Noteworthy

Under the leadership of Jeremy Hancher, the EMAP Program Manager at Widener University’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and an adjunct faculty member in the School of Business Administration, the SBDC has been granted an award of $475,000. This funding, generously provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, will significantly aid the SBDC’s EMAP work.

The Environmental Management Assistance Program (EMAP) at Widener is a specialized consulting service of the Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers (SBDC). EMAP provides free and confidential environmental compliance assistance to small businesses in the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Their expertise spans a wide range of services, including identifying relevant environmental rules and regulations, facilitating air quality emissions calculations, and preparing all necessary forms, permitting applications, and reports. This funding will enhance EMAP’s ability to serve the Pennsylvania small business community.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/sbdc-staff-awarded-funding-pa-department-environmental-protection

Babatunde Odusami, professor of finance in the School of Business Administration, has published a new book titled “Financial Data Science with SAS.”

The book, which is designed for university students and financial professionals, covers of the theory and practical implementation of the various types of analytical techniques and quantitative tools used in the financial services industry and shows readers how to implement strategies such as data visualization, simulation, machine learning models, and more using real-world examples.

The book was published in partnership with SAS, a global leader in artificial intelligence, analytics, and statistical computing.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/finance-faculty-member-publishes-new-book
 

Robert Buckley Jr. ’81, a School of Business Administration graduate, returned to the Chester campus to give a presentation on his role leading the I-95 rebuild. Buckley is president of Buckley & Company, Inc., the primary company that oversaw the record-setting rebuild of the collapsed interstate highway in the summer of 2023. Moderated by Engineering Dean Pamela McCauley, Buckley presented alongside Archie Filshill, CEO at Aero Aggregates of North America, whose company produced the ultra-lightweight aggregates that was used to fill the rebuild. The conversation recounted the hands-on contributions of Buckley & Company and the transformative power of collaboration between local industries and city, state, and federal government partners. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/robert-buckley-jr-81-presents-rebuilding-i-95-twelve-days-june

Watch the Full Presentation Here

The School of Business Administration (SBA) hosted over 225 area high school students on Widener’s Chester campus for the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Delaware County Leadership Conference.

Students from eight high schools across Delaware County gathered for a day of Widener faculty-led workshops covering topics such as the basics of banking, sales and marketing, artificial intelligence, leadership and communication, and more.

In addition, students competed for prized in events judged by Widener students, alumni, staff, and industry partners. Overall, students earned awards in 55 categories, and the top students will move on to compete at the state level. This was the first time the competitions were held in person since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was everything we say the SBA is – hands-on, engaged, real world, future looking, and industry aligned,” said Donna McCloskey, associate dean for undergraduate programs in SBA. “It was a great day to be a part of the pride!”

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/widener-hosts-high-schoolers-future-business-leaders-america-conference

Jeremy Hancher, adjunct professor in the School of Business Administration and EMAP Program Manager for the Widener Small Business Development Center, has been invited to serve as a member on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Air Act Advisory Committee for a two-year term.

The committee consists of government figures, industry professionals, and academics who are experts in the environmental and sustainability fields and can advise the EPA on issues related to implementing the Clean Air Act Amendments. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/business-faculty-named-epas-clean-air-act-advisory-committee

Maria Pinho, assistant professor of strategic management, will present at both the US Northeast and US Southeast Chapter Conferences of the Academy of International Business (AIB). 

Pinho and co-presenters will share their works “Agility & Resilience in Emerging Market Multinationals: Integrating two faces of the Same Coin,” and “The Role of Multinational Enterprises in Addressing Societal Tensions: A Review of Business-Society Frameworks.”

For more than 60 years, AIB has been a leader in bringing international business scholars and professionals together to share ideas. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/business-faculty-presents-two-aib-conferences

Widener’s Summer Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (SURCA) program offers undergraduate students hands-on, faculty-mentored research experience over the summer. Months of hard work led to the annual SURCA Symposium where students present their findings to the community, as well as a panel of volunteer judges. 

The winners of the 2023 SURCA Symposium are: 

Biochemistry: Emily McHenry (Mentors: Robert Mishur & Michael Toneff)
Developing a procedure for the metabolic profiling of cancerous cells

Biology & Environmental Science: Evelyn Peyton (Mentor: David Coughlin)
Comparing summer acclimation studies during summer months between hatchery brook trout and wild brook trout

Chemistry & Chemical Engineering: Christina McCullough (Mentor: Dipendu Saha)
Conversion of Styrofoam to activated carbon

Engineering & Computer Science A: Ryan Mendenhall (Mentor: Babak Eslami)
Experimental investigation on effect of temperature on FDM 3D printing polymers: towards 4D printing

Engineering & Computer Science B: Fran DiPietro (Mentor: Aylin Acun)
Examining senescence in artificially aged induced pluripotent stem cell(iPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes

Engineering & Computer Science C: Alyson Fornes (Mentor: Daniel Roozbahani)
AI-driven cardiovascular disease forecasting platform

Humanities: Zoe Sweet (Mentor: Jayne Thompson)
Prison reform: Little Scandinavia

Social Science, Social Work, and Business A: Shane Landue (Mentor: Wei Gao)
Robo-advisor returns: startup vs traditional

Social Science, Social Work, and Business B: Brooke Morales & Adriana Moreta (Mentor: Robin Goldberg-Glen)
Intergenerational relationships: SURCA and career development in Social Work

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/2023-surca-symposium-winners-announced

Widener’s Business Analytics Major has been recognized by BestColleges as one of the top ten business statistics programs in the United States. While often offered as a graduate degree, Widener’s School of Business Administrations offers a bachelor’s level degree in business analytics. 

Widener is recognized for exceptional academic standards and emphasis on student success. Since 2014, BestColleges has been providing college rankings in a number of areas.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/wideners-business-analytics-program-recognized-nationwide-ranking 

Professor of Accounting Joseph Hargadon has co-authored an article published in the August 2023 issue of Strategic Finance. The article, entitled “Dual CMA and CPA Certification: A Winning Combination,” defines a nine-step plan for accounting students to pass the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) exam while still a student, and the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam within six months of their graduation. 

Hargadon’s co-authors include former Widener faculty members Lori Fuller and Peter Ohelers. Strategic Finance is the leading journal of The Institute of Management Accountants.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/current-and-former-accounting-faculty-co-author-new-journal-article

Widener University’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) has helped countless business owners in getting their businesses off the ground, and counseling them as they grow. Recently, the SBDC helped a client, Felicia Doggett of Metropolitan Acoustics LLC, secure the $50,000 Women’s Entrepreneur Grant from JVS Fund Philadelphia. 

Doggett worked her primary consultant, Bill Pearce, to connect with SBDC technology entrepreneurs and partner solutions. The team at the SBDC helped to coach Doggett through every step of the process including a 10-minute presentation to the JVS Fund committee. 

“Bill has been so helpful. He introduced us to several solutions and opened many doors… It was great to have someone like Bill and the SBDC behind him to bounce ideas off of and answer questions,” said Doggett. 

The funding will help Doggett and Metropolitan Acoustics LLC advance their new SenSV™ device, a revolutionary remote laboratory monitoring platform that measures vibration, audible sound, and ultrasonic sound for the environment of laboratories like microscopy and animal housing labs. It’s important for labs to be able to measure how sounds such as traffic, HVAC, and more can impact their research. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/small-business-development-center-helps-client-secure-50000-grant-develop-new-sound-measuring-device

Jeremy Hancher, EMAP Program Manager for Widener’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and adjunct professor in the School of Business Administration, has been nominated by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro to serve as the state’s official representative on the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

In the nomination, Governor Shapiro recognized Hancher for his over 15 years of experience working for the Environmental Management Assistance Program (EMAP) in southeastern Pennsylvania and within the SBDC. He also currently serves as an advisory panel member of the MAFMC. 

Hancher notes that he brings these experiences into his teaching to try and share sustainability insights with undergraduate business students in his classes. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/widener-sbdc-staff-member-nominated-mid-atlantic-fishery-management-council-pa-governor

Professor Yvonne Antonucci recently attended the Hawai’i International Conference on System Sciences to present research that she has conducted in collaboration with Salisbury University. 

Antonucci represented her collaborators at the conference, presenting their work entitled “Engaging Business Students with ‘Low-Code’ Model Driven Development: Self-Efficacy Beliefs in an Introductory MID Course.”

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/business-faculty-presents-collaborative-research-international-conference

A collaborative research project between associate professor Babatunde Odusami and Omokolade Akinsomi from the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa has been chosen to receive funding from The Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program. This grant funds partnership projects between African-born scholars and higher education institutions in Africa. 

Odusami and Akinsomi’s project, entitled “Development of Pan African Real Estate Database and Co-Curriculum Development and Mentorship in Machine Learning Competencies for Real Estate Research,” will work to develop real estate knowledge and research capacities in Africa. 

Odusami will spend a month during the summer of 2023 in Africa working with Akinsomi and graduate students at the University of Witwatersrand. The two researchers will also be presenting another joint project at the American Real Estate Society Conference in March 2023. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/business-professor-receives-funding-collaboration-south-african-university

Students from the School of Business Administration and from the Business Living Learning Community attended a networking event as part of the Philadelphia Phillies College Nights series at Citizen’s Bank Park.

The event included a panel discussion with Phillies industry professionals, a networking hour with Phillies staff and students from other area colleges who were in attendance, and a chance to stay to watch the evening’s baseball game.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/business-students-attend-philadelphia-phillies-networking-event

The annual Summer Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (SURCA) program offers a high-impact experience through faculty-mentored undergraduate research, collaborative engagement, and a student-faculty learning community. The months-long program culminated with a symposium event which allowed participating students to present their projects and findings to the Widener community as well as a panel of volunteer judges who ranked the presentations by category.

The winners of the 2022 SURCA Symposium are:

Biochemistry: Michaela Jemison (advisor: Alexis Nagengast)
Detecting phenotypic difference of Alzheimer’s progression in a variety of Drosophila genotypes

Biology: Zachary Anderson (advisor: Caroline Fortunato)
Understanding the biogeographical patterns of microbial communities within the grassland soils of Northeastern Pennsylvania

Business & Computer Science: Shea’lyn Hubbs & Daniel Wiedl (advisors: Babatunde Odusami & YoungHa Ki)
Green bond performance in the United States

Chemistry: Elana Nguyen (advisor: Robert Mishur)
Microwave-assisted synthesis of transplatin, trans-[Pt[NH3]2Cl2]

Engineering A: Jared Ware (advisors: Babak Eslami & Kamran Fouladi)
Investigation of effect of melting temperature on the quality of 3D printed parts out of PLA filaments

Engineering B: Brian Hoffman (advisor: Dipendu Saha)
Conversion of Styrofoam into value-added products

Environmental: Emily Mills (advisor: Chad Freed)
Spatial modeling to support conservation of Sialia sialis, Eastern Bluebirds, in Pennsylvania

Humanities: Madison Smith & M’Nya Preston (advisor: Jordan Smith)
Hidden History of Widener

Molecular Biology: Adam Oladeji (advisor: Michael Toneff)
Transient expression of miR-200c does not permanently inhibit breast cancer cell aggression

Social Science A: Zora DeSeignora & Kaitlyn Lathrop (advisor: Angela Corbo)
Belonging, inclusion, and collaboration in communication studies: Building self-awareness and community

Social Science B: Cloë Di Flumeri & Marissa Fowler (advisor: Jeremy Backstrom)
Intimate partner violence during civil war

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/undergraduate-students-named-winners-2022-surca-symposium

Faculty members from the School of Business Administration have had an article published in the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants’ Journal of Accountancy.

Professor Joseph Hargadon, associate professor Irfan Safdar, instructor Stephanie Wendling, and assistant professor Katie Whang co-authored an article titled “Tax Advice for Clients who Day-Trade Stocks.”

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/sba-faculty-publish-journal-article

Jeff Lolli, professor in the School of Business Administration, has been named the 2022 recipient of the Faculty Collegiality Award from the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (ICHRIE).

This award is presented to one faculty ICHRIE member who has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to fostering collegiality among their peers through a high level of team building and collaborative and constructive support of peers in their teaching, scholarship, and service both on and off campus.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/business-professor-wins-faculty-collegiality-award

The Environmental Management Assistance Program (EMAP), in collaboration with Widener’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC), has been chosen to receive the 2022 Program Excellence Award from the National Small Business Environmental Assistance Program (SBEAP). 

This award is given to a program or individual who showcases exemplary performance in the areas of compliance assistance, sustainability, advocacy, and collaboration particularly with creating resources, promoting policy advancements, and establishing new partnerships. 

EMAP, overseen by Jeremy Hancher, was nominated by this award by their partners at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for their work providing free, confidential assistance on environmental issues to small businesses. 

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/environmental-management-assistance-program-wins-excellence-award

School of Business Administration Professor Yvonne Antonucci has been named a Distinguished University Professor. The honor recognizes faculty of distinction and demonstrates to the broader community that Widener is committed to recognizing excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service throughout a faculty member’s career. Distinguished professors serve for three years.
 
Antonucci has made many contributions to the School of Business Administration. As a scholar, she is internationally recognized in business process management (BPM) and student learning engagement with technologies. Antonucci has contributed to the School of Business and the university community through committee participation, coordinating academic programs, curriculum development, peer mentoring, and her role as student club advisor. In addition, she has been a leader in the international SAP University Alliance. Antonucci’s scholarship, teaching, and leadership in the school have elevated SBA’s programs considerably during her career at Widener. She is an outstanding teacher, scholar, and leader both within and outside of the Widener community.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/school-business-administration-faculty-member-named-distinguished-university-professor

School of Business Administration Dean and Professor of Management Anthony Wheeler co-authored a newly published book, titled "HR Without People? Industrial Evolution in the Age of Automation, AI, and Machine Learning (Future of Work)". 

Wheeler co-authored the book with M. Ronald Buckley, the JC Penney Company Chair of Business Leadership and a Professor of Management and Psychology at the University of Oklahoma.

The book traces provocative and challenging timelines for future developments in ten, thirty and fifty years' time, to interrogate how modern human resources practices need to respond to far reaching technological and industrial change. As artificial intelligence and machine learning practices grow, entire industries and jobs could become more automated or cease to exist altogether. 

Focusing on the role these technologies are playing in changing the human resources profession and how they could and should develop industry practices in the future, Wheeler and Buckley explored how this profession has a vital role in responding to these changes and how it can adapt to meet the new challenges faced by both employers and employees.

The book is available on Amazon.

Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/school-business-administration-dean-anthony-wheeler-publishes-book-about-future-work