The Executive - Spring 2015

STUDENTS VOLUNTEER FOR NEW
LIFT PROGRAM

Some 275 Culverhouse student volunteers have signed up for a new community outreach program at the College. The LIFT initiative is helping the unemployed and underemployed build career-worthy skills and teaching young children that business school can be fun and cool.

Accounting lecturer Lisa McKinney leads the Learning Initiative and Financial Training program that launched in August 2014. McKinney and David Hose, an accountancy graduate student, brainstormed on how to share business-related job skills with Tuscaloosa’s off-campus community and from there, the LIFT program was born. They have not looked back, and they continue to find ways to improve the program as they serve diverse participants, ages 16-65.

INSURANCE STUDENT GROUP
WINS FIVE AWARDS

The Epsilon honorary chapter of Gamma Iota Sigma, made up of members of the Alabama Insurance Society, won five international chapter awards at the Gamma Iota Sigma conference in Dallas, Texas, in October. The five awards were in alumni relations, chapter management, community service, membership development and public relations.

Six board members attended the conference to receive the awards: Suzanne Christiansen, president;

Amanda Norem, vice president; Abigail Rehfeld, secretary; Scott Huisinga, treasurer; Griffin Jennings; and Daniel Smith. For more about the chapter visit www.gammaiotasigma.org.

ACCOUNTING FRATERNITY WINS
GOLD AWARD

The University of Alabama’s Beta Alpha Psi chapter, the national honorary accounting fraternity, is one of 15 chapters across the nation to receive a Gold Award in the “Gold Challenge” sponsored by KPMG LLP and the KPMG Foundation. The competition allowed Beta Alpha Psi members to test their media skills. They submitted a five-minute video explaining why their chapter is tops in the nation. Each of the 15 gold award chapters received

$2,500.

FINANCE STUDENT MAKES
BLOOMBERG HALL OF FAME

William Prester, who is majoring in finance, ranked in the top 5 in the Americas on the Bloomberg Aptitude Test and is currently featured on Bloomberg Institute’s Hall of Fame.

ACRE STUDENTS WIN REAL
ESTATE INNOVATION AWARD

The University of Alabama and the
Culverhouse College of Commerce
have partnered with the Institute of
Real Estate Management to advance
real estate management education
and careers. This new collaboration
that includes the UA chapter of IREM,
Alabama 43, will help students network
with working professionals. Alabama
Chapter 43 recently received one of
seven national, prestigious Innovation
Awards from IREM for its commitment
to student outreach.

IREM provides students at Culverhouse with teaching materials including textbooks to help develop curriculums as well as making IREM information easily accessible to students through the College’s website.

Two Culverhouse graduates were recently awarded for efforts while pursuing their degrees. ACRE intern Kevin Perkins became one of the youngest members to earn his Certified Property Manager (CPM) designation. Robby Waldrop, who specialized in real estate as a student, was recognized as the National Student of the Year.

The Department of Economics, Finance, and Legal Studies, housed within Culverhouse, offers a Bachelor of Science in finance with a specialization in real estate. The Manderson Graduate School of Business offers a Master of Science in finance, with a specialization in real estate.