The spring 2026 semester may have stalled at the start with some icy weather, but from then on, the spring was a jam-packed, productive semester full of great successes for every department in the College of Business.
For the second time in three years, UCA had a winning team in the Governor’s Cup Business Plan competition. The UCA Governor’s Cup team, Clara Vision Clinic, placed 3rd place in the Small Business Category for their Plan/Pitch with an additional win in the Small Business 90-Second Pitch. The聽winning team members are Aydia Haymond and Eden Adams with Dr. Duggins serving as their advisor.- Marketing Major, !
- U.S. News and World Report ranked our College of Business in its 2026 list of .
- Dr. Connie McKnight was selected as President-elect for the 2026-2027 Board of Directors for the International Honor Organization聽Beta Alpha Psi.
- Drs. Kim, Voss, and Thomas – professors across many business disciplines – were all recognized as Most Valuable Professors by UCA Athletics.聽
ACCOUNTING
Lakoda Caldwell and Caitlin LaCerra (both accounting majors) received the Exceptional Achievement in Service Learning Award from CETAL for their participation in VITA this Spring.- Dr. Connie McKnight was recognized last night as UCA’s Outstanding RSO Advisor for her service advising our chapter of Beta Alpha Psi.
- Ashley Phillips led a group of students in partnership with United Way of Central Arkansas to prepare income taxes for low income individuals through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. Their impact to the community聽was over $500,000 in refunds and saved preparer fees, completing 455 federal returns (and the related state returns).
- Ashley Phillips received the 2026 UCA Public Service Award.
- Lucas Hayes and Izzy Saettele accepted the CLAWS award for our chapter of BAP presentation oft he game show 鈥淭he Major is Right,鈥� developed by the faculty advisors and many members of the Theta Lambda chapter, for the win among 10 regional winners competing this category.
- Drs. Ashley Phillips and Dr. Karen Oxner co-authored an article for聽Today’s CPA:聽Oxner, K. M., & Phillips, A. D. (2026).聽SHARE REPURCHASES: PLAYING IN THE BIG LEAGUES聽(D. Deakins, Ed.; 1 – 2026th ed.). Today’s CPA (Texas Society of CPAs).聽
- 5 students from UCA Accounting were awarded scholarships by the Arkansas Society of CPAs.
The UCA Chapter of Beta Alpha Psi and Landmark joined together for a service activity.聽 They created snack bags for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Little Rock.- Dr. Bob Fang’s manuscript, 鈥淎ccounting Information Quality and Stock Returns: A New Perspective鈥�, was selected for the 2026 American Accounting Researchers & Educators (AARE) Best Paper Award for the Financial Accounting & Reporting track.
- Anthony McMullen, JD, was selected again by the Arkansas Bar Association to receive a Golden Gavel Award in recognition of his leadership and dedication in organizing and presenting a hands-on Mock Trial Workshop for Arkansas students and educators.
- In January 2026, the聽Journal of Legal Studies Education聽published McMullen’s article “Ad IRAC Per Aspera,” where he discusses how he incorporates an episode of聽Star Trek: Strange New Worlds聽into a lesson on teaching legal reasoning. The聽Journal of Legal Studies Education聽has also accepted “Incorporating Generative AI into a Contract Negotiation Exercise,” which will be published this summer.
CISA
The genAI paper published in April 2024 by Drs. Mike Ellis, Mike Casey, and Jeff Hill, “,” (Volume 22, Issue 2, 2024, in the Decision聽Sciences Journal of Innovative Education) was recognized as one of DSJIE’s Top 10 Most Cited Papers. This was a significant beginning effort to聽lead UCA and the College of Business into this new world of generative artificial intelligence (genAI) in higher education, which the CISA department has since continued to build upon.- Dr. Joe Thomas:
- served as an Honors Thesis Advisor to two students:
- Olivia Johnson (January 1, 2025 – Present).聽聽“Chinese Social Credit System Simulation,” Computer Information Systems and Analytics.
- Wyatt Held (January 1, 2025 – Present).聽聽“Assessing Cybersecurity Awareness:聽 Surveying Demographics, Knowledge, and Actionable Practices,” Computer Information Systems and Analytics.
- hosted Saving Grace Service Dogs training event in COB Bldg.聽 This event hosted service animals from across Arkansas who are being trained to alert to seizures, PTSD events, and diabetes changes.聽 This event supports the UCA Vision of聽engagement with local, national, and global communities, as well as the UCA and COB Core Values of Community – Partnerships and Service.
- published聽Davis, L. E., Thomas, J. Y., Taylor, J. D., Dominguez, M. R., Bolding-Koch, J.*, Darby, C.*, Gray, A.*, Herring, A.*, McClure, C.* (in press April). The Effects of Drawing-to-Learn on Retention of Knowledge in Internal Heart Anatomy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.聽To appear in HAPS Educator.
- served as an Honors Thesis Advisor to two students:
EFIRM
The new Finance Club was awarded as , pioneered in Fall 2026 by spring 2026 graduate Mason Smith.- The Finance Club also partnered with the BASCOM club to bring Phillip Watts, the Principal Financial Officer of Dillard’s, to campus. Phillip spoke about career opportunities (currently seeking supply chain professionals), shared professional advice, and discussed what the company looks for when hiring students.
- The Arkansas College Teachers of Economics and Business (ACTEB) had their annual meeting at UCA on February 27th. Speakers included Mitch Bettis from Arkansas Business and Matuschka Lindo Briggs from the Federal Reserve. ACC Capital sponsored the lunch. Mike Casey Jr, Jakob Michaelis, Anthony McMullen, and Michelle Buchanan led an AI Panel discussion. Among Marketing and Management, Alex Chen, Jamila Maxie, Ming Li, and Angela Weng (student) participated in the event.
- Dr. Snyder invited Economist Jack Leps from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to his Senior Seminar class.聽 He discussed data the students can use for their project.聽 He also discussed jobs at BLS that the students can apply for. In addition, he shared his personal journey to becoming an economist.
- Dr. Stephen Yao .
- Dr. Jeremy Horpedahl continued his contributions, including this .
MARKETING & MANAGEMENT
- The Allison Entrepreneurial Speaker Series continued this spring with Kyle Tabor from Blue Sail Coffee here to share his expertise with students.
- The聽Bears Advancing Supply Chain and Operations Management (BASCOM) club聽took a field trip to Westrock Coffee and hosted several valuable guest speakers.
- The Marketing and Sales club had a joint meeting with Gamma Iota Sigma (GIS – Insurance club).聽 Insurance professionals, including Dakota Holliman and Colton Johnson, presented
The Conductor continued its workshop series and pitch competitions. Chris Brown took home a cash prize as the “Judges Choice” while Alejandra Alvarez won the “Audience Choice” prize.- Dr. Ben Garner to speak with multiple students. He also聽5 students on a field trip to Insight in Conway for a tour and job shadowing.
- Dr. Ron Duggins:
- New Product Development class- hosted Steve Gebhart to visit about聽customer聽development. Steve has experience with both physical and digital product companies. The class also hosted Josh Hallenbeck of Rose Law Firm to discuss聽intellectual property issues related to product development.
- New Venture Creation class- the students were able to hear the stories and ask questions from business founders Preston Palmer who founded Palmer Music and Bellwether Creative, John Keith who founded THINK Coffee, and Tom Gordon who founded Slim Chickens.
- The UCA Governor’s Cup team, Clara Vision Clinic, placed 3rd place in the Small Business Category for their Plan/Pitch with an additional win in the Small Business 90-Second Pitch. The聽winning team members are Aydia Haymond and Eden Adams with Dr. Duggins serving as their advisor.
Doug Voss invited Brian Evans, Arkansas Speaker of the House to talk to his Safety & Motor Carrier Policy class. He represents District 68 which includes the city of Cabot, as well as portions of Lonoke County.- Dr. Ben Britton took 5 students to the Pi Sigma Epsilon (PSE) Convention in Virginia. Students received professional development and made some great connections. This is a catalyst for getting the PSE chapter officially activated at UCA.
- Robert Walker, MBA Student mentored by Alex Chen, presented his research at the SWDSI conference in Dallas.
- Dr. JiHoon Jhang had the following manuscripts accepted for publication:
- Journal of Business Research聽(ranked #1 in Marketing by Google Scholar Metrics):聽“When Size Doesn’t Matter: The Impact of Unexpected Surcharges on Consumer Reactions”
- International Journal of Hospitality Management聽(ranked #1 in Tourism & Hospitality by Google Scholar Metrics):聽“Rethinking Language Fluency: The Role of Mindset and Authenticity in How Poor Communication Enhances Service Evaluations in Hospitality Settings”
- International Journal of Hospitality Management聽(ranked #1 in Tourism & Hospitality by Google Scholar Metrics):聽“The Sold-Out Effect: How Product Unavailability and Price Precision Shape Consumer Choice in Hospitality and Tourism”
- Dr. Jhang also joined the Editorial Board of the聽Journal of Travel Research聽in January 2026 and has been serving since. JTR is a top-tier journal (ABDC A*), and editorial board membership is reserved for a select group of scholars who have demonstrated sustained and significant contributions to tourism research, making it a truly distinguished honor in the field.
- Dr. Joe Cangelosi mentored one of his marketing students, Kinley Keith, in her efforts for her Honors College Thesis: “Artificial Intelligence in Marketing: Effects of AI-Generated Content on Consumer Trust, Perceived Authenticity, and Purchase Intent.”
- After serving as the FBLA Collegiate National VP of Development, as聽President/CEO of Arkansas FBLA Collegiate for the next membership year.
Students from UCA competed in business-related events at the State FBLA Collegiate Leadership Conference in El Dorado, and we had 2 winners! Kaddie Bailey won 1st place in Computer Applications, 1st place in Customer Service, AND was elected State President of FBLA Collegiate for the upcoming 2026-2027 year.聽 Marcella Leon-Colon won 3rd place in Public Speaking.聽 They will both be eligible to compete at the National FBLA Conference this summer.聽 Thanks and congrats to Marsha Carson for successfully advising this student organization.- Associate Dean, Dr. Laci Lyons, : “A RICH resilience capability portfolio: Linking resiliency to strategic entrepreneurship behavior.”
- The Marketing & Management Department welcomed its new Administrative Specialist: Tiffany Cole.
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION PROGRAM
Four UCA faculty members and ten MBA students had their research presented last month (March 18-21, 2026) in Dallas, Texas, at the 55th Annual Meeting of the Southwest Decision Sciences Institute (SWDS) and Federation of Business Disciplines (FBD) Conference.聽 Drs. Saif Bhuiyan, Alex Chen, Connie McKnight, and Mark McMurtrey participated as well as MBA students Lauren Brogden,聽 Mavis Deku,聽 Samuel Emery, Grant McKnight, Joseph Somervell (also a UCA employee), Erinn Stone, Amy Streett,聽 Julia Vanderwarf, Robert Walker and Nick Watson, as well as recent MSADA graduate Dr. Parvinder Singh,聽 Many of them were聽able to attend and their research will be published in the forthcoming Proceedings of the Conference.聽 The students represented both UCA and the COB well and did a fantastic job.- BSchools ranked our program as one of its Ranked by Affordability.
- Our MBA in Healthcare was recognized by HealthcareDegree.com as one of its by Affordability.
- Learn.org also ranked our MBA in its .
- Dr. McMurtrey (MBA Director) was excited to celebrate with our recent MBA graduates (pictured right).
Future plans: “I have accepted a position as one of two banker foundation trainees at Simmons Bank. I will work at their headquarters in an 18-month training program rotating through departments such as corporate finance, retail banking, HR, and credit. I am excited to work with one of the best banks in Arkansas to learn how banks operate and contribute to helping communities.”
Future plans: “I will assume an audit position at Ernst & Young in Rogers, Arkansas, starting in September.”
Future plans: “Continue working at Landmark CPAs in the Tax Department.”
Future plans: “After graduation, I intend to start my career as a data analyst and continue developing my technical and analytical skills. I plan on building experience with tools such as SQL, Python, and data visualization, with the long term goal being a senior data analyst.”
Future plans: “Work full time earning certifications, after experiencing work for a while I will consider grad school.”
Future Plans: “Hopefully I’ll reach the job market with enough heat that they find me the best available candidate, but that’s not where I plan on stopping. I would love to go after my masters (or even my doctorate) in the future. Hopefully I can do both as me and my family move forward on our separate and joined journeys.”
Future plans: “After graduation, I plan to continue working in data analytics and use my skills to support data-driven decision-making and improve outcomes within my organization.”
Future plans: “I intend to pursue my doctorate in economics at Florida State University.”
Future plans: “After graduation, I plan to pursue a career in the insurance industry in the Central Arkansas area. I hope to work at an agency that offers a clear path toward becoming a producer. My goal is to continue building my knowledge of insurance and risk management while gaining hands-on experience in the field. I look forward to developing strong professional relationships, growing my skills, and establishing a long-term career helping clients protect what matters most to them.”
Future plans: “I am going to get my master’s in Information Management here at UCA and continue playing on the Women’s Soccer team.”
Future plans: “For the first 6 months after graduation, I plan to go through a 6-month online portfolio school program. So I will not immediately be applying for jobs after graduation. I will be going through an Art Direction program where I will learn everything about Art Direction in Advertising, including designing, creating campaigns, and working with Adobe. Once I complete that program, my goal is to pursue a full-time position in an Advertising Agency!”
Future plans: “To find a job after graduation, connect with other entrepreneurs, and get started on opening my own business.”
Future plans: “I’ve interviewed for a job, and I’m in the onboarding process right now!”
Future plans: “I aimed to begin teaching adjunct classes and take the next steps in my career. I started teaching the semester after I graduated. I use the skills I have gained in my current role and am exploring options for the right next full-time role.”
Future plans: ” I intend to become an auditor for a firm with the future hope of becoming a forensic accountant.”
Future plans: “By utilizing my financial and healthcare administration skills, which I have developed over my academic career and will further develop through my internship, I want to pursue a career with a hospital or healthcare organization to make an impact on their long-term sustainability and achieve more favorable patient outcomes.”
Future plans: “After graduation, I intend to pursue CPA licensure as I work full time as an audit staff.”
Future plans: “After graduating in December, I plan to start working full time in the insurance industry and continue my education through attaining insurance designations.”
Future plans: “After graduation I hope to land an inventory management role here in Central Arkansas. I look forward to applying what I’ve learned here at UCA and my internships at the Allen Lund Company and Tractor Supply Company.”
Future plans: “Upon graduation, I will start my MAcc degree in the fall of 2026. I then plan to prepare and sit for my CPA licensure exam. One day in the future, I plan to open my own consulting firm, focusing my services on small and family-owned businesses. I also aspire to open my own foundation that focuses on youth financial literacy. I also plan to eventually go to seminary and do a two-year Journeyman program with the North American Mission Board.”
Future plans: “Work as a software engineer for a couple of years before eventually transitioning into DevOps or cybersecurity.”
Future Plans: “After graduation, I plan to pursue a career in finance while continuing to grow my business experience. As a licensed pilot, I also hope to explore opportunities in corporate aviation, combining my passion for flying with my professional goals. Long term, I hope to build a career that blends finance and aviation.”