Spring 2011 - The University of Akron

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cAmPUS NewS New Executive Director of Taylor Institute and Suarez Laboratories Kathleen Kennedy brings three decades of business experience to her new role as executive director of the Taylor Institute for Direct Marketing and the Suarez Applied Marketing Research Laboratories at The University of Akron. Her experience and expertise, including strategic planning, brand development Kathleen Kennedy and management, customer experience management, loyalty marketing and marketing research, will serve students in the College of Business Administration well as they prepare for their careers. The Taylor Institute and the Suarez Laboratories, located in the Polsky Building, are unique learning and research environments — not just for undergraduate and graduate students, but for faculty and the business community as well. Gifts from alumni continually benefit students UA alumni Gary L. Taylor, founder and chairman of InfoCision Management Corporation, and his wife Karen established the Taylor Institute in 2004. Its curriculum is focused on the ever-changing world of marketing in such areas as direct marketing management, integrated marketing communications and telemarketing services. UA students benefit from working firsthand with the Taylor Institute’s external client base, and the institute also provides conferences, seminars and certification programs for the direct marketing industry. UA alumnus Benjamin Suarez, CEO of Suarez Corporation Industries, and his wife Nancy established the Suarez Laboratories in 2008. Designed as a one-of-a-kind marketing research, teaching and experiential learning facility, students and faculty today use its resources to develop and translate knowledge into useful intelligence for the business community. At the Suarez Laboratories, for example, students use such state-of-the-art techniques as eye tracking to better understand respondents’ real time feelings, impressions and emotions toward marketing messages and products. The missions of both facilities are what drew Kennedy to UA. “Over the course of my career, some of the things I’ve been most passionate about are developing a better understanding of consumer motivation and behavior, creating direct and interactive communications that build customer relationships and sales, and promoting best practices in direct marketing,” said Kennedy, who earned an MBA at the University of Miami and a B.A. at the University of Delaware. Enhanced marketing and business education “One of my chief goals in leading the Taylor Institute and the Suarez Laboratories is to provide UA students with real-world marketing experiences by building bridges between our students and the professional community,” Kennedy continued. “I am equally committed to providing UA students and faculty with access to the latest integrated marketing techniques, and to information and technology to enhance their marketing and business education.” Prior to joining The University of Akron, Kennedy held senior marketing positions with several major corporations, including Broadway Stores/Federated Department Stores, Office Depot and Hancock Fabrics, and held senior positions at leading direct and interactive agencies, including OgilvyOne, the direct and interactive marketing division of Ogilvy & Mather. Kennedy is also a successful entrepreneur, and has had extensive experience in building public-private partnerships that foster economic growth through entrepreneurship. She served as the founding executive director of the Center for Innovative Entrepreneurship, a nonprofit research and education organization dedicated to understanding the economic value of entrepreneurs and fostering business development through innovation. More collaborative research under way “We’re very pleased to have Kathleen Kennedy heading this initiative, which brings together our students and faculty as well as the Northeast Ohio business community to focus on applying innovative approaches to integrated marketing and advanced market research,” said Ravi Krovi, dean of the College of Business Administration. “She is already leading a major collaborative research effort with faculty to apply and integrate advanced biometric, neurological and neural computing technology in advertising, branding and media testing.” Kennedy’s arrival also is welcomed by Stan Silverman, dean of Summit College. Many of the college’s departments, along with the Taylor Institute and the Suarez Laboratories, are located in the Polsky Building. “One of the University’s most important goals is to continually add value to the educational experiences of all of our students,” noted Silverman. “I believe Kathleen Kennedy’s vast experience in corporate leadership and as an entrepreneur will help us to do just that.” | 20 |
SIdelINeS Men’s Basketball Women’s Basketball Swimming & Diving The University of Akron men’s basketball team, behind Mid-American Conference Tournament MVP Zeke Marshall, defeated rival Kent State 66-65 in overtime on March 12 to claim the MAC Tournament championship and earn the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The MAC Tournament title is the second for the Zips (23-12) in the last three years and third in program history (1986). Marshall broke the school and MAC Tournament record with nine blocks. He contributed nine points and 13 rebounds. He was joined on the all-tournament team by senior forward Brett McKnight, who had 15 points. Senior guard Steve McNees had 14 points. The Zips received the No. 15 seed in the Southwest Region, and faced No. 2 seed Notre Dame on March 18 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Zips fell to the Irish, 69-56. Quincy Diggs led Akron with 11 points. For the second-straight season, University of Akron men’s basketball head coach Keith Dambrot was named one of five finalists for the 2011 Red Auerbach College Coach of the Year Award. The University of Akron women’s No. 8 seeded basketball team (13-15, 6-10 MAC) advanced to the quarterfinals of the FirstEnergy Mid-American Conference Tournament with a 76-65 win over Western Michigan (9-20, 5-11) on March 5 at James A. Rhodes Arena. The Zips then faced No. 1 seed Toledo on March 9 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. Despite a valiant effort by The University of Akron women’s basketball team, Toledo hung on to beat the Zips 73-65 in the Mid-American Conference Tournament quarterfinals. Akron concludes its season with a 14-16 overall record and a 6-10 mark in league play. Senior Kara Murphy scored 14 points in her final game, ending her career as the Zips’ all-time leading scorer with 1,777 total points. Four Zips received Mid-American Conference honors this season. Sophomore Rachel Tecca became just the third player in program history to make the All-MAC First Team. Kara Murphy, Akron’s lone senior, earned Honorable Mention honors. Carly Young was named to the All-Freshman Team, and junior Jasmine Mushington was named Co-Sixth Player of the Year. The University of Akron swimming and diving program completed action at the NCAA Zone Diving Championships in Columbus on March 11 with freshman Carla McNamara taking 18th place in the day’s only event - the 1-meter springboard. McNamara dove a 259.05 in the prelims to qualify for the finals of the event and would go on to finish 18th in her first NCAA Zone meet. McNamara finished 17th in Thursday’s 3-meter springboard event. Rifle The University of Akron rifle team closed out its 2010-11 season over the weekend of February 25, competing in the Western Intercollegiate Rifle Conference (WIRC) and Mid-Atlantic Rifle Conference (MAC) championships. In the WIRC smallbore division, Akron slipped into third place behind Ohio State and second-place Morehead State. In the MAC smallbore and air rifles, the Zips finished the season in second place, behind Navy. A M AgA z in e for A lu M ni & f rie n ds of T h e u ni v e r siT y of A k ron w w w. ua k ron. edu ZeKe MarSHaLL Kara MUrPHy CarLa MCNaMara LUKe NeLSON Photo Courtesy: Justin Casterline Photo Courtesy: Ernie Aranyosi Photo Courtesy: Ernie Aranyosi Photo Courtesy: Scott Horstman | 21 |
Page 1 and 2: Akron A MAgA zine for AluM ni & f r
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Spring 2011 - The University of Akron

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