The Carson College of Business honored its outstanding faculty members, doctoral students, and staff at its annual awards ceremony on May 2.
Outstanding Faculty Research
George Jiang
Department of Finance and Management Sciences
Jiang had 14 research papers accepted for publication over the past three years, including one in a top academic journal and several in A- and B+ publications. Many of these publications are with current and former PhD students, showing his dedication to helping others develop their research skills.
Outstanding Faculty Service
Claire Latham
Accounting department
Latham has completed hundreds of service hours related to college learning assurance for the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business accreditation process. She led her committee through a complete overhaul that aligned the process with the new learning objectives of The Next Carson Coug program. This job involves analyzing course and course content, testing students, and notifying faculty of the results.
Outstanding Faculty Teaching
Joe Compeau
Department of Management, Information Systems and Entrepreneurship
Colleagues describe Compeau as a teacher who strives to create an exceptional educational experience while training future business leaders. He reduced class time in his classes and increased learning through small group activities and student-instructor interaction. He also mentors new professors and doctoral students to develop their teaching skills.
Outstanding Doctoral Teaching Assistant
Shazzad Sikdar
Department of Management, Information Systems and Entrepreneurship
Sikdar gives students detailed feedback on assignments and helps them track their progress over time. He is also very interested in teaching techniques. When classes were moved online during COVID-19, one professor suggested using a cartoon-style approach to illustrate case studies and increase student engagement. Sikdar reviewed websites for comic book design, reviewing them for cost, ease of use, and quality of graphics. He has also worked to ease students’ transition to in-person learning.
Exceptional teaching of doctoral students
Muzi Liu
Department of Marketing and International Business
Liu’s teaching style encourages students to apply marketing concepts to relevant real-world situations. She encourages students to ask questions in class and pauses until the class has meaningful contributions. Students regularly give her high marks in assessments for the wide range of courses she teaches.
Outstanding Research for PhD Students
Nasir Haghighi
Department of Marketing and International Business
Haghighi’s peers say they are inspired by his research. He recently co-authored an article in the International Journal of Research in Marketing. Because of his research credentials, the University of Washington hired him to work at its Tacoma campus after graduation.
Exceptional commitment of student staff
Leanne Ralstin
Carson Center for Student Success
Ralstin took on additional duties during a transition period at the Carson Center for Student Success. Despite the overwhelming responsibilities, she stepped up to ensure the smooth running of Career Networking Night, numerous Boeing and Pacaar events, the college mentorship program, and weekly student newsletters. She has been invaluable in guiding students in meeting Carson Career Amplifer requirements through events and workshops.
Exceptional commitment of the Staff College
Lisa Wood
Department of Marketing and International Business
In addition to her duties as an administrative assistant in the Department of Marketing and International Affairs, Wood has volunteered to help two other departments. She provided administrative support to the Department of Finance and Management Sciences when there was no administrative assistant and served on the search committee to fill the position. She also helped the new administrative assistant in the Department of Management, Information Systems and Entrepreneurship get acclimated.
Exceptional commitment of teaching staff
Marlene Ibsen
Accounting department
Ibsen goes above and beyond in his work, helping new faculty become familiar with college processes. She responds quickly to requests, issues refunds within a day or two, and books classrooms as soon as they become available. Her colleagues say she is a nice person to be around and they feel happier after talking to her.
