Collat School of Business News
![Jessica Wilson.](/business/home/images/photos/news/2021/Jessica-Wilson-news-preivew.jpg)
First HR Management scholarship recipient encourages others to apply
When Jessica Wilson applied for the brand new UAB Human Resource Management Endowed Scholarship in 2020, she wasn't sure she had a shot. She wasn't a traditional student, and she was the first in her family to go to college, attending classes while also working full-time at a local bank.
![Brown home with a for sale sign in front yard.](/business/home/images/photos/news/generic/Real-Estate.jpg)
Collat launches scholarship and learning opportunities for students interested in real estate
The Collat School of Business has launched new opportunities for business students to excel in real estate.
![Matt Graben.](/business/home/images/photos/news/2020/Matt-Graben-news-preview.jpg)
Collat's first Entrepreneurship student to graduate
Five years ago, Matt Graben dropped out of college. At the time he was a junior at UAB studying finance, but he was more interested in actively launching a nonprofit than he was in his business courses, so he dropped out. During the next five years he worked with other local self-starters to create more than 10 businesses in the Magic City, businesses that focused on everything from housing development to coffee sourcing and production.
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Mentorship program established for MG and HRM students
The Collat Management and Human Resource Advisory Council has established a new mentorship program for management and human resource management students to provide undergraduates meaningful, impactful connection with employers throughout their academic careers.
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Collat professor named vice president of NCAA's prestigious Division 1 Faculty Group
Dr. Frank Messina, Collat's endowed Alumni & Friends Professor of Accounting, recently was elected vice president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's 1A Faculty Athletics Representatives (1A FAR) Board.
![Nicole Roddy](/business/home/images/photos/news/2020/Nicole-Roddy-news-preview.jpg)
OD/MBA student spotlight: Nicole Roddy
To succeed in healthcare, it takes more than just a high-quality medical education. It takes a deep understanding of modern business, leadership, and financial comprehension – education that student Nicole Roddy saw in the UAB Doctor of Optometry/Master of Business Administration (OD-MBA) dual-degree program.
![Randy Kornegay.](/business/home/images/photos/news/2020/Randy-Kornegay-news.jpg)
Randy Kornegay receives 2020 UAB President's Award for Excellence in Teaching
Instructor Randy Kornegay, M.A., has been named the 2020 recipient of the UAB President's Award for Excellence in Teaching for the Collat School of Business. Kornegay was recognized for his dedication to educating students on the importance and power of effective business communication.
![Jessica Chediak on a boat](/business/home/images/Jessica_Chediak.jpg#joomlaImage://local-images/Jessica_Chediak.jpg)
Finance Student Receives Gilman Scholarship to Study in Italy
Finance senior Jessica Chediak has been selected for the 2020 Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, a highly competitive scholarship that provides funds for students to study abroad while in school.
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Hear from one of the first students to graduate from UAB's DMD/MBA Dual Degree program
In today's climate, medical knowledge is only one piece of a successful healthcare practice: in order to thrive, more students are combining traditional medicine with cutting-edge business acumen. Today's top students are choosing to marry their medical background with a master's in business administration (MBA), enabling them to educate and lead teams towards business success.
![Smiling woman shopping on her tablet while her child watches.](/business/home/images/photos/news/generic/Customer-satisfaction.jpg)
Study shows loyalty drives customer satisfaction in online versus offline purchases
Modern retailing is a highly competitive business with a large economic footprint. A key competitive advantage for retailers is the ability to identify and use the factors that provide customer satisfaction and loyalty when it comes to buying merchandise online or in-store.
![Logo: CFA Institute - University affiliate program.](/business/home/images/logos/cfa-badge.jpg)
Collat designated as CFA University Affiliate, provides scholarships for exam
The UAB Collat School of Business has been approved to participate in the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute opens a new website's University Affiliation Program and will receive six annual scholarships for finance students to offset costs of the Level 1 CFA exam.
![Interior stairs in the new building.](/business/home/images/photos/news/generic/csob-stairs.jpg)
CSB building continues to collect awards
The new Collat School of Business building keeps garnering awards.
![Participating students in a classroom listening to a teacher.](/business/home/images/photos/news/pre-2020/Hatchery1.jpg)
UAB Hatchery & Hackathon provide entrepreneurship training
UAB has launched a new entrepreneurship educational experience intended to help students discover how to develop entrepreneurial solutions to real-world problems.
![Rivera receiving his award.](/business/home/images/photos/news/2020/Julio_Rivera.jpg)
Julio Rivera receives 2020 UAB President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching
Collat professor Julio Rivera, DBA, has been selected to receive the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching opens a new website for his exceptional accomplishments in teaching. He was honored September 10 at UAB's annual Faculty Convocation at the Hilton Birmingham.
![Glasses resting on black leather portfolio; cover says UAB MBA.](/business/home/images/photos/news/generic/MBA-portfolio-glasses.jpeg)
Nation's first joint OD/MBA degree program opens at UAB
The University of Alabama at Birmingham continues to expand the institution's business and medical education through the addition of a dual Doctor of Optometry and Master of Business Administration degree — the first of its kind nationwide.
![Collat School of Business building at sunset.](/business/home/images/photos/news/generic/collat-building-sunsset.jpg)
UAB Business building wins national construction award
The UAB Collat School of Business's new state-of-the-art building on University Boulevard recently took national honors from the Associated Builders and Contractors. During an banquet ceremony in Long Beach, California, the $37.5-million facility and its general contractor, Brasfield & Gorrie, were honored for excellence in construction.
![A white folded paper shark pointed toward a stack of papers.](/business/home/images/photos/news/generic/predatory-journals.jpg)
With 'predatory' journals, it’s publish and perish, UAB study argues
When accounting Professor Arline Savage, Ph.D., gets mad she hits the books. "My research is all over the place, because what appeals to me is usually something that made me angry," she said.
![Bronze statue of UAB mascot Blaze.](/business/home/images/photos/news/generic/collat-blaze.jpg)
Delivering high-impact entrepreneurship pedagogy with the heptalogical model
Entrepreneurship is one of the most popular areas in business schools across the nation.
![Stylized image of person walking through towering mainframes, a blue sky with clouds above.](/business/home/images/photos/news/generic/mainframes.jpg)
UAB's MIS online program ranks by U.S. News in nation's Top 20
U.S. News & World Report ranks UAB's graduate Management Information Systems program as one of the best online computer information technology programs in the country.
![Sign at the entrance of Birmingham's "The Club."](/business/home/images/photos/news/pre-2020/the-club-sign.jpg)
Mentorship program for female accounting students kicks off Fall semester
Collat School of Business faculty, staff and students welcomed alumna Janet Herring recently to celebrate the fifth cohort of students in her namesake program. Herring and her husband, Mark, endowed the Janet Herring Accounting Student Professional Development Program in 2014 to assist female students with professional development workshops, job shadowing and mentoring.