INDEX
1. Message From MBA Director
2. Spotlights
3. Students’ Corner
4. Faculty Corner
5. Faculty Research
6. Alumni Corner
7. Support Services
DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
In November 2020, Huston-Tillotson University announced to its students, faculty, and staff that instructions would continue online for the 2021 Spring Semester.
The COVID-19 pandemic has limited our ability to ensure the safety of in-person teaching.
We are pleased at the great job that the faculty is doing in developing innovative methodologies to online learning. They have worked industriously to develop ways to support our students and help sustain their academic progress. We are equally pleased that our students have been receptive to academic instructions in this online format.
Thank you in advance for staying the course for the upcoming Spring 2021 semester. We must continue to do our part to protect all members of the campus community while adhering to the University’s goal of academic excellence.
I look forward to seeing all of you on campus and in the classroom in the semesters to come.
Steven Edmond
Dean and Professor Emeritus
School of Business and Technology
SPOTLIGHTS
HT’S FIRST CLASS OF MBA GRADUATES’
COMMENCEMENT POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19
Huston-Tillotson University (HT) launched its MBA program in Fall 2019. This 12-course, 36-credit hour MBA program is designed for working individuals in the Austin area. The HT MBA maintains a weekend format.
In Summer 2020, the University happily announced its first class of MBA graduates. The MBA graduates include Juanita Budd, Sulipsa Luque, Ashley McClary, D’Janae Robinson, and Thomas St. Julien.
In April 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Collette Pierce Burnette, HT CEO and President, and her Administrative Council decided to postpone all commencement ceremonies scheduled for May and August 2020 graduates.
This included a postponement of all graduation events and college convocations
This decision was made with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discouraging travel and large gatherings during this pandemic. This decision focused on the health and well-being of all members of the campus community.
The University is working on both the when and the how to determine when and how rescheduled events will take place. Additional information will be provided as soon as available
STUDENT GRADUATES “WITH HIGH DISTINCTION” HONORS
Juanita Budd enrolled in Huston-Tillotson University’s first MBA class in Fall 2019. She was among the first graduates of the program in August 2020.Budd graduated “With High Distinction” honors. This honor is best owed on HT MBA graduates whose overall Grade Point Average is between 3.75 to 4.00.
Already a high ranking executive with her employer, Executive Director of Austin Free-Net (AFN), Budd stated that her purpose for enrolling in the HT MBA program was to “enhance my leadership and executive management skills. I also wanted to gain international business experience, especially through the annual 10-day
MBA Global Trip.
Budd has more than 20 years of nonprofit experience in a plethora of roles including strategic planning,
volunteer and staff management and board membership. Since 2011, She has led the strategic direction
of AFN ensuring the organization stay relevant with the rapid changes in the technology industry. AFN is a
local company providing computer access and training to the underserved communities in the metro
Austin area
In her AFN leadership role, Budd managed a $4.3 million federal grant from the Broadband Technologies Opportunities Program (BTOP) of the U.S. Department of Commerce to expand technology training and access in the community.
Prior to accepting the Executive Director position with AFN, Budd served as Chief Operations Officer and Vice President of Programs for Girl Scouts of Central Texas serving 46 Texas counties. HT is proud to recognize Juanita Budd as an HT MBA graduate “With High Distinction” Honors
PROFESSOR IS TAKING PART IN INVESTMENT PANEL IN AFRICA
We are honored to announce that Laura Hughes, professor of Legal and Ethical Environment of Business, is scheduled to serve as moderator on an investment panel at the 2020 Return Annual Festival and Conference in Dakar, Senegal.
The Return is a 7-day event scheduled for June 14th – 21st. The purpose of this event is to create social and economic connections between African Americans and Africans. The programs are centered around business opportunities and education. For more information about the Return, visit the event
site at https://www.thereturn.sn/thereturn
STUDENTS’ CORNER
FALL 2020 HT MBA STUDENT ORIENTATION
On August 1, 2020, Huston-Tillotson University’s Master of Business Administration program held a virtual orientation for its thirteen new students. At this orientation, the students learned about the program and met their classmates as well as some of the faculty.
Information sessions included topics on registration, financial aid, support services such as the Writer’s Studio, and networking opportunities. The Director of the University’s Career Services and Graduate Development Center presented on jobs and professional development opportunities available to MBA students.
According to new MBA student, Angela Smith-Johnson, “The HT MBA Virtual Orientation program was far more welcoming and enlightening than I expected – from the encouraging words of the President of HT to the welcoming spirit of the professors, staff, and recent graduates of the program.”
Smith-Johnson continued by stating, “The thoroughness and detail of the information presented was definitely a step in the right direction that I feel will lead to my successful completion of the program.” The HT MBA requires the successful completion of 36 credit hours which can be completed in 18 months or less. Courses are offered in 8-week sessions, six sessions per academic year. The courses are offered on Friday evenings from 6:00pm-10:00pm and Saturday mornings from 8:00am-12:00pm.
The new students are now ready and excited to begin this new journey toward furthering their career goals with the HT MBA program. We extend to the new HT MBA students a hearty welcome to the HT family.
HT MBA FLAG BEARER
Deniann Grant, from Antigua and Barbuda (part of the West Indies in the Caribbean) and a graduate from the University of Florida, is the HT MBA Flag Bearer for May 2021 Convocation and Commencement exercises.
Carrying the flag is a special honor. Along with other University Department Flag Bearers, the selection of an MBA Flag Bear helps to ensure that Convocation and Commencement events are memorable experiences for graduates, their families and friends.
The HT MBA Flag Bearer is responsible for:
- Assisting in lining up fellow graduates for the processional
- Leading MBA candidates in the processional and recessional, and
- Carrying the HT MBA flag
The HT MBA Flag Bearer is selected by the SBT dean’s office in collaboration with the Director of the MBA
program.
2021 MBA GLOBAL TRIP
The Global Trip is a mandatory requirement for the MBA course, International Business. This trip is scheduled to begin the first week of June each year. During this trip, students spend 10 days in an intensive group-learning experience. The students have selected Libreville, Gabon as their choice of trip location for Summer 2021.
Other location options included Beijing, China; Lima, Peru; and Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.
Global trips foster education through formal and informal learning, including pre-trip meetings, research and discussions before, during, and after the trip. There are two components to the Global Trips: academic and cultural. During the pre-trip preparation, students research the national economy of the host country and the business practice of at least one local company. Once in the host country, students visit that company and hold in-depth meetings with management. After the students return from the trip, they present their findings in a paper and presentation to complete the course requirements.
The trip also involves a combination or sightseeing and cultural experiences. The goal of these trips is to immerse the HT MBA students into another culture. By experiencing cultural differences, the students learn how culture influences business decisions.
FACULTY CORNER
LAURA HUGHES: VOTED FALL 2020 BEST INSTRUCTOR
Laura Hughes was voted the best MBA instructor for Fall 2020 by the HT MBA students. She teaches the Legal and Ethical Environment of Business course for the MBA program.
Hughes is a graduate from Clark Atlanta University with a B.A. in International Business. She holds a Master’s in Project Management from Devry University and a J.D. from Saint Louis University School of Law.
The following are comments from students who voted her the top-rated professor:
- “She is known for answering emails from students 24/7 and for not giving up on anyone who put in a respectable effort.”
- “She stimulated the interest of the class with information that was relevant to us.”
- “Professor Hughes approached every class with excitement and passion.”
- “Professor Hughes approached every class with excitement and passion.”
- “She was willing to discuss homework assignments outside of class to ensure that we understood the course concepts.
As a lawyer, Hughes was Chief Operations Officer for Great Southwest Regional Center in Austin. She managed foreign direct investment in Oil & Gas Saltwater Recycling Facilities in West Texas. Hughes was also responsible for all aspects of foreign and domestic EB-5 investment and international compliance
with USCIS, SEC, Texas Railroad Commission, OSHA regulations.
FACULTY RESEARCH
OVERVIEW AND IMPACT OF BLOCKCHAIN ON AUDITING
DERRICK BONYUET
Blockchain has become very popular as the underlying technology powering Bitcoin. However, the benefits behind this technology further surpass just supporting cryptocurrencies. Blockchain can be defined as a digital ledger that allows to capture transactions conducted among several parties on
real-time and serves as a decentralized database where each participant keeps an identical copy of the ledger.
The appeal behind blockchain resides on its peer-to-peer network infrastructure along cryptographic capabilities
This combination enables users to conduct transactions without a trusted third-party intermediary.
Benefits in accounting are even more promising as Blockchain will provide a triple entry accounting system where all transactions are immutable and have been time stamped, recorded on real-time and encrypted (Alarcon & Ng, 2018). The purpose of this paper is to review extant research on this technology and assess the impact of blockchain in the audit profession, including new risks, change in procedures and additional opportunities.
For a copy of the complete article, contact the HT MBA program at MBA@htu.edu
ANALYZING THE DEGREE OF COMPETITIVENESS IN NIGERIA
AND
UNITED STATES TELECOM INDUSTRIES - ONOCHIE JUDE DIELI
This paper studies the deregulation of the Nigeria telecom industry made possible by the availability of wireless mobile phone technology. It compares progressiveness of competition in Nigeria’s telecom industry with that of the US after deregulation.
The industry was fully deregulated in 1999 in Nigeria and three years earlier, 1966, in the US. In Nigeria, this process began in 1992, marked by the establishment of Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) by Decree 75.
The NCC was created under this Decree by the Government of Nigeria. The NCC was charged with the
responsibility of regulating the supply of telecommunications services and facilities, promoting competition, and setting performance standards for telephone services in Nigeria.
After the implementation of the deregulation policy in Nigeria’s telecom industry, it is pertinent to investigate its impact on competitiveness of the sector. It is expected that the policy action will exert positive effects on competition, which is one of the hallmarks of market economy
Does competitiveness of the telecom industry in Nigeria after the deregulation in 1999 show progress that’s similar to that of the U.S telecom industry after its deregulation in 1996? What, if different, possibly explains the dissimilar patterns of industry evolution between Nigerian and U.S. telecom industries?
This work covered the period of 1999 to 2019
For a copy of the complete article, contact the HT MBA program at MBA@htu.edu
ALUMNI CORNER
THE HT MBA DEGREE SPELLS SUCCESS!
BY
THOMAS ST. JULIEN – MBA CLASS OF 2020
I graduated from the HT MBA program in August 2020 and immediately thereafter, I began interviewing for jobs that would allow me to utilize my newly acquired business skills. I eventually settled on a firm in Dallas, Texas, to launch my post-MBA career. I was overwhelmed with joy when I was hired by this firm over other candidates with MBA degrees from major Texas universities. During my matriculation in the HT MBA program, I did not know if the information that was being taught was going to be relevant in the real world.
I often wondered if class assignments would be focused on addressing the current challenges in the corporate workplace
However, I was pleasantly surprised when, on my first day with the Dallas firm, my new manager asked the question, “What are the four critical managerial skills?” I responded with technical, interpersonal, conceptual, and diagnostic and thought to myself, “Wow! Lessons learned from Dr. Jason Carter’s Organizational Behavior class really stuck.” Later that day, I received an email of kudos from my manager for knowing the material. She stated that these were the pillars upon which she wanted to focus her leadership team.
The HT MBA degree has helped to advance my job prospects and opportunities. Also, the skills that I learned in the HT MBA program increased my confidence during job interviews. I believe that new self-confidence gave me an advantage over other applicants. I can definitely say, HT’s MBA degree has set me up for success.
WHY PURSUE AN HT MBA DEGREE?
BY JUANITA BUDD – MBA CLASS OF 2020
Because I am a relatively successful middle aged female, most people might think it not necessary for me to pursue an MBA at this stage in my career. But the real question is, what could I gain if I did pursue an MBA?
I pursued an MBA because I come from a family of educators and school was both highly respected and encouraged. I wanted to pursue a post baccalaureate degree.
Because my undergraduate degree is not in a business field, I wanted to learn more about business and to be able to compete on a global scale. In Fall 2019, I enrolled in Huston-Tillotson University’s inaugural MBA Degree program.
An MBA degree requires a significant investment of time, energy and money. I learned first-hand that the courses in the HT MBA program are rigorous and analytical. It is not possible to waltz your way through the MBA program. It is hard work! However, the benefits of this hard work are very rewarding. My classes were stimulating and stretched my ability to rethink things that I had previously learned. My opinion did not matter unless I was able to support it with facts and solid evidence. The plethora of assignments and exercises given by the HT MBA professors were both daunting and exhilarating.
I gained invaluable business experience earning my MBA at HT. The knowledge gained helped me to better utilize data in making decisions. Also, networking with peers and professors who are highly skilled professionals in their respective fields, was exciting
MBA SUPPORT SERVICES
The Career and Graduate Development Office
If you are an MBA student seeking employment or want to better position yourself for promotional opportunities, contact the HT Career and Graduate Development Office. Directed by Steven Hatchett, this office provides a variety of services to help students prepare for the job market. Some of the services provided include:
Skill building workshops – Offered throughout the year on resume and cover letter writing, soft skills development, job interview prep, negotiating job offers.
Recruiting events – Corporate recruiters attend both virtual and on-campus job fairs to interview for full-time positions.
Networking – Provide networking events where students can connect with professionals in their potential career
The Career and Graduate Development Office is preparing you for that ideal career.