Dean's Report to Stakeholders

As graduation draws near, I want to share with you—our alumni, friends, parents, and supporters of the College of Business Administration (CBA) at California State University, Long Beach—news of exciting events here at the CBA.

Dr. Michael Solt Named Dean of CBA

We are very pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Michael Solt as the new Dean of the CBA. Dr. Solt is expected to begin his new position on June 1. Dean-elect Solt is currently Associate Dean of the Lucas Graduate School of Business at San Jose State University (SJSU), a position he has held for three years.

Dr. Solt earned a doctorate in finance from Indiana University and has taught international finance and new venture finance in the Accounting and Finance Department at SJSU for 14 years. He has served the CSU system in executive, administrative and teaching roles for more than 17 years.

He and his wife Mabel look forward to becoming a part of the CBA family and the greater Long Beach community. Alumni and friends will have opportunities to meet them at local and regional welcoming events, which are being planned. Please check your mail for a forthcoming invitation.

New Faculty Appointments

Six new faculty members will join the CBA this coming fall 2008. They include Judy Yuan (Accounting), Daniel Rottig (Management/HRM), Richard Opland (Management/HRM), Lin Cummings (Management/HRM), Thomas Norman (Management/HRM) and Doan Nguyen (Marketing). All of these teacher-scholars have impressive credentials, and they will enrich the intellectual capital and cultural diversity of the CBA faculty.

Centers of Excellence

In October 2007, the Ukleja Center for Ethical Leadership (UCEL) welcomed its first William Dickson Leader-in-Residence, Dr. Robert Lorber, President of Lorber Kamai Consulting Group and co-author of Putting the One Minute Manager to Work and Who are You and What Do You Want?

UCEL’s Ethics Across the Curriculum recently granted stipends to six faculty members from various colleges and disciplines to integrate ethics modules into their curricula.

Nineteen students completed the Edna Davis Hobbs California Student Leadership Institute course, now in its second year. Featured guest speakers from community businesses, including JetBlue Airways and The Boeing Company, shared stories of their ethical challenges. This year, for the service learning component, students chose to volunteer at Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times and assisted pediatric cancer patients and their families.

Ethics at the Beach, a half-day, on-campus ethics seminar for students, featured Dr. James Manseau Sauceda, Director of the CSULB Multicultural Center, and Kurtis Oakley, Ethics Program Manager at Northrop Grumman Corporation. They shared their expertise on ethical communications in a global society at the April 18 event.

Student Center for Professional Development (SCPD) recapped its exciting year and awarded more than $10,000 in scholarship funds at its May 9 Awards Banquet on the Queen Mary. Financial Executives International awarded two students in Finance and Accounting $4,500 in scholarship funding ($2,500 more than last year). The Community Scholars Program continues to grow, 20 Jordan High School students were mentored by CBA students this year. Also, the City Leadership student project re-branded the Workforce Development Center (WDC). Our students’ great work will be included in WDC’s July ’08 launch.

First Overseas Commencement

The CSULB and the CBA conducted their first overseas commencement ceremony on May 2 in Singapore. The ceremonies honored the first graduates of CBA’s Singapore Program who received bachelor’s degrees in Business Administration (with an option in International Business). This historic occasion is a result of our collaboration with the Productivity Standards Board (PSB) Academy in Singapore, which dates back to fall 2005. Under the partnership program, students take half of their classes at CSULB with CBA faculty and the other half at the PSB Academy.

ABSOC Update

The Forty-five companies and approximately 300 students participated in the thirty-sixth annual Meet the Industries Expo (MIE) held March 7 on the Queen Mary. Sponsored by the Associated Business Students Organization Council (ABSOC), MIE is a day-long event that offers professional development workshops, a luncheon and a career expo. Speakers included LeadershipTraq President Mick Ukleja, Banco Popular Vice President Alvaro Castillo, Northwestern Mutual Finance Managing Director Steve Lindholm, former Senior Vice President of TABC (a Toyota subsidiary) David Dedinsky, and Dale Carnegie Training Executive Vice President Lew McCullough. Alumni are invited to propose ideas for workshop presentations, and the companies for whom they work are encouraged to recruit new employees at MIE 2009. For information please write to absoc@csulb.edu.

More than 100 students from universities throughout the western United States attended the Pacific West Regional SHRM Student Conference and HR Games held in the CBA on April 4-5. The conference is designed to expand students’ HR skills and knowledge. CSULB's HRMA student professional organization qualified for and participated in the regional finals of the HR Collegiate Competition.

A team of six MBA students, who will graduate in May, won the First Runner-up Trophy for Overall Performance in the International Collegiate Business Strategy Competition hosted by the University of California, San Diego. The April 17-19 competition included 23 domestic and international teams. This was the first year CSULB students participated. The competition, now in its forty-fourth year, uses an international computerized simulation. The CBA team was comprised of: Silvia Balint, Paul Briet, Elizabeth Gogel, James Lee, Vala Shahabi and Natalia Staneva. They worked together as strategic managers of Long Beach International, Inc. The students overwhelmingly agreed that the competition was the single most valuable experience of their master’s education. Funding for the team’s participation was provided jointly by the Dean’s office and the MBA program.

The CSULB American Marketing Association won five awards at the recent AMA International Collegiate Conference in New Orleans, including Best Communication of Chapter Activities-Exhibit Session Award, Outstanding Website, Outstanding Communications, Outstanding Professional Development, and Outstanding Community Service. Our students did a superb job of representing both the University and the campus AMA organization.

AACSB Accreditation

The CBA is preparing for its five-year review by the Association to Advance the Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB); due in February 2009. Preparations include updating the strategic plan, instituting a new learning outcomes assessment program, hiring additional qualified faculty and curriculum review. We are especially grateful to members of the community who responded to our requests for input to the curriculum and the strategic plan.

Your Support for the CBA

Serving as Interim Dean of the CBA has been a pleasure. I am looking forward to early retirement following 24 years of service to the College. The future is bright for the CBA. During my tenure, I have seen the enormous impact and success the CBA has realized in educating future business professionals. I have had the privilege of witnessing the transformation of our students through their experiences in the classroom; through their interactions with business professionals who serve as speakers and mentors; and through their internships and travel. All of the exceptional opportunities and achievements you have read about were made possible because individuals chose to make a difference by sharing their time, experiences and resources with our students. Your support makes the difference between a good and a great college!

We appreciate your partnership with us and warmly invite your continued involvement with the College’s future. I hope you will consider a gift to the CBA. Please consider joining with faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of the CBA and supporting the college through a gift to the CBA. Together we can provide the transformative experiences that prepare tomorrow’s business leaders for the State of California, the nation and the world. In addition to funding opportunities for students outside the classroom, the CBA awarded over $39,000 in scholarships this year. If you would like information about establishing a named scholarship or named annual prize in honor of your family, business or loved one to benefit a deserving student, please contact Alexandra Jordan, Development Coordinator [(562) 985-4830 or ajordan3@csulb.edu] or me.

Most Sincerely,

M. B. Khan, Ph.D.
Interim Dean and Professor of Information Systems