in full swing. Advising began yesterday and runs through October 17. The registration window for graduate students opens on October 13, while that for seniors opens on October 20. Each successive day thereafter opens the window for juniors, sophomores, freshmen, respectively. Non-degree seeking students, transient students, and auditing students may begin registration on October 25.

The CSU Faculty Senate has released a trove of data and other budget-related information for administrators and faculty to ponder. First, overall enrollment is down 3%, with new student enrollment being down between 9% and 10%. Relatedly, student credit hour production is down 2.7%, while CSU's student retention rate is down to 71.99%, which means that the number of returning students is down slightly. These numbers portend near-future cuts to the institution's overall budget. In an attempt to turn this misfortune around, the University System of Georgia has set aside $10 million in performance-based funding. Under this program, higher education institutions will be rewarded if certain metrics for Fall 2025 exceed their Fall 2024 counterparts. According to the CSU Faculty Senate, any of these funds received by CSU will likely be used for professional development for faculty and staff.    The metrics mentioned above include (1) the in-state headcount (enrollment), (2) the perce...

CSU's inaugural TEDx event is scheduled for 6:00 pm on January 15, 2026. The speaker for the event has not yet been selected. As the announcement below indicates, interested parties are asked to apply by October 31, 2025, for a position on the stage. The theme for the night is "Ripple Effect," meaning that discussions will involve ideas that have a ripple effect of some kind. Applications that are accepted for the event will be announced on November 14, 2025.

Geopolitical factors, such as political instability and domestic armed conflict, wield profound influence on the global energy landscape. The most recent onset of military conflict in Ukraine in 2022 triggered sharp declines in energy prices, given the countries’ status as major exporters of commodities vital for global food and energy security.  The consequences of an energy supply shock due to armed conflict hinge on the conflict’s nature and scale, the geopolitical context, and the resilience of the affected nations’ energy infrastructure. A new study by Turner College economist Frank Mixon ,  Ján Buleca  and Maryna Tatar of the  Technical University of Košice, and Ermanno Affuso of the University of South Alabama  evaluates the effects of external shocks, primarily domestic armed conflicts, on the market equilibrium in residential energy and assesses their impact on consumer welfare.   Mixon and his coauthors  conduct a consumer welfare analysis us...

Turner College students who are ready to jumpstart their careers will want to attend the Center for Career Design's upcoming Internship Workshop on October 1, 2025, at 1:00pm in Room 208 of the Schuster Student Success Center. The Workshop is designed to provide guidance to students in how to register their internships in Handshake, and to disseminate information about the internship process, professional conduct in the workplace, and best practices for a successful internship experience. In-person seating is limited and confirmed on a first-come, first-served basis. Virtual attendance is also available.

The Kroger Co. Foundation recently announced the Kroger Scholars for the 2025-2026 academic year, awarding $265,000 to 106 students. All scholars are the children of Kroger associates and receive $2,500 toward any accredited two- or four-year college, university or vocational program. Launched in 2008, the Kroger Scholars Program has awarded more than $5 million in scholarship funds.  "This support truly makes a difference for my family," said Kenzie Wyman , a Kroger Scholar pursuing a degree in business at Columbus State University. "The Kroger scholarship allows me to focus more on my studies and pursue my athletic career without the added stress of financial pressure. I'm truly grateful for this opportunity and all it represents."  The 2025-2026 Kroger Scholars will be represented at more than 85 institutions across the U.S. Students were selected based on a broad range of criteria, including volunteering, civic service, extracurricular activities, academic p...

Accurate financial information is vital to the functioning of modern financial systems. Various stakeholders rely on accurate financial reporting in their interactions with businesses. Without accurate, honest, and timely financial reporting trust is eroded and overall market stability is undermined.  New research by Turner College accounting professor Charles Boster , Nicholas Busko of Worcester Preparatory School, Turner College management professor Mark James and Towson University's Micheal Schuldt  employs a principal agent framework to examine agent reporting accuracy in a budgeting context. In developing some testable hypotheses in this regard, the authors state that a n interesting question is why individuals do not maximize their financial utility and engage in opportunistic behavior despite incentives to do so. As their study, which is set to appear in the Journal of Business and Economics , explains, " It may be that individuals weigh not only the material cost and ...

Since 1980, the Thomas Y. Whitley Distinguished Alumnus Award has recognized graduates who live up to the high standards set by its namesake and CSU’s first president. It is the university’s most prestigious alumni award. This year's winner is Debbie Deal Moody ('82).  Moody has dedicated her life to service, leadership and philanthropy, making a significant impact on her community and the university. As a student-athlete from 1978–1982, she was tri-captain of the University’s Women’s volleyball team while also a member of its softball team. During the 40-plus years since she graduated with a bachelor’s in business administration, she has continued to support CSU through her involvement with the Alumni Association and her giving to student scholarships—the latter earning her the designation of charter member of the University’s Tower Society. Civically, her deep commitment to service spans championing youth and children’s health, faith, sustainability, and housing and services ...

According to a press release by Tonia Moxley of Virginia Tech, scientists at Virginia Tech and Columbus State have developed a new open-source tool that improves on existing artificial intelligence models for biological research and could accelerate drug discovery, fight pandemics, and shed light on diseases like Alzheimer’s. As the press release notes, t o solve a problem, we have to see it clearly.  Whether it’s an infection by a novel virus or memory-stealing plaques forming in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, visualizing disease processes in the body is the first step toward alleviating human suffering. It’s also often the most difficult and costly.  But an artificial intelligence (AI) breakthrough by computer scientists at Virginia Tech and Columbus State published in Cell Systems — a high-impact journal dedicated to biological research — is bringing those fog-bound processes into focus.  The new ProRNA3D-single tool developed by Debswapna Bhattacharya, associate...

The CSU Department of Athletics will mark a decade of its female student-athletes’ success during its 10th-anniversary Girls in the Game Luncheon on Thursday, September 25.  The annual program, which begins at 11:30 a.m. in the University’s Frank G. Lumpkin Jr. Center, recognizes a female student-athlete from each of CSU’s eight NCAA Division II women’s sports teams. All honorees receive a one-year academic scholarship and a specially designed Girls in the Game medallion. Among those in this year's class is Annie Adams ,  a graduate student from Columbus who is pursuing a master’s degree in business. Adams is a member of CSU's women's tennis team. Joining Adams is  Samantha Dewendt Morales , a sophomore from Dawsonville who is majoring in business. Morales is a member of the CSU women's golf team. “Girls In the Game is just one way we honor our Columbus State University student-athletes for their dedication to their sport and for being scholars in the classroom,” s...

U.S. News & World Report has ranked CSU 64th among regional universities in the U.S. South in the 2026 edition of its annual guide. The magazine also ranks CSU 33rd among the public universities in its category. According to the information used by the magazine to place institutions, CSU  has a total undergraduate enrollment of 6,147 (fall 2024) and graduate enrollment of 1,781 (fall 2024), its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 132 acres. The student-faculty ratio at CSU is 19:1, and it utilizes a semester-based academic calendar.  CSU has a test-optional admissions policy. The school's in-state tuition and fees are $7,020, while out-of-state tuition and fees are $21,660. Seventy-seven percent of first-year students receive need-based financial aid, and the average net price for federal loan recipients is $13,601.  The four-year graduation rate is 23%. Six years after graduation, the median salary for graduates is $39,190. Upon graduation, 57% of students h...

Global trends in carbon emissions have made environmental degradation a top priority in achieving sustainable development goals for European (and other) countries. Over the past decade or so, a number of studies have addressed the income inequality-carbon emissions relationship. Several of these have found either a positive or negative relationship, while others have reported mixed results regarding this nexus. Still other studies have failed to produce a significant relationship between income inequality and environmental quality. Understanding the relationship between income inequality and environment quality is crucial to the design of policies that aim to promote sustainable development. In relation to that end, a new study by Turner College economist Frank Mixon , Ján Buleca, Maryna Tatar and Nikola Šubová of the Technical University of Košice, and Ermanno Affuso of the University of South Alabama empirically assesses the relationship between income inequality and carbon emissions...

[Inspired by the forward-thinking former Harvard University President Derek Bok, Thinking out of the Bok is an occasional forum for the presentation of ideas about higher education. This entry is provided by a culture and education commentator.] Dartmouth College President Sian Leah Beilock begins her recent essay in The Atlantic  by admitting, "Across the country, people are questioning the value and role of higher education, and institutions . . . are experiencing a crisis in public trust. On top of that, tech titans are convinced that AI will break higher education, while many observers lament its corrupting influence and ask whether the 'mind-expanding purpose and qualities of a university' . . . are gone forever." Although Beilock's essay turns to a philosophical message about higher education's role in society, recent political events have many focusing on the causes and consequences of diminishing diversity of thought on college campuses. A new study b...

A new study by Turner College management professor Mark James and Zhimin Hu, a Research Fellow in the Department of Developmental and Social Psychology at the University of Padua, asserts that  recognizing the importance of community for marginalized or stigmatized individuals enables human resources professionals and researchers to understand how nonpecuniary factors affect relocation decisions. To enhance this understanding, James and Hu examine the link between community and work for gays and lesbians, specifically, the psychological and demographic factors influencing individuals’ perceptions of the importance of a gay and lesbian community when considering a job in a new city. In doing so they employ an urban geography perspective to analyze the experiences of immigrants moving to the United States.  According to the academic literature, u rban geography examines how spatial relationships and social interactions influence urban spaces. According to this approac...

Homecoming 2025 is October 13-18, and the CSU community is eager to see our alumni back on campus. From trivia night to tailgating, there’s something for everyone. On Tuesday, October 14, at 6:00pm, a charcuterie class is scheduled to be held in the President's Club Room in the Lumpkin Center.  Unwind with fellow Cougars as you craft your own charcuterie board in a fun, hands-on class. Tickets ($35) include all supplies, refreshments, and a complementary drink ticket. Space is limited to 45 spots—reserve yours early. On Thursday, October 16, at 6:00pm,  put your Cougar pride to the test with a fun night of trivia. Team up with friends, enjoy snacks, a complimentary drink ticket, prizes, and lots of laughs. This event is also scheduled for the President's Club Room in the Lumpkin Center. A  Homecoming parade and uptown concert are scheduled for Friday, October 17, at 6:30pm.  Bring the whole family for floats, music by Relative Sound, and the energy of Uptown Columbus...

New research by Turner College accountant Charles Boster and Turner College management professors Mark James and Laurence Marsh investigates t he ethics of using hidden prompts to detect  AI generated writing in student submissions in asynchronous online university classes. The study, which appears in the latest issue of the Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice , points out that i n higher education, writing assignments are currently viewed as a high impact teaching practice that assesses students’ understanding of course materials, develop critical reasoning skills, foster communication skills, and create deeper engagement with assigned materials.  The authors add that difficulties in maintaining the integrity of written assessments associated with students' use of AI has led some instructors to start using the controversial method of embedding hidden AI prompts, which are  covert commands or phrases placed in the instructions of writing assignments,  ...

Jansen Tidmore has taken the reins as President and CEO of the Columbus Chamber of Commerce. Tidmore comes to Columbus from Dothan, Alabama, where he spent almost 17 years as CFO at Dothan Steel Fabricators. His educational background includes both undergraduate and graduate degrees in public administration from Auburn University. According to his LinkedIn page, Tidmore  believes that the cornerstone of a healthy community is access to quality jobs, and in that regard, he has crafted his career as a community builder through his economic development leadership. Tidmore's leadership methodology has been proven successful across three states, all with record breaking levels of capital investment, job creation, and revitalization of assets. His organizations have facilitated over $12 billion in capital, along with the creation of over 15,000 jobs.  Serving as the voice of business in West Georgia for nearly 180 years, the Columbus Chamber of Commerce continues to serve the needs ...

LSM tree-based key-value stores face significant I/O bandwidth consumption and performance bottlenecks due to frequent data rewrites and migrations during compaction. To address this issue, near-data processing technology has emerged as a promising solution and is gaining increasing attention. Near-data processing reduces the data transfer distance between storage and processing resources by placing computational resources closer to storage devices or integrating them into memory, thereby effectively alleviating performance bottlenecks.  However, existing multi-near-data processing (NDP) key-value stores still face synchronization problems, leading to long wait times and underutilization of resources.  To address these issues, TSYS School computer scientist Yi Zhou and his colleagues from Anhui University,  Zhongguancun Laboratory and Auburn University  propose an asynchronous parallel compaction for multi-NDP-enabled key-value store named A+ Store.  In A+ Stor...

Cyber-physical systems (CPS), which integrate physical processes with computational resources, are fundamental to a variety of application domains, including smart grids, intelligent transportation, smart manufacturing, and smart healthcare, among others. These systems operate in complex, dynamic environments that generate continuous operational data requiring real-time processing. Traditional data analytics methods often struggle with CPS's complexity, heterogeneity, and security requirements. However, recent research advancements have focused on incorporating machine learning algorithms into these systems, leading to substantial improvements in automation, efficiency, and resilience. New research by TSYS School computer scientist Linqiang Ge , Auburn University's Jingyi Zheng and Towson University's Wei Yu provides a comprehensive exploration and review of machine learning techniques, including a detailed taxonomy of machine learning along with the representative algorith...

Four Turner College alumni have joined the CSU Alumni Association Board of Directors for 2025-2026. The new members include Don Andrae , a Columbus resident who is currently the Director of Parking Services at Auburn University.   Andrae earned a BBA from the Turner College in 1970.  The former CSU Men's Basketball  standout is a 1998 inductee into the CSU Athletics Hall of Fame,  having set a school record for the most successful free throws in a game and the most rebounds per game. Another new member of the CSU Alumni Association Board of Directors is Terry McDaniel   of Inlet Beach, Florida. McDaniel is a two-time alumnus, having earned a BBA from the Turner College in 1979 and an MBA from the Turner College in 1986. A leader in the food and beverage industry, he is CEO and Chair of Ronnoco Beverage Solutions. Next is Brittany Santiago , who earned an MBA from the Turner in 2018.  A career communications professional, she serves as the Director of P...