Turner Business

The keynote speaker for the 2025 CSU Legacy Celebration is  Jim Blanchard , a long-time supporter of the Turner College  who led Synovus Bank for more than 30 years. He is credited with the bank's significant growth and creating a culture that led to it being named the best place in the country to work. In 2006, he formed a partnership with CSU's Cunningham Center for Leadership Development to create the Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum, which attracted some of the most influential political, military and business leaders in the world to Columbus. This year's event is set for Wednesday, March 26, 2025, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm in the Cunningham Center's Blanchard Hall.  Individual tickets are $25 and tables of eight are $200.  The priority ticket/table deadline is Friday, March 14.

CSU President Stuart Rayfield spoke to the CSU community via YouTube yesterday, covering topics ranging from student success initiatives to legislative news. In terms of student success and the institution's new strategic plan, Rayfield spoke about the university's new goal of raising the student retention rate to 85% (fall to fall) and its graduation rate to 60% by 2030. According to our check of data from the U.S. Department of Education, CSU's current retention and graduation rates are 63% and 44%, respectively. Rayfield added here that CSU is also aiming to reducing its time to graduation from 5.3 years to below the state average of 5.1 years. Rayfield transitioned into a presentation about the work being done by various CSU constituencies in building a campus culture that is based on servant leadership. The pillars of that culture will include empowering others, innovation, seeking efficiency, practicing accountability and connecting with others. A number of other topi...

The Turner College's Student Finance Association is hosting Andy Sullivan at its February 27, 2025, meeting in Room 305 of the Synovus Center on CSU's main campus. Sullivan is the South Georgia Complex Manager and Senior Vice President of Raymond James & Associates in Columbus. A graduate of Texas Christian University, Sullivan previously worked as Vice President of Morgan Stanley in Dallas, Texas, and earlier as a financial manager at Wells Fargo in Ft. Worth, Texas. The meeting kicks off at 12:30 pm tomorrow. We hope to see you there.

Work on the exterior of the Synovus Center, home to the Turner College, is progressing. The accompanying image, taken at the beginning of this month, provides a glimpse at the type of work being done around the exterior of the building. According to Chief Facilities Officer Stephen Morse, "T his project will result in dramatically improved efficiency for one of the most important buildings on our campus. These developments represent our continued commitment to creating a more sustainable, functional, and student-friendly campus environment."

Last week the TSYS School's c ybersecurity Nexus program hosted another Mock Interview Event, a cornerstone of the program and a true highlight for our students. This event  provided an invaluable opportunity for students to not only demonstrate their cybersecurity knowledge but also build vital connections with our industry partners. The energy, talent, and professionalism displayed by our students were truly inspiring.  A huge thank you to our industry partners who make these events possible, including  Aflac,  Columbus State University,  Columbus Water Works,  Synovus,  TrollEye Security,  TSYS a nd many others who are committed to nurturing the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.  These experiences are life-changing for our students, offering them real-world insights and boosting their confidence as they prepare to step into the dynamic world of cybersecurity.  We are incredibly proud of our students and grateful for the ...

Earlier this week  TSYS School cybersecurity Nexus alum Joel Nienaber (Cohort 9) visited the TSYS Center for Cybersecurity. During his visit,  Joel spent time with Cohort 13, sharing invaluable advice on navigating the program, launching a successful cybersecurity career, and the power of networking. His insights are more than just words — they’re game changers for our students, equipping them with the tools to thrive in the industry.  A huge thank you to Joel for giving back to the Nexus community. This is what makes our program special — students becoming professionals, then returning to inspire the next generation.

A number of Turner College faculty were recognized at last night's CSU basketball game by Turner College athletes. Those include Josh Brooks (finance), Laurence Marsh (management), Tesa Leonce (economics), John Finley (management), Brett Cotten (finance), Janice Canedo (computer science) and Charles Boster (accounting). Turner Business joins the Turner College administration in congratulating these excellent faculty.