Author: James Schisler

Woolsey Hall has unveiled its first sculpture to join the Ulrich Museum of Art’s world-class Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection. Lumen, the cast bronze sculpture of a horse created initially out of found wood, stands near the serene pond that stretches around the southern wall of Woolsey Hall.

The art serves as a focal point for all visitors to the landscaped public space. The sculpture was created by renowned American sculptor Deborah Butterfield and is her first piece on public display in the state.

Butterfield is known for her work depicting horses made from found objects. Lumen, which means “light” in Latin, was carefully created using sticks and found pieces of wood, cast in bronze, reassembled, and welded together. Its calm and peaceful presence is intended to provide opportunities for individual reflection and conversation for all who visit.

Butterfield’s work can be found in dozens of public collections, including numerous major American museums.

All are welcome to the opening ceremony of WSU’s Behavioral Economics Laboratory from 2:30-4 p.m. Nov. 30 in Woolsey Hall.

The guest of honor will be Dr. Vernon Smith, winner of the 2002 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to behavioral economics and his work in the field of experimental economics. Smith is originally from Wichita.

Smith laid the foundation for the field of experimental economics. He has developed an array of experimental methods, setting standards for what constitutes a reliable laboratory experiment in economics. This event is sponsored by the Department of Economics, Department of Marketing and the Institute for the Study of Economic Growth.

Learn more about the new lab and the field of behavioral economics.

About the event:

• Vernon Smith presentation: “Propriety, Property, and Price Discovery in Adam Smith’s Classical Economics” — 2:30-3:30 p.m. in the Woolsey Hall auditorium
• Reception: 3:30-4 p.m. in the Woolsey Hall atrium

Pre-registration is required. Space is limited. RSVP by Nov. 24 at ise.wichita.edu/rsvp.

Questions? Email siyu.wang@wichita.edu.

Basil Hourani — co-founder and executive partner at Capital7 and the fall 2022 Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the W. Frank Barton School of Business — will provide a keynote presentation, along with Navin Thukkaram — lead investor at Skykick and founder of NT Capital — as part of the James Schwartz Lecture Series, “Lessons learned from $3 billion in exits.”

The keynote event is at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9 in the Woolsey Hall Auditorium.

Doors open at 9 a.m. All are welcome to attend this free event.

The Dean’s Alumni Advisory Board for the W. Frank Barton School of Business has appointed new leaders.

Erin Cummings, owner and founder of YESyoga, will serve as president, while Ryan Potter, director of Portfolio Development at Koch Investment Group, will serve as her vice president. Cummings and Potter have both sat on the board since 2020.

The Alumni Council makes recommendations to the dean on the school’s strategic direction, curriculum, student experience, business partnerships and global outreach. Members also serve as guest speakers and mentors, host alumni events and engage in community service initiatives.

Cummings is an alumna of the Barton School and holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in real estate. Potter is a graduate alumnus of the Barton School and holds an MBA degree.

The W. Frank Barton School of Business has selected Dr. Duane Nagel as chair for the college’s marketing department. Nagel has worked within the Barton School for more than six years as an assistant and associate professor.

His academic research examines how brands engage and co-create/collaborate with their various stakeholders through technology. Currently, Nagel is working on projects that focus on how brands can leverage new tools such as virtual influencers, AR/VR/Mixed Reality, and the coming metaverse to engage consumers and support brand objectives.

The W. Frank Barton School of Business has named Dr. Christine Porter as its new School of Accountancy director. Porter is replacing Dr. Greg Merrill who left in August.

“We are so glad to have Christine as our new Director,” said Dr. Larisa Genin, dean of the Barton School. “Her professionalism, vision, knowledge and dedication led to her ascension to this leadership role. It’s obvious that she is also well respected, connected and admired by her peers.”

Porter joined WSU in 2015 after receiving her Ph.D. from the University of Kansas. Her research focus is audit archival research and many of her papers explore bank auditors as well as non-Big4 audit markets.

Since joining the faculty, Porter has been published in multiple publication journals including “Auditing: A Journal of Practice and Theory,” which is a top-tier journal in her field. Porter has also been teaching and auditing and managerial accounting courses at the Barton School. Before receiving her Ph.D, she worked in public accounting for five years for regional firms in Baltimore and Denver.

“I’m energized about the future of the School of Accountancy,” said Porter. “I plan to uphold the top quality curriculum and programs we are known for while equipping our students with the knowledge and skills to make a difference in the field.”

For more information on the Barton School’s School of Accountancy, visit wichita.edu/academics/business/accountancy/.

Brian Umbenhauer and Geoff Tuff — principals at Deloitte and Executive-In-Residence duo — at the W. Frank Barton School of Business — will provide a keynote presentation titled “Innovation at the speed of your customers” at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26 at the Woolsey Hall Auditorium.

To attend, participants must RSVP by emailing jenn.lopez@wichita.edu by Oct. 17.

• Pat McLeod, former CMD Director, and current Conference Director worked many hours with the Wichita Property Tax Conference Planning Committee and the CMD team to make the conference an outstanding success.
• Wilma Hart, former CMD Coordinator, and current conference team member arranged for and coordinated the complex logistical tasks of people movement, among many other responsibilities.
• Paula Seiwert, Associate Director of the CMD, planned and executed outstanding marketing and promotional materials to educate and persuade professionals to attend.
• Melissa Donham, Director of Operations for the CMD, coordinated IT tasks while tracking financials and keeping the books current.
• Tracy Rittmueller, Registrar of the CMD, coordinated participant registrations, food and beverage services, and contributions from other vendors and WSU professionals.

And a loud “thank you” to the excellent service from our WSU partners:

• Facility Services
• Chartwell’s catering team
• Shocker Printing
• MRC Team
• Parking Services
• Event Services
• Post Office

Dr. Ross Gruetzemacher, assistant professor of business analytics at the Barton School of Business, was featured in the Harvard Business Review. In the article, Gruetzemacher discusses the potential for natural language processing to transform many traditional roles in organizations during the current decade.

Dr. Abigail Devereaux, research fellow at the Institute for the Study of Economic Growth (ISEG) and assistant professor of economics in the Barton School of Business, and Dr. Roger Koppl, professor of finance at Syracuse University, recently published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal May 2. The op-ed is about the potential dangers of the Department of Homeland Security’s newly formed Disinformation Governance Board.