Finance and Economics Border or Investment Trip
The College of Business offers economics and finance majors and minors the opportunity to travel to various locations. In 2007 the department hosted a trip to the El Paso Federal Reserve and a day touring maquiladoras in Juarez, Mexico. The 2008 trip was to Dallas to attend the investment forum hosted by the Hodges Fund. In 2010 the tentative plan is to go to Seattle and Vancouver, Canada for the two-week border economics trip and the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting in Omaha, Nebraska for the investments trip. Estimated Costs for the Seattle/Vancouver trip is approximately $1,200, while most expenses for the Omaha trip are subsidized by the College of Business for student portfolio managers. Contact Dr. Anne Macy for information or to submit an application.
Computer Information Systems (CIS) Technology Trip
The 2008 CIS trip was to Seattle to tour Microsoft and Boeing. The 2009 CIS trip was to Houston to tour Hewlett-Packard and Nasa. Possible trips for 2010 are San Francisco with a focus on Google or Dallas. The majority of the expenses are paid by the College of Business althought students pay a nominal fee of approximatley $200 (travel scholarships are available for need based cases). Contact Dr. Amjad Abdullat for information or to submit an application.
Management, Marketing and General Business (MMGB) Trip
MMGB supports travel opportunites for students in SIFE. The 2007 trip was to Dallas, 2008 was to Chicago, and 2009 was to Philadelphia. The department also sponsors the Student Advisory Board trips. The majority of the expenses are paid by the College of Business althought students pay a nominal fee of $100-300 for some trips. Contact Dr. Nick Gerlich for information or to submit an application.
Student Organizations
Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE)
SIFE is a collegiate student leadership organization with teams on more than 600 campuses nationwide. SIFE has been at WTAMU for 15 years. Each year, SIFE has won a regional championship and advanced to competition at SIFE's International Exposition. SIFE's mission is to provide students the best opportunity to make a difference and develop leadership, teamwork and communication skills through learning, practicing and teaching the principles of free enterprise. SIFE projects are presented to corporate judges in a written report and multimedia presentation. Students have an opportunity to interview with SIFE's corporate sponsors including Frito-Lay, General Electric, Hallmark Cards, Office Depot, Rubbermaid, Armour Swift Eckrich, Office Depot, Radio Shack, Wal-Mart, Eckerds, Newell, Shermin-Williams and American Greetings.
Omicron Delta Epsilon (ODE)
ODE is one of the world's largest academic honor societies. The primary objectives are recognition of scholastic attainment and honoring outstanding achievements in economics. Currently, there are 578 chapters in the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Egypt, France and United Arab Emirates. The WTAMU chapter is the Nu chapter. Membership is open to students who have completed at least 12 hours in economics (6 hours for graduate students) with a GPA of 3.5 and an overall of 3.0. Members of ODE wear honor cords at graduation.
Accounting Club
Accounting Club is for all students, particularly those considering a career in accounting. Besides learning about the profession, members get to meet business majors and potential employers. For the 2008-2009 academic year, Accounting Club will meet on the third Thursday of each month in room 210 of the Virgil Henson Activity Center.
Student Advisory Board
The Student Advisory Board meets four times a year with the dean and associate dean to discuss issues relating to future initiatives. Visit advisory boards or contact Betty Stocker to apply for a position.
Other Opportunities
Student Publications
Luis Cruz, a senior finance major and Aaron Putman, a graduate student in finance and economics both presented faculty led research at the 2008 Federation of Business Disciplines meeting in Houston. Cruz and Dr. Anne Macy published "Religious-based Mutual Funds?" in the Southwestern Review of International Business, Vol. 19(1), 2008, pages 1-6.
Aaron Putman is an MSFE graduate. Putman and Dr. Neil Terry published "DVD Movie Revenue and the Global Box Office: Substitutes or Complements?" in the Southwestern Review of International Business, Vol. 19(1), 2008, pages 89-93.
Graduate student Jennifer Falkner appears in the book Child Adoption: Issues and Perspectives with Drs. Neil Terry and Nancy Turner. The complete citation is as follows: Terry, N., Turner, N., & Falkner, J. (2008). Comparing the Efficacy of Domestic Versus International Adoption. In Meenu Bhatnagar (Ed.) Child Adoption: Issues and Perspectives, (pp. 15-31). India: ICFAI University Press.
Miles Zachary is an MSFE graduate student. Zachary has published two peer-reviewed journal articles with Dr. Neil Terry in the Journal of Academy of Business and Economics and Journal of International Business and Cultural Studies. Zachary was the graduate student winner for best paper at the West Texas A&M University Student Research Conference for a manuscript created in IDM 6362 with Dr. Frank Landram.
The WTAMU Russia program is a two-week immersion learning experience in Nizhny, Novgorod. In the summer, 10-16 students travel with two faculty members and learn from Russian scholars, students and cultural activities. In 2008, four Russian students spent a semester in Canyon and 11 WTAMU students spent two weeks in Russia. The student exchange was well received by both. Room, board and airfare are subsidized by the University and the College of Business. Total travel cost is approximately $2,000 for students. Contact 