Turner Business

A recent post here at Turner Business provides an examination of the current demand side of the market for business deans, which involves a look at which institutions are currently searching for a business school dean and which of these will be competing with the Turner College. This post follows up by examining the current supply side of the that market, which partially involves a look at who has reached the finalists level of, or succeeded in, recent or current searches for business school deans by other in-state institutions.  A good example is the current search being undertaken by the J. Whitney Bunting College of Business & Technology at Georgia College & State University. The first finalist for the position, William Hill, was invited to the GCSU campus on November 13-14. Hill is currently the Dean of the College of Business at the University of West Alabama.  On November 17-18 the second finalist, Joey Smith, visited the GCSU campus. Smith is currently the Cha...

Recent posts here at Turner Business   report that the Turner College will, beginning January 2026, be searching for a new dean. This post provides an examination of the current demand side of the market for business deans, which involves a look at which institutions are currently searching for a business school dean and which of these will be competing with the Turner College. According to The Chronicle of Higher Education , Duke University, Carnegie Mellon University, Babson College, and Michigan Technological University are all currently searching for a business school dean. These institutions are part of a different segment of the market and the decisions they make will not impact the Turner College. Other institutions seeking a business school dean include Misericordia University, University of Alaska – Anchorage, Dakota State University and Holy Family University, and the efforts of these institutions to hire a new business school may intersect with those of ...

According to a recent report by Fionna Magee of WRBL News3, n ational economic indicators suggest the U.S. may be nearing another slowdown, with Moody’s Analytics reporting that 22 states — including Georgia — are either already in recession or on the verge of entering one. According to Magee, e conomists say the most important factor shaping how deep a recession becomes isn’t just the numbers, but consumer confidence.  “A recession is technically a decline in GDP for two consecutive quarters,” said Fady Mansour , associate professor of economics in the Turner College and Director of the Butler Center for Research and Economic Development. “The biggest and most important factor during a recession is confidence. This is what makes people slow down spending and businesses slow down investments.”  When consumers pull back, demand falls, hiring slows and businesses become more cautious — creating a ripple effect that can worsen economic conditions.  Mansour also told Magee th...

Many of you have driven under the tree-lined canopy of the historic district of Eufaula, Alabama. It's not only the same route taken millions of times by residents of Atlanta and beyond to get to the beaches in northwest Florida, it's also the same street travelled by Reese Witherspoon's character in the film, Sweet Home Alabama , as she headed from New York City back to her hometown to deliver news of her engagement to her parents. The Georgians, Tennesseans and others making the trip often stop in downtown Eufaula for coffee or ice cream at Superior Pecans, or for some creole food at Cajun Corner. When these stops are made in the evening, visitors enjoy the sight of the illuminated live oaks, as shown in the image collage inserted below. The Alexander City-based company that performed the work to light the oaks did so for about $28,000. Once installed, the lights are visible at dusk every evening and shine throughout the night.   What if CSU similarly lit rows of (any typ...

CSU has appointed seven distinguished community and business leaders to the CSU Foundation Board of Trustees. Each brings a breadth of professional expertise and a deep commitment to advancing the University’s mission of transforming lives through education, innovation and community impact.  The CSU Foundation Board of Trustees supports the University by stewarding philanthropic investments, advising on long-term financial and strategic priorities, and strengthening community partnerships that advance the University’s mission. Their efforts have created an endowment for the University that’s currently valued at more than $100 million. Among the seven new members is  M. Heath Schondelmayer , Division CEO of Synovus. He is a  2003 MBA graduate of the Turner College, and he brings corporate leadership experience and will be key to continuing a strong local corporate connection to the university. Joining Schondelmayer as new members of the Board are Dr. Champ Leroy Baker III,...

CSU's Academic Center for Tutoring & Coaching recently highlighted Yvette Maxwell, MPA, an Academic Success Coach who is dedicated to supporting students in computer science, cybersecurity, and information technology at Columbus State University. The text of that recognition states, " Yvette brings an impressive academic background, holding a BA in Finance (2010), a BS in Applied Mathematics (2019), a Certificate in Data Analytics (2019), and an MPA in Public Administration (2022)—all from Columbus State University. Her strong analytical foundation, paired with her passion for student success, makes her an invaluable resource to the CSU community.  Yvette’s advising philosophy centers on building authentic relationships. She believes that truly understanding her students—their goals, challenges, and strengths—is the key to helping them create a meaningful academic and  career path.  One of her core messages to students is the importance of using the incredible support...

CSU will have no classes during Thanksgiving week, which runs from Monday, November 24 through Friday, November 28. Both the main campus and the RiverPark campus will remain open from Monday, November 24 through Wednesday, November 26. Normal operations will return on Monday, December 1, which is the last day of classes for Fall 2025. The next day, Tuesday, December 2, is Study Day, and final exams are set to begin on Wednesday, December 3. Fall 2025 Graduation is scheduled for Friday, December 12. 2026.  Congratulations to all of the Turner College and TSYS School finalists for the 2026 CSU Faculty Awards. This list includes Charles Boster (2026 Chappell Graduate Award),  Joshua Brooks (2026 CSU Excellence in Teaching Award), Armando Fernandez (2026 CSU Faculty Service Award), Linqiang Ge (2026 CSU Scholarship of Teaching & Learning Award), Amjad Hossain (2026 CSU Online Teaching Award),  Yoon Lee (2026 CSU Faculty Research & Scholarship Award), and Wen Shi...

At today's meeting of Turner College and TSYS School faculty and staff, the Turner College's Crowley Professor of Entrepreneurship, Kirk Heriot , informed business and computer science faculty and staff that the Turner College's new Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation has been shelved indefinitely. Heriot announced the launch of the new Center in early August, at the Turner College's Fall 2025 kickoff meeting. During that meeting faculty and staff were informed that the Center, which was developed to  be mostly for students, would be located in 347 Synovus Center and that it would be working with local non-profits like SCORE, the Columbus Chamber and the Small Business Development Center, in formalizing the existing BizPitch competition and other activities. Later, in early September, Turner Business reported that the new Center's webpage had launched , naming Heriot the Interim Director. That post also indicated that the Center's mission, vision, and a...

The 2026 Georgia Economic Outlook event is set for January 27, 2026, at noon in the Cunningham Center on CSU's main campus, with the doors to the event opening at 11:30am. Presented by the University of Georgia's Terry College of Business,  the Georgia Economic Outlook series has for more than 40 years provided Georgia business and community leaders with reliable, research-driven insights into the new year’s economy. Other stops for this year's Outlook series include Atlanta on December 10, Jekyll Island on January 8, Macon on January 23, Albany on January 28, Athens on February 4 and Augusta on February 10.

The Turner College community was informed this morning that Deborah Kidder 's tenure as Dean of the organization is set to end on December 12, 2025. An e-mail communication to Turner College faculty from CSU Provost & Executive Vice President Dustin Anderson states, " I am writing to share that Dr. Deborah Kidder will be stepping down as Dean of the Turner College of Business & Technology, effective December 12, 2025. Under . . . Kidder's guidance, the college achieved a number of milestones, such as maintaining our AACSB accreditation, and the establishment of a Business Transfer Articulation with Columbus Technical College. We appreciate . . . Kidder’s service and contributions to the college during her time as Dean.  In the interim, . . . Tesa Leonce-Regalado will be appointed Acting Dean to lead the college while we conduct a national search . . .  John Finley has agreed to serve as Acting Associate Dean to support our faculty and students during this time as w...

Two teams of TSYS School students participated in the  ACM Mid-Southeast Conference held on Friday, November 14, earning 1st and 2nd place awards in the Graduate Category — an outstanding achievement for the TSYS School. " A special thank-you goes to Professor Yeşem Peker , who advised and supported these students throughout their projects. Her guidance played an important role in their success," explained Rania Hodhod , the TSYS School's Director. Taking 1st Place in the graduate category for their project titled "Zero Trust in Non-Terrestrial Systems" were  Morgan Brown  and  Chandler Carabajal , both undergraduate students, and  Rahul Raj and Luka Wilmink . Taking 2nd Place in the graduate category for their project titled "Advancing Building Energy Consumption Forecasting through Time Series Clustering" were  Shashank Kammanahalli , Chandra Sekhara and Akshith Nukala .  "Their hard work, dedication, and excellent presentations represented CS...

Recent research has asserted that post-COVID-19 tourism recovery, which is still ongoing in many parts of the world, is most likely to be led by adventurous and young travelers that represent crisis-resistant tourists, such as those who are engaged in surfing tourism. A new study by Turner College economist Frank Mixon delves into this proposition by  relating surfing tourism to localism at surf breaks. In doing so it utilizes the specific case of Oceania, a group of countries in the South Pacific (e.g., Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, New Caledonia, etc.) where surfing spots of various quality abound. Mixon's study compares three separate measures of surf break quality, extending traditional research into the association between localism and surf break quality to provide robustness tests. Lastly, the data used to explain localism across Oceania’s surf breaks are also used to construct a surf tourism threat index that may be useful in future empirical studies of this sort. Mixon exp...

The development of high-impact teaching practices has played a significant role in Turner College finance professor Joshua Brooks ' approach to teaching, leading in part to his recent nomination for the 2026 CSU Excellence in Teaching Award. One of these involves m etacognition, or how we think about our own learning. Brooks encourages his students to evaluate their study habits and  presuppositions about learning, as many students have false beliefs in both areas. He also explains that almost every academic area  can be learned with the right type of practice. Here, he explains how to scaffold into being proficient at the skills necessary for  the class. Another practice involves interactions. "Online teaching affords a number of ways to facilitate student-student and student-instructor interaction. I work to rapidly answer inquiries inside and outside the LMS and email. This gives students a wide variety of communication channels. In problem-solving oriented classes, I ...

The recent Turner Business post concerning the newly released USG enrollment report for Fall 2025 focuses on student enrollment using headcount figures provided by the USG. These figures tend to conflate full- and part-time enrollment, and as a result may cloud the enrollment situations across the 26 public college and university campuses in Georgia. To avoid this problem, the current post revisits the enrollment report by considering full-time equivalent enrollment numbers instead. According to these data, CSU stands out even more than it does using headcount statistics. For example, FTE enrollment across all USG institutions grew by 4.3% over the last year. More specifically, there was positive enrollment growth at 25 of the 26 institutions, ranging from 0.5% growth at Valdosta State University to 10.5% growth at the University of West Georgia. In the State Universities category, FTE enrollment grew by 1.9% at Albany State, 3.9% at Clayton State, 8.8% at Fort Valley State, 3.1% at ...

Turner College MIS professor Yoon Lee has had a remarkable run in terms of academic research in the last few years, and this feat was recognized with his recent nomination for the 2026 CSU Faculty Research & Scholarship Award. He described that run, and his research process in a recent interview with Turner Business . On the current occasion of his award nomination, he expanded on that conversation. "Throughout my tenure at CSU, I have pursued research areas integrating machine learning, artificial intelligence, deep learning, reinforcement learning, simulation, and ensemble modeling into innovative solutions across diverse business domains such as healthcare information systems, supply chain management, and financial markets, as well as addressing core data analytics challenges such as the class imbalance problem. Over time, my research has evolved from foundational agent-based decision automation models to cutting-edge automation and predictive modeling - a progression tha...

When he worked in the private sector, Turner College accounting professor Charles Boster   learned the value of continuous improvement. Today, he applies these concepts in the academic environment to ensure course content reflects the current business environment, to seek feedback from external stakeholders related to student knowledge and performance expectations, and to implement best practices of pedagogy through high impact teaching strategies, fostering improvements to student engagement, material retention, and practical application. This process has led to success for Boster, as reflected by his recent nomination for the 2026 CSU Chappell Graduate Award. As Boster explained to Turner Business , " As the student base has changed, so has my teaching content and method. Over several years of continuous improvement (at two institutions) and speaking with local business professionals and students, the MBA course transitioned from a lecture-based course format to a team-oriented,...

The Center for Academic Coaching at CSU recently announced that Shaneka Thrash has been promoted to Lead Academic Success Coach for majors in the Turner College and TSYS School. Also similarly promoted are  Elaine Clarke of the College of the Arts,  Tamara Allen of the College of Education and Health Professions, and Beth Wisham of the  College of Letters and Sciences. " These incredible leaders will now be the go-to point of contact for Academic Success Coaches in their colleges, guiding daily operations, coaching support, and collaborating closely with Deans and Department Chairs to elevate the student experience. Please join us in congratulating Elaine, Tamara, Shaneka, and Beth. Their dedication, expertise, and leadership will continue driving excellence across our colleges," the Center stated.

The University System of Georgia just released its Fall 2025 enrollment report and  USG enrollment climbed this fall to an all-time record of 382,142 students. The 4.8% increase in enrollment over Fall 2024 marks a third consecutive year of growth for the system.  Enrollment grew at 23 of USG’s 26 public colleges and universities, with the total number of students at USG institutions across Georgia rising by 17,417 over the previous year. Most of that increase (13,883 students) came from in-state students, with a 4.8% rise in the number of Georgians seeking a USG education. Among the three institutions seeing a fall in enrollment are Savannah State University at  −0.9%, and South Georgia State College at −0.8%. Standing apart from these and the other 23 institutions is CSU, which has suffered a −3.1% change in enrollment since last fall. Besides these three institutions, State Universities have seen their enrollments grow anywhere from 0.2% to as much as 9.4%, w...

This year the Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC) is undertaking a major review of its Journal Quality List (JQL), which the Turner College and many other business schools use to evaluate the research of its business faculty. This 2025 review is  the first major review of the ABDC Journal Quality List since 2019.  Expert panels that cover the in-scope fields of research (FoR) have been convened by the ABDC  to consider (1)  rankings of currently listed journals, (2) i nclusion of new relevant, refereed journals, including business education,  interdisciplinary, and practitioner journals, (3)  exclusion of non-relevant or low quality journals, (4)  exclusion of likely predatory or overly aggressive journals, (5)  changes to the FoR of listed journals and (6)  journal name changes.  A key determinant of the credibility of the ABDC Journal Quality List is the principled  approach taken to the inclusion and exclusion of journals an...

As reported here last month , a recent issue of  Georgia Trend magazine echoes what many in the Columbus area already know about two-time Columbus State University alumna Hayley Henderson Tillery—she’s among the state’s “best and brightest” leaders. T he 35-year-old is one of the 40 professionals who comprise this year’s “40 Under 40” list compiled annually by Georgia Trend . According to reporting by CSU's Michael Tullier, the publication seeks nominations for impressive, hardworking and community-minded people under 40 who are making a difference in the state. Current and past honorees span the gamut of public service and private companies; they are CEOs and lawyers, culinary experts and medical professionals, educators and executive directors. Tullier writes that  Tillery was 26 years old when she began her role in 2017 as the first woman to serve as executive director of the Columbus Georgia Convention & Trade Center. Her duties range daily from sales, marketing and e...

Since joining CSU in Fall 2020, TSYS School computer scientist Linqiang Ge has engaged in teaching and scholarship that have centered on transforming cybersecurity  and computer science education through evidence-based, high-impact pedagogical innovations. Guided by  the principles of the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL), he has systematically studied how  hands-on, research-driven, and collaborative learning approaches enhance student understanding,  engagement, and professional readiness. Ge's SoTL efforts have been supported by more than $197,000 in  funded teaching and curriculum grants from the National Security Agency, Teach Access, Affordable  Learning Georgia, and CSU. These initiatives have strengthened his ability to  integrate authentic research experiences into coursework, establish inclusive computing laboratories, and  expand outreach in cybersecurity education. They have also boosted Ge's candidacy for the 2026 CSU Schol...