Turner Business

The TSYS School will be offering a symposium on artificial intelligence titled "AI in Action: Emerging Trends, Responsible Use, and Practical Applications," on September 11, 2026, from 10:00am until 12:30pm in Room 205 in the Synovus Center. Kicking off the event will be Lydia Ray , who will present "THINK Before You Prompt: A Guide to the Sustainable and Responsible Use of Generative AI" from 10:00am until 10:30am. Ray will be providing a p ractical discussion of how to use generative AI thoughtfully, responsibly, and sustainably. Next, from 10:40am until 11:10am, Janice Canedo will deliver a talk titled " AI Agents in the Cybersecurity Policy Classroom." Canedo will provide a n exploration of how AI agents can be incorporated into cybersecurity policy education to enhance student learning and engagement. From 11:20am until 11:50am,  Rahmatullah Roche will deliver  an introduction to cloud-based resources that support AI development, experimentation, an...

Stephen Turner “ Steve ” Butler , a retired corporate executive and dedicated Columbus State University supporter, was honored by the University System of Georgia with its 2026 Regents’ Hall of Fame Alumni & Distinguished Friends Award at the USG Foundation’s annual gala on Saturday, August 22. This award recognizes individuals who exhibit exceptional character, achievement and commitment to higher education in Georgia, serving as role models that uplift the entire university system.  “Steve is a quiet leader by nature, but his influence has been profound, enduring and deeply consequential,” CSU President Stuart Rayfield said. “Over decades of service to Columbus State University and to the broader Columbus community, he has demonstrated an unwavering belief in the transformative power of higher education and a rare willingness to invest his time, wisdom and resources to ensure that institutions like ours thrive for generations to come.”  Butler’s ties to the university s...

The University System of Georgia has released its Summer 2026 Enrollment Report. According to the data, CSU's summer 2026 headcount enrollment was down 4.7% from summer 2025, while its summer 2026 full-time equivalent enrollment was down 3.6% from summer 2025. Two other institutions in the state universities category also saw FTE enrollment declines from summer 2025 to summer 2026. These are Savannah State University, which lost 9.6% FTE, and Albany State University, which lost 2% FTE.  Among the USG's research universities, summer 2026 FTE enrollment was up 3.1% on average, ranging from a low of 1.2% FTE growth at Georgia State University to a high of 5.2% FTE growth at Augusta University. Across the next level of institutions, the comprehensive universities, summer 2026 FTE enrollment was up 5.8% on average, ranging from a low of 2.3% FTE growth at Valdosta State University to a high of 7.6% FTE growth at the University of West Georgia. Lastly, across the USG's state coll...

The biggest buzz around the Turner College at the moment involves its search for a new dean. That search is being management by Buffkin/Baker, a firm that specializes in executive searches for public and private organizations. Heading up the Turner College's search from Buffkin/Baker is Martin Baker, a Managing Partner with the firm and its Head of Higher Education Practice. Baker  has been in the executive search profession for 25 years and is based in Buffkin/Baker's Winston-Salem, North Carolina, office.  Baker has conducted searches for the positions of Chancellor/President, Provost, CFO, CIO, Vice President, Dean, Director, and Professor, having worked on over 375 searches throughout his career. He has recently represented a number of AAU institutions, land-grant universities, faith-based institutions, liberal arts colleges, and regional universities, where he has led searches spanning most functions and academic disciplines. Baker currently serves on the Parents’ Council...

Research by Turner College management professor Laurence Marsh recently surpassed 1,000 career Google Scholar citations. Additionally, Google Scholar reports that his i10-index is equal to three, meaning that Marsh has published three studies that have each garnered at least 10 citations. Google Scholar also reports two additional metrics. One of these is a scholar’s h-index, which is the largest number, h, of a scholar’s publications that have each garnered at least h citations. Marsh’s h-index is four, meaning that his four most-cited studies have each generated at least four citations. Another Google Scholar metric is a scholar’s g-index, which is the largest number, g, of a scholar’s publications that have collectively garnered at least g-squared citations. Marsh’s g-index is seven, meaning that his seven most-cited studies have collectively produced at least 49 citations. Marsh’s top-cited publication is a 2006 study examining the origins of breakthrough innovations that appears ...

The two listening sessions concerning the search for a new Turner College dean are complete. The second of these occurred this morning, and compared to the first one from last evening, it was heavily attended. Many of the same ideas from last evening were discussed, including the need for a new dean who focuses on enrollment growth, program innovation, AACSB reaccreditation, cybersecurity and data science education, and strengthening relationships between the Turner College and local businesses and school systems. Two attendees discussed difficulties facing TSYS School computer science and cybersecurity graduates in securing professional employment, while one of two of the attendees expressed a desire to have a dean with industry experience with the other preferring one with a strong academic background. As before, much of the discussion centered on the lack of computer science faculty on the search committee. Last evening an attendee suggested that one computer science faculty member ...

A recently published study by Turner College management professor Kirk Heriot , Andres Jauregui of Fresno State University, Lori Dickes of Clemson University, and Universidad ORT Uruguay's Marcos Segantini points out that t here has been considerable research on the types of programming available for entrepreneurs in  the United States, with some studies evaluating the impacts of different programming types on  firm success. The authors note, however, that there have been few studies to evaluate the relationship of federal  entrepreneurship programming on firm success over time. The primary federal agency tasked  with helping small businesses is the US Small Business Administration (SBA). In their study, which appears in the latest issue of the American Journal of Entrepreneurship , Heriot et al.  critically evaluate the relationship between Small Business Development Center (SBDC) funding and programming on firm births  and deaths across the U.S. states fr...