The faculty and staff were recognized for their exemplary service to the students and their peers in the College of Business as well as in their areas of study and impact in the community.

Dr. Michael Hargis

First, Dr. Michael Hargis was honored with the COB Impact Award. Dr. Hargis served for more than a decade as the College Dean before being selected as UCA’s Provost and executive VP of academic affairs.

Ms. Christy Peel

The second COB Impact Award for 2023-2024 was given to Christy Peel for her excellent service as one of COB’s Academic Advisors.

Dr. JiHoon Jhang
Excellence in Research Award

Dr. Jhang was presented this award by Dean Casey.

Dr. Jhang was honored with the Excellence in Research Award. His accomplishments include:

• Published 14 peer-reviewed journal articles from 2021-23 with 12 being A*
• eight of these publications came out in 2023
• many external collaborators and co-authors
• works-in-progress with several departmental colleagues
• recent research has focused on travel and tourism, both state-level priorities.

Dr. Joe McGarrity
Engaged Teaching Award

Dr. McGarrity was presented this award by Dean Casey.

Dr. McGarrity was chosen for this award for many reasons:

• For many years, he has helped students publish op-eds in local newspapers, and he has continued to do so. Getting students to write a polished and persuasive piece is labor intensive, andMcGarrity has created (and published) a method on how to efficiently edit and improve a first draft.
• He created a new class in Fall 2023, Law and Economics, and it was instantly a big hit.
• McGarrity has recently designed and implemented class experiments.
• McGarrity’s own column in the Log Cabin Democrat (every 2 weeks) is often applicable in economics class. Students regularly choose economics as a major because they enjoyMcGarrity’s Modern Political Economy class.
• He has also worked on writing textbooks and incorporates examples in class that he has learned from numerous sources gathered through textbook preparation.

Dr. K. Mike Casey
Innovative Teaching Award

Dr. Casey was presented with this award by Dean Casey.

Dr. Casey was chosen for this award because:

• He combines active research on AI usage in the classroom with his various courses, specifically CISA 3300 Introduction to Computer Architecture and Programming and CISA 3328 Systems Analysis and Design.
• He has carefully constructed lessons appropriate for novice programmers to understand the strengths and weaknesses of generative AI relating to creating computer programming code. These lessons take the form of instructor-led demonstrations, in-class exercises, as well as homework-style assignments.
• Casey demonstrates and encourages students in the systems analysis and design course to explore the use of generative AI to find more efficient and innovative approaches to solving complex problems.
• Of particular note is how he has incorporated a highly relevant marketplace innovation into his course materials in a very short period of time. In doing so, he has been able to maintain an appropriate level of rigor while simultaneously helping students discover proper ways to use this new technology and prepare them for its usage in industry.

Dr. Karen Oxner
Excellence in Service

Dr. Oxner was presented with this award by Dean Casey.

Dr. Oxner serves as MAcc Program Coordinator, where she advises all the MAcc students and also serves as Graduate Faculty Coordinator for the Department. She is nominated in this category because of two things:

1. Dr. Oxner always shows up. She is always there for what is needed from her. She is active in faculty meetings and offers guidance and opinions. She does this with measured consideration and a comparison to her high ideals and standards. Everything she offers is valuable even if it is not the route taken.
2. Dr. Oxner has been an amazing representative on the Graduate Council. Her efforts to focus on what is right for students has an impact on the way UCA’s undergraduates and post-bacc students are being given opportunities to register for graduate-level courses when appropriate.

Susan Shaw
Societal Impact Award

Susan Shaw was presented with this award by Dean Casey.

Susan Shaw is an active member of COB’s faculty in many ways that impact our students and our community.

• Shaw has served as IT Career Camp director for 5 years directly working with junior high and high school students to inspire them into careers in IT and related fields
• She has led the Analytics case competition at Manhattan College for 2 years, leading teams of graduating seniors to a nationwide competition in data analytics on topics such as food safety and security in sub-Saharan Africa
• She is a “Girls Who Code” faculty advisor. This is a new club that includes students from under-represented demographics and exists to inspire them to complete their academic goals in IT-related disciplines
• Even with all this extra activity for students outside the classroom, Shaw is completing her DBA and working on her dissertation.

Dr. Garner was presented with this award by Dean Casey.

Dr. Ben Garner
Exemplary Boundary Spanner Award

Dr. Garner was chosen because:

• Dr. Garner has created two new upper-division courses – Managing Customer Relationships and Content Marketing – and shepherded both through curriculum committee processes. He highlights experiential education in both.
• In the Managing Customer Relationships course, he has partnered with the UCA Foundation and Arkansas PBS so that students can have hands-on experiences.
• In the Content Marketing course, he has worked with different Arkansas tourism organizations so that students can produce real-world media content in both written and video formats.
• Aside from his teaching and research at UCA, he released his own conservation documentary this year.

Dr. Horpedahl was presented with this award by Dean Casey.

Dr. Jeremy Horpedahl
Exemplary Boundary Spanner Award

Dr. Horpedahl was chosen for this award because of his extraordinary ongoing impact:

• He co-authored The Future of Arkansas Tax Reform that offers detailed suggestions to AR lawmakers on the best way to reform AR taxes.
• Horpedahl regularly offers his expertise in media stories: 9 different outlets including New York Times, Financial Times, Newsweek, and Bloomberg; Six op-eds in City Journal, Arkansas Business, Arkansas Dem Gaz and others; 3 television appearances; participant on 5 podcasts; 52 blog posts covering economic data and news, with over 40,000 unique views.
• For the past 12 months, he has engaged over 19,000 followers earning over 41 million impressions through posts covering economic news and statistics on current events.
• In addition to his usual media appearances, Dr. Jeremy Horpedahl is also participating in an important form of outreach and public service, as a member of the “Property Tax Advisory Council” in Montana. This council was called by the state’s Governor and has been meeting throughout 2024. Dr. Horpedahl has been providing a national perspective, as well as bringing his experience from Arkansas tax reforms to assist Montana as they try to lower property taxes for homeowners.

Recognition at the Annual UCA Convocation

Ms. Deanna Abrego, Admin to the Dean, was recognized as a finalist for UCA Employee of the Year.

Ms. Deanna Abrego was given this plaque by President Houston Davis.

Dr. Ashley Phillips was recognized as a finalist for the UCA Public Service Award.

Dr. Ashley Phillips was given this award by President Houston Davis.

Congratulations to all our award winners this year!

Michael B. Hargis, Ph.D.

The 51��¥ has announced that Michael Hargis will be the next provost and executive vice president of Academic Affairs.

In this role, Hargis will preside over UCA’s five academic colleges — College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; College of Business, College of Education, College of Health and Behavioral Sciences and College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics — the Schedler Honors College, Graduate School and the broader academic division. He begins on July 1, 2024.

“I am thrilled and deeply honored to be selected to serve as the next provost and executive vice president at UCA. I look forward to the opportunity to collaborate with the dedicated faculty, staff, students, and executive team at UCA to advance our mission. I also want to thank the search committee and everyone who participated in the search process. The energy and excitement on the campus is palpable, and I am excited to get to work,” Hargis said.

Hargis earned a bachelor’s in psychology from Hendrix College. He earned a master’s and Doctor of Philosophy in industrial-organizational psychology from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Prior to joining UCA, Hargis was an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He has been at UCA since 2006 starting as an assistant professor in the College of Business (COB). At the rank of professor, Hargis currently serves as dean of the COB, a role he began in 2014. He also has served as interim dean of the COB and interim provost and executive vice president.

“Dr. Hargis has been a distinguished leader in Arkansas higher education for almost two decades, and under his leadership, UCA will accelerate our momentum and reach new heights,” said UCA President Houston Davis. “He will also guide strategic planning and develop a strategic direction that supports our university’s mission, advocates for student success and builds upon our strengths.”

Hargis is a current member of the Conway Development Corporation and the Arkansas Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors. He previously served as a member of the Arnold Innovation Center Planning Committee, the Conductor Steering Committee and Start-up Conway Steering Committee. Hargis is an active Peer Review Team leader and mentor with the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

Hargis succeeds Patricia Poulter who retires as provost and executive vice president in June.