I hope that 2012 has begun on a high note for each one of you. Here at the Gatton College our spring semester is underway with classes back in session and students lining our hallways. This semester will be a busy one with events such as our annual Economic Outlook Conference, our annual Supply Chain Forum and Gatton College's Hall of Fame Ceremony where we recognize the impressive achievements of a few of our outstanding alumni. Finally, the semester culminates with the recognition of another outstanding class of Gatton graduates at UK's May Commencement Ceremony. As always, we would welcome you to any of our events. You can find more information about these and other Gatton happenings on our website or by joining us on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Thank you for all you do on behalf of the Gatton College of Business & Economics. I hope 2012 will be a prosperous one for each of you.

Merl Hackbart
Interim Dean

David W. Blackwell, recognized academic leader who also possesses broad experience in industry, developing corporate relationships, and fund raising has been tapped as the new dean of the University of Kentucky Gatton College of Business and Economics. Currently associate dean for graduate programs at Texas A&M University's Mays Business School, Blackwell begins his appointment at UK on March 1.
[ Read more... ]

2012 marked the 23rd anniversary edition of the University of Kentucky’s renowned Annual Economic Outlook Conference and it was a very stimulating and informative four hours.

The conference, sponsored by UK’s Gatton College of Business and Economics in cooperation with The Lane Report and Commerce Lexington, was held in the Lexington Convention Center’s Bluegrass Ballroom 2 on Tuesday morning, Jan. 31.

Sessions focused on significant economic issues for Kentuckians, as well as for the nation and the world.

Among those on the list of speakers was Mark E. Schweitzer, senior vice president and director of research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, who presented “A View from the Federal Reserve.”

The Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER), which is located in the Gatton College of Business and Economics also released its 40th annual economic report. You can download it here:
[ CBER 2012 Annual Report (PDF) ]

With the help of a generous donor, the Gatton College recently launched its new Graham Office of Career Management. The Office has relocated to its permanent new office space on the second floor of the Gatton College. The Office now houses career counselors, an employer relations coordinator and staff and graduate assistants. The Graham Office will work closely with the University’s Stuckert Career Center to provide comprehensive career management services to students and employers. The mission of the Graham Office of Career Management is dedicated to assisting students in their career development process and employment success by working closely with employers who seek to hire world ready interns and graduates. [To find out more about the new services, visit the Graham Office website]

What are the most effective ways that economic development organizations (EDO's) in Kentucky Appalachia can work together to identify new pathways toward local and regional prosperity? How can these organizations optimize the value and impact of the connections they have already established with local businesses, service providers, government and non-government agencies, and educational institutions?

These are just a couple of the questions to be examined by a multidisciplinary team of University of Kentucky researchers working in Appalachian Kentucky over the next two years. Funded by a $485,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, the study aims to yield new insights and knowledge related to "inter-organizational networks and best practices" that can help EDOs throughout the region achieve their goals. [ Read more... ]

For the fourth consecutive year, students from the University of Kentucky Gatton College of Business and Economics turned in a strong showing in the annual Wall Street Journal National Biz Quiz competition held recently at The Ohio State University in Columbus.

"I am pleased to report that our 2011 squad placed fourth out of 24 schools from across the nation in the team competition," said Gordon Holbein, a senior lecturer in strategy and leadership at Gatton who serves as coach. "Our Gatton team bested students from excellent programs such as Purdue, Carnegie-Mellon, Emory, North Carolina, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Arizona and others."
[ Read more... ]

• Professor Gail Hoyt recently lead a panel discussion on "Using blogs to teach undergraduate Economics” at the annual meeting of the American Economic Association. The panel was featured in a recent article by The Chronicle of Higher Education. [ Read the article... ]
• Congrats to Management Professor Ajay Mehra on being named a 2012 Great Teacher Award Recipient by the UK Alumni Association. [ Read more... ]
• Congratulations to Economics professors, Jenny Minier and Josh Ederington on receiving Fulbright Scholar Awards. Prof. Minier will be focusing her research on regional income gaps within the European Union and Prof. Ederington will focus on how to design and structure and international environmental agreement. [ Read more... ]
• Congratulations to Professor De Liu on his appointment as associate editor for the journal Information Systems Research. ISR is one of the top journals in the information systems discipline.