The Carson College of Business honored its outstanding faculty members, doctoral students, and staff during its annual awards event on May 2.
Outstanding Faculty Research
George Jiang
Department of Finance and Management Science
Jiang had 14 research papers accepted for publication in the past three years, including one in a premier academic journal and several in A- and B+ publications. Many of these publications are with current and former doctoral students, showing his dedication to helping others develop their research skills.
Outstanding Faculty Service
Claire Latham
Department of Accounting
Latham has completed hundreds of hours of service related to the college’s assurance of learning for the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business’ accreditation process. She led her committee through an extensive overhaul that aligned the process with The Next Carson Coug curriculum’s new learning goals. This work involves analyzing course and class content, testing students, and informing faculty about the outcomes.
Outstanding Faculty Teaching
Joe Compeau
Department of Management, Information Systems, and Entrepreneurship
Colleagues describe Compeau as a teacher who strives to create an outstanding educational experience while developing future business leaders. He has reduced the lecture time in his classes and increased learning through small group activities and student-instructor interaction. He also mentors new faculty and doctoral students to develop their teaching skills.
Outstanding Doctoral Student Teaching Assistant
Shazzad Sikdar
Department of Management, Information Systems, and Entrepreneurship
Sikdar gives students detailed feedback on assignments and helps them track their progress over time. He also is very interested in teaching techniques. When classes moved online during COVID-19, a professor suggested using a comic-strip style approach to illustrate case studies and increase student engagement. Sikdar reviewed websites for designing comics based on cost, ease of use, and quality of graphics. He also worked to smooth students’ transition back to in-person learning.
Outstanding Doctoral Student Teaching
Muzi Liu
Department of Marketing and International Business
Liu’s teaching style encourages students to apply marketing concepts to relevant real-world situations. She encourages students to ask questions in class and pauses until the class has meaningful contributions. Students consistently give her high scores during evaluations for the wide range of classes she teaches.
Outstanding Doctoral Student Research
Nasir Haghighi
Department of Marketing and International Business
Haghighi’s peers say they’re inspired by his research work. He recently coauthored an article in the International Journal of Research in Marketing. Due to his research credentials, the University of Washington hired him to work on its Tacoma campus after graduation.
Outstanding Staff Student Engagement
Leanne Ralstin
Carson Center for Student Success
Ralstin took on extra duties during a time of transition in the Carson Center for Student Success. Despite the overwhelming responsibilities, she stepped up to ensure the Career Networking Night, numerous Boeing and PACCAR events, the college’s mentorship program, and the weekly student newsletters went smoothly. She was invaluable in guiding students in satisfying Carson Career Amplifier requirements through events and workshops.
Outstanding Staff College Engagement
Lisa Wood
Department of Marketing and International Business
Besides her duties as the administrative assistant for the Department of Marketing and International Business, Wood stepped up to help two other departments. She provided administrative support for the Department of Finance and Management Science when it was without an administrative assistant and served on the search committee to fill the position. She also helped the new administrative assistant in the Department of Management, Information Systems, and Entrepreneurship get acclimated.
Outstanding Staff Faculty Engagement
Marlene Ibsen
Department of Accounting
Ibsen goes above and beyond in her job, helping new faculty get acquainted with the college’s processes. She responds quickly to requests, completing reimbursements within one or two days, and reserving classrooms as soon as they are available. Colleagues say she is a pleasant person to be around, and they feel happier after talking to her.
