The 51��¥ (UCA) College of Business will host

Deylami is the COO of NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, where he oversees $8B in assets and leads enterprise operations, infrastructure modernization and strategic transformation across a $1B annual portfolio supporting more than 3,200 employees, 160 NASA projects and 100 partner agreements.

Deylami’s UCA Leadership Series will include:

• Tuesday, Feb. 17, at 1:40 p.m.: Lessons in Leadership, Purpose, and Resilience.
• Tuesday, March 31, at 1:40 p.m.: Building People-Centric Cultures of Innovation and Trust.
• Thursday, April 16, at 3 p.m.: Leading Transformative Vision in Complex Organizations.

All events will be held in the UCA College of Business Auditorium in Conway, Arkansas.

“Amir Deylami is recognized as one of NASA’s top-performing executives,” Dr. Tim Bisping, dean of the UCA College of Business, said. “We are thrilled he will engage with our students, faculty and staff, and community partners and share his successful strategies on innovation, operations and technology.

“We asked Amir to serve as our Executive in Residence because he is deeply committed to mentorship and leadership development. He is a successful Arkansan with two decades of executive experience at NASA, and we look forward to his visits to our campus.”

The Executive in Residence program connects successful industry experts with students, faculty and local business professionals. The college maintains an innovative curriculum that provides real-world experiences and engagement to prepare UCA students for the global business environment.

Congratulations to:
– : Graduate Student in Accountancy and Data Analytics, COB Student Ambassador, Awarded Academic Achievement Award
– : Accounting Major, Awarded Bear Spirit Award
– Kierra Collier: Marketing Major, COB Student Ambassador
– : Information Systems Major, Awarded Third Runner Up, Producers Award, Miss Congeniality, Overall Evening Gown Award, and People’s Choice Award

Robin S. Roeder

Each year, an Insurance and Risk Management (IRM) professional is brought to the UCA College of Business for visits with students, faculty, and other industry and community professionals. Early this week, we were thrilled to welcome Robin S. Roeder,��senior vice president of risk management for Sedgwick, to share her experience with us. The program is supported by the Spencer Educational Foundation.

Roeder visited campus for two days. At the luncheon on Monday, April 15, we were joined by many students, faculty, and insurance professionals, including Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Alan McClain, who spoke a few words to highlight the significance of the IRM industry in Arkansas.

(Pictured from L to R: UCA Insurance Center Director Mr. Ivan Hudson, Ms. Robin Roeder, Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Mr. Alan McClain, and Mr. Kelley Erstine, 51��¥ Board of Trustees Member and CEO of the Independent Insurance Agents of Arkansas.)

During her presentation, Roeder shared a compelling presentation called “Katrina: The Catastrophe, the Cost, the Claim.” She shared photos of the impact Hurricane Katrina had on Louisiana, but shifted to focus on the experience from the purview of Memorial Medical, a local hospital that had been known to weather many storms in the past. After the hurricane hit and levees broke, thousands of medically fragile patients and visitors were left stranded in the hospital; as the disaster unfolded over the course of days, hospital officials were forced to make heartbreaking decisions about who to evacuate, when, and how.

Many Memorial Medical patients died in this unprecedented catastrophe, and decisions made by Memorial Medical officials during that time were later analyzed as incorrect decisions. Roeder asked those in attendance what decisions they would have made if they were in charge at Memorial Medical during Katrina; still so many years later, the audience struggled with how to correctly respond, now knowing the devastation, limited communications, and scarce resources officials, individuals, and families faced during and after Katrina.

Despite the difficult question, Roeder stressed the need to make a plan for catastrophes such as Katrina and how risk and loss are addressed. In closing, Roeder shared lessons learned, and impacts that survivors — and the risk management profession itself — faced in the years since the disaster, including laws passed because of Hurricane Katrina.

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Later in the evening several students and faculty were invited to dinner with Ms. Roeder and her fiancé. This is a valuable time for students to network and ask questions with the Risk Manager on Campus.

On Tuesday, April 16, Ms. Roeder visited the student risk management organization Gamma Iota Sigma to speak about how soft skills can enhance their careers. With this group of students and faculty, Roeder held an interactive forum for groups to answer practical questions and complete exercises that occur as part of job interviews.

Ms. Roeder brought a wealth of experience to UCA. She earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Memphis and later earned a master’s degree in risk management and insurance from Florida State University. She is a RIMS Fellow and holds the Certified Risk Manager, Associate in Risk Management – ERM, Certified Environmental Strategist and Associate in Captive Insurance designations. She served as the senior manager for risk management and treasury at Wright Medical Technology for nearly 11 years before joining Sedgwick in 2011. There Roeder developed the strategic risk management vision and framework for the company’s program. Today, she leads operational risk management activities and oversees the management of claims, safety and loss control, physical security and travel risk management. Roeder is also responsible for risk management planning and response related to business interruption, crisis management, and business resiliency. Aside from her busy career, Roeder is highly involved in service to the IRM industry and education sector. Read more about Ms. Roeder.

The 2024 Risk Manager on Campus gave students, faculty, and community members a valuable opportunity to network with Ms. Roeder, an experienced Risk Manager who they may not have otherwise met. Her presentations were enlightening and thought-provoking. Many thanks to Ms. Roeder for traveling to UCA’s campus and to the Spencer Educational Foundation for the grant funds that brought Ms. Roeder to UCA.

To bring the Risk Manager to campus this year, the 51��¥ Insurance and Risk Management program was awarded a grant from the Spencer Educational Foundation, supporting a key experiential learning opportunity for students.��The Spencer Foundation has supported the Risk Manager on Campus program for years,�������Ի���Lance Ewing in 2022.

At the Girls Who Code booth led by President Abby Bounds, the members taught about the significance of how rubber ducks help programmers when they get stuck writing their code. They let children decorate a duck at a table and created bracelets that spelled BEARS written in binary code. The Girls Who Code booth was a huge success, and we had over 700 visitors from 30 states visit the table.

Also Abby Bray completed her final independent study Data Science project. She presented her project at the event and even created an app where visitors could learn more about UCA and Conway and go on a scavenger hunt.

April 8 was quite a memorable day!

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Computer Information Systems combines the business profession with modern computer technology. CIS graduates are prepared to work in many capacities, depending on desire and the courses chosen. Graduates work as developers (programmers), database or network administrators, analysts of all kinds, security experts, project managers, and other roles that combine business with technology. The Business Analysis Concentration focuses on data analytics or using data to help managers make wiser decisions. There are multiple courses and focus areas for students to choose from, including data visualization, data mining, predictive analytics, prescriptive analytics, and using Python for analytics.

AnalyticsDegrees.org, a business and data analytics education website, applies our thorough rankings methodology to all online business analytics programs in the country. Their analysis includes multiple factors, from program quality and price to reputation and student outcomes, accreditation status, academic focus, delivery format, and external awards. Next, they assess program costs to determine its accessibility. Finally, they consider the program’s history of successfully graduating business analytics students. Programs that perform well in all areas earn a placement in the rankings.

The team’s policy proposal focused on the problem of methane emissions from landfills coupled with a lack of recycling. They proposed a landfill tax on business to incentivize a reduction in waste while increasing federal revenue. The funds from this tax would be used to fund infrastructure and innovation for climate initiatives, as well as reduce the national debt.

is dedicated to building a sustainable economic and fiscal future for America’s next generation and is the only nationwide, campus-based campaign focused on engaging and empowering students to build a sustainable economic and fiscal future. Up to Us leaders are aware of the importance of fiscal and economic issues, and work to advocate for changes in their communities and beyond. Colleges and universities across the country are engaged through impactful, creative campaigns that highlight the importance of addressing the national debt and other fiscal issues for America’s future generations.

The TOP 5 TEAMS from our 2023 Case Competition
First Place Team Spring 2023
– 51��¥: Aligning Fiscal and Climate Policy

Teams 2-5 Spring 2023 (Ranked Alphabetically)
– Slippery Rock University: Improving US Healthcare: Affordable & Effective Care
– Slippery Rock University: Promoting Effective & Fiscally Responsible Climate Policy
– Slippery Rock University: Rethinking Higher Education: A Path to Reform
– William & Mary: Innovative Clean Energy Standard Policy

Professor Ashley Phillips oversees and coordinates UCA’s annual involvement with VITA through the United Way of Central Arkansas. This tax season, students completed 329 tax returns, helped taxpayers claim $357,549 in refunds, and saved taxpayers approximately $60,000 in tax preparation fees.

The IRS’s offer free basic tax return preparation to qualified individuals.

My semester abroad visiting The Hague, Netherlands was easily the most enriching semester of my undergrad. I learned so much about being a leader, diversity, self confidence, personal growth, and of course I learned a lot about business and marketing!

I was able to take a Purposeful Marketing course which had many different components to it. There was a leadership component, in which I learned different leadership skills and how to flesh out and improve these skills. There was a Project Management component where I learned how to use SCRUM Methodology in order to complete a project. And then the Marketing Component in which I worked with a real life charity in brainstorming a new marketing strategy for their upcoming projects.

Over the course of the semester I was able to travel to multiple countries and experience a variety of cultures. I was able to meet many people that I am now able to call mentors and friends. It is an experience that I will never take for granted, and I feel has given me a renewed appreciation for education and traveling. Thank you UCA for this fantastic opportunity.

• Delwin Portillo | Senior | marketing major

On Monday, November 7, UCA Accounting held its annual networking and fundraiser event attended by 18 UCA accounting students, 4 faculty/staff, and 16 professionals.

Teams included firm representatives and students competed in a bowling tournament, and the highest average score won a donation to the charity of their choice. The Landmark team won, so the Ronald McDonald House will receive a check for $1,000.

Other great teams of the evening included Centennial Bank, Ernst & Young, Forvis, Frost, Garland & Greenwood, HCJ, and Hogan Taylor.

The annual event is a way for accounting students to engage with professionals of the industry in a fun and relaxed setting.

Macy Dillard

For students, VITA is a great opportunity to gain experience and give back to the local Conway community. Led by UCA Accounting Professor Ashley Phillips, the program is open to COB students who would like to volunteer or earn college credit in accounting. VITA volunteers receive training and can either prepare returns or do intake. Experienced CPAs then review each return.

“Taxes are stressful for many people, and by helping through the VITA program, I was able to alleviate a big part of that burden. During review meetings, I could see the gratitude and relief wash over my clients’ faces,” said accounting student Macy Dillard.

Last year, students volunteered approximately 420 hours to return more than $324,000 of taxpayer money to the community through the preparation of over 250 tax returns for low-income taxpayers in the region.

“I am so thankful for the big difference I got to make as just a student for both individuals, their families, and the local community as a whole. It is an amazing feeling to see firsthand how much you are helping someone. On top of that, I got great experience, developed my social skills, and gained volunteer hours,” Dillard added.

To receive college credit, students must register for the course that occurs in spring, complete at least 25 tax returns, complete a total of 80 hours (3 hours per week) at United Way. To find out more, contact Professor Ashley Phillips about how to register for the course in spring 2023.

If you need help preparing your tax return in early 2023,��learn more about getting help from .