Love School of Business celebrates student & faculty achievements

The best and brightest of the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business were honored April 24, 2014, in an afternoon awards ceremony that highlighted the achievements of both students and faculty.

The program was attended by family of the honored students; donors whose gifts made several scholarships possible; and most of the business school faculty whose input helped determine the 2014 award recipients.

Academic Achievement Awards

Academic Excellence Award in Accounting
Catherine Ayers
This award is given to a senior accounting major who has demonstrated superior academic achievement and possesses potential for intellectual and professional growth.

Challenge and Expect Award in Accounting
Randall Weisenburger
This award is presented to a senior majoring in accounting who has demonstrated excellent academic achievement and growth.

John Kappas Economics Award
Bryn Khoury
This award goes to the senior economics major who best demonstrates enthusiasm for economics, potential for leadership, and classroom excellence. It is named in honor of the late John Kappas, a 1985 Elon graduate.

NC CPA Exam Award
Rebecca Welch
This award is provided by the North Carolina State Board of Certified Public Accountant Examiners to provide a deserving, graduating accounting major the opportunity to take the Uniform CPA exam free of charge.

Alpha Kappa Psi Scholarship Key And Award Certificate
Ashley Bunting
This award is presented to the student with the highest GPA among those graduating with a major in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business.

Walter Hattenbach Award
Ashley Bunting
The senior marketing major with the highest GPA receives this award, which was established by Dr. and Mrs. James W. Johnston in honor of their friend, Walter Hattenbach.

Benjamin Grover Johnston Award
Sunna Vidisdottir
This award honors the sophomore who has the highest GPA in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business. Dr. and Mrs. James W. Johnston established this award in memory of Dr. Johnston’s brother, Benjamin Grover Johnston.

Student Achievement in Economics Award
Nathan Dean
This award is given to a senior economics major who has shown enthusiasm and success in his or her courses as well as promise for future achievement.

Student Achievement in Marketing Award
Ashley Bunting
This award is given to a senior marketing major who has shown enthusiasm and success in his or her major as well as promise for future achievement.

Student Achievement in Finance Award
Nana Mensah
Florian Wolf
This award is given to a senior finance major who has shown enthusiasm and success in his or her major as well as promise for future achievement.

Student Achievement in International Business Award
Austin Rhoads
This award is given to a senior international business major who has shown enthusiasm and success in his or her major as well as promise for future achievement.

Student Achievement in Management Award
Danielle White
This award is given to a senior management major who has shown enthusiasm and success in his or her major as well as promise for future achievement.

Student Achievement in Entrepreneurship Award
Elizabeth Greenberg
This award is given to a senior entrepreneurship major who has shown enthusiasm and success in his or her major as well as promise for future achievement.

FSP Excellence in Financial Education Student Award
Welsford Bishopric
Meghan Brindley
Matthew Feldman
Whittney Levitt
This award is given to a senior finance major who has demonstrated excellent academic achievement and possesses potential for professional growth in financial services.

Love School of Business Responsible Leadership Award
Welsford Bishopric
Responsible leaders inspire trust as well as establishing their own ethical behavior and modeling it to their group or organization. They use their technical, strategic and business knowledge and skills to make decisions that take into account the interests of all, including the community and future generations.  The recipient of the Responsible Leadership Award exemplifies these qualities within and outside of the Love School of Business.

Love School of Business Courageous Leadership Award
Nana Mensah
Courageous leaders have a deep commitment to values and outcomes.  They make bold but reasoned decisions, take ownership of the results, and care about the consequences.  Courageous leaders earn trust and respect by living by their values, sending clear messages through their actions, and being assertive without being aggressive.  The recipient of the Courageous Leadership Award exemplifies these qualities within and outside of the Love School of Business.

The Martha and Spencer Love School of Business Dean’s Awards for Faculty

Excellence in Teaching
Amy Moorman
Katy Rouse

The Martha and Spencer Love School of Business Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching recognizes a faculty member who exemplifies the Elon University teacher-scholar model. This person is outstanding in the classroom, engages students in the learning process, maintains academic rigor, and provides evidence of commitment to the intellectual development of students through mentoring and related activities.

Remarks on Moorman from Raghu Tadepalli, dean of the Love School of Business:

“This teacher is consistently committed to achieving high-quality faculty-student interaction, as reflected by student perceptions that exceed faculty levels of excellence in the LSB and across the university. At the same time, this teacher’s level of academic rigor is higher than the university average, as indicated by both mean GPA data and student evaluative comments.

“This teacher prepares undergraduate and MBA students to be responsible and effective professionals and leaders in complex global business environments. Students are assigned complex business case studies concerning ethical issues of multinational companies in marketing, international business, and environmental impacts, and are expected to support assertions with evidence or reasoning. They are also required to ‘form’ their own start-up enterprises, while also incorporating sustainability themes.

“Undergraduate students have described this teacher’s classes as: ‘engaging,’ ‘interesting’ and ‘well-organized.’ Students have commented on this teacher’s enthusiasm and consistently strong command of the subject matter, noting that they ‘learned more than in any other class’ and ‘{it was} extremely hard but I would rather have it be hard.’ Notable student perception scores include creating a class environment of mutual respect; cultivating informed critical thinking; and demonstrating availability to students outside the classroom

“This teacher is also very comfortable teaching advanced material in a manner that MBA students find valuable and engaging. MBA students have remarked that this teacher’s class was: ‘a great engaged learning experience,’ with ‘inspired excellent conversation and lasting thought processes,’ which will benefit their careers.

“This teacher is committed to continuous teaching improvement and has attended several training sessions which relate to promoting engaged learning through the use of instructional technology and diversity issues. Attending professional association programs and presentations enable this teacher to incorporate real and current issues into the courses.”

Remarks on Rouse:

“This year’s LSB Dean’s Award for Teaching recipient is a relative newcomer to Elon but in a few short years has created a space in which education comes first and excellent teaching is showcased. A concentration on critical thinking and student research in and outside the classroom has led to comments like: ‘The professor’s open and discussion-based approach created a comfortable atmosphere and one that made a research and critical thinking heavy course pleasant and anticipated’ and ‘one of the best classes I have ever taken … made it very simple to understand while still pushing us to think critically.’

“While pushing students to their best, this professor is both approachable and helpful: ‘Amazing class and teacher. This class really exceeded my expectations … is an excellent teacher, one of the best.  Easy going kindness and personality helped so much.’

“Of course one does not become a master teacher using only one approach; a wide set of tools is important: ‘Varied teaching methods: lecture, film. debate, writing, etc. kept me constantly engaged in learning and reviewing course material.’ And seeing one’s discipline from various perspectives is important to excellent teaching: ‘This class should replace Global – period. Have different professors from different backgrounds teaching this class and Elon would cultivate a population of educationally engaged students.’

“‘Very interested in the topic. Though taught by an econ professor, this definitely felt like an interdisciplinary course.’ Overall, from the perspective of students this year’s recipient is: ‘One of the best at Elon. Always available outside of class, always challenging us.’

“Beyond the classroom, this year’s recipient has worked with several students in their research, fostering the level of work that has achieved awards and recognition beyond Elon. Further, by example and modeling within the LSB and by working with the Preparing Future Faculty program at Duke, this professor is not only teaching students, but is assisting the process of assuring that we, her colleagues, and the next generation of faculty are of equal caliber.”

Excellence in Scholarship
Haya Ajjan

The Martha and Spencer Love School of Business Dean’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship recognizes one or more faculty members each year whose scholarly work has a significant intellectual impact in keeping with the Elon scholar-mentor model. Selection factors for this award include publication or presentation of peer-reviewed research in quality outlets and evidence that the faculty member engages in scholarship related activities. These activities might include supporting the scholarly endeavors of colleagues, advancing the school’s reputation, and mentoring students in undergraduate research.

Remarks on Ajjan from Raghu Tadepalli, dean of the Love School of Business:

“This person’s research is focused on the adoption, implementation, business and decision-making value of information technologies, including social media, and issues related to emerging communication technologies.

“Since 2008, this scholar has had six refereed journal publications, with over 360 citations, according to Google Scholar. Since 2009, this scholar has also published three book chapters and made 15 conference presentations, some of which have been published in conference proceedings. Three more refereed journal publications are forthcoming in 2014, another paper is in 2 revise status, and eight more papers are currently works in progress.  This scholar, who is often the first author, works with a number of colleagues internationally.

“This scholar has published recently in the International Journal of Information Technology & Decision Making, the British Journal of Educational Technology, Behaviour & Information Technology, Journal of Marketing Development and Competitivenes, and Information Resources Management Journal.

“Recent conference presentations include the National Conference for Sales Management, the Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education, the Academy of Marketing Science, and the Academy of Management. A well-developed research stream relates directly to this person’s teaching for undergraduates, MBAs, and as an invited international guest lecturer.”

Exemplary Service – Faculty
Paula Weller

The Martha and Spencer Love School of Business Dean’s Award for Exemplary Service-Faculty recognizes one or more faculty members each year who has contributed in meaningful ways to the ongoing welfare and betterment of the college, university and profession. This award follows from the Elon servant-leadership model. Selection is based on service in the preceding year plus overall willingness to volunteer one’s time when needed and to carry new ideas to reality.

Remarks on Weller from Raghu Tadepalli, dean of the Love School of Business:

“This year’s Dean’s Award for Exemplary Service goes to a faculty member whose service on behalf of the LSB, the department, and students goes above and beyond expectations. This faculty member has served as one department’s assessment coordinator for the assurance of learning for the past 10 years.  Each year she painstakingly prepares a detailed annual report on assessment progress including specific recommendations for improvements.

“In 2011 she put together a team of students to compete in the Institute of Management Accountants’ National Student Case Competition and served as its faculty advisor. In its first year participating in this competition, the team took first place, and finished as a top four team the following year.

“Long before the university established its Writing Excellence Initiative, this faculty member stressed the importance of writing in a field that most people think only includes numbers (accounting). She began by teaching her class how to write memos to appropriate levels of management regarding various accounting issues. From there she initiated a writing contest among her classes utilizing members of the Accounting Board of Advisors as judges. She coauthored a teaching case on ethics that was entered into the Institute of Management Accountants’ Case Competition. She used the case in her classes requiring students to write a memo to the chairman of the finance committee addressing various ethical issues. When Elon announced its Writing Excellence Initiative as part of its Quality Enhancement Program, she immediately volunteered to spearhead this initiative for the department. Driven by her passion for writing, she pushed for the department to participate in the Writing Excellence Initiative’s First Flight Program as a pilot department for this five-year initiative.

“This faculty member serves the department, school and students by teaching in the Elon Becker Fast Pass CPA Review Program. When she realized there was a writing component on the CPA exam, she worked with a faculty member of the business communications department to develop a writing session as part of the review program.

“When the department began developing the curriculum for a proposed Master in Accountancy program, this faculty member worked with an accounting firm to create a niche in advisory services to set our program apart from other MAC programs in the area.”

Exemplary Service – External
Robin Straka (Registrar’s Office)

The Martha and Spencer Love School of Business Dean’s Award for Exemplary Service – External recognizes a member of the larger Elon University community who has contributed in meaningful ways to the ongoing welfare and betterment of the LSB. This contribution can take the form of assisting LSB with a specific program or project or providing ongoing support for LSB activities.

Remarks on Straka from Raghu Tadepalli, dean of the Love School of Business:

“This year’s external recipient of the Dean’s Award for Exemplary Service has served the LSB faculty, staff and students for many years with an unfailing patience and courtesy. This person works with our staff and department chairs on the highly complex task of finalizing the LSB’s course offerings and schedules. She helps students and advisors with sorting out study abroad transfer credits and taking courses at other institutions. She magically takes into account classroom accessibility needs for certain students and  classroom requests for certain faculty’s pedagogies, and with an extremely limited number of classrooms on campus, she manages to assign every class into just the right classroom.  She handles a multitude of other issues in addition to these, issues that cause those of us in the LSB many headaches but she always offers sound, knowledgeable guidance that she delivers calmly and with considerable care.  This person is a consummate professional – highly knowledgeable, efficient, courteous, and most importantly, dedicated to our students, a role model for all of us. There is no question regarding her exceptional skills in the Registrar’s Office, but it also has to be said that she is hands down one of the nicest people to work with – in short, she embodies what makes Elon a special place.”

Exemplary Service – Staff
Nicole Filippo

The Martha and Spencer Love School of Business Dean’s Award for Exemplary Service-Faculty recognizes one or more faculty members each year who has contributed in meaningful ways to the ongoing welfare and betterment of the college, university and profession. This award follows from the Elon servant-leadership model. Selection is based on service in the preceding year plus overall willingness to volunteer one’s time when needed and to carry new ideas to reality.

Remarks on Filippo from Raghu Tadepalli, dean of the Love School of Business:

“In the time that I’ve been dean of the LSB there have been any number of instances when our next recipient has been on my speed dial. Whether it’s having to work with the folks in University Communications or the folks in construction, scheduling breakfasts or lunches with the dean for students, preparing our annual report (and the list can go on and on), this year’s staff recipient of the Dean’s Award for Exemplary Service has done so with a great deal of tact, perseverance and a wonderful eye for detail. I have found her to be sensitive to the needs of the faculty and students. At the same time she is in many respects our contact person for some key campus offices – communications and catering come to mind. When I am in a hurry and feel there is a delay on a project, I’ve learned to ask her first because she knows the procedures that need to be followed and then patiently explains them to me – sometimes more than once. She is the project manager for the LSB’s many projects and I thank her for her dedication to helping advance the mission of the LSB.”

2014-15 Endowed Scholarships

Endowed scholarship recipients honored for their 201achievements.

The A. Vance Beck, Sr. and Gwendolyn D. Beck Scholarship
Gabriella Mays
Established in honor of Vance and Gwendolyn Beck by his employer (the Belk-Beck group of department stores), the award goes to a rising junior within the business school.

The David O. Bowden Economics Scholarship
Caroline Crew
Established by David Bowden ’70, the David O. Bowden Economics Scholarship is awarded to a rising senior majoring in economics who has been active in the department and demonstrated potential for future success. At Elon, Mr. Bowden was a double major in business administration and economics. He went on to earn his J.D. from the University of Miami.

The Janie E. Council Scholarship
Samantha Bellamy
This award was established in 1983 in memory of Janie E. Council by former friends, students and Mr. Robert Sandell II. Mrs. Council began her teaching career at Elon University in 1960 as an associate professor of business education and received the outstanding teaching award from the SGA in 1970. This scholarship is for a rising senior majoring in accounting, business administration, entrepreneurship, finance, international business, management or marketing.

The Doherty Scholars Award
Jensen Roll
Samuel Ackerman
Atticus Grinder
Laura Orr
The Doherty Scholars are the top rising juniors and seniors in the business school’s entrepreneurship major or concentration. They will become the core leaders in the establishment of new entrepreneurial ventures on campus. These scholarships have been established through a generous gift from Edward and Joan Doherty to endow the Doherty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership. Ed and Joan are the parents of three children including Kerry, a 2007 Elon graduate. Ed is a member of Elon’s Board of Trustees and together with Joan serves on Elon’s Parents Council.

The Love Award for Excellence in Business Leadership
Laura Orr
The prestigious Love Awards for Excellence in Business Leadership will honor and provide financial support to students who have demonstrated excellence and unusual promise for further development in intellect, imagination, creativity, character, moral courage and leadership. Founded by Martha and Spencer Love in 1947, the Martha and Spencer Love Foundation has generously supported Elon since the 1950s and made a major gift to Elon in 1985 to name the business school.

The Calvert C. and Margaret H. McGregor Scholarship
Richard Segal
This scholarship was established by Calvert and Audrey McGregor in honor of his parents, C. Calvert and Margaret H. McGregor. McGregor is an associate professor emeritus and the former chair of the accounting department at Elon. This scholarship is for a rising junior or senior accounting student with preference given to students living in Alamance County, the Triad, or North Carolina.

The John and Helene Sparks Scholarship for Business
Aubrey Wilkerson
This award was established by John and his wife Helene in 1981. John Sparks graduated from Elon in 1950 with a Bachelor of Arts in business administration. He is a certified public accountant and former faculty member in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business. This scholarship is for business administration, entrepreneurship, finance, international business, management or marketing majors.

The Frederick K. Gilliam, Sr. Scholarship
Jennifer McRobert
Melissa Kenealy
Matthew Zimpelman
Marisa Dour
This scholarship was established in 1989 in memory of Fred Gilliam, Sr. by the partners in his accounting firm (James Moser, Jr., Maurice Jennings, and John Vernon III). Fred was a 1942 Elon graduate. He participated in orchestra and was part of Kappa Psi Nu. This scholarship is for accounting majors.

The R. Cruse Lewis Master Pools Guild/Love School of Business Endowment Scholarship
Elin Pipatti
Elizabeth Desino
This scholarship was established in 1998 in honor of Cruse’s retirement from Master Pools Guild. Mr. R. Cruse Lewis is a former employee of Swimout Overflow Components, Inc. and Burlington Industries. He received a Citizen’s Service Award in November 2000 and has served on the Board of Visitors at Elon since 1996. This scholarship is for any business school major.

The Dudley Ray Watson Memorial Scholarship
Erin Scally
This scholarship was established in memory of Dudley Ray Watson by his parents, J. D. and Eunice Watson. Watson served as a member of the business faculty at Elon College from 1960 to 1963. This scholarship is for a rising senior majoring in business administration, entrepreneurship, finance, international business, management or marketing.

The Wells Fargo Scholarship
Christopher Shannon
This scholarship was established in 1987 as the First Union Bank Scholarship, renamed when First Union and Wachovia banks merged, and again renamed when Wachovia and Wells Fargo merged. The scholarship provides assistance to students enrolled in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business.

The Linda Thompson Weavil Endowed Scholarship
Katharine Frazier
Derek Thomas
This scholarship was established in 1992 by Dr. Linda Thompson Weavil and her husband Robert B. Weavil. Linda Thompson Weavil retired from the faculty of the Love School of Business in 2001. This scholarship is for an MBA student or an undergraduate majoring in business administration, entrepreneurship, finance, international business, management or marketing, with preference given to those living in Alamance County, the Triad, or North Carolina.

The John L. Sills, Jr. Scholarship
Wesley Brewer
This scholarship was established in honor of John L. Sills, Jr. by Riverview Narrow Fabrics in August 1987. Sills was treasurer at Riverview Narrow Fabrics, Inc. He and his wife, Martha, have one son, John L. Sills, III, a 1989 Elon graduate. This scholarship is for rising junior accounting majors.

The David A. Stevens ’81 Internship Scholarship
Abigail Dean
Established in 2007 by David and Beth Stevens, this scholarship is awarded to business students to help defray the cost of completing an internship.

The Charles David Smith Endowed Scholarship
Meghan Greene
Anyssa McMillan
This scholarship was established in memory of Charles D. Smith by his parents Randolph Smith and Joyce Miller, and lifelong friend George Logan. Charles died in a plane crash near Roanoke, Virginia. He graduated from Elon with a Bachelor of Science degree in Banking and Finance in 1997. He was part of the men’s tennis team and a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. This scholarship is for business majors and preference is given to students from Virginia.

The Myers Family Endowed Scholarship in Business
Maria Restuccio
The Myers family established this fund in honor of their son Jay, a 2007 business school graduate, for Love School of Business majors who exhibit excellence in leadership, character, and intellect.

The Mark A. Horsburgh Study Abroad Scholarship
Carly Davenport
This award, established in 2007 by the Horsburgh family, provides scholarship assistance to a Business Fellow so that he or she can study abroad. The fund was created in honor of Mark A. Horsburgh, a 2007 Elon graduate and Business Fellow who studied abroad in Australia and Peru.

The Andras Family Award
Le To
This award was established in 2007 with gifts from the Andras Foundation and David and Anne Andras, parents of Cody Andras ’10. The scholarship is awarded to a rising senior within the business school whose excellent work both inside and outside of the classroom models a pathway to future success in business.

The Samuel L. Burke Endowed Scholarship
Nancy Chen
This fund was established in 2008 by Samuel Burke ’89 to provide assistance for deserving accounting majors who are likely to demonstrate the value of their Elon education in their future careers.

The Rose Family Endowed Fund for Engaged Learning in Business
Allison Weiler
Katherine Shea
This fund was established by Harry and Carol Rose in 2008 to help defray the cots of a business-related internship experience for any business major.

The Department of Economics Endowed Scholarship
Oshan Jarrow
This scholarship was established in 2005 by members of the Department of Economics for an economics major with a record of academic excellence within the major who exhibits a commitment to social responsibility

The James T. Toney Endowment Fund
Victoria Rosen
This award was established by members of the Department of Economics in honor of Professor Jim Toney. The scholarship is for economics majors and is to be used for off-campus travel.

The Edward and Rita Galante Endowment for Business Internships
Jared Lennon
Daniel Kirk
This fund was established in 2008 in honor of Edward and Rita Galante by their son Donald and his wife Amanda. The award is to help business majors enjoy the unique educational opportunities associated with internships related to their major.

The Peter L. Tourtellot Endowed Scholarship in Business
Julie Rodriguez
This scholarship was established in 2010 by members of the Love School of Business Board of Advisors honoring board member Peter Tourtellot for his seven years of service as board chair. The scholarship is for a deserving undergraduate student within the Love School of Business.

The Troy Family Endowed Scholarship for International Study
Haley Ghelfi
Established by Samuel P. Troy ’67, this scholarship is for any student in the Love School of Business studying abroad for a semester.

The J. Harold Smith Scholarship
Michael Keenan
This award was established by C. Randolph Ferguson in 1995 in honor of J. Harold Smith.  It is intended for business students from North Carolina with a minimum 2.7 GPA.

The R. Alston Team III Endowed Scholarship in Business
Erin Lanzotti
Danielle Wallach
This scholarship was established in honor of Alston Team ’07 for students with a strong GPA, a record of contributions to the Love School of Business, and a significant potential for professional success.

The Don S. and Margaret M. Holt Scholarship
Adam Gill
Jacqueline Orr
This award was established by the estate of Margaret M. Holt in 1988 to provide scholarship assistance to students in the Love School of Business.

The William A. Klopman, Jr. Memorial Scholarship
Margot Shoemaker
This award was established in 1992 in memory of William A. Klopman, Jr., a scholar of business and law. It is to provide scholarship assistance to a rising junior or senior in the Love School of Business who demonstrates high academic potential with preference given to students living in Alamance County, the Triad, or North Carolina.

The Park Business Scholarship
Giancarlo Mendoza
The scholarship was established in 1992 by Professor of Finance Dr. Wonhi Synn and his wife, Grace, in memory of her mother, Joy K. Park to provide assistance for a rising junior or senior in the Love School of Business of racial or ethnic minority. Preference is given to students living in Alamance County, the Triad, or North Carolina.

The Yearwood Family Scholarship
Kenneth Straub
This award was established by David and Amy Yearwood, parents of business administration major J.D. Yearwood ‘07, in order to help make the unique opportunities presented through an Elon education available to a greater number of gifted and deserving business students.

The John R. Hill ’76 and Lesley W. Hill Endowed Fund for Engaged Learning in Business
Amanda Rolfes
This fund was established by John R. Hill ’76 and Lesley W. Hill to assist students with engaged learning experiences, such as research, international study or internships.