Last fall, business student Mallory (Mitchell) Hammer graduated with her degree after overcoming what some people would consider insurmountable obstacles. What an amazing story of grit and determination—there is NO quitting with Mallory. To be inspired, read Mallory’s story in the Spring 2022 Alumni Spotlight magazine.

We are pleased to announce we are offering our undergraduate accounting degree fully online, in addition to our face-to-face offering. Accounting joins Business Administration for two convenient options for students who work or can’t commute for classes. To see our full line-up of programs offered, both undergraduate and graduate, face-to-face and online, visit our website.

On Feb. 9, we hosted our Business and Technology Career and Internship Day in Cremer Hall. Moving the fair to Cremer Hall from Memorial Union proved to be quite successful, with more student participation than in the previous years. About 150 students visited the 23 businesses that participated. Both parties appreciated the fair, and afterward, students were hired for jobs or internships from the networking opportunities this provided. Contact us if you or your employer might be interested in attending our Fall Career and Internship Fair scheduled for Oct. 5, 2022.

Ten students from Emporia State University’s chapter of Phi Beta Lambda qualified for national competition during the 2022 State Leadership Conference. The conference was held in Cremer Hall, and hosted by the ESU Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) chapter.

Emporia State was one of seven schools that competed at the event. Emporia PBL students placed 28 times at the competition and received 13 first-place finishes. PBL is the collegiate level of high school Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). It builds on communication, leadership, networking, entrepreneurial, and business skills for the future. All majors are welcome to join PBL.

“We have excellent students competing on the state and national platforms,” says Dr. Ed Bashaw, Dean of the School of Business. “I am proud of their performance, professionalism, intelligence, and grit, both in and out of the classroom.”

For more information on Emporia State’s PBL Chapter, please click here.

On Feb. 28, we hosted our annual Business Career Day. Roughly 360 students from 28 high schools convened on campus to learn about business majors and student life at Emporia State University. Students chose to attend different breakout sessions with topics including accounting, entrepreneurship, technology, marketing, management, human resources, social media, business education, and finance.

The Spring Honors Banquet was held on Apr. 21. This is an evening to celebrate our business students who have earned top honors. At the banquet, we recognized Dr. Steven Lovett, Associate Professor in Business Administration, with the Faculty Teaching Award for his commitment to student learning.

Nick and Jan Laurent were also honored for their leadership and commitment to the School of Business in their generous gifts to help support our internship program and high-impact learning. Together, Forward, we will be grateful for Nick and Jan's gracious support for years to come.

The top MBA award (Stephen J. Butcher Outstanding Graduate) went to Erica Self, and Michaela Forkenbrock and Jan Bard (pictured above) received the outstanding senior awards. Other awards announced were the Reeble Scholars, Preston Scholars, Outstanding Business Scholars, Distinguished Business Scholars, Dean’s Leadership Class participants, and senior honor students. Congratulations to all the outstanding students who were recognized for their dedication and hard work.

Check out all the photos from our Spring Honors Banquet on our Facebook page @ESU.Business.

Students who are in the top 10% of their class (20% for graduate students) are invited to join Beta Gamma Sigma (BGS) and are “tapped” by faculty dressed in commencement attire while in class. The element of surprise is fun, and the rest of the class learns about BGS and the benefits of being invited. This spring, 31 students were inducted. Congratulations to the new members of Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society—they join an elite group of business students and professionals from AACSB business schools.

Check out all the photos from our Beta Gamma Sigma Induction on our Facebook page @ESU.Business.

Three students were initiated into Beta Alpha Psi: Dylan Barnhart, Demontay Tarver, and Kyler Cain. Beta Alpha Psi is the International Honorary Organization for financial information professionals. They were initiated in a virtual event hosted by Beta Alpha Psi International on Apr. 12. More than 200 students from 20 different chapters across the nation were initiated that day. Traditionally, it is best known as the honorary accounting fraternity, but all accounting, finance, and information systems majors who meet the qualifications are invited to join.

On May 13, we celebrated our graduates with a ceremonial graduate hooding and undergraduate reception. We enjoyed hooding our graduates and saying good luck to all who attended. Check out all the posted videos and photos on our Facebook page @ESU.Business.

For a great story on another one of our students with grit and determination, read about Micayla Davis’s 9-year college journey (pictured above).

Jillian Patton and Lillian Reynolds were announced the winners of the Emporia Entrepreneur Challenge on Apr. 28 for their entry titled “HUSH” and received the Dr. John Zimmerman Entrepreneurial Prize, a new award that resulted from a gift graciously funded by Dan Austin, alumni, who remembers a profound conversation with Dr. Zimmerman about serving others. The Emporia Entrepreneur Challenge is a venture idea competition that is open to all students from Emporia State University with $3,000 in cash prizes: $1,500 for first, $1,000 for second, and $500 for third. Second place and $1,000 went to Aren Trost for his idea “Farmers, Bee, Hemp.” Jackson Novacek and Khalil Rasheed took third place and $500 with their idea of “Buy, Play, Trade.” Click here to read the full article, including the winners of the Elevator Challenge held on Feb. 23, the committee and judges, and more about the winning ideas.

Each  year, the Shepherd Scholars Program honors Emporia State’s most outstanding students, as determined through a robust and competitive application process. Emporia natives R. Hershel and Augusta Shepherd established this program through an endowed gift of $150,000 to the ESU Foundation in 1995. Through the years, the scholarship has been further enhanced by contributions from the couple and their children. Congratulations to our business students Morgan Bolen and Jose Eduardo Argueta Mejia for being newly named Shepherd Scholars.

Four high school students across the state have received their awards from the fifth annual statewide Kansas Business Hall of Fame (KBHF) essay contest. Original essays were based on research of a Kansas Business Hall of Fame honoree inducted into one of two categories, Historical or Contemporary. Ninety-three entries from 17 Kansas high schools were judged by a panel of business professionals and business faculty. The prize money, totaling $2,000, was graciously donated by the Kansas Chamber of Commerce.

The four winners were:

• Sriram Srinivasa Kalki, freshman from Blue Valley North High School, inductee Philip Anschutz
• Caroline Place, freshman from Blue Valley North High School, inductee Junius George Groves
• Baylee Richard, senior from Olpe High School, inductee Olive Ann Beech
• William White Walker, freshman from Emporia High School, inductee William Allen White

Pictured is William White Walker.

Joseph J. Bisogno and the late brothers Joseph and Louis Wenger have been announced as the 2022 Kansas Business Hall of Fame (KBHF) Contemporary and Historical inductees, respectively. These three gentlemen were officially inducted at the Business Appreciation Dinner on May 11 at the Topeka Country Club hosted by the Kansas Chamber of Commerce.

This year marks the 34th induction into the Kansas Business Hall of Fame, located in the School of Business at Emporia State University. Business leaders selected for the KBHF are widely known for their contributions to Kansas and for being role models to future business leaders. KBHF recognizes historical contributors and present-day leaders who have made private enterprise work in Kansas and throughout the country. The KBHF Board is made up of individuals from across the state of Kansas and from Kansas universities who are passionate about recognizing these individuals.