Ventures - Susquehanna University

SUMMER 2012
Annual Review of the Sigmund Weis School of Business at Susquehanna University
Placing
the World
at Students’
Fingertips
SUMMER 2012
A

dean’s message
On March 25, excitement and pride filled the
room as students and faculty gathered for the 19th
annual Sigmund Weis School of Business Beta
Gamma Sigma induction ceremony. We honored
16 new inductees who rank in the top 7 percent of
their junior class and also recognized 12 university
seniors who were initiated in 2011. Watching our
students get inducted into this prestigious society
is a crowning moment for me each year.
Membership in Beta Gamma Sigma, the
international honor society of collegiate schools
of business and management, is the highest
recognition a student can receive in a program
accredited by AACSB International—The
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools
of Business. And for me, student success is a
testament to the first-rate education we provide.
Moreover, our AACSB accreditation is an
international mark of distinction. As of April,
AACSB had 648 institutions located in 43
countries and territories. The Sigmund Weis
School of Business is one of only 42 member
programs from undergraduate-only institutions.
This internationally respected benchmark
of quality ensures students and parents that
the business school is providing a top-notch
education. It also ensures employers that our
graduates are well prepared for the workplace.
A prime example is John Strangfeld ’75, who
worked his way up to the position of chairman
and CEO of Prudential Financial Inc., as well as
chair of Susquehanna’s Board of Trustees. His
success was recognized with induction as an
honorary member of Beta Gamma Sigma. But
during his remarks to new inductees and senior
members, John admitted that the road to success
was not always an easy one. After graduating 81st
in his high school class of 162 pupils, he ended
his first semester at Susquehanna with just a
2.3 grade point average (GPA). “I didn’t have a
whole lot of confidence then,” John told his fellow
inductees, “but I looked around and saw that there
were students doing much better than I was.” He
committed to spending every evening Sunday
through Thursday in the library. He stayed until
the library closed and soon found that the extra
hours spent on school work were paying off. (He
ended up with a 4.0 GPA.)
“Susquehanna provided a nurturing
environment,” John said, “and I learned that the
extent to which I applied myself affected the
outcome. But at the end of the day, it’s not about
your GPA, it’s about how well you can work with
others; it’s about putting yourself in someone
else’s shoes.”
The business school faculty routinely put
themselves in someone else’s shoes—namely
our students’—to ensure we are providing
them with the best possible education for the
world in which they find themselves. As you’ll
read in this issue, an important initiative for us
has been supporting international study and
international faculty appointments in support of
the university’s new Central Curriculum. This
has resulted in a broad-based student experience
that enriches students both culturally and
academically, and prepares them to compete
in today’s global economy. I hear students and
faculty alike say that class discussions are more
sophisticated, student perspectives more open,
and student interactions more meaningful.
I wish I could bring you all the examples of
this success through Ventures. Unfortunately,
like virtually every business in the country, the
university has been faced with budgetary cuts
that affect our ability to continue producing
two issues of this magazine per year. As a
result, we’ve developed this single issue as an
annual report of sorts—a publication, mailed
at the end of the fiscal year, that will highlight
the accomplishments and human interest
stories coming out of the business school. It
will be followed by a dean’s letter in the fall and
enhancements to the business school Web pages,
so be sure to check online for additional stories
in the coming months.
Sincerely,
Alicia J. Jackson
Dean of the Sigmund Weis School of Business

The Sigmund Weis School of Business welcomed 133 new students in
fall 2011. Here's a look at the geographic and academic makeup of
the business school’s freshman class:
state
pennsylvania
new jersey
new york
PA - 59 NJ - 39 NY - 9
Pennsylvania: 59
New Jersey: 39
New York: 9
by the
numbers
progrAM
Accounting: 19
Business Economics: 2
Entrepreneurship: 5
maryland
MD 7
connecticut
CT - 6
maine
ME - 3
Finance: 10
Global Markets: 6
Maryland: 7
Connecticut: 6
Maine: 3
Human Resources: 1
NH - 2
new hampshire
NC - 1
north carolina
virginia
VA - 1
Marketing: 17
Information Systems: 2
New Hampshire: 2
North Carolina: 1
Virginia: 1
Business Undecided: 71
country
2 2
1 1
Canada: 2 China: 2 Myanmar: 1 Vietnam: 1

partners &
planners
The following people are members of
the Sigmund Weis School of Business Advisory Council
Anne Eddinger ’02
Bill Quinn ’91
Bob Hadfield ’68
David Bussard
Associate Professor
of Management
Greg Carr ’83
James App ’65
Jameson Troutman ’02
Jan Lessman ’76
Joe Shannon ’08
Carl Moses
Provost and Dean of Faculty
Neil Crowell ’02
Nicole Payne ’99
Richard Orwig
Associate Professor of
Information Systems
Rob Leslie ’80
Matthew Rousu
Associate Professor
of Economics
Sidney Apfelbaum, H’09
Susquehanna University Trustee
The following students make up
the Dean’s Student Advisory Council
Joshua Allen ’13
Accounting
Robin Carey ’12
Business Administration–Finance
Economics–Financial Economics
Stephanie Chan ’13
Business Administration–Finance
Kristen Dumbeck ’13
Business Administration–Finance
and Global Management
Sarah Easton ’13
Business Administration–Marketing
Jesse Eggerton ’12
Business Administration–Finance
Teague Emery ’13
Business Administration–
Entrepreneurship and Finance
Jonathan Fellin ’12
Economics
Michelle Kraske ’13
Business Administration–Marketing
Yohannes Mengsteab ’13
Business Administration–Finance
Economics–Financial Economics
Taylor Morrow ’13
Accounting
Brett Moyer ’13
Business Administration–Finance and Marketing
Caelan Perez ’15
Economics
Katelyn Reese ’12
Accounting

SUMMER2012
Annual Review of the Sigmund Weis School of Business at Susquehanna University
Dean of the Sigmund Weis
School of Business
Alicia J. Jackson
Chief Communications
Officer
Angela Burrows
Editor
Victoria Kidd
Assistant Director,
Advancement Communications
Contributing Writers
Bruce E. Beans
Megan McDermott ’14
Dalton Swett ’13
Graphic Design
Amanda Lenig ’07
Creative Services Manager
Steve Semanchik ’08
Graphic Designer
Copy Editors
Kathleen Larson Florio
Betsy K. Robertson
Interim Director, Publications
and Media Relations
Sigmund Weis
School of Business
Susquehanna University
514 University Ave.
Selinsgrove, PA 17870
570.372.4455
www.susqu.edu/business
2
8
10
12
14
top story
Placing the World at Students’ Fingertips
high flyers
Former H&R Block CEO Encourages Openness and Versatility
Coursework + Campus Involvement = Career Success
faculty spotlight
Tracy Rishel: New Professor Plays Ball With Betting Research
campus news
Young Entrepreneurs Thrive at Susquehanna
Susquehanna SIFE Continues Reign
New Club Supports Students’ Entrepreneurial Spirit
Students, Alumnus Inducted Into Honor Society
faculty spotlight
Amresh Kumar: Marketing Self and Service in the Age of Social Media
On the cover
Associate Professor of Finance Pat Polwitoon, a native of Bangkok,
is one of the international faculty members bringing global
perspectives to the classroom. He and Barbara McElroy, associate
professor of accounting and chair of the Department of Accounting
and Information Systems, have developed a forthcoming GO Short
program to Thailand. See article, p. 2.
SUMMER 2012 1

I N T E R N A T I O N A L
B U S I N E S S
Placing the World
at
Students’ Fingertips
By Bruce E. Beans
I N T E R N AT I O N A L
B U S I N E S S
M A R K E T I N G
QUANTITATIVE
METHODS
FOR
BUSINESS
FINANCIAL
ACCOUNTING
LONDON
AUS
OPERATIONS
MANAGEMENT
COSTA RICA
NOLA
PARIS
G L O B A L
MANAGEMENT
DUBLIN
ROMA
TOPICS IN
FINAN CE
MARKETING

top story
After just one semester on campus, Kristin Dumbeck decided it was time to take advantage of
Susquehanna University’s student exchange program with the University of Macau near Hong Kong.
Living with a mainland Chinese student, the Pittsburgh resident played the flute in the university’s
symphonic orchestra, tutored a fifth-grade South Korean girl in English, and bought groceries on the
mainland. Traveling into the interior with a Chinese friend, she kayaked down a river past grazing
yaks and stayed in a village where many homes had no electricity.
“I felt like I was on a different planet,” says the now-rising senior who is studying economics,
finance and global management. “From the way I looked to the jeans I wore, how I ate and how
I talked, I was different. On the mainland, people would just stare at me.”
But unlike some other Western students she encountered, who assumed the Chinese were
too shy or not fun-loving, Dumbeck took the time to understand her Chinese classmates’
traditions. “Once you accepted them within the context of their culture, you could begin
to get to know them as individuals,” Dumbeck says.
Dumbeck also spent last fall living with a French-speaking family while attending the Université
Libre de Bruxelles in Brussels, Belgium. As a result of studying in both Europe and China, she says,
“I feel like my frame of reference is totally different and really broadened.” For example, now when her
classmates offer U.S. business examples, she’s thinking of Macau versus Hong Kong. “From
management styles to world affairs,” says Dumbeck, who hopes to work on Wall Street,
“I don’t just think in the context of the United States anymore.”
The GO program now makes you think more about
where you want to go rather than if you want to go.
—Katarina Keller, Associate Professor of Economics
The Sigmund Weis School of Business is encouraging its students to follow
Dumbeck’s example by thinking globally—and going global—more than ever
before. That emphasis is the result of both the school’s current strategic plan and
a university-wide curriculum mandate that, beginning with the Class of 2013,
requires every student to have completed and reflected upon at least one significant
cross-cultural experience before graduation.
“In the words of New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, the world
is becoming flat,” explains Alicia J. Jackson, dean of the Sigmund Weis
School of Business. “Our students are going to be engaging with individuals
SUMMER 2012 3

SIGMUND WEIS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS STUDY ABROAD Locations
Figures indicate the number of students who participated in the study-away program in each location.
ENGLAND – 55
- London : GO Long
GO Short
SU CASA – 1
- Costa Rica : GO Short
- Nicaragua : GO Short
CANADA – 1
- GO Your Own Way
ITALY – 14
- Rome : GO Long
- Perugia : GO Long
- GO Your Own Way
- GO Short
IRELAND – 2
- Dublin : GO Long
- GO Short
SCOTLAND – 1
- Stirling : GO Long
AUSTRALIA – 2
- Cairns : GO Long
- Townsville : GO Long
NEW ZEALAND – 3
- Otago : GO Long
- GO Short
FRANCE – 1
- Paris : GO Long
HRT – 3
- New Orleans : GO Short
BELGIUM – 1
- Brussels : GO Long
The Stein fellows from summer 2011 were: Kelli Nebiker – Czech Republic : : Matt Quadrini – Czech Republic
Peter Jones – Spain : : Rachel DiMattia – Italy : : Katelyn Reese – Ireland : : Michael Kelso – Australia
from multiple cultures throughout their business
lives. They will either be traveling and working
internationally or dealing in the United States
with internationals from all over the world—
either because they live here or have come here
to conduct business.
“For our students to grow as both individuals and
future business leaders, it is important for them to
become more culturally sensitive.”
Factors helping to create such an environment include
International faculty: As a result of active recruitment
efforts, 43 percent of the business school’s full-time
faculty is foreign-born.
GO (Global Opportunities) Long: More than 50
semester-long opportunities, including the business
school’s London Program, are available.
GO Short: A rotating lineup of 18 two- to threeweek
programs, held over winter and summer
breaks, offers students cross-cultural experiences
on six continents.
Mandatory freshman Global Business Perspectives course:
The course thrusts students into the global
business world by dividing them into competitive
teams that conduct business case studies of a
publicly traded company.
Foreign-exchange students: This past spring, three
of Susquehanna’s foreign-exchange students took
business classes, bringing both Chinese and Russian
perspectives to the classroom.
Since launching the London Program in 1995 (the
largest and longest-running Susquehanna-sponsored
study-abroad program), the business school has been

Katarina Keller, associate professor of economics and
a native of Sweden who has also studied in Germany,
Russia and France, says students returning from studyaway
experiences often demonstrate more interest in
world affairs than they did prior to their trips.
an institutional leader in exposing its students to the
broader world. About 20–25 juniors each semester
combine extensive study of the European economy
and culture with sponsored and self-initiated trips
throughout the continent.
The newer GO Short programs have opened up
another world of possibilities. Taught by Susquehanna
faculty and staff, GO Short includes a preparatory
class, an intense two- to three-week cross-cultural
experience and a two-credit reflective seminar the
following semester. Business school professors have
led GO Short programs to Peru, Great Britain and
northern Italy. They also are planning programs
in Thailand and Botswana. This June, Professor of
Accounting Rick Davis will co-direct British Law
and Culture, a GO Short program he developed and
led to London for the first time last year.
“It opens students’ eyes to the realization that
the rest of this planet is not just like Selinsgrove or
Pennsylvania or even the United States,” says Davis.
“Just because in our culture we do things a particular
way does not mean it is necessarily the only way or
even the right way”—a sensibility that, he notes, in
the business world can make the difference between
coming home empty-handed or with millions of
dollars’ worth of business.
For athletes such as basketball player Scott
Marcinek ’13, the son of Susquehanna basketball
coach Frank Marcinek, the GO Short format of
Davis’ program was ideal. It allowed him to have
a study-away experience while continuing his
commitment to the basketball team.
Short programs also work for students either
unsure about or unable to make a semester-long
commitment. “Even though it was just a short time,
being thrown into the everyday life of London has
changed me,” says Michael Svrcek, now a rising senior
finance major from Pottsville, Pa. “Now I want to
travel more and I’m open to many more job options.”
Or consider Morgan Klinger, a rising junior from
rural Elizabethville, Pa. She had never used public
transportation before boarding a London tube train.
“It was definitely culture shock, but once I got used to
it, I fell in love with the city,” says Klinger, who is now
returning for the full-semester London Program.
Students also benefit from the extensive
international experience of faculty members—
both those who are foreign-born or educated and
American-born professors active overseas. For
example, Canadian-born Paul S. Dion, associate
professor of management, co-developed a doctorate
program in management studies for the University
of the West Indies in St. Augustine, Trinidad. He
also recruited Barbara McElroy, associate professor
of accounting and chair of the Department of
The first group of students to experience British Law
and Culture, a GO Short program developed by Professor
of Accounting Rick Davis
SUMMER 2012 5

Professor of Accounting
Rick Davis (right) and
Tom Rambo, assistant
vice president for
student life and director
of public safety,
co-directed the first
British Law and Culture
program last year.
Accounting and Information Systems, to teach the
doctoral candidates a qualitative research seminar.
She has since developed a forthcoming GO
Short program in Thailand with Bangkok native
Pat Polwitoon, associate professor of finance.
“What I’m noticing more now among a lot of
Susquehanna students is a willingness and an
excitement, rather than a reluctance, to explore
other cultures,” McElroy says.
Incorporating student service and business issues,
the Thailand program will focus on sustainability
questions by having students follow a watershed
from its mountain headwaters—a now-thriving
agricultural area once wracked by poppy and
cocaine production—to a coastal resort. Says
Polwitoon, who began his career with an
investment bank in Bangkok: “I hope our students
come to realize that you can be happy without so
much material goods.”
Meanwhile, Zui Chih Lee, assistant professor
of marketing and a native of Taiwan, first came
to America to sell Taiwan-made lighters to
Wal-Mart. “I help our students bridge their
perceptions from western to eastern business
cultures,” he says. For example, he offers students
It opens students’ eyes to the
realization that the rest of this planet
is not just like Selinsgrove or Pennsylvania
or even the United States.
—RICK DAVis, Professor of Accounting
Mengsteab Tesfayohannes-Beraki, associate professor
of management, brings more than 20 years of
international work experience to the classroom. He
has been a professor, researcher, and business and
economic development consultant at academic
insights into how Costco successfully downsized
its buildings to better meet the tastes of Taiwanese
consumers. Yet another unique perspective is
provided by Katarina Keller, associate professor
of economics, a native of Sweden who has also
studied in Germany, Russia and France.
“You can see a big difference between those
who have gone abroad and those who haven’t,”
says Keller, who teaches an international political
economy class. “They relate in a different way to
what’s going on internationally, and they’re more
interested in world affairs—both in where they’ve
been and in parts of the world they haven’t visited.
They contribute such intelligent comments about
world events, and their anecdotes are often more
memorable than just reading a textbook.”
Their experiences also inspire other students
to go abroad. “The GO program,” she adds, “now
makes you think more about where you want to
go rather than if you want to go.”
Two years ago, Bobby Ries, then a rising
sophomore, accompanied Associate Professor
of Management David T. Bussard and Alicia
Jackson on a GO Short program to Peru, where
they built and installed clean-burning brick
cooking stoves and chimneys in one-room huts
high in the Andes. Working as a team, Ries and

institutions, and governmental and
private organizations in countries
including the United States, Canada,
South Africa, Botswana, Germany,
Austria, Eritrea and Ethiopia.
his partner, Chris Zimmerman ’13, installed more than 20 stoves
to rid homes of smoke—a common breathing hazard for the people
of this region.
“Installing stoves involves planning, organizing, directing,
division of labor, inventories and preparation of materials,” says
Bussard, director of the business school’s international programs.
“So, although we didn’t teach it that way, a lot of business functions
were involved. And Bobby exhibited outstanding leadership skills in
working with and speaking with the people.”
“At first it’s nerve-wracking because they don’t know any English and
you’re in a different country,” says Ries, a finance and Spanish major
who lived with a Peruvian family during the trip. “But after a while you
begin to develop a relationship with them; you become comfortable
speaking, and that’s when your conversational skills pick up.”
The Cherry Hill, N.J., resident improved his Spanish even more last
fall living with a Spanish family while he bravely took accounting
and bank and stock market management courses—in Spanish—at the
Universidad de Alicante on Spain’s Costa Blanca.
Now, he says, “In my business classes at Susquehanna we’re
pointing fingers across the ocean saying Europe’s the cause of the
economic crisis. But in my classes in Spain the professors were
pointing at me and saying my country is the source of the problem.
“That different perspective is valuable,” says Ries, who hopes to
become an analyst focusing on Latin America for a capital firm.
“I really think I grew up a lot over there,” adds the rising senior.
“You just get a broader understanding of how the world works when
you’re forced out of your comfort zone, and you also really get to find
out more about yourself.”
Bruce E. Beans is a freelance writer from Warrington, Pa.
(Above) Alicia J. Jackson, dean of
the business school, teams up with a
student for painting duty during this
year's SU CASA, Susquehanna's longrunning
service-learning trip to Costa
Rica and Nicaragua.
International FACulty at a Glance
The following professors in the Sigmund
Weis School of Business were born abroad:
DEPARTMENT of management
Ali Haji-Mohamad Zadeh, Ph.D.
professor of finance and department chair
Iran
Paul S. Dion, Ph.D.
associate professor of management
Canada
Pat Polwitoon, Ph.D.
associate professor of finance
Thailand
Mengsteab Tesfayohannes-Beraki, Ph.D.
associate professor of management
Eritrea
Amresh Kumar, Ph.D.
assistant professor of marketing
India
Zui Chih Lee, Ph.D.
assistant professor of marketing
Taiwan
department of economics
Olu Onafowora, Ph.D.
professor of economics and
department chair
Nigeria
Katarina R. Keller, Ph.D.
associate professor of economics
Sweden
Antonin Rusek, Ph.D.
associate professor of economics
Czech Republic
SUMMER 2012 7

high flyers
Former H&R Block CEO Encourages Openness and Versatility
By Megan Mc DermoTT ’14
When Alan Bennett ’72 says, “Don’t predestine your future. Be open to experiences,” students are inclined
to listen. He followed his own advice and has tremendous success to show for it, including runs as interim
CEO of H&R Block from 2007 to 2008 and president and CEO from 2010 to 2011.
Bennett says preparation for those leadership roles “came from a balance of experiences” in finance,
marketing and sales, as well as experience running a small business early in his career.
As an accounting major, Bennett aspired for a career in finance culminating in a CFO position. He
took an accounting position with Ernst & Whinney after graduation, but he soon deviated from the
typical accountant’s trajectory. In addition to finance positions with the insurance giant Aetna, Bennett
accumulated experience in running a small business and was head of sales and marketing for Pirelli
Armstrong Tire Corp. for 10 years.
During Bennett’s time on campus as Sigmund Weis lecturer and executive-in-residence, students benefited
from that varied experience through his lecture, A View From the Boardroom, and classroom visits.
Bennett’s lecture conveyed the importance of vision and strategic decision making. “Everything
stems from having a vision of what the company might be or could be in the future,” he said. “That
directs all other activities.”
In the classroom, Bennett delivered presentations. For a Legal Environment and Management course,
he emphasized the board’s ethical responsibilities and role in fostering a company’s reputation. “The most
important thing is having the right tone at the top of the company,” Bennett says. Top executives should
be, “living in the culture they want the company to emulate.”
He also fielded questions on excelling in the job market. “Companies are looking for differentiation,
and the more you can do to separate yourself in positive ways, the better chance you have at achieving
earlier success or more success,” Bennett says.
He advised students to aggressively pursue experiences. “Effort counts. I think if you make 10 sales
calls, you make one sale. If you make 20, you’ll sell two,” says Bennett, who applies that principle to career
management. “Always be thinking about how you can make [your area] more efficient. How do you add
value to the process in that area?”
Bennett described the business students he interacted with as “smart, inquisitive and purposeful,” just
as his classmates were during his time at Susquehanna.
As a student, Bennett snagged an internship with a top accounting firm. He praises Susquehanna for
delivering internship opportunities many other schools couldn’t. His education also helped him take
advantage of opportunities that came during and after his time as a student.
“My Susquehanna education opened my eyes to be open to learning,” Bennett explains. “When I got in
the real work force, I did learn.”
As an alumnus, he supports the school as a member of the Susquehanna University Board of Trustees.
He believes that alumni involvement sends an important message to students: “The education that
Susquehanna provides is at par or beyond other schools, and you can compete for prestigious jobs in any
marketplace.” Bennett reminds students, “This is an education that should be valued.”

Coursework + CAMPUS Involvement = cAreer Success
By Megan Mc DermoTT ’14
Anne Penman ’02 Eddinger, who works as associate
brand manager of Women’s Systems at Energizer
Personal Care in Shelton, Conn., holds a master’s
degree in business administration from the University
of Virginia and previously worked at Prudential, where
she held such titles as chief of staff for annuity sales and
senior analyst for annuity compliance. This impressive
string of accomplishments stretches back to her time
at Susquehanna, where she accumulated foundational
experiences in business and leadership both inside and
outside the classroom.
Involvement in Sigma Kappa made “a big impact on my own
personal growth and development,” Eddinger says. “As vice
president of the sorority, I learned a lot about the challenges of
leading a group and balancing work and friendship.” Working
as finance manager at Charlie’s Coffeehouse during her junior
and senior years allowed her to apply classroom knowledge to
running a small business, and a semester abroad with the business
school’s London Program broadened her perspective even more.
Meanwhile, business courses were contributing business fundamentals
and a solid foundation in problem solving and analytical skills. Eddinger
says, “Through my coursework and the London Program, along with my
liberal arts education, I felt confident entering the workforce that I had the
skills … to be successful in whatever I did next.”
Her career success shows her confidence was well-placed. In Eddinger’s
world of consumer-products brand management, “no day is ever quite the
same,” but she consistently uses her skills in leadership, collaboration and
project management to strengthen the Women’s Systems brand. Day-today
work might include coordinating with internal partners and external
agencies, managing the team’s budget, consumer sampling and social
media strategy, among other responsibilities.
She has just as much on her plate outside the office. Eddinger and her
husband, Luke Eddinger ’00, have a 2-year-old daughter, Evelyn, and
are expecting another child in August. The couple was paired together for
a business mentorship program after Luke graduated, and they worked
together at Prudential before they began dating.
“Balancing career and a family life is definitely a juggling act, as both
need lots of love and attention,” Eddinger says. “Finding an organization whose
culture supports the work-family balance has been key to my own happiness.”
Despite her full schedule, Eddinger supports the business school in its
mission and advises the dean as a member of the Sigmund Weis School
of Business Advisory Council. She says she does so in appreciation of the
experiences she had there—experiences that were clearly fulfilling both
personally and professionally.
Anne Penman ’02 Eddinger and husband Luke ’00
Vice President—Sigma Kappa
Finance Manager—
Charlie's Coffeehouse
lOndon Program
Business Coursework
Liberal Arts Education
MASter’s degree in
business administration—
University of Virginia
chief of staff for
annuity sales—Prudential
senior analyst for annuity
compliance—Prudential
associate brand manager—
Women’s Systems at Energizer
Personal Care
SWSB Advisory Council
WIFE—to Luke Eddinger ’00
Mother—of Evelyn (2) and
expecting in August
college postgraduate current
SUMMER 2012 9

faculty
spotlight

New Professor Plays Ball
with Betting Research
By Dalton Swett ’13
New Associate Professor of Management Tracy Rishel confesses to being a bit of
a sports fanatic, and surely that’s influenced her decision to undertake research
on betting with C. Barry Pfitzner and Steven Lang, economics professors at
Randolph-Macon College. The trio conducted a study questioning the over/under
betting line that people use when laying down their cash on sporting events.
“The sports betting literature is replete with naïve betting rules,” says Rishel.
“Bet the ‘home’ underdog; bet the team that has failed to cover the spread the last
two times; stuff like that.” Rishel and her colleagues wanted to find a method that
focused on how the teams match up against each other through computational
predictions rather than personal feelings.
Betting lines are set by a bookmaker who determines a possible score for a
game. People may then bet whether the game will have fewer points or more
points scored based on what the bookmaker puts up. This system is problematic
because bookmakers are influenced by the previous week’s scores.
Rishel analyzed the results of more than 190 NFL games leading up to the
2010–11 season. Incorporating several variables including turnovers and total
yards, Rishel found that recent information played little part in the scoring of
games. Instead Rishel points to defensive versus offensive statistics and offensive
yards gained as key factors in determining outcomes of games. Rishel advises
ignoring the previous week’s scores, saying, “If Team A scores lots of points in last
week’s game, they are equally likely to score as many or fewer in this week’s game.
The line, however, seems to reflect the assumption that teams are streaky.”
The difficulties found in collecting, organizing and formatting data for such
research is covered in Rishel’s classes. She informs her students of the difficulties
in research and what they should take into consideration when researching their
projects. She also talks about presenting the information in an understandable
way for the intended audience.
Rishel’s research, titled The Determinants of Scoring in 2010 NFL Games and
the Over/Under Line, was featured by Reuters news agency and Men’s Health
magazine. It doesn’t make the scores of games predictable, but it makes bettors
feel more confident in their bets. As Rishel says, “The outcomes and points
scored are not easily predicted, which is why they play the games.”
TrACY Rishel
Associate Professor of Management
It doesn’t
make the
scores of games
predictable,
but it makes
bettors feel
more confident
in their bets.
The outcomes
and points
scored are
not easily
predicted,
which is
why they play
the games.
SUMMER 2012 11

campus news
Lauren Elsasser ’13
Josh Rogers ’12
Web Extra
Check out Let’s Make
Whoopie’s Facebook
page (facebook.com/
letsmakewhoopie).
More information is
also available on Lauren
Elsasser’s website
for her preexisting
cupcake business,
The Miss Cupcake
(themisscupcake.com).
Young Entrepreneurs Thrive at Susquehanna
By Megan Mc DermoTT ’14
Students emerge from New Venture Start-up and Financing, a course taught by Associate Professor of
Management Mengsteab Tesfayohannes, with sharpened entrepreneurial skills. Some also leave with
blossoming businesses.
The class, which is required for an entrepreneurship emphasis, teaches students about the challenges and
opportunities in starting up business ventures. Students gain hands-on experience with creating business
plans and securing finances as they start up a “mini-venture,” fueled by $100 in initial capital.
Lauren Elsasser ’13 and Josh Rogers ’12 have every intention of continuing their venture. The business
administration–entrepreneurship majors are partners in a whoopie pie business called Let’s Make Whoopie.
Though they only had to design a “mini-venture” for class, Elsasser says, “We wanted to take the opportunity
to start something big.”
Let’s Make Whoopie sells gourmet whoopie pies and offers customized whoopie pie bars for special
events. The company also sells apparel, including aprons, sweatshirts, underwear and t-shirts, which will
soon be available online.
The pair took the top $5,000 prize in the Greater Susquehanna Keystone Innovation Zone’s 2012
Venture Plan Competition this spring. They competed against teams from Susquehanna, Bloomsburg
University, Bucknell University and Luzerne County Community College. “Now we have seed money
to launch our business into success,” says Elsasser. They plan to base Let’s Make Whoopie in Lewisburg,
Pa., and expand into Harrisburg, New York City and Washington, D.C.
Other students from Tesfayohannes’ class have also received recognition for their strong entrepreneurial
skills. In March, four New Venture Start-up students, Elsasser, Brittany Trinidad ’12, Russian exchange
student Kirill Tumanov and Emmanuel Tapia ’12, represented Susquehanna at the Southeast
Entrepreneurship Conference at the University of Tampa. The conference featured an elevator pitch
competition in which students have the amount of time it takes to ride an elevator to present their business
idea to a panel of judges composed of venture capitalists, entrepreneurs and other business professionals.
Tapia became a finalist, ranking in the top six out of 65 other students from around the country.
He pitched Simply Unique Inc., a five-week, after-school program designed to foster entrepreneurship
skills in children.
“I’ve never done an elevator pitch before so I didn’t know what to expect,” Tapia said. “It was
a pleasure and a unique learning experience.”
Tesfayohannes says that learning how to present effective elevator pitches is important because it gives
students a chance to “introduce their business opportunity to a wider audience” and attract supporters and
partners. With its experiential approach, New Venture Start-up and Financing cultivates the skills students
need to begin developing their own businesses.
Susquehanna SIFE Continues Reign
The Susquehanna University Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team was named a league champion for
the ninth consecutive year at the Baltimore SIFE USA Regional Competition. The event was one of 11 such
competitions held across the country in March and April.
SIFE members use business concepts to develop community outreach projects that improve the
quality of life and standard of living for people in need. Regional competitions identify which teams
had the greatest impact on their communities. Participating teams distribute an annual report and make

a live presentation to a group of executives serving as judges. Susquehanna’s student presenters at this year’s
event included seniors Robin Carey, of Sherman, Conn.; William Davis, of Hilliard, Ohio; Jose D’Oleo, of
New York City; Andrew Torok, of Voorhees, N.J.; and juniors Brett Moyer, of Watsontown, Pa., and Kees
Van Haasteren, of Raymond, Maine. Senior Sarah Andrews, of Perkasie, Pa., developed the 24-minute
video that accompanied the presentation. In addition to participating in this year’s competition, the students
had the opportunity to interview for jobs and internships at the event’s career fair.
Although Susquehanna’s SIFE team is sponsored by the Sigmund Weis School of Business, members
represent 12 different majors at the university. Susquehanna’s SIFE is one of nearly 600 programs in the
United States. During the 2011–12 academic year, the Susquehanna team spent more than 2,000 hours
designing and implementing 21 projects that have directly affected more than 23,000 people in the
community. Projects included providing personal success materials to inmates at an area correctional
institution, assisting the local community and its businesses, and helping the founder of a local animalassisted
therapy organization.
New Club Supports Students’ Entrepreneurial Spirit
Since fall 2011, the Entrepreneurship Club has
been bringing a new kind of collaborative work
to campus. Co-founded by rising seniors Lauren
Elsasser and Ryan Kennedy, the club aims to
encourage various majors to come together and
foster entrepreneurial growth.
“We want people who have an idea to come
to us so that we can collaborate together with
them,” Elsasser says. “Maybe they don’t have the
skills necessary to accomplish what they want, or
maybe they just need a little encouragement and
support.” Whatever the case may be, Elsasser says,
students now have a home in which to realize
their entrepreneurial dreams.
Inspired by an entrepreneurial conference
attended by members in Tampa, the club plans to
host its own entrepreneurial conference next spring.
The conference will give club members the chance
to share their ideas with like-minded individuals.
The Entrepreneurship Club is also working on
an affiliation with the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’
Organization (CEO), an entrepreneurship network
with chapters on more than 240 university campuses
across North America.
Students, Alumnus Inducted Into Honor Society
Susquehanna University’s Sigmund Weis School of Business celebrated its 19th
Annual Beta Gamma Sigma Induction Ceremony on March 25 at the Susquehanna
Valley Country Club. Beta Gamma Sigma is the international honor society of
collegiate schools of business and management. Membership in the society is
the highest recognition a student can receive in a program accredited by AACSB
International—The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
To be eligible for membership, a student must rank in the top 7 percent of
the junior class or the top 10 percent of the senior class, and be committed to
the principles and values of the society—honor and integrity, the pursuit of
John Strangfeld ’75
wisdom, earnestness and lifelong learning. Sixteen Susquehanna juniors were
inducted into the society this year, and 12 of the university’s seniors are current members, initiated in 2011.
John Strangfeld ’75, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial Inc. and chair of Susquehanna’s Board of
Trustees, was inducted as an honorary member during the March 25 ceremony as well. To see a full list of
inductees and current members, go to www.susqu.edu/BGS.
SUMMER 2012 13

faculty
spotlight
Amresh KuMAr
Assistant Professor
of Marketing

Marketing Self and Service
in the Age of Social Media
By Dalton Swett ’13
What makes a person decide to buy a product? How does the way it’s presented
and marketed lead us to buy it? Is it purely flashy packaging that attracts a consumer
to a product; or is it something more?
Assistant Professor of Marketing Amresh Kumar teaches a course, simply called
Marketing, that helps students understand these questions. The class, which is open to
all majors, highlights evolving marketing theories and helps students put into practice
the work that goes into promoting a product or service. “I think marketing is something
one cannot escape,” Kumar asserts. “For example, what do you do in a [job] interview?
You are basically marketing yourself.”
Throughout the semester students discover marketing is more than just buying and
selling products; it is also about creativity and innovation. One of the first lessons students
are taught is the importance of making messages memorable, which is especially crucial
in today’s information age. Students learn that just getting someone to look at a product or
service is difficult in itself, so to-the-point marketing can be very effective. If a consumer’s
interest is piqued, more information can follow with greater detail.
“I feel that now I can successfully pick out which companies have a product
or service of worth, and which ones are just trying to sell junk,” says business
administration major Marcus Cheatham ’13.
Emphasis is also placed on viral marketing, as businesses are increasingly looking to
social media such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter to get their brands noticed. To gain
hands-on experience in this area, students are tasked with working in small groups to
create an original YouTube video and are challenged to market this video to their fellow
classmates, peers and the general public throughout the semester. Using the number of
hits as a benchmark for success, the class tracks each video throughout the course and
discusses what did or did not work well.
In addition to teaching students about marketing in business, Kumar helps them
develop strong presentation skills that are needed in any career. “This class has created
a new meaning of marketing for me. Marketing is now a way of promoting not only
a product, but also yourself,” says communications major Meaghan Lynch ’13. “I
recommend this class to all students because it is the one class that shows that you don’t
just need hard facts to survive in the business world, but also creativity and originality.”
“I feel that now I can
successfully pick out which
companies have a product or
service of worth, and which
ones are just trying to sell junk.”
—Marcus Cheatham ’13
“This class has created a new
meaning of marketing for me.
Marketing is now a way of
promoting not only a product,
but also yourself.”
—Meaghan Lynch ’13
Web Extra
www. susqu.edu/ KUMAR
I think marketing is something one cannot escape.
For example, what do you do in a [job] interview?
You are basically marketing yourself.
—AMresh kumar, Assistant Professor of Marketing
SUMMER 2012 15

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SU ON THE WEB
The New and Improved SU Bridge
Are you looking for other alumni in your city? Would it be helpful to know if
any alumni work at the company where you have a job interview? Or perhaps
you’d find it helpful to learn more about the area to which you’re thinking
about moving your family?
If you have questions like these, Susquehanna has the answer: SU BRIDGE,
the online directory connecting alumni, students and faculty around the world.
Sign up today at www.sualum.com.
pedia
Susque…What?
Susquepedia is where you go to find out what faculty, staff, alumni and students think
and feel about their Susquehanna experience. Topics include:
how students gain
perspective on
international business;
a student organization that
uses business skills to serve
the community;
the story of an IRS tax
attorney turned professor.
Susquepedia is also a great resource for students and parents contemplating
GO (Global Opportunities) programs.
Check it out at www.susqu.edu/susquepedia.