Welcome To The Exchange

Welcome to the inaugural edition of The Exchange, an e-publication of the School of Business and Professional Studies (SBPS). It is often said that change is the one constant in life and there is no question that 2020 has brought significant change to Limestone. On July 1, Limestone College, that for 175 years has offered higher education opportunities to those who often found such access challenging, officially became Limestone University. In keeping with its tradition, Limestone University will continue to expand the opportunities for those seeking access to higher education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

The drive to University status brought change to the academic areas as well. Divisions were reorganized into Schools, and departments were split, combined and/or shifted to the most appropriate School. The SBPS now contains four departments: accounting, economics & finance; management, marketing & law; health care administration & human resource management; and sport management.

We also made significant investments in programs and infrastructure as Limestone prepared to move to university status. Dr. Michael Scharff championed the business administration program’s accreditation in 2017 by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). Dr. Stefanie Corbett developed a health care administration concentration for the MBA program that began admitting students in 2018. Additional graduate health care courses were developed this year to support a master’s degree in Health Informatics being developed by the computer science department that is expected to begin admitting students in fall 2021. Dr. Chitalu Adams reviewed and revised the Human Resource Management curriculum to align the HRM major with best practices as recommended by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). Dr. Jaime Orejan led a significant revision to the Sport Management major with the long-term goal of achieving program accreditation through the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA). The Vera Jones Mitchell Finance lab opened in the Montgomery Building in the fall of 2018. In addition to funds raised for the Lab, funds were raised to establish the Cline Technology & Scholarship fund, a student-managed fund that provides finance students the opportunity to make investment decisions utilizing the skills they develop and the technology the lab provides. Proceeds from the fund will be used to support student scholarships. Montgomery classroom 204 was retrofitted with the latest technology of cameras and a projection system to provide for hybrid courses that combine instruction for day and online students in upper-level courses. Check out the other articles in this newsletter to see more details about the changes taking place in the SBPS.

Investment in and development of faculty have also played important roles in the drive to university. Angela Williams, chair the Accounting, Finance & Economics department, completed her doctorate in accounting in December 2018. Noel Ridsdale, a recent addition to the management faculty, completed his doctorate in September 2019. Renee Dyer, who moved from lecturer to Assistant Professor of Finance, completed her doctorate in December 2019. Cecilia Zhang was hired in August 2020 to add a second full time faculty member to the Sport Management program and she is expected to complete her doctorate in December 2020.

As we look to the future the SBPS is continuing to assess ways to strengthen existing programs and assess new program opportunities to serve current and future students. If you would like to participate in building upon the above successes below are some opportunities. The Cline Technology & Scholarship fund has room to grow and you can add your name to the list of supporters of the student-managed fund. An endowment fund has been established for a Speaker Series to bring the best and the brightest to Limestone and expose our students to successful leaders from the areas of business, academics, government, and the non-profit world. An endowment fund for a Digital Wall (see a sample at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3ymIhIF4PA) in the Montgomery Building to connect students with alumni, internship opportunities, and world events has also been established. Naming rights for both the Speaker Series and Digital Wall are available. Contributions to these projects and the programs of the SBPS can be made using the donation link in this publication.

We also want to hear from our alumni and friends about events happening in your lives and how your time at Limestone influenced or shaped your post-Limestone years. One of the most rewarding aspects of being a faculty member is to learn of the successes of our graduates and to share with prospective students the opportunities that a degree from Limestone can provide. Please share your activities, accomplishments and thoughts or ideas of how we can continue to improve our programs using the following: sbps@limestone.edu.

On a personal note, I still recall the initial meeting I had when interviewing for a faculty position at Limestone many years ago. The Academic Dean at the time indicated that there were two questions he always asked when making a decision concerning the school: What is in the best interest of Limestone and what is in the best interest of her students. I feel extremely fortunate to have worked with numerous faculty members, administrators, and staff over the years who have kept those two questions at the forefront of decisions affecting Limestone’s future. Even with the challenges the past year has brought to all of us, Limestone’s future remains bright.

Go Saints!

Dr. Paul LeFrancois
Professor of Economics
Dean, School of Business & Professional Studies
plefrancois@limestone.edu
864.488.4527