From The Dean

It has been a record-breaking year for the ISU College of Business in countless ways. We were very excited to be notified by U.S. News and World Report that our undergraduate programs were one of only four ISU programs designated in their ‘Best Colleges of 2025’ rankings. These rankings reflected surveys from academic leaders, employers and alumni. This year is the highest U.S. News ranking in the history of the College. This is another testament to the incredible work our faculty, staff, donors, and community are doing, as well as the world class business education we are providing our students.

Back to Business

Back to Business, hosted by College of Business clubs during the first week of the fall semester, is a way for the College’s clubs, faculty and staff to welcome back returning students and introduce themselves to new ones. Held for the fourth year, activities included lunch, giveaways, music, club booths, yard games, a dunk tank and pie throwing - the last two specifically for students to dunk or pie a professor.

Executive in Residence

The Executive in Residence program invites successful alumni to visit campus and present to a variety of classes, meet one-on-one with students, participate in panels, network with students and faculty, and hold a college-wide presentation. The Executive in Residence event is an incredible opportunity for College of Business undergraduate and graduate students to gain valuable connections with high-level leaders in a variety of business fields and learn about their rise to success. This semester’s Executive in Residence was Senior Vice President and COO of St. Luke’s Health System, Sandee Gehrke.

Homecoming with the College of Business

The College of Business took Bengal Pride to the next level during Homecoming Week, participating in classic Homecoming traditions and launching a variety of new student and alumni opportunities.

Roar Like Never Before Introduction

There’s a roar like never before rumbling through the halls of the Idaho State University College of Business. It’s in the cheers of competitors as the $1,000 Sales Competition winner is announced. It’s in the deep breath of a freshmen as she walks into her first career fair. It’s in the applause of onlookers at the Professional Development Month Fashion Show. It’s in the sigh of relief as a senior finds out he got the scholarship he wouldn’t have been able to afford his last semester without.

Professorships

A generous gift from an anonymous donor will result in the creation of six endowed professorships within the College, which doubles the current number of endowed professorships in the College and at the University.

Scholarships

Scholarship Endowments established during the fall semester included the Darrell and Jeremy Brown Endowment, the Daniel M. and Helen D. Hodgkiss Scholarship Endowment Fund and the Ron H. Ostermeier and Sharon K. Ostermeier Memorial Scholarship Endowment.

Professional Development Month

The College of Business places a strong emphasis on career culture among students with our unique professional development program. Part of this program includes Professional Development Month. Held each September, Professional Development Month offers students opportunities to become more career-ready and find an internship or job. From the Dr. Bill Phillips Etiquette Dinner toting the promise to ‘make meeting and eating less awkward’, to resume review sessions with experts from the College and ISU Career Center, the month was packed full of ways for students to learn about important professional topics in an approachable way.

Student Competitions

The College of Business offers two pitch-style competitions for students to compete in every semester - the U.S. Bank Pitch-Off and the Shark Tank 101 Pitch Competition. This semester, both events had a record number of student participants for the fifth consecutive year. Overall, 273 students, over 25% of the College’s enrollment, pitched business ideas to teams of judges from throughout the business and University community. Fifty four judges heard nearly 200 different students or teams present an ‘angel fund investment formatted pitch of their unique startup business idea.

Festival of Trees

The College of Business, in conjunction with Presenting Sponsor Lookout Credit Union, partnered for the third year to host a local holiday favorite – the Festival of Trees. The Festival of Trees aims to capture the magic of the holidays while bringing the community together in support of local education and community needs. This year’s benefiting groups included Idaho State University Scholarships, Make-aWish Idaho, the School District 25 Education Foundation and Southeastern Idaho Community Action Agency Meals on Wheels.

Big Checks, Bigger Dreams

Throughout the year, College of Business students, faculty and staff go above and beyond to make an impact in the community. Sometimes this impact takes the form of cheering at the finish line of Walk to End Alzheimer’s, other times it’s a monetary donation so a child can attend a highly ranked preschool program. It can even be dancing in a Santa suit to help make a sick child’s Make-a-Wish dream come true. Regardless of where, when, or how, members of the College of Business strive to share knowledge, spread Bengal pride, and truly make a difference everywhere they go.

Welcoming New Faculty

New faculty include Assistant Professor of Accounting Dr. Ashley Li and Assistant Clinical Professor of Management Annik Martin.

Recognizing Retiring Faculty

Retiring faculty include Professor of Finance Dr. Ken Khang and Professor of Economics Dr. Bob Tokle.

Scholarship Endowments: Transforming Lives, Forever

Many have asked about the process of creating an endowment and what it is. An endowment is a permanent donation where the principal remains intact, and the earnings are used for a purpose specified by the donor. Endowments can support programs, faculty or student research, and more. The most common type of endowment is for scholarships. Many ISU students would not be able to afford college without scholarship support. Our donors regularly speak to the impact a scholarship once had on their life and their ability to attend ISU. They once had someone believe in them and support their dreams, and they want to do the same for future students.

Editor:

Presley Arrowood

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Administration:

Dr. Shane Hunt, Dean

College of Business Development:

Director of Development Kristine McCarty

(208) 282-4608  

kristinemccarty@isu.edu